Disinfection device and disinfection system

Abstract

To disinfect the grip portion of a body support.SOLUTION: A disinfection device is attached to a body support grippable by hand, and disinfects the body support. The disinfection device includes a main body that moves along the body support while in contact with the body support. The main body includes a wiping member that can be impregnated with a disinfectant solution at a site in contact with the body support.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sterilization device and a sterilization system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional handrail that is filled with a deodorant in order to impart deodorizing and air cleaning functions to the handrail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-213959 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In various places in daily life, such as buildings and vehicles, handrails, hand straps, and other body supports that can be held by hand are provided for the purpose of supporting the body or assisting walking. Since such body supports are used by an unspecified number of people, it is preferable to disinfect the gripping part (surface). However, the conventional handrails described above are designed to deodorize and purify the air around the handrail, but are not designed to disinfect the gripping part of the handrail.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and has as its object to disinfect the gripping portion of a body support tool. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a disinfection device according to one aspect of the present invention is attached to a personal support tool that is held by hand and disinfects the personal support tool. The disinfection device includes a main body that moves along the personal support tool while contacting the personal support tool. The main body has a wiping member that can soak a disinfectant into a portion that comes into contact with the personal support tool.

[0007] Furthermore, a disinfection system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a disinfection device that is attached to a support held by hand and automatically disinfects the body support, a sensor that recognizes the surrounding conditions of the disinfection device, and a control device that remotely operates the disinfection device based on the surrounding conditions of the disinfection device recognized by the sensor. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to these aspects of the invention, disinfection of the gripping portion of the body support device can be achieved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a disinfection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the disinfection device as seen from direction A in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the disinfection device taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the disinfection device taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a disinfection system according to an embodiment of the present invention formed in a bus. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the control device to control the operation of each disinfection device attached to a handrail in a bus. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a disinfection device according to a variant of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numbers are used for similar components. In this specification, the term "disinfection" includes not only detoxifying bacteria and viruses, but also reducing bacteria and viruses (sterilization).

[0011] (First embodiment) 1 to 4 are schematic diagrams of a disinfection device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is attached to a body support tool 10 that can be held by hand, such as a handrail or a hanging handrail, and disinfects the gripping part (surface) of the body support tool 10. Specifically, FIG. 1 is a plan view of the disinfection device 1, FIG. 2 is a front view of the disinfection device 1 seen from the direction A in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the disinfection device 1 taken along line III-III in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the disinfection device 1 taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. In addition, in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a rod-shaped handrail with a circular cross section is shown as the body support tool 10.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a disinfection device 1 according to this embodiment includes a device body 2, a drive unit 3 provided inside the device body 2, device drive buttons 4A and 4B, and a light lamp 5.

[0013] The device body 2 is a hollow cylindrical member formed so as to be insertable into the body support device 10. The device body 2 is inserted into the body support device 10 so that its inner peripheral surface comes into contact with the gripping portion of the body support device 10, and is attached to the body support device 10 so that it can be reciprocated along the axial direction of the body support device 10 while its inner peripheral surface comes into contact with the gripping portion of the body support device 10.

[0014] Inside the device body 2, a space (hereinafter referred to as "storage section") 22 is formed for storing the disinfectant refilled from a disinfectant refill hole 21 formed on the outer periphery of the device body 2. A wiping member 6 having excellent liquid absorption and retention properties is attached to the inner periphery of the device body 2 all around in the circumferential direction. The storage section 22 and the wiping member 6 are in communication with each other via a communication hole 23 formed on the inner periphery of the device body 2. This allows the disinfectant stored in the storage section 22 to soak into the wiping member.

[0015] The drive unit 3 is a component for moving the device main body 2 along the axial direction of the body support 10, and includes a motor 31, a drive wheel 32 driven by the motor 31, and two auxiliary wheels 33.

[0016] The motor 31 has a built-in motor driver and battery (not shown), and in this embodiment, when either one of the device drive buttons 4A or 4B is pressed, the motor 31 is driven. At this time, when the device drive button 4A is pressed, the motor 31 is controlled so that the rotation direction of the motor 31 is opposite to that when the device drive button 4B is pressed.

[0017] The drive wheel 32 is attached inside the device body 2 so that when the device body 2 is attached to the body support 10, the drive wheel 32 can come into contact with the surface of the body support 10 and roll along the axial direction of the body support 10 on the surface of the body support 10.

[0018] The auxiliary wheels 33 are rotatably attached inside the device body 2 so as to support the device body 2 at three points together with the drive wheels 32. The auxiliary wheels 33 are a part that may be added as needed, but are not necessarily required.

[0019] By driving the drive wheel 32 with the motor 31, the device body 2 can be moved together with the drive wheel 32 along the axial direction of the body support tool 10. By moving the device body 2 along the axial direction of the body support tool 10, the gripping portion of the body support tool 10 can be wiped clean with the wiping member 6 soaked in the disinfectant.

[0020] The device drive buttons 4A, 4B and the light lamp 5 are provided on the outer periphery of the device body 2. The device drive buttons 4A, 4B are buttons for driving the motor 31, that is, buttons for automatically moving the device body 2 along the axial direction of the body support tool 10. In this embodiment, the light lamp 5 is turned on when the device drive button 4 is pressed and the device body 2 is automatically moving along the axial direction of the body support tool 10, that is, when the disinfection device 1 is wiping the gripping portion of the body support tool 10. The light lamp 5 is also a part that may be added as needed, like the training wheels 33, and is not necessarily a part.

[0021] In this embodiment, the device body 2 is configured so that it can be moved automatically along the axial direction of the body support device 10, but this does not necessarily have to be automatic. For example, it may be configured so as not to have a motor 31, and so that the device body 2 can be moved along the axial direction of the body support device 10 by human power.

[0022] According to the present embodiment described above, the disinfection device 1 that is attached to a body support tool 10 held by hand and disinfects the body support tool 10 includes a device main body 2 (main body portion) that moves along the body support tool 10 while in contact with the body support tool 10. The device main body 2 has a wiping member 6 that can be soaked with a disinfectant at the site of contact with the body support tool 10.

[0023] As a result, by moving the device main body 2 along the axial direction of the body support tool 10, the wiping member 6 soaked in disinfectant can wipe and disinfect the gripping portion of the body support tool 10. In particular, since the device main body 2 according to this embodiment is configured to automatically move along the body support tool 10, wiping and disinfecting the gripping portion of the body support tool 10 can be performed automatically.

[0024] In addition, the device body 2 according to this embodiment has a storage section 22 for storing a disinfectant therein, and also has a communication hole 23 that connects the storage section 22 to the wiping member 6 and allows the disinfectant stored in the storage section 22 to permeate the wiping member 6.

[0025] This eliminates the need to spray a disinfectant onto the holding portion of the body support device 10, and therefore there is no risk of the sprayed disinfectant adhering to the skin or being inhaled. This reduces the impact of the disinfectant on the skin and respiratory system.

[0026] Moreover, the device main body 2 according to this embodiment has a hollow cylindrical shape, and is attached to the body support device 10 by being inserted through the body support device 10 so that its inner peripheral surface comes into contact with the body support device 10.

[0027] This allows the wiping member 6 soaked in disinfectant to be placed on the inner circumferential surface of the device body 2, which is the contact area with the body support device 10, and the wiping member 6 can be covered and hidden by the device body 2. This makes it possible to prevent direct contact with the wiping member 6, and therefore the disinfectant, which can have an effect on the skin.

[0028] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the operation of the disinfection device 1 is controlled according to the situation around the disinfection device 1. The difference will be described below.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a disinfection system 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention formed in a bus.

[0030] The disinfection system 100 according to this embodiment includes a disinfection device 1, a recognition sensor 101 that recognizes the surrounding conditions of each disinfection device 1, and a control device 102 that controls the operation of each disinfection device 1 in a bus. Note that, although Fig. 5 shows an example in which the disinfection device 1 is attached to a hanging handrail as the body support 10, the attachment location of the disinfection device 1 is not limited thereto, and it may be attached to, for example, a handrail in a bus.

[0031] As described above, the recognition sensor 101 is a sensor for recognizing the surrounding situation of the sterilization device 1, and a camera is shown as an example in Fig. 5. The camera as the recognition sensor 101 captures an image of the inside of the bus and transmits the captured image to the control device 102.

[0032] The control device 102 is, for example, a general-purpose computer with a communication function, and controls the operation of each disinfection device 1 attached to a hanger in the bus according to the surrounding situation of the disinfection device 1. In this embodiment, the control device 102 performs image processing on the captured image received from the camera as the recognition sensor 101 to determine whether or not a person is present around each disinfection device 1 attached to the hanger. Then, based on the determination result, the control device 102 controls (remotely controls) the operation of each disinfection device 1 attached to the hanger in the bus. Note that the control device 102 does not necessarily need to be installed inside the bus, and may be installed outside.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the control device 102 to control the operation of each disinfection device 1 attached to a handrail in a bus.

[0034] In step S1, the control device 102 determines whether or not a captured image has been received from the recognition sensor 101 (camera). The recognition sensor 101 (camera) periodically captures images of the inside of the bus and transmits the captured images to the control device 102. If the control device 102 receives a captured image, the control device 102 proceeds to processing in step S2. On the other hand, if the control device 102 has not received a captured image, the control device 102 ends the processing.

[0035] In step S2, the control device 102 performs image processing on the captured image to determine whether or not there is a person around each hanging hand (body support 10) to which the disinfection device 1 is attached. If there are people around all hanging hands, the control device 102 ends this process. On the other hand, if there is a hanging hand around which there is no person, the control device 102 proceeds to the process of step S3.

[0036] In step S3, the control device 102 judges whether or not there is a hanger (hereinafter referred to as a "used hanger") that has been confirmed to have been used by a person when image processing is performed on the photographed images received within a certain period of time (e.g., 15 minutes) among the hangers with no people around. If there is a used hanger among the hangers with no people around, the control device 102 proceeds to the process of step S4. On the other hand, if there is no used hanger among the hangers with no people around, the control device 102 ends the current process.

[0037] In step S4, the control device 102 transmits a drive signal to the disinfection device 1 attached to the used hanging hand among the hanging hands that are not surrounded by people, and drives the disinfection device 1 to disinfect the used hanging hand. In this embodiment, the motor driver of the motor 31 of each disinfection device 1 is configured to be capable of wireless communication with the control device 102, and each disinfection device 1 is automatically driven when it receives a drive signal from the control device 102, so that it can automatically disinfect the body support device 10.

[0038] The disinfection system 100 according to the present embodiment described above includes a disinfection device 1 that is attached to a body support tool 10 held by hand and automatically disinfects the body support tool 10, a recognition sensor 101 that recognizes the situation around the disinfection device 1, and a control device 102 that remotely operates the disinfection device 1 based on the situation around the disinfection device 1 recognized by the recognition sensor 101.

[0039] This allows the disinfection device 1 to be driven at an appropriate timing according to the situation around the disinfection device 1, thereby automatically disinfecting the body support tool 10.

[0040] In particular, in this embodiment, the recognition sensor 101 is configured to detect whether or not a person is present around the body support device 10, and the control device 102 is configured to activate the sterilization device 1 to sterilize the body support device 10 when no person is present around the body support device 10.

[0041] Therefore, it is possible to prevent people around the body support tool 10 from feeling that the disinfection operation by the disinfection device 1 is a nuisance.

[0042] In this embodiment, a camera has been described as an example of the recognition sensor 101, but this is not limiting, and for example, a touch sensor built into the body support tool 10 may be used to recognize the surroundings of the disinfection device 1, i.e., whether or not the body support tool 10 to which the disinfection device 1 is attached is being held by a person. That is, the recognition sensor 101 may be configured to detect whether or not the body support tool 10 is being held by hand, and the control device 102 may be configured to start the disinfection device 1 to disinfect the body support tool 10 when the body support tool 10 is not being held by hand.

[0043] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-mentioned embodiments merely show some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0044] For example, as a modified example of the disinfection device 1 described in the above first embodiment, the wiping member 6 may be configured to be rotatable within the device body 2, as shown in Fig. 7. This allows the part that has once come into contact with the gripping part of the body support tool 10 and become soiled to be rotated and cleaned by immersing it in a disinfectant within the device body 2. This allows the wiping member 6 to be kept cleaner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Disinfection device 2 Device body (main body) 6 Wiping material 10 Body support equipment 22 Storage section 23 Communication hole 100 Disinfection System 101 Recognition sensor (sensor) 102 Control device

Claims

1. 1. A disinfection system for disinfecting a hand-held body support device, comprising: a disinfection device attached to the body support to disinfect the body support; A sensor that recognizes the surroundings of the disinfection device; A control device that remotely controls the sterilization device based on the surrounding situation of the sterilization device recognized by the sensor; Equipped with The disinfection device includes a body portion that moves along the body support while in contact with the body support, The main body has a wiping member capable of soaking a disinfectant in a contact area with the body support tool, and is configured to automatically move along the body support tool. Disinfection system.

2. The sensor detects whether the body support is being grasped by a hand; The control device activates the disinfection device to disinfect the body support tool when the body support tool is not being held by a hand.

10. The disinfection system of claim 1.

3. The sensor detects whether or not a person is present around the body support device; The control device activates the disinfection device to disinfect the body support equipment when no person is present around the body support equipment.

10. The disinfection system of claim 1.

4. The sensor is a camera, The control device activates the disinfection device attached to the body support tool that has been confirmed to have been used by a person within a predetermined period of time in the past based on the captured image of the camera, in the body support tool where no person is present around. The disinfection system of claim 3.

5. The main body has a storage section for storing the disinfectant therein, and has a communication hole for communicating the storage section with the wiping member to allow the disinfectant stored in the storage section to soak into the wiping member. A disinfection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The main body is a hollow cylinder, and is inserted into the body support so that the inner circumferential surface of the main body is in contact with the body support, and is attached to the body support. A disinfection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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