JPH1010020A - Automatic analyzing device for drink can - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically and precisely perform an analysis according to various kinds of cans by arranging a gas analyzing part for analyzing the head space gas of a negative pressure can having a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure and the head space gas of a positive pressure can having the atmospheric pressure or more, a component analyzing part, and the like adjacently to each other, and moving a drink can between these analyzing parts. SOLUTION: An automatic analyzing device 8 for drink can is formed of a head space gas collecting piercing device 24 for a positive pressure can having an internal. pressure of the atmospheric pressure or more, a head space gas collecting piercing device 26 for a negative pressure can having an internal pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, a content sampling device 28 for inspecting the components of a content, or the like. A can held by a can handling robot is weighted by a weighting device 32. The can is then transferred to No.2 or No.3 station for performing head space gas analyses of positive pressure can and negative pressure can, the head space gas of the can is analyzed in each station 25, 27, and the vacuum and oxygen quantity in the head space are measured.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for analyzing contents of canned beverages.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are many inspection items for controlling the quality of cans. Conventionally, cans are manually extracted from a line and canned by hand, and the degree of vacuum in the can, the pressure, the oxygen concentration in the headspace, the liquid content of the cans, Temperature, gas volume, p
H, vitamin C content, Brix degree, amino nitrogen content, acidity, chlor ion, color tone, etc. were measured.

[0003] However, these measurements or analyzes are performed manually, which requires a lot of manpower for inspection, resulting in inefficiencies and high costs, and results in individual differences in the results of measurement and analysis. There is a problem that the speed and accuracy of measurement and analysis do not match the manufacturing speed and quality required for beverage cans.

Therefore, an apparatus has been developed in which the measurement of the amount of oxygen in the head space of the positive pressure can and the amount of dissolved oxygen in the content liquid are automated. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-58244 discloses an automatic beverage canning apparatus. An automatic analyzer for beverage cans in a quality inspection system is described.

The beverage can automatic analyzer described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-58244 is provided with a head space oxygen amount measuring device and a content liquid dissolved oxygen amount measuring device, and further includes the head space oxygen amount measuring device and A handling robot that supplies and discharges cans to and from the content liquid dissolved oxygen measuring device is provided, and is configured to automatically measure the head space oxygen content and the content solution dissolved oxygen content of the can using a gas chromatograph. Further, this apparatus is provided with a can holding table having a structure in which one end slides, and is configured to pierce cans having different can heights at the same height by changing the holding position of the can. In addition, piercing is applied to the periphery of the bottom of the can, and headspace gas is taken out from that portion for measurement and analysis. Further, in this conventional apparatus, the can bottom is turned upright at another position, and the can bottom is placed at the same height so that the piercing position of the can bottom is the same for cans having different can heights. After sliding, a hole is made in the bottom of the can with a piercing knife, and the contents are sampled from the hole by a nozzle.

Therefore, according to the above-mentioned conventional device,
The measurement of the headspace oxygen amount and the dissolved oxygen amount of the canned liquid, which were conventionally performed manually, can be performed completely automatically, and the oxygen amount inside the can can be accurately grasped.

[0007]

However, the beverage canning inspection system described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-58244 described above is particularly inconvenient when the internal pressure of the can is a positive pressure can at atmospheric pressure or higher. The headspace gas can be taken out by drilling without causing bleeding.However, when the negative pressure can is under atmospheric pressure, it is difficult to extract the headspace gas. There was an inconvenience limited to measurement and analysis. Even positive pressure cans cannot be analyzed for positive pressure cans filled with liquid nitrogen because nitrogen cannot be analyzed. There was an inconvenience. And since the measurement item is limited to the oxygen amount, the temperature of the content liquid required to determine the quality of the content liquid,
Gas volume, PH, Vitamin C content, Brix degree, Amino nitrogen content, Acidity, Chlor ion, Color or Vacuum inside can, Measuring pressure and weight of cans must be done manually was there.
Further, even if it is possible to cope with various can heights, when the can diameters are different, the can cannot be stably held on the holding table, and there is a problem that automatic analysis of various cans cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage can automatic analyzer that can automatically and accurately analyze various types of cans. Things.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a beverage can automatic analyzer for automatically analyzing a headspace gas and a content liquid inside a beverage can, and comprises: A first gas analyzer that pierces a negative pressure can below atmospheric pressure and extracts and analyzes gas in the headspace, and a positive pressure can whose internal pressure is higher than atmospheric pressure has its axis inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane. And a second gas analyzer for piercing the bottom edge of the can of the positive pressure can to extract and analyze gas in the headspace, and extracting the contents of the beverage can to analyze a plurality of components. The component analyzers to be performed are arranged adjacent to each other, and a moving mechanism for moving the beverage can is provided between the first gas analyzer, the second gas analyzer, and the component analyzer. And it is characterized in that it is.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a piercing mechanism provided with dimensional judging means for judging the size of the beverage can, and for changing the piercing operation position for the beverage can according to the dimension of the canned beverage determined by the dimensional judging means. It can be provided in at least one of the gas analyzer and the component analyzer.

Therefore, according to this automatic analyzer for beverage cans, the negative pressure can is sent to the first gas analyzer, where it is perforated and the headspace gas is extracted and analyzed,
Further, the positive pressure can is sent to a second gas analyzer, where it is held in an inclined state, and is pierced at the periphery of the bottom of the can to extract and analyze a headspace gas. Further, the contents of these cans are extracted by the component analysis section and analyzed for a plurality of items. Therefore, in the apparatus of the present invention, not only the positive pressure can but also the negative pressure can can be similarly targeted. The nitrogen-filled positive pressure can can also be analyzed for the headspace gas and the content liquid. As a result, according to the present invention, accurate and automatic analysis can be performed regardless of the type of beverage can.

[0012] Further, if a configuration is provided in which a punching mechanism capable of changing the punching operation position is provided, measurement and analysis can be similarly performed not only for cans having different diameters but also for cans having different heights.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 shows an automatic analyzer for canned beverages 8 according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows an overall configuration of this device.
As shown in the figure, it is arranged along the can inspection line conveyor 3.

A handling robot 131 is provided on the front side of the beverage can automatic analyzer 8 (on the inspection line conveyor 3 side) to grip the can 1 on the inspection line conveyor 3 and supply it to the inside of the apparatus. That is, the handling robot 131 corresponds to a moving mechanism that moves the beverage can 1. The handling robot 131 is a self-propelled articulated robot, and is configured such that the base unit reciprocates in a direction parallel to the beverage can automatic analyzer 8, that is, a direction parallel to the transport direction of the inspection line conveyor 3. In addition, a hand unit 12 is provided on the base via a plurality of joints. The hand portion 12 can grip the can 1 either in a gripping mode in which the can 1 is approached from above in the axial direction and is gripped, or in a gripping mode in which the can 1 is approached from the outside in the radial direction of the can body to grasp the can body. It has become. The wrist of the hand unit 12 is configured to be able to rotate 180 ° or more while holding the can 1.

On the inspection line conveyor 3 in front of the handling robot 131, a bar code reader 17 for reading a bar code displayed on the surface of the can 1 and sending a signal to the central control device 7 is provided. The bar code reader 17 is configured to read a bar code attached to the outer surface of the can body, output a signal, and output a detection signal to the central control device 7. The bar code is a symbol indicating data such as the type, shape, or content liquid of the can 1, and by reading the bar code, the centralized control device 7 is configured to perform an operation suitable for the can 1. . Therefore, this barcode reader 17 corresponds to the size determination means of the beverage can 1.

The inspection line conveyor 3 in front of the handling robot 131 is provided with a stopper 18 that opens and closes at a predetermined time and a predetermined number of cans. The stopper 18 is moved forward and backward by an air cylinder 19 to selectively stop the can 1 on the inspection line conveyor 3.
Further, a sensor 20 such as a proximity switch that outputs a signal in response to the can 1 is provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the stopper 18 in the transport direction.

The beverage can automatic analyzer 8 has a weight measuring device 32 for measuring the weight and a control device 22 for controlling the operation in the automatic beverage can analyzer 8. NO. 1 station 23 and a piercing device 24 for collecting a head space gas in a positive pressure can for analyzing the head space gas in a positive pressure can whose internal pressure is higher than atmospheric pressure. N equipped with a 2 station 25 and a piercing device 26 for collecting the headspace gas of the negative pressure can for measuring and analyzing the headspace gas of the negative pressure can whose internal pressure is lower than the atmospheric pressure.
O. No. 3 station 27 and a contents liquid sampling device 28 for inspecting the contents of the contents liquid. 4
There are provided four stations including a station 29. Further, a device for analyzing the collected headspace gas and the content liquid is provided inside the beverage can automatic analyzer 8.

Although not shown, the apparatus for analyzing the contents of liquid contains a pump-based suction / discharge path, a mechanism for supplying an appropriate analysis reagent, and a mechanism for electrochemically picking up data. It is configured as a subject.

NO. The first station 23 is provided at the right end in FIG. 1 inside the beverage can automatic analyzer 8. 1 to
NO. Controller 2 for controlling the operation of all four stations
2 are provided. The overall system control of the beverage can automatic analyzer 8 and the calculation of the headspace oxygen content are performed by the controller 7. In addition, beverage can automatic analyzer 8
In front of the control device 22 on the upper table 31 of
A weight measuring device 32 is provided. The weight measuring device 32 is provided with a mounting table having a concave shape in order to maintain the stability of the can 1. The weight of the can 1 placed here is measured by a load cell (not shown) or the like, and a signal is output. It is supposed to.

NO. No. 1 located adjacent to one station The second station 25 includes a can holder 33 for holding the can 1, a cleaning tank 34 for cleaning a portion of the can 1 that comes into contact with the liquid content, and a head space for the positive pressure can for analyzing gas. A piercing device 24 for a gas measuring device is provided. That is, this N
O. The second station 25 corresponds to a second gas analyzer that performs gas analysis of the positive pressure can.

As an example, the can holding table 33 holds the can 1 at an inclination angle of about 50 ° with the bottom of the can facing upward.
A V-shaped groove 35 is formed, and the groove 35 is set at an inclination angle of about 50 ° with respect to a horizontal plane to hold the can 1 at the can body portion. An end plate 37 which is vertically attached to the end of the plate 36 and comes into contact with the entire periphery of the lid portion of the can 1 to contact the can lid portion. The end plate 37 has a 90 ° V-shape in side view. Is formed. That is, in the case of the positive pressure can, when the can 1 is set up vertically, the can bottom has a concave shape (dome shape) which is gently curved toward the center of the can 1, so that the liquid is formed at the center of the can bottom. When the headspace gas is collected at the center of the can 1, the headspace gas is collected together with the headspace gas when the headspace gas is collected. The headspace gas is collected by collecting the headspace gas at the can bottom edge 38 and piercing the can bottom periphery 38 so as to collect the headspace gas so as not to collect the contents liquid together with the gas. (See FIG. 2).

The inclination angle of the inclination holding plate 36 may be set to an angle at which the headspace gas can be collected most effectively based on a result of performing a sampling test of the headspace gas in advance by inclining various cans.

Further, a groove 39 is formed in the inclined holding plate 36 in order to avoid interference with the gripping claws of the handling robot 131. Further, since the position where the handling robot 131 grips the can 1 differs depending on the can height, the groove 39 is adjusted according to the handling position of the can 1.
Are formed.

The washing tank 34 is a cylindrical container.
For example, a cleaning liquid such as ion-exchanged water, that is, pure water, is stored, and a portion that is in contact with the content liquid at the time of sampling is inserted thereinto for cleaning. In addition, every time the washing, the content liquid of the can 1 is mixed into the washing liquid.
The cleaning liquid is replaced every time an inspection is performed. In addition,
An air nozzle (not shown) is provided at the upper end of the cleaning tank 34 to blow off and remove the cleaning liquid from a member to be cleaned such as a needle portion described later.

Positive pressure head space gas sampling piercing device 2 for positive pressure head space gas analysis
Reference numeral 4 denotes an installation table 40 provided on the upper table 31 and provided above two linear guides provided in parallel on the installation table 40. The installation table 40 is provided above the can holding table 33 and the washing tank 3 is provided.
4 can be reciprocated. The piercing device 24 includes a headspace analyzer 52 for analyzing a headspace gas provided inside a rectangular cabinet 42, and a piercing mechanism 43 attached to a front surface of the cabinet 42.

Here, the piercing mechanism 43 will be described. This piercing mechanism 43 is for collecting headspace gas from the can 1 installed obliquely on the can holding table 33 and is directed vertically. A piercing head 44 for sucking gas in the head space is provided at the lower end of the lifting mechanism 45 arranged in
The piercing head 44 is configured to be moved up and down with respect to the can 1 by an elevating mechanism 45.

In the lifting mechanism 45, guide posts 47 serving as guides are arranged on the left and right sides of one air cylinder 46 in parallel with the air cylinder 46, and a guide sleeve 48 is slid on the guide post 47. It is configured to fit freely.

The electric wires and cables connected to the piercing head 44 are gathered by a caterpillar or a similar chain member 50 and held in a freely bendable manner. In addition, the piercing device 24 is connected to the canned 1
And a servo mechanism (not shown) for moving to a sampling position in accordance with the type.

On the other hand, inside the piercing head 44,
A predetermined area around the needle portion 114 between the hollow needle portion 114 which enters and exits toward the can bottom peripheral portion 38 of the can 1 and the piercing head 44 between the can bottom peripheral portion 38 and the piercing head 44 is sealed. And a seal portion 115 to be held.

Further, in order to send the head space gas into the head space analyzer 52 through the hollow portion of the needle portion 114, the hollow portion of the needle portion 114 communicates with each device of the head space analyzer 52, A pipe 51 serving as a gas flow path is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the head space analyzer 52 is mainly composed of a gas chromatograph 55, and a moisture removing device 56 and a moisture detecting device 57 are provided on the intake passage side of the gas chromatograph 55. Are connected in series. Further, a gas cylinder 58 filled with He gas for purging is connected to the discharge passage side of the gas chromatograph 55. And the needle part 1
14 is connected to the gas cylinder 58 via a control valve 591 and a control valve 592, while being connected to the inflow side of the moisture detecting device 57 via a control valve 591 and another control valve 593. A syringe 54 capable of changing the internal volume is provided with each control valve 59.
The needle portion 114, the gas cylinder 58, and the moisture detecting device 57 are connected via 1, 592, 593, respectively. The needle portion 114 is connected to the pressure measuring device 53 and the pressure reducing valve 60, respectively, and a filter 116 is interposed on the distal end side of the connection point between the pressure measuring device 53 and the pressure reducing valve 60. Then, the needle portion 114 pierces the can 1 on the can holding table 33 to sample the headspace gas.

The calculation of the amount of oxygen and the amount of carbon dioxide based on the analysis result by the gas chromatograph 55, and the calibration or cleaning prior thereto are automatically performed by the sequence control by the control device 22.

NO. 3 station 27, the NO.
2 is provided adjacent to the station 25 and canned 1
Holding table 62 on upper table 31 for holding
A washing tank 63 for washing a portion that comes into contact with the content liquid;
A piercing device 26 for the analysis of negative pressure headspace gases. That is, this NO. The three stations 27 correspond to a first gas analyzer that performs gas analysis of the negative pressure can.

The can holder 62 fixes the can 1 in an upright state with the can lid (preferably the can bottom lid, that is, the lid not on the easy open end) facing upward. It is a concave base that is concave in a circular shape according to the shape. The piercing device 26 has the NO. A rectangular cabinet 66 similar to the cabinet 42 in the second station 25 is provided with a piercing mechanism 67 of a head space analyzer 68. And
The cabinet 66 is provided with the piercing device 24 described above.
Similarly to the above, it is mounted on a linear guide 65 provided on the installation table 40, and can be reciprocated between above the can holding table 62 and above the cleaning tank 63 by a motor provided therein. I have.

The head space analyzer 68 includes:
Piercing is performed at the center of the bottom lid of the negative pressure can held by the can holding table 62 to sample gas in the head space of the negative pressure can, and piercing for sucking gas in the head space is performed. The piercing head 69 of the mechanism 67 is moved up and down by the elevating mechanism 70.
Are provided so as to be able to move up and down.

Further, inside the piercing head 69 of the piercing mechanism 67, a hollow needle portion 112 pierced into the can 1 and the needle portion between the center portion of the bottom lid of the can 1 and the piercing head 69 are provided. A seal portion 113 for keeping a predetermined area around the periphery 112 in an airtight state is provided (see FIG. 3), and the needle portion 112 is provided at the center of the bottom lid of the negative pressure can on the can holding table 62. Piercing,
The headspace gas is sucked.

The needle portion 11 of the piercing head 69
2 is provided with a pipe 71 for connecting the hollow portion 2 with each device inside the headspace analyzer 68.
The headspace gas is supplied / discharged via the control unit 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the head space analyzer 68 is mainly composed of a gas chromatograph 75. On the suction side of the gas chromatograph 75, a moisture removing device 73 and a moisture detecting device 74 are provided. Each is connected in series. In addition, gas chromatograph 7
5 is connected to a gas cylinder 76 filled with He gas as a standard gas. And the needle portion 11
2 is connected to the gas cylinder 76 via the control valve 201 and the control valve 202 while the control valve 20
1 and other control valves 203 through the moisture detector 7
4 is connected to the inflow side. Then, the syringe 78 whose inner volume can be changed is provided with each of the control valves 201 and 20.
Needle 112 and gas cylinder 76
And connected to the moisture detecting device 74.
The needle 112 is connected to a pressure measuring device 77, and a filter 72 is interposed on the distal end side of the connection point of the pressure measuring device 77. Then, the needle 112 is inserted into the can 1 on the can holding table 62 to sample the head space gas.

The calculation of the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide based on the results of analysis by the gas chromatograph 75, and the calibration or cleaning prior thereto are automatically performed by sequence control by the controller 22. Further, the cleaning tank 63 stores the NO. As in the case of the two-station 25, it is a cylindrical container, and as the cleaning liquid, for example, ion-exchanged water, that is, pure water is used.

The last NO. The 4 station 29 is provided with a can holding table 79 for holding the can 1, two washing tanks 951 and 952 for washing a portion in contact with the content liquid, and a content liquid sampling device 28 of the automatic content liquid analyzer. Have been. That is, this NO. The four stations 29 correspond to a component analyzer for analyzing the content liquid.

The content liquid sampling device 28 is provided in the rectangular cabinet 8 as in the other stations.
2 is provided with a sampling mechanism 84 and a punching mechanism 81 for making a hole for sucking the content liquid in the can 1 on the front surface of the can 2, and is provided above the two linear guides 86 on the installation table 40. ing. Further, a motor is provided inside the content liquid sampling device 28, and is reciprocally movable between and above the can holding table 79 and the washing tanks 591 and 592.

The sampling mechanism 84 has a content liquid sampling nozzle 88 that is moved up and down by a rodless cylinder 87 attached to the front of the cabinet 82. The content liquid sampling nozzle 88 is formed to be somewhat longer than the length of the can 1 for sampling the content liquid.

The content liquid sampling nozzle 88
One end of is connected to a pipe for transporting the content liquid sucked from the nozzle to a liquid sample analyzer (not shown) in the content liquid analyzer of the automatic content liquid analyzer. The analysis of the content liquid, that is, the analysis of pH, acidity, sugar content, specific gravity, color tone, vitamin C content, amino nitrogen content, chlor ion, etc., is performed. In particular, the liquid sample analyzer can analyze canned food 1 The measurement items can be freely changed by changing the items.

The piping is provided with a content liquid pretreatment device (not shown) for removing solid matter such as fibrous substances and carbon dioxide in the content liquid, and a content liquid sampling nozzle 88. A content liquid quantitative liquid sending device (not shown) for transporting the content liquid of the can 1 necessary for the collected analysis to the liquid sample analyzer is connected.

A thermometer (not shown) is set in the content liquid sampling nozzle 88 so that the temperature of the content liquid can be measured. The electric cables and wires connected to the content liquid sampling device 28 are gathered by a caterpillar or a similar chain member 89 and held in a curved state.

On the front surface of the cabinet 82, a punching mechanism 81 is provided adjacent to the sampling mechanism 84. The punching mechanism 81 is for punching a hole for inserting the content liquid sampling nozzle 88, and a punching section 91 for directly punching the can 1
Is configured to be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism 90.

That is, the elevating mechanism 90 is constituted by an air cylinder 93 sandwiched between two guide posts 92 and a guide sleeve 94 slidably fitted on the guide posts 92. At the ends of the two guide posts 92 and the air cylinder 93, a punching portion 91 is provided.
That is, a punching plate provided with a punching portion 91 for punching a can 1 and punching a hole at the center of the can bottom lid or the can bottom is attached, and the punching portion 91 can be vertically driven with respect to the upper table 31 by an air cylinder 93. It has become. The vertical movement stroke of the punching section 91 is adapted for each target can.

The two cleaning tanks 951 and 952 are disposed immediately below the punching mechanism 81 and the sampling mechanism 84 which are waiting at the non-operation position. The content liquid sampling nozzle 88 is inserted into the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tanks 951 and 952 to be cleaned. In addition, since the washing liquid is also replaced with a new one each time a measurement test is performed, even if different types of canned foods 1 are continuously inspected, they are not mixed with the contents liquid of another kind, so that they can be accurately measured. The inside of the can 1 can be inspected. The cleaning tank 952 for cleaning the content liquid sampling nozzle 88 includes:
A large cleaning tank is used as compared with other cleaning tanks so that the content liquid sampling nozzle 88 is completely repaired and sufficiently cleaned. In addition, air nozzles (not shown) for injecting air to remove the cleaning liquid from the sampling nozzle 88 and the punching unit 91 are provided at the upper ends of the cleaning tanks 951 and 952.

Further, a can holding table 79 is provided on the upper table 31 in front of the cabinet 82. This canned holding table 79 is used as the base plate 9
6, rodless cylinder 97, linear guide 98,
A flat table 96
A rodless cylinder 97 and a linear guide 98 are provided in parallel, and a slide table 99 is provided above the linear guide 98 so as to be movable in the length direction of the linear guide 98. It is connected to the less cylinder 97.
That is, along with the operation of the rodless cylinder 97,
The slide table 99 is configured to move along the linear guide 98. Further, the various analyzers / measuring devices at each station automatically perform calibration respectively.

Then, in the vicinity of the automatic analyzer 8 for beverage cans, a waste can box 111 for putting the canned food 1 having been inspected.
After the content liquid inspection is completed, the handling robot 131 discards the can.

Here, the correspondence with the configuration described in claim 2 will be briefly described. Piercing mechanisms 43 and 67 of stations 2 and 3 and NO.
The punching mechanism 81 of the four stations 29 corresponds to a punching mechanism.

Next, an automatic analyzer 8 for canned beverages of this embodiment.
The operation of will be described. Can 1 transported by inspection line conveyor 3 and stopped at a predetermined position
Is gripped by the handling robot 131 from above, that is, from the axial direction. Then, the handling robot 131 moves the grasped can 1 to the barcode reader 17 provided on the inspection line conveyor 3, and rotates the can 1 with the outer peripheral surface of the can body facing the barcode reader 17. Then, the bar code displayed on the can 1 is read. The output signal is input to the central control unit 7, and the type and diameter of the can 1 are determined based on the output signal. Thereafter, the handling robot 131 returns the can 1 to the inspection line conveyor 3 and
The can 1 is approached again from the outer diameter direction of the can 1 and the can 1 is gripped.

Then, an instruction signal is output to the handling robot 131 so that the cans 1 are transferred in the order of the inspection and measurement set in advance according to the type and shape of the cans 1. It moves to each station and the required measurement items are automatically measured.

That is, the canning handling robot 13
First, the can 1 gripped by No. 1 is the first product of NO. Weight measuring device 32 of one station 23
Is set to Then, the load cell provided in the weight measuring device 32 senses the weight of the can 1 as distortion and converts it into an electric signal to measure the weight. The measurement of the weight is for the detection of the capacity of the head space and the measurement of the filling amount of the canned beverage, and the control device 22 calculates the filling amount using the previously stored weight of the empty can, and The head space capacity is calculated using the specific gravity of the liquid.

After measuring the weight, the handling robot 13
No. 1 grasps the can 1 again and analyzes the headspace gas in the positive pressure can. No. 2 for analyzing the headspace gas of the can holding table 33 of the second station 25 or the negative pressure can. The can 1 is transferred to one of the can holding tables 62 at three stations. At this time, the canned 1
Is determined and an instruction for operation is issued to the handling robot 131, and accordingly, the canned product 1 is transferred to one of the stations. And canned 1 at each station
The headspace gas is analyzed to measure the degree of vacuum and the amount of oxygen in the headspace.

NO. The operation in the stations 2 and 3 will be specifically described for each station. In the second station 25, first, the canning 1 is set on the can holding table 33 by the handling robot 131. In this case, since the groove 39 for the handling robot 131 is formed in the can holding table 33, the handling robot 13
The can 1 can be gently set on the can holder 33 without the gripping claw 1 being caught on the can holder 33.

The can 1 placed on the can holding table 33
Are the inclined holding base 36 and the end plate 3 that constitute the canned holding base 33.
7 with the bottom of canned 1 up and about 50
° canned, so canned 1
The headspace gas inside is collected on the can bottom peripheral portion 38 of the can 1 which is the uppermost portion while being mounted on the can holding table 33.

When the can 1 is placed on the can holding table 33, the piercing device 24 of the positive pressure can head space gas measuring device on the linear guide of the setting table 40 moves forward along the linear guide and holds the can. The piercing mechanism 43 of the headspace analyzer 52 is provided on the
Is set at the piercing position of the peripheral edge portion 38 of the can 1.

When the piercing head 44 descends toward the can 1 by operating the elevating mechanism 45 and the piercing head 44 comes into contact with the can bottom peripheral portion 38 of the can 1, the sealing portion provided in the piercing head 44 is provided. 115 comes into close contact with the can bottom peripheral portion 38 of the can 1. In this state, the hollow needle portion 114 passes through the inside of the seal portion 115 and pierces the can bottom peripheral portion 38 of the can 1.

In the head space analyzer 52, all valves attached to the pipe 51 in the analyzer 52 are closed before piercing, and the syringe 54 is moved to the position S2 in FIG.
A control valve 591 for controlling the gas flow in the pipe 51, and a control valve 591 for controlling the gas flow in the pipe 51.
The He gas is released into the pipe 51 by the gas cylinder 58 and the inside of the analyzer 52 is purged.
That is, the entirety including the pipe 51 is filled with the He gas.

When the He gas is filled, the control valve 591
Is closed, and the He gas flows into the syringe 54 with the syringe 54 positioned at S1. Thereafter, the control valve 592 is closed. In this state, when the head space analyzer 52 is operated as described above and the needle portion 114 is pierced into the can bottom peripheral portion 38 of the can 1, the head space gas passes through the hollow portion of the needle portion 114, and the head space analyzer 52.

The filter 116 removes inconvenient substances such as a liquid contained in the head space gas for analysis. At the same time, the pressure (Phs) of the head space in the can 1 is measured by the pressure measuring device 53.
Next, the control valve 591 is opened, and the pressure (Ps) is measured again in this state. In this case, since the gas sealed in the head space is diffused into a large area including the syringe 54, the pressure appearing on the pressure measuring device 53 depends on the head space gas between the syringe 54 and the can 1 and the piping connecting the space therebetween. It becomes the total equilibrium pressure of the medium pressure.

Since the analysis accuracy of the gas chromatograph 55 for performing gas analysis decreases when the pressure is high, if the pressure (Ps) of the system including the syringe 54 is 1 kg / cm ² or more, the pressure reducing valve 60 is opened. And set the gas pressure (Ps) to 1
After reducing the pressure to less than kg / cm ² , the pressure reducing valve 60 is closed.

Then, the control valve 593 is opened, and the head space gas is analyzed by the gas chromatograph 55, that is, the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide (gas volume) in the head space are measured. In this case, the headspace gas entering the gas chromatograph 55 usually contains a large amount of moisture. However, when the temperature is 40 ° C. or less and the moisture content is not more than saturated steam, the moisture removing device 56 detects the gas chromatograph 55. Moisture content 0.1% without any hindrance
Remove moisture until: Further, when the content liquid is sucked, the content removal liquid cannot be dehumidified by the moisture removal device 56. Therefore, the content liquid is detected by the moisture detection device 57. When the content liquid is detected, or when saturated water vapor of 40 degrees or more is detected. Is detected, the piping is closed so that the content liquid does not enter the gas chromatograph 55.

After the headspace gas analysis is completed,
Close the control valve 591 and the control valve 593 to close the needle 1
14 and the measurement is completed.

Next, the case of a negative pressure can will be described.
The negative pressure can 1 is set to NO.
It is placed on a can holder 62 at the three stations 27. The can 1 is set with the bottom of the can (the lid on the side other than the easy open end) facing upward due to the arm, the wrist, or the like of the handling robot 131.

When the can 1 is supplied to the can holding table 62,
NO. The piercing device 26 of the negative pressure can headspace gas measuring device installed on the linear guide 65 of the third station 27 is advanced along the linear guide 65 by the motor provided inside the cabinet 66, and is moved to the center of the can bottom lid. Piercing predetermined position, ie piercing head 6
9 moves to a position just above the can 1.

In the head space analyzer 68, when the can 1 is set on the can holding table 62, all the control valves are closed. Next, the control valve 201 for controlling the flow of the fluid in the pipe 71 and the inflow of the headspace gas is opened, and the syringe 78 is moved to S2 in FIG.
Position. That is, the capacity Vs of the syringe 78 is set to zero. Then, the control valve 202 for controlling the flow of the fluid in the pipe 71 is opened, and He gas is supplied from the cylinder 76 to the pipe 7.
1 and the whole including the pipe 71 is purged with He gas. Further, the control valve 201 is closed, the syringe 78 is set to the position S1, and He gas is caused to flow into the syringe 78, and then the control valve 202 is closed.

When the piercing device 26 stops at the piercing position of the can 1, the piercing mechanism 67 of the head space analyzer 68 operates, and the negative pressure can piercing head 69 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 70, and the piercing head 69. The seal portion 113 provided for the can 1 is in close contact with the can 1. Then, the needle 112 penetrates the center of the can bottom lid through the seal 113. In this case, since the airtight state is sufficiently maintained by the seal portion 113,
External air is prevented from entering.

When the needle portion 112 is inserted into the can 1,
First, the filter 72 filters droplets and the like in the headspace gas, and removes substances that are inconvenient for gas analysis. In this state, the pressure (Phs) is measured.

After the substantial pressure (Phs) of the headspace of the can 1 has been measured, the control valve 201 is opened,
A piping system including the syringe 78 is communicated with the headspace. Then, the pressure (Ps) is measured again. Thereafter, the syringe 78 is set to the position S2, and He gas is caused to flow into the head space portion inside the can 1 through the hollow portion of the needle portion 112. Further, the syringe 78 is repeatedly moved back and forth between S1 and S2 to diffuse the headspace gas in the can 1 into the He gas.

After the control valve 201 is closed, the control valve 203 is opened, the syringe 78 is operated to the position S2, and the gas mixture of the head space gas and the He gas is sent to the gas chromatograph 75. As a result, the gas chromatograph 75 analyzes and measures the amount of oxygen in the supplied air-fuel mixture.

When the analysis of the gas mixture is completed by the gas chromatograph 75, the control valve 201 and the control valve 20
3 is closed, the elevating mechanism 70 operates, the piercing head 69 moves up, the needle 112 is pulled out of the can 1, and the measurement is completed.

That is, He gas, which is a standard gas, was canned 1
The head space gas in the negative pressure can is diffused into the He gas by taking the head space into and out of the head space, and the head space gas is analyzed in the form of a mixture thereof. Therefore, the gas amount does not become insufficient, and the sampling of the head space gas can be easily performed.

Note that, similarly to the positive pressure can head space gas inspection apparatus, in the head space analyzer 68, the measurement accuracy of the gas chromatograph 75 varies due to an increase in moisture. When the saturated water vapor sample enters, the suction of the headspace gas is stopped. Further, the moisture of the saturated steam having a temperature of 40 degrees or less is removed by the moisture removing device 73 to 0.1% or less.

After the headspace gas sampling inspection is completed, the piercing device 26 is moved to the linear guide 65.
The piercing portion which moves upward along the washing tank 63 and comes into contact with the content liquid of the can 1 is inserted into the washing liquid filled in the washing tank 63 and washed. Note that the washing liquid is exchanged once each time as in other washing tanks.

Further, the headspace analyzers 52 and 68 used for the analysis of the headspace gas in the negative pressure can and the positive pressure can use an oxygen amount, a carbon dioxide gas amount, and a headspace pressure by a system provided therein. And the calculation of the volume, the total amount of oxygen in the equilibrium container, and the pick-up of oxygen when filling the container.

The capacity of the head space is measured based on the actual measured value of the total weight of the can 1, the weight and the internal capacity of the empty can set in advance, and the specific gravity of the content liquid. Further, in order to calculate more accurately, it may be obtained by the following calculation based on the measurement result of the pressure.

The relationship between the headspace and the capacity of the piping system and the pressure is given by the following equation.

Phs (Vhs + Vp) + Pso × Vs = Ps (Vhs + Vp + Vs + Sv) When this equation is opened, Phs × Vhs + Phs × Vp + Pso × Vs = Ps × Vhs + Ps × Vp + Ps × Vs + Ps × SvVs−Ps−Vs−Ps−Vs−Ps × Vs−Ps × Vs−Ps × Ps × V + Vs (Ps−Pso) + Ps × Sv Vhs = {Vs (Ps−Phs) + Vs (Ps−Pso) + Ps × Sv} / (Phs−Ps)... Headspace capacity (capacity to be sought).

Vp: Control valves 201 and 59 from can lid
Pipe capacity up to 1.

Vs: control valves 201 and 591 to control valves 202 and 592 and control valves 203 and 59
Up to 3 volumes in the pipe (syringes 54, 78 are closed at S2).

Sv: The capacity of the syringes 54, 78 (S2
From S1 to S1).

Phs: Headspace pressure measurement (pressure when control valves 201 and 591 are closed).

Pso: A measured value of the pressure in the pipe when the syringes 54 and 78 are closed (position S2) (indicating the pressure of He gas).

Ps: A measured value of the headspace pressure when the syringes 54 and 78 are opened (position S1) (the control valves 201 and 591 are open).

Here, known numerical values (actual numerical values) specific to the analysis system are as follows: Vp: specific to the system 0.5 (ml) Vs: specific to the system 2.0 (ml) Sv: set specific 20.0 (ml) Pso: Set pressure of He gas 1.0 (kg / cm ² ) When this numerical value is substituted into the equation (A), Vhs = ｛0.5 (Ps−Phs) +2.0 (Ps−1.0) + Ps × 20} / (Phs−Ps) Vhs = {22.5 × Ps−0.5 × Phs−2.0) / (Phs−Ps) Equation (B) Therefore, by measuring Phs and Ps, that is, the headspace pressure and the headspace pressure when the syringes 54 and 78 are opened, the unknown headspace capacity of the beverage can is calculated from the equation (B). be able to.

As a method of measuring the headspace capacity, the capacity is not changed simply by the pipe between the control valves, but the capacity change is increased by the syringes 54 and 78.
By making the measurement pressure different, the head space capacity can be measured more accurately.

By using this method, it is possible to measure the head space capacity unique to each beverage can, and it is possible to more accurately measure the gas volume and oxygen concentration.

In the above formula, the syringes 54, 78
When a rigid container is used, the effect of the measurement temperature on the headspace capacity is mainly the expansion and contraction rate of the content liquid. When the measurement temperature is about 5 to 30 degrees,
Since the expansion and contraction of the content liquid hardly occurs, the influence on the measurement temperature is considered to be negligible.

The oxygen amount in the head space is obtained by the following equation.

Oxygen amount (ml) = head space capacity ×
{20 degree conversion pressure (gauge pressure-water vapor pressure) + atmospheric pressure} x
Oxygen concentration The measurement temperature used here was NO. The temperature measured at the time of sucking the content liquid at four stations is used.

Canned 1 after headspace gas analysis was completed
Is analyzed by the handling robot 131. It is transferred to the can holding table 79 at the four stations 29. When the can 1 is set on the can holding table 79, the NO. The four stations 29 are operated, and the contents are sampled. The temperature is measured with this liquid content, and the pH, vitamin C content, Brix degree, amino nitrogen content, acidity, chlor ion, and color tone are analyzed.

NO. More specifically, the operation in the fourth station 29 will be described. It is supplied to the slide table 99 of the can holding table 79 at the four stations 29. In that case, since the positive pressure can was pierced to the can bottom periphery 38, it was supplied with the can bottom up,
Since the negative pressure can was pierced at the center of the can bottom lid, it was supplied with the can bottom lid facing up.

When the can 1 is placed and held on the slide table 99, the can 1 held on the slide table 99 is moved to a predetermined position, that is, the content liquid sampling device 2 by the rodless cylinder 97 provided on the can holding table 79.
No. 8 while being moved to the punching position. 4
The cabinet 82 of the station 29, that is, the content liquid sampling device 28 is moved along a linear guide 86 by a motor provided therein.

When the slide table 99 on which the can 1 is placed and the content liquid sampling device 28 punch the can 1, that is, at the time when the punching section 91 reaches the position directly above the punched portion of the can 1 on the slide table 99. Stop.

When the punching position is determined, the punching unit 91 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 90 provided in the cabinet 82, and a hole is formed in the can lid or bottom so that the content liquid sampling nozzle 88 can be inserted. Next, after the slide table 99 is moved by the rodless cylinder 97 along the linear guide 98 to a predetermined position directly below the content liquid sampling nozzle 88, the rodless cylinder 87 provided in the sampling mechanism 84 is operated and set in advance. With the stroke corresponding to the size of the canned food 1
The content liquid sampling nozzle 88 descends, inserts the content liquid sampling nozzle 88 into the can 1, and sucks the content liquid.

[0098] An amount of the content liquid necessary for the analysis collected by the content liquid sampling nozzle 88 is transported to the liquid sample analyzer by the content liquid quantitative liquid feeder, and the content sample is analyzed by the liquid sample analyzer, that is, the pH, Acidity, sugar content,
Specific gravity, color tone, vitamin C content, amino nitrogen content,
Analysis of chlor ions and the like is performed. The temperature of the liquid is measured by a thermometer provided in the content liquid sampling nozzle 88.

When the measurement is completed, the content liquid sampling nozzle 88 inserted into the can 1 is raised by the rodless cylinder 87, and the content liquid sampling nozzle 88 is discharged from the inside of the can 1. Then, the cabinet 82 of the content liquid sampling device 28 moves along the linear guide 86.

The contents liquid sampling nozzle 88 and the punching section 91 which have come into contact with the contents liquid are provided in the respective cleaning tanks 9.
At the point just above 51,952, the cabinet 82 stops.

The content liquid sampling nozzle 88 is lowered by the rodless cylinder 87 and inserted into the cleaning tank 951, and the punching section 91 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 90 and inserted into the cleaning tank 952. Then, cleaning is performed with the cleaning liquid inside the cleaning tanks 951 and 952.

After the cleaning, the cleaning tanks 951 and 952
Content liquid sampling nozzle 88 and punching section 91
Is pulled out and the inspection ends. In addition, the cleaning tank 951,
The cleaning liquid in 952 is replaced each time cleaning is performed.

The cans 1 whose contents have been sampled for inspection and whose inspection has been completed are further gripped by the handling robot 131, removed from the beverage can automatic analyzer 8, and discarded in the waste can box 111.

However, the canned product 1 for which only the headspace analysis is performed and the content liquid is not analyzed is also pierced for the purpose of gas analysis, and if the content is discarded as it is, the content solution is scattered. At this time, the temperature of the content liquid is measured.

In the above embodiment, the beverage can automatic analyzer 8 is arranged along the conveyor for canned inspection lines. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and other equipment can be used. It may be configured so as to be used alone by being separated from the main unit.

[0106]

As described above, according to the automatic analyzer for beverage cans of the present invention, two gas analyzers are provided for each of the negative pressure can and the positive pressure can. A component analysis unit that analyzes components is provided, so that the data normally required for quality control of various types of beverage cans can be obtained automatically and accurately, and as a result, high efficiency of inspection and analysis of canned beverages can be achieved. In addition, it is possible to obtain effects such as easy and accurate management in the filling step and the like.

Further, according to the present invention, by providing a perforation mechanism capable of changing the position of the perforation operation, cans having different outer diameters as well as cans having different heights can be measured and analyzed in the same manner. Effects such as facilitating quality control in a type of canned production line can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic overall view showing the entirety of a beverage can automatic analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an internal structural diagram showing the internal structure of a positive pressure can headspace gas analyzer provided therein.

FIG. 3 is an internal structural diagram showing the internal structure of a negative pressure can headspace gas analyzer provided therein.

FIG. 4 is an arrangement diagram when the automatic apparatus for analyzing canned beverages according to the embodiment of the present invention is arranged along a canned inspection line conveyor;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Canned food 3 ... Inspection line conveyor 7 ... Centralized control device 8 ... Beverage can automatic analyzer 17 ... Bar code reader 131 ... Handling robot 23
… NO. 1 station, 25 ... NO. 2 stations, 27 ... NO. 3 stations, 29 ... NO. 4
station.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A beverage can automatic analyzer for automatically analyzing a headspace gas and a content liquid inside a beverage can, wherein the analyzer analyzes a headspace gas by piercing a negative pressure can having an internal pressure of less than atmospheric pressure. A first gas analyzing section, and a positive pressure can having an inner pressure equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure, while maintaining its axis inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and piercing the can bottom of the positive pressure can into a head. A second gas analyzer for extracting and analyzing the gas in the space, and a component analyzer for extracting the contents of the beverage can and analyzing a plurality of components are arranged adjacent to each other. An automatic analyzer for beverage cans, wherein a moving mechanism for moving the beverage cans is provided between the gas analyzer, the second gas analyzer, and the component analyzer. 2. A piercing mechanism for changing a piercing operation position for a beverage can according to the dimension of the canned beverage determined by the dimensional determining means, wherein the piercing mechanism is provided with dimensional determination means for determining the size of the beverage can. The beverage can automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the automatic analyzer is provided in at least one of an analyzer and a component analyzer.