JP4067479B2 - Cup container hot air dryer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot air drying apparatus for heating and drying cup containers that are continuously being transported with hot air, and in particular, a liquid such as a bactericide is attached to each of the cup containers that are being transported. The present invention relates to a hot air drying device for a cup container that is configured to spray hot air substantially uniformly over the entire outer surface of the container when hot air is sprayed on the outer surface side of the container.

While the cup-shaped container made of paper or plastic is transported in a state where it is held at a predetermined interval by a transport conveyor (retainer) with holes for inserting the container, the container is filled with the contents and then the container When sealing the opening, spraying gaseous or mist-like disinfectant (hydrogen peroxide solution, etc.) from the spray nozzle to the empty container being transported toward the filling / sealing process by the transport conveyor For example, the following Patent Document 1 describes that an empty container is preliminarily sterilized by attaching a bactericidal agent to the surface (both inner and outer surfaces) of the container and then heating and drying the container by blowing hot air. , 2 and so on.
Japanese Patent Publication No.61-3684 JP-A-9-58633

  By the way, in the conventional sterilization of cup containers as described above, the sterilizing agent is attached to both the inner and outer surfaces of the container, and then the upper and lower sides of the container for each of the containers being transported toward the filling / sealing process. Each of the containers is heated and dried by blowing hot air from each of them, but in such hot air drying of the cup container, the hot air blown from the upper side of the container to the inner surface side of the container enters the container and enters the container. Since it is circulated inside and discharged outside the container, the entire inner surface of the container can be heated and dried in a substantially uniform state with hot air.

  However, for the hot air blown from the lower side of the container to the outer surface side of the container, a part of the hot air dispersed after colliding with the bottom surface of the container rises and flows along the side surface. As a result, on the outer surface side of the container, if the amount of hot air blown is increased to completely dry the entire outer surface, there is a risk of overheating on the bottom surface of the container. If the amount of hot air blown is reduced so that the bottom surface of the container does not become overheated, the side surface of the container will be insufficiently dried, and there is a risk that the sterilizing effect will be insufficient and the sterilizing agent will remain.

  An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-described problems. Specifically, in hot air drying of a cup container, the hot air blowing to the outer surface side of the container can be heated substantially uniformly over the entire outer surface of the container. It is a problem to make it like that.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a hot air drying apparatus for heating and drying cup containers that are continuously being transported by hot air, and each container is being transported with respect to each cup container being transported. In order to blow hot air on the outer surface side of the container, a hot air blowing port largely surrounded by a substantially vertical shielding wall is provided facing the bottom surface of the container below the container, and the planar shape is smaller than the bottom surface of the container, A rectifying plate formed with a conical tapered surface having a loose conical surface facing the hot air outlet is provided between the bottom surface of the container and the hot air outlet, inside the area surrounded by the shielding wall. Is.

  According to the hot air drying apparatus for a cup container of the present invention as described above, the flow of hot air blown from the hot air blowing port toward the bottom surface of the container first collides with the current plate, thereby colliding with the bottom surface of the container. Without flowing, it flows toward the shielding wall along the taper surface of the current plate, and a part of it flows from the edge of the current plate toward the bottom surface of the container, and most of the rest After flowing toward the shielding wall, it flows along the side surface of the container by being blocked by the shielding wall. As a result, the hot air blown out from the hot air outlet is not uniformly concentrated on the bottom surface of the container, but is distributed almost uniformly over the entire outer surface of the container. The entire outer surface of the container can be heated and dried substantially uniformly without partially heating the bottom surface of the container, and the cost for hot air drying can be reduced.

  As for the hot air drying of the cup container, the purpose of making it possible to heat the hot air against the outer surface side of the container so that it can be heated substantially uniformly over the entire outer surface of the container is shown in the following examples as the best mode. In addition, a hot air blowing port largely surrounded by a substantially vertical shielding wall is installed below the container toward the bottom of the container, and the plane shape is smaller than the bottom surface of the container and faces the hot air blowing port This is realized by arranging a current plate formed on a tapered surface with a loose conical shape between the bottom surface of the container and the hot air outlet, inside the area surrounded by the shielding wall.

  The hot air drying apparatus of the present example is installed in the aseptic filling line of the cup container, and in this aseptic filling line, as shown in FIG. 1, it is separated from the stacked state and supplied to the line. For each cup container (not shown), a device 4 for separating and removing the overlapping containers by detecting the overlapping of the containers while continuously conveying in a plurality of rows (for example, 7 rows) by a conveyor 3 (retainer); An inner surface sterilization device 6 that passes through a device 5 for discharging static electricity from the container and removing dust adhering to the container with a vacuum, then deposits a sterilizing agent on the inner surface side of the container, and then cools with sterile air after drying with hot air. And the inside / outside surface sterilizer 7 which attaches a sterilizing agent to both the inside and outside of the container, then dry with hot air and cool with aseptic air, and then the contents are filled by the filling device 8 against the sterilized empty container. It is filled into the container.

  Next, for each container filled with the contents by the filling device 8, the air in the head space of the container is replaced with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas by the gas replacement device 9, and then the film 12 is applied to the opening flange portion of the container. It is fed out from the film supply coil 13 by sequentially passing a lid wire welding device 10 that welds in a linear manner and a lid welding and cutting device 11 that welds and cuts the film 12 in a planar shape on the opening flange portion of the container. The container opening is sealed with a film-like lid (lid) with a sterilized film 12 immersed in a sterilizing solution in a sterilizing tank 14 and dried with hot air in a drying device 15, and then the lid portion is punched out. The collected film is collected in the film take-up coil 16, and the container sealed with the lid is passed through the lid seal sealing inspection device 17, and then the container Are unloaded from the line is discharged from the conveyor 3 by output device 18.

  The aseptic filling line 1 as described above is installed in the interior of a clean room (a room having a higher air cleanliness than class 10,000) including an unillustrated accessory part, and most of the main parts (Fig. 1 is a part of a clean booth (a room with higher air cleanliness than class 100) whose air cleanliness is in a high level region.

  As for the transport of cup containers in the aseptic filling line, it is efficient to use multi-row transport in which a plurality of containers are simultaneously advanced in the width direction as described above, but in some cases, single-row transport may be used. In addition, filling and sealing may be performed in a horizontal row (one in the case of single row conveyance) one by one in the width direction, or a plurality in each of the conveyance direction and the width direction (in the single row conveyance, a plurality in the conveyance direction). However, in any case, in order to temporarily stop the conveyance of the container when filling or sealing, the cup container is conveyed so as to progress intermittently.

  Moreover, about the conveyance conveyor used for conveyance of a cup container, it is a thing of the structure known widely conventionally, and has the function of the retainer (holding tool) which hold | maintains each cup container at predetermined intervals, Although not shown, the cup container is fitted into a plurality of holes provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction and the length direction of the transfer conveyor, and the opening flange portion at the upper end of the cup container is transferred to the transfer conveyor. The belt conveyor is configured to convey a large number of cup containers at predetermined intervals while being placed on a surface.

  In the aseptic filling line 1 of the cup container as described above, in order to fill the contents in the filling step by the filling device 8, and in the sealing step by the lid wire welding device 10 and the lid welding cutting device 11, the container opening is sealed. In order to seal the container, the progress of the container is temporarily stopped, but the container sterilization process by the inner surface sterilization apparatus 6 and the inner and outer surface sterilization apparatus 7 is stopped while the progress of the container is stopped. After spraying the gas sterilizing agent (for example, 35% hydrogen peroxide solution) from the spray nozzle toward each cup container, the cup is heated with hot air (for example, aseptic air heated to 120 ° C.). The inner and outer surfaces of the cup container are sterilized by heating the container.

  That is, in the inner surface sterilizer 6, although not shown, first, in the sterilizing agent spraying area, the gaseous sterilizing agent is sprayed toward the inner surface side of the cup container by the spray nozzle disposed above the container. Then, in the hot air drying area, the hot air drying device in which the hot air supplying device is installed only above the container is used to sterilize the container with the heated disinfectant and to adhere to the container. Finally, the heated container is cooled by aseptic air blown from the cooling device in the cooling area.

  Further, in the inner and outer surface sterilizer 7, although not shown, first, in the sterilizing agent spraying area, the gaseous sterilizing agent is removed from the inner surface side and the outer surface of the cup container by the respective spray nozzles disposed above and below the container. Sterilized by spraying hot air from both the upper and lower sides by hot air dryers, each of which is sprayed toward the side, and then hot air dryers installed with hot air supply devices above and below the container in the hot air drying area, respectively. The container is sterilized by the agent and the sterilizing agent adhering to the container is removed by evaporation. Finally, the heated container is cooled by aseptic air blown out from the cooling device in the cooling area.

  In this inner / outer surface sterilizer 7, the container is guided by a pair of left and right round bars so that spraying of the sterilizing agent and drying with hot air can be reliably performed on the back side of the flange portion of the cup container. By guiding the bottom part to lift up, the flange part of the cup container is conveyed so as to float from the conveyor (retainer), and by changing the distance between the pair of left and right round bars in the conveyance direction, The sterilizing agent and hot air can be sprayed without leaving the entire bottom surface of the container.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the hot air drying device of this embodiment used in such an inner / outer surface sterilizer 7 is composed of a plurality of hot air supply devices 21 and 22 installed above and below the container, respectively. Each of the upper hot air supply device 21 and the lower hot air supply device 22 is plural along the transport direction (traveling direction) of the container 2 (only two are shown in FIG. 4), the hot air is blown a plurality of times from both the upper and lower sides of each container 2 being transported (for example, blown over 4 degrees). Note that each of the hot air supply devices 21 and 22 constituting the hot air drying device 20 includes aseptic air (for example, 120 ° C.) dried at a high temperature from an air supply source (not shown) installed in the vicinity of the aseptic filling line. Aseptic air heated to a high temperature is supplied as hot air.

  Each of the hot air supply devices 21 and 22 on the upper side and the lower side has a duct 23 of the same standard, which is horizontally long and has a rectangular longitudinal section extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the container 2 as a hot air supply passage. As shown in FIG. 3, corresponding to one horizontal row of cup containers 2 that are carrying multiple rows (seven rows) (one row in a direction orthogonal to the direction of carrying the vessels), In order to blow hot air individually, as shown in FIG. 4, the number of hot air outlets 24 corresponding to the number of rows in the multi-row transport (corresponding to 7 rows) is one duct 23. A plurality of (seven) formed on the lower end surface or upper end surface of the duct 23 by supplying hot air from both longitudinal sides of one duct (hot air supply passage) 23. Heat from each of the hot air outlets 24 at substantially equal pressure It is to be blown out.

  In the present embodiment, the hot air outlet 24 is a rectangular shape of the container 2 corresponding to the planar shape of the target cup container 2 being rectangular (the cross-sectional shape of the side wall and the shape of the bottom are rectangular). It is formed as a slit extending in parallel with the long side. That is, in the case of the upper hot air supply device 21, a plurality of slits 24 serving as hot air outlets are formed in the lower end surface of one duct 23, and in the case of the lower hot air supply device 22, A plurality of slits 24 serving as blowout ports are formed on the upper end surface of one duct 23. The hot air is blown out from the slits 24 of the upper and lower hot air supply devices 21 and 22 at substantially the same wind speed (for example, 10 m / s).

  Furthermore, the upper hot air supply device 21 for heating and drying the inner surface side of the container guides the hot air blown out from the hot air outlet (slit) 24 to the inner surface side of the container 2 without diffusing. As shown in FIG. 5, an upper cover 25 having an open bottom is attached in an umbrella shape so as to individually surround each hot air outlet (slit) 24, and the outer surface side of the container is heated and dried. In order to guide the hot air blown from the hot air outlet (slit) 24 to the outer surface side of the container 2 without diffusing, each hot air is supplied to the lower hot air supply device 22 for causing A lower cover 26 having a substantially vertical shielding wall 26c opened upward is attached so as to individually surround the periphery of the outlet (slit) 24.

  That is, in the present embodiment, specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper cover 25 provided in the upper hot air supply device 21 has a cross-sectional shape so as to surround the hot air outlet (slit) 24. A rectangular vertical wall portion 25a is fixed to the lower end surface of the duct 23 by a welding method, and a quadrangular pyramid-shaped inclined wall portion 25b is formed in a state of expanding downward from the lower end of the vertical wall portion 25a. The lower end of the inclined wall portion 25b slightly extends outward from the flange portion at the opening end of the cup container 2, and extends downward from the lower end of the inclined wall portion 25b above the opening portion of the cup container 2. A short vertical wall portion 25c is formed so as to cover it.

  In addition, in the lower cover 26 provided in the lower hot air supply device 22, a vertical wall portion 26 a having a rectangular cross-sectional shape so as to surround the hot air outlet (slit) 24 is formed on the duct 23 by a welding method. It is fixed to the upper end surface, and a quadrangular pyramid-shaped inclined wall portion 26b is formed so as to expand upward from the upper end of the vertical wall portion 26a. The upper end of the inclined wall portion 26b is the opening of the cup container 2 A substantially vertical shielding wall 26c is formed so as to extend in substantially the same size as the flange portion at the end and to surround the vicinity of the bottom portion of the cup container 2 above the upper end of the inclined wall portion 26b. In the vicinity of the upper portion of the shielding wall 26c, a guide 30 made of two round bars extends along the conveying direction of the container 2. Therefore, each of the shielding walls 26c overlapping the conveying path of the container 2 is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper part of the side is partially cut away so as not to interfere with the guide 30 and the container 2.

  By the way, in the hot air drying apparatus 20 of the present embodiment as described above, the lower hot air supply apparatus 22 for heating and drying the outer surface side of the cup container is surrounded by a substantially vertical shielding wall 26c of the lower cover 26. Is blown toward the bottom surface of the container 2 from below by a hot air blowing port (slit) 24, and the planar shape of the lower hot air supply device 22 is the container 2 as shown in FIG. The rectifying plate 27, which is smaller than the bottom surface and formed on a conical tapered surface having a loose (shallow) conical surface facing the hot air outlet 24, is located on the inner side of the region surrounded by the shielding wall 26c. It is provided between the hot air outlets 24.

  In the present embodiment, the planar shape of the target cup container 2 (the planar shape of the bottom surface and the cross-sectional shape of the side wall) is a rectangle, whereas the current plate 27 as shown in FIGS. The plane shape is rectangular, and the lower surface side is formed into a loose (shallow) tapered pyramid tapered surface, and the major axis and minor axis of the bottom surface of the container 2 (in other words, the major axis of the slit 24 that is a hot air outlet) In a state where the major axis and the minor axis of the rectifying plate 27 correspond to the minor axis), they are integrally fixed to the lower cover 26 by welding via four thin rod-like support columns 29. A small hole 28 is formed in the center of the current plate 27.

  In this embodiment, the rectifying plate 27 is provided between the hot air outlet 24 and the bottom surface of the container 2 in the lower hot air supply device 22 for heating and drying the outer surface side of the cup container 2 as described above. According to the hot air drying device 20, the flow of hot air blown from the hot air outlet 24 toward the bottom surface of the cup container 2 is first intensively sprayed onto the bottom surface of the container 2 by colliding with the rectifying plate 27. Without flowing, the flow of the rectifying plate 27 flows toward the shielding wall 26c along the gentle conical tapered surface of the rectifying plate 27, and a part of the rectifying plate 27 has a negative pressure on the upper surface side of the rectifying plate 27 due to blowing of hot air. It flows so as to be caught from the edge toward the bottom surface of the container 2, and most of the remaining part flows toward the shielding wall 26 c and then flows along the side surface of the container 2 by being blocked by the shielding wall 26 c. And then Thus, the hot air blown out from the hot air outlet 24 is not uniformly concentrated on the bottom surface of the container 2 but is distributed substantially uniformly over the entire outer surface of the container 2, thereby heating the entire outer surface of the container 2 substantially uniformly. Can be dried.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, even when the planar shape (the planar shape of the bottom surface or the cross-sectional shape of the side wall) of the target cup container 2 is a rectangle and the surface areas of adjacent side surfaces are different, the hot air outlet 24 Is formed in a slit extending in parallel with the long side of the rectangular shape of the container 2, and the rectifying plate 27 is formed so that the planar shape is rectangular, so that the long diameter and short diameter of the bottom surface of the container 2 are Since it arrange | positions so that a long diameter and a short diameter may respond | correspond, the hot air blown from the hot air blowing port 24 can be flowed to each side surface in the state distributed according to the difference in the surface area of each side surface, However, the entire side surface of the cup container 2 having different side surfaces can be uniformly heated and dried.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the small hole 28 is formed in the central portion of the rectifying plate 27, the hot air blown slightly flows into the container bottom side from the small hole 28, so that the rectifying plate 27 and the container The negative pressure generated between the bottom surface of the container 2 and the bottom surface of the container 2 can be relieved so that the negative pressure generated between the rectifying plate 27 and the bottom surface of the container 2 is too large. As a result, it is possible to prevent the hot air from being caught too much, and as a result, the flow of the hot air can be made appropriate to improve the drying efficiency. In addition, about this small hole 28, a magnitude | size is set suitably according to the magnitude | size of the negative pressure generate | occur | produced between the baffle plate 27 and the bottom face of the container 2, and a negative pressure is not too large and is appropriate. In this case, the formation of the small holes 28 is omitted.

  As mentioned above, although one Example of the hot air drying apparatus of the cup container of this invention was described, this invention is not limited only to said Example, For example, the apparatus of this invention is based on said Example. It is applicable not only to the aseptic filling line consisting of the devices shown above, but also as a hot air drying device used in other filling lines, and the upper hot air supply for heating and drying the inner surface side of the container There is no particular limitation on the apparatus, and an appropriate structure can be used. Further, the cup container of which the configuration is intended has a rectangular planar shape (planar shape of the bottom wall and transverse sectional shape of the side wall). The shape of the planar shape is not limited to the shape of the container, and the shape of the planar shape may be circular, elliptical, square or polygonal. Or oval May be a rectangular or polygonal or the like, it is needless to say capable design changes as appropriate.

Side surface explanatory drawing shown roughly about an example of the aseptic filling line of a cup container. In one embodiment of the hot air drying apparatus of the present invention used in the container sterilization process (sterilization process by the inner and outer surface sterilization apparatus) of the aseptic filling line shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus is laterally (direction orthogonal to the container transport direction). The side view which shows the state seen from. The front view which shows the state seen from the front (direction along the conveyance direction of a container) of the hot air drying apparatus shown in FIG. The top view which shows the external appearance shape of the duct (hot air supply channel | path) used with each of each hot air supply apparatus which comprises the hot air drying apparatus shown in FIG. The bottom view which shows the state seen from the downward direction about a part of hot air supply apparatus of the upper side of the hot air drying apparatus shown in FIG. The top view which shows the state seen from upper part about a part of hot air supply apparatus of the lower side of the hot air drying apparatus shown in FIG. The top view which shows the shape of the baffle plate used for the hot air supply apparatus of the lower side of the hot air drying apparatus shown in FIG. The cross-sectional front view shown by the cross section along the longitudinal direction of the slit used as a hot-air blowing port about the structure of the hot-air blowing port vicinity of the hot-air supply apparatus of the lower side of the hot-air drying apparatus shown in FIG. The cross-sectional side view shown by the cross section along the width direction of the slit used as a hot-air blowing port about the structure of the hot-air blowing port vicinity of the lower hot-air supply apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Aseptic filling line of cup container 2 Cup container 3 Conveyor 20 Hot-air dryer 21 Upper hot-air supply device (of hot-air dryer) 22 Lower hot-air supply device (of hot-air dryer) 24 Hot-air outlet (slit)
26 Lower cover 26c Shielding wall 27 Current plate 28 Small hole (of current plate)

Claims (3)

  In a hot-air drying apparatus for heating and drying cup containers that are continuously being transported by hot air, a substantially vertical shielding wall is provided for blowing hot air to the outer surface side of each container being transported. The hot air outlet that is largely surrounded by is provided in the lower part of the container toward the bottom of the container, the planar shape is smaller than the bottom of the container, and the surface facing the hot air outlet is loosely conical. A hot air drying apparatus for a cup container, wherein a current plate formed on a tapered surface is provided between a bottom surface of the container and a hot air outlet, inside a region surrounded by a shielding wall.   For a cup container with a rectangular planar shape, the hot air outlet is formed as a slit extending in parallel with the long side of the container, and the rectifying plate is formed into a tapered surface with a rectangular planar shape and a rectangular pyramid bottom. The hot air drying apparatus for a cup container according to claim 1, wherein the cup container is arranged so that the major axis and minor axis of the rectifying plate correspond to the major axis and minor axis of the bottom surface of the container.   The hot air drying device for a cup container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a small hole is formed in a central portion of the current plate.

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