Cap sterilizer

Abstract

To disinfect a large amount of caps at a high speed.SOLUTION: The cap disinfection device includes: a top surface side guide 17 that guides a top surface 2b of a cap 2 along the moving trajectory of the cap 2 housed in a reception part 12a formed on a second rotation wheel H2; and a bottom side guide 18 that guides the bottom of the cap 2. The bottom side guide 18 is formed of a flat guiding member 18a provided across the center of the cap 2. Disinfection means 6 are provided on the opposite side to the cap 2 across the bottom side guide 18 and have a plurality of first injection nozzles N1 that rotate integrally with the second rotation wheel H2. The injection ports of the injection nozzles N1 are provided at the positions that correspond to the respective caps 2 housed in the second rotation wheel H2 and are also provided between the guiding member 18a and the guiding member 18a that form the bottom side guide 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cap sterilizer, and more particularly to a cap sterilizer having a rotating wheel for transporting a cap and a sterilizing means for spraying a sterilizing agent onto the cap. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, caps to be attached to PET bottles and the like are sterilized before being attached to the PET bottle, and for this purpose, a cap sterilization device is used that sprays a sterilizing agent onto the cap to sterilize it. As such a cap sterilizing device, there is known one that transports the caps by a rotating wheel and includes a sterilizing means that sprays a sterilizing agent onto the caps transported by the rotating wheel (Patent Document 1). The sterilization means of Patent Document 1 provides a tunnel on the path of movement of the cap caused by the rotating wheel, and sprays a sterilizing agent onto the cap passing through the inside of the tunnel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6551803 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the case of the cap sterilization device of Patent Document 1, when the caps are passed through a tunnel and the sterilant is applied to them, there is a problem that when the caps are transported at high speed, disturbances such as air currents can cause the sterilant to not adhere properly, resulting in poor sterilization of the caps. There is also a problem that a large number of caps cannot be processed in a short time because the caps pass through the tunnel in a short time. In view of these problems, the present invention provides a cap sterilizer capable of sterilizing even a large number of caps at high speed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] That is, the cap sterilizing device according to the invention of claim 1 is a cap sterilizing device including a rotating wheel for conveying a cap having a top surface at one end of a cylindrical portion, and a sterilizing means for spraying a sterilizing agent onto the cap, a top surface guide for guiding the top surface of the cap and a bottom surface guide for guiding the bottom of the cap are provided along a moving trajectory of the cap accommodated in the accommodation portion formed in the rotating wheel, the bottom surface guide being configured by guide members provided in parallel across the center of the cap; The sterilization means is a hollow wheel that rotates integrally with the rotating wheel at a position on the opposite side of the bottom guide from the rotating wheel; a flow passage that is formed inside a rotating shaft that constitutes the rotating wheel and communicates with an internal space of the hollow wheel; and a plurality of injection nozzles that are provided on the hollow wheel; the hollow wheel is composed of a holding plate provided opposite to a bottom portion of the cap, and a cover that covers the holding plate to form the internal space, The injection nozzle is provided on the holding plate, and an injection port of the injection nozzle is provided at a position corresponding to each cap accommodated in the rotating wheel and between guide members constituting the bottom side guide, By allowing the disinfectant to flow into the internal space of the hollow wheel through the flow passage, the disinfectant is sprayed from the spray nozzle. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the above-mentioned invention, the spray nozzle moves integrally with the cap transported by the rotating wheel, so that the disinfectant can be sprayed from the spray nozzle onto the cap while the cap is transported by the rotating wheel. In addition, by providing the nozzle outlet of the spray nozzle between the guide members that constitute the bottom side guide, the disinfectant sprayed from the spray nozzle passes between the guide members, allowing the disinfectant to adhere to the cap. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] Configuration diagram of the cap sterilization device according to the present embodiment [Diagram 2] Cross-sectional view of the second rotating wheel and the sterilizing means [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the main part of FIG. 2. [Figure 4]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a rotating wheel and a drying means. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a cap sterilizer 1 according to this embodiment. The cap sterilization device 1 of this embodiment is installed adjacent to a filling device that fills beverages into PET bottles, and when unsterilized caps 2 are supplied from a hopper (not shown) via a supply chute 3, the caps 2 are sterilized and then supplied via a discharge chute 4 to a capper installed in the filling device. The cap 2 is a conventionally known type that is made of resin and has a top surface 2b formed at one end of the cylindrical portion 2a as shown in FIG. 4, and a ring 2c that fits onto the neck of a PET bottle at the bottom, which is the other end of the cylindrical portion 2a. In this embodiment, the cap 2 is transported with the top surface 2b and the bottom facing sideways, in other words, the cap 2 is transported with the center of the cap 2 facing horizontally. Note that, according to the configuration of this embodiment described below, it is also possible to transport the cap 2 with the center of the cap 2 facing vertically.

[0009] The cap sterilization device 1 comprises a housing 5 whose interior is separated from the external atmosphere, first to sixth rotating wheels H1 to H6 provided inside the housing 5, a sterilization means 6 that sprays a sterilant onto the caps 2, a drying means 7 that dries the caps 2, and a cleaning means (not shown) that cleans the caps 2, and is controlled by a control means (not shown). The interior of the housing 5 is divided into several chambers by partition plates 8, and from the upstream side of the transport path for the caps 2, there are formed a supply chamber S1 to which the caps 2 are supplied, a sterilization chamber S2 to sterilize the caps 2, a drying chamber S3 to dry the caps 2, and a cleaning chamber S4 to clean the caps 2.

[0010] A first rotating wheel H1 is provided in the supply chamber S1, a second rotating wheel H2 is provided in the sterilization chamber S2, third and fourth rotating wheels H3 and H4 are provided in the drying chamber S3, and a sixth rotating wheel H6 is provided in the cleaning chamber S4, and the fifth rotating wheel H5 is provided so as to straddle the drying chamber S3 and the cleaning chamber S4. For example, the partition plate 8 separating the supply chamber S1 and the sterilization chamber S2 has an opening formed at a position where the first rotating wheel H1 and the second rotating wheel H2 are close to each other, the opening being large enough to allow the transfer of the cap 2. The partition plate 8 separating the drying chamber S3 from the cleaning chamber S4 also has an opening formed therein large enough to allow the fifth rotary wheel H5 to operate and the caps 2 to pass through while being transported. The supply chute 3, through which the caps 2 are supplied by their own weight, is provided upstream of the first rotating wheel H1, and the discharge chute 4, through which the caps 2 are discharged by their own weight, is provided downstream of the sixth rotating wheel.

[0011] Next, each of the chambers S1 to S4 that make up the housing 5 is set to a positive pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, of which the drying chamber S3 is set to the most positive pressure, the sterilization chamber S2 and the cleaning chamber S4 are set to a lower pressure than the drying chamber S3, and the supply chamber S1 is set to a lower pressure than the sterilization chamber S2. In order to set such pressure, the supply chamber S1 and the drying chamber S3 are provided with air intake ports S1a and S3a, and sterile air is supplied to the air intake ports S1a and S3a from an air intake blower 9 via an air intake piping 9a. The air supply pipe 9a is provided so as to branch toward the supply chamber S1 and the drying chamber S3, and each branch passage is provided with an on-off valve 9b controlled by a control means. On the other hand, the supply chamber S1, drying chamber S3 and cleaning chamber S4 are provided with exhaust ports S1b, S3b and S4a, respectively, and exhaust pipes 10a are connected between each exhaust port S1b, S3b and S4a and an exhaust blower 10, and the branched exhaust pipes 10a are each provided with an opening / closing valve 10b controlled by a control means. In such a configuration, the control means makes the amount of air supplied by the air supply blower 9 greater than the amount of air exhausted by the exhaust blower 10, thereby maintaining the air pressure within the housing 5 at a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the control means is configured to set the pressure in the supply chamber S1, the sterilization chamber S2, the drying chamber S3, and the cleaning chamber S4 by adjusting the opening degree of the on-off valve 10b of the exhaust pipe 10a connected to the supply chamber S1, the drying chamber S3, and the cleaning chamber S4, respectively.

[0012] Next, the fourth rotary wheel H4 of the drying chamber S3 is provided with a drying means 7, and the drying means 7 is connected to a supply passage 7a which is further branched off from an air supply pipe 9a connected to the drying chamber S3. Sterile air is supplied to the drying means 7 from the air supply blower 9, and an on-off valve 7b controlled by a control means is provided in the supply passage 7a, and an on-off valve 9c is provided in the air supply piping 9a at a position downstream of the position to which the supply passage 7a is connected. The drying means 7 is provided with a heating means (not shown) that heats the sterile air from the air supply blower 9, and dries the caps 2 by spraying the heated sterile air onto the caps 2 being transported by the fourth rotating wheel H4.

[0013] In this embodiment, while the cap sterilizer 1 is operating normally, the opening / closing valve 7b of the supply passage 7a connected to the supply passage 7a is opened, and the opening / closing valve 9c of the air supply pipe 9a connected to the air supply port S3a of the drying chamber S3 is closed. As a result, in the drying chamber S3, heated sterile air (heated air) is ejected from the drying means 7, and air is not supplied from the air supply port S3a. In other words, the drying chamber S3 is maintained at a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure by the sterile air (heated air) sprayed by the drying means 7 into the drying chamber S3.

[0014] In this state, if an abnormality occurs in a device disposed upstream or downstream of the cap sterilizer 1 or in the cap sterilizer 1 itself, the first to sixth rotating wheels H1 to H6 will stop. If this state continues for a predetermined time, the drying means 7 will continue to spray heated air onto the cap 2 held by the fourth rotary wheel H4, which may cause thermal deformation of the cap 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in an apparatus arranged upstream or downstream of the cap sterilizer 1 or in the cap sterilizer 1 itself and a predetermined time (e.g., 3 minutes) has elapsed since the fourth rotating wheel H4 stopped, the control means closes the opening / closing valve 7b of the supply passage 7a connected to the drying means 7 and opens the opening / closing valve 9c of the air intake piping 9a connected to the air intake port S3a of the drying chamber S3 to switch the passage. This stops the supply of heated air to the drying means 7, preventing thermal deformation of the cap 2, and also allows sterile air from the air supply blower 9 to be supplied through the air supply port S3a, thereby maintaining positive pressure in the drying chamber S3.

[0015] 2 to 4, the second rotating wheel H2 and the sterilizing means 6 will be described. Note that the first, third to fifth rotating wheels H1, and H3 to H5 have almost the same configuration, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the second rotating wheel H2 includes a rotating shaft 11 that is arranged to penetrate one side of the housing 5, and a disk-shaped support plate 12 that is provided on the rotating shaft 11 and has an accommodating portion 12a that accommodates the cap 2. The rotating shaft 11 is provided so that its axial direction is oriented horizontally, and is rotatably supported by a bearing case 13 provided to penetrate the housing 5. The support plate 12 is fixed to the rotating shaft 11 on the inner side of the housing 5, and a gear 14 is provided on the outer side. The gear 14 meshes with the gears of the other rotating wheels H journalled on the housing 5, and the first to sixth rotating wheels H1 to H6 rotate synchronously when a driving force is transmitted from a drive motor (not shown).

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, the support plate 12 has, on its outer periphery, accommodation portions 12a for accommodating the caps 2, which are formed at equal intervals. Each of the storage sections 12a is formed in a semicircular shape, and protrusions 12b are formed at both ends and the middle of the storage section 12a, and these three protrusions 12b are adapted to come into contact with the side portions of the cap 2. Accordingly, recesses 12c are formed between the protrusions 12b in the storage section 12a. In addition, a fan-shaped side guide 15 is provided on the outside of the support plate 12 along the transport path of the cap 2, and its inner surface is adapted to contact the side of the cylindrical portion 2a of the cap 2 transported by the second rotating wheel H2. The side guide 15 is fixed to the bearing case 13 via a retaining means 16, which is composed of a plurality of retaining members 16a arranged radially from the bearing case 13 and spacers 16b provided on each retaining member 16a, as shown in Figure 4. With this configuration, when the rotating shaft 11 of the second rotating wheel H2 rotates integrally with the support plate 12, the cap 2 moves while being accommodated in the accommodation section 12a of the support plate 12, and at that time, the side guide 15 contacts and guides the side of the cap 2 from the outer periphery, so that the cap 2 is transported without falling off.

[0017] Next, the top surface 2b and bottom surface of the cap 2 transported by the second rotating wheel H2 are supported from both axial ends by a top surface side guide 17 that contacts and guides the top surface 2b of the cap 2, and a bottom surface side guide 18 that contacts and guides the bottom surface of the cap 2, as shown in Figure 4. First, the bottom side guide 18 is composed of two parallel guide members 18a arranged in an arc shape along the transport path of the cap 2, as shown in Figure 3. Specifically, the guide members 18a and 18a are arranged in parallel at opposing positions across the center of the cap 2 transported by the second rotating wheel H2. The guide member 18a is fixed to a plate-shaped bottom bracket 19 which is fixed to the side guide 15 as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and a through hole 19a is formed in the bottom bracket 19 at a position between the guide members 18a and 18a.

[0018] As shown in Figure 4, like the bottom side guide 18, the top side guide 17 is composed of two parallel guide members 17a arranged in an arc shape along the transport path of the cap 2, and is fixed to a plate-shaped top side bracket 20 fixed to the holding means 16. The guide members 17a of the top surface side guide 17 do not need to be provided at positions opposing each other across the center of the cap 2 like the bottom surface side guide 18, and may be formed of, for example, a single guide member.

[0019] Next, the sterilization means 6 in this embodiment is provided on the opposite side of the cap 2 across the bottom side guide 18, and is equipped with a plurality of spray nozzles N that rotate integrally with the second rotating wheel H2, and the spray nozzles N include an inner surface spray nozzle N1 for spraying a sterilant onto the inner surface of the cap 2, and an outer surface spray nozzle N2 for spraying a sterilant onto the outer surface of the cap 2. The inner surface jet nozzle N1 and the outer surface jet nozzle N2 are provided on a hollow wheel 21 that is fixed to the rotating shaft 11 and rotates integrally with the support plate 12. The hollow wheel 21 is composed of a retaining plate 21a provided on the opposite side of the cap 2 across the bottom side guide 18, and a cover 21b covering the retaining plate 21a, so that a space is formed inside them. In addition, a flow passage 11a is formed in the center of the rotating shaft 11, which communicates with the internal space of the hollow wheel 21, and this flow passage 11a is connected to a disinfectant supply means 23 via a rotary joint 22 provided at the tip of the rotating shaft 11. When the sterilant supply means 23 supplies hydrogen peroxide vapor as a sterilant, the sterilant flows through the flow passage 11a and then flows into the internal space of the hollow wheel 21, filling it therewith.

[0020] The above-mentioned inner surface jet nozzle N1 and outer surface jet nozzle N2 are provided on the holding plate 21a of the hollow wheel 21, and of these, the inner surface jet nozzle N1 is formed of a cylindrical member, while the outer surface jet nozzle N2 is formed by a through hole provided in the holding plate 21a. The inner surface injection nozzle N1 is provided in correspondence with the center of the cap 2 accommodated in the accommodation portion 12a of the support plate 12 of the second rotary wheel H2. Here, the guide members 18a constituting the bottom side guide 18 are arranged parallel to each other on either side of the center of the cap 2, so that the disinfectant sprayed from the inner surface spray nozzle N1 passes between these guide members 18a and 18a and is sprayed onto the inside of the cap 2. Furthermore, a through hole 19a is formed in the bottom bracket 19 that holds the bottom guide 18, so that the disinfectant sprayed from the inner surface spray nozzle N1 passes through the through hole 19a and is sprayed onto the inside of the cap 2.

[0021] The outer spray nozzles N2 are provided at four locations surrounding the inner spray nozzle N1, and are each provided at the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 2a of the cap 2 supported by the second rotating wheel H2. Further, the outer surface injection nozzle N2 is provided at a position avoiding the guide member 18a constituting the bottom side guide 18, and is provided at the position of the recess 12c of the storage portion 12a formed in the support plate 12. With this configuration, the disinfectant sprayed from the external spray nozzle N2 is sprayed along the outer peripheral surface of the side of the cap 2, avoiding the guide member 18a constituting the bottom side guide 18, and is further sprayed through the recess 12c formed in the storage section 12a. The germicide that has passed through the recess 12c is then sprayed beyond the cap 2 and collides with a reflector 24 provided on the opposite side of the spray nozzle N. As shown in FIG. 4, the reflector 24 is a roughly fan-shaped member arranged to cover the side guide 15, and has a width that exceeds the width of the cap 2 in the radial direction of the second rotating wheel H2. With this configuration, the disinfectant sprayed from the external spray nozzle N2 collides with the reflector plate 24 after passing over the cap 2, thereby making it possible for the disinfectant to be reflected by the reflector plate 24 and adhere to the outside of the top surface 2b of the cap 2.

[0022] As described above, according to the sterilization means 6 of this embodiment, each spray nozzle N rotates integrally with the cap 2 transported by the second rotating wheel H2, so that the sterilant can be sprayed constantly while the cap 2 is transported by the second rotating wheel H2, and each cap 2 can be sufficiently sterilized even when the second rotating wheel H2 is rotated at high speed. In contrast, in a configuration as in Patent Document 1, in which the caps 2 transported by the rotating wheel are passed through a tunnel and the sterilant is sprayed, if the rotating wheel is rotated at high speed, the caps 2 pass through the tunnel in a short time, and sufficient sterilization cannot be performed. In addition, the turbulence generated in the tunnel as the cap 2 moved increased as the moving speed of the cap 2 increased, making the tunnel unsuitable for high-speed processing. In addition, the sterilization means 6 of this embodiment is equipped with an inner surface spray nozzle N1 for sterilizing the inner surface of the cap 2 and an outer surface spray nozzle N2 for sterilizing the outer surface of the cap 2, so that the sterilizing agent can be applied to the entire surface of the cap 2. In this case, a reflector 24 is provided on the opposite side of the spray nozzle N across the cap 2, so that the disinfectant sprayed beyond the cap 2 is reflected by the reflector 24 and adheres to the outer periphery of the top surface 2b of the cap 2, and an atmosphere filled with disinfectant can be formed.

[0023] 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the fourth rotating wheel H4 and the drying means 7. Of these, the fourth rotating wheel H4 and the side guide 15, top surface guide 17, and bottom guide 18 associated with the fourth rotating wheel H4 have the same configuration as those provided on the second rotating wheel H2, so detailed explanations will be omitted. The drying means 7 is equipped with a hollow wheel 31 that rotates integrally with the fourth rotating wheel H4, and a flow passage 11a is formed in the rotating shaft 11 of the fourth rotating wheel H4, and a supply passage 7a that is connected to the air supply blower 9 shown in Figure 1 via a rotary joint 22 is connected to it. In addition, a heating means (not shown) for heating the sterile air is provided in the supply passage 7a, which heats the sterile air supplied by the supply blower 9 and then supplies the heated air to the hollow wheel 31 through the flow passage 11a. Like the sterilization means 6, the hollow wheel 31 is composed of a holding plate 31a located on the opposite side of the cap 2 across the bottom side guide 18, and a cover 31b covering the holding plate 31a, and a through hole 31c is formed in the holding plate 31a to match the position of the storage section 12a of the fourth rotating wheel H4. The through hole 31c is positioned to match the position of the cap 2 stored in the storage section 12a of the fourth rotating wheel H4, and the heated air filling the internal space of the hollow wheel 31 is ejected from the through hole 31c to dry the cap 2 while moving in synchronization with the cap 2 stored in the storage section 12a of the fourth rotating wheel H4.

[0024] Although an explanation of the above-mentioned cleaning means using drawings is omitted, the cleaning means is provided with at least one spray nozzle on the transport path of the cap 2 transported by the sixth rotating wheel H6, which sprays cleaning liquid onto the cap 2 being transported. Purified water is sprayed from the spray nozzle N as a cleaning liquid to remove dust and other particles adhering to the caps 2, and the adhering purified water also facilitates the movement of the caps 2 discharged from the sixth rotating wheel H6 to the discharge chute 4.

[0025] To explain the operation of the cap sterilization device 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, in Figure 1, unsterilized caps 2 are supplied from a hopper (not shown) through the supply chute 3, and after entering the supply chamber S1 of the housing 5, the caps 2 are held by the first rotating wheel H1 provided in the supply chamber S1. The cap 2 conveyed by the first rotary wheel H1 is delivered to the second rotary wheel H2 provided in the sterilization chamber S2, and sterilization is carried out by the sterilization means 6 in the sterilization chamber S2. The hollow wheel 21 constituting the sterilization means 6 is filled with sterilant supplied from the sterilization supply means 23, and the sterilant is sprayed toward the cap 2 from the inner surface spray nozzle N1 and the outer surface spray nozzle N2. At this time, since the inner surface spray nozzle N1 is positioned between the guide members 18a that constitute the bottom side guide 18, the disinfectant sprayed from the inner surface spray nozzle N1 passes between the guide members 18a and 18a and is sprayed onto the inner surface side of the top surface 2b of the cap 2. On the other hand, the external spray nozzle N2 is provided at a position that avoids the guide member 18a that constitutes the bottom side guide 18, and is also provided at the position of the recess 12c formed in the support plate 12, so that the sprayed disinfectant is sprayed beyond the cap 2. Furthermore, a reflector 24 is provided on the opposite side of the cap 2, so that the disinfectant sprayed beyond the cap 2 is reflected by the reflector 24 and adheres to the outer surface side of the top surface 2b of the cap 2.

[0026] When the sterilizing agent is sprayed onto the caps 2 in the sterilizing chamber S2, the caps 2 are transferred from the second rotary table to a fourth rotary wheel H4 via a third rotary wheel H3 provided in the drying chamber. Heated air is sprayed onto the cap 2 from drying means 7, thereby evaporating the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution acting as a sterilant adhering to the cap 2. The cap 2 is then transferred to a sixth rotary wheel H6 provided in the cleaning chamber S4 via a fifth rotary wheel H5, and purified water is sprayed onto the cap 2 as a cleaning liquid by a cleaning means. The purified water sprayed by this cleaning means removes dust and other particles adhering to the caps, and is also used as a lubricant to make the caps 2 discharged by the sixth rotating wheel H6 slide easily in the discharge chute 4. The cap 2 then moves by its own weight down the discharge chute 4 to a capper provided in the filling device, where the sterilized cap 2 is attached to a PET bottle.

[0027] In the sterilization means 6 of the above embodiment, the inner surface spray nozzle N1 and the outer surface spray nozzle N2 are provided on the hollow wheel 21, and the hollow wheel 21 is filled with the sterilizing agent so that the sterilizing agent is sprayed from the inner surface spray nozzle N1 and the outer surface spray nozzle N2. However, the flow passage 11a provided on the rotating shaft 11 and the spray nozzles N may be connected by tubes to supply the sterilizing agent individually. In this case, for example, it is possible to form a nozzle having a plurality of injection ports by integrally molding the inner surface jet nozzle N1 and a plurality of outer surface jet nozzles N2, and connect one tube to the nozzle. Similarly, in the drying means 7 of this embodiment, in a configuration in which an injection port is provided in the hollow wheel 31, an injection nozzle N may be provided at the position of each injection port, and each injection nozzle N may be connected to the flow passage 11a of the rotating shaft 11 by a tube. The drying means 7 may be configured in a manner similar to the conventional method, in which a fixed spray nozzle is disposed in the transport path of the cap. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1 Cap sterilizer 2 Cap 6 Sterilization means 7 Drying means 11 Rotating shaft 11a Flow passage 12 Support plate 12a Storage section 15 Side guide 17 Top guide 18 Bottom guide 18a Guide member 21 hollow wheel 21a retaining plate 21b Cover 24 Reflector H1~H6 1st~6th rotating wheels N1 Inner surface spray nozzle N2 Outer surface spray nozzle

Claims

1. A cap sterilizing device comprising a rotating wheel for conveying a cap having a top surface at one end of a cylindrical portion, and a sterilizing means for spraying a sterilizing agent onto the cap, a top surface guide for guiding the top surface of the cap and a bottom surface guide for guiding the bottom of the cap are provided along a moving trajectory of the cap accommodated in the accommodation portion formed in the rotating wheel, the bottom surface guide being configured by guide members provided in parallel across the center of the cap; The sterilization means includes a hollow wheel that rotates integrally with the rotating wheel at a position on the opposite side of the bottom guide with respect to the rotating wheel, a flow passage formed inside a rotating shaft constituting the rotating wheel and communicating with an internal space of the hollow wheel, and a plurality of injection nozzles provided on the hollow wheel, the hollow wheel is composed of a holding plate provided opposite to a bottom portion of the cap, and a cover that covers the holding plate to form the internal space, The injection nozzle is provided on the holding plate, and an injection port of the injection nozzle is provided at a position corresponding to each cap accommodated in the rotating wheel and between guide members constituting the bottom side guide, A cap sterilizer, characterized in that the sterilant is injected from the injection nozzle by flowing the sterilant into the internal space of the hollow wheel through the flow passage.

2. The spray nozzle for spraying the germicide onto the inner surface of the cap is an inner surface spray nozzle, and an outer surface spray nozzle for spraying the germicide onto the outer surface of the cap is provided at a position adjacent to the inner surface spray nozzle; The cap sterilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that the nozzle of the external spray nozzle is provided at the outer peripheral edge of the cylindrical portion of the cap accommodated in the rotating wheel, and is provided at a position that avoids the guide member that constitutes the bottom side guide.

3. A reflecting plate is provided at a position on the top surface side of the cap with respect to the inner surface spray nozzle and the outer surface spray nozzle, with the rotating wheel being sandwiched therebetween; 3. The cap sterilizer according to claim 2, wherein the sterilant sprayed from the outer spray nozzle is reflected by a reflecting plate so that the sterilant adheres to the outer surface of the top of the cap.

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