JPH06130334A - Automatic contact lens cleaning unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the automatic contact lens cleaning unit which can clean a contact lens automatically and efficiently and stores the cleaned contact lens in specific storage environment as it is. CONSTITUTION:A lid body 3 is provided on the top surface of a main body 1, lens storage recessed parts 4a and 4b are formed in the top surface of the main body 1, and cleaning members 16a and 16b are provided projecting from the reverse surface of the lid body 3; and a motor 18 which rotates those cleaning members 16a and 16b is provided, a cleaning liquid tank 20 and a storage liquid tank 21 which links to the inside parts of the lens storage parts 4a and 4b are provided, and a cleaning liquid supply pump 30 which supplies cleaning liquid into the lens storage recessed parts 4a and 4b before the contact lens is cleaned and a storage liquid supply pump 31 which supplies storage liquid into the lens storage recessed parts 4a and 4b after the contact lens is cleaned are provided. Further, this unit is provided with a discharge pump 8 which discharges waste liquid from the lens storage recessed parts 4a and 4b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic contact lens cleaning device for automatically cleaning contact lenses for vision correction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Contact lenses that are worn on the eyeball must be washed regularly in order to prevent the growth of germs. Conventionally, in such cleaning, the lens user holds the contact lens removed from the eyeball with his fingertip, attaches a cleaning solution to this contact lens, and gently rubs the surface with the finger pad to clean it. After that, the contact lens is rinsed with a preservation solution, and then the contact lens is stored in a storage case in which the preservation solution is stored.

[0003]

However, in such a cleaning process, not only the work is troublesome and troublesome, but also the contact lens may be damaged, and the contact lens may be dropped and lost. is there.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a point, and an object thereof is to wash a contact lens automatically and efficiently and to keep the washed contact lens as it is in a predetermined storage environment. An object is to provide an automatic contact lens cleaning device that can be stored.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a pair of lenses capable of accommodating a contact lens on the upper surface of the main body, the lid body being openable and closable. A rotation drive mechanism that forms a storage recess and projects a pair of cleaning members that fit into the pair of lens storage recesses on the lower surface of the lid and rotates the cleaning members to clean the contact lens. And a cleaning liquid tank and a storage liquid tank that communicate with each other through a liquid supply path in the pair of lens housings, and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank is provided in the liquid supply path before each contact lens is cleaned. Cleaning liquid supply pump to supply inside
And a storage liquid supply pump for supplying the storage liquid in the storage liquid tank to each lens storage recess after cleaning the contact lens, and further, a discharge path communicating with the pair of lens storage recesses is provided. In addition, a discharge pump for discharging the waste liquid in each lens storage portion is provided.

[0006]

[Function] When cleaning the contact lens, the upper surface of the main body is opened to accommodate the contact lens in the lens accommodating concave portion, and then the lid is closed to the upper surface of the main body, and the cleaning member protruding from the lower surface of the lid is attached to the lens. Fit in the storage recess.

Under such a condition, an appropriate amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank is supplied to each lens accommodating recess through the liquid supply path by the operation of the cleaning liquid supply pump. Then, the cleaning member is driven and rotated by the rotation driving mechanism, and the contact lens in the lens housing recess is cleaned by the cleaning liquid by this rotation operation.

After that, the used cleaning liquid, that is, the waste liquid, remaining in the lens accommodating concave portion is discharged through the discharge path by the operation of the discharge pump, and the storage solution in the storage solution tank is supplied by the operation of the storage solution supply pump. A proper amount is supplied to each lens storage part through. Then, the cleaning member is driven and rotated by the rotation driving mechanism, and the contact lens in the lens accommodating concave portion is rinsed through the storage solution by this rotation operation.

After the rinsing operation, the used storage liquid, that is, the waste liquid, remaining in the lens accommodating recess is discharged through the discharge path by the operation of the discharge pump. After that, the preservative solution in the preservative solution tank is supplied into the lens accommodating recess by the operation of the preservative solution supply pump, and the contact lens is preserved in the preservative solution.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a main body, and a lid 3 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 1 via a hinge 2 so as to be openable and closable. Body 1
A pair of lens accommodating recesses 4a and 4b capable of accommodating a contact lens are formed on the upper surface of the.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of ridges 5 are radially formed on the inner bottoms of the lens accommodating recesses 4a and 4b, and the contacts are accommodated in the lens accommodating recesses 4a and 4b. The lens A is supported on the upper surfaces of these protrusions 5.

An outflow hole 6 is formed at the center of the inner bottom of the lens accommodating recesses 4a and 4b, and a bifurcated exhaust pipe 7 forming an exhaust path is connected to the outflow hole 6, and the exhaust pipe 7 is provided in the middle thereof. A discharge pump 8 is provided in the.

An insertion / removal opening 10 is formed in the lower part of one side surface of the main body 1, and a waste liquid tank 11 is removably accommodated in the inner bottom of the main body 1 through the insertion / removal opening 10. An inflow port 12 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the waste liquid tank 11, and the lower end of the discharge pipe 7 is arranged to face the inflow port 12.

A pair of hollow drive shafts 15a and 15b are rotatably provided in the lid 3, and the cleaning members 1 are respectively provided at lower ends of the drive shafts 15a and 15b.
6a, 16b are attached, and these cleaning members 16a,
16b is made of a soft material having water content, for example, sponge, and projects from the lower surface of the lid 3 to the lower side thereof.

The cleaning members 16a and 16b are moved to close the lens accommodating recess 4 by the operation of closing the lid 3 on the upper surface of the main body 1.
These cleaning members 1 are fitted in the a and 4b and are opened.
6a and 16b are adapted to be detached from the inside of the lens accommodating concave portions 4a and 4b.

Interlocking gears 17a and 17b are attached to the intermediate portions of the drive shafts 15a and 15b, respectively, and a drive gear 19 driven by a motor 18 is arranged between the interlocking gears 17a and 17b, and the interlocking gear 17a is provided. , 1
7b, which mesh with the cleaning member 16
A rotation drive mechanism for rotating a and 16b is configured.

A cleaning liquid tank 20 and a preserving liquid tank 21 are provided in the upper part of the lid 3, and the cleaning liquid tank 20 stores the cleaning liquid, and the preserving liquid tank 21 stores the preserving liquid.

Cleaning solution tank 20 and storage solution tank 21
Inlets 22 and 23 are respectively formed on the upper surface of the lid 3, the inlets 22 and 23 project upward from the upper surface of the lid body 3, and caps 24 and 25 are detachably screwed to the projecting end portions, respectively. There is. And these caps 24, 2
5 to remove the cleaning liquid tank 20 from the injection ports 22 and 23.
The cleaning liquid can be replenished therein and the preservative liquid can be replenished into the preservative liquid tank 21, respectively.

Cleaning solution tank 20 and storage solution tank 21
Liquid supply pipes 27,
28, the liquid supply pipes 27, 28 are connected at their intermediate portions with a communication pipe 29.
The insides of the liquid supply pipes 27 and 28 communicate with each other via 9.

The lower end of one liquid supply pipe 27 is loosely inserted in the hollow portion of the one drive shaft 15a, and the lower end of the other liquid supply pipe 28 is loosely inserted in the hollow portion of the other drive shaft 15b. Further, above the communication pipe 29, the cleaning liquid supply pump 30 is provided in one liquid supply pipe 27, and the preservation liquid supply pump 31 is provided in the other liquid supply pipe 28.
Are provided respectively.

A power switch 32 is provided on the upper surface of the lid 3, and the discharge pump 8, the motor 18 and the cleaning liquid supply pump 3 are provided inside the lid 3 via a relay (not shown).
0, a control unit 34 for driving the storage liquid supply pump 31 at a predetermined timing is provided. Next, the operation will be described.

When cleaning the lens, first, the lid 3 is rotated upward to open the upper surface of the main body 1. Then, the contact lenses are housed in the lens housing recesses 4a and 4b, respectively, and then the lid 3 is closed on the upper surface of the main body 1. By this closing operation, the cleaning members 16a and 16b protruding from the lower surface of the lid body 3 are fitted into the lens accommodating recesses 4a and 4b and lightly contact the contact lens.

In this state, the power switch 32 is turned on.
When the power switch 32 is turned on, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 5, first, the cleaning liquid supply pump 30 is driven,
By the operation of the cleaning liquid supply pump 30, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 20 is sucked into the liquid supply pipe 27, and a part of the cleaning liquid is sent from the liquid supply pipe 27 into the cleaning member 16a through the hollow portion of the drive shaft 15a. This cleaning member 1
An appropriate amount of cleaning liquid bleeds from the inside of 6a into the lens housing recess 4a and accumulates therein.

Further, another part of the cleaning liquid sucked into the liquid supply pipe 27 is branched from the liquid supply pipe 27 into the liquid supply pipe 28 through the communication pipe 29, and the drive shaft 15b is supplied from the liquid supply pipe 28. It is sent into the cleaning member 16b through the inside of the hollow portion, and an appropriate amount of the cleaning liquid bleeds from the cleaning member 16b into the lens accommodating concave portion 4b and accumulates therein.

After that, the operation of the cleaning liquid supply pump 30 is stopped, the motor 18 is driven next, and the rotational force of the motor 18 is transmitted from the drive gear 19 to the drive shafts 15a, 15b via the interlocking gears 17a, 17b. These drive shafts 15a and 15b rotate integrally with the cleaning members 16a and 16b at a constant speed. And the cleaning members 16a, 16
By the rotation operation of b, the contact lenses in the lens housing recesses 4a and 4b are cleaned via the cleaning liquid, and this cleaning operation continues for a certain period of time.

After a lapse of a certain time, the operation of the motor 18 is stopped and the cleaning operation is completed. After that, the discharge pump 8 is driven, and the discharge pump 8 operates to remain in the lens accommodating concave portions 4a, 4b. The used cleaning liquid, that is, the waste liquid is sucked into the discharge pipe 7, and is discharged into the waste liquid tank 11 through the discharge pipe 7.

Next, the storage solution supply pump 31 is driven,
By the operation of the preservative liquid supply pump 31, the preservative liquid in the preservative liquid tank 21 is sucked into the liquid supply pipe 28, and a part of the preservative liquid is passed from the liquid supply pipe 28 into the hollow portion of the drive shaft 15b and into the cleaning member 16b. Sent to this cleaning member 1
An appropriate amount of preservative solution bleeds from the inside of 6b into the lens accommodation recess 4b and collects therein.

Another part of the preservative solution sucked into the liquid supply pipe 28 is diverted from the liquid supply pipe 28 through the communication pipe 29 into the liquid supply pipe 27, and further from the liquid supply pipe 27 from the drive shaft. It is sent into the cleaning member 16a through the hollow portion of 15a, and an appropriate amount of the preservative solution bleeds and collects from the cleaning member 16a into the lens accommodating recess 4a.

After that, the operation of the storage liquid supply pump 31 is stopped, the motor 18 is driven next, and the rotational force of the motor 18 is transmitted from the drive gear 19 to the drive shafts 15a and 15b via the interlocking gears 17a and 17b. As a result, the drive shafts 15a and 15b rotate integrally with the cleaning members 16a and 16b at a constant speed. And the cleaning members 16a, 1
By the rotation operation of 6b, the contact lenses in the lens housing recesses 4a and 4b are rinsed through the preservative solution, and this rinse operation continues for a certain period of time.

After a lapse of a certain time, the operation of the motor 18 is stopped and the rinsing operation is completed. After that, the discharge pump 8 is driven, and the discharge pump 8 operates to remain in the lens accommodating concave portions 4a, 4b. The used preserving liquid, that is, the waste liquid, is sucked into the discharge pipe 7 and is discharged into the waste liquid tank 11 through the discharge pipe 7.

After that, the preservative supply pump 31 is driven and the preservative in the preservative tank 21 is supplied into the lens storage recesses 4a and 4b in the same manner as described above, and the contact lens is preserved in the preservative. To be done.

On the other hand, when using the contact lens, the lid 3 is rotated upward to open the upper surface of the main body 1, and the contact lens is taken out from the lens accommodating recesses 4a and 4b and mounted on the eyeball.

As described above, the contact lens can be automatically and efficiently cleaned with the cleaning liquid simply by housing the contact lens in the lens housing recesses 4a and 4b, and therefore, the contact lens may be damaged or lost. There is no fear, and the contact lens after cleaning can be stored as it is in the preservation solution, and therefore, it does not require any trouble after cleaning and can be properly managed at all times.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By simply storing the contact lens in the lens storage recess, the contact lens can be automatically and efficiently washed with a cleaning liquid. Furthermore, the washed contact lens can be rinsed with a storage liquid and the waste liquid of the rinse can be discharged to create a new one. There is an advantage that the contact lens can be properly stored in the storage solution without trouble.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an automatic contact lens cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the automatic contact lens cleaning device.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a lens housing portion of the automatic contact lens cleaning device.

FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view of a lens storage portion in the automatic contact lens cleaning device.

FIG. 5 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the automatic contact lens cleaning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body 3 ... Lid 4a, 4b ... Lens accommodating recessed part 7 ... Exhaust pipe (exhaust path) 8 ... Exhaust pump 16a, 16b ... Cleaning member 18 ... Motor (rotation drive mechanism) 20 ... Cleaning liquid tank 21 ... Preservation liquid tank 27 ... Liquid supply pipe (liquid supply path) 28 ... Liquid supply pipe (liquid supply path) 30 ... Cleaning liquid supply pump 31 ... Preservative liquid supply pump

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A lid is provided on the upper surface of the main body so as to be openable and closable, a pair of lens accommodating recesses for accommodating contact lenses is formed on the upper surface of the main body, and a pair of lens accommodating recesses is formed on the lower surface of the lid. A pair of cleaning members that fit in the lens accommodating recesses are provided so as to project, and a rotation drive mechanism that rotates the cleaning members to clean the contact lens is provided, and communicates with the pair of lens accommodating parts via a liquid supply path. A cleaning liquid tank and a storage liquid tank are provided, the cleaning liquid supply pump for supplying the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank into each lens housing recess before cleaning the contact lens in the liquid supply path, and the storage liquid in the storage liquid tank. A preservative supply pump is provided to supply each of the contact lenses after cleaning the contact lens into each of the lens accommodating recesses, and a discharge path communicating with the pair of lens accommodating recesses is provided. Automatic contact lens cleaning device, characterized in that a discharge pump for discharging the waste liquid in the lens housing portion to the discharge path.