JP2015202897A - Method of and device for filling container with foamable liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce products non-compliant in filled content, which are generated when filling containers with a foamable liquid such as beer, and to reduce production cost thereby.SOLUTION: A method for filling a container with a foamable liquid includes: filling the container with the foamable liquid; previously measuring the temperature of the foamable liquid to be filled in the container in order to eliminate from the container, the air included in the empty part of the container by injecting a fluid on the liquid surface of the foamable liquid filled in the container; and adjusting the pressure of the fluid to be injected on the liquid surface of the foamable liquid filled in the container, and the position of an injection nozzle arranged to inject the fluid on the liquid surface of the foamable liquid, on the basis of the temperature of the foamable liquid.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for filling a container with effervescent liquid, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for filling an effervescent alcoholic beverage such as beer into a container with an appropriate internal volume.

  When filling an effervescent alcoholic beverage such as beer into a container (for example, a bottle), it is obliged to measure its content because of the liquor tax law.

  For example, when filling a bottle with beer, its content is generally called “Imi”, and is defined as 633 ml for large bottles, 500 ml for medium bottles, and 334 ml for small bottles.

  Therefore, in such a production line that is required to beer-filled accurately with a taste, for example, after a bottle opening filled with beer is sealed, a taste-inspecting device (for example, a digital camera, a video camera, a line sensor) Using a camera, an X-ray line sensor, or the like), the content (inspection) is inspected.

  In the taste inspection, if a lack of taste is confirmed, it is determined as a non-contained product, and the non-contained product can no longer be shipped and is discarded, resulting in an increase in manufacturing cost.

  In addition, as described above, as a device for filling a container such as a bottle with beer, for example, as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, after filling beer, a fluid such as water is injected into the liquid surface. Then, the liquid surface is impacted to cause the beer to foam, and by the carbon dioxide gas generated thereby, air existing in the empty space at the upper part of the container (that is, the part not filled with beer at the upper part of the container) ( In particular, those that expel oxygen) and then plug it are known. Thus, conventionally, the deterioration (particularly oxidation) of the foamable liquid filled in the container has been prevented by utilizing the foamability of the foamable liquid.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-13689 JP 2001-206487 A Japanese Patent No. 5149100

  However, when the temperature of the foamable liquid filled in the container rises, the foamability increases, and the filled foamable liquid spills out of the container, resulting in insufficient taste and an increased incidence of taste-incompatible products.

  In addition, as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, when impacting the liquid level of beer filled in a container and driving out air in the empty space, depending on the temperature of the filled beer, the beer is excessive due to the impact. In some cases, a larger amount of foam may be blown out of the container than expected due to foaming, resulting in insufficient taste and an increased incidence of nonconforming products.

  In particular, in summer when the temperature is high, the temperature of the beer filled in the container may be higher than the preset temperature, and at that time, the liquid level of the beer filled in the container is expected to be impacted. As described above, a large amount of foam is generated, and beer spills from the container, so that the probability of occurrence of a nonconforming product increases.

  In addition, when the production line is temporarily stopped for maintenance or other reasons and then restarted, the temperature of the beer filled in the container is not constant. In this case, the temperature of the beer is higher than the preset temperature. May be higher. At this time, if an impact is given to the liquid level of the beer filled in the container, a larger amount of foam is generated than expected, and a large amount of foam is spilled from the container. Become.

  In view of the occurrence of such a nonconforming product, conventionally, the amount of the foamable liquid to be filled in the container is filled more than the target content, but the occurrence of the nonconforming product is suppressed. In the method, there is a problem that an extra foamable liquid has to be filled, which increases the manufacturing cost.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to reduce non-conforming products that occur when filling containers with effervescent liquids such as beer and to reduce manufacturing costs.

  As a result of earnest research, the inventor previously measured the temperature of the foamable liquid filled in the container, and based on this temperature, the pressure of the fluid injected into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid filled in the container and the injection nozzle thereof By appropriately controlling the position, it has been found that foaming of the foamable liquid can be appropriately controlled, and as a result, the occurrence of nonconforming products can be greatly reduced, and the present invention has been completed.

  The present invention provides the following method and apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to the following method and apparatus.

[1]
A method for filling a container with foamable liquid, filling the container with foamable liquid, injecting a fluid into the surface of the foamable liquid filled in the container to foam the foamable liquid, and In order to exclude air contained in the empty portion of the container from the container, the temperature of the foamable liquid filled in the container is measured in advance, and the foamability filled in the container based on the temperature of the foamable liquid is measured. Adjusting the pressure of the fluid injected into the liquid level and the position of an injection nozzle arranged to inject the fluid into the foamable liquid surface.
[2]
The method according to [1] above, wherein when the temperature of the foamable liquid is increased, the pressure of the fluid is decreased.
[3]
The method according to [1] or [2] above, wherein when the temperature of the foamable liquid rises, the position of the injection nozzle is moved along the transport direction of the container.
[4]
An apparatus for filling a container with effervescent liquid,
A temperature sensor for measuring in advance the temperature of the foamable liquid filled in the container;
An injection nozzle arranged to inject fluid into the level of the foamable liquid filled in the container;
A stepping motor for adjusting the position of the injection nozzle,
An apparatus for adjusting a pressure of a fluid to be injected into a liquid surface of the foamable liquid filled in the container and a position of the injection nozzle based on the temperature of the foamable liquid measured by the temperature sensor.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the production rate of taste-incompatible products that occur when filling containers with effervescent liquids such as beer, and to reduce manufacturing costs.

1 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating the method and apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 4 schematically shows filling of a foamable liquid into a container (A), foaming of a foamable liquid by injecting fluid into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid filled in the container (B), and sealing of the container (C). FIG. It is the schematic (top view) which shows typically the adjustment of the position of the injection nozzle performed according to one Embodiment of this invention.

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for filling an effervescent liquid into a container.

<Method for Filling Container with Foamable Liquid>
The present invention relates to a method for filling a container with a foamable liquid. The method of the present invention fills a container with a foamable liquid, injects a fluid into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid filled in the container, and causes the foamable liquid to foam, thereby air contained in the empty space of the container. In order to remove the liquid from the container, the temperature of the foamable liquid filled in the container is measured in advance, and the pressure of the fluid injected into the liquid level of the foamable liquid filled in the container based on the measured temperature of the foamable liquid And the position of the injection | pouring nozzle arrange | positioned in order to inject | pour such a fluid into the liquid level of a foamable liquid is adjusted, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Hereinafter, the method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, but the method of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the method of the present invention, first, the container 1 is filled with the foamable liquid L.

  The effervescent liquid L is not particularly limited as long as it is a liquid containing an effervescent gas, and examples thereof include effervescent alcoholic beverages such as beer, happoshu, and effervescent liqueur, carbonated beverages, carbonated water, and the like.

  Examples of the container 1 include containers such as bottles and bottles, and there is no particular limitation as long as the foamable liquid L can be accommodated. Further, the capacity of the container 1 is not particularly limited.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the material which comprises the container 1, For example, materials, such as glass and plastics (for example, PET), are mentioned.

  For example, when beer is filled as the effervescent liquid L, as the container 1, glass bottles such as large bottles, medium bottles, small bottles and the like whose contents (contents) are defined as 633 ml, 500 ml, and 334 ml are used. It is preferable to do.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the foamable liquid L can be filled into the container 1 from the filling nozzle 4. At this time, the filling nozzle 4 may be connected (preferably fluid-connected) to the storage tank 3 through the transport line 5 of the foamable liquid L.

  The filling speed of the foamable liquid L into the container 1 is not particularly limited. For example, if the container is a bottle, it is filled at a speed of, for example, about 1000 bottles per minute, preferably about 600 bottles regardless of its capacity. be able to.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the container 1 includes a conveyor-type transport mechanism (for example, a belt conveyor or a chain conveyor) or a rotary-type transport mechanism (for example, a wheel or a star wheel) (not shown). ) Or the like. At this time, the foamable liquid L can be filled into the container 1 continuously or intermittently. In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, an example of a conveyor-type transport mechanism is shown as the transport mechanism 2. However, in the present invention, the transport mechanism 2 is not limited to such a conveyor-type transport mechanism.

  Next, the foaming liquid L was filled by injecting the fluid F into the liquid level of the foaming liquid L filled in the container 1 to foam the foaming liquid L (preferably the liquid level of the foaming liquid L). Air (especially oxygen) contained in the empty portion of the container 1 is excluded from the container 1 (for more details, see the schematic diagrams in FIGS. 2A and 2B). Moreover, after that, as shown in FIG. 2C, it is preferable to seal the opening of the container 1 using a stopper (cap) 12 as necessary.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as the fluid F inject | poured in order to exclude the air contained in an empty part from the container 1, Any of a liquid and gas may be sufficient, for example, water, carbon dioxide, and the container 1 are filled. The same as the foamable liquid L to be used.

  Here, in the present invention, the empty space means the remaining volume of the container 1 excluding the volume of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 (for example, FIG. (See empty space e).) In the present invention, the capacity of the empty space is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately determined according to the filling amount of the foamable liquid L and the capacity of the container 1.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the fluid F is injected from the injection nozzle 7 into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 to foam the foamable liquid L (preferably the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L). By this, the air (especially oxygen) contained in the empty part of the container 1 can be excluded from the container 1.

  Here, in the present invention, the temperature of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 is measured in advance, and the liquid level of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 based on the measured temperature of the foamable liquid L. The pressure of the fluid F to be injected into is adjusted.

  In the present invention, “adjusting the pressure of the fluid F injected into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 based on the temperature of the foamable liquid L” means filling the container 1 with the foamable liquid L Before the measurement, the temperature of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 is measured in advance (hereinafter, the temperature of the foamable liquid L measured in advance may be abbreviated as “temperature T”). This means that the pressure of the fluid F to be injected for foaming is appropriately determined or selected on the surface of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 based on the above information.

  In the present invention, the temperature T may be measured continuously or intermittently at an arbitrary interval, and the temperature T thus measured is usually 0 ° C. to 3 ° C., preferably 1 ° C. or less. is there.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the temperature of the foamable liquid L is measured by a temperature sensor 6 provided at any appropriate location in the transport line 5, and the fluid F that can be injected from the injection nozzle 7 based on this temperature is measured. Adjust the pressure.

  At this time, the pressure of the fluid F can be adjusted, for example, by a pressure valve 9 provided at any appropriate location in the transport line 8 of the fluid F.

  At this time, the pressure of the fluid F is preferably 0.5 Mpa to 2.0 Mpa.

For example, in summer or when the production line is temporarily stopped and restarted, the temperature T may rise unexpectedly (for example, if the target filling temperature of the foamable liquid L is T ₀ , When the measured temperature T is higher than the temperature T ₀ by, for example, 3 ° C. to 5 ° C., the foamability of the foamable liquid L is increased by such an increase in temperature, and accordingly, the pressure of the fluid F may be decreased accordingly. By doing so, it is possible to suppress insufficient taste due to spillage due to excessive foaming.

  In addition, the temperature T may be unexpectedly lowered in winter, etc., and the foamability of the foamable liquid L is lowered due to such a temperature drop. Therefore, it is preferable to increase the pressure of the fluid F accordingly. By doing so, it is possible to secure a sufficient amount of foaming necessary to eliminate air in the empty space.

Here, in the present invention, the target filling temperature T ₀ of the foamable liquid L is preferably 1 ° C. or less, although it depends on the foamable liquid to be filled.

  In the present invention, the pressure of the fluid F is preferably adjusted using the pressure valve 9 as described above. At this time, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the pressure valve 9 and the temperature sensor 6 are electrically connected. You may connect. In this case, a control means 10 such as a computer, which will be described in detail below, may be arranged between the pressure valve 9 and the temperature sensor 6, and the temperature T measured by the temperature sensor 6 by the control means 10. The pressure valve 9 may be operated based on the information. At this time, the operation of the pressure valve 9 may be automated or semi-automated by the control means 10.

  As described above, in the present invention, the foaming of the foamable liquid L can be appropriately adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the fluid F injected into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1. Spillage due to excessive foaming of the liquid L can be significantly suppressed, and the incidence of nonconforming products can be greatly reduced.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, based on the temperature T of the foamable liquid L described above, the position of the injection nozzle 7 arranged to inject the fluid F into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L is adjusted.

  In the present invention, “adjusting the position of the injection nozzle 7 arranged to inject the fluid F into the surface of the foamable liquid L based on the temperature T of the foamable liquid L” as described above. Based on the information on the temperature T of the foamable liquid L measured in advance before filling the container 1 with the foamable liquid L, it is arranged to inject the fluid F into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L filled into the container 1. This means that the position of the injection nozzle 7 is appropriately determined or selected.

  In the present invention, the position of the injection nozzle 7 arranged to inject the fluid F into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 is such that the fluid F is injected into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L in the container. As long as the foamable liquid L (preferably the liquid level of the foamable liquid L) can be foamed, there is no particular limitation.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, when the container 1 is transported in the transport direction X using the transport mechanism 2 described in detail below, the position where the injection nozzle 7 is disposed fills the container 1 with the foamable liquid L. It is preferably between the position where the filling nozzle 4 that can be disposed and the position where the sealing mechanism 11 that can seal (capping) the opening of the container 1 is disposed.

  Therefore, the injection nozzle 7 can be disposed at an arbitrary position between the filling nozzle 4 and the sealing mechanism 11 based on the information on the temperature T described above.

For example, in summer or when the production line is temporarily stopped and restarted, the temperature T may rise unexpectedly (for example, if the target filling temperature of the foamable liquid L is T ₀ , When the measured temperature T is higher than the temperature T ₀ by, for example, 3 ° C. to 5 ° C., the foaming property of the foamable liquid L is increased by such an increase in the temperature. 1, for example, in the direction of arrow a in Fig. 1. By doing so, the fluid F is injected by the injection nozzle 7 and sealed by the sealing mechanism 11. Since the time to do so can be shortened, insufficient taste due to spillage due to excessive foaming can be suppressed.

  In addition, the temperature T may be unexpectedly lowered in winter and the like, and the foamability of the foamable liquid L is lowered due to such a temperature drop. Accordingly, the position of the injection nozzle 7 is set in the transport direction of the container 1 accordingly. It is preferable to move in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 1, for example, along the opposite direction of X (upstream direction of the line). By doing so, it is possible to lengthen the time until the fluid F is injected by the injection nozzle 7 and sealed by the sealing mechanism 11, so that sufficient foaming is required to eliminate air in the empty space. It can be carried out.

  Such movement and arrangement of the injection nozzle 7 may be performed manually according to the temperature T, or may be performed using a driving device such as a stepping motor (not shown). At this time, the stepping motor may be electrically connected to the control means 10 shown in FIG. 1, for example. By such a control means 10, the position of the injection nozzle 7 can be adjusted automatically or semi-automatically.

  Here, in order to efficiently inject the fluid F from the injection nozzle 7 into the container 1, it is preferable to use a rotary transfer mechanism described in detail below as a part of the transfer mechanism 2.

  For example, as shown in the top view of FIG. 3, an opening 14 of the container 1 is supplied from the injection nozzle 7 while conveying a plurality of containers 1 in the direction of the arrow X using a rotary conveying mechanism 20 such as a star wheel. Through, the fluid F can be injected into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L.

  At this time, the injection nozzle 7 can be appropriately disposed above the opening 14 of the container 1, and may be further connected to the stepping motor 30 via the arm 40. The rotation shaft of the stepping motor 30 is preferably arranged coaxially with the center 0 of the rotary transport mechanism 20.

  With such a configuration, by driving the stepping motor 30, along the transport direction X of the container 1 (that is, the rotational direction of the rotary transport mechanism 20), for example, the direction of the arrow a shown in FIG. Further, the injection nozzle 7 is arbitrarily rotated through the arm 40 in the direction of the arrow b shown in FIG. 3 along the direction opposite to the conveyance direction X of the container 1 (that is, the rotation direction of the rotary conveyance mechanism 20). Can do.

  In the method of the present invention, as described above, the foaming of the foamable liquid L can be appropriately adjusted by adjusting the position of the injection nozzle 7 based on the temperature T filling the container 1, and thus excessive. Spilling of the foamable liquid L due to foaming can be significantly suppressed, and the incidence of nonconforming products can be greatly reduced.

  Furthermore, in the method of the present invention, the foaming of the foamable liquid L can be synergistically controlled by combining the adjustment of the position of the injection nozzle 7 and the adjustment of the pressure of the fluid F described above. The incidence of non-contained products can be greatly reduced.

  More specifically, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence rate of non-contained products that were conventionally 0.4% to 0.1% or less. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to greatly reduce the manufacturing loss due to the occurrence of a nonconforming product, and consequently to significantly reduce the manufacturing cost.

  In the present invention, the incidence of such a nonconforming product is, for example, as shown in FIG. 1 after the opening of the container 1 is sealed with a cap (cap) 12 using the sealing mechanism 11 (for example, FIG. 2). (See (C)), and can be determined using the taste inspection apparatus 13 described in detail below.

  Hereinafter, the apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail.

<Apparatus for filling a foamable liquid into a container>
The apparatus of the present invention relates to an apparatus for filling a foamable liquid into a container.
The device of the present invention
A temperature sensor for measuring in advance the temperature of the foamable liquid filled in the container;
An injection nozzle arranged to inject fluid into the level of the foamable liquid filled in the container;
A stepping motor for adjusting the position of the injection nozzle, and the pressure of the fluid injected into the liquid level of the foamable liquid filled in the container and the injection nozzle based on the temperature of the foamable liquid measured by the temperature sensor The position of each is adjusted.

  Hereinafter, the device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, but the device of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following embodiments.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus of the present invention is based on the temperature T of the foamable liquid L measured by the temperature sensor 6 and the pressure of the fluid F injected into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1. The position of the injection nozzle 7 can be adjusted appropriately.

  In the apparatus of the present invention, the temperature of the foamable liquid L filling the container 1 is adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the fluid F and the position of the injection nozzle 7 based on the temperature T of the foamable liquid L measured by the temperature sensor 6. Depending on T, it is possible to appropriately eliminate air contained in the empty space of the container 1 by foaming of the foamable liquid L, and thus the occurrence rate of nonconforming products can be greatly reduced.

  Hereinafter, each component included in the apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail.

(Temperature sensor)
For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus of the present invention includes a temperature sensor 6 for measuring in advance the temperature of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 6 may be disposed between a filling nozzle 4 that can fill the container 1 with the foamable liquid L and a storage tank 3 that can store the foamable liquid L. It can arrange | position in arbitrary appropriate places of the transport line 5, and, thereby, the temperature of the foamable liquid L with which the container 1 is filled can be measured.

  The temperature sensor 6 is not particularly limited as long as it can measure the temperature of the foamable liquid L, and preferably can measure the temperature of the foamable liquid L passing through the transport line 5. Examples of the temperature sensor 6 include a thermometer (for example, a contact-type or non-contact-type thermometer).

(Transport line)
The transport line 5 for the foamable liquid L is not particularly limited as long as it can fluidly connect the storage tank 3 and the filling nozzle 4 described in detail below, for example.

  The transport line 5 preferably has pressure resistance and the material thereof is not particularly limited. However, the transport line 5 is preferably a pipe that can be made of, for example, stainless steel or plastic (for example, silicone resin).

  Further, the transport line 5 may be provided with a valve for adjusting the pressure of the foamable liquid L.

(Filling nozzle)
The filling nozzle 4 is preferably one that can be fluidly connected to the transport line 5 described above, and is not particularly limited as long as the container 1 can be filled with the foamable liquid L. For example, a conventionally known liquid filling nozzle can be used without any limitation.

  The filling nozzle 4 may have its nozzle tip disposed inside the opening of the container 1, and at this time, the filling nozzle 4 is, for example, a conventionally known position adjusting mechanism (for example, movable in the vertical and horizontal directions) Depending on the position adjustment mechanism including a rotatable arm, the filling position of the container 1 may be appropriately adjusted.

  In the present invention, the number of filling nozzles 4 is not particularly limited, and a plurality (for example, 2 to 200) of filling nozzles may be appropriately used as necessary.

  (Storage tank)

  The storage tank 3 can be arranged as necessary, and a conventionally known tank can be used without any limitation as long as it can store the foamable liquid L.

  In addition, the storage tank 3 may include a float, a pressure gauge, a thermometer, and the like for measuring the volume, pressure, temperature, and the like of the foamable liquid L stored therein.

(Transport mechanism)
Furthermore, the apparatus of this invention may be provided with the conveyance mechanism 2 which can convey the container 1 appropriately, when filling the container 1 with the foamable liquid L, for example, as shown in FIG.

  In the apparatus of the present invention, the transport mechanism 2 is preferably capable of transporting a plurality of containers 1 at regular intervals, and a conventionally known transport mechanism can be used without any limitation.

  In addition, the container 1 may be conveyed continuously by the conveyance mechanism 2, or may be conveyed intermittently.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the transport mechanism 2 may be a conveyor-type transport mechanism (for example, a belt conveyor, a chain conveyor, etc.) or a rotary-type transport mechanism (wheel, star wheel, etc.) (not shown). )). In the present invention, a conveyor-type transport mechanism and a rotary-type transport mechanism may be used in appropriate combination.

  For example, the transport mechanism 2 includes a portion (hereinafter referred to as “filling area (I)”) that fills the container 1 with the foamable liquid L using the above-described filling nozzle 4 and an injection nozzle 7 that will be described in detail below. Using the sealing mechanism 11, the container 1 is sealed by using the sealing mechanism 11 to inject the fluid F into the liquid surface of the foaming liquid L to foam the foaming liquid L (hereinafter referred to as “foaming area (II)”). A portion (hereinafter referred to as “sealing area (III)”), and a portion (hereinafter referred to as “taste inspection area (IV)”) for inspecting the taste of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 using the taste inspection device 13; It may be divided respectively.

  Moreover, although the conveyance mechanism used in each area may be the same or different, it is preferable that the conveyance mechanism arrange | positioned in each area is mutually continuous.

(Injection nozzle)
The device of the present invention comprises an injection nozzle 7. For example, by injecting the fluid F with the injection nozzle 7 into the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1 with the filling nozzle 4 as described above, the foamable liquid L (preferably the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L) is obtained. By foaming, air (particularly oxygen) in the empty space can be excluded from the container 1 (see, for example, FIG. 2B).

  The injection nozzle 7 is not particularly limited as long as it can inject the fluid F into the surface of the foamable liquid L filled in the container 1. For example, a conventionally known fluid injection nozzle is used without any limitation. be able to.

  The pressure of the fluid F injected from the injection nozzle 7 into the container 1 is particularly limited as long as the foamable liquid L (preferably the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L) can be foamed by impacting the liquid surface of the foamable liquid L. For example, it is 0.5 Mpa to 2.0 Mpa.

  However, in the present invention, the fluid F to be injected from the injection nozzle 7 into the container 1 based on the temperature of the foamable liquid L measured in advance by the temperature sensor 6 (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “temperature T”). Adjust the pressure appropriately.

  For example, as described above, when the temperature T increases, the pressure of the fluid F can be reduced, and excessive foaming of the foamable liquid L can be suppressed. Moreover, when the temperature T falls, the pressure of the fluid F can be raised and the foaming shortage of the foamable liquid L can also be eliminated.

  Such fluid F pressure may be any suitable pressure in the transport line 8 that may be placed between the injection nozzle 7 and a source of fluid F (eg, a tank, etc.) (not shown), for example as shown in FIG. It can be adjusted by means of a pressure valve 9 which can be arranged in position.

(Transport line)
The transport line 8 for the fluid F preferably has pressure resistance and the material thereof is not particularly limited, but is preferably a tube that can be made of, for example, stainless steel or plastic (for example, silicone resin).

(Pressure valve)
The pressure valve 9 that can be used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the pressure of the fluid F can be adjusted. For example, a conventionally known pressure valve can be used without any limitation.

  The pressure valve 9 may be electrically connected to the control means 10 described in detail below, and the pressure valve 9 may be adjusted automatically or semi-automatically.

(Control means)
The control means 10 is preferably electrically connected between the temperature sensor 6 and the pressure valve 9 and can control the opening and closing of the pressure valve 9 based on the information of the temperature T measured by the temperature sensor 6. It is. At this time, the pressure valve 9 is preferably provided with an actuator that electrically opens and closes the valve.

  The control means 10 preferably has information processing capability and arithmetic processing capability such as a computer.

(Stepping motor)
The apparatus of the present invention includes a stepping motor, and the position of the injection nozzle 7 can be adjusted by the stepping motor.

  Any stepping motor may be used as long as the position of the injection nozzle 7 can be adjusted by moving the injection nozzle 7, and any conventionally known stepping motor can be used without any limitation.

  Therefore, in the present invention, by using such a stepping motor, the position of the injection nozzle 7 can be appropriately adjusted based on the temperature T of the foamable liquid L measured in advance by the temperature sensor 6 described above.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the injection nozzle 7 is moved in the direction of the arrow a (the direction along the conveyance direction X of the container 1) to dispose the container 1 from the injection of the fluid F by the injection nozzle 7. It is possible to shorten the time taken to complete. This is particularly effective when the temperature T rises and the foamability of the foamable liquid L increases, so that excessive foaming of the foamable liquid L, in particular from the container 1 of the foamable liquid L, is achieved. Excessive spillage can be prevented, and the incidence of nonconforming products can be reduced.

  Further, by moving the injection nozzle 7 in the direction of the arrow b in FIG. 1 (the direction opposite to the conveyance direction X of the container 1), the injection of the fluid F from the injection nozzle 7 to the sealing of the container 1 takes place. The time can be lengthened. This is particularly effective when the temperature T is lowered and the foamability of the foamable liquid L is lowered. By doing so, insufficient foaming of the foamable liquid L can be avoided.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, such adjustment of the position of the injection nozzle 7 can be controlled by the above-described control means 10, and furthermore, the control means 10 is electrically connected to the temperature sensor 6, whereby the injection nozzle 7 position adjustment may be automated or semi-automated.

  Moreover, you may arrange | position members, such as a gearwheel and an arm, between a stepping motor and the injection | pouring nozzle 7 as needed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when a rotary transport mechanism 20 (a star wheel in FIG. 3) is used as the transport mechanism, an arm 40 may be disposed between the injection nozzle 7 and the stepping motor 30. The position of the injection nozzle 7 can be adjusted by moving the injection nozzle 7 in the direction of the arrow a or b along the conveyance direction X of the container 1 (that is, the rotation direction of the conveyance mechanism 20) or the opposite direction by the arm 40. it can. At this time, the rotation axis of the stepping motor is preferably arranged coaxially with the rotation center 0 of the transport mechanism 20. By doing so, the position of the injection nozzle 7 can be adjusted efficiently. In addition, there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the shape of the arm 40, a dimension, a material, etc.

  In this way, in the apparatus of the present invention, the position of the injection nozzle 7 is adjusted based on the temperature T of the foamable liquid L measured in advance by the temperature sensor 6, so that the foamable liquid L (preferably the foamable liquid L It is possible to appropriately adjust the foaming of the liquid level of L, and as a result, the occurrence rate of underfilled products can be reduced.

  Moreover, in the apparatus of this invention, the incidence rate of a nonconforming product can be further reduced by the synergistic effect with the adjustment of the pressure of the fluid F based on the temperature T described above.

(Sealing mechanism)
In the present invention, for example, as schematically shown in FIG. 2, the container 1 is filled with the foamable liquid L (FIG. 2A), and the foamable liquid L is foamed with the fluid F and included in the empty space e of the container 1. After the air is removed (FIG. 2B), the opening of the container 1 can be sealed using, for example, a cap (cap) 12 (FIG. 2C).

  Here, in the present invention, for example, as schematically shown in FIG. 2B, it is desirable that the foaming liquid L is foamed by the fluid F, while the upper surface of the foam is preferably flush with the opening. The filling amount of the foamable liquid L may be increased by a minute amount with respect to the target taste so as to be able to cope with the lack of taste due to.

  The opening of the container 1 can be sealed using a sealing mechanism 11 as shown in FIG.

  The sealing mechanism 11 can be sealed by attaching a stopper 12 (for example, a metal cap (so-called crown), a plastic cap, a cork stopper, etc.) to the opening according to the type of the container 1. There is no particular limitation as long as it can be used. For example, a conventionally known sealing mechanism can be used without any limitation.

(Taste inspection device)
The apparatus of the present invention may include a taste inspection device 13 as shown in FIG. 1, for example, so that the taste of the foamable liquid L can be inspected.

  The taste inspection device 13 is preferably capable of inspecting the taste of the container 1 after sealing, and for example, a conventionally known taste inspection device can be used without any limitation. Examples of the taste inspecting device 13 include those equipped with sensors such as a digital camera, a video camera, a line sensor camera, and an X-ray line sensor.

  As described above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence rate of taste-incompatible products by about 25% to 75%, and thus the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.

  The method and apparatus of the present invention can be used to fill a container of a sparkling alcoholic beverage whose taste is regulated, such as beer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 2 Transport mechanism 3 Storage tank 4 Filling nozzle 5 Transport line (transport line of foamable liquid L)
6 Temperature sensor 7 Injection nozzle 8 Transport line (Fluid F transport line)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Pressure valve 10 Control means 11 Sealing mechanism 12 Plug 13 Taste inspection apparatus 14 Opening part 20 Rotation type conveyance mechanism 30 Stepping motor 40 Arm e Empty part L Foamable liquid F Fluid I Filling area II Foaming area III Sealing area IV Ingress inspection area X Transport direction

Claims (4)

  A method for filling a container with foamable liquid, filling the container with foamable liquid, injecting a fluid into the surface of the foamable liquid filled in the container to foam the foamable liquid, and In order to exclude air contained in the empty portion of the container from the container, the temperature of the foamable liquid filled in the container is measured in advance, and the foamability filled in the container based on the temperature of the foamable liquid is measured. Adjusting the pressure of the fluid injected into the liquid level and the position of an injection nozzle arranged to inject the fluid into the foamable liquid surface.   The method of claim 1, wherein when the temperature of the foamable liquid is increased, the pressure of the fluid is decreased.   The method according to claim 1, wherein when the temperature of the foamable liquid rises, the position of the injection nozzle is moved along the transport direction of the container. An apparatus for filling a container with effervescent liquid,
A temperature sensor for measuring in advance the temperature of the foamable liquid filled in the container;
An injection nozzle arranged to inject fluid into the level of the foamable liquid filled in the container;
A stepping motor for adjusting the position of the injection nozzle,
An apparatus for adjusting a pressure of a fluid to be injected into a liquid surface of the foamable liquid filled in the container and a position of the injection nozzle based on the temperature of the foamable liquid measured by the temperature sensor.

Images