Drug solution bottle unit and endoscope reprocessor

Abstract

The present invention provides a drug solution bottle unit having a structure capable of reducing the amount of force required to press the tray when opening the respective lid members of two drug solution bottles. To this end, a drug solution bottle unit 10 according to the present invention comprises: a first bottle 11 having an interior sealed by a first lid 17; and a second bottle 12 having an interior sealed by a second lid 18. The first lid is provided on a first end face 11a of the first bottle, and the second lid is provided on a first end face 12a of the second bottle. The first lid and the second lid are arranged at positions differing in distance from respective second end faces 11b and 12b of the first bottle and the second bottle. The first bottle has a first region 13 for filling liquid, and the second bottle has a second region 14 for filling liquid. The second region includes a first accommodation portion and a protrusion 12d that communicates with the first accommodation portion to form the second region.

Description

Medicine bottle unit, endoscope reprocessor

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid medicine bottle unit that is applied to an endoscope reprocessor that cleans and disinfects endoscopes and the like after use, and to an endoscope reprocessor that applies this liquid medicine bottle unit.

[0002] Conventionally, endoscopes have been widely used for the examination and treatment of the inside of living bodies. In particular, medical endoscopes are inserted into the body cavities of living bodies and therefore need to be cleaned and disinfected after use in preparation for the next use. For this reason, endoscope reprocessors (hereinafter simply referred to as endoscope reprocessors), which are endoscope cleaning and disinfecting devices for cleaning and disinfecting endoscopes and other instruments after use, have been put into practical use and are widely used.

[0003] In general, chemical solutions such as disinfectants for cleaning and disinfecting endoscopes and the like are supplied to the market in a sealed state in a chemical solution bottle unit, which may be formed by integrating two chemical solution bottles, each containing a different chemical.

[0004] In conventional endoscope reprocessors that use a liquid medicine bottle unit of this type, various configurations for supplying the liquid medicine in the liquid medicine bottle unit to the endoscope reprocessor have been proposed in the past, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 4823537 and Japanese Patent No. 5106557.

[0005] The endoscope reprocessors disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4823537, Japanese Patent Publication No. 5106557, etc., are configured such that, for example, simply by closing the tray on which the liquid medicine bottle units are placed, the lids of the liquid medicine bottle units can be opened and the liquid medicines in the liquid medicine bottle units can be injected into the endoscope reprocessor.

[0006] In this case, the user first places a liquid medicine bottle unit filled with liquid medicine in a predetermined position on a tray pulled out from the front panel of the endoscope reprocessor. The user then pushes the tray into the device to close it. Inside the device, a mechanism for destroying and opening the lids of the liquid medicine bottle units, such as a blade with a pointed tip, is provided. The blade is positioned opposite the lids of the liquid medicine bottle units placed on the tray, and when the tray moves in the closing direction together with the liquid medicine bottle units, the lids of the liquid medicine bottle units come into contact with the blade.

[0007] As a result, the blade breaks the lid and opens the liquid medicine bottle unit. When the liquid medicine bottle is opened, the liquid medicines in the liquid medicine bottle unit are injected into the predetermined flow paths in the endoscope reprocessor.

[0008] However, in the configurations of conventional endoscope reprocessors disclosed in Japanese Patent Nos. 4,823,537 and 5,106,557, etc., a blade inside the device simultaneously opens two lids of a liquid medicine bottle unit placed on a tray, which poses a problem in that a strong pushing force is required to simultaneously open both lids.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid medicine bottle unit and an endoscope reprocessor that have a structure that contributes to reducing the amount of force required to push the tray when opening the lid members of two liquid medicine bottles in the liquid medicine bottle unit.

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a liquid medicine bottle unit comprising a first bottle whose interior is sealed by a first lid, and a second bottle whose interior is sealed by a second lid, wherein the first lid is provided on a first end face of the first bottle, the second lid is provided on a first end face of the second bottle, the first lid and the second lid are positioned at different distances from the second end faces of the first bottle and the second bottle, respectively, the first bottle has a first region for filling with liquid, and the second bottle has a second region for filling with liquid, and the second region has a first storage portion and a convex portion that communicates with the first storage portion to form the second region.

[0011] A second aspect of the present invention provides a liquid medicine bottle unit comprising: a first bottle having a columnar shape with a cavity formed therein for filling with a liquid; and a second bottle having a columnar shape with a cavity formed therein, wherein the first bottle has a first surface for forming the cavity, the first surface having a hole for attaching a first lid of the first bottle, and a second surface for forming the cavity, the second bottle having a first surface for forming the cavity, the second surface having a hole for attaching a first lid of the second bottle, and a second surface for forming the cavity, the second surface having a hole for forming the first lid of the second bottle, and a second surface for forming the cavity, the second surface having a hole for forming the first lid of the second bottle, and The distance between the first surface of the first bottle and the second surface of the first bottle is greater than the distance between the first surface of the second bottle and the second surface of the second bottle, and the convex portion is formed on the first surface of the second bottle at a position different from the hole for attaching the first lid of the second bottle.

[0012] A first aspect of the present invention is an endoscope reprocessor including a tray for storing a liquid medicine bottle unit, the liquid medicine bottle unit including a first bottle whose interior is sealed by a first lid and a second bottle whose interior is sealed by a second lid, the first lid being provided on a first end face of the first bottle, the second lid being provided on a first end face of the second bottle, the first lid and the second lid being positioned at different distances from the second end faces of the first bottle and the second bottle, the first bottle having a first region for filling with liquid, the second bottle having a second region for filling with liquid, the second region having a first storage portion and a convex portion communicating with the first storage portion to form the second region.

[0013] An endoscope reprocessor according to a second aspect of the present invention is an endoscope reprocessor including a tray for accommodating a liquid medicine bottle unit, the liquid medicine bottle unit including a first bottle having a columnar shape and a cavity for filling with a liquid, and a second bottle having a columnar shape and a cavity for filling with a liquid, the first bottle having a surface for forming the cavity, the first surface of the first bottle having a hole for attaching a first lid of the first bottle, and a second surface of the first bottle having a surface for forming the cavity and positioned opposite the first surface of the first bottle, the second bottle having a surface for forming the cavity, the first surface of the second bottle having a hole for attaching a first lid of the second bottle, and a second surface of the second bottle having a surface for forming the cavity and positioned opposite the first surface of the second bottle, The distance between the first surface of the first bottle and the second surface of the first bottle is greater than the distance between the first surface of the second bottle and the second surface of the second bottle, and the convex portion is formed on the first surface of the second bottle at a position different from the hole for attaching the first lid of the second bottle.

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid medicine bottle unit and an endoscope reprocessor that have a structure that contributes to reducing the amount of force required to push the tray when opening the lid members of two liquid medicine bottles in the liquid medicine bottle unit.

[0015] 10 is a perspective view of the appearance of an endoscope reprocessor according to a first embodiment of the present invention; an external perspective view of the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1 in a state where a tray is pulled out; an external perspective view of the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1 with a liquid medicine bottle mounting device removed; a schematic diagram conceptually showing the configuration of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device in the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1 (side view along line [4]-[4] in FIG. 10); an external perspective view of the liquid medicine bottle unit removed from the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1; a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as seen from the direction of arrow [6] in FIG. 5; a side view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as seen from the direction of arrow [7] in FIG. 5; a side view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as seen from the direction of arrow [8] in FIG. 5; a top view illustrating the operation of mounting the liquid medicine bottle unit in the liquid medicine bottle mounting device in the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1, showing the state before the liquid medicine bottle unit is mounted in the liquid medicine bottle mounting device; 10 is a top view showing a state in which the tray of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device has moved (a first position of the liquid medicine bottle unit), after the state of FIG. 10 is a top view showing a state in which the tray of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device has moved (a second position of the liquid medicine bottle unit), a schematic diagram of the state of FIG. 11 (a side view along the line

[12] -

[12] in FIG. 11), a top view showing a state in which the tray of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device has moved (a third position of the liquid medicine bottle unit), after the state of FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the state of FIG. 13 (a side view along the line

[12] -

[12] in FIG. 13). 14]-

[14] ), a schematic diagram of the state of FIG. 13 (side view along line

[15] -

[15] in FIG. 13), a top view showing the state in which the tray of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device has moved after the state of FIG. 13 (fourth position of the liquid medicine bottle unit), a schematic diagram of the state of FIG. 16 (side view along line

[17] -

[17] in FIG. 16), a perspective view conceptually showing a liquid medicine bottle unit of a second embodiment of the present invention, and a schematic view conceptually showing a liquid medicine bottle unit of a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The drawings used in the following description are schematic. Therefore, in these drawings, each component is shown at a size that allows it to be recognized on the drawing. For this reason, the dimensional relationships and scales of each member in the drawings may be shown differently for each component. The present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments with respect to the quantity, shape, size ratio, relative positional relationships, etc. of each component shown in each drawing.

[0017] In the following description, when referring to the up-down direction, the down direction refers to the direction of gravity (vertically downward), and the up direction refers to the direction opposite to the direction of gravity (vertically upward). Furthermore, the left-right direction refers to the horizontal direction, which is perpendicular to the direction of gravity (vertical direction).

[0018] In the following description of the embodiments, an automatic endoscope reprocessor (AER) is used as an example of an endoscope washer-disinfector. However, the embodiments are not limited to those for endoscopes, and can be similarly applied to washer-disinfectors for various other types of medical equipment.

[0019] An endoscope reprocessor is a device that regenerates contaminated endoscopes, their parts, and accessories after use. Here, regeneration refers to various processes, including, for example, rinsing with water or the like, cleaning to remove organic matter and other contaminants, disinfection to neutralize specific microorganisms, and sterilization to eliminate or kill all microorganisms. An endoscope reprocessor may also be implemented in a form that combines the above-mentioned processes.

[0020] In addition, accessories include, for example, components that are attached to the endoscope when the endoscope is in use and that are removed from the endoscope during recycling processing, such as a suction button and an air / water supply button, as well as a tip cover that covers the tip of the endoscope.

[0021] First, the configuration of an endoscope reprocessor according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an endoscope reprocessor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1 in a state in which a tray is pulled out. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1, showing a liquid medicine bottle mounting device removed from the endoscope reprocessor. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view conceptually illustrating the configuration of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device of the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1. Note that FIG. 4 shows a state in which a liquid medicine bottle unit is mounted on the liquid medicine bottle mounting device. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the liquid medicine bottle unit removed from the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as viewed from the direction of arrow [6] in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a side view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as viewed from the direction of arrow [7] in FIG. 5. Note that FIG. 7 mainly shows the side of the second liquid medicine bottle. FIG. 8 is a side view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as viewed from the direction of arrow [8] in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 mainly shows the side surface of the first liquid medicine bottle.

[0022] 1 and 2, the endoscope reprocessor 1 of this embodiment is mainly composed of a device main body 2. The device main body 2 has an operation panel 3, an ID input unit 4, a top cover 5, a water supply hose connection port 6, a liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8, and a liquid medicine bottle unit 10.

[0023] The operation panel 3 displays various information and also various operation buttons. That is, the operation panel 3 is mainly composed of, for example, a touch panel. Here, the various operation buttons displayed on the operation panel 3 function as various instruction input units. As a result, when a user or the like inputs a predetermined instruction through the operation panel 3, an instruction signal corresponding to the content of the instruction is output to a control unit (not shown).

[0024] Furthermore, the operation panel 3 displays various types of abnormality information when an abnormality occurs in the endoscope reprocessor 1. The abnormality information is displayed based on, for example, a signal transmitted from a control unit (not shown), allowing the operation panel 3 to warn the user or the like of the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0025] In this way, in this embodiment, the operation panel 3 also functions as a warning unit. The form of the operation panel 3 is not limited to the form shown in Figures 1 and 2. The operation panel 3 may be formed, for example, by an LED panel and a keyboard that allows key input.

[0026] The ID input unit 4 is a component that inputs a user ID, a scope ID (endoscopic information), etc. The ID input unit 4 is configured, for example, by an RFID reader that can read the user ID from an RFID tag. When the user ID is input, the ID input unit 4 outputs the user ID to a control unit (not shown).

[0027] The ID input unit 4 is not limited to an RFID reader, but may be, for example, a barcode reader that reads barcodes or a keyboard that allows key input.

[0028] The top cover 5 is provided so as to be able to be opened and closed freely on the top surface of the device main body 2. When the top cover 5 is opened, a treatment tank (not shown) is exposed towards the top of the device main body 2. The treatment tank is a cleaning and disinfecting tank that accommodates endoscopes, endoscope parts, accessories, etc. that are to be regenerated, and that stores liquids such as cleaning liquid, disinfectant liquid, and rinse liquid.

[0029] The water supply hose connection port 6 is provided in one corner of the top surface of the device body 2. The water supply hose connection port 6 is connected to a regular water faucet through a water supply hose (not shown).

[0030] 1 and 2, the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 is a device for detachably installing a liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (described later) inside the device main body 2 of the endoscope reprocessor 1. The liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 is disposed inside the device main body 2, extending in the front-to-rear direction of the device main body 2. The liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 also has a bottom surface with a predetermined inclination angle so that the base end side (front panel side) is higher than the tip end side (rear side of the device) (details will be described later).

[0031] A panel 2 b is disposed on the base end surface of the medicine bottle mounting device 8 to open and close an opening 2 a (see FIG. 2 ) provided on the front panel of the device main body 2 .

[0032] Next, the detailed configuration of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 has a bottle case 31 and a tray 32.

[0033] The bottle case 31 has a hollow, generally box-like shape. The bottle case 31 is formed by a bottom plate 31b, a tip plate 31c, a pair of side plates 31d, a ceiling plate 31e, and an opening 31a. The opening 31a is an opening that opens to a hollow region of the generally box-shaped portion of the bottle case 31 enclosed by the bottom plate 31b, the tip plate 31c, the pair of side plates 31d, and the ceiling plate 31e. The opening 31a is formed as an insertion port through which a liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (described later) is inserted into the bottle case 31. The opening 31a opens toward the base end side (the front side of the device) of the device main body 2. The bottle case 31 is fixed inside the device main body 2.

[0034] In this case, the bottom plate 31b of the bottle case 31 of the drug solution bottle mounting device 8 is disposed inside the device body 2 at a predetermined inclination angle so that the base end side (front panel side) is higher than the tip end side (rear side of the device). In the endoscope reprocessor 1 of this embodiment, the bottom plate 31b is set at an inclination angle S1 with respect to the horizontal line H, as shown in FIG.

[0035] As described above, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (described later) is inserted into the bottle case 31 from one end face (reference numerals 11 a and 12 a; see FIG. 5 and the like) through the opening 31 a and placed at a predetermined position within the case. In this way, the bottle case 31 functions as a bottle setting section for setting the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 inside the device main body 2.

[0036] 3, the bottle case 31 has a pair of left and right guide rails 33 at the top of the left and right walls. The pair of guide rails 33 extend in the front-rear direction of the bottle case 31.

[0037] In the endoscope reprocessor 1, the tray 32 is a receiving member for storing the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 in the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 and for moving the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 in a predetermined direction inside the device main body 2.

[0038] The tray 32 has a bottom plate 35, a back plate 36, and a pair of left and right side plates 37. The bottom plate 35 is designed to have a width slightly larger than the width dimension of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10. This allows the tray 32 to be able to place the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 on it. The bottom plate 35 is also designed to have a width slightly smaller than the width dimension of the opening 31a of the bottle case 31. This allows the tray 32 to be inserted into the bottle case 31.

[0039] The rear plate 36 is disposed integrally with the panel 2b. The lower portion of the rear plate 36 is connected to the base end of the bottom plate 35. The rear plate 36 functions as a door that opens and closes the opening 2a of the device main body 2.

[0040] That is, when the tray 32 is inserted and positioned up to the terminal position (tip position) within the bottle case 31, the back plate 36 closes the opening 2a of the device main body 2 together with the panel 2b. At this time, the panel 2b provided on the back plate 36, which is the base end face of the tray 32, is positioned on approximately the same plane as the front panel of the device main body 2. On the other hand, when the tray 32 retreats rearward relative to the bottle case 31, the back plate 36 and the panel 2b open the opening 2a of the device main body 2.

[0041] The pair of side plates 37 have their lower portions connected to both the left and right sides of the bottom plate 35. The base ends of the pair of side plates 37 are connected to the sides of the back plate 36. In this way, the side plates 37 position the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 placed on the tray 32 in the left-right direction.

[0042] The pair of side plates 37 also have a pair of rail portions 37a at their upper tip ends which are slidably connected to the pair of guide rails 33. This allows the tray 32 to slide freely in the direction of advancing and retreating relative to the bottle case 31 (i.e., the direction of insertion and removal).

[0043] 4 and other figures, the bottle case 31 has two cap receiving tubes 43 (only one is shown in FIG. 4 ) near the bottom surface (bottom plate 31 b) of the tip plate 31 c. The two cap receiving tubes 43 are arranged side by side at a predetermined distance in the left-right direction of the bottle case 31. The two cap receiving tubes 43 are tubular and have base-end openings into which caps (15, 16) of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10, which will be described later, can be inserted.

[0044] The two cap receiving pipes 43 also serve as fluid path inlets that guide the liquid in two liquid medicine bottles (first liquid medicine bottle 11 and second liquid medicine bottle 12) of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (described later) to a liquid medicine tank 2x (not shown) provided inside the device main body 2. To this end, the two cap receiving pipes 43 have fluid pipes 45 connected to the liquid medicine tank 2x (not shown) connected to their tips.

[0045] Furthermore, blades 41 for separately breaking the closure members (17, 18; described in detail below) of the two liquid medicine bottles (11, 12) are integrally disposed inside each of the two cap receiving tubes 43. The blades 41 are formed of tubular members made of metal such as stainless steel.

[0046] As will be described later, the blade 41 is configured to have a sharp shape for piercing through and breaking the closure members 17 and 18 (described later) of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 when the caps 15 and 16 of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 are inserted into the respective base-end openings of the two cap receiving tubes 43. For this purpose, the blade 41 is provided on each of the two cap receiving tubes 43.

[0047] In this case, the blade 41 has a first blade 41a and a second blade 41b. Note that because Fig. 4 is a view from the side, the two blades (41a, 41b) cannot be shown. For this reason, the blade is indicated by the reference numeral 41 in Fig. 4. As will be described in detail later, Fig. 9 is a view from above, and therefore the two blades (41a, 41b) are shown.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, etc., the chemical solution bottle unit 10 is a so-called cassette-type bottle unit configured by arranging two types of chemical solution bottles, namely, a first chemical solution bottle 11 which is a first bottle and a second chemical solution bottle 12 which is a second bottle, side by side.

[0049] In the liquid medicine bottle unit 10, a disinfectant (e.g., a liquid containing concentrated peracetic acid, referred to as the "agent") is stored in the first liquid medicine bottle 11. In the liquid medicine bottle unit 10, a buffer is stored in the other second liquid medicine bottle 12.

[0050] Although the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 in this embodiment is shown as being composed of two bottles (11, 12), other configurations are also possible. For example, the liquid medicine bottle unit may be composed of a single liquid medicine bottle, or may be composed of three or more liquid medicine bottles.

[0051] The first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the second liquid medicine bottle 12 are basically formed in approximately the same shape, with some slight differences in shape.

[0052] The first liquid medicine bottle 11 has a container body 13 that serves as the bottle body, and a cap 15. The container body 13 is a substantially box-shaped container that stores a liquid (the agent). That is, the container body 13 is a first region that is filled with the liquid (the agent). The first liquid medicine bottle 11 has the first region that is filled with the liquid.

[0053] Similarly, the second liquid medicine bottle 12 has a container body 14, which serves as the bottle body, and a cap 16. The container body 14 is a substantially box-shaped container in which a liquid (buffer material) is stored. That is, the container body 14 is a second region to be filled with a liquid (buffer material). The second liquid medicine bottle 12 has the second region to be filled with a liquid. Here, the second region (container body 14) has a first storage section and a protrusion 12d (described in detail below) that communicates with the first storage section and forms the second region.

[0054] The container body 13 has a first end face 11a (first surface), a second end face 11b (second surface), and four side faces 11c, and forms a substantially hexahedron as a whole.

[0055] The container body 14 has a first end face 12a (first surface), a second end face 12b (second surface), four side faces 12c, and a protrusion 12d, and forms a substantially hexahedron as a whole.

[0056] In the container body 13, the first end face 11a and the second end face 11b are arranged to face each other and to be substantially parallel to each other. The four side faces 11c are arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the first end face 11a and the second end face 11b. In this case, the four side faces 11c are arranged along the four sides of the first end face 11a and the second end face 11b. As a result, the four side faces 11c are arranged to surround the four sides of the first end face 11a and the second end face 11b.

[0057] In the container body 14, the first end face 12a and the second end face 12b are arranged to face each other and to be substantially parallel to each other. The four side faces 12c are arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the first end face 12a and the second end face 12b. In this case, the four side faces 12c are arranged along the four sides of the first end face 12a and the second end face 12b. As a result, the four side faces 12c are arranged to surround the four sides of the first end face 12a and the second end face 12b.

[0058] A bottle opening (not shown) is formed on the first end surface 11a of the container body 13. The bottle opening is an opening for discharging the liquid (the agent) stored in the container body 13. A substantially cylindrical portion (not shown) is formed on the bottle opening so as to surround the bottle opening. The cap 15 is attached to the substantially cylindrical portion using a connecting and joining means such as a screw connection. The bottle opening is positioned biased toward one side surface 11c1 (see FIG. 8) of the four side surfaces 11c. In this case, the one side surface 11c1 is the surface that contacts the bottom plate 35 of the tray 32 when the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is placed on the tray 32 of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8.

[0059] Similarly, a bottle opening (not shown) is formed in the first end surface 12a of the container body 14. The bottle opening is an opening for discharging the liquid (buffer material) stored in the container body 14. A substantially cylindrical portion (not shown) is formed in the bottle opening so as to surround the bottle opening. The cap 16 is attached to the substantially cylindrical portion using a connecting and joining means such as threading. The bottle opening is positioned biased toward one side surface 12c1 (see FIG. 7) of the four side surfaces 11c. In this case, the one side surface 12c1 is the surface that contacts the bottom plate 35 of the tray 32 when the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is placed on the tray 32 of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8.

[0060] As shown in Figure 6, in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 of this embodiment, the third side surface 11c3 of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the third side surface 12c3 of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 are formed in a form in which they are adjacent to each other and joined together.

[0061] In this state, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is formed so that the second end surface 11b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the second end surface 12b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 are on the same plane.

[0062] Furthermore, a protrusion 12d is formed on the first end surface 12a of the container body 14 at a position biased toward the other side surface 12c2 (see FIG. 7) that faces the one side surface 12c1. The protrusion 12d is an area formed continuously with the interior of the container body 14 and protrudes forward from the first end surface 12a. Therefore, the liquid (buffer material) stored in the container body 14 is also stored inside the protrusion 12d.

[0063] In other words, the protrusion 12d is formed on the first end surface 12a of the second liquid medicine bottle 12, protrudes to a position farther from the second end surface 12b than the position where the closure member 18 (a second lid, described later) is disposed, and forms an internal space together with the first end surface 12a of the second liquid medicine bottle 12, the second end surface 12b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12, and the closure member 18 (second lid). The configuration of the protrusion 12d will be described further below.

[0064] The caps 15 and 16 have the same shape and size, and both are generally cylindrical in shape.

[0065] Cap 15 is disposed on first end surface 11 a of container body 13. Cap 15 also has a closure member 17, which serves as a first lid, inside. That is, closure member 17 (first lid) is provided on first end surface 11 a of first chemical solution bottle 11.

[0066] The cap 16 is disposed on the first end surface 12 a of the container body 14. The cap 16 also has a closure member 18, which serves as a second lid, inside. That is, the closure member 18 (second lid) is provided on the first end surface 12 a of the second chemical solution bottle 12.

[0067] These closing members 17, 18 are lid members formed to close the respective inner holes of the caps 15, 16. Here, the closing members 17, 18 are formed using a material that can ensure high adhesion between them and the inner wall surfaces of the caps 15, 16, such as an elastic body made of resin, rubber, or the like. In this way, by providing the closing members 17, 18 inside the caps 15, 16, the container bodies 13, 14 are provided with a sealed structure that can maintain an airtight and liquidtight state.

[0068] In other words, the inside of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 is sealed by a closing member 17 (first lid), and the inside of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 is sealed by a closing member 18 (second lid).

[0069] As shown in Figure 6, in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 of this embodiment, the first end face 11a of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the first end face 12a of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 are positioned at different distances from the respective second end faces 11b, 12b.

[0070] Specifically, the distance L2 from the first end face 11 a to the second end face 11 b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 is set to be different from the distance L1 from the first end face 12 a to the second end face 12 b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12. In this case, the distance L2 is set to be longer than the distance L1 (L2 > L1).

[0071] With this configuration, the first end surface 11a on which the cap 15 is arranged is set at a position farther from the second end surfaces 11a, 12a than the first end surface 12a on which the cap 16 is arranged.

[0072] Therefore, the closure member 17 (first lid) and the closure member 18 (second lid) are positioned at different distances from the second end faces 11b, 12b of the first medicinal liquid bottle 11 and the second medicinal liquid bottle 12, respectively.

[0073] Specifically, the distance L4 from the second end face 11b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 to the closure member 17 (first lid) in the cap 15 is set to be longer than the distance L3 from the second end face 12b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 to the closure member 18 (second lid) in the cap 16 (L4 > L3).

[0074] In such a configuration, the internal volumes of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the second liquid medicine bottle 12 are usually different. In the configuration example of this embodiment, the internal volume of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 is larger than the internal volume of the second liquid medicine bottle 12.

[0075] Therefore, in this embodiment, the shape of second liquid medicine bottle 12 is devised so that the internal volume of second liquid medicine bottle 12 is approximately the same as that of first liquid medicine bottle 11. That is, first end surface 12a of second liquid medicine bottle 12 is further formed with protrusion 12d that protrudes to a position farther from second end surface 12a than the position where closure member 18 (second lid) is disposed.

[0076] In other words, the distance L6 from the second end face 12b to the tip surface of the convex portion 12d is set to be longer than the distance L5 from the second end face 12b to the blocking member 18 (second lid) (L6 > L5).

[0077] Furthermore, convex portion 12d has a sloped portion 12e (see FIGS. 4, 7, etc.) having a predetermined inclination angle at a predetermined position. As shown in FIG. 4, sloped portion 12e is formed on the surface of the wall on which convex portion 12d is formed, facing other side surface 12c2. Sloped portion 12e is formed, for example, at an inclination angle S2 with respect to other side surface 12c2 of liquid medicine bottle unit 10. The inclination angle S2 of sloped portion 12e is set to be larger than the inclination angle S1 of bottom plate 31b with respect to horizontal line H (S2>S1).

[0078] This is for the following reason: When the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is placed in a predetermined position and in a predetermined state on the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8, it is in the state shown in Figure 4. At this time, the second liquid medicine bottle 12 in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is arranged with the other side surface 12c2 inclined at the same angle as the inclination angle S1 of the bottom plate 31b of the bottle case 31.

[0079] Therefore, in this state, the liquid (buffer material) stored in the protrusion 12d of the second chemical solution bottle 12 tends to flow toward the tip of the protrusion 12d. If the inclination angle S2 of the slope 12e is smaller than the inclination angle S1 of the bottom plate 31b, the liquid (buffer material) in the protrusion 12d will be stored toward the tip of the protrusion 12d and will not flow out toward the cap 16.

[0080] Therefore, in this embodiment, the convex portion 12d is provided with a sloped portion 12e, and the sloped angle S2 of the sloped portion 12e is configured to be larger than the sloped angle S1 of the bottom plate 31b. As a result, when the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is attached to the liquid medicine bottle attachment device 8, the liquid (buffer material) in the convex portion 12d is not accumulated in the area near the tip of the convex portion 12d, and all of the liquid (buffer material) flows out from the cap 16 side to the outside.

[0081] The liquid medicine bottle unit 10 configured in this manner is detachable from the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 of the device main body 2. Therefore, after a recycling process for an endoscope or the like is performed using the endoscope reprocessor 1 of this embodiment, the used liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is pulled out from the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 of the device main body 2 of the endoscope reprocessor 1 before the next recycling process is performed. Then, a new liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is inserted and placed in the device main body 2.

[0082] The operation of mounting the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 to the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 in the endoscope reprocessor 1 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 4 and 9 to 16. Figures 4, 9 to 16 are diagrams explaining the operation of mounting the liquid medicine bottle unit to the liquid medicine bottle mounting device in the endoscope reprocessor of this embodiment. Of these, Figures 4, 12, 14, 15, and 17 are schematic diagrams conceptually showing the side of the bottle. Figures 9 to 11, 13, and 16 are schematic diagrams viewed from above the device.

[0083] FIG. 9 shows a state before the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is mounted on the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8. FIG. 10 shows a state after the state of FIG. 9 , in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is mounted on the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 and the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in a first position. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the state of FIG. 10 . FIG. 11 shows a state after the state of FIG. 10 , in which the tray 32 of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 has moved and the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in a second position. FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of the state of FIG. 11 (a side view taken along line

[12] -

[12] in FIG. 11 ). FIG. 13 shows a state after the state of FIG. 11 , in which the tray 32 of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 has moved and the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in a third position. FIG. 14 is a schematic side view of the state of FIG. 13 (a side view taken along line

[14] -

[14] in FIG. 13 ). Fig. 15 is a schematic side view (side view taken along line

[15] -

[15] in Fig. 13) in the state shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 16 shows a state in which, after the state shown in Fig. 13, tray 32 of liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 has moved and liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in a fourth position. Fig. 17 is a schematic side view (side view taken along line

[17] -

[17] in Fig. 16) in the state shown in Fig. 16.

[0084] Here, the first position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (see Figures 4 and 10) refers to a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is attached to the tray 32 of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 and the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is positioned away from the blade 41.

[0085] The second position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (see Figures 11 and 12) refers to a state in which the tip of the first blade 41a is in a position where it abuts against the closure member 17 (first lid) of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10.

[0086] The third position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (see FIGS. 13 and 14) refers to a state in which the first blade 41a is at a position where it has broken (or is in the process of breaking) the closure member 17 (first lid), and the tip of the second blade 41b is at a position where it abuts the closure member 18 (second lid) of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10. The fourth position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (see FIGS. 15 and 16) refers to a state in which the first blade 41a is at a position where it has broken (or is in the process of breaking) the closure member 17 (first lid), and the second blade 41b is at a position where it has broken (or is in the process of breaking) the closure member 18 (second lid).

[0087] First, let us assume that the endoscope reprocessor 1 is in the state shown in Fig. 1. At this time, the opening 2a (see Fig. 2) provided in the front panel of the device main body 2 is closed by the panel 2b. Therefore, at this time, the drug solution bottle mounting device 8 is completely housed in a predetermined position inside the device main body 2.

[0088] In this state, the user pulls out the panel 2b toward the front of the device, which in turn pulls out the tray 32 in the same direction, as shown in FIGS.

[0089] 2 shows a state in which a used liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is attached to the liquid medicine bottle attachment device 8. This state indicates, for example, that the endoscope reprocessor 1 has been used.

[0090] 9 shows a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is not attached to the liquid medicine bottle attachment device 8. This state indicates that, for example, the endoscope reprocessor 1 has undergone predetermined maintenance or internal cleaning after its previous use and is ready for the next use.

[0091] Next, in the state shown in FIG. 4, after the used liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is removed from the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8, a new liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is mounted on the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8.

[0092] 9, a new liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is mounted on the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8. When mounting the new liquid medicine bottle unit 10 on the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8, the first end surfaces 11a, 12a of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10, on which the caps 15, 16 are provided, are inserted into the opening 2a, and the two liquid medicine bottles (11, 12) are placed so that one side surface 11c1, 12c1 of each is in contact with the bottom plate 35 of the tray 32.

[0093] In this case, although not shown, a positioning member is provided on the bottom plate 35 of the tray 32 so that the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 can be positioned in a predetermined position. As a result, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is placed on the tray 32 of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8. This results in the state shown in Figure 10. The position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 at this time is referred to as the first position. The first position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 refers to the period until it transitions to the state shown in Figure 11.

[0094] In the state shown in Fig. 10, the user pushes the panel 2b toward the back of the device. This causes the tray 32 of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 to slide into the bottle case 31. This movement is carried out smoothly as the rail portions 37a of the tray 32 slide along the guide rails 33 of the bottle case 31. Here, Fig. 4 shows an intermediate state in which the tray 32 is sliding and the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in the first position. This eventually leads to the state shown in Fig. 11.

[0095] 11, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is placed in the second position. At this time, the first blade 41a abuts against the closure member 17 of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (see FIGS. 11 and 12). More specifically, the first blade 41a abuts against a portion of the lower end of the closure member 17 (see FIG. 12).

[0096] From this state, the user pushes the panel 2b further toward the back of the device, causing the first blade 41a to press against the closure member 17 and break off a portion of the peripheral edge at the lower end of the closure member 17. The cap 15 is then inserted from the tip side toward the base end opening of the cap receiving tube 43 (see FIGS. 13 and 15).

[0097] When panel 2b is further pushed toward the back of the device, first blade 41a further presses closure member 17. Accordingly, closure member 17 rotates upward around its upper end, opening a bottle opening (not shown) formed at the position where cap 15 is provided. This allows the liquid (the agent) in first liquid medicine bottle 11 to flow out through cap receiving tube 43 and into fluid conduit 45.

[0098] While the first blade 41a is breaking the closure member 17 in this manner, the second blade 41b has not yet reached the closure member 18 of the second liquid medicine bottle 12, but will eventually transition to the state shown in Figure 13.

[0099] 13, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in the third position. At this time, the first blade 41a is in a position where it has broken (or is in the process of breaking) the closure member 17 (see FIGS. 13 and 15), and the tip of the second blade 41b is in contact with the closure member 18 of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (see FIGS. 13 and 14). Specifically, the second blade 41b is in contact with a portion of the lower end of the closure member 18 (see FIG. 14).

[0100] From this state, the user pushes the panel 2b further toward the back of the device, causing the second blade 41b to press against the closure member 18 and break off part of the peripheral edge on the lower end of the closure member 18. The cap 16 is then inserted from the tip side toward the base end opening of the cap receiving tube 43.

[0101] When the panel 2b is further pushed toward the back of the device, the second blade 41b further presses the closure member 18. Accordingly, the closure member 18 rotates upward around its upper end (see FIGS. 16 and 17 ). This opens the bottle opening (not shown) formed at the position where the cap 16 is provided. This causes the liquid (buffer material) in the second liquid medicine bottle 12 to flow out through the cap receiving tube 43 and into the fluid conduit 45. Eventually, the state shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 is reached. This state is the fourth position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10.

[0102] In this state, the first blade 41a has already broken the closure member 17 to open the bottle opening on the side of the first liquid medicine bottle 11. At the same time, the second blade 41b has broken the closure member 18 to open the bottle opening on the side of the second liquid medicine bottle 12.

[0103] In this way, the liquid medicine stored in each of the two liquid medicine bottles (11, 12) flows out sequentially into the fluid pipeline 45. At this time, the panel 2b is positioned substantially flush with the front panel of the device body 2, closing the opening 2a of the device body 2. At this time, the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 is completely housed in a predetermined position inside the device body 2.

[0104] As described above, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 according to the first embodiment is a liquid medicine bottle unit 10 that is attached to the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 of the endoscope reprocessor 1, and the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 comprises a first liquid medicine bottle 11 (first bottle) whose interior is sealed by a closure member 17 (first lid), and a second liquid medicine bottle 12 (second bottle) whose interior is sealed by a closure member 18 (second lid).

[0105] Here, the closing member 17 is provided on the first end surface 11 a of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 , and the closing member 18 is provided on the first end surface 12 a of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 .

[0106] In addition, in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10, the third side surface 11c3 of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the third side surface 12c3 of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 are joined together adjacent to each other.

[0107] The second end surface 11b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the second end surface 12b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 are on the same plane.

[0108] The liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is configured such that when it is attached to the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 of the endoscope reprocessor 1 and the tray 32 is pushed in, two blades (41a, 41b) included in the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 break and open each of the two lid members (17, 18) included in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10.

[0109] In this type of endoscope reprocessor 1, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 of this embodiment has the closure member 17 and the closure member 18 positioned at different distances from the second end faces 11b, 12b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the second liquid medicine bottle 12.

[0110] With this configuration, according to the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 of this embodiment, when the two blades (41a, 41b) included in the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 break the two lid members (17, 18) included in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10, the first blade 41a first breaks the closure member 17, and then, with a time delay, the second blade 41b breaks the closure member 18. This prevents the two blades (41a, 41b) from simultaneously breaking the two lid members (17, 18). This therefore contributes to reducing the amount of force required to push the tray 32 to open the two lid members (17, 18).

[0111] In this embodiment, a protrusion 12d is further formed on first end face 12a of second liquid medicine bottle 12, protruding to a position farther from second end face 12b than the position where closure member 18 is disposed. With this configuration, the internal volume of second liquid medicine bottle 12 can be made substantially equal to the internal volume of first liquid medicine bottle 11.

[0112] In addition, the convex portion 12d is formed with an inclined portion 12e having a predetermined inclination angle, so that even if the bottom surface of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 (liquid medicine bottle unit 10) is installed in a form inclined relative to the horizontal, all of the liquid (buffer material) in the convex portion 12d, which is formed to a position farther than the closure member 18 of the second liquid medicine bottle 12, can be reliably discharged from the cap 16 side to the outside (fluid pipeline 45).

[0113] The liquid medicine bottle unit 10 exemplified in the first embodiment described above is an example configured with two liquid medicine bottles (11, 12) that are generally hexahedral as a whole, as shown in Fig. 5 etc. However, the shape of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is not limited to this shape.

[0114] For example, the liquid medicine bottle unit may have a configuration as shown in the second embodiment below: Fig. 18 is a perspective view conceptually showing the liquid medicine bottle unit of the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0115] The basic configuration of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A illustrated in this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment described above. The liquid medicine bottle unit 10A of this embodiment differs slightly in the shape of the bottle body from the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 of the first embodiment described above. Therefore, the same components as those of the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be brief or omitted, and only the differences will be described in detail below.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 18, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A of this embodiment is a so-called cassette-type bottle unit configured by arranging two types of liquid medicine bottles (in this embodiment, a first liquid medicine bottle 11A and a second liquid medicine bottle 12A) side by side, similar to the first embodiment described above.

[0117] The first liquid medicine bottle 11A includes a container body 13A and a cap 15. The container body 13A is a container for storing a liquid (the agent). The container body 13A has a first end face 11a, a second end face 11b, and four side faces, and forms a substantially hexahedron as a whole.

[0118] The first end face 11a and the second end face 11b are arranged opposite to each other and are generally parallel to each other. The first end face 11a and the second end face 11b are both generally rectangular and have different areas. In the container body 13A, the area of ​​the second end face 12a is larger than the area of ​​the first end face 11a.

[0119] Of the four side surfaces, one side surface 11c1 (bottom surface) and the other side surface 11c2 (top surface) are arranged opposite each other and substantially parallel to each other. Each of the side surfaces 11c1 and 11c2 is substantially trapezoidal. The side on the first end surface 11a side is shorter than the side on the second end surface 11b side.

[0120] On the other hand, among the four side surfaces, the third side surface 11c3 and the fourth side surface 11c4, which is disposed opposite to the third side surface 11c3, are disposed at an angle to each other. In this case, the third side surface 11c3 and the fourth side surface 11c4 are disposed at an angle so as to intersect toward the first end surface 11a.

[0121] The four side surfaces (11c1, 11c2, 11c3, and 11c4) are arranged to be approximately perpendicular to the first end surface 11a and the second end surface 11b. In this case, the four side surfaces are arranged along the four sides of the first end surface 11a and the second end surface 11b. As a result, the four side surfaces are arranged to surround the four sides of the first end surface 11a and the second end surface 11b.

[0122] Similarly, second liquid medicine bottle 12A has container body 14A and cap 16. Container body 14A is a container for storing liquid (buffer material). Container body 14A has first end face 12a, second end face 12b, four side faces, and protrusion 12d, and forms a substantially hexahedron as a whole.

[0123] The first end face 12a and the second end face 12b are disposed opposite each other and are generally parallel to each other. The first end face 11a and the second end face 11b are both generally rectangular and have different areas. In the container body 14A, the area of ​​the second end face 12a is smaller than the area of ​​the first end face 11a.

[0124] Of the four side surfaces, one side surface 12c1 (bottom surface) and the other side surface 12c2 (top surface) are arranged opposite each other and substantially parallel to each other. Each of the side surfaces 12c1 and 12c2 is substantially trapezoidal. The side facing the first end surface 12a is longer than the side facing the second end surface 12b.

[0125] On the other hand, among the four side surfaces 12c, the third side surface 12c3 and the fourth side surface 11c4, which is disposed opposite to the third side surface 12c3, are disposed at an angle to each other. In this case, the third side surface 11c3 and the fourth side surface 11c4 are disposed at an angle so as to intersect toward the second end surface 12b.

[0126] The four side surfaces (12c1, 12c2, 12c3, 12c4) are arranged to be approximately perpendicular to the first end surface 12a and the second end surface 12b. In this case, the four side surfaces are arranged along the four sides of the first end surface 12a and the second end surface 12b. As a result, the four side surfaces are arranged to surround the four sides of the first end surface 12a and the second end surface 12b.

[0127] The first end surface 11a of the container body 13A and the first end surface 12a of the container body 14A each have a bottle opening and a generally cylindrical portion formed at a position offset toward one side surface 11c1, 12c1. Caps 15, 16 are attached to the generally cylindrical portions. Closure members 17, 18 are disposed inside the caps 15, 16.

[0128] In the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A of this embodiment, the third side surface 11c3 of the first liquid medicine bottle 11A and the third side surface 12c3 of the second liquid medicine bottle 12A are joined adjacent to each other, and in this state, the second end surface 11b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11A and the second end surface 12b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12A are on the same plane.

[0129] Furthermore, a convex portion 12d is formed on the first end surface 12a of the container body 14A. The detailed configuration of the convex portion 12d, including the configuration of the inclined surface portion 12e (not shown in FIG. 18), is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment described above.

[0130] In the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A of this embodiment, as in the first embodiment described above (see Figure 6), the distance (L2) from the first end face 11a to the second end face 11b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11A is set to be longer than the distance (L1) from the first end face 12a to the second end face 12b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12A (L2 > L1).

[0131] In addition, the distance L4 from the second end face 11b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11A to the closure member 17 is set to be longer than the distance L3 from the second end face 12b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12A to the closure member 18 (L4 > L3).

[0132] In the second liquid medicine bottle 12A, the distance (L6) from the second end face 12b to the tip surface of the convex portion 12d is set to be longer than the distance (L5) from the second end face 12b to the closure member 18 (L6 > L5).

[0133] The liquid medicine bottle unit 10A of the second embodiment configured in this manner can also provide substantially the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment described above.

[0134] Furthermore, according to the configuration of the second embodiment, in liquid medicine bottle unit 10A, first liquid medicine bottle 11A and second liquid medicine bottle 12A have the same shape except for the arrangement of closure member 17 (first lid) and closure member 18 (second lid) and protrusion 12d. Second liquid medicine bottle 12A has substantially the same shape as when rotated 180 degrees relative to first liquid medicine bottle 11A.

[0135] By adopting this configuration, the difference in the content volume of each bottle, which arises when the closure members 17, 18 of the two liquid medicine bottles (11A, 12A) are positioned at different distances from the second end faces 11b, 12b, can be more easily eliminated by providing the convex portion 12d.

[0136] For example, in the case of a container (bottle) in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A in which the dimension between one side 11c1, 12c1 and the other side 11c2, 12c2 (bottle thickness dimension) is small, by providing the convex portion 12d, it is possible to particularly effectively compensate for the reduction in the content volume of the second liquid medicine bottle 12A that occurs when the lid position is changed.

[0137] As mentioned above, the liquid medicine bottle unit used in conventional endoscope reprocessors is generally configured to connect two liquid medicine bottles side by side, and in this case, the connecting means is, for example, a transparent thin film member formed into a strip and wrapped around the two liquid medicine bottles to connect them.

[0138] On the other hand, some conventional endoscope reprocessors are configured with a means for detecting the movement position of a liquid medicine bottle unit attached to a liquid medicine bottle mounting device when the liquid medicine bottle unit moves in conjunction with the sliding movement of the tray of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device.

[0139] Here, as a means for detecting the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit, for example, the liquid medicine bottle unit is formed with unevenness on part of its outer surface, and correspondingly, in an endoscope reprocessor, a sensor device that detects the unevenness of the liquid medicine bottle unit is provided inside the device main body, and this has been put into practical use.

[0140] Here, for example, if a strip-shaped film member is hung over the uneven portion of the liquid medicine bottle unit, there is a possibility that the sensing device will not be able to perform sensing reliably.

[0141] Therefore, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described below, which is designed to address such a situation. Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram conceptually illustrating the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0142] 19, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10B of this embodiment basically has a configuration substantially similar to that of the second embodiment described above. Therefore, the same components as those of the second embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and will be described only briefly, or the description of the same components will be omitted and only the differences will be described in detail below.

[0143] As shown in FIG. 19, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10B of this embodiment is a so-called cassette-type bottle unit configured by arranging two types of liquid medicine bottles (in this embodiment, a first liquid medicine bottle 11B and a second liquid medicine bottle 12B) side by side, similar to the first and second embodiments described above.

[0144] The first chemical solution bottle 11B has a container body 13B and a cap 15. When viewed from above (see FIG. 19 ), container body 13B has a notched portion 13Bb formed by cutting out a portion of a corner, and a protruding portion 13Ba having substantially the same shape and size as notched portion 13Bb (see the area surrounded by dashed hatching in FIG. 19 ; in this case, the hatching does not represent a cross section).

[0145] The notch 13Bb is provided on the second end face 11b side, and the protrusion 13Ba is provided on the first end face 11a side. The notch 13Bb and the protrusion 13Ba are arranged side by side in a direction along a plane perpendicular to the first end face 11a and the second end face 11b, and are formed at positions spaced a predetermined distance apart.

[0146] An opening and a substantially cylindrical portion (not shown) are formed in the first end surface 11a, and a cap 15 is attached to the substantially cylindrical portion (not shown).

[0147] Similarly, second liquid medicine bottle 12B has container body 14B and cap 16. Second liquid medicine bottle 12B has substantially the same shape as first liquid medicine bottle 111B when rotated, for example, by 180 degrees.

[0148] In this case, the notch 14Bb of the container body 14B is provided on the first end face 12a side, and the protrusion 14Ba is provided on the second end face 12b side. An opening and a substantially cylindrical portion (not shown) are formed in the first end face 12a formed within the notch 14Bb, and the cap 16 is attached to the substantially cylindrical portion (not shown).

[0149] The first end face 12a is formed with a protrusion 12d. The detailed configuration of the protrusion 12d, including the configuration of the inclined surface 12e (not shown in FIG. 19), is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment described above.

[0150] In the liquid medicine bottle unit 10B of this embodiment having such a configuration, as in the first and second embodiments described above (see Figure 6), the distance (L2) from the first end face 11a to the second end face 11b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11B is set to be longer than the distance (L1) from the first end face 12a to the second end face 12b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12B (L2 > L1).

[0151] In addition, the distance L4 from the second end face 11b of the first liquid medicine bottle 11B to the closure member 17 is set to be longer than the distance L3 from the second end face 12b of the second liquid medicine bottle 12B to the closure member 18 (L4 > L3).

[0152] In addition, in the second liquid medicine bottle 12B, the distance (L6) from the second end face 12b to the tip surface of the convex portion 12d is set to be longer than the distance (L5) from the second end face 12b to the closure member 18 (L6 > L5).

[0153] Furthermore, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10B of this embodiment has recesses or second protrusions 13Bc, 14Bc on a portion of the outer surface of each of the two liquid medicine bottles (11B, 12B). These recesses or second protrusions 13Bc, 14Bc are located at positions corresponding to the sensor devices within the device body. For example, although not shown, if the sensor device is disposed on the ceiling side of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8, the recesses or second protrusions 13Bc, 14Bc are formed on the other side surface (see reference numerals 11c2, 12c2 in Figures 7 and 8). As a result, the recesses or second protrusions 13Bc, 14Bc constitute part of the position detection mechanism within the device body of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10B. At least one recess or second protrusion 13Bc, 14Bc is provided on one or both of the two liquid medicine bottles (11B, 12B).

[0154] 19 illustrates an example in which two recesses or second protrusions 13Bc are provided in first liquid medicine bottle 11B and two recesses or second protrusions 14Bc are provided in second liquid medicine bottle 12B. In this manner, when a plurality of recesses or second protrusions 13Bc, 14Bc are provided, the plurality of recesses or second protrusions 13Bc, 14Bc are aligned in a direction parallel to a plane perpendicular to each of first end faces 11a and second end faces 12b of first liquid medicine bottle 11B and second liquid medicine bottle 12B.

[0155] Furthermore, liquid medicine bottle unit 10B of the present embodiment further includes strip-shaped film member 21, which is a film that bundles two liquid medicine bottles (11B, 12B). In this case, strip-shaped film member 21 is disposed at a position different from that of recessed portions or second protrusions 13Bc, 14Bc.

[0156] The liquid medicine bottle unit 10B of the third embodiment configured in this manner can also provide substantially the same functions and effects as those of the first and second embodiments described above.

[0157] Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the strip-shaped film member 21 is arranged at a position different from the recess or the second convex portion 13Bc, 14Bc, so that the strip-shaped film member 21 does not cover or obscure the recess or the second convex portion 13Bc, 14Bc.

[0158] Therefore, the strip-shaped film member 21 can always reliably connect the two liquid medicine bottles (11B, 12B), and the sensor device can always reliably detect the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10B.

[0159] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining the disclosed multiple constituent elements. For example, if the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved and the effects of the invention can be obtained even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in one embodiment, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as the invention. Furthermore, constituent elements from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The present invention is not limited by specific embodiments other than as limited by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A chemical liquid bottle unit comprising: a first bottle whose interior is sealed by a first lid; and a second bottle whose interior is sealed by a second lid, wherein the first lid is attached to a first end face of the first bottle, and the second lid is attached to a first end face of the second bottle, the first lid and the second lid are positioned at different distances from the second end faces of the first bottle and the second bottle, respectively, the first bottle having a first region to be filled with liquid, and the second bottle having a second region to be filled with liquid, and the second region having a first storage portion and a protrusion that communicates with the first storage portion to form the second region.

2. The liquid medicine bottle unit according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion protrudes from the first end face of the second bottle in the same direction as the side on which the second lid is disposed.

3. The liquid medicine bottle unit according to claim 1, wherein the first area and the second area have the same volume.

4. The liquid medicine bottle unit according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a sloped surface with a predetermined inclination angle.

5. The liquid medicine bottle unit according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion protrudes to a position farther from the second end face than the position where the second lid is disposed.

6. The liquid medicine bottle unit according to claim 4, wherein the convex portion is larger than the inclination angle of the tray when the liquid medicine bottle unit is placed on the tray of an endoscope reprocessor.

7. The chemical liquid bottle unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the first bottle and the second bottle have the same shape except for the arrangement of the first lid, the arrangement of the second lid, and the convex portion, and the first bottle and the second bottle are joined in a form in which the second bottle is positioned in a position rotated 180 degrees relative to the first bottle.

8. The chemical solution bottle unit according to claim 7, further comprising a film that bundles the first bottle and the second bottle, at least one recess or second protrusion is formed on one or both of the sides of the first bottle and the second bottle, and the film is provided at a position different from the recess or protrusion.

9. A chemical solution bottle unit as described in claim 7, further comprising a film that bundles the first bottle and the second bottle, wherein a plurality of recesses or protrusions are formed on one or both of the side surfaces of the first bottle and the second bottle, wherein the plurality of recesses or protrusions are formed in a line along a direction parallel to a plane perpendicular to each of the first end faces and each of the second end faces of the first bottle and the second bottle, and wherein the film is provided at a different position from the plurality of recesses or protrusions.

10. A cylindrical bottle comprising: a first bottle having a cavity formed therein for filling with a liquid; and a second bottle having a cavity formed therein for filling with a liquid, wherein the first bottle has: a first surface of the first bottle for forming the cavity, the first surface having a hole for attaching a first lid of the first bottle; and a second surface of the first bottle for forming the cavity, the second surface being opposite to the first surface of the first bottle; and the second bottle has: a first surface of the second bottle for forming the cavity, the second surface having a hole for attaching a first lid of the second bottle; and a second surface of the second bottle for forming the cavity, the second surface being opposite to the first surface of the second bottle; and the distance between the first surface of the first bottle and the second surface of the first bottle is greater than the distance between the first surface of the second bottle and the second surface of the second bottle. A liquid medicine bottle unit characterized in that the first surface of the second bottle has the convex portion formed at a position different from the hole for attaching the first lid of the second bottle.

11. An endoscope reprocessor having a tray that stores a liquid medicine bottle unit, wherein the liquid medicine bottle unit comprises: a first bottle whose interior is sealed by a first lid; and a second bottle whose interior is sealed by a second lid; the first lid is provided on a first end face of the first bottle; the second lid is provided on a first end face of the second bottle; the first lid and the second lid are positioned at different distances from the second end faces of the first bottle and the second bottle; the first bottle has a first region to be filled with liquid; the second bottle has a second region to be filled with liquid; and the second region has a first storage portion and a convex portion that communicates with the first storage portion to form the second region.

12. An endoscope reprocessor having a tray for accommodating liquid medicine bottle units, the liquid medicine bottle units comprising: a first bottle having a columnar shape and a cavity for filling with a liquid; and a second bottle having a columnar shape and a cavity for filling with a liquid, the first bottle having: a first surface for forming the cavity, the first surface having a hole for attaching a first lid of the first bottle; and a second surface for forming the cavity, the first surface being opposite the first surface of the first bottle; the second bottle having: a first surface for forming the cavity, the second surface having a hole for attaching a first lid of the second bottle; and a second surface for forming the cavity, the second surface being opposite the first surface of the second bottle; the distance between the first surface of the first bottle and the second surface of the first bottle is greater than the distance between the first surface of the second bottle and the second surface of the second bottle; An endoscope reprocessor characterized in that the first surface of the second bottle has the convex portion formed at a position different from the hole for attaching the first lid of the second bottle.

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