JPH0833879A - Method for washing bottle and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To wash bottles with good washing accuracy by inverting the bottle to be washed, inserting a nozzle into the bottle from the mouth of the bottle and rotating the nozzle while radially injecting a washing liquid from the ejection port of the nozzle. CONSTITUTION:The bottle 40 is inverted and its mouth part 40a is clamped by a clamping member 10. The nozzle 12 is inserted into the bottle from the mouth part 40a and the washing liquid is radially injected from the ejection port 13 of the nozzle 12. At this time, the nozzle 12 is provided with a nozzle rotating mechanism and is rotated around its axial center. The relative collision positions of the washing liquid and the inside wall surface of the bottle, then, change momentarily and even if the bottle has an intricate shape, the bottle is washed till all corners without deviated flow of the washing liquid.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bottle cleaning method and apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional bottle cleaning device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 197483. The bottle processing device shown in the figure holds the container (bottle) in an inverted state by a holding device, inserts a nozzle on the mouth side, and sprays the processing liquid (cleaning liquid) into the bottle while holding it. The inside of the bottle is cleaned by swinging one or both of the apparatus and the nozzle so as to change the angle at which the cleaning liquid is discharged from the nozzle into the bottle.

[0003]

However, in the conventional bottle processing apparatus as described above, the structure such as the cam mechanism for rocking the bottle (or nozzle) is complicated and large, and therefore, Not only is the processing device expensive, but according to the test results of the present inventor, during the injection of the cleaning liquid,
There is a problem that a part of the bottle may be hardly washed even though the rocking motion is performed. That is, in the processing apparatus as described above, since the swinging direction is basically limited, a direction (front and rear 2
In the lower part (in one direction), the cleaning liquid is not sufficiently spread, and a part of the inner surface of the bottle is sent to the subsequent process without being cleaned. In particular, in the case of a bottle with an intricate inner surface such as a plastic bottle with a handle, it is difficult to spread the cleaning liquid to every corner of the inner wall surface of the bottle even if it is rocked, and it is not cleaned. Will remain. Also, soft drinks such as juice may lose their taste by heating, so in recent years, there is a tendency to switch from conventional high temperature filling to room temperature filling in a sterile room. When filling such soft drinks at room temperature, bacteria left in the unwashed part of the bottle may grow after sealing, which is a big problem in hygiene, so the cleaning accuracy in the bottle There is a growing demand for even higher levels than before. The present invention aims to solve the above problems.

[0004]

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by ejecting a cleaning liquid radially from a nozzle and rotating the nozzle around the axis of the nozzle. That is, the bottle cleaning method of the present invention, in a state in which the bottle to be cleaned is supported upside down, the nozzle is inserted into the mouth of the bottle, and the cleaning liquid is radially ejected from the ejection port of the nozzle, and the nozzle is centered on the nozzle axis. It is characterized by rotating around. Further, the apparatus for carrying out the above method comprises a gripping member (10) capable of gripping the mouth of a bottle (40) formed to have a predetermined mouth size, and a nozzle (12) having an injection port (13) formed therein. , And is provided with a nozzle rotating mechanism (14) for rotating the nozzle (12) around the nozzle axis. The nozzle rotating mechanism (14) is provided with the nozzle (1
2) The rotating member (16) fixed to the end side opposite to the end on the side where the injection port (13) is formed, and the rotation transmitting member (18) for transmitting the rotational force to the rotated member (16). It is good to have Further, the nozzle (12) has a groove portion (12a) having a V-shaped cross section formed on the nozzle end face side, and a conical wall portion in which the nozzle inner diameter portion (12c) has a smaller diameter toward the groove portion (12a) side. (12b), and is configured such that the injection port (13) is formed into a substantially oval shape by penetrating the bottom portion of the groove portion (13a) at the tip end side of the conical wall portion (12b). I hope you are there. The reference numerals in parentheses indicate the corresponding members of the embodiment.

[0005]

The bottle is washed by being sprayed with a washing liquid radially from the mouth to the inside of the bottle while being supported upside down. At this time, since the nozzle sprays the cleaning liquid while rotating around the axis thereof, the relative collision position between the cleaning liquid and the inner wall surface of the bottle changes momentarily with the rotation of the nozzle. As a result, even if the bottle has a complicated internal shape, the washing liquid does not flow unevenly and spreads to every corner of the inner wall surface of the bottle. It can be washed accurately. When the nozzle rotating mechanism is constituted by the rotated member fixed to the nozzle and the rotation transmitting member transmitting the rotational force to the nozzle rotating mechanism, a part of the conveying force for conveying the bottle can be obtained. Since it can be used to rotate the nozzle, it is not necessary to provide a motor for each nozzle, the nozzle rotation mechanism can be simple in structure, and the device can be inexpensive. Further, when the injection port of the nozzle has a substantially elliptical shape as in claim 4, since the sprayed cleaning liquid is formed in the shape of an elliptic cone tubular liquid film, as the nozzle rotates. Since the relative collision position between the cleaning liquid and the inner wall surface of the bottle changes more rapidly from moment to moment, the cleaning effect can be further enhanced.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. As shown in part by a phantom line in FIG. 1, the bottle 40 is in an inverted state and is detachably held by a holding member 10 shown by a phantom line in the figure with a mouth portion 40a thereof. A large number of gripping members 10 are attached to a carrying section of a carrying mechanism (not shown) at predetermined intervals. In addition,
FIG. 1 shows a state in which the nozzle 12 is inserted into the bottle 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle 12 has a toothed pulley (rotated member) 16 fixed to the end side of the nozzle 12 opposite to the injection port 13 side (lower part in the figure). Also, a rotary joint 20 is attached to the lower portion in the figure. A pipe 22 is attached to the rotary joint 20. The pipe 22 is connected to a chemical liquid pressure device (not shown). The fixed part of the rotary joint 20 is fixed to the above-mentioned not-shown transfer part. The rotary joint 20 rotatably supports the nozzle 12 by the bearing portion of the rotary joint 20, and is capable of supplying the pressurized chemical liquid (cleaning liquid) to the nozzle 12 from the above-described chemical liquid pressurizing device via the pipe 22. There is. The above-described toothed pulley 14 includes a toothed belt (rotation transmitting member) 18
Have been passed over. The toothed belt 18 is fixedly arranged over a range from a cleaning start position to a cleaning end position of the bottle cleaning device, as described later. By moving the nozzle 12 along the transport path via the transport unit and the grip member 10, the nozzle 12 can be moved and the nozzle 12 can be rotated about the nozzle axis. That is, while the toothed pulley 14 remains integral with the nozzle 12 and the gripping member 10 and moves within a range in which the toothed belt 14 is moved while meshing with the toothed belt 18 (from the cleaning start position to the cleaning end position), the nozzle 12 has a transport path. It will be rotated around the nozzle axis while being moved along. As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle 12 is formed on the upper end surface of the nozzle 12 in the figure, and has a groove 12 a having a “V” -shaped cross section orthogonal to the groove direction, and a cylindrical hole-shaped inner wall portion 1.
2c has a conical wall portion 12b that is reduced in diameter from the upper end portion to the upper portion in the drawing and penetrates to the bottom portion of the groove 12a. As a result, the injection port 13 has a substantially elliptical hole shape as shown in FIG. By forming the nozzle 12 in such a shape, it is possible to form the pressurized chemical liquid jetted from the nozzle 12 in the shape of an elliptic cone cylindrical liquid film, as described later.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When a transport mechanism (not shown) is driven, the gripping member 10 is transported to a predetermined mounting position by the transport unit of the transport mechanism, and the bottle 40 waiting at the mounting position is pushed into the gripping unit, thereby holding the bottle 40. It is gripped and further conveyed to a predetermined cleaning start position. At this washing start position, the nozzle 12 is inserted into the bottle 40, and the toothed pulley 16
Starts to mesh with the toothed belt 18. This allows
The nozzle 12 begins to rotate around the nozzle axis while moving along the transport path. At the same time, the pressurized chemical liquid is supplied to the nozzle 12 from the chemical liquid pressure device (not shown) through the pipe 22 and the rotary joint 20, and the pressurized chemical liquid reaching the upper end of the inner wall portion 12c in FIG. Collide with the conical wall portion 12b, pass through the ejection port 13, are ejected to the outside along the slope of the groove 12a, and in the state of the liquid film shape of the oblong cone shape as a whole, on the inner wall portion of the bottle 40. It will collide and wash this. At this time, in the range from the cleaning start position to the cleaning end position, since the nozzle 12 rotates around the nozzle axis while ejecting the pressurized chemical liquid, the bottle 4
Even if the inner wall surface of No. 0 has a complicated intricate shape, the pressurized chemical liquid can be spread to every corner, and therefore no unwashed residue will occur. Nozzle 12
Since the injection port 13 of this has a substantially elliptical shape, the sprayed cleaning liquid is formed in the shape of an elliptic cone cylindrical liquid film, so that the injection port 13 has a circular shape (the cleaning liquid is a conical cylinder). Compared to the one formed in the form of a liquid film), the relative collision position between the cleaning liquid and the inner wall surface of the bottle 12 changes more drastically every moment as the nozzle 12 rotates. The effect can be further enhanced. Further, since the nozzle rotating mechanism 14 is composed of the toothed pulley 16 fixed to the nozzle 12 and the toothed belt 18 that transmits the rotating force to the toothed pulley 16, a part of the conveying force for conveying the bottle 40 is partially transferred to the nozzle 12. It can be used to rotate. Therefore, a motor is provided for each nozzle 12,
There is no need to set the timing of rotation and stop of the motor, the nozzle rotation mechanism 14 need only have a simple structure, and the apparatus can be made inexpensive.

(Test Results) Using a conventional bottle cleaning apparatus configured to rock the bottle 40 by about 45 degrees in the cleaning step, while shaking the 4 liter bottle 40 with a handle, one bottle per bottle Cleaning was performed by supplying 163 cc of a pressurized chemical solution. After the washing, the inner surface of the bottle 40 was inspected. As a result, stains were detected at 7 to 8 places where the pressurized chemical liquid was difficult to spread, such as the inner surface of the handle attachment portion, and bacteria were attached to a part of them. Further, a rectangular bottle 40 having a rectangular cross section of 2 liters without a handle was used, and in the same manner, the pressurized chemical liquid was supplied while being oscillated and washed, but in the inner surface inspection, it gradually contracted from the parallelepiped cylindrical portion. As a result, stains were detected at approximately four corners of the substantially tapered four corners reaching the mouth, and bacteria were attached to some of the stains. On the other hand, by using the apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, while the nozzle 12 moves from the cleaning start position to the cleaning end position of the transport path, the nozzle 12 is rotated three times around the nozzle axis. The mechanism 14 is set, and the same amount of 163 cc per bottle is set between the cleaning start position and the cleaning end position.
Then, the 4 liter bottle 40 with a handle having the same shape and the same condition as above was washed.
After washing, the inner surface of the bottle 40 was inspected, but no stain or adhesion of bacteria was detected. In addition, a 2-liter bottle 4 with the same shape and dirt as the above-mentioned rectangular bottle without handles
0 was washed with the same amount of pressurized chemical liquid supply as above. After washing
The inner surface of the bottle 40 was inspected, but no stain or adhesion of bacteria was detected. From the above results, it can be seen that according to the present invention, the cleaning liquid reaches the bottle sufficiently and is completely cleaned.

In the above description of the embodiment, the nozzle rotating mechanism 14 is replaced by a toothed pulley 16 which is a rotated member.
The toothed belt 18, which is a rotation transmitting member, is used. However, any mechanism capable of rotating the nozzle 12 within a range from the cleaning start position to the cleaning end position may be used. It is also possible to use another nozzle rotating mechanism such as a rack and pinion mechanism including a pinion (rotated member) and an arcuate rack (rotation transmitting member) fixedly arranged at a position capable of meshing with the pinion. Further, in the description of the above-mentioned embodiment, the nozzle 12 is defined by the groove portion (12a) having a V-shaped cross section.
And a conical wall portion (12) that penetrates this to form a substantially oval hole-shaped injection port 13 and has a smaller diameter on the injection port side.
b) and, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the spray port 13 may be configured so as to spread radially over a wide range. For example, it may be formed on the nozzle end face side like a nozzle of a sprayer. It is also possible to use a nozzle having a partially spherical (or partially ellipsoidal) concave surface and a hole penetrating the center of the concave surface. Further, in the description of the above examples, in order to perform normal temperature filling of soft drinks and the like in the sterile room, the bottle was to be washed with the chemical solution in the sterile room, but if the bottle cleaning accuracy is not so required, Pressurized water may be used as the cleaning liquid instead of the pressurized chemical liquid.

[0010]

As described above, according to the present invention, the entire inner surface of a bottle can be cleaned more reliably than before even with a bottle having a complicated inner wall surface shape. Therefore, by carrying out the present invention, it is not necessary to conventionally fill the beverage with a high temperature such as a soft drink, and the room temperature filling in the sterile room becomes possible. As a result, it is possible to fill the bottle with juice, etc. without impairing the taste of it and without worrying about hygiene, and the running cost required for cleaning the bottle and filling soft drinks is lower than before. Complete. Further, along with this, it is not necessary to use a PET bottle made of a material having high heat resistance as in the conventional case, and therefore a PET bottle made of a material that is cheaper than the conventional one can be used. When the nozzle rotation mechanism is composed of a rotated member fixed to the nozzle and a rotation transmission member that transmits a rotation force to the rotation member, a part of the conveyance force for conveying the bottle is used to rotate the nozzle. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a motor for each nozzle or set the rotation and stop timings of the motor, and the nozzle rotation mechanism can have a simple structure and the device can be made inexpensive. can do. Further, in the case where the nozzle injection port is configured to have a substantially oval shape, the injected cleaning liquid is formed into a liquid film in the shape of an elliptical cone, so that the cleaning liquid and the inner wall surface of the bottle are formed as the nozzle rotates. Since the relative collision position of the vehicle changes more and more every moment, the cleaning effect can be further enhanced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial view for explaining a state of bottle cleaning according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a member arrangement around a nozzle.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the shape of an injection port of a nozzle.

FIG. 4 is a view of an injection port of a nozzle viewed from the direction of arrow 4 in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Gripping member 12 Nozzle 12a Groove 12b Conical wall 13 Injection port 14 Nozzle rotating mechanism 16 Toothed pulley (rotated member) 18 Toothed belt (rotation transmission member) 20 Rotary joint 22 Piping 40 Bottle

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A nozzle to be rotated around a nozzle axis while a bottle to be cleaned is supported upside down while a nozzle is inserted into the mouth of the bottle and the cleaning liquid is radially ejected from an injection port of the nozzle. Characteristic bottle cleaning method. 2. A bottle (40) formed to have a predetermined mouth size.
A gripping member (10) capable of gripping the mouth portion of the
3) is formed in the nozzle (12), and the mouth (40a) of the bottle (40) is held in a state in which the bottle (40) to be cleaned is inverted and grasped by the grasping member (10). In the bottle cleaning apparatus for cleaning the inner wall surface of the bottle (40) by inserting the nozzle (12) from the nozzle (12) and radially injecting the cleaning liquid from the injection port (13) of the nozzle (12), A bottle cleaning device, characterized in that a nozzle rotating mechanism (14) for rotating around the nozzle axis is provided. 3. The nozzle rotating mechanism (14) includes a rotated member (16) fixed to an end of the nozzle (12) opposite to the end on the side where the injection port (13) is formed, and the rotated member (16). 3. The bottle cleaning device according to claim 2, further comprising a rotation transmission member (18) for transmitting a rotation force to the bottle. 4. The nozzle (12) has a groove portion (12a) having a V-shaped cross section formed on the nozzle end face side, and a conical shape in which the nozzle inner diameter portion (12c) has a smaller diameter on the groove portion (12a) side. And a wall portion (12b) of the same, and the injection port (13) is formed into a substantially oval shape by penetrating the bottom portion of the groove portion (13a) on the tip side of the conical wall portion (12b). The bottle cleaning device according to claim 2 or 3.