JP2018188192A - Filling apparatus and filling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filling apparatus that is able to prolong a time required to fill a product liquid, without decreasing filling accuracy.SOLUTION: A filling apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a linear conveyance unit 10 that conveys a plurality of containers 70 along a first conveyance path directed from an upstream side to a downstream side; a filling area 18 where, from a filling nozzle 31, a product liquid is filled into a container 70 conveyed along the first conveyance path; an upstream area 17 where a single or a plurality of treatment processes are performed for a container 70 at an upstream side from the filling area 18; and a downstream area 19 where a single or a plurality of treatment processes are performed for a container 70 at a downstream side from the filling area 18. In the filling area 18 of the filling system 1 according to the invention, while the filling nozzle 31 continuously moves in a conveying direction together with a corresponding container 70, the filling nozzle fills a product liquid L into the container 70 and, in the upstream area 17 and the downstream area 19, a predetermined process is performed for intermittently conveyed containers 70.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a filling apparatus and a filling method capable of suppressing a decrease in filling accuracy while extending a filling time of a product liquid.

A bag-like resin bag having an opening is used as a container for storing the product liquid. This resin bag is formed from a soft resin film.
The resin bag is, for example, an opening process for expanding the opening of the resin bag held by the carrier conveyed on the guide rail, a filling process for filling the resin bag with the product liquid, and a sealing process for sealing the opening of the resin bag. Are manufactured via a filling line.

This filling line employs an intermittent conveyance method in which the resin bag is repeatedly stopped and moved. The resin bag is stopped in the areas corresponding to the opening process, the filling process, and the sealing process, and each process is performed on the stopped resin bag.
In this filling line, various proposals have been made in order to match the amount of product liquid filled in the resin bag with a predetermined internal volume, that is, to obtain high filling accuracy.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a liquid filling apparatus that fills liquid into a container from a nozzle by operating a valve that opens and closes a nozzle that discharges the liquid into the container. According to the liquid filling apparatus of Patent Document 1, the accuracy of filling the product liquid into the container can be increased by controlling the valve with high precision.

JP 2003-226302 A

By the way, the resin bag filling line sometimes fills product bags into resin bags with different volumes. To fill a resin bag with a large volume, the product solution is filled into a resin bag with a small volume. It is necessary to lengthen the filling time. On the other hand, the time required for the opening process and the sealing process is hardly affected by the size of the container.
When the resin bag is intermittently conveyed, the resin bag stops for the same time in the opening process, the filling process, and the sealing process described above. Therefore, if the filling process time is increased in order to fill a container with a large volume, there will be time for the resin bag to stop unnecessarily even though the work has already been completed in other processes.

In order to eliminate this unnecessary stop of the resin bag, if the product liquid is filled in, for example, twice, the filling time can be extended as a whole, and the stop time per time is shortened, so other steps And stop time coordination.
However, it is not desirable to divide and fill in two portions from the viewpoint of filling accuracy. This is because an error with respect to the target filling amount is likely to occur based on the opening / closing of the nozzle accompanying the filling, so that it is easily predicted that the error with respect to the target filling amount will accumulate if the filling is performed in a plurality of times.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a filling device that can extend the time spent filling the product liquid without reducing the filling accuracy.

The filling device of the present invention fills a product liquid from a filling nozzle into a transport unit that transports a plurality of containers along a first transport path from an upstream side to a downstream side, and a container that is transported through the first transport path. A filling region to be performed, an upstream region in which one or a plurality of processing steps are performed on the container conveyed on the first conveyance path on the upstream side from the filling region, and a container conveyed on the first conveyance path on the downstream side from the filling region. And a downstream region where one or more processing steps are performed.
In the filling region, the filling nozzle continuously fills the container with the corresponding container along the transport direction, and fills the container with the product liquid. In the upstream region and the downstream region, the container that is intermittently transported performs a predetermined process. It is characterized by being applied.

  It is preferable that the conveyance part in the filling apparatus of this invention controls each conveyance speed of several containers independently.

In the filling apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the time T2 spent for filling the container with the product liquid in the filling region is longer than the time T1 spent for each processing step performed in the upstream region and the downstream region.
In the filling apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the container transport speed V2 in the filling area is slower than the container transport speed V1 in the upstream area and the downstream area.

  Moreover, in the filling apparatus of this invention, it is preferable to perform each processing process performed in an upstream area | region and a downstream area | region, stopping a container.

  The conveyance part in the filling apparatus of this invention can convey a container in the unit of the group which consists of a predetermined several container. In this case, in the filling region, the product liquid is filled into the container in units of one or a plurality of groups, and the processing steps are performed in units of groups in the upstream region and the downstream region.

  The filling nozzle in the filling device of the present invention can reciprocate the filling region along the first transport path, the forward path from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the return path from the downstream side to the upstream side. In addition, the product liquid can be filled in the container in the outward path.

  In the filling apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the movement speed V4 of the filling nozzle in the backward path is faster than the movement speed V3 of the filling nozzle in the forward path.

  The conveyance part in the filling apparatus of this invention can convey a container in the unit of the group which consists of a predetermined several container. In this case, in the filling region, the product liquid is filled in the units of a plurality of groups, and the processing steps are performed in units of groups in the upstream region and the downstream region. Then, the filling nozzle reciprocates the filling region along the first transport path, the forward path from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and the return path from the downstream side toward the upstream side, and the filling nozzle is The product liquid is filled into the container in the outward path.

In the filling apparatus of the present invention, the transport unit transports containers in units of groups, and the filling region corresponds to the number of containers constituting the group, and a plurality of filling nozzles can move around the orbit in units of groups. preferable.
In this case, it is preferable that the filling region of the present invention is provided with a group of filling nozzles, which are redundant for filling the product liquid in units of groups, in the orbit.

  The conveyance part in the filling apparatus of this invention can be equipped with the 2nd conveyance path | route which consists of a circumference track | orbit which receives and conveys a container from a 1st conveyance path | route. In this case, the filling region includes a filling nozzle that reciprocates along the second transport path. The filling nozzle reciprocates along the second conveyance path between the upstream path from the upstream side to the downstream side and the return path from the downstream side to the upstream side. Is preferably filled in a container.

The filling method of the present invention fills a product liquid from a filling nozzle into a transport unit that transports a plurality of containers along a first transport path from an upstream side to a downstream side, and a container that is transported through the first transport path. A filling region to be performed, an upstream region in which one or a plurality of processing steps are performed on the container conveyed on the first conveyance path on the upstream side from the filling region, and a container conveyed on the first conveyance path on the downstream side from the filling region. And a downstream region where one or more processing steps are performed.
In the filling region, the filling nozzle continuously fills the container with the corresponding container along the transport direction, and fills the container with the product liquid. In the upstream region and the downstream region, the container that is intermittently transported performs a predetermined process. It is characterized by being applied.

  According to the present invention, in the upstream region and the downstream region, the container that is intermittently transported is subjected to a predetermined process, whereas in the filling region, the filling nozzle is moved along with the corresponding container along the transport direction. Fill the container with product liquid while moving continuously. Therefore, according to the filling device of the present invention, it is possible to lengthen the time spent for filling the product liquid without lowering the filling accuracy.

The characteristic part of the filling system of 1st Embodiment is simplified and shown. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the filling system of 1st Embodiment, (a)-(g) is following the elapsed time. It is a graph which shows the speed of the conveyance body for every process of the filling system of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the filling system of the modification 1 of 1st Embodiment, (a)-(g) is following the elapsed time. The characteristic part of the filling system of the modification 2 of 1st Embodiment is simplified and shown. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the filling system of the modification 2 of 1st Embodiment, (a)-(d) is following the elapsed time. The characteristic part of the filling system of 2nd Embodiment is simplified and shown. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the filling system of 2nd Embodiment, (a)-(d) follows the elapsed time.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the filling system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a linear transport unit 10 that transports a bag-like container 70 having an opening 71 and an opening 71 of the container 70 that is transported. The container opening 20 that opens so that the container 70 can be filled, the filling part 30 that fills the container 70 with the product liquid L such as beverage, and the opening 71 of the container 70 filled with the product liquid L are closed and heat-sealed for sealing. And a cooling unit 50 that cools the thermally welded container 70.
The filling system 1 includes a control unit 60 that controls operations of the linear conveyance unit 10, the container opening 20, the filling unit 30, the container sealing unit 40, and the cooling unit 50.
In the filling system 1, the container 70 is supplied by the supply device S in the supply region 17 </ b> A included in the upstream region 17 upstream of the filling region 18. Then, after the product liquid L is filled in the filling area 18 including the filling unit 30, the container 70 is discharged by the discharge device E in the discharge area 19 </ b> C included in the downstream area 19 on the downstream side of the filling area 18.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the filling system 1 is configured to process the time spent for filling the container 70 with the product liquid L in each of the plurality of containers 70 that have been intermittently conveyed to the filling area 18. It is set longer than the time spent in

  In the filling system 1, in the work station constituting the filling system 1 such as the container opening 20 and the container sealing part 40, the container 70 stops when receiving each predetermined processing, and the predetermined processing is performed. When is finished, the sheet is intermittently conveyed to the downstream side β. On the other hand, in the filling unit 30, continuous conveyance in which the container 70 is continuously conveyed is performed. That is, the filling system 1 stops the container 70 in the upstream region 17 and the downstream region 19 and performs each process. In the filling region 18, the filling of the product liquid L is performed while the container 70 is conveyed. Therefore, the filling nozzle 31 forming the filling unit 30 moves together with the container 70.

Hereinafter, each element of the filling system 1 will be described.
The filling system 1 performs the filling process simultaneously on the container 70 of the preceding group G1 and the container 70 of the succeeding group G2. That is, in the present embodiment, the product liquid L is filled in units of a plurality of groups G.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the upstream side α and the downstream side β are defined with reference to the direction in which the container 70 is conveyed.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example will be described in which two containers 70A and 70B are conveyed in a group G as shown in FIG. However, this invention is not limited to this, The number of the groups G in which a filling process is performed simultaneously, and the number of the containers 70 which comprise the group G are arbitrary.
Furthermore, when it is not necessary to distinguish the containers 70A and 70B, they may be simply expressed as the container 70. The same applies to the carrier 11, the filling nozzle 31, and the filling region 18.

[Linear transport unit 10]
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the linear conveyance unit 10 conveys the plurality of containers 70 received from the supply device S from the upstream side α toward the downstream side β.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the linear transport unit 10 includes a guide rail 13 that forms an endless circulation path, and a plurality of transport bodies 11 that travel independently along the guide rail 13. Each of the transport bodies 11 is provided with a permanent magnet 12 and an electromagnetic coil 14 is provided along the guide rail 13 so that the linear transport unit 10 includes a linear motor.

  Each transport body 11 includes a plurality of grippers 15 that grip the container 70. The plurality of grippers 15 are fixed to the transport body 11 so as to face the outside of the guide rail 13. The gripper 15 is opened and closed by an external force, and grips the container 70 when closed. In addition, although the gripper 15 is also provided over the perimeter of the guide rail 13 with the conveyance body 11, FIG. 1 shows only some grippers 15.

In the linear transport unit 10, movement and stop of each transport body 11 are controlled independently according to an instruction from the control unit 60. Therefore, the linear transport unit 10 can arbitrarily change the position of each transport body 11, that is, the position of each gripper 15.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, in order to fill the containers 70A and 70B constituting the group G with the product liquid L at the same time, two transport bodies 11A and 11B corresponding to the containers 70A and 70B, respectively. Repeats running and stopping at the same time while maintaining a predetermined interval.

As shown in FIG. 1, the linear transport unit 10 includes an upstream region 17, a filling region 18, and a downstream region 19 on the transport path (first transport path) in order from the upstream side α.
The upstream region 17 has a supply region 17A and an opening region 17B.
The filling area 18 includes a first filling area 18A, a second filling area 18B, and a third filling area 18C.
The downstream area 19 has a sealed area 19A, a cooling area 19B, and a discharge area 19C.
The container 70 stops at the above-described areas included in the upstream area 17 and the downstream area 19. Each of these regions has a length in the transport direction that can accommodate two containers 70A and 70B arranged at a predetermined interval in the transport direction.

[Supply area 17A]
As shown in FIG. 1, the supply region 17 </ b> A is a region that receives the container 70 from the supply device S, and the transport body 11 stops in the supply region 17 </ b> A when receiving the container 70.
The supply region 17 </ b> A is provided on the upstream side α of the forward path R <b> 1 in the linear transport unit 10. The conveyance body 11 that stops and stands by in the supply region 17A receives the container 70 from the supply device S.
In the container 70 received by the carrier 11, the two sheet materials constituting the container 70, including the opening 71, overlap with each other with almost no gap.

[Opening area 17B]
The opening area 17B is an area where the opening 71 of the container 70 received by the carrier 11 is opened so that the product liquid L can be filled.
As shown in FIG. 1, the opening region 17B includes a container opening 20 that opens the opening 71 of the container 70, and the container opening 20 opens the opening 71 of the container 70 that stops in the opening region 17B.

[Filling area 18]
The filling area 18 is an area in which the container 70 is filled with the product liquid L.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a filling nozzle 31 of the filling unit 30 is disposed in the filling region 18.
The filling region 18 includes three regions of a first filling region 18A on the upstream side, a second filling region 18B on the downstream side, and a third filling region 18C on the further downstream side.
As shown in FIG. 2C, when the filling of the product liquid L is started, the preceding group G1 containers 70 pass through the first filling region 18A and are arranged in the second filling region 18B. And the container 70 of the subsequent group G2 is arrange | positioned in the 1st filling area | region 18A.
Then, as shown in FIG. 2D, when the filling of the product liquid L is finished, the preceding group G1 containers 70 are arranged in the third filling region 18C, and the succeeding group G2 containers 70 are , Disposed in the second filling region 18B.

The container 70 that has been conveyed reaches a predetermined position in the filling area 18 and at the same time, the filling nozzle 31 is returned, filling is started, and filling is continued in the process of moving the filling area 18, Filling ends when the position is reached. That is, the product liquid L is filled into the container 70 in the process in which the container 70 passes through the filling region 18. Here, the container 70 reaches the region means that all of the two containers 70 constituting the group G are included in the region.
The first filling area 18A, the second filling area 18B, and the third filling area 18C can be arbitrarily set according to the amount of the product liquid L filled in the container 70, the conveyance speed of the container 70, and the like.

[Sealed area 19A]
The sealed region 19A is a region for closing the opening 71 of the container 70 filled with the product liquid L.
As shown in FIG. 1, the sealed region 19A includes a container sealed portion 40 that closes the opening 71 of the container 70. The container sealed portion 40 closes the opening 71 of the container 70 that stops in the sealed region 19A and is heated. Fuse.

[Cooling area 19B]
The cooling area 19 </ b> B is an area for cooling the heat-sealed opening 71.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling region 19 </ b> B includes a cooling unit 50 that cools the opening 71, and the cooling unit 50 cools the opening 71 that stops in the cooling region 19 </ b> B.

[Discharge area 19C]
The discharge area 19C is an area where the container 70 is delivered to the discharge device E.
In the discharge area 19C, the container 70 whose conveyance has been stopped is delivered to the discharge device E. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport body 11 that has delivered the container 70 to the discharge device E in the discharge area 19C travels on the return path R2 and returns to the supply area 17A.

[Filling unit 30]
The filling unit 30 fills the container 70 that has been transported by the linear transport unit 10 with a product liquid L from a filling nozzle 31 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the filling unit 30 includes a filling nozzle 31 that discharges the product liquid L toward the opening 71 of the container 70, a main body 34 that is connected to the filling nozzle 31, and a product liquid that is supplied to the filling nozzle 31. A supply tank 32 for storing and a supply pipe 33 for supplying the product liquid L from the supply tank 32 to the respective filling nozzles 31 via the main body 34 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the filling unit 30 includes a first filling nozzle group 36 including a filling nozzle 31 corresponding to the container 70 disposed in the first filling region 18A when filling is started, and a second filling. A second filling nozzle group 37 including the filling nozzles 31 corresponding to the containers 70 arranged in the region 18B is provided.
The first filling nozzle group 36 has as many filling nozzles 31 as the number of containers 70 arranged in the first filling region 18A. The same applies to the second filling nozzle group 37.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 34 can reciprocate in the conveyance direction of the container 70.
This reciprocating movement is performed between a start position X at which filling starts (solid line in FIG. 1) and an end position Y at which filling ends (dotted line in FIG. 1).
When the main body 34 reaches the start position X, the first filling nozzle group 36 reaches the first filling region 18A, and the second filling nozzle group 37 reaches the second filling region 18B. When the main body 34 reaches the end position Y, the first filling nozzle group 36 reaches the second filling region 18B, and the second filling nozzle group 37 reaches the third filling region 18C.

When filling the container 70 with the product liquid L, the filling nozzle 31 follows the container 70 and moves to the downstream side β. Assuming that the conveyance speed of the container 70 at this time is V2, the main body 34 moves toward the end position Y at the downstream side β at the same movement speed V3 as the container 70. Thereby, each container 70 is filled with the product liquid L from the filling nozzle 31.
The main body 34 that has been filled moves toward the start position X on the upstream side α at a moving speed V4 in time for filling the containers 70 belonging to the subsequent group G.

  Each filling nozzle 31 or supply pipe 33 is provided with an on-off valve (not shown). The on / off valve is selected to be opened or closed according to an instruction from the control unit 60, and the product liquid L is discharged from each filling nozzle 31 when opened.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (c), the filling unit 30 returns to the container 70 that has reached a predetermined position in the filling region 18 at the same time as the main body 34 returns to the start position X by an instruction from the control unit 60. Then, the on-off valve that has been closed is opened, and the product liquid L is discharged from the filling nozzle 31 to start filling. Then, when the main body 34 reaches the end position Y, the filling unit 30 closes the open / close valve that has been opened by the instruction from the control unit 60 and ends the filling of the product liquid L from the filling nozzle 31. That is, the filling unit 30 supplies the product liquid to the container 70 that is transported to the container 70 that has reached a predetermined position in the filling region 18 until the main body 34 returns to the start position X and then reaches the end position Y again. Continue filling L.

[Operation of filling system 1]
Next, the operation of the filling system 1 will be described.
As shown in the row (G1) of FIG. 3, this operation includes a supply process for supplying the container 70, an opening process for opening the opening 71 of the container 70, and a filling process for filling the container 70 with the product liquid L. A sealing process for welding and sealing the opening 71 of the container 70 filled with the product liquid L, a cooling process for cooling the welded part of the container 70, and a discharging process for discharging the cooled container 70 to the outside.
As shown in row (G1) and row (G2) in FIG. 3, the supplying process, the opening process, the sealing process, the cooling process, and the discharging process are performed at the same time T1. On the other hand, the filling with the product liquid L in the filling process is performed for a longer time T2 than in the other processes.
The filling system 1 is characterized in that the product liquid L is filled while the filling nozzle 31 follows the container 70 conveyed through the filling region 18.

Each process which the filling system 1 has is performed for every group G comprised from the containers 70A and 70B, as shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the group G1, the group G2, the group G3, and the group G4 are transferred to the filling region 18 in this order, and are simultaneously supplied to the containers 70 constituting the preceding group G1 and group G2. And the product liquid L is simultaneously filled in the containers 70 constituting the subsequent group G3 and group G4.
Below, operation | movement of the filling system 1 is demonstrated.

[Supply process]
In the supply process, the transport bodies 11A and 11B corresponding to the containers 70A and 70B constituting the group G1 are transported to the supply area 17A (FIG. 1). The transport body 11 that has reached the supply region 17A stops for a predetermined time and receives the container 70 (FIG. 1, FIG. 3 (G1) (a)). Thereafter, the container 70 of the group G1 held by the transport body 11 is transported toward the opening region 17B ((b) in FIG. 3 (G1)). The conveyance speed of the container 70 when shifting from the supply process to the opening process is V1. The conveyance speed of the container 70 when shifting from the opening process to the filling process is also V1.

[Opening process]
In the opening process, the containers 70 of the group G1 are transported to the opening region 17B at the transport speed V1 (FIG. 1, FIG. 3 (G1) (b)). The containers 70 of the group G1 that have reached the opening region 17B are stopped for a predetermined time, and the opening area of each opening 71 is expanded by the container opening 20. Thereafter, the container 70 of the group G1 is transported toward the filling area 18.

[Filling process]
In the filling step, the product liquid L is filled in the container 70 that passes through the filling region 18.
The group G1 is transported to the first filling region 18A after the opening area of the opening 71 of each container 70 is expanded in the opening region 17B (FIG. 2A) (FIG. 2B, FIG. 3). (G1) (c)). Group G1 has not yet been filled.
As the group G1 is transported to the first filling region 18A, the group G2 reaches the opening region 17B (FIG. 2B, FIG. 3C2C).

  Next, the group G1 is transported from the first filling region 18A to the second filling region 18B, and accordingly, the group G2 is transported to the first filling region 18A (FIG. 2 (c)). Thus, when the group G1 and the group G2 reach the corresponding filling regions 18 ((d) in FIGS. 3 (G1) and (G2)), the product liquid L is supplied from the filling nozzle 31 of the filling unit 30 to the container 70. It is discharged toward the inside (FIG. 2 (c)).

The group G1 and the group G2 are filled with the product liquid L until the group G1 reaches the third filling region 18C and the group G2 reaches the second filling region 18B (FIG. 2 (d), FIG. 3 ( (E)) of G1) and (G2).
The group G1 that has passed through the third filling region 18C is transported to the sealed region 19A (FIG. 2 (e), FIG. 3 (G1) (f)). The group G2 is transported to the third filling region 18C as the group G1 is transported to the sealed region 19A (FIG. 2 (e), FIG. 3 (G2) (f)). In the third filling region 18C, the group G2 is not filled with the product liquid L (FIG. 2 (e)).

On the other hand, the filling nozzle 31 moves to the upstream side α after the filling of the containers 70 of the group G1 and the group G2 is completed (FIG. 2 (e)).
The filling nozzle 31 that has moved to the upstream side α is used in the filling process of the subsequent group G3 and group G4 (FIGS. 2E and 2F). The same applies to the following groups G5 and G6 (FIG. 2 (g)).

[Sealing process]
When the filling process is completed, the containers 70 of the group G1 filled with a desired amount of the product liquid L are transported from the third filling region 18C to the sealed region 19A at the transport speed V1 (FIG. 2 (e), FIG. 3). (G1) (f)). The containers 70 of the group G1 that have reached the sealed area 19A are stopped for a predetermined time, and the respective opening portions 71 are thermally welded by the container sealing portion 40. Thereafter, the container 70 of the group G1 is transported toward the cooling region 19B (FIG. 2 (f), ((g) of FIG. 3 (G1)). The conveyance speed is V1, and the conveyance speed of the container 70 when shifting from the cooling process to the discharge process is also V1.
As the group G1 is transferred to the cooling region 19B, the group G2 reaches the sealed region 19A (FIG. 2 (f)).

[Cooling process]
When the sealing step is finished, the containers 70 of the group G1 are transported from the sealed region 19A to the cooling region 19B at the transport speed V1 (FIG. 2 (f), FIG. 3 (G1) (g)). The containers of the group G1 that have reached the cooling region 19B are stopped for a predetermined time, and the welded portion of the opening 71 is cooled by the cooling unit 50. Thereafter, the containers 70 of the group G1 are transported toward the discharge area 19C (FIG. 2 (g), (h) of FIG. 3 (G1)).

[Discharge process]
When the cooling process is finished, the containers 70 of the group G1 are transported to the discharge area 19C at the transport speed V1 (FIG. 2 (g), FIG. 3 (G1) (h)). The containers 70 of the group G1 that have reached the discharge area 19C are stopped for a predetermined time and delivered from the transport body 11 to the discharge device E.
The carrier 11 that has delivered the container 70 moves toward the supply region 17A through the return path R2.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the conveyance speed V <b> 2 of the container 70 until the main body 34 that moves together with the container 70 reaches the end position Y from the start position X is the conveyance speed of the container 70 during the other steps described above. Slower than speed V1. Moreover, the conveyance speed V2 is constant during the filling process.

[Effect of filling system 1]
Hereinafter, the effects produced by the filling system 1 will be described.
The filling system 1 transports the group G containers 70 by the transport body 11 of the linear transport unit 10 whose transport speed and position can be individually adjusted. In addition, each process other than the filling process is performed with the container 70 stopped, whereas the filling of the product liquid L is performed from the second filling area 18B to the third filling area 18C in the group G1, and the first filling is performed in the group G2. This is performed while being conveyed from the region 18A to the second filling region 18B at the conveyance speed V2.

Here, as shown in line (II) of FIG. 3, in order to increase the filling time of the product liquid L, a comparative example in which three filling portions 30 that are fixed to the filling system 1 without moving are provided. Suppose. In this comparative example, the filling operation of the product liquid L is performed in three times for the same container 70.
In this comparative example, the filling amount varies in each of the first filling with the product liquid L, the second filling with the product liquid L, and the third filling with the product liquid L. When the filling is completed three times, each variation may accumulate and the filling accuracy may decrease.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the filling can be completed by one filling operation until the main body 34 moving with the container 70 reaches the end position Y from the start position X. For this reason, it can suppress that filling accuracy falls, extending the filling time of the product liquid L. FIG.

  Furthermore, the filling process can be simultaneously performed on the containers 70 constituting different groups, such as the container 70 of the preceding group G1 and the container 70 of the succeeding group G2. Thereby, the quantity filled per unit time can be doubled. Moreover, the waiting time of the group G until the main body 34 returns to the start position X can be reduced, and the time used for filling the product liquid L can be secured.

Moreover, since the filling system 1 employs the linear transport unit 10 as a means for transporting the transport body 11, it is possible to realize transport in which intermittent transport and continuous transport are mixed, and to arbitrarily set the transport speed of intermittent transport and continuous transport. .
Therefore, in the filling system 1, in the upstream region 17 and the downstream region 19, the container 70 is intermittently transported at the transport speed V1, but while the container 70 is filled with the product liquid L, the container 70 is transported at the transport speed V1. It is continuously transported at a slower transport speed V2. Therefore, according to the filling system 1, the time for filling the container 70 with the product liquid L in the filling region 18 while rapidly transporting the container 70 in the region other than the filling region 18 and improving the production capacity of the filling system 1. Can be long.

  Moreover, it is not necessary to lengthen the time of another process according to lengthening the filling time of the product liquid L in a filling process. Therefore, according to the filling system 1, even if the amount of the product liquid L filled in the container 70 is increased, it is possible to suppress an increase in production time.

[Variation 1 of the first embodiment]
Next, Modification 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.
In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, a group G is configured by three containers 70.

In the first modification, the filling process is performed for each group G in contrast to the first embodiment in which the container 70 of the preceding group G1 and the container 70 of the succeeding group G2 are simultaneously filled. is there.
The filling area 18 of the first modification includes two areas, an upstream first filling area 18A and a downstream second filling area 18B.
As shown in FIG. 4, the filling unit 30 of Modification 1 includes three filling nozzles constituting the first filling nozzle group 36 corresponding to the three containers 70 </ b> A, 70 </ b> B, 70 </ b> C filled with the product liquid L at the same time. 31A, 31B, 31C are provided. The filling nozzles 31A, 31B, 31C are arranged at the same interval as the interval in the conveyance direction of the containers 70A, 70B, 70C conveyed in groups, and are arranged above the conveyance path of the containers 70A, 70B, 70C. Yes.
As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4D, the filling unit 30 can reciprocate in the conveyance direction of the container 70. This reciprocation is performed between a position corresponding to the first filling area 18A and a position corresponding to the second filling area 18B.

Hereinafter, the operation of the filling process in the present embodiment will be described.
Each process which the filling system 1 of this embodiment has is performed for every group G comprised from container 70A, 70B, 70C, as shown in FIG.
Hereinafter, the operation of the filling system 1 will be described by taking as an example the time from when the group G2 is supplied to the supply process.

  When the container 70 of the group G2 reaches the first filling area 18A, the filling nozzle 31 that has followed the container 70 of the preceding group G1 moves toward the first filling area 18A (FIG. 4C). .

When the filling nozzle 31 returns to the position corresponding to the container 70 in the first filling area 18A (FIG. 4D), the container 70 is conveyed toward the second filling area 18B at the conveyance speed V2 (FIG. 4E). )). The filling nozzle 31 also moves toward the second filling region 18B at the same moving speed V3 as the container 70. When the filling nozzle 31 returns to the first filling area 18A, the control unit 60 instructs to open the filling nozzle 31 (FIG. 4E), so that the container 70 is being conveyed to the second filling area 18B. Product liquid L is filled.
On the other hand, the container 70 of the succeeding group G3 is transported to the first filling area 18A as the container 70 of the preceding group G2 is transported to the second filling area 18B (FIG. 4 (f)).

  When the container 70 of the group G2 reaches the second filling region 18B, according to an instruction from the control unit 60, the open / close valve that has been opened is closed and the filling of the product liquid L from the filling nozzle 31 is finished. Thereafter, the containers 70 of the group G2 are transported toward the sealed area 19A (FIG. 4G). The conveyance speed of the container 70 when shifting from the filling process to the sealing process is V1.

As described above, the filling of the product liquid L into the container 70 is continued until the container 70 reaches the second filling area 18B after reaching the first filling area 18A (FIG. 4 (f)). Accordingly, a desired amount of the product liquid L is filled in the containers 70 of the group G2.
On the other hand, the filling nozzle 31 returns to the first filling region 18A at the moving speed V4 after finishing filling the containers 70 of the group G2 (FIG. 4 (g)). The moving speed V4 is faster than the moving speed V3 when the filling nozzle 31 moves together with the container 70.

  Even in the case where the filling process is performed for each group G as in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the filling accuracy from being lowered while increasing the filling time of the product liquid L, so the amount to be filled in the container 70 is increased. be able to.

  Furthermore, since the filling system 1 requires only one filling part 30 even if the amount of the product liquid L to be filled in the container 70 is increased, the cost of the filling system 1 is lower than that of a system including a plurality of filling parts 30. As well as the burden of inspection and maintenance.

[Modification 2 of the first embodiment]
Next, a filling system 2 according to Modification 2 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIG. 5, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.
In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, a group G is configured by three containers 70.

  Although 1st Embodiment is provided with the 1st filling nozzle group 36 and the 2nd filling nozzle group 37 which move together, this invention is not limited to this. A plurality of first filling nozzle groups 36 that move independently can be provided.

  The modified example 2 includes a linear conveyance unit 80 having a circular orbit for moving the filling nozzle 31. The linear transport unit 80 has the same structure as the linear transport unit 10. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a guide rail 83 that forms an endless circulation path, and a plurality of transport bodies 81 that individually travel along the guide rail 83 are provided. Each of the conveyance bodies 81 is provided with a permanent magnet 82, and an electromagnetic coil 84 is provided along the guide rail 83, whereby the linear conveyance unit 80 includes a linear motor. In the linear conveyance unit 80, a conveyance path on the side facing the linear conveyance unit 10 is referred to as a forward path, and a conveyance path facing the forward path is referred to as a return path.

  Each transport body 81 includes three filling nozzles 31. These filling nozzles 31 are fixed to the conveyance body 81 so as to face the outside of the guide rail 83.

In the linear conveyance unit 80, the movement and stop of each conveyance body 81 are independently controlled by an instruction from the control unit 60. Therefore, the linear conveyance unit 80 can arbitrarily change the position of each conveyance body 81, that is, the position of each filling nozzle 31.
In Modification 2, since the process of filling the product liquid L into the three containers 70 constituting the group G is performed simultaneously, as shown in FIG. 5, the three filling nozzles 31 constituting the first filling nozzle group 36 are While maintaining a predetermined interval so as to correspond to the containers 70 constituting each group G, traveling and stopping are repeated simultaneously. As shown in FIG. 5, the second modification includes three first filling nozzle groups 36A, a first filling nozzle group 36B, and a first filling nozzle group 36C. The first filling nozzle group 36A, 36B, 36C moves on an annular orbit.

  The filling system 2 includes a filling nozzle group in which a plurality of filling nozzle groups move around the orbit and is excessive for filling with the product liquid L, so that the group G containers 70 that have reached the first filling region 18A are put on standby. The filling of the product liquid L can be started immediately.

Next, the operation of the filling system 2 will be described. Below, it demonstrates centering on difference with 1st Embodiment.
In the present embodiment, when the containers 70 in the group G1 start moving together with the first filling nozzle group 36A from the first filling area 18A, the containers 70 in the group G2 are conveyed toward the first filling area 18A at the conveyance speed V1. (FIG. 6A) reaches the first filling region 18A (FIG. 6B). When the group G2 reaches the first filling region 18A, the first filling nozzle group 36B is arranged at a position corresponding to the first filling region 18A (FIG. 6B).

  When the group G2 moves toward the second filling region 18B, the corresponding first filling nozzle group 36B also moves in the forward path and follows the group G2. Then, when the preceding group G1 reaches the second filling region 18B and finishes the filling process, the first filling nozzle group 36A corresponding to the group G1 moves along the return path of the linear transport unit 80 (FIG. 6 ( c)), moving toward a standby position 85 that can immediately move to a position corresponding to the first filling region 18A (FIG. 6D).

  On the other hand, when the group G3 transported toward the first filling area 18A reaches the first filling area 18A due to the transport of the group G2 toward the second filling area 18B, the second waiting position 85 stands by. One filling nozzle group 36C moves to a position corresponding to the first filling region 18A (FIG. 6D). Thereby, a filling process can be immediately performed about the group G3.

  As described above, according to the second modification example, as in the first modification example, the subsequent group G does not have to wait until the filling nozzle 31 following the container 70 of the preceding group G returns. Therefore, the time spent for filling the product liquid L can be lengthened.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in which the container 70 is filled with the product liquid L in the linear transport unit 10, and the container 70 is transferred to the linear transport unit 10 </ b> A which is another transport path and the product liquid L is transferred. Is filled.
In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, a group G is configured by two containers 70.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the filling system 3 of the second embodiment includes a transport unit 90 and a linear transport unit 10A. The conveyance unit 90 constitutes the first conveyance path of the present invention, and the linear conveyance unit 10A constitutes the second conveyance path of the present invention.

The conveyance unit 90 includes a driving pulley 94 and a driven pulley 95 that are arranged with a predetermined interval therebetween, and an endless working belt 96 that is wound around the driving pulley 94 and the driven pulley 95. The operating belt 96 can be run by rotating the drive pulley 94 by an actuator not shown.
The operating belt 96 includes a plurality of grippers 98 that hold the container 70. The plurality of grippers 98 are fixed to the working belt 96 so as to face the outside of the working belt 96 around which a portion for gripping the container 70 is wound with a certain interval. Similarly to the gripper 15, the gripper 98 is opened and closed when a driving force is applied, and is closed when the container 70 is gripped and opened at other times. The grippers 98 are provided at equal intervals over the entire circumference of the working belt 96, but only some grippers 98 are shown in FIG.

  Similarly to the linear transport unit 10, the transport unit 90 includes a supply region 17A, an opening region 17B, a sealed region 19A, a cooling region 19B, and a discharge region 19C from the upstream side α. However, unlike the linear conveyance part 10 of 1st Embodiment, it has the delivery area | region 17C for delivering the container 70 to the linear conveyance part 10A next to the opening area | region 17B. Further, a receiving area 19D for receiving the container 70 from the linear transport unit 10A is provided in front of the sealed area 19A. Between the delivery area 17C and the reception area 19D, an area is formed through which the gripper 98 that delivers the container 70 to the transport body 11 of the linear transport unit 10A passes through the delivery area 17C.

The linear transport unit 10 </ b> A has the same configuration as the linear transport unit 10. That is, the guide rail 13 which makes an endless circulation path, and the some conveyance body 11 which each independently travels along this guide rail 13 are provided. Each of the transport bodies 11 is provided with a permanent magnet 12 and an electromagnetic coil 14 is provided along the guide rail 13 so that the linear transport unit 10 includes a linear motor.
The linear transport unit 10 </ b> A receives the container 70 from the transport unit 90 on the upstream side α of the transport path of the transport unit 90, and delivers the container 70 to the transport unit 90 on the downstream side β of the transport path of the transport unit 90.
The linear transport unit 10 </ b> A includes a filling region 18. The filling area 18 has a first filling area 18A and a second filling area 18B.
In the present embodiment, the filling process is performed in the linear conveyance unit 10A.

  Next, the operation of the filling system 3 will be described with reference to FIG. Below, it demonstrates centering on difference with 1st Embodiment.

Similar to the first embodiment, the containers 70 of the group G1 are supplied to the transfer unit 90 in the supply area 17A and transferred to the opening area 17B. However, unlike the container 70 being transported to the filling region 18 on the same transport path in the first embodiment, the container 70 of the group G1 transported from the opening region 17B to the delivery region 17C is transported by the linear transport unit 10A. It is delivered to the body 11 (FIG. 8 (a)).
And the container 70 of the group G1 is conveyed to the 1st filling area | region 18A of the linear conveyance part 10A, and when the 1st filling area | region 18A is reached, filling of the product liquid L will be started from the filling nozzle 31 (FIG. 8 ( b)).
When the container 70 of the group G1 is conveyed toward the second filling region 18B, the filling nozzle 31 moves following the container 70 of the group G1. When the container 70 of the group G1 reaches the second filling region 18B and the filling is finished (FIG. 8C), the transport body 11 that holds the container 70 of the group G1 faces the gripper 98 disposed in the receiving region 19D. Moving toward the position (FIG. 8D), the container 70 is delivered to the gripper 98 in the receiving area 19D.
On the other hand, the filling nozzle 31 moves toward the first filling region 18A (FIG. 8D).

  According to the present embodiment, each process performed in the upstream region 17 and the downstream region 19 is performed by the transport unit 90, and the filling process performed at a transport speed different from other processes is performed by the linear transport unit 10A instead of the transport unit 90. It can be carried out.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the configuration described in the above embodiment is selected or changed to another configuration as long as it does not depart from the gist of the present invention. be able to.

For example, although the bag-like container 70 was mentioned as the object to be transported, the present invention is not limited to this, and it can also be used for bottles and cans.
And the process performed in the upstream area | region 17 and the downstream area | region 19 can be suitably changed according to the container conveyed. Moreover, according to the container conveyed, the number of a process process can be changed suitably to single or multiple.

  In the first embodiment, the container 70 is transported at a constant transport speed V2 in the filling step, but the transport speed V2 may be changed as shown in the row (I) of FIG.

  Furthermore, in 2nd Embodiment, although the container 70 is delivered from the conveyance part 90 to 10 A of linear conveyance parts, it is not limited to this. Instead of the linear conveyance unit 10A, the filling process may be performed by moving the container 70 to a conveyance machine that conveys the conveyance unit 90 at the same interval.

1, 2, 3 Filling system 10, 10A Linear transport section 11, 11A, 11B Transport body 12 Permanent magnet 13 Guide rail 14 Electromagnetic coil 15 Gripper 17 Upstream area 17A Supply area 17B Opening area 17C Delivery area 18 Filling area 18A First filling Region 18B Second filling region 18C Third filling region 19 Downstream region 19A Sealing region 19B Cooling region 19C Discharging region 19D Receiving region 20 Container opening 30 Filling portion 31, 31A, 31B, 31C Filling nozzle 32 Supply tank 33 Supply pipe 34 Main body 36, 36A, 36B, 36C First filling nozzle group 37 Second filling nozzle group 40 Container sealing part 50 Cooling part 60 Control part 70, 70A, 70B, 70C Container 71 Opening part 80 Linear conveying part 81 Conveying body 82 Permanent magnet 83 Guide rail 84 Electromagnetic coil 85 Standby position 90 Conveying section 9 4 Drive pulley 95 Driven pulley 96 Actuating belt 98 Gripper E Discharge device S Supply device L Product liquid R1 Outbound R2 Return α Upstream β Downstream

Claims (24)

A transport unit that transports a plurality of containers along a first transport path from the upstream side toward the downstream side;
A filling region in which the product liquid is filled from the filling nozzle into the container transported through the first transport path;
On the upstream side from the filling region, an upstream region that applies one or a plurality of processing steps to the container transported through the first transport path;
A downstream region that performs one or more processing steps on the container that is transported through the first transport path, on the downstream side of the filling region,
In the filling region, the filling nozzle fills the container with the product liquid while continuously moving along the conveying direction together with the corresponding container,
In the upstream region and the downstream region, a predetermined process is performed on the container that is intermittently conveyed.
A filling device characterized by that. The transport unit is
Independently controlling the conveying speed of each of the plurality of containers,
The filling device according to claim 1. The time T2 spent for filling the container with the product liquid in the filling region is:
Longer than the time T1 spent in each of the processing steps performed in the upstream region and the downstream region,
The filling device according to claim 1 or 2. The conveyance speed V2 of the container in the filling area is
Slower than the conveyance speed V1 of the container in the upstream region and the downstream region,
The filling device according to claim 3. Each of the processing steps performed in the upstream region and the downstream region is performed with the container stopped.
The filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The transport unit transports the container in a unit of a group consisting of a plurality of predetermined containers,
In the filling region, the container is filled with the product liquid in units of one or more groups.
In the upstream region and the downstream region, the processing step is performed in units of the group.
The filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The filling nozzle reciprocally moves the filling region along the first transport path, the forward path from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and the return path from the downstream side toward the upstream side; and ,
The filling nozzle fills the container with the product liquid in the forward path;
The filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The movement speed V4 of the filling nozzle in the return path is faster than the movement speed V3 of the filling nozzle in the forward path.
The filling device according to claim 7. The transport unit transports the container in a unit of a group consisting of a plurality of predetermined containers,
In the filling area, the container is filled with the product liquid in units of a plurality of groups,
In the upstream region and the downstream region, the processing step is performed in units of the group,
The filling nozzle reciprocally moves the filling region along the first transport path, the forward path from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and the return path from the downstream side toward the upstream side; and ,
The filling nozzle fills the container with the product liquid in the forward path;
The filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The transport unit transports the container in units of the group,
The filling region corresponds to the number of the containers constituting the group, and a plurality of the filling nozzles move around the orbit in units of the group.
The filling device according to claim 6. The filling area is
The circular orbit is provided with the group consisting of the filling nozzles that are redundant for filling the product liquid in units of the group.
The filling device according to claim 10. The transport unit includes a second transport path including a circular orbit that receives and transports the container from the first transport path,
The filling area includes the filling nozzle that reciprocates along the second transport path,
The filling nozzle reciprocates along the second transport path, an outward path from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and a return path from the downstream side toward the upstream side, and
The filling nozzle fills the container with the product liquid in the forward path;
The filling device according to claim 6. A transport unit that transports a plurality of containers along a first transport path from the upstream side toward the downstream side;
A filling region in which the product liquid is filled from the filling nozzle into the container transported through the first transport path;
On the upstream side from the filling region, an upstream region that applies one or a plurality of processing steps to the container transported through the first transport path;
A downstream region that applies one or more processing steps to the container that is transported through the first transport path on the downstream side of the filling region,
In the filling region, the filling nozzle fills the container with the product liquid while continuously moving along the conveying direction together with the corresponding container,
In the upstream region and the downstream region, a predetermined process is performed on the container that is intermittently conveyed.
The filling method characterized by the above-mentioned. In the transport unit,
The conveyance speed of each of the plurality of containers is independently controlled,
The filling method according to claim 13. The time T2 spent for filling the container with the product liquid in the filling region is:
Longer than the time T1 spent in each of the processing steps performed in the upstream region and the downstream region,
The filling method according to claim 13 or claim 14. The conveyance speed V2 of the container in the filling area is
Slower than the conveyance speed V1 of the container in the upstream region and the downstream region,
The filling method according to claim 15. Each of the processing steps performed in the upstream region and the downstream region is performed with the container stopped.
The filling method according to any one of claims 13 to 16. The container is transported by the transport unit in units of a group consisting of a plurality of predetermined containers,
In the filling region, the container is filled with the product liquid in units of one or more groups.
In the upstream region and the downstream region, the processing step is performed in units of the group.
The filling method according to any one of claims 13 to 17. The filling nozzle reciprocally moves the filling region along the first transport path, the forward path from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and the return path from the downstream side toward the upstream side; and ,
The product liquid is filled into the container in the forward path by the filling nozzle.
The filling method according to any one of claims 13 to 18. The movement speed V4 of the filling nozzle in the return path is faster than the movement speed V3 of the filling nozzle in the forward path.
The filling method according to claim 19. The container is transported by the transport unit in units of a group consisting of a plurality of predetermined containers,
In the filling area, the container is filled with the product liquid in units of a plurality of groups,
In the upstream region and the downstream region, the processing step is performed in units of the group,
The filling nozzle reciprocally moves the filling region along the first transport path, the forward path from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and the return path from the downstream side toward the upstream side; and ,
The product liquid is filled into the container in the forward path by the filling nozzle.
The filling method according to any one of claims 13 to 17. The container is transported in units of the group by the transport unit,
The filling region corresponds to the number of the containers constituting the group, and a plurality of the filling nozzles move around the orbit in units of the group.
The filling method according to claim 18. The filling area is
The circular orbit is provided with the group consisting of the filling nozzles that are redundant for filling the product liquid in units of the group.
The filling method according to claim 22. The transport unit includes a second transport path including a circular orbit that receives and transports the container from the first transport path,
The filling area includes the filling nozzle that reciprocates along the second transport path,
The filling nozzle reciprocates along the second transport path, an outward path from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and a return path from the downstream side toward the upstream side, and
The product liquid is filled into the container in the forward path by the filling nozzle.
The filling method according to claim 18.

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