JP5555923B2 - Gas concentration measurement method for packaging machines - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for measuring the concentration of a specific gas inside an entire number of packaging containers during the process of a gas filling packaging machine without damaging the containers.

  In the gas-filled packaging machine, the bag mouth is sealed after gas replacement with nitrogen gas or the like is performed almost simultaneously with the filling of the packaging bag. Patent Document 1 discloses a gas filling and packaging machine that fills a packaging bag with an article to be packaged and an inert gas.

  By the way, when measuring the oxygen concentration remaining in the packaging bag, which is a packaged product, the gas concentration is analyzed by inserting the injection needle provided in the oximeter into the packaging bag and sucking the internal gas.・ Measured. The product (packaging bag) used for the inspection must be discarded after the inspection because the hole of the injection needle is always opened. Of course, since 100% inspection cannot be performed, sampling inspection is performed. As for the sampling inspection, if the number of inspections is increased, the measurement time increases, and there is also a disadvantage that an economic loss occurs.

  A packaging leak inspection method is also known as a method for inspecting whether or not a packaged packaging bag has a sealing failure. For example, in Patent Document 2, a packaged inspection product is placed in a vacuum, a time-dependent change in the amount of marker gas in the vacuum is measured, and a quantity value at a predetermined time point is compared with a quantity value at the same time point of a good product. When the measured quantity value is larger than the quantity value of the non-defective product, a seal quality judging method for judging the inspection product as a defective product is disclosed.

  The packaging leak inspection method is not suitable for 100% inspection of packaging containers (products) produced by a gas-filled packaging machine, because the inside of the decompression container containing the inspection product must be in a negative pressure state and takes a long measurement time. I can say that.

Japanese Patent No. 3742042 JP 2003-106924 A

  The object of the present invention is to measure the gas concentration by using a laser gas concentration meter provided in the product discharge path of the packaging machine, so that the concentration of a specific gas inside can be quickly measured without damaging the containers. It is to provide a method.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a gas concentration measuring method for measuring the concentration of a specific gas in a packaging container packed by gas replacement by a measuring means,
As the measuring means, a laser generator having a function of irradiating the specific gas with laser light of a specific wavelength by a transmitter, and a laser beam oscillated from the transmitter and passing through the specific gas is received by a receiver, Using a laser gas concentration meter consisting of a laser light receiving unit that has the function of measuring the intensity of the laser light absorbed by the gas and outputting the concentration of the gas from the intensity,
Given the filled with the packaged articles into the packaging container after performing the gas replacement by inert gas product discharge path of the packaging machine which is adapted subjected to sealing of the opening, the receiver within said transmitter the gas purge of the laser type gas concentration meter provided with Rutotomoni inlet and outlet are arranged in the interval, in the gas purge chamber, the atmospheric state purge gas is flowed, the transmitter and the receiver during a period from the inlet to the outlet It is characterized in that the concentration of a specific gas in a packaging container as a product passing between the containers is measured.

  In order to achieve the same object, the invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the gas concentration measuring method in the packaging machine according to claim 1, the packaging container is a packaging bag or a bottle. is there.

(Invention of Claim 1)
In this packaging machine, the gas concentration measurement method is performed between a transmitter and a receiver of a laser gas concentration meter in an atmosphere state in which a purge gas is flowed into a gas purge chamber provided in a product discharge path of a packaging machine such as a vertical pillow packaging machine. since measuring the concentration of a specific gas in the product serving packaging container which passes through, the concentration of the specific gas without damaging any such containers for packaging containers of the total number it can be measured quickly with high accuracy, quality of the product It contributes to the improvement.

(Invention of Claim 2)
The gas concentration measurement method in this packaging machine is a bottle that passes between a transmitter and a receiver of a laser gas concentration meter in an atmosphere in which purge gas is flowed into a gas purge chamber provided in a product discharge path of a bottling packaging machine, etc. Since the concentration of the specific gas inside is measured, the concentration of the specific gas can be quickly measured with high accuracy for all the bottles and the like, which contributes to the improvement of product quality.

Explanatory drawing of laser gas concentration meter used in the method of the present invention Explanatory drawing of the measurement part in 1st Embodiment Explanatory drawing of the measurement part in 2nd Embodiment Explanatory drawing of the measurement part in 3rd Embodiment

  The best mode of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  The gas concentration measurement method in the packaging machine of the present invention measures the oxygen concentration, which is a specific gas, in a packaging container packaged by gas replacement. As a measuring means, a laser type gas concentration meter M having a known structure described below is used.

  This laser gas concentration meter M uses infrared absorption spectroscopy using a semiconductor laser as a light source. When light of a natural frequency is given to a molecule to be measured, it absorbs light energy and measures the gas concentration. Is displayed. As shown in FIG. 1, the laser gas concentration meter M includes a laser generation unit 10 and a laser light receiving unit 20.

  The laser generator 10 has a function of generating laser light of a specific wavelength and irradiating the measurement gas via the fiber cable 15, and is output from the power supply unit 11 that supplies a stable power source to the laser diode and the laser diode. It comprises a cooler unit 12 for stabilizing the wavelength of laser light and its intensity, and a temperature controller 13 for keeping the temperature of the cooler of the cooler unit 12 constant.

  The laser receiving unit 20 has a function of measuring the intensity of the laser light absorbed by the measurement gas via the fiber cable 22 and outputting the gas concentration from the intensity, and the laser irradiated from the laser generating unit 10 It comprises a measurement / display unit 21 that measures and displays laser light that has been absorbed through the measurement gas and converts it into oxygen concentration.

  Reference numeral 25 denotes a transmitter that emits laser light having a specific wavelength. In the case of oxygen gas, the wavelength (natural frequency) is selected from the range of 760 to 770 nm. Reference numeral 27 denotes a receiver that receives the laser light oscillated from the transmitter 25, and may use the reflecting prism shown in FIG. Reference numeral 26 denotes a detection unit that converts the laser beam irradiated from the transmitter 25, transmitted through the measurement gas, and caught through the reflecting prism into a current and outputs the current to the measurement / display unit 21.

  In the embodiment according to the method of the present invention, the component that measures the gas concentration in the packaging container by the transmitter 25 and the receiver 27 is referred to as a “measurement unit”.

(Example 1)
The measurement part 50 in 1st Embodiment of the method of this invention is shown in FIG. This measuring unit 50 is suitable for a vertical pillow packaging machine that fills and wraps an article to be packaged in a bag while making a sheet-like film, and a box-shaped gas purge of the measuring unit 50 in a product discharge path of the packaging machine. A chamber 51 is provided. In the gas purge chamber 51, an upper port 52 and a lower port 53 are formed in order to pass the packaged bags f that are packaged and not separated one by one in the vertical direction. The transmitter 25 and the receiver 27 are arranged at a predetermined interval. Reference numeral 54 denotes a plurality of joints of piping for introducing purge gas provided at the side of the gas purge chamber 51.

  Thus, the gas concentration measuring method in the packaging machine of the present invention for measuring the oxygen concentration in the packaging bag f passing between the transmitter 25 and the receiver 27 in an atmosphere state in which the purge gas is flowed into the gas purge chamber 51. The measurement unit 50 in the first embodiment is configured.

Embodiment 2
FIG. 3 shows the measuring unit 60 in the second embodiment of the method of the present invention. The measuring unit 60 is suitable for a horizontal pillow packaging machine that fills and packs an object to be packaged in a bag while making a sheet-like film. The measuring unit 60 is disposed above a conveyor 65 that is a product discharge path of the packaging machine. Sixty gas purge chambers 61 are provided. An inlet 62 and an outlet 63 are formed in the gas purge chamber 61 so as to pass the packaged bags h that are packaged and not separated one by one. Inside the gas purge chamber 61, the transmitter 25 of the laser gas concentration meter M is provided. Receivers 27 are arranged at predetermined intervals. Reference numeral 64 denotes a plurality of joints of pipes for introducing purge gas provided at the top of the gas purge chamber 61.

  Thus, the gas concentration measuring method in the packaging machine according to the present invention for measuring the oxygen concentration in the packaging bag h passing between the transmitter 25 and the receiver 27 in an atmosphere state in which purge gas is flowed into the gas purge chamber 61. The measurement unit 60 in the second embodiment is configured.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 4 shows the measuring unit 70 in the third embodiment of the method of the present invention. The measuring unit 70 is suitable for a bottling and packaging machine for filling and packaging beverages and the like in bottles i, and a gas purge chamber 71 of the measuring unit 70 is provided above a conveyor 75 that is a product discharge path of the packaging machine. In the gas purge chamber 71, an inlet 72 and an outlet 73 are formed in order to allow the bottle i in the vertical direction to pass through, and the inside of the bottle i passing through the transmitter 25 and the receiver 27 of the laser gas concentration meter M is formed therein. They are arranged at predetermined intervals to correspond to the bottle mouths. Reference numeral 74 denotes a plurality of joints of piping for introducing purge gas provided at the top of the gas purge chamber 71.

  Thus, the gas concentration measuring method in the packaging machine of the present invention for measuring the oxygen concentration inside the bottle i passing between the transmitter 25 and the receiver 27 in an atmosphere state in which the purge gas is allowed to flow inside the gas purge chamber 71. The measurement unit 70 in the third embodiment is configured.

  As described above, the gas concentration measurement method in this packaging machine is based on the specific gas such as oxygen in the packaging container in an atmosphere in which purge gas is flowed into the gas purge chamber of the laser gas concentration meter provided in the product discharge path of the packaging machine. Therefore, the concentration of the specific gas can be measured quickly without damaging all of the packaging containers.

M ... laser gas concentration meter 10 ... laser generating unit 20 ... laser receiving unit 25 ... transmitter 27 ... receivers 51, 61, 71 ... gas purge chamber f ... Packaging bag (packaging container)
i ... Bottle (packaging container)

Claims (2)

A gas concentration measurement method for measuring the concentration of a specific gas in a packaging container packaged by gas replacement with a measuring means,
As the measuring means, a laser generator having a function of irradiating the specific gas with laser light of a specific wavelength by a transmitter, and a laser beam oscillated from the transmitter and passing through the specific gas is received by a receiver, Using a laser gas concentration meter consisting of a laser light receiving unit that has the function of measuring the intensity of the laser light absorbed by the gas and outputting the concentration of the gas from the intensity,
Given the filled with the packaged articles into the packaging container after performing the gas replacement by inert gas product discharge path of the packaging machine which is adapted subjected to sealing of the opening, the receiver within said transmitter the gas purge of the laser type gas concentration meter provided with Rutotomoni inlet and outlet are arranged in the interval, in the gas purge chamber, the atmospheric state purge gas is flowed, the transmitter and the receiver during a period from the inlet to the outlet A gas concentration measuring method in a packaging machine, characterized by measuring a concentration of a specific gas in a packaging container as a product passing between containers.   The method for measuring a gas concentration in a packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the packaging container is a packaging bag or a bottle.

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