JPS5836654Y2 - Conveyor for flexible packaging - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention is a flexible container in which the innermost layer or a part thereof is composed of a heat-sealable coating, and is filled with food or other material to be sterilized and sealed. The present invention relates to a conveyance tool used when a package is continuously sterilized at a sterilization temperature of 100° C. or higher and a pressure of 1 atm or higher.

When sterilizing flexible packaging (flexible pouches) using a continuous sterilizer, flexible packaging is not a rigid body like a canned product, but is flexible, has low mechanical strength, and is prone to bending and wrinkles. Pinholes, broken bags, etc. may occur due to such factors.

Therefore, if the flexible package is transported as is for sterilization or the like, it is likely to be damaged as described above, and therefore, it is necessary to use a container to protect the flexible package when handling it.

Furthermore, as a container for protecting the flexible packaging, when the container containing the flexible packaging rotates during the heat sterilization and cooling process of the flexible packaging in the pressure chamber of the continuous sterilizer, , bending or wrinkles may occur due to the flexible packaging moving vertically within the container, or scratches on the outer surface of the packaging due to friction between the container surface and the flexible packaging. Because of this problem, it is required that the containers be kept horizontal at all times when being transported.

In response to the above-mentioned demands, it is used in continuous sterilizers that continuously feed a flexible package from atmospheric pressure into the pressure chamber of the sterilizer, perform heat sterilization and cooling, and then discharge it to the outside. Considering that when an airtight rotary valve is used as a mechanism, the cylindrical body like a canned container is easy to handle, and the loading and unloading of the flexible packaging into the inner and outer containers is automated to save labor. In order to do this, the inventors of this invention had previously proposed and used the following conveyance device.
Many achievements have been achieved (see Utility Model Application Publication No. 53-57050).

That is, the conveyor includes a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped inner container that can horizontally accommodate a plurality of flexible packages divided by a frame, has a height that creates a space on the upper surface of the accommodated packages, and has air permeability; an outer container which accommodates the inner containers of the above-mentioned stages, has a weight on its lower surface and has an open upper surface and is breathable; It consists of an inner container holding plate connected to a rod, and left and right wheels rotatably supported on the outer container via shafts provided at both ends of the outer container and fixed to each other by a connecting rod.

This invention further improves the parts corresponding to the left and right wheels and connecting rods of the above-mentioned carrier, making it possible to reduce the external size or increase the size of the outer container if the external size is the same, and to simplify the structure. The object of the present invention is to provide a flexible packaging carrier.

An embodiment of this invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, this flexible package carrier includes an inner container 1 and an outer container 2. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inner container 1 has a dish-like rectangular parallelepiped shape, is partitioned by a frame 3, can accommodate a plurality of flat flexible packages 4 horizontally, and has a top surface of the accommodated packages 4. be of sufficient height to create a space in the bottom wall, side walls and frame 3.
A large number of ventilation holes 1a are provided in the interior.

In addition, the inner container 1 has outward channel members 5 fixed to both end surfaces, and upper and lower protruding plates 6 and 7 that are flat on the upper and lower surfaces.
The upper protruding plate 6 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 8 on its upper surface, and the lower protruding plate 7 has the same number of holes 9 as the protrusions 8, and the protrusions 8 are removably fitted into the corresponding positions of the protrusions 8. It is formed into a shape.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the outer container 2 has an opening for the inner container 1 at least in the front and an open top surface, and can hold the inner containers 1 stacked one above the other in multiple stages. It can be housed in a removable manner, the bottom is breathable, and a weight 10 is fixed to the bottom.

An inner container holding plate 11 is disposed on the outer container 2, and a guide shaft 12 fixed to both ends of the holding plate 11 slidably passes through both end walls of the outer container 2 and presses the bottom of the outer container 2. An opening operation rod 13 is fixed to the lower end of the guide shaft 12 and extends downward.
The restraining plate 11 is biased downward by a coil spring 14 whose lower end is supported by the operating rod 13 and whose upper end is supported by a step on the end wall of the outer container 2, and this is supported by the soil on both end walls of the outer container 2. .

Shafts 15 fixed to both end walls of the outer container 2 are rotatably supported by bearings 16, and the bearings 16 are fitted into the cylindrical ends 17a of the cylindrical body 17.

A large notch 17C is formed in the center of the cylindrical body 17, leaving two rod-shaped sections 17b having an arcuate cross section.

In addition, in FIG. 4, 18 is a lower stopper provided on the rear surface of the bottom of the outer container 2, and 19 is an upper stopper provided on the holding plate 11.

The conveyance device configured as described above accommodates the flexible packaging body 4 and stacks the inner containers 1 one above the other in multiple stages, and pushes up the opening operating rod 13 against the spring 14 so that the inner container 1 can be opened via the guide shaft 12 With the holding plate 11 raised, the stacked inner containers 1 are fitted into the outer container 2 through the notch 17C of the cylindrical body 17.

Next, by releasing the push-up of the opening operation rod 13,
The restraining plate 11 is lowered by the restoring force of the spring 14, and the inner container 1 is pressed and fixed against the bottom of the outer container 2.

While being transported in this state, the flexible package is sterilized by heating and pressure, and is cooled.

Thereafter, the holding plate 11 is raised by the opening operation rod 13, the inner container 1 is taken out of the cylindrical body 17 from the outer container 2 through the notch 17C, and the flexible package is taken out from the inner container 1. be.

As explained above, in the conveyance device of this invention, the flexible packaging body 4 is housed horizontally in the inner container 1, and the outer container 2 has a weight 10 and a cylindrical body 17 having the function of a wheel. As a result, the package 4 is always kept horizontal even within the outer container 2 containing the inner container 1.

Therefore, the package 4 does not move vertically within the inner container 1 even during transportation.

For this reason, the package 4 is strongly protected without causing breakage, pinholes, scratches, etc. due to friction, bending, wrinkles, etc. caused by contact with the inner container 1.

Furthermore, even when the inner containers 1 are stacked in multiple stages and housed in the outer container 2, the flexible packaging bodies 4 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and the inner container 1, the outer container 2, and the cylindrical body 17 have good air permeability. Therefore, during sterilization and cooling, the flow of heating and cooling medium is promoted, and heat transfer to the package 4 is good.

Furthermore, since the inner container 1 is pressed against the bottom wall of the outer container 2 by the restraining plate 11 which is urged downward by the spring 14,
The inner container 1 does not vibrate unnecessarily during transportation.

By pushing up the opening operation rod 13 connected to the holding plate 11, the holding plate 11 is raised and the inner container 1 is attached to and removed from the outer container 2. Therefore, these operations can be performed by mechanical means. , can be performed easily and reliably, and is suitable for automation.

Moreover, the device previously proposed by the creators of this device mentioned above had the left and right wheels pivoted on shafts provided at both ends of the outer container, and these wheels were fixed by a connecting rod. The distance between the outer periphery of the outer container located further toward the center than the connecting rod and the outer periphery of the wheel is large, and the height of the outer container is smaller than the outer diameter of the wheel. However, in the present invention, the cylindrical body 17
A bearing 16 was fixed to both ends 17a which were notched and formed a cylindrical shape, leaving a part in the center part, and the shaft 15 of the outer container 2 was supported on the bearing 16, so that the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 17 and The distance between the outer container 2 and the outer periphery can be reduced, and the height of the outer container 2 relative to the cylindrical body can be increased.

Therefore, the number of stages of the inner container 10 accommodated in the outer container 2 can be increased, and if the number of stages is the same, the outer diameter of the cylindrical body 17 can be made smaller than the outer diameter of the wheel.

Further, since the cylindrical body 17 can be constructed from one member, the number of parts is reduced and the structure is simplified.

In order to keep the outer container horizontal in a stable state, both end portions of the outer container 2 rotate in the same direction and at the same speed. This is similar to the case where wheels are fixed to each other with connecting rods.

Therefore, as the sterilizer becomes more continuous, it is also advantageous to save labor by automating the devices before and after the sterilizer.

That is, the outer container 2 having the cylindrical body 17 is used by being circulated near the continuous sterilizer, and the flexible container is filled with articles to be sterilized, and the container is sealed to form a flexible package. The sealed flexible packaging body is placed in an inner container 1 near the filling and sealing machine to be obtained, and the inner containers 1 are stacked in several stages and placed in an outer container 2 immediately before the sterilizer, and then sent to the sterilizer. After sterilizing and discharging, the outer container 2 is transferred to the inner container 1.
When automating the process of removing and returning to the vicinity of the filling and sealing machine, including the work of attaching and detaching the inner and outer containers, it is easier to handle if the outer diameter of the cylindrical body 17 is made small. If the number of stacked inner containers 1 is increased, processing efficiency will be improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of this invention, with Fig. 1 being a schematic perspective view, Fig. 2 being a perspective view of the inner container, and Fig. 3 being a side sectional view of the main parts.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view. 1...Inner container, 2...Outer container, 3...
...Frame, 4...Flexible packaging, 10...
... Weight, 11 ... Holding plate, 13 ...
Opening lever, 14... Spring, 15...
Shaft, 16... Bearing, 17... Cylindrical body,
17a...both ends, 17b...rod-shaped part, 17C...notch part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A rectangular parallelepiped-shaped inner container that can horizontally accommodate a plurality of flexible packages separated by a frame, has a height that creates a space on the upper surface of the accommodated flexible packages, and has air permeability, and one or more stages of the above-mentioned contents. An outer container that accommodates a container, has a weight on the lower surface, has an open upper surface, and is breathable; and an outer container that is movable in the vertical direction on the outer container, is biased downward by a spring, and is connected to an opening operation rod. A flexible packaging consisting of an inner container holding plate and a cylindrical body with a notch in the center and a cylindrical shape in which a shaft provided on the outer container is rotatably supported on bearings fixed to both ends. Body transport equipment.