Rotary valve, filling machine, and method for cleaning or sterilizing the rotary valve

Abstract

To provide a rotary valve capable of washing the whole of area that needs cleaning without needing to be disassembled, a filling machine equipped with the rotary valve, and a method of washing or sterilizing the rotary valve.SOLUTION: A rotary valve, capable of switching a channel by driving a rotor to rotate about a predetermined axis, has a rotor that is provided with a partial channel forming a part of the channel, and a housing that stores the rotor. The partial channel has opening at a plurality of places around the axis on an outer peripheral portion of the rotor. The rotor is configured to move forward / backward between a first position where the opening can be opened / closed according to a phase in a rotating direction, and a second position shifted in an axis direction with respect to an open / close position. Inside the housing, a storage area storing the rotor at the first position, and a cavity that receives the rotor moved from the storage area toward the second position and in which a medium for washing or sterilizing is introduced, are formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a rotary valve capable of switching flow paths, a filling machine including the rotary valve, and a method for cleaning or sterilizing the rotary valve. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to supply fluids such as liquids and powders, rotary valves are widely used, which include a housing, a rotor that rotates around an axis relative to the housing, and a motor that drives the rotor (for example, Patent Document 1). A typical rotary valve has a rotor with a plurality of vanes formed on its outer periphery radially from the axis. By controlling the rotation speed of the rotor, it is possible to supply the fluid at a constant or variable flow rate.

[0003] As another application, rotary valves are used to switch the flow path through which a fluid such as curry roux passes when filling a container with a fluid from a tank, as shown in Patent Document 2. A T-shaped flow path is formed inside the rotor of such a rotary valve. The direction of the T-shaped flow path changes according to the phase of rotation of the rotor, thereby opening either a first flow path through which the fluid flows from the tank to the measuring cylinder, or a second flow path through which the fluid flows from the measuring cylinder to the filling nozzle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-52711 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2000-219204 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Lines including rotary valves are cleaned and sterilized at appropriate times, such as when production is stopped or when switching products in a manufacturing line. For example, for filling machines including rotary valves, cleaning in place (CIP) is performed, in which a cleaning liquid is introduced into the tank, filling nozzle, etc. through the piping of the line, instead of a product liquid such as curry roux. At this time, the cleaning liquid also flows through the internal flow path of the rotor of the rotary valve, so that the internal flow path of the rotor is cleaned.

[0006] In order to clean the entire area where the product liquid may adhere, including not only the internal flow path of the rotor but also the outer periphery of the rotor and the inner periphery of the housing, it is necessary to manually disassemble the rotary valve. For example, the work procedure involves removing a number of bolts to remove the housing from the filling nozzle and support member, and then removing a number of bolts to pull the rotor out of the housing in the axial direction. The rotor and housing separated from each other are then cleaned. In addition to the in-place cleaning that is performed automatically by the control of the filling line, the filling machine requires disassembly and cleaning of each of its many rotary valves. This requires disassembly and cleaning of the rotary valves, which prevents the automation of filling line cleaning.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to clean a rotary valve throughout the entire area requiring cleaning and sterilization without the need for disassembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present disclosure relates to a rotary valve capable of switching flow paths by driving a rotor to rotate around a predetermined axis, the valve comprising a rotor having a partial flow path that forms a part of the flow path, and a housing that accommodates the rotor. The partial flow passages have openings at a plurality of locations around the axis of the rotor on the outer periphery. The rotor is configured to be movable between a first position where the opening can be opened or closed depending on the phase of the rotation direction, and a second position shifted in the axial direction from the first position. The inside of the housing is formed with a storage area in which the rotor in a first position is stored, and a gap for receiving the rotor moved from the storage area toward the second position and into which a cleaning or sterilizing medium is introduced.

[0009] The present disclosure also provides a method for cleaning or sterilizing a rotary valve capable of switching flow paths by driving a rotor to rotate around a predetermined axis, wherein partial flow paths formed in the rotor and constituting part of the flow path have openings at multiple locations around the axis on the outer periphery of the rotor, and include the steps of moving the rotor in the axial direction from a first position where the openings can be opened and closed depending on the phase of the rotational direction of the rotor to a second position inside a housing that accommodates the rotor, and supplying a cleaning or sterilizing medium to the outer periphery shifted in the axial direction and to the inner periphery of the housing. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, the rotor is configured to be movable in the axial direction inside the housing, so that the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the entire area of ​​the rotary valve that requires cleaning or sterilization and cleaning can be performed without disassembling the rotary valve. Therefore, since there is no need for manual disassembly cleaning work involving disassembly of the rotary valve, it is possible to realize automation of the in-place cleaning and in-place sterilization processes. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a portion of a filling machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the rotary valve taken along line II-II in FIG 1. The rotor is in its as-produced position in the axial direction. [Diagram 3] Fig. 3 is a view taken along the line III-III in Fig. 2, illustrating a state during measurement. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram showing a state during filling, in which the rotor has been rotated 90° from the state shown in FIG. [Diagram 5]3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rotor has moved in the axial direction from the state shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 6 is a view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a rotary valve assembly of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Overall structure] A filling machine 1, a part of which is shown in Fig. 1, constitutes a filling line that fills a liquid product into a container (including a packaging material, not shown) and seals it. The container is, for example, a bottle, or may be a pouch package or the like. The filling machine 1 includes a tank 2 for storing the product liquid, a conveying mechanism (not shown) for conveying the containers, a number of filling units 3 for filling the containers with the product liquid, and a control device 5 for controlling the filling machine 1. The conveying mechanism is, for example, a rotary conveying mechanism including a rotor, or a linear motor type conveying mechanism. The conveying mechanism is provided with grippers (not shown) for gripping each of the multiple containers.

[0013] In the filling machine 1, while the containers are transported by the transport mechanism, the filling unit 3, which is provided on the transport mechanism and moves together with the containers, fills each container with the product liquid. Alternatively, the filling unit 3, which is provided at a predetermined position, fills the containers transported to the position of the filling unit 3 with the product liquid. The product liquid corresponds to a liquid-like flowing matter such as a roux for curry or stew, a puree made from vegetables and meat, or a sauce. Such a flowing matter has a higher viscosity than liquids such as water. The filling unit 3 dispenses a measured, specified amount of the product liquid to fill the container.

[0014] [Example of the configuration of the filling section] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the filling section 3 includes, for example, a metering cylinder 31 (metering section) that measures the product liquid received from the tank 2, a filling nozzle 32 that guides the product liquid from the metering cylinder 31 to the mouth position of the container, an opening / closing mechanism 33 that opens and closes the tip of the filling nozzle 32, and a rotary valve 10 connected to the tank 2, the metering cylinder 31, and the filling nozzle 32.

[0015] The rotary valve 10 switches the flow path through which the product liquid flows depending on the rotation phase of the rotor 11. The rotary valve 10 includes the rotor 11, a housing 20 that accommodates the rotor 11, seal members 41-43, one or more bearings 44, 45 which are ball bearings, a rotation drive unit 50, and an advance / retract drive unit 55. Inside the housing 20, an accommodation area 21 that accommodates the rotor 11, and a gap 22 added to the accommodation area 21 are formed.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 20 is provided with a supply port 201 connected to the bottom 2A of the tank 2, which is the source of the product liquid, a metering port 202 connected to the metering cylinder 31, a discharge port 203 connected to the filling nozzle 32, and a cleaning port 204 communicating with the gap 22.

[0017] The metering cylinder 31 includes a cylinder 311 installed below the bottom 2A of the tank 2, a piston 312 inserted into the cylinder 311, an annular seal 312A that seals between the inner wall of the cylinder 311 and the piston head, and a drive device (not shown) that pushes and pulls the piston 312. The cylinder 311 is disposed horizontally and communicates with the metering port 202. When a specified amount of product liquid is drawn into the cylinder 311 from the tank 2 by retracting the piston 312 from the cylinder 311 by a specified stroke, the piston 312 is pushed out toward the filling nozzle 32.

[0018] The filling nozzle 32 extends from the location of the discharge port 203 to a discharge outlet 32A located near the mouth of the container. The opening / closing mechanism 33 includes an air cylinder 331 and a valve 332. The opening / closing mechanism 33 raises and lowers the valve 332 to open and close the discharge port 32A at the appropriate time. The opening and closing mechanism 33 is not necessarily required, and the product liquid may be pushed out by the piston 312 of the metering cylinder 31, so that the product liquid is directly discharged from the discharge port 32A.

[0019] When solid matter is filled into the same container in addition to the liquid product, a mechanism for feeding the solid matter into the container can be provided near the discharge port 32A.

[0020] When the rotor 11 is driven to rotate about the axis X by the rotation drive unit 50, the flow path of the product liquid is switched between the tank 2, the metering cylinder 31, and the filling nozzle 32. The pushing and pulling of the piston 312 of the metering cylinder 31, the switching of the flow path by the rotation of the rotor 11, the raising and lowering of the valve 332 by the opening and closing mechanism 33, and the transport of the container to the filling position are all performed in synchronization by the control device 5, whereby metering and filling are repeated to produce the containerized product.

[0021] When production is stopped or when the product being produced is changed, cleaning in place (CIP) of the filling machine 1 is performed using water or a cleaning medium (hereinafter, cleaning liquid) that is a cleaning liquid. In part of the cleaning in place process, the rotor 11 is moved by the forward / backward drive unit 55 from the position during production toward the gap 22 in the direction of the axis X.

[0022] [Detailed configuration of rotary valve] The detailed configuration of the rotary valve 10 will be described below. (Rotor) The rotor 11 includes a substantially cylindrical valve portion 110 and a shaft portion 120 extending from the valve portion 110 in the direction of the axis X. A partial flow path 11F having first to third openings 101 to 103 is formed in an outer circumferential portion 110A of the valve portion 110. The outer circumferential portion 110A is surrounded by an inner circumferential portion 20A of the housing 20 during production.

[0023] The partial flow passages 11F are arranged on the same cross section perpendicular to the axis X which is the center of rotation of the rotor 11. The direction of the axis X is referred to as the x direction. The partial flow paths 11F are arranged on a yz plane perpendicular to the x direction. In this embodiment, the z direction corresponds to the vertical direction. The x and y directions are parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0024] The first to third openings 101 to 103 are arranged at a plurality of positions on the outer circumferential portion 110A around the axis X, and are all formed in a circular shape. In this embodiment, the first to third openings 101 to 103 each have the same diameter. If the position of the first opening 101 in the rotation direction of the rotor 11 is 0°, the second opening 102 is located at 90°, and the third opening 103 is located at 180°. Partial flow path 11F includes section 104 that passes through the position of axis X and connects first opening 101 and third opening 103, and section 105 that extends from the position of axis X at a right angle to section 104. Partial flow path 11F is formed into a substantially T-shape by sections 104 and 105 as a whole.

[0025] The first to third openings 101 to 103 are opened and closed according to the phase of the rotational direction (x-axis rotational direction) of the valve section 110. Depending on the open / closed state of the first to third openings 101 to 103, the flow of the product liquid in the flow path including the partial flow path 11F is switched. 3, at the first phase φ1, the first opening 101 faces the supply port 201 and is therefore open. The second opening 102 also faces the metering port 202 and is therefore open. At this time, the third opening 103 is closed by the inner periphery 20A of the housing 20. At the first phase φ1, the product liquid is drawn into the cylinder 311 through the first flow path R1 leading from the tank 2 to the metering cylinder 31, and therefore the product liquid can be metered.

[0026] 4, in the second phase φ2, the first opening 101 faces the metering port 202, and the third opening 103 faces the discharge port 203, so that the first opening 101 and the third opening 103 are open. At this time, the second opening 102 is closed by the inner periphery 20A of the housing 20. In the second phase φ2, the product liquid pushed out by the piston 312 flows through the second flow path R2 from the cylinder 311 to the filling nozzle 32, so that the product liquid can be filled.

[0027] The partial flow path 11F is not limited to a T-shape and may be formed in another shape. Furthermore, the number of openings of the partial flow path 11F is not necessarily limited to three.

[0028] A predetermined clearance is set between the outer circumferential portion 110A of the valve portion 110 and the inner circumferential portion 20A of the housing 20. A ring-shaped seal member 41 that seals between the valve portion 110 and the housing 20 is provided at the reduced diameter portion 110B at one end side x1 of the valve portion 110. A similar ring-shaped seal member 42 is provided at the end portion 110C at the other end side x2 of the valve portion 110. The seal members 41, 42 are arranged in grooves formed in the valve portion 110. In the case where a seal member 43 that seals between the shaft portion 120 and the housing 20 is provided, the seal member 41 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0029] The rotor 11 is configured to be rotatable about the axis X, and to be movable back and forth between an opening / closing position P1, which is a first position, and an outer periphery cleaning position P2 (FIG. 5), which is a second position shifted in the direction of the axis X from the opening / closing position P1. The rotor 11 is at least in the manufacturing process in an opening / closing position P1 where the rotor 11 can rotate to open and close the openings 101 to 103. At this time, the valve portion 110 is disposed in the accommodation region 21 of the housing 20.

[0030] (housing) The housing 20 contains at least an accommodating area 21 in which the valve portion 110 is placed during production, and a gap 22 capable of receiving the valve portion 110 during fixed-place cleaning, and is also provided with a through hole 23 through which the shaft portion 120 passes, first to third communication holes 24-26 which connect the ports 201-203 to the partial flow path 11F, respectively, and a fourth communication hole 27 which connects the cleaning port 204 to the gap 22. The housing 20 is fixed to the metering cylinder 31 by a plurality of bolts 46 and to the filling nozzle 32 by a plurality of bolts 47 .

[0031] The accommodation region 21 corresponds to a substantially cylindrical space inside an inner periphery 20A of the housing 20 surrounding the valve portion 110, and occupies one end side x1 of the internal space of the housing 20 in the x direction. To allow the valve portion 110 to move to the other end side x2, the gap 22 is given a length appropriate for the movement stroke St from the opening / closing position P1 to the outer periphery cleaning position P2.

[0032] The size of gap 22, including its length in the x direction, is set to an appropriate size that allows the cleaning liquid to flow through outer circumferential portion 110A of valve portion 110 and inner circumferential portion 20A of housing 20 that have moved to gap 22 during stationary cleaning. Both the y and z dimensions of gap 22 are enlarged via enlarged diameter portion 28 relative to the diameter of inner circumferential portion 20A. Moreover, the shape of the gap 22 is determined appropriately so as not to interfere with the valve portion 110. The gap 22 in this embodiment corresponds to a rectangular parallelepiped space. However, this is not limited to this embodiment, and the gap 22 may be, for example, a cylindrical space.

[0033] In this embodiment, when the rotor 11 is moved from the opening / closing position P1 to the outer periphery cleaning position P2, the valve portion 110 facing the inner periphery portion 20A is substantially entirely moved away from the accommodation region 21 in the x direction and disposed in the gap 22. Therefore, the length of the movement stroke St corresponds to the length of the valve portion 110 in the x direction. However, this is not limited to this embodiment, and the movement stroke St may be longer or shorter than the length of the valve portion 110 in the x direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer periphery cleaning position P2-1 is set near the opening / closing position P1, so that the movement stroke St is short. Even if the length of the gap 22 in the x direction is short correspondingly, the movement stroke St is allowed to flow to the outer periphery portion 110A and the inner periphery portion 20A as long as the cleaning liquid can flow therethrough.

[0034] That is, the rotor 11 does not necessarily have to be moved at the maximum movement stroke St, and if the forward / backward drive unit 55 is capable of adjusting the amount of movement in the x direction, the rotor 11 can be moved at an appropriate movement stroke.

[0035] The housing 20 includes a receiving area 21 and a cavity 22 and is provided with a wall 29 suitable for mounting the ports 201-204 and the bearings 44,45. The housing 20 of this embodiment is formed to have a rectangular parallelepiped appearance. The housing 20 has an upper wall 20 along the xy plane. xy1 and lower wall 20 xy2 and the left wall 20 along the yz plane yz1 and right wall 20 yz2 and the front wall 20 along the zx plane zx1 and rear wall 20 zx2 However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the exterior of the housing 20 may be, for example, cylindrical. When the above-mentioned upper wall, lower wall, left wall, right wall, front wall, and rear wall are not distinguished from one another, they will be referred to as walls 29.

[0036] 1 and 5, the shape of the housing 20 is shown diagrammatically. The housing 20 may be divided appropriately in consideration of processing and assembly. For example, the front wall 20 zx1 and rear wall 20 zx2Alternatively, the housing 20 may be divided with respect to other portions of the housing 20, or the housing 20 may be constructed of two halves divided along a diameter. Similarly, the rotor 11 can be configured by being divided at an appropriate position.

[0037] The through hole 23 is formed in the left wall 20 located on the x1 side. yz1 When the rotor 11 is accommodated in the housing 20, the shaft portion 120 passes through the through hole 23 and protrudes to the outside of the housing 20. The shaft portion 120 is yz1 The bearings 44 and 45 are supported rotatably by a plurality of bolts 48. yz1 It has been concluded. Left wall 20 yz1 An annular seal member 43 is provided in the through hole 23 to seal the gap between the shaft portion 120 and the inner wall of the through hole 23. The seal member 43 is disposed in a groove formed in the inner wall of the through hole 23. When the rotor 11 moves between the opening / closing position P1 and the outer periphery cleaning position P2, the seal member 43 slides against the shaft portion 120.

[0038] The first communication hole 24 corresponds to the supply port 201 and is connected to the upper wall 20 at the position of the storage area 21. xy1 It penetrates through. The second communication hole 25 corresponds to the metering port 202 and is disposed in the rear wall 20 at the position of the storage area 21. zx2 The third communication hole 26 corresponds to the discharge port 203 and is formed in the front wall 20 at the position of the storage area 21. zx1 Based on the location of metering port 202 and discharge port 203, the metered product liquid is forced from the rear side of housing 20 towards the front side. The fourth communication hole 27 corresponds to the cleaning port 204 and is located in the lower wall 20 at a position away from the storage area 21 in the direction of the axis X. xy2 It penetrates through.

[0039] The diameters of the first to third communication holes 24-26 are set to be equal to the diameters of the openings 101-103 of the partial flow passage 11F. The diameters of the ports 201-204 connected to the first to fourth communication holes 24-27, respectively, may be the same or different. The diameters of the supply port 201 and the cleaning port 204 in this embodiment are larger than the diameters of the measurement port 202 and the discharge port 203.

[0040] The ports 201-204 are, for example, pipes joined to the outside of the wall 29 of the housing 20. The ports 201-204 are disposed in a direction perpendicular to the wall 29, and are connected to the tank 2 or the like to be connected. However, the ports 201-204 may be formed integrally with the housing 20.

[0041] (Rotation drive unit and forward / backward drive unit) The rotation drive unit 50 includes a driven pulley 51 coupled around the shaft unit 120 extending beyond the bearings 44, 45 toward the x1 side, a drive pulley 52, a belt 53 wound around the driven pulley 51 and the drive pulley 52, and a motor 54 that outputs torque to the drive pulley 52. ​​The drive pulley 52 is detachably coupled to the shaft unit 120 by a mechanism (not shown). The drive pulley 52 is disengaged from the shaft unit 120 at least when the shaft unit 120 moves in the x direction.

[0042] The rotational drive unit 50 is not limited to one using a belt and pulleys, but may be any suitable mechanism capable of transmitting a rotational drive force to the shaft portion 120, such as one using a chain and sprockets, or one using a gear train.

[0043] The air cylinder serving as the forward / backward driving unit 55 includes a cylinder 551 disposed on the x1 side of the driven pulley 51, and a piston rod 552 integrally connected to the shaft unit 120. Compressed air is supplied and discharged through ports 551A, 551B provided in the cylinder 551, whereby the piston rod 552 and the rotor 11 move toward the x1 side or the x2 side. The forward and backward drive unit 55 may be an electric cylinder. Alternatively, an appropriate linear motion mechanism may be used for the forward and backward drive unit 55.

[0044] [Cleaning in place process] Cleaning in place is performed by running the filling machine 1 in the same manner as during production, and flowing a cleaning liquid instead of the product liquid through a CIP flow path including the tank 2, metering cylinder 31, filling nozzle 32, rotary valve 10, etc. A pump is provided in the CIP flow path as necessary. In many cases, the cleaning liquid is heated before use. During cleaning in place, the valve 332 of the opening / closing mechanism 33 is opened, and a pipe for recovering the cleaning liquid is attached to the discharge port 32A of the filling nozzle 32, thereby setting up a CIP flow path as a circuit through which the cleaning liquid flows.

[0045] An example of the cleaning-in-place process will be described below. The cleaning-in-place process includes an internal cleaning step S01 in which the inner walls of the tank 2, piping, etc. that come into contact with the cleaning liquid are cleaned while, for example, rotating the rotor 11 and pushing and pulling the measuring cylinder 31 in a synchronized manner, almost in the same way as during production. As shown in Fig. 1, this step S01 is performed by filling the measuring cylinder 31 with cleaning liquid from the tank 2 while the rotor 11 is positioned at the opening / closing position P1, switching the flow path by rotating the rotor 11, and causing the cleaning liquid to flow toward the filling nozzle 32 by the piston 312, which is repeated multiple times.

[0046] By performing the internal cleaning step S01, the product liquid also flows into the partial flow path 11F of the rotary valve 10, and therefore the inner walls of the partial flow path 11F and the inner walls of the ports 201-204 are cleaned. However, even if the cleaning liquid leaks out from the clearances between the openings 101-103 and the ports 201-203 into the area between the seal members 41, 42, it is difficult for the internal cleaning step S01 to sufficiently clean the product liquid present between the outer periphery 110A of the valve section 110 and the inner periphery 20A of the housing 20 adjacent to the outer periphery 110A.

[0047] Therefore, the stationary cleaning process includes an outer periphery cleaning step S02 (FIG. 5) in which the outer periphery 110A of the valve portion 110 and the inner periphery 20A of the housing 20 are mainly cleaned with the rotor 11 moved by a predetermined movement stroke St. In the outer periphery cleaning step S02, the forward / backward driving unit 55 moves the rotor 11 from the opening / closing position P1 to the outer periphery cleaning position P2 toward the gap 22. Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer periphery portion 110A moves away from the inner periphery portion 20A in the x direction. At this time, since the shaft portion 120 having a smaller diameter than the inner periphery portion 20A is disposed in the accommodation area 21, the ports 201 to 203 communicate with the gap 22 via the accommodation area 21. The port 204 communicates with the other ports 201 to 203 via the gap 22.

[0048] Therefore, the cleaning liquid introduced into housing 20 from any one of ports 201-204 toward any other port fills gap 22 and entire storage area 21, making it possible to supply the cleaning liquid to the entire area inside housing 20, including outer circumferential portion 110A and inner circumferential portion 20A, and to clean the entire area.

[0049] For example, assume that a cleaning liquid is introduced into the housing 20 from the supply port 201 toward the cleaning port 204 . At this time, as shown by the dashed arrow, for example, the cleaning liquid flows over the entire outer circumferential portion 110A of the valve portion 110 and the inner circumferential portion 20A of the housing 20. The flow of the cleaning liquid can wash away, for example, the product liquid adhering to the periphery of the openings 101-103, the seal members 41 and 42, the inner circumferential portion 20A, etc. By moving the rotor 11 to the outer circumferential cleaning position P2, none of the ports 201-203 is closed by the rotor 11, and all of the openings 101-103 of the rotor 11 are open to the gap 22. At this time, the phase of the rotor 11 does not necessarily have to be the third phase φ3 shown in FIG. 6, and may be, for example, the second phase φ2 (FIG. 4) or the first phase φ1 (FIG. 3). The cleaning liquid can also be introduced from the cleaning port 204 toward the supply port 201 .

[0050] In the outer circumferential cleaning step S02, the gap around the shaft portion 120 is sealed by the sealing member 43 provided in the housing 20, thereby preventing the cleaning liquid from leaking out of the housing 20 and allowing the entire inside of the housing 20 to be cleaned while maintaining the housing 20 filled with cleaning liquid.

[0051] Incidentally, in the outer periphery cleaning step S02, the piston 312 of the measuring cylinder 31 may be reciprocated while the rotor 11 is rotated by the rotation drive unit 50 in a state in which the rotor 11 is moved to the outer periphery cleaning position P2. The reciprocating movement of the piston 312 and the stirring action caused by the rotation of the partial flow passage 11F promote the flow of the cleaning liquid in the housing 20, thereby improving the cleaning effect of the outer circumferential portion 110A and the inner circumferential portion 20A. In the outer circumferential cleaning step S02, one or more of the reciprocating movement of the piston 312, the rotational movement of the rotor 11, and the reciprocating movement of the opening and closing mechanism 33 can be selected and performed. The respective operating speeds of the piston 312, the rotor 11, and the opening and closing mechanism 33 may be different from the operating speeds during production.

[0052] As the stationary cleaning process, for example, an internal cleaning step S01 and an outer periphery cleaning step S02 can be performed for a period of time determined for each step. After the outer periphery cleaning step S02 is completed, the rotor 11 may be returned to the opening / closing position P1 by the forward / backward driving unit 55. The internal cleaning step S01 and the outer periphery cleaning step S02 can be performed in any order. The internal cleaning step and the outer periphery cleaning step can also be performed alternately and repeatedly.

[0053] As described above, not only the inside (partial flow path 11F) of rotary valve 10 but also the outside (outer periphery 110A and inner periphery 20A) can be cleaned as one step of cleaning-in-place of filling machine 1.

[0054] [Effects of this embodiment] By using the rotary valve 10 of this embodiment, the rotor 11 is configured to be movable in the direction of the axis X inside the housing 20, so that the entire area of ​​the rotary valve 10 that needs to be cleaned can be supplied with cleaning liquid and cleaned without disassembling the rotary valve 10. Therefore, there is no need to individually disassemble and clean the many rotary valves 10 provided in the filling machine 1, for example, by removing the bolts 46-48, disassembling the housing 20, and removing the rotor 11 from the housing 20, and then cleaning the outer circumferential portion 110A and the inner circumferential portion 20A of the rotor 11. Therefore, it is possible to realize a full automation of the stationary cleaning process while achieving significant labor savings by eliminating the need for manual disassembly of the rotary valve 10. Since it is not necessary to disassemble the rotary valve 10 during cleaning, the time required for cleaning can be shortened, so that it is possible to reduce the ratio of non-productive time to productive time and improve productivity.

[0055] According to the rotary valve 10 of this embodiment, it is also possible to perform sterilization in place (SIP) without disassembly. Sterilization in place is performed by introducing a sterilization medium into a SIP flow path that is set in a similar manner to the flow path for CIP while operating the filling machine 1 in a similar manner to that during production. The sterilization medium is, for example, a liquid containing a chemical agent, steam, or the like.

[0056] The stationary sterilization process can include, for example, an internal sterilization step performed similarly to the above-mentioned internal cleaning step S01, and a peripheral sterilization step performed similarly to the above-mentioned peripheral cleaning step S02. In the internal sterilization step, with the rotor 11 in the opening / closing position P1, the rotational drive of the rotor 11, the pushing and pulling of the metering cylinder 31, and the raising and lowering of the opening / closing mechanism 33 are performed synchronously in a manner similar to that during production, while cleaning the tank 2, the inner walls of the piping, the partial flow path 11F of the rotary valve 10, etc., with, for example, steam. In the outer periphery sterilization step, with the rotor 11 moved to the outer periphery cleaning position P2, for example, steam is introduced into the housing 20 from the supply port 201 toward the cleaning port 204. The sterilization medium such as steam flows over the entire outer periphery 110A of the valve section 110 and the inner periphery 20A of the housing 20, and can sterilize the inner periphery 20A and the outer periphery 110A that come into contact with the sterilization medium.

[0057] [Modifications] 7 is a schematic diagram showing a rotary valve assembly 100 that is provided in the filling machine 1 in place of the rotary valve 10 of the above embodiment. The assembly 100 includes two or more rotary valves 10 (10-1, 10-2) and a shaft 13 to which the rotors 11 of the rotary valves 10 are connected on the same axis X. The rotors 11 connected by the shaft 13 can be driven by the same drive mechanism. In other words, the rotors 11 of each of the two or more rotary valves 10 are synchronously driven to rotate by the driving force in the x-direction of rotation transmitted from the rotary drive unit 50 to the shaft 13, and are synchronously driven to advance and retreat by the driving force in the x-direction transmitted from the advance and retreat drive unit 55 to the shaft 13.

[0058] The respective housings 20 of the two or more rotary valves 10 may be contiguous with one another, as shown in FIG. 7, or may be separate from one another.

[0059] The rotary valves 10 are connected in the same direction in the x direction, that is, with the shafts 120 facing the x1 side. The gaps 22, the accommodation regions 21, and the through holes 23 are repeatedly arranged in this order from the x2 side to the x1 side. Like the rotary valve 10, the metering cylinder 31, the filling nozzle 32, and the opening / closing mechanism 33 are also aligned in the x direction. Therefore, according to the assembly 100, multiple containers such as pouches 4 that are transported in a line in the x direction can be simultaneously filled with measured amounts of product liquid while the rotors 11, all of which are in the opening / closing position P1, are rotated in the x direction.

[0060] During outer periphery cleaning or outer periphery sterilization, the forward / backward drive unit 55 drives the shaft 13 in the x direction by a predetermined stroke to move all of the rotors 11 to the outer periphery cleaning position P2. Then, a cleaning medium or sterilizing medium flowing from the tank 2 through the supply port 201, for example, into the inside of each of the housings 20 of the multiple rotary valves 10 flows toward the cleaning port 204, cleaning or sterilizing the outer periphery 110 of the rotor 11 and the inner periphery 20A of the housing 20.

[0061] In addition to the above, it is possible to select and discard the configurations given in the above embodiment, or to change them to other configurations as appropriate. For example, the shaft portion 120 of the rotor 11 extends toward the gap 22 side with respect to the valve portion 110 and is fixed to the right wall 20 of the housing 20. yz2 In this case, the rotor 11 can be moved from the opening / closing position P1 to the outer periphery cleaning position P2 by pulling the rotor 11 toward the gap 22 using the forward / backward driving unit 55 disposed on the x2 side of the housing 20.

[0062] Furthermore, the rotor 11 may include the shaft portion 120 on both sides of the valve portion 110 in the x direction. One or more bearings 44, 45 supporting the shaft portion 120 may be provided on both sides of the housing 20 in the x direction. The seal member 43 may be provided on the inner wall of the through hole 23 through which one shaft portion 120 passes and on the inner wall of the through hole 23 through which the other shaft portion 120 passes. The rotation drive unit 50 and the advance / retract drive unit 55 can be provided on one of the shaft units 120 on both sides.

[0063] The rotary valve 10 of the present disclosure can be applied to various machines, not limited to the filling machine 1. The fluid moving through the flow path switched by the rotary valve 10 may be powder or granular material.

[0064] [Additional Notes] The rotary valve, filling machine, and method for cleaning or sterilizing a rotary valve described above disclose the following. [1] The present disclosure relates to a rotary valve 10 capable of switching a flow path by rotating a rotor 11 about a predetermined axis X, the rotary valve 10 including a rotor 11 having a partial flow path 11F formed therein, which is a part of the flow path, and a housing 20 for accommodating the rotor 11. The partial flow path 11F has openings 101-103 at a plurality of locations around the axis X on the outer periphery of the rotor 11. The rotor 11 is configured to be movable forward and backward between a first position (P1) at which the openings 101-103 can be opened and closed depending on the phase of the rotation direction, and a second position (P2) shifted in the direction of the axis X from the first position (P1). The housing 20 is provided on its inside with a storage area 21 in which the rotor 11 is accommodated at the first position (P1), and a gap 22 that receives the rotor 11 moved from the storage area 21 toward the second position (P2) and into which a cleaning or sterilizing medium is introduced. [2] The partial flow path 11F has a first opening 101 that is opened in a first phase, a second opening 102 that is opened in a second phase, and a third opening 103 that is opened in either the first phase or the second phase. [3] The housing 20 is provided with a supply port 201 connected to a supply source (2) of the fluid flowing through the flow path and facing one of the openings selected from the first to third openings 101 to 103 depending on the phase, a metering port 202 connected to a measuring section (31) that measures the fluid and facing one of the openings selected from the first to third openings 101 to 103 depending on the phase, and a discharge port 203 connected to a discharge section 32A that discharges the fluid and facing one of the openings selected from the first to third openings 101 to 103 depending on the phase. [4] The housing 20 further includes a cleaning port 204 that is in communication with the gap 22 at a position spaced apart from the storage area 21 in the direction of the axis X. [5] The rotor 11 includes a valve portion 110 having openings 101-103 formed therein, and a shaft portion 120 that passes through a through-hole formed in the housing 20. The housing 20 includes a seal member 43 that seals between the through-hole and the shaft portion 120 and is slidable relative to the shaft portion 120. [6] The rotary valve 10 includes a rotational drive unit 50 that rotates the rotor 11, an advance / retract drive unit 55 that drives the rotor 11 back and forth, and bearings 44, 45 that rotatably support the shaft portion 120 between the rotational drive unit 50, the advance / retract drive unit 55, and the housing 20. [7] The assembly 100 of rotary valves 10 includes a plurality of rotary valves 10, each including a rotor 11 that is driven to rotate about a predetermined axis X and a housing 20 that accommodates the rotor 11, and a shaft 13 to which the rotors 11 of the plurality of rotary valves 10 are connected on the same axis X. Each of the plurality of rotary valves 10 corresponds to the above-mentioned rotary valve 10. The rotors 11 of the plurality of rotary valves 10 move forward and backward in synchronization by forward and backward driving force transmitted to the shaft 13. The housings 20 of the plurality of rotary valves 10 are continuous with each other or separated from each other. [8] The filling machine 1 comprises the above-mentioned rotary valve 10 or an assembly of the above-mentioned rotary valves 10, a tank 2 which is a source of fluid flowing through a flow path and which is connected to one opening depending on the phase, and a filling nozzle 32 which is connected to one opening depending on the phase and has a discharge part 32A which discharges the fluid to fill the fluid. [9] A method for cleaning or sterilizing a rotary valve 10 capable of switching flow paths by rotating a rotor 11 about a predetermined axis X includes the steps of: moving the rotor 11 in the direction of the axis X from a first position (P1) inside a housing 20 that accommodates the rotor 11, in which a partial flow path 11F that is formed in the rotor 11 and forms a part of the flow path has openings 101-103 at multiple locations around the axis X on the outer periphery of the rotor 11 and the openings 101-103 can be opened and closed depending on the phase of the rotational direction of the rotor 11, to a second position (P2); and supplying a cleaning or sterilizing medium to the outer periphery 110A and the inner periphery 20A of the housing 20 that have shifted in the direction of the axis X. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 Filling machine 2 Tank (supply source) 2A bottom 3. Filling section 4 pouches 5. Control device 10 Rotary Valve 11 Rotor 11F partial flow path 20. Housing 20A inner circumference 20 xy1 Upper wall 20 xy2 Lower wall 20 yz1 Left wall 20 yz2 right wall 20 zx1 front wall 20 zx2 back wall 21 Containment Area 22 void 23 Through hole 24 1st communication hole 25 2nd communication hole 26 Third communication hole 27 4th communication hole 28 Expanded diameter part 29 Wall 31 Measuring cylinder (measuring section) 32 Filling nozzle 32A Discharge port (discharge part) 33 Opening and closing mechanism 41~43 Sealing material 44,45 Bearings 46~48 volts 50 Rotation drive unit 51 Driven pulley 52 Drive pulley 53 Belt 54 Motor 55 Advance / retract drive unit 100 aggregates 101 First opening 102 Second Opening 103 3rd Opening 104,105 Section 110 Valve section 110A outer circumference 110B Reduced diameter part 110C end 120 Shaft section 201 Supply Port 202 Metering port 203 Discharge port 204 Washing port 311 Cylinder 312 Piston 312A Annular Seal 331 Air Cylinder 332 Valve 551 Cylinder 551A,551B Port 552 Piston rod P1 Open / close position (first position) P2 Periphery cleaning position (second position) R1 First flow path R2 Second flow path S01 Internal cleaning step S02 Outer circumference cleaning step St Movement stroke X axis x1 One end side x2 Other end side φ1 1st phase φ2 2nd phase φ3 3rd phase

Claims

1. A rotary valve capable of switching flow paths by rotating a rotor around a predetermined axis, The rotor has a partial flow passage that forms a part of the flow passage; A housing that accommodates the rotor, the partial flow passage has openings at a plurality of locations around the axis on an outer periphery of the rotor, the rotor is configured to be movable between a first position where the opening can be opened and closed in accordance with a phase of a rotation direction, and a second position shifted in the axial direction from the first position, Inside the housing, a receiving area in which the rotor in the first position is received; a gap for receiving the rotor moved from the accommodation area toward the second position and into which a cleaning or sterilizing medium is introduced; The housing includes: a supply port connected to a supply source of fluid flowing through the flow path and communicating with the storage area; a discharge port connected to a discharge part that discharges the fluid and connected to the storage area; a flushing port communicating with the gap at a position spaced from the storage area in the axial direction; The supply port and the cleaning port are provided along a vertical direction, The discharge port is provided along a horizontal direction. Rotary valve.

2. The partial flow path is a first said aperture that is open in a first said phase; a second said aperture that is opened in a second said phase; a third opening that is opened in the first phase or the second phase; 2. The rotary valve according to claim 1.

3. The housing includes: the supply port being connected to a supply source of the fluid flowing through the flow path and facing one of the openings selected from the first to third openings depending on the phase; a measurement port connected to a measurement unit that measures the fluid and facing one of the openings selected from the first to third openings depending on the phase; The discharge port is connected to a discharge section that discharges the fluid and faces one of the openings selected from the first to third openings depending on the phase.

3. A rotary valve as claimed in claim 2.

4. The housing includes: The flushing port further comprises a flushing port communicating with the gap at a position spaced from the receiving area in the axial direction.

4. A rotary valve as claimed in claim 3.

5. The rotor is a valve portion in which the opening is formed; a shaft portion that passes through a through-hole formed in the housing, The housing includes a seal member that seals between the through portion and the shaft portion and is slidable relative to the shaft portion. A rotary valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A rotation drive unit that rotates the rotor; an advance / retract drive unit that drives the rotor forward / retract; a bearing that rotatably supports the shaft portion between the rotation drive portion, the advance / retract drive portion, and the housing; 6. A rotary valve as claimed in claim 5.

7. A plurality of rotary valves each including a rotor that is driven to rotate about a predetermined axis and a housing that accommodates the rotor; a shaft to which the rotors of the plurality of rotary valves are coaxially connected, Each of the rotary valves corresponds to a rotary valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the rotors of the plurality of rotary valves are synchronously moved forward and backward by a forward and backward driving force transmitted to the shaft, A rotary valve assembly, wherein the housings of each of the plurality of rotary valves are contiguous with one another or separate from one another.

8. A rotary valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or a rotary valve assembly according to claim 7; a tank that is a supply source of the fluid flowing through the flow path and is connected to one of the openings depending on the phase; a filling nozzle connected to one of the openings depending on the phase and having a discharge portion that discharges the fluid to fill the opening.

9. A method for cleaning or sterilizing a rotary valve capable of switching a flow path by rotating a rotor about a predetermined axis, comprising: a partial flow passage formed in the rotor and constituting a part of the flow passage has openings at a plurality of locations around the axis on an outer periphery of the rotor, moving the rotor in the axial direction from a first position, at which the opening can be opened and closed depending on a phase of a rotational direction of the rotor, to a second position inside a housing that accommodates the rotor; and supplying a cleaning or sterilizing medium to the outer periphery and the inner periphery of the housing, the outer periphery being shifted in the axial direction; Inside the housing, a receiving area in which the rotor in the first position is received; a gap for receiving the rotor moved from the accommodation area toward the second position and into which a cleaning or sterilizing medium is introduced; The housing includes: a supply port connected to a supply source of fluid flowing through the flow path and communicating with the storage area; a discharge port connected to a discharge part that discharges the fluid and connected to the storage area; a flushing port communicating with the gap at a position spaced from the storage area in the axial direction; The supply port and the cleaning port are provided along a vertical direction, The discharge port is provided along a horizontal direction. How to clean or sanitize a rotary valve.

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