JP4445743B2 - Pastoriza - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pasteurizer that heats food such as a beverage in a container and performs sterilization treatment, and particularly relates to an improvement in a conveyor for transferring an object to be processed such as a beverage in a container.

  In general, a pasterizer is a device that performs sterilization treatment by applying hot or cold water to a beverage or the like, which is an object to be processed, which is transferred in a substantially closed heat treatment chamber. A transfer conveyor to which a net conveyor as shown in FIG. 1 is applied is used. In other words, this net conveyor is generally adopted because it is excellent in terms of maintenance and so-called sanitary properties, and has a wide band with a large number of resin link elements attached in a chain shape. It has an endless configuration. The transfer conveyor is stretched between a pair of drive shafts and driven shafts, and sprocket teeth fixed to the drive shafts mesh with the link plate of the net to drive the conveyor net.

By the way, a large temperature difference is generated in the processing chamber of the path trizer through which the transfer conveyor passes due to the processing steps. As a result, the net portion of the transfer conveyor undergoes thermal expansion due to a temperature difference, so that various considerations are made in advance regarding the drive shaft and the driven shaft.
That is, the deformation caused by thermal expansion is particularly noticeable and technically hindered in the width direction of the transfer conveyor. If thermal expansion of several millimeters per link plate is observed, it is several tens of mm in the entire width direction. Expansion occurs at the level. For this reason, conventionally, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, a guide sprocket that directly contacts and guides the transfer conveyor is slidably mounted in the width direction of the transfer conveyor with respect to a driven shaft that is rotatably mounted as shown in FIG. Technology is used.
In this way, the guide sprocket can be shifted in response to the thermal expansion of the transfer conveyor so that it can be smoothly conveyed even if thermal expansion occurs. (Patent Document 1).
However, in reality, the high-temperature processing liquid sprayed in the processing chamber of the pasterizer contains inorganic components such as calcium and iron, and this enters between the driven shaft and the slidable guide sprocket. As a result, the intended effect cannot be obtained.
In other words, in the pasteurizer pasteurization method that has been standardized in recent years, the liquid temperature of the tank provided near the inlet is 70 ° C. or higher, and this heat enters between the driven shaft and the sprocket. In the treatment liquid containing foreign matters and inorganic components, evaporation of the water component is promoted, and the inorganic components and the like are deposited to form a scale.
Due to the occurrence of this scale, the driven shaft and the sprocket are in a fixed state and cannot slide freely on the driven shaft. As a result, it cannot cope with the thermal expansion in the width direction of the transfer conveyor, and finally the net and the sprocket for the guide There is a problem of hindering smooth transfer, such as tooth skipping without meshing, and net lifting.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-9244 (FIG. 2)

  The present invention has been made from such a background, and even when the conveyor net of the transfer conveyor in the path trizer is deformed due to thermal expansion, the guide member is reliably kept slidable with respect to the base shaft. Thus, an attempt has been made to develop a path trizer that prevents misalignment between the guide member and the conveyor net and can smoothly transfer the object to be processed without falling.

In other words, the path trizer according to claim 1 is a transfer conveyor for transferring the object to be processed in an apparatus for transferring the object to be processed into the processing chamber and spraying the processing liquid on the object to be processed and sterilizing it. A conveyor net is applied as a transfer element, and this is stretched between a drive shaft provided on the outlet side in the front-rear direction in the processing chamber and a driven shaft provided on the inlet side , and driven shaft, compared cornerstone of non-rotating state while maintaining the rotatable state sprocket which meshes with the conveyor net in the widthwise direction near the center, comprising a state of being positionally fixed in the thrust direction, further in that the sprocket sides scope not engaged with the conveyor net on the base shaft, the turn pulley supporting the conveyor net on its outer peripheral surface, a rotatably relative to the base shaft, and a thrust direction It is intended that comprised as said that comprises the state of securing the sliding range of the constant.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the driven shaft can cope with a change in dimensions due to thermal expansion in the conveyor width direction with a very simple configuration, and stable conveyance can be maintained. In addition, since the sprocket rotates on the base shaft, there is no relative stop between the surfaces of the base shaft and the sprocket hole, so that the processing liquid is not retained between them, and the generation of scale can be suppressed. Furthermore , even in the vicinity of the path riser entrance where the thermal expansion is usually the largest, smooth transfer can be performed under all conditions without causing misalignment due to the thermal expansion of the conveyor net.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed in the following description of specific embodiments and drawings.

Hereinafter, a path trizer according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiment. In the present embodiment, the pasterizer 1 is an apparatus for once sterilizing the object to be processed B such as a beverage in a container by watering such as warm water, cooling it again, and discharging it to the next process.
First, the overall configuration of the path trizer 1 to which the present invention is applied will be outlined. As shown in FIG. 1, the path riser 1 includes a transfer conveyor 2, a supply end of a supply conveyor 11, and a discharge start end of a discharge conveyor 12 in a processing chamber 100. As described above, a hot water shower facility 102 using hot water as the hot water treatment liquid W1 is provided at the front stage, and a cold water shower facility 103 using cold water as the cold water treatment liquid W2 is provided at the rear stage. In the meantime, an intermediate shower facility (not shown) for gradually decreasing the temperature is provided.
These shower facilities are provided with a shower nozzle portion above the transfer conveyor 2 so as to sandwich the transfer conveyor 2, and provided below are water storage tanks 104 and 105 for storing the sprayed processing liquid W, and further illustration is omitted. However, a liquid pipe for supplying the treatment liquid W from the water storage tanks 104 and 105 to each shower nozzle unit and a circulation pump for circulating the liquid are provided.

  Next, the transfer conveyor 2 to which the main configuration of the present invention is applied will be described. The transfer conveyor 2 is composed of main members such as a conveyor net 3, a drive shaft 4, and a driven shaft 5, and will be described below.

First, an outline of the transfer conveyor 2 will be described.
The transfer conveyor 2 is a conveyor for transferring and processing the object B to be processed in the processing chamber 100 of the pastoriser 1, and is applied with a net conveyor having an appropriate frame member. That is, in the transfer conveyor 2, a conveyor net 3 as a transport element is stretched endlessly between the drive shaft 4 and the driven shaft 5, and the drive shaft 4 is rotated by the power of the motor M or the like so that the conveyor net 3 is moved. It drives and conveys the to-be-processed object B of the top. As shown in FIG. 1, in order to keep the conveyor surface of the conveyor net 3 smooth, the carrier members 34 arranged in a lattice form immediately below the conveyor net 3 between the drive shaft 4 and the driven shaft 5. Further, in the vicinity of the drive shaft 4, auxiliary machines such as a roller 35 and a tensioner 36 for preventing slack of the conveyor net 3 are provided.

Next, the conveyor net 3 will be described.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor net 3 applies a band chain having water permeability in which, for example, resin link elements 31 are connected to form an endless belt. The transport part 31a on the surface of the link element 31 is a smooth surface, and a rib-like part 31b is formed on the back surface. The concave portion 32 that is sandwiched between the rib-shaped portions 31 b and is formed in an apparently concave shape receives the teeth 41 a of the drive sprocket 41 and the teeth 51 a of the sprocket 51.

Next, the drive shaft 4 will be described.
In this embodiment, the drive shaft 4 is provided on the terminal side where the discharge conveyor 12 of the path trizer 1 is located. The drive base shaft 40 of the drive shaft 4 is a member having a sufficient strength that does not bend in a circular cross section as an example, and both ends of the drive base shaft 40 are passed through a rotary bearing 49 provided on the side plate of the frame 10 of the path riser 1 to freely rotate. To be supported. Further, the drive base shaft 40 is provided with a plurality of drive sprockets 41 at intervals, and this drive sprocket 41 is restricted so as not to rotate with respect to the drive base shaft 40 by a so-called key structure. Is fixed in a lateral direction by a driving sprocket fixing collar 42 provided so as to sandwich the. The drive sprocket 41 is made of resin as an example, and includes a tooth 41 a that meshes with the back surface of the conveyor net 3, and a key groove for receiving the key K is provided in the central hole.
Further, power transmission to the drive shaft 4 is performed by the motor M, and an output sprocket 48 provided on the motor M is driven by a driven sprocket 46 provided on the shaft end of the drive shaft 4 as shown in FIG. The rotation is transmitted through the transmission chain 47.

Next, the driven shaft 5 will be described.
The driven shaft 5 has a base shaft 50, which is a member having a sufficient strength that does not bend in a circular cross section, as one of the constituent elements. The driven shaft 5 is a bearing 59 provided near the side plate of the path riser 1. It is fixed in a state where it cannot be rotated so as to be fitted in.
The base shaft 50 is provided with a sprocket 51 at the center in the transfer width direction. The sprocket 51 is rotated with respect to the base shaft 50 by arranging sprocket fixing collars 52 fixed to the base shaft 50 on both sides. It is regulated so that its position is fixed in the thrust direction while maintaining a free state. The sprocket 51 is made of resin as an example, and includes teeth 51 a that mesh with the back surface of the conveyor net 3.
On the other hand, a plurality of turn pulleys 55 are rotatably attached to the base shaft 50 with the sprocket 51 as the center, and the turn pulleys are fixed at intervals so that a certain sliding range can be secured on both sides of each turn pulley 55. A collar 56 is provided. The interval between the turn pulley fixing collars 56 may be supported at a substantially fixed position in the thrust direction while allowing the turn pulley 55 between them to freely rotate.

The embodiment of the transfer conveyor 2 of the present invention is as described above, and this operation mode will be described below.
[Conveyor net 3 state during transfer of workpiece B]
First, the object to be processed B finishes other processing steps, and moves to the conveyor net 3 of the transfer conveyor 2 of the path trizer 1 by the supply conveyor 11 and the guide. This object to be processed B is sent to the working range of the first hot water shower facility 102 in the processing chamber 100 by the conveyor net 3. In the path riser 1 that normally includes a plurality of shower facilities, the hot shower water W1 is generally used in the first shower facility 102. Therefore, the link element 31 constituting the conveyor net 3 in the vicinity of the hot water shower facility 102 using the high-temperature hot water treatment liquid W1 has a higher temperature than the other parts, and thus causes thermal expansion.
This thermal expansion becomes the sum of the expansion dimensions of the link elements 31 particularly in the width direction of the transfer conveyor 2, and thus appears as a large expansion deformation in the entire width direction of the transfer conveyor 2.

At that time, the sprocket 51 provided at the center of the driven shaft 5 has its teeth 51a meshed with the conveyor net 3 at its center, so that the positions of the centers of the base shaft 50 and the conveyor net 3 are maintained. The conveyor net 3 can be run while preventing meandering.
On the other hand, the amount of deformation extending in the width direction due to the thermal expansion of the link element 31 extends to both sides centering on the sprocket 51. Here, on both sides of the sprocket 51, a plurality of turn pulleys 55 that are rotatable with respect to the base shaft 50 and are held so as to allow a certain slide are provided. The conveyor net 3 extends in the width direction so as to slide on the outer peripheral surface of the turn pulley 55 in the axial direction or with the turn pulley 55 itself.

The heating action that causes thermal expansion in the conveyor net 3 is apparently carried out by the hot water treatment liquid W1 in the conveying action section that has passed the driven shaft 5, but in reality, the thermal expansion starts at this time. is not. Immediately before passing through the driven shaft 5, the conveyor net 3 touches the hot hot water treatment liquid W <b> 1 sprayed toward the workpiece B when it passes just below the hot water treatment liquid W <b> 1. Thermal expansion begins. That is, the hot water treatment liquid W1 passes through the gap of the conveyor net 3 acting in the feeding direction and drops on the conveyor net 3 on the return side, and the link element 31 of the conveyor net 3 is heated thereby, It is fed into the driven shaft 5 while causing expansion.
One sprocket 51 is arranged at the center in the width direction of the driven shaft 5 so that deformation due to thermal expansion can be ignored. However, a plurality of sprockets such as a double sprocket may be provided within a range that does not interfere with the center. Of course it is possible.

  Further, when the conveyor net 3 advances through the processing chamber 100, the object to be processed B is sent into the operating range of the subsequent cold water shower unit 103 and receives the cold water treatment liquid W2 from the shower portion. As a result, the workpiece B itself is gradually cooled, and at the same time, the link elements 31 of the conveyor net 3 on which the workpiece B is placed are also cooled, so that thermal expansion is also suppressed.

[Scale S exclusion function in steady operation]
Further, the driven shaft 5 according to the present invention is fixed in a state where it does not rotate, and a turn pulley 55 and a sprocket 51 are attached so as to be rotatable with respect to the driven shaft 5. Accordingly, with the movement of the conveyor net 3 pulled by the drive shaft 4, the rotatable turn pulley 55 and the sprocket 51 are forcibly rotated around the fixed driven shaft 5. Accordingly, even if the processing liquid W that has entered the gap between the link elements 31 of the conveyor net 3 flows into the gap between the turn pulley 55, the sprocket 51, and the base shaft 50, the scale S grows and adheres without stagnation. prevent. Furthermore, the scale S that has been generated during the stop of the operation of the path trizer 1 can be forcibly removed by these rotations at the next start-up.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the form of the supply apparatus for path | routers of this invention. It is a see-through | perspective perspective view which shows a driven shaft same as the above. It is a side view which shows a driven shaft same as the above. It is a side view which shows together the sprocket and turn pulley in a driven shaft. It is explanatory drawing of the driven shaft of the conventional path | pass trizer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Path riser 10 Frame 11 Supply conveyor 12 Discharge conveyor 100 Processing chamber 102 Hot water shower equipment 103 Cold water shower equipment 104 Water storage tank 105 Water storage tank 2 Transfer conveyor 3 Conveyor net 31 Link element 31a Conveying part 31b Rib-shaped part 32 Concave part 34 Carrier member 35 Roller 36 Tensioner 4 Drive shaft 40 Drive base shaft 41 Drive sprocket 41a (sprocket) teeth 42 Drive sprocket fixing collar 46 Drive sprocket 47 Transmission chain 48 Output sprocket 49 Rotating bearing 5 Drive shaft 50 Base shaft 51 Sprocket 51a (sprocket) teeth 52 Sprocket fixed collar 55 Turn pulley 56 Turn pulley fixed collar 59 Bearing B Processed object (bottle)
K key M motor S scale W treatment liquid W1 hot water treatment liquid W2 cold water treatment liquid

Claims (1)

In an apparatus for transferring an object to be processed into a processing chamber and spraying a processing liquid on the object to be processed and sterilizing it, the transfer conveyor for transferring the object to be processed uses a conveyor net as a conveying element. In addition, this is stretched between a driving shaft provided on the front-rear direction outlet side in the processing chamber and a driven shaft provided on the inlet side , and the driven shaft is a non-rotating base shaft On the other hand, the sprocket that meshes with the conveyor net near the center in the width direction is maintained in a state where it can be rotated while being fixed in the thrust direction, and further, the base shaft in both sides of the sprocket does not mesh with the conveyor net . the turn pulley supporting the conveyor net on its outer peripheral surface, comprising in a state of securing a free and, and constant sliding range in the thrust direction rotation relative to the base shaft Pasutoraiza, characterized in that there.

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