JP2013112379A - Liquid filling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable pressurization of a soft resin-made bag 4 and enable liquid to be refilled in the bag 4 in a single use filling system.SOLUTION: The liquid is sent from the bag 4 via a flowing-out tube 8 to a filling nozzle 6, and is filled in a vessel 2 while being measured by a load cell 52. The bag 4 is housed in a pressure chamber formed in a pressurized vessel 18, and the liquid is sent out by pressurizing the bag 4 through introducing compressed air from the outside to the pressure chamber. A flowing-in tube 14 in addition to the flowing-out tube 8 is connected to the bag 4, and a tank 16 housing the refilling liquid is connected to the flowing-in tube 14. The pressurized vessel 18 is weighed by a load cell 38, and the liquid is refilled by operating a tube pump 86 in accordance with the reduction of the liquid in the bag 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid filling apparatus that fills a container with a liquid contained in a bag by sending it to a filling nozzle via a liquid outflow tube.

  Conventionally, a so-called single-use filling system in which liquid is stored in a soft resin bag (bag), sent to a filling nozzle through a liquid outflow tube, and filled into a container has been conventionally performed (for example, patents). Reference 1). This single-use filling system is used for filling chemicals that require maintenance of sterility while avoiding contact with the outside air, and unlike conventional filling systems based on stainless steel tanks and pipes, cleaning before and after production And a disposable preparation and filling system that does not require sterilization.

  In the single-use filling system, a soft resin bag is used. Therefore, in order to send the liquid in the bag to the filling nozzle, a tube pump such as a peristaltic pump that can send liquid without applying pressure to the bag is not used. I didn't. In the filling machine using a tube pump, it takes time to adjust the filling amount, the risk of foreign matter generated by handling a silicon tube, and the use of a tube pump such as variation in filling accuracy due to tube sag. There are management and operational issues.

  On the other hand, weight filling (weight filling method) and time pressure filling machines are available as other filling methods that can be used for single use. However, when using a soft resin bag, pressure can be applied to the bag. In the past, it was impossible to select such a filling method. In addition, in the single use filling system, there is a problem that after filling with the liquid contained in the bag, if a further filling is performed, the bag must be replaced with a new bag containing the liquid. . In addition, some of the bags are additionally filled, but there is a risk of rupture, so it was necessary to carefully fill the bags.

JP 2006-8249 A

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to pressurize a liquid contained in a soft resin bag and send it out to a filling nozzle, and to perform single-use filling by a filling method such as a weight filler. To do. It is another object of the present invention to allow a filling liquid to be replenished into the bag from the outside in order to continue filling without replacing the bag.

  The present invention includes a bag for storing a liquid and an outflow tube for allowing the liquid to flow out of the bag, the liquid filling apparatus for allowing the liquid to flow out of the bag through the outflow tube and filling the container, A valve means for connecting the inflow tube in addition to the outflow tube, pressing the outflow tube to open and close the flow path, and a pressurized container for accommodating the bag and applying pressure to the bag from the outside. A tank connected to the inflow tube and a liquid feeding means for sending the liquid in the tank to the bag, and the valve means is opened in a state where the bag is pressurized at a predetermined pressure in the pressurized container. The container is filled with a liquid, and the liquid is supplied from the tank to the bag in the pressurized container by the liquid feeding means in a state where the filling is stopped.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, there is provided a measuring means for measuring the mass of the pressurized container containing the bag, and the decrease in the liquid in the bag is detected from the mass. Is.

  A soft resin bag containing liquid is housed in a pressurized container, pressure is applied from the outside, and the liquid stored inside is filled through an outflow tube, and the bag is filled with liquid from the tank. When the liquid in the bag is reduced by connecting the inflow tube and sending out the liquid from the bag and filling it, the liquid is replenished from the tank by the liquid feeding means. It is possible to perform youth filling and achieve the purpose of continuing filling without changing the bag.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the liquid filling apparatus. Example 1 FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the bag accommodated in the pressurized container.

  A bag made of a soft resin that contains the liquid to be filled in the container, an outflow tube connected to the bag for flowing out the liquid in the bag, and a filling nozzle for filling the liquid sent from the outflow tube into the container In addition to the outflow tube, an inflow tube is connected to the bag, and an outflow valve and an inflow valve are provided in the outflow tube and the inflow tube, respectively, and the liquid passage in the tube is opened and closed. I can do it. Moreover, the said bag is accommodated in the pressurized container which can be sealed, and can apply a pressure from the outside with the pressure air introduced into the pressure chamber of this pressurized container. Furthermore, the outflow tube is provided with valve means for pressing the tube to open and close the flow path to the filling nozzle, and the inflow tube is connected with a tank for storing a replenishing liquid. The liquid in the tank can be supplied to the bag. At the time of filling, in a state where the bag stored in the pressure container is pressurized at a predetermined pressure, the valve means is opened, and the liquid sent from the outflow tube to the filling nozzle is filled into the container. When reducing and refilling, with the outflow valve of the outflow tube closed and filling stopped, the inflow valve is opened and the liquid feeding means is operated to inject the liquid contained in the tank. It is possible to perform filling by pressurizing the liquid in the flexible resin bag by sending it into the bag accommodated in the pressurized container through the tube for replenishment. The object is achieved of allowing the bag to be refilled with liquid and to continue filling.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. This liquid filling apparatus is installed in a bag 4 that contains a liquid to be filled in a container 2 (in this embodiment, a vial), an outflow tube 8 that sends the liquid in the bag 4 to a filling nozzle 6, and an isolator 10. And a filling mechanism (indicated by reference numeral 12 as a whole). Further, an inflow tube 14 for replenishing the filling liquid into the bag 4 and a tank 16 or the like that is connected to the inflow tube 14 and contains liquid therein are provided.

  The bag 4 is made of a soft resin and is used by being housed in a pressurized container 18. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the bag 4 has a bag shape in which the entire circumference (four sides, upper, lower, left, and right) is sealed (the seal portion is indicated by reference numeral 4a). It is an accommodating portion for accommodating the filling liquid 20. The seal portion 4a on the outer periphery of the bag 4 has a wide upper portion, and a lateral direction for attaching to the hook 18a provided inside the pressure vessel 18 when the bag 4 is stored in the pressure vessel 18 in the wide portion. The long hole 4b is formed. Two ports (an inlet port 22 and an outlet port 24) for connecting the outflow tube 8 and the inflow tube 14 respectively are provided at the lower end of the bag 4.

  The pressurized container 18 for storing the bag 4 includes a main body portion 26 and an openable / closable lid 28, and recessed portions 26 a and 28 a for storing the bag are formed in the main body portion 26 and the lid 28, respectively. ing. A pressure chamber for applying pressure to the bag 4 is formed with the lid 28 closed with respect to the main body portion 26. Lock levers 30 are provided on both sides of the main body portion 26, respectively. The main body portion 26 and the lid 28 are fixed in close contact with each other by the lock levers 30, and formed by the concave portions 26 a and 28 a of the main body portion 26 and the lid 28. Sealed pressure chamber. An air passage 32 communicating with the pressure chamber is formed in the main body portion 26 of the pressurized container 18. The air passage 32 is connected to an air supply source 36 which is a pressure adjusting means via a connection portion 34 exposed to the outside of the main body portion 26. Pressure air is supplied from the air supply source 36 into the pressure chamber to pressurize the bag 4. In this embodiment, for example, a pressure of 30 to 50 kpa is applied to the pressure chamber. The main body portion 26 of the pressurized container 18 is supported by a main body support portion 40 installed on a load cell 38 as a measuring means for measuring the weight of the liquid 20 accommodated in the bag 4.

  Inside the isolator 10 where the filling mechanism 12 is installed, a conveying means 42 for conveying the container 4 is arranged. A plurality of filling nozzles 6 are arranged above a conveying path of the container 2 by the conveying means 42 via a nozzle holder 46 fixed on the stand 44. The transport means 42 is operated intermittently, transports the container 2 carried in from the outside to the lower part of the filling nozzle 6, pauses, moves again after the filling is completed, and moves to the container 2 after filling. Unload. The transport means 42 transports the container 2 while gripping the neck portion with the gripper 50, and lowers the gripper 50 and fills the container 2 on the bottle table 48 during filling. A load cell 52 is connected to the bottle table 48, and the weight of the container 2 on the bottle table 48 is measured. The gripper 50 is opened during filling to release the container 2 in order to perform accurate measurement by the load cell 52. After filling, the gripper 50 is gripped and raised again. It is designed to be transported afterwards.

  The filling liquid is supplied to the filling nozzle 6 from the bag 4 accommodated in the pressurized container 18 through the outflow tube 8. The outflow tube 8 has an upstream end connected to one of the ports (exit port 22) provided at the lower end of the bag 4, and a downstream side introduced into the isolator 10. In this embodiment, three branching T-shaped tubes 54 are connected in series to the outflow tube 8 to form a branching portion 56, and four supply tubes 58 (outflows) are formed from these T-shaped tubes 54. Which constitutes the downstream portion of the working tube 8 is branched. These supply tubes 58 are connected to the filling nozzle 6 via valve means 60, respectively. A branch portion 56 formed by the T-shaped tube 54 is covered with a cover 62, and an introduction portion of the outflow tube 8 into the cover 62 is sealed by a cap 64 through which the outflow tube 8 is inserted. An outflow valve 66 is provided in the upstream portion of the outflow tube 8 to cut off the communication of the liquid passage in the outflow tube 8.

  The four supply tubes 58 constituting the downstream portion of the outflow tube 8 are cut off from each other by the valve means 60. The valve means 60 of this embodiment is a pinch valve that presses the supply tube 58 from the outside to open and close the liquid passage in the tube 58, and includes a pressing body 60a that presses the supply tube 58 from the outside, A receiving member 60b that receives the tube 58 from the opposite side of the body 60a and an air cylinder 60c that moves the pressing body 60a forward and backward are provided. In this embodiment, each valve means 60 includes two valves, a first valve 60A on the upstream side and a second valve 60B on the downstream side, and the first valve 60A is supplied by advancing the pressing means 60a. The tube 58 is completely pressed and the liquid passage inside is shut off, and the pressing means 60a is moved back to the position separated from the supply tube 58 so that the liquid passage is completely opened. It has become. The second valve 60B, like the first valve 60A, halves the liquid passage by pushing the supply tube 58 halfway by the pressing body 60a in addition to the state where the liquid passage is completely blocked and opened. The position can be switched to 3 positions including the closed position.

  In the isolator 10, a portion where the filling mechanism 12 is installed is a space defined by an upper partition wall 68 and a side partition wall 70. A HEPA filter 72 is disposed in the center of the upper partition wall 68, and a blower 76 is installed at the upper end of the vertical air passage 74 defined by the side partition wall 70. The air blown above the upper partition wall 68 by the blower 76 is blown toward the lower filling mechanism 12 through the HEPA filter 72, and further sucked up from the lower gap of the side partition wall 70 to return to the blower 76. So that it circulates. Thus, dust and the like are prevented from floating in the space inside the isolator 10 by blowing an air flow in one direction downward to the space where the filling mechanism 12 is provided.

  In addition to the outflow tube 8 for supplying the liquid to be filled, the bag 4 containing the liquid to be filled in the container 2 has an inflow tube 14 for replenishing the liquid from the outside when the internal volume is reduced by the filling. Is connected. The inflow tube 14 is connected to one of the ports (inlet port 24) provided at the lower end of the bag 4 at the downstream end, and the outlet 80 of the tank 16 containing the replenishing liquid 78 at the upstream end. It is connected to the. In the tank 16, the same liquid 78 as the liquid 20 such as a chemical solution for replenishment is accommodated, and outside air can be introduced into the space above the liquid 78 through the filter 84 from the vent 82. The liquid 78 in the tank 16 is sent to the bag 4 through the inflow tube 14 by the operation of a liquid feeding means including a peristaltic tube pump 86 that handles and feeds the tube. The weight of the bag 4 is measured by the load cell 38, and the tube pump 86 is operated by a command from the control unit 88 according to the decrease of the liquid 20 in the bag 4. The liquid 78 sent out from the tank 16 by the operation of the tube pump 86 passes through the filters (90, 92, 94) and is sent to the bag 4. An on-off valve 96 and an inflow valve 98 are respectively provided at the upstream and downstream portions of the inflow tube 14, and when the liquid is not replenished to the bag 4, these valves 96 and 98 are closed and the inflow tube 14 is closed. The liquid passage is blocked. Reference numeral 100 denotes a connector that connects the upstream portion and the downstream portion of the inflow tube 14.

  The operation of the liquid filling apparatus according to the above configuration will be described. A predetermined amount of liquid 20 is stored in the bag 4 and stored in the pressure chamber of the pressure vessel 18. Pressurized air is supplied from the air supply source 36 through the air passage 32 into the pressure chamber, and a predetermined pressure is applied to the bag 4 from the outside. In the case of filling, the outflow valve 66 provided in the upstream portion of the outflow tube 8 is opened, and the second valve 60B of the valve means 60 provided in each downstream supply tube 58 is pressed. The means 60a retreats to open the liquid passage in the supply tube 58, and the first valve 60A advances the pressing member 60a to press the supply tube 58 and close the internal liquid passage. At this time, the on-off valve 96 and the inflow valve 98 provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the inflow tube 14 are closed.

  In the isolator 10, the container 2 (vial) is transported by the transport means 42 that moves intermittently, and stops below the filling nozzle 6. While carrying, the neck of the container 2 is held by the gripper 50, but when filling, the gripper 50 is opened and the container 2 is separated. After the container 2 stops, the pressing means 60a of each closed first valve 60A is retracted by the air cylinder 60c to open the liquid passage in the supply tube 58. The first valve 60A is opened together with the second valve 60B that has already been opened, and filling is started. The liquid 20 in the bag 4 pressurized by the pressurized container 18 flows out through the outflow tube 8, is branched at the branch portion 56, is sent to each supply tube 58, and is opened. The container 2 is filled from the filling nozzle 6 through the positions of 60A and the second valve 60B.

  The weight of each container 2 is measured by the load cell 52 connected to the bottle table 48, and when a predetermined weight is filled, the control unit 88 instructs opening / closing of the valve means 60 by a signal from the load cell 52. At the end of filling, first, the pressing means 60a of the second valve 60B is advanced by one step to make the opening of the liquid passage half open. Subsequently, the pressing means 60a of the first valve 60A is advanced to press the supply tube 58, and the liquid passage inside is completely closed to stop filling. After the filling is stopped, the pressing means 60a of the second valve 60B that has been in the half-open state is moved backward to open the liquid passage in the supply tube 58. After stopping the filling, the second valve on the downstream side is opened to enlarge the volume on the downstream side of the first valve 60A where the supply tube 58 is closed, and from the filling nozzle 6 by the suck back action. Prevent dripping.

  When the filling is completed, the conveying means 42 is actuated again to carry out each container 2 filled with the liquid, and the next container 2 is introduced below the filling nozzle 6 and stopped. From the state in which the first valve 60A of the valve means 60 is closed and the second valve 60B is opened, the first valve 60A is opened and the next filling is started in the same manner as described above.

  When the amount of the liquid 20 stored in the bag 4 is reduced by filling, the bag 4 is refilled with a command from the control unit 88 by a signal from the load cell 38 measuring the weight. At that time, the outflow valve 66 of the outflow tube 8 is closed, the inflow valve 98 and the upstream on-off valve 96 provided on the downstream side of the inflow tube 14 are opened, and the tube pump 86 is driven. The bag 4 is controlled to a pressure of 30 to 50 kpa by the air from the pressure adjusting means 36 supplied into the pressure chamber of the pressurization vessel 18, while the supply pressure of the tube pump 86 is 80 to Since it is set to 100 kpa, the liquid 78 accommodated in the tank 16 is sent into the bag 4 by this pressure difference. When it is detected based on a signal from the load cell 38 that the amount of the liquid 20 accommodated in the bag 4 has reached a predetermined amount, the tube pump 86 is stopped and the upstream side and the downstream side of the inflow tube 14 are stopped. The on-off valve 96 and the inflow valve 98 provided on the side are closed. Thereafter, the outflow valve 66 of the outflow tube 8 is opened, and the filling by the above process is resumed. Note that when the bag 4 is replenished with liquid, the amount of liquid in the bag 4 is monitored and controlled. However, even if an abnormality occurs in the control, the main body 26 and the lid of the pressurized container 18 are covered. The shape of the pressure chamber formed by the recesses 26a and 28a of the 28 is manufactured in accordance with the shape of the bag 4. By storing the bag 4 in the pressure chamber, the bag 4 by oversupply of the product liquid is produced. Can be prevented from bursting. In this embodiment, the tube pump 86 is used as the liquid feeding means for sending the liquid 78 in the tank 16 to the bag 4. However, the liquid feeding means is not limited to this. A pressure adjusting means such as an air supply source 36 is connected through the vent 82 so that the pressure in the tank 16 can be adjusted, and the pressure in the tank 16 is increased to 80 to 100 kpa so that the liquid 78 is fed. It can also be configured as a liquid feeding means.

2 Container 4 Bag 8 Outflow tube 14 Inflow tube 16 Tank 18 Pressurized container 38 Measuring means 60 Valve means 86 Liquid sending means

Claims (2)

In a liquid filling apparatus that includes a bag that contains liquid and an outflow tube that causes the liquid to flow out of the bag, and that causes the liquid to flow out of the bag via the outflow tube and fills the container,
In addition to the outflow tube, an inflow tube is connected to the bag, valve means for pressing the outflow tube to open and close the flow path, the bag is accommodated, and pressure is applied to the bag from the outside. A pressure vessel, a tank connected to the inflow tube, and a liquid feeding means for sending the liquid in the tank to the bag,
In a state where the bag is pressurized at a predetermined pressure in the pressurized container, the valve means is opened to fill the container with liquid, and in a state where filling is stopped, pressure is applied from the tank by the liquid feeding means. A liquid filling apparatus for refilling a bag in a container with liquid.   The liquid filling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a weighing unit that measures a mass of the pressurized container containing the bag, and detecting a decrease in the liquid in the bag from the mass.

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