JP7113603B2 - Bottle holder assembly and bottle cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a bottle holder that is conveyed while holding a bottle, and more particularly to a bottle holder that can be applied to a cleaning device that cleans a bottle, and a cleaning device that includes the same.

Bottle cleaning equipment is designed to clean bottles by immersing or spraying them in warm water or chemical solution while continuously transporting the bottles by a carrier equipped with a large number of cylindrical bottle holders (also called bottle cages) that hold the bottles. Wash the bottle (eg, Patent Document 1).
The bottle holder is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with both ends open so that water and liquid medicine can flow inside the holder.
To eject the bottles from the washing machine, typically the carrier chain is driven along the sprocket to rotate the bottles from an upside down position to an upright position so that the bottles drop from the holders.

According to Patent Document 1, due to friction with a guide member that supports the bottom of the bottle during ejection, the bottle is tilted with respect to the holder in a state in which the bottle is slightly pulled out of the holder. At this time, the mouth of the bottle comes into contact with the inner wall of the holder, so the bottle drops while the mouth rubs against the inner wall of the holder. At that time, in order to prevent scale accumulated on the inner wall from adhering to the mouth portion and water droplets adhering to the inner wall from entering the inside of the bottle, in Patent Document 1, on the inner wall of the holder, front and rear in the conveying direction are separated. By setting the interval between the formed ribs to be smaller than the diameter of the mouth of the bottle, the mouth is prevented from contacting the inner wall of the holder.

JP-A-2007-55696

In the process of changing the posture of the conveyed bottle from upside down to upright, the mouth, which was initially facing downward, gradually turns sideways. Then, the bottle goes through a horizontal state, and the mouth faces upward. In the course of such posture change, water may enter the bottle through the mouth portion of the bottle accommodated in the holder due to the vertical positional relationship between the upstream holder and the downstream holder. For example, water adhering to the holder on the upstream side located relatively upward flows from the opening on the mouth side of the holder on the downstream side adjacent downward along the ribs near the opening to the mouth of the bottle. This is the case of dripping. Bottles that contain more than a specified amount of water are inspected and removed from the line.
As described above, the intrusion of water into the bottle due to water dripping from the upper holder to the inside of the lower holder can be prevented by setting the interval between the ribs inside the holder as in Patent Document 1. Even if you avoid contact with your mouth, you cannot prevent it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to prevent water from entering the inside of a bottle that is held and conveyed by a bottle holder.

The present invention is a bottle holder that is conveyed while holding a bottle inside, and includes a peripheral wall that surrounds the side wall of the bottle, and a bottle that is received inside the peripheral wall from the mouth of the bottle and can be taken out from the bottom of the bottle. and an opening located at the tip of the peripheral wall and opened on the opposite side of the bottle taking-out direction at the mouth, and the bottle holder is located at the tip rather than part of the bottle holder in the circumferential direction. The roof is formed integrally with the peripheral wall and is smoothly connected to the peripheral wall to form a smooth roof .
The roof extends on the upstream side in the conveying direction in a direction opposite to the bottle taking-out direction than on the downstream side.

In the bottle holder of the present invention, one or more ribs projecting toward the side wall or mouth of the bottle are formed inside the peripheral wall, and the roof is located upstream of the ribs in the conveying direction at the tip. It is preferably formed over a range including the position of at least one rib.

In the bottle holder of the present invention, it is preferable that the roof is formed along the periphery of the substantially circular opening over substantially half the circumference on the upstream side in the conveying direction.

In the bottle holder of the present invention, it is preferable that a mounting portion is formed on the outer side of the peripheral wall so as to be mounted on the carrier for moving the bottle holder so as to be positioned in the direction around the axis of the bottle holder.

In the bottle holder of the present invention, the roof preferably extends substantially parallel to the axis of the bottle holder.

Further, the present invention is an assembly of the bottle holders described above, wherein the bottle holders are arranged in a line in the conveying direction and have a conveying path including a turning path for changing the posture of the bottle between upside down and upright. Bottles are conveyed, and on the turning path, bottles are arranged with their mouths directed toward the inner circumference of the turning path. A lower end of the tip portion is positioned.

The present invention also provides a cleaning apparatus for cleaning bottles while transporting them, which includes the bottle holder assembly described above, a carrier for moving the bottle holder assembly along the transport path, and the bottles held by the bottle holders. and a cleaning unit that cleans the by using a cleaning liquid.

In the cleaning device of the present invention, the carrier comprises a pair of driven ropes, and a plurality of frames provided on the pair of ropes and respectively fitted with bottle holders, and the turning path comprises the ropes and the ropes are hung. and a turning sprocket that is turned.

The washing apparatus of the present invention comprises a discharge section for discharging the bottles washed by the washing section, the discharge section includes a turning path, and the turning path directs the bottle from an inverted posture to an upright posture. Pivoting preferably removes the bottle from the bottle holder.

According to the present invention, by providing the roof at the tip of the bottle holder, the roof receives the water that has flowed down from the opening on the tip side of the holder, for example, when the bottle is turned from an inverted posture to an upright posture. can be done. Then, water can be prevented from entering the bottle through the mouth portion of the bottle located inside the tip portion of the holder with the roof. Even if ribs are formed inside the tip of the holder, the roof prevents water from running along the ribs and prevents water from entering the mouth of the bottle.

It is a figure which shows typically a part of bottle cleaning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention from the side. FIG. 2 is a view showing an assembly of bottle holders provided in the cleaning device shown in FIG. 1; As in FIG. 1, the up-down direction on the paper surface is the vertical direction. (a) is a top view showing the bottle holder from above (b), and (b) is a side view from the opposite side of the bottle holder shown in FIG. (c) is a partial cross-sectional view of the holder taken along line IIIc-IIIc in (a) (or line IIIc-IIIc in FIG. 4(b)). (a) is a view showing the bottle holder from the direction IVa of FIG. 3(b). (b) is a bottom view showing the bottle holder from below (a). (a) is a diagram showing an assembly of bottle holders according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a diagram showing an assembly of bottle holders according to a comparative example. (a) to (d) are diagrams schematically showing a tip portion of a bottle holder according to a modification of the present invention. In (a) and (d), illustration of ribs inside the holder is omitted.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A bottle cleaning apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 cleans bottles 2 (bottles) using a cleaning liquid such as water or a chemical liquid while continuously conveying the bottles.
Although only a small portion of the bottles 2 are shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning apparatus 1 cleans a large number of bottles 2 arranged in a row in the transport direction of the transport path R while transporting them.

〔Bottle〕
The bottle 2 of this embodiment shall be a glass bottle (bottle) into which beverages, such as beer and juice, are put, for example.
The material of the bottle 2 is not particularly limited, and the bottle 2 may be made of a resin material or a metal material. In order to prevent breakage of the bottles 2 and ensure thorough cleaning, the bottles 2 are individually held inside holders 3 (FIG. 2). Illustration of the holder 3 is omitted in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bottle 2 of this embodiment includes a mouth portion 21, a bottom portion 22, a body portion 23 rising from the bottom portion 22, and a neck portion 24 narrowed from the body portion 23 toward the mouth portion 21. have.
Here, the posture of the bottle 2 with the mouth portion 21 facing upward is referred to as "upright", and the posture of the bottle 2 with the mouth portion 21 facing downward is referred to as "inverted".

The mouth portion 21 has an opening 21A that is circular in plan view. The bottom portion 22 is also formed circular in plan view. After the product liquid is filled into the bottle 2 through the opening 21A, a lid (not shown) is attached to the mouth portion 21 .
The body portion 23 and the neck portion 24 are cylindrically formed around the axis B of the bottle 2 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). The body portion 23 and the neck portion 24 are referred to as the "side wall" (side wall 20) of the bottle 2. As shown in FIG.

The shape of the bottle 2 of this embodiment is merely an example. The shape of the bottle 2 may be different from that of this embodiment. Although the shape is different, the bottle 2 has a basic form with a mouth 21 and a bottom 22 . The holder 3 can hold a plurality of types of bottles 2 with different shapes and sizes as long as it can cover almost the entire bottle 2 without breaking the bottle 2 .

[Structure and action of cleaning device]
The cleaning apparatus 1 includes a holder assembly 300 consisting of a large number of holders 3 (FIG. 2), a carrier 4 (FIG. 1) for moving the assembly 300, and a cleaning unit for cleaning the bottles 2 held by the holders 3, respectively. 5 (FIG. 1), a discharging unit 6 (FIG. 1) for discharging the bottles 2 washed by the washing unit 5, a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of each unit of the washing device 1, the carrier 4 and the washing unit 5. and a chamber 10 (FIG. 1) containing the .

The washing device 1 constitutes a production line for producing beverage products.
In the cleaning device 1, when the holder 3 holds the bottle 2 to be supplied to the supply unit conveyor (not shown) provided in the cleaning device 1, the holder 3 is transported by the carrier 4 along the transport path R set in the cleaning device 1. , while repeatedly changing the posture of the bottle 2 to an upright or inverted state by means of meandering (turning, turning) of the transport path R, the bottle 2 in the holder 3 is immersed in hot water or a chemical solution by the washing unit 5, or washed with a nozzle. Clean by spraying hot water or chemicals from the
After that, the cleaning device 1 rinses the bottle 2 with clean water by the cleaning unit 5, and discharges the bottle 2 and the holder 3 in a state in which they are removed from the cleaning liquid, that is, in a state in which they are not immersed in the cleaning liquid or sprayed with the cleaning liquid. The bottle 2 is taken out from the holder 3 by changing the orientation of the bottle 2 from inverted to upright by the revolving path R1 in the section 6, and the bottle 2 is discharged by the conveyor 61 of the discharge section 6 toward the post-process.

The conveying path R includes a turning path R1 for turning the bottle 2 around a horizontal axis from an inverted position to an upright position when the washed bottle 2 is discharged.
The bottles 2 discharged from the cleaning device 1 are inspected for the amount of water remaining in the bottles 2, etc., and then transported to a filling machine (not shown) that fills the bottles 2 with the beverage.

The carrier 4, cleaning section 5, and discharge section 6 will be briefly described.
[Career]
The carrier 4 (FIG. 1) is provided with a pair of meandering endless chains 41 (ropes), a plurality of sprockets 42 to 47 around which the chains 41 are wound, and the pair of chains 41, and the holders 3 are attached thereto. It comprises a number of frames 48 (FIG. 2) that are connected to each other, and a drive device (not shown) such as a motor that drives some of the sprockets. In addition to the sprockets 42 to 47, the chain 41 may also be wound around sprockets (not shown).
The pair of chains 41 are spaced apart in a direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 1 . Some of the sprockets are driven by the driving device to drive the chain 41 , and the frame 48 ( FIG. 2 ) and the holder 3 ( FIG. 2 ) circulate through the endless path of the chain 41 . The carrier 4 forms a transport path R for transporting the bottles 2 held by the holder 3 from a supply section (not shown) to the discharge section 6 .
The transport path R includes a turning path R1 that changes the orientation of the bottle 2 between an inverted position and an upright position. The turning path R1 includes a chain 41 and a turning sprocket 47 around which the chain 41 is wound. As the chain 41 to which the holder 3 is attached is driven along the turning sprocket 47, the bottle 2 is turned from the inverted posture to the upright posture.

A frame 48 ( FIG. 2 ) spans between the pair of chains 41 . A large number of frames 48 are arranged along the length of the chain 41 .
A hole (not shown) into which the holder 3 is inserted is formed through the frame 48 in the plate thickness direction. In each frame 48, a plurality of holes into which holders 3 are inserted are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG.
The bottle guide 49 supports the bottle 2 and prevents the bottle 2 from dropping out of the holder 3 when the holder 3 assumes a posture in which the loading/unloading port 31 faces downward.

[Washing part]
The cleaning unit 5 (FIG. 1) includes a plurality of cleaning tanks 51 and 52 containing a cleaning liquid, which is hot water or a chemical liquid, and injection devices 53 and 54 having nozzles for injecting the cleaning liquid. The cleaning unit 5 also includes a plurality of cleaning tanks (not shown) on the upstream side of the cleaning tank 51 .
While the bottle 2 supplied to the supply unit (not shown) and held by the holder 3 is conveyed toward the discharge unit 6 by the carrier 4, the bottle 2 is immersed in hot water or heated chemical solution inside each cleaning tank. It is immersed and pulled up. The injection devices 53 and 54 inject the cleaning liquid from below to the bottle 2 in the inverted posture.

[Discharge part]
The discharge unit 6 (FIG. 1) drops the bottle 2 from the holder 3 by changing the orientation of the bottle 2, which has been rinsed and water is blown off by blowing air or the like as necessary, from an upside down position to an upright position. and discharged to the outside of the cleaning apparatus 1 by the discharge conveyor 61 .
The discharge section 6 includes a turning path R<b>1 , a guide member (not shown) that guides the bottle 2 dropping from the holder 3 , and a discharge conveyor 61 .

〔holder〕
Next, the configuration of the holder 3 for holding the bottle 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG.
The holder 3 is configured in a substantially cylindrical form that substantially follows the shape of the bottle 2 , accommodates the bottle 2 inside from an insertion/removal opening 31 located at one end, and cleans the bottle 2 while being conveyed by the carrier 4 . Keep the bottle 2 inside while it is being held.

The shape of the holder 3 is not limited to a cylindrical shape as in this embodiment. Depending on the shape of the bottle 2, or regardless of the shape of the bottle 2, the holder 3 can also be formed, for example, in the shape of a cylinder with a rectangular cross section.

The holder 3 includes a cylindrical peripheral wall 30 that surrounds the side wall 20 of the bottle 2 from the outside, an insertion/removal port 31 positioned at one end of the peripheral wall 30, and an opening positioned at a tip 33 positioned at the other end of the peripheral wall 30. 32.
The main feature of this embodiment is that a front end portion 33 of the holder 3 is provided with a roof 36 (FIGS. 2 to 4) extending forward (opposite to the direction in which the bottle 2 is taken out from the slot 31). Characterized by

In this specification, the side of the tip 33 of the holder 3, that is, the side opposite to the direction in which the bottle 2 is taken out from the slot 31 is defined as "forward", and the side opposite to the direction in which the bottle is taken out is defined as "rear". shall be defined.
The holder 3 of this embodiment is formed from a resin material by injection molding. It is also possible to form the holder 3 from other materials, for example metal materials.

The basic form of the holder 3 will be described below.
(surrounding wall)
As shown in FIG. 2, the peripheral wall 30 extends from a position slightly forward of the mouth portion 21 of the bottle 2 to near the bottom portion 22 of the bottle 2, and covers almost the entire bottle 2, thereby allowing the bottle 2 to stand up against other bottles 2 and the like. protect it from collision and damage. The holder 3 has a volume capable of securely accommodating the bottle 2 to be held and a sufficient length to cover almost the entire bottle 2 .

The peripheral wall 30 has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole, is formed with a predetermined thickness, and is provided with a predetermined axis A (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 2). Since the inner diameter of the peripheral wall 30 is larger than the outer diameter of the bottle 2, there is room for the bottle 2 to move inside the holder 3. In FIG. 2, the bottle 2 is tilted with respect to the axis A of the holder 3 due to its own weight.
Following the shape of the neck portion 24 of the bottle 2 , the diameter of the distal end side of the peripheral wall 30 gradually decreases toward the distal end portion 33 . The diameter of the loading/unloading port 31 is larger than the diameter of the opening 32 located at the tip portion 33 .

(inside the surrounding wall)
Inside the peripheral wall 30, for example, as shown in FIGS. Ribs 301-308 are formed. These ribs 301 to 308 all extend along the axial direction of the holder 3 .

The ribs 301 and 305 , the ribs 302 and 306 , the ribs 303 and 307 , and the ribs 304 and 308 form pairs and are formed in a symmetrical shape with respect to the axis A of the holder 3 .
A pair of ribs (for example, the rib 301 and the rib 305) is arranged at an interval of 180° with respect to the axial center X of the holder 3. As shown in FIG. The ribs 301 - 308 are generally arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall 30 .

When the ribs 301 to 308 are formed on the peripheral wall 30, it is possible to secure a space between the inner peripheral portion of the peripheral wall 30 and the outer peripheral portion of the bottle 2 through which the cleaning liquid flows. Further, the ribs 301 to 308 guide the bottle 2 being put into and taken out of the holder 3 and reduce the friction between the bottle 2 and the peripheral wall 30, and the tops of the ribs 301 to 308 move the bottle 2 from the holder 3. It can be held stably in the center of the plane.
Ribs 302, 307 and ribs 304, 308 protruding from the tip portion 33 to a position close to the axis X support the bottle 2 upside down with the mouth portion 21 facing downward from the tip portion 33 side. The bottle 2 can be fastened inside the .

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 2, the rib 301 and the rib 305 continuously extend forward from the end 30A of the peripheral wall 30 on the side of the inlet/outlet 31 to the tip 33. As shown in FIG.
Rib 302 and rib 306 (FIGS. 3(a) and 4(b)) also extend continuously forward from end 30A of peripheral wall 30 to tip 33. As shown in FIG. Both of these ribs 302, 306 are positioned radially inwardly of the ribs 301, 305 and ribs 303, 307 in the vicinity of the distal end portion 33, like the rib 302 shown in FIG. 3(c). protrudes up to

The ribs 303 and 307 (FIGS. 3(a) and 4(b)) extend forward from a predetermined position in the axial direction of the peripheral wall 30 (for example, a position facing the neck portion 24 (FIG. 2)). It extends to part 33 . Ribs 307 are shown in FIG. 3(c).
The ribs 304 and 308 (FIGS. 3(a) and 4(b)) also extend forward from a predetermined position in the axial direction of the peripheral wall 30 (for example, a position facing the neck portion 24 (FIG. 2)). It extends to part 33 .
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4B, the ribs 304 and 308 protrude to a position close to the axial center X of the holder 3 in the vicinity of the distal end portion 33, similarly to the ribs 302 and 307. As shown in FIG.
In addition, both ribs 304 and 308 extend forward beyond the end face 30E of the tip portion 33 as shown in FIG. 4(a). A front end portion of the rib 308 is formed integrally with the roof 36 at an inner peripheral portion of the roof 36 to be described later.

The arrangement of the ribs 301 to 308 is shifted in the circumferential direction of the holder 3 with respect to the conveying direction D1 (L1 in FIG. 3A) and the direction orthogonal thereto (L2 in FIG. 3A). preferable. Then, of the ribs 301, 302, 305, and 306 extending in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. This stabilizes the posture of the bottle 2 while it is being transported in the transport direction D1, and prevents the outer periphery of the bottle 2 from coming into contact with the inner wall of the holder 3. A gap for circulation can be secured.

(outside of surrounding wall)
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a pair of flanges 34 and 35 and mounting ribs 311 to 316 protrude from the outside of the peripheral wall 30. As shown in FIGS. These flange portions 34 and 35 and mounting ribs 311 to 316 correspond to mounting portions for mounting the holder 3 on the frame 48 (FIG. 2), which is a member of the carrier 4 . As shown in FIG. 2, the frames 48 are arranged in the transport direction D1 in which the bottles 2 are transported, and the holders 3 attached to each frame 48 form a line in the transport direction D1.

The pair of flange portions 34 and 35 protrude radially outward from the peripheral wall 30 at the same position in the axial direction of the holder 3 (position corresponding to the body portion 23 of the bottle 2). The flange portion 34 is formed at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis X on the downstream side in the transport direction D1. The flange portion 35 is formed at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis X on the upstream side in the transport direction D1. The flange portions 34 and 35 are not formed near the short axis indicated by L2 in FIG. 3(a).

The mounting ribs 311 to 313 are formed near the front side of the flange portion 34 on the peripheral wall 30 . The mounting ribs 314 to 316 are formed near the front side of the flange portion 35 on the peripheral wall 30 .
The ribs 311 and 314, the ribs 312 and 315, and the ribs 313 and 316 are formed in symmetrical shapes at positions separated by 180° with respect to the axis X, respectively.

The holder 3 is inserted into a hole (not shown) passing through the frame 48 (FIG. 2) from the tip portion 33 side until the flange portions 34 and 35 contact the frame 48, and the mounting ribs 311 to 316 are engaged with the frame 48 (not shown). The holder 3 is attached to the frame 48 when the joints are engaged. On the turning path R1 shown in FIG. 2, the holder 3 is supported by the frame 48 so that the axis A extends along the radial direction of the turning path R1.

When the holder 3 is attached to the frame 48, rotation of the holder 3 about the axis with respect to the frame 48 is restricted. That is, since the holder 3 is positioned in the direction around the axis, the upstream side and the downstream side of the holder 3 in the transport direction D1 are uniquely determined while the holder 3 is moved by the carrier 4 .

(Inlet/outlet)
A loading/unloading opening 31 ( FIG. 2 ) of the holder 3 receives the bottle 2 from the opening 21 inside the peripheral wall 30 . Also, the stored bottle 2 is taken out from the bottom 22 to the outside of the holder 3 through the loading/unloading port 31 .
As shown in FIG. 3(a), it is preferable that the loading/unloading port 31 is formed in an elliptical shape that is slightly flatter than the circular shape. The holder 3 is arranged such that the long axis L1 of the loading/unloading port 31 is along the direction in which the bottle 2 is transported (the transport direction D1). In FIG. 3A, the long axis is indicated by L1, and the short axis orthogonal to the long axis is indicated by L2.

Since the loading/unloading opening 31 is wide in the conveying direction D1, even if the axis B of the continuously supplied bottles 2 intersects the axis A of the holder 3, each bottle 2 can be placed through the loading/unloading opening 31 of the holder 3. You can definitely accept it inside.
For the same purpose, the downstream side in the transport direction D1 of the end portion 30A of the peripheral wall 30 on the inlet/outlet 31 side is offset toward the tip portion 33 side of the holder 3 in the axial direction. The offset amount is maximum (eMax) at the most downstream location in the transport direction D1 in the end portion 30A.
The end surface of the end portion 30A of the peripheral wall 30 is orthogonal to the axis A (FIG. 2) of the holder 3 on the upstream side that is not offset.

(Opening at tip)
As shown in FIG. 4B, the opening 32 located at the distal end portion 33 is circular in plan view. Washing water flows through the inner space of the tubular holder 3 having the opening 32 and the loading/unloading port 31 .
The opening 32 opens in front of the mouth portion 21 of the bottle 2 held inside the holder 3, as shown in FIG.
A tip portion 33 surrounding this opening 32 is located near the mouth portion 21 , that is, just in front of the mouth portion 21 . From the viewpoint of sufficiently cleaning the mouth portion 21 and its vicinity by immersion in the cleaning liquid or spraying the cleaning liquid, and from the viewpoint of suppressing the length of the holder 3 to suppress the size of the cleaning device 1, the mouth portion 21 is located deep inside the holder 3. It is preferably located as close to the tip 33 as possible, rather than being located at.

(Roof at tip)
The front end portion 33 of the holder 3 is formed with a roof 36 (FIGS. 2 to 4) extending forward. The roof 36 is a portion of the tip portion 33 , that is, the peripheral edge of the opening 32 on the upstream side in the transport direction D<b>1 . The roof 36 extends forward from the downstream end surface 30E of the tip portion 33 on the upstream side in the transport direction D1 of the tip portion 33 . The roof 36 extends forward with such a dimension that adjacent holders 3 do not interfere with each other on the turning path R1 (FIG. 2).
According to FIG. 4B (plan view), the tip portion 33 is divided into a roof 36 and an end face 30E where the roof 36 is not formed.

The roof 36 prevents water adhering to the bottle 2, the holder 3, the frame 48, or the like from dripping and entering the inside of the bottle 2 through the opening 21 when the holder 3 turns along the turning path R1.
FIG. 2 shows part of the turning path R1. On the turning route R1, the bottle 2 is arranged with the mouth portion 21 directed toward the inner peripheral side of the turning route R1.
FIG. 2 shows a horizontal holder 3B that is substantially horizontal at a predetermined position on the turning path R1, an upstream holder 3A that is adjacent to the upstream side of the horizontal holder 3B in the conveying direction D1, and a horizontal holder 3B that is downstream of the horizontal holder 3B in the conveying direction D1. An adjacent downstream holder 3C is shown. Adjacent tip portions 33 of these holders 3A to 3C are close to each other.
The horizontal holder 3B shown in FIG. 2 has been moved slightly past the strictly horizontal position. When the horizontal holder 3B moves below that position, the gravity of the bottle 2 overcomes the frictional force between the horizontal holder 3B and the bottle 2, and the bottle 2 is pulled out from the opening 31 of the holder 3.
The turning path R1 is set to a realistic minimum turning radius that does not interfere with adjacent holders 3 .

As shown in FIG. 2, on the roof 36 of each holder 3, the lower end 33D of the tip portion 33 of the adjacent holder 3 on the upstream side is positioned. For example, the lower end 33D of the tip portion 33 of the upstream holder 3A is positioned on the roof 36 of the horizontal holder 3B. A clearance C may exist between the roof 36 and the lower end 33D of the tip portion 33 on the roof 36, or the lower end 33D may contact the roof 36.

Even if water droplets adhering to the holder 3 or the bottle 2 run down while the holder 3 is passing through the turning path R1, the water droplets are received by the roof 36 of the holder 3 adjacent below the holder 3, and the holder 3 prevent water from entering the inside of the The water received by the roof 36 flows down along the outer periphery of the roof 36 or the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 30 behind the roof 36, as schematically shown by arrows in FIG. Water does not enter inside the holder 3.
On the other hand, in the comparative example shown in FIG. 5B, since there is no roof 36, for example, the inside of the tip 33 of the holder 3A located above enters the tip 33 of the holder 3B one level below. Water may enter the mouth 21 of the bottle 2 .

Suppose that the front end portion 33 is extended forward by the same dimension as the roof 36 over the entire circumference of the front end portion 33, that is, both upstream and downstream in the transport direction D1. By doing so, the position of the end surface 30E of the peripheral wall 30 is moved further forward and away from the opening 21, so that the opening 21 is positioned rearward of the opening 32, that is, at the back of the holder 3. Therefore, it is difficult for water to enter the bottle 2. However, since the tip portion 33 is extended forward on both the upstream side and the downstream side, the radius of the turning path R1 is increased compared to the present embodiment.

In addition, if the front end portion 33 extends forward over the entire circumference, the front end portion 33 of the holder 3 (for example, the upstream holder 3A) located above may be extended forward, as in the comparative example shown in FIG. Since the lower end 33D and the upper end 33U of the tip portion 33 of the holder 3 adjacent to the bottom of the holder 3 are arranged to abut against each other, water flows from the lower end 33D to the upper end 33U, and the inside of the holder 3 below. easy to get into. Water entering the inside of the lower holder 3 from above may enter the opening 21 of the bottle 2 through the inner wall of the holder 3 . From this point of view, it is preferable not to extend forward the downstream side of the leading end portion 33 in the transport direction D1.
That is, it is preferable to form the roof 36 by extending only the upstream side of the leading end portion 33 of the holder 3 in the conveying direction D1 forward as in the present embodiment. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower end 33D of the distal end portion 33 of the holder 3 located relatively above is positioned on the roof 36 of the distal end portion 33 of the holder 3 one level below. Therefore, since water runs along the outer peripheral portion of each holder 3 as described above, it is possible to prevent water from entering inside the holder 3 .

By the way, if the roof 36 were not provided, the water moved from above to the tip 33 of the holder 3 would easily run along the ribs 301 to 308 formed inside the peripheral wall 30 .
If, for example, the rib 308 positioned above the holder 3A shown in FIG. The position of the upper end of the tip portion 33 of the holder 3 when the holders 3A to 3C are arranged vertically as shown in FIG. 2 is indicated by U in FIG. 3(a). U is located on the long axis L1 of the loading/unloading port 31 .
The roof 36 of this embodiment is formed on the tip portion 33 over a range including the position of the rib on the upstream side in the transport direction D1 among the plurality of ribs 301 to 308 .
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4B, the roof 36 is formed over a range 36r including the positions of the ribs 301 to 303 and 308 located upstream in the transport direction D1 on the periphery of the opening 32. ing.
Since water dripping onto the roof 36 from above flows down along the outer periphery of the holder 3, it is possible to avoid the water from flowing through the ribs 301 to 308 located in the range 36r of the roof 36. Dropping of water toward 21 can also be avoided.

A range 36r in which the roof 36 is formed corresponds to a half circumference (half circumference) around the position of U shown in FIG. 4(b).
Here, depending on the shape of the holder 3, the position of the bottle 2 in the holder 3, and the like, the rib that hardly transmits water without the roof 36 may be outside the range 36r of the roof 36. FIG. For example, if there is no roof 36 and the ribs 303 are hardly permeable to water, the roof 36 can be formed in a range of less than 1/2 circumference including the positions of the ribs 301 , 302 , and 308 .
Depending on the number and positions of ribs formed inside the peripheral wall 30, the roof 36 can be formed in the range of 1/3 or 1/4 of the circumference.

When the roof 36 is formed over the range 36r of half the circumference as in the present embodiment, water runs along the ribs 301 to 303, 308 located above the turning path R1 while suppressing the turning radius of the turning path R1. Water can be more sufficiently prevented from entering the bottle 2 through the mouth portion 21 of the bottle 2.例文帳に追加
Even if the roof 36 is formed over a range exceeding 1/2 circumference, further improvement in the effect of preventing water from entering the bottle 2 cannot be simply expected, but as shown in FIG. Forming the roof 36 on a portion of the downstream side in addition to the upstream side in the transport direction D1 is allowed. Since the roof 36 shown in FIG. 6A is not formed on the lower ends 33D of the tip portions 33 of the holders 3 and in the vicinity thereof, interference between the tip portions 33 of the adjacent holders 3 may increase the turning radius. do not have.

Details of the roof 36 of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3(b), the circumferential edge 361 of the roof 36 is preferably chamfered. An end portion 361 of the roof 36 is chamfered in a straight line leaving a portion along the axis A as shown in FIG. 6(b), or chamfered in a curved shape as shown in FIG. You can have it.
Although illustration is omitted, it is permissible for the end portion 361 of the roof 36 to be perpendicular to the front end 36A of the roof 36 .

Moreover, the roof 36 of this embodiment extends parallel to the axis A of the holder 3 as shown in FIG. Here, since the diameter of the peripheral wall 30 behind the roof 36 gradually decreases toward the front, the roof 36 may also gradually decrease in diameter toward the front in the same manner as the peripheral wall 30 (for example, FIG. 6(b)). However, if the roof 36 extends parallel to the axis A as in this embodiment, when water drips from above onto the roof 36 of the holder 3B which is substantially horizontal as shown in FIG. and water flows easily. Therefore, it is possible to keep water away from the front end of the tip portion 33 and reduce the possibility of water entering the bottle 2 .

Furthermore, the roof 36 of this embodiment has a predetermined plate thickness, and both the outer peripheral portion and the inner peripheral portion are formed smoothly. Since the roof 36 is smooth, it is difficult for foreign matter to accumulate on the roof 36 . Here, the foreign matter is assumed to be, for example, label shavings peeled off from the bottle 2 by spraying the washing water.

According to this embodiment, since each holder 3 has the roof 36 at the tip portion 33, the water falling from above flows exclusively through the outer peripheral portion of the holder 3 in a part of the turning path R1. It is possible to prevent water from entering inside.
Therefore, the defect rate in the inspection of the remaining water amount in the bottle 2 is reduced, and the line operating rate can be improved.

In addition to the above, it is possible to select the configurations described in the above embodiments or to change them to other configurations as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.
The roof 36 does not necessarily have to be arc-shaped along the periphery of the opening 32 as in the above embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 6D, the roof 37 may include a flat roof plate 371 and a pair of walls 372 extending downward from both ends of the roof plate 371 in the width direction.
The bottle holder and bottle holder assembly of the present invention can be used by being incorporated in a device other than the bottle cleaning device, thereby preventing liquid from accidentally entering the bottle.

1 Cleaning device (bottle cleaning device)
2 bottle 3 holder (bottle holder)
3A Upstream holder 3B Horizontal holder 3C Downstream holder 4 Carrier 5 Cleaning section 6 Discharge section 10 Chamber 20 Side wall 21 Mouth section 21A Opening 22 Bottom section 23 Body section 24 Neck section 30 Peripheral wall 30A End section 30E End surface 31 Insertion/removal opening 32 Opening 33 Tip section 33D Lower end 33U Upper ends 34, 35 Flange portion (mounting portion)
36 Roof 36A Front end 36r Area 37 Roof 41 Chain 42-46 Sprocket 47 Swivel sprocket 48 Frame 49 Bottle guides 51, 52 Cleaning tanks 53, 54 Injector 61 Discharge conveyor 300 Bottle holder assembly 301-308 Ribs 311-316 Mounting ribs (applied part)
361 End 371 Roof plate 372 Wall A Holder axis B Bottle axis C Clearance D1 Conveying direction R Conveying path R1 Turning path X Axis center

Claims (6)

A collection of bottle holders conveyed while holding bottles inside ,
The bottle holders are conveyed in a conveying path including a turning path for taking out the bottle from the bottle holder by turning the bottle from an inverted posture to an upright posture, forming a row in the conveying direction,
The bottle holder is
a peripheral wall that surrounds the side wall of the bottle; a loading/unloading port that accepts the bottle from the mouth of the bottle inside the peripheral wall and allows the bottle to be taken out from the bottom of the bottle; an opening opened on the side opposite to the bottle taking-out direction in the mouth,
A roof extending in a direction opposite to the direction in which the bottle is taken out is formed at the tip portion of the bottle holder, and the roof is formed integrally with the peripheral wall. smoothly connected from and smoothly formed,
the roof extends parallel to the axis of the bottle holder;
In the turning path, the bottle is arranged with the mouth facing toward the inner circumference of the turning path,
A lower end of the tip portion of the bottle holder adjacent to the upstream side in the conveying direction is positioned on the roof of the bottle holder in a part of the turning path,
A bottle holder assembly characterized by: Inside the peripheral wall,
forming one or more ribs projecting toward the sidewall or mouth of the bottle;
The roof is
formed over a range including the position of at least one of the ribs located on the upstream side in the conveying direction at the tip,
The bottle holder assembly according to claim 1. The roof is
It is formed along the periphery of the substantially circular opening over substantially half the circumference on the upstream side in the conveying direction,
The bottle holder assembly according to claim 1 or 2. Outside the peripheral wall,
A mounting portion is formed on a carrier that moves the bottle holder, and is mounted in a state of being positioned in a direction around the axis of the bottle holder.
A bottle holder assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A cleaning device for cleaning while transporting a bottle,
a bottle holder assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ;
a carrier that moves the bottle holder assembly along the transport path;
a cleaning unit that cleans the bottles held by the bottle holders using a cleaning liquid;
A bottle cleaning device characterized by: The carrier is
a driven pair of ropes;
a plurality of frames provided on the pair of ropes and to which the bottle holders are respectively attached;
with
The turning path is
comprising the rope and a turning sprocket around which the rope is wound,
The bottle washing device according to claim 5 .

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