JP5723749B2 - High pressure steam sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a high-pressure steam sterilizer that is installed mainly in a hospital or the like and sterilizes an object to be sterilized such as a medical instrument under high-pressure steam.

As one of the high-pressure steam sterilizers, a chamber 4 having a front opening provided in the sterilizer body and a lid 5 for sealing the upper opening of the chamber 4 are provided.
There is one that performs a sterilization step of evaporating in 6 and sterilizing an object to be sterilized stored in the chamber 4 under high-pressure steam (see Patent Document 1).

In the high-pressure steam sterilizer of Patent Document 1, a gap between the opening of the chamber 4 and the lid 5 is sealed by an annular packing 5A, and a closed lid detection switch 7 for detecting that the lid 5 closes the opening of the chamber 4 is provided. In the state where the power switch is ON, the condition of the normal closed state in which the lid 5 closes the opening of the chamber 4 is detected by the closed lid detection switches 7A and 7B, and the start key 31E is set in that state. By turning on, the solenoid 25 of the solenoid type locking device 24 is turned on, and the lid 5 cannot be opened by the operation handle 12.

JP 2008-073390 A

In the high-pressure steam sterilizer of Patent Document 1, the lid 5 has a fairly strong structure, and the sterilizer body 2
Strong lock arms 10 are provided on the left and right of the front part of the upper surface, and the left and right lock arms 10 hold the lid 5 so as not to open.

In this way, the lid 5 has a fairly strong configuration, and if the lid 5 is held so as not to be opened by the strong lock arm 10, a finger is hooked on one end of the lid 5 during the sterilization process or the like, and the lid 5 is deliberately Even if the lid is opened, the lid 5 hardly bends .

However, when providing a small sterilizer that has a simplified lid and does not have a lock arm as described above, if you intentionally try to open the lid and put a finger on one end of the lid and pull it The lid may bend. Even in this small sterilizer, the annular packing is sealed between the chamber opening and the lid in a compressed state, and the lid detection switch is placed outside the annular packing so that it is not exposed to the high-pressure steam in the chamber. A lid detection switch is arranged. And
For safety, a configuration is adopted in which the lid is held so as not to be opened by a locking device different from the solenoid type locking device 24 for safety in a state where the lid is detected to be closed by the lid detection switch. The

In a state where the lid is held so as not to open by the locking device, the opening of the chamber is held in a state where the annular packing is compressed and sealed, but when the lid is a simplified configuration as described above There is a concern that when a part of the lid is pulled, a part of the lid is bent.
In particular, when the lid is bent by pulling a portion of the lid in the vicinity where the lid detection switch is disposed, the lid detection switch may be returned in the same manner as when the lid is open. If the lid detection switch returns as described above while the sterilization operation is being performed, the sterilization operation stops midway, and the desired sterilization cannot be achieved.

In particular, in the case of a horizontal high-pressure steam sterilizer with the chamber opening facing the front of the sterilizer body, the lid is provided with an open / close lid that is rotatably supported by a lid support portion on either the left or right side of the sterilizer body. Adopted, the lid detection switch is arranged on the opposite side of the lid support portion with respect to the opening so that the detection operation can be performed accurately. In this case, when the lid is bent by pulling one end of the lid on the lid detection switch side as described above, the lid detection switch is easily returned to the state where the lid is open as described above.

In view of these points, the present invention maintains the seal between the opening of the chamber and the lid in a state where the lid is held so as not to open by the locking device, so that high-pressure steam in the chamber leaks out. There is nothing. For this reason, even if the lid is bent by placing a finger on one end of the lid and pulling it in such a state that there is no risk of high-pressure steam in the chamber leaking out, the lid closure detection switch will close the lid. The present invention provides a technique capable of maintaining the detected state. In particular, the present invention provides a technique that is effective when applied to a horizontal high-pressure steam sterilizer in which the opening of the chamber faces the front of the sterilizer body.

A high-pressure steam sterilizer according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a chamber provided in a sterilizer body and a lid that opens and closes the opening of the chamber in a sealed state, and the lid detects a state in which the opening of the chamber is closed. A detection switch is provided on the sterilizer main body side, and an operating portion that is urged toward the sterilizer main body side by a first urging spring is provided on the lid side. A slide piece that is arranged corresponding to the operating portion and is urged toward the lid by a second urging spring so as to operate the lid detection switch when pressed by the operating portion is provided,
The operating portion and the slide piece are moved by the spring force of the first biasing spring and the second biasing spring until the lid moves a predetermined dimension in a direction away from the sterilizer main body from a normal closed position. By maintaining the contact state, the lid detection switch is maintained in the lid detection state,
When the lid is separated from the normal closed position beyond the predetermined dimension, the lid detection switch is in a non-lid detection state.

The high-pressure steam sterilizer according to a second aspect of the invention is characterized in that the second biasing spring is a spring-operated lever provided in the lid-closing detection switch.

The high pressure steam sterilizer according to a third aspect of the present invention is the high pressure steam sterilizer according to the first or second aspect, wherein the chamber is a horizontal type in which the opening faces the front surface of the sterilizer body, and the lid is on the left or right side of the sterilizer body. Is an open / close lid that is rotatably supported by the lid support portion.
The lid detection switch and the slide piece are arranged on the opposite side of the lid support portion with respect to the opening,
The actuating part is arranged to protrude from the back side of the lid by a spring force of the first biasing spring so as to correspond to the slide piece.

The high-pressure steam sterilizer according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third aspects, the spring force of the first biasing spring is larger than the spring force of the second biasing spring. To do.

A high-pressure steam sterilizer according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes the lock device that holds the lid in a closed state according to any one of the first to third inventions, and the lid detection switch is connected to the lock device. A switch for detecting that the first urging spring is held in a closed state, wherein a spring force of the first urging spring is larger than a spring force of the second urging spring; Until the second predetermined dimension moves in a direction away from the sterilizer main body, the lid detection switch keeps the lid detection state while the operation unit pushes the slide piece, and the lid is locked. Until the lid moves beyond the second predetermined dimension to the first predetermined dimension by the operating portion being pushed toward the maximum protruding state by the extension of the first biasing spring. The slide piece and the The lid detecting switch in a state where the second biasing spring is pressed maintaining the closed detection state, when the lid is moved beyond said first predetermined dimension, said closure detection switch is non-closed It is a detection state.

In the first aspect of the invention, even when the lid is bent by placing and pulling a finger on one end of the lid, the seal between the opening of the chamber and the lid is maintained in a state where the lid is not opened by the locking device. Since it is maintained, high-pressure steam in the chamber does not leak out. In such a case, the lid detection switch can maintain the detection state in which the lid is closed until the lid moves a predetermined dimension in the direction away from the sterilizer body from the normal closed position, Even when the lid is pulled, an allowable range until the sterilization operation is stopped can be taken, and a range in which the sterilization operation can be continuously performed is expanded. For this reason,
Rather than having a rigid body structure that does not allow the entire lid to bend, it is suitable for a simple configuration, and the sterilization operation is continued by absorbing the OFF operation of the closure detection switch due to cost reduction and lid deflection. Can be achieved.

In the second aspect of the invention, the operating portion provided on the lid side is urged toward the sterilizer body side by the first urging spring, and the slide piece provided on the sterilizer body side is provided in the lid detection switch. When the spring-operated lever constitutes the second biasing spring, the lid-closing detection and non-closed-detecting operations are performed by effectively using the spring force of the spring-operating lever provided in the lid detecting switch. Thus, effects similar to those of the first invention can be achieved with simplification of the configuration.

The third invention is effective when applied to a horizontal high-pressure steam sterilizer in which the opening of the chamber faces the front surface of the sterilizer body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, even when the lid is slightly deformed by placing a finger on one end of the lid and pulling it by setting the spring force of the first biasing spring to be larger than the spring force of the second biasing spring, The detection switch can stably maintain the closed cover detection state, and the same effect as the first invention can be achieved.

The fifth invention is a setting in which the spring force of the first biasing spring is larger than the spring force of the second biasing spring,
The range until the lid moves to the first predetermined dimension after passing through the second predetermined dimension is a state in which the lid is locked. Therefore, even if the lid is intentionally pulled, the allowable range until the sterilization operation stops As a result, the range in which the sterilization operation can be continued can be expanded, and the same effects as those of the first invention can be obtained.

It is a front perspective view of the high pressure steam sterilizer concerning the present invention. It is the front perspective view which opened the lid | cover of the high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation panel of the high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation state which concerns on the closure detection switch before the lid | cover of the high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention closes, (A) is a state figure of the action | operation part by the side of a lid, It is a state figure of the slide piece of a main body side. It is explanatory drawing of the operation state which concerns on the closed cover detection switch of the state which the lid | cover of the high pressure steam sterilizer concerning this invention moved exceeding the 1st predetermined dimension. It is explanatory drawing of the operation state which concerns on the closed cover detection switch of the state which the lid | cover of the high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention moved to the 1st predetermined dimension. It is explanatory drawing of the operation state which concerns on the closed cover detection switch of the state which closed the lid | cover of the high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention to a regular closed state. It is explanatory drawing of the state before the lid | cover of the high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention closes, and a locking device act | operates to a locked state. It is explanatory drawing of the state which the lid | cover of the high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention closed, and the locking device act | operated to the locked state. It is explanatory drawing of the state which the lid | cover of the high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention closes, and the interlock mechanism is in an interlock state. It is a front view of the state which removed the external appearance case of the lid | cover of the high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG.

A high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention includes a chamber provided in a sterilizer body and a lid that opens and closes the opening of the chamber in a sealed state, and the lid detects a state in which the opening of the chamber is closed. A detection switch is provided on the sterilizer main body side, and an operating portion that is urged toward the sterilizer main body side by a first urging spring is provided on the lid side. A slide piece that is arranged corresponding to the operating portion and is urged toward the lid side by a second urging spring so as to operate the lid detection switch when pressed by the operating portion is provided, and the lid is a normal one The operating portion and the slide piece are kept in contact with each other by the spring force of the first urging spring and the second urging spring until a predetermined dimension moves in a direction away from the sterilizer body from the closed position. By detecting the closed lid The switch is kept in a closed lid detection state, and when the lid is separated from the normal closed position beyond the predetermined dimension, the lid detection switch is in a non-closed lid detection state. Examples will be described.

The high-pressure steam sterilizer MK according to the present invention is mainly installed in a hospital or the like for sterilizing an object to be sterilized such as a medical instrument under high-pressure steam. As typical examples thereof, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a cylindrical chamber 4 having a front opening 2 is provided, and the front opening 2 is covered with a lid 7.
This is a small-sized high-pressure steam sterilizer MK that can be freely opened and closed by means of. Hereinafter, an example of a horizontal high-pressure steam sterilizer MK according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a sterilizer body of the high-pressure steam sterilizer MK, in which a cylindrical horizontal chamber 4 having a front opening 2 provided with a shelf 6 on which an object to be sterilized such as a medical instrument is placed is accommodated. The front opening 2 of the chamber 4 is either the left or right side of the sterilizer body 1 (left side in FIGS. 1 and 2).
It is sealed with a lid 7 that is pivotally supported by a lid support portion 5 of a hinge mechanism provided on the shaft. For this reason, on the back side of the lid 7, an annular packing 8 is provided that is in close contact with the peripheral edge of the front opening 2 of the chamber 4 in a compressed state with the lid 7 closed in a normal state.

Here, the configuration of the lid 7 of the small high-pressure steam sterilizer MK of the present invention will be described. A main body side locking member 19 is provided in a protruding state on the front side of the front plate 1A of the sterilizer main body 1 at an intermediate portion on the opposite side (right side in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the lid support portion 5 with respect to the front opening 2. ing. The lid 7 is provided with a lock device 20 at a position corresponding to the main body side lock member 19. The lock device 20 includes a lid-side lock member 21 into which the main body-side lock member 19 enters through a through hole 7B formed in the back plate 7A of the lid 7, and the lid-side lock member 21 is provided on the front surface of the lid 7. In this configuration, the handle 9 is operated into a locked state in which the main body side lock member 19 has entered the lock state and an unlocked state in which the main body side lock member 19 has been withdrawn. The configuration and operation of the locking device 20 will be described later.

The lid 7 is composed of an outer case 7 </ b> S constituting the outer appearance of the lid 7 and a circular inner lid 7 </ b> U attached with an annular packing 8 so as to close the front opening 2 of the chamber 4. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the lid 7 has two upper and lower portions made of a metal rigid body whose left end portion is rotatably supported by the sterilizer body 1 by the lid support portion 5 in a front view. A lid base material 7C is provided, and an outer case 7S is attached to the front side of the two upper and lower lid base materials 7C so as to cover the two upper and lower lid base materials 7C. Further, a support shaft 7D is attached to an intermediate portion of the upper and lower two lid base materials 7C through the lid base material 7C vertically. On the front side of the inner lid 7U, the inner lid support 7 that has entered between the two upper and lower lid base materials 7C.
F is attached with a screw, the support shaft 7D passes through the hole 7F1 of the inner lid support 7F, and the inner lid 7
U is supported by the lid base material 7C.

As will be described later, during the sterilization operation, the lid 7, particularly the inner lid 7 U to which the annular packing 8 is attached, is held by the lock device 20 so that the annular packing 8 is kept in close contact with the front opening 2 of the chamber 4. It is a configuration. For this reason, the lid-side lock member 21 is configured by the right end portions of the two upper and lower lid base materials 7C, and the lid-side lock member 21 is moved up and down at a position away from the entry path of the main body-side lock member 19. Guide rods 26A and 26B are attached in a direction, that is, vertically to the two upper and lower lid base materials 7C.

An adjustment plate 7E is provided at the upper and lower ends of the support shaft 7D so as to surround the upper and lower lid base materials 7C from the front side.
Is installed. An adjustment screw 7G is rotatably engaged with the front surface side of the inner lid support 7F, the large diameter portion 7G1 of the head of the adjustment screw 7G abuts on the back side of the adjustment plate 7E, and the head of the adjustment screw 7G The small-diameter portion 7G2 is in a state of penetrating the adjustment plate 7E. The small diameter portion 7G2 at the head of the adjustment screw 7G corresponds to the hole 7H formed in the external case 7S, and the adjustment screw 7G can be rotated by an operation wrench inserted into the small diameter portion 7G2 from the hole 7H.

The hole 7F1 of the inner lid support 7F has a slightly oblong shape in the front-rear direction. Therefore, by rotating the adjustment screw 7G with the operation wrench as described above, the hole 7F1 is within the range before and after the hole 7F1. The inner lid 7U can be moved back and forth with respect to the upper and lower two lid base materials 7C, and the annular packing 8 in a state where the lid 7 is locked by the locking device 20 is provided in the front opening 2 of the chamber 4.
It is the structure which can be adjusted to the favorable state closely_contact | adhered to.

The operation panel 3 arranged on one side (right side in the figure) of the lid 7 on the front surface of the sterilizer main body 1 is set to set the operating conditions and operating mode of the high-pressure steam sterilizer MK as shown in FIG. Part 31;
A display unit 32 for displaying operation conditions and operation modes, a power switch SW, and the like are arranged. The setting unit 31 includes a time setting unit 31A, a reservation setting unit 31B, a sterilization temperature setting unit 31C, a sterilization time setting unit 31D, a drying time setting unit 31E, a start key (or a start button, which is a start switch operation unit. 39, a stop key 40, an up / down unit 31G for setting values of temperature, time, and time, a completion schedule key 41, and the like. The display unit 32 includes a display unit 32A such as temperature and time, a pressure gauge 32B, a process display unit 32C, a lock state display unit 32D of the lid 7, and the like.

The lid detection switch 10 and the configuration for operating it will be described. As shown in FIG.
The lid detection switch 10 is opposite to the lid support 5 with respect to the opening 2 (right side in FIGS. 1 and 2).
The sterilizer body 1 is attached to the back side of the front plate 1A. As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the closure detection switch 10 includes an actuator 11 that is spring-biased in a direction protruding from the case 10A in order to open and close a contact provided in the case 10A of the closure detection switch 10. In order to operate the actuator 11, a spring-type operating lever 12 having a fulcrum portion 12A supported on a case 10A is provided. The spring operating lever 12 is made of a plate spring material and constitutes a second urging spring.

Further, the sterilizer main body 1 is urged forward by the spring operating lever 12.
A slide piece 13 is slidable in the front-rear direction in a cylindrical support body 14 attached with the front plate 1A in a penetrating state. At the rear part of the slide piece 13, a locking part 13 </ b> A that locks with the stopper part 14 </ b> A at the rear part of the support body 14 is formed. When biased forward, when the locking portion 13A comes into contact with the stopper portion 14A, the maximum length protruding forward from the front plate 1A of the sterilizer body 1 is limited. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the lid 7 has the opening 2 open, and the length of the slide piece 13 protruding forward from the front plate 1A is maximum.

A part of the outer case 7S of the lid 7 is placed on the lid 7 so that the coil-like first biasing spring 16 urges the lid 7 to protrude toward the back side of the lid 7 at a position corresponding to the slide piece 13. An operating portion 15 is provided in a cylindrical support 17 attached to the back plate 7A to be slidable in the front-rear direction. For this reason, the operating part 15 is in a state of being held on the back plate 7A of the external case 7S,
The coiled first biasing spring 16 is accommodated in the operating portion 15, and the tip thereof is the operating portion 15.
The rear end is in a state of being supported by a holding portion 18 that is formed integrally with or separately from the support body 17 and is accommodated in the operating portion 15 in a slightly compressed state. Actuator 15
At the rear portion, a locking portion 15A is formed to be locked to the stopper portion 17A at the rear portion of the support body 17, and the operating portion 15 is biased toward the back side of the lid 7 by the first biasing spring 16. When the locking portion 15A comes into contact with the stopper portion 17A, the maximum length of the lid 7 protruding rearward from the back plate 7A is limited. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the lid 7 has opened the opening 2, and the first biasing spring 1 is still present.
6 and the spring operating lever 12 are also in the initial state. That is, as described above, the first urging spring 16 is accommodated in the operating portion 15 in a slightly compressed state, so that the operating portion 15 is attached to the back plate 7A of the lid 7.
Projecting from the rear to the rear at a maximum length, and a slide piece 13 is formed by a spring-operated lever 12.
Is pushed forward, and the slide piece 13 protrudes forward from the front plate 1A with the maximum length.

In the above configuration, the spring force of the first biasing spring 16 is set to be slightly larger than the spring force of the spring operating lever 12 that is the second biasing spring. In the state where the lid 7 opens the opening 2, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the operating portion 15 is in the maximum protruding state by the first urging spring 16, and the slide piece 13 is spring-operated. The lever 12 is in the maximum protruding state. In this state, the lid detection switch 10 is in an OFF state with its contact open. By closing the lid 7 so as to close the opening 2 from this state, the tip of the operating portion 15 first comes into contact with the tip of the slide piece 13 as shown in FIG. In this state, both the first urging spring 16 and the spring operating lever 12 are still in the initial state, and in this state, the lid detection switch 10 is in the OFF state with its contacts open. By further closing the lid 7 from this state, the lid 7 reaches a state in the middle of reaching the opening 2 in the normal closed state as shown in FIG. In this state, the first biasing spring 16
While the tip of the actuating part 15 being urged by is pushing the tip of the slide piece 13, the actuating part 1
5 pushes the spring operating lever 12 backward with a pressing pressure via the slide piece 13 to retract the slide piece 13.

When the lid 7 is further closed from the state of FIG. 6, the operating portion 15 pushes the distal end of the slide piece 13 while the operating portion 15 passes through the slide piece 13 and the spring operating lever 12.
Is further pushed backward by the pressing pressure, the slide piece 13 is further moved backward, and the spring-operated lever 1
2 reaches the state where the actuator 11 is pushed most. In this state, the action of retracting the operating portion 15 via the slide piece 13 acts, whereby the first biasing spring 16 is compressed by the pressing pressure. This state is shown in FIG. This state is a normal closed state in which the lid 7 closes the opening 2 in the normal closed state, and in this normal closed state, the annular packing 8 is in strong contact with the peripheral edge portion of the front opening 2 of the chamber 4 and is in a normal state. It is a normal closed state in which the chamber 4 is closed in a compressed state and the chamber 4 is closed by a lid 7. In this state, the lid detection switch 10 is turned on with its contact closed.

The closure detection switch 10 has a normal configuration that is commercially available. When the spring operating lever 12 is pressed by an external force, the actuator 11 is pushed in and the contact is changed from the OFF state to the ON state, and the spring operating lever. In general, there is a so-called differential in which the actuator 11 returns to the OFF state by releasing the external force that pushes 12 and operates differently from the ON state to the OFF state.

For this reason, when the lid 7 is closed, the contact is open until the front opening 2 of the chamber 4 is closed to the normal lid state when the lid 7 is closed, as shown in FIG. Thus, when it becomes a regular closed state, it will be in the ON state which the contact closed. When the lid 7 is opened from the normal closed state, the contact remains in the ON state until the predetermined open state. When the lid 7 is further opened beyond the predetermined open state, It will be in the OFF state with the contact open.

A main body side locking member 19 is provided in a protruding state on the front side of the front plate 1A of the sterilizer main body 1 at an intermediate position on the opposite side (right side in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the lid support portion 5 with respect to the opening 2. Yes. The lid 7 is provided with a lock device 20 at a position corresponding to the main body side lock member 19. The lock device 20 includes a lid-side lock member 21 into which the main body-side lock member 19 enters through a through hole 7 </ b> B formed in the back plate 7 </ b> A of the lid 7, a lock rod 22, and a switch operating body 23. The lock device 20 is configured to be able to be operated to a locked state and an unlocked state by a handle 9 provided on the front surface of the lid 7.

The lid-side lock member 21 is configured by the right end portions of the two upper and lower lid base materials 7C. The lid-side lock member 21 is arranged in the vertical direction with respect to the lid-side lock member 21, i. The guide bars 26A and 26B are attached to the upper and lower two lid base materials 7C in a vertical state.
The upper and lower sides 25A and 25B of the U-shaped support plate 25 are slidably inserted into the guide rods 26A and 26B, and the lock rod 2 is suspended downward from the upper side 25A of the support plate 25.
2 is attached. A switch operating body 23 is attached to the lower side 25B of the support plate 25 so as to extend downward. The support plate 25 is fixed to the handle 9, whereby the lock rod 22 and the operating body 23 are moved up and down together with the support plate 25 by being guided by the guide rods 26 </ b> A and 26 </ b> B as the handle 9 moves up and down.

The lock rod 22 and the support plate 25 of the lock device 20 are lifted with the guide rods 26A and 26B as a guide as the handle 9 is lifted, and the lid 7 is closed in this state, thereby operating integrally with the lock rod 22. The actuating body 23 is a longitudinal slot 1B in the front plate 1A of the sterilizer body 1
It will be in the state which penetrated sterilizer main body 1 and penetrated. At the same time, the main body side locking member 19 enters the lid side locking member 21 as shown in FIG. As the handle 9 is lowered in this state, the lock rod 22 and the support plate 25 are lowered using the guide rods 26A and 26B as a guide, and the lock rod 22 enters the holes of the main body side lock member 19 and the lid side lock member 21. Enter and lock (lock position). This state is a state in which the lid 7 is closed to the normal closed state, and the lid 7 is turned on by the lid 7 and the lock detection switch 24 is turned on by the operating body 23 (FIG. 9). To show).

In addition, by raising the handle 9 from this locked position, the lock rod 22 escapes upward from the holes of the main body side lock member 19 and the lid side lock member 21 to be in the unlocked position.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the interlock mechanism 30 includes a solenoid 32 provided on the back side of the front plate 1 </ b> A of the sterilizer body 1, an actuator 33, and a coil spring 34.
The plate-like interlock release member 38 is for manually releasing the interlock state as will be described later. The plate-like interlock release member 38 rotates to the shaft support portion 36 as a fixing member on the back side of the front plate 1A of the sterilizer body 1. It is supported so as to be held in a vertical state as shown in FIG. 10 by a biasing spring 37 or a weight balance. In the non-energized state of the solenoid 32, the actuator 33 is advanced above the operating body 23 by the coil spring 34, prevents the operating body 23 from rising (returning), and the lock device 20 maintains the lid 7 in the locked state. In this state (interlock state), in order to push the spring operating lever 35A of the interlock detection switch 35,
The interlock detection switch 35 is turned ON. In addition, the actuator 33 is operated so as to compress the coil spring 34 by energizing the solenoid 32, retreats from the moving path of the operating body 23 (the moving path in which the operating body 23 moves up and down), and the operating body 23 is raised (returned). ) To release the lock maintenance state, and the interlock detection switch 35 is turned off.

The object to be sterilized is stored in the chamber 4, the lid 7 is closed, and the lid 7 seals the front opening 2 of the chamber 4, the high-pressure steam sterilizer MK is operated to bring the chamber 4 into a high temperature and high pressure state, The object to be sterilized is sterilized. A series of sterilization operations of the article to be sterilized will be described. In the operation of the sterilization operation, first, the power switch SW is turned on (ON) to enter the standby state. In this state, the solenoid 32 of the interlock mechanism 30
Is energized and is in an excited state, and the actuator 33 is retracted in the direction of the arrow Y shown in FIG.

The lid 7 is opened and an object to be sterilized is set on the heater cover 6 constituting the shelf 6 that covers the heater 6 </ b> A in the chamber 4 from the opening 2, and the lid 7 is closed. In order to maintain this state, as described above, the handle 9 of the lid 7 is operated and the lid 7 is brought into the locked state (lock position) by the lock device 20. In this state, when the lid 7 is closed as described above, the closure detection switch 10 is turned on.
The state detected by the operation and the lid 7 locked by the locking device 20 is the operating body 23.
Is detected when the lock detection switch 24 is turned on.

The high-pressure steam sterilizer MK becomes ready to start operation by an AND (multiplication operation) of the ON state of the lid detection switch 10 and the ON state of the lock detection switch 24 achieved by such an operation. In this state, desired setting is performed by the setting unit 31 while confirming the display unit 32 of the operation panel 3. By such an operation, the preparation in the standby state is completed. In the standby state in which this preparation is completed, the interlock mechanism 30 operates so as to maintain the locked state of the lid 7 by the locking device 20 by the operation of the control unit based on the ON operation of the start key 39.

That is, based on the ON operation of the start key 39, the solenoid 32 of the interlock mechanism 30 is de-energized and de-energized, and as shown in FIG.
Protrudes in the direction opposite to the arrow Y direction by the spring 34 and protrudes into the moving passage (vertical passage) so as to be directly above the operating body 23. For this reason, even if the handle 9 is operated upward, the operating body 23
Cannot be moved upward, and the interlock state where the locked state of the lid 7 is maintained is maintained. In this state, the tip of the actuator 33 pushes the spring-operating lever 35A of the interlock detection switch 35, so that the interlock detection switch 35 is turned on. In this state, the lock state display portion 32D of the lid 7 emits light, and an intended sterilization mode (desired sterilization operation) starts.

When a desired sterilization mode (desired sterilization operation) is started, a predetermined amount of water is injected into the chamber 4, and the water is heated and evaporated by the heater 6 </ b> A disposed at the bottom of the chamber 4.
While maintaining the inside of the chamber 4 at a predetermined temperature, the sterilization process of the object to be sterilized is performed for a predetermined time by the operation of a control unit (not shown), and after completion of the sterilization process, the exhaust drying process in the chamber 4 is performed. The desired sterilization mode (the desired sterilization operation) is completed.

When the intended sterilization mode (desired sterilization operation) is completed by the operation of the control unit (not shown), the solenoid 32 of the interlock mechanism 30 is energized and excited, and the actuator 33 resists the spring 34. Thus, the actuator 23 is retracted in the direction of the arrow Y shown in FIG. When the interlock mechanism 30 is released from the interlock state in this way, the lock rod 22 is moved together with the handle 9 together with the handle 9 by the operation of pulling the handle 9 upward.
It escapes upward from the hole of 1 and becomes an unlocked position. In this state, the handle 9 can be pulled to open the lid 7, and the object to be sterilized can be taken out.

In the above, the vertical movement of the lock rod 22 and the support plate 25 of the lock device 20 is a manual type accompanying the operation of the handle 96, but when the lid 7 is closed, the closure detection switch 10 is turned on to operate the solenoid. It is also possible to adopt a solenoid system in which the lock rod 22 and the support plate 25 are lowered by this, and the lock rod 22 and the support plate 25 are raised by deenergization of the solenoid.

As described above, during the operation of the intended sterilization mode (the intended sterilization operation) performed when the sterilization mode is started, the interlock state is established. When a power failure occurs in this state, the solenoid of the interlock mechanism 30 is operated. 32 becomes a non-energized state. As shown in FIG. 10, when the solenoid 32 is de-energized, the actuator 33 keeps the interlocking state in which the actuating body 23 is prevented from rising and the lid 7 is prevented from opening. Even if the handle 9 is pulled, the lid 7 can not be opened. For this reason, the high-pressure steam in the chamber 4 does not leak and is safe.

In order to forcibly manually release the interlock state, a special tool 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 5.
1 to manually force the interlock release member 38 counterclockwise in FIG. 10 against the coil spring 34 so that the actuator 33 is disengaged from the position directly above the operating body 23. The interlock is released by moving to the left as shown by arrow Y in FIG. By releasing the interlock, an operation of pulling up the handle 9 upward causes the lock rod 22 together with the handle 9 to move the main body side lock member 19 and the lid side lock member 2.
It escapes upward from the hole of 1 and becomes an unlocked position. In this state, the handle 9 can be pulled to open the lid 7, and the object to be sterilized can be taken out.

Next, a case where the lid 7 is flexed by being intentionally pulled in the direction in which the lid 7 is opened in the normal lid state in which the lid 7 is closed by the lock device 20 will be described. In order to prevent the lid 7 from being bent even when pulled in the locked state, a rigid lid base material 7C may be provided obliquely in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the present invention, while the front opening 2 of the chamber 4 is kept in close contact with the annular packing 8 in the locked state, an allowable range is provided for the OFF operation of the lid detection switch 10 when a part of the lid 7 is pulled. It is not a rigid body structure in which the entire lid 7 is deformed so as to be provided, but it is suitable for a simple configuration, so that the cost is reduced and the closing detection switch 10 is turned off by the bending of the lid 7. It is assumed that the sterilization operation can be continued by absorbing

Even when the lid 7 is pulled in the normal closed state closed by the locking device 20, the inner lid 7U is supported by the rigid lid base material 7C, so that the annular packing 8 is in close contact with the front opening 2 of the chamber 4. Hold the state. However, when the appearance case 7S constituting the appearance of the lid 7 is pulled, the appearance case 7S is bent in that direction. In this case, since the lid 7 has the above-described configuration, the outer case 7S is more bent by pulling the side far from the lid support portion 5 than the lid support portion 5 side. A case will be described in which the portion of the outer case 7S near the lid detection switch 10 is intentionally pulled during the sterilization operation and the outer case 7S is bent.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the lid 7 is in the normal closed state in which the opening 2 is closed in the normal closed state, the portion near the lid detection switch 10 of the lid 7 is intentionally pulled and the appearance case 7S is bent. In this case, the first biasing spring 16 is moved from the normal closed position to the position where the outer case 7S moves by a predetermined dimension.
By surpassing the spring force of the spring-operating lever 12 constituting the second biasing spring,
The lid detection switch 10 is maintained in the ON state while maintaining the state in which the operating unit 15 is pushed to retract the slide piece 13.

As described above, in the normal closed state, the operating portion 15 and the slide piece 13 are pressed against each other, the first biasing spring 16 is compressed by the pressing pressure, and the spring-like operating lever 12 is pressed. The state is pushed backward at, and this is the state of FIG. By the bending when the outer case 7S is pulled away from the sterilizer main body 1 from the position of the regular lid, the operating portion 15 moves together with the outer case 7S until the first predetermined dimension moves, that is, In the embodiment, until the outer case 7S moves from the normal closing position to the first predetermined dimension of 8.4 mm (to be precise, the vicinity of the operating portion 15 of the outer case 7S, the same applies hereinafter). Detection switch 10
Is kept in the ON state. Specifically, the external case 7S is 8.4 m from the normal closed state of the lid 7.
In the moved state, as shown in FIG. 6, the operating portion 15 is in a state in which the first biasing spring 16 is extended, and the locking portion 15A is in contact with the stopper portion 17A, and the operating portion 15 is in the maximum protruding state. It is. On the other hand, as the outer case 7S moves 8.4 mm forward from the normal closed state of the lid 7, the operating force of the actuating unit 15 pushing the slide piece 13 rearward decreases, and the outer case from the normal closed state of the lid 7 decreases. When the 7S moves 8.4 mm, the spring-operated lever 12 has returned 3.2 mm so that the slide piece 13 protrudes toward the lid 7 as shown in FIG. It is kept on.

Incidentally, as an operation state on the way from the normal closed state of the lid 7 to the movement of the external case 7S by 8.4 mm, for example, the external case 7S has a second predetermined direction in the opening direction from the normal closed state of the lid 7. Until the dimension (5.2 mm in the embodiment) is moved, the slide piece 13 is moved along the first movement case 7S so as to maintain the spring-operated lever 12 in the maximum pressed state as shown in FIG. By the extension of the urging spring 16, the operating portion 15 operates so that the protrusion from the back plate 7 </ b> A is 5.2 mm larger than the state of FIG. 7 while maintaining the contact state with the slide piece 13. That is, until the lid 7 moves from the normal closed state in which the opening 2 is normally closed to the second predetermined dimension (5.2 mm in the embodiment) in a direction in which the appearance case 7S is separated from the sterilizer main body 1, With the extension of the first urging spring 16, the operating portion 15 is moved to the slide piece 13 so that the lid closing detection switch 10 is maintained in the ON state with the slide piece 13 and the spring operating lever 12 being fully pressed. And the protrusion from the back plate 7A is increased by 5.2 mm.

As described above, when the spring force of the first biasing spring 16 surpasses the spring force of the spring-operating lever 12 constituting the second biasing spring, the external case 7S is moved from the position of the normal lid to the sterilizer body 1. Until the second predetermined dimension (5.2 mm in the embodiment) moves in a direction away from the moving part 15, the closed cover detection switch 10 is maintained while the operation unit 15 is kept pushed to retract the slide piece 13.
Is maintained in the ON state. In this case, until the first predetermined dimension (8.4 mm in the embodiment) is moved beyond the second predetermined dimension (5.2 mm in the embodiment), the first projecting spring 16 is extended to the maximum. The slide part 13 and the spring operating lever 12 are kept pressed by the actuating unit 15 pushed toward the side, and the lid closing switch 10 is kept in the ON state. For this reason, until the appearance case 7S moves from the position of the normal lid to the first predetermined dimension (8.4 mm in the embodiment), the lid detection switch 10 is kept in the ON state and maintains the sterilization operation.

If the lid 7 moves beyond the first predetermined dimension (8.4 mm in the embodiment), the operating portion 15 is engaged with the stopper portion 17A by the extension of the first biasing spring 16, as shown in FIG. Stop 1
5A comes into contact with the maximum protruding state, and one slide piece 13 is a spring-operated lever 12.
Due to this spring force, the locking portion 13A comes into contact with the stopper portion 14A and reaches the maximum protruding state.
Further, when the lid 7 moves so as to open, the state shown in FIG. 4 is obtained. In this manner, the lid detection switch 10 remains in the ON state and maintains the sterilization operation until it moves to the first predetermined dimension (8.4 mm in the embodiment), but the lid 7 has the first predetermined dimension (implementation). When moving beyond 8.4 mm in the example, the lid closing detection switch 10 is turned off, and the sterilization operation is stopped by the operation of the control unit (not shown).

In this manner, the sterilization operation is maintained by the control unit because the lid detection switch 10 is kept on until the appearance case 7S moves to the first predetermined dimension (8.4 mm in the embodiment). For this reason, this first predetermined dimension (8.4 mm in the embodiment) is a range in which the sterilization operation can be maintained even if the external case 7S is pulled and bent to this dimension, and thus the sterilization operation is performed up to this range. When the appearance case 7S is pulled, the sterilization operation does not end immediately, and it is possible to prevent the sterilization operation from being stopped unnecessarily.

As described above, in the embodiment, the first predetermined dimension is set to 8.4 mm.
If the 1st predetermined dimension is set in the range with which the sterilization operation | movement is maintained, the movement distance which is pulled is not limited to an Example.

In the above embodiment, the spring operating lever 12 of the lid detecting switch 10 constitutes the second biasing spring. However, in the case of the lid detecting switch 10 not including the spring operating lever 12, the slide piece 13 is the lid 7. In order to urge it so as to protrude toward the end, a coil-like second urging spring is provided in the slide piece 13 in the same manner as the first urging spring 16, and the first attachment is performed so as to perform the same operation as described above. The present invention can be achieved by adopting a configuration in which the spring force of the biasing spring 16 is superior to that of the coiled second biasing spring. In addition, an actuator 11 for opening and closing the contact is a case 10A.
If it is a configuration that is biased to a protruding state by a spring provided inside, the actuator 11 is configured to push the slide piece 13, and the spring force of the first biasing spring 16 is superior to this spring force. The present invention can be achieved.

In the high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention, modifications within a range not departing from the technical scope of the present invention are within the scope of the present invention, and are not limited to the configurations shown in the above-described embodiments. Various forms are encompassed within the range of autoclaves that can be made.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 .... Outer case of main body 2 .... Front opening 3 .... Operation panel 4 .... Chamber 5 .... Lid support part 6 .... Heater cover (shelf)
6A ... Heater 7 ... Lid 8 ... Ring packing 10 ... Closed lid detection switch 11 ... Actuator for closed lid detection switch 12 ... Spring-operated lever (second bias) Spring)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Slide piece 13A ... Locking part 14 ... Cylindrical support body 14A ... Stopper part 15 ... Actuation part 15A ... Locking part 16 ... Coiled 1st biasing spring DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 17 ... Support body 17A ... Stopper part 18 ... Holding part 19 ... Main body side locking member 20 ... Locking device 21 ... Cover side locking member 22 ... Locking rod 23 ... Operation Body 24 ... Spring-operating lever 25 ... Support plate 26A, 26B ... Guide rod 30 ... Interlock mechanism 32 ... Solenoid 33 ... Actuator 35 ... Interlock detection switch 36 ..Shaft support part 37 ... Biasing spring 38 ... Interlock release member MK ... High-pressure steam sterilizer

Claims (5)

Provided with a chamber provided in the sterilizer body and a lid for opening and closing the chamber opening in a sealed state, and a lid detecting switch for detecting a state where the lid closed the chamber opening is provided on the sterilizer body side And an operating part that is urged toward the sterilizer main body by a first urging spring is provided on the lid side. A slide piece is provided that is urged toward the lid by a second urging spring so as to operate the lid detection switch by pressing,
The operating portion and the slide piece are moved by the spring force of the first biasing spring and the second biasing spring until the lid moves a predetermined dimension in a direction away from the sterilizer main body from a normal closed position. By maintaining the contact state, the lid detection switch is maintained in the lid detection state,
The high pressure steam sterilizer, wherein the lid detection switch is in a non-lid detection state when the lid is moved beyond the predetermined size from a normal closed position. 2. The high-pressure steam sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the second urging spring is a spring-operated lever provided in the closure detection switch . The chamber is a horizontal type in which the opening faces the front of the sterilizer body,
The lid is an open / close lid that is rotatably supported by a lid support portion on either the left or right side of the sterilizer body,
The lid detection switch and the slide piece are arranged on the opposite side of the lid support portion with respect to the opening,
3. The high-pressure steam sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the operating portion is arranged to protrude from the back side of the lid by a spring force of the first biasing spring so as to correspond to the slide piece. .   The high-pressure steam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a spring force of the first biasing spring is larger than a spring force of the second biasing spring. A lock device for holding the lid closed;
The lid detection switch is a switch that detects that the lid is held in the closed state by the locking device;
The spring force of the first biasing spring is greater than the spring force of the second biasing spring;
The lid detection switch is closed with the operating portion pushing the slide piece until the lid moves a second predetermined dimension in a direction away from the sterilizer body from the position of the regular lid. Keep the detection state and keep the lid locked,
Until the lid moves beyond the second predetermined dimension to the first predetermined dimension, the slide piece and the first are moved by the operating portion that is pushed toward the maximum protruding state by extension of the first biasing spring. 2 When the biasing spring is pushed, the lid detection switch keeps the lid detection state,
The high pressure steam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the lid moves beyond the first predetermined dimension, the lid detection switch is in a non-lid detection state. .

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