JP7274403B2 - Electron beam sterilization device and method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for sterilizing containers filled with, for example, beverages, foods, medicines, etc., using electron beams.

Technological development is continuing to reliably sterilize the inner and outer surfaces of resin bottle-shaped containers while keeping costs down. Such a bottle container is formed by blow molding from a precursor called a preform. This preform is also sterilized (Patent Document 1).
In Patent Document 1, main sterilization is performed on a container obtained by blow molding subsequent to preliminary sterilization performed on a preform. According to Patent Document 1, preliminary sterilization is performed by preheating a preform to a preliminary sterilization temperature while continuously running the preform, and spraying mist or gas containing hydrogen peroxide onto the preheated preform. After that, the preform is further heated to the molding temperature, and the preform that has reached the molding temperature is molded into a container by a similarly continuously running blow molding machine. Main sterilization of the container is performed by spraying mist or gas containing peracetic acid, ozone, etc.

Considering the cost of chemicals used for sterilization and the running costs of container rinsing, waste liquid treatment, etc., sterilization technology that uses electron beams and uses as little chemicals as possible is expected.
In Patent Document 2, which discloses an electron beam sterilizer, a through hole is formed in a claw of a gripper that is provided on a rotating body (star wheel) of a rotary transfer mechanism and grips the neck of a container. The through hole penetrates the gripper from the front surface to the back surface of the gripper. The sterilization effect is enhanced by supplying an electron beam emitted from the electron beam irradiation device and traveling along the axial direction of the container to the rear side of the gripper through the through hole.

JP 2016-27989 A JP 2013-133111 A

Although the electron beam is supplied to the back side of the gripper claw, that is, the part of the container hidden by the gripper claw through the through hole formed in the gripper claw as in Patent Document 2, the area reached by the electron beam is Even if scattering into the air is taken into account, it remains within the projection range of the through-hole and its vicinity.
In addition, the gripper claws that come into contact with the container also need to be sterilized and sterilized. is not irradiated. Moreover, since the gap between the inner wall of the gripper claw and the neck is narrow, it is difficult to sufficiently supply the electron beam to the inner wall of the gripper claw. It is difficult to increase the clearance between the inner wall and the neck and the diameter of the through-hole due to the need to ensure the rigidity of the gripper claw.
As described above, there is room for improvement in the electron beam sterilization of containers and grippers.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus and method capable of sufficiently sterilizing a container such as a preform or a bottle and a gripper that grips the neck of the container using an electron beam.

The electron beam sterilizer of the present disclosure includes a first rotating body provided with a first gripper that grips a container, a second rotating body provided with a second gripper that receives the container from the first gripper, and the first gripper A first irradiating unit that irradiates the held container with an electron beam from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction of the first rotating body; A second irradiator that irradiates an electron beam from the outside in the radial direction of the body to the inside, and a second gripper that is not gripping a container, the electron beams are emitted from the outside in the radial direction of the second rotating body to the inside. and a gripper irradiation unit that irradiates an electron beam.
The first gripper and the second gripper each include a pair of claws that receive the neck of the container between them and close from both sides to pinch the neck.
A pair of claws includes gripping regions that contact or are adjacent to the neck.
The gripper irradiation unit irradiates the second gripper, which moves with the rotation of the second rotating body, with an electron beam over at least the gripping area.

Another electron beam sterilization apparatus of the present disclosure includes a first rotating body provided with a plurality of first grippers for gripping containers, and a second rotating body provided with a plurality of second grippers each receiving containers from the first grippers. body and
A first irradiating unit that irradiates the container held by the first gripper with an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the first rotor; , a second irradiator that irradiates an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the second rotor, and an odd number of second grippers distributed in the second rotor in the circumferential direction. Every other container is delivered from the first gripper.
Any of the electron beam sterilization devices described above can be developed into an electron beam sterilization method.

Furthermore, the present disclosure can be expanded to an apparatus and method for sterilizing containers by irradiating ultraviolet rays instead of electron beams.

According to the present disclosure, the sterilization of the container gripped by the first gripper and the sterilization of the container gripped by the second gripper are sequentially performed, and the second gripper that does not grip the container is sterilized. Since sterilization can also be performed, the entire outer peripheral portion of the container can be sufficiently sterilized.

1 is a plan view schematically showing an electron beam sterilizer according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3A and 3B are a plan view and a perspective view showing a gripper provided on a rotating body of the electron beam sterilizer shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 shows a first gripper of a first rotor and a second gripper of a second rotor; It is a perspective view which shows the 1st irradiation part and 2nd irradiation part which each irradiate an electron beam. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the shape of a pair of claws of a gripper and the emission direction of electron beams; FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing an empty second gripper that moves as the second rotating body rotates, and an electron beam incident on the second gripper; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the behavior of a swingable second gripper; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of electron beam irradiation to a swingable second gripper; Fig. 2 is a plan view schematically showing an electron beam sterilizer according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure; It is a top view which shows typically the electron beam sterilization apparatus which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, each embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[First embodiment]
[Configuration of entire device]
An electron beam sterilizer 10 shown in FIG. 1 sterilizes a container 2 and a gripper 3 capable of gripping the container 2 by irradiating electron beams.
The electron beam sterilizer 10 constitutes an aseptic filling system 1 covered with a chamber 17 together with a filling device 16 that fills the container 2 with contents such as beverages, food, and pharmaceuticals, and a sealing device (not shown) that seals the container 2. are doing. The aseptic filling system 1 transports containers 2 supplied from a blow molding machine (not shown) to an introduction section 101, a sterilization section 102, and a filling/sealing section 103 by a rotary conveying mechanism comprising a plurality of rotating bodies 11 and 12. The container 2 is sterilized, filled, and sealed while being conveyed along a predetermined continuous conveying path 100 .

Inside the chamber 17 are an introduction section 101 into which the container 2 is introduced from an upstream process such as blow molding, a sterilization section 102 in which the container 2 and the gripper 3 are sterilized, and a sterilized container 2 filled with contents. , and a filling and sealing compartment 103 which seals the container 2 by fitting a lid.

The container 2 is transferred between the grippers 3 provided on the rotating bodies 11, 12, etc., with the neck 21 (FIG. 3) gripped by the grippers 3 (FIGS. 2 and 3) provided on the rotating bodies 11, 12, respectively. transported while
In the sterilization section 102, the electron beam sterilizer 10 sterilizes the outer periphery of the container 2 by irradiating electron beams. To ensure sterilization of the outer circumference of the container 2, the gripper 3 is also sterilized.

Before or after sterilization of the outer periphery of the container 2 by the electron beam sterilizer 10, the interior of the container 2 is separately treated at least before filling.
Prior to the sterilization section 102, the inside of the container 2 is sterilized using an appropriate method, for example, mist or gas containing peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, or ozone, or electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc., and if necessary, the container is sterilized. An internal sterilization compartment may be provided in which 2 is rinsed with compressed air, sterile water, or the like.
Sterilization of the inside and outside of the container 2 is appropriately performed in consideration of the cost required for operation including the introduction of a sterilization device, the purchase of a sterilization medium such as a drug, disposal, etc., and the required sterilization effect index. can be adopted.

[Construction of container]
The container 2 of this embodiment is formed in a bottle shape from a resin material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the container 2 includes a cylindrical neck 21 , a mouth 22 opening above the neck 21 , a body 23 having a larger diameter than the neck 21 , and a bottom 24 on the side.
The neck portion 21 includes a screw 21A to which a lid (not shown) is attached, and a plurality of annular flanges 21B and 21C projecting radially outward from the neck portion 21 below the screw 21A.
The cross-sectional shape of the trunk portion 23 is not limited to a circle, and may be rectangular or the like.

The container 2 can be formed by blow molding from a preform (not shown). The preform is also provided with a neck similar to the neck 21 of the bottle. Preforms can also be transported with their necks gripped by grippers.
The term "container" as used herein shall include bottles with necks as well as preforms with necks.

The interior and exterior of the preform can be sterilized by any suitable method. Only the inside of the preform is sterilized using, for example, mist or gas containing peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, ozone, electron beam, ultraviolet rays, etc., and the outer peripheral portion of the blow-molded container 2 while maintaining the sterilization inside. may be sterilized by the electron beam sterilizer 10 to sterilize the entire inside and outer periphery of the container 2 . Alternatively, the inside and outside of the preform may be sterilized by appropriate methods, and the outer periphery of the blow-molded container 2 may be sterilized by the electron beam sterilizer 10 while maintaining the sterilization of the inside.

[Configuration of electron beam sterilizer]
The electron beam sterilizer 10 (FIG. 1) includes a first rotating body 11 for transportation and a second rotating body 12 for transportation arranged in the introduction section 101, and a disk-shaped first rotation body arranged in the sterilization section 102. body 13 and second rotating body 14; first irradiation unit 41 that irradiates and sterilizes container 2 being transported by first rotating body 13 with an electron beam; A second irradiation unit 42 for sterilizing by irradiating rays, and a gripper irradiation unit 43 for sterilizing the gripper 3 provided on the second rotating body 14 are provided.

(first rotating body with first gripper and second rotating body with second gripper)
The first rotating body 13 is rotated around its axis by a rotational driving force of a motor provided on the shaft of the first rotating body 13 or by a rotational driving force transmitted from a motor provided on the shaft of another rotating body. , rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. The same applies to the second rotating body 14 .
A plurality of grippers 3 (FIGS. 2 and 3) for gripping the container 2 are provided on the first rotor 13 .
FIG. 1 shows only some containers 2 out of a large number of containers 2 being transported, and only grippers 3 for gripping the illustrated containers 2 are shown. A large number of grippers 3 are distributed with equal pitch over the circumference of each rotary body.
The gripper 3 provided on the first rotor 13 is called a first gripper 31 . As the first rotating body 13 rotates, the first gripper 31 rotates around the axis of the first rotating body 13 .

The second rotating body 14 is provided with a plurality of grippers 3 (referred to as second grippers 32 ) that receive the containers 2 from the first grippers 31 . The second grippers 32 are distributed at equal pitches over the entire circumference of the second rotating body 14 and revolve around the axis of the second rotating body 14 as the second rotating body 14 rotates.
Note that the first gripper 31 and the second gripper 32 are simply referred to as the gripper 3 when there is no need to specify them.

The first gripper 31 receives the containers 2 one by one from the gripper 3 of the second conveying rotating body 12 at the transfer point P1, and then moves in the circumferential direction as the first rotating body 13 rotates. The container 2 is transferred to the second gripper 32 at the transfer point P2 between 13 and the second rotor 14 . The second gripper 32 that has received the container 2 moves in the circumferential direction as the second rotating body 14 rotates, and passes the container 2 to a gripper (not shown) provided on the rotating body 103A of the filling/sealing section 103 at the delivery point P3. give.
In order to reliably transfer the container 2 between the grippers 3, the rotating bodies provided with the grippers 3 are all controlled to have the same peripheral speed.
The container 2 successively gripped by the gripper 3, the first gripper 31, the second gripper 32 of the second conveying rotor 12, and the gripper of the rotor 103A passes through the conveying path 100 indicated by the dashed line in FIG.

(First irradiation unit, second irradiation unit, and gripper irradiation unit)
The first irradiation unit 41 irradiates the outer peripheral portion of the container 2 held by the first gripper 31 with an electron beam. The first irradiation unit 41 selects an appropriate position on the arc-shaped first section 100A from the transfer point P1 to the transfer point P2 of the transport path 100, and is arranged in the vicinity of the first section 100A. The first irradiation unit 41 irradiates the container 2 conveyed in the first section 100A with an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction D1 of the first rotor 13, as shown in FIG.

The second irradiation unit 42 irradiates the outer peripheral portion of the container 2 held by the second gripper 32 with an electron beam. The second irradiation unit 42 selects an appropriate position on the arc-shaped second section 100B from the transfer point P2 to the transfer point P3 of the transport path 100, and is arranged in the vicinity of the second section 100B. The second irradiation unit 42 irradiates the container 2 conveyed in the second section 100B with an electron beam from the outside toward the inside in the radial direction D1 of the second rotor 14, as shown in FIG.

The gripper irradiation unit 43 (FIG. 1) irradiates the second gripper 32, which is not gripping the container 2, with an electron beam.
The range from the transfer point P3 to the transfer point P2 in the circumferential direction of the second rotating body 14 corresponds to the range in which the empty second gripper 32 that does not grip the container 2 moves. The gripper irradiation unit 43 selects an appropriate position within this range and is arranged in the vicinity of the trajectory of the second gripper 32 . The gripper irradiation unit 43 irradiates the second gripper 32 moving along with the rotation of the second rotor 14 with an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction D1 of the second rotor 14 .

The first irradiation unit 41, the second irradiation unit 42, and the gripper irradiation unit 43 are of a low-energy type that emits electron beams of 300 keV or less, and can emit electron beams with a uniform energy amount in the plane through the windows. electron beam emitting device can be preferably used. When the low-energy type is used, the container 2 does not necessarily need to be statically eliminated because the absorption of the electron beam by the container 2 is small.

An example of a low-energy surface irradiation type electron beam irradiation apparatus 40 that can be employed in the first irradiation section 41, the second irradiation section 42, and the gripper irradiation section 43 will be described with reference to FIG.
The electron beam irradiation device 40 includes an electron acceleration unit 401 containing an electron gun that generates an electron beam, a rectangular exit window 402 that accelerates and emits the electron beam by applying voltage, and an exit window 402 from the electron acceleration unit 401. An electron transporting portion 403 that spreads and transports an electron beam up to a planar region corresponding to , and a high-voltage power source and control portion (not shown).
In the electron beam irradiation device 40, part of the energy of the electron beam emitted from the electron gun is converted into X-rays. Therefore, the electron beam irradiation device 40 is housed in a housing for shielding X-rays. The X-ray shielding enclosure may be the sterile compartment 102 of the chamber 17 .

An electron beam with substantially uniform energy is emitted from the emission window 402 in the longitudinal direction. The electron beam irradiation device 40 is installed near the conveying path 100 of the container 2 with the longitudinal direction of the emission window 402 aligned with the vertical direction. The electron beam emitted from the emission window 402 basically travels in a direction perpendicular to the emission window 402 (the emission direction D2), and is scattered while colliding with air molecules in the atmosphere. While spreading forward in the area of , the container 2 passing in front of the exit window 402 and the gripper 3 gripping the container 2 are irradiated.
Due to the presence of scattered components in the electron beam, the electron beam is not only scattered in the parts of the container 2 and the gripper 3 intersecting the emission direction D2, but also in the parts of the object parallel to the emission direction D2 (for example, the bottom part 24). and the front and rear surfaces of the gripper 3).
In addition, the electron beam that has entered the gap between the neck 21 and the gripper 3 can also enter the rear sides of the flanges 21B and 21C by being reflected to the upper part of the body 23 .

The fact that the first irradiation unit 41, the second irradiation unit 42, and the gripper irradiation unit 43 each "irradiate the electron beams from the outside toward the inside in the radial direction D1" strictly means the irradiation direction of the electron beams. isn't it. Considering the electron beam scattering as described above, electron beams are emitted from the first irradiation unit 41, the second irradiation unit 42, and the gripper irradiation unit 43 in a direction substantially along the radial direction D1 of the rotor. It's enough.

In order to irradiate the container 2 and the gripper 3 with the electron beam sufficiently and symmetrically with respect to the axis of the container 2 and the gripper 3, the container 2 and the gripper 3 are positioned within the range where the electron beam from the exit window 402 is irradiated. It is preferable that the electron beam irradiation device 40 is arranged so that the normal line of the transport path 100 is orthogonal to the exit window 402 while accommodating the whole.

As shown in FIG. 4 , while the container 2 conveyed while being gripped by the first gripper 31 passes through the first irradiation unit 41 , the outer peripheral portion of the container 2 moves in the radial direction of the first rotating body 13 . The electron beam is directly irradiated to about 1/2 circumference area facing D1 outward. The remaining area of the outer periphery of the container 2 is not irradiated with the electron beam. Thereafter, the container 2 is changed from the first gripper 31 to the second gripper 32 at the transfer point P2. At this time, since the container 2 is transferred to the second gripper 32 already sterilized by the gripper irradiation unit 43, the sterilized region of the neck 21 of the container 2 remains sterile even after the second gripper 32 comes into contact with it. maintained at

After switching to the second gripper 32 , the container 2 moves toward the second irradiation section 42 as the second rotor 14 rotates. At this time, the remaining area of the outer peripheral portion of the container 2 faces outward in the radial direction D1 of the second rotor 14 . That is, the portion of the container 2 hidden from the electron beam while being gripped by the first gripper 31 is exposed to the electron beam while being gripped by the second gripper 32 . Then, as shown in FIG. 4, while the container 2 conveyed while being gripped by the second gripper 32 passes through the second irradiation section 42, the outer peripheral portion of the container 2, which is not irradiated with the electron beam, is approximately An electron beam is directly irradiated to the area of 1/2 circumference.
According to the above, while the second gripper 32 is sterilized prior to the transfer from the first gripper 31 to the second gripper 32, the container 2 in the state gripped by the first gripper 31 is sterilized and the second gripper 32 is sterilized. By sequentially sterilizing the container 2 in the gripped state, the entire outer peripheral portion of the container 2 including the neck portion 21, the body portion 23, and the bottom portion 24 can be sufficiently sterilized.

(gripper)
As an example of the gripper 3 is shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the gripper 3 includes a plate-shaped base 30 and a pair of claws 3A provided rotatably around axes 301 and 302 orthogonal to the base 30, respectively. , 3B, and are attached to the first rotating body 13 and the second rotating body 14 by means of fixtures 35 .
Base 30 and claws 3A and 3B can be formed using a metal material such as stainless steel.
Each gripper 3 is arranged symmetrically with respect to each axis 3X. The direction of the axis 3X corresponds to the radial direction D1 of the rotor on which each gripper 3 is provided.

The pair of claws 3A and 3B receive the neck 21 of the container 2 therebetween and are closed from both sides to sandwich the neck 21.例文帳に追加The claws 3A and 3B are opened to both sides by a cam roller 304 provided on the base 30 against the elastic force of a coil spring 303 provided on the base 30 . As indicated by double arrows in FIG. 2, the claws 3A and 3B are symmetrically spaced apart with respect to the axis 3X.
When the neck portion 21 of the container 2 is placed between the claws 3A and 3B that are spaced apart when the container 2 is delivered, the claws 3A and 3B are closed from both sides by the elastic force of the coil spring 303, so that the claws 3A and 3B are closed. A neck 21 is gripped therebetween.
The gripper 3 can grip the neck portion 21 of the container 2 in an upright posture with the mouth portion 22 directed upward, or grip the neck portion 21 of the container 2 in an inverted posture.

The neck portion 21 gripped between the claws 3A and 3B is supported by three portions 311-313 provided on the gripper 3. As shown in FIG. The parts 311 to 313 are distributed over a length of 1/2 or more of the circumference of the neck 21 . These parts 311 to 313 stably support the container 2 during transportation.
A portion 313 corresponds to an intermediate support portion 313 that supports the neck portion 21 inside the recess 305 formed by the claws 3A and 3B.
The portions 311 and 312 correspond to support projections 311 and 312 formed on the tip sides of the pair of claws 3A and 3B, respectively. The support projection 311 projects toward the claw 3B, and the support projection 312 projects toward the claw 3A.

A gap 321 is formed between the claw 3A and the neck portion 21 over the range from the support projection 311 to the intermediate support portion 313 . A gap 322 is formed between the claw 3B and the neck portion 21 over the range from the support projection 312 to the intermediate support portion 313 . Through these gaps 321 and 322, the electron beam emitted from the first irradiation section 41 or the second irradiation section 42 can reach the portion of the container 2 hidden behind the claws 3A and 3B.
In addition to the gaps 321 and 322, by forming through holes 306 that pass through the claws 3A and 3B in the thickness direction, for example, at positions indicated by two-dot chain lines, through the through holes 306, the back side of the claws 3A and 3B can be provided. can be reached by electron beams.

A pair of claws 3A, 3B includes a gripping region R1 that contacts or is adjacent to the neck 21. As shown in FIG. The grip region R1 in the examples shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 corresponds to the entire inner wall 310 (FIG. 5) including the support protrusions 311 and 312 and the intermediate support portion 313 in the pair of claws 3A and 3B. When the container 2 is gripped by the gripper 3 , the tips of the support projections 311 and 312 and the intermediate support portion 313 come into contact with the neck portion 21 . At this time, the tip of the support projection 311 and the tip of the intermediate support portion 313 come close to the neck 21 via a gap 321 . Similarly, the tip of the support projection 312 and the tip of the intermediate support portion 313 also come close to the neck 21 via a gap 322 .
The "gripping area" includes both a portion of the pair of claws of the gripper that contacts the neck and a portion that is close to the neck through a gap.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first gripper 31 and the second gripper 32 face each other across the container 2 at the delivery point P2. At this time, the axes 3X of the first gripper 31 and the second gripper 32 are positioned on the same straight line.

To prevent the first gripper 31 and the second gripper 32 from interfering when the container 2 is transferred, as shown in FIG. The position in the height direction of the neck portion 21 is different from the tip side 332 of 3A and 3B.
As an example, the claws 3A, 3B of the first gripper 31 are arranged below the flange 21C of the neck 21 to support the flange 21C. The claws 3A, 3B of the second gripper 32 are arranged between the flanges 21B and 21C of the neck 21 to support the upper flange 21B.

(Bactericidal action using electron beam)
Now, FIG. 5 schematically shows electron beams EB1 and EB2 emitted by the gripper irradiation unit 43 with respect to the second gripper 32 in a state in which the container 2 is not gripped.
In the state shown in FIG. 5, the second gripper 32 faces the electron beams EB1 and EB2. "Directly facing" refers to a state in which the symmetrical axis 3X of the pair of claws 3A and 3B and the electron beam emission direction from the gripper irradiation section 43 are parallel or substantially parallel.
The electron beam EB1 emitted from the gripper irradiation unit 43 toward the tip of the claw 3A along the axis 3X of the second gripper 32 as shown in FIG. The backside of the (hatched) is not directly illuminated. In addition, it is difficult to be irradiated indirectly due to scattering or the like. The same applies to the back side of the support projection 312, which is a shadow with respect to the electron beam EB2 directed toward the tip of the claw 3B.
As described above, the support protrusions 311 and 312 have a shadow portion where the electron beam is blocked by the support protrusions 311 and 312 when the second gripper 32 faces the electron beam emitted from the gripper irradiation unit 43 . Such a shadowed portion is included in the gripping region R1 of the second gripper 32 . The shaded portions correspond to, for example, the shaded portions in FIGS. 5 and 6 .
In this embodiment, the gripper irradiation unit 43 irradiates the second gripper 32, which moves along with the rotation of the second rotating body 14, with an electron beam. The electron beam is incident on at least the entire gripping region R1 of the claws 3A and 3B.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second gripper 32 is displaced relative to the electron beam indicated by the arrow in the direction around the axis of the second rotor 14 as the second rotor 14 rotates. Therefore, the back side of the support projections 311 and 312, which are shadowed when facing each other, is also directly irradiated with the electron beam. A sufficient sterilization effect can be obtained by directly irradiating the electron beam.

FIG. 6 shows how the same second gripper 32 is gradually displaced relative to the electron beam as the second rotor 14 rotates.
Not only when the second gripper 32 is directly facing the electron beam (FIG. 5), but also over a predetermined phase range of the second gripper 32 with respect to the electron beam, the shadowed portions (for example, the support projections 311, 312) exists. As shown in FIG. 6, an electron beam is directly irradiated to a portion which is shadowed at a certain phase when the phase is not shadowed.
The states S1 to S4 shown in FIG. 6 will be described in order. First, as in state S1, the electron beams EB3 and EB4 are incident on the area including the back side of the support projection 312 of the claw 3B in the second gripper 32. As shown in FIG. At this time, the electron beam EB3 is incident on the back side of the support projection 312. As shown in FIG. Due to the electron beam scattering described above, the electron beams also enter the front surface 3S and the back surface of the claws 3A and 3B.

Next, as in state S2, the electron beam EB5 is incident on the outside of the concave portion 305 near the tip of the claw 3B. At this time, the electron beam does not directly irradiate the area on the inner wall of the recess 305 to the left of the electron beam EB6. However, it may be irradiated indirectly due to electron beam scattering or the like.
Subsequently, as in state S3, when the direction of the axis of the second gripper 32 (chain line in state S3) is parallel to the emission direction of the electron beam EB7, the inner wall of the recess 305 including the intermediate support 313 The electron beam is incident on most of the area.
Furthermore, as in the state S4, the electron beams EB8 and EB9 are incident on the area including the back side of the support projection 311 of the nail 3A. An electron beam EB8 is incident on the back side of the support projection 311 of the nail 3A.

As described above, the irradiation range of the electron beam on the second gripper 32 is changed by irradiating the moving second gripper 32 with the electron beam from the gripper irradiation unit 43 . It is possible to directly irradiate the electron beam over the entire gripping region R1, including the part that is sometimes shaded. As a result, it is possible to sufficiently sterilize the entire surface including the front surface 3S and rear surface of the claws 3A and 3B, the inner wall of the concave portion 305, and the outer surface.

In order to enhance the sterilization effect of the second gripper 32 by electron beam irradiation, it is also possible to irradiate the second gripper 32 with the claws 3A and 3B half-opened or fully-opened with the electron beam from the gripper irradiation unit 43. . By opening the claws 3A and 3B, the dimensions of the claws 3A and 3B in the circumferential direction of the second rotor 14 are increased. Therefore, in the case of irradiating the second gripper 32 with the pair of claws 3A and 3B in a completely closed state, under the same peripheral speed, the electron beams from the gripper irradiation part 43 to the inside of the claws 3A and 3B It is possible to improve the sterilization effect by securing a longer period of time during which the electron beam is irradiated to the surface.

When the second gripper 32 with the claws 3A and 3B open is irradiated with the electron beam, the claws 3A and 3B are opened from before the gripper irradiation unit 43 under the control of the cam roller 304 by the control unit. It is preferable to maintain the opened state of the claws 3A and 3B while the second gripper 32 passes through the gripper irradiation section 43 from the beginning. Even after the second gripper 32 passes through the gripper irradiation section 43, the claws 3A and 3B may be kept open until the container 2 is received from the first gripper 31 at the receiving point P2.

According to the present embodiment described above, before and after holding the container 2 from the first gripper 31 of the first rotating body 13 to the second gripper 32 of the second rotating body 14, the first irradiation unit 41 sterilizes the container 2. (first irradiation step), sterilize the container 2 by the second irradiation unit 42 (second irradiation step), and grasp the container 2 prior to delivery of the container 2 at the receiving point P2. The gripper irradiation unit 43 sterilizes the second gripper 32 that is not in the state (gripper irradiation step). By doing so, the area of the container 2 that has already been sterilized by the first irradiation unit 41 is not contaminated by the second gripper 32, and the sterilization of the entire outer peripheral portion of the container 2 can be ensured.
The sterilization method using an electron beam is cheaper than the sterilization method using a chemical agent in terms of introduction cost and operation cost, so it can contribute to the reduction of the manufacturing cost of the product in the container 2 .

From the viewpoint of securing a longer time for the second gripper 32 to be irradiated with the electron beam from the gripper irradiation unit 43 , the exit window 402 of the gripper irradiation unit 43 is set to the width of the second gripper 32 by the second rotation body 14 is preferably sufficiently wide in the circumferential direction. From this point of view, unlike the orientation of the electron beam irradiation device 40 shown in FIG. 4, the electron beam irradiation device 40 of the gripper irradiation section 43 is arranged in a direction in which the short direction of the exit window 402 coincides with the vertical direction. is preferred.

As described above, instead of opening the claws 3A and 3B of the second gripper 32 when the second gripper 32 is irradiated with the electron beam, or in parallel with this, the second gripper 32 is opened as shown in FIG. It is also possible to swing the second rotating body 14 toward at least one of the forward r+ and rearward r− directions of rotation. 7 schematically shows only the inner walls of the claws 3A and 3B of the second gripper 32. As shown in FIG.
According to the oscillation of the second gripper 32, under the same peripheral speed of the second rotating body 14, the above-described shadowed portion is irradiated with the electron beam for a longer time, and the second gripper 32 is moved. It can enhance the bactericidal effect. In this case, at least the portion of the second gripper 32 that supports the claws 3A and 3B (the base 30 in the example of FIGS. It is preferably configured to be swingable around a predetermined axis. The axes are set separately from the axes 301, 302 (FIG. 2) of the claws 3A, 3B. Around this axis, the second gripper 32 swings to both sides in the circumferential direction of the second rotating body 14 with the direction of the axis 3X of the claws 3A and 3B matching the radial direction of the second rotating body 14 as a reference. It is preferably configured to be movable. Note that the second gripper 32 may be configured to swing asymmetrically with respect to the axis using a cam or the like.

When irradiating the electron beam while swinging the second gripper 32, under the control of the control unit, the second gripper 32 is brought closer to the position P0 when directly facing the electron beam, as shown in FIG. 8 (states S1-1 and S2-1 in FIG. 8), the second gripper 32 is swung rearward r- in the direction of rotation of the second rotor 14 . Further, after the second gripper 32 has passed the position P0 when facing directly (state S4-1 in FIG. 8), the second gripper 32 moving away from the position P0 is swung forward r+.
By swinging the second gripper 32, as shown in states S1-1 and S4-1 in particular, it is possible to ensure a longer exposure time of the shadowed portion to the electron beam at least when the user is facing forward. It can contribute to the improvement of the effect.

The configuration of the gripper 3 described above is merely an example, and the claws 3A and 3B of the gripper 3 do not necessarily have the support projections 311 and 312 and the intermediate support portion 313 . A gripping area that contacts or approaches the neck 21 may be set over the entire smoothly formed inner walls of the claws 3A and 3B that are not provided with the support projections 311 and 312 and the like. Similarly to the second gripper 32 having the above-described gripping area R1, while moving the second gripper having the gripping area set as described above with the rotation of the second rotor 14, at least the second gripper having the gripping area R1 is moved. The electron beam can be made incident on the entire grasping area, including the shadowed portion when facing the object.

The container 2 and the second gripper 32 can also be sterilized by irradiating with ultraviolet light instead of the electron beam. Therefore, at least one of the first irradiation section 41, the second irradiation section 42, and the gripper irradiation section 43 can be replaced with a configuration for irradiating ultraviolet rays.
Moreover, at least one of the first irradiation section 41 and the second irradiation section 42 of the second embodiment described below can be replaced with a configuration for irradiating ultraviolet rays.

[Second embodiment]
Next, an electron beam sterilizer 50 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG.
The following description focuses on matters that differ from the first embodiment. The same symbols are given to the same components as in the first embodiment.

The electron beam sterilizer 50 includes a first rotating body 13 provided with a first gripper 31 , a second rotating body 14 provided with a second gripper 32 , and a container 2 gripped by the first gripper 31 . On the other hand, a first irradiation unit 41 that irradiates an electron beam from the radially outer side of the first rotating body 13 and an electron beam from the radially outer side of the second rotating body 14 to the container 2 gripped by the second gripper 32 . and a second irradiation unit 44 for irradiating.

The container 2 introduced from the gripper of the conveying rotor (not shown) to the first gripper 31 of the first rotor 13 is sterilized at the outer periphery while being conveyed through the first rotor 13 and the second rotor 14 . and transferred to the third rotating body 15 . The third rotating body 15 corresponds to, for example, a rotating body of a filling machine. Alternatively, the container 2 is transferred to another device via the third rotor 15 .

In the second embodiment, as described below, in addition to the container 2 being gripped by the second gripper 32 , the second irradiating unit 44 also emits light to the second gripper 32 that is not gripping the container 2 . can also be sterilized by electron beam irradiation.

In the second embodiment, an odd number (seven in the example shown in FIG. 9) of second grippers 32 are distributed in the circumferential direction of the second rotor 14 . Every other second container 2 is delivered from the first gripper 31 to these odd-numbered second grippers 32 . In FIG. 9, the first gripper 31 and the second gripper 32 are each numbered with a square. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the pitch α of the first grippers 31 of the first rotating body 13, the alternate pitch α of the second grippers 32 of the second rotating body 14, and the pitch α of the grippers 3 of the third rotating body 15 All the pitches α are set to be the same. Since the circumferential speed of the first gripper 31 and the circumferential speed of the second gripper 32 that receives the container 2 from the first gripper 31 are the same at the transfer point P2, the container 2 can be easily transferred. The same is true at the transfer point P3, and the container 2 can be easily transferred from the second gripper 32 to the gripper 3 of the third rotating body 15. As shown in FIG.
Now, it is assumed that the container 2 gripped by the number 1 first gripper 31 is transferred to the number 1 second gripper 32 at the transfer point P2. Next, the container 2 gripped by the first gripper 31 numbered 2 is transferred to the second gripper 32 numbered 2 . At this time, since the container 2 is not passed to the second gripper 32 between the second gripper 32 numbered 1 and the second gripper 32 numbered 2, the container 2 does not exist.
Subsequently, the first gripper 31 numbered 3 is passed to the second gripper 32 numbered 3, skipping one second gripper 32, and so on.

As in the first embodiment, the first irradiation unit 41 irradiates an electron beam to about 1/2 of the circumference of the container 2 gripped by the first gripper 3 (first irradiation step). After the container 2 is changed from the first gripper 31 to the second gripper 32, the second irradiation unit 44 irradiates the electron beam on the remaining approximately half of the circumference of the container 2 gripped by the second gripper 32. (second irradiation step).

Here, as shown in FIG. 9 , since the container 2 is gripped by every second odd number of the second grippers 32 , the second irradiation unit 44 is positioned between the container 2 and the container 2 gripped by the second grippers 32 . , and the second gripper 32 not gripping the container 2 are alternately irradiated with the electron beam.
The container 2 whose outer periphery has been sterilized by the second irradiation unit 44 is transferred from the second gripper 32 to the third gripper 33 of the third rotor 15 at the transfer point P3. The second gripper 32 is thereby emptied and returned to the transfer point P2.
However, since the number of the second grippers 32 is an odd number and every other container 2 is transferred from the first gripper 31 to the second gripper 32, the second gripper 32 returning to the transfer point P2 Without receiving the container 2 from the gripper 31 , the second irradiation unit 44 irradiates the container 2 in an empty state with an electron beam.
At this time, as in the first embodiment, the second gripper 32, which is moving with the rotation of the second rotating body 14, is irradiated with the electron beam. 2. The entire gripping region R1 of the gripper 32 can be directly irradiated with an electron beam to sufficiently sterilize. When the claws 3A and 3B of the second gripper 32 are opened during electron beam irradiation, or when the second gripper 32 is swung forward and backward in the rotation direction of the second rotating body 14, the same circumference is obtained. It is possible to improve the sterilization effect by securing a long irradiation time of the electron beam under high speed.

Since the second gripper 32 sterilized by the second irradiation unit 44 does not grip the container 2, it simply passes through the third gripper 33 of the third rotating body 15 and, while maintaining the sterile state, reaches the receiving point P2. receives the container 2 from the first gripper 31 . Since this second gripper 32 simply passes through the third gripper 33 , it is maintained in a sterilized state by the second irradiation section 44 . Therefore, the second irradiating unit 44 irradiates an area of the outer peripheral portion of the container 2 received by the second gripper 32 that has not been irradiated with the electron beam, so that the entire outer peripheral portion of the container 2 is sterilized. complete.

[Modification of Second Embodiment]
In the example shown in FIG. 10, the pitch of the first gripper 31 of the first rotor 13 is variable. The first gripper 31 is configured to be displaceable in the radial direction of the first rotating body 13 by extension and contraction of the arm 307 . Therefore, by expanding the pitch of the first gripper 31 by extending the arm 307 of the first gripper 31 moving toward the transfer point P2, the pitch α of every other second gripper 32 is set at the transfer point P2. Contraction of the arm 307 allows the first grippers 31 to be aligned with a relatively narrow pitch, while providing the first grippers 31 with a correspondingly wide pitch. By doing so, the space for installing the rotating bodies can be saved, and the pitch of the grippers can be narrowed from upstream to downstream of the first to third rotating bodies 13 to 15 to increase the number of container transfers per unit time. Since it becomes possible, it can contribute to the improvement of the carrying capacity.
Similarly, the pitch of the gripper 3 of the third rotating body 15 is also variable by extension and contraction of the arm 307 . Therefore, at the delivery point P3 as well, while giving the grippers 3 of the third rotating body 15 a wide pitch corresponding to the alternate pitch α of the second grippers 32, while suppressing the diameter of the third rotating body 15, Delivery of the container 2 at the same peripheral speed can be realized.

According to the second embodiment, the gripper irradiation unit 43 of the first embodiment is not provided. Sufficient sterilization can be achieved over the entire area.

In addition to the above, it is possible to select the configurations mentioned in the above embodiments, or to change them to other configurations as appropriate.

1 Aseptic filling system 2 Container 3 Gripper 3A, 3B Claw 3S Surface 3X Axis 10, 50 Electron beam sterilizer 11 First rotary body for transfer 12 Second rotary body for transfer 13 First rotary body 14 Second rotary body 15 Third Rotating body 16 Filling device 17 Chamber 21 Neck 21B, 21C Flange 22 Mouth 23 Body 24 Bottom 30 Substrate 31 First gripper 32 Second gripper 33 Third gripper 35 Fixture 40 Electron beam irradiation device 41 First irradiation unit 42 Second 2 irradiation unit 43 gripper irradiation unit 44 second irradiation unit 100 conveying paths 100A, 100B section 101 introduction section 102 sterilization section 103 filling/sealing section 103A rotating bodies 301, 302 shaft 303 coil spring 304 cam roller 305 recess 306 through hole 307 arm 310 Inner walls 311, 312 Support projection 313 Intermediate support portions 321, 322 Gap 331, 332 Front end side 401 Electron acceleration portion 402 Emission window 403 Electron transport portion D1 Radial direction D2 Emission directions EB1 to EB9 Electron beams P1, P2, P3 Delivery point R1 Grip Region r+ Front r- Rear S1 to S4 State α Pitch

Claims (13)

a first rotating body provided with a first gripper for gripping the container;
a second rotating body provided with a second gripper that receives the container from the first gripper;
a first irradiation unit that irradiates the container held by the first gripper with an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the first rotating body;
a second irradiation unit that irradiates the container held by the second gripper with an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the second rotating body;
a gripper irradiation unit that irradiates the second gripper, which is not gripping the container, with an electron beam from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction of the second rotating body;
Each of said first gripper and said second gripper:
including a pair of claws that receive the neck of the container therebetween and close from both sides to sandwich the neck;
the pair of claws includes a gripping region that contacts or is adjacent to the neck;
When the position at which the second gripper directly faces the electron beam emitted from the gripper irradiator from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the second rotating body is called the facing position,
The second gripper is
Over a range of a predetermined central angle of the second rotating body when approaching toward the directly facing position, the second rotating body swings rearward in the rotational direction and from the directly facing position. configured to swing forward in the direction of rotation of the second rotating body over a range of a predetermined central angle of the second rotating body when moving away,
The gripper irradiation unit is
For the second gripper that moves with the rotation of the second rotating body,
irradiating an electron beam over at least the gripping region;
Electron beam sterilizer. The gripping area of the second gripper comprises:
including a portion that is shaded at least when the second gripper is directly facing the electron beam emitted from the gripper irradiation unit from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the second rotating body,
The electron beam sterilizer according to claim 1. The pair of claws of the second gripper have, on their tip end sides,
A support projection that protrudes toward the claw of the other party and supports the neck,
The support protrusion includes:
At least at the time of facing the electron beam is blocked by the support projection, and there is a part that becomes the shadow.
The electron beam sterilizer according to claim 2. The second gripper is
An intermediate support portion that supports the neck portion inside the recess formed by the pair of claws,
the gripping area of the second gripper includes the intermediate support;
The electron beam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The gripper irradiation unit is
irradiating the second gripper with the pair of claws opened with an electron beam;
The electron beam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The second gripper is
configured to be swingable toward at least one of forward and rearward in the direction of rotation of the second rotating body,
The electron beam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 5. a first rotating body provided with a plurality of first grippers for gripping the container;
a second rotating body provided with a plurality of second grippers each receiving the container from the first gripper;
a first irradiation unit that irradiates the container held by the first gripper with an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the first rotating body;
a second irradiation unit that irradiates the container held by the second gripper with an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the second rotating body;
The container is passed from the first gripper every other second gripper to an odd number of the second grippers distributed in the circumferential direction of the second rotating body,
Electron beam sterilizer. An electron beam sterilization method for irradiating a container and a gripper capable of gripping the container with an electron beam,
a first irradiation step of irradiating the container gripped by the first gripper provided on the first rotor with an electron beam from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction of the first rotor;
An electron beam is irradiated from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the second rotor toward the container gripped by a second gripper that is provided on the second rotor and receives the container from the first gripper. a second irradiation step;
a gripper irradiation step of irradiating the second gripper, which is not gripping the container, with an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the second rotating body;
Each of said first gripper and said second gripper:
including a pair of claws that receive the neck of the container therebetween and close from both sides to sandwich the neck;
the pair of claws includes a gripping region that contacts or is adjacent to the neck;
When the position where the second gripper faces the electron beam emitted from the radially outer side to the inner side of the second rotating body is called the facing position,
In the gripper irradiation step,
irradiating the second gripper, which moves with the rotation of the second rotating body, with an electron beam over at least the gripping area;
swinging the second gripper rearward in the direction of rotation of the second rotor over a range of a predetermined central angle of the second rotor when the second gripper approaches toward the directly facing position; and move the second gripper forward in the direction of rotation of the second rotor over a range of a predetermined central angle of the second rotor when the second gripper moves away from the directly facing position. rock the
Electron beam sterilization method. The gripper irradiation step includes:
performed with the pair of claws of the second gripper opened;
The electron beam sterilization method according to claim 8. The gripping area of the second gripper comprises:
including a portion that is shadowed at least when the second gripper is directly facing the electron beam emitted from the radially outer side to the inner side of the second rotating body in the gripper irradiation step;
The electron beam sterilization method according to claim 8 or 9. The pair of claws of the second gripper have, on their tip end sides,
A support projection that protrudes toward the claw of the other party and supports the neck,
In the gripper irradiation step,
In the support projection, the electron beam is irradiated to the shadowed portion that is blocked by the support projection at least when the electron beam is facing directly.
The electron beam sterilization method according to claim 10. In the gripper irradiation step,
While moving the second gripper toward the facing position, the second rotor is swung backward in the direction of rotation to move the second gripper beyond the facing position. While swinging forward in the direction of rotation,
The electron beam sterilization method according to claim 10 or 11. An electron beam sterilization method for irradiating a container and a gripper capable of gripping the container with an electron beam,
a first irradiation step of irradiating the container gripped by the first gripper for gripping the container with an electron beam from the outside in the radial direction of the first rotor toward the inside;
a second irradiation step of irradiating the container gripped by the second gripper that receives the container from the first gripper with an electron beam from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the second rotor;
The first irradiation step and the second irradiation step while passing the container from the first gripper every other one to the second grippers distributed in the circumferential direction in an odd number on the second rotating body. takes place,
Electron beam sterilization method.

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