JP2015110428A - Flange part cleaning device of container and cleaning system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flange part cleaning device (2) of a container which removes a content adhering to a flange part (14) of the container (4), unfailingly prevents the content and foreign objects such as cleaning fluid from mixing into the container when the flange part is cleaned, and cleans an upper surface of the flange part of the container with high efficiency, and to provide a cleaning system.SOLUTION: A cleaning device (2) includes: support means (16) supporting a container (4); sealing means (20) which closely contacts and separates from an inner peripheral end of a flange part (14) and reciprocates relative to the container (4); and cleaning/liquid removal means which is disposed above the sealing means (20), jets a cleaning fluid to an upper surface of the flange part (14) in which the sealing means (20) closely contacts with the inner peripheral end of the flange part (14), and jets a gas to the upper surface of the flange part (14) after jetting the cleaning fluid.

Description

  The present invention relates to a container flange cleaning apparatus and a cleaning system for cleaning a flange of a container, and more specifically, a container for cleaning by spraying a cleaning liquid onto the flange of the container and then spraying a gas to remove the cleaning liquid. The present invention relates to a flange cleaning device and a cleaning system.

As is well known, as a container for various foods or pet foods, it is made of a thermoplastic resin and has a bottom wall, a side wall extending upward from the bottom wall, and a flange portion extending radially outward from the upper end of the side wall. A cup-shaped or tray-shaped container is widely used in practical use. When using such a container, the container is filled with contents such as a liquid content, a viscous material, or a solid material, and then a molding lid made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin is placed on the flange portion of the container. After that, the outer peripheral edge of the lid is fixed to the flange of the container. As a method for fixing the outer peripheral edge portion of the lid to the flange portion of the container, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a method of heat welding by irradiating a laser has been proposed.
As another method, a container filled with the above-described contents is used with a lid such as a molding lid or a sealing material made of a film material, and the lid is heat-sealed to the flange portion of the container with a heat seal bar. A method has been proposed.

JP 2013-1432 A

However, when the contents are filled into the container, the contents may adhere to the upper surface of the flange portion of the container. Thus, the molding lid is placed with the contents attached to the upper surface of the flange portion of the container, and the container is sealed by heating and welding the molding lid to the flange portion of the container, for example, by heat welding by laser irradiation. There is a risk that poor sealing may occur due to the contents interposed between the outer peripheral edge of the molding lid and the flange of the container.
Further, when a sealing material made of the above-described film material or the like is used and the sealing material is heat-sealed to the flange portion of the container by a heat seal bar and sealed, there is a possibility that a sealing failure may occur similarly.
Therefore, it is desirable to clean and remove the contents adhering to the upper surface of the flange portion of the container before the container is sealed with a lid such as a molding lid or a sealing material.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and its main technical problem is to remove the contents attached to the flange portion of the container and to remove foreign matters such as the contents and cleaning liquid when the flange portion is cleaned. It is to provide a new and improved container flange cleaning apparatus and cleaning system capable of efficiently avoiding contamination of the container and cleaning the upper surface of the flange of the container with high efficiency. .

According to the present invention, as a device for cleaning a flange portion of a container that solves the main technical problem,
A container flange cleaning device,
Support means for supporting the container;
A sealing means closely and spaced apart from the inner peripheral end of the flange portion and reciprocating relative to the container;
A cleaning / removing liquid that is disposed above the sealing means, injects the cleaning liquid onto the upper surface of the flange portion with the sealing means in close contact with the inner peripheral end, and injects a gas onto the upper surface of the flange portion after the injection of the cleaning liquid. Means,
It is provided with the flange part washing | cleaning apparatus of the container characterized by comprising.

The cleaning / liquid removal means has an injection port and a flow path leading to the injection port, a cleaning liquid supply source that supplies a cleaning liquid to the injection port via the flow path, and a gas supply source that supplies a gas It is preferable to comprise.
Further, the injection port is a large number of small holes spaced appropriately in the circumferential direction, the outer peripheral surface of the sealing means is an inverted truncated cone shape, and the inner periphery of at least the flange portion of the container It is preferable that the portion in close contact with the end is a rubber-like elastic body.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, as a container flange cleaning system for solving the main technical problem,
The container flange cleaning device includes a container carry-in region, a sealing region in which the sealing means is in close contact with the flange portion of the container, a cleaning region of the flange portion, a liquid removal region of the flange portion, and the sealing means from the flange. It is arranged along a circular conveyance path that sequentially includes a separation area and a container carry-out area, and revolves.
A container flange cleaning system is provided.

According to the container flange cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the contents adhered to the upper surface of the flange portion of the container when the contents are filled into the container are removed from the upper surface of the flange portion before sealing with the lid. In addition to reliably performing the cleaning, it is possible to reliably avoid the entry of foreign matter such as contents or cleaning liquid into the container during the removal and cleaning, and it is possible to reliably prevent poor sealing due to the foreign matter.
In addition, according to the container flange cleaning system of the present invention, it is possible to reliably and efficiently remove and clean the contents adhering to the upper surface of the container flange described above.

The simplified view which shows suitable embodiment of the flange part washing | cleaning apparatus of the container of this invention, and shows a part with sectional drawing in the state in which the sealing means was spaced apart from the inner peripheral end of the flange part of the container. The simplified view which shows suitable embodiment of the flange part washing | cleaning apparatus of the container of this invention, and shows a part with sectional drawing in the state which the sealing means closely_contact | adhered to the inner peripheral end of the flange part of the container. The simplification figure which shows the flange part washing | cleaning system of the container of this invention.

  FIG. 1 shows a typical example of a container 4 in which the flange portion is cleaned by such a cleaning device, together with a preferred embodiment of the container flange cleaning device 2 constructed in accordance with the present invention. A container 4 made of an appropriate thermoplastic synthetic resin has a cup shape as a whole, and has a circular bottom wall portion 6, an inverted conical main side wall portion 8 extending upward from the periphery of the bottom portion 6, and an upper end of the main side wall portion 8. An annular projecting wall portion 10 extending radially outward, a cylindrical additional side wall portion 12 extending upward from an outer peripheral edge of the projecting wall portion 10, and a horizontal outward from the upper end of the additional side wall portion 12. It has the annular-shaped flange part 14 extended in this.

  The illustrated cleaning apparatus 2 for cleaning the upper surface of the flange portion 12 of the container 4 includes a support means 16, a cleaning / liquid removal means 18, and a sealing means 20. The support means 16 for supporting the container 4 has a horizontally extending upper surface, and a circular recess 22 is formed at the center of the upper surface. The inner diameter of the circular recess 22 corresponds to the outer diameter of the lower end of the container 4, and as shown in FIG. 1, the lower end of the container 4 is mounted in the circular recess 22 and the container 4 is supported in an upright state. 16 is supported.

The cleaning / liquid removal means 18 includes a disc-shaped substrate 24 as a whole, a substantially disc-shaped inner member 26, and an annular plate-shaped outer member 28 provided integrally via the lower end portion of the inner member 26. Have. The substrate 24 is mounted so as to be movable up and down by appropriate mounting means (not shown), and the sealing means 20 shown in FIG. 1 is used as a container by appropriate lifting means (not shown) such as a hydraulic cylinder mechanism. 2 is moved up and down, that is, reciprocated between a state separated from the inner peripheral end of the flange portion (separated position) and a state where the sealing means shown in FIG. 2 is in close contact with the inner peripheral end of the flange portion of the container (close position). Move. And the outer member 28 is fixed to the lower surface of the board | substrate 24 with the fastening bolt 30, and the sealing means 20 mentioned above is made into a separation state and a close state. A large number of radially extending flow paths 32 are formed between the substrate 24 and the inner member 26, and an annular flow path is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the inner member 26 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer member 28. 34 is formed, and at the lower ends of the inner member 26 and the outer member 28, there are formed injection holes 36 composed of a large number of small holes spaced appropriately in the circumferential direction. Further, a flow path 38 extending downward from the upper surface thereof and communicating with the flow path 32 is formed in the central portion of the substrate 24, and a cleaning liquid supply source 40 and a gas supply source 42 are formed in the flow path 38. It is connected. When the cleaning liquid supply source 40 is activated, cleaning liquid such as clean water is supplied to the injection holes 36 through the flow paths 38 and 32 and the annular flow path 34 and is injected from the injection holes 36. On the other hand, when the gas supply source 42 is activated, a gas such as compressed air is supplied to the injection holes 36 through the flow paths 38, 32 and 34 and is injected from the injection holes 36.
In addition, it replaces with the injection hole 36 which injects gas, such as the above-mentioned clean water, and the inner member 26 and the outer member 28 are made into a separate member, the clearance direction is provided in those lower end parts, and the annular-shaped injection part which continues in the circumferential direction However, from the point that the entire upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the container 4 is effectively washed and gradually liquid after washing, the former consists of a large number of small holes spaced at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction. It is preferable to form an injection hole.
In addition, the injection angle of the injection hole and the injection part with respect to the upper surface of the flange part 14 of the injection part is 30 to 60 degrees, particularly 40 to 50 degrees. This is preferable in terms of performance.

  The sealing means 20 is fixed to the lower surface of the inner member 26 of the cleaning / liquid removal means 18 by appropriate fastening means (not shown) such as fastening bolts. It moves up and down, that is, reciprocates between the separation position shown in the figure and the close position shown in FIG. The sealing means 20 has a cylindrical shape on the upper half of its outer peripheral surface and an inverted frustoconical shape on the lower half, and the lower frustoconical shape of the lower half is in close contact with the inner end of the flange portion 14 of the container 4. It is suitable to make it. A rubber-like elastic body having a rubber hardness (JIS K 6253) of preferably about 10 to 70 is preferably used for the outer peripheral surface of the portion close to the inner end of the flange portion 14 of the container 4 in the sealing means 20. . In the illustrated embodiment, the sealing means 20 includes a main body 44 made of an appropriate metal or synthetic resin, and an annular rubber-like elastic body 46 attached to the lower half of the outer peripheral surface of the main body 44 by appropriate means. It consists of and.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the container flange cleaning apparatus of the present invention constructed as described above is loaded and placed on the circular recess 22 of the support means 16 with the container 4 filled with the contents upright. Is done. Next, the substrate 24 is lowered from the separation position shown in FIG. 1 to the close position shown in FIG. 2, and the rubber-like elastic body 46 of the sealing means 20 is brought into close contact with the inner end of the flange portion 14 of the container 4 with the required pressing force. Let As a result, the container 4 filled with the contents is sealed by the sealing means 20. After the sealing, the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply source 40 is supplied to the injection hole 36 through the flow paths 38 and 32 and the annular flow path 34 described above, and the cleaning liquid is injected onto the upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the container 4. Then, the contents attached to the upper surface of the flange portion 14 are removed. Thereafter, the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply source 40 is stopped, and the gas from the gas supply source 42 is similarly supplied to the injection holes 36 via the flow paths 38 and 32 and the annular flow path 34 described above. The gas is sprayed onto the upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the container 4 to remove the cleaning liquid remaining on the upper surface of the flange portion 14. In this manner, the upper surface of the flange portion 14 is cleaned and gradually liquid-washed in a state where the sealing means 20 is in close contact with the inner end of the flange portion 14 of the container 4 and the container 4 is sealed. For this reason, the penetration | invasion into the container 4 of the washing | cleaning liquid at the time of the said washing | cleaning, the content, the gas injected at the time of slow liquid, and a residual washing | cleaning liquid is prevented reliably. Finally, after the supply of gas from the gas supply source 442 is stopped, the substrate 24 is raised to the position illustrated in FIG. 1, and the sealing means 20 is separated from the inner end of the flange portion 14 of the container 4. Thereafter, the container 4 in which the upper surface of the flange portion 14 is cleaned and removed from the support means 16 is carried out.

  In the above embodiment, the substrate 24, that is, the sealing means 20 is moved up and down with respect to the container 4, so that the sealing means 20 is closely and separated from the inner end of the flange portion 14 of the container 4. The sealing means 20 can be moved up and down so that the sealing means 20 is brought into close contact with and separated from the inner end of the flange portion 14 of the container 4, and the sealing means 20 is reciprocated relative to the container. Just do it.

FIG. 3 shows that the cleaning device 2 is disposed along a circular conveyance path 62 including a container carry-in area 50, a sealed area 52, a wash area 54, a liquid removal area 56, a separation area 58, and a container carry-out area 60. It is a figure which shows the flange part washing | cleaning system of the container made to make.
In this system, a plurality (20 in the illustrated example) of the cleaning devices 2 are arranged at equal intervals and continuously revolved along the circular conveyance path 62 in the direction indicated by the arrow 64. . Then, in the container carry-in area 50, the container 4 filled with the contents is carried in and placed on the support means 16 of the cleaning device 2 by appropriate carry-in means (not shown). Next, in the sealing region 52, the sealing means 20 descends and comes into close contact with the inner peripheral end of the flange portion 14 of the container 4, and the container 4 filled with the contents is sealed. After sealing, the cleaning liquid supply source 40 operates in the cleaning area 54, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the container 4 to clean the flange portion. Next, after cleaning, in the liquid removal region 56, the gas supply source 42 is operated, gas is jetted onto the upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the container 4, and the cleaning liquid is gradually discharged. After this slowing down, the sealing means 20 rises in the separation region 58 and separates from the inner peripheral end of the flange portion 14 of the container 4. Finally, in the container carry-out area 60, the container 4 in which the upper surface of the flange portion 14 is cleaned and gradually liquid is carried out from above the support means 16 by an appropriate carry-out means (not shown).

2: Cleaning device 4: Container 14: Flange portion of container 16: Support means 18: Cleaning / liquid removal means 20: Sealing means 32: Channel 34: Channel 36: Injection hole 38: Annular channel 40: Cleaning liquid supply source 42: Gas supply source 46: Rubber-like elastic body 50: Container carrying-in area 52: Sealing area 54: Cleaning area 56: Liquid removal area 58: Separating area 60: Container carrying-out area 62: Circular conveyance path

Claims (6)

A container flange cleaning device,
Support means for supporting the container;
A sealing means closely and spaced apart from the inner peripheral end of the flange portion and reciprocating relative to the container;
A cleaning / removing liquid that is disposed above the sealing means, injects the cleaning liquid onto the upper surface of the flange portion with the sealing means in close contact with the inner peripheral end, and injects a gas onto the upper surface of the flange portion after the injection of the cleaning liquid. Means,
A device for cleaning a flange portion of a container, comprising:   The cleaning / liquid removal means includes an injection port and a flow path leading to the injection port, and includes a cleaning liquid supply source that supplies a cleaning liquid to the injection port via the flow path, and a gas supply source that supplies a gas. The container flange part washing | cleaning apparatus of Claim 1 provided.   The apparatus for cleaning a flange portion of a container according to claim 2, wherein the injection port is a large number of small holes spaced at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction.   The apparatus for cleaning a flange portion of a container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the sealing means has an inverted truncated cone shape.   The apparatus for cleaning a flange portion of a container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least a portion of the sealing means that is in close contact with the inner peripheral end of the flange portion of the container is a rubber-like elastic body.   The container flange cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: a container carry-in area; a sealing area in which the sealing means is in intimate contact with the flange of the container; a cleaning area of the flange; A cleaning system comprising: a liquid removal region, a separation region separating the sealing means from the flange, and a circular conveyance path sequentially including a container unloading region and revolving.

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