JP5019628B2 - UV irradiation equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultraviolet irradiation device.

  As is well known, strict hygiene management is required in the food industry and medical fields. Among these, norovirus is a target that requires particularly careful hygiene management and is strongly required to develop countermeasures. Today, norovirus food poisoning accounts for almost half of all food poisoning patients. Furthermore, the number of patients suffering from norovirus food poisoning, which has started to be confirmed since the 1990s, tends to be flat or increased, although the number of food poisoning patients caused by other pathogenic bacteria tends to decrease.

  According to the knowledge obtained today, it is difficult to take measures against norovirus. In addition to the fact that the size of norovirus is extremely small compared to other fungi, infection with a very small amount, Disinfection with a disinfecting liquid such as reverse soap or alcohol is not effective. Therefore, it is necessary to construct a more effective sterilization system than just hand washing.

  As a sterilization method considered to be effective against norovirus and the like, there is a sterilization method by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below disclose an ultraviolet irradiation device that irradiates a finger with ultraviolet rays. In this document, it is claimed that if this apparatus is used, a problem that the ultraviolet rays of a conventional apparatus of the same type are irradiated on the user's eyes can be avoided.

JP-A-8-107924 JP-A-8-1145

  However, in the case of the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, by limiting the installation location of the device, the user can not physically look into the portion that irradiates the ultraviolet light in the device, thereby irradiating the eye with ultraviolet rays. Is avoiding. Therefore, it has the big fault that a use place is limited. Further, since it is not possible to physically look into the apparatus because it is limited to looking into the apparatus for the purpose of examining the inside of the apparatus, there is a possibility that the ease of use of the apparatus may be significantly reduced.

  Further, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, the insertion opening of the hand is formed on the side surface that is a blind spot, thereby avoiding the irradiation of ultraviolet rays to the eyes. However, since the device cannot see the state of the insertion destination at all, there is a problem that the user feels psychological anxiety when inserting the hand. Further, in Patent Document 1, the irradiation time of ultraviolet rays is 15 seconds, but since the irradiation direction is one direction, both sides of the hand must be irradiated. Therefore, although 15 seconds is insufficient according to the knowledge of the present inventor, such a problem is not recognized in the same document.

  In order to overcome the problems in the above document, it is necessary that an apparatus for irradiating ultraviolet rays can be used without any limitation on the installation location, and that it is necessary to suppress leakage of ultraviolet rays to the outside of the apparatus during irradiation with ultraviolet rays. Is done. For example, if leakage of ultraviolet rays to the outside of the apparatus can be suppressed to such an extent that the inside of the apparatus can be looked at to some extent during irradiation of ultraviolet rays, it becomes a highly desirable apparatus having high safety.

  Furthermore, if the object to be irradiated is irradiated only when it is in a position suitable for irradiation for sterilization, it is suitable for efficient sterilization. That is, when the irradiation target is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, if the irradiation target is at a distance that is too far away, sufficient sterilization cannot be performed. Conversely, if the distance is too close, the irradiation target is irradiated with unnecessary strong ultraviolet rays. It is useless. Therefore, it is necessary to be an apparatus that irradiates ultraviolet rays only when an object to be irradiated with ultraviolet rays is at an appropriate position. In addition, it is necessary to suppress irradiation of ultraviolet rays other than the target to be irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Furthermore, it is required to irradiate for a time sufficient for sterilization and to avoid irradiation for more than the necessary time.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is an ultraviolet irradiation device that irradiates ultraviolet rays for the purpose of sterilization. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultraviolet irradiating device having a function necessary to be performed.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

In order to solve the above-described problems, an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to the present invention is an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus that irradiates ultraviolet rays to a glove that is worn on a hand for sterilization. A housing in which the irradiation unit is disposed, an insertion port formed in the housing for inserting a glove attached to the hand into the housing, and the housing The ultraviolet rays emitted from the irradiating unit before being reflected from within the casing are not directly radiated to the outside from the insertion port. it and, as UV glove in a state of being attached to a hand is inserted from the insertion port to achieve and be simultaneously irradiated, an induction portion inducing the ultraviolet, gloves in a state of being attached to the hand May perform UV irradiation for sterilization Is a predetermined target, and that is in position range suitable for the irradiation of ultraviolet light, a detector for detecting by a position detector that is attached to a part of the glove is detected by the detection unit An irradiation control unit that starts irradiation of ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit when it is detected that a glove worn on the hand is the predetermined target and is in the predetermined position range; It is characterized by.

  Thus, the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to the present invention includes an irradiation unit for irradiating ultraviolet rays in the housing and an insertion port for inserting the irradiation target, and the guiding unit reflects the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the irradiation unit in the housing. Since the ultraviolet rays are induced so that they are not directly radiated from the insertion port to the outside, the adverse effect of the ultraviolet irradiation on the human body outside the irradiation device is suppressed. Furthermore, even if a user or the like looks into the insertion opening during the irradiation of ultraviolet rays, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the irradiation unit are not directly received by the eyes, so that a highly safe ultraviolet device can be realized. Note that the casing in the present invention includes not only a commonly used hexahedron but also a polyhedron such as a tetrahedron, an octahedron, and a hexahedron, and a sphere.

  An ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to the present invention is an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus that irradiates an irradiation target with ultraviolet rays for sterilization, and an irradiation unit that irradiates ultraviolet rays, and the irradiation target irradiates ultraviolet rays for sterilization. A detection unit that detects a predetermined target that may be executed and is in a predetermined position range suitable for ultraviolet irradiation, and the irradiation target is the predetermined target by the detection unit; And an irradiation control unit that starts irradiation of ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit when it is detected.

  Thereby, in the ultraviolet irradiation device according to the present invention, the irradiation target to be irradiated with ultraviolet rays for sterilization is a predetermined target that may be irradiated for sterilization, and is appropriate for irradiation for sterilization. Since the ultraviolet rays are irradiated only in the position range, it is possible to avoid irradiating an object that should not be irradiated with the ultraviolet rays, and further when the irradiation target is too far away from the irradiation part. Insufficient sterilization is suppressed. Further, it is possible to prevent unnecessary power from being consumed by unnecessary irradiation due to irradiation when the irradiation target is too close to the irradiation unit.

  Moreover, it is good also as providing the irradiation time control means which controls so that the irradiation time of the ultraviolet-ray to the said irradiation object by the said irradiation part may become predetermined time.

  Thereby, since the irradiation time of the ultraviolet rays to the irradiation target is set to a predetermined time, the irradiation time of the ultraviolet rays can be set to an appropriate time for sterilization, and the irradiation time is too short and the sterilization becomes insufficient. Is not too long and adversely affects the human body, and unnecessary power consumption is suppressed.

  In addition, when the irradiation unit irradiates the irradiation target with ultraviolet rays and the predetermined time has not expired, an alarm is given if the detection unit does not detect that the irradiation target is in the predetermined position range. An alarm means for outputting may be provided.

  As a result, an alarm is output when the irradiation target is not located within the predetermined position range before the predetermined time of the ultraviolet irradiation ends. The user can be informed that sterilization is insufficient due to deviation from the predetermined position.

  In addition, when the irradiation target is inserted into the ultraviolet irradiation device from the insertion port, a portion far from the insertion port has a smaller cross-sectional area perpendicular to the insertion direction than a portion near the insertion port, and the irradiation target An irradiation space, which is a space where the irradiation target is located when irradiating ultraviolet rays, may be narrower at a position far from the insertion port than at a position near the insertion port.

  Thereby, since it can be set as the irradiation space along the shape of irradiation object, the distance from an irradiation part to irradiation object can be made into the distance suitable for irradiation for sterilization purposes. Therefore, it is suitable for proper sterilization.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a glove according to the present invention. The glove 1 is formed by integrating a palm part 11 made of a resin sheet or a resin film and a back part 12 of the hand at the outer line 13 of the glove (except for the opening 15 for inserting the hand). .

  A method of making the glove 1 is shown in FIG. First, in a state where the two resin sheets 11 ′ and 12 ′ are overlapped, two sheets are aligned and cut along the outline of the hand. The method may be, for example, punching with a punching blade or heat cutting with a hot cutting blade. Thereby, the palm part 11 and the back part 12 of the hand are created. And the glove 1 should just be created by welding (outside the opening part 15 other than the opening part 15 which inserts a hand) of a glove in the palm part 11 and the back part 12 of a hand, for example. At that time, the thermal cutting and the thermal welding may be performed substantially simultaneously. In FIG. 1, the visible portion of the outline 13 is indicated by a solid line, and the invisible portion is indicated by a dotted line.

  The glove 1 or the resin sheets 11 ′ and 12 ′ may be made of a thermoplastic resin 20 such as polyethylene. Thereby, since the glove 1 does not permeate | transmit a liquid, it will be suitable for the use in a cooking field, a medical field, etc. In addition, the manufacturing method of the glove 1 is not limited to the said manufacturing method. For example, you may cut | disconnect along an outer edge with a cutting blade etc., after carrying out heat fusing along the outline 13 of the glove 1. Further, the palm part and the back part of the hand may be integrally formed by plastic molding without forming the palm part and the back part of the hand as described above. For example, rubber may be used instead of the thermoplastic resin.

  In order to sterilize the surface of the glove 1 as will be described later, ultraviolet rays are irradiated while the glove 1 is worn on the hand. If ultraviolet rays reach the hand in the glove 1 at that time, there is a concern about adverse effects such as skin cancer. Therefore, the glove 1 or the resin sheets 11 ′ and 12 ′ may include the ultraviolet ray shielding component 21 (ultraviolet ray shielding material) for shielding ultraviolet rays together with the thermoplastic resin 20.

  The ultraviolet shielding component 21 may include at least one of metal oxides such as titanium oxide, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, and iron oxide. As will be described later, in the present invention, sterilization is performed by irradiating ultraviolet rays having a wavelength effective for sterilization of norovirus and the like. For example, it is preferable to use a metal oxide such as titanium oxide, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, or iron oxide because a sufficient effect of shielding ultraviolet rays of this wavelength can be obtained.

  For example, if the average particle size is 0.1 μm or less, the metal oxide is suitable for making the glove 1 transparent. However, when the transparency of the glove 1 is not particularly required, it is not necessary to impose any particular restriction on the particle size of the metal oxide. However, when the particle diameter of the metal oxide is less than 0.03 μm, the tendency of aggregation between the metal oxide particles becomes strong, and the dispersibility is reduced. Therefore, when the metal oxide is uniformly distributed in the thermoplastic resin sheets 10 and 11, the particle diameter may be 0.03 μm or more.

  As a method in which the thermoplastic resin 20 includes the ultraviolet shielding component 21 of a metal oxide such as titanium oxide, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, and iron oxide, the ultraviolet shielding component 21 in the form of powder is blended (mixed) with the thermoplastic resin 20. What is necessary is just to use what was formed in the sheet form as thermoplastic resin sheet 11 ', 12'. The mixing ratio and the like will be described later. When the sheet is formed, it may be formed by a conventional method such as a T-die method or an inflation method.

  It should be noted that the shielding (or blocking) of ultraviolet rays is a concept including both diffusion of ultraviolet rays and absorption of ultraviolet rays. The diffusion of ultraviolet rays means diffusing ultraviolet rays, and the absorption of ultraviolet rays means confining ultraviolet rays in a molecule. Since both have the function of inhibiting the transmission of ultraviolet rays, they are included in the shielding (or blocking) of ultraviolet rays.

  The glove 1 is equipped with a detector 14. A detection sensor provided in an ultraviolet irradiation device to be described later senses the detection body 14 to detect whether the glove 1 is present at an appropriate position during sterilization. What is necessary is just to affix the detection body 14 on the position close | similar to the opening part of the surface of the palm part 11 of the glove 1, for example.

  The detection body 14 may be a symbol. When the detection body 14 is a symbol, a sheet piece or a seal on which the symbol is printed may be attached to the surface of the glove 1. The symbol may be directly printed on the surface of the glove 1. If the detection body 14 is a symbol or the like in this way, there is an advantage that information can be added to the detection body 14 by a symbol or the like.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the sterilization method in the present invention. Note that sterilization includes killing a part of pathogenic bacteria, that is, including sterilization.

  The glove 1 is worn on the hand when the worker P works at a site where high hygiene management is required, such as a cooking site or a medical site. Whenever it is determined that the glove 1 is dirty, the worker P sterilizes the glove 1 with the sterilizer 3. Two insertion ports are formed in the sterilization apparatus 3, and the operator inserts the gloves 1 in both hands while wearing the gloves 1 from the insertion ports.

  An ultraviolet irradiation lamp for irradiating ultraviolet rays is disposed in the sterilizing apparatus 3, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the lamp to sterilize the surface of the glove 1. At that time, as described above, since the ultraviolet shielding component is blended in the glove 1, the ultraviolet ray is sufficiently shielded by the glove 1, and the amount of the ultraviolet ray that passes through the glove 1 and is irradiated to the skin is sufficiently reduced. . As a result, it is possible to avoid effects such as skin cancer and decreased immune function due to irradiation of the human skin with ultraviolet rays.

  The concept for determining the ratio of blending the ultraviolet shielding component 21 into the thermoplastic resin 20 in the glove 1 will be described below. As an object to be sterilized, explanation will be made with a focus on norovirus, which has been particularly problematic in recent years. Since norovirus cannot be artificially cultured using cells or animals in an experimental facility, verification using feline calicivirus similar to norovirus as a substitute virus is generally performed instead.

  For example, Non-Patent Document 1 below shows the results of an experiment for examining the bactericidal effect of feline calicivirus by ultraviolet irradiation. In this document, 1 to 3 ml of feline calicivirus solution is placed in a petri dish and allowed to stand, and then the amount of viable virus is measured after irradiation with ultraviolet rays.

  As a result, when the amount of virus in the non-irradiated stage is about 10 to the 6th power, when irradiated with 12.5 mJ per square centimeter, the viable virus amount is in the range of 10 to the power of 4.3 to 5.7. It became the value of. When irradiated with 25 mJ per square centimeter, the amount of viable virus became a value in the range of 10 to the power of 3.8 to 5.2. When irradiated at 50 mJ per square centimeter, the amount of viable virus was in the range of 10 to the power of 3.9 to 4.7. From the above values, it is judged that at least about 25% of ultraviolet radiation per square centimeter is necessary to kill norovirus at least about 99%.

S. Nuanualsuwan et al: UltravioletInactivation of Feline Calicivirus, Human Enteric Viruses and Coliphags, Photochemistry and Photobiology, (2002) 76: 406-410

  Next, the effect of ultraviolet rays on the skin will be described. With regard to this problem, there is no clear result at present regarding how much ultraviolet rays are irradiated on the skin and what kind of adverse effect is produced. However, according to the knowledge of researchers in the field, cells in the human body are sufficiently killed by ultraviolet irradiation of about 800 μJ per square centimeter.

  In this example, based on this knowledge as one reason, in the sterilization work by ultraviolet irradiation, the upper limit of the ultraviolet ray dose transmitted to the human body through the glove 1 is 250 μJ per square centimeter in consideration of safety. Set. At this time, as described above, ultraviolet rays of about 25 mJ per square centimeter are irradiated for sterilization of norovirus, so the upper limit of the ultraviolet transmittance of the glove 1 is calculated to be 1%, in other words, the ultraviolet shielding rate is required to be 99% or more. Is done.

  Next, in order to achieve this ultraviolet shielding rate of 99%, the blending ratio of the ultraviolet shielding component 21 to the thermoplastic resin 20 is determined. According to the inventor's experiments, when a sheet having a film thickness of 45 μm was prepared by using 0.5% by weight of titanium oxide as the ultraviolet ray shielding component 21 using polyethylene as the thermoplastic resin 20, ultraviolet rays having a main wavelength of 254 nm were prepared. Was 20% transmitted, that is, 80% shielded.

  When two films were stacked to have a film thickness of 90 μm, ultraviolet light having a main wavelength of 254 nm was transmitted by 4% (= 20% square), that is, 96% was blocked. When three films were stacked to have a film thickness of 135 μm, ultraviolet light having a main wavelength of 254 nm was transmitted by 0.8% (= the cube of 20%), that is, 99.2% was blocked. Thus, the film thickness and the ultraviolet transmittance are in accordance with the regularity that when the film thickness is increased by n times, the ultraviolet transmittance is reduced to the nth power. Therefore, the ultraviolet transmittance can be easily calculated from the film thickness.

  Further, in the same experiment, when the blending ratio of the ultraviolet shielding component is 0.1% by weight or more and the film thickness of the sheet is about 100 μm or more, an ultraviolet shielding ratio of 90% or more can be achieved with respect to the ultraviolet light having the main wavelength of 254 nm. As can be easily understood from the above experiment, when the ultraviolet shielding rate is not sufficiently high at a certain blending ratio, the film thickness may be increased until a sufficient ultraviolet shielding rate is obtained.

  The upper limit of the weight% of the metal oxide (ultraviolet shielding component) and the film thickness of the resin sheet is not particularly limited from the viewpoint of ultraviolet shielding performance. As the weight percent of the metal oxide (ultraviolet shielding component) is larger and the resin sheet is thicker, the ultraviolet shielding performance is improved. However, for the flexibility of the glove 1 that is necessary when performing various operations with the glove 1 attached to the hand, the weight% of the metal oxide (ultraviolet shielding component) is 50% by weight or less, and the film thickness is It is preferable that the thickness is about several hundred μm or less.

  When assuming a situation where sterilization is performed by a device that irradiates ultraviolet rays at a cooking site or a medical site, a case where an excessively long irradiation time is not preferable is assumed. For example, it is considered that the work site may compete for every second. In addition, it is considered that many workers share one irradiation device. Therefore, it can be said that a too long irradiation time is not preferable from the viewpoint of not hindering the efficiency of work. Therefore, in this embodiment, as one guideline, the irradiation time of ultraviolet rays is set to about 10 seconds.

  When the irradiation time is about 10 seconds and the ultraviolet irradiation dose is 25 mJ per square cm, the ultraviolet irradiation amount is calculated to be 2500 μW per square cm. This ultraviolet ray irradiation amount can be sufficiently achieved by, for example, a low-pressure mercury lamp (sterilization lamp). For example, in a commercially available low-pressure mercury lamp, the irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays is 2500 μW per square centimeter at a distance of about 6 cm from the lamp with a relatively low power output having a rated lamp output of 6 W.

  That is, an irradiation amount of 2500 μW per square centimeter is an irradiation amount that can be achieved without difficulty with a relatively low-cost ultraviolet lamp. In addition, it is known that the wavelength of ultraviolet rays effective for sterilization targeting norovirus and the like is around 240 nm to 280 nm, but the low-pressure mercury lamp emits ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm, which is effective for sterilization. .

  In the present embodiment, various numerical values may be set as follows by combining the above consideration and verification. First, the resin sheets 11 ′ and 12 ′ that are the basis of the glove 1 are made of polyethylene as the thermoplastic resin 20 and 0.5% by weight of titanium oxide as the ultraviolet shielding component 21, and a resin sheet having a film thickness of 135 μm. Should be created. Thereby, the ultraviolet shielding rate becomes 99% or more, and the flexibility as a glove is suitable without any problem.

  In the ultraviolet irradiation device 3, a 6 W low-pressure mercury lamp is used, the ultraviolet irradiation dose on the surface of the glove 1 is 2500 μW per square centimeter, and the irradiation time is 10 seconds. As a result, a low-cost lamp can be used, and the amount of ultraviolet rays applied to the glove 1 is 25 mJ per square centimeter, and 99% of norovirus can be killed. Moreover, since the irradiation time is short, the sterilization operation can be completed quickly. Furthermore, since the glove 1 has an ultraviolet shielding rate of 99% or more and the glove 1 is irradiated with 25 mJ per square centimeter, the amount of UV radiation applied to the surface of the hand is 250 μJ per square centimeter or less. Can be reduced to a level with no problem.

  Although the ultraviolet shielding rate of the glove 1 is 99% or more in the above, it may be more strictly 99.9% or more. In the above embodiment, this can be achieved by further increasing the thickness of the resin sheet. As described above, when the film thickness of the resin sheet is increased by n times, the ultraviolet transmittance is reduced to the nth power. Therefore, the sheet thickness that achieves the required ultraviolet shielding ratio may be calculated from this regularity. Conversely, the ultraviolet shielding ratio may be relaxed to 95% or more, or 90% or more. The value of 99% is a value obtained by adding a sufficient safety factor. Therefore, even if it is 95% or more, or 90% or more, it is regarded as a practically reasonable ultraviolet shielding rate.

Next, the ultraviolet irradiation device 3 (irradiation device , sterilization device ) will be described. FIG. 4 shows a perspective view, an AA sectional view, and a BB sectional view of the irradiation device 3. As shown in the AA cross-sectional view, the irradiation device 3 includes a louver 33 (ultraviolet guide part) and an ultraviolet radiation lamp 37 (ultraviolet irradiation lamp, lamp) disposed in a housing 30. The housing 30 is provided with two insertion ports 31, and a wall portion 32 is formed so as to continue from the housing 30 to the inside of the insertion port 31. It is assumed that no opening other than the insertion port 31 is formed in the irradiation device 3. Thereby, leakage of ultraviolet rays to the outside of the apparatus is suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the worker P inserts his / her hand through the insertion port 31 while wearing the gloves 1. And the glove 1 is located in the irradiation space S, and it sterilizes by irradiating with an ultraviolet-ray. As shown in the BB cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, the louver 33 and the lamp 37 are disposed between the floor surface 36 and the ceiling surface 39.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lamps 37 are arranged in three rows each having three lamps arranged in the vertical direction. As described above, the lamp 37 may be, for example, a 6 W low-pressure mercury lamp. As a result, it is possible to irradiate ultraviolet rays having a wavelength near 254 nm, which is effective for sterilization against norovirus and the like.

A plurality of louvers 33 (four rows of four in FIG. 4) are arranged at intervals in the depth direction (the vertical direction shown in the AA sectional view). FIG. 6 shows details of the louver 33. As shown in the figure, the louver 33 is arranged in parallel with the posture of the angle θ with respect to the wall of the housing 30. 6A shows a case where the angle θ is 90 degrees, and FIG. 6B shows a case where the angle θ is 45 degrees.

  In FIG. 6, the emission of ultraviolet rays from the lamp 37 is indicated by arrows. As shown in the figure, the insertion port 31 is the front side and the opposite is the back side. In the case of FIG. 6A, the ultraviolet rays directed from the lamp 37 toward the glove 1 go straight to the gloves 1 without being blocked by the louver 33, whereas the ultraviolet rays radiated from the lamp 37 toward the insertion port 31 are emitted from the louver 33. Is reflected by. Therefore, the louver 33 does not prevent the glove 1 for sterilization from being irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet rays emitted from the lamp 37 are prevented from being directly emitted from the insertion port to the outside of the apparatus. Therefore, sufficient sterilization and external leakage of ultraviolet rays can be achieved simultaneously.

  Further, in the case of FIG. 6B, the angle θ is set to 45 degrees, and the ultraviolet rays reflected from the louver 33 and emitted from the lamp 37 are directed in the direction orthogonal to the lamp 37 or only to the far side and to the near side. Absent. Therefore, leakage of ultraviolet rays emitted from the lamp 37 to the outside from the insertion port 31 is suppressed.

  In both FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the ultraviolet rays (direct light) before being emitted from the lamp 37 and reflected within the irradiation device 3 are not directly emitted from the insertion port 31 to the outside of the irradiation device 3. Therefore, it can be avoided that the ultraviolet rays adversely affect the people who are outside. Of course, since there is no possibility that the worker P looks directly at the lamp 37 from the insertion port 31, the danger that the eyes are directly irradiated with ultraviolet rays is also avoided.

  Note that the angle θ is not limited to 90 degrees or 45 degrees as long as the ultraviolet light emitted from the lamp 37 does not go to the near side, and the direct light is not emitted to the outside from the insertion port 31, For example, the knowledge that it may be in the range of 30 degrees to 100 degrees has been obtained. In addition to this, the function of the louver 33 has a function that the surface of the glove 1 is more uniformly irradiated when the ultraviolet rays emitted from the lamp 37 are present than when the louver 33 is not present.

  Furthermore, since the three lamps 37 arranged in the horizontal direction as described above are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, uniformity in the vertical direction of ultraviolet irradiation is also achieved. Thereby, it can avoid that dispersion | variation generate | occur | produces in the grade of sterilization in each part of the surface of the glove 1.

  The wall portion 32 of the irradiation device 3 is equipped with an insertion detection sensor 34 (sensor). The sensor 34 is a sensor that detects the presence of the detection body 14 of the glove 1. Further, the irradiation device 3 includes a control unit 38. The control unit 38 includes a display unit 38a, an input unit 38b, and a speaker 38c. For example, the control unit 38 is equipped with a microcomputer and a storage unit, and various operations of the irradiation apparatus 3 may be executed by a program stored in advance by the control unit 38 unless otherwise specified.

  Also, it is assumed that various inputs can be performed using the input unit 38b, and various information can be displayed on the display unit 38b. It is assumed that sound is output from the speaker 38c. The input unit 38b may have a power switch for the entire irradiation apparatus 3. Then, when the power switch is turned on, it may be in a state of waiting for the worker to insert the hand wearing the gloves 1 for sterilization. If the display unit 38a displays “standby” or the like, the current state is notified, and convenience is improved.

  FIG. 5 shows a state where a hand wearing the glove 1 is inserted into the AA cross-sectional view of FIG. As shown in the figure, the hand wearing the glove 1 is inserted into the irradiation space S between the rows of louvers 33. If the glove 1 is in the normal position range when performing ultraviolet sterilization in the irradiation device 3, the sensor 34 senses the presence of the detection body 14, and if it is not in the normal position range, the sensor 34 is the presence of the detection body 14. It may be assumed that the position of the sensor 34 is adjusted so as not to sense.

  As described above, if the lamp is a 6 W low-pressure mercury lamp and the normal position of the glove 1 at the time of sterilization is a distance within about 6 cm from the lamp 37, the amount of UV irradiation on the surface of the glove 1 Becomes 2500 μW or more per square centimeter, and irradiation for 10 seconds provides a sufficient irradiation amount for sterilization of norovirus and the like.

  When the sensor 34 senses the presence of the detection body 14, it automatically starts ultraviolet radiation from the lamp 37, and when the sensor 34 does not sense the presence of the detection body 14, it does not initiate ultraviolet radiation from the lamp 37. As described above, the control unit 38 may control. Thereby, ultraviolet irradiation is not performed when the glove 1 is not worn or when the glove 1 is not in the normal position range even if it is worn.

  As a result, it is possible to avoid adversely affecting the skin by irradiating ultraviolet rays on bare hands or on gloves having no ultraviolet shielding performance. Further, when the glove 1 is not in the normal position range, the irradiation of ultraviolet rays is not performed, so that the irradiation of ultraviolet rays that do not have an appropriate irradiation amount on the surface of the glove 1 can be avoided. Therefore, for example, it can be avoided that sterilization becomes insufficient. During the irradiation with ultraviolet rays, for example, the current state such as “irradiating” or “sterilizing” may be displayed on the display unit 38a.

  Further, it is assumed that the control unit 38 includes a timer, the irradiation time of the irradiation device 3 is set in advance, and the irradiation is automatically ended when the set irradiation time is ended. As a result, it is possible to avoid erroneously setting an inappropriate irradiation time. Furthermore, the operation for ending the irradiation can be omitted. For example, the irradiation time may be input using the input unit 38b.

  In addition, after the irradiation by the irradiation device 3 is started and before the set irradiation time ends, if the sensor 34 cannot sense the presence of the detection body 14, an alarm sound may be output from the speaker 38c. Further, “insufficient sterilization” or the like may be displayed on the display unit 38a. As a result, it is possible to suppress insufficient sterilization by, for example, pulling out a hand by mistake before the irradiation time ends.

  Further, after the irradiation is started and before the set irradiation time ends, the lamp 37 may once stop the irradiation when the sensor 34 cannot sense the presence of the detection body 14. Then, the control unit 38 calculates how much of the predetermined irradiation time remains. When the glove 1 is inserted again from the insertion port 31 and the sensor 34 can detect the detection body 14, the irradiation is performed for the remaining irradiation time. Then, the irradiation may be automatically terminated thereafter. By controlling the irradiation time in this way, even if the hand is accidentally pulled out before the end of the irradiation time, if the hand is inserted again, a rational system can be obtained in which the remaining time is irradiated.

  It should be noted that a plurality of sensors are arranged, and the sensor 34 only detects that the glove 1 has entered the irradiation space S, and the glove 1 comes out of the irradiation space S during irradiation using another sensor. May be detected. For example, a sensor for detecting that the glove 1 has left the irradiation space S during irradiation is equipped at a position near the fingertip of the inserted glove 1. In such a case, it is possible to suppress erroneous recognition that the detection body 14 cannot be detected by twisting the wrist after inserting the hand and the hand is pulled out.

  The sensor 34 in the present embodiment may be a so-called proximity sensor, and the combination of the sensor 34 and the detection body 14 can be used without any limitation as long as the combination can detect the position. Therefore, for example, the sensor 34 may be an inductive proximity sensor, and the detection body may be a metal such as iron, aluminum, or copper. The sensor 34 may be a capacitive proximity sensor, and the detection body may be a metal. The sensor 34 may be a magnetic proximity sensor, and the detection body may be a magnet.

  FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the irradiation device 3. This figure corresponds to FIG. In the irradiation device 3 in the figure, the lamps 37 on both sides are arranged in an oblique direction so that the distance between the lamps 37 becomes narrower toward the back side of the irradiation device 3. As described above, the space between the lamps 37 forms an ultraviolet irradiation space S, and a hand wearing the glove 1 is inserted into the irradiation space S.

  Normally, as the human hand moves from the wrist part to the fingertip part, the thickness between the palm and the back of the hand decreases. The reason why the distance between the lamps 37 in the irradiation device 3 in FIG. 7 is narrower toward the back side of the irradiation device 3, that is, the irradiation space S is narrower toward the back side, in order to cope with this. That is, depending on the arrangement position of the lamp 37 in FIG. 7, the distance from the lamp 37 to the surface of the glove 1 is more uniform from the wrist part to the fingertip part than in the case of FIG. Therefore, since the irradiation of ultraviolet rays onto the surface of the glove 1 becomes more uniform, variation in the degree of sterilization for each part of the glove 1 is suppressed, and sufficient sterilization is performed on the entire surface of the glove 1.

  FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the irradiation device 3. In this embodiment, the lamps 37 are arranged vertically, and are arranged in the depth direction of the irradiation device 3 at intervals of three in FIG. Thereby, the uniformity in the vertical direction of the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the lamp 37 is ensured. In FIG. 8, the louver 33 is disposed only on the near side and not on the far side. Even with such an arrangement of the louvers 33, it is possible to avoid the direct light emitted from the lamp 37 being emitted from the insertion port 31 to the outside, as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 8. Thereby, the number of louvers 33 can be reduced.

  Although the irradiation apparatus 3 of FIG. 4 was modified as shown in FIG. 5 above, an example in which the same modification as this is performed is shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 9, the irradiation space S becomes narrower toward the back side. As a result, it is possible to cope with a decrease in the thickness between the palm side and the back of the hand as the tip of a human hand is normal, and to uniformly irradiate the surface of the hand with ultraviolet light on the fingertip side and the wrist side. In FIG. 8, the louvers 33 may be arranged in all the depth directions as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the arrangement of the back louver 33 may be omitted as shown in FIG.

  The glove of the present invention may not be a five-finger type glove, and may be a type in which the index finger to the little finger are connected. The glove of the present invention is not a glove having a length up to the wrist, but may be a type having a length up to the elbow. It may have a length up to a midway position between the wrist and the elbow. This makes it suitable for stricter hygiene management. Since the glove of the present invention is sterilized while being worn on the hand, the fact that the glove is long and difficult to attach and detach does not hinder sterilization work.

  Further, rubber may be embedded in the circumferential direction of the opening of the glove 1 so that the opening is closed by the elasticity of the rubber. Thereby, wearing of the glove 1 can be performed more reliably. Further, if the surface of the glove 1 is embossed, it has a non-slip effect and is suitable for various operations.

  The sterilization method of the present invention may further include a cleaning device. What is necessary is just to use together with the sterilization by the said ultraviolet irradiation device to wash | clean with liquids, such as a washing | cleaning liquid and water, with the glove 1 mounted on the hand using the washing | cleaning apparatus. This makes it possible to deal with dirt that is more suitable for cleaning with liquid than sterilization with ultraviolet irradiation, such as when dust that can be visually observed adheres.

  In the above embodiment, the metal oxide candidates for the ultraviolet shielding component are titanium oxide, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, and iron oxide. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and a wide variety of metal oxides may be used. Can do. For example, at least one of aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, talc, kaolin, calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate and the like can achieve the same effect as described above.

  Alternatively, without using an ultraviolet shielding component as a metal oxide, parabenzoic acid, ethyl paraaminobenzoate, ethylhexyl paradimethylaminobenzoate, benzimidazole, dinoxate, ethylhexyl paramethoxycinnamate, 2- (2-hydroxy-5-methyl) The same effect as described above can be obtained as at least one of organic components such as (phenyl) benzotriazole, oxybenzozone, urocanic acid, ethyl urocanate, 5-chlorouracil, guanine, and cytosine.

  In the present invention, the arrangement location of the detection body 14 and the sensor 34 is not limited to the arrangement location shown in the above embodiment, and the sensor 34 moves the detection body 14 when the glove 1 is in an appropriate position range for ultraviolet irradiation. Any installation location that satisfies the condition that the sensor 34 cannot detect the detection body 14 when the glove 1 is not in an appropriate position range for ultraviolet irradiation can be detected.

  Further, if the irradiation device 3 is made of metal, it is preferable that the gloves 1 can be efficiently irradiated with ultraviolet rays by reflecting the ultraviolet rays inside the device. If the inside of the irradiation device 3 is mirror-finished, it is more suitable for this purpose. If the louver 33 is made of metal, it is suitable for the induction of ultraviolet rays as described above.

  In addition, although the irradiation apparatus 3 equipped with both the louver 33 and the sensor 34 was shown in the said Example, this invention is not limited to this, The irradiation apparatus which equips the sensor 34 but is not equipped with the louver 33 may be sufficient as the sensor 34. Even if the louver 33 is not equipped, but the louver 33 is an illuminating device to be equipped, the effects of the sensor 34 and the louver 33 are naturally obtained.

  In the above description, the lamp 37 is linear (I type), but it may be changed as shown in FIG. The lamp 37a in FIG. 10 (1) is U-shaped, the lamp 37b in FIG. 10 (2) is zigzag (mountain valley), the lamp 37c in FIG. 10 (3) is spiral, and the lamp 37d in FIG. Surface shape (plate shape). These shapes enable efficient ultraviolet irradiation.

The figure which shows the glove in the Example of this invention. The figure which shows the manufacturing process of a glove. The figure which shows the sterilization method. The figure which shows an ultraviolet irradiation device. The figure which shows a mode that the glove was inserted in the ultraviolet irradiation device. The figure which shows a louver. The figure which shows another Example of an ultraviolet irradiation device. The figure which shows another Example of an ultraviolet irradiation device. The figure which shows another Example of an ultraviolet irradiation device. The figure which shows another shape of a lamp | ramp.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Glove 3 Ultraviolet irradiation device 14 Detector 20 Thermoplastic resin 21 Ultraviolet shielding component 33 Louver 34 Insertion detection sensor 37 Ultraviolet irradiation lamp

Claims (4)

For sterilization, an ultraviolet irradiation device that irradiates ultraviolet rays to a glove worn on the hand ,
An irradiation unit for irradiating ultraviolet rays;
A housing in which the irradiation unit is disposed;
An insertion port formed in the housing for inserting a glove worn in the hand into the housing;
An ultraviolet ray that is arranged inside the housing and irradiates the direction of ultraviolet rays emitted from the irradiating unit before being reflected from the irradiating unit and reflected in the housing is directly emitted from the insertion port to the outside. And a guiding unit for guiding ultraviolet rays so as to achieve simultaneously that the glove attached to the hand inserted from the insertion port is irradiated with ultraviolet rays,
It is added to a part of the glove that the glove attached to the hand is a predetermined target that may be irradiated with ultraviolet rays for sterilization and is in a predetermined position range suitable for ultraviolet irradiation. A detection unit for detecting that the detected object is in a position to be detected;
An irradiation control unit that starts irradiation of ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit when the detection unit detects that the glove worn on the hand is the predetermined target and is in the predetermined position range;
An ultraviolet irradiation device comprising: The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 1 , further comprising an irradiation time control unit configured to control the irradiation time of the ultraviolet rays on the gloves worn on the hand by the irradiation unit to be a predetermined time. When the irradiation unit irradiates the glove in a state of being worn on the hand and the predetermined time has not ended , the glove in a state where the detection unit is attached to the hand is in the predetermined position range. The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 2 , further comprising alarm means for outputting an alarm when it is no longer detected. When the glove attached to the hand is inserted into the ultraviolet irradiation device from the insertion opening, the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the insertion direction is smaller at the part far from the insertion opening than at the part near the insertion opening. ,
Irradiation space glove is space located in the state where the attached hand when irradiating ultraviolet rays to the glove in a state of being attached to the hand, from the position close to the insertion opening is at a position distant from the insertion port UV irradiation device according to any one of the narrow claims 1 to 3.

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