JP2013006608A - Sterilizing device for container with cap - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sterilizing device which can be easily attached to and detached from any container with its cap having different mounting structures of the container and the cap.SOLUTION: An ultraviolet ray radiation section for radiating an ultraviolet ray by the radiation, a control unit for performing the emission control of the ultraviolet ray radiation section, a battery for supplying the power to the control unit, and a cover member for shielding at least the ultraviolet ray radiation section are mounted on a mounting substrate to be unitized to constitute a sterilizing device. The unitized sterilizing device via the mounting substrate can be mounted to either of the cap or the container mouth. The sterilizing device can be easily attached and detached to any container with the cap having the different mounting structures of the container with the cap though the structure is simple, and its versatility is high.

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. in 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 points, and can be easily and detachably attached to any cap-equipped container having a different attachment structure between the container and the cap. An object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization apparatus for a container with a cap having a simple and highly versatile structure capable of sterilizing an object by irradiating ultraviolet rays.

  The sterilization apparatus for a container with a cap according to claim 1 of the present invention is a sterilization apparatus that sterilizes a liquid or solid substance stored in a container with a cap detachably attached to a container mouth by radiating ultraviolet rays. An ultraviolet radiation unit that emits light and emits ultraviolet rays, a control unit that controls light emission of the ultraviolet radiation unit, a battery that supplies power to the control unit, and at least the ultraviolet radiation unit The cover member is made of an ultraviolet light transmissive material, and the ultraviolet radiation unit, the control unit, the battery, and the cover member are assembled into a unit, and the unit is capped or An attachment substrate for detachably attaching to any of the container mouth portions.

  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 attached to either the cap or the container mouth portion via the attachment substrate. Thereby, although this sterilization apparatus has a simple structure, it can be easily attached to and detached from any of the cap-equipped containers having different attachment structures of the container and the cap, and is highly versatile. 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.

  A sterilization apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention is a sterilization apparatus that sterilizes a liquid or solid substance stored in a container with a cap that can be attached to and detached from the container mouth by irradiating ultraviolet rays, and emits light. An ultraviolet radiation unit that radiates ultraviolet rays, a control unit that performs light emission control of the ultraviolet radiation unit, a battery that supplies power to the control unit, the ultraviolet radiation unit, the control unit, and the battery are assembled. A capsule-shaped cover member that watertightly surrounds the unitized substrate, the ultraviolet radiation unit, the control unit, the battery, and the substrate, and is made of an ultraviolet transmissive material. It is formed to have a size that can be put into the container from the container mouth. According to this, since it is not necessary to attach the said sterilizer to a cap or a container opening part, whether the attachment of a sterilizer is not influenced by the attachment structure of a container and a cap. Therefore, this sterilization apparatus can be used for any container with a cap having a different attachment structure between the container and the cap.

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 can be attached to either the cap or the container mouth, it can be easily attached to and detached from any container with a cap that has a different structure for attaching the cap to the cap, despite the simple structure. There is an effect that a versatile sterilization apparatus that can be attached 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 (5)

A sterilizer for sterilizing a liquid or solid substance stored in a container with a cap removable from the container mouth by radiating ultraviolet rays,
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 into a unit, and an attachment substrate for detachably attaching the unit to either the cap or the container mouth part. A sterilizer for a container with a cap.   The mounting board is formed with a male screw corresponding to a female screw provided in a cap or a container mouth part on an outer peripheral edge, and the male screw is attached to the female screw provided in the cap or the container mouth part. The sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the sterilizer is attached to either the cap or the container mouth by screwing.   When the attachment substrate is attached to either the cap or the container mouth, at least the assembled battery and the liquid or solid matter stored in the container are separated from each other in the cap or the container mouth. The sterilizer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a wall is formed.   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 any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein A sterilizer for sterilizing a liquid or solid stored in a container with a cap that can be attached to and detached from the container mouth by radiating ultraviolet rays,
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 substrate for unitizing the ultraviolet radiation unit, the control unit, and the battery by assembling them;
A capsule-shaped cover member that tightly encloses all of the unitized ultraviolet radiation unit, the control unit, the battery, and the substrate, and is introduced into the container from the container mouth by an ultraviolet transparent material. A sterilization apparatus provided with what is formed in a possible size.

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