JP2002037222A - Sterilizing apparatus for container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sterilizing apparatus for containers, which shortens sterilizing hours or improves a sterilizing effect. SOLUTION: An ultraviolet irradiator 13 is disposed above a container transfer path. The ultraviolet irradiator 13 is constituted of high-pressure mercury lamps 42 in which a mercury vapor pressure in each of light-emitting tubes 71 is kept in at least one atmospheric pressure. Each light-emitting tube 71 is formed into a straight pipe-shaped tube extending in a direction in which the light-emitting tube 71 intersects the container transfer path. A reflecting plate 43 is disposed so as to extend astride each light-emitting tube 71. A reflecting face 72 of each reflecting plate 43 is formed into an oval shape in a cross-sectional contoure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a container, in particular,
The present invention relates to a container sterilizer suitable for sterilizing deep-bottom containers such as bottom-formed paper cartons.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a sterilizing apparatus of this kind, an ultraviolet irradiator is disposed above a container transport path, and the ultraviolet irradiator is a low-pressure mercury lamp having a mercury vapor pressure in an arc tube of 0.01 torr. Things are known.

[0003]

The reason why a low-pressure mercury lamp is used in the conventional apparatus is that ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 254 nm and a high sterilizing effect is efficiently generated from the low-pressure mercury lamp. However, since low-pressure mercury lamps have low power and low UV illuminance, it is necessary to lengthen the irradiation section required for sterilization in order to obtain an effective sterilization effect. However, there is a problem that the size of the device becomes large.
The present invention solves the above problems, and can shorten the sterilization time or improve the sterilization effect, thereby shortening the irradiation section required for sterilization and miniaturizing the structure of the filling machine itself. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sterilizing device for a container that can be used.

[0004]

In a container sterilizing apparatus according to the present invention, an ultraviolet irradiator is disposed above a container transport path, and the ultraviolet irradiator reduces the mercury vapor pressure in an arc tube by one.
This is a high-pressure mercury lamp that is set to a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure.

In the container sterilizing apparatus according to the present invention, not only the ultraviolet ray having a high sterilizing effect of 254 nm but also a wide wavelength ray of 200 to 800 nm is generated from the high-pressure mercury lamp. Although the efficiency is low, the absolute amount of ultraviolet light generated far exceeds the amount of ultraviolet light generated from the low-pressure mercury lamp, so that the sterilization time can be shortened or the sterilization effect can be improved. Thereby, the irradiation section required for sterilization can be shortened, and the structure of the filling machine itself can be reduced in size.

If the arc tube is a straight tube extending in a direction intersecting the container transport path, the space of the ultraviolet irradiation device occupying the container transport path can be minimized.

[0007] Further, when a reflector is disposed so as to straddle the arc tube, and the reflector has a reflective surface having an elliptical cross-sectional profile, particularly, of the surfaces of the container to be sterilized,
It is said that the surface parallel to the arc tube is difficult to sterilize, but since the reflector has a reflective surface with an elliptical cross-sectional profile against this hard-to-sterilize surface, it irradiates after condensing ultraviolet rays. As a result, the angle of incidence of the ultraviolet rays on the inner surface of the container to be sterilized can be increased to efficiently irradiate the ultraviolet rays, and the surface that is difficult to sterilize can be efficiently irradiated with the ultraviolet rays.

Further, an arc tube and a reflection plate are housed in a lamp house, and an irradiation window is provided on a bottom wall of the lamp house so as to face the container transport path from above, and a light-shielding portion is provided on a peripheral portion of the irradiation window. The cover is provided in a hanging shape, and the light-shielding cover includes a pair of side walls opposed to each other across the container transfer path, and a pair of end walls respectively passed to both ends of the side walls. If the opening or notch through which the container is passed is formed, the container transport path can be almost completely covered. This keeps the operator safe from exposure to high-intensity UV radiation and shuts off the outside air (contaminated air) that gets caught in the carriage conveyor and enters the most important filling section of the filling machine. Is effective.

Further, an inlet and an outlet are provided in the lamp house, sterile air is supplied to the inlet, and the air is forcibly exhausted from the outlet so as to maintain the inside of the lamp house at a negative pressure. In this case, the lamp house is not contaminated, and the lamp surface and the reflecting plate surface are not contaminated by dust or the like.

Further, the container transfer path and the lamp house are surrounded by a clean booth, the inside of the clean booth is maintained at a positive pressure with aseptic air, the intake port is opened in the clean booth, and the exhaust port is provided. If the suction is performed by the blower installed outside the clean booth, the cooling air supplied to the lamp house does not leak into the clean booth.

Further, it is preferable that the sterilizing device for the container is provided with a dimming device for controlling the output of the high-pressure mercury lamp.

[0012] In a high-pressure mercury lamp, the blackening near the electrode portion progresses with the use time of the lamp, and the illuminance decreases.
As a result, the sterilizing effect decreases, and it is difficult to obtain a constant sterilizing effect over a long period of time. Therefore, by installing a dimming device for controlling the output of the lamp and performing dimming in response to a decrease in illuminance, it is possible to avoid a significant decrease in the sterilizing effect over the life of the lamp. That is, it also leads to extending the lamp life.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the following description, the front and rear means the front side (left side in FIG. 1) where the container is carried by the conveyor, and the opposite side is the rear side. Side is left and right.

Referring to FIG. 1, a container transport conveyor 11 for transporting a container C, which is a rectangular tubular paper carton having an open top and a bottom, forward, and a plurality of containers C that are sequentially arranged from the rear to the front along the transport path. Active gas replacement device 12, UV irradiation device 13,
An air displacement device 14 and a filling device 15 are shown.
A clean booth 16 surrounds the container transfer path, the inert gas replacement device 12, the ultraviolet irradiation device 13, the air replacement device 14, and the filling device 15. Aseptic air that has passed through the HEPA filter 17 is supplied into the clean booth 16, whereby the inside of the clean booth 16 is maintained at a positive pressure.

The conveyor 11 is a chain conveyor and includes a pair of left and right horizontal endless chains 21 and a chain.
It has a number of L-shaped vertical pieces 22 with a horizontal cross section attached to the 21 at predetermined intervals. As the two chains 21 move forward in the feed path, respectively, two vertical pieces 22 of the two chains 11 form holders, which are applied to the four corners of the container C respectively. Is to be held. Further, a rail 23 for receiving and guiding the bottom of the container C held by the holder is disposed below between the two chain feed side paths.

The chain 21 is driven so as to intermittently move at a pitch twice as long as the holder pitch, whereby two containers C are simultaneously conveyed forward.

The inert gas replacement device 12 has front and rear inert gas nozzles 31 arranged vertically above and corresponding to two container stop positions where the containers are conveyed at one pitch of the conveyor. An inert gas such as nitrogen is jetted from the inert gas nozzle 31. Air replacement device
14 has front and rear air nozzles 32 similarly to the inert gas replacement device 12. HEPA from the air nozzle 32
The sterile air that has passed through the filter 17 is blown out. Further, the filling device 15 also has front and rear filling nozzles 33.

Next, the ultraviolet irradiation device 13 will be described in detail.

The ultraviolet irradiation device 13 includes a sealed lamp house 41 disposed above the container transport path and a lamp house 41.
Two front and rear high-pressure mercury lamps 42 housed in 41,
The front and rear reflectors 43 provided on each of these lamps 42 are provided.

The lamp house 41 includes a box-shaped house body 51 having a lower end opening, and a bottom plate covered with a lower end opening of the house body 51.
52 and. Further, below the bottom plate 52, a light-shielding cover 53 is provided so as to be connected thereto.

An intake cylinder 61 and an exhaust cylinder 62 are provided on the top wall of the house body 51, respectively. An irradiation window 63 is provided substantially at the center of the bottom plate 52. A quartz glass 64 is fitted in the irradiation window 63. Further, the irradiation window 63 is provided with a shutter 65. The shutter 65 is moved back and forth by an air cylinder 66 to open and close the irradiation window 63.

The intake cylinder 61 is covered with a dust cover 67. Aseptic air in the clean booth 16 for cooling the lamp house 41 is supplied into the lamp house 41 through the intake cylinder 61. A blower 68 is provided outside the clean booth 16, whereby the exhaust pipe 62 is sucked so as to maintain the inside of the lamp house 41 at a slight negative pressure.

The light-shielding cover 53 is hung down from the edge of the irradiation window 63, and has a pair of left and right vertical plate-like side walls 53a opposed to each other with the container conveying path interposed therebetween. It consists of front and rear end walls 53b that are passed over both ends. A minimum upper open notch 53c is formed in both end walls 53b so that only the conveyor moving portion and the containers and the like held therein can pass therethrough.

The high-pressure mercury lamp 42 has a horizontal straight arc tube 71 traversed in the left-right direction above a container stopped at a predetermined position. The mercury vapor pressure in the arc tube 71 is
Preferably, it is 1 atm to 10 atm. From such a high-pressure mercury lamp, a wavelength of 200 to 800 nm is mainly used.
Of light rays are generated.

The high-pressure mercury lamp 42 is inferior to the low-pressure mercury lamp in that concentrated ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm, which are effective for sterilization, are inferior, but it is easy to obtain a high output. Therefore, when sterilizing using a low-pressure mercury lamp, in order to reduce the number of bacteria to 1/10, 3
Section 4 to section (1 stop position for one container)
UV irradiation time (as a section) was required, but if a high-pressure mercury lamp is used, it is possible to reduce the number of bacteria to 1/1000 with only one section irradiation.

The reflection plate 43 is formed in a gutter shape having a substantially semicircular cross section by an extruded aluminum material.
It is arranged to straddle 71. The downward concave surface of the reflector 43 faces the arc tube 71 from above and forms a reflective surface 72. On the reflection surface 72, a dichroic mirror formed by vapor deposition of a metal film is formed. The dichroic mirror reflects ultraviolet rays but transmits heat rays.

Further, a plurality of hollow sections 73 having a circular cross section are formed in the longitudinal direction of the reflection plate 43 (FIG. 3), to which a cooling fluid is supplied.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the reflecting surface 72 of the reflecting plate 43 has an elliptical cross section. And
The focal point F of the reflection surface 72 is located slightly below the upper end of the container C. Therefore, the ultraviolet light generated from the arc tube 71 is reflected by the reflecting surface 72 and is collected at the light-converging point F.
Is to be irradiated. The arc tube 71 extends in the left-right direction, which is a direction intersecting the container transport path. Therefore, the front and rear two inner surfaces of the four front and rear and left and right inner surfaces to be sterilized in the container C are reflected by the reflection surface 72, and the ultraviolet rays having the above angle are irradiated. I have. On the other hand, since a large amount of ultraviolet rays corresponding to the length in the left-right direction of the arc tube 71 is applied to the two inner surfaces on the left and right, as a result, the four inner surfaces are almost uniformly irradiated with the ultraviolet light. It has become.

The lamp house 41 is provided with a dimmer 74. The output of the high-pressure mercury lamp 42 is controlled by the dimmer 74.

In the above, cooling air is circulated in the lamp house 41 through the intake tube 61 and the exhaust tube 62, whereby the lamp house 41 is air-cooled. Further, the reflection plate 43 itself is cooled by the liquid flowing through the hollow portion 73. In this case, the dichroic mirror is effective for transmitting the heat generated from the mercury lamp 42 to the reflector 43. By these coolings, the temperature of the mercury lamp 42 can be kept constant, and the lamp output can be stabilized.

When the conveyor 11 is stopped due to a trouble in the filling machine or the like, it is necessary to close the irradiation window 63 with the shutter 65 to prevent ultraviolet rays from leaking from the lamp house 41 in order to protect the container C and the operator. In this case, cooling of the lamp house 41 is particularly required.

The leakage of the ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet irradiation device 13 is as follows.
Preferably, it is minimized for the operator's health. The light shielding cover 53 is effective for that.

The irradiation by the high-pressure mercury lamp 42 has a very high ultraviolet illuminance, so that it is necessary to prevent the irradiation smell due to over irradiation. For this purpose, before the lamp irradiation, the air in the container C is replaced with an inert gas by the inert gas replacement device 12, and after the lamp irradiation, fresh air is introduced into the container C by the air replacement device 14. It is effective to introduce

It is also effective to spray water or a hydrogen peroxide solution before the irradiation with the lamp in order to reduce the irradiation odor. This also contributes to improving the bactericidal effect.

[0036]

According to the present invention, there is provided a container sterilizing apparatus capable of shortening the sterilizing time or improving the sterilizing effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a container sterilizing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sterilization apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Conveyor 13 UV irradiator 42 Mercury lamp 43 Reflector 71 Arc tube 72 Reflector C Container

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuji Fujikawa Taro, Kitajima-cho, Itano-gun, Tokushima Pref. 10 Shikoku Kakoki Co., Ltd. at 10 Nishikawa

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for sterilizing a container, wherein an ultraviolet irradiator is disposed above the container transport path, and the ultraviolet irradiator is a high-pressure mercury lamp that sets a mercury vapor pressure in an arc tube to 1 atm or more. 2. The container sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the arc tube is a straight tube extending in a direction intersecting the container transport path. 3. The container sterilizer according to claim 2, wherein a reflector is disposed so as to straddle the arc tube, and the reflector has a reflective surface having an elliptical cross section. 4. An arc tube and a reflection plate are housed in a lamp house, and an irradiation window is provided on a bottom wall of the lamp house so as to face the container transport path from above, and a light-shielding portion is provided on a peripheral portion of the irradiation window. The cover is provided in a hanging shape, and the light-shielding cover is
It consists of a pair of side walls opposed to each other across the container transport path, and a pair of end walls respectively passed to both ends of these side walls, and an opening or notch is formed in both end walls to allow the container transport path to pass. A container sterilizer according to claim 3. 5. An intake port and an exhaust port are provided in the lamp house, sterile air is supplied to the intake port, and the exhaust is forcibly exhausted from the exhaust port so as to maintain the inside of the lamp house at a negative pressure. The container sterilization apparatus according to claim 4. 6. A container booth and a lamp house are surrounded by a clean booth, the inside of the clean booth is maintained at a positive pressure by aseptic air, an intake port is opened in the clean booth, and an exhaust port is provided. The container sterilization apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the suction is performed by a blower installed outside the clean booth. 7. The container sterilizing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a dimmer for controlling an output of the high-pressure mercury lamp.