JP5848530B2 - Sterilizer for containers with caps - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sterilizer for sterilizing liquids and solids stored in a container with a cap by irradiating them with ultraviolet rays. In particular, the present invention relates to a technology that enables a sterilization apparatus to be attached to any of cap-equipped containers having different attachment structures between the container and the cap.

  At present, beverages such as mineral water and soft drinks are widely marketed in plastic bottles. In addition, it is also common for individuals to drink beverages placed in aluminum bottles (water bottles) or plastic tanks. Such beverage containers such as plastic bottles, aluminum bottles, and plastic tanks are provided with caps (so-called screw caps) that can be screwed to the mouths, and the user rotates the caps to open and close each time. Therefore, it is possible to divide the beverage in several minutes without taking all the beverage in the container at once, in other words, it is possible to temporarily store the beverage in the container. .

  However, in containers such as plastic bottles and aluminum bottles where the user can directly drink the beverage inside the mouth, if the user puts the mouth, germs move from the mouth into the container, This miscellaneous bacteria may grow in the container over time, which is not hygienic. It has been confirmed by experiments by public or private institutions such as the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, for example, that germs that have moved from the mouth to the inside of the container continue to grow, especially in the summer when the temperature is high. For this reason, consumption of drinks stored in containers is encouraged. On the other hand, even in the case of a container such as a plastic tank that the user does not often directly mouth, it is difficult to store beverages in a completely sterile state in the first place, so plastic bottles, aluminum bottles, etc. As with the case, there is a risk that germs will grow over time.

  In addition, the danger of miscellaneous bacteria growth described above is not limited to a beverage container that can store a beverage that a person eats but also a food container that can store food. Moreover, it is not restricted to the container for preserve | storing the drink and food which a person eats.

  As described above, the beverage or food stored in the container may contain a lot of germs, and the user can rest assured that the germs mixed in the container can be sterilized if possible. However, generally used containers such as plastic bottles, aluminum bottles, and plastic tanks do not have a function for sterilizing bacteria. Therefore, in the past, ultraviolet rays that can sterilize germs in the container by attaching to the container mouth (that is, replacing the cap itself) instead of the existing cap (or lid) attached to the container from the beginning. A cap having an ultraviolet lamp (or ultraviolet light emitting element) that emits light has been proposed. For example, there are those described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example.

JP 2004-196370 A JP-A-8-117742

  The caps (or lids) described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above are formed on the cap body made of a synthetic resin formed in the same size as the diameter of the existing cap attached to the container at the attachment destination. The sterilization mechanism (ultraviolet radiation mechanism) for radiating water is integrally provided, and the cap itself can be replaced with the existing cap attached and screwed into the container mouth. Yes. That is, the conventional one is an integral type in which the sterilizer is integrated with the cap.

  Incidentally, the caps described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above have a problem that they are poor in versatility. As described above, the conventional one is configured such that the sterilization apparatus is integrated with the cap, and is assumed to be used in place of the existing cap. For this reason, the conventional one has a mounting screw portion (spiral female screw or male screw) for screwing into a container opening similar to an existing cap.

  However, since the attachment structure of the container and the cap can be different depending on the kind of the container and the like, applicable containers are limited in the conventional sterilizer integrated cap. For example, the one described in Patent Document 1 cannot be used for a container having a cap mounting structure on the inner periphery of the container mouth (for example, an aluminum bottle having a female screw formed on the inner periphery of the container mouth). The thing of literature 2 cannot be used for the thing in which the cap attachment structure by the side of a container was formed in the container mouth part outer periphery (for example, the plastic bottle etc. which the external thread was formed in the container mouth outer periphery). In other words, the conventional one can be applied only when the container-side cap mounting structure is formed on the inner periphery of the container mouth or on the outer periphery of the container mouth (that is, It can be said that it is not versatile.

  Further, in the past, the structure was complicated, and it was difficult to remove only the sterilizer from the cap body, so there was a problem that it was difficult to replace or clean parts such as batteries and ultraviolet lamps.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, it can be easily detachably attached to to the existing container with removable cap housing a liquid or solid, in the existing vessel can perform sterilization by radiating ultraviolet rays in a state of relative housing liquid or solid remains housed in the existing vessel, sterilizer for capped containers high simple structure versatile Is to provide.

The sterilization apparatus for a container with a cap according to the present invention is a sterilization apparatus that is detachably applied to an existing container with a detachable cap that stores liquid or solid matter, and emits ultraviolet rays by emitting light. An ultraviolet radiation unit, a control unit that controls light emission of the ultraviolet radiation unit, a battery that supplies power to the control unit, and a cover member that covers at least the ultraviolet radiation unit, It is made of a material, and the ultraviolet radiation part, the control part, the battery, and the cover member are assembled to form a unit, and either the cap of the existing container or the container mouth part An attachment substrate formed so as to be detachable, wherein the attachment is arranged such that ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet radiation part are irradiated into the existing container through the cover member. It is one that is detachably attached to the one of the cap or the container mouth part of the existing container via the plate.
In such a sterilization apparatus, the mounting substrate is formed by forming a male screw corresponding to a female screw provided in a cap or a container mouth portion of the container at an outer peripheral edge, and the male screw. It is attached to either the said cap or the said container opening part by screwing in the said female screw provided in the said cap or the said container opening part. In such a sterilization apparatus, the mounting substrate is detachable from the inner peripheral surface in the inner side of the cap of the container, and the sterilization device is connected to the sterilization device via the mounting substrate. The cap can be opened and closed with respect to the container while being attached to the inside of the cap.

According to the present invention, an ultraviolet radiation unit that emits ultraviolet rays by light emission, a control unit that performs light emission control of the ultraviolet radiation unit, a battery that supplies power to the control unit, and a cover for covering at least the ultraviolet radiation unit The member was assembled to the mounting substrate to form a unit to constitute a sterilizer. Further, the unitized sterilization apparatus can be detachably attached to either a cap or a container mouth portion of an existing container containing a liquid or a solid substance via the attachment substrate. As a result, it is possible to sterilize the liquid and solid matter stored in the existing container by irradiating with ultraviolet rays while being stored in the existing container. as the container of drinking over a period of time or eaten at the time of sterilization equipment, it becomes a high ease of use and versatility. Moreover, since it is a simple structure, it is easy to remove a battery and an ultraviolet radiation part from a sterilizer, and replacement | exchange, cleaning, etc. are easy.

According to the present invention, the sterilization apparatus is configured by assembling the ultraviolet radiation unit, the control unit, the battery, and the cover member on the mounting substrate to form a unit, and then the unitized sterilization apparatus is provided via the mounting substrate. Since it is detachably attached to either the cap or the container mouth of an existing container that contains liquid or solid matter, the liquid or solid matter contained in the existing container It can be sterilized by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays in the state of being stored in a container, and it is easy to use and highly versatile as a sterilizing device when drinking or eating existing containers such as commercially available bottle drinks. There is an effect that a device can be provided.
In addition, because of the simple structure, the battery and the ultraviolet radiation part can be easily removed from the sterilizer, so that the user can easily replace and clean the battery and the ultraviolet radiation part. become.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows one Example of the sterilizer based on this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows another Example of the sterilizer which concerns on this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of a sterilizer 1 according to the present invention. However, here, the sterilizer according to the present invention is applied to a container B with a cap having a mounting structure in which a male screw Ba is formed on the outer periphery of the container mouth B1 and a female screw Ca is formed on the inner periphery of the cap C. An example in which 1 is attached is shown using a cutaway view in which a part of the cap C is cut away. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an existing cap C made of, for example, synthetic resin (for example, polypropylene, polyethylene) or metal (for example, aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, etc.) attached to a container B such as a PET bottle or an aluminum bottle. After the sterilizer 1 is attached to the container B, the cap C is attached to the opening B1 of the container B so that the sterilizer 1 is fixedly attached to the container B.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sterilization apparatus 1 includes an ultraviolet radiation unit 2 that emits ultraviolet rays when lit (emits light), such as an ultraviolet light emitting element such as an LED or OLEDs, or an ultraviolet lamp, and the ultraviolet radiation unit 2. A light source control circuit unit 3 for controlling on / off (light emission), for example, a button-type battery 4 for supplying power to the light source control circuit unit 3, a fixed plate / partition plate 5 (mounting substrate), and a cover capsule 6 (Cover member), and these members are integrally assembled to form a unit as one device.

  The fixed plate / partition plate 5 (mounting substrate) is formed in a disk shape having a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the cylindrical cap C to which the sterilization apparatus 1 is mounted, and is fixed. A male screw 5a similar to the male screw BA provided on the outer periphery of the mouth B1 of the container B is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the plate / partition plate 5. Thereby, since the inside of the cap C can move in the figure in the vertical direction in accordance with the rotation of the sterilizer 1, the user can attach the cap C to an arbitrary position by rotating the sterilizer 1 or It can be removed from the cap C. That is, the fixed plate / partition plate 5 (attachment substrate) has a function of attaching to the cap C.

  When the sterilizer 1 is mounted in the cap C, the fixed plate / partition plate 5 separates the inside of the cap C and creates a sealed space on the upper side of the cap C. When the sterilizer 1 is attached to the container B together with the cap C, the fixed plate / partition plate 5 does not allow the liquid in the container B body to enter the upper space generated in the cap C. A wall that closes in a watertight manner is formed.

  The fixed plate / partition plate 5 has at least an ultraviolet radiation portion on the surface facing the liquid side (container B main body side) stored in the container B when the sterilizer 1 is attached to the container B together with the cap C. 2 and the cover capsule 6 are attached, and at least the battery 4 is attached to the opposite surface. The light source control circuit unit 3 may be attached to either of the above surfaces of the fixed plate / partition plate 5, but FIG. 1 shows an example of attachment to the surface opposite to the container B main body side. In this way, when the light source control circuit unit 3 is attached to the surface of the fixed plate / partition plate 5 facing the container B main body, a small hole is formed in the central portion of the fixed plate / partition plate 5. The light source control circuit unit 3 and the battery 4 that are attached to different surfaces through the holes are connected to each other so that power can be supplied from the battery 4 to the light source control circuit unit 3.

  The light source control circuit unit 3 includes a switch (not shown), and the ultraviolet radiation unit 2 is turned on / off in accordance with a manual switch-on operation by the user. Or although illustration was abbreviate | omitted, the light source control circuit part 3 has a sensor which detects the vibration of the container B, and a timer which measures time passage, and whenever the vibration of the container B is detected by the sensor, the ultraviolet radiation part 2 May be turned on, and the lit ultraviolet radiating section 2 may be turned off in accordance with the lapse of a predetermined time by the timer (that is, ultraviolet irradiation is performed for a certain period of time). Furthermore, the ultraviolet radiation unit 2 may be turned on / off automatically (that is, blinking) automatically at predetermined time intervals based on time control by a timer. As described above, the light source control circuit unit 3 may perform various on / off (light emission) control of the ultraviolet radiation unit 2.

  In this embodiment, at least the ultraviolet radiation portion 2 is formed in a shape protruding toward the liquid surface of the liquid stored in the container B. The cover capsule 6 is made of a material that transmits ultraviolet rays and has relatively little deterioration due to ultraviolet rays, such as PFA (tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer) or FEP (tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer). For example, it is formed in a dome shape that covers at least the protruding ultraviolet radiation portion 2 using a fluorine-based resin such as coalescence (4.6 fluoride).

  This cover capsule 6 is for preventing debris and the like from being mixed into the liquid stored in the container B when the ultraviolet radiation part 2 is damaged or the ultraviolet radiation part 2 is deteriorated. Is to protect the liquid from being stored in the liquid stored in the container B. As described above, since the fixed plate / partition plate 5 is watertightly closed so that the liquid stored in the container B does not enter the upper space formed in the cap C, the battery 4 is Although not exposed to the liquid, the ultraviolet radiation part 2 will be exposed to the liquid without the cover capsule 6. When the ultraviolet radiation part 2 is exposed to the liquid, the deterioration is promoted and the ultraviolet radiation efficiency is deteriorated. Therefore, at least the ultraviolet radiation part 2 is covered with the cover capsule 6 in order to avoid this (example of FIG. 1). Then, the light source control circuit unit 3 is also included).

  According to the sterilization apparatus 1 according to the present invention, it is relatively easy to configure the liquid so that the liquid can be sterilized efficiently in the container B having a long length from the container opening B1 to the container bottom. Easy to. That is, for example, in the conventional apparatus as described in Patent Document 1 described above, the ultraviolet lamp and the liquid are separated by the cap body so that the ultraviolet lamp is not exposed to the liquid stored in the container B. It has become. However, in such a configuration, the entire length of the ultraviolet lamp is restricted by the cap body even if the ultraviolet lamp is projected deep inside the container B. Therefore, the ultraviolet lamp is used in a small container such as a plastic bottle or an aluminum bottle. Difficult to protrude in.

  In contrast, in the sterilization apparatus 1 according to the present invention, since the total length of the ultraviolet radiation part 2 is not restricted by the existing cap, it is easy to form the total length of the ultraviolet radiation part 2 so as to enter the liquid. It is. Alternatively, it is also possible to easily irradiate the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet radiation part 2 over a wide range in the liquid using, for example, an ultraviolet transmissive plastic tube or an ultraviolet transmissive fiber that protrudes long in the liquid. It is.

  In addition, the sterilization apparatus 1 according to the present invention is a container B with a cap having an attachment structure in which a female screw is formed on the inner periphery of the container mouth B1, while a male screw is formed on the outer periphery of the cap C, although not shown. In this case, it can be attached as it is. However, in that case, the sterilizer 1 is not mounted in the cap C but is mounted in the container mouth B1. This is because, in the sterilization apparatus 1, the male screw 5 a is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the fixed plate / partition plate 5. That is, even if the attachment structure of the container and the cap is different, the shape of the female screw (see FIG. 1) provided on the inner periphery of the cap C in one structure and the inner periphery of the container mouth in the other structure Focusing on the fact that the shape of the female screw is substantially the same, the sterilization apparatus 1 is configured with the fixed plate / partition plate 5 so that it can be attached to either the cap C or the container mouth.

  In addition, it is not always necessary to provide the male screw 5a corresponding to the female screw provided on the inner periphery of the cap C or the outer periphery of the container mouth B1 on the outer peripheral edge of the fixed plate / partition plate 5. However, in that case, in order to make this sterilizer 1 applicable regardless of the difference in the attachment structure between the container and the cap, at least a fixed plate / partition plate in contact with the inner periphery of the cap C or the inner periphery of the container mouth B1 The outer peripheral edge of 5 is made of a material such as a flexible (stretchable) resin, and the outer peripheral edge is pushed or pulled out while being deformed according to the diameter of the cap C or the container mouth B1. The sterilizer 1 can be detachably attached to the cap C or the container mouth B1. In other words, in this case, at least a part of the fixed plate / partition plate 5 is formed of a flexible material so that the fixed plate / partition plate 5 has a function of attaching to the cap C or the container mouth B1. Yes.

  As described above in detail, according to the sterilization apparatus 1 according to the present invention, the ultraviolet radiation unit 2, the light source control circuit unit 3, the battery 4, and the cover capsule 6 are assembled to the fixed plate / partition plate 5 to form a unit. Thus, a small and lightweight sterilization apparatus 1 can be configured. Further, a cap is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the fixed plate / partition plate 5 so that the sterilization apparatus 1 can be attached to either the cap C or the container opening B1 via the fixed plate / partition plate 5 to which the member is assembled. A male screw corresponding to the female screw provided on the inner periphery of C or the outer periphery of the container mouth B1 is formed, or the outer peripheral edge of the fixed plate / partition plate 5 in contact with the inner periphery of the cap C or the inner periphery of the container mouth B1 is flexible. It was made of a material such as a resin. Thereby, although this sterilization apparatus 1 has a simple structure, it can be easily and detachably attached to any of the cap-equipped containers having different attachment structures of the container and the cap, so that the versatility is high. A device. Moreover, since it is a simple structure, since it is easy to remove the battery 4 and the ultraviolet radiation part 2 from the sterilizer 1 (more specifically, the fixed plate / partition plate 5), it is easy to replace or clean them. There is also an advantage of becoming.

  As mentioned above, although an example of embodiment was demonstrated based on drawing, this invention is not limited to this, It cannot be overemphasized that various embodiment is possible. In the Example mentioned above, although the example which attaches the sterilizer 1 to the existing cap or container opening part was shown, it is not restricted to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 (A), the cover capsule 6 is formed in a watertight and, for example, spherical capsule shape so that the liquid P does not enter, and the ultraviolet radiation portion 2 and light source control described above are formed in the cover capsule 6. The sterilizer 1 may be configured by incorporating all of the circuit unit 3, the battery 4, and the fixed plate / partition plate 5 (substrate) into a unit. In this case, the cover capsule 6 is formed in a size that can be put into the container B from at least the container mouth B1. As shown in FIG. 2 (B), when the sterilizer 1 is put into the container B (usually a cap (not shown) is closed after the filling), the liquid level of the liquid P stored in the container B Alternatively, the entire liquid can be sterilized by emitting ultraviolet rays while freely moving in the liquid. Since the components of the sterilizer 1 shown in FIG. 2 are substantially the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except for the cover capsule 6, description thereof is omitted here. In this case, in particular, the light source control circuit unit 3 starts the lighting of the ultraviolet radiation unit 2 by detecting the vibration of the container B, and lights (or blinks) for a predetermined time according to the passage of time by the timer. Is very effective.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sterilizer 2 ... Ultraviolet radiation part 3 ... Light source control circuit part 4 ... Battery 5 ... Fixed plate and partition plate 6 ... Cover capsule B ... Container B1 ... Container mouth portion Ba (5a) ... male screw C ... cap Ca ... female screw P ... liquid

Claims (3)

A sterilization apparatus that is detachably applied to an existing container with a detachable cap that stores liquid or solid matter,
An ultraviolet radiation part that emits light and emits ultraviolet light; and
A control unit that performs light emission control of the ultraviolet radiation unit;
A battery for supplying power to the control unit;
A cover member for covering at least the ultraviolet radiation part, and made of an ultraviolet transparent material;
The ultraviolet radiation part, the control part, the battery, and the cover member are assembled to form a unit and can be attached to or detached from either the cap or the container mouth of the existing container. A cap or a container mouth portion of the existing container through the mounting substrate in such an arrangement that the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet radiation part is irradiated into the existing container through the cover member. while mounting et been detachably attached to the,
The mounting board is formed with a male screw corresponding to a female screw provided in the cap or the container mouth of the container at the outer peripheral edge, and the male screw is provided in the cap or the container mouth. The sterilizer is attached to either the cap or the container mouth by screwing into a female screw . A sterilization apparatus that is detachably applied to an existing container with a detachable cap that stores liquid or solid matter,
An ultraviolet radiation part that emits light and emits ultraviolet light; and
A control unit that performs light emission control of the ultraviolet radiation unit;
A battery for supplying power to the control unit;
A cover member for covering at least the ultraviolet radiation part, and made of an ultraviolet transparent material;
The ultraviolet radiation part, the control part, the battery, and the cover member are assembled to form a unit and can be attached to or detached from either the cap or the container mouth of the existing container. A cap or a container mouth portion of the existing container through the mounting substrate in such an arrangement that the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet radiation part is irradiated into the existing container through the cover member. while mounting et been detachably attached to the,
The attachment substrate is detachable from the inner peripheral surface of the container inside the cap, and the container is attached to the container while the sterilizer is attached to the inside of the cap via the attachment substrate. A sterilizer capable of opening and closing the cap . The control unit performs lighting start control of the ultraviolet radiation unit in response to a user operation or detection of vibration of the container, and blinking control or lighting end control of the ultraviolet radiation unit according to the passage of time. The sterilizer according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein

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