JP2542973B2 - High pressure steam sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a high-pressure steam sterilizer for sterilizing and drying medical equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A high-pressure steam sterilizer with an outer lid structure is known in which an object to be sterilized is housed in a chamber, and after predetermined sterilization, the object to be sterilized is dried. In such a high-pressure steam sterilizer, the drying process after the sterilization and exhaust treatment is appropriately performed without releasing the lid and opening the chamber lid a little, without performing the drying treatment with the chamber sealed. There is one that is performed by various heating means (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-187770).

[0003]

However, when performing the above-mentioned drying process, if the work of releasing the lid and opening the chamber lid a little is performed manually, the worker does other work when performing the work. There is an annoyance that the chamber lid must be closed and the chamber lid must be closed again after the drying process is completed.

The present invention provides a method for drying a sterilized object,
An object is to provide a high-pressure steam sterilizer that can automatically open and close the chamber lid.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention has a bottomed cylindrical chamber having an opening for accommodating an object to be sterilized, and the opening of the chamber. A high-pressure steam sterilizer having an arm member arranged across the arm, a chamber lid fixed to the arm member, and a packing attached to the chamber lid and circumscribing the edge of the opening of the chamber, A hinge structure that supports one side of the arm member, a lid structure provided on the other side of the arm member, and a force that opposes the pressing force generated by the expansion of the packing after the sterilization and exhaust steps are completed. A means for applying, a means for releasing the lid-covered state while the counter force is applied, and a chamber lid is driven in the lid-released state to form a gap between the lid and the chamber opening. Let Write, is characterized in that it comprises a means for performing closed by driving the chamber lid after the drying process.

[0006]

According to the above construction, after the sterilization and exhaust steps are completed, the lid state is automatically released and the gap is formed in the chamber lid, and the drying step can be performed without human intervention. Further, the opening of the chamber lid can be kept constant during the drying process, and the drying performance can be kept constant. Further, after the drying process is completed, the chamber lid is automatically closed, so that invasion of various bacteria and the like can be prevented as much as possible and recontamination of the sterilized object can be prevented.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following will describe one embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a high-pressure steam sterilizer, and FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same. The chamber 2 having a bottomed tubular shape is provided in a horizontal arrangement with its opening 2a facing the front surface of the front panel 1. A sterilization heater (not shown) is provided on the inner bottom of the chamber 2, and a drying heater (not shown) is provided on the outer periphery of the top surface.

On the chamber 2 side of the chamber lid 3, a packing 4 which is circumscribed around the edge of the chamber opening 2a is mounted, and the packing 4 seals the opening 2a of the chamber 2. There is.
Further, a substantially disk-shaped reinforcing member 5 for reinforcing the chamber lid 3 is fixedly provided on the front side of the chamber lid 3. The arm member 6 is fixed to the reinforcing member 5 and is integral with the chamber lid 3, and is provided so as to straddle the chamber opening 2a. One end of the arm member 6 is fixed to a side wall of the chamber 2 and is supported by a hinge 7 projecting from the panel 1 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction. The horizontal rotation allows the chamber lid 3 to be opened and closed. It is supposed to be.

On the other hand, a cover mechanism 60 is arranged on the other end side of the arm member 6. This cover mechanism has a guide shaft 8
8, a guide shaft attachment fitting 9, a slide fitting 10, a lock shaft 11, and a support fitting 12. The L-shaped guide shaft mounting member 9 is fixed to the front surface of the reinforcing member 5 and supports the guide shafts 8 in an upright state. The guide shafts 8 and 8 are inserted into the vertical through holes 6a and 6a formed in the arm member 6 and the through holes 10a and 10a formed in the slide fitting 10. A lock shaft 11 is attached to the slide metal fitting 10, and a push-up metal fitting 41 is attached outside the lock shaft 11. The support fitting 12 is fixed to the side wall of the chamber 2 and protrudes from the panel 1.
It has a lock hole 12a corresponding to the lock shaft 11.
The slide metal fitting 10 is guided by the guide shafts 8 and 8 to move in the vertical direction, and when the lock shaft 11 is inserted into the lock hole 12a by the downward movement of the slide metal fitting 10, the chamber lid 3 is capped and moved upward. Thus, when the lock shaft 11 comes out of the lock hole 12a, the chamber lid 3 is released.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an opening / closing drive mechanism portion of the chamber lid 3, and a first motor 15 capable of obtaining a high torque output is fixed to a motor mounting plate 16. A circular cam plate 17 is attached to the output shaft of the first motor 15, and is rotated by the rotation of the output shaft. The roller 19 is arranged so as to contact the cam surface of the cam plate 17, and the movement of the roller 19 is transmitted to the micro switch 18 via the spring plate, and the micro switch is turned on / off. Also, the cam plate 17
The connecting metal fitting 20 provided at the position is rotated by the rotation of the cam plate 17, and this rotation causes the rotor 21 provided at the tip of the connecting metal fitting 20 to come into contact with the push-up metal fitting 41 and further push it up. It has become.

Further, a second motor 22 capable of obtaining a high torque output is fixed to the motor mounting plate 16. Second
A circular cam plate 23 is attached to the output shaft of the motor 22, and is rotated by the rotation of the output shaft. The roller 25 is arranged so as to contact the cam surface of the cam plate 23, and the movement of the roller 25 is transmitted to the micro switch 24 via the spring plate, and the micro switch is turned on / off. Also, the cam plate 23
The link 26 connected to is moved by the rotation of the cam plate 17, and this movement causes the slider 27 connected to the tip end of the link 26 to be guided by the guide member 28 to reciprocate in the left-right direction. There is.

A magnet catch 29 is provided at the tip of the slider 27. Magnet catch 29
Has a permanent magnet fitted in a recess formed at its tip. The bent piece of the connecting plate 13 (see FIG. 1) is located in front of the magnet catch 29, and is located between the bent piece of the connecting plate 13 at the position where the magnet catch 29 is most retracted. It is designed to keep a certain distance.

The connecting plate 13 is fixed to the reinforcing member 5 and moves integrally with the chamber lid 3. Also,
A notch 14 is formed in the connecting plate 13. A hook fitting 30 is provided at a position corresponding to the cutout portion 14. The hook metal fitting 30 is rotatably supported by a hook mounting metal fitting 31 fixed to a solenoid mounting metal fitting 32, and has a claw portion which is engageable with the cutout portion 14 at one end side. There is. A winding spring 33 is interposed between the hook fitting 30 and the bent portion of the solenoid mounting fitting 32 so as to urge the claw portion away from the cutout portion 14. Also, hook metal fittings 3
The other end side of 0 is connected to a connecting plate 34 attached to the shaft of the first solenoid 35. The first solenoid 35 is attached to the solenoid fitting 32.

The solenoid mounting member 32 has three elongated holes formed therein. The elongated holes engage with the three guide rollers 38 mounted on the guide plate 36, respectively. Thus, the solenoid mounting bracket 32 can slide in the left-right direction by a certain distance. In particular,
As shown in FIG. In the solenoid mounting bracket 32,
A circular hole having a diameter corresponding to the long diameter of the long hole is formed, and the pin 6 having the base end side fixed to the guide plate 36.
1 projects through the circular hole. In addition, a pin 62 is erected on the solenoid mounting bracket 32,
By mounting the tension coil spring 37 between the pin 62 and the pin 61, the solenoid fitting 32 is biased toward the chamber lid 3 side.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a second solenoid fixedly mounted on the motor mounting plate 16, and the shaft of the second solenoid 40 is connected to the rear end of the solenoid mounting bracket 32 via a connecting plate 39. The usage and operation of the high-pressure steam sterilizer having the above configuration will be described. First, the object to be sterilized is stored in the chamber 2, and the lock shaft 11 is inserted into the holes of both the arm member 6 and the support fitting 12 to cover the chamber cover 3. Next, when the sterilization operation is started, water is injected into the chamber 2, and after a certain amount of water is injected,
The sterilization heater is energized.

Next, the high pressure steam sterilization is performed in this state for a predetermined time by discharging the air in the chamber 2 by a suitable exhaust means to make it into saturated steam. When the predetermined time has passed,
The central control circuit discharges water and steam in the chamber 2 by discharging means (neither is shown). Then, in order to bring the inside of the chamber 2 close to the atmospheric pressure, after detecting that the temperature inside the chamber 2 is 100 ° C. by a temperature detecting means (not shown), a certain fixed time elapses. By the above operation, the load on the chamber lid 3 due to the pressure inside the chamber 2 is removed.

Next, the first solenoid 35 is driven to pull its shaft in the direction A in the figure. Then, the hook fitting 30 rotates against the bias of the winding spring 33, and the claw at the tip end engages with the notch 14 of the connecting plate 13. Then, while maintaining this engagement state, the second solenoid 40 is driven to pull its shaft in the D direction in the drawing. Then, the solenoid mounting bracket 32 is moved in the D direction in the drawing, and a load in the D direction in the drawing is applied to the connecting plate 13 engaged with the hook bracket 30 accordingly. This load is a load in the direction opposite to the load for separating the chamber lid 3 by the packing 4 expanded by the high temperature steam from the chamber opening,
Both loads are offset and the lock shaft 11 can be easily pulled up.

At the same time when the second solenoid 40 is driven,
The central control circuit gives a start signal to a motor control circuit (not shown). Then, the motor control circuit drives the first motor 15. The first motor 15 rotates clockwise in FIG. 1, and by this rotation, the cam plate 17 also rotates in the same direction, the coupling fitting 20 and the rotor 21 provided on the cam plate 17 rotate, and the rotor 21 rotates. Comes into contact with the push-up metal fitting 41 and further pushes it up to pull out the lock shaft 11. In this pulling up, the lower end of the lock shaft 11 comes out from the hole formed in the support fitting 12 and the lock shaft 1
A signal for stopping the first motor 15 is sent from the motor control circuit at a position where a gap is formed between the lower end of 1 and the upper surface of the support fitting 12. This signal transmission is performed when the roller 19 comes off the concave portion of the cam plate 17 and a predetermined time elapses.

Next, the voltage application to the second solenoid 40 is released, and then the voltage application to the first solenoid 35 is released. Then, the solenoid attachment fitting 32 moves in the C direction by the bias of the tension coil spring 37 and the winding spring 33, and the hook fitting 30 releases the engagement with the connecting plate 13 and returns to the initial state. After that, the second motor 22 is driven by the motor control circuit, and the rotation of the motor 22 causes the cam plate 23 to rotate and the slider 27 to rotate.
Is guided by the guide 28 and moved in the C direction. Due to this movement, the magnet catch 29 pushes the bent piece of the connecting plate 13 at the front position thereof. By this pressing action,
The chamber lid 3 separates from the opening of the chamber 2 and a gap is formed therebetween. The pressing operation is stopped when 1/2 of the time required for one rotation elapses after the roller 25 is disengaged from the concave portion formed on the cam surface of the cam plate 23. From this stop timing and the rotation center of the cam plate 23, the link 2
The size of the gap is determined by the distance to the six connection points. Further, even when the above gap is formed, the push-up metal fitting 4
The contact state between 1 and the rotor 21 is maintained, and the lock shaft 11 does not fall.

By the above operation, the central control circuit energizes the drying heater for a predetermined time while the chamber lid 3 is half-opened to dry the sterilized object. After the completion of the drying process, the second motor 22 is driven by the motor control circuit, the roller 25 is engaged with the concave portion of the cam surface of the cam plate 23, and the micro switch 24 is turned off.
2 is stopped. At this time, the magnet catch 29 attracts the bent piece portion of the connecting plate 13 by the permanent magnet included in the magnet catch 29, and holds this attracting state to hold the connecting plate 1 in place.
As a result of the movement of 3 in the D direction, the chamber lid 3 is attracted to the opening 2a of the chamber 2 and the lid is automatically closed. When the chamber lid 3 is closed and cannot be moved anymore, the magnet catch 29 is connected to the connecting plate 13.
Will be released from and will return to the initial state.

After that, the motor control circuit drives the first motor 15 to lower the lock shaft 11 to perform the lid-covering, and the motor is driven by the concave portion of the cam surface of the cam plate 17. When the roller 19 is engaged with and the micro switch 18 is turned off, the initial state is restored.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, after completion of the sterilization and evacuation process, the lid state is automatically released and the gap is formed in the chamber lid, and the process proceeds to the drying process without human intervention. can do. Further, the opening of the chamber lid can be kept constant during the drying process, and the drying performance can be kept constant. Furthermore, after the drying process is completed, the chamber lid will be automatically closed again, and it is possible to prevent the invasion of various bacteria as much as possible and prevent the recontamination of the sterilized object. Play.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a high-pressure steam sterilizer as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a chamber lid opening / closing drive mechanism section in the high-pressure steam sterilizer.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 chamber 3 chamber lid 4 packing 6 arm member 7 hinge 11 lock shaft 15 first motor 22 second motor 29 magnet catch 35 first solenoid 40 second solenoid 60 locking mechanism

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Yuichi Nishizaki 3 201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenichi Kawata 3 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture No. 201 Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A bottomed cylindrical chamber having an opening for accommodating an object to be sterilized, an arm member extending across the opening of the chamber, and a chamber lid fixed to the arm member. In a high-pressure steam sterilizer having a packing attached to the chamber lid and circumscribing the edge of the opening of the chamber, a hinge structure part supporting one side of the arm member and a hinge structure part provided on the other side of the arm member. And a means for applying a force against the pressing force generated by the expansion of the packing after the sterilization and exhaust steps, and a means for canceling the applied state with the opposing force applied. And while the lid is released, the chamber lid is driven to form a gap between the lid and the chamber opening,
A high-pressure steam sterilizer, comprising means for driving and closing the chamber lid after the drying treatment.