JP3196618U - Stationary sterilizer - Google Patents

Abstract

A stationary sterilization apparatus capable of sterilizing an object to be sterilized, such as a container for containing food, while maintaining good hygiene of the worker himself and the sterilization apparatus. A stationary sterilizer 1 is connected to a tank 2 containing liquid alcohol and a tank 2 via a pressure-resistant tube 11, and the liquid alcohol transported from the tank 2 via the pressure-resistant tube 11 is transferred to a bat 101. A spray gun 8 for spraying, a sensor 9 that has a detection range 9a, and generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the spray gun 8 when the operator's hand 102 exists in the detection range 9a, And a control device 4 connected to the spray gun 8 and controlling the operation of the spray gun 8 using a control signal. The sensor 9 is arranged such that the detection range 9a does not overlap with the liquid alcohol spray range 8d. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a stationary sterilization apparatus used for sterilization of an object to be sterilized.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a spray device. This spray device has a bottle for storing a liquid and a spray body portion attached to the bottle. The spray body part has an injection nozzle part capable of changing the liquid ejection direction.

JP 2013-001455 A

  In cooking sites where food is handled, workers maintain good hygiene of their own hands by hand washing or alcohol sterilization. In addition, the worker sterilizes the container for storing the food, the apparatus for cooking the food, and the like to maintain a good hygiene state at the cooking site. In this sterilization treatment, an operator may directly hold a spray device as described in Patent Document 1 by hand and spray a sterilizing liquid such as liquid alcohol onto a container or a cooking device. However, when the operator directly holds the spray device or the like by hand, the sanitary condition of the sterilization device such as the operator's own hand or the spray device may deteriorate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is a stationary type capable of performing sterilization processing of an object to be sterilized such as a container for containing food while maintaining good hygiene of the operator and the sterilization apparatus. It aims at providing a sterilizer.

  One aspect of the present invention is a stationary sterilization apparatus that sprays a sterilizing liquid onto an object to be sterilized, and is connected to a storage unit that stores the sterilizing liquid and a storage unit via a tube. A non-contact type that generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the spray unit when it has a detection range and a detection target exists in the detection range. A sensor, and a control unit that is connected to the non-contact type sensor and the spray unit and controls the operation of the spray unit using a control signal input from the non-contact type sensor. Are arranged so as not to overlap with the spray range of the sterilizing liquid.

  In the stationary sterilization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the detection range of the non-contact type sensor does not overlap with the spray range of the sterilization liquid. Is not sprayed on the object to be sterilized. And after arrange | positioning the sterilization target object, a sterilization liquid is sprayed on a sterilization target object by an operator holding a hand over the detection range of a non-contact-type sensor. Accordingly, since the spraying of the sterilizing liquid can be started after the object to be sterilized is reliably arranged with respect to the spraying range of the sterilizing liquid, the sterilizing target can be surely sterilized. In the operation of starting spraying the sterilizing liquid, the sterilizing liquid is sprayed by the operator holding his hand over the detection range of the non-contact type sensor, so that the operator does not need to touch the stationary sterilizing apparatus directly. . Therefore, since the deterioration of the sanitary condition due to repeated contact between the stationary sterilizer and the worker is suppressed, the sterilization treatment of the object to be sterilized can be performed while maintaining the sanitary condition of the worker and the sterilizing apparatus well. Can be implemented.

  A stationary sterilization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a pressurization unit that is connected to the storage unit and supplies high-pressure gas to the storage unit. It is good also as spraying in a mist form from a spraying part while being pumped through to a spraying part. In this configuration, the sterilizing liquid is sprayed in a mist form from the spray section after being transported from the storage section to the spray section by the pressure in the storage section. Therefore, according to the configuration in which the sterilizing liquid is transported and sprayed by pressure, there is no need to arrange a mechanically operated device or an electrical device for transporting and spraying the sterilizing liquid between the storage portion and the spraying portion. Also good. Therefore, the structure for transporting and spraying the sterilizing liquid in the stationary sterilizing apparatus can be simplified.

  A stationary sterilization apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of spray units, includes a plurality of non-contact sensors, and the plurality of spray units are connected to a common storage unit, and includes a plurality of spray units and a plurality of non-contacts. The type sensor may be connected to a common control unit. According to this configuration, since there are a plurality of spray units and there are a plurality of non-contact sensors corresponding to each of the spray units, spraying of the sterilizing liquid can be controlled for each spray unit. Therefore, since it becomes possible to perform an independent sterilization process for each spray unit, the processing efficiency of the sterilization process can be increased.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the stationary sterilizer which can implement the sterilization process of sterilization objects, such as a container which accommodates foodstuffs, maintains the hygiene state of the operator himself and the sterilization apparatus favorably. .

It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the stationary sterilizer which concerns on one form of this invention. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the spray unit of a stationary sterilizer. It is a figure which shows the operation | work process using a stationary sterilizer. It is a figure which shows the operation | work process using a stationary sterilizer. It is a figure which shows the work process which concerns on a comparative example.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the stationary sterilization apparatus 1 sprays liquid alcohol, which is a sterilizing liquid, on a food receiving bat 101, which is an object to be sterilized, an operator's hand 102, and the like, and performs sterilization treatment. A food receiving vat (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “bat”) 101 temporarily holds a secondary processed food. The shape of the bat 101 is not particularly limited, but generally has a rectangular box shape, and the upper side is opened when the bat 101 is arranged on a work table. The sterilizing liquid is not limited to liquid alcohol, but may be other liquids having a sterilizing action.

  The stationary sterilizer 1 includes a tank (accommodating unit) 2, spray units 3 </ b> A and 3 </ b> B, a control device (control unit) 4, and a pressure source (pressurizing unit) 6.

  The tank 2 stores liquid alcohol in a pressurized state. The tank 2 has a function of containing liquid alcohol and a function of pumping liquid alcohol. For example, the tank 2 is a pressure vessel having a capacity of 39 L (liter) and capable of setting the internal pressure to about 0.4 MPa. The tank 2 has a pressure supply part 2a, a sterilizing liquid discharge part 2b, and a sterilizing liquid supply part 2c, which are provided on the upper lid.

  The pressure supply unit 2 a is connected to the pressure source 6 via the pressure regulator 7. The high pressure air (high pressure gas) supplied from the pressure source 6 is adjusted to 0.4 MPa in the pressure regulator 7 and supplied to the tank 2. High-pressure air is air having a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. The sterilizing liquid discharge portion 2b is connected to each of the spray units 3A and 3B via the pressure resistant tube 11. The tank 2 pushes out liquid alcohol from the sterilizing liquid discharge part 2b by the internal pressure (0.4 MPa). The extruded liquid alcohol is pumped to the spray units 3A and 3B in a liquid state. The liquid alcohol in the pressure-resistant tube 11 and the spray units 3 </ b> A and 3 </ b> B is always pressurized with a pressure corresponding to the internal pressure of the tank 2. For example, a polyamide tube, which is a straight tube for food equipment, can be used as the pressure tube 11.

  The spray units 3 </ b> A and 3 </ b> B spray the liquid alcohol in a mist state and transmit a signal for starting spraying to the control device 4. The stationary sterilizer 1 includes a spray unit 3A for sterilizing the bat 101 and a spray unit 3B for sterilizing the hand 102 of the operator. The two spray units 3 </ b> A and 3 </ b> B are connected to the common tank 2. In addition, the two spray units 3 </ b> A and 3 </ b> B are connected to a common control device 4. The number of spray units 3A and 3B is not limited to two. The number of spray units 3A and 3B can be set to any number depending on the situation where the stationary sterilizer 1 is used. For example, the number of spray units 3A and 3B may be one or may be a plurality such as fifteen. The spray units 3A and 3B have the same configuration. Hereinafter, the spray unit 3A will be described in detail as an example.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spray unit 3 </ b> A includes a spray gun (a spray unit) 8 and a non-contact sensor (hereinafter also simply referred to as “sensor”) 9.

  The spray gun 8 includes a nozzle 8a that ejects liquid alcohol in a mist form, and an air cylinder (not shown) that is driven by high-pressure air to start and stop the liquid alcohol spraying operation. The nozzle 8a is disposed downward with respect to the rod 12 so as to eject liquid alcohol downward. That is, the spray gun 8 is fixed to the rod 12 so that the spray range 8d is formed downward. Therefore, the liquid alcohol spray range 8 d is set downward with respect to the rod 12. The spray gun 8 has a liquid inlet 8b and an air inlet 8c. The liquid inlet 8b is a portion to which liquid alcohol is supplied. The liquid inlet 8 b is connected to the tank 2 through the pressure tube 11. The air inlet 8c is a portion to which high-pressure air for opening and closing the spray gun 8 is supplied. The air inlet 8c is connected to the control device 4 via a pressure resistant tube 13 (control line).

  The sensor 9 generates a control signal for starting spraying and transmits the control signal to the control device 4. The sensor 9 is connected to the control device 4 via a signal line (control line) 14. The sensor 9 detects whether or not a detection target exists in the range set as the detection range 9a. The sensor 9 is a so-called position setting type photoelectric sensor, for example, an OMRON amplifier built-in type photoelectric sensor (E3MZM-LS62H) can be used. The sensor 9 emits light upward from the two light emitting elements, and captures the light reflected from the detection target with the light receiving element. The presence or absence of the detection target existing in the detection range 9a is determined using the position where the image is formed on the light receiving element. In the present embodiment, it is detected whether or not the operator's hand 102 as a detection target exists in the detection range 9a. When the operator's hand 102 exists in the detection range 9a, a control signal is generated and the control signal is transmitted to the control device 4.

  The sensor 9 is disposed upward with respect to the rod 12 so that the light emission direction is upward. That is, the sensor 9 is fixed to the rod 12 so that the detection range 9a is upward. Accordingly, the detection range 9 a of the sensor 9 is set above the rod 12. For this reason, the detection range 9a of the sensor 9 is set to a range different from the spray range 8d of the liquid alcohol set to the lower side with respect to the rod 12 in that the detection range 9a is set to the upper side with respect to the rod 12. Therefore, the detection range 9a of the sensor 9 does not overlap with the liquid alcohol spray range 8d.

  The control device 4 performs opening / closing control of the spray gun 8 based on the control signal input from the sensor 9. The control device 4 includes a timer 4a and an electromagnetic valve 4b. In addition, the control device 4 includes devices such as a leakage breaker 4c and a power supply unit 4d.

  The timer 4a performs opening / closing control of the electromagnetic valve 4b. The timer 4a is connected to the sensor 9 via the signal line 14, and is connected to the electromagnetic valve 4b via another signal line. The timer 4a controls the opening of the electromagnetic valve 4b with the input of a control signal from the sensor 9 as a trigger. Then, after the elapse of a preset time from the start of the opening control, the closing control of the electromagnetic valve 4b is performed. The time from the opening control to the closing control is appropriately set based on the required amount of liquid alcohol spraying according to the sterilization target. The timer 4a is connected to each spray unit 3A, 3B. Therefore, for example, since the stationary sterilizer 1 has two spray units 3A and 3B, the controller 4 has two timers 4a.

  The electromagnetic valve 4b controls the start and stop of the supply of high-pressure air to the spray gun 8 based on the signal input from the timer 4a. The electromagnetic valve 4b is connected to the timer 4a through a signal line. The electromagnetic valve 4 b is connected to the pressure source 6 and to the air inlet 8 c of the spray gun 8. The electromagnetic valve 4b is a so-called solenoid valve. Moreover, in the control apparatus 4, one electromagnetic valve 4b is connected for every timer 4a. Therefore, for example, since the stationary sterilizer 1 has two spray units 3A and 3B, the control device 4 has two electromagnetic valves 4b.

  Here, the process which concerns on a comparative example is demonstrated. (A)-(e) of FIG. 5 is a figure which shows the main processes of the operation | work which hold | maintains the foodstuff after cooking in the bat | bath 101. FIG. First, the worker places the bat 101 on the work table 103 (see FIG. 5A). Next, the worker puts the vinyl sheet 104 on the bat 101 (see FIG. 5B). Next, the operator sterilizes the vinyl sheet 104. Specifically, the operator directly holds the spray bottle 106 with the nozzle filled with the liquid alcohol and sprays the liquid alcohol 107 onto the entire vinyl sheet 104 (see FIG. 5C). The spray bottle 106 with a nozzle sprays the liquid alcohol 107 with which the bottle was filled from a nozzle by lever operation. By spraying the liquid alcohol 107, the portion in contact with the food is sterilized. Next, the worker arranges the cooked food 108 on the vinyl sheet 104 in the bat 101 (see FIG. 5D). Finally, the operator arranges the vinyl sheet 104 arranged outside the bat 101 so as to cover the food 108 (see FIG. 5E).

  Here, when the worker holds the spray bottle 106 with the nozzle, the sanitary condition of the hand 102 of the worker who has contacted the spray bottle 106 with the nozzle may deteriorate. Then, the operator performs an operation of covering the food 108 by directly holding the vinyl sheet 104 with the hand 102 whose hygiene condition has deteriorated. Then, the operator's hand 102 may deteriorate the sanitary condition of the vinyl sheet 104, and thus the vinyl sheet 104 may deteriorate the sanitary condition of the food 108.

  It is also conceivable to use a hand-washing drip point device for sterilizing the bat 101. In this drip point apparatus, the sterilizing liquid is fed from the tank using a small pump. Further, the sterilizing liquid is pumped by a slight pressure applied to the tank. According to such a transport mode of the sterilizing liquid, a sufficient pressure for spraying the sterilizing liquid cannot be obtained, so that the sterilizing liquid is dropped on the vinyl sheet 104 in a droplet state. Therefore, after dropping the sterilizing liquid onto the vinyl sheet 104, it is necessary to extend the sterilizing liquid over the entire vinyl sheet 104 using the operator's hand 102 or the like. From the viewpoint of maintaining a good hygienic condition of the vinyl sheet 104, it is desirable to avoid the work of directly touching the vinyl sheet 104 as much as possible. Furthermore, according to such a transport mode of the sterilizing liquid, the number of nozzles supplying the sterilizing liquid is limited to a small number. For example, the number of nozzles that can supply the sterilizing liquid is 4 or less per tank. Therefore, according to the process which concerns on a comparative example, it was difficult to improve work efficiency by increasing the number of nozzles and working in parallel.

  Next, the process using the stationary sterilizer 1 will be described. 3 (a) to 3 (c) and FIGS. 4 (a) to 4 (c) are main steps of the operation of temporarily holding the cooked food 108 in the bat 101 using the stationary sterilizer 1. FIG. FIG.

  First, the worker places the bat 101 in the spray range 8d on the work table 103 (see FIG. 3A). Here, the position where the bat 101 is disposed is not the detection range 9 a of the sensor 9. Therefore, liquid alcohol is not sprayed by the arrangement of the bat 101.

  Next, the worker puts the vinyl sheet 104 on the bat 101 (see FIG. 3B). Next, the operator sterilizes the vinyl sheet 104. Specifically, the operator holds the hand 102 over the detection range 9a of the spray unit 3A (see FIG. 3C). In this operation, the operator does not need to touch any part of the stationary sterilizer 1. By such an operation, the liquid alcohol 107 is sprayed onto the vinyl sheet 104 from the spray gun 8. The operator visually confirms the sprayed liquid alcohol and confirms that the vinyl sheet 104 has been sterilized.

  Next, the worker arranges the cooked food 108 on the vinyl sheet 104 in the bat 101 (see FIG. 4A). Next, after placing one hand 102a in the spraying range 8d of the spraying unit 3B, the operator does not place the other hand 102b over the detection range 9a of the spraying unit 3B (FIG. 4B). Then, the liquid alcohol 107 is sprayed from the spray gun 8 to the one hand 102a. Similarly, after the operator places the other hand 102b in the spraying range 8d of the spraying unit 3B, the operator does not place the one hand 102a over the detection range 9a of the spraying unit 3B. Then, the liquid alcohol 107 is sprayed from the spray gun 8 to the other hand 102b. Finally, the worker arranges the vinyl sheet 104 disposed outside the bat 101 with the hands 102a and 102b sterilized by the liquid alcohol 107 so as to cover the food 108 (see FIG. 4E). .

  In the stationary sterilizer 1, since the detection range 9a of the sensor 9 does not overlap with the liquid alcohol spray range 8d, the liquid alcohol is not sprayed onto the bat 101 simply by placing the bat 101 in the liquid alcohol spray range 8d. . Then, after placing the bat 101, the liquid alcohol is sprayed onto the bat 101 by the operator holding the hand 102 over the detection range 9 a of the sensor 9. Accordingly, since the spraying of the liquid alcohol can be started after the bat 101 is reliably arranged with respect to the spray range 8d of the liquid alcohol, the bat 101 can be surely sterilized. And in operation which starts spraying of liquid alcohol, since liquid alcohol is sprayed when an operator holds a hand over detection range 9a of sensor 9, it is not necessary for an operator to touch directly. Therefore, since the deterioration of the sanitary state due to repeated contact between the stationary sterilizer 1 and the worker is suppressed, the sanitary state of the worker and the stationary sterilizer 1 can be maintained well, while the bat 101 and the like are maintained. A sterilization treatment can be carried out.

  In the stationary sterilizer 1, the liquid alcohol is sprayed from the spray gun 8 in a mist form after being transported from the tank 2 to the spray gun 8 by the pressure in the tank 2. Therefore, according to the configuration in which the liquid alcohol is transported and sprayed by pressure, there is no mechanically operated device or electrical device for transporting and spraying the liquid alcohol between the tank 2 and the spray gun 8. May be. Therefore, the structure for transporting and spraying the liquid alcohol in the stationary sterilizer 1 can be simplified.

  Further, in the stationary sterilization apparatus 1, there are a plurality of spray guns 8 and a plurality of sensors 9 corresponding to each of the spray guns 8, so that the spraying of liquid alcohol can be controlled for each spray gun 8. Therefore, since it becomes possible to perform an independent sterilization process for each spray gun 8, the processing efficiency of the sterilization process can be increased.

  By the way, the sterilization target of alcohol sterilization includes the food itself, a container for storing the food, and a device for cooking the food. When sterilizing these sterilized objects, liquid alcohol is attached to the entire area to be sterilized. Here, in order to attach the liquid alcohol to the entire region to be sterilized, there are a method of immersing the sterilization target in a tank filled with the liquid alcohol and a method of spraying the liquid alcohol on the sterilization target. However, the method of immersing in a tank filled with liquid alcohol requires a large apparatus, and increases the manufacturing cost of the work line and the labor of the work. Further, conventionally, there is only a method using a spray bottle 106 with a nozzle to spray liquid alcohol. According to this method, the operator's sanitary condition may not be maintained. On the other hand, according to the stationary sterilizer 1, the sterilization process by the liquid alcohol spray can be performed without using the spray bottle 106 with the nozzle. Therefore, an increase in the manufacturing cost of the work line can be suppressed, and the sterilization process can be performed while maintaining the worker's hygiene.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  The kind of production line in which the stationary sterilizer 1 can be used is not particularly limited, and can be used in various production lines that require sterilization treatment. For example, the stationary sterilizer 1 may be used in a process of transferring cooked rice to the bat 101 in a rice cooking line for cooking rice. The operation of transferring the continuously discharged cooked rice to the bat 101 can be performed in parallel on a plurality of lines. Further, for example, the stationary sterilizer 1 may be used in a line in which cooked food is placed in a lunch box. By disposing the spray gun 8 of the stationary sterilizer 1 at the lower part of the conveyor for transporting the lunch box container, the sterilization operation of the operator's hand 102 is facilitated, and the hygiene state of the operator's hand 102 is kept good. obtain.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Stationary-type sterilizer, 2 ... Tank (accommodating part), 3A, 3B ... Spray unit, 4 ... Control apparatus (control part), 6 ... Pressure source (pressurizing part), 7 ... Pressure regulator, 8 ... Spray gun (Spraying section), 8d ... spraying range, 9 ... sensor (non-contact type sensor), 9a ... detection range, 11 ... pressure-resistant tube, 13 ... pressure-resistant tube (control line), 14 ... signal line (control line), 101 ... Bat, 102, 102a, 102b ... hand, 104 ... vinyl sheet, 106 ... spray bottle with nozzle, 107 ... liquid alcohol, 108 ... food.

Claims (3)

A stationary sterilizer that sprays a sterilizing liquid onto an object to be sterilized,
An accommodating portion for accommodating the sterilizing liquid;
A spraying part for spraying the sterilizing liquid on the sterilization object, connected to the housing part via a tube, and transported from the housing part via the tube;
A non-contact sensor that has a detection range and generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the spray unit when a detection target exists in the detection range;
A control unit that is connected to the non-contact sensor and the spray unit and controls the operation of the spray unit using the control signal input from the non-contact sensor;
The non-contact type sensor is a stationary sterilization apparatus that is arranged such that the detection range does not overlap with the spray range of the sterilization liquid. A pressure unit connected to the housing unit and supplying high-pressure gas to the housing unit;
2. The stationary sterilization according to claim 1, wherein the sterilizing liquid stored in the storage unit is pumped by the high-pressure gas to the spray unit through the tube and sprayed in a mist form from the spray unit. apparatus. A plurality of the spraying portions are provided,
A plurality of the non-contact sensors corresponding to each of the plurality of spray units,
The plurality of spraying units are connected to the common storage unit.
The stationary sterilizer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of spraying units and the plurality of non-contact sensors are connected to a common control unit.

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