JP2002179191A - Lid body carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent any germs from being adhered to a cap via a lid body holding mechanism, etc., by providing the lid body holding mechanism provided on an outlet part of a chute body and an ultraviolet ray sterilizing means for sterilizing a peripheral part thereof with ultraviolet ray. SOLUTION: A lid body carrier comprises the chute body 22 forming a carrying passage 23 to allow the cap 11 to pass through, a door opening/closing mechanism 24 which is provided on the outlet part of the carrying passage 23 of the chute body 22 and holds the cap 11 by exposing a recessed part on a course of a mouth part 18 to which the cap 11 of a bottle 10 is fitted, and an ultraviolet ray sterilizing device 4 for sterilizing the door opening/closing mechanism 24 and its peripheral part with ultraviolet ray.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container body (resin bottle, resin bottle, etc.) filled with contents such as beverages (including alcoholic beverages such as alcoholic beverages, beer and cocktail drinks), foods and pharmaceuticals.
A cover transfer device for transferring a cover (regardless of a resin cap or a metal cap) attached to the mouth of a metal bottle, glass bottle, ceramic bottle, or the like by screwing, press-fitting, or other mounting means. In particular, the present invention relates to a cover holding mechanism provided at an outlet of a transfer path of a chute main body and a cover transfer device in which peripheral portions thereof are sterilized by ultraviolet sterilization means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, containers for natural water, coffee drinks, fruit drinks, milk, health drinks, medicines (tablets, powders, etc.), processed foods, etc. (constituted by a container body and a lid). , Resin bottles, glass bottles, metal bottles, metal cans and the like are widely used. Among such container bodies, for example, a PET bottle, which is an example of a resin bottle, is formed using polyethylene terephthalate as a main raw material.
Generally, the same or different types of resin materials are used as the material of the cap attached to the mouth of the ET bottle.

[0003] When a bottled beverage or the like is manufactured in a factory or the like using such a PET bottle, the bottle and the cap are individually sterilized as in the case of using other types of container bodies. Used.
For example, a resin bottle and a resin cap are manufactured separately and independently, carried into a manufacturing plant for beverages and the like, and a large number of the bottles are supplied to the manufacturing line at one time.

In this case, the resin bottle is sterilized by, for example, ultraviolet rays, chemicals, sterilized water or hot water.
Then, it is sufficiently washed with pure water or the like. The washed resin bottle is supplied to a rotary filling machine (filler), and a desired content is filled from the filling port. The resin bottle filled with the contents is transferred to a cap mounting tightening machine (cap seamer) in the next cap mounting step via a bottle supplying machine.

[0005] On the other hand, the resin cap is similarly sterilized by ultraviolet rays, chemicals, sterilized water, hot water or the like, and washed with pure water or the like if necessary. The resin cap thus sterilized is conveyed to the cap mounting and tightening machine by the cap chute. The cap sent to the cap mounting and tightening machine is placed over the mouth of the bottle, is wound and tightened by the capping head, and is mounted and fixed in a liquid-tight manner.

As an apparatus for sterilizing the resin cap, there is, for example, a sterilizing apparatus which was previously applied for a patent by the present applicant and disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-51019. The sterilizing apparatus includes a hopper that sequentially supplies caps one by one, a disk that accommodates and transports the cap supplied from the hopper in a concave portion of a peripheral portion, and sterilizing means provided on a peripheral portion of the disk. A cap chute for conveying the cap sterilized by the sterilizing means to the filling machine line, and an ultraviolet cap sterilizing device provided at an intermediate portion in the conveying direction of the cap chute. Sterilization of the cap is performed mainly by the sterilizing means at the peripheral portion of the disk, and the ultraviolet cap sterilizing apparatus is provided for the purpose of further sterilizing heat-resistant bacteria to surely kill them. .

[0007]

However, as described above, a lid transfer device provided with a cap sterilizing device in the middle of the transfer path of the cap chute has been provided by the present applicant and has already been known. However, there is no cap sterilizer at the outlet of the cap chute (so-called “cap catcher part”), and there is also the idea that a sterilizer is installed in such a part to perform sterilization. I didn't. The following are possible reasons for not having such an idea, for example.

[0008] The reason for this is that there is a difference in perception of the necessity of a sterilization treatment at the outlet of the cap chute. That is, as described in the above-described conventional example, generally, the cap is sterilized by an appropriate means before being supplied to the cap chute. In addition, even after the cap is supplied to the cap chute, a sterilization process is additionally performed by a cap sterilization device provided in the middle of the transport path. For this reason, it can be considered that the cap is in a sanitary state while the cap chute is being conveyed, and therefore, it is not necessary to sterilize the cap at the outlet.

[0009] On the other hand, the mounting method of the cap has changed in response to the complexity of the shape and structure of the cap, the diversification of materials used, and the like. A device provided with a lid holding mechanism at an outlet of a chute main body is used for transporting metal caps such as a cap and a crown cap. The lid holding mechanism exposes and supports the concave portion of the cap at the outlet of the cap chute when moving the mouth of the bottle. When transporting a bottle that is transported along a different route from the cap, the mouth of the bottle enters the recess of the cap,
Hook the cap and move. In some cases, these lid holding mechanisms are used to transport some resin caps.

As a result, the holding force of the lid holding mechanism for holding the cap is released by the moving force of the bottle, whereby the cap is pulled out and the recess is fitted in the mouth. In a state where the cap is fitted to the mouth, the cap can be securely attached to the mouth of the bottle by turning and tightening the cap with a capping head or a cap seamer.

In such a lid holding mechanism, for example, when bacteria floating in the air adhere to and propagate on a member or the like for preventing the cap from moving, a source of bacterial contamination is generated. In addition, contamination tends to occur due to steam or mist from the hot contents filled in the container, fog or mist generated by a change in temperature or humidity due to a change in the environment of the production line. As a result, the sanitary cap sterilized by the cap chute is contaminated and contaminated at the outlet contaminated by the mist and the like described above, and the contaminated cap is replaced by the next cap. There was a problem that it might be used in the mounting process.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and has a lid holding mechanism provided at an outlet of a chute main body and an ultraviolet sterilizing means for sterilizing a peripheral portion thereof with ultraviolet rays. The above-mentioned problem is solved by preventing the growth of bacteria generated from dirt by sterilization means, preventing contamination generated by a lid holding mechanism or the like, and preventing bacteria and the like from attaching to the cap. That is the purpose.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and the like and to achieve the above object, a lid transport device according to the present application comprises a chute body forming a transport path through which a lid passes. A lid holding mechanism that is provided at the outlet of the conveyance path of the chute main body and that exposes the concave portion on the path of the mouth to which the lid of the container main body is mounted and holds the lid, and the lid holding mechanism And ultraviolet light sterilizing means for irradiating ultraviolet light to the periphery thereof and sterilizing with ultraviolet light.

With this configuration, in the lid transport device of the present application, the lid holding mechanism provided at the exit of the transport path of the chute main body and the peripheral portion thereof emit ultraviolet light radiated from the ultraviolet sterilizing means. , And the lid holding mechanism and its peripheral portion can be prevented from being contaminated by bacteria, and the cap can be transported while being kept in a sanitary state. As a result, the cap that is not contaminated by bacteria can be transported to the next step, and the mouth of the container body can be sealed with the sanitary cap.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1 to 9 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view of a cover conveying device, FIG. 2 is a side view of a state in which the ultraviolet sterilizing means of FIG. 1 is removed,
1 is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a lid holding mechanism shown in FIG. 3, FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view schematically showing an overall configuration of a cap mounting device using the lid transfer device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a cross section of a main part showing a first example of the lid, and FIG. FIGS. 7A and 7B are a perspective view in which a main part showing a second example of the lid is sectioned and an explanatory view of a mounted state.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lid conveying device of the present invention is embodied as a cap chute 3 and is configured as one component of the cap mounting device 1. The cap mounting device 1 includes a container body 1 filled with contents.
The lid 11 is attached to the mouth of the cylinder 0 and hermetically closed. The lid 11 is disposed downstream of the rotary filling machine (filler) 8. The cap mounting apparatus 1 includes a bottle feeder 2, a cap chute 3, an ultraviolet sterilizer 4, a cap mounting tightening machine 5, a container discharging machine 6, and the like.

First, a cap 11 as a lid and a bottle 10 as a container body constituting the container 9 will be described. FIG. 8 shows a resin cap 11 showing the first embodiment of the lid, and the material thereof may be, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PETP). As shown in FIG. 8, the resin cap 11 has a cap body 12 whose upper surface is closed and whose lower surface is opened.

At the end of the cap body 12 on the opening side, a notch 14 like a perforation is provided intermittently extending in the circumferential direction at a predetermined width inward in the depth direction from the end face. Due to the cuts 14, the mechanical band 13 is integrally formed at the opening end of the cap body 12. A seal member 15 that abuts on the end face of the mouth 18 of the bottle 10 and provides top pressure is provided in close contact with the upper surface inside the hole of the cap body 12 so as to be integrally provided.

Further, a screw portion 12a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap body 12 by spirally winding a convex portion having a mountain-shaped cross-section and intermittently connecting the convex portion. A large number of tab-like projections 13a projecting inward in the radial direction are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the mechanical band portion 13.
Is provided. By engaging these projections 13a with a band supporting portion 18b provided on the mouth 18 of the bottle 10, the mouth 18 is sealed by the cap body 12, and the cap 11 is attached to the mouth 18 of the bottle 10 and integrated. Can be attached

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a second embodiment of the lid, and show an aluminum cap 81 mainly made of aluminum. This aluminum cap 81
As shown in FIG. 9A, has a cylindrical cap body 82 whose upper surface is closed and whose lower surface is opened. A notch 84 is formed at the opening end of the cap body 82 at a predetermined width inward in the depth direction from the end surface.
Are provided extending intermittently in the circumferential direction. Due to this notch 84, the opening side end of the cap body 82
The mechanical band 83 is formed integrally. A seal member 85 that abuts on the end surface of the mouth of the aluminum bottle 80 and provides top pressure is in close contact with the upper surface of the inside of the recess that is the hole of the cap body 82.

A screw portion is not provided on the cylindrical portion 82a of the cap main body 82. After the screw portion is fitted into the mouth of the bottle 80, it is tightened by a winding device (not shown). It is molded as shown in FIG. 9B. The cap body 82 is prevented from dropping from the bottle 80 by caulking the outer peripheral edge on the opening side of the mechanical band 83 inside. By performing the screwing and caulking after the cap body 82 is mounted, the mouth is sealed by the cap body 82, and the aluminum cap 81 is mounted on the mouth of the aluminum bottle 80 and integrally attached thereto.

The resin bottle 10 to which the resin cap 11 as described above is attached has a tubular body (cylindrical, square tubular, or other tubular shape) not shown, and a bottom for closing the lower end of the barrel. As shown in FIG. 2, it has a conical cylindrical shoulder 17 which is continuous with the upper end of the body, and a cylindrical mouth 18 which is continuous with the upper end of the shoulder 17.

A screw portion 18a extending spirally and a band support portion 18b for supporting the mechanical band portion 13 of the cap 11 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 18 of the resin bottle 10.
And an outwardly-developed flange portion 18c. A hole provided in the mouth 18 and opened on the upper surface is a spout. The spout is filled with the contents from the rotary filling machine 8, and the contents are poured out at the time of eating and drinking. Examples of the material of the resin bottle 10 include a single-layer structure of polyethylene terephthalate (PETP) and a multi-layer structure with a barrier resin (eg, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer) that can be coextruded with PETP. Objects and the like.

Further, as a material of the bottle, a plastic other than PETP or a steel or other metal other than aluminum can be applied, and a glass or a ceramic other than these can also be used. In addition, bottle 1
The shape of 0,80 is not limited to a narrow bottle having a smaller mouth than the body, but a so-called wide-mouth bottle in which the mouth is formed to have the same or substantially the same size as the body. It can also be applied. Furthermore, the bottle 10,80
When the cap 11 is a drive-in type crown cap without a screw portion or a maxi-type cap or a cup-type cap that is fastened to the lip opening of a bottle, a screw portion is provided in the mouth corresponding to these. A ridge portion for retaining is formed without providing.

The bottles 10, 80 having such a configuration
Is supplied to the rotary filling machine (filler) 8 in a pre-process (not shown), which has been subjected to a predetermined sterilization treatment, substantially completely disinfected and washed. In this rotary filling machine 8, for example, mineral water, black tea, green tea, oolong tea, fruit juice, coffee beverage and other contents are injected into the hole of the mouth 18 from the filling port and the bottles 10, 80 are filled.
Fill.

As shown in FIG. 7, the rotary filling machine 8 has a rotary portion provided with a large number of bottle grip portions 8a for gripping the supplied bottles 10, 80 one by one on the outer peripheral surface at equal intervals. Each of the bottle grips 8a is provided with a filling port (not shown). The bottles 10 and 80 are
And a predetermined amount of contents are filled into the bottles 10 and 80 from the filling port during the transfer by a predetermined distance. Here, bottles 10, 8 filled with a predetermined amount of contents
0 is removed from the rotary filling machine 8 by the bottle feeder 2.

The bottle feeder 2 has a rotating section in which a plurality of bottle holding sections 2a are provided at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface. The bottles 10, 80 held by the bottle holding portion 8a of the rotary filling machine 8 by the bottle holding portion 2a are transferred to the bottle feeder 2 and transferred by the rotation of the rotating portion. A cap chute 3 is provided so as to intersect with the transfer trajectory of the bottles 10 and 80 by the bottle feeder 2.

The cap 11 (or 81) supplied from the cap chute 3 is automatically put on the mouth 18 by the movement of the bottle 10 (or 80). And
The bottle 10 having the cap 11 that has just been put on the mouth 18 and has not yet been tightened is supplied to the cap-mounting tightening machine 5 driven in synchronization with the bottle feeder 2. This cap mounting and tightening machine 5 has a resin cap 1
If it is 1, it becomes a cap-in-head seamer,
When the cap is an aluminum cap 81, it serves as a cap seamer. The configuration and operation of the cap chute 3 will be described later in detail.

When the cap is a resin cap 11, the cap mounting and tightening machine 5 has a bottle gripper 5a for gripping and transferring the bottles 10 supplied from the bottle feeder 2 one by one on the outer peripheral surface. It has a plurality of rotating parts provided at equal intervals. The cap mounting and tightening machine 5 has a capping head 20 that tightens the cap 11 engaged with the mouth 18 into the mouth 18 of the bottle 10 with a predetermined force.
The capping head 20 rotates together with the rotating part, and the cap 1 is moved within a predetermined capping area.
The mouth 18 is sealed by tightening 1.

Examples of such a capping head 20 include, for example, Alcoa Closure Systems International, Inc.
re Systems International, Inc.) 's Cap-In-Head Capping System
m) The Alcoa Magna torque headset used in m) can be used. This Alcoa (ALCO
The magna torque headset of A) includes a chuck having a clutch mechanism using a permanent magnet, and is attached to a rotating spindle shaft.

The clutch mechanism of the magna torque headset has two disks in which a plurality of permanent magnets are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction with S poles and N poles, and attracts when different poles face each other. It has become. In addition, the spindle shaft is held rotatably and can also be moved up and down in the vertical direction, and the chuck is rotated with the rotation of the spindle shaft. The cap is held by the chuck, and the cap is wound around the mouth of the bottle by the rotation of the spindle shaft. In the process of tightening the cap, when the tightening torque exceeds a preset force for attracting the magnets, the clutch is disengaged, the chuck idles, and no further tightening torque is applied.

The capping head 20 rotates at a predetermined torque while descending at the initial position of the capping region, and presses and caps the cap 11 covered on the mouth 18 of the bottle 10. As a result, the cap 11 is firmly attached to the mouth 18 of the bottle 10 and hermetically sealed, and a beverage in a container with a cap as a final product is manufactured. Thereafter, the capping head 20 is rotated in the opposite direction while being lifted at the end position of the capping region, so that the capping head 20 is removed from the cap 11 and the winding operation is completed.

The container 9 which is a beverage in a container produced in this way is gripped by the bottle gripper 5a of the cap mounting and tightening machine 5 and transferred to the container discharging machine 6. Container discharging machine 6
Has a rotating portion provided with a plurality of container gripping portions 6a provided at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface for gripping and transferring the containers 9 supplied from the cap mounting and tightening machine 5 one by one. The container gripper 6a receives the product container 9 from the bottle gripper 5a at a transfer position intersecting with the cap mounting and tightening machine 5,
The container 9 is transferred to the discharge position. One end of the conveyor 7 is installed at the discharge position, and the product container 9 is placed on the conveyor 7. The product container 9 placed on the transport conveyor 7 is transported to the next step such as a packaging step.

Next, the cap chute 3 and the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 will be described. The cap chute 3 individually supplies the caps 11 (or 81) one by one on the course of the mouth 18 of the bottle 10 (or 80) conveyed by the bottle feeder 2. The cap 11 supplied to the outlet of the cap chute 3 is automatically put on the mouth 18 by the movement of the bottle 10. The ultraviolet sterilizer 4 is mainly used for sterilizing the lid holding mechanism provided at the outlet of the cap chute 3 and its peripheral portion with ultraviolet rays.
It is also used for sterilization of the mouth 18 and its periphery.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the cap chute 3 has a chute main body 22 forming a conveying path 23 through which the cap 11 passes, and a lid provided at an outlet of the conveying path 23 of the chute main body 22. It is provided with a door opening / closing mechanism 24 and the like showing a specific example of the body holding mechanism. The chute main body 22 includes a base member 25 to which the opening-side surface of the cap 11 is slidably contacted, a guide member 26 that guides the cap 11 in a predetermined direction by preventing the cap 11 from dropping from the transport path 23, A guide holder 27 for swingably supporting the guide member 26 is provided.

The base member 25 is constituted by a combination of a fixed base plate 28 having a smooth surface made of a thin plate material and a movable base plate 29 also having a smooth surface. The fixed base plate 28 is provided with great elasticity, and a movable base plate 29 is arranged on one side in the longitudinal direction of the fixed base plate 28. The movable base plate 29 is provided with a large rigidity, and the surface with which the cap 11 makes sliding contact is a flat portion having an appropriate width. The movable base plate 29 is supported by the guide member 26 via two support screws 30.

The guide member 26 includes a flat portion 26a facing the movable base plate 29 at a predetermined interval, a curved portion 26b continuing to one side of the flat portion 26a, and a flat portion 26a.
a on the other side. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a screw hole is penetrated substantially in the center of the flat portion 26a, and a cap detection sensor 31 for detecting the presence or absence of the cap 11 is screwed into the screw hole.

The cap detector 31 includes a sensor housing 31a provided with a screw portion on the outer peripheral surface, and a sensor housing 31a
And a lead wire 31b connected to the sensor main body is led out from the rear end of the sensor housing 31a. As the sensor main body, for example, a reflection-type optical sensor that emits light such as infrared light or visible light and detects the presence or absence of the cap 11 based on reflected light reflected on the surface of the cap 11 can be used. By screwing the sensor housing 31a into the screw hole of the flat portion 26a, the cap detector 31 is attached to the guide member 26 in a state where the sensor main body is opposed to the transport path 23. 32
Is a lock nut for fixing the cap detector 31 at an arbitrary position, and is screwed to the sensor housing 31a.

The cap detector 31 is not limited to the above-mentioned reflection type optical sensor.
The light-emitting element and the light-receiving element may be combined, and the light-emitting element may be arranged on one of the guide member 26 and the movable base plate 29 and the light-receiving element may be arranged on the other. Further, the cap detector 31 is not limited to the one using the optical sensor, and for example, a non-contact type proximity switch, a contact type switch (for example, a micro switch) or other switch means can be applied. .

Further, as shown in FIG.
6 are provided with screw receiving portions 26d, 26d protruding on both sides in the width direction intersecting the longitudinal direction. Each screw receiving portion 26d is provided with an insertion hole,
The support screw 30 described above is passed through each of the insertion holes. The two support screws 30 are arranged symmetrically in the width direction of the guide member 26, and the control door 33 is rotatably supported on each guide member 26, respectively. The left and right control doors 33, 33 have a symmetrical shape, and include a cylindrical shaft portion 33a through which the support screw 30 is inserted, and an arm portion 33b protruding laterally from the cylindrical shaft portion 33a. I have.

The cylindrical shaft portion 33a of the control door 33 and the spacer 34 are interposed between the screw receiving portion 26d and the movable base plate 29, and the screw shaft portion 30a of the support screw 30 passing therethrough is connected to the movable base. It protrudes from the back surface of the plate 29. A mounting nut 35 is screwed into the screw shaft portion 30a of the support screw 30. By tightening the mounting nut 35, the movable base plate 29 and the spacer 34 are sandwiched between the support screw 30 and the mounting nut 35. A cylindrical shaft portion 33a of the control door 33 is rotatably interposed between the spacer 34 and the screw receiving portion 26d.

Further, a thin portion 33c is provided above the arm portion 33b of the control door 33, and the thin portion 33c is provided.
A set screw 36 is attached to the upper surface of the. Each set screw 36 of the pair of control doors 33, 33 has
Each end of the coil spring 37 that pulls the inside 3 and 33 is locked. Accordingly, the arm portions 33b of the pair of control doors 33 are always urged inward, and the inward movement of the control doors 33 is restricted by the adjusting screws 38, respectively.

Each adjusting screw 38 is connected to the thin portion 3 of the control door 33.
3c so as to penetrate in the lateral direction. The mounting position of the adjusting screw 38 is set at a position facing the side surface of the flat portion 26 a of the guide member 26. A lock nut 39 is screwed to each adjustment screw 38 so that the amount of protrusion of the adjustment screw 38 can be adjusted. By changing the amount of tightening of the adjusting screw 38, as shown in FIG. 5, the gap between the tips of the pair of control doors 33, 33 can be adjusted to adjust the difficulty of the passage of the cap 11.

The movement of the cap 11 is temporarily stopped by the pair of control doors 33, 33, and the pair of control doors 33, 33 is pushed open by resisting the spring force of the coil spring 37, whereby one cap 11 is closed. It is taken out of the chute 3. Then, the cap 11 coming to the next position
Is similarly stopped by a pair of control doors 33, 33, which are closed immediately by the spring force of the coil spring 37.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the cap 11 is held at the leading edge of the movable base plate 29 at an appropriate angle, and near the leading edge, the mouth 18 of the bottle 10 is closed. It is configured to pass. At this time,
About a half of the concave portion, which is a hole of the cap 11, protrudes from the leading edge of the movable base plate 29, and the upper corner portion of the mouth 18 enters the half-opened concave portion. When the moving force of the bottle 10 becomes larger than the spring force of the coil spring 37, the cap 11 is moved to the pair of control doors 33, 33.
Is pushed out and taken out.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pressing portion 26c of the guide member 26 is bent so as to extend in a direction substantially parallel to the traveling direction of the bottle 10. This pressing part 2
It is preferable that 6c be given elasticity with an appropriate strength.
The pressing portion 26c presses the upper surface of the cap 11 passing below, so that the concave portion of the cap 11 is pressed against the mouth 18 of the bottle 10. Therefore, the pressing portion 2
The gap between 6c and the mouth 18 is set smaller than the thickness of the cap 11. As a result, even if the edge of the concave portion of the cap 11 is hooked on the edge of the mouth portion 18 and is initially fitted in an incomplete state, the top surface of the cap 11 is pressed by the pressing portion 26c by the movement of the bottle 10, As shown by the two-dot chain line, it is possible to make a state in which it is fitted to some extent and it is hard to come off.

The curved portion 26b of the guide member 26
As shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, a guide groove 40 extending in the curved surface direction is provided on the outer surface. The inner surface of the curved surface 26b is provided with a lever 26e extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the pressing portion 26c. The lever portion 26e is inserted between the pair of bearing pieces 27a, 27a of the guide holder 27, and the rotating shaft 41 passes through them in the lateral direction. Thus, the guide member 26 is supported rotatably with respect to the guide holder 27 about the rotation shaft 41 supported at both ends by the pair of bearing pieces 27a, 27a.

Further, the guide holder 27 and the lever 26e
The coil spring 43 is attached in a compressed state. One end of the coil spring 43 is connected to the guide holder 27.
Is seated in a counterbore hole provided in
e, and is inserted into a screw hole 44 provided in e. This screw hole 4
An adjusting screw 4 for adjusting the spring force of the coil spring 43
The other end of the coil spring 43 is seated on the distal end surface of the adjusting screw 45. A lock nut 46 is attached to the adjustment screw 45. By loosening the lock nut 46 and changing the amount of tightening of the adjustment screw 45, the spring force for urging the guide member 26 toward the fixed base plate 28 is reduced. The strength can be adjusted. The rotation of the guide member 26 toward the fixed base plate 28 due to the spring force of the coil spring 43 is prevented by the stopper portion 47 set at the end of the curved surface portion 26b.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide holder 27 is formed of a block-shaped member having a guide groove 48 connected to the guide groove 40 of the guide member 26. On both sides of the surface of the guide holder 27 where the guide groove 48 is opened, mounting blocks 49 for mounting the fixed base plate 28 are arranged. The fixed base plate 28 is arranged outside the mounting block 49, and the fixed base plate 28 is fixed to the guide holder 27 by tightening a mounting screw 50 that penetrates the fixed base plate 28.
By interposing the mounting block 49 between the guide holder 27 and the fixed base plate 28 and interposing the control door 33 and the spacer 34 between the guide member 26 and the movable base plate 29, the base member 25 and the guide member 26
An opening for exposing a part of the cap 11 is set between them.

Further, on one side of the guide holder 27 in the direction in which the guide groove 48 extends, a flange portion 27b for attaching the cap chute 3 to a related device is provided. In this embodiment, a connection chute 51 is applied as a related device. To one end of the connection chute 51, for example, a hopper accommodating a large number of caps 11 is connected. The caps 11 sequentially taken out of the hopper and conveyed are sterilized by a sterilizing device provided in the middle of the connecting chute 51, and the sterilized cap 11 is supplied to the cap chute 3 in a sanitary state. (See FIG. 2).

The connecting chute 51 is provided with a flange portion 51a for connecting to the cap chute (cap catcher chute) 3. Flange part 5
1a is provided with an insertion hole facing the screw hole 27c provided in the flange portion 27b of the guide holder 27, and the flange portion 51a is joined to the flange portion 27b by a mounting screw 52 inserted into this insertion hole. I have. The connecting chute 51 and the cap chute 3 connected by this.
The cap 11 is conveyed through the inside by dropping by its own weight or pressure feeding by the transfer sterilizing air.

As another example of the above-mentioned lid holding mechanism, a stopper pin which protrudes on the path of the cap 11 so as to be able to advance and retreat and controls the passage of the cap 11 and a cap 11 located at the tip end are provided as one. A cap pressing device that presses the individual pieces and feeds them to the outlet can be provided. The cap pressing device can be configured by, for example, an air nozzle that blows out high-pressure air, and an air adjustment valve that adjusts the amount of air blown out from the air nozzle to adjust the pressing force of the air.

In this case, when it is desired to stop the operation due to some trouble, the stopper pin is connected to the cap 1.
1 to protrude on the course. Thus, the movement of the cap 11 can be restricted at the tip of the stopper pin and stopped in the cap chute 3. On the other hand, by moving the stopper pin backward and removing it from the path, the cap 11 can pass through. By operating the cap pressing device in the retracting state of the stopper pin, one cap 11 is moved to the cap chute 3.
Extruded at the exit.

Next, the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 will be described. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Is arranged only on one side of the cap chute 3, and only the reflector 63 is arranged on the opposite side. However, it is needless to say that two ultraviolet sterilizers 4 can be arranged on both the left and right sides, and the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 is provided only on one of the upper and lower sides of the cap chute 3.
May be arranged, and two ultraviolet sterilizers 4 may be arranged on both upper and lower sides.

In order to increase the efficiency of ultraviolet sterilization by the ultraviolet sterilizer 4, a fixed base plate 28 of the base member 25 is provided.
It is desirable that the movable base plate 29, the guide member 26, and the control door 33 are provided with opening windows as large as possible while ensuring the necessary strength.

One embodiment of the opening window is shown in FIGS. The opening window 55 shown in this embodiment is provided as five through holes on the side surface of the curved surface portion 26b of the guide member 26. The shape of the opening window 55 is not limited to a rectangular shape as shown in the figure, but may be circular, elliptical,
A semicircle, a triangle, a pentagon, a hexagon, a star, a long hole extending in a straight line or a waveform, and various other well-known shapes can be applied. Further, the same applies to the number of the opening windows 55, and it goes without saying that the number of the opening windows 55 can be arbitrarily set as long as necessary strength can be secured.

The ultraviolet sterilizer 4 comprises an ultraviolet lamp 60, a lamp cover 61, a lamp holder 62, a reflector 63, and a mounting bracket 64. The ultraviolet lamp 60 is a germicidal lamp that emits an electromagnetic wave having a strong line spectrum near a wavelength of 254 nm (strictly, 253.7 nm) of ultraviolet light having a wavelength range of 180 nm to 400 nm (nanometers).

The ultraviolet lamp 60 has a lamp body 65 made of quartz glass, ultraviolet transmitting glass, or an ultraviolet transmitting fluororesin which transmits light of 290 nm or less, and both ends of the lamp body 65 in the axial direction are closed. Connected fittings 66, 66, and each fitting 66
, A lead wire 68 connected to each electrode 67, mercury vapor sealed in the lamp body 65, and the like.

The ultraviolet sterilizing means which is a source of ultraviolet light is not limited to the ultraviolet lamp 60 of this embodiment. For example, an ultraviolet light emitting method using a semiconductor laser, a laser beam is transmitted using an optical fiber. Various light-emitting methods capable of emitting ultraviolet light, such as a method of irradiating with ultraviolet light, can be applied. Furthermore, a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) or photocouplers that emit ultraviolet light may be provided to serve as an ultraviolet light emitting unit. In addition, these ultraviolet light emitting units are supported by a flexible pipe so as to be position-adjustable, and a flexible arm structure can be obtained. In this case, the flexible pipe can be bent at an arbitrary position to direct the light emitting portion in an arbitrary direction to perform the ultraviolet sterilization.

The lamp cover 61 covers and protects the entirety of the ultraviolet lamp 60, and prevents the object from hitting the ultraviolet lamp 60.
It also has a function of preventing glass pieces and the like from scattering around when the glass is broken. The lamp cover 61 can be formed of a synthetic resin capable of transmitting ultraviolet light well, for example, an ultraviolet-transmissive fluorine resin.

The lamp cover 61 is formed of a cylindrical member having one end closed, and has a size capable of completely covering the ultraviolet lamp 60. After the opening of the lamp cover 61 houses the ultraviolet lamp 60,
It is sealed by a rubber stopper 69. At the center of the rubber stopper 69, an extraction hole 69a from which the lead wire 68 of the ultraviolet lamp 60 is extracted is provided. This lamp cover 61
Is a reflection plate 63 via two lamp holders 62, 62.
It is detachably attached to. The lamp cover may be formed by a pipe-like member having both ends opened, and both ends may be sealed with a rubber stopper or the like.

The lamp holder 62 includes a fixing piece 62 a having an insertion hole through which a fixing screw 70 is inserted, and a fixing piece 62 a.
a consisting of a pair of holding pieces 62b continuous on both sides of
It is formed of a plate-shaped spring material. A pair of holding pieces 6
2b, 62b are formed so as to rise from both ends of the fixing piece 62a, and a curved surface portion having a radius of curvature substantially similar to the radius of curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the lamp cover 61 is provided on the free end side of each holding piece 62b. ing. A pair of holding pieces 62b,
An elasticity of an appropriate strength is given to 62b, and the lamp cover 61 is detachably attached by the holding force of the holding piece 62b.

A through-hole is provided at two corresponding positions of the reflector 63 to which the lamp holder 62 is fixed, and a fixing nut 71 is integrally fixed to the back surface of the through-hole by a fixing means such as welding. Have been. The reflection plate 63 is formed of a rectangular dish-shaped member formed to be appropriately larger than the length of the lamp holder 62 in the axial direction and the length in the width direction. The four sides of the reflection plate 63 are provided with warped portions 63a, each of which is directed inward. The inner surface of the reflecting plate 63 is a smooth mirror surface so as to reflect ultraviolet light well.

Further, fixing nuts 72 for attaching the reflecting plate 63 to the mounting bracket 64 are integrally fixed at two locations substantially at the center of the inner surface of the reflecting plate 63 by fixing means such as welding. The mounting bracket 64 is made of a plate material bent and formed in a U-shape, and the connecting piece 6 at the center is formed.
4a and a supporting piece 6 connected to one side of the connecting piece 64a.
4b and a fixed piece 64c connected to the other side of the connecting piece 64a.
And The support piece 64b is provided with an insertion hole 73a, and the fixed piece 64c is provided with an insertion hole 73b.

A fixing screw 74 is inserted into the insertion hole 73a of the support piece 64b of the mounting bracket 64. The reflection plate 63 is fixed to the mounting bracket 64 by screwing the fixing screw 74 to the fixing nut 72 and tightening. In order to fix the mounting bracket 64 to the cap chute 3, a screw hole 75 is provided on a side surface of the guide member 26 as shown in FIG. Insertion hole 73 of fixing piece 64c
The mounting bracket 64 is attached to and fixed to the guide member 26 by inserting the fixing screw 74 into the screw hole b and screwing it into the screw hole 75 and tightening. Thereby, the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 is attached to the cap chute 3 so as to irradiate ultraviolet light from the side surface of the transport path 23.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 is mounted on only one side of the cap chute 3, and only the reflector 63 is disposed on the opposite side. The reflection plate 63 is similarly mounted by a mounting bracket 64. By using the reflecting plate 63 in this way, it is possible to reflect the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 installed so as to be opposed to the reflecting plate 63 and to perform substantially the same function as the ultraviolet sterilizer 4. it can. Therefore, while using one ultraviolet sterilizer 4, 1
It is possible to expect an ultraviolet disinfection effect equal to or more than that of the unit, and it is possible to enhance the disinfection efficiency.

The reason why the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 is installed on the cap chute 3 is as follows. That is, the cap 11 conveyed to the cap chute 3 has been almost completely sterilized in the previous sterilization step. However, even with such a cap 11, bacteria may be produced for the following reasons. May be contaminated, in which case there may be hygiene problems.

For example, in a factory or the like that manufactures a bottled beverage or the like by filling a fruit beverage, a coffee beverage, or another beverage into a bottle, a so-called aseptic room or a nearly aseptic space is filled with the beverage. . However,
It is difficult to maintain a completely aseptic condition even in a sterile room or the like, and many bacteria are present in a floating state in the air due to a worker entering or leaving the room. The bacteria in this air
Due to the convection of air in the room, the flow of air due to the operation of the machine, etc., it adheres to the cap chute 3 or directly
1 (hereinafter referred to as "airborne bacteria").
When the cap 11 is contaminated by the airborne bacteria,
It becomes unsanitary in the cap mounting stage after filling beverages and the like.

Therefore, the present invention has been made for the purpose of sterilizing the cap chute 3 with the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 with the ultraviolet ray sterilizing apparatus 4. Thereby, not only the step of filling the contents into the bottle 10 (or 80) and the subsequent step of attaching the cap 11 (or 81) to the mouth 18 of the bottle 10, but also during the movement of the cap 11 during that time, Irradiating ultraviolet rays to the cap transfer line including the cap 11 and its peripheral portion,
Sanitary conditions can be maintained in almost the entire manufacturing process.

According to the cap chute 3 having such a configuration, the cap 11 (or 81)
Is transported through the transport path 23, the sanitary state of the cap 11 is maintained, and the opening 18 of the bottle 10 (or 80) is maintained.
Can be attached to

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG.
The cap 11 transported by the guide holder 27
And enters the transport path 23 from the guide groove 48, and slides down the transport path 23 by its own weight to reach the exit portion.

At this time, beside the cap chute 3,
Since the ultraviolet lamps 60 extend along the transport path 23, the ultraviolet light radiated from the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 is always supplied to the door opening and closing mechanism 24 provided at the transport path 23, its periphery, and the outlet. Irradiated. Moreover, the transport path 23
An opening window 55 for transmitting ultraviolet light radiated from the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 into the transport path 23 is provided on a side portion of the guide member 26 which forms one of the two. 23.
Further, by providing an opening window in the base member 25, the control door 33, and the like as necessary, the irradiation efficiency of the ultraviolet rays can be further increased.

For this reason, bacteria floating in the air can be sterilized by ultraviolet rays in the vicinity of the cap chute 3, so that the bacteria are prevented from adhering to the base member 25 and the guide member 26 and propagating. In addition, bacteria adhered to the base member 25 and the guide member 26 can be sterilized and killed to maintain a sanitary condition. Therefore, the transport path 23 is not contaminated by bacteria, the generation of a contamination source by bacteria is prevented, the sanitary cap 11 sterilized by the cap chute 3 is not contaminated, and the door opening / closing mechanism 24 is not contaminated. Can be transported.

The cap 11 that has reached the door opening / closing mechanism 24
As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle enters the gap between the pair of control doors 33, 33, and the progress is stopped by both control doors 33. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, approximately half of the front side of the cap 11 protrudes forward from the leading edge of the movable base plate 29, and a part of the concave portion of the cap 11 is
Is exposed on the movement trajectory that is the course of the vehicle. for that reason,
When the bottle 10 is conveyed by conveyor means such as a conveyor and reaches the outlet of the cap chute 3, the upper end corner of the mouth 18 enters the recess of the cap 11, and the cap 11
To move forward.

As a result, when the moving force of the bottle 10 becomes larger than the spring force of the coil spring 37 of the door opening / closing mechanism 24,
The pair of control doors 33, 33 is pushed right and left by the moving force of the bottle 10, the cap 11 is pulled out, and the mouth 1 is opened.
8 Further, the cap 11 is provided with a guide member 26.
When passing under the pressing portion 26c, the pressing portion 26c
The upper surface of the cap 11 is pressed by the
Is pressed against the mouth 18 of the bottle 10. As a result, the concave portion of the cap 11 is fitted to the mouth 18 to some extent, and the cap 11, which is initially fitted in an incomplete state of being hooked, is fitted into the mouth of the bottle 10 in a state where it is difficult to come off.

This state is shown as C in FIG. 2. When the cap 11 is fitted, the bottle with the cap is conveyed to the next cap tightening step. In the cap winding step, the above-described capping head is used. By turning the cap 11 with the capping head and tightening the cap 11, the cap 11 is kept in a sanitary state and the cap 18 of the bottle 10 is closed.
Can be securely mounted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the ultraviolet lamp 6 of the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 is provided at the outlet of the cap chute 3.
The door opening / closing mechanism 24, its peripheral part, and the cap mounting position are irradiated with ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 60. Therefore, the sterilization by the ultraviolet rays is continued until the cap 11 is attached to the mouth 18 of the bottle 10, so that the sanitary condition in the cap 11 and its peripheral portion can be maintained higher. Then, the cap 11 that is transferred without being contaminated while maintaining a clean state is transferred while maintaining a sanitary state in the next step.

Although not shown, a shielding plate for blocking ultraviolet rays is disposed in an appropriate range on the worker side of the ultraviolet sterilizer 4, and ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet sterilizer 4 are directly incident on the eyes of the worker. It is preferable not to do this.

Further, a cleaning means may be provided in addition to the above-mentioned ultraviolet sterilizer 4, so that the cap chute 3 is cleaned simultaneously with or separately from the ultraviolet sterilizer. Here, the cleaning means is a means for supplying a cleaning medium to the cap chute 3, the door opening / closing mechanism 24, and the peripheral portion thereof to blow off bacteria and the like adhered to the cleaning medium. As this cleaning means, for example,
It is possible to adopt a configuration in which a medium such as hot air, high-temperature steam, or alcohol is blown to blow off or sterilize bacteria.

When the cleaning means is provided, the bacteria are sterilized by being blown off or the like, so that it is not necessary to have a long time until the bacteria are killed by ultraviolet rays.
Therefore, the content filling line can be moved at an early stage, and wasted time before the start of work can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, stainless steel is used as a material for the door opening / closing mechanism 24, the base member 25, and the guide member 26. Although the above example has been described, the use of an ultraviolet-transparent resin having an ultraviolet-transmissive property in place of the stainless steel makes it possible to further enhance the ultraviolet-ray transmission efficiency and to reliably perform ultraviolet sterilization.
Further, the example in which the glass tube of the ultraviolet lamp 60 is extended linearly has been described. However, for example, a configuration in which the glass tube is curved along the transport path 23 may be used. A configuration in which an ultraviolet lamp is provided may be employed. As described above, the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.

[0082]

As described above, according to the lid conveying apparatus of the present application, the chute main body, the lid holding mechanism, and the ultraviolet sterilizing means are provided, and the lid provided at the exit of the conveying path of the chute main body is provided. Since the body holding mechanism and its peripheral part are configured to be sterilized by ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet sterilizing means, the lid holding mechanism and its peripheral part can be prevented from being contaminated by bacteria, and the cap can be sanitized. Can be transported while maintaining a proper state. As a result, it is possible to obtain the effect that the cap not contaminated by the bacteria is transported to the next step, and the mouth of the container body can be sealed using the sanitary cap.

[Brief explanation of the figure]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a lid transfer device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the ultraviolet disinfection device is removed from the cover conveying device shown in FIG. 1 and a cap is fitted to a mouth of a bottle.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the lid transfer device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of the lid transfer device shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of a door opening / closing mechanism of the lid transfer device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of an ultraviolet sterilizing means of the lid conveying device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view schematically showing an overall configuration of a cap mounting device using the lid transfer device shown in FIG. 1;

8 is a partially sectional perspective view showing a first example of a cap used in the lid transfer device shown in FIG. 1;

9 shows a second example of a cap used in the lid transfer device shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 9A is a partially sectional perspective view, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the state which mounted | worn.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 cap mounting device, 2 bottle feeder, 3 cap chute (lid transfer device), 4 ultraviolet sterilizer (ultraviolet sterilization means), 5 cap mounting tightening machine (cap-in-head seamer), 6 container discharging machine, 7
Conveyor, 8 Rotary filling machine (filler), 9
Container, 10,80 bottles (container body), 11,
81 cap (lid), 18 mouths, 20 capping head, 22 chute body, 23 transport path, 24 door opening and closing mechanism, 25 base member, 26
Guide member, 27 guide holder, 28 fixed base plate, 29 movable base plate, 31 cap detector, 33 control door, 37 coil spring, 40, 4
8 guide groove, 51 connecting chute, 55 opening window, 60 ultraviolet lamp

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Ken Shimizu 3-49-16 Honcho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside Toyoshin Science & Technology Center, Inc. (72) Inventor Masashi Oji 3-49-16 Honcho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo No. F-term in the Toyobo Science & Technology Center (reference) 3E080 AA06 AA07 AA08 AA10 DD12 4C058 AA25 BB06 EE14 EE23 EE26 KK02 KK12 KK22 KK33 KK50

Claims (7)

[Claims] A chute main body forming a conveyance path through which a lid is passed; and a chute main body provided at an outlet of the conveyance path of the chute main body and on a path of an opening of the container main body to which the lid is attached. A lid provided with: a lid holding mechanism that exposes the concave portion to hold the lid; and an ultraviolet sterilizing unit that irradiates the lid holding mechanism and a peripheral portion thereof with ultraviolet light and sterilizes with the ultraviolet light. Body transport device. 2. The chute main body includes a base member with which the lid is slidably contacted, and a guide member having a guide groove for guiding the lid to be transported in a predetermined direction while preventing the lid from falling off. 2. The lid conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying path is formed by the base member and the guide member. 3. An opening for exposing a part of the lid is provided between the base member and the guide member, and the ultraviolet light passes through the opening to allow the conveyance path and the lid holding mechanism to pass. 3. The cover conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cover is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. 4. The lid holding mechanism includes a pair of control doors disposed on a path of the lid, and an elastic member for urging the pair of control doors in a closing direction to prevent the lid from moving. 4. The body according to claim 1, wherein the cover is movable by pushing and opening a pair of control doors with the cover against the spring force of the elastic body. Lid transfer device. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the base member, the guide member, and the pair of control doors is provided with one or more opening windows for transmitting the ultraviolet rays. 5. The lid conveying device according to 2, 3, or 4. 6. The ultraviolet sterilizer includes an ultraviolet lamp that emits the ultraviolet light, a lamp cover that transmits ultraviolet light and covers the periphery of the ultraviolet lamp, and a mounting bracket that attaches the lamp cover to the chute body. And a reflector disposed on the back surface of the ultraviolet lamp and reflecting the ultraviolet light so as to irradiate the lid holding mechanism and a peripheral portion thereof. 6. The lid conveying device according to 4 or 5. 7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the lid is a screw cap that is screwed to the mouth of the container body, a crown cap that is fitted into the mouth by press-fitting, or a back cap that is fitted to the mouth. 7. The lid conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the lid conveying device is a cup-shaped seal cap that is screw-connected.