JP2019038571A - Heat treatment device for pouch container and conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a heat treatment device capable of discharging a pouch container in which predetermined treatment such as heat treatment is performed to a next step without damaging a bar code and the like on the surface thereof.SOLUTION: A supply conveyor supplies a pouch container P in an overturned state with a back surface facing upward. On a chain conveyor 14, plates 17 for supporting the pouch containers P in a standing state are mounted with predetermined intervals. The pouch containers P are passed and received between the plates 17 so that their back surfaces face the conveying direction of the chain conveyor 14. A spraying nozzle is provided above the chain conveyor 14, and sprays warm water to the pouch containers P conveyed while being supported between the plates 17. A discharge conveyor 12 is provided on the downstream side of the chain conveyor 14. It is engaged with a mouth part of the pouch container P, removes the pouch container P from between the plates 17 and discharges it in an overturned state with the back surface facing upward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus that heats a pouch container filled with a fluid, for example, and an apparatus that conveys the pouch container.

  Conventionally, a heat treatment apparatus that heats and sterilizes a pouch container filled with a fluid such as liquid or jelly is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In this heat treatment apparatus, the pouch container is held in a bucket in an upright state, transferred in a sterilization tank, and sterilized by heating.

Japanese Patent No. 5083340

  Pouch containers usually have the product name, etc. displayed on the front, and the contents, barcodes, etc. of the contents are printed on the back. In particular, the barcode on the back is damaged, for example, because the reading process is performed smoothly. It is desirable to be processed so that there is no. However, in the conventional heat treatment apparatus, no consideration has been given to the scratch on the surface of the pouch container.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus and a transfer apparatus that can discharge a pouch container that has been subjected to a predetermined process such as a heat treatment to the next process without damaging the surface barcode or the like. .

  The heat treatment apparatus for a pouch container according to the present invention includes a supply means for supplying the pouch container in a roll-up state with one of the front and rear surfaces facing upward, and a pouch in a standing state while being hung between a plurality of sprockets. A conveying means having plates supporting the container attached at predetermined intervals and a pouch container supplied by the supplying means are received between the plates so that one of the front and back faces the front in the conveying direction of the conveying means. A delivery means for passing, a watering means for sprinkling hot water in a pouch container that is transported while being supported between the plates, and a pouch that is provided on the downstream side of the transportation means and supported between the plates Discharging means that engages with the mouth of the container and discharges the pouch container in a roll-up state with one of the front and rear surfaces facing upward while removing the pouch container from between the plates. To have.

  In the heat treatment apparatus for the pouch container, a cleaning nozzle that jets cleaning water to the pouch container on the supply unit may be arranged.

  A transport device for a pouch container according to the present invention is provided between a plurality of sprockets, a transport unit having plates that support the pouch container in an upright state attached at predetermined intervals, and a downstream side of the transport unit. And a discharging means for discharging the pouch container conveyed by the conveying means in a rollover state with the front surface in the conveying direction facing upward, the discharging means rotating along the sprocket on the downstream side. This includes a turning means that engages with the mouth portion of the pouch container supported by the plate that is in a horizontal state, thereby pulling out the pouch container from the conveying means and changing the posture of the pouch container.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an effect that a pouch container that has been subjected to a predetermined treatment such as a heat treatment can be discharged to the next step without damaging the barcode or the like on the surface thereof.

It is a top view which shows the path riser provided with the heat processing apparatus and conveying apparatus of a pouch container which are one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the schematic structure of the path | route riser shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the delivery mechanism which delivers the pouch container on a supply conveyor to a chain conveyor, and shows the state which the pusher fell. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the pusher has advanced in the delivery mechanism of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state where the swing chute is inclined in the delivery mechanism of FIG. 3. It is a side view which shows the 1st structural example of the turning mechanism which extracts a pouch container from between plates and turns so that a back surface may become an upper side. It is a side view which shows the 2nd structural example of a turning mechanism.

Hereinafter, a heat treatment apparatus and a conveying apparatus for a pouch container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
1 and 2 show a path riser 10 including a heat treatment apparatus and a conveying apparatus for a pouch container according to an embodiment of the present invention. The article to be supplied to the path riser 10 is a flat pouch container P with a cap attached to the mouth, and is filled with a fluid such as liquid or jelly at a high temperature (for example, 85 ° C.). The mouth and cap of the pouch container P are sterilized by the path riser 10. Further, the product name and the like are printed on the front surface of the pouch container P, and the components of the contents and the barcode are printed on the back surface.

  The pouch container P is supplied to the path trizer 10 by a supply conveyor (supply means) 11 in a roll-up state with the back face up. The pouch container P is changed to an upright state in the path riser 10 and is transported with the back face in the transport direction. After being heat-treated while being transported, the pouch container P is again set in a rollover state with the back face up, delivered to a discharge conveyor (discharge means) 12 and discharged to the next process.

  The interior of the path riser 10 is basically divided into a supply zone A, a sterilization zone B, a first cooling zone C, a second cooling zone D, a third cooling zone E, and a discharge zone F. In the supply zone A, the pouch container P on the supply conveyor 11 is cleaned by the cleaning water (hot water) sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 13 and is changed to a standing state as will be described later, and the chain conveyor (conveying means). 14 is passed. The chain conveyor 14 is wound around a pair of sprockets 15 and 16, and plates 17 that support the standing pouch container P are attached at predetermined intervals. That is, the pouch container P is supported between two adjacent plates 17. One sprocket 15 is provided in the supply zone A, and the other sprocket 16 is provided in the discharge zone F.

  In the sterilization zone B, the pouch container P is sprayed with warm water (for example, 90 ° C.) from the watering nozzle 18 and heated for about 5 minutes to be sterilized. In the first cooling zone C, the pouch container P is sprayed with warm water (for example, 30 ° C.) from the watering nozzle 19 and cooled for about 5 minutes. In the second cooling zone D, the pouch container P is sprayed with warm water (for example, 25 ° C.) by the watering nozzle 20 and cooled for about 5 minutes. In the third cooling zone E, the pouch container P is sprayed with warm water (for example, 20 ° C.) by the watering nozzle 21 and cooled for about 5 minutes. That is, the watering nozzles 18 to 21 are watering means that is provided above the chain conveyor 14 and sprays hot water to the pouch container P that is conveyed while being supported between the plates 17.

  In the discharge zone F, the pouch container P is washed with fresh water (for example, hot water of 20 ° C.) sprayed from the fresh water nozzle 22 and turns to a horizontal state by rotating the plate 17 along the sprocket 16 as will be described later. When it is done, it is extracted from the plate 17. Then, the posture of the pouch container P is changed to a rollover state with the back face up, and is delivered to the discharge conveyor 12.

  In the sterilization zone B, the first to third cooling zones C, D, and E and the discharge zone F, a water storage tank 23 for storing hot water sprayed from the water spray nozzles 18 to 21 and the fresh water nozzle 22 is provided. The water tank 23 is divided into four by a partition plate 24, and one section of the water tank 23 is provided in each of the sterilization zone B, the first cooling zone C, and the second cooling zone D, and the third cooling zone E In the portion of the discharge zone F where the sprocket 16 is provided, one section of the water storage tank 23 is provided. In the supply zone A, the hot water sprayed from the watering nozzle 13 flows down along the inclined plate 25 and is collected in the water storage tank 23 in the sterilization zone B.

  Each section of the water storage tank 23 is provided with a pump (not shown), and the stored hot water is returned to the watering nozzles 18 to 21 corresponding to each section. The water spray nozzle 21 is circulated with hot water stored in the water storage tanks 23 corresponding to the third cooling zone E and the discharge zone F. On the other hand, fresh water is supplied to the fresh water nozzle 22 from a water source independent of the water storage tank 23.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 1, 3-5, the delivery mechanism which supplies the pouch container P to the path | route riser 10 from the supply conveyor 11, changes the attitude | position to a standing state, and delivers to the chain conveyor 14 is demonstrated. On the supply conveyor 11, the pouch container P is placed in a rollover state with its longitudinal axis aligned with the width direction of the supply conveyor 11 and the back surface on which the barcode Q is printed facing upward. In this rollover state, the mouth part R of the pouch container P faces the swing chute 32 side described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, outside the path riser 10 and on the side of the supply conveyor 11, a sensor 26 that counts the pouch containers P that have passed, and a stopper 27 that can contact the pouch containers P on the supply conveyor 11. And are provided. The stopper 27 is provided on the piston rod of the cylinder device, and the cylinder device operates in response to a command signal output from the sensor 26.

  In the path riser 10, the pouch containers P are supported between two adjacent plates 17, aligned in the width direction of the chain conveyor 14 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface), and conveyed. In the present embodiment, the number of pouch containers P in one row on the chain conveyor 14 is 36. Therefore, the sensor 26 outputs a command signal when the number of pouch containers P conveyed and passed by the supply conveyor 11 reaches 36, whereby the stopper 27 protrudes and stops the subsequent pouch containers P on the supply conveyor 11. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, a pusher 30 is provided above the supply conveyor 11 in the path trizer 10, and a jumper plate 31 is provided on the side of the supply conveyor 11. Further, a swing chute 32 is provided on the opposite side of the supply conveyor 11 with the jumper plate 31 interposed therebetween. The swing chute 32 is swingable between a horizontal position and an inclined position around a rotation shaft 33 located on the opposite side of the transition plate 31. In FIG. 3, a fixed chute 34 is provided in the lower right direction of the rotating shaft 33 and is located on the extension of the swing chute 32 in the inclined position.

  The width of the supply conveyor 11 is substantially the same as the length of the pouch container P, whereas the width of the transition board 31 is about twice the width of the supply conveyor 11. That is, two rows of pouch containers P can be placed on the transition plate 31. On the other hand, a row of pouch containers P can be placed on the swing chute 32. When the pouch containers P are in a horizontal state, they receive a row of pouch containers P from the jumper plate 31 and are in a tilted position. A total of 36 pouch containers P for one row are transferred to the plate 17 of the chain conveyor 14 through 34. Therefore, the pusher 30, the transition plate 31, the swing chute 32, and the fixed chute 34 constitute delivery means for delivering the pouch container P from the supply conveyor 11 to the chain conveyor 14.

  The pushers 30 can come into contact with the pouch containers P for three rows at a time, can move up and down, and can reciprocate in the width direction (left-right direction in the figure) of the supply conveyor 11 and the crossover plate 31. That is, when the pusher 30 is in the lowered position, as shown in FIG. 4, the pusher 30 moves forward from the supply conveyor 11 side to the crossing plate 31 side, pushes the pouch containers P for three rows, and thereby the pouch containers P on the supply conveyor 11. Is transferred to the rear row of the transition plate 31, and the rear row of the pouch containers P on the transition plate 31 is transferred to the front row of the transition plate 31. Is moved onto the rocking chute 32 so as to be close to. After the forward movement, the pusher 30 ascends and separates from the pouch container P as shown in FIG. 5, and then retracts toward the supply conveyor 11 and descends (see FIG. 3).

  Further, when the pusher 30 is raised, the swing chute 32 swings downward as shown in FIG. As a result, the pouch container P on the swing chute 32 slides down to the chain conveyor 14 side through the fixed chute 34 by its own weight with the back face up, and is transferred to the inclined plate 17. When the chain conveyor 14 moves and the plate 17 stands upright, the pouch container P stands up and is supported between two adjacent plates 17. Therefore, the pouch container P is conveyed in an upright state in which the rear surface is directed forward in the conveying direction of the chain conveyor 14 and the mouth portion R is on the upper side.

With reference to FIG. 6, the 1st structural example of the turning mechanism (turning means) which extracts the pouch container P from between the plates 17 and turns it so that a back surface becomes an upper side is demonstrated.
In a section where the chain conveyor 14 moves in a horizontal state, the plate 17 stands upright, but in a section where the chain conveyor 14 rotates along the sprocket 16, the plate 17 is inclined and becomes horizontal at a predetermined position. In this horizontal state, the back surface of the pouch container P contacts the plate 17, while the front surface is located on the upper side and is separated from the plate 17 located on the rear side.

  A cylinder device 40 is provided on the extension of the plate 17 in the horizontal state and above the discharge conveyor 12. The cylinder device 40 is disposed horizontally, and the piston rod 41 is provided with a gripper 42. The gripper 42 has a lower gripper piece 43 and an upper gripper piece 44. The lower gripper piece 43 is fixed to the piston rod 41, and the upper gripper 44 is swingably attached to the piston rod 41 via a rotary actuator 45. Therefore, the gripper 42 can be opened and closed, and grips the mouth R of the pouch container P in the closed state.

  The discharge conveyor 12 is provided below the sprocket 16. Further, a chute 46 extending in the oblique direction from the vicinity of the front end of the plate 17 in the horizontal state toward the discharge conveyor 12 is provided. The gripper 42 can be advanced to a position close to the tip of the plate 17 in a horizontal state by the action of the cylinder device 40, and is located in the vicinity of the upper end of the chute 46 at this advanced position.

  Usually, the gripper 42 is in the retracted position and is defined on the main body side of the cylinder device 40 and is open. On the other hand, when the pouch container P conveyed by the chain conveyor 14 is in a horizontal state, the gripper 42 moves forward and engages and grips the mouth portion R of the pouch container P. When the gripper 42 moves backward and the pouch container P exceeds the upper end of the chute 46, the upper gripper piece 44 swings upward, and the mouth R of the pouch container P is released. As a result, the mouth portion R is supported only by the lower gripper piece 43, and the pouch container P is rotated so that the main body faces downward by its own weight with the contact point between the mouth portion R and the lower gripper 43 as a fulcrum. . When the pouch container P is in a substantially vertical state, the mouth portion R is released from the lower gripper 43, falls onto the chute 46, slides as it is, and is transferred to the discharge conveyor 12 in a roll-up state with the back face upward.

  As described above, in the first configuration example, the cylinder device 40, the gripper 42, the chute 46, and the discharge conveyor 12 are engaged with the mouth portion R of the pouch container P and the back surface is pulled out from between the plates 17. A discharge means for discharging in the overturned state is formed.

  FIG. 7 shows a second configuration example of the turning mechanism. In the first configuration example, the pouch container P is turned from the horizontal state to the vertical state by its own weight. However, in the second configuration example, the posture of the pouch container P is forcibly changed as described below.

A support plate 47 for supporting the pouch container P is provided in the vicinity of the gripper 42. The gripper 42 can be linearly displaced relative to the support plate 47, and the gripper 42 and the support plate 47 can be rotated together. That is, when the pouch container P conveyed by the chain conveyor 14 becomes horizontal, the opened gripper 42 advances, and the lower gripper piece 43 engages with the lower surface of the mouth R of the pouch container P (FIG. 7). (A)). Next, the upper gripper piece 44 swings downward and grips the mouth portion R (FIG. 7B). Then, the gripper 42 is retracted and the pouch container P is extracted from the plate 17 and supported on the upper surface of the support plate 47.
(FIG. 7C).

  The gripper 42 stops at a position where the mouth portion R of the pouch container reaches above the edge of the discharge conveyor 12 on the side far from the sprocket 16 and rotates together with the support plate 47 to turn the pouch container P to a vertical state. (FIG. 7D). Next, the gripper 42 and the support plate 47 are lowered, the pouch container P is placed on the discharge conveyor 12, and the upper gripper piece 44 swings to release the mouth R of the pouch container P (FIG. 7 (e)). ). In this state, the bottom of the pouch container P is located at the edge of the discharge conveyor 12. Then, the support plate 47 rises to the side of the gripper 42 and is separated from the pouch container P, and the gripper 42 and the support plate 47 move to the sprocket 16 side, whereby the lower gripper piece 43 is moved to the mouth R of the pouch container P. Is pushed by the sprocket 16 (FIG. 7 (f)), and the pouch container P is placed on the discharge conveyor 12 in a roll-up state with the back face upward.

  Therefore, in the second configuration example, the gripper 42 and the discharge conveyor 12 constitute discharge means.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
The pouch container P is supplied to the path trizer 10 by the supply conveyor 11 in a rollover state with the back surface on which the barcode Q is printed facing upward. In the path riser 10, a predetermined number (for example, 36) of pouch containers P aligned in a row on the supply conveyor 11 are transferred by the pusher 30 to the swing chute 32 through the crossing plate 31 and via the fixed chute 34. And transferred between the plates 17 of the chain conveyor 14. In the chain conveyor 14, the pouch container P is supported and transported by the plate 17 in a standing state with the back surface facing the transport direction.

  While the pouch container P is transported through the path riser 10, hot water is sprinkled by the sprinkling nozzles 18 to 21 provided above the chain conveyor 14 and heat-treated. The pouch container P is pulled out of the chain conveyor 14 by the gripper 42 when the chain conveyor 14 is turned to the horizontal state by rotating along the sprocket 16 on the downstream side of the chain conveyor 14, and the posture is changed to the vertical state. The Then, the pouch container P is transferred to the discharge conveyor 12 with the back side facing upward, and discharged to the next process.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the heat-treated pouch container P is conveyed by the discharge conveyor 12 with the back surface on which the barcode Q is printed facing upward. 12 is discharged to the next process without being damaged.

  In order to avoid damage to the front surface of the pouch container P, the supply conveyor 11 and the discharge conveyor 12 may be arranged so that the front surfaces are upward, contrary to the above embodiment.

11 Supply conveyor (supply means)
12 Discharge conveyor (discharge means)
14 Chain conveyor (conveying means)
15, 16 Sprocket 17 Plate 18-21 Watering nozzle (watering means)
30 pushers (delivery means)
31 Transition board (delivery means)
32 Swing chute (delivery means)
34 Fixed chute (delivery means)
40 Cylinder device (discharge means)
42 Gripper (discharge means)
46 Chute (discharge means)
P pouch container R mouth

Claims (3)

A heat treatment apparatus for heat treating a pouch container having a front surface and a back surface, filled with contents, and having a cap attached to a mouth,
Supply means for supplying the pouch container in a rollover state with one of the front and back surfaces facing upward;
Conveying means that is hung between a plurality of sprockets, and a plate that supports the standing pouch container is attached at a predetermined interval;
A delivery means for delivering the pouch container supplied by the supply means between the plates such that one surface faces the front in the transport direction of the transport means;
Sprinkling means that is provided above the transport means and sprays hot water onto a pouch container that is transported while being supported between the plates;
The pouch container is provided on the downstream side of the conveying means and is supported between the plates. The pouch container is pulled out from between the plates and discharged in a roll-up state with the one surface facing upward. A heat treatment apparatus for a pouch container, comprising:   2. The heat treatment apparatus for a pouch container according to claim 1, wherein a cleaning nozzle for injecting cleaning water is arranged in the pouch container on the supply means. Conveying means that is hung between a plurality of sprockets, and a plate that supports the standing pouch container is attached at a predetermined interval;
A discharge means that is provided on the downstream side of the transfer means, and discharges the pouch container that is transferred by the transfer means in a roll-up state with the front surface in the transfer direction facing upward;
The discharging means engages with a mouth portion of a pouch container supported by a plate that is in a horizontal state when the conveying means rotates along a downstream sprocket, and removes the pouch container from the conveying means. A conveying device for a pouch container, comprising turning means for changing the posture of the pouch container.

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