JP4788183B2 - Sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sterilization apparatus for sterilizing an object to be processed with ultraviolet rays using a microwave generator such as a microwave oven in a general household.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been provided a sterilizer that performs sterilization of an object to be processed (for example, a baby bottle) with ultraviolet rays using a microwave oven in a general household.

  As such a sterilization apparatus, there is, for example, an apparatus including an electrodeless discharge bulb and a holder for suspending the electrodeless discharge bulb in an object to be processed (Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, inside the container formed of a material that transmits microwaves, an electrodeless discharge bulb, a support part that supports the electrodeless discharge bulb, and the surface to be processed of the object to be processed are the ultraviolet emission surface of the electrodeless discharge bulb. And a holding part that holds the object to be processed so as to face the surface (Patent Document 2).
JP 2002-191678 A (FIG. 3) JP 2004-154340 A (FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, since the former sterilization apparatus (Patent Document 1) is attached to the baby bottle in a state where the electrodeless discharge bulb is suspended and held in the baby bottle by the holder, Since the sterilization apparatus itself is attached to the baby bottle, the baby bottle that is originally unstable and easily falls is more likely to fall. For this reason, when sterilizing with this sterilizer, the baby bottle is housed and installed in a microwave oven in an unstable state. In particular, if the microwave oven is a turntable type, the baby bottle is very There was a problem that it was easy to fall down. In addition, when the electrodeless discharge bulb is taken in and out of the baby bottle, the electrodeless discharge bulb may be damaged or damaged.

  In addition, in this sterilization apparatus, the holder that suspends the electrodeless discharge bulb on the baby bottle blocks the ultraviolet light of the electrodeless discharge bulb, and in particular, the portion where the holder and the baby bottle are in contact is not irradiated with the direct ultraviolet light, Thereby, the problem that the sterilization treatment of the baby bottle could not be performed sufficiently occurred.

  On the other hand, since the latter sterilization apparatus (patent document 2) is provided with the holding part which hold | maintains a baby bottle in the container of a sterilization apparatus, and is set as the structure which hold | maintains the baby bottle which falls easily in a sterilization apparatus, The problem about stability, such as a baby bottle falling down in the microwave oven, could be solved.

  In such a sterilization apparatus of Patent Document 2, since the electrodeless discharge bulb is provided outside the feeding bottle, unlike the above Patent Document 1, feeding is performed by the support portion (corresponding to the above holder) of the electrodeless discharge bulb. The bottle is not exposed to UV light, but the electrode holder is shielded from UV light by the newly provided holder to hold the baby bottle, and the baby bottle is not exposed to UV light. Therefore, after all, even in the sterilization apparatus of Patent Document 2, the problem that the sterilization of the object to be processed cannot be sufficiently performed has not been solved.

  That is, in the conventional sterilization apparatus, there is a problem that a part where the object to be processed is not irradiated with ultraviolet rays is generated, and the part cannot be sufficiently sterilized, and the object to be processed is used in an unsanitary state.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above-mentioned point, The objective is to provide the sterilizer which can fully sterilize a to-be-processed object.

In order to solve the above-described problems, in the sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, a container in which an object to be processed is stored, a holding unit that is provided in the container and holds the object to be processed and allows ultraviolet rays to pass through, and the container are stored in the container. An electrodeless discharge bulb that is disposed and emits ultraviolet light when irradiated with microwaves , and the holding portion is made of a material that transmits ultraviolet light and holds at least the nipple of a baby bottle that is an object to be processed The holding part includes at least a rod-shaped light guide part inserted into a delivery hole for sucking out the liquid provided in the nipple .

According to the invention of claim 1, since the ultraviolet light can pass through the holding portion, even in the contact portion between the object to be processed and the holding portion, which is difficult to be directly irradiated by the ultraviolet light emitted from the electrodeless discharge bulb, Since the ultraviolet rays from the electrodeless discharge bulb are irradiated to the object to be processed through the holding part, there is no portion that is not irradiated with the ultraviolet rays, whereby the object to be processed can be sufficiently sterilized . In addition, since the holding portion includes a light guide portion formed of a member that transmits ultraviolet rays, the ultraviolet rays are transmitted through the inside of the light guide portion even on the inner surface of the object to be processed, which is difficult to receive the direct ultraviolet light of the electrodeless discharge bulb. By doing so, it is possible to irradiate the inner surface of the object to be treated with ultraviolet rays, and thereby it is possible to reliably sterilize the object to be treated .

  The present invention irradiates the object to be processed through the holding part with the ultraviolet light from the electrodeless discharge bulb even at the contact portion between the object to be processed and the holding part, which is difficult to receive the direct ultraviolet light emitted from the electrodeless discharge bulb. Therefore, there is no portion that is not irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and this has the effect that the object to be treated can be sufficiently sterilized.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Embodiment 1)
The sterilization apparatus of this embodiment performs sterilization of a surface to be processed by, for example, irradiating the surface to be processed with ultraviolet rays, and is formed of a material that transmits microwaves as shown in FIG. The container 1 in which the object to be processed is accommodated, the first holding part 30 that is provided in the lower part of the container 1 and holds the fixture 41, and the second that is provided in the upper part of the container 1 and holds the nipple 40. The first holding unit 30 includes a holding unit 31 and a pair of electrodeless discharge valves La that are disposed so as to be opposed to each other vertically in the container 1 and emit (radiate) ultraviolet rays when irradiated with microwaves. And both the 2nd holding | maintenance parts 31 are formed from the material which permeate | transmits an ultraviolet-ray.

  Here, in this embodiment, as an object to be sterilized by the sterilization apparatus, for example, a nipple 40 of a baby bottle and an attachment 41 for attaching the nipple 40 to the opening of the bottle of the baby bottle body are sterilized. However, the object to be processed is not limited to the baby bottle or its parts, but may be a pacifier or toy that the infant puts in his / her mouth.

  The container 1 is formed so that a cross section in the vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) has a substantially oval shape, and a cross section in the horizontal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) has a substantially circular shape. The cover 11 is detachably attached to the base 10. The base 10 is formed in a substantially vessel shape with an upper surface opened. A cylindrical base 10a for electrodeless discharge bulb La is integrally formed on the inner surface of the lower portion, A plurality of leg pieces 10b project from the outer surface in order to stably place and hold the container 1. The cover 11 is formed in a substantially vessel shape with an open bottom surface, and a cylindrical base 11 a for disposing the electrodeless discharge bulb La is provided on the upper inner surface. Further, the base 10 and the cover 11 are formed so that the respective opening edges can be detachably fitted and joined, and the container 1 is configured by joining the cover 11 to the base 10.

  By the way, the container 1 is formed of a material such as a fluororesin that transmits microwaves but does not transmit ultraviolet rays. The container 1 confines ultraviolet rays emitted from the electrodeless discharge bulb La, and The microwave generator such as the range is not adversely affected. In addition, with respect to the container 1, at least the cover 11 is formed to be colorless and transparent, for example, and has a property of transmitting visible light in addition to the above properties, and at least the inner surface or the outer surface of the base 10 and the cover 11. It is preferable that a fluorescent material is applied to a part of the material, or a fluorescent material is mixed in the material of the base 10 and the cover 11. In this way, the visible light emitted from the fluorescent material by the ultraviolet light of the electrodeless discharge bulb La passes through the cover 11 so that the user can recognize that the sterilization treatment by the ultraviolet light is being performed. Further, by observing the brightness of the visible light by the user, it is possible to confirm the deterioration state of the electrodeless discharge bulb La when the brightness decreases.

  On the other hand, on the bases 10a and 11a of the base 10 and the cover 11, a bulb support portion 2 that supports the electrodeless discharge bulb La is disposed and fixed. Here, the electrodeless discharge bulb La is obtained by enclosing an ultraviolet emitting substance such as mercury vapor in a hollow glass tube formed in a substantially cylindrical shape whose both ends in the longitudinal direction are sealed.

  The valve support portion 2 is made of, for example, a fluorine-based thermosetting resin having a heat-resistant temperature of 200 ° C. or more, and a pair of protrusions provided on the support substrate 20 and the surface of the support substrate 20 so as to face each other. Of the hollow glass tube of the electrodeless discharge bulb La is embedded in the surface of the support substrate 20 between the pair of support pieces 21 and 21 (not shown). ) Is formed.

  In such a bulb support 2, the electrodeless discharge bulb La has the surfaces of the support pieces 21, 21 of the bulb support 2 facing each other and the inner surface of the recess in close contact with the outer surface of the electrodeless discharge bulb La. Arranged in a state. At this time, the bulb support portion 2 and the electrodeless discharge bulb La may be integrally formed so that the electrodeless discharge bulb La is securely supported and fixed to the bulb support portion 2. Further, when the bulb support portion 2 and the electrodeless discharge bulb La are integrally formed, if the outer surface of the electrodeless discharge bulb La exposed from the bulb support portion 2 is coated with a fluorine-based resin, the electrodeless discharge bulb La is formed. Is safe because the above-mentioned coating can prevent the glass tube fragments of the electrodeless discharge bulb from scattering when it is damaged by external force or the like.

  In the electrodeless discharge bulb La supported by the bulb support portion 2 in this way, the portions other than the both end portions held by the support piece 21 are exposed, and this exposed portion becomes an ultraviolet emission surface to be processed. UV light is emitted to face the surface to be processed.

  The valve support 2 described above is disposed on each of the base 10 and the cover 11 by being separately attached to the bases 10a and 11a provided on the bottom inner side surfaces of the base 10 and the cover 11 serving as the container 1. Thus, the electrodeless discharge bulbs La supported by the bulb support portions 2 are accommodated in the vessel 1 while being opposed to each other in the vertical direction inside the vessel 1.

  Next, the 1st holding | maintenance part 30 and the 2nd holding | maintenance part 31 which hold | maintain a to-be-processed object in the container 1 are demonstrated. As described above, the object to be processed according to the present embodiment is the nipple 40 of the baby bottle and the fixture 41. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first holding unit 30 mainly has the fixture 41. The second holding part 31 is mainly used for holding the nipple 40 in the container 1.

  The first holding unit 30 is composed of a plurality of holding pieces 30a arranged radially around the base 10a of the base 10, and these holding pieces 30a are well transmissive to materials that transmit ultraviolet rays, for example, ultraviolet rays. It is made of glass-based materials such as hard glass having ultraviolet transmissivity including quartz. As shown in FIG. 1, the holding piece 30 a is formed with an opening 30 b that opens upward and engages and holds the lower end opening edge of the fixture 41. The fitting 41 can be engaged and held by the first holding portion 30 by being inserted into the opening 30b from above. Further, a protrusion 30c is formed on the upper edge of the inner surface of the opening 30b, and a thread groove (not shown) formed on the inner surface of the fixture 41 is engaged with the protrusion 30c. It can be reliably positioned and held in engagement.

  The second holding portion 31 is composed of a plurality of locking pieces 31a provided so as to protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the cover 11 toward the center side of the base 11a, and these locking pieces 31a are made of ultraviolet rays. For example, quartz, which transmits ultraviolet rays well, and hard glass having ultraviolet transparency. Then, by placing the collar portion 40a of the nipple 40 on such a locking piece 31a, the nipple 40 is locked by the locking piece 31a, whereby the nipple 40 is held by the second holding portion 31. You can do it.

  The above members are attached as follows to constitute the sterilization apparatus of the present embodiment. The bulb support 2 integrally provided with the electrodeless discharge bulb La is disposed and fixed on the bases 10a and 11a of the base 10 and the cover 11 with the electrodeless discharge bulb La facing each opening. Yes. The plurality of holding pieces 30a constituting the first holding part 30 are fixed to the inner side surface of the base 10 by welding or the like radially around the base 10a of the base 10 to form the second holding part 31. The engaging piece 31a is fixed to the inner surface of the cover 11 by welding or the like so as to protrude from the inner surface of the cover 11 toward the center side of the base 11a. Then, by attaching the cover 11 to which the valve support 2 and the second holding part 31 are attached to the base 10 to which the valve support 2 and the first holding part 30 are attached in this manner, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is obtained, and in this sterilization apparatus, two electrodeless discharge bulbs La supported by both bulb support portions 2 are vertically opposed inside the container 1.

  Next, the usage method of this sterilizer will be described. First, the nipple 40 of the baby bottle and the fixture 41 previously washed with a detergent or the like are stored in the container 1. In this operation, after the cover 11 is removed from the base 10, the fixture 41 is provided on the base 10. In addition to attaching to the first holding unit 30, the nipple 40 is attached to the second holding unit 31 provided on the cover 11, and the cover 11 is attached to the base 10 again.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the nipple 40 and the fixture 41, which are to be processed, are accommodated in the container 1 by the above operation, and in this state, the electrodeless discharge bulb La of the base 10 (that is, the lower side) is stored. Is opposed to the inner surface of the fixture 41 and the outer surface of the nipple 40, and the electrodeless discharge bulb La of the cover 11 (that is, the upper side) is opposed to the inner surface of the nipple 40. In this way, the object to be processed which is the nipple 40 and the fixture 41 is engaged and held by the holding portions 30 and 31 so that a predetermined positional relationship with the electrodeless discharge bulb La is secured, and this electrodeless The amount of ultraviolet rays received from the discharge bulb La is constant, and a desired sterilizing effect can be obtained stably.

  And the sterilizer which accommodated the to-be-processed object in this way is accommodated in the store | warehouse | chamber of a microwave oven (not shown), and a microwave is irradiated to a sterilizer by starting a microwave oven after this. Thus, the microwave irradiated to the sterilizer passes through the container 1 formed from a material that transmits the microwave and the bulb support 2 and, in some cases, the workpiece, and reaches the electrodeless discharge bulb La. To do.

  The microwaves that reach the electrodeless discharge bulb La excite mercury atoms in the electrodeless discharge bulb La, and the excited mercury atoms emit ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet light passes through the glass tube of the electrodeless discharge bulb La, is emitted from the electrodeless discharge bulb La to the outside, and is irradiated on the inner surface and the outer surface of the nipple 40 and the fixture 41 which are the objects to be processed. At this time, the ultraviolet rays of the electrodeless discharge bulb La on the base 10 side are mainly irradiated on the inner surface of the fixture 41 and the outer surface of the nipple 40, and the ultraviolet rays of the electrodeless discharge bulb La on the cover 11 side are irradiated on the inner surface of the nipple 40. The

  Here, since the ultraviolet rays emitted from the electrodeless discharge bulb La are, for example, ultraviolet rays having a sterilizing effect with a wavelength of 254 nm, the inner and outer surfaces of the workpiece are sterilized by irradiating the workpiece with ultraviolet rays. Is done. At the same time, ozone is generated by the ultraviolet rays emitted from the electrodeless discharge bulb La, and this ozone is sealed inside the container 1, so that the inside of the container 1 is also sterilized by ozone in addition to the sterilization treatment by ultraviolet rays. Done.

  By the way, when the object to be processed is held by the holding units 30 and 31, a part of the object to be processed (for example, the holding piece 30a of the first holding unit 30) is held by the holding units 30 and 31 that hold the object to be processed. And the contact part of the lower end opening edge of the fixture 41 and the contact part of the locking piece 31a of the second holding part 31 and the collar part 40a of the nipple 40) are covered by the holding parts 30 and 31.

  However, since the holding units 30 and 31 are formed using a material that transmits ultraviolet rays, even if the object to be processed is covered by the holding units 30 and 31, the ultraviolet rays pass through the holding units 30 and 31. Thus, since it reaches the object to be processed, it is possible to reliably irradiate the entire object to be processed with ultraviolet rays.

  That is, according to the sterilization apparatus of the present embodiment, the holding portions 30 and 31 are formed using a material that transmits ultraviolet rays, so that there is no need for a contact portion between the object to be processed and the holding portions 30 and 31. Unlike the conventional sterilization apparatus, the ultraviolet rays from the electrodeless discharge bulb La pass through the holding portions 30 and 31 and are irradiated on the object to be processed even in the portion where the direct ultraviolet rays of the electrode discharge bulb La are difficult to hit. A part where the ultraviolet ray is not irradiated to the object to be processed (that is, a part that is not easily sterilized) is not generated, and thus the ultraviolet ray can be irradiated over the entire object to be processed. Sterilization can be sufficiently performed. As a result, it is possible to provide a sterilization apparatus with high sterilization reliability.

  In general, many household microwave ovens have a type (turn table type) in which an internal table rotates in conjunction with microwave irradiation, but even in this case, both electrodeless discharge bulbs La are containers. Since the object to be processed is also held and fixed by the holding portions 30 and 31, even if vibration due to rotation of the table is applied, the container 1 is placed on the table with a plurality of leg pieces 10b. Since it is placed and held and does not fall, and the relative positional relationship between the electrodeless discharge bulb La and the object to be processed does not change, sufficient sterilization is performed in a stable state.

  Further, this sterilization apparatus has holding portions 30 and 31 for holding the object to be processed so that the surface to be processed is opposed to the ultraviolet emission surface of the electrodeless discharge bulb La. The relative positional relationship between the treatment surface and the ultraviolet emission surface is stably maintained, and can be accommodated and installed in the microwave oven in this state. Therefore, the processing object 1 can be sterilized easily and sufficiently using a microwave oven or the like in a general household.

  In addition, since the container 1 includes a base 10 and a cover 11 that are connected to each other in a freely openable and closable manner, the object to be processed can be easily taken in and out of the container 1 by opening and closing the base 10 and the cover 11. And, since the first holding part 30 and the second holding part 31 for individually holding the attachment 41 and the nipple 40 of the baby bottle which is the object to be processed are disposed on each of the base 10 and the cover 11, As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the nipple 40 and the fixture 41 can be hold | maintained separately, and these can be sterilized efficiently.

  On the other hand, by forming the container 1 with a relatively thin constant thickness, it is possible to prevent the temperature from rising due to absorption of microwaves, and to support the electrodeless discharge bulb La and the bases 10a and 11a. However, by forming these thicknesses so thin that the supporting strength is maintained, it is possible to prevent the temperature rise caused by the heat generated by the light emission of the electrodeless discharge bulb La. In this way, by preventing the temperature of the container 1 from rising, the deterioration of the material is prevented, the heat burden on the user holding the container 1 is reduced, and the temperature rise of the object to be processed is also suppressed. It becomes easier to handle the workpiece after processing.

(Embodiment 2)
By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the nipple 40 of the baby bottle has a feeding hole 40b for sucking out liquid such as milk or tea put in the baby bottle, and a bowl for locking the nipple 40 to the fixture 41. A pressure adjusting hole 40c is provided in the portion 40a to eliminate the negative pressure in the baby bottle due to liquid suction.

  The delivery hole 40b and the pressure adjustment hole 40c are processed so as to be normally closed so that the liquid in the bottle does not spill out when the baby bottle falls down. The inner surfaces of the hole 40b and the pressure adjusting hole 40c are hard to reach the ultraviolet rays of the electrodeless discharge bulb La, and there is a possibility that the sterilization is not sufficiently performed.

  Therefore, the present embodiment is characterized in that the third holding portion 32 for the nipple 40 is provided in order to surely perform the sterilization processing of the delivery hole 40b and the pressure adjustment hole 40c of the nipple 40. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and description thereof is omitted.

  The third holding part 32 is formed of a glass-based material such as quartz that transmits ultraviolet rays well and hard glass having ultraviolet transparency, like the holding parts 30 and 31 described above, and is shown in FIG. As described above, the diameter of the cylindrical portion 32a increases from the upper end side toward the lower end side, the disk portion 32b closes the upper end opening of the cylindrical portion 32a, and the delivery hole 40b protruding from the upper surface side of the disk portion 32b. The first light guide part 32c and the second light guide part 32d for the pressure adjusting hole 40c are integrally provided. Here, the cylindrical portion 32 a is formed so that the lower end opening edge is substantially the same shape as the fixture 41, and the cylindrical portion 32 a is engaged and held by the first holding portion 30 in the same manner as the fixture 41. Be able to. Therefore, when the third holding portion 32 is engaged and held with the first holding portion 30, an electrodeless discharge is generated in the space portion 32e surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 32a and the lower surface of the disc portion 32b. The valve La is arranged.

  The first light guide portion 32c has an outer diameter that can be inserted through the delivery hole 40b, and is formed in a round bar shape having a length that is larger than the height of the nipple 40, and is substantially at the center of the disc portion 32b. Provided in the department.

  The second light guide portion 32d has an outer diameter that can be inserted through the pressure adjustment hole 40c, and is formed in a round bar shape having a length dimension that is larger than the thickness dimension of the collar portion 40c of the nipple 40. On the upper surface side of 32b, it is provided at a position separated from the first light guide portion 32c by a predetermined distance (that is, the distance in the left-right direction between the delivery hole 40b of the nipple 40 and the pressure adjustment hole 40c).

  The nipple 40 is attached to the third holding part 32 described above as shown in FIG. 5A, and this attachment corresponds to the light guide parts 32c and 32d of the third holding part 32, respectively. This is done by inserting the holes 40b, 40c from the buttock 40a side of the nipple 40. When the nipple 40 is attached to the third holding portion 32, the nipple 40 has the third holding portion in a state where the collar portion 40 a side faces the upper surface side of the disc portion 32 b of the third holding portion 32. At this time, the first light guide portion 32c is inserted from the side of the heel portion 40a through the inside of the nipple 40 through the delivery hole 40b, and the second light guide portion 32d is The pressure adjusting hole 40c of 40a is inserted.

  When sterilization is performed using the third holding part 32 to which the nipple 40 is attached in this way, the ultraviolet rays of the electrodeless discharge bulb La arranged in the space part 32e are emitted from the light guide parts 32c and 32d. , The inner surface of the delivery hole 40b and the pressure adjusting hole 40c, which are difficult to be irradiated with ultraviolet rays, can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays through the light guide portions 32c and 32d. The sterilization process can be more reliably performed.

  Further, by setting the outer diameter of each of the light guide portions 32c and 32d to be close to the inner diameter of the holes 40b and 40c into which the light guide portions 32c and 32d are inserted (that is, the maximum diameter when liquid or gas flows in and out), the delivery hole 40b and the pressure adjustment are performed. When the light guide portions 32c and 32d are respectively inserted into the holes 40c, the inner surfaces of the holes 40b and 40c can be easily exposed to the outside, and thereby, the ultraviolet rays directly irradiated on the inner surfaces of the holes 40c and 40d can be reduced. The amount can be increased to improve the bactericidal effect.

  Here, the delivery hole 40b will be described as an example. When the first light guide portion 32c is inserted into the delivery hole 40b, the peripheral portion of the delivery hole 40b is as shown in FIG. The light guide 32c is pushed in the insertion direction of the light guide 32c (upward in FIG. 5B), and the inner surface of the delivery hole 40b is exposed to the outside. The ultraviolet rays of the electrode discharge bulb La can be directly irradiated, thereby improving the sterilizing effect.

  On the other hand, the surface of each light guide part 32c, 32d may be a transparent glass surface without unevenness, but when a surface that diffuses light is formed by a method such as sandblasting, the surface of the light guide part 32c, 32d is Compared to the case of the glass surface, since the ultraviolet light transmitted through the light guide portions 32c and 32d is easily radiated to the outside, it is possible to increase the irradiation amount of the ultraviolet light hitting the inner surfaces of the holes 40c and 40d, This can improve sterilization performance.

(Embodiment 3)
In Embodiments 1 and 2 above, glass materials such as quartz that transmits UV rays well and hard glass that transmits UV rays are used as a material for the holding portion that holds the object to be processed. Glass-based materials have problems such as an increase in weight, a cost increase, and a risk of breakage when dropped.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the second holding part 31 and the third holding part 32 made of glass-based materials such as hard glass having ultraviolet transparency, such as quartz that transmits UV rays well, are not used. A plurality of holding pieces 30 a... Constituting the first holding unit 30 are made of a fluorine resin like the container 1. Then, by placing a sheet 33 having a mesh that allows ultraviolet rays to pass through on the holding pieces 30a, the sheet 33 is used as a holding portion for the object to be processed. In addition, since the other structure is the same as that of the said Embodiment 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same structure and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The sheet 33 is formed, for example, by braiding a fluorine-based resin wire having a wire diameter of about 0.2 mm in a mesh shape. As shown in FIG. 6, the opening of the electrodeless discharge bulb La and the base 10 is formed inside the base 10. Between the surfaces. And the fixture 41 is mounted on this sheet | seat 33, and it sterilizes using a microwave oven similarly to the said Embodiment 1. FIG. In addition, in FIG. 6, although only the fixture 41 is shown as a to-be-processed object, what attached the nipple 40 to the fixture 41 may be used.

  As long as the aperture ratio of the mesh is not 100%, such a sheet 33 is shielded from ultraviolet rays by the sheet 33, and a portion where the ultraviolet rays are not irradiated to the object to be processed is generated. However, the diameter of the fluororesin wire constituting the sheet 33 is about 0.2 mm which is sufficiently small with respect to the size of the ultraviolet emission surface of the electrodeless discharge bulb La as viewed from the surface to be processed. Therefore, any of the ultraviolet rays emitted from the electrodeless discharge bulb La is irradiated on the object to be processed, and a sufficient sterilizing effect is obtained.

  Further, since light has a phenomenon called diffraction as a generally known property, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the electrodeless discharge bulb La are diffracted by the yarn portion of the sheet 33. As a result, the ultraviolet rays radiate around the sheet 33 and irradiate the portion of the fixture 41 that is shaded by the direct irradiation of the ultraviolet rays by the sheet 33, and as a result, the ultraviolet rays are shielded by the sheet 33. The portion of the fixture 41 is greatly reduced, and a sufficient sterilizing effect can be obtained even in a portion where ultraviolet rays are not directly irradiated.

  As described above, according to the sterilization apparatus of the present embodiment, since the sheet 33 provided with a mesh for passing ultraviolet rays is used as the holding portion, the ultraviolet rays directly emitted from the electrodeless discharge bulb hit the object to be processed. The portion can be increased, and even the portion of the object to be processed that is shaded by the sheet 33 is irradiated with the ultraviolet rays due to the wrapping of the ultraviolet rays due to the light diffraction effect, and as a result, the ultraviolet rays are not irradiated. The portion is greatly reduced, so that the object to be processed can be sufficiently sterilized. Moreover, the holding part made of such a sheet 33 is lighter than the holding part made of a glass-based material as in the first and second embodiments, is very inexpensive, and has a low risk of breakage. Excellent in terms.

  Further, the diameter of the fluororesin wire constituting the sheet 33 is not limited to the above 0.2 mm, and the ultraviolet ray emitting surface of the electrodeless discharge bulb La facing the surface to be processed of the object to be processed is not limited. Tests have shown that if it is smaller than 1/10 of the maximum length, it is possible to ensure the amount of ultraviolet rays required for sterilization of the workpiece.

It is a schematic sectional drawing of the sterilizer of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the perspective view which notched a part same as the above. It is a perspective view of the to-be-processed object used for the sterilizer of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the principal part of a sterilizer same as the above. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state which attached the to-be-processed object to the sterilizer same as the above, (b) is explanatory drawing which abbreviate | omitted a part same as the above. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the sterilizer of Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 30 1st holding | maintenance part 31 2nd holding | maintenance part 40 Nipple 41 Attachment tool La Electroless discharge valve

Claims (1)

A container for storing the object to be processed, a holding part that is provided in the container and holds the object to be processed and allows ultraviolet light to pass through, and an electrodeless discharge valve that is housed in the container and emits ultraviolet light when irradiated with microwaves The holding part is formed of a material that transmits ultraviolet light and includes at least a part that holds a nipple of a baby bottle that is an object to be processed. The holding part absorbs at least a liquid provided on the nipple. A sterilizing apparatus comprising a rod-shaped light guide inserted into a delivery hole for pouring .

Images