Sterilization device

Abstract

To allow one worker to close a door by one hand without using both hands.SOLUTION: A sterilization device includes: a vessel main body 33 as a pressure vessel or a pressure-resistant sealed vessel, provided with a main body claw portion 38 on a peripheral edge of an opening portion opened to a front face side; a door 32 provided with a door claw portion 36 to be engaged with the main body claw portion 38 on a peripheral edge, vertically movable so that the main body claw portion 38 and the door claw portion 36 can be engaged with and disengaged from each other by being vertically moved to the vessel main body 33, and openable outward to the opening portion 31 of the vessel main body 33 in a state that the main body claw portion 38 and the door claw portion 36 are not engaged with each other; a vertical moving device 50 for vertically moving the door 32; a drive switch 72 for driving the vertical moving device 50; and a handle 66 disposed on a front face side of the door 32 to be gripped by a worker in opening the door 32 outward. The drive switch 72 is disposed on the handle 66.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sterilization apparatus for sterilizing objects to be sterilized. [Background technology]

[0002] In hospitals and the like, it is necessary to sterilize objects that require sterilization, such as medical bandages, scalpels, forceps, surgical gowns, etc. Sterilization of such objects often uses a sterilization device that has a pressure vessel or a pressure-resistant sealed container for containing the objects and uses a sterilizing agent such as saturated steam, ethylene oxide gas, or vaporized hydrogen peroxide.

[0003] The pressure vessel or pressure-resistant sealed vessel constituting the sterilization apparatus is provided with a door for opening and closing the opening of the pressure vessel or pressure-resistant sealed vessel. Patent Document 1 discloses a door structure for a pressure vessel or a pressure-resistant sealed vessel that constitutes a sterilization device. According to the door structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the door of the pressure vessel or pressure-resistant sealed vessel and the main body of the pressure vessel or the main body of the pressure-resistant sealed vessel (hereinafter referred to as the vessel body) are each provided with a plurality of locking claws, and the door is locked by the plurality of locking claws of the vessel body engaging with the plurality of locking claws of the door.

[0004] The multiple locking claws provided on the container body are composed of L-shaped members when viewed from above, and are arranged to protrude forward from both the left and right sides of the front end face of the opening of the container body and to protrude inward from there so as to face each other. In other words, the locking claws provided on the container body are arranged so as to have a gap between them and the front end face of the opening.

[0005] The multiple locking claws on the door are arranged to protrude on both the left and right sides of the door, and are positioned in the gap between the multiple locking claws on the container body and the front end faces of the opening. When the door is closed to increase the pressure inside the container body, the door is moved up and down to a position where a plurality of locking claws provided on the container body and a plurality of locking claws provided on the door are engaged with each other. When the door is to be opened, the door is moved up and down to a position where the multiple locking claws of the door do not lock with the multiple locking claws provided on the container body, thereby enabling the door to be opened and closed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-190357 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Sterilization apparatuses having a structure in which the door moves up and down to engage and release the engagement between the door and the container body when the door is opened or closed have the following problems. When opening the door to store the items to be sterilized in the container body and then removing them from the container body, and then closing the door and lowering the door to engage the locking claws on the door and container body, the worker must operate a drive switch to lower the door while holding it down. A handle for opening and closing the door is provided on the front side of the door, so the worker only needs to hold the handle when holding the door. However, if the drive switch for lowering the door is located away from the handle, the worker must operate the drive switch with a hand other than the hand holding the handle, and the worker must use both hands to close the door.

[0008] In general, the drive switch is often provided on a control panel located on the left or right side of the door when viewing the sterilization apparatus from the front. If the door is configured to open outward from the left side and the control panel is on the left side of the door, the handle is provided on the left side of the door, so the handle and the drive switch are located relatively close to each other, and even when the worker uses both hands to close the door, the worker can grasp the handle with his / her right hand and operate the drive switch with his / her left hand. However, depending on the installation location of the sterilization device, the control panel may be located on the left side of the door, and the handle may be provided on the right side of the door so that the door opens outward from the right side. In this way, if the position where the handle is provided and the position of the control panel are reversed, there is a possibility that even if a worker grasps the handle and stretches his / her hand, he / she will not be able to reach the drive switch.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its object is to provide a sterilization apparatus that allows an operator to close the door with one hand without using both hands. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The sterilization apparatus according to the present invention comprises a container body which is a pressure container or a pressure resistant sealed container and has a body claw portion formed around the periphery of an opening which opens to the front side; a door which has a door claw portion formed around the periphery which engages with the body claw portion and which is movable up and down relative to the container body so as to be able to engage and disengage the body claw portion and the door claw portion by moving up and down relative to the container body, and which is provided so as to be able to open outward relative to the opening of the container body when the body claw portion and the door claw portion are not engaged; a vertical movement device for moving the door up and down; a drive switch for driving the vertical movement device; and a handle provided on the front side of the door for an operator to grip when opening the door outward, the drive switch being provided on the handle. The handle includes a first protruding portion protruding forward from the front surface of the door, a second protruding portion located a predetermined distance below the first protruding portion and protruding forward from the front surface of the door, and a grip portion extending in the up-down direction so as to connect the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion, and the drive switch is provided integrally with the first protruding portion. It is characterized by the following. By adopting this configuration, when an operator attempts to close the door, he or she can operate the drive switch while holding the handle, thereby enabling the door to be closed reliably with one hand. Also, if the drive switch is provided on the door instead of the handle, the handle can be attached to the left or right side of the door later, and can be freely changed. On the other hand, for the drive switch, a door panel for mounting the drive switch on the left side must be prepared if the door is to open outward from the left side, and a door panel for mounting the drive switch on the right side must be prepared if the door is to open outward from the right side. However, by providing the drive switch on the handle as in the configuration of the present application, there is no need to prepare multiple types of door panels, and parts can be standardized. Furthermore, with this configuration, the first protrusion, which is originally configured as a part of the handle, can also serve as a switch housing that configures the drive switch.

[0012] The drive switch may be a push button switch, and the push button may be provided so as to face forward. According to this configuration, when moving the door up or down, the door can be driven simply by pressing a push button from the front side, so that the worker can close the door with a simple operation. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the sterilization apparatus of the present invention, an operator can close the door with one hand, thereby reducing the burden on the operator when closing the door. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a sterilization apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the sterilization apparatus showing the door raised. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the door and the door cover. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the structure inside the door cover. [Diagram 5] 11 is a perspective view showing the structure of the inside of the door cover from diagonally right side. FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a perspective view showing the structure of the inside of the door cover from diagonally left. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system for executing the up and down movement of the door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The sterilization apparatus is shown from the front in Figures 1 and 2. In Figures 1 and 2, the door 32, opening 31, and container body 33 located behind the door cover 34 are shown by dashed lines. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the door cover and the door. Note that Fig. 3 shows only the front side of the sterilization apparatus.

[0017] The sterilization apparatus 30 has a container body 33 which is a pressure container or a pressure-resistant sealed container. The sterilization apparatus 30 of this embodiment is, for example, a steam sterilization apparatus, and the container body 33 can accommodate objects to be sterilized such as scalpels, forceps, etc.

[0018] In the sterilization apparatus described below, the door cover 34 does not move up and down, but the door 32 moves up and down inside the door cover 34. An opening 31 is formed on the front side of the container body 33, and a door 32 is provided for opening and closing the opening 31. A door cover 34 is provided in front of the door 32. The container body 33 has a generally rectangular shape that is slightly elongated in the vertical direction when viewed from the front side, and the opening 31 also has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from the front. Further, the door 32 that closes the opening 31 also has a generally rectangular shape and is large enough to close the opening 31 .

[0019] The door cover 34 is sized to completely hide the door 32 when viewed from the front. Even if the door 32 moves up and down inside the door cover 34, the door cover 34 does not move up and down.

[0020] In this embodiment, the sterilization apparatus 30 is placed on a floor surface G, and the position of the lower end portion of the door cover 34 is configured to have a length that is almost in contact with the floor surface G. Therefore, no gap is generated between the floor surface G and the lower end of the door cover 34. The sterilization apparatus 30 may be placed in a recess that is recessed below the floor surface G. Even in this case, the position of the lower end of the door cover 34 is such that it almost touches the floor surface G, and no gap is created between the floor surface G and the lower end of the door cover 34.

[0021] The door 32 is provided with a plurality of door claws 36 for engaging with the container body 33. In this embodiment, a plurality of door claws 36 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the door 32 along the up-down direction. A plurality of main body claws 38 that engage with the door claws 36 are provided on the left and right peripheral edges of the opening 31 of the container main body 33. Specifically, the multiple main body claws 38 are disposed in positions that protrude forward so as to leave a predetermined gap between them and the periphery of the opening 31. The door claws 36 of the door 32 are disposed between the main body claws 38 and the periphery of the opening 31, and slide within the gap between the main body claws 38 and the periphery of the opening 31 as the door 32 moves up and down.

[0022] In FIG. 1, the door 32 is in a closed state, and the door claw portion 36 of the door 32 is positioned between the main body claw portion 38 and the periphery of the opening 31, so that the door claw portion 36 and the main body claw portion 38 are engaged with each other to prevent the door 32 from opening from the container body 33. 2 shows a state in which the door 32 is raised and the door claw portion 36 is positioned between the main body claw portion 38 and the adjacent main body claw portion 38. In this state, the door claw portion 36 and the main body claw portion 38 are not engaged with each other, so the door 32 can be opened toward the opening portion 31.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the internal structure inside the door cover, and FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show the internal structure of FIG. 3 as viewed obliquely from the right and left. 4 to 6 omit the door cover 34 and show a rectangular frame body 40 including left and right frames 40a, 40b extending in the vertical direction to which the door cover 34 is attached, an upper frame 40c connecting the upper ends of the left and right frames 40a, 40b in the horizontal direction, and a lower frame 40d connecting the lower ends of the left and right frames 40a, 40b in the horizontal direction. However, in Fig. 6, the frame body 40 of the door cover is omitted. The frame body 40 is provided with a plurality of horizontal frames 41 that connect the left and right frames 40a, 40b and support them in the horizontal direction.

[0024] The door 32 is disposed behind the horizontal frame 41, and a hinge 44 is fixed between the right frame 40b and the horizontal frame 41, and the hinge 44 is integral with the frame body 40 (door cover 34). As shown in FIG. 5, the hinge 44 is attached to the container body 33 by a plurality of rotation shafts 46 whose axial direction is in the up-down direction so that the door cover 34 can be opened outward.

[0025] In this embodiment, the rotation shaft 46 of the hinge 44 is attached to the right side of the container body 33, so the door cover 34 is configured to open from the left side. However, the pivot shaft 46 of the hinge 44 may be attached to the left side of the container body 33, and the door cover 34 may be opened from the right side.

[0026] The frame 40 of the door cover 34 is provided with a handle 66 that an operator can grasp when opening the door 32 outward. In this embodiment, the pivot shaft 46 of the hinge 44 is provided on the right side when viewed from the front, and the door 32 is configured to open outward from the left side, so the handle 66 is provided on the left side when viewed from the front. When the door 32 is opened in the opposite direction, the pivot shaft 46 of the hinge 44 is provided on the left side as viewed from the front, and the handle 66 is provided on the right side as viewed from the front.

[0027] The handle 66 is provided with a drive switch 72. The drive switch 72 is a switch that an operator operates to drive the lifting device 50 that moves the door 32 up and down. In this way, by providing the drive switch 72 on the handle 66, when an operator closes the door 32, the operator can operate the drive switch 72 while grasping the handle 66 and holding down the door 32, so that the operator can reliably close the door 32 with one hand.

[0028] The handle 66 is composed of a first protruding portion 67 that protrudes forward from the front surface of the frame body 40, a second protruding portion 68 that is located a predetermined distance below the first protruding portion 67 and protrudes forward from the front surface of the frame body 40, and a grip portion 71 that extends in the up-down direction so as to connect the first protruding portion 67 and the second protruding portion 68. In this embodiment, the second protruding portion 68 and the grip portion 71 are formed by bending the same member, but they may be formed from different members.

[0029] In this embodiment, the switch housing that constitutes the drive switch 72 is directly configured as the first protrusion 67. Therefore, the first protrusion 67, which is originally configured as part of the handle 66, can also serve as a switch housing that configures the drive switch 72, and the drive switch 72 can be disposed at the upper end of the handle 66 (grip portion 71). In addition, the drive switch 72 is a push button type and is arranged so that the push button faces forward, so that when the operator grips the handle 66, the drive switch 72 can be operated with the thumb facing upward.

[0030] In addition, the push button of the drive switch 72 is positioned slightly recessed from the front end face of the first protrusion 67, and is therefore in a position that is not normally touched by people, thereby preventing malfunctions such as an operator accidentally pressing the push button.

[0031] The door 32 is supported so as to be vertically movable relative to the door cover 34. In this embodiment, the door 32 is supported by a hinge 44 fixed to the frame 40 of the door cover 34 so as to be vertically movable, but the door 32 may be supported by any one of the door cover 34, the frame 40, or the horizontal frame 41 so as to be vertically movable. A support rod 48 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the front side of the door 32, and this support rod 48 is supported by the hinge 44 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. The support rods 48 are provided at two locations, the upper and lower, on the front side of the door 32. This makes it possible to prevent the door 32 from swinging back and forth relative to the door cover .

[0032] The up-down movement mechanism 50, which moves the door 32 up and down relative to the door cover 34, has a linear motion device 52 arranged in the horizontal frame 41 so that a rod 53 is driven horizontally, and a crank portion 54 attached to the tip of the rod 53 which is driven horizontally by the linear motion device 52. The crank portion 54 is a member formed in a "L" shape, one end of which is rotatably attached to the tip of the rod 53, and the other end of which is rotatably attached to the hinge 44 (or a part of the frame 40 of the door cover 34). The bent middle part of the crank portion 54 is rotatably attached to the door 32.

[0033] When the rod 53 is extended horizontally by the linear actuator 52, the bent middle portion of the crank portion 54 rotates downward, causing the door 32 to descend. When the rod 53 is compressed horizontally by the linear actuator 42, the bent middle part of the crank part 54 rotates so as to rise, thereby lifting the door 32.

[0034] In this way, by arranging the linear motion device 52 so that the rod 53 can expand and contract horizontally, the door 32 can be moved up and down without any hindrance even in a narrow gap between the door cover 34 of the horizontal frame 41 and the door 32.

[0035] Furthermore, the linear motion device 52 may be any configuration that can project and retract the rod 53, such as an actuator, a combination of a motor and a ball screw, or an air cylinder.

[0036] The door cover 34 is provided with an indicator 60 that indicates the current position of the door 32 in the up-down direction. The indicator 60 has an opening groove 62 that opens in the vertical direction on the front surface of the door cover 34, and a protrusion 64 that protrudes forward from the front surface side of the door 32 and is accommodated in the opening groove 62. It is preferable that the tip of the protrusion 64 is a different color from the front surface side of the door cover 34, for example, a color such as red, so that it is easily visible.

[0037] If the door cover 34 does not move up and down and the door 32 moves up and down inside the door cover 34, the worker will not know where the door 32 is located, so by providing an indicator 60, the worker can grasp the current vertical position of the door 32.

[0038] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a control system related to control of the up and down movement of the door 32. As shown in FIG. The sterilization apparatus 30 is provided with a control unit 70 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus. The control unit 70 is composed of a CPU that operates based on a preset operation program, a memory, and the like.

[0039] In addition, the control unit 70 receives an open / close signal from the drive switch 72, and also receives a signal from a door position sensor 75 which detects whether the door 32 is in a raised position (the engagement between the claw portions 36, 38 of the door 32 and the container body 33 is released) or a lowered position (the engagement between the claw portions 36, 38 of the door 32 and the container body 33 is engaged).

[0040] Prior to the sterilization process, the door 32 is raised inside the door cover 34, and the claw portions 36, 38 of the door 32 and the container body 33 are disengaged from each other, allowing an operator to grasp the handle 66 and freely open the door 32 (including the door cover 34 integrated with the door 32) outward.

[0041] After storing the objects to be sterilized in the container body 33, the operator grasps the handle 66 to close the door 32 (including the door cover 34 integrated with the door 32). Then, the operator operates the drive switch 72. The drive switch 72 operated by an operator outputs an open / close signal to the control unit 70 . When the control unit 70 receives the open / close signal, if the door position sensor 75 detects that the door 32 is in a raised position, it outputs a control signal to the linear motion device 52 of the vertical movement mechanism 50 to lower the door 32. The linear motion device 52, which has received the control signal to lower the door 32, operates in a direction to project the rod 53. The projection of the rod 53 causes the middle part of the crank part 54 to lower, and the door 32 therefore lowers.

[0042] The door 32 descends a preset distance. The control unit 70 stores in advance the operation time of the linear motion device 52 based on the vertical movement distance of the door 32, and controls the linear motion device 52 so that the door 32 descends the preset distance. The door 32 moves up and down by engaging and disengaging the door claws 36 and the main body claws 38, so the door 32 only needs to move up and down a distance that is half the distance between the multiple main body claws 38. In this embodiment, the vertical movement distance of the door 32 is assumed to be about 50 mm.

[0043] Furthermore, when the sterilization process is completed and the sterilized objects to be sterilized are to be removed from the container body 33, the operator operates the drive switch 72 to raise the door 32. The drive switch 72 operated by an operator outputs an open / close signal to the control unit 70 . When the control unit 70 receives the open / close signal, if the door position sensor 75 detects that the door 32 is in a lowered position, it outputs a control signal to the linear motion device 52 of the vertical movement mechanism 50 to lift the door 32. The linear motion device 52, which has received the control signal to lift the door 32, operates in a direction to retract the rod 53. As the rod 53 retracts, the middle part of the crank part 54 rises, and the door 32 rises accordingly.

[0044] In addition, in this embodiment, when the drive switch 72 is pressed once by the worker, an opening / closing signal is output to the control unit 70, and the up and down movement of the door 32 is then carried out under the control of the control unit 70. This reduces the burden on the worker since the worker does not have to keep the drive switch 72 pressed.

[0045] It should be noted that the above-mentioned drive switch 72 is a single switch that controls both opening the door 32 (raising the door 32) and closing the door 32 (lowering the door 32), but a switch for opening the door 32 and a switch for closing the door 32 may be provided separately.

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, the door cover 34 does not move up and down, and the door 32 moves up and down inside the door cover 34. However, the door 32 and the door cover 34 may be structured to move up and down together.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a steam sterilization apparatus using a pressure container has been described as the sterilization apparatus, but the present invention can also be embodied in a sterilization apparatus using a pressure-resistant sealed container and a sterilizing agent such as ethylene oxide gas or vaporized hydrogen peroxide. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 30 Sterilizer 31 Opening 32 Door 33 Container body 34 Door cover 36 Door claw part 38 Main body claw 40 Frame 40a left frame 40b Right frame 40c upper frame 40d bottom frame 41 Horizontal frame 42 Linear motion device 44 Hinge 46 Rotating shaft 48 Support rod 50 Vertical movement mechanism 52 Linear motion device 53 Rod 54 Crank section 60 Indicators 62 Opening groove 64 Protrusion 66 Handle 67 1st protrusion 68 Second protrusion 70 Control section 71 Gripping part 72 Open / close switch 75 Door position sensor G Floor surface

Claims

1. A container body which is a pressure container or a pressure-resistant sealed container, and which has a body claw portion formed on the periphery of an opening which opens to the front side; a door having a door claw portion formed on a periphery thereof for engaging with the main body claw portion, the door being movable up and down relative to the container body so as to be able to engage and disengage the main body claw portion and the door claw portion, and being provided so as to be able to open outward relative to the opening of the container body when the main body claw portion and the door claw portion are not engaged; A vertical movement device for moving the door vertically; A drive switch for driving the vertical movement device; A handle is provided on the front side of the door for an operator to grasp when opening the door outward. The drive switch is provided on the handle, The handle is A first protrusion protruding forward from a front surface of the door; A second protrusion located a predetermined distance below the first protrusion and protruding forward from a front surface of the door; a gripping portion extending in a vertical direction so as to connect the first protrusion and the second protrusion, The sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive switch is integrally provided with the first protrusion.

2. 2. The sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive switch is a push button switch, and the push button is provided so as to face forward.

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