JP2012081992A - Device and method for filling liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid filling device and method by which the presence of a leaking part in a packaging material can be precisely inspected in a short time directly before filling the packaging material with liquid and avoiding filling the packaging materials in which the leaking part is generated with liquid.SOLUTION: Negative pressure is sealed in the packaging material (S104), by bringing a vacuum type filling nozzle close contact with the spout of the packaging material (S102), by vacuumizing the inside of the packaging materials by a vacuum pump (S103), and thereafter by closing a vacuum on/off valve which is an opening/closing valve interposed in a vacuumizing line. Further, it is determined that the packaging material has the leaking part such as a pin hole and the filling of liquid to the vacuumized packaging material is stopped (S105→S108) when pressure in the packaging material is detected and the pressure in the packaging material is increased and exceeds set pressure SL. Alternatively, it is determined that there is not leaking part in the packaging material and the inside of the packaging material is filled with liquid when the pressure in the packaging material is not increased and is not changed (S105→S106→S107).

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid filling apparatus and a liquid filling method for filling a vacuumed packaging material with a liquid.

  Conventionally, a back-in-box (B / I / B) in which a packaging material such as a thin-walled container such as polyethylene or a film bag is accommodated in a cardboard container has been used as a liquid container. As an apparatus for filling the packaging material of the back-in-box with liquid, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, there is an apparatus for filling the liquid into the evacuated packaging material.

JP 7-329903 A

By the way, if there is a leaking part such as a pinhole in the soft packaging material housed in the cardboard container in the back-in-box, the filled liquid will leak out of the packaging material. It is desirable to use it.
However, even if the packaging material manufacturer inspects all the packaging materials used for the liquid filling device before shipping, there is a possibility that pinholes will occur in the packaging material after the inspection until it is set in the liquid filling device. Yes, it is difficult to find pinholes with high accuracy even if it is visually inspected for the presence or absence of pinholes in the packaging immediately before setting in the liquid filling device, and it takes time for visual inspection. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned problems, and immediately before filling the packaging material with liquid, the presence or absence of the leakage portion in the packaging material can be inspected with high accuracy and in a short time, and the leakage portion is generated. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid filling apparatus and a liquid filling method capable of avoiding filling of the packaging material with liquid.

  For this reason, the liquid filling apparatus according to claim 1 includes a vacuuming means for evacuating the packaging material, a liquid filling means for filling the packaging material evacuated by the vacuuming means, and the liquid filling Before filling the liquid by the means, closing means for closing the negative pressure area including the inside of the packaging material, pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure in the negative pressure area, and the negative pressure area in the closed state by the closing means When the pressure inside the packaging material rises, it is determined that the packaging material has a leaking portion, and the filling of the packaging material is stopped, and when the pressure does not rise and changes, the packaging material has a leakage portion. And a leakage portion detecting means for filling the packaging material with the liquid by the liquid filling means.

  In such a configuration, liquid filling is performed after evacuating the inside of the packaging material, but the negative pressure region including the inside of the packaging material is closed after evacuating and before filling the liquid. Confine. When there is no leaking part in the packaging material, the pressure in the closed negative pressure region (in the packaging material) is kept constant. However, if there is a leaking part, air enters from inside the negative pressure region (packaging material). The pressure inside the material will change. Therefore, if the pressure in the negative pressure area (inside the packaging material) rises and changes, it is determined that a leakage portion has occurred in the packaging material, and filling of the packaging material in which the leakage portion has occurred is stopped. On the other hand, the packaging material which has been determined that the pressure does not rise and changes and there is no leakage portion is filled with liquid.

In the configuration of claim 1, as in claim 2, the leak detection unit determines that the packaging material has a leak when the pressure rises and exceeds a set pressure. it can.
In such a configuration, when the pressure in the negative pressure region (inside the packaging material) rises from the initial state below the set pressure and exceeds the set pressure, it is determined that a leakage portion has occurred in the packaging material.

In the configuration of claim 1 or 2, as in claim 3, the evacuation means and the liquid filling means include a vacuum filling nozzle integrally having a evacuation line and a liquid filling line, and the packaging material. In close contact with the spout, vacuuming and liquid filling can be performed.
In such a configuration, a vacuum filling nozzle is used to evacuate the packaging material and fill the packaging material with liquid.

In the configuration of the third aspect described above, the liquid can be recovered from the vacuum filling nozzle by the evacuation means performing evacuation after the liquid is filled by the liquid filling means as in the fourth aspect.
In such a configuration, after filling the packaging material with the liquid via the vacuum filling nozzle, vacuuming is performed to recover the liquid from the vacuum filling nozzle, thereby preventing liquid dripping from the vacuum filling nozzle.

In the configuration of claim 4, as in claim 5, the evacuation means includes a vacuum chamber between the vacuum filling nozzle and a vacuum pump, and the liquid recovered from the vacuum filling nozzle is removed from the vacuum. It can be accommodated in a chamber and drained from the vacuum chamber to the outside.
In such a configuration, the liquid recovered from the vacuum filling nozzle by evacuation is temporarily stored in a vacuum chamber provided between the vacuum filling nozzle and the vacuum pump, and discharged from the vacuum chamber to the outside to maintain a sanitary state. Plan.

In the configuration of claim 5, as in claim 6, an opening / closing valve as the closing means is interposed in a vacuum line between the vacuum filling nozzle and the vacuum chamber, and the opening / closing valve and the The pressure detecting means can be provided in a vacuum drawing line between the vacuum filling nozzle.
In such a configuration, by closing the open / close valve provided in the evacuation line between the vacuum filling nozzle and the vacuum chamber, the negative pressure region including the inside of the packaging material can be closed and the negative pressure can be confined. The pressure detecting means provided in the evacuation line between the open / close valve and the vacuum filling nozzle detects the pressure in the packaging material.

In the configuration according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, as in the seventh aspect, when the leaking part detecting unit determines the occurrence of the leaking part in the packaging material, an alarming unit that issues an alarm can be provided. .
In such a configuration, when the occurrence of a leakage portion in the packaging material is determined and the filling of the packaging material with the liquid is stopped, the alarm unit issues an alarm, detects the leakage portion of the packaging material, and detects the leakage of the liquid. Recognize that the filling operation has been stopped.

  Further, in the liquid filling method according to claim 8, the inside of the packaging material is evacuated, the negative pressure region including the inside of the packaging material is closed, the pressure in the closed negative pressure region is detected, and the negative pressure region It is determined whether or not the pressure in the inside has increased, and when the pressure in the negative pressure region has increased and determined, the packaging material is determined to have a leak, and the liquid applied to the vacuumed packaging material Filling was stopped, and when the pressure in the negative pressure region did not rise and change, it was determined that there was no leakage in the packaging material, and the evacuated packaging material was filled with liquid.

  In such a configuration, liquid filling is performed after evacuating the inside of the packaging material, but the negative pressure region including the inside of the packaging material is closed after evacuating and before filling the liquid. Confine. When there is no leaking part in the packaging material, the pressure in the closed negative pressure area is kept constant, but if there is a leaking part, air will enter from there and the pressure in the negative pressure area will rise and change. become. Therefore, when the pressure in the negative pressure region changes and rises, it is determined that a leakage portion has occurred in the packaging material, and the filling of the packaging material in which the leakage portion has occurred is stopped while the pressure is reduced. The packaging material that has been determined to have no rise and no leakage is filled with liquid.

  According to the liquid filling apparatus and the liquid filling method, it is possible to inspect the presence or absence of a leakage portion in the packaging material with high accuracy and in a short time by using vacuum drawing before filling the liquid, and to the packaging material in which the leakage portion is generated. There is an effect that the liquid filling can be avoided with a simple configuration.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the liquid filling apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the liquid filling process in embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a B / I / B liquid filling apparatus according to an embodiment.
The liquid filling apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus capable of filling a foaming liquid such as soy sauce, seasoning liquid, fermented milk, etc. at high speed by evacuating the packaging material 2 of B, I, B. It is.

The packaging material 2 is, for example, a blow molded body, a gusset bag body, a film bag body, or the like made of polyethylene or the like, and includes a spout (injection port) 2a for performing vacuuming and liquid filling.
The spout (injection port) 2a is sealed with a stopper cap or a screw cap after filling with liquid.

The vacuuming and liquid filling are performed by bringing a vacuum filling nozzle (filling valve) 3 integrally having a vacuuming line VL and a liquid filling line FL into close contact with the spout (injection port) 2a of the packaging material 2. Is called.
The liquid filling line FL is connected to the peripheral surface of the vacuum filling nozzle 3, and a tank for filling liquid is connected to the other end of the liquid filling line FL, and the tank and the vacuum filling nozzle 3 are connected to each other. A liquid filling valve FL and a mass flow meter are interposed in the liquid filling line FL.
The tank, filling valve, and mass flow meter are not shown.

A vacuum drawing line VL is connected to the base end side of the vacuum filling nozzle 3, and the other end of the vacuum drawing line VL is connected to a vacuum pump 4 as a vacuum generation source.
A vacuum chamber 5 is interposed in the vacuum line VL between the vacuum filling nozzle 3 and the vacuum pump 4, and a drain line DL having a drain valve 6 is provided on the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 5. Connected.

Further, a vacuum generation valve 8 is interposed in the vacuum line VL between the vacuum chamber 5 and the vacuum pump 4, and from the vacuum line VL between the vacuum generation valve 8 and the vacuum chamber 5. A manual vacuum degree adjustment valve 9 is interposed in the first atmosphere release line AL1 that is branched and released to the atmosphere.
Further, a vacuum on / off valve (open / close valve) 10 is interposed in the vacuum line VL between the vacuum chamber 5 and the vacuum filling nozzle 3. Furthermore, a vacuum instruction setting device 11 for detecting the pressure (vacuum degree) in the evacuation line VL between the vacuum on / off valve 10 and the vacuum filling nozzle 3 is provided. Further, the vacuum on / off valve 10 and the vacuum are provided. An atmosphere release valve 12 is interposed in a second atmosphere release line AL2 branched from the vacuum line VL between the chamber 5 and the atmosphere.

  The drain valve 6, the vacuum generation valve 8, the vacuum on / off valve 10, the atmosphere release valve 12, and the like are electromagnetic on-off valves that operate according to operation signals output from the control circuit 13, and the control circuit 13 An output signal of the vacuum instruction setter 11 or a mass flow meter (not shown) is input.

The liquid filling apparatus 1 having the above configuration operates as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
First, when the liquid filling apparatus 1 is activated, the vacuum pump 4 is used to adjust the pressure in the vacuum chamber 5 to a preset degree of vacuum (negative pressure) before evacuating the packaging material 2. Is turned on, the drain valve 6 is closed, the vacuum generation valve 8 is opened, the vacuum on / off valve 10 is closed, and the atmosphere release valve 12 is closed (S101).

If the pressure in the vacuum chamber 5 is adjusted to a preset vacuum degree (negative pressure), the vacuum filling nozzle 3 is then fitted into the spout 2a of the packaging material 2 and brought into close contact (S102).
Here, the vacuum on / off valve 10 is switched from the closed state to the open state, and vacuuming for extracting air from the packaging material 2 is performed for a preset time (S103).
Note that when the evacuation is performed, the liquid filling line FL is closed.

  When evacuation is performed for a predetermined time, the vacuum on / off valve 10 is switched from open to closed to confine the negative pressure generated by evacuation (S104). At this time, the vacuum pressure line VL from the vacuum on / off valve 10 to the vacuum filling nozzle 3, the vacuum drawing line VL in the vacuum filling nozzle 3, and the packaging material 2 have the same negative pressure. Thus, the vacuum instruction setter 11 detects the pressure in the packaging material 2.

Here, it is determined whether or not the pressure detected by the vacuum instruction setter 11, that is, the pressure in the packaging material 2 has become higher than the set pressure SL (S105).
The set pressure SL is lower than the atmospheric pressure and higher than the target pressure when adjusting the pressure in the vacuum chamber 5, and may exceed when the packaging material 2 has no leaking part such as a pinhole. There is no pressure set.
When the packaging material 2 does not have a leaking part such as a pinhole, the negative pressure region including the interior of the packaging material 2 is a closed space, and the pressure in the negative pressure region is determined when the vacuum on / off valve 10 is closed. In other words, a pressure lower than the set pressure SL is maintained.

  On the other hand, when the packaging material 2 has a leaking part such as a pinhole, even if the vacuum on / off valve 10 is closed, air enters the packaging material 2 from the leakage part, so that the negative pressure in the negative pressure region is The pressure rises and the pressure increases (the degree of vacuum decreases), and the negative pressure in the negative pressure region rises and changes to a pressure higher than the set pressure SL. Therefore, when the detected pressure of the vacuum instruction setting device 11 is increased and exceeds the set pressure SL, it is estimated that a leakage portion such as a pinhole is generated in the packaging material 2.

If the detected pressure of the vacuum instruction setter 11 is lower than the set pressure SL, is the state where the pressure lower than the set pressure SL has been maintained for a certain period of time after the vacuum on / off valve 10 is closed? It is determined whether or not (S106). When the detected pressure of the vacuum instruction setting device 11 is lower than the set pressure SL for a certain period of time, it is determined that the packaging material 2 has no leaking part such as a pinhole, and the packaging material 2 is moved to. The liquid is filled (S107).
The fixed time is set to be longer than the time required for the pressure of the packaging material 2 to become higher than the set pressure SL when there is a leaking part such as a pinhole in the packaging material 2.

  The filling of the packaging material 2 is performed via the liquid filling line FL and the vacuum filling nozzle 3, and in order to prevent liquid dripping from the vacuum filling nozzle 3 removed from the packaging material 2 after the liquid filling, Vacuum is drawn to recover the liquid in the vacuum filling nozzle 3 in the vacuum chamber 5. The liquid collected in the vacuum chamber 5 is automatically discharged to the outside each time by closing the vacuum generation valve 8, closing the vacuum on / off valve 10, opening the air release valve 12, and opening the drain valve 6.

On the other hand, when the detected pressure of the vacuum instruction setting device 11 becomes higher than the set pressure SL, it can be estimated that a leakage portion such as a pinhole is generated in the packaging material 2 as described above, and the leakage portion When the packaging material 2 having a liquid is filled with a liquid, the liquid leaks from the leaking portion.
Therefore, when the detected pressure of the vacuum instruction setter 11 (pressure in the negative pressure region including the inside of the packaging material 2) becomes higher than the set pressure SL, the transition to the liquid filling process is stopped, and the packaging material concerned 2 is stopped (S108). Then, when the liquid filling is stopped, the alarm device 7 such as a buzzer or a lamp is actuated, and the operator has to fill the liquid because there is a leak in the packaging material 2 to be filled with the liquid. The stop is notified (S108).

  An operator who knows that there is a leak in the packaging material 2 due to the operation of the alarm device 7 stops the liquid filling device 1 and spouts the packaging material determined to have a leak, ie, the vacuum filling nozzle 3. The packaging material 2 to which 2a is in close contact is removed, the liquid filling apparatus 1 is restarted, and the liquid filling operation to the packaging material 2 is resumed.

According to the liquid filling apparatus 1 described above, whether or not the packaging material 2 has a leaking part is determined using the negative pressure generated by the vacuuming after the vacuuming and immediately before the liquid filling. Without providing such, the presence or absence of a leakage portion in the packaging material 2 can be inspected with high accuracy and in a short time as part of the liquid filling process, and the filling of the packaging material in which the leakage portion has occurred can be avoided in advance.
Therefore, even if a leakage part such as a pinhole occurs in the packaging material 2 either when the packaging material 2 is taken out of the packaging during the transportation of the packaging material 2 or when the packaging material 2 is set in the liquid filling device 1, It is possible to detect the occurrence of the leaking portion, to prevent the filling of the packaging material 2 having the leaking portion in advance, and to prevent the leakage of the liquid from the packaging material 2.

In the above embodiment, the detected pressure of the vacuum instruction setter 11 and the set pressure SL are compared, but a pressure switch that switches on and off near the set pressure SL is used to monitor the on / off of the pressure switch. Thus, it can be determined whether or not the packaging material 2 has a leakage portion.
Further, if the pressure in the packaging material 2 does not drop below the set pressure SL even after evacuation for a predetermined time, it can be determined that a leakage portion has occurred in the packaging material 2.

Furthermore, the vacuum on / off valve 10 is closed when evacuation is performed for a predetermined time, and the detected pressure of the vacuum indicator setter 11 is set to the set pressure when a certain time has elapsed since the vacuum on / off valve 10 was closed. You may make it compare with SL.
In addition, the liquid recovered by evacuation for preventing liquid sag may be a liquid filling apparatus used for filling the packaging material 2, and further, a liquid filling apparatus that does not perform evacuation for preventing liquid sag. In these liquid filling apparatuses, it is possible to detect a leaking portion of the packaging material 2 in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid filling apparatus 2 Packaging material 3 Vacuum type filling nozzle (evacuation means, liquid filling means)
4 Vacuum pump (evacuation means)
5 Vacuum chamber (evacuation means)
6 Drain valve 7 Alarm device (alarm means)
8 Vacuum generation valve (evacuation means)
9 Vacuum adjustment valve (evacuation means)
10 Vacuum on / off valve (blocking means)
11 Vacuum indicator setter (pressure detection means)
12 Atmospheric release valve 13 Control circuit (leakage detection means)
VL vacuuming line (evacuation means)
FL liquid filling line (liquid filling means)
AL1 1st atmosphere release line AL2 2nd atmosphere release line

Claims (8)

Evacuation means for evacuating the packaging material;
Liquid filling means for filling the packaging material evacuated by the evacuation means with a liquid;
A closing means for closing a negative pressure region including the inside of the packaging material before filling the liquid by the liquid filling means;
Pressure detecting means for detecting pressure in the negative pressure region;
When the pressure in the negative pressure region rises and changes in the closed state by the closing means, it is determined that the packaging material has a leak portion, filling of the packaging material with liquid is stopped, and the pressure increases. In the case where it does not change, it is determined that the packaging material has no leakage portion, and the packaging material is filled with liquid by the liquid filling means, and leakage portion detection means,
A liquid filling apparatus comprising:   The liquid filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the leakage detection unit determines that the packaging material has a leakage when the pressure increases and exceeds a set pressure.   The vacuum evacuation means and the liquid filling means perform vacuum evacuation and liquid filling by bringing a vacuum filling nozzle integrally having a vacuum evacuation line and a liquid filling line into close contact with the spout of the packaging material. The liquid filling apparatus according to 1 or 2.   The liquid filling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein after the liquid is filled by the liquid filling means, the vacuum drawing means performs vacuum drawing to recover the liquid from the vacuum filling nozzle.   The evacuation means includes a vacuum chamber between the vacuum filling nozzle and a vacuum pump, stores the liquid collected from the vacuum filling nozzle in the vacuum chamber, and discharges the liquid from the vacuum chamber to the outside. The liquid filling apparatus according to claim 4.   An open / close valve as the closing means is interposed in the vacuum line between the vacuum filling nozzle and the vacuum chamber, and the pressure is applied to the vacuum line between the open / close valve and the vacuum filling nozzle. The liquid filling apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a detection unit.   The liquid filling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a warning unit that issues a warning when the leakage detection unit determines the occurrence of a leakage in the packaging material. Vacuum the packaging material,
Blocking the negative pressure region including the inside of the packaging material,
Detecting the pressure in the closed negative pressure region;
Determining whether the pressure in the negative pressure region has changed;
When the pressure in the negative pressure region changes and rises, it is determined that the packaging material has a leakage portion, and the filling of the vacuumed packaging material is stopped,
A liquid filling method in which when the pressure in the negative pressure region does not rise and change, it is determined that there is no leak in the packaging material, and the packaging material that has been vacuumed is filled with liquid.

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