JP2005253888A - Article sterilizing apparatus and portable container for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sterilizing apparatus improved in its gripping means to grip a portable container containing an article to be sterilized in a sterilizing chamber, simplified in handing over or carrying out of the portable container to the gripping means, and which can be effective for automation of the portable container carry-in-and-out to the sterilizing chamber. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of gripping means 44 provided on a periphery of a rotating shaft in the sterilizing chamber comprises at least a pair of gripping parts 42 and 43 openable and closable to grip a container body 36 containing the article and a lid body 38 provided separately from the container body 36, and an energizing means including a spring 50 or the like to energize the gripping parts 42 and 43 toward a closing direction. The lid body 38 and the container body 36 are supported between the gripping parts 42 and 43, which enables to grip a portable container 5 with the lid body 38 and the container body 36 abutting on each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an article sterilization apparatus that sterilizes articles such as rubber stoppers, aluminum caps, and eye drop containers used for vials and the like in a portable container, and a portable container for the article sterilization apparatus.

Articles such as rubber stoppers and aluminum caps used in vial bottles are cleaned by removing dust and dirt adhering to the surface, then sterilized and supplied to mouth-sealing devices such as stoppers and wrapping machines. It is common to be done. For example, a large amount of rubber stoppers are washed in the tank at a time, sterilized, dried, and the sterilized rubber stoppers are supplied to the mouth-sealing device through a chute or parts feeder in a fixed amount. And the like are known (see Patent Document 1). However, in the case of this type of prior art, a series of processing steps including washing, sterilization processing and drying are performed in a batch manner in a tank, and then a sterilized rubber plug is installed. Since a supply form in which a fixed amount was discharged from the processing tank and supplied to the mouth sealing device was employed, there was a technical limitation in continuity regarding the supply of articles such as rubber plugs.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-44998

  There is also known a sterilization method in which a sterilization process is performed while moving an object such as a washed rubber stopper in a sterilization apparatus while being stored in a portable container. In this case, in order to prevent the articles contained in the portable container from falling down accurately, it is necessary to fix the lid to the container body using a bolt or a clamp mechanism. However, since it is difficult to automate the attaching / detaching operation of the lid to / from the container main body using the bolt or the clamp mechanism, it is necessary to perform it manually and the workability is not good. Furthermore, in order to take out the sterilized article from the portable container, the operation of loosening the bolts and clamp mechanism and opening the lid is performed as an aseptic operation under aseptic environment. There is a risk of damaging the aseptic environment due to the work, and there is also a troublesome technical problem that there is a risk that metal wear powder generated by friction between metals when loosening the bolt and the clamp mechanism may be mixed in the product .

  The present invention has been developed in view of the state of the prior art as described above, and intended sterilization while revolving the article as the object of the sterilization treatment in a portable container in the sterilization treatment chamber. Improving the gripping means of the portable container for performing processing, and easily and accurately delivering the portable container containing the articles supplied by the transporting means to the gripping means disposed in the sterilization chamber. In addition, a sterilization apparatus that can easily and accurately carry out sterilized portable containers from the sterilization chamber, and that is effective for automating the loading and unloading of these portable containers into the sterilization chamber. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the present invention of claim 1, a container main body containing articles and a container main body separated from the container main body by a plurality of gripping means disposed around a rotating shaft installed in the sterilization chamber. A sterilization apparatus for sterilizing an article in a portable container while revolving around the rotating shaft in a state where the portable container composed of a configured lid is gripped, wherein the gripping means can be opened and closed And at least a pair of gripping portions and biasing means for biasing the gripping portions in the closing direction, and the lid body and the container main body are sandwiched between the gripping portions forming a pair thereof. The technical means of gripping the portable container while maintaining a contact state with the main body was adopted.

  In the invention of claim 2, in the standing state, the holding means is configured to be able to contact and separate from both sides across the container body and the lid, and the holding means is configured to be rotatable, and the holding means The holding means is rotated so that the holding direction with respect to the container main body and the lid is horizontal, and the container main body and the lid are horizontally placed around the rotation shaft installed in the sterilization chamber. A container delivery means configured to be able to carry in or out a portable container with respect to the grip means configured to revolve in a gripped state, and hold the container body and the lid body from both sides in a standing state, If necessary, move the container body and lid to the horizontal gripping means in the sterilization chamber at the same time, or transfer the container body and lid simultaneously from the gripping means in the sterilization chamber. Take out in state and place Employing the technical means that to transfer the same time standing state a container body and a lid on.

  In the invention of claim 3, the operation timing is set so that the holding operation of the container main body and the lid by the holding means and the holding operation of the container main body and the lid by the holding means partially overlap, The technical means of delivering the portable container in a state where the holding operation and the gripping operation overlap is adopted. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the container delivery means includes a gripping part opening member that engages with the gripping part to release a gripping force of the gripping part, and a moving means that moves the gripping part opening member. The technical means to do was adopted. Further, in the invention of claim 5, the portable container containing the article to be processed is held from both sides in a state of straddling the container main body and the lid body in the standing state by the holding means, and sterilized in the horizontal state. It is configured to be delivered to and from a gripping means installed indoors, and a locking protrusion is formed on the container body and a locking step is formed on the lid, and the locking portion By adopting a technical means, it is possible to hold the container body in a state where the contact state between the container main body and the lid body is reliably maintained by engaging with the holding means.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, the gripping means disposed around the rotation shaft installed in the sterilization chamber is adapted to maintain the contact state between the container body containing the article and the lid. Since it is configured to hold while energizing, the container main body and the lid constituting the portable container are configured separately, and the lid is simply brought into contact with the container main body to the sterilization processing chamber. Loading and unloading are possible. Therefore, it is no longer bothered by manual labor to fix the lid to the container body as in the prior art, and simple and accurate gripping can be realized, and problems derived from metal wear associated with fixing the lid are also eliminated. As a result, it is possible to provide a sterilization apparatus that is also effective for automating loading and unloading of a portable container into and from a sterilization chamber.
(2) According to the invention of claim 2, the container main body and the lid holding the unprocessed articles in the standing state are held from both sides, and the container main body is in a horizontal state in the sterilization chamber. The lid and the lid at the same time, or the container body containing the sterilized article and the lid from the gripping means in the sterilization chamber are taken out in a horizontal state, and the container body and the lid are placed in a standing position at the same time. Since it was configured to deliver, the portable container can be delivered simply and accurately without bothering humans. Moreover, since the portable container held by the holding means in the sterilization chamber is revolved in the vertical direction while being held in a horizontal state, the articles in the portable container are well agitated and evenly sterilized. As well as effective use of the installation space. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to fix the lid to the container body as in the prior art, the problems derived from metal wear associated with the fixing of the lid are eliminated, and as a result, loading and unloading of the portable container to and from the sterilization chamber is eliminated. It is possible to provide a sterilization apparatus effective for automating the above.
(3) According to the invention of claim 3, it is possible in a state where the holding operation of the container main body and the lid by the holding means of the container delivery means and the holding operation of the container main body and the lid by the holding means overlap. Since the delivery container is configured to be delivered, the delivery operation is accurately executed in a very stable state.
(4) According to the invention of claim 4, since the gripping force of the gripping part is released by the gripping part opening member disposed in the container delivery means, gripping by the gripping means using the container delivery means It is possible to cancel the action, which is also effective in simplifying the configuration.
(5) According to the invention of claim 5, a locking protrusion is formed on the container body constituting the portable container and a locking step is formed on the lid, and the holding means is locked. Since it comprised so that it might be made, the more exact holding state which can maintain reliably the contact state of those container main bodies and a cover body can be obtained simply.

  The article sterilization apparatus according to the present invention is suitable as a sterilization apparatus for rubber stoppers used for vial bottles, etc., but can be used as an appropriate article that can be sterilized by being stored in a portable container such as an aluminum cap or an eye drop container. Applicable. The container body constituting the portable container is formed of, for example, a porous metal plate that passes steam for sterilization. Moreover, as the lid body, a heat-resistant resin or the like is used. The lid body is configured separately from the container body, and is transported in a state of being placed on the opening of the container body, and the contact state between the joint surface of the lid body and the peripheral edge of the opening of the container body In this state, carrying in and out of the plurality of gripping means disposed around the rotation shaft installed in the sterilization chamber and sterilization in the sterilization chamber are executed. In addition, the rotating shaft installed in the sterilization chamber is not limited to a specific cross-sectional shape or thickness. Further, regarding the plurality of gripping means arranged around the rotation shaft, any specific support structure for the rotation shaft may be used as long as it can revolve around the rotation shaft. Incidentally, articles such as stoppers and aluminum caps that have been sterilized are supplied to a plugging machine or a winding machine that plugs the stoppers into the mouths of the containers.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram showing the layout of the main part of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a sterilizer, and the upstream side of the sterilizer 1 is connected via an inlet door 2 to a clean room 3 in which the inside is managed at a positive pressure. Then, the portable containers 5 containing the cleaned articles that are sequentially conveyed into the clean room 3 via the conveyance means 4 on the carry-in side are picked up one by one by the carry-in / delivery means 6 and sterilized by the sterilizer 1. A sterilization treatment such as a heat treatment using steam is carried into the processing chamber 7 and performed. Further, the downstream side of the sterilizer 1 is connected to an isolator 9 that is shut off from the outside and maintained in a sterile state via an outlet door 8, and is carried by a delivery / delivery means 10 disposed in the isolator 9. After the sterilization process in the sterilization chamber 7 is finished, the portable container 5 containing the sterilized article is unloaded from the sterilizer 1 and delivered to the carrying means 11 for unloading. It will be supplied to a winding machine.

  FIG. 2 is an elevational view showing the carry-in / delivery means 6. In addition, the same structure is employ | adopted also in the carrying-out delivery means 10, and there exists the same function. As shown in the figure, on a moving path 13, 14 provided on a base 12 installed on the floor surface, a moving table 17 is disposed so as to be reciprocally movable by a rodless cylinder 18 via wheels 15, 16. It is comprised so that it can move to the position suitable for delivery operation | movement between the said conveying means 4 and the sterilizer 1. FIG. A rotary table 20 is disposed on the movable table 17 with an appropriate rotary actuator 19 interposed therebetween, and an air cylinder 21 for advancing and retreating is installed on the rotary table 20. Then, by controlling the rotation angle of the turntable 20 by the rotary actuator 19, the operation direction of the output shaft 22 of the air cylinder 21 is directed toward the portable container 5 on the conveying means 4, or the sterilizer 1 is loaded. It is configured so that it can be directed in the direction.

  As shown in the figure, a mounting member 24 is installed at the tip of the output shaft 22 of the air cylinder 21 with an appropriate rotary actuator 23 sandwiched therebetween, and an L-shaped support member 25 is interposed with respect to the mounting member 24. The holding means 26 for holding the portable container 5 from the side is installed, and the gripping force of a gripping section described later installed in the sterilizer 1 at the tip of the output shaft 28 via the air cylinder 27 A gripping part opening member 29 that opens the door is installed to be able to advance and retract. As shown in the figure, the holding means 26 of the present embodiment is provided on output shafts 32 and 33 that operate in opposite directions to two air cylinders 30 and 31 that are installed back to back at the tip of the L-shaped support member 25. The holding portions 34 and 35 are configured, and by reducing the interval between the holding portions 34 and 35, both can be held from the side across the container main body and the lid constituting the portable container 5. It is configured as follows. And the holding parts 34 and 35 which comprise the holding means 26 hold and pick up the portable container 5 conveyed in the standing state by the conveying means 4 from the side, and then rotate the rotary actuator 23. The portable container 5 is turned over to the horizontal state, and the portable container 5 is transferred to the grip portion in the sterilizer 1 in the horizontal state.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a state in which the portable container 5 is held by the holding portions 34 and 35. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the container main body 36 constituting the portable container 5 is formed of a porous metal plate through which a processing medium such as sterilization steam is passed, and locking ridges 37 are formed on the side surfaces thereof. Formed. Further, a locking step portion 39 is also formed on the side surface of the lid body 38, and the holding portions 34 and 35 are locked to the locking projections 37 and the locking step portion 39, whereby the container body 36 and the lid 38 can be held from the side. Therefore, when the portable container 5 on the transport means 4 is delivered to the gripping part in the sterilizer 1 by the holding parts 34 and 35, the contact state between the lid body 38 and the container body 36 is surely maintained. Can do. Further, in the present embodiment, the locking recesses 40 and 41 are formed on the upper surface of the lid 38 and the bottom surface of the container body 36, and the gripping portions that make a pair are locked to the locking recesses 40 and 41, respectively. Thus, the lid 38 and the container main body 36 are sandwiched from above and below so that the contact state between the lid 38 and the container main body 36 can be maintained more accurately.

  FIG. 4 is an elevation view showing the inside of the sterilizer 1, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an AA cross-section enlarged. As shown in the figure, in the sterilization chamber 7 of the sterilization apparatus 1, a plurality of gripping means 44 including gripping portions 42 and 43 for gripping the portable container 5 are arranged around the rotation shaft 45 at equal intervals. The portable container 5 is held in a horizontal state by the holding means 44, and sterilization is performed while revolving in the vertical direction around the rotation shaft 45 by an external electric motor or the like (not shown). . As shown in FIG. 4, each holding means 44 is provided with a support member 47 formed with an arc surface 46 along the outer shape of the portable container 5 at the center in a planar position as shown in FIG. The grip portions 42 and 43 are rotatably supported by support shafts 48 and 49 on both sides of the support member 47. The grip portions 42 and 43 are connected by a spring 50 as shown in FIG. 5 and are biased in the direction in which the distance between the grip portions 42 and 43 is reduced and closed. When the portable container 5 is gripped by the gripping portions 42, 43, the locking portions 51, 52 formed at the tip portions of the gripping portions 42, 43 are the top surface of the lid 38 and the bottom surface of the container body 36. Positioning is performed by engaging with the engaging recesses 40 and 41 formed in the above, and the contact state between the lid 38 and the container main body 36 is more accurately maintained.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the gripping portions 42 and 43 are provided with rollers 53 and 54, respectively, and the gripping portion opening member 29 that can be advanced and retracted by the rollers 53 and 54 is divided into a bifurcated contact. The gripping portions 42 and 43 are expanded against the spring 50 by pressing the inclined portions at the tips of the portions 55 and 56 so that the gripping action can be released. Thus, by advancing the output shaft 22 of the air cylinder 21 with the output shaft 28 of the air cylinder 27 advanced, the tip inclined portions of the contact portions 55 and 56 of the gripping portion opening member 29 are moved to the rollers 53 and 53, respectively. The portable container 5 in a state of being held by the holding portions 34 and 35 between the gripping portions 42 and 43 is released by expanding the gripping portions 42 and 43 by being pushed in a state of being brought into contact with 54. Is inserted to the gripping position, and the output shaft 28 is retracted by the air cylinder 27 to release the expanding action on the gripping portions 42 and 43 by the contact portions 55 and 56 of the gripping portion opening member 29. The holding portions 42 and 43 are closed by force, and the locking portions 51 and 52 formed at the distal ends of the holding portions 42 and 43 are locking recesses 40 and 40 formed on the upper surface of the lid 38 and the bottom surface of the container body 36, 41 to Combined lid 38 and the container body 36 transportable container 5 in a state in which the contact state is maintained accurately with it is to be gripped. 4 is a guide member having an arcuate guide surface 58 that guides the portable container 5 so as not to fall off the gripping means 44. That is, the support state of the portable container 5 held between the holding portions 42 and 43 constituting the holding means 44 is further supplemented by the arc surface 46 of the support member 47 and the guide surface 58 of the guide member 57. Become.

  Next, the delivery operation of the portable container 5 between the carry-in delivery means 6 and the gripping means 44 will be described. As described above, the container main body 36 of the portable container 5 conveyed by the conveying means 4 and the lid body 38 placed on the opening thereof are moved from both sides of the side by the holding portions 34 and 35 of the carry-in delivery means 6. Engage and hold, pick up in a state where the lid 38 and the container main body 36 are in contact with each other, and by position control of the moving table 17 by the rodless cylinder 18 and rotation angle control of the rotating table 20 by the rotary actuator 19. The operation direction of the output shaft 22 of the air cylinder 21 is adjusted to the direction of the gripping means 44 in the sterilization apparatus 1. Further, before and after the above operation, the direction of the portable container 5 held by the holding portions 34 and 35 is turned over to the horizontal state through the operation control of the rotary actuator 23.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2, with the inlet door 2 opened, the output shaft 28 is first set to the forward state via the operation control of the air cylinder 27, and then the output shaft 22 of the air cylinder 21 is advanced. As a result, the tip inclined portions of the abutting portions 55 and 56 of the grasping portion opening member 29 are brought into contact with the rollers 53 and 54, and are further pushed in to expand the grasping portions 42 and 43. , 43 are released. Thereafter, the output shaft 22 of the air cylinder 21 is further advanced, and the horizontal portable container 5 held by the holding parts 34 and 35 is inserted between the holding parts 42 and 43 in the expanded state, and the holding part Set to gripping position by 42 and 43. In this case, the holding portions 34 and 35 and the gripping portions 42 and 43 are in orthogonal positions so as not to interfere with each other. When the portable container 5 is set to the gripping position, the contact position with the rollers 53 and 54 is shifted from the tip inclined portion of the contact portions 55 and 56 of the gripping portion opening member 29 to the flat portion. Thus, the expanded state of the gripping portions 42 and 43 is maintained.

  Thereafter, when the output shaft 28 is retracted by the air cylinder 27 and the expansion action of the gripping portions 42 and 43 by the abutting portions 55 and 56 of the gripping portion opening member 29 is released, the spring of the spring 50 as described above. The holding portions 42 and 43 are closed by force, and the locking portions 51 and 52 formed at the distal ends of the holding portions 42 and 43 are locking recesses 40 and 40 formed on the upper surface of the lid 38 and the bottom surface of the container body 36, The portable container 5 is gripped in a state where the lid 38 and the container main body 36 are accurately maintained in engagement with the cover 41. During this time, since the holding state of the portable container 5 by the holding portions 34 and 35 is continued, the delivery of the portable container 5 to the gripping means 44 is executed stably and accurately. After the gripping operation of the portable container 5 by the gripping portions 42 and 43 of the gripping means 44 is completed, the output shafts 32 and 33 of the air cylinders 30 and 31 are protruded from the air cylinders 30 and 31 respectively at an appropriate timing. The holding | maintenance force with respect to the portable container 5 is open | released by expanding the space | interval between 34,35.

  As described above, the timing at which the output shaft 28 is retracted by the air cylinder 27 to release the expanding action of the gripping portions 42 and 43 by the contact portions 55 and 56 of the gripping portion opening member 29, and the air cylinders 30 and 31. The output shafts 32 and 33 are protruded to increase the interval between the holding portions 34 and 35 to select the operation timing between the timing to release the holding force with respect to the portable container 5, and the holding portion 34. , 35 and the holding operation for the portable container 5 by the gripping portions 42 and 43 are set so as to partially overlap, so that the holding operation and the holding operation overlap. In the state, delivery of the portable container 5 can be configured to be executed stably and accurately. Then, when the delivery operation from the holding means 26 of the portable container 5 to the gripping means 44 in the sterilizer 1 is completed, the output shaft 22 is retracted via the operation control of the air cylinder 21 to thereby hold it. The means 26 is removed from the sterilization chamber 7. Thus, when the delivery operation of the portable container 5 is repeated and the delivery of the portable container 5 to all the gripping means 44 is completed, the entrance door 2 is closed and the sterilization in the next sterilization apparatus 1 is performed. It will move to processing work.

  In the sterilization operation in the sterilization apparatus 1, the rotary shaft 45 installed in the sterilization chamber 7 is rotated by an appropriate driving unit and is gripped by a plurality of gripping units 44 arranged around the rotary shaft 45. The removable portable containers 5 are revolved, and a sterilization medium such as steam is supplied into the sterilization chamber 7 to sterilize the articles contained in each portable container 5. Note that the sterilization process in the sterilization chamber 7 described above is basically a form in which a plurality of gripping means 44 groups are arranged in a row on the circumference around the rotation shaft 45. It is also possible to improve the working efficiency by disposing a plurality of gripping means 44 groups in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 45 and arranging a plurality of rows in parallel to perform sterilization at the same time.

  As described above, when the sterilization operation in the sterilization apparatus 1 is completed, the outlet door 8 is opened and each of the sterilization chambers 7 in the sterilization chamber 7 using the carry-out delivery means 10 disposed in the isolator 9 is used. The sterilized portable containers 5 held in the horizontal state by the holding means 44 are taken out one by one, rotated in the vertical state, and delivered to the carrying means 11 for carrying out in a standing state. That is, the container main body 36 containing the sterilized article gripped horizontally by the gripping means 44 and the lid body 38 are simultaneously held from both sides by the holding means and taken out one by one. 36 and the lid 38 are rotated vertically while being held and placed on the carrying means 11 for carrying out in an upright state, and then the holding means is separated from the container main body 36 and the lid 38 to change the holding state. By releasing, the portable container 5 is delivered to the conveying means 11 side. As described above, the delivery operation of the sterilized portable container 5 from the sterilization chamber 7 to the transport means 11 by the carry-out delivery means 10 is related to the operation procedure from the difference between the carry-in operation and the carry-out operation to the sterilization chamber 7. Although there is a difference, the operation is basically performed in the same manner as the delivery operation by the carry-in delivery means 6 described above. Then, the sterilized portable container 5 delivered to the carrying means 11 for carrying out in a standing state is supplied to a plugging machine or a winding machine attached to a filling machine (not shown).

  A parts feeder is disposed in the vicinity of the outlet door 8 of the sterilizer 1, the portable container 5 containing the sterilized stopper is taken out from the sterilizer 1, and supplied to the parts feeder as it is. When the transport container 5 becomes empty, the take-out operation of returning to the original location in the sterilizer 1 is repeated to sequentially take out the transportable containers 5 containing the sterilized articles in the sterilizer 1 and the parts feeder. Other forms of implementation are possible. Then, when the removal of all the portable containers 5 is completed and all the empty portable containers 5 are returned to the original place in the sterilizer 1, the outlet door 8 is closed and the inlet door 2 is closed. Is opened, the empty portable container 5 is discharged from the sterilizer 1, and the portable container 5 containing the next article is carried into the sterilizer 1, so that the above sterilization process and take-out operation can be repeated. It is. In the case of the present embodiment, as described above, only the sterilized article in the portable container 5 is supplied to the parts feeder, and the empty portable container 5 is not left on the isolator 9 side. The isolator 9 is provided with a discharge outlet for risk of destroying the sterile atmosphere, or an accumulator space is provided for storing the empty portable container 5 until the sterile atmosphere in the isolator 9 is destroyed after the production is finished. There is no need.

It is the schematic arrangement | positioning figure which showed arrangement | positioning of the principal part regarding the Example of this invention. It is the elevation which showed the delivery delivery means in the Example. It is the enlarged view which showed the holding state of the portable container by the holding part in the Example. It is the elevation which showed the inside of the sterilizer in the Example. It is the expanded sectional view which expanded and showed the AA cross section in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sterilizer, 2 ... Entrance door, 3 ... Clean room, 4 ... Conveyance means, 5 ... Portable container, 6 ... Carry-in delivery means, 7 ... Sterilization processing chamber, 8 ... Exit door, 9 ... Isolator, 10 ... Delivery delivery Means, 11 ... conveying means, 12 ... base, 13, 14 ... moving path, 15, 16 ... wheel, 17 ... moving base, 18 ... rodless cylinder, 19 ... rotary actuator, 20 ... rotary table, 21 ... air cylinder , 22 ... output shaft, 23 ... rotary actuator, 24 ... mounting member, 25 ... L-shaped support member, 26 ... holding means, 27 ... air cylinder, 28 ... output shaft, 29 ... gripper opening member, 30, 31 ... Air cylinder, 32, 33 ... Output shaft, 34, 35 ... Holding part, 36 ... Container body, 37 ... Locking protrusion, 38 ... Lid, 39 ... Locking step, 40, 41 ... Locking Recess, 42, 43 ... gripping part, 44 ... Holding means, 45 ... rotating shaft, 46 ... arc surface, 47 ... support member, 48, 49 ... support shaft, 50 ... spring, 51, 52 ... locking part, 53, 54 ... roller, 55, 56 ... contact part 57 ... Guide member, 58 ... Guide surface

Claims (5)

  A state in which a portable container made up of a container body containing articles and a cover body configured separately from the container body is gripped by a plurality of gripping means disposed around a rotating shaft installed in the sterilization chamber The sterilization apparatus performs sterilization processing on an article in a portable container while revolving around the rotation shaft, and the gripping means attaches at least a pair of gripping parts that can be opened and closed and the gripping part in a closing direction. An energizing means for energizing the portable container by sandwiching the lid and the container main body between the pair of gripping portions, while maintaining the contact state between the lid and the container main body. An article sterilization apparatus configured to be gripped.   The holding means configured to be able to contact and separate from both lateral sides straddling the container body and the lid in the standing state, and the holding means is configured to be rotatable, and the container body and the lid by the holding means The holding means is rotated so that the holding direction with respect to the container is in a horizontal state, and revolves around the rotation shaft installed in the sterilization chamber while holding the container body and the lid body in a horizontal state. An article sterilization apparatus comprising container delivery means configured to allow a portable container to be carried in or out of the gripping means configured as described above.   The operation timing is set so that the holding operation of the container main body and the lid by the holding means and the holding operation of the container main body and the lid by the holding means partially overlap, and the holding operation and the holding operation are performed. The article sterilization apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the portable container is delivered in an overlapping state.   4. A gripper opening member that engages with the gripper to release a gripping force of the gripper, and a moving unit that moves the gripper release member are disposed in the container delivery unit. The article sterilization apparatus according to 1. A portable container containing an article to be processed which is held from both sides in a state straddling the container main body and the lid body in a standing state and delivered between gripping means in a sterilization chamber in a horizontal state. A portable container for an article sterilization apparatus, wherein a locking projection is formed on the container body and a locking step is formed on the lid so as to be locked with the holding means. .

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