JP6032934B2 - UV sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultraviolet sterilizer that sterilizes an article such as a medical device by irradiating it with ultraviolet light.

  Generally, the prefilled syringe is manufactured at a place different from the place where the chemical solution is filled. In a place where a prefilled syringe is manufactured, the manufactured syringe is accommodated in a storage container, sterilized, and then the storage container is sealed. And the storage container in which the syringe was accommodated is conveyed to the place filled with a chemical | medical solution. In the place where the chemical solution is filled, the container is opened and the holder holding the plurality of syringes is taken out of the container body and set in the chemical solution filling device. Thereafter, the syringe is filled with the chemical solution.

  The step of filling the syringe with the chemical solution is performed in a sterile room. Therefore, when the storage container in which the syringe is stored is transported to the sterilization chamber, the storage container is also sterilized in order to maintain the sterility of the sterilization chamber.

  Conventionally, not only the above-described storage container but also an article such as a medical device is manufactured, and the article is sterilized by irradiation with light, particularly ultraviolet light. As a conventional ultraviolet sterilizer, there exists a thing as described in patent document 1, for example.

  Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which a plurality of rollers in a board state are aligned to form a conveyor, and a sterilization target is placed on the conveyor and conveyed. Moreover, in patent document 1, an ultraviolet irradiation device is arrange | positioned at the upper side and the lower side of a conveyor, and the sterilization target object is sterilized by irradiating ultraviolet light with respect to the sterilization target object which flows on a conveyor.

JP 2001-187625 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the portion of the plate-like body constituting the conveyor roller does not transmit ultraviolet rays. Accordingly, since the striped shadow is generated by the roller on the mounting surface of the sterilization target placed on the roller, the entire sterilization target cannot be uniformly irradiated with ultraviolet rays. As a result, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is necessary to irradiate ultraviolet rays while changing the position where the object to be sterilized is placed, and the sterilization work becomes complicated.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultraviolet sterilization apparatus that can uniformly irradiate an outer surface of an object to be sterilized with ultraviolet light.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object of the present invention, the ultraviolet sterilization apparatus of the present invention includes a sterilization chamber, an ultraviolet irradiation unit, a mounting table, a transport unit, and a support wall . The sterilization chamber stores a storage container that stores medical equipment . The ultraviolet irradiation unit is provided in the sterilization chamber and irradiates the storage container with ultraviolet rays. The mounting table is provided in the sterilization chamber and the storage container is mounted thereon. This mounting table is formed of a material that transmits ultraviolet rays. And an ultraviolet irradiation part is arrange | positioned so that a mounting base may be enclosed . The sterilization chamber is provided with a discharge port for discharging the storage container from the sterilization chamber, and the discharge port communicates with the sterilization chamber. The transport unit includes a pusher that presses the storage container mounted on the mounting table, and a guide rail that is movably engaged with the pusher. Moreover, a conveyance part conveys the storage container by which the sterilization process was mounted in the mounting base from a discharge port to a sterilization chamber by a pusher. And the internal space of the sterilization chamber is set to 300 to 700 mm in length, 350 to 750 mm in width, and 350 to 750 mm in depth.

  According to the ultraviolet sterilization apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the places that are shaded by ultraviolet rays on the outer surface of the object to be sterilized, and to uniformly irradiate the outer surface of the object to be sterilized with ultraviolet light.

It is a front view (partial sectional view) showing an embodiment of an ultraviolet sterilizer of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line TT shown in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which cut the state which inserts the sterilization target object in the sterilization chamber in the ultraviolet sterilizer of this invention by the TT line | wire shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the state which discharges the sterilization target object from the sterilization chamber in the ultraviolet sterilizer of this invention by the TT line | wire shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the ultraviolet sterilization apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the common member in each figure. The present invention is not limited to the following form.

<1. Embodiment>
1-1. Configuration Example of Ultraviolet Sterilizer First, a configuration example of an embodiment of the ultraviolet sterilizer of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “present example”) will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing the ultraviolet sterilizer of this example, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ultraviolet sterilizer of this example taken along the line TT shown in FIG.

  The ultraviolet sterilizer 1 shown in FIG. 1 is installed, for example, at the entrance of a sterile room. Then, the ultraviolet sterilizer 1 sterilizes by irradiating the outer surface of the sterilization object M1 (in this example, a storage container (for example, WO08 / 107961) containing a syringe filled with a chemical solution in a sterile room) with ultraviolet light. It is a device to do. And the storage container which shows an example of the sterilization target object sterilized by the ultraviolet sterilizer 1 is conveyed to an aseptic room.

  The ultraviolet sterilizer 1 includes a sterilization chamber 2 that houses the sterilization object M1, an ultraviolet irradiation unit 3, a mounting table 4, a transport unit 5, and a support wall 7 that supports the sterilization chamber 2.

  The sterilization chamber 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is hollow, and sterilization processing is performed on the outer surface of the sterilization target M1 in this internal space. The inner surface of the sterilization chamber 2 is mirror-finished and configured to reflect ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 described later. The sterilization chamber 2 is made of stainless steel having high antibacterial properties.

  The sterilization chamber 2 is provided with a receiving port 8 for receiving the sterilization object M1 into the room and an outlet 9 for discharging the sterilization object M1 from the room. The receiving port 8 and the discharge port 9 are arranged to face each other in the conveyance direction of the sterilization target M1. The discharge port 9 communicates with the sterilization chamber, and a discharge table 22 is installed outside the internal space of the sterilization chamber 2 at the discharge port 9.

  Each of the receiving port 8 and the discharge port 9 is provided with an opening / closing door (not shown). In addition, mirror opening may be applied to the open / close doors attached to the receiving port 8 and the discharging port 9 so as to reflect ultraviolet light.

  Further, an opening 2 a is formed in the lower part of the sterilization chamber 2 in the vertical direction. The opening 2a extends along the transport direction. A pusher 15 of the transport unit 5 described later is inserted into the opening 2a. Further, inside the sterilization chamber 2, a plurality of ultraviolet irradiation units 3, a mounting table 4, and a transport unit 5 are installed.

  The internal space of the sterilization chamber 2 is preferably of a size that can reliably accommodate the sterilization object M1 and is as small as possible in order to maintain the sterility of the sterilization chamber (the discharge port 9 side of the sterilization chamber 2). When the storage container which stores a syringe is used as the sterilization target M1, it is preferable to set the length to 300 to 700 mm, the width to 350 to 750 mm, and the depth to 350 to 750 mm based on the front view. In this example, the interior space of the aseptic chamber 2 is set to a length of 500 mm, a width of 550 mm, and a depth of 550 mm.

  The ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 irradiates ultraviolet light. As the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3, for example, a light source that irradiates various types of ultraviolet light such as an ultraviolet fluorescent lamp or an ultraviolet light emitting diode can be used. The plurality of ultraviolet irradiation units 3 are arranged so as to surround a mounting table 4 (described later) installed inside the sterilization chamber 2.

  In this example, six ultraviolet irradiation units 3 are provided symmetrically on the upper and lower inner walls of the sterilization chamber 2. Moreover, two each are provided in the inner wall of the right-and-left side surface part orthogonal to the conveyance direction in the sterilization chamber 2.

  In addition, the number and arrangement | positioning of the ultraviolet irradiation part 3 are not limited to what was mentioned above. For example, you may provide the ultraviolet irradiation part 3 also in the wall surface in which the receiving port 8 and the discharge port 9 in the sterilization chamber 2 were provided. The ultraviolet irradiation part 3 should just be arrange | positioned so that the lower surface part which is the other side of the mounting surface 4b in which the sterilization target M1 in the mounting base 4 is mounted, and the mounting surface 4b may be enclosed.

It is preferable that the ultraviolet irradiation amount with respect to the sterilization target M1 of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 is 33 mJ / cm ² or more, particularly 47 mJ / cm ² or more at the time of manufacture. The minimum amount of ultraviolet irradiation necessary to sterilize Bacillus subtilis, which is an index for evaluating bactericidal properties, is 33.3 mJ / cm ² , and the degree of wear of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 is 70% (47. 6 mJ / cm ² or more), and it is necessary to ensure safety.

  The mounting table 4 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape. The mounting table 4 is supported in the internal space of the sterilization chamber 2 by a support member 11 provided in the sterilization chamber 2. As the material for the mounting table 4, a material that transmits the ultraviolet light irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 and does not deteriorate due to the ultraviolet light is used. As the mounting table 4, for example, a resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or acrylic, quartz glass, or the like is used, and quartz glass is preferably applied. A sterilization target M1 inserted from the receiving port 8 is placed on the mounting table 4. Moreover, when quartz glass is applied as the mounting table 4, the thickness is preferably 3 to 10 mm, and more preferably about 5 mm.

  Since the mounting table 4 is formed of a permeable material, the bottom surface of the sterilization target M1 that contacts the mounting surface 4b of the mounting table 4 is also irradiated with ultraviolet rays. As a result, the outer surface of the sterilization target M1 can be uniformly irradiated with ultraviolet light.

  The mounting table 4 is provided with a groove 4a. The groove 4a is formed so as to bisect the mounting table 4, and extends along the conveying direction of the sterilization target M1. A pusher 15 of the transport unit 5 described later is inserted into the groove 4a. Thereby, it can prevent that the mounting base 4 and the conveyance part 5 interfere.

  The transport unit 5 includes a drive unit 13, a guide rail 14, and a pusher 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the guide rail 14 is disposed below the sterilization chamber 2 in the vertical direction, and extends along the conveyance direction of the sterilization target M <b> 1 in the sterilization chamber 2. The guide rail 14 is supported by a support column 21 disposed below the sterilization chamber 2 in the vertical direction. A pusher 15 is movably engaged with the guide rail 14.

  The pusher 15 moves along the guide rail 14 when the drive unit 13 is driven. Examples of the drive unit 13 include an air cylinder and a motor.

  The pusher 15 has an arm member 16 and a pressing member 17. The arm member 16 is formed in a substantially bar shape, and one end in the axial direction thereof is slidably engaged with the guide rail 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the arm member 16 passes through the opening 2 a of the sterilization chamber 2 and the groove 4 a of the mounting table 4. The other end of the arm member 16 in the axial direction is located below the mounting surface 4 b of the mounting table 4 in the vertical direction.

  A pressing member 17 is rotatably attached to the other end of the arm member 16. The pressing member 17 is formed in a tongue shape. The pressing member 17 is supported by one end of the arm member 16 via a rotating shaft 18 so as to be rotatable within a predetermined angle range. In addition, the rotating shaft 18 is provided with a coil spring, and the pressing member 17 is urged in a direction to stand substantially vertically from the horizontal state. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a part of the pressing member 17 protrudes above the mounting surface 4 b of the mounting table 4 in the vertical direction.

  The pressing member 17 of the pusher 15 is brought into contact with one surface of the sterilization target M1, and the arm member 16 is slid along the guide rail 14, whereby the sterilization target M1 is pushed out along the transport direction by the pusher 15. (See FIG. 4).

  In this example, the mechanism of the sterilization target M1 using the pusher 15 as the transport unit 5 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As the transport unit 5, various other transport mechanisms such as a mechanism for gripping and transporting the sterilization target M <b> 1 and a mechanism for sucking and transporting the sterilization target M <b> 1 may be used. Moreover, you may make it convey the sterilization target object M1 by a human hand, without providing the conveyance part 5. FIG.

  Furthermore, when there is no possibility that the mounting table 4 and the transport unit 5 come into contact with each other by gripping or adsorbing and transporting the sterilization target M1, the transport unit is placed on the mounting table 4 on which the sterilization target M1 is mounted. It is not necessary to provide the groove 4a that avoids interference with the groove 5.

  Moreover, although the example which formed the sterilization chamber 2 in the hollow substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape was demonstrated in this example, it is not limited to this. The sterilization chamber 2 may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape or a hexagonal cylindrical shape, and arranged so that its axial direction is substantially parallel to the transport direction. And the mounting base 4 may be arrange | positioned so that the sterilization target M1 may be located in the axial center of the sterilization chamber 2. FIG.

1-2. Operation Example of Ultraviolet Sterilizer Next, an operational example of the ultraviolet sterilizer 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
3 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the sterilization target M1 is inserted into the sterilization chamber 2 taken along the line TT shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the TT line | wire shown to.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3, the open / close door of the receiving port 8 of the sterilization chamber 2 is opened, and the sterilization object M <b> 1 is inserted into the sterilization chamber 2. At this time, the pressing member 17 of the pusher 15 is pushed by the sterilization target M1 and rotates against the urging force of the coil spring.

  The sterilization target M1 slides on the mounting surface 4b of the mounting table 4 and moves to a predetermined sterilization processing position shown in FIG. Here, when the sterilization object M1 moves to a predetermined sterilization processing position, the pressing member 17 rotates in a direction to rise from the horizontal state by the urging force of the coil spring, and from the state shown in FIG. 3 to the initial state shown in FIG. Return to.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opening / closing door of the receiving port 8 is closed, and ultraviolet light is irradiated from the plurality of ultraviolet irradiation units 3. In addition, when inserting the sterilization target M1 into the sterilization chamber 2, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 may emit light in advance.

  Here, the mounting table 4 on which the sterilization target M1 is mounted is formed of a material that can transmit ultraviolet light. Therefore, it is possible to irradiate the lower surface of the sterilization target M1 that is in contact with the mounting surface 4b of the mounting table 4 with ultraviolet light. As a result, the outer surface of the sterilization target M1 can be uniformly irradiated with ultraviolet light without moving the position of the sterilization target M1, and the sterilization process can be performed efficiently.

  Further, the inner wall of the sterilization chamber 2 is mirror-finished so that it can reflect ultraviolet light. Therefore, it is possible to reflect the ultraviolet light irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation unit 3 and irradiate the outer surface of the sterilization target M1 without waste.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive unit 13 of the transport unit 5 is driven. When the drive unit 13 is driven, the arm member 16 moves along the guide rail 14 from the receiving port 8 side of the sterilization chamber 2 to the discharging port 9 side. At this time, the open / close door of the discharge port 9 is open. When the arm member 16 moves, the pressing member 17 provided at the other end of the arm member 16 contacts the sterilization target M1. Then, the sterilization target M1 is pushed out by the pusher 15. As a result, the sterilization object M1 is discharged from the discharge port 9 to the outside of the sterilization chamber 2, and is conveyed to the discharge table 22 installed in the sterilization chamber. Thereby, the sterilization process to the sterilization target M1 is completed.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention described in the claims. In the embodiment described above, the example used for sterilization of the storage container storing the syringe as the ultraviolet sterilizer has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. As an ultraviolet sterilizer, for example. It may be used for sterilization of various other medical devices and articles such as syringes and needle tubes.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ultraviolet sterilizer, 2 ... Sterilization chamber, 2a ... Opening part, 3 ... Ultraviolet irradiation part, 4 ... Mounting stand, 4a ... Groove part, 4b ... Mounting surface, 5 ... Conveying part, 8 ... Receiving port, 9 ... Exhaust Outlet, 14 ... guide rail, 15 ... pusher, 16 ... arm member, 17 ... pressing member, 18 ... rotating shaft, M1 ... sterilization target

Claims (3)

A sterilization chamber for storing a storage container for storing a medical device ;
An ultraviolet irradiation unit provided in the sterilization chamber and irradiating the storage container with ultraviolet light;
A mounting table that is provided in the sterilization chamber and on which the storage container is mounted, and is formed of a material that transmits the ultraviolet light;
A transport unit for transporting the storage container placed on the mounting table;
A support wall for supporting the sterilization chamber;
With
The ultraviolet irradiation unit is arranged so as to surround the mounting table,
The sterilization chamber is provided with a discharge port for discharging the storage container from the sterilization chamber,
The outlet leads to a sterile room,
The transport unit includes a pusher that presses the storage container placed on the placing table, and a guide rail that is movably engaged with the pusher, and is placed on the placing table and sterilized. Transporting the treated storage container from the outlet to the aseptic chamber by the pusher;
The internal space of the sterilization chamber is an ultraviolet sterilizer set to a length of 300 to 700 mm, a width of 350 to 750 mm, and a depth of 350 to 750 mm . The ultraviolet sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the mounting table is formed of quartz glass. The ultraviolet sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner wall of the sterilization chamber is subjected to mirror finishing that reflects the ultraviolet light.

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