JPH1085311A - Transporting equipment, and apparatus for sterilization of cap utilizing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To continuously transport caps without plugging and to conduct cleaning and sterilization treatment, by spraying a cleaning liquid and a liquid chemical for a specified necessary time. SOLUTION: The spiral transporting equipments 15A-15C comprises a fixing groove 23 capable of engaging to a cap C in parallel to the axis formed on the periphery part of a cylindrical revolution drum 21 driven rotationary around the perpendicular axis, a spiral guide 22 for guiding the caps C formed on the outer periphery part of the revolution drum 21. Further, the spiral transporting apparatus 15A-15C has an aseptic water washing part, a chemical supplying part 17 for sterilizing and disinfecting by a liquid chemical and a jetting nozzle hole for spraying a liquid chemical or aseptic cleaning water to the spiral guide 22 built in a finishing cleaning part installed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer device for transferring small articles having a substantially cylindrical or substantially spherical shape in a storage device or a processing device, and a sterilization / sterilization of a beverage cap used for aseptic filling using the transfer device. Equipment related.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, when a container cap is transported for sterilization / sterilization treatment, as shown in FIGS. A pair of guide rails 3 are provided along the transport path 2 to guide the bottom of the cap C in a line, and a sterilizing solution or a cleaning liquid is sprayed on the cap C along the transport path 2. By disposing the nozzles 4 at predetermined intervals and setting the liquid jetting direction of the washing nozzle 4 to the direction in which the cap C moves forward, the cap C
Were sent forward respectively.

[0003]

However, according to the above configuration, the caps C contact each other and the front cap C
In particular, if the cap C is provided with a flange or a truncated cone having a small diameter on the upper surface, the cap C
Tilted, the subsequent cap C was pushed into it, and the transport path 2 was sometimes clogged with the cap C.

In the sterilization / sterilization apparatus, sterilization is performed by immersing the cap C in a sterilizing solution for a certain period of time. Therefore, if the cap C is once clogged in the transport path 2, all the caps C in the apparatus are taken out. Restarting, which caused a serious problem that the production line was stopped.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the above problems can be solved and a substantially cylindrical or substantially spherical small object such as a cap can be smoothly transported, and storage, sterilization, heat treatment and the like can be performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer device capable of easily carrying out the above process, and a cap sterilization / sterilization facility capable of carrying the cap smoothly and sterilizing effectively using the transfer device.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer device comprising: a cylindrical rotary drum driven to rotate around an axis by a rotary drive; A plurality of engaging grooves formed in parallel with the axis and slidable in the axial direction on the outer peripheral portion of the transport component and engageable so as to restrict movement in the circumferential direction; and arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the rotary drum. A spiral guide that guides the transport component engaged with the engagement groove, wherein one end of the spiral guide is configured as a component inlet, and the other end is configured as a component outlet,
The engagement grooves of the rotary drum are formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion so that the engaged transport components do not contact adjacent transport components.

[0007] According to the above configuration, since the transported component is transported along the spiral guide while being held in the engagement groove so as not to come into contact with the front and rear in the transport direction, the transported component does not get caught and jammed, so that it is smooth. Can be transported. In addition, since the spiral guide holds the transport components, it is possible to hold a large number of transport components in a small occupied space, thereby achieving a compact configuration. Further, the increase or decrease of the transport path can be easily changed only by changing the length (the number of steps) of the spiral guide, and the increase or decrease of the occupied volume can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cap sterilization / sterilization facility, wherein the transport device according to the first aspect includes a chemical supply unit for spraying a chemical solution onto the cap and dipping the cap for a predetermined time to sterilize the cap, and an intermediate transport means in the chemical supply unit. Disposed in at least one of the finish cleaning units that are connected via a cap and spray the finishing water with a chemical liquid to wash the chemical liquid or water for sterilization and cleaning or drying in a spiral transport path formed by a spiral guide of the transport device. It is provided with an injection nozzle for injecting air for use.

According to the above construction, the cap is held in the engagement groove so as not to contact the front and rear in the conveyance direction and is conveyed along the spiral guide, so that the cap is not caught and clogged as in the prior art. , Can be transported smoothly. In addition, since the cap is held by the spiral guide, a large number of caps can be held in a small occupied space, and the time required for cleaning and sterilization can be easily secured, and the apparatus can be made compact. be able to. Also, the increase / decrease of the transport path, that is, the holding time of the cap can be easily changed only by changing the length (the number of steps) of the spiral guide, and the increase / decrease of the occupied volume can be reduced.

In a third aspect of the present invention, the chemical liquid injection nozzle or the cleaning water injection nozzle is incorporated in at least one of the spiral guide and the rotary drum. According to the above configuration, the configuration can be simplified, and the chemical solution and the cleaning water can be jetted close to the cap, so that effective cleaning can be performed. In addition, the cap can be rolled during conveyance, and more effective cleaning can be performed.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a cap sterilization / sterilization facility according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

This sterilization / sterilization equipment is a sterile water containing a plurality of star wheel devices 12A to 12E as intermediate conveying means for conveying caps C one by one in an intermediate portion and spiral conveying devices 15A to 15C according to the present invention. The cleaning unit 13 includes a cleaning unit 13, a chemical cleaning unit 16, and a finishing cleaning unit 18.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the caps C sent out one by one
, A pre-cleaning unit 13 for performing pre-cleaning while sequentially transporting by the plurality of star wheel devices 12A, a first draining unit 14A for performing drainage during transport by the plurality of star wheel devices 12B, and a first spiral transport device 15A. Aseptic water washing unit 16 for washing the cap C with aseptic water while ascending and rotating the spiral path, a second draining unit 14B for draining during transportation by the plurality of star wheel devices 12C, and a second spiral conveying device 15B. A liquid sterilizing section 17 for sterilizing the cap C with a sterilizing liquid while moving the spiral path downward and rotationally, and a plurality of star wheel devices 12
A third drainer 14C for draining during transport by D,
The finishing washing unit 18 that performs finish cooling with aseptic water while ascending and rotating the spiral path by the third spiral conveying device 15C.
And a fourth drainer 14D for draining while being transported by the plurality of star wheel devices 12E. In addition,
Depending on the cap C, the preliminary cleaning section 13 and the sterile water cleaning section 16 can be omitted.

First, the basic structure of the first to third spiral transfer devices 15A to 15C according to the present invention will be described. This first
Since the third to fifth spiral transfer devices 15A to 15C have the same structure, the same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, an arrow A or B at a constant speed around a vertical axis O by a rotary drive motor (FIG. 2).
Drum 21 which is rotated in the direction
And a spiral guide 22 that is externally fitted with a fixed gap around the outer periphery of the spiral guide 22 to form the spiral transport path 20. The rotary drum 21 has a plurality of engaging grooves formed in the outer peripheral portion thereof in parallel with the vertical axis O so as to be engageable with the outer peripheral portion of the cap C, which is a transport component, and to allow the cap C to slide vertically. 23 are formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. The spiral guide 22 is formed in an L-shaped cross section by a bottom support portion 22a that guides the bottom portion of the cap C and a side wall portion 22b that regulates a side portion of the cap C. Further, the upper support is restricted by the bottom support portion 22a adjacent to the upper portion, and a top guide 24 for preventing the cap C from protruding is provided at the uppermost portion where the upper portion is opened.
Further, the interval between the engaging grooves 23 is set such that the engaged cap C does not contact the adjacent cap C. The upper end of the spiral guide 22 is configured as a component inlet 25A, and the lower end is configured as a component outlet 25B. Note that by changing the rotation direction from A to B, it is possible to perform the upward turning movement, and the winding direction of the spiral guide 22 can be changed in the opposite direction.

In the above configuration, when the rotating drum 21 is rotated in the direction of arrow A at a constant speed and the cap C is supplied from the component inlet 25A to each of the engagement grooves 23, the cap C pivots according to the rotation of the engagement groove 23. At the same time, it is guided by the spiral guide 22, descends along the engagement groove 23, and moves along the spiral transport path 20. Therefore, the cap C can be held in the spiral conveyance path 20 for a predetermined time. In this embodiment, cleaning and sterilization are performed using this holding time. However, the present invention can also be used for heat treatment, cooling, and storage. Also the adjacent cap C
Are not in contact with each other, so that they can be smoothly and reliably transported, and the cap C is not clogged.

In this sterilization equipment, the first to third spiral transfer devices 15A to 15C are incorporated in the aseptic water washing section 13, the chemical solution washing section 16 and the finish washing section 18, respectively, but the required processing time is respectively required. Different and cap C
Of the washing units 13, 16, 18
The winding direction of the spiral guide 22 and the rotation direction of the rotary drum are set as shown in FIG.

In the aseptic water washing section 13, the chemical washing section 16 and the finishing washing section 18, it is necessary to arrange nozzles in the spiral transport path 20 in order to wash the cap C, respectively. Each is incorporated.

The details of the chemical cleaning section 16 will be described below.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotating drum 21 is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 33 via a bearing 34 in a casing 32 supported by a plurality of legs 31. The upper end portion penetrates through the casing 32 and is connected to the output shaft of the rotation drive motor 35 with a speed reducer. An opening formed in the upper part of the casing 32 corresponding to the component inlet 25A has an inlet starwheel device 12.
a is provided, and an outlet starwheel device 12b is provided in an opening formed corresponding to the lower component inlet 25B. The bottom surface of the casing 32 is inclined to form a chemical solution discharge port 36 at the lower end, and a chemical solution discharge hose 37 or a pipe is connected.

The spiral guide 22 includes a casing 32
Is held on a plurality of mounting members 38 on the inner peripheral portion of the base member. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the spiral guide 22 is provided inside the side wall portion 22b along the circumferential direction.
1 is formed and the liquid supply pipe 43 is connected. A large number of outer injection nozzle holes 42A communicated with the injection liquid supply passage 41 are formed at regular intervals on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall portion 22b, and are configured to be capable of injecting a chemical liquid onto the outer surface of the cap C. Further, inside the bottom support portion 22a, the chemical solution side passage 4 is provided.
A liquid bottom passage 45 to which a chemical solution is supplied from 1 through a communication hole 44 is formed. And, in this bottom support portion 22a,
Three nozzle holes communicating with the liquid bottom passage 45, that is, an inner injection nozzle hole 42B, a top injection nozzle hole 42C, and an inner injection nozzle hole 42D are formed. That is, the internal injection nozzle holes 42B are formed at regular intervals at positions opposed to the center of the bottom surface of the cap C, and the top injection nozzle holes 42C are formed on the top surface of the cap C of the spiral conveying path 20 adjacent to the lower part. The inner ejection nozzle holes 42D are formed at regular intervals at positions opposing the rotating drum 21.
Are formed at regular intervals at positions opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotary drum 21. A chemical is sprayed on the outer surface of the rotating drum 21 and the reflection is used to spray the chemical on the drum side of the cap C. In addition,
As shown by phantom lines in FIGS. 4 and 5, a liquid jet nozzle hole 46 opened in the engaging groove 23 by the rotary drum 21 may be formed, and the chemical liquid may be supplied via a rotary joint.

Accordingly, the cap C engaged with the engaging groove 23 by rotating the rotary drum 21 is
, And is swiveled downward along the spiral transport path 20, the chemical is sprayed onto the cap C from the plurality of spray nozzle holes 42 </ b> A to 42 </ b> D to sterilize. In addition, the cap C is rotated in the direction of arrow D by the friction as shown in FIG. 5 due to the pivotal movement, so that the chemical solution is sprayed evenly on the cap C, and a sufficient sterilization process can be performed.

The star wheel devices 12A to 12E
Has been conventionally used for transporting containers and members. As shown in FIG. 3, an outer peripheral portion of a rotating wheel 51 that is driven to rotate in a direction indicated by an arrow around a vertical axis by a driving motor (not shown). Has an engagement recess 5 which can be engaged with the cap C.
2 are formed at a constant pitch, and a wheel guide 54 that guides the outer portion and the bottom portion of the cap C is disposed in the circular arc transport path 53 of the cap C on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating wheel 51. The arc transport path 5 of the pre-cleaning section 13
3, a plurality of cleaning nozzles (not shown) are arranged, and air drains (not shown) for injecting aseptic air to the cap C as necessary are arranged in each of the drainers 14A to 14D.

The sterilization operation of the cap C in the above configuration will be described. . The caps C sequentially sent out one by one from the cap supply device 11 are received by the engaging recesses 52 of the star wheel device 12A and transported along the arc transport path 53. Is sprayed to clean the inner and outer surfaces of the cap C.

[0024] Next, in the first drainer 14A,
During transfer to the star wheel device 12B, aseptic air is injected from the air nozzle to the cap C for about 2 seconds per cap, and the cap C is drained and dried.

[0025] Further, when being carried into the first spiral transport device 15A of the aseptic water cleaning section 16, the aseptic water is upwardly swiveled and moved along the spiral transport path 20 from the spray nozzle holes 42A to 42D formed in the spiral guide 22. The cap C is cleaned by spraying the inner and outer surfaces at a rate of 10 liters / min for about 6 seconds each.

[0026] Then, in the second draining section 14B, aseptic air is jetted from the air nozzle to the cap C for about 2 seconds per one by the star wheel device 12C during the conveyance, and the cap C is drained and dried.

[0027] Further, in the chemical solution sterilizing section 17, the cap C is engaged with the engaging groove 23 of the rotary drum 21 by the second spiral conveying device 15 </ b> B, and the cap C is moved downward and swirled along the spiral guide 22 to form the spiral guide 22. The chemical is ejected from the large number of ejection nozzle holes 42A to 42D. The sterilization specifications at this time are as follows: the outer surface is about 30 seconds, 20 l / min, and the inner surface is about 30 seconds, 40 l / min.
A disinfectant solution having a liquid temperature of about 65 ° C. is sprayed, and the cap C is disinfected. At this time, the cap C is rotated by its friction due to the turning movement, so that the chemical solution can be uniformly sprayed on the cap C and the sterilization can be effectively performed.

[0028] In the third draining section 14C, aseptic air is jetted from the air nozzle to the cap C for about 2 seconds per one while being conveyed by the star wheel device 12D, and the cap C is drained and dried.

[0029] When the cap C is carried into the third spiral transport device 15C of the finish cleaning section 18, the spiral transport path 20
While being swiveled upward, aseptic water flows from the injection nozzle holes 42A to 42D formed in the spiral guide 22 to the inner surface and the outer surface for about 15 seconds, 10 liters / mi per piece.
Cleaning and cooling are performed by being sprayed with n, and the chemical solution is washed away.

[0030] Then, in the fourth draining section 14D, aseptic air is jetted from the air nozzle to the cap C for about 1.5 seconds per one during transport by the star wheel device 12E, and the cap C is drained and dried.

According to the above embodiment, the rotary drum 21 having the engaging groove 23 formed on the outer peripheral surface along the axis O direction.
And a spiral conveying device 15A comprising a spiral guide 22
15C is incorporated in the aseptic water cleaning unit 16, the chemical cleaning unit 17, and the finishing cleaning unit 18, so that the pre-cleaning with sterile water, the sterilization with the chemical, the chemical cleaning, Removal and finish cleaning can be completely performed. Further, since the front and rear caps C do not come into contact with each other during the transportation of the sterilizing equipment, smooth transportation can be realized, and the caps C are not clogged on the way. Further, since the cap C is transported along the spiral transport path 20, a sufficient transport distance, that is, a holding time can be secured even if the occupied space is small, and the whole can be configured compact. Further, by changing the length of the spiral guide 22 in accordance with the time required for cleaning and processing, the transport distance can be easily set. Furthermore, since the cap C rotates by the swiveling movement during the cleaning and the chemical solution treatment, the cleaning water and the chemical solution can be uniformly sprayed on the cap C, so that effective cleaning and sterilization can be performed.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment in which the arrangement of the sterilizing equipment is changed. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the flow of the cap C is set on a straight line.
By simply changing the delivery positions of the spiral transfer devices 15A to 15C and the spiral transfer devices 15A to 15C, the plan view is C according to the installation space.
It can be arranged in a shape or can be arranged in an L shape.

In the above embodiment, the spiral transfer devices 15A to 15C are applied to the cleaning and sterilization of the cap C, but can be used as a storage device as shown in FIG. That is, by arranging one or a plurality of spiral conveying devices 60 on the conveying line 62 for the manufactured components discharged from the manufacturing device 61, and by allowing the switching devices 63A and 63B to be able to carry the manufactured components from the discharging line 62, When a trouble occurs in the processing device 64 on the downstream side of the discharge line, the manufacturing device 61 is stopped by switching the switching devices 63A and 63B to once carry the manufactured parts from the discharge line 62 into the spiral conveying device 60 for storage. Can be saved.

Further, the present invention can be used for heat treatment and cooling of parts in place of the washing and sterilizing treatment of the cap C. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the transport component is the cylindrical cap C. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a polygonal component or a spherical component that can be transported while being rolled may be used.

[0035]

As described above, according to the transport apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, the transport component is held in the engagement groove so as not to contact before and after in the transport direction and transported along the spiral guide. As a result, the transport components do not bite and become jammed, so that the transport can be performed smoothly. In addition, since the spiral guide holds the transport components, it is possible to hold a large number of transport components in a small occupied space, thereby achieving a compact configuration. Further, the increase or decrease of the transport path can be easily changed only by changing the length (the number of steps) of the spiral guide, and the increase or decrease of the occupied volume can be reduced.

According to the sterilization / sterilization equipment of the second aspect, the cap is held in the engagement groove so as not to come into contact with the front and rear of the conveyance direction and is conveyed along the spiral guide. Is prevented from being caught and clogged, and can be transported smoothly. In addition, since the cap is held by the spiral guide, a large number of caps can be held in a small occupied space, and the time required for cleaning and sterilization can be easily secured, and the apparatus can be made compact. be able to. Also, the increase / decrease of the transport path, that is, the holding time of the cap can be easily changed only by changing the length (the number of steps) of the spiral guide, and the increase / decrease of the occupied volume can be reduced.

Further, according to the sterilization / sterilization equipment of the third aspect, the structure can be simplified, and the chemical solution and the cleaning water can be sprayed in close proximity to the cap, so that effective cleaning can be performed. In addition, the cap can be rolled during conveyance, and more effective cleaning can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a transfer device showing an embodiment of a transfer device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a chemical solution sterilizing section of a sterilization / sterilization facility using the transport device.

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing the chemical solution sterilizing section.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a spiral guide of the sterilizing section.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a spiral guide of the liquid medicine sterilizing section.

FIG. 6 is an overall plan view showing the sterilization facility.

FIG. 7 is an overall side view showing the sterilization facility.

FIG. 8 is an overall side view showing a modified embodiment of the sterilization facility.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of a storage device showing another use example of the transport device.

10 (a) and 10 (b) show conventional sterilizers, respectively, where (a) is a schematic plan view and (b) is a partially enlarged sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12A to 12E Star wheel device 13 Pre-cleaning unit 14A to 14D Draining unit 15A to 15C Spiral transfer device 16 Aseptic water washing unit 17 Chemical liquid sterilizing unit 18 Finish washing unit 20 Spiral transfer path 21 Rotary drum 22 Spiral guide 23 Engagement groove 25A Parts inlet 25B Parts outlet 33 Rotation axis 35 Rotation drive motor 42A-42D Injection nozzle

Claims (3)

[Claims] A cylindrical rotary drum that is driven to rotate about an axis by a rotary drive device; and a cylindrical rotary drum that is formed parallel to the axis of the rotary drum and that is slidable in the axial direction on the outer peripheral portion of the transport component and that is circumferentially movable. A plurality of engagement grooves engageable so as to restrict the movement of the rotary drum, and a spiral guide disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the rotary drum and guiding the transport component engaged with the engagement groove. One end of the shape guide is configured as a component inlet, the other end is configured as a component outlet, and the engaging groove of the rotary drum is formed around the outer peripheral portion so that the engaged transport component does not contact an adjacent transport component. A transfer device formed at regular intervals in a direction. 2. A chemical supply unit for spraying a chemical solution onto a cap for immersion and sterilization by spraying a chemical solution onto a cap for a predetermined period of time, and connecting the chemical liquid supply device with finishing water to the cap via intermediate transportation means. At least one of the finish cleaning units for spraying and cleaning is provided, and an injection nozzle for injecting a chemical solution for sterilization cleaning or water or air for drying is arranged on a spiral transport path formed by a spiral guide of the transport device. Cap sterilization / sterilization equipment characterized by the following. 3. The cap sterilization / sterilization facility according to claim 2, wherein the chemical liquid injection nozzle or the finishing water injection nozzle is incorporated in at least one of a spiral guide and a rotating drum.