Chemical solution bottle unit and endoscope reprocessor

Abstract

This chemical solution bottle unit is applied to an endoscope reprocessor 1 equipped with a position detector 9 and comprises: a first bottle 11 that has a first body 13 provided with a first end surface 11a, a second end surface 11b, and a plurality of side surfaces 11c, that has a first lid 17 for closing an opening of said first end surface, and that stores a first chemical solution; and a second bottle 14 that has a second body 14 provided with a first end surface 12a, a second end surface 12b, and a plurality of side surfaces 12c, that has a second lid 18 for closing an opening of said first end surface, and that stores a second chemical solution. One side surface 11c2, 12c2 of one of the first bottle or the second bottle has a first surface 21 and a second surface 22 which is formed on the same side surface as said first surface and which has a different vertical height. One side surface of the other of the second bottle or the first bottle has a third surface 23 which has a vertical height different from those of said first surface and said second surface. Said first surface, said second surface, and said third surface are disposed within a detection range of the position detector in the moving direction of the first bottle and the second bottle.

Description

Medicine bottle unit, endoscope reprocessor

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

[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 the like 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 an endoscope reprocessor that uses such a liquid medicine bottle unit, the liquid medicine bottle unit must be securely attached to a predetermined position inside the device.

[0005] Therefore, in conventional endoscopic reprocessors, various configurations have been proposed for detecting the status of the drug solution bottle unit, such as whether it is correctly attached to a predetermined position inside the endoscopic reprocessor device, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4674272.

[0006] The endoscopic reprocessor disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4674272 and other publications has a configuration in which two detection switches (limit switches) are used to detect a predetermined position (locked position) and completed insertion position of the drug solution bottle unit inside the device, as well as a predetermined position (initial insertion position) just before the locked position.

[0007] However, the liquid medicine bottle unit used in the endoscope reprocessor disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4674272, etc., is configured such that the recess (step portion) on which the two detection switches (limit switches) act is provided in only one of the two liquid medicine bottles.

[0008] For this reason, even if only one of the liquid medicine bottles with a recess (step) is installed inside the endoscope reprocessor, the device may recognize it as a normal liquid medicine bottle unit consisting of two liquid medicine bottles and begin operation. In this case, one of the medicines will not be supplied, and only the other medicine will be supplied. In this state, the endoscope reprocessor will not be able to adequately clean and disinfect endoscopes, etc.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide an endoscope reprocessor and a liquid medicine bottle unit that is applicable to an endoscope reprocessor and is equipped with a position detector that detects the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit inside the device, and that is configured by combining at least two bottles and has a structure that can detect that the liquid medicine bottle unit is securely attached to a predetermined position inside the device.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a liquid medicine bottle unit that is applied to an endoscope reprocessor equipped with a position detector that detects the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit within the device, and is configured by combining at least two bottles, the liquid medicine bottle unit including: a first bottle that stores a first liquid medicine; a second body that is formed with a first end face, a second end face that faces the first end face, and a plurality of side faces that connect the first end face and the second end face; and a first lid that closes an opening formed in the first end face. and a second bottle for storing a second medicinal liquid, wherein one of the plurality of side surfaces of either the first bottle or the second bottle has the first surface and a second surface formed on the same side surface as the first surface and having a different vertical height from the first surface, and wherein one of the plurality of side surfaces of the second bottle or the other of the first bottle has a third surface having a different vertical height from the first surface and the second surface, and the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface are arranged within the detection range of the position detector in a direction along the movement direction of the first bottle and the second bottle.

[0011] An endoscope reprocessor according to one aspect of the present invention includes a bottle mounting device that accommodates a liquid medicine bottle unit formed by combining at least two bottles, and a position detector that detects the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit within a device main body, wherein the liquid medicine bottle unit includes a first body formed with a first end face, a second end face opposing the first end face, and a plurality of side faces connecting the first end face and the second end face, and a first lid that closes an opening formed in the first end face, and a first bottle that stores a first liquid medicine, and a first body formed with the first end face, a second end face opposing the first end face, and a plurality of side faces connecting the first end face and the second end face. and a second bottle for storing a second medicinal liquid, the second bottle having a second body formed on the same side as the first body and a second lid for closing an opening formed on the first end face, one of the plurality of side faces of the first bottle having the first face and a second face formed on the same side face as the first face and having a different vertical height from the first face, one of the plurality of side faces of the second bottle having a third face having a different vertical height from the first face and the second face, the first face, the second face, and the third face being arranged within the detection range of the position detector in a direction along the movement direction of the first bottle and the second bottle.

[0012] According to the present invention, a liquid medicine bottle unit applicable to an endoscope reprocessor equipped with a position detector that detects the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit inside the device, in which the liquid medicine bottle unit is composed of a combination of at least two bottles, can be provided, and an endoscope reprocessor can be provided, which has a structure that can detect that the liquid medicine bottle unit is securely attached to a predetermined position inside the device.

[0013] 3 is an external perspective view showing an endoscope reprocessor to which a liquid medicine bottle unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied; an external perspective view showing the state in which the tray of the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1 is pulled out; an external perspective view showing the liquid medicine bottle mounting device of the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1 removed; an external perspective view showing the state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit is mounted in the liquid medicine bottle mounting device of FIG. 3; an external perspective view showing the process of inserting a tray in the liquid medicine bottle mounting device in the state of FIG. 4; a schematic diagram conceptually showing the configuration of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device of FIG. 3; 8 is a perspective view of the external appearance of the liquid medicine bottle unit as viewed from the direction of the arrow [8] in FIG. 7; a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as viewed from the direction of the arrow [8] in FIG. 8; a top view showing the state in which the first liquid medicine bottle and the second liquid medicine bottle are separated in the liquid medicine bottle unit as viewed from the direction of the arrow [8] in FIG. 8; a view showing the respective joining surfaces of the first liquid medicine bottle and the second liquid medicine bottle of the liquid medicine bottle unit as viewed from the direction of the arrow [8] in FIG. 7; a view showing the side of the first bottle along the line

[10] -

[10] in FIGS. 8 and 9; a view showing the side of the second bottle along the line

[11] -

[11] in FIGS. 8 and 9; a view showing the state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit is in the second initial position [B1] after being moved in the pushing direction after the state of FIG. 12, a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit is at a first detection position [C] after being moved in the pushing direction after the state of FIG. 12, a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit is at a second detection position [B] after being moved further in the pushing direction after the state of FIG. 13, a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit is at a third detection position [A] after being moved further in the pushing direction after the state of FIG. 14, an external perspective view showing the liquid medicine bottle unit of the second embodiment of the present invention taken out, a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as seen from the direction of the arrow

[17] in FIG. 16, and a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit of FIG. 20 is a top view showing the first and second liquid medicine bottles separated from each other in the liquid medicine bottle unit; an external oblique view showing the third embodiment of the liquid medicine bottle unit of the present invention; a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as seen from the direction of arrow

[20] in FIG. 19; a top view showing the first and second liquid medicine bottles separated from each other in the liquid medicine bottle unit of FIG. 20; a top view showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention; and a top view showing the first and second liquid medicine bottles separated from each other in the liquid medicine bottle unit of FIG. 22.

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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).

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] First, before describing the configuration of the liquid medicine bottle unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the endoscope reprocessor to which the liquid medicine bottle unit is applied will be briefly described below.

[0020] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an endoscope reprocessor to which a liquid medicine bottle unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1 with a tray pulled out. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the endoscope reprocessor of FIG. 1 with a liquid medicine bottle mounting device removed. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the liquid medicine bottle unit mounted on the liquid medicine bottle mounting device of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 shows the tray pulled out. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device in the state of FIG. 4, showing the tray insertion process. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram conceptually illustrating the configuration of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 shows a side view of the liquid medicine bottle device with a liquid medicine bottle unit mounted thereon.

[0021] Fig. 7 is an external perspective view showing the liquid medicine bottle unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as seen from the direction of arrow [8] in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a top view showing the first and second liquid medicine bottles in the liquid medicine bottle unit of Fig. 8 with the first and second bottles separated. Figs. 10 and 11 are views showing the joining surfaces of the first and second liquid medicine bottles in the liquid medicine bottle unit of Fig. 7. Of these, Fig. 10 shows a side view of the first bottle taken along line

[10] -

[10] in Figs. 8 and 9. Fig. 11 shows a side view of the second bottle taken along line

[11] -

[11] in Figs. 8 and 9.

[0022] 1 and 2 , the endoscope reprocessor 1 of this embodiment is primarily 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, and a water supply hose connection port 6. The device main body 2 also has therein a control unit 7, a liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8, a limit switch 9 which is a detection switch, a liquid medicine bottle unit 10, and two locking mechanisms (28, 29). Of these, the limit switch 9 and the two locking mechanisms (28, 29) are provided in the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8.

[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 from the operation panel 3, an instruction signal corresponding to the content of the instruction is output to the control unit 7.

[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 the control unit 7. This allows 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 the control unit 7.

[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 the endoscope, endoscope parts, accessories, etc. to be regenerated, and 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] 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) (described in detail 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 to 6. As shown in the figures, the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 has a bottle case 31 and a tray 32.

[0033] The bottle case 31 is generally hollow and box-shaped and is formed by a bottom plate 31b, a top plate 31c, a pair of side plates 31d, a ceiling plate 31e, and an opening 31a.

[0034] The opening 31a is an opening that opens into a hollow region of the generally box-shaped portion of the bottle case 31, which is surrounded by a bottom plate 31b, a tip plate 31c, a pair of side plates 31d, and a ceiling plate 31e. The opening 31a is formed as an insertion port through which a liquid medicine bottle unit 10, which will be 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.

[0035] 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 (device rear side). 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.

[0036] As described above, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10, which will be described later, is inserted into the bottle case 31 from one end face (reference numerals 11a and 12a, which will be described later; see FIG. 7, etc.) through the opening 31a and placed at a predetermined position within the case 31. In this way, the bottle case 31 functions as a bottle setting section that sets the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 inside the device main body 2.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] The pair of side plates 37 have their lower portions connected to 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.

[0043] 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).

[0044] 3 and other figures, the bottle case 31 has two cap receiving tubes 43 (only one is shown in FIG. 6 because it is a side view) near the bottom surface (bottom plate 31b) of the tip plate 31c. 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 that can be inserted into caps (15, 16) (described later) of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10.

[0045] 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.

[0046] Furthermore, the two cap receiving tubes 43 are each provided with a blade 41 (see FIG. 6) for separately breaking the closure members (17, 18; described in detail later) of the two liquid medicine bottles (11, 12) integrally disposed inside the two cap receiving tubes 43. The blade 41 is formed of a tubular member made of metal such as stainless steel.

[0047] As will be described later, the blades 41 are 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, a blade 41 is provided on each of the two cap receiving tubes 43. Note that because Fig. 6 is a side view, the two blades 41 are not shown.

[0048] The control unit 7 includes one or more processors 7a (see FIGS. 1 and 2), a memory, an input / output interface, a recording medium, etc. (not shown).

[0049] For example, the processor 7 a is at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The control unit 7 controls the endoscope reprocessor 1 in an integrated manner.

[0050] To control the endoscope reprocessor 1, the processor 7a monitors the replacement of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10. In this monitoring, the processor 7a determines the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10. This position determination is performed based on detection signal information from the limit switch 9.

[0051] That is, the limit switch 9 functions as a position detector that detects the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 when it is attached to the liquid medicine bottle attachment device 8. The position determination of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 based on the limit switch 9 will be described later.

[0052] The processor 7a further determines whether there is an abnormality in the replacement work of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10. If an abnormality in the replacement work is determined, the processor 7a transmits an abnormality signal to, for example, the operation panel 3. As a result, abnormality information is displayed on the operation panel 3.

[0053] The limit switch 9 is a so-called double-action detection switch that is capable of detecting two different amounts of pressure. The limit switch 9 is attached to the ceiling plate 31e of the bottle case 31, as shown in FIG.

[0054] The limit switch 9 has a switch body 50 , a push rod 51 , a roller lever 52 , and a roller 53 .

[0055] The push rod 51 is connected to the switch body 50. In a natural state where no external force is applied, the push rod 51 protrudes from the switch body 50 (see FIG. 6). The push rod 51 is configured to be pushed into the switch body 50 by an external pressing force.

[0056] When the push rod 51 is pressed a predetermined first amount, the switch body 50 outputs a first signal. When the push rod 51 is pressed a second amount that is greater than the first amount, the switch body 50 outputs a second signal. Thus, the switch body 50 is configured to be able to detect two different amounts of pressing.

[0057] Roller lever 52 is attached to limit switch 9 so as to be able to swing freely. A roller 53 is provided at the tip of roller lever 52. Roller 53 is cylindrical with its major axis in the width direction. The major axis of roller 53 is arranged so as to be approximately perpendicular to the insertion direction of liquid medicine bottle unit 10. Roller 53 is rotatable around the major axis.

[0058] With this configuration, the roller 53 functions as a contact that rolls in contact with the upper surface of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 (the tip inclined surfaces 11y, 12y, the second side surfaces 11c2, 12c2, and the recessed portion 10s, which will be described later; see Figure 7).

[0059] That is, roller 53 moves along the upper surface of liquid medicine bottle unit 10 that is placed and moved on tray 32. In this case, roller 53 acts across both first liquid medicine bottle 11 and second liquid medicine bottle 12. For this reason, roller 53 is formed with a predetermined length dimension in the width direction and is positioned so as to be in constant contact with the upper surface of liquid medicine bottle unit 10.

[0060] The tip of the push rod 51 is located within the swing range of the roller lever 52. The push rod 51 is disposed so as to be able to freely protrude and retract into the switch body 50. When the roller lever 52 is swung by a predetermined action, the push rod 51 is pressed and pushed into the switch body 50. In this case, the limit switch 9 outputs two types of detection signals, as described above, depending on the amount the push rod 51 is pressed by the roller lever 52.

[0061] The two locking mechanisms ( 28 , 29 ) are mechanism units that, after being attached to the liquid medicine bottle attachment device 8 , restrict the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 from being removed midway while it is moving inside the device main body 2 .

[0062] The two locking mechanisms are a first locking mechanism 28 and a second locking mechanism 29. These two locking mechanisms (28, 29) have substantially the same configuration, but are different in their locations and activation timing.

[0063] The two locking mechanisms (28, 29) are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the direction along the movement direction of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10.

[0064] The operation timing of the two locking mechanisms ( 28 , 29 ) is controlled by the processor 7 a of the control unit 7 in response to the time-series changes in the output signal of the limit switch 9 .

[0065] The first lock mechanism 28 is provided to prevent erroneous detection of the signal output of the limit switch 9 .

[0066] The second locking mechanism 29 is provided to restrict movement of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 in the return direction (removal direction) toward the base end at the time when the closure members 17, 18 of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 are broken by the blade 41 or just before they are broken, thereby preventing leakage of the liquid medicine inside the liquid medicine bottle unit 10.

[0067] Next, the configuration of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 11. As shown in the figures, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is a so-called cassette-type bottle unit configured by arranging two types of liquid medicine bottles, namely, a first liquid medicine bottle 11 which is a first bottle and a second liquid medicine bottle 12 which is a second bottle, side by side.

[0068] In the liquid medicine bottle unit 10, a first liquid medicine bottle 11 stores a disinfectant solution (e.g., a liquid containing concentrated peracetic acid, referred to as the "agent") as a first liquid medicine, and a second liquid medicine bottle 12 stores a buffer solution (a second liquid medicine) as a second liquid medicine.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] First medicinal liquid bottle 11 has first container body 13, which is the first bottle body and serves as the first main body, and cap 15. First container body 13 is a substantially box-shaped container in which liquid (the agent) is stored.

[0072] The second chemical solution bottle 12 has a second container body 14, which is a second bottle body and serves as the second main body, and a cap 16. The second container body 14 is a substantially box-shaped container in which a liquid (a buffer material) is stored.

[0073] The first container body 13 has a first end face 11a (a flat tip face 11x and a sloped tip face 11y), a second end face 11b, four side faces (11c1, 11c2, 11c3, 11c4), and a recessed portion 11s.

[0074] Here, the four side surfaces are a first side surface 11c1, a second side surface 11c2, a third side surface 11c3, and a fourth side surface 11c4.

[0075] The first side surface 11c1 is positioned on the bottom side when the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is placed in an inverted state on the tray 32 of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8, and is the surface that faces and contacts the bottom plate 35 of the tray 32.

[0076] The second side surface 11c2 is a surface that faces the first side surface 11c1 and is a surface that is disposed on the upper surface side in the inverted state.

[0077] When the first and second liquid medicine bottles 11 and 12 are integrated to form the liquid medicine bottle unit 10, the third side surface 11c3 is joined to the third side surface 12c3 of the second liquid medicine bottle 12. The fourth side surface 11c4 is a surface opposite to the third side surface 11c3.

[0078] The first end face 11a is formed to have a flat tip surface 11x and a sloped tip surface 11y. The flat tip surface 11x is located at a position biased toward the first side surface 11c1 (see FIG. 10; bottom surface side) of the four side surfaces.

[0079] The second container body 14 has a first end face 12a (a flat end face 12x and a sloped end face 12y), a second end face 12b, four side faces (12c1, 12c2, 12c3, 12c4), and a recessed portion 12s.

[0080] Here, the four side surfaces are a first side surface 12c1, a second side surface 12c2, a third side surface 12c3, and a fourth side surface 12c4.

[0081] The first side surface 12c1 is positioned on the bottom side when the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is placed in an inverted state on the tray 32 of the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8, and is the surface that faces and contacts the bottom plate 35 of the tray 32.

[0082] The second side surface 12c2 is a surface that faces the first side surface 12c1 and is disposed on the upper surface side in the inverted state.

[0083] The third side surface 12c3 is a surface that is joined to the third side surface 11c3 of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 when the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the second liquid medicine bottle 12 are integrated to form the liquid medicine bottle unit 10. The fourth side surface 12c4 is a surface that faces the third side surface 12c3.

[0084] The first end face 12a is formed to have a flat tip surface 12x and a sloped tip surface 12y. The flat tip surface 12x is located at a position biased toward the first side surface 12c1 (see FIG. 11 ; the bottom surface side) of the four side surfaces.

[0085] In the first container body 13, the first end face 11a and the second end face 11b are arranged to face each other. In this case, the tip plane 11x of the first end face 11a and the second end face 11b are arranged to be approximately parallel to each other.

[0086] The four side surfaces (11c1, 11c2, 11c3, 11c4) are arranged to be approximately perpendicular to the first end surface 11a (the tip plane 11x) and the second end surface 11b. In this case, the four side surfaces (11c1, 11c2, 11c3, 11c4) are arranged to surround the peripheries of the first end surface 11a and the second end surface 11b.

[0087] In the second container body 14, the first end face 12a and the second end face 12b are arranged to face each other. In this case, the tip plane 12x of the first end face 12a and the second end face 12b are arranged to be approximately parallel to each other.

[0088] The four side surfaces (12c1, 12c2, 12c3, 12c4) are arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the first end surface 12a (the tip plane 12x) and the second end surface 12b. In this case, the four side surfaces (12c1, 12c2, 12c3, 12c4) are arranged to surround the peripheries of the first end surface 12a and the second end surface 12b.

[0089] In the first container body 13, a bottle opening (not shown) is formed on the tip flat surface 11x of the first end face 11a. The bottle opening is an opening for discharging the liquid (the agent) stored in the first container body 13. A substantially cylindrical portion (not shown) is formed in the bottle opening so as to surround the bottle opening. A cap 15 is attached to the substantially cylindrical portion using a connecting and joining means such as a screw connection.

[0090] In the second container body 14, a bottle opening (not shown) is formed on the tip flat surface 12x of the first end face 12a. The bottle opening is an opening for discharging the liquid (buffer material) stored in the second container body 14. A substantially cylindrical portion (not shown) is formed in the bottle opening so as to surround the bottle opening. A cap 16 is attached to the substantially cylindrical portion using a connecting and joining means such as a screw connection.

[0091] 7 to 9, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 of this embodiment is formed in such a manner that 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 adjacent to each other and integrally joined together. In other words, the third side surfaces 11c3 and 12c3 form a joining surface.

[0092] In this case, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is arranged so that the flat end surface 11x of the first end surface 11a of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the flat end surface 12x of the first end surface 12a of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 are substantially flush with each other. Similarly, 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 also substantially flush with each other.

[0093] The recessed portion 11s is a first stepped portion formed in a portion of the region spanning from the second side surface 11c2 to the third side surface 11c3 of the first liquid medicine bottle 11.

[0094] Similarly, the recessed portion 12s is a second stepped portion formed in a portion of the region spanning from the second side surface 12c2 to the third side surface 12c3 of the second medical solution bottle 12.

[0095] When the two liquid medicine bottles (11, 12) in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 of this embodiment are connected as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the two recessed portions 11s, 12s are integrated to form a single recessed portion 10s (see Figure 7).

[0096] Here, a first detected surface 21 of the multiple detected surfaces acting on the limit switch 9 is formed in a part of the second side surfaces 11c2, 12c2 of each of the liquid medicine bottles 11, 12, in an area near the tip (first end surfaces 11a, 12a) of the recessed portion 10s (FIGS. 8, 9, and 11). Here, the first detected surface 21 is the first surface.

[0097] The first detection surface 21 is a reference surface having a height approximately equal to that of the second side surface 11c2 on the upper surface side of the first container body 13. Specifically, the first detection surface 21 is provided in a partial area near the tip of the second side surface 11c2. This first detection surface 21 is formed by a flat surface extending in the front-rear direction.

[0098] In addition, the tip inclined surface 11y of the first end surface 11a functions as an auxiliary detection surface that acts on the limit switch 9 (described in detail later).

[0099] Furthermore, inside the recessed portion 10s, a plurality of detection surfaces (22, 23) and a plurality of auxiliary detection surfaces (24, 25) that act on the limit switch 9 are formed in a predetermined shape.

[0100] Here, the detected surfaces inside the recessed portion 10s include a second detected surface 22 and a third detected surface 23.

[0101] The second detected surface 22 is a flat surface that forms a step that is one step lower than the first detected surface 21. In other words, the second detected surface 22 has a different vertical height than the first detected surface 21. In this case, the second detected surface 22 is lower than the first detected surface 21.

[0102] The second detected surface 22 is formed by a flat surface parallel to the first detected surface 21. The second detected surface 22 is disposed closer to the base end than the first detected surface 21. Here, the second detected surface 22 is the second surface.

[0103] The third detected surface 23 is a flat surface that forms a step that is one step lower than the second detected surface 22. In other words, the third detected surface 23 has a different vertical height than the second detected surface 22. In this case, the third detected surface 23 is lower than the second detected surface 22.

[0104] The third detected surface 23 is formed by a flat surface parallel to the first detected surface 21 and the second detected surface 22. The third detected surface 23 is disposed closer to the base end than the second detected surface 22. Here, the third detected surface 23 is the third surface.

[0105] The auxiliary detection surfaces inside the recessed portion 10s include a first auxiliary detection surface 24 and a second auxiliary detection surface 25.

[0106] The first auxiliary detection surface 24 is an inclined surface that smoothly connects the first detection surface 21 and the second detection surface 22. The first auxiliary detection surface 24 is an inclined surface that slopes from the tip end side to the base end side inside the recessed portion 10s.

[0107] The second auxiliary detection surface 25 is a second inclined surface that smoothly connects the second detection surface 22 and the third detection surface 23. The second auxiliary detection surface 25 is an inclined surface that slopes from the tip end side to the base end side inside the recessed portion 10s.

[0108] The recessed portion 11s is formed with a third detected surface 23. The recessed portion 12s is formed with a second detected surface 22, a first auxiliary detected surface 24, and a second auxiliary detected surface 25.

[0109] Each of the container bodies 13, 14 is formed as described above. As described above, the caps 15, 16 are disposed at the respective predetermined positions (tip planes 11x, 12x) of each of the container bodies 13, 14 formed in this manner.

[0110] Each of the caps 15, 16 has a closing member 17, 18 therein. Each of the closing members 17, 18 is integrally formed so as to close the inner hole of each of the caps 15, 16. This keeps each of the container bodies 13, 14 in an airtight and liquidtight state.

[0111] The caps 15 and 16 have the same shape and size, and are both generally cylindrical in shape.

[0112] The cap 15 is disposed on the tip flat surface 11x of the first end surface 11a of the first container body 13. The cap 15 has a closing member 17, which is a first lid, inside.

[0113] The cap 16 is disposed on the tip flat surface 12x of the first end surface 12a of the second container body 14. The cap 16 has a closing member 18 therein, which is a second lid.

[0114] 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. By providing the closing members 17, 18 inside the caps 15, 16 in this way, the first container body 13 and the second container body 14 have a sealed structure that can maintain an airtight and liquidtight state.

[0115] 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).

[0116] The liquid medicine bottle unit 10 configured in this manner is replaceable in the device body 2. That is, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 used in the recycling process of an endoscope or the like is pulled out from the device body 2, for example, when the next recycling process is performed. Then, a new liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is inserted into the device body 2.

[0117] 6 and 12 to 15 are schematic diagrams showing in time sequence the actions when the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8, to which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is mounted, is pulled into the inside of the device main body 2.

[0118] As described above, Figure 6 shows the state in which the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 is in the first initial position [A1] when it moves together with the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 toward the inside of the device main body 2 after the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 has been mounted on the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8.

[0119] At this time, roller 53 is not in contact with liquid medicine bottle unit 10. Therefore, the output signal of limit switch 9 is in the OFF state. Note that, when only the output signal of limit switch 9 is considered, the state in FIG. 6 is equivalent to the state in FIG. 15, which will be described later.

[0120] FIG. 12 shows a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in the second initial position [B1] after being moved in the pushing direction following the state in FIG.

[0121] At this time, roller 53 contacts the inclined tip surfaces (11y, 12y) of liquid medicine bottle unit 10 and rolls along these surfaces (11y, 12y) to reach second initial position [B1]. During this process, roller lever 52 swings counterclockwise in the figure, pushing push rod 51 a predetermined amount. In response to this, limit switch 9 outputs a first signal. Note that, when focusing only on the output signal of limit switch 9, the state in FIG. 12 is equivalent to the state in FIG. 14, which will be described later.

[0122] FIG. 13 shows a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in the first detection position [C] after being moved in the pushing direction following the state in FIG.

[0123] At this time, the roller 53 further rolls along the inclined tip surfaces (11y, 12y) of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 and reaches the predetermined first detection position [C]. During this process, the roller lever 52 further swings counterclockwise in the figure, further pushing the push rod 51 by a predetermined amount. In response to this, the limit switch 9 outputs a second signal. Upon receiving the second signal from the limit switch 9, the control unit 7 activates the first locking mechanism 28 via the processor 7a. This places the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 in the first locked state.

[0124] In other words, as described above, in order for the first locking mechanism 28 to operate, a series of transitions are required among the state of FIG. 6 (first initial position [A1]; limit switch 9 is in the off state), the state of FIG. 12 (second initial position [B1]; limit switch 9 outputs the first signal), and the state of FIG. 13 (first detection position [C]; limit switch 9 outputs the second signal).

[0125] FIG. 14 shows a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is at a second detection position [B] after being further moved in the pushing direction after the state in FIG.

[0126] At this time, roller 53 rolls from first detection surface 21 along first auxiliary detection surface 24 of liquid medicine bottle unit 10, eventually reaching second detection surface 22. During this process, roller lever 52 swings a predetermined amount clockwise in the figure. Push rod 51 then returns a predetermined amount in the protruding direction. In response, the output from limit switch 9 switches from the second signal to the first signal. Note that, when focusing only on the output signal of limit switch 9, the state in FIG. 14 is equivalent to the state in FIG. 12 described above.

[0127] FIG. 15 shows a state in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is at the third detection position [A] after being further moved in the pushing direction after the state in FIG.

[0128] At this time, roller 53 rolls from second detection surface 22 along second auxiliary detection surface 25 of liquid medicine bottle unit 10, eventually reaching third detection surface 23. During this process, roller lever 52 further swings a predetermined amount clockwise in the figure. This causes push rod 51 to return further in the protruding direction. In response, the output signal of limit switch 9 becomes OFF.

[0129] In response to the limit switch 9 being turned off, the control unit 7 activates the second locking mechanism 29 through the processor 7a, thereby putting the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 into the second locked state.

[0130] When the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is positioned at the third detection position [A] shown in Fig. 15, the blade 41 is in contact with the closure members 17, 18 and breaking the closure members 17, 18, or is in a position where the blade 41 is about to come into contact with the closure members 17, 18. Note that, when only the output signal of the limit switch 9 is considered, the state in Fig. 15 is equivalent to the state in Fig. 6 described above.

[0131] In order for the second lock mechanism 29 to operate in this manner, as described above, a series of transitions in the output signal are required, such as the state in FIG. 13 (first detection position [C]; limit switch 9 outputs the second signal), the state in FIG. 14 (second detection position [B]; limit switch 9 outputs the first signal), and the state in FIG. 15 (third detection position [A]; limit switch 9 is in the off state).

[0132] As described above, the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 inside the device main body 2 is determined based on the detection signals (first signal, second signal) of the limit switch 9. Here, focusing on the time-series changes of the two types of output signals of the limit switch 9, the following can be seen.

[0133] First, during the insertion of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 into the device body 2, if the output signal from the limit switch 9 remains off and there has been no output signal from the limit switch 9 for a predetermined period of time prior, the processor 7a determines that the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in the initial position [A1] for the insertion process (see FIG. 6). At this time, the blade 41 is sufficiently separated from the closure members 17, 18 and is not in firm contact with them.

[0134] Next, when the output signal from limit switch 9 changes from the OFF state to the first signal during the process of inserting liquid medicine bottle unit 10 into device body 2, processor 7a determines that liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in second initial position [B1] (see FIG. 12). At this point, blade 41 is still sufficiently separated from each of closure members 17, 18 and is not in firm contact with them.

[0135] Next, when the output signal from the limit switch 9 changes from the first signal to the second signal during insertion of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 into the device body 2, the processor 7a determines that the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is at the first detection position [C] (see FIG. 13 ). At this time, the second signal is detected, activating the first locking mechanism 28. This prevents the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 from being pulled back toward the base end. Even at this point, the blade 41 is still sufficiently separated from the closure members 17 and 18 and is not in firm contact with them.

[0136] At this point, the first locking mechanism 28 is provided in consideration of the following.

[0137] As described above, during the process of inserting the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 into the device main body 2, if the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 is further pushed toward the inside of the device main body 2 after the first detection position [C] (second signal output of the limit switch 9; see Figure 13), the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 detected based on the limit switch 9 should change from [C] to [B] to [A].

[0138] On the other hand, when the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is in the first detection position [C] (see FIG. 13 ), if the first locking mechanism 28 is not provided, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 can be pulled back toward the proximal end. This operation is not originally intended, and can be said to be an operation that is basically unnecessary when performing a cleaning and disinfecting operation in the endoscope reprocessor 1.

[0139] In this case, when such an operation is performed, the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is actually [C]-[B1]-[A1], but the position information detected by the limit switch 9 at this time is [C]-[B]-[A]. In other words, in this situation, even though a pull-back operation is being performed, if we focus only on the output signal of the limit switch 9, an output similar to that detected when the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 is pushed toward the inside of the device main body 2 will be detected.

[0140] Therefore, even if the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 is actually pulled back and reaches the initial position [A1] due to an incorrect operation by the user, there is a possibility that an erroneous detection will occur in which the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 is pushed in and determined to be at the third detection position [A].

[0141] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first locking mechanism 28 is activated to prevent the retraction operation of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 only when the transition of the position information [A1]-[B1]-[C] is determined based on the output of the limit switch 9 by detecting the transition of a series of changes in the output signal of the limit switch 9.

[0142] In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing erroneous detection, a fourth detection position [D] (not shown) may be provided after the determination of the second detection position [B] (see FIG. 14) that is made after the state of FIG. 13, and a transition of the series of position information [A1]-[B1]-[C]-[B]-[D] may be determined. In this way, by setting the operating conditions of the first locking mechanism 28 in more detail, it is possible to further prevent erroneous detection of position information.

[0143] Subsequently, as the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 continues to be inserted into the device body 2 from the first detection position [C], when the output signal from the limit switch 9 changes from the second signal to the first signal, the processor 7a determines that the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is at the second detection position [B] (see FIG. 14). At this point, the blade 41 is approaching each of the closure members 17, 18.

[0144] Subsequently, when the output signal from limit switch 9 changes from the first signal to the OFF state during the process of inserting liquid medicine bottle unit 10 into device body 2, processor 7a determines that liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is at third detection position [A] (see FIG. 15 ). At the same time, in response to the change of limit switch 9 to the OFF state, second locking mechanism 29 is activated. This prevents liquid medicine bottle unit 10 from being pulled back toward the base end.

[0145] At this point, the blade 41 has contacted each of the closure members 17, 18 and is breaking the closure members 17, 18, or is on the verge of contacting the closure members 17, 18 (see FIG. 15 ). Therefore, if the retraction operation of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 can be further prevented at this point, leakage of the liquid medicine can be reliably prevented.

[0146] As described above, according to the first embodiment, in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 applied to the endoscope reprocessor 1 equipped with a position detector (limit switch 9) that detects the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit mounted inside the device main body 2, the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is configured by combining at least two liquid medicine bottles, a first liquid medicine bottle 11 and a second liquid medicine bottle 12. In this embodiment, the second side surface 12c2 (one side surface) of the second liquid medicine bottle 12 is formed with a first detectable surface 21 (first surface) and a second detectable surface 22 (second surface). Here, the second detectable surface 22 (second surface) is formed on the same side surface as the first detectable surface 21 (first surface), and the first detectable surface 21 (first surface) and the second detectable surface 22 (second surface) have different vertical heights on the one side surface.

[0147] Second side surface 11c2 (one side surface) of first chemical solution bottle 11 is formed to have third detectable surface 23 (third surface). Here, third detectable surface 23 (third surface) has a different vertical height from first detectable surface 21 (first surface) and second detectable surface 22 (second surface).

[0148] The first detectable surface 21 (first surface), the second detectable surface 22 (second surface), and the third detectable surface 23 (third surface) are arranged side by side in a direction along the movement direction of the first liquid medicine bottle 11 and the second liquid medicine bottle 12, and are arranged within the detection range of the limit switch 9 (position detector).

[0149] With this configuration, it is possible to detect whether the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is securely attached in the correct form at a predetermined position inside the device main body 2, and it is possible to prevent the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 from being attached incorrectly to the endoscope reprocessor 1.

[0150] In this embodiment, a configuration example is shown in which a third detectable surface 23 is formed on the first liquid medicine bottle 11, and a first detectable surface 21 and a second detectable surface 22 are formed on the second liquid medicine bottle 12, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration example.

[0151] For example, apart from the above-described configuration example, it is also possible to form a first detectable surface 21 and a second detectable surface 22 on the first liquid medicine bottle 11, and a third detectable surface 23 on the second liquid medicine bottle 12.

[0152] Furthermore, the arrangement of the first detectable surface 21, the second detectable surface 22, and the third detectable surface 23 on the first chemical liquid bottle 11 and the second chemical liquid bottle 12 is not limited to the above example, and can be configured in various combinations.

[0153] Next, a brief description will be given of a liquid medicine bottle unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 16 is an external perspective view of the liquid medicine bottle unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention (corresponding to Fig. 7). Fig. 17 is a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as viewed from the direction of arrow

[17] in Fig. 16 (corresponding to Fig. 8). Fig. 18 is a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit of Fig. 17 with the first and second liquid medicine bottles separated (corresponding to Fig. 9).

[0154] In the first embodiment described above, an example was shown in which each joining surface (third side surface 11c3, 12c3) of the two liquid medicine bottles (11, 12) that make up the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is formed so as to follow the direction in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10 is moved by the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 inside the device main body 2.

[0155] The second embodiment of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A described below basically has a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment. The only differences between the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A of this embodiment are the shape of each of the two liquid medicine bottles (11A, 12A) and the shape of the joining surfaces (third side surfaces 11c3, 12c3) of the two liquid medicine bottles (11A, 12A). Therefore, in describing the configuration of this embodiment, the same components as those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions of those components will be omitted. Differences will be described in detail below.

[0156] In the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A of the second embodiment, the joint surface is formed in a direction that has a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the direction of movement by the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 inside the device main body 2.

[0157] With this configuration, the first side surfaces 11c1, 12c1 and the second side surfaces 11c2, 12c2 of the two liquid medicine bottles 11A, 12A are formed into a generally trapezoidal shape. In this case, if the first end surface 11a of the first liquid medicine bottle 11A is the upper base and the second end surface 11b is the lower base, then the first end surface 12a of the second liquid medicine bottle 12A is the lower base and the second end surface 12b is the upper base.

[0158] Here, the first end faces 11a, 12a and the second end faces 11b, 12b are arranged opposite to each other. The first end faces 11a, 12a have tip flat surfaces 11x, 12x and tip inclined surfaces 11y, 12y, respectively. The tip flat surfaces 11x, 12x and the second end faces 11b, 12b are parallel to each other. The tip flat surfaces 11x, 12x are arranged closer to the first side surfaces 11c1, 12c1. Caps 15, 16 are arranged on the tip flat surfaces 11x, 12x.

[0159] Recessed portions 11s and 12s are formed on second side surfaces 11c2 and 12c2. In this case, recessed portions 11s and 12s are cut at the joining surface (third side surfaces 11c3 and 12c3), and when two chemical solution bottles 11A and 12A are joined together, recessed portions 11s and 12s are integrally formed to form one recessed portion 10s.

[0160] The main part of recessed portion 11s is formed on the side of first liquid medicine bottle 11A, and the main part of recessed portion 12s is formed on the side of second liquid medicine bottle 12A. Recessed portion 11s is formed with third detectable surface 23. Recessed portion 12s is also formed with second detectable surface 22, first auxiliary detectable surface 24, and second auxiliary detectable surface 25.

[0161] The recesses 11s and 12s are formed in the central regions of the second side surfaces 11c2 and 12c2 of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A. The other configurations of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

[0162] The first and second liquid medicine bottles 11A and 12A thus configured are joined together with their joining surfaces (third side surfaces 11c3 and 12c3) adjacent to each other to form liquid medicine bottle unit 10A. In this case, for example, a belt-shaped transparent thin film member 27 (hereinafter simply referred to as belt-shaped film 27) is used as the joining means. Specifically, for example, belt-shaped film 27 is wrapped around the outer circumferences of two liquid medicine bottles 11A and 12A to join the two bottles together (see FIG. 17 ).

[0163] In this case, strip film 27 is wound around first end faces 11a, 12a, second side faces 11c2, 12c2 (one side face), second end faces 11b, 12b, and first side faces 11c1, 12c1 (another side face located opposite the one side face), thereby bundling two chemical solution bottles 11A, 12A.

[0164] At this time, the strip film 27 is positioned at a position different from the recessed portions 11s, 12s (first detected surface 21 (first surface), second detected surface 22 (second surface), third detected surface 23 (third surface)). In other words, the strip film 27 is positioned so as not to cover the recessed portions 11s, 12s.

[0165] The liquid medicine bottle unit 10A of the second embodiment of the present invention configured as described above can also achieve substantially the same functions and effects as the first embodiment described above. Furthermore, in the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A of the second embodiment, the first liquid medicine bottle 11A and the second liquid medicine bottle 12A are configured to have different shapes, which can prevent operational errors such as accidentally loading only one bottle into the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 of the endoscope reprocessor 1.

[0166] Next, a brief description will be given of a liquid medicine bottle unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 19 is an external perspective view of the liquid medicine bottle unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention (corresponding to Fig. 7). Fig. 20 is a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit as viewed from the direction of arrow

[20] in Fig. 19 (corresponding to Fig. 8). Fig. 21 is a top view of the liquid medicine bottle unit of Fig. 20 with the first and second liquid medicine bottles separated (corresponding to Fig. 9).

[0167] In the second embodiment described above, an example was shown in which each joining surface (third side surface 11c3, 12c3) of the two liquid medicine bottles (11A, 12A) that make up the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A is formed in a direction that has a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the direction in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A moves inside the device main body 2 by the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8.

[0168] The third embodiment of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10B described below has a configuration similar to that of the first and second embodiments. The liquid medicine bottle unit 10B of this embodiment differs in the shape of each of the two liquid medicine bottles (11B, 12B) and the shape of the joining surfaces (third side surfaces 11c3, 12c3) of the two liquid medicine bottles (11B, 12B). Therefore, in describing the configuration of this embodiment, the same components as those of the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Differences will be described in detail below.

[0169] When viewed from above (see Figures 20 and 21), the container body 13B of the first liquid medicine bottle 11B has a cutout portion 13Bb formed by cutting out a portion of a corner, and a protrusion 13Ba having approximately the same shape and size as the cutout portion 13Bb (see the area surrounded by dashed-dotted line hatching in Figure 20; the hatching shown here does not represent a cross section).

[0170] 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.

[0171] The second liquid medicine bottle 12B has substantially the same shape as the first liquid medicine bottle 11B when rotated, for example, 180 degrees. In this case, the container body 14B has a notch 14Bb on the first end surface 12a side. A protrusion 14Ba is provided on the second end surface 12b side. An opening and a substantially cylindrical portion (not shown) are formed in the first end surface 12a formed within the notch 14Bb, and a cap 16 is attached to the first end surface 12a.

[0172] With this configuration, the positions of the closure members 17, 18 can be set to different positions in the direction in which the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A is moved by the liquid medicine bottle mounting device 8 inside the device main body 2. This configuration is intended to contribute to different timings at which the closure members 17, 18 are broken by the blade 41.

[0173] Furthermore, the configuration in which predetermined portions are formed as settings such as protrusion 13Ba, notch 13Bb, protrusion 14Ba, and notch 14Bb is a device for ensuring that the capacities of both bottles 11B and 12B are approximately equal, even though the shapes of first chemical liquid bottle 11B and second chemical liquid bottle 12B are different.

[0174] Similarly to the second embodiment, recesses 11s and 12s are formed on second side surfaces 11c2 and 12c2. The configurations of recesses 11s and 12s are substantially the same as those of the second embodiment. The other configurations of liquid medicine bottle unit 10B are substantially the same as those of the first and second embodiments.

[0175] The liquid medicine bottle unit 10B of the third embodiment of the present invention configured as described above can also provide substantially the same functions and effects as the first and second embodiments described above.

[0176] Next, a liquid medicine bottle unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below. Fig. 22 is a top view (corresponding to Fig. 8) showing the liquid medicine bottle unit according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 23 is a top view (corresponding to Fig. 9) showing the liquid medicine bottle unit of Fig. 22 with the first liquid medicine bottle and the second liquid medicine bottle separated.

[0177] In the above-described first to third embodiments, the first detectable surface 21 (first surface), the second detectable surface 22 (second surface), and the third detectable surface 23 (third surface) formed on the upper surface (second side surface 11c2, 12c2) of the liquid medicine bottle unit are arranged in a line along the movement direction of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A.

[0178] Here, considering that the first detectable surface 21 (first surface), the second detectable surface 22 (second surface), and the third detectable surface 23 (third surface) only need to be positioned within the detection range of the limit switch 9 (position detector) in the direction of movement of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10A, they are not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned configuration example.

[0179] The fourth embodiment of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10C described below has a configuration similar to that of the first to third embodiments. The liquid medicine bottle unit 10C of this embodiment differs from the first to third embodiments in the arrangement and shape of the first, second, and third detectable surfaces 21 (first surface), 22 (second surface), and 23 (third surface) formed on the two liquid medicine bottles (11B, 12B).

[0180] Therefore, in describing the configuration of this embodiment, the same components as those in the first to third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted, with only the differences being described in detail below.

[0181] The first medicine solution bottle 11C has a first detectable surface 21 (first surface) and a second detectable surface 22 (second surface) formed on the second side surface 11c2. Here, the first detectable surface 21 is a flat surface near the tip of the second side surface 11c2. The second detectable surface 22 forms a stepped portion that is one step higher than the first detectable surface 21 and is a flat surface parallel to the second side surface 11c2. That is, in this embodiment, a convex portion 12Cs including the second detectable surface 22 is provided instead of the concave portion 12s in each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Note that the convex portion 12Cs includes a first auxiliary detectable surface 24 and a second auxiliary detectable surface 25.

[0182] Second medical solution bottle 12C has third detectable surface 23 (third surface) formed on second side surface 12c2. Third detectable surface 23 forms a stepped portion that is one step higher than second detectable surface 22 and is a flat surface parallel to second side surface 12c2. That is, in this embodiment, convex portion 12Cs including third detectable surface 23 is provided instead of concave portion 12s in the above-described embodiments.

[0183] The first detection surface 21 and the convex portion 11Cs, and the convex portion 12Cs are arranged at positions slightly offset (separate) in the width direction in the movement direction of the liquid medicine bottle unit 10C.

[0184] Correspondingly, the roller 53 of the limit switch 9 is formed to have a predetermined widthwise length S (see FIG. 22). Here, the widthwise length S of the roller 53 corresponds to the detection range of the limit switch 9.

[0185] In this embodiment, roller 53 has a width S that is long enough to cover both of convex portions 11Cs and 12Cs that are spaced apart in the width direction. The other configurations of liquid medicine bottle unit 10C are substantially the same as those of the first to third embodiments described above.

[0186] The liquid medicine bottle unit 10C of the fourth embodiment of the present invention configured as described above can also provide the same functions and effects as those of the first to third embodiments described above.

[0187] 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 medical liquid bottle unit adapted for use in an endoscope reprocessor equipped with a position detector that detects the position of the medical liquid bottle unit within the device, the medical liquid bottle unit being constructed by combining at least two bottles, comprising: a first bottle for storing a first medical liquid, the first bottle having a first end face, a second end face opposing the first end face, a first body formed with a plurality of side surfaces connecting the first end face and the second end face, and a first lid that closes an opening formed in the first end face; and a second bottle for storing a second medical liquid, the second bottle having a first end face, a second end face opposing the first end face, a first body formed with a plurality of side surfaces connecting the first end face and the second end face, and a second lid that closes an opening formed in the first end face. A drug solution bottle unit characterized in that, in either the first bottle or the second bottle, one of the plurality of side surfaces has the first surface and a second surface formed on the same side surface as the first surface and having a different vertical height from the first surface; in either the second bottle or the other of the first bottle, one of the plurality of side surfaces has a third surface having a different vertical height from the first surface and the second surface; and the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface are arranged within the detection range of the position detector in a direction along the movement direction of the first bottle and the second bottle.

2. The liquid medicine bottle unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a first inclined surface connecting the first surface and the second surface; and a second inclined surface connecting the second surface and the third surface.

3. The liquid medicine bottle unit described in claim 1, characterized in that the first bottle and the second bottle are joined using a film with the other side surfaces of the multiple sides adjacent to each other.

4. The drug solution bottle unit described in claim 3, characterized in that the film covers a portion of each surface of the first end face, the one side face, the second end face, and another side face positioned opposite the one side face, and is positioned at a different position from the first face, the second face, and the third face on the one side face.

5. The chemical solution bottle unit described in claim 4, characterized in that the film is arranged over the first end face and part of one side face of the first bottle, part of one side face and the second end face and part of the other side face of the second bottle, and part of the other side face of the first bottle, thereby bundling the first bottle and the second bottle.

6. The liquid medicine bottle unit described in claim 1, characterized in that the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface are convex or concave portions formed in the central region of one side of the first bottle and the second bottle.

7. The liquid medicine bottle unit according to claim 1, wherein the opening is formed in the first end face at a position closer to the other side face.

8. The liquid medicine bottle unit described in claim 1, characterized in that 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.

9. An endoscope reprocessor comprising a bottle mounting device that houses a liquid medicine bottle unit formed by combining at least two bottles, and a position detector that detects the position of the liquid medicine bottle unit within the device body, wherein the liquid medicine bottle unit comprises: a first bottle that stores a first liquid medicine, the first bottle having a first body formed with a first end face, a second end face opposing the first end face, and a plurality of side faces connecting the first end face and the second end face, and a first lid that closes an opening formed in the first end face; and a second bottle that stores a second liquid medicine, the second body formed with a first end face, a second end face opposing the first end face, and a plurality of side faces connecting the first end face and the second end face, and a second lid that closes an opening formed in the first end face, An endoscope reprocessor characterized in that one of the plurality of side surfaces of the first bottle has the first surface and a second surface formed on the same side surface as the first surface and having a different vertical height from the first surface, one of the plurality of side surfaces of the second bottle has a third surface having a different vertical height from the first surface and the second surface, and the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface are arranged within the detection range of the position detector in a direction along the movement direction of the first bottle and the second bottle.

10. The endoscope reprocessor according to claim 9, characterized in that the bottle mounting device further comprises: a detection switch that acts on the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface of the accommodated liquid medicine bottle unit to output a predetermined signal at a predetermined timing; and a locking mechanism that operates in response to the output signal from the detection switch and restricts movement of the liquid medicine bottle unit in the direction of removal.

11. The endoscope reprocessor according to claim 10, characterized in that the locking mechanism has at least two of: a first locking mechanism that restricts the return operation of the liquid medicine bottle unit to prevent erroneous detection by the detection switch; and a second locking mechanism that restricts the return operation of the liquid medicine bottle unit to prevent leakage of the first liquid medicine and the second liquid medicine from the liquid medicine bottle unit.

12. An endoscope reprocessor as described in claim 11, characterized in that when the medicinal liquid bottle unit housed in the bottle mounting device moves together with the bottle mounting device, the first locking mechanism is activated when the detection switch transitions from an off state to an output state of a first signal and then to an output state of a second signal, and the second locking mechanism is activated when the detection switch transitions from an output state of the second signal to an output state of the first signal and then to the off state.

13. A liquid medicine bottle unit formed by combining at least two bottles, comprising: a first bottle for storing a first liquid medicine; and a second bottle for storing a second liquid medicine; the first bottle has an opening, a first lid for closing the opening, and a first container body for storing the first liquid medicine; the second bottle has an opening, a second lid for closing the opening, and a second container body for storing the second liquid medicine; the first container body has a first step portion for detection; and the second container body has a second step portion for detection.

14. The medicinal liquid bottle unit described in claim 13, characterized in that the first step portion and the second step portion are arranged along the insertion direction of the first bottle and the second bottle and are positioned within the detection range of a position detector of an endoscope reprocessor.

15. The liquid medicine bottle unit described in claim 13, characterized in that the first bottle and the second bottle have an approximate L-shape, and when combined, the first container body and the second container body form an approximate rectangular parallelepiped shape.

16. The liquid medicine bottle unit according to claim 13, wherein the first step portion and the second step portion are formed by different planes.

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