JP5558209B2 - Electron beam sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sterilization apparatus for sterilizing a cap for sealing a mouth of a container after filling before sealing in a sterile filling line for filling a beverage such as a PET bottle.

As a method of filling a beverage such as a PET bottle, after sterilizing the container to be filled and the cap to be sealed, the beverage is filled into the container in an aseptic atmosphere, and the mouth of the filled container is sterilized. Aseptic filling lines for sealing caps are well known.
Conventionally, hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet irradiation have been frequently used for sterilization of caps, but in recent years, sterilization technology using electron beam irradiation, which is superior to ultraviolet irradiation, has attracted attention and has been developed. (Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2)

JP 2002-128030 A (FIGS. 1 and 2) JP 2007-76730 A (FIGS. 1, 3, and 4)

According to Patent Document 1, while a pair of belts that are in frictional contact with the side surface (cylindrical portion) of the cap are caused to run at different speeds in opposite directions, the cap is rotated and linearly conveyed while being rotated. The inner surface of the cap is sterilized by irradiating an electron beam from an oblique direction.
However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the sterilization of the cap is only the sterilization of the inner surface, the bacteria attached to the outer surface float in the atmosphere when sealing the cap, and the filling before the cap sealing There is a risk of entering the sealed container. Further, since the pair of belts is also irradiated with an electron beam, the belts may be deteriorated at an early stage.

Moreover, according to the said patent document 2, it has the conveyance apparatus which conveys a PET bottle in a sterilization chamber, and the conveyance apparatus which conveys a cap, Electron beam irradiation which irradiates an electron beam to the PET bottle and cap which are conveyed by both conveyance apparatuses A device is provided, and the electron beam irradiation device has a structure in which a scan horn is bifurcated. One is irradiated with an electron beam on a PET bottle and the other is sterilized with a PET bottle and a cap.
However, in the technique of Patent Document 2, the cap is transported by rolling the cap on the conveyance guide inclined to the downstream side or by applying the acceleration by the cap feeding device, so that the cap slips. There is a risk that sterilization may be insufficient depending on the inner surface of the cap due to the irradiation of the electron beam without rotating, or the time that the cap is irradiated with the electron beam is not constant, or excessive electrons There is a risk that the cap may be adversely affected by irradiation with radiation.

  The present invention relates to an electron beam sterilization apparatus for sterilizing a cap for sealing a mouth of a container after filling in an aseptic filling line so that the cap rotates during transportation in an electron beam irradiation region and receives electron beam irradiation for a predetermined time. In addition, the electron beam sterilization is designed so that the cap can be reliably sterilized by avoiding the shadowed part of the electron beam irradiation, and the cap transport part is not affected by the electron beam irradiation. The object is to provide a device.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means.
(1) An electron beam sterilization apparatus as a first means is an electron beam sterilization apparatus that sterilizes a cap that seals the mouth of a container after filling by electron beam irradiation. A line irradiation device, a cap conveying star wheel that is fitted in a pocket provided equally around the circumference of the star wheel on the outer periphery of the star wheel, and rotated by rotating it around the horizontal axis, and conveyed by the cap conveying star wheel the cap consists of a cap guide which guides a side end and the outer peripheral side of the cap conveying star wheel that, as the electron beam irradiation range at the bottom of the cap transport starwheel, constitutes the cap to the electron beam sterilizer The shape of the pocket is defined by an intersection of a concave surface in contact with the cap and a concave portion not in contact with the cap recessed from the concave surface. Wherein the combined configuration with the.

(2) The electron beam sterilization apparatus of the second means is the same as the electron beam sterilization apparatus of the first means , wherein the pre-filling container also receives the electron beam irradiation from the electron beam irradiation apparatus in the electron beam irradiation range. It is configured so that it can be sterilized.

(3) The electron beam sterilization apparatus of the third means is the electron beam sterilization apparatus of the first or second means , wherein the cap transport star wheel is provided with an opening, and is irradiated from the electron beam irradiation apparatus. The electron beam is configured to be able to pass to the back side of the cap conveying star wheel.

(4) The electron beam sterilization apparatus of the fourth means is the electron beam sterilization apparatus of the third means , wherein a reflecting plate is provided on the back side of the cap transport star wheel, and the electron beam that has passed to the back side is The reflection plate is configured to be able to irradiate the back surface of the cap.

(5) An electron beam sterilization apparatus of a fifth means is the electron beam sterilization apparatus of any one of the first to fourth means , wherein the cap guide on the side surface side is placed on the cap in the electron beam irradiation range. All of the inner surface and the rear surface of the cap can be irradiated with an electron beam so as to have an unsimilar shape to the transport locus.

(6) An electron beam sterilizer according to a sixth means is the electron beam sterilizer according to any one of the first to fifth means , wherein the cap guide on the outer peripheral side is placed on the cap in the electron beam irradiation range. As a meandering shape with respect to the conveyance locus, all of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the cap can be irradiated with an electron beam.

(7) An electron beam sterilization apparatus of a seventh means is the electron beam sterilization apparatus of any one of the first to sixth means , wherein the cap guide has a tubular configuration in which cooling water circulates in an inner tube. It is characterized by that.

(8) The electron beam sterilizer of the eighth means is the electron beam sterilizer of any one of the first to seventh means. It is characterized in that a circulating cooling water pipe is provided.

  The present invention according to claim 1 is an electron beam sterilization apparatus for sterilizing a cap for sealing a mouth of a container after filling by electron beam irradiation, an electron beam irradiation apparatus for irradiating an electron beam to a predetermined electron beam irradiation range; The cap is fitted in a pocket provided equally around the circumference of the star wheel on the outer periphery of the star wheel, and the cap carrying star wheel is conveyed by rotating it around the horizontal axis. A cap guide that is guided on the side surface and the outer peripheral side of the cap transport star wheel, the lower portion of the cap transport star wheel is set as the electron beam irradiation range, and the cap is configured to be sterilized by the electron beam. In the electron beam irradiation range, it is transported by the pocket of the cap transport star wheel, And rotating by contact friction between the heavy and the outer peripheral side of the cap guide, uniformly over the entire surface of the cap can irradiating an electron beam, has the effect that the cap becomes constant time to undergo electron beam irradiation.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electron beam sterilization apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the pocket is formed by alternately combining a concave surface that is in contact with the cap and a concave portion that is recessed from the concave surface and is not in contact with the cap. As a result, the rotation of the cap is stabilized and the electron beam sterilization of the cap is stably performed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electron beam sterilization apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the pre-filling container can be simultaneously sterilized by receiving the electron beam irradiation from the electron beam irradiation apparatus in the electron beam irradiation range. By having such a configuration, there is an effect that the container and the cap can be simultaneously and efficiently sterilized with an electron beam.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electron beam sterilization apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the cap transport star wheel is provided with an opening, and is irradiated from the electron beam irradiation apparatus. The electron beam passing through the back side of the cap transport star wheel can be irradiated onto the back surface of the cap.

  The present invention according to claim 5 is the electron beam sterilization apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a reflector is provided on the back side of the cap transport star wheel, and the electron beam that has passed to the back side is the reflector. By being configured so that the back surface of the cap can be irradiated by being reflected by the light, there is an effect that the back surface of the cap is sterilized powerfully and effectively.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the electron beam sterilization apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the cap guide on the side surface side is defined as a transport locus of the cap in the electron beam irradiation range. Since the inner surface and the back surface of the cap can all be irradiated with electron beams so as to be non-similar, all the surfaces of the inner surface and the back surface of the cap are uniformly distributed on the electron beam. It has the effect that it can receive irradiation.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the electron beam sterilization apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the cap guide on the outer peripheral side is used as a transport locus of the cap in the electron beam irradiation range. On the other hand, as the meandering shape is such that all of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the cap can be irradiated with electron beams, the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the cap has the effect of being sterilized uniformly.

  The present invention according to claim 8 is the electron beam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cap guide has a tubular configuration in which cooling water circulates in the inner tube. The cap guide that has been irradiated with the electron beam can be prevented from being overheated.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the electron beam sterilization apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the cooling water circulates at a location where the cap carrier star wheel receives the electron beam irradiation. By adopting the configuration in which the water pipe is attached, it is possible to prevent the cap transport star wheel that has been irradiated with the electron beam from being overheated.

It is the figure which was typically shown with the front view of the electron beam sterilizer concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. 1, It is as a principal part enlarged view. In the B section enlarged view of FIG. 1, only the principal part is shown. In the R section enlarged view of FIG. 1, only the main part is shown. FIG. 4D is a magnified view of the main part of FIG. It is a figure explaining the various forms of a reflecting plate. It is a figure equivalent to FIG. 3 of the electron beam sterilizer concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is making it a principal part enlarged view. It is an electron beam sterilizer concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, is a figure equivalent to AA sectional drawing of FIG. 1, and corresponding to FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.
(First Embodiment of the Invention)

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an electron beam sterilization apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an AA cross-sectional view of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part B of FIG. 1, and only the main parts are shown.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the R part of FIG. 1, and only the main part is shown.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating various forms of the reflector.

In the figure, in the electron beam sterilization apparatus 1, the cap C conveyed on the chute 6 from the upstream in the direction of arrow 7 is taken into the cap conveyance star wheel 2 in the sterilization chamber 40, and the cap guide 11 on the outer peripheral side. While being guided by the side-side cap guide 12, the side-side cap guide 13 and the side-side cap guide 14 and conveyed in the direction of the arrow 2a, the electron beam irradiation range R is provided on the wall of the sterilization chamber 40. After being sterilized by being irradiated with an electron beam from the electron beam irradiation device 4, it is mainly configured to be discharged in the direction of the arrow 9 by the discharge star wheel 8 rotating in the direction of the arrow 8a.
The cap conveying star wheel 2 and the discharge star wheel 8 are rotated in synchronization with each other, and cap guides are provided on the outer peripheral side and the side surface side of the discharge star wheel 8, but the illustration is omitted. It is.

The cap conveying star wheel 2 includes a horizontal shaft 21 that is rotationally driven by a driving device (not shown), and a disc 20 that is integrated via a coupling body 22 and is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the disc 20 at equal circumferences. A ring-shaped cooling water having a cooling water passage 25c between the disk 20 and the coupling body 22 is fitted into the pocket 2p so that the cap C is fitted in the direction of the arrow 2a. A pipe 25 is provided, and the cooling water passage 25c includes a pair of cooling water pipes 23 and a pair of cooling water pipes 24 connected to the cooling water passage 21a and the cooling water passage 21b of the horizontal shaft 21, respectively. Cooling water is sent from the cooling water passage 21a to the cooling water passage 25c in the direction of arrow 23a, and cooling water returns from the cooling water passage 25c to the cooling water passage 21b in the direction of arrow 24a. It is configured to be circulated is.
Moreover, the opening 2w of four places is provided in the said cap conveyance star wheel 2, and the one where the opening size of this opening 2w is large is desirable.
In FIG. 1, the pair of cooling water pipes 23 and the pair of cooling water pipes 24 are located in the vicinity of the coupling body 22 and are displayed in an overlapping manner.

In addition, the electron beam sterilizer 1 has a reflector 5 attached to a machine frame (not shown) on the back surface of the cap transport star wheel 2, and the electron beam irradiated from the electron beam irradiation device 4 is The light passes through the opening 2w, is reflected by the reflecting plate 5, and is applied to the back surface of the cap C.
In addition, it is desirable from the viewpoint of the dose of the reflected electron beam that the reflecting plate 5 is disposed so that the L dimension (the distance between the back surface of the cap C and the reflecting plate) is 15 mm or more.
Here, the reflecting plate 5 is structured in parallel with the cap conveying star wheel 2 and in the vertical direction, but as shown in FIG. 6A, the reflecting plate is inclined by an angle α from the vertical direction. 6a, the reflector 5b1 tilted by β in the vertical direction and the reflector 5b2 tilted by γ in the vertical direction may be connected in a polygonal line as shown in FIG. As shown in (c), it may be a concave reflector 5c, which can be selected as appropriate to effectively irradiate the back surface of the cap C with an electron beam.

The cap C is transported with the transport force F applied by the pockets 2p in the electron beam irradiation range R, and is brought into contact with the cap guide 11 so that the weight of the cap C and the cap guide 11 are in contact with each other. Rotate in the direction of Ca shown in the figure by contact friction.
Further, the cap guide 12 and the cap guide 13 are linear portions 12 s and linear portions 13 s in the electron beam irradiation range R, and are not similar to the transport path of the cap C. Through the inside rotation, all of the inner surface and the rear surface of the cap C can be uniformly irradiated with the electron beam irradiation range R.
Here, in FIG. 4, the illustration of the cap guide 14 is omitted for the sake of convenience, but the cap guide 14 has a non-similar shape having straight portions, like the cap guide 12 and the cap guide 13.

The cap guide 11, the cap guide 12, the cap guide 13 and the cap guide 14 are tubular, and cooling water is circulated through the inner pipe by pipe connection (not shown).
Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, the cap guide 11 has a shape that does not meander with respect to the transport path of the cap C by the cap transport star wheel 2 in the electron beam irradiation range R. As shown to (b), it can also be set as the shape 11a meandering with respect to the conveyance locus | trajectory of the cap C by the said cap conveyance star wheel 2. FIG.

Next, the operation of the electron beam sterilizer 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The cap C conveyed on the chute 6 from the upstream in the direction of the arrow 7 is taken into the cap conveyance star wheel 2 in the sterilization chamber 40 and is transferred to the cap guide 11, the cap guide 12, the cap guide 13 and the cap guide 14. When guided and conveyed in the direction of the arrow 2a and reaches the electron beam irradiation range R, the cap C is sterilized by receiving the electron beam irradiation from the electron beam irradiation device 4 while rotating in the direction of the arrow Ca by the conveyance. The
At this time, the electron beam is sterilized by irradiating the inside of the cap C as indicated by the arrow 4a. However, since the opening 2w is provided in the cap conveying star wheel 2, the opening 2w is indicated by the arrow 4b. , And sterilized by irradiating the back surface of the cap C by reflection on the reflecting plate 5, and reaching the reflecting plate 5 as indicated by an arrow 4 c and sterilizing the back surface of the cap C by reflection on the reflecting plate 5. To do.

  Further, since the shapes of the cap guide 12, the cap guide 13 and the cap guide 14 are non-similar to the transport locus of the cap C in the electron beam irradiation range R, the above-mentioned electron is rotated along with the rotation of the cap C in the illustrated Ca direction. The line is irradiated on the entire surface of the cap C, and the electron beam sterilization of the cap C is efficiently performed.

  5A, even when the cap guide 11 has the same shape (non-meandering shape) as the transport path of the cap C in the electron beam irradiation range R, the cap C rotates due to the rotation of the cap C. Electron beam sterilization is also performed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the cap C, but when the shape 11a meanders with respect to the transport path of the cap C as shown in FIG. Thus, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the cap C is more uniformly irradiated with the electron beam, so that the electron beam sterilization is efficiently performed.

  The cap guide 11, the cap guide 12, the cap guide 13 and the cap guide 14 are configured so that cooling water circulates in the inner tube, so that the cap guide 11 is not overheated even when irradiated with an electron beam. Since the disk 20 is provided in contact with the cooling water pipe 25 through which the cooling water passes, the disk 20 is not overheated even when subjected to electron beam irradiation.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the electron beam sterilizer of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated based on FIG.
FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 of the electron beam sterilization apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and is an enlarged view of a main part.
In FIG. 7, the same structure as that of the first embodiment is not shown, and the same symbols are given, and duplicate explanation is omitted.
In the figure, the electron beam sterilizer 1a has a configuration in which a pocket 3p of a disk 30 of a cap transport star wheel 3 has an alternating combination of a concave surface 3p1 in contact with the cap C and a concave portion 3p2 in contact with the cap C that is recessed from the concave surface 3p1. It has become.

Next, the operation of the electron beam sterilizer 1a according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The cap C that comes into contact with the concave surface 3p1 in the pocket portion 3p is conveyed while being given a conveyance force F by the concave surface 3p11 at the rear end in the conveyance direction of the cap C, but due to the contact with the concave surface 3p11, It works in the opposite direction with a small contact friction force. However, since the pocket portion 3p has an alternate combination configuration of the concave surface 3p1 in contact with the cap C and the concave portion 3p2 not in contact with the cap C, it is compared with the case of the continuous concave configuration in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. Then, the contact friction force acting in the reverse direction of the rotation Ca of the cap C is smaller in the case of FIG. 7, and the cap C rotates stably, so that the entire surface of the cap C is stabilized. It has the effect of being sterilized.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 shows an electron beam sterilization apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to the AA cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 and corresponds to FIG.
In FIG. 8, the same structure as that of the first embodiment is denoted by the same symbol, and redundant description is omitted.
In the figure, an electron beam sterilizer 1b has a rotating device 52 that horizontally rotates around a vertical center line 52c by a driving device (not shown), and a gripping device 51 that grips the neck Bn of a container B such as a PET bottle. In the electron beam irradiation range R, the container B to be sterilized is positioned substantially below the cap C to be sterilized, and receives the electron beam irradiation from the electron beam irradiation device 4. Thus, the container B and the cap C are configured to be sterilized with an electron beam at the same time.

Next, the operation of the electron beam sterilizer 1b according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
When the container B in which the neck Bn is gripped by the gripping device 51 is conveyed by the horizontal rotation of the disc 52 and reaches the electron beam irradiation range R, the electron beam irradiation from the electron beam irradiation device 4 is received. The container B and the cap C can be sterilized by receiving electron beam irradiation from the same electron beam irradiation device 4 at the same time.
In the beverage aseptic filling line, both the container B and the cap C need to be sterilized before filling, and as described above, the container B and the cap C receive the electron beam irradiation from the same electron beam irradiation device 4. That can be sterilized at the same time can save the apparatus cost and rationally sterilize the container B and the cap C.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a, 1b Electron beam sterilizer 2, 3 Cap conveyance star wheel 2p, 3p Pocket 2w Opening part 3p1 Concave surface 3p2 (Recessed from the concave surface of a pocket) Concave part 4 Electron beam irradiation apparatus 5, 5a, 5b1, 5b2, 5c Reflectors 11, 12, 13, 14 Cap guide 11a (peripheral cap guide) meandering shape (non-similar)
12s, 13s (side cap guide) straight part (non-similar)
20, 30 Disc 21 Horizontal shafts 21a, 21b, 25c Cooling water passage 22 Connector 23, 24 Cooling water piping 25 Cooling water piping 51 Holding device 52 Disc B Container C Cap R Electron beam irradiation range

Claims (8)

In an electron beam sterilization apparatus that sterilizes a cap that seals the mouth of a container after filling by electron beam irradiation, an electron beam irradiation apparatus that irradiates an electron beam to a predetermined electron beam irradiation range, and the cap is attached to the outer periphery of the star wheel. A cap transport star wheel that is fitted in a pocket provided on the circumference and rotated around the horizontal axis, and the cap transported by the cap transport star wheel is connected to the side surface and the outer periphery of the cap transport star wheel. A cap guide that guides on the side, the lower part of the cap transport star wheel as the electron beam irradiation range, and configured to sterilize the cap with an electron beam ,
2. The electron beam sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pocket has an alternating combination of a concave surface in contact with the cap and a concave portion not in contact with the cap that is recessed from the concave surface . 2. The electron beam sterilization apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the container before filling in the electron beam irradiation range can be sterilized by receiving the electron beam irradiation from the electron beam irradiation apparatus at the same time. apparatus. 3. The electron beam sterilizer according to claim 1 , wherein an opening is provided in the cap transport star wheel so that an electron beam irradiated from the electron beam irradiation device can pass to the back side of the cap transport star wheel. An electron beam sterilizer characterized by the above. 4. The electron beam sterilization apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a reflector is provided on the back side of the cap conveying star wheel, and the electron beam that has passed to the back side is reflected by the reflector and irradiated to the back of the cap. An electron beam sterilizer characterized in that it can be configured. In the electron beam sterilizer which according to claims 1 in any one of the 4, the electron beam irradiation range, and the side surface of the cap guide so that the transport path and the non-similar shape of the cap, the An electron beam sterilization apparatus characterized in that all of the inner surface and back surface of a cap can receive electron beam irradiation. In the electron beam sterilizer which claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, in the electron beam irradiation range, a meander shape the outer peripheral side of the cap guide to the conveyance path of the cap, the cylinder of the cap An electron beam sterilizer characterized in that all of the outer peripheral surface can receive electron beam irradiation. The electron beam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the cap guide has a tubular configuration in which cooling water circulates in an inner tube. The electron beam sterilization apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein a cooling water pipe through which cooling water circulates is attached to a portion of the cap transport star wheel that receives the electron beam irradiation. An electron beam sterilizer characterized by.

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