JPH029679Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical field] The present invention relates to an ultraviolet sterilizer that sterilizes dairy products and other foods such as sausages, kamaboko, and cheese processed from meat or fish by transferring them to an ultraviolet irradiation position. .

[Technical background and problems with conventional technology]

Ultraviolet sterilizers are generally used as devices for sterilizing the various foods mentioned above. This ultraviolet sterilizer is equipped with a transfer conveyor that sequentially sends out foods and the like, and ultraviolet lamps that face the transfer conveyor from both directions above and below.

This type of ultraviolet sterilizer is provided with a cooling device that prevents heating caused by turning on the ultraviolet lamp. In conventional systems, an air cooling system using fins is mainly used as the cooling device.

In addition, ultraviolet sterilizers use ultraviolet lamps whose wavelengths are centered around the 253.7 nm wavelength component, which is effective for sterilization, and is called germicidal radiation. Regarding the temperature characteristics of this type of ultraviolet lamp, the higher the ambient temperature, the faster the time for the ultraviolet lamp to stabilize after being turned on becomes stable. On the other hand, if the temperature becomes too high after the ultraviolet lamp has been turned on and stabilized, the overall intensity of the ultraviolet rays, which are distributed around the germicidal wavelength component, will decrease. As the intensity of ultraviolet light decreases, the sterilizing effect of the 253.7 nm germicidal radiation will decrease.

Considering these temperature characteristics, it is insufficient to simply cool the UV lamp by air cooling as in the conventional cooling device mentioned above, and it is necessary to use a cooling means that constantly maintains the temperature of the ultraviolet lamp based on temperature control. Ideally, the germicidal radiation should be effectively irradiated.

[Purpose of invention]

The present invention was developed based on the above-mentioned technical background, and aims to effectively suppress the heat generated by ultraviolet lamps and to control the temperature of the ultraviolet lamps so that sterilization using germicidal rays can be carried out effectively. The purpose is to provide an ultraviolet sterilization device with

[Structure of the idea]

The present invention is an ultraviolet sterilizer that is equipped with a transfer conveyor that sequentially sends out sterilized products such as food, and ultraviolet lamps facing each other above and below the transfer conveyor, in which a cooling pipe is provided along the ultraviolet lamp. At the same time, a water supply channel for injecting cooling water into the cooling pipe is provided, and a temperature detection member for detecting the temperature near the ultraviolet lamp, and a temperature detection member for detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the ultraviolet lamp, and a water supply channel for injecting cooling water into the cooling pipe. The cooling pipe is characterized by being provided with a control valve that cuts off and on the water supply to the cooling pipe.

By using the temperature detection member and control valve described above, the ambient temperature of the ultraviolet rays is set to be around 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, so that the intensity of the ultraviolet rays does not decrease, and the 253.7 nm
The germicidal rays are effectively irradiated.

[Example of idea]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The drawings all show embodiments of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the transfer conveyor portion of the ultraviolet sterilizer, Fig. 2 is a side view of the ultraviolet sterilizer, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the ultraviolet sterilizer. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the lamp stand.

Reference numeral 1 in the figure is a base, which is installed on the floor by legs 2 provided at the four corners. A frame 3 is fixedly mounted on this base 1.

Six flexible arms 4 are provided on the base 1, and a transfer conveyor 5 is supported on the flexible arms 4. The flexible arm 4 is made of glass fiber or the like, and is installed diagonally rearward as shown in FIG. The transfer conveyor 5 has a supply side on the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a discharge side on the right side. A discharge chute 6 is provided on the discharge side. The central portion of the transfer conveyor 5 is constituted by a rod screen 7. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3, the rod screen 7 has rods arranged at predetermined pitches, oriented horizontally with respect to the direction of transport of the sterilized material.

A bracket 8 is fixed to the lower surface of the transfer conveyor 5, and a drive rod 10 is attached to the bracket 8 via a leaf spring 9. Two driving rods 10 are provided on the lower surface of the transfer conveyor 5, and an unbalanced weight 11 is rotatably supported at the tip of each rod. The unbalanced weight 11 has a weight fixed to one part of a cylinder, and a motor 12 is fixed to the base 1 so that the unbalanced weight 11 is rotationally driven by a belt 13. It's summery. In addition, the drive rod 10 is connected to a connecting link 14.
It is connected to the auxiliary rod 15 via. This auxiliary rod 15 is supported on the base 1 by a coil spring 16. When the unbalanced weight 11 is rotationally driven by the motor 12, the drive rod 10 vibrates and the transfer conveyor 5
is driven. This transfer conveyor 5 is supported by a flexible arm 4, and is
It vibrates in both the direction and the Z direction. The amplitude in the X direction is Y
is larger than the amplitude in the direction, and as a result,
As shown in FIG. 7, the sterilized material M is sequentially fed over the rod screen 7 from the left side to the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Lamp stands 20a and 20b are provided facing each other above and below the rod screen 7.
The upper and lower lamp stands 20a and 20b have exactly the same structure and are used vertically symmetrically. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower lamp stand 20a is placed below the rod screen 7 of the transfer conveyor 5 at a predetermined distance, and is fixed on the base 1 with fixed legs 21. has been done. The transfer conveyor 5 is vibrated and driven by the driving force of the motor 12, but the lamp stand 20a remains fixed during this operation. Further, a hanging shaft 22 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper lamp stand 20b. This hanging shaft 2
2 is supported on the upper part of the frame 3. Frame body 3
A drive shaft 23 is fixedly installed at the top of the
Due to the rotation of this drive shaft 23, the hanging shaft 22
is designed to be driven up and down. Furthermore, a handle 24 for rotating the drive shaft 23 is provided on the upper part of the frame 3. This handle 24
When the lamp base 20b is rotated, the upper lamp base 20b moves up and down, and the facing distance between the rod screen 7 and the lamp base 20b can be adjusted. Also, the third
As shown in the figure, skirts 25 are fixed on both sides of the upper lamp stand 20b.
The gap between 0b and the transfer conveyor 5 is closed by this skirt 25, making it difficult for ultraviolet rays to leak to the outside.

Here, the structure of the lamp stands 20a and 20b will be explained.

The outer frames 30 of the lamp stands 20a, 20b are rectangular and have a concave center. As shown in FIG. 4, the ultraviolet lamp 31 has a U-shaped tube, and the outer frame 3
Two sets are provided on the left and right sides of 0. UV lamp 31
A reflector plate 32 is installed on the back surface of the reflector plate 32, and a copper plate 33 for heat dissipation is further provided on the back surface of the reflector plate 32. A cooling pipe 34 is provided on the back side of the copper plate 33. The cooling pipe 34 has a rectangular cylindrical cross section and is provided in close contact with the copper plate 33.

The cooling pipe 34 is provided with a water supply pipe 35 and a drain pipe 36. Each tube 35 and 36 is adapted to be connected to an external water source and drainage channel via a nozzle 35a and 36a, respectively. Further, a solenoid valve 37 is interposed in the water supply pipe 35.

The cooling pipe 34 is provided in close contact with the back surface of the copper plate 33 and along the shape of the ultraviolet lamp 31. Also,
Since the temperature of the electrode portion 31a of the ultraviolet lamp 31 is highest, it is necessary to cool this portion. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
surrounded by a cold water jacket 34a,
The electrode section 31a can be cooled. In FIG. 5, the electrode portion 31a is directly inserted into the cold water jacket 34a, but for example, the electrode portion 31a is inserted directly into the cold water jacket 34a.
may be held by a cooling metal such as copper, and the cooling water W may be allowed to flow around the cooling metal. In addition, the flow of the cooling water W is shown in FIG.
From the water supply pipe 35 through the solenoid valve 37 to the electrode section 31a
The cold water jacket 34a surrounding the
4a and may be discharged as is from the drain pipe 36. However, since the electrode portion 31a of the ultraviolet lamp 31 reaches a considerably high temperature, the temperature of the water in the cold water jacket 34a for cooling it rises considerably. Therefore, the cooling water path sent to the cold water jacket 34d and the reflecting plate 33
It is desirable to have separate channels for the cooling water sent to the cooling pipes 34 on the back side of the housing. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 explain in detail the path of the cooling water W in this case. That is, the cooling water W that has passed through the electromagnetic valve 37 is branched into separate paths, and a portion of the branched water flow is directly supplied to each cold water jacket 34a for cooling the electrode portion 31a of each ultraviolet lamp 31. Another water flow is supplied to the cooling pipe 34, and is collected and drained in the same water channel.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the lamp stand 20a,
Two thermostats 38 and 39 are provided at 20b. One thermostat 28 is for detecting the surface temperature of the ultraviolet lamp 31, and is controlled to open the solenoid valve 37 when this surface temperature exceeds a set temperature, for example between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius. are doing. Further, the thermostat 39 detects the ambient temperature of the lamp stands 20a, 20b, and is controlled to turn off the ultraviolet lamp 31 when the ambient temperature reaches, for example, 90° C. or higher.

Next, a sterilization operation using the above-mentioned ultraviolet sterilization device will be explained.

Sterilized products M such as meat and fish sausages, fish cakes, cheese, and other foods are fed onto the rod screen 7 of the transfer conveyor 5 from the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. When the motor 12 starts, its power causes the unbalanced weight 1 to
1 is rotated and the transfer conveyor 5 is vibrated via the drive rod 10. When the transfer conveyor 5 vibrates, the sterilized material M sequentially moves forward on the rod screen 7 as shown in FIG. 7, and is discharged from the discharge chute 6 in the direction of arrow B.

While the sterilized material M moves on the rod screen 7, the ultraviolet lamps 31 provided on the upper and lower lamp stands 20a and 20b are turned on to perform sterilization. Of the upper and lower ultraviolet lamps 31, the one installed on the lower lamp stand 20a is fixed, so the distance between the rod screen 7 and the ultraviolet lamp 31 is constant. However, when the size of the sterilized object M changes, the distance between the upper end of the sterilized object M and the upper ultraviolet lamp 31 changes. When the handle 24 provided on the frame body 3 is rotated, the upper lamp stand 20b moves up and down, thereby adjusting the distance between the upper ultraviolet lamp 31 and the sterilized material M to the optimum state. Is possible.

While the sterilized material M moves forward on the rod screen 7, the upper ultraviolet lamp 31 irradiates it with ultraviolet rays, and the lower ultraviolet lamp 31 irradiates it with ultraviolet rays through the gap in the rod screen 7. be done. It is then sterilized mainly by ultraviolet light (sterilizing radiation) with a wavelength of 253.7 nm.

When this type of ultraviolet lamp 31 is energized, the electrode portion 31a is gradually heated, and after several minutes, stable ultraviolet rays are irradiated. However, if the lights are turned on for a longer period of time and the temperature becomes too high, the intensity of the ultraviolet rays, which are distributed around a wavelength of 253.7 nm, will decrease. Generally, the surface temperature of the ultraviolet lamp 31 is 40
It is known that the intensity of ultraviolet rays decreases significantly at temperatures above ~50°C. Therefore, in this ultraviolet sterilizer, the surface temperature of the ultraviolet lamp 31 is approximately 40 to 50℃.
When the temperature becomes higher than the set temperature within the range, the thermostat 38 is activated and the solenoid valve 37 is opened. As a result, the cooling water W is sent from the water supply pipe 35 to the cold water pipe 34 and the cold water jacket 34a, and is drained from the drain pipe 36. The cooling water W supplied to the cold water pipe 34 cools the reflection plate 32 via the copper plate 33, and further indirectly cools the ultraviolet lamp 31. As a result, temperature rise due to heat absorbed by side radiation of ultraviolet rays is prevented. Further, the electrode portion 31 of the ultraviolet lamp 31 is heated by the cooling water W supplied to the cold water jacket 34a.
a is cooled, and the temperature rise in this part is prevented. Then, when the temperature detected by the thermostat 38 falls below the set temperature, the solenoid valve 37 closes and cooling stops. By repeatedly opening and closing the solenoid valve 37, the surface temperature of the ultraviolet lamp 31 increases to 40°C.
A temperature of ~50°C will be maintained. Then,
253.7nm germicidal radiation will be effectively irradiated at all times.

Also, if for some reason the cooling water W cannot keep up with the cooling and the temperature rises abnormally and the ambient temperature reaches 90°C or higher, the thermostat 39
is activated, and power to the ultraviolet lamp 31 is cut off for safety.

Further, since the upper lamp stand 10b can be raised and lowered, it is also possible to clean the rod screen 7 by raising the lamp stand 20b significantly.

[Effect of idea]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be achieved.

(1) The ultraviolet lamp is cooled by cooling water, and the supply of cooling water is interrupted in response to temperature rises, so the temperature of the ultraviolet lamp is controlled to always remain constant. In this way, the temperature of the ultraviolet lamp can always be set to the optimum value, which prevents a decrease in the intensity of ultraviolet light due to temperature rise, and enables efficient irradiation of germicidal radiation with a wavelength of 253.7 nm.

(2) As stated in claim 2, the cooling pipe is brought into close contact with the back surface of the reflector via a heat sink, etc., and the ultraviolet lamp is indirectly cooled through the heat sink and the reflector. This makes it possible to effectively cool down the heat absorbed by the ultraviolet rays by the reflector and effectively suppress the temperature rise.

(3) As stated in claim 3, if the ultraviolet electrode part is cooled with cooling water, the temperature rise of the ultraviolet lamp can be effectively suppressed with a small amount of water. Become.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings all show embodiments of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the transfer conveyor section of the ultraviolet sterilizer; Fig. 2 is a side view of the ultraviolet sterilizer;
Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing the arrangement of the transfer conveyor and the ultraviolet lamp, Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the lamp stand,
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the cooling position of the ultraviolet lamp by cooling water, FIG. 6 is a system diagram of the cooling water, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement of the sterilized material. 1... Base, 5... Transfer conveyor, 7... Rod screen, 10... Drive rod, 11...
Unbalanced weight, 12...Motor, 20
a, 20b... Lamp stand, 24... Lifting handle, 31... Ultraviolet lamp, 31a... Electrode section, 32
... Reflection plate, 33 ... Copper plate for heat radiation, 34 ... Cooling pipe, 34a ... Cold water jacket, 35 ... Water supply pipe, 36 ... Drain pipe, 37 ... Control valve, 38 ...
Temperature detection component.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) In an ultraviolet sterilizer that is equipped with a transfer conveyor that sequentially sends out sterilized products such as food, and ultraviolet lamps facing each other above and below the transfer conveyor, the ultraviolet lamp A cooling pipe is provided along the cooling pipe, and a water supply channel for injecting cooling water into the cooling pipe is provided, and a temperature detection member that detects the temperature near the ultraviolet lamp and a detection signal of this temperature detection member are provided. An ultraviolet sterilizing device characterized by being provided with a control valve that cuts off and on the water supply from the water supply channel to the cooling pipe according to the conditions. (2) The ultraviolet sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the cooling pipe is provided in close contact with the back surface of a reflector located behind the ultraviolet lamp via a heat sink. (3) The ultraviolet sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the cooling pipe is also provided at a position that surrounds the electrode part of the ultraviolet lamp. (4) The temperature detection member has a surface temperature of approximately 40°C.
The ultraviolet sterilizer according to claim 1, which is a thermostat that opens a control valve when the temperature reaches ~50°C or higher. (5) The ultraviolet sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet lamp facing above the transfer conveyor is supported so as to be able to rise and fall freely.