JPH0540496Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a contact lens cleaning device.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, contact lenses (hereinafter referred to as lenses) have been cleaned manually using fingers, a puff, or the like.

[Problem that the invention aims to solve] However, when it is done manually, there is a risk that the lens will be damaged if handled incorrectly. Another problem is that the work takes time.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device that can automatically clean both surfaces of a lens simultaneously in a short period of time without damaging the lens.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A cleaning device of the present invention includes (a) a cleaning bulb for cleaning a lens, and (b) a concave shape to accommodate the lens and the cleaning bulb. and (c) a vibrator for vibrating the cleaning container.

[Operation] Place the lens and cleaning bulb into the cleaning chamber of the cleaning container, add cleaning liquid, and activate the vibrator. Then, the cleaning container vibrates, and the cleaning bulb also vibrates, so that both the front and back surfaces of the lens are rubbed between the bottom of the cleaning chamber and the cleaning bulb, and are cleaned.

[Example] Next, an embodiment of the device of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the device of the same embodiment, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a cleaning container in the same embodiment, and FIG.
The figure is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning container in another embodiment.
The figure is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a cleaning device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a cleaning bulb, 2 is a cleaning container, and 3 is a vibrator. The cleaning bulb 1 is
A spherical shape is preferable, but a somewhat flattened ellipsoid may also be used. Its diameter is 5 to 15 mm, preferably 8 to 12 mm, depending on the size of the lens. As a material, it can be used without any particular restrictions.
For example, depending on the type of lens, such as soft or hard, or the hardness of the lens, glass, plastic (especially for soft lenses), soft resin, rubber, or foam material (especially for hard lenses) can be used. It is preferable to embed a weight such as a metal weight in a lightweight ball such as a foam material.

Note that handling is convenient if a knob 35a is provided like the cleaning bulb 35 shown in FIG. If the knob 35a is provided, at least only the lower portion may be spherical, and the upper surface may be flat. The term "cleaning bulb" as used herein includes the concept of such a shape.

The cleaning container 2 is a container for accommodating the lens and the cleaning bulb 1 and for cleaning the lens. This cleaning container 2 includes, for example, as shown in FIG.
A recessed cleaning chamber 4 is formed, and its bottom 5
is formed into a curved shape so that the lenses are in surface contact. The material of the cleaning container 2 can be used without any particular restriction, and for example, synthetic resin such as plastic can be used.

The size of the cleaning chamber 4 is preferably somewhat larger than the cleaning bulb 1 so that the cleaning bulb 1 does not move significantly. In addition, by doing so, even in the case of a cleaning bulb (35 in FIG. 5) having a knob 35a, there is an advantage that the knob 35a is prevented from getting caught on the upper edge of the cleaning chamber 4 and falling into the cleaning chamber 4. .

As the vibrator 3, any device can be used without particular restrictions, but in particular one with a vibration stroke of 2 to 8 mm and a vibration frequency of 500 to 1000.
Preferably, it has a function of times/minutes.

The vibrator shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is constructed as follows. 11 is a motor, and an eccentric shaft 12 is fixed to its output shaft. A long hole 14 is formed in the base 13a of the diaphragm 13, and the long hole 1
The eccentric shaft 12 is inserted into 4. and,
The tip of the diaphragm 13 is guided by a guide 15 so as to move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the elongated hole. When the motor 11 thereby rotates, the diaphragm 13 repeatedly moves back and forth in the directions of arrows A and B, causing the cleaning container 2 to vibrate. Note that the base 13a side of the diaphragm 13 may be guided by the support plate 15a.

Next, a cleaning method using the above device will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lens 6 and the cleaning bulb 1 are placed in that order into the cleaning chamber 4, and the cleaning liquid 7 is added thereto.
As the cleaning liquid 7, a cleaning liquid for contact lenses is suitable, but a polishing liquid (liquid containing an abrasive) may be used instead. Injection volume is usually 0.1-1.0
It is about cc.

In this way, when the motor 11 is started and the cleaning container 2 is vibrated, the lens 6 swings on the bottom 5 and the cleaning ball 1 also vibrates with the lens 6. Therefore, the front and back surfaces of the lens 6 are cleaned at the same time.
In addition, the cleaning ball functions as a weight that holds down the lens so that it does not dance during cleaning, and also functions as a mass element that generates relative movement with respect to the cleaning chamber with respect to vibrations.

Note that when a polishing liquid is injected instead of a cleaning liquid, even if there are small scratches on the surface of the lens 6,
A clean lens surface with no scratches can be obtained. Usually, a cleaning time of 30 to 60 seconds is sufficient.

FIG. 4 shows a cleaning container 2 according to another embodiment. In this cleaning container 2, the upper edge 21
protrudes radially inward. In this case, the cleaning liquid will not splash outside. Also, this cleaning container 2
A dovetail groove 22 is formed in the lower part of the diaphragm 13, and the dovetail groove 22 is adapted to fit into a dovetail groove (protrusion having a trapezoidal cross section) 23 of the diaphragm 13. In this case, the cleaning container 2 can be handled detachably.

The cleaning device shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a cylindrical case 25 and a cleaning container 26 provided at the upper end of the case. A motor 27 and a battery 28 are each housed in the case 25 concentrically with the cleaning container 26 .

In that device, the output shaft (rotating shaft) of the motor 27
an eccentric shaft 29 fixed to the diaphragm 30;
A vibrator is constituted by a plate 31 that guides the diaphragm and a holding member 32.

The upper and lower surfaces of the diaphragm 30 are lightly sandwiched between the plate 31 and the holding member 32, and the lateral straight portions (30a in FIG. 6) are guided by the inner surface of the holding member 32. This restricts the movement of the diaphragm 30 in the vertical and lateral directions. A gap 33 corresponding to the stroke is formed between the presser member 32 and the arc-shaped portion 30b of the diaphragm 30.

Further, a groove 34 substantially perpendicular to the guide direction is formed on the bottom surface of the diaphragm 30, and the shaft end 29a of the eccentric shaft 29 passing through the center hole 31a of the plate 31 is loosely fitted into the groove 34. .

As a result, when the motor 27 rotates, the diaphragm 3
0 reciprocates in the horizontal direction (direction of arrow A-B in FIG. 6). In that case, depending on the vibration conditions, the cleaning bulb 35 and the lens 6 may rotate, so the lens 6 may rotate.
The entire surface can be polished cleanly.

The bottom portion of the cleaning container 26 is detachably fitted into the shaft portion 30c protruding from the upper surface of the diaphragm 30. Thereby, the cleaning container 26 can be removed and itself can be easily cleaned.

In the device shown in FIG. 5, the upper part of the case 25 includes:
For example, a cover 36 made of transparent synthetic resin is removably placed on the outer periphery of the case 25.
An ON-OFF switch 37 is provided. In addition, the skirt portion 38 and the ring-shaped protrusion wall 39 are designed to prevent dust from entering the inside of the vibrator.
are provided on the bottom of the cleaning container 26 and on the top surface of the holding member 32, respectively.

The cleaning device constructed as described above has a cleaning container 26, a motor 27, and a battery 28 arranged concentrically, so that it is compact and convenient to carry.

In addition to the type of vibrator that converts the rotational motion into reciprocating motion, various types of vibrators are used in the present invention, such as those that rotate an eccentric mass element to give vibration to the motor itself, and those that use electromagnets. I can do it. Furthermore, various types of vibration directions other than the horizontal direction can be adopted, such as the vertical direction and the rotational direction.

The cleaning device of the present invention described above can be used for both soft contact lenses and hard contact lenses, but is particularly preferably used for soft contact lenses. It can also be used as a personal cleaning tool and as a production line device. As a personal device, one cleaning container (or two for both eyes) is sufficient. When used in a production line, it is advisable to install multiple cleaning containers.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the device of the present invention, both surfaces of the contact lens can be cleaned automatically and simultaneously in a short period of time without damaging the contact lens.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the device of the same embodiment, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a cleaning container in the same embodiment, and FIG.
The figure is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning container in another embodiment.
The figure is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a cleaning device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG. Main symbols in the drawing: 1, 35...Cleaning bulb, 2,
26...Cleaning container, 3...Vibrator, 4...
Cleaning chamber, 5...bottom, 6...lens.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. (a) A cleaning bulb for cleaning contact lenses; (b) A concave shape for accommodating the contact lens and the cleaning bulb, and the contact lens is A contact lens cleaning device comprising: a cleaning container having a cleaning chamber with a curved bottom so as to make surface contact; and (c) a vibrator for vibrating the cleaning container. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cleaning bulb has a knob. 3. The vibrator consists of a motor disposed vertically, an eccentric shaft fixed to the output shaft of the motor, and a diaphragm connected to the eccentric shaft, and the diaphragm attaches and detaches the cleaning container. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is freely supported.