JP4471186B2 - Method and apparatus for sterilizing cup container outer surface - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for sterilizing the outer surface side of a cup container by spraying a gaseous sterilizing agent, and more particularly, to a method for sterilizing an outer surface of a cup container in which a gaseous sterilizing agent is sprayed on individual containers. And device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
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 having holes for inserting the container, the container opening is filled after the contents are filled. When sealing, it has been conventionally performed to sterilize both the inner and outer surfaces in advance with a disinfectant such as hydrogen peroxide solution for empty containers before being sent to the filling / sealing process by the conveyor. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-58632 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-58633 disclose a technique for evenly disinfecting a sterilizing agent on both the inner and outer surfaces of a cup container by spraying a gaseous sterilizing agent.
[0003]
That is, in JP-A-9-58632 and JP-A-9-58633, first, in a sterilizing agent spray chamber, a cup container being conveyed by a conveyer (conveyor belt) for a filling / sealing process, After spraying the gas sterilizing agent (hydrogen peroxide solution) to each container from the spray nozzle, the sterilizing agent is attached to the inner surface side (inner surface) of the container, and in the next sterilizing agent gas chamber, It is disclosed that the disinfectant is sufficiently adhered to the outer surface side (external surface) of the container while passing through the gas chamber of the atmosphere filled with the gaseous disinfectant continuously discharged from the gas discharge pipe. ing.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the conventionally known sterilization methods for cup containers as described above, in order to sterilize the outer surface side of the container, a gas is generated in a sterilizing agent gas chamber that is defined separately from the sterilizing agent spray chamber for sterilizing the inner surface side of the container. By discharging the gas sterilizer continuously from the discharge pipe, the sterilizer is attached to the outer surface of the container by the atmosphere in the gas chamber filled with the gas sterilizer. There is a problem in that the amount of the bactericidal agent that is wastefully discharged without adhering to the container increases.
[0005]
In this regard, since the gaseous sterilizing agent is sprayed on the individual container from above by the spray nozzle on the inner surface side of the container, the outer surface side of the container is also the same as the inner surface side. It is conceivable to try to solve the above problem by spraying the gaseous sterilizing agent on each container. However, the container has an approximately conical shape on the inner surface side by a spray nozzle from above. Although the disinfectant can be adhered to the entire inner surface by spraying on the outer surface of the container, even if sprayed in a substantially conical shape from the lower side by one spray nozzle from the lower side, the entire outer surface (especially the outer surface of the side wall) Disinfectant cannot be applied evenly.
[0006]
Therefore, in order to uniformly and uniformly adhere the sterilizing agent to the outer surface side of the container, when spraying the gaseous sterilizing agent toward the side wall and the bottom wall, respectively, a large number of spray nozzles ( At least 2 on both sides of the side wall and 1 on the bottom wall). Especially, in the case of a square cup container having a substantially square cross section, the side wall is divided into four surfaces. When spray nozzles are provided for each surface and bottom wall, a total of five spray nozzles are provided for one container.
[0007]
By providing a large number of spray nozzles for one container in this way, the sterilizing agent can be uniformly and evenly attached to the outer surface of the container, but the number of spray nozzles increases, resulting in the cost of sterilization equipment. Or the structure of the equipment becomes complicated, especially when spraying a bactericidal agent simultaneously on a plurality of cup containers being transported in multiple rows. The problem is how to install the nozzles in a limited space below the conveyance surface so as not to interfere with each other.
[0008]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems. When the outer surface side of a cup container is sterilized by spraying a gaseous sterilizing agent from a spray nozzle, a special gas chamber is defined to form a gaseous state. By spraying the gaseous sterilizing agent on the individual containers from below with a small number of spray nozzles without filling the sterilizing agent, the sterilizing agent can be uniformly and evenly attached to the outer surface of the container. The problem is to do so.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the problems as described above, the present invention sprays a gaseous sterilizing agent in a substantially conical shape from the lower side of the container toward the bottom of the container, and from the lower side of the container. It is characterized by spraying the gaseous sterilizing agent substantially linearly along the side wall of the container, and as a device for carrying out such a method, it is conveyed by a conveyor. Each of the cup containers is sprayed in a generally conical shape toward the bottom of the container in each cup container region so that the gaseous sterilizer is sprayed on the outer surface of the container. A spray nozzle and a spray nozzle that sprays the gaseous sterilizing agent in a substantially straight line along the side wall of the container are installed below the cup container so that the latter spray nozzle surrounds the former spray nozzle. Characterized by Than is.
[0010]
According to the method and apparatus as described above, the outer surface side of the container (the outer surface of the side wall, the lower surface of the bottom wall, and the flange can be obtained simply by spraying the gaseous sterilizing agent from below with two spray nozzles. The bactericides can be uniformly and evenly attached to the lower surface of the part.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of a cup container outer surface sterilization method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, about the outer surface sterilization method and apparatus of the square cup container which is one Embodiment of this invention, FIG.1 and FIG.2 shows the state which is spraying gaseous sterilizer with respect to a cup container, FIG. FIG. 4 schematically shows a system for spraying a bactericidal agent in a gaseous state and spraying from a spray nozzle, FIG. 4 shows an example of a specific structure of the spray nozzle, and FIG. 5 shows a transport state of a cup container by a transport conveyor FIG. 6 shows the case where the cover part is suspended from the lower surface side of the conveyor.
[0012]
The method of the present embodiment is performed to sterilize the outer surface side of the square cup container in the aseptic filling line. For the aseptic filling line, the containers sent in a stacked state are separated. A process of removing static electricity from the container, a process of removing dust from the container, and a process of sterilizing the inner and outer surfaces of the container with a disinfectant along the transport path of the container by the transport conveyor. Filling the contents inside the container; replacing the air in the container headspace with nitrogen; sealing the film at the opening of the container and sealing; and detecting a sealing failure; After sequentially printing the date and the like, the filled and sealed product is discharged from the conveyor.
[0013]
The entire aseptic filling line is installed in a clean room (a room having a higher air cleanliness than class 10,000), and in particular, a process of sealing the opening of the container after supplying the container to the conveyor. The part until it passes is installed in a clean booth (room with higher air cleanliness than class 100) where the air cleanliness is defined as a high level region.
[0014]
It is efficient to transport cup containers in the aseptic filling line by multi-row transport in which a plurality of containers are simultaneously advanced in the width direction. In the width direction, one horizontal row (one in the case of single row conveyance) may be performed, or a plurality of each in the conveyance direction and the width direction (in the single row conveyance, a plurality in the conveyance direction). In any case, the cup container is conveyed so as to progress intermittently in order to temporarily stop the conveyance of the container when filling or sealing.
[0015]
The transport conveyor used for transporting such cup containers has a conventionally known structure, and has a function of a retainer (holding tool) that holds each cup container at a predetermined interval. As shown in FIG. 5 (the illustrated one is for two-row conveyance), the cup container 1 is fitted into the holes 5a provided at predetermined intervals on the conveyance conveyor 5, and the flange portion 1a at the upper end of the cup container 1 is conveyed to the conveyor. 5 is a belt conveyer configured to convey a large number of cup containers 1 at a predetermined interval in a state where the cup containers 1 are placed on the conveyance surface of No. 5.
[0016]
In an aseptic filling line in which cup containers are transported by such a conveyor, the progress of the container is temporarily suspended in order to fill the contents in the filling process and to seal the container opening with a seal in the sealing process. While the container is stopped, the container sterilization process is performed in a container sterilization process while the sterilizing agent is gasified from the spray nozzle toward the individual cup container (for example, concentration 35). % Of hydrogen peroxide) is sprayed on the inside and outside of the cup container, and then the cup container is heated with hot air (for example, heated at 240 ° C. with a heating time of 6 seconds. The adhering sterilizing agent is removed after sterilizing the cup container by heating with hot air.
[0017]
In this embodiment, the spraying of the gaseous sterilizing agent by the spray nozzle at that time is performed upward by one spray nozzle 2 as shown in FIG. 1 with respect to a square cup container having a substantially square cross section. The gaseous sterilizing agent is sprayed in a substantially conical shape to adhere the sterilizing agent to the inner surface side of the container 1 (the inner surface of the side wall, the upper surface of the bottom wall, and the upper surface of the flange portion). The spray nozzle 3 having a general structure sprays the gaseous sterilizing agent in a substantially conical shape from below toward the bottom 1c of the container 1, and has a nozzle hole 4a having a shape matching the cross-sectional shape of the container 1. By spraying the gaseous sterilizing agent in a substantially straight line along the side wall of the container 1 from below by the spray nozzle 4 having, the outer surface side of the container 1 (the outer surface of the side wall, the lower surface of the bottom wall, and the lower surface of the flange portion) A bactericidal agent is attached to the surface.
[0018]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the container 1 is slightly lifted by spraying the gaseous sterilizing agent toward the container 1 from below by the spray nozzles 3 and 4 on the lower surface side of the conveyor 5. Thus, a gap is formed between the container 1 (flange 1a and side wall 1b) and the conveyor 5 so that the flow of the gaseous sterilizing agent along the side wall 1b of the container 1 from below is applied to the flange 1a of the container 1. Since it flows upward along the lower surface, the flow of the sterilizing agent from the side wall 1b of the container 1 along the flange portion 1a becomes good, and the sterilizing agent is evenly distributed evenly on the outer surface of the side wall 1b of the container and the lower surface of the flange portion 1a. Can be attached.
[0019]
As for the system for spraying the bactericidal agent (hydrogen peroxide solution) in a gaseous state from the spray nozzle, as shown in FIG. 3, spray for sterilizing the inner surface side of the container 1 above the transport surface of the transport conveyor 5 In each of the nozzles 2 and the spray nozzles 3 and 4 for sterilizing the outer surface side of the container 1 below the transport surface of the transport conveyor 5, a disinfectant (hydrogen peroxide solution) supplied by driving a pump, Air that is pumped through the filter, regulator, and solenoid valve by driving the compressor is introduced into the chamber heated by steam through the two-fluid nozzle, and the bactericidal agent (hydrogen peroxide solution) is gasified in the chamber. After that, it sprays as a gaseous disinfectant from each spray nozzle.
[0020]
In such a gaseous sterilizing agent spray system, the spraying of the gaseous sterilizing agent from each of the spray nozzles 2, 3, 4 is stopped and stopped by controlling the driving of the pump and the solenoid valve by a signal from the control panel. Since it can be controlled, as described above, the conveyor 5 is intermittently driven to temporarily stop the progress of the container 1 when filling and sealing, In the method of the present embodiment, the gaseous sterilizing agent is intermittently sprayed from the spray nozzles 2, 3, 4 in accordance with the timing at which the progress of the container 1 is temporarily stopped in the container sterilization process.
[0021]
In addition, about each spray nozzle 3 and 4 for making a disinfectant adhere to the outer surface side of the cup container 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the gaseous disinfectant vaporized in the gaseous state in the same chamber is each sprayed. Although spraying may be performed from the nozzles 3 and 4, the present invention is not limited to such a structure, and as shown in FIG. 4, a disinfectant (hydrogen peroxide solution) supply system is composed of the spray nozzle 3 and the spray nozzle 4. Separately, for the spray nozzle 4 for spraying the gaseous sterilizing agent substantially linearly along the side wall of the container, a nozzle hole 4a for spraying is provided in the chamber itself for vaporizing the sterilizing agent in a gaseous state. An open structure may be used.
[0022]
By the way, a square cup container having a capacity of 450 ml and a height of 113 mm is repeatedly moved and stopped every second by the method of this embodiment using a 35% hydrogen peroxide solution as a disinfectant. A gas-like disinfectant is sprayed intermittently with an ON time of 1 second and an OFF time of 1 second in time with the transporting operation of the container, and sprayed twice for each container (total spraying time 2 Second), after heating with a hot air of 240 ° C. so that the ultimate temperature of the container itself becomes 80 ° C. in a heating time of 6 seconds, and by using a conventional method, the gasified bactericidal agent is continuously sprayed. For each of the cases where the container was transported in a full atmosphere (total spraying time 3 seconds) and then heated with hot air of 240 ° C. so that the ultimate temperature of the container itself would be 80 ° C. with a heating time of 6 seconds, Disinfectant on the outer surface of the container I tried to compare the wear state. (For each sample, 20 samples and 3 tests)
[0023]
As a result, when the state of adhesion of the sterilizing agent on the outer surface side of the container is observed, when the sterilizing agent (hydrogen peroxide solution with a concentration of 35%) is used so as to be 5 g per container, the method of the present embodiment Thus, the proper adhesion amount was confirmed, and it was confirmed that the conventional method had a small adhesion amount. In addition, when a bactericidal agent (hydrogen peroxide solution with a concentration of 35%) is used so as to be 7.5 g per container, the method of the present embodiment confirms that the bactericidal agent remains excessively attached, In the conventional method, an appropriate adhesion amount was confirmed.
That is, according to the method of the present embodiment, an appropriate amount of adhesion can be obtained by using a small amount of a bactericide (5 g of hydrogen peroxide having a concentration of 35% per container) as compared with the conventional method. It was confirmed that
[0024]
According to the method of the present embodiment as described above, the gas sterilizer is individually supplied by the spray nozzles 3 and 4 without defining a special gas chamber and filling the gas sterilizer therein. By spraying on the cup container 1, a large amount of sterilizing agent is not used, and the outer surface of the container is simply sprayed from the lower side of the container 1 by the spray nozzles 3 and 4. The disinfectant can be uniformly and evenly attached to the sides (the outer surface of the side wall, the lower surface of the bottom wall, and the lower surface of the flange portion).
[0025]
Moreover, in this embodiment, a gaseous disinfectant is intermittently supplied from each of the spray nozzles 3 and 4 (the same applies to the spray nozzle 2) in accordance with the timing at which the progress of the container is temporarily stopped in the container sterilization process. Therefore, the amount of the spray of the gaseous sterilizing agent can be further reduced as compared with the case where the gaseous sterilizing agent is continuously sprayed on the individual containers.
[0026]
And according to the apparatus of this embodiment for implementing such a method, each spray nozzle 3 and 4 with respect to each cup container 1 can be gathered compactly under the field of one cup container. Thus, even when multiple cup containers 1 are sterilized simultaneously by multi-row conveyance, a large number of spray nozzles 3 and 4 required for each individual container should be installed on the conveyance line without interfering with each other. In addition, by making the nozzle hole 4a of the spray nozzle 4 suitable for the cross-sectional shape of the container, it is possible to cope with any shape of cup container.
[0027]
In the case where the outer surface side of the cup container 1 is sterilized by the spray nozzles 3 and 4 as described above, as shown in FIG. Even if the amount of spray from the spray nozzle 4 is small, the cover portion 5b is suspended on the lower surface side so as to surround at least a part of the side wall 1b at an appropriate distance from the side wall 1b of the cup container 1. Thus, it is possible to efficiently adhere the gaseous sterilizing agent to the outer side surface of the cup container 1 without diffusing.
[0028]
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of the outer surface sterilization method and apparatus of the cup container of this invention was described, this invention is not limited only to the specific example shown to said embodiment, For example, target cup The container is not limited to a square cup container having a substantially square cross section, and can be applied to any shape cup container. The disinfectant used is limited to the exemplified hydrogen peroxide solution. In addition, the present invention can be implemented with other sterilizing agents, and the system for spraying the sterilizing agent in the form of gas from the spray nozzle is not limited to the specific examples shown in the embodiments, and can be changed as appropriate. Needless to say, it is a good thing.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
According to the cup container outer surface sterilization method and apparatus of the present invention as described above, the gas is directed from the spray nozzle to the individual containers without defining a gas chamber filled with the gaseous sterilizing agent. By spraying the fungicide, the amount of fungicide used can be reduced, and the outer surface of the container can be sterilized by spraying the gas fungicide from a small number of spray nozzles toward individual containers. The agent can be uniformly and evenly attached, and the spray nozzles can be compactly assembled in the area of one container, so that complication of the sterilization equipment can be suppressed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a gaseous sterilizing agent is sprayed on a square cup container by the outer surface sterilizing method of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a state in which a gaseous sterilizing agent is sprayed on a square cup container by the outer surface sterilizing method of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a system for spraying a gaseous sterilant from a spray nozzle.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of a spray nozzle for spraying a gaseous sterilizing agent on the outer surface side of a cup container.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of a transfer conveyor for holding and transferring cup containers at predetermined intervals.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which a cover portion is suspended from the lower surface side of the conveyor.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Cup Container 2 Spray Nozzle 3 Spray Nozzle 4 Spray Nozzle 5 Conveyor 5b (Conveyor Conveyor) Cover

Claims (5)

For each cup container, the gaseous sterilizing agent is sprayed in a substantially conical shape from the lower part of the container toward the bottom of the container, and the gaseous sterilizing agent is substantially linearly formed along the side wall of the container from the lower part of the container. A method of sterilizing the outer surface of a cup container, wherein the cup container is sprayed. Gaseous germicide is sprayed intermittently on the cup container being transported toward the filling / sealing process, according to the timing when the progress of the container is temporarily stopped for filling / sealing. The method of sterilizing the outer surface of a cup container according to claim 1. For a conveyor with a container insertion hole that holds and conveys cup containers at a predetermined interval, on the lower surface side of the conveying surface, at least a part of the side wall of the cup container is surrounded by an appropriate interval. The method of sterilizing the outer surface of a cup container according to claim 1, wherein the cover part is suspended. For each cup container being transported by the transport conveyor, spray the gaseous sterilizing agent toward the bottom of the container for each region of the cup container so as to spray the gaseous sterilizing agent on the outer surface side of the container. The spray nozzle that sprays in a substantially conical shape and the spray nozzle that sprays the gaseous sterilizing agent in a substantially straight line along the side wall of the container, so that the latter spray nozzle surrounds the former spray nozzle. An outer surface sterilizing apparatus for a cup container, wherein the apparatus is installed below the container. The spray nozzle for spraying the gaseous sterilizing agent substantially linearly along the side wall of the container has a nozzle hole for spraying opened in the chamber itself for vaporizing the sterilizing agent in a gaseous state. The outer surface sterilizer of the cup container according to claim 4.

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