JP2013215513A - Sterilizer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sterilizer having a sliding door that can be operated even with a light force, in the sterilizer that adopts the sliding door sliding in a vertical direction.SOLUTION: A sterilizer 30 includes a pressure container 32 or a pressure-resistant sealed container that stores an object to be sterilized and sterilizing with a supplied fluid having a sterilizing effect, and a door for opening/closing an opening 31 of the pressure container 32 or pressure-resistant sealed container. The door is a sliding door 36 sliding in a vertical direction, and the sliding door 36 is provided with a load means 40 for pulling the sliding door 36 upward with the same weight as the sliding door 36.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sterilizer, and more particularly to the structure of a sterilizer door.

  In hospitals and the like, it is necessary to sterilize objects to be sterilized such as therapeutic bandages, scalpels, forceps, and surgical clothes. In order to sterilize such an object to be sterilized, a sterilization apparatus having a pressure vessel or a pressure-resistant sealed container for containing the object to be sterilized and using a sterilizing agent such as steam, ethylene oxide gas, or vaporized hydrogen peroxide is used. Often used.

The pressure container or pressure-resistant sealed container constituting the sterilization apparatus is provided with an openable / closable door, and an operator accommodates an object to be sterilized by opening and closing the door.
As an example of the door structure of such a pressure vessel or a pressure-resistant airtight vessel, there are many laterally open configurations as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

However, in the door structure described in Patent Document 1, when an operator performs an operation such as opening the door and taking out an object to be sterilized, the opened door is close to the operator. That is, there is a problem that a high-temperature door immediately after being heated is close to the worker and is highly dangerous.
There is also a problem that a space for opening the door in the lateral direction is required.

  As a door structure that can solve the above problems, there is a sliding door that slides up and down to open and close, as shown in Patent Document 2. Here, it is disclosed that a fluid cylinder is provided in the opening and closing device as a driving means when the sliding door is opened and closed.

JP 2007-145424 A JP 2000-240799 A

In a pressure vessel or a pressure-resistant airtight container used for a sterilization apparatus, it is usual that the weight is heavy because of its robustness so as to withstand a predetermined pressure.
Therefore, in order to slide such a heavy door in the vertical direction, a large power unit is required. If a large power unit is used for opening and closing the door of the sterilizer, there is a problem that the cost becomes high.
In addition, when a large power unit is used, safety measures at the time of opening and closing are required, and parts such as sensors are required, which increases the number of parts and complicates the control.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization apparatus that employs a sliding door that slides in the vertical direction and includes a sliding door that can be operated even with a light force. It is in.

According to the sterilization apparatus according to the present invention, a pressure container or a pressure-resistant sealed container that accommodates an object to be sterilized and is sterilized by a supplied sterilizing fluid, and an opening in the pressure container or the pressure-resistant sealed container The door is a sliding door that slides up and down, and the sliding door has a load means for pulling upward with the same weight as the sliding door. It is characterized by being provided.
By adopting this configuration, the slide door is pulled upward with the same weight as the slide door. For this reason, when the sliding door is slid in the vertical direction, the force can be very small. Therefore, the slide door can be manually moved up and down, a power unit becomes unnecessary, and it is preferable from the viewpoint of safety. Alternatively, in the present invention, a power device may be provided instead of manual operation, but a small power device is sufficient because it operates with a small force. For this reason, even if a power unit is provided, problems in terms of cost and safety can be solved.

The load means may be a constant load spring.
The constant load spring is generally a spring type, but in this case, the load does not change even if the length of the mainspring extends and the length changes. For this reason, when opening and closing the slide door, it can be opened and closed with the same force regardless of the position of the slide door.

Further, the pressure vessel or the pressure-resistant sealed vessel may be arranged so as to be inclined so that the opening side is positioned below.
In a sterilization apparatus, it is common to introduce steam as a sterilizing agent into a pressure vessel or a pressure-resistant sealed container, or to use steam for heating. However, the vapor may be stored as drainage in the pressure vessel or the pressure-resistant sealed vessel. If these drains are not excluded, the sterilization efficiency deteriorates. Therefore, the pressure vessel or the pressure-resistant airtight vessel is inclined so that the opening side is positioned downward, so that the drain is collected on the opening side. And if a drain exhaust pipe is provided in the opening part side, drain will be discharged | emitted favorably from a drain exhaust pipe. Further, since the drain exhaust pipe is provided on the opening side, there is an advantage that the drain exhaust pipe can be easily maintained.

The sliding door includes a door main body and support portions that are provided on both the left and right sides of the door main body and support the sliding door in the sliding direction, and the space between the door main body and the support portion is made of rubber. It is good also as a characteristic that it is couple | bonded by the supporting member of.
The slide door has a door body for closing the opening of the pressure vessel, but the inside of the door becomes high pressure, and the space between the opening is sealed with packing or the like. Needs to be assembled so as to be slightly movable with respect to the opening (in the front-rear direction as viewed from the front of the door). However, if it is rattling when it is slid up and down, it will not be able to open and close smoothly, and the sound of rattling will also be annoying. Therefore, the door main body and the support portion are coupled by an elastic support member, so that the door main body can move slightly between the support portion and absorbs vibration during sliding movement, thereby causing rattling. And can be opened and closed smoothly.

Further, the support portion includes a guide roller that is inserted into a rail-shaped guide portion provided along the sliding direction of the slide door and rolls within the guide portion, and a guide frame to which the guide roller is attached. The elastic body support member may be provided between the guide frame and the door body.
According to this configuration, the door main body is provided so as to be slightly movable with respect to the guide frame, the gap between the opening and the door main body can be reliably sealed, and vibration during sliding movement is absorbed. Prevents sticking and can open and close smoothly.

  According to the sterilization apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to provide a sterilization apparatus including a sliding door that slides in the vertical direction even with a light force.

It is a front view of a sterilizer. It is a side view which shows the internal structure of a sterilizer. It is a side view of the pressure vessel which shows schematic structure of a load means. It is a perspective view of a slide door. It is a front view of a slide door. It is a top view of a slide door. It is a side view of the pressure vessel which shows schematic structure of 2nd Embodiment of a load means. It is a side view of the pressure vessel which shows schematic structure of 3rd Embodiment of a load means.

A steam sterilization apparatus using steam as a sterilant, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described.
FIG. 1 shows a front view of the steam sterilizer and a side view showing the internal structure from the side of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a steam sterilizer 30 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a sterilizer) is provided with a slide door 36 that slides in the vertical direction on the front. By moving the slide door 36 in the vertical direction, the opening 31 of the sterilization chamber (a pressure container 32 described below) that accommodates an object to be sterilized can be opened and closed. In the present embodiment, the opening 31 is closed when the slide door 36 is located above, and the opening 31 is opened when the slide door 36 is located below.

The sterilizer 30 has a pressure container 32 that accommodates an object to be sterilized. The pressure vessel 32 is arranged so that the opening 31 faces the front side of the apparatus.
More specifically, the casing 33 of the sterilization apparatus 30 has a three-stage configuration with a plurality of frames 37. Devices such as a vacuum pump and a compressor are arranged in the lower stage of the housing 33. A pressure vessel 32 is arranged in the middle of the housing 33. The upper stage of the housing 33 is provided with a load means 40 for lightening the operation of the slide door 36.

A slide door 36 for opening and closing the opening 31 of the pressure vessel 32 is provided on the front side of the steam sterilizer 30.
The slide door 36 is arranged in front of the middle position of the housing 33 when the opening 31 of the pressure vessel 32 is closed, and slides downward when opening the opening 31 of the pressure vessel 32. It is located on the lower front side of the housing 33.

The sliding door 36 in this embodiment is manually opened and closed, and no power device for opening and closing is provided.
The slide door 36 is provided with a load means 40 for pulling upward with the same weight as the slide door 36. In this embodiment, a constant load spring 40 is employed as a specific load means, and a wire 42 connected to one end of the constant load spring 40 is attached to the upper end of the slide door 36. When viewed from the front, the constant load springs 40 are provided on both the left and right sides. For this reason, since the two constant load springs 40 and 40 generate the same load as the weight of one slide door 36, one constant load spring 40 applies a load that is ½ of the weight of the slide door 36. It is trying to generate.

A schematic configuration for supporting the slide door 36 by using the constant load spring 40 is shown in FIG.
The constant load spring is a spring that is configured so that a constant load is always applied regardless of the amount of the spring, and has a generally known configuration.
In this way, the same load as the weight of the slide door 36 is always applied to the slide door 36 regardless of the amount of drawer, so even if the slide door 36 is slid up and down, it is manually slid lightly. be able to.

The structure of the sliding door will be described with reference to FIGS.
The slide door 36 includes a door main body 44 that can be in close contact with the opening 31 of the pressure vessel 32 and support portions 46 that are provided on both the left and right sides of the door main body 44 and support the slide door 36 in the sliding direction. The support 46 and the door body 44 are supported by an elastic support member 47. The door main body 44 supported by the support portion 46 is assembled with some play so as to be movable in the direction of the pressure vessel 32 (in the arrow direction in FIG. 4) when the pressure vessel 32 is sealed.

The support portions 46 are provided on both the left and right sides of the slide door 36.
Each support portion 46 is inserted into a rail-like guide portion 50 (see FIG. 2) provided in the main body of the sterilization apparatus 30 along the slide direction (vertical direction) and rolls within the guide portion 50. And a guide frame 52 to which a guide roller 48 is attached.
The guide frame 52 is a thin plate extending in the vertical direction. When viewed from above, a guide roller 48 is attached to the pressure vessel 32 side (back side when viewed from the front), and the elastic body support member 47 is disposed at the front side when viewed from the front. It is attached.

  In the present embodiment, three guide rollers 48 are provided at predetermined intervals along the vertical direction of each support portion 46. Since the support portions 46 are provided on both the left and right sides of the slide door 36, a total of six guide rollers 48 are provided in the slide door 36 as a whole.

The left and right guide frames 52 are connected by a support reinforcing plate 54 extending in the left-right direction. The support reinforcing plates 54 are provided at two locations along the vertical direction.
The support reinforcing plate 54 is provided to connect and fix the left and right guide frames 52, and is not connected to the door body 44.

The door main body 44 is a member constituting the pressure vessel 32 and is formed in a shape capable of sealing the opening 31 of the pressure vessel 32. Three door support frames 55 for assembling the door body 44 to the guide frame 52 are provided on the front side of the door body 44. Each door support frame 55 is configured by a member extending in the left-right direction. The three door support frames 55 include an upper door support frame 55a for supporting the upper part of the door body 44, a central door support frame 55b for supporting the center of the door body 44 in the vertical direction, and a lower part of the door body 44. It is the lower door support frame 55c for supporting.
The left and right ends of each door support frame 55 are attached to the guide frame 52 via elastic body support members 47.

The elastic body support member 47 has a cylindrical shape whose axis extends in the left-right direction. The elastic body support member 47 may be made of any material as long as it has elasticity. However, the elastic body support member 47 has sufficient strength to support the door main body 44 and is excellent in vibration proofing. In the present embodiment, rubber is used.
On both the left and right sides of the elastic body support member 47, metal male screw portions 58 for screwing are provided so as to protrude from the cylindrical rubber main body portion in the left-right direction. In addition, the external thread part 58 which protrudes from right and left both sides is comprised by the separate member, respectively, and is not connected inside the rubber-made main-body part. That is, the male screw portion 58 is a member for attaching the elastic body support member 47 to the door support frame 55 and the guide frame 52, and the door main body 44 is supported only by a rubber main body portion.

Insertion holes 59 into which the male screw portions 58 of the elastic body support member 47 can be inserted are formed on the left and right sides of each door support frame 55. By tightening the nut 60 to the male screw part 58 inserted into the insertion hole 59, the elastic body support member 47 and the door support frame 55 are assembled.
An insertion hole 61 into which the male screw portion 58 of the elastic body support member 47 can be inserted is also formed at the mounting position of the door support frame 55 of the guide frame 52. By tightening the nut 63 to the male screw part 58 inserted into the insertion hole 61, the elastic body support member 47 and the guide frame 52 are assembled.

The door main body 44 is provided so that the opening 31 of the pressure vessel 32 can be sealed, and the door main body 44 needs to move slightly toward the pressure vessel 32 when the opening 31 is sealed. Further, when opening the opening 31, the door body 44 that is in close contact with the opening 31 of the pressure vessel 32 needs to move slightly forward of the pressure vessel 32.
For this reason, each door support frame 55 provided in the door main body 44 and the guide frame 52 are assembled via the elastic body support member 47 so that there is some play.

  As described above, by assembling the door body 44 and the guide frame 52 having the guide roller 48 via the elastic body support member 47, a slight amount is provided between the door body 44 and the guide frame 52. Even when assembled so that there is play, the rubber absorbs vibration during sliding movement of the slide door 36 to prevent rattling, and smooth opening and closing can be performed.

Further, on both the left and right sides of the upper surface of the upper door support frame 55a, inverted U-shaped wire attachment portions 64 to which the wires 42 for connecting the constant load springs 40 are connected are provided. The wire 42 attached to each wire attachment portion 64 extends upward and is wound around the pulley 70. The wire wound around the pulley 70 extends in the back direction (horizontal direction) when viewed from the front, and is connected to the distal end portion on the extension side of the constant load spring 40.
As described above, the weight of the slide door 36 is supported by the two wires 42 and the constant load spring 40 connected to each wire 42.

  On the front side of the upper door support frame 55a, a handle 69 is provided when an operator operates the door. The handle 69 has a rotating shaft from the front toward the back, and can be rotated around this rotating shaft. As the handle 69 rotates, a locking mechanism for the slide door 36 is activated. Here, the lock mechanism will not be described in detail.

Next, the inclination of the pressure vessel will be described with reference to FIG.
The pressure container 32 is a container that can accommodate an object to be sterilized, and an opening 31 is provided on the front side. The pressure vessel 32 has a cylindrical shape extending from the front side toward the back side.

The pressure vessel 32 of the present embodiment is disposed such that the front side where the opening 31 is provided is inclined downward. And the drain exhaust pipe 72 is connected to the bottom face of the front side which inclines and is located below the back side.
As described above, since the pressure vessel 32 is provided so as to be inclined so that the opening side is on the lower side, drainage is facilitated. That is, in the steam sterilization apparatus, the steam introduced into the pressure vessel 32 may be stored as drain. If these drains are not excluded, the sterilization efficiency deteriorates, but the drain is collected on the opening side by inclining the pressure vessel 32 so that the opening 31 side is on the bottom. If the drain exhaust pipe 72 is provided on the opening side, the drain is discharged well from the drain exhaust pipe 72.
Also, by providing the drain exhaust pipe 72 on the opening 31 side, maintenance of the drain exhaust pipe 72 is easy to perform.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the load means.
In this configuration, a weight 80 having the same weight as that of the slide door 36 is connected to the opposite end of the wire 42 connected to the upper end of the slide door 36. In such a case, two pulleys 70 that are wound around the single wire 42 are provided so that the weight 80 is applied to the wire 42.
Even with such load means, the slide door 36 is pulled upward with the same weight as the slide door 36. For this reason, when the slide door 36 is slid in the vertical direction, a very small force is sufficient.
When two weights are provided on both the left and right sides of the slide door 36, the weight of one weight is ½ of the weight of the slide door 36.

FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment of the loading means.
In this configuration, a structure using the lever principle is adopted. In FIG. 8, a weight 82 having the same weight as the slide door 36 is attached to the rear end side of the arm 84. The distal end side of the arm 84 is attached to the center portion in the vertical direction of the slide door 36 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 85 extending in the horizontal direction.

A central portion of the arm 84 is rotatably attached to an axial core 86 extending in the horizontal direction so as to be swingable as a fulcrum. In this embodiment, the shaft core 86 is supported by a substantially triangular support member 87.
Even with such load means, the slide door 36 is pulled upward with the same weight as the slide door 36. When the slide door 36 is slid in the vertical direction, the arm 84 is rotated by the rotation shaft 85 at the front end side and the shaft core 86 at the center portion while maintaining the weight of the weight 82 at the rear end side. The weight of 36 and the weight of the weight 82 are balanced, and the force for sliding the sliding door 36 is very small.
In the case where two weights are provided on both the left and right sides of the slide door 36, it is natural that the weight of one weight should be ½ of the weight of the slide door 36.

  It should be noted that a weight that is lighter than the weight of the slide door 36 can be employed by changing the position of the fulcrum in the arm (the position of the support member 87 and the axis 86) to the slide door 36 side. Even in this case, when the sliding door is slid in the vertical direction, the force is very small.

In addition, the slide door 36 in the above-described embodiment is manually opened and closed. However, for example, a power device such as an air cylinder may be provided on the slide door so that the slide door is automatically opened and closed.
Even in such a case, by providing the load means, the sliding door can be moved up and down with a very small force. Therefore, a small power unit can be used, and the size and cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

  The sterilization apparatus of the present invention may be an ethylene oxide gas sterilization apparatus that uses ethylene oxide gas as a sterilant, instead of a steam sterilization apparatus that uses steam as a sterilant.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pressure container has been described as a sterilization tank that accommodates an object to be sterilized. However, the sterilization tank is not limited to a pressure vessel, and may be a pressure-resistant sealed vessel.

30 Sterilizer 31 Opening 32 Pressure vessel 33 Housing 36 Slide door 37 Frame 40 Load means (constant load spring)
42 wire 44 door body 46 support part 47 elastic body support member 48 guide roller 50 guide part 52 guide frame 54 support reinforcing plate 55 door support frame 55a upper door support frame 55b central door support frame 55c lower door support frame 58 male screw part 59 Insertion hole 60 Nut 61 Insertion hole 63 Nut 64 Wire mounting portion 69 Handle 70 Pulley 72 Drain exhaust pipe 80, 82 Weight 84 Arm 85 Rotating shaft 86 Axle core 87 Support member

Claims (5)

A pressure vessel or a pressure-tight airtight container that contains an object to be sterilized and is sterilized by a supplied sterilizing fluid;
In the sterilization apparatus comprising a door for opening and closing the opening in the pressure vessel or the pressure-resistant sealed vessel,
The door is a sliding door that slides up and down,
A sterilizing apparatus, wherein the sliding door is provided with a load means for pulling upward with the same weight as the sliding door.   2. The sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the load means is a constant load spring.   The sterilization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressure vessel or the pressure-resistant sealed vessel is disposed so as to be inclined such that the opening side is positioned below. The sliding door has a door main body and a support portion that is provided on both the left and right sides of the door main body and supports the sliding door in the sliding direction.
The sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the door body and the support portion are coupled by an elastic support member. The support part is
A guide roller that is inserted into a rail-shaped guide portion provided along the sliding direction of the slide door and rolls within the guide portion, and a guide frame to which the guide roller is attached;
The sterilizer according to claim 4, wherein the elastic body support member is provided between the guide frame and the door body.

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