JPH05146281A - Sterilizer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the sterilizing means to inhibit contamination in a filling chamber for a filler by installing a tunnel structure in the rear part of a container washer at the place for the sending in of containers into the filling chamber and setting irradiation means of germicidal light above a filling mouth of container contents and on the right and left sides of the tunnel structure. CONSTITUTION:In a sterilizer suitable for use in filling contents such as food materials, etc., in containers, a housing 10 having a tunnel structure connected to a filling chamber 100 for a filler is installed in the rear part of a washer for containers 1 at the place for sending in of containers into the filling chamber 100 for the filler 30, a reflective plate 12 is set in the housing 10 having a tunnel structure and irradiation means of germicidal light such as ultraviolet lamp 11 are fixed inside of the reflecting plate 12 in a given range of length over a filling mouth 1a of contents 20 in a container 1 and on the right and left sides of the tunnel structure. The ultraviolet lamp 11 and the reflecting plate 12 are set to be movable upwards and downwards, so the positions of the ultraviolet lamp 11 and the reflective plate 12 are variable to be adjusted to the shape of the container 1, thus inhibiting contamination of the filling chamber 100 caused by pollution of containers and turbulence of outside air.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to cans for contents such as beverages,
The present invention relates to a sterilizing device suitable for use when filling a container such as a bottle or a PET bottle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Containers such as PET bottles are sequentially transferred by a conveyor, and the contents such as beverages are sequentially charged from a filling nozzle of a filler (rotary filling machine) on the transfer line, and the filling port is a seamer. A production line in which a lid is used for sealing is implemented. In this case, the contents and the cap that serves as a lid of the PET bottle are sterilized by heat treatment or the like and supplied to the filler and the seamer.

On the other hand, a container such as a PET bottle is sterilized with a chemical having a sterilizing action, and then washed with warm water, low-concentration salt water or the like by a rinser (container washing device) and supplied to a filler. .. However, in that case, washing with a rinser has a weak sterilizing power for warm water, low-concentration salt water, and the like.
Therefore, mold or the like may be generated inside the rinser, which may cause contamination of the container in the rinser.

That is, although sterilization control of the rinser cleaning nozzle is performed, sterilization control of the nozzle base and the like is insufficient. Therefore, during cleaning, the periphery of the filling port of the container may come into contact with the base of the nozzle, which may contaminate the periphery of the filling port of the container. When the filling port of the container is thus contaminated, the filling port of the container comes into contact with the filler filling nozzle, and the contamination may be expanded.

Further, the filler and the seamer are usually housed in a closed box which constitutes a filling chamber, and the box is so-called aseptically air-purged. However, in that case, when the container is carried into the filling chamber from the above-mentioned rinser, the movement of the container causes the inclusion of outside air,
This can contaminate the filling chamber.

[0006]

The problem to be solved is that when the filling port of the container is contaminated by the rinser, the contamination is spread to the filler filling nozzle or the like, and the container is carried into the filling chamber. At this time, the movement of the container causes the inclusion of outside air, which may contaminate the filling chamber.

[0007]

According to a first means of the present invention, a tunnel structure 10 connected to the filler filling chamber is provided at a stage subsequent to a device for cleaning the container at a container loading portion of the filler filling chamber 100. In the tunnel structure, a sterilizing light irradiation means (ultraviolet lamp 11) is provided at least above the filling port 1a of the contents 20 of the container 1 and at the left and right positions of the tunnel structure over a predetermined length range. It is a sterilizer characterized by being provided.

The second means according to the present invention is characterized in that the sterilizing light irradiating means (ultraviolet lamp 11) is movable (means 13) according to the shape of the container 1. It is a sterilizer described in the means.

[0009]

According to this, since the sterilization is performed at the position of the front stage of the container loading section of the filler filling chamber, even if the filling port of the container is contaminated by the rinser, this contamination is spread to the filler filling nozzle and the like. Can be prevented, and the filling chamber can be prevented from being contaminated by the entrainment of outside air when the container is carried in.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 schematically shows a production line in which a container 1 such as a PET bottle is filled with a content 20 such as a beverage by a filler 30. In this figure, the container 1 cleaned by a rinser (not shown) is sequentially transferred along a transfer line P by a conveyor (not shown) or the like. Then, when the container 1 is transported to a position directly below the filler 30, the content 20 such as a beverage is filled from the filling nozzle 31 while being rotated along the circumferential direction (arrow Q direction) of the filler 30. Further, the container 1 filled with the contents 20 is sequentially transferred again along a transfer line P by a conveyor or the like, and then transferred to a seamer (not shown) at a subsequent stage to attach a cap (not shown) serving as a lid. To be done.

In this production line, the filler 30 and the subsequent seamer (not shown) are housed in a sealed box which constitutes the filling chamber 100, and the box is so-called aseptically air-purged. It has become.
A box-shaped box 10 having a tunnel structure is provided. The box 10 is connected to the filling chamber 100 at a loading portion of the container 1 sequentially transferred from the rinser (not shown) to the filling chamber 100. An ultraviolet lamp 11 serving as a sterilizing light irradiation means is provided inside.

The ultraviolet lamp 11 is provided with a reflecting plate 12 inside a box body 10 having a tunnel structure, as shown in the cross section of FIG. 2, and the contents of the container 1 inside the reflecting plate 12. It is arranged above the filling port 1a of the object 20 and at the left and right positions of the tunnel structure. The ultraviolet lamp 11 and the reflection plate 12 can be moved, for example, up and down by the moving means 13, so that the positions of the ultraviolet lamp 11 and the reflection plate 12 can be moved according to the shape of the container 1.

That is, in this apparatus, the container 1 transferred from the rinser is irradiated with ultraviolet rays (sterilizing light rays) from the ultraviolet lamp 11 provided inside the box body 10, particularly around the filling port of the contents 20. To be done. Therefore, the contamination of the container 1 generated by the rinser is sterilized by the ultraviolet lamp 11 provided inside the box 10, and there is no possibility that the contamination is spread to the filler filling nozzle or the like. Further, by moving the positions of the ultraviolet lamp 11 and the reflection plate 12 according to the shape of the container 1, the cross-sectional area of the space around the container 1 can be reduced, and the entrainment of outside air at the time of carrying in the container can be reduced.

In this way, according to the above-mentioned apparatus, since the sterilization is performed at the position before the container loading section of the filler filling chamber 100, even if the filler 1a of the container 1 is contaminated by the rinser, this contamination causes the filling of the filler It is possible to prevent the nozzle 31 and the like from being expanded, and it is also possible to prevent the filling chamber from being contaminated by the entrainment of outside air when the container is carried in.

If, for example, an ultraviolet lamp 11 having an ultraviolet emission length of 940 m / m is used as the sterilizing light irradiation means and the transfer speed of the container 1 is 220 lines / minute, the container 1
For example, the irradiation time in the case of a bottle with a diameter of 53φ and a body of 86φ is 2.98 seconds, and the irradiation time of a PET bottle with a diameter of 28φ and a body of 94φ is 2.72 seconds. On the other hand, the irradiation ultraviolet ray amount when using five ultraviolet lamps 11 is 28 mw per second on average, and the total amount when this is irradiated for 2.98 seconds is 83 mw / cm ² , the total amount when irradiated for 2.72 seconds. Is 76.2 mw / cm ² .

However, when the lamp replacement time is 30
%, The total irradiation amount at that time is 58 mw / c
m ² or 53 mw / cm ² . Therefore, the box 10 provided with the above-mentioned ultraviolet lamp 11 may be provided in two cascades.

Further, as the sterilizing light irradiation means, not only the ultraviolet lamp 11 but also light emission by a semiconductor laser or laser light may be transmitted by using an optical fiber or the like for irradiation.

Further, in order to prevent the resin from being deformed due to heat generation of the ultraviolet lamp 11, the ultraviolet lamp 11 is turned off when the transfer of the container 1 is stopped or when the container 1 falls. Further, the box 10 is easily opened and closed so that the procedure such as the fall of the container 1 can be easily performed. Further, as a measure for turning the ultraviolet lamp 11 on and off, a small amount of current and voltage can be constantly supplied to the lamp filament to protect it from heat and electric shock applied to the filament during lighting.

Further, in the above embodiment, the filling nozzle 31
A plurality of light irradiating units 41 including a condenser lens and the like are provided below. Light having a wavelength belonging to the infrared region (including the far infrared region) or the ultraviolet region from the infrared or ultraviolet generator 40 is transmitted to the light irradiation unit 41 through the optical fiber F. The transmitted light is transmitted by the light irradiation unit 41.
Is focused on the filling nozzle 31. Also filler 3
The light irradiation section 41 is also provided in the subsequent stage of 0, and the plurality of light irradiation sections 41 fixed to the plate-shaped member 42 irradiate the container 1, particularly the filling port of the content 20, with light.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the filling nozzle 31 and the filling port of the container 1 after filling the contents 20 are sterilized by irradiation with infrared rays or ultraviolet rays, and the contents 20 can be aseptically filled with high reliability. .. This eliminates the need for the conventional retort sterilization treatment (especially cans, bottles, etc.), so that it is possible to save energy and improve workability.

Although the above description has been made mainly on a plastic bottle, the present invention can also be applied to the case where a container such as a can or a bottle is filled with contents.

[0022]

According to the present invention, since the sterilization is carried out at the position before the container carrying-in section of the filler filling chamber, even if the rinser contaminates the filling port of the container, this contamination will not affect the filler filling nozzle or the like. It is possible to prevent the expansion of the container, and it is also possible to prevent the filling chamber from being contaminated by the inclusion of the outside air when the container is carried in.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an example of a sterilization apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the explanation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Containers such as PET bottles 1a Filling port 10 Tunnel structure box 11 Ultraviolet lamp as irradiation means of sterilizing light beam 12 Reflector plate 13 Moving means 20 Contents of beverages 30 Filler 31 Filling nozzle 40 Infrared or ultraviolet ray generator 41 collection Light irradiating part including optical lens 42 Plate-shaped member 100 Filling chamber

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Masafumi Shoji 4-3-15 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Reif Ratto Shinjuku No. 601, Toyoshin Science Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Keikichi Ishigaki 4-chome, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo No. 3-15 Ray-Flat Shinjuku No. 601 Toyoshin Science Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A tunnel structure connected to the filler filling chamber is provided at a stage subsequent to an apparatus for cleaning the container at a container loading portion of the filler filling chamber, and at least the contents of the container are filled in the tunnel structure. A sterilizing device, wherein irradiation means for sterilizing light rays is provided over the mouth and on the left and right positions of the tunnel structure over a range of a predetermined length. 2. The sterilizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sterilizing light irradiation means is movable according to the shape of the container.