JPH0417849A - Disposable injector disposing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable automatic disposal of injectors without touching by arranging a cartridge case carrying section, a discharge means attached to the carrying section to discharge injectors sequentially, a conveying means to convey the injectors discharged sequentially and two electrodes positive and negative so arranged to contact a needle of the injector being discharged while being connected to a power source. CONSTITUTION:A cartridge case 30 is placed upright with an opening 30a upward. An injector M used is put in at the opening 30a. When the cartridge case is filled with the injectors M, it is placed on a upstream end opening 27 of a guide chute 9 on the top surface of a machine frame 1 with the opening 30a downward. As a result, the injectors M, M... advance being grasped between an upper conveyor 7 and a lower conveyor 8 sequentially at a proper interval. A needle N of the injector M advancing, first, has a base part thereof contacting an anode plate 16. The tip of the needle N is about to contact a cathode plate 17 according to the length thereof. Thereupon, a spark is caused between the tip of the needle N and the cathode plate 17 to let current flow thereby crushing the needle N melting under a high temperature of about 1,200 deg.C.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a processing device for disposing of used disposable syringes.

[Conventional technology: Conventionally, when disposing of used disposable syringes, they are either treated as waste or are incinerated for sterilization before being disposed of.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Disposing of used disposable syringes as waste is extremely dangerous, especially since the needles may be contaminated with various pathogens from patients. Furthermore, even if the needle is incinerated and then disposed of, even if it can be sterilized, the needle-like tip remains, so handling the needle remains dangerous. Furthermore, the metal material of the injection needle and the synthetic resin material of the piston/cylinder portion are discarded together, which poses a problem in terms of waste resources.

[Means to solve the problem]

The disposable syringe processing device according to the present invention includes a cartridge case mounting section on which a cartridge case containing a plurality of used disposable syringes is placed, and a cartridge case mounting section that is attached to the cartridge case mounting section to dispose of used disposable syringes in the cartridge case. a discharge means for sequentially discharging the syringes; a transport means for sequentially transporting the used disposable syringes discharged from the cartridge case; It is equipped with a syringe needle processing device that is configured with positive and negative electrodes connected to a power source, and the above-mentioned conveying means is, for example, a conveyor that holds the cylinder part of the syringe, and the positive and negative electrodes are connected, for example, with one side being One end faces the tip of the injection needle in the axial direction, and the other end faces the outer peripheral surface of the base of the injection needle.

In addition, the piston of the used disposable syringe is placed downstream of the conveyance means.
A piston/cylinder part crushing/cutting means for crushing/cutting the cylinder part is provided.

[For production]

First, a cartridge case is prepared at the injection treatment site. Used syringes are placed in the cartridge case one after another, and when the cartridge case is full of used syringes, a new cartridge case is prepared. A cartridge case filled with used syringes is placed on a cartridge case mounting table of a used syringe processing device.

Then, the used syringes in the cartridge case are sequentially discharged by the discharge means toward the conveyor, which is the conveyance means, and are further conveyed by the conveyor. During the conveyance, the tip and base of the needles The outer circumferential surface comes into electrical discharge contact with the positive and negative electrodes, respectively, and the injection needle is melted and crushed by the spark, becomes granular, and falls away from the cylinder portion of the syringe. The syringe from which the needle has been removed is conveyed by a conveyor to a piston/cylinder section crushing means and is crushed.

〔Example〕

A first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The used syringe processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 includes a main part A provided above a base plate 2 formed in the middle of a machine frame 1 of a machine type, and a main part A provided below the base plate 2. It consists of an electric device section B and an integrated wagon section C housed below the board section 2.

First, referring to the main part A, there is a first part on the substrate part 2.
A conveyor 3 is provided in the longitudinal direction, and a first conveyor 3 is provided in the longitudinal direction.
A second conveyor 4 is provided downstream of the first conveyor 73 in a direction perpendicular to the first conveyor 3 with a slight step difference.
The downstream end of the conveyor 3 is connected to the upstream end of the second conveyor 4.

The first conveyor 3 is composed of an upper conveyor belt 7 and a lower conveyor belt 8 of heat-resistant materials, which are vertically opposed and wound around horizontal rollers 5, 5'; 6, 6. The lower conveyor belt 8 extends from the upper conveyor belt 7 on the upstream side to form an extension 8a.

A bent guide chute 9 from above is provided on the extension part 8 a of the lower conveyor belt 8 . It opens into the extension part 8a. A timing stopper 1°, which is rotatably provided at the downstream end of the guide chute 9, is engaged with a timing propeller 11 that is integral with the roller 6 on the upstream side of the lower conveyor belt 8. The lower end opening of the guide chute 9 is opened and closed in synchronization with the rotation of the roller 6, that is, the timing propeller 11. In the illustrated example, it opens and closes once every half rotation of the roller 6, that is, the timing propeller 11.

A light transmission hole I2 is formed in the guide chute 9 slightly upstream of the timing stopper 10, and a light source 13 and a light sensor switch 14 are provided sandwiching the light transmission hole I2.

A syringe positioning guide plate I5 is provided along one side edge of the upstream partial range of the first conveyor 3 in the conveying direction, and the upstream side of the syringe positioning guide plate 15 is slightly curved outward.

Furthermore, the first conveyor 3 following the syringe positioning guide plate 15
In a partial range in the conveying direction, an anode electrode plate 16 whose side edge surface horizontally contacts the tip of the injection needle N of the syringe M held by the first conveyor 3, and a side edge surface at the base of the injection needle N. A cathode electrode plate 17 that comes into contact from below is provided.

Both sides of the anode electrode plate 16 and the cathode electrode plate 17 are held by insulating plate holders 18, 18; 19, 19, respectively, and current input terminals are connected to a 100V power source via a transformer and a capacitor.

As shown in FIG. 4, the contact side edge surface of the cathode electrode plate 17 is
Although parallel to the first conveyor 3, the contact side edge surface of the anode electrode plate 16 is inclined toward the conveyance direction of the first conveyor 3 as shown in FIG. The distance between them is getting narrower.

As shown in FIG. 5, on the downstream side of the second conveyor 4, there is a pair of an upper press roller 20a, which is a toothed rib roller, that is movable up and down, and a fixed lower press roller 20b. Multi-stage roller crusher 2 arranged in a row
0, an anti-jump roller 21 following it, and a rotary disc cutter 22 are provided.

The rollers of the first conveyor 3 and the second conveyor 4 are driven by an electric motor 23, the multi-stage roller crusher 20 is driven by an electric motor 24, and the rotary disc cutter 21 is driven by an electric motor 25, each of which is driven by an appropriate transmission mechanism, such as a chain sprocket mechanism. It is designed to be rotationally driven through.

First conveyor 3, second conveyor 4, multi-stage roller crusher 2
0 and the area of the rotary disc cutter 21 are protected by a protective plate 26 that prevents fragments of the injection needle N and the piston/cylinder portion from scattering.
is surrounded by.

Upstream end opening 2 of guide chute 9 on the top surface of machine frame 1
7, a cartridge case 30 for storing waste syringes is detachably attached in an upright position with its opening 30a in contact with the cartridge case 30.

Power supply circuits such as a motor, a photoelectric device, a discharge electrode device, etc. are housed in the electrical device section B.

The cartridge 30 has a longitudinal dimension that allows an appropriate number (for example, 15 to 20) of syringes M to be housed in a row in the diametrical direction of the cylinder section S, and a depth that allows the piston and cylinder section with needles still attached to be accommodated. It is composed of a horizontally elongated flat case with a depth that can be sufficiently accommodated, and has an opening 30a at one end so that a single syringe M can be press-fitted from the diametrical direction. Additional accessories such as a lid may be provided as appropriate.

The accumulation wagon section C is partitioned into a needle waste storage section below the anode electrode plate 16 and the cathode electrode plate 17 and a piston/cylinder section layer storage section below the rotary disc cutter 22.

The operation and function of the used syringe processing apparatus of the first embodiment described above will be explained.

First, at the injection treatment site, the cartridge case 30
will be prepared. The cartridge case 30 has an opening 30
It is placed upright with the a side facing up.

The used syringe M is inserted through the opening 30a of the cartridge case 30, and at this time, the syringe M becomes substantially horizontal and falls downward.

In this way, the used syringes M are discarded into the cartridge case 30 one after another, and are stacked on their sides within the cartridge case 30. Cartridge case 3
0 is filled with syringes M, a new cartridge case 30 is prepared.

The cartridge case 30 filled with syringes M is placed in the upstream end opening 27 of the guide chute 9 on the upper surface of the machine frame 1 of the used syringe processing device, with the opening 30a facing down.

Then, the syringe M inside the cartridge case 30.

M... falls in the guide chute 9 sequentially from the bottom through the opening 30a and the upstream end opening 27, and is deposited thereon.

Then, when the light beam from the light source 13 to the optical sensor switch 14 is blocked by the syringe M, the electric motor 23 is driven,
The rollers 5, 5'; 6, 6' rotate, the upper conveyor belt 7 and the lower conveyor belt 8 run, and the timing propeller 11 rotates in synchronization therewith. Then,
Each time the timing propeller 11 is engaged (every half rotation), the timing stopper IO rotates to release one syringe M onto the extension 8a of the lower conveyor belt 8. Thus, the syringes M, M, . . . are successively moved forward while being held between the upper conveyor belt 7 and the lower conveyor belt 8 at appropriate intervals. At this time, the tip of the cylinder portion S of the syringe M comes into contact with the guide plate 15 and is pushed, so that the syringes M, M, . . . are uniformly positioned in the axial direction.

The base of the injection needle N of the advancing syringe M first contacts the anode electrode plate 16 . Next, since the contact side edge surface of the cathode electrode plate 17 is inclined toward the conveyance direction of the first conveyor 3, and the distance between the downstream side and the first conveyor 3 is narrow, the injection needle N
The tip of the cathode electrode plate 17 tends to come into contact with the contact side edge surface of the first stage or the second stage depending on its length. Then, a spark is generated between the tip of the injection needle N and the cathode electrode plate 17, a current flows through the injection needle N, the injection needle N is melted and crushed at a high temperature of about 1200°C, and is released from the cylinder part S. The particles break off and fall into the needle waste storage section in the collecting wagon section C.

Only the piston and cylinder parts of the syringes M remain on the first conveyor 3, and they fall sequentially from the first conveyor 3 onto the second conveyor 4, and are arranged vertically in multiple stages by the second conveyor 4 with the tips facing forward. It is conveyed to the roller crusher 20.

When the piston/cylinder part of the syringe M reaches the multi-stage roller crusher 20, there are three stages of upper and lower press rollers 23a, 23.
After being gradually crushed by pair b, the anti-jump roller 21
While being held down, the rotary disc cutter 22 cuts it into pieces starting from the tip.

The shredded piston/cylinder parts of the syringes M fall into the piston/cylinder part layer housing of the collecting wagon part C.

When the syringes M deposited in the guide chute 9 are processed one after another and most of the guide chute 9 is empty, the light beam from the light source 13 reaches the optical sensor switch 14, the electric motor 23 is stopped, and the next syringe M is processed. Wait until the full cartridge case 30 is attached.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. In addition, the injection needle M and the piston/cylinder part crushing means (anode electrode plate 16 degrees, cathode electrode plate 17 degrees) of the syringe M are used.
Insulating plate holder 18.19. Multi-stage roller crusher 20. Upper press roller 20a, lower press roller 20b, jump prevention roller 219, rotating disc cutter 22), electrical equipment section B
and the accumulation wagon section C are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The used syringe processing device has a machine frame 1 in which a cartridge case 50 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in which disposable syringes M to be discarded are stored, is removably placed. A mounting table 41 is formed, and an endless chain belt 42 for pushing out a syringe is provided in parallel with the mounting table 41, and the endless chain belt 42 is provided with a cartridge case 50 placed on the mounting table 41 as described later. A suitable number of hook pieces 43 that engage with the engaging claws 52 of the push-out piece 51 are attached at equal intervals.

Adjacent to the mounting table 41 on the downstream side, the first conveyor 3 is provided with conveyor belts 44, 44 made of heat-resistant material facing each other in parallel. The conveyor belt 44, 44 is wound around upright rollers 45, 45; 45', 45', and the cylinder part S of the syringe M pushed out from the cartridge case 50 on the mounting table 41 is moved as shown in FIG. It is designed to be held from both sides, and the rollers 45, 45 are rotationally driven by a drive device (not shown).

Then, in a partial range of the first conveyor 3 in the conveyance direction, the cathode electrode plate 17 and the injection needle N, whose side edge surfaces contact from below the tip of the injection needle N of the syringe M similar to the first embodiment, are connected to each other. An anode electrode plate 16 whose side edge surface abuts from the side is provided at the base.

As shown in FIG. 6, a discharge chute 46 is installed on the downstream side of the first conveyor 3 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first conveyor 3, and on the discharge chute 46, the piston and cylinder portions of the syringes are arranged vertically. It is designed to be transported. On the downstream side of the discharge chute 46, a multistage roller crusher 20, an anti-jump roller 21, and a rotary disc cutter 22 are sequentially provided as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cartridge case 50 includes side wall plate portions 53 and 53 facing each other at intervals across the cylinder portion S of the syringe M, an end wall plate portion 54 at one end in the longitudinal direction, and a bottom wall plate portion. 55, and there is no end wall plate part at the other end, but there are flexible lid pieces 56 and 56 on each edge of the same side wall plate part 53.
It consists of a horizontally long and flat case 57 with an opening at the top.

The longitudinal dimension of the case 57 (bottom wall plate part 55) is such that an appropriate number (for example, 15 to 20) of syringes M can be stored in a row in the diametrical direction of the piston/cylinder part, and the depth is a size that can sufficiently accommodate the piston/cylinder portion with the injection needle still attached.

The case 57 is formed with an intermediate bottom portion 59 having a central slot 58 through which the base of the injection needle N can pass in the longitudinal direction. and a lower space 6 in which the injection needle N is accommodated.
1 and concave. In the upper space 60, there is an extrusion piece 5.
1 is slidably inserted into the engagement claw 52 formed protrudingly on the extrusion piece 51 and protrudes outward from a longitudinal slot 62 formed in one side wall plate portion 53.

The operation and function of the used syringe processing apparatus of the second embodiment will be explained.

First, at the injection treatment site, the cartridge case 50
will be prepared. The cartridge case 50 is a case 57
The flexible lid piece 56.56 is placed vertically with its longitudinal direction facing upward. Therefore, the push-out piece 51 is at the lowest position in contact with the end wall plate section 54 which has become downward. At that time, the piston/cylinder part is placed in the upper space 60 of the case 57.
Inside, the injection needle N falls down into the lower space 61, and the base of the injection needle N falls down through the central slot 58, respectively. In this case, the collar of the cylinder part and the head of the piston part are outside the opening of the case 57.

In this way, the used syringes M are collected one after another in case 5.
7 and are stacked upside down inside the case 57. When the case 57 is full of syringes M, a new cartridge case 50 is prepared.

The cartridge case 5° filled with syringes M is placed on the mounting table of the used syringe processing device with the bottom wall plate 55 facing down and the flexible lid pieces 56 and 56 adjacent to the upstream end of the first conveyor 3. 41. At this time, the syringe M stands in the case 57 with the injection needle N facing downward, but the piston/cylinder portion is supported by the intermediate bottom portion 59.

Then, when the endless chain belt 4 is driven to feed by an electric motor (not shown), the hooks 4 of the endless chain belt 4
1 engages with the engaging claw 51 of the pressing piece 5 protruding from the case 20 and pushes it downstream, so the pushing piece 5 pushes the row of syringes M in the case 20 from the rear end, and the syringes M
Starting from the top, the flexible lid pieces 24, 24 are pushed open, and the pieces exit from the case 20 and proceed to the first conveyor 3.

The syringe M that has proceeded to the first conveyor 3 is conveyed with the cylinder portion S held between the conveyor belts 61.61. A lock on the upper edge prevents it from falling further.

Since the feeding speed of the first conveyor 3 is faster (for example, twice) than the running speed of the endless chain belt 4, the syringe M
The melting and crushing of the injection needles N arranged at intervals on the first conveyor 3 is the same as in the first embodiment.

The piston/cylinder portion of the syringe M from which the needle N has been removed is sequentially transferred from the downstream side of the first conveyor 3 to the discharge chute l.
The material is dropped onto chute 11, slides in a longitudinal direction on chute 11, is crushed by multi-stage crushing rollers 20 as in the first embodiment, and is further shredded by rotary cutter 22.

[Effects of the invention]- According to the used disposable syringe disposal device of the present invention, when disposing of used disposable syringes, the syringes can be disposed of automatically without touching them, and the needles can be disposed of at high temperatures. Since it is melted and crushed and recovered as separated granules from the cylinder portion S, the danger of handling due to diseased bacteria and needle-like tips is eliminated. Moreover, since the metal material of the injection needle and the synthetic resin material of the piston/cylinder portion, etc. are separated, the problem of waste resources is also solved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a disposable syringe processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a disposable syringe processing device according to a first embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view of the melting and crushing means, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial view of the melting and crushing means.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a disposable syringe processing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a cartridge case used in a disposable syringe processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■--■ in FIG. 7.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A mounting section for placing a cartridge case containing a plurality of used disposable syringes; a discharging means attached to the mounting section for sequentially discharging the used disposable syringes from the cartridge case; It consists of a transport means for sequentially transporting the discharged used disposable syringes, and a positive and negative electrode that is attached to the transport means so as to come into discharge contact with the injection needle of the syringe being transported, and is connected to a power source. Disposable syringe processing device equipped with syringe needle melting and crushing means (2) The disposable syringe processing device according to claim (1), comprising a piston/cylinder part crushing/cutting means for crushing/cutting the piston/cylinder part of a used disposable syringe downstream of the conveying means. (3) The conveyance means is a conveyor that holds the cylinder part of the syringe, and one of the positive and negative electrodes is in contact with the tip of the injection needle in the axial direction, and the other is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the base of the injection needle. Claim (1) or claim (
Disposable syringe processing device described in 2)