JP2975947B2 - Contact lens disinfector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a disinfecting device for contact lenses, and more specifically, to ensure a predetermined disinfection as it is in an area where a commercial power supply having a different voltage is used, such as Japan and other countries. The present invention relates to a disinfecting device for contact lenses that can be performed at a time.

[Prior art] Contact lenses, especially soft contact lenses, adhere to bacteria or the like during handling or wearing. Therefore, after use, immersed in a preservative solution in a lens case at 80 ° C.
It is necessary to sterilize by boiling for a predetermined time at the above high temperature and prepare for reuse, and a disinfecting device for contact lenses using a commercial power source for home use is used because of easy handling at the time of disinfection.

A heater is provided via a heating plate on the back surface of the housing recess of the lens case formed in the box-shaped main body as a contact lens disinfecting device. There is known a disinfecting device suitable for a soft contact lens which is controlled using a temperature sensor such as the above and disinfects a contact lens in a case at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time.

The contact lens disinfector having such a configuration, when the preservation solution and the contact lens contained in the lens case reach a predetermined temperature, the heater power control circuit shuts off the power of the heater, and the heating plate, the lens case and This is to perform a predetermined disinfection while maintaining a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time due to residual heat accumulated in the preservative solution, but it is not possible to directly detect the temperature of the contact lens housed in the lens case together with the preservative solution during disinfection It is. Therefore, the difference between the rate of temperature rise of the heater after the start of energization and the rate of temperature rise of the storage solution in the lens case is measured in advance, and the temperature of the heater is measured directly or through a heating plate by a temperature sensor. Means is employed in which the temperature of the contact lens in the case is indirectly detected, and when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature required for disinfection set in advance, the power supply to the heater is shut off.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the amount of heat generated by the heater is proportional to the voltage.
The time to reach the predetermined temperature differs between when a commercial power supply of up to 120 V is used and when 200 to 240 V AC is used. Therefore, when the temperature of the temperature sensor is set to the low voltage side and a high-voltage power supply is input, the heater power control circuit operates before the contact lens in the case reaches the predetermined temperature, and the power to the heater is cut off. And cannot perform the prescribed disinfection. Conversely, when the detection temperature of the temperature sensor is set to the high voltage side, if a low voltage power supply is input, the contact lens will be heated to a high temperature and the contact lens will be deformed and hardened due to boiling of the preservative solution and further evaporation There is a risk of doing so.

In particular, the contact lens is housed in a hard synthetic resin lens case together with a preservative solution containing water as a main component, and a storage recess of a hard synthetic resin disinfecting device having a heater attached to the bottom rear surface via a heating plate. However, since the specific heat of the preservation solution, the lens case, and the storage recess are all large, the time lag between the temperature rise of the heater and the temperature rise of the contact lens in the lens case is large. Since it takes a considerable time for the contact lens to reach the predetermined temperature, the difference in the rate of increase in the heater temperature due to the voltage difference of the input power supply greatly affects the disinfection of the contact lens.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can be used as it is for a power supply having a significantly different voltage, such as a commercial power supply in Japan and other countries, and in any case, a predetermined disinfection. It is an object of the present invention to provide a contact lens disinfecting device that can surely perform the disinfection and has no fear of damaging the contact lens.

[Means for Solving the Problems] According to the present invention, a heater for heating a contact lens and a lens case containing a preservative solution for the contact lens, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the heater, and electricity from the temperature sensor are provided. A contact lens disinfector comprising a heater power control circuit for controlling the power of the heater by a signal, wherein an input voltage detection circuit and the temperature sensor according to an input voltage to the heater detected by the circuit. A means for solving the above-mentioned problem is provided by a configuration including a detection temperature setting circuit for setting a detection temperature.

[Operation] The input voltage is detected by the input voltage detection circuit.
Based on this, the detected temperature of the temperature sensor that sends a signal to the heater power control circuit is set higher by the detected temperature setting circuit when the voltage is high and lower when the voltage is low, so that the power supply of any voltage is used. Also, when the temperature of the contact lens in the case reaches a predetermined value, the power supply to the heater is cut off by the heater power control circuit, and thereafter the predetermined disinfection is performed with the accumulated residual heat.

Example Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a contact lens disinfecting device in which a power cord is omitted and a power plug 12 is directly attached to and retractable from the main body 1 for convenience of carrying. This is an example.

A housing recess 3 for the lens case 2 is provided at the top of the main body 1 formed of a hard synthetic resin in a hollow box shape, and a recess 14 is formed on one wide side surface 13 of the main body 1. A power supply plug 11 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 14, and the insertion blade 12 can be protruded and retracted in the recess 14.

Further, a heater 5 such as a positive temperature coefficient thermistor (PTC) is provided on the bottom rear surface of the storage recess 3 via a metal heating plate 4. The heater 5 has a diode D ₁ connected to a power supply.
And together they are connected to a rectifier circuit comprising a resistor R ₁ of the supply voltage adjustment, a display circuit made of, for example, a display lamp 6 consisting of neon tube Ne its protective resistance R ₂ Metropolitan are connected in parallel.

Further, a heater power control circuit comprising a thyristor SCR and its gate resistors R ₃ and R ₄ is connected in series to the heater 5.

Furthermore, the rectifier circuit has a resistor R ₆ and a Zener diode.
With ZD ₁ and an electrolytic capacitor C constant-voltage constant-current circuit is connected via a resistor R _5, the anode side of the program junction transistor PUT via a resistor R ₇ to the constant-voltage constant-current circuit is connected . The program junction transistor PUT, together with the anode connected to the gate of the thyristor SCR constituting the heater power control circuit via the resistor R _4, the anode side of the dividing resistor comprising resistors R ₄ and resistors R ₇ And a resistance R ₈ , a temperature sensor 7 comprising a thermistor TH attached to the heater 5, and a detection temperature setting circuit together with an equilibrium resistance comprising a gate-side voltage dividing resistor comprising a resistor R ₉ and a resistor R _10. I have.

Also, the rectifier circuit the Zener diode ZD _2, the detected temperature setting resistor R ₁₀ is one of the balancing resistors program junction transistor PUT constituting the circuit is connected to the emitter side transistors Tr and bias resistor
An input voltage detection circuit composed of R ₁ and R ₁₂ is connected via a resistor R ₅ . The zener diode ZD ₂ constituting this input voltage detection circuit is a circuit shown in FIG. 4 which breaks down when an AC voltage of an intermediate voltage between a low voltage power supply and a high voltage power supply, for example, 150 V or more is input to an input terminal. Select to use.

The program junction transistor PUT constituting the detection temperature setting circuit is in an OFF state when the temperature inside the lens case 2 is lower than a predetermined temperature required for disinfection, and is turned ON when the heater 5 performs heating to reach the predetermined temperature. The value of the balanced resistance is set in advance so as to be in the state. Here, the connection point A which is one resistor R ₁₀ of the resistors constituting the voltage dividing resistor connected to the gate side of the program junction transistor PUT the temperature sensor 7 having one end formed of a thermistor TH and the resistor R _9, The other end is connected to the emitter side of the transistor Tr of the input voltage detection circuit. Therefore, the program junction transistor PU
When the transistor Tr is in the ON state, the voltage dividing resistor on the cathode side connected to the gate side of T is connected to the temperature sensor 7 including the thermistor TH and the resistors R ₉ and R connected in parallel with each other.
Voltage at the connection point A is composed of ₁₀ becomes low, the voltage at the connection point A is composed of the temperature sensor 7 and the resistor R ₉ a thermistor TH which is connected in series when the transistor Tr is in the OFF state Get higher. Accordingly, the thermistor TH and the resistance are set so that the program junction transistor PUT is turned on when the temperature of the heater 5 reaches a different detection temperature set in advance, for example, 100 ° C. and 120 ° C., depending on the open / close state of the transistor Tr. R ₄ ,
The values of R ₇ , R ₈ , R ₉ and R ₁₀ are defined.

In the embodiment having such a configuration, first, the lens case 2 in which the contact lens is stored together with the preservative solution is inserted into the housing recess 3.
And insert the power supply plug 11 with the cover 8
12 is made to protrude from the main body 1.

At this time, the thyristor SCR, the transistor Tr, and the program junction transistor PUT are in the OFF state.

When the power plug 11 is plugged into, for example, an AC 100 V outlet which is a commercial power supply in Japan, a current flows through the circuit, a gate current flows through the thyristor SCR constituting the heater power control circuit, and the heater 5 is turned on. The display lamp 6 is turned on to indicate that the battery is in a heated state while generating heat when energized. At this time, the input power supply is 100 V AC, and since the break voltage of the Zener diode ZD ₂ of the input voltage detection circuit has not been reached, the Zener diode ZD ₂ is not energized, the transistor Tr is ON, and the voltage at the connection point A is It is getting lower.

Then, as time elapses, the temperature of the heater 5 rises, the resistance value of the thermistor TH constituting the temperature sensor 7 attached to the heater 5 gradually decreases, and when the power supply voltage of 100 V is input, the lens When the contact lens in the case 2 reaches a temperature required for disinfecting the contact lens at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, for example, a resistance value corresponding to 100 ° C., a signal current flows to the gate of the program junction transistor PUT to be turned on, and the heater power is turned on. Since the OFF signal flows to the gate of the thyristor SCR constituting the control circuit and returns to the original OFF state, the current to the heater 5 and the display circuit is cut off, the heat generation of the heater 5 is stopped, and the indicator lamp 6 is turned off. . When the disinfection is completed after a predetermined time,
Stopping the supply of current to disconnect the power plug from the outlet transistor Tr, the program junction transistors PUT and thyristor SCR ₁ is turned OFF operation in preparation for the next sterilization operation.

When the power plug 11 is plugged into, for example, an AC 240 V outlet which is a part of a foreign commercial power supply,
The temperature of the heater 5 rises with the lapse of time and the resistance value of the thermistor TH gradually decreases as time elapses, as in the case of being plugged into a 100 V outlet. Zener diode ZD ₂
Zener diode ZD
_Since the transistor Tr is turned off and the transistor Tr is turned off and the voltage at the connection point A is high, even if the temperature of the heater 5 reaches 100 ° C., the program junction transistor PUT
Is not in the OFF state, and the resistance corresponding to a temperature required for disinfecting the contact lens in the lens case 2 at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time when a power supply voltage of the thermistor TH is 240 V, for example, 120 ° C. When the value reaches the value, the signal current flows to the gate of the program junction transistor PUT to turn on, and the OFF signal flows to the gate of the thyristor SCR constituting the heater power control circuit, and returns to the original OFF state, and the heater 5 and the display are displayed. The current to the circuit is cut off, the heat generation of the heater 5 stops, and the indicator lamp 6 turns off. When the disinfection is completed after a predetermined time,
Stopping the supply of current to disconnect the power plug from the outlet transistor Tr, the program junction transistors PUT and thyristor SCR ₁ is turned OFF operation in preparation for the next sterilization operation.

Thus, a low voltage power supply such as AC 100V or 240V
When a high-voltage power supply such as that described above is input, the input voltage detection circuit automatically detects the resistance of the voltage of the input power supply, and stores the temperature of the heater 5 in the lens case 2 when the power supply of each voltage is input. When the temperature required for disinfecting the contact lens held together with the liquid at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time is reached, the power supply to the heater 5 is cut off by the heater power control circuit to perform the predetermined disinfection. You can do it.

In addition, the insertion blade 12 of the power plug 11 provided in the main body is formed in a shape that matches the outlet of the commercial power supply in Japan, but when used in a foreign country having an outlet of a different shape from Japan. The power supply plug 11 may be used by inserting an insertion port 15 similar to a Japanese outlet into the base end and an adapter 17 having a power plug 16 having a shape matching the outlet in the country at the distal end.

[Effect of the Invention] The present invention having the above configuration does not require a plurality of types of disinfectors corresponding to respective power supplies even when used in a country where the voltage is significantly different, such as wearing power supplies in Japan and other countries. Therefore, not only is it economical, but also detects the input voltage and sets the temperature detected by the temperature sensor when using any commercial power supply, so that the inside of the lens case always reaches a predetermined set temperature. Since the heating of the heater is stopped from the beginning, the contact lens can be used with a certain level of disinfection without fail and the contact lens can be heated and damaged when a high-voltage power supply is input. Also, regardless of the type of commercial power source used, there is no need for troublesome operations such as switching the switch, and it is only necessary to plug the device into the outlet of the commercial power source in each country as it is or through an adapter, making the disinfection operation extremely easy. In addition, the construction is not complicated, and no expensive parts are used, so that it is excellent in terms of production and economy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view,
2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a block diagram, and FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram. 2 ... lens case, 5 ... heater, 7 ... temperature sensor.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A heater for heating a contact lens and a lens case containing a preservative solution thereof, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the heater, and a heater power for controlling the power of the heater based on an electric signal from the temperature sensor. A contact lens disinfecting device including a control circuit, comprising: an input voltage detecting circuit; and a detection temperature setting circuit for setting a detection temperature of the temperature sensor according to an input voltage to the heater detected by the circuit. A disinfecting device for contact lenses, characterized in that: