JP7805576B2 - Volatile substance removal device and volatile substance removal method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a volatile substance removal device that removes vaporized volatile substances during medical intervention.

Medical procedures are performed on infants housed in incubators. For example, when performing medical procedures on infants in incubators, volatile substances may be used, such as alcohols used for disinfection and to sterilize the hands of medical practitioners, or as solvents for chemicals. Examples of alcohols used for disinfection include ethanol and isopropanol. If such volatile substances are used in an incubator and vaporize, there is a risk that infants in the incubator will be exposed to the volatile substances for long periods of time. For example, ethanol and isopropanol may have adverse effects on the infant's body and development. Therefore, when using ethanol during medical procedures on infants in an incubator, it is necessary to prevent the concentration of volatile substances in the air inside the incubator from increasing.

However, simply removing volatile substances from the space where the incubator is located, such as a hospital room or ward, is not sufficient to remove volatile substances floating around the patient inside the incubator.

The present disclosure aims to provide a volatile substance removal device and method that can sufficiently remove volatile substances floating around a patient in an incubator.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a volatile substance removal device that can be installed inside an incubator equipped with a storage chamber whose internal temperature and humidity can be adjusted to accommodate a sick child, and that includes an intake section that draws air from the storage chamber through an intake section, a removal section that removes volatile substances contained in the air, and an exhaust section that exhausts the air from which the volatile substances have been removed by the removal section.

The volatile substance is, for example, ethanol or isopropanol.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a volatile substance removal method that can be installed in an incubator having a containment chamber whose internal temperature and humidity can be adjusted to contain a sick child, and that removes vaporized volatile substances from around the sick child contained in the containment chamber using a removal means, an intake means, a suction means, and an exhaust means. The method includes a suction step of sucking air from the containment chamber through the intake means using the suction means, a removal step of removing volatile substances contained in the sucked air using the removal means, and an exhaust step of exhausting the air from which the volatile substances have been removed using the exhaust means.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a volatile substance removal device and method that can sufficiently remove volatile substances such as ethanol floating around a patient in an incubator.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an incubator equipped with an ethanol removal device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the ethanol removal apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ethanol removal apparatus shown in FIG. 2 taken along line AA. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of an ethanol removal apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of an ethanol removal apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ethanol removal apparatus shown in FIG. 5 taken along line AA. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of use of the ethanol removal apparatus shown in FIG. 5 . FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a modified example of the incubator shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a modification of the ethanol removal apparatus shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a modification of the ethanol removal apparatus shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a modification of the ethanol removal apparatus shown in FIG. 3. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an ethanol removal method according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below, taking a closed-type incubator (described later) as an example of the incubator.

Some medical interventions for patient X (such as intravenous administration) are performed inside an incubator. It is also necessary to adsorb and remove volatile substances contained in the air inside the incubator. These volatile substances are substances such as ethanol that are used in medical interventions for patient X.

Therefore, a volatile substance removal device is installed inside the incubator to remove volatile substances used in medical interventions performed inside the incubator from the air inside the incubator. This improves the safety of performing medical interventions on sick children inside the incubator. One reason for installing the volatile substance removal device inside the incubator is that it is less likely to cause hygiene and functional problems. For example, if all or part of the volatile substance removal device were installed outside the incubator, condensation would occur due to the temperature and humidity difference between the inside and outside of the incubator, making hygiene and functional problems more likely to occur. For this reason, it is preferable to install the volatile substance removal device inside the incubator. In the following, we will use ethanol as an example of the volatile substance to be removed, so the volatile substance removal device will be referred to as an ethanol removal device. First, we will provide an overview of the incubator.

<Incubator Overview>
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an incubator 1. The incubator 1 includes a chamber 101 for accommodating a sick child X and a platform 102 on which the chamber 101 is placed. A bed 11 and partitions 12 are arranged in front and behind the bed within the chamber 101. The bed 11 is placed on a bed stage 13 provided on the platform 102. The bed stage 13 allows the bed 11 to move up and down or left and right. The partitions 12 are formed of a transparent resin and have a predetermined height and width from the surface 11a of the bed 11.

The holding room 101 is provided with two treatment openings 101a for doctors or nurses to administer intravenous drips and other treatments to patient X. When performing any treatment on patient X in the holding room 101, disinfection is always required. For example, alcohol swabs are used to disinfect the area to be treated, such as patient X's hands. When alcohol swabs are used in the holding room 101, ethanol is generated within the holding room 101. To remove the generated ethanol, an ethanol removal device 110 is placed on the bed 11 within the holding room 101.

Here, the air in the storage chamber 101 includes first air located away from the ethanol-emitting source (e.g., alcohol swabs) and second air located near the ethanol-emitting source (e.g., alcohol swabs). Therefore, the ethanol removal device 110 primarily removes ethanol from the second air located near the ethanol-emitting source. The operation of the ethanol removal device 110 is controlled by operating an operating unit (not shown) provided on the device.

Incubator 1 is an incubator (a so-called closed-type incubator) equipped with a storage chamber whose internal temperature and humidity can be adjusted to accommodate a sick child. Therefore, incubator 1 further includes a circulation unit 410, a supply unit 420, and an exhaust unit 430. Circulation unit 410 circulates temperature- and humidity-adjusted air into storage chamber 101. Supply unit 420 supplies air from outside storage chamber 101 to the interior of storage chamber 101. Exhaust unit 430 exhausts at least a portion of the air inside storage chamber 101 to the exterior of storage chamber 101. This allows incubator 1 to maintain the temperature and humidity in the storage chamber housing the sick child, and provides ventilation through natural intake and exhaust at a level that maintains the temperature and humidity. In addition to temperature and humidity, incubator 1 may also be able to adjust the oxygen concentration. The direction and speed of the airflow supplied by the circulation unit are considered so as not to affect the sick child.

The mounting base 102 is provided with an operation panel 102a that allows the user (doctor, nurse, etc.) to operate the functions of the incubator 1.

In the incubator 1, the temperature and humidity of the air within the containment chamber 101 are regulated by the circulation unit 410. The ethanol removal device 110 draws in the air within the containment chamber 101, removes the ethanol contained in the air, and then exhausts the ethanol-removed air back into the containment chamber 101. This makes it possible to remove ethanol from the containment chamber 101 while maintaining the temperature and humidity within the containment chamber 101. Another possible method is to remove the ethanol from the air outside the incubator 1 and replace the air outside the incubator 1 with the air within the incubator 1, but this method makes it difficult to maintain the temperature and humidity within the incubator 1.

Furthermore, by placing the ethanol removal device 110 inside the accommodation chamber 101, there is no need to secure space for installing the ethanol removal device 110 separate from the space for installing the incubator 1.

The ethanol removal device 110 can also be placed anywhere on the bed 11 for use. Therefore, when disinfecting patient X, placing the ethanol removal device 110 close to the area to be disinfected will enable it to effectively adsorb the ethanol generated during disinfection.

<Outline of the ethanol removal device>
Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of the ethanol removal device 110. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2 .

As shown in Figure 2, the ethanol removal device 110 includes a housing 111. The front surface 111a of the housing 111 is provided with intake sections 111c that take in air, which are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the front surface 111a, and the rear surface 111b is provided with an exhaust section 111d (Figure 3) that exhausts the air from which ethanol has been removed inside the housing 111. The front surface 111a of the housing 111 is provided with a guide section 112 that guides air to the intake section 111c.

As shown in Figure 3, within the housing 111, a first removal unit 114 and a suction unit 115 are arranged in this order from the intake unit 111c toward the exhaust unit 111d.

The first removal unit 114 contains crushed activated carbon 114a and adsorbs vaporized ethanol contained in air drawn in by the suction unit 115 through the first opening 114b on the intake unit 111c side, and exhausts the ethanol from the second opening 114c on the suction unit 115 side. The first removal unit 114 is a cartridge type that houses crushed activated carbon 114a in a cartridge that is detachable from the top side of the housing 111. This makes it easy to replace the first removal unit 114. Furthermore, the crushed activated carbon 114a is disposable. Therefore, the first removal unit 114 is replaced as follows: The crushed activated carbon 114a housed in the first removal unit 114 removed from the housing 111 is discarded, new crushed activated carbon 114a is placed in the first removal unit 114, and the first removal unit 114 is then reattached to the housing 111.

A gas sensor 117 is provided between the first removal unit 114 and the suction unit 115. This gas sensor 117 is a sensor for detecting a decrease in the ethanol adsorption capacity of the first removal unit 114. Specifically, if the control unit (not shown) of the ethanol removal device 110 determines that the ethanol concentration detected by the gas sensor 117 is equal to or greater than a preset value (the value used to determine whether the first removal unit 114 needs to be replaced), it determines that the ethanol adsorption capacity of the first removal unit 114 has decreased below a predetermined standard. In other words, the control unit can notify the user that it is time to replace the first removal unit 114 based on the ethanol concentration detected by the gas sensor 117. In this way, the control unit determines the adsorption state of the first removal unit 114 (whether it has broken through (adsorption has exceeded its adsorption capacity, resulting in leakage of the adsorption target) or whether it is fully adsorbed) based on the ethanol concentration detected by the gas sensor 117. Therefore, the gas sensor 117 functions as a breakthrough sensor. In other words, the gas sensor 117 is a sensor that detects a decrease in the adsorption capacity of the activated carbon in the first removal unit 114, and based on the detection results of the gas sensor 117, it notifies the user when it is time to replace the activated carbon in the first removal unit 114.

The suction unit 115 is composed of two sirocco fans, and draws air from the intake unit 111c via the first removal unit 114, and exhausts it from the exhaust unit 111d provided on the rear surface 111b of the housing 111. Here, the intake volume of the suction unit 115 per minute is 20 L or more, but is not limited to this. However, it is preferable that the intake volume of the suction unit 115 be set within a range that does not disrupt the environment inside the closed incubator due to the intake volume and exhaust volume.

It is desirable that the direction in which air is exhausted by the exhaust section 111d is a direction that does not interfere with the airflow within the incubator 1. It is also desirable that the air exhausted from the exhaust section 111d (air from which ethanol has been removed) does not hit the body of the child patient X in the accommodation room 101. This is because if the air exhausted from the exhaust section 111d hits the child patient X, it could take away the child's body temperature or promote moisture loss through insensible perspiration. Therefore, the ethanol removal device 110 is configured so that the air exhausted from the exhaust section 111d is exhausted in a direction away from the child patient X in the accommodation room 101.

Air drawn in from the intake section 111c of the housing 111 is guided by the guide section 112 described above. Details of the guide section 112 will be described below. The guide section 112 includes a placement section 112a on which at least a portion of the patient X, who is the target of ethanol treatment, and/or an ethanol source, such as an alcohol swab, can be placed.

When at least a portion of patient X is placed on the support section 112a and treated with ethanol (e.g., disinfection), or when an alcohol swab or other treatment source, which is a source of ethanol, is placed on the support section 112a, ethanol will drift near the portion of patient X placed on the support section 112a. However, the ethanol removal device 110 actively guides ethanol-containing air drifting on the support surface (predetermined surface) on which at least a portion of patient X is placed on the support section 112a to the intake section 111c using the guide section 112. This allows the ethanol removal device 110 to remove ethanol using the first removal section 114 and second removal section 116 within the housing 111. Therefore, the ethanol removal device 110 can remove ethanol contained in the air in a short period of time. Compared to a method of exchanging the air inside the incubator 1 with the air outside, with this method, the ethanol volatilized from the alcohol swabs, etc., floats around inside the incubator and is then expelled outside the incubator 1, making it impossible to suppress the peak ethanol concentration inside the incubator 1. Furthermore, because the ethanol concentration inside the incubator 1 remains high, it takes time to expel the ethanol outside the incubator 1, which makes it difficult to fully alleviate the effects of ethanol on the infant. In contrast, with removal using the ethanol removal device 110, the ethanol volatilized from the alcohol swabs, etc., is removed near the source, suppressing the peak ethanol concentration inside the incubator 1 and fully alleviating the effects of ethanol on the infant. While it may be possible to quickly exchange the air inside and outside the incubator 1 by opening the incubator door, this method cannot be adopted due to the sudden fluctuations in temperature, humidity, oxygen concentration, etc. that would place a significant burden on the infant.

The resting portion 112a is made of a single plate-like member (such as a resin plate) and is formed integrally with the housing 111. The resting portion 112a has a width on the front surface 111a side of the housing 111 that is approximately the same as the longitudinal width of the front surface 111a, and a generally trapezoidal shape on the side opposite the front surface 111a that is wider than the longitudinal width of the front surface 111a. Thus, the width of the side opposite the front surface 111a is longer than that of the front surface 111a side. This configuration significantly improves the ease of treatment on the resting portion 112a. Furthermore, the resting portion 112a can be used to place part of patient X on for treatment such as disinfection with alcohol swabs, and can also be used as a temporary storage area for alcohol swabs.

The guide portion 112 has two wall portions 112b, 112b that rise upward from the periphery of the mounting portion 112a. In other words, the wall portion 112b is formed excluding the portion facing the intake portion 111c. Here, the wall portion 112b is made of the same type of material as the mounting portion 112a and is formed integrally with it.

The wall portion 112b prevents ethanol generated after treating at least a portion of the child patient X placed on the support portion 112a from diffusing outside the support portion 112a. This makes it possible to more actively guide air containing ethanol into the intake portion 111c.

Furthermore, because the wall 112b is formed except for the portion facing the intake 111c, a medical professional can perform ethanol treatment (disinfection) on at least a portion of the child patient X placed on the support section 112a through the area where the wall 112b is not formed. Here, the medical professional may be a medical professional, nurse, or the like. Furthermore, the ethanol removal device 110 is designed not to obstruct the introduction of ethanol to the intake 111c. This allows ethanol treatment on a treatment target, such as at least a portion of the child patient X, to be performed without being obstructed by the wall 112b. This facilitates treatment of the treatment target (assuming treatment by a doctor or nurse in the containment chamber 101 of the incubator 1) and allows the removal of any ethanol that is generated. Therefore, treatment of the child patient X can be performed while taking safety into consideration within the incubator 1. Furthermore, to avoid interfering with medical procedures on the child patient X and to improve the ethanol removal rate, the intake 111c of the ethanol removal device 110 is positioned in a direction that ensures the appropriate flow direction of air containing vaporized ethanol. Furthermore, the fan rotation speed of the suction section 115 of the ethanol removal device 110 is set so that the wind speed of the air drawn in from the intake section 11c is appropriate.

The wall 112b is highest on the front surface 111a side of the housing 111 and becomes lower as it moves away from the front surface 111a. By making the wall 112b higher on the front surface 111a side of the housing 111 than the rear surface 111b, it is possible to more easily guide air into the intake section 111c. By making the height of the wall 112b lower as it moves away from the front surface 111a, the wall 112b does not get in the way, making it easier to perform treatment on the mounting section 112a. In this way, by making the wall 112b highest on the front surface 111a side of the housing 111 and becoming lower as it moves away from the front surface 111a, it is possible to achieve both ease of air introduction and ease of treatment.

To reliably guide air to the intake section 111c of the housing 111, at least a portion of the guide section 112 needs to be connected to the intake section 111c. Specifically, the end of the mounting section 112a and wall section 112b of the guide section 112 facing the front surface 111a needs to be connected to the intake section 111c. In this case, the air guided by the guide section 112 to the intake section 111c is less likely to leak between the intake section 111c and the end of the mounting section 112a and wall section 112b of the guide section 112 facing the front surface 111a, and the intake section 111c, and a large amount of air is guided to the intake section 111c. In other words, by connecting at least a portion of the guide section 112 to the intake section 111c, air can be reliably guided to the intake section 111c.

In the ethanol removal device 110 configured as described above, the guide section 112, which guides ethanol-containing air to the intake section 111c, has a placement section 112a on which at least a portion of the hand, foot, or other part of the patient X, who is the treatment target for the ethanol treatment, can be placed. This allows the guide section 112 to guide the ethanol-containing outside air used to treat the target on the placement section 112a to the intake section 111c. In this way, at least a portion of the patient X's hand, foot, or other part of the treatment target is placed on or comes into contact with the guide section 112. Therefore, it is desirable that the guide section 112 be soft. The material used for the guide section 112 must be elastic (or flexible), not easily absorb ethanol, and not adversely affect the patient X's body, the gas sensor 117, etc. The guide section 112 must be less likely to absorb ethanol than the first removal section 114.

Furthermore, since at least a portion of the treatment target is placed on the mounting section 112a, ethanol will drift near the treatment target placed on the mounting section 112a. Therefore, air containing ethanol drifting on the mounting surface (predetermined surface) of the treatment target on the mounting section 112a is actively guided to the intake section 111c by the guide section 112. This allows the ethanol removal device 110 to remove ethanol contained in the air in a short period of time.

<Method for removing ethanol>
12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the ethanol removal method according to this embodiment. The ethanol removal method according to this embodiment is installed in an incubator having a chamber 101 whose internal temperature and humidity can be adjusted to accommodate a child patient, and removes ethanol vaporized from the chamber 101 during medical treatment using ethanol on the child patient housed in the chamber 101.

In step 1 (S1), the ethanol removal device 110 guides the air in the storage chamber 101 to the intake section 111c, which draws the air into the first removal section 114 (guide step). In this embodiment, the first removal section 114 is configured to realize the removal means, and the intake section 111c is configured to realize the intake means.

In step 2 (S2), the ethanol removal device 110 sucks air from the storage chamber 101 through the intake section 111c using the suction section 115 (suction step). In this embodiment, the suction section 115 is configured to realize the suction means.

In step 3 (S3), the ethanol removal device 110 removes the ethanol contained in the sucked air using the first removal unit 114 (removal step).

In step (S4), the ethanol removal device 110 exhausts the air from which the ethanol has been removed using the exhaust unit 111d (exhaust step). In this embodiment, the exhaust unit 111d is configured to realize the exhaust means.

The above configuration includes a guide step for guiding air within the containment chamber 101 to the intake section 111c, allowing the air to be efficiently guided by the suction section 115 (suction means). This allows the fan that makes up the suction section 115 to be small, making it possible to make the entire device for implementing the ethanol removal method compact. Therefore, even if the device for implementing the ethanol removal method is used in a closed-type incubator 1, it does not interfere with medical procedures on the patient.

Furthermore, in the exhaust step, the direction in which air is exhausted by exhaust section 111d (exhaust means) may be a direction different from the direction in which intake section 111c (intake means) is provided. Intake section 111c takes in air containing ethanol, and exhaust section 111d exhausts air from which ethanol has been removed. For this reason, if air from which ethanol has been removed is directed to intake section 111c, the air containing ethanol cannot be efficiently inhaled. Therefore, by setting the direction in which air is exhausted by exhaust section 111d to a direction different from the direction in which intake section 111c is provided, it is possible to prevent the air exhausted from exhaust section 111d (air from which ethanol has been removed) from interfering with the intake of air containing ethanol by intake section 111c.

In this embodiment, the wall portions 112b of the guide portion 112 are provided on both side ends of the mounting portion 112a, but this is not limited to this. For example, the wall portions 112b may be provided not only on both side ends of the mounting portion 112a, but also on the mounting portion 112a itself. This example will be described in embodiment 2 below.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

<Outline of the volatile removal device>
4 is a schematic front view of the ethanol removal apparatus 210. The ethanol removal apparatus 210 has the same housing 111 as the ethanol removal apparatus 110 described in the first embodiment, but has a guide portion 212 that is different from that of the ethanol removal apparatus 110.

The guide section 212 has a mounting section 212a, two first walls 212b extending upward from both side edges of the mounting section 212a, and five second walls 212c arranged at approximately equal intervals on the mounting section 212a and approximately parallel to the first walls 212b.

The first wall portion 212b and the second wall portion 212c have the same shape as the wall portion 112b provided in the guide portion 112 of the ethanol removal apparatus 110 of the first embodiment.

The five second wall portions 212c are provided on the mounting portion 212a at approximately equal intervals, and together with the two first wall portions 212b, form six passages (grooves) for guiding air to the intake portion 111c of the housing 111. In this way, by forming six grooves for guiding air to the intake portion 111c of the housing 111, it becomes easier to guide air to the intake portion 111c, and ethanol contained in the air from the source is thoroughly removed.

As with the guide portion 112 of the first embodiment, the guide portion 212 is placed on or comes into contact with at least a portion of the patient X's hand, foot, etc., which is the treatment target, and therefore the material of the guide portion 212 must be elastic. Furthermore, the guide portion 212 must be resistant to ethanol adsorption, and must not adversely affect the patient X or sensors (gas sensor 117, etc.). The guide portion 212 must be less resistant to ethanol adsorption than the first removal portion 114.

However, of the mounting portion 212a and second wall portion 212c that make up the guide portion 212, it is preferable that at least the second wall portion 212c provided on the mounting portion 212a be elastic.

[Embodiment 3]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

<Outline of the ethanol removal device>
Fig. 5 is a schematic front view of the ethanol removal device 110A, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 5 .

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the ethanol removal apparatus 110A has a structure in which the placement portion 112a is removed from the guide portion 112 of the ethanol removal apparatus 110 of the first embodiment. In other words, as shown in Figure 5, the ethanol removal apparatus 110A has the same structure as the ethanol removal apparatus 110 of the first embodiment, except for the structure of the guide portion 112.

As shown in FIG. 6, within the housing 111 of the ethanol removal device 110A, a first removal unit 114 and a suction unit 115 are arranged in this order from the intake unit 111c toward the exhaust unit 111d.

The suction unit 115 is composed of two sirocco fans, and draws air from the intake unit 111c via the first removal unit 114, and exhausts it from the exhaust unit 111d provided on the rear surface 111b of the housing 111. Here, the intake volume of the suction unit 115 per minute is 20 L or more, but is not limited to this. However, it is preferable that the intake volume of the suction unit 115 be set within a range that does not disrupt the environment inside the closed incubator due to the intake volume and exhaust volume.

It is preferable that the air (from which ethanol has been removed) exhausted from the exhaust section 11d does not hit the body of the patient X in the containment chamber 101. Therefore, the ethanol removal device 110 is configured to exhaust air in a direction away from the patient X in the containment chamber 101.

Air drawn in from the intake section 111c of the housing 111 is guided by the guide section 112 described above. Details of the guide section 112 will be explained below. The guide section 112 is configured to guide air containing ethanol to the intake section 111c from a direction that is not perpendicular to the surface 11a of the bed 11, which is the surface on which the alcohol cotton Y, the source of ethanol, is placed.

When alcohol-scented cotton Y is placed on the surface 11a of the bed 11, the ethanol produced by the alcohol-scented cotton Y will drift onto the surface on which the alcohol-scented cotton Y is placed. However, the guide section 112 is configured to guide air containing ethanol to the intake section 111c from a direction that is not perpendicular to the surface of the surface 11a of the bed 11 on which the alcohol-scented cotton Y is placed, so that air containing ethanol emitted by the alcohol-scented cotton Y placed on the surface can be guided to the intake section 111c.

In order to guide air to the intake section 111c of the housing 111, it is preferable that at least a portion of the guide section 112 be in contact with the surface 11a of the bed 11, which is the placement surface on which the alcohol cotton Y that emits ethanol is placed.

As described above, at least a portion of the guide section 112 that guides ethanol-containing air to the intake section 111c is in contact with the placement surface of the surface 11a of the bed 11 on which the ethanol-emitting alcohol swabs Y are placed, thereby more effectively guiding the ethanol-containing air emitted by the alcohol swabs Y placed on the placement surface to the intake section 111c.

As shown in Figure 5, the guide section 112 has two walls 112b, 112b that surround a predetermined range Z on the surface of the bed 11 on which the alcohol swabs Y that emit volatile substances are placed. The walls 112b are formed to protrude forward from both longitudinal ends of the front surface 111a of the housing 111. The walls 112b may be arranged to surround the periphery of the range Z, but in this embodiment, in consideration of ease of treatment, the walls 112b are formed excluding the portion facing the intake section 111c.

As a result, the guide section 112 has a wall section 112b that surrounds a predetermined range Z of the surface 11a, which is the placement surface of the bed 11 on which the alcohol swabs Y, the source of ethanol, are placed, and the wall 112b prevents ethanol emitted from the alcohol swabs Y placed on the surface 11a from diffusing outside the guide section 112. This allows the ethanol removal device 110A to more actively guide air containing ethanol into the intake section 111c.

Furthermore, because the wall 112b is formed excluding the portion facing the intake section 111c, treatment using ethanol can be performed on at least a portion of the child patient X placed on the surface 11a from the area where the wall 112b is not formed. Furthermore, the wall 112b does not impede the introduction of ethanol to the intake section 111c. This allows the treating technician to treat the treatment target, such as at least a portion of the child patient X, with ethanol without being hindered by the wall 112b, making it easier to treat the treatment target (assuming treatment by a doctor or nurse in the containment chamber 101 of the incubator 1) and also allows the ethanol that is generated to be removed.

The wall portion 112b is highest on the front surface 111a of the housing 111 and becomes lower as it moves away from the front surface 111a. The wall portion 112b is higher on the front surface 111a of the housing 111 to make it easier to guide air to the intake portion 111c when the guide portion 112 is placed on the surface 11a of the bed 11, and becomes lower as it moves away from the front surface 111a to make it easier to perform treatment on the surface on which the alcohol swabs Y are placed. In this way, by making the wall portion 112b highest on the front surface 111a of the housing 111 and becoming lower as it moves away from the front surface 111a, it is possible to achieve both ease of air introduction and ease of treatment when the guide portion 112 is placed on the surface 11a of the bed 11.

In the ethanol removal device 110A configured as described above, the guide section 112 that guides ethanol-containing air to the intake section 111c is configured to guide the ethanol-containing air to the intake section 111c from a direction that is not perpendicular to the surface 11a of the bed 11, which is the support surface on which the ethanol-emitting source (such as alcohol swabs Y) is placed. This allows the guide section 112 to guide the ethanol-containing air emitted by the alcohol swabs Y placed on the surface 11a of the bed 11 to the intake section 111c. Therefore, the ethanol removal device 110A can actively guide the ethanol-containing air floating on the support surface (surface 11a of the bed 11) on which the alcohol swabs Y are placed to the intake section 111c using the guide section 112. This allows the ethanol removal device 110A to remove ethanol contained in the air in a short period of time. Furthermore, because the direction in which the ethanol-containing air is drawn in by the intake unit 111c is not perpendicular (horizontal, diagonal, etc.) to the surface 11a of the bed 11 on which the alcohol swabs Y are placed, the guide unit 112 is unlikely to interfere when placing the alcohol swabs Y on the surface 11a of the bed 11 from above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, if the direction in which the air is drawn in by the intake unit 111c is not perpendicular (horizontal) to the surface 11a of the bed 11 on which the alcohol swabs Y are placed, the top of the guide unit 112 (the direction facing the surface 11a of the bed 11) is open. The doctor can then place the alcohol swabs Y from above the open guide unit 112, and the guide unit 112 does not interfere with the doctor's act of placing the alcohol swabs Y.

(Example of use)
7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of use of the ethanol removal apparatus 110A. The ethanol removal apparatus 110A is basically used with the guide unit 112 and the housing 111 placed on the surface 11a of the bed 11, as shown in FIGS.

As shown in Figure 7, the ethanol removal device 110A may be used by bringing the tip of the wall portion 112b of the guide portion 112 into contact with the surface 11a of the bed 11 and tilting it at a predetermined angle θ (0≦<θ<90°) from the surface 11a, so that air containing ethanol generated from the alcohol cotton Y placed on the surface 11a is guided to the intake portion 111c. In other words, the ethanol removal device 110A may be used by guiding air to the intake portion 111c from a direction that is not perpendicular to the surface 11a of the bed 11.

In addition, in the ethanol removal device 110A shown in Figure 7, the wall portion 112b may be made of an elastic material, and the tip of the wall portion 112b may be slightly bent to increase the area of the wall portion 112b that comes into contact with the bed 11.

Furthermore, the wall portion 112b of the ethanol removal device 110A shown in Figure 7 may have a portion cut out on the bed 11 side.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the ethanol removal apparatus 110A is used at an angle, the ethanol removal apparatus 110A may be supported by leaning the exhaust section 111d side of the housing 111 against the partition section 12. The partition section 12 and the ethanol removal apparatus 110A may also be configured as a single unit. Note that the configuration for supporting the ethanol removal apparatus 110A at an angle is not limited to this. For example, a support member (not shown) with an inclined surface may be installed on the surface 11a of the bed, and the ethanol removal apparatus 110A may be supported by the inclined surface of this support member. The support member and the ethanol removal apparatus 110A may also be configured as a single unit.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, if the ethanol removal apparatus 110A is supported at an angle, it becomes possible to insert fingers or other objects from below the ethanol removal apparatus 110A (between the bed 11 and the ethanol removal apparatus 110A) for treatment.

(Driving control of ethanol removal device)
The ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A of the first, second, and third embodiments are configured to activate and deactivate the fan in the suction unit 115 by turning the power on and off. This power source may be a battery (primary battery, rechargeable battery, etc.), an external power source, or a combination of an external power source and a rechargeable battery. When the ethanol removal apparatus is installed in an incubator each time it is used, a battery is preferred. When the ethanol removal apparatus is permanently installed in the incubator, an external power source is preferred. Typically, when treating child patient X in the containment room 101, the treating person (doctor or nurse) turns on the power to activate the fan in the suction unit 115. Furthermore, the suction force of the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A can be adjusted by the rotation speed of the fan in the suction unit 115. Therefore, by changing the fan rotation speed depending on the concentration of ethanol to be removed, appropriate suction and removal of ethanol can be achieved.

The ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A of the first, second, and third embodiments each have a function to display their operating status (driving status). The function to display the driving status refers to explicitly displaying whether the device is running, whether it is stopped, whether the filter (activated carbon in the removal section) needs to be replaced, whether a problem has occurred, whether the battery is low, etc. In this case, the driving status may be displayed on a display panel or by lighting a lamp corresponding to the driving status. This prevents the operator from forgetting to operate the ethanol removal device 110, 210, and 110A. The ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A can also display a message prompting the user to replace the filter.

Furthermore, the ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A of the first, second, and third embodiments are all designed to be low in height when laid down, and are sized so as not to interfere with work inside the incubator 1(2). Furthermore, the ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A are preferably sized to facilitate the insertion and removal of adsorbents, etc., through the opening 101a of the incubator 1(2) when replacing the adsorbent in the removal section. Furthermore, the ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A of the first, second, and third embodiments are preferably sized to facilitate insertion and removal through the opening 101a of the incubator 1(2) and have a weight (e.g., 120 g) that is easy to handle. This allows the ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A to be used in existing incubators within the ward.

[Variation 1]
In the first embodiment, an example in which two treatment openings 101a are provided in the storage chamber 101 has been described, but the number of openings 101a may be at least two, and may be three or more.

[Variation 2]
In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the drive control of the ethanol removal device 110 is performed by operating the operation unit provided on each device, but it may also be performed by operating the operation panel 102a provided on the incubator 1.

[Variation 3]
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the incubator 1 circulates air within the incubator 1 by a circulation unit 410, supplies air to the incubator 1 from a supply unit 420, and discharges air to the outside of the incubator 1 from a discharge unit 430 above the bed 11 in the accommodation room 101. That is, the main air circulation in the incubator 1 shown in FIG. 1 occurs above the bed 11 in the accommodation room 101. Therefore, the air flow toward the patient X on the bed 11 in the accommodation room 101 may affect the temperature change within the incubator 1. Therefore, in order to reduce the effect of the air flow on the temperature change toward the patient X on the bed 11 in the accommodation room 101, it is preferable to circulate air within the incubator 2, supply air to the incubator 2, and discharge air to the outside of the incubator 2 below the bed 11 in the accommodation room 101, as in the incubator 2 shown in FIG. 8 , for example. It is preferable that the air be discharged from inside the incubator 2 to outside the incubator 2 in a direction that does not interfere with the circulation of air inside the incubator 2 (for example, in the same direction as the circulation direction).

The incubator 2 shown in Figure 8 has the same circulation unit 410 and supply unit 420 as those in Figure 1, which are not shown, located below the bed 11. Note that the incubator 2 shown in Figure 8 does not have a device that actively discharges the air from the incubator 2 to the outside, like the discharge unit 430 shown in Figure 1 of the first embodiment. Instead, the air inside the incubator 2 is discharged to the outside of the incubator 2 through the opening 101a of the accommodation chamber 101, a small gap between the accommodation chamber 101 and the placement table 102, etc.

In the incubator 2 shown in Figure 8, air whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted by a circulation unit 410 located below the bed 11 is guided from the bottom of the bed 11 to the top of the accommodation room 101 along the inner wall on the long side of the incubator 2. In addition, in the incubator 2, air above the bed 11 is guided to the circulation unit 410 below the bed 11 along the inner wall on the short side of the incubator 2. In this way, in the incubator 2, air is circulated so that the impact of temperature changes due to air flow on the patient X is minimal.

Therefore, the incubator 2 shown in Figure 8 can keep the air inside the incubator 2 clean and maintain appropriate air temperature and humidity while minimizing the impact of air flow inside the incubator 2 on the patient X in the accommodation room 101.

[Modification 4]
In the first embodiment, the intake sections 111c of the ethanol removal apparatus 110 are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the front surface 111a of the housing 111. However, this is not limited to this, and the intake sections 111c may be arranged anywhere and may have any structure as long as they can take in air. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the exhaust section 111d of the ethanol removal apparatus 110 is arranged on the rear surface 111b of the housing 111. However, this is not limited to this, and the exhaust section 111d may be arranged anywhere and may have any structure as long as they can exhaust air. Furthermore, the guide section 112 of the ethanol removal apparatus 110 may have any structure as long as it can guide air to the intake sections 111c.

[Modification 5]
In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the first removal unit 114 is a cartridge type and is detachable from the housing 111. Similarly, it is preferable that the second removal unit 116 is also a cartridge type. In this case, the cartridge type second removal unit 116 is detachable from the top surface of the housing 111, just like the first removal unit 114. In this way, if both the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116 are cartridge types, they can be easily detached from the housing 111, making it easy to replace the adsorbent in each removal unit.

[Variation 6]
In the first embodiment, the direction of air flowing through the first removal unit 114 and the suction unit 115 is perpendicular to the direction of the fan's rotation axis, and therefore a sirocco fan is used as the fan used in the suction unit 115. However, this is not limited to this. For example, if the direction of air flowing through the first removal unit 114 and the suction unit 115 is the same as the direction of the fan's rotation axis, an axial fan is used as the fan used in the suction unit 115. In this way, other types of fans may be used depending on the locations of the first removal unit 114 and the suction unit 115. Furthermore, the number of fans used in the suction unit 115 is not limited to two, and may be one, three, or more. Furthermore, the type and number of fans may be determined appropriately taking into account the required airflow, battery, and power consumption.

[Variation 7]
In the first embodiment, the mounting portion 112a of the guide portion 112 is described as being integral with the housing 111. However, the mounting portion 112a may be formed separately from the housing 111 and connectable to the housing 111. When the mounting portion 112a is formed separately from the housing 111, mounting portions 112a of different sizes and shapes can be prepared, making it possible to provide an ethanol removal apparatus 110 suited to the installation environment. Furthermore, the shape and size of the mounting portion 112a are not particularly limited.

[Variation 8]
In the first embodiment, an example in which there are two wall portions 112b has been described, but the number of wall portions 112b is not limited to two and may be one, as long as they are formed excluding the portion facing the intake portion 111c. In other words, it is sufficient for the guide portion 112 to have at least one wall portion 112b.

In addition, in the first embodiment, an example was described in which the wall portion 112b is highest on the front face 111a side of the housing 111 and becomes lower as it moves away from the front face 111a, but this shape is not limited to this. For example, when considering the ease of introducing air into the intake portion 111c, the height of the wall portion 112b on the front face 111a side of the housing 111 may be the same as the height at the position farthest from the front face 111a. When considering the ease of treatment on the mounting portion 112a, it is preferable to make the height of the wall portion 112b as low as possible.

As described in the first embodiment, the wall portion 112b may be formed from the same type of material as the mounting portion 112a, or from a different type of material. Furthermore, as described in the first embodiment, the wall portion 112b may be formed integrally with the mounting portion 112a, or may be formed separately from the mounting portion 112a. Furthermore, if the wall portion 112b is formed separately from the mounting portion 112a, it may be detachable from the mounting portion 112a. Furthermore, the guide portion may have a structure that slightly extends (protrudes) the top surface of the housing 111 toward the mounting portion 112a. In this way, air is efficiently guided to the intake portion 111c by the guide portion.

[Modification 9]
In the second embodiment, the shapes of the first wall 212b and the second wall 212c of the guide portion 212 are the same as the wall 112b provided on the guide portion 112 in the first embodiment, but are not limited to this shape. For example, when considering the ease of introducing air into the intake portion 111c, the height of the first wall 212b on the front surface 111a side of the housing 111 may be the same as the height at the position farthest from the front surface 111a. Furthermore, when considering the ease of treatment on the mounting portion 212a, the heights of the first wall 212b and the second wall 212c may be as low as possible.

The second wall portion 212c may have the same shape as the first wall portion 212b, or a different shape, as long as it does not get in the way during treatment. Furthermore, a lower height of the second wall portion 212c makes treatment easier on the mounting portion 212a. The number of second walls 212c is not limited to five, and may be less than or greater than five. If the first wall portion 212b and the second wall portion 212c are formed separately from the mounting portion 212a, they may be detachable from the mounting portion 212a. The second wall portion 212c may be provided only on a portion of the mounting portion 212a (for example, near the first wall portion 212b). This ensures sufficient space on the mounting portion 212a for the treatment target to be placed, while also making it easier to guide air into the intake portion 111c, allowing the ethanol contained in the air to be removed in a short period of time.

[Modification 10]
In the ethanol removal apparatuses 110 and 210 of the first and second embodiments, the guide unit 112 and the housing 111, and the guide unit 212 and the housing 111 are typically used while placed on the surface 11a of the bed 11, but this is not a limitation. For example, the tips of the guide unit 112 of the ethanol removal apparatus 110 and the guide unit 212 of the ethanol removal apparatus 210 may be brought into contact with the surface 11a of the bed 11 and maintained in a state tilted at a predetermined angle θ (0≦<θ<90°) from the surface 11a, so that ethanol-containing air generated from an ethanol source (e.g., alcohol cotton) placed on the mounting unit 112a and the mounting unit 212a is guided to the intake unit 111c.

[Modification 11]
In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the alcohol-stained cotton Y was placed directly on the bed 11, but this is not limited to this. The cotton may be placed on a tray (not shown), which may then be placed on the bed 11, and the ethanol-containing air may be guided to the intake section 111c by the guide section 112.

[Modification 12]
In the third embodiment, an example in which two walls 112b are formed has been described, but the number of walls 112b is not limited to two and may be one, as long as they are formed excluding the portion facing the intake section 111c. In other words, the guide section 112 is required to have at least one wall 112b that surrounds a predetermined range Z on the surface of the bed 11 on which the alcohol-cleaned cotton Y is placed.

In addition, in the third embodiment, an example was described in which the wall portion 112b is highest on the front surface 111a side of the housing 111 and becomes lower as it moves away from the front surface 111a. However, this shape is not limited to this. For example, when considering the ease of introducing air into the intake portion 111c, the height of the wall portion 112b on the front surface 111a side of the housing 111 may be the same as the height at the position farthest from the front surface 111a. Furthermore, when considering the ease of treatment on the placement surface of the alcohol-stained cotton swabs Y with the guide portion 112 placed on the surface 11a of the bed 11, it is preferable to make the height of the wall portion 112b as low as possible. Furthermore, the wall portion 112b may be detachable from the housing 111.

To reliably guide air to the intake section 111c of the housing 111, at least a portion of the guide section 112 needs to be connected to the intake section 111c. Specifically, the end of the wall section 112b of the guide section 112 on the front surface 111a side needs to be connected to the intake section 111c. In this case, the air guided by the guide section 112 to the intake section 111c is less likely to leak between the end of the wall section 112b of the guide section 112 on the front surface 111a side and the intake section 111c, and a large amount of air is guided to the intake section 111c. In other words, by connecting at least a portion of the guide section 112 to the intake section 111c, air can be reliably guided to the intake section 111c. Alternatively, the top surface of the housing 111 may be slightly extended (protruding) toward the placement section (e.g., the surface 11a of the bed 11) to serve as a guide section. This allows air to be efficiently guided to the intake section 111c.

[Modification 13]
In the third embodiment, as an example of use of the ethanol removal apparatus 110A, as shown in FIG. 7 , the ethanol removal apparatus 110A is used with the tip of the wall portion 112b of the guide portion 112 in contact with the surface 11a of the bed 11 and tilted at a predetermined angle θ (0°≦<θ<90°) from the surface 11a. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the guide portion 112 of the ethanol removal apparatus 110A only has the wall portion 112b. Therefore, the ethanol removal apparatus 110A may be used with the tip of the wall portion 112b in contact with the surface 11a of the bed 11 and tilted at a predetermined angle θ (90°<θ≦180°) from the surface 11a of the bed 11. In other words, the ethanol removal apparatus 110A may be used so that the air is guided to the intake portion 111c from a direction that is not perpendicular to the surface 11a of the bed 11.

[Modification 14]
In the third embodiment, an example of a single removal unit, the first removal unit 114, was described as the removal unit provided in the ethanol removal device 110A, but this is not limited to this, and the number of removal units may be two or more.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a first removal unit 114, a suction unit 115, and a second removal unit 116 may be arranged in this order within the housing 111 from the intake unit 111c toward the exhaust unit 111d.

The first removal unit 114 is made of sheet-like activated carbon and quickly adsorbs most of the ethanol contained in the air drawn in through the intake unit 111c. Therefore, if the amount of ethanol contained in the air is small, the first removal unit 114 will adsorb all of the ethanol.

The second removal unit 116 is made of pelletized activated carbon and slowly and reliably adsorbs the ethanol contained in the air sucked in by the suction unit 115. The air from which the ethanol has been adsorbed by the second removal unit 116 is exhausted from the exhaust unit 111d provided on the rear surface 111b of the housing 111.

As described above, the first removal unit 114 uses sheet-shaped activated carbon as an adsorbent to quickly adsorb large amounts of highly concentrated ethanol, while the second removal unit 116 uses pellet-shaped activated carbon as an adsorbent to slowly adsorb any ethanol that has not been completely adsorbed by the first removal unit 114.

As a result, the first removal unit 114 quickly adsorbs a large amount of ethanol from the air drawn in through the intake unit 111c of the housing 111, and the second removal unit 116 then adsorbs all of the ethanol, allowing the ethanol in the air drawn in through the intake unit 111c to be sufficiently removed.

[Modification 15]
In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the direction of air flowing through the first removal unit 114 and the suction unit 115 is perpendicular to the direction of the fan's rotation axis, and therefore a sirocco fan is used as the fan used in the suction unit 115. However, this is not limited to this. For example, if the direction of air flowing through the first removal unit 114 and the suction unit 115 is the same as the direction of the fan's rotation axis, an axial fan is used as the fan used in the suction unit 115. As such, other types of fans may be used in the suction unit 115 depending on the locations of the first removal unit 114 and the suction unit 115. Furthermore, the number of fans used in the suction unit 115 is not limited to two, but may be one, three, or more. Furthermore, the type and number of fans may be determined appropriately taking into account the required airflow, battery, and power consumption.

[Modification 16]
In the above embodiments 1 to 3, the removal unit provided in the ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A has been described as an example of one removal unit, the first removal unit 114, but this is not limited to this, and there may be two or more removal units.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a first removal unit 114, a suction unit 115, and a second removal unit 116 may be arranged in this order within the housing 111 from the intake unit 111c toward the exhaust unit 111d.

The first removal section 114 is made of sheet-like activated carbon and, compared to the second removal section 116, quickly adsorbs most of the ethanol contained in the air drawn in from the intake section 111c. In other words, the first removal section 114 has higher adsorption performance in terms of adsorption speed than the second removal section 116. Therefore, if the amount of ethanol contained in the air is small, all of the ethanol will be adsorbed in the first removal section 114. However, because the first removal section 114 is made of sheet-like activated carbon, its adsorption performance is more likely to decline in terms of sustainability compared to the second removal section 116.

On the other hand, the second removal unit 116 is made of pelletized activated carbon and adsorbs ethanol contained in the air sucked in by the suction unit 115 more slowly than the first removal unit 114. In other words, the second removal unit 116 has lower adsorption performance in terms of adsorption speed than the first removal unit 114. However, because the second removal unit 116 is made of pelletized activated carbon, its adsorption performance is less likely to decline in terms of durability compared to the first removal unit 114. The air in which ethanol has been adsorbed by the second removal unit 116 is exhausted from the exhaust unit 111d provided on the rear surface 111b of the housing 111.

As described above, the first removal unit 114 uses sheet-like activated carbon as an adsorbent to quickly adsorb large amounts of highly concentrated ethanol, while the second removal unit 116 uses pellet-like activated carbon as an adsorbent to slowly adsorb any ethanol that has not been completely adsorbed by the first removal unit 114.

As a result, the first removal unit 114 quickly adsorbs a large amount of ethanol from the air drawn in through the intake unit 111c of the housing 111, and the second removal unit 116 then adsorbs all of the ethanol, allowing the ethanol in the air drawn in through the intake unit 111c to be sufficiently removed.

[Modification 17]
Although an example of using pellet-shaped activated carbon as the adsorbent used in the first removal section 114 of the first to third embodiments has been described, this is not limited to this, and other adsorbents such as sheet-shaped activated carbon and pellet-shaped activators may also be used.

In addition, in the above-described variant example 16, an example was described in which sheet-shaped activated carbon was used as the adsorbent material in the first removal section 114 and pellet-shaped activated carbon was used as the adsorbent material in the second removal section 116, but this is not limited to this, and other adsorbents may also be used in each removal section.

Furthermore, in the above-described variant example 16, the adsorbents used in the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116 are different, but they may be the same. Furthermore, in order to remove ethanol, in addition to adsorbing the ethanol with an adsorbent, the ethanol may also be decomposed using a catalyst.

Furthermore, ethanol may be removed by both adsorption and decomposition. For example, the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116 may each be equipped with an adsorbent and a catalyst, and the adsorption of ethanol by the adsorbent and the decomposition of ethanol by the catalyst may be performed within a single removal unit. Alternatively, the first removal unit 114 may decompose the ethanol using the catalyst, and the second removal unit 116 may adsorb the ethanol using the adsorbent, or the first removal unit 114 may adsorb the ethanol using the adsorbent, and the second removal unit 116 may decompose the ethanol using the catalyst. Note that the adsorbent or catalyst used in the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116 may be the same or different.

Furthermore, the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116 may adsorb or decompose different substances. For example, the first removal unit 114 may adsorb or decompose volatile substances other than ethanol, and the second removal unit 116 may adsorb or decompose ethanol. Alternatively, the first removal unit 114 may adsorb or decompose ethanol, and the second removal unit 116 may adsorb or decompose volatile substances other than ethanol.

[Modification 18]
In the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A of the first to third embodiments, drive control is performed by turning the power on and off, but this is not limited to this. For example, a concentration sensor that detects the ethanol concentration may be installed in the storage chamber 101, and drive control of the ethanol removal apparatuses 110 and 210 may be performed based on the detection signal from the concentration sensor. For example, when the ethanol concentration indicated by the detection signal from the concentration sensor exceeds a predetermined concentration, drive of the fan of the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A may be started, and when the ethanol concentration falls below the predetermined concentration, drive of the fan of the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A may be stopped. Furthermore, while the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A are operating, if the detection signal from the concentration sensor indicates that the ethanol concentration has further increased above the predetermined concentration, the rotation speed of the fan in the suction unit 115 may be increased to increase the suction force and more actively suck in the ethanol from the storage chamber 101. This allows for rapid suction and removal of ethanol.

[Modification 19]
In the ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A of the first to third embodiments, a gas sensor 117 is provided between the first removal section 114 and the suction section 115 to detect the ethanol concentration contained in the air discharged from the first removal section 114. However, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, even if a second removal section 116 is provided in addition to the first removal section 114, the gas sensor 117 may be provided on the exhaust side of each removal section.

In this case, the control unit (not shown) of the ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A determines the adsorption state of the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116 (whether they have broken through (adsorption beyond their adsorption capacity, resulting in leakage of the adsorption target) or whether they are sufficiently adsorbed) based on the ethanol concentration detected by the gas sensor 117. Furthermore, the control unit is not limited to using the gas sensor 117 to determine the adsorption state of the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116, and may determine the adsorption state of the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116 using other methods (methods using sensors other than the gas sensor 117).

The detection means including the gas sensor 117 may be provided within the ethanol removal apparatus 110, 210, and 110A, or may be provided outside the ethanol removal apparatus 110, 210, and 110A. However, it is preferable to provide it downstream of the first removal section 114 (between the first removal section 114 and the second removal section 116), for example. This allows the first removal section 114 to be replaced before its adsorption capacity is reduced due to a decline in its adsorption function, or before the adsorption capacity of the second removal section 116 increases to the point where it breaks through. Alternatively, a detection means may be provided downstream of the second removal section 116 to detect the adsorption status of the second removal section 116. Alternatively, detection means may be provided both between the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116 and downstream of the second removal unit 116 to detect the adsorption state of both the first removal unit 114 and the second removal unit 116.

In addition, the drive control of the ethanol removal devices 110 and 210 may be performed by combining the detection results of a concentration sensor that detects the ethanol concentration installed in the storage chamber 101 with the detection results of the detection means that detects the adsorption state.

Furthermore, the gas sensor 117 may be provided upstream of the first removal unit 114. In this case, the gas sensor 117 detects the concentration of ethanol contained in the air before the ethanol is adsorbed by the first removal unit 114. In other words, the gas sensor 117 detects the concentration of ethanol contained in the air inside the incubator 1. The drive of the fan of the suction unit 115 may be controlled based on the ethanol concentration detected by the gas sensor 117. For example, the rotation speed of the fan of the suction unit 115 is controlled according to the ethanol concentration detected by the gas sensor 117. In other words, if the ethanol concentration is high, the rotation speed of the fan is increased, and if the ethanol concentration is low, the rotation speed of the fan is decreased.

The ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A may also be equipped with a communication unit, which may transmit information about the ethanol concentration detected by the gas sensor 117 to an external device and be used in a monitoring device that monitors the ethanol concentration in the incubator.

[Modification 20]
In this modification, as shown in FIG. 11 , a first shielding member 121 extending downward from the top of the first opening 114b blocks a portion of the first opening 114b. Furthermore, a second shielding member 122 extending upward from the bottom of the second opening 114c blocks a portion of the second opening 114c. The first shielding member 121 blocks approximately two-thirds of the top of the first opening 114b, and the second shielding member 122 blocks approximately two-thirds of the bottom of the second opening 114c. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11 , air entering through the intake unit 111c enters from the bottom of the first opening 114b of the first removal unit 114, exits from the top of the second opening 114c, and is then sucked in by the suction unit 115. That is, the air taken into the first removal section 114 flows from bottom to top of the activated carbon pellets 114a, and after spreading over almost the entire area of the activated carbon pellets 114a, the air is exhausted from the first removal section 114. Note that the manner in which the first shielding member 121 and the second shielding member 122 are provided is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 11 . For example, the first shielding member 121 may be formed from bottom to top of the first opening 114b, and the second shielding member 122 may be formed from top to bottom of the second opening 114c, or only one of the first shielding member 121 and the second shielding member 122 may be provided. In this case, the air taken into the first removal section 114 flows from top to bottom of the activated carbon pellets 114a, spreading over almost the entire area of the activated carbon pellets 114a. The lengths of the first shielding member 121 and the second shielding member 122, in other words, the extent to which the first opening 114b and the second opening 114c are blocked, are not limited to the above, and may be set appropriately taking into account the adsorption performance of the adsorption part and the air flow rate, etc.

[Modification 21]
In the first to third embodiments, the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A are turned on and off by operating the power button on the operation unit of each apparatus. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A may be provided with an inclination sensor, and the drive of the fan of the suction unit 115 may be controlled based on a detection signal from the inclination sensor. In this case, if the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A have their main power turned on and the detection signal from the inclination sensor indicates that the inclination angle with respect to the ground is 0°±5°, they determine that they are in use and drive the fan of the suction unit 115 to perform the ethanol adsorption operation. On the other hand, if the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A have their main power turned on and the detection signal from the inclination sensor indicates that the inclination angle with respect to the ground is 60°±20°, they determine that they are in a stopped state and stop the fan of the suction unit 115 to stop the ethanol adsorption operation. In other words, even when the main power is on, the ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A are designed to determine whether the device is in use or stopped before controlling the operation of the fan in the suction unit 115, thereby preventing the device from being forgotten to be turned on or stopped. Note that the angles at which the tilt sensor determines that the device is in use and that the device is stopped are not limited to the values described above and may be set as appropriate.

[Modification 22]
In the first to third embodiments, the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A may be provided with a sensor (hereinafter referred to as an air speed sensor) on the intake side to detect air speed. In this case, the control unit in the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A controls the drive of the motor that rotates the fan of the suction unit 115 in accordance with the air speed detected by the air speed sensor. For example, if the air speed sensor detects an air speed within a predetermined range, the control unit controls the motor to maintain a constant rotation speed of the fan of the suction unit 115. For example, if the air speed sensor detects an air speed that exceeds the predetermined range and is faster than a certain air speed, the control unit controls the motor to decrease the rotation speed of the fan of the suction unit 115. If the air speed sensor detects an air speed that is slower than the certain air speed, the control unit controls the motor to increase the rotation speed of the fan of the suction unit 115. This allows the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A to prevent the motor that rotates the fan of the suction unit 115 from operating excessively, which could adversely affect the environment inside the incubator 1 (2). In this way, the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A are equipped with an air speed sensor, which allows them to constantly monitor the air speed on the intake side, thereby enabling the ethanol removal apparatuses 110, 210, and 110A to draw in an appropriate amount of air.

In the above embodiments and modifications, ethanol has been used as an example of the volatile substance to be removed, but this is not limited to ethanol and other volatile substances such as isopropanol may also be used.

Furthermore, while the above embodiments and modifications have been described using a closed-type incubator as an example, the volatile substance removal device of the present invention may also be used in an open-type incubator, which is not a closed type.

Ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A according to one aspect of the present disclosure are installed in incubators 1 and 2 each having a chamber 101 with adjustable internal temperature and humidity for accommodating a patient, and remove ethanol vaporized from the chamber 101 following a medical procedure using ethanol on patient X accommodated in the chamber 101. The ethanol removal devices may include a suction unit 115 that draws air from the chamber 101 through the intake unit 111c, a first removal unit 114 that removes ethanol contained in the air, an exhaust unit 111d that exhausts the air from which the ethanol has been removed by the first removal unit 114, and a guide unit 112, 212 that guides air to the intake unit 111c.

The above configuration includes guide sections 112, 212 for guiding air inside the closed-type incubators 1, 2 to the intake section, allowing air to be efficiently guided to the suction section 115. This allows for a smaller fan to be used in the suction section 115, making it possible to reduce the size of the entire device. Therefore, even when used inside the closed-type incubators 1, 2, the ethanol removal devices 110, 210, and 110A can be made small enough not to interfere with medical procedures on patient X.

The guide unit 112, 212 may have a mounting portion 112a, 212a on which at least a portion of the treatment target for the ethanol treatment and/or the source emitting the ethanol used in the treatment can be placed. The guide unit 112, 212 has a mounting portion 112a, 212a on which at least a portion of the treatment target for the ethanol treatment (e.g., a patient's hand or foot) or the source emitting the ethanol used in the treatment can be placed. This allows the guide unit 112, 212 to guide ethanol-containing air generated when treating the treatment target X on the mounting portion 112a, 212a to the intake portion 111c. Furthermore, the guide unit 112, 212 can actively guide ethanol-containing air floating near the source emitting the ethanol used in the treatment placed on the mounting portion 112a, 212a to the intake portion 111c. This allows ethanol contained in the air within the closed-type incubator 1, 2 to be removed in a short period of time.

The guide portion 112, 212 may have at least one first wall portion (wall portion) 112b, 212b rising upward from the periphery of the mounting portion 112a, 212a. By having the guide portion 112, 212 have at least one first wall portion (wall portion) 112b, 212b rising upward from the periphery of the mounting portion 112a, 212a, the wall can prevent ethanol generated when treating a treatment target placed on the mounting portion 112a, 212a from diffusing outside the mounting portion 112a, 212a. This makes it possible to more actively guide air containing ethanol into the intake portion 111c.

The guide section 112, 212 may have at least one second wall section (wall section) 112b, 212c provided parallel to the first wall section (wall section) 112b, 212b on the mounting surface of the mounting section 112a, 212a. According to the above configuration, the provision of the second wall section (wall section) 112b, 212c on the mounting surface allows air to flow between the first wall section (wall section) 112b, 212b and the second wall section (wall section) 112b, 212c on the mounting surface, making it easier to guide air to the intake section 111c.

The first wall portion (wall portion) 112b, 212b may be formed excluding the portion facing the intake portion 111c. By forming the first wall portion (wall portion) 112b, 212b excluding the portion facing the intake portion 111c, treatment using ethanol can be performed on the treatment subject X placed on the mounting portion 112a, 212a from an area where the wall is not formed. It is also possible to ensure that the ethanol is not impeded from being guided to the intake portion 111c. This allows treatment using ethanol on the treatment subject X to be performed without being obstructed by the wall, making it easier to treat the treatment subject X and removing ethanol from the air.

Of the first wall portions (wall portions) 112b, 212b and the second wall portions (wall portions) 112b, 212c, at least the second wall portions (wall portions) 112b, 212c may be formed from an elastic material. According to the above configuration, the elasticity of the second wall portions (wall portions) 112b, 212c provided on the placement surface makes it less likely that the hands or feet of patient X to be treated will be injured when placed on the placement portions 112a, 212a.

At least a portion of the guide portion 112, 212 may be connected to the intake portion 111c. In this way, by connecting at least a portion of the guide portion 112, 212 to the intake portion 111c, air can be reliably guided to the intake portion 111c.

A breakthrough sensor (gas sensor) 117 may be provided to detect whether the first removal section 114 is in a breakthrough state. According to the above configuration, the provision of the breakthrough sensor (gas sensor) 117 makes it possible to determine the breakthrough state of the first removal section 114, and therefore the state of the first removal section 114.

The first removal unit 114 may be replaceable. According to the above configuration, since the first removal unit 114 is replaceable, if the first removal unit 114 is in a breakthrough state, it can be immediately replaced.

An ethanol removal method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for removing vaporized ethanol from an incubator (1, 2) equipped with a containment chamber (101) capable of adjusting the internal temperature and humidity for containing a child patient (X), the method removing vaporized ethanol following a medical procedure using ethanol on the child patient (X) contained in the containment chamber (101). The ethanol removal method includes the following guide step (S1), suction step (S2), removal step (S3), and exhaust step (S4). Guide step (S1): Air within the containment chamber (101) is guided to an intake means (e.g., intake unit 111c) that draws the air into a removal means (e.g., first removal unit 114). Suction step (S2): Air within the incubator (1, 2) is drawn from the intake means (e.g., intake unit 111c) by an intake means (e.g., suction unit 115). Removal step (S3): Ethanol contained in the drawn air is removed by a removal means (e.g., first removal unit 114). - Exhaust step (S4): The air from which the ethanol has been removed is exhausted by exhaust means (e.g., exhaust unit 111d).

The above configuration includes a guide step for directing air inside the closed-type incubators 1 and 2 to the intake section 111c, allowing the air to be efficiently guided by the suction means. This allows the fan that constitutes the suction means to be small, making it possible to make the entire device for implementing the ethanol removal method compact. Therefore, even when the device for implementing the ethanol removal method is used inside the closed-type incubators 1 and 2, it does not interfere with medical treatment of child patient X.

The direction in which the air is exhausted by the exhaust means may be different from the direction in which the intake means is provided. The intake means draws in air containing ethanol, and the exhaust means exhausts air from which the ethanol has been removed. Therefore, if air from which ethanol has been removed is introduced into the intake means, the air containing ethanol cannot be efficiently inhaled. Therefore, by setting the direction in which the air is exhausted by the exhaust means to be different from the direction in which the intake means is provided, it is possible to prevent the air exhausted from the exhaust means (air from which ethanol has been removed) from interfering with the intake of air containing ethanol by the intake means.

[Additional Notes]
A volatile substance removal device according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a volatile substance removal device for removing volatile substances generated during medical intervention in an incubator, and comprises an intake section for sucking air from an intake section, a removal section for removing volatile substances contained in the air that are to be removed, an exhaust section for exhausting the air from which the volatile substances have been removed by the removal section, and a guide section for guiding the air to the intake section, wherein the guide section is formed to have a mounting section on which at least a portion of a treatment target for a treatment using the volatile substance and at least one of a source of the volatile substance can be placed, or is formed to guide air containing the volatile substance to the intake section from a direction that is not perpendicular to the mounting surface on which the source of the volatile substance is placed.

With the above configuration, the guide unit has a mounting section on which at least a portion of a treatment target (e.g., a patient's hand or foot) for a treatment using a volatile substance (e.g., ethanol) can be placed. This allows the guide unit to guide air containing volatile substances generated when treating the treatment target on the mounting section to the intake section. Furthermore, the guide unit can actively guide air containing volatile substances floating near a source of the volatile substance used in the treatment, which is placed on the mounting section, to the intake section. This allows the volatile substances contained in the air to be removed in a short period of time. Furthermore, the guide unit is configured to guide air containing volatile substances to the intake section from a direction that is not perpendicular to the mounting surface on which the volatile substance source (e.g., alcohol cotton) is placed. This allows the guide unit to guide air containing volatile substances emitted from a source placed on the mounting surface to the intake section. Therefore, the guide unit can actively guide air containing volatile substances floating on the mounting surface on which the volatile substance source is placed to the removal section via the intake section. This allows the volatile substances contained in the air to be removed in a short period of time. Furthermore, the direction in which the air containing volatile substances is drawn in by the intake section is not perpendicular (horizontal, diagonal, etc.) to the surface on which the volatile substance emitting source is placed, so the guide section is less likely to interfere when the source is placed on the surface from above.

When the guide section is configured to have a mounting section on which at least a portion of the treatment target for treatment using the volatile substance and/or the source of the volatile substance can be placed, the guide section may have at least one wall section rising upward from the periphery of the mounting section. By having the guide section have a wall section that surrounds a predetermined area of the mounting surface on which the source is placed, the wall can prevent the volatile substance emitted from at least a portion of the treatment target placed on the mounting section and/or the source of the volatile substance from diffusing outside the guide section. This makes it possible to more actively guide air containing the volatile substance into the intake section.

The wall may be formed excluding the portion facing the intake section. By forming the wall excluding the portion facing the intake section, treatment using a volatile substance can be performed on a treatment object placed on the mounting section from an area where the wall is not formed. This also prevents the volatile substance from being obstructed from being guided to the intake section. This allows treatment using a volatile substance on a treatment object to be performed without being obstructed by the wall, making it easier to treat the treatment object and remove the volatile substance.

When the guide portion is formed to guide the air containing the volatile substance to the intake portion from a direction that is not perpendicular to a mounting surface on which a source of the volatile substance is mounted,
At least a portion of the guide portion may be in contact with a mounting surface on which a source that emits the volatile substance is placed. By having at least a portion of the guide portion that guides air containing the volatile substance to the intake portion in contact with the mounting surface on which a source that emits the volatile substance (such as alcohol cotton) is placed, air containing the volatile substance emitted by the source placed on the mounting surface can be more effectively guided to the intake portion.

The guide section may have at least one wall section that surrounds a predetermined area of the mounting surface on which the generation source is placed. By having the guide section have at least one wall section that surrounds a predetermined area of the mounting surface on which the generation source is placed, the wall can prevent volatile substances emitted from the generation source placed on the mounting surface from diffusing outside the guide section. This makes it possible to more actively guide air containing volatile substances into the intake section.

The wall portion may be formed excluding the portion facing the intake portion. By forming the wall portion excluding a portion of a predetermined range of the mounting portion (the portion facing the intake portion), the source can be placed on the mounting surface from an area where the wall is not formed. This makes it easier to repeatedly place the source on the mounting surface because the wall does not interfere with placing the source on the mounting surface.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and variations; various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Incubator, 2 Incubator, 11 Bed, 11a Surface, 12 Partition, 13 Bed Stage, 101 Storage Chamber, 101a Opening, 102 Placement Base, 102a Operation Panel, 110 Ethanol Removal Device (Volatile Substance Removal Device), 110A Ethanol Removal Device (Volatile Substance Removal Device), 111 Housing, 111a Front, 111b Rear, 111c Intake Portion, 111d Exhaust Portion, 112 Guide Portion, 112a Placement Portion, 112b Wall Portion, 114 First Removal Portion, 115 Suction Portion, 116 Second Removal Portion, 210 Ethanol Removal Device (Volatile Substance Removal Device), 212 Guide Portion, 212a Placement Portion, 212b First Wall Portion (Wall Portion), 212c Second Wall Portion (Wall Portion), X Patient (Treatment Subject)

Claims (3)

A volatile substance removal device that can be installed in an incubator having a chamber in which the internal temperature and humidity can be adjusted to accommodate a sick child,
a suction unit that sucks air from the accommodation chamber through an intake unit;
A removal unit that removes volatile substances used as disinfectant alcohols or volatile substances used as chemical solvents contained in the air sucked by the suction unit ;
an exhaust section that exhausts the air from which the volatile substances have been removed by the removal section. The volatile substance removal device of claim 1, wherein the volatile substance is ethanol or isopropanol. A method for removing volatile substances, which is capable of removing vaporized volatile substances around a baby patient housed in an incubator having a housing chamber whose internal temperature and humidity can be adjusted for housing the baby patient, by using a removal means, an intake means, a suction means, and an exhaust means that can be installed in the incubator,
a suction step of sucking air from the accommodation chamber through the intake means by the suction means;
a removing step of removing volatile substances used as disinfectant alcohols or volatile substances used as chemical solvents contained in the sucked air by the removing means;
and an exhaust step of exhausting the air from which the volatile substances have been removed by the exhaust means.