Container heat treatment equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a container heat treatment device that can prevent water from entering the container for large-capacity containers before capping, and can prevent water from entering the hinge cap for containers fitted with hinge caps. [Solution] The conveyor belt 11 transports containers C in multiple rows. The nozzle 30 sprays water onto the containers C being transported by the conveyor belt 11. Multiple mouth covers 31 are arranged to cover the mouth of each container C in each row of containers C being transported by the conveyor belt 11. The nozzle 30 sprays water onto the containers C and performs heat treatment while the mouth covers 31 cover the mouths of the containers C and the conveyor belt 11 is transporting the containers C in multiple rows.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container heat treatment apparatus, and more particularly to a container heat treatment apparatus provided in a pasteurizer or the like that performs heat treatment while simultaneously transporting a plurality of containers.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an apparatus for spraying water on a transported container like a container heat treatment apparatus, those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. Patent Document 1 discloses a container heat treatment apparatus that sprays water on a container from a nozzle disposed above the transported container in a pasteurizer to sterilize and cool the container. Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus for spraying cooling water on a transported container, similar to Patent Document 1, and this apparatus is configured such that a water spraying nozzle moves up and down to spray water below the mouth of the container.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the case of large-capacity containers such as sake bottles, spraying hot water onto a sealed container can increase the internal pressure and potentially cause the container to rupture. Therefore, conventional devices are designed to have a watering nozzle that can be raised and lowered below the neck of the container to prevent water from entering containers that have not been sealed. However, this configuration requires a mechanism to raise and lower the watering nozzle, which increases the manufacturing cost of the device. On the other hand, in the case of small-capacity containers, devices that spray water from above onto containers with hinged caps may have the problem that water entering the hinged cap can impair the airtightness of the container and adversely affect the preservation of product quality.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a container heat treatment apparatus that can prevent water from entering a large-capacity container before capping, and can prevent water from entering a hinged cap into a container fitted with a hinged cap. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The container heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention comprises a conveying means for conveying containers in multiple rows, a watering means for spraying water onto the containers conveyed by the conveying means, and a plurality of mouth covers arranged to cover the mouths of each container in each row of containers conveyed by the conveying means, wherein the watering means sprays water onto the containers and performs heat treatment while the mouth covers cover the mouths of the containers and the conveying means is conveying the containers in multiple rows.

[0007] For example, the container heat treatment apparatus includes a plurality of guide guides provided at the inlet of each row of containers transported by the transport means, corresponding to the opening cover, and guiding the containers below the opening cover of each row. In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of guide guides are provided so as to be swingable and so as to be able to be retracted to a height that does not interfere with the containers when not in use.

[0008] Furthermore, the container heat treatment apparatus may also include a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering multiple mouth covers integrally, and the lifting mechanism may enable the multiple mouth covers to move integrally up and down according to the height of the container, and may be configured to cover the mouth of each container within a range that can accommodate multiple containers of different heights. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a container heat treatment apparatus can be obtained that can prevent water from entering the container for large-capacity containers before capping, and can prevent water from entering the hinge cap for containers fitted with hinge caps. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a side view showing the overall configuration of the container heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a side view showing the container heat treatment apparatus shown in Figure 1, specifically when the mouth cover is used. [Figure 3] This figure shows the same state as Figure 2, and is a front view of the container heat treatment apparatus as seen from the upstream side. [Figure 4] This is a side view of the container heat treatment apparatus shown in Figure 1, in which the mouth cover is not used. [Figure 5] This is a side view showing a container heat treatment apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a side view showing the operation of the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. Figure 1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of a container heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the container C to be processed is a 1.8-liter sake bottle, which is transported with its mouth open, and during transport, high-temperature water is sprayed on its outer surface for heat sterilization. A transport conveyor 11 (transport means) for transporting multiple rows of containers C is provided inside the housing 10, and the transport conveyor 11 is routed around a pair of pulleys 12 and 13. The containers C are supplied from a supply conveyor 14 located at the left end of Figure 1 and placed on the transport conveyor 11, and then discharged to the next process via a discharge conveyor 15 located at the right end.

[0012] A first air cylinder 20 is provided above the supply conveyor 14, and a pusher 21 is attached to the piston of the first air cylinder 20 for transferring the container C from the supply conveyor 14 to the transport conveyor 11. A second air cylinder 22 is provided on the upper surface of the ceiling of the housing 10 to reciprocate the first air cylinder 20 and the pusher 21 between the supply conveyor 14 and the transport conveyor 11.

[0013] Above the conveyor belt 11, a nozzle 30 (watering means) is provided for spraying water onto the containers C being transported by the conveyor belt 11. Between the conveyor belt 11 and the nozzle 30, a plurality of mouth covers 31 are provided for each row of containers C being transported by the conveyor belt 11, positioned to cover the mouth of each container C. The mouth cover 31 is a long member that extends from a watering start position located a predetermined distance downstream in the transport direction from the supply conveyor belt 14 to a watering end position above the pulley 13. The mouth cover 31 has a U-shaped cross-section with an open bottom (see Figure 3), and both ends of the mouth cover 31 in the longitudinal direction are attached to support frames 16 provided on the lower surface of the ceiling of the housing 10.

[0014] In this embodiment, the containers C are arranged in 10 rows on a conveyor belt 11 and transported (see Figure 3), and during transport, their outer surfaces are sprayed with high-temperature water for heat sterilization. At the entrance (water spraying start position) of each row of containers C transported by the conveyor belt 11, a plurality of guide guides 32 are provided, corresponding to the opening cover 31, to guide the containers C below the opening cover 31 of each row. In this embodiment, 10 opening covers 31 are provided, and 11 guide guides 32, which are plate-shaped members, are provided to guide both sides of the containers C that are led to each opening cover 31 (see Figure 3).

[0015] The guiding guide 32 is fixed to a rotating shaft 17 located adjacent to the upstream support frame 16 and is swingable. Specifically, a third air cylinder 23 is pivotally attached to a pin 18 located on the underside of the ceiling of the housing 10, and the piston tip of the third air cylinder 23 is connected to a lever 24 fixed to the rotating shaft 17. By driving the third air cylinder 23, the rotating shaft 17 rotates via the lever 24, causing the guiding guide 32 to swing. The swing range of the guiding guide 32 is between a retracted position that does not interfere with the container C (see Figure 4) and a lowered position that guides along the side of the container C (see Figure 2).

[0016] The nozzle 30 is located directly above the space between adjacent mouth covers 31 and is positioned to spray high-temperature water between the two containers C (see Figure 3).

[0017] The operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 3. As described above, the container C is a one-liter bottle, and its mouth is not fitted with a stopper and is open. At the upstream end of the conveying conveyor 11, when 10 containers C are supplied onto the supply conveyor 14, the pusher 21 advances, and the container C is transferred onto the conveying conveyor 11. The guiding guide 32 is set at the lowered position, and the container C conveyed by the conveying conveyor 11 is guided by the guiding guide 32 and led below the mouth cover 31 in a state aligned in 10 columns. Thereafter, the container C is conveyed by the conveying conveyor 11 while maintaining the state where its mouth is positioned inside the mouth cover 31, and high-temperature water is sprayed onto its outer surface for heat treatment.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in this way, examples of heat treatment are shown for a large-capacity container C such as a one-liter bottle before the present capping, that is, in a state where the mouth is open. In this heat treatment, while the conveying conveyor 11 conveys the container C in 10 columns simultaneously, high-temperature water is sprayed onto the container C by the nozzle 30. However, since the mouth of the container C is always covered by the mouth cover 31, high-temperature water does not mix into the container C.

[0019] FIG. 4 shows a case where the container C is a small container and high-temperature water is sprayed with a stopper D attached to the mouth of the container C. That is, the top of the container C (the upper surface of the stopper D) is positioned below the lower edge of the mouth cover 31, but since the container C is sealed, the mouth cover 31 does not need to cover the mouth of the container C. Therefore, since the guiding guide 32 does not need to guide the container C to the entrance of the mouth cover 31, by driving the third air cylinder 23, it retreats to a height where it does not interfere with the container C. Therefore, the row of the container C conveyed by the conveying conveyor 11 is conveyed without being guided by the guiding guide 32 and is heat-treated with the high-temperature water sprayed from the nozzle 30. The gap between adjacent mouth covers 31 is set so that the high-temperature water sprayed from the nozzle 30 is sufficiently supplied to the outer surface of the container C, and the outer surface of the container C is efficiently heat-treated.

[0020] FIG. 5 shows a container heat treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, a hinge cap E is attached to the mouth of the container C to be heat-treated, and the container C is inserted into a cylindrical holding member 19 on the transport conveyor 11 and transported. Above the supply conveyor 14, a container transfer mechanism 40 is provided to grasp the mouth of the container C and transfer it onto the transport conveyor 11 in order to transfer the container C from the supply conveyor 14 into the holding member 19. The container transfer mechanism 40 is configured by providing a gripping member 42 on the piston of the fourth air cylinder 41, and by making the support member 43 to which the fourth air cylinder 41 is attached movable by the fifth air cylinder 44.

[0021] In this embodiment, the multiple opening covers 31 are configured to move up and down integrally according to the height of the container C to be heat-treated. Near the ceiling of the housing 10, a sprocket 51 around which a lifting chain 50 is wound and a motor 52 for rotating the sprocket 51 are provided, and one end of the lifting chain 50 is connected to the opening cover 31. In other words, the lifting chain 50, the sprocket 51 and the motor 52 constitute a lifting mechanism that moves the multiple opening covers 31 up and down integrally.

[0022] Figure 6 shows the operation in the second embodiment. The symbol (a) indicates the state in which a relatively tall container C is being heat-treated, and the symbol (b) indicates the state in which a relatively short container C is being heat-treated. As shown in Figure 6, when the height of the container C is changed, the mouth cover 31 can be adjusted to an appropriate height position by driving the motor 52, and the mouth of each container C can be covered within a range that can accommodate multiple containers C of different heights.

[0023] According to the second embodiment, since the hinge cap E of the container C is covered by the mouth cover 31, it is possible to reliably prevent water from entering the hinge cap E of the heat-treated container C. In addition, regardless of the height of the container C, the mouth cover 31 can always be set to an appropriate height position, thereby reliably preventing water from entering the hinge cap E.

[0024] In the second embodiment, the mouth cover 31 is configured to be raised and lowered by a motor 52, but instead, it may be raised and lowered by turning a handle by hand. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] C container 11. Conveyor (conveying means) 30 Nozzles (Watering means) 31 Mouth cover 32 Guide to Enticement

Claims

1. A conveying means for transporting containers in multiple rows, A watering means for spraying water onto a container being transported by the aforementioned transporting means, Each row of containers transported by the transport means is provided with a plurality of opening covers arranged to cover the opening of each container, The container heat treatment apparatus is characterized in that the sprinkling means sprinkles water on the container and performs heat treatment while the mouth cover covers the mouth of the container and the conveying means conveys the containers in multiple rows.

2. The container heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that each row of containers transported by the transport means is provided with a plurality of guide guides corresponding to the opening cover, which guide the containers below the opening cover of each row.

3. The container heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the plurality of guides are provided so as to be swingable and can be retracted to a height that does not interfere with the container when the guides are not in use.

4. The system includes a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the multiple opening covers in an integrated manner. The container heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of mouth covers can be raised and lowered integrally according to the height of the container by the lifting means, and the mouth of each container can be covered within a range that can accommodate a plurality of containers of different heights.

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