JPH1111665A - Sterilized pneumatic conveyor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suitable condition using simple constitution, e.g. when a container sterilized an an upstream sterilizer is conveyed into a packing device in a downstream clean room as it is kept sterilized and to eliminate the effect of air pressure action on conveying action when sterilized air used particularly for conveying is exhausted. SOLUTION: This device uses sterilized air as pressurized air for conveying, and conveys a container 3 by blowing the sterilized air out of an outlet provided in a feed air duct 1. The sterilized air is allowed to flow into a conveying chamber 4 so formed to surround the shell of a container being conveyed, to form a sterilized atmosphere. Further, an exhaust air duct 6 communicated with the conveying chamber 4 via a communicating part 5 is formed, and the sterilized air flowing into the conveying chamber 4 is exhausted via the exhaust air duct 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air transport conveyor device for transporting a lightweight container such as a PET bottle by a propulsion force applied through an air jet, and is particularly suitable for transporting the container under aseptic conditions. The present invention relates to a sterile air transport conveyor device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, it has been widely known in this type of air conveyance technology that a container is propelled by wind pressure caused by an air jet blown in a conveyance direction while supporting and guiding a neck portion of the container. (Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-2056
No. 3, JP-A-4-341422). However, in these conventional techniques, a form is used in which used air used for air conveyance is released into the atmosphere.
Since the periphery of the body of the container being transported was open to or communicated with the atmosphere, it was not applicable when the container was transported under aseptic conditions. For this reason, air transfer means are not often used in aseptic filling lines and the like in which sterilized containers are conveyed to a clean room in a sterile state and filling is performed.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above technical circumstances, and has as its object the purpose of having a simple structure, for example, sterilization by an upstream sterilization apparatus. In providing a sterile air transfer conveyor device suitable for, for example, transferring a container to a filling device in a downstream clean room while maintaining a sterilized state,
In particular, the present invention is intended to avoid the influence on the container being transported due to the wind pressure caused when the sterile air used for transport is exhausted.

[0004]

According to the present invention, there is provided a neck guide for supporting and guiding a neck portion of a container, and an air for propulsion toward an upper portion of the container supported by the neck guide. In an air conveying conveyor device having an air supply air duct having an outlet for blowing a jet and an air supply means for supplying pressurized air to the air supply air duct, aseptic air is used as the pressurized air. The aseptic air blown out from the outlet provided in the air supply air duct is configured to flow into a transfer chamber formed so as to surround the body of the container being transferred, and Technical means is employed in which an exhaust air duct communicating with the chamber is provided, and sterile air that has flowed into the transfer chamber through the exhaust air duct is exhausted.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present invention, aseptic air is used as pressurized air for transportation. As the aseptic air, for example, sterilized air that has been sterilized through a HEPA filter, ULPA filter, or the like, or sterilized air obtained by further spraying hydrogen peroxide or the like on the sterilized air and mixing the air is used. The embodiment of the neck guide and the air supply air duct is not particularly limited, and known technical means can be widely applied. Furthermore, the specific form, capacity, and the like of the air supply unit and the exhaust unit can be selected according to the specific air conveyance line. The transfer chamber is formed in a sealed state so as to surround a body of the container supported by the neck guide, and pressurized air for transfer blown toward an upper portion of the container supported by the neck guide is used. It is configured to be able to flow in after payment. It is desirable that the internal pressure of the transfer chamber be maintained at or above the external pressure in order to ensure sterility.

The transfer chamber is provided with an exhaust air duct in communication with the transfer chamber, and is configured to exhaust the sterile air flowing into the transfer chamber through the exhaust air duct. That is, the exhaust air duct is formed below or along the side of the transfer chamber, and the aseptic air in the transfer chamber is removed by the exhaust means connected to an appropriate portion of the exhaust air duct. The inside of the transfer chamber itself is not used as an exhaust passage. Therefore, as described above, the sterile air used for transfer flows into the transfer chamber to form a sterile atmosphere, and the sterile air affects the container being transferred. Is almost none. Due to the presence of the exhaust air duct described above, the influence of the exhaust of the aseptic air on the container being transported is avoided, so that a good transport action can be obtained. Note that the internal pressure of the transfer chamber can be controlled to be equal to or higher than the external pressure by the balance between the exhaust unit connected to the downstream side of the exhaust air duct and the air supply unit connected to the air supply duct. In particular, if the total area of the air outlet of the air supply duct and the total area of the exhaust communication holes provided in the transfer chamber is set equal, the amount of air supplied to the exhaust air duct and the amount of exhaust from the exhaust air duct are controlled equally. This makes it possible to easily maintain the pressure relationship in the transfer chamber.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the supply and exhaust of sterile air used as transport air in the present invention. As shown in the drawing, an air supply means 2 such as a turbo-type blower is connected to the air supply air duct 1, and aseptic pressurized air is supplied as transfer air. A transfer chamber 4 is formed below the supply air duct 1 so as to surround the body of the container 3 being transported, and shields the container 3 being transported from the outside. The aseptic air supplied to the air supply air duct 1 is blown out from the outlet to the upper part of the container 3, is used as a carrier, and then flows into the carrier chamber 4. Thereby, the container 3 being transported is
Is transported in the aseptic transport chamber 4. For example, an exhaust air duct 6 communicated with the transfer duct 4 via a communication portion 5 is formed at a lower portion of the transport duct 4, and is configured to be sucked by exhaust means 7 such as a turbo-type blower.

[0008] Pressure sensors Sa, Sb, and the like are provided in the air supply air duct 1, the transfer chamber 4, and the exhaust air duct 6.
Sc is provided, and is configured to detect the respective internal pressures Pa to Pc and transmit them to the control device 8. The control device 8 controls the state of discharge from the air supply means 2 and the state of suction of the exhaust means 7 based on the internal pressures Pa to Pc, thereby controlling the internal pressure Pa of the air supply air duct 1 and the internal pressure of the transfer chamber 4. Pb and the internal pressure P of the exhaust air duct 6
It is configured so that c can be controlled. In this case, the internal pressure Pa of the air supply air duct 1 and the internal pressure P of the transfer chamber 4
Based on the pressure difference from b, the speed and amount of aseptic air to be blown out from the blowout port provided in the air supply air duct 1 are determined. That is, the transport state is controlled by controlling the pressure difference between the internal pressures Pa and Pb. The internal pressure Pb of the transfer chamber 4 is desirably maintained at a value equal to or higher than the external pressure Pd from the viewpoint of maintaining a sterile state.

In the pressure control relating to the internal pressure Pa of the air supply air duct 1, the internal pressure Pa of the air supply air duct 1 detected by the pressure sensor Sa is fed back to the air supply means 2 via the control device 8 to discharge the air. This can be done by controlling the state. Specifically, it can be performed through opening control of the air supply means 2 itself or a valve mechanism arranged in the air supply path, or rotation control of the blower. The pressure control relating to the internal pressure Pb of the transfer chamber 4 is performed by controlling the suction state by feeding back the internal pressure Pb of the transfer chamber 4 detected by the pressure sensor Sb to the exhaust unit 7 via the control device 8. It can be carried out. Specifically, it can be performed through control of the opening degree of the exhaust means 7 itself or a valve mechanism disposed in the exhaust path or control of the rotation of the blower. Note that the pressure control of the internal pressure Pb of the transfer chamber 4 can be indirectly controlled using the internal pressure Pc of the exhaust air duct from the pressure sensor Sc.
As described above, if the total area of the air outlet of the air supply air duct 1 and the total area of the exhaust communication holes provided in the communication part 5 of the transfer chamber 4 are set to be equal, the amount of air supplied to the exhaust air duct is set. And the amount of exhaust from the exhaust air duct are controlled to be equal to each other, so that the pressure relationship in the transfer chamber can be easily maintained. Further, it is needless to say that the staying state of the container 3 and the like can be added as a control signal as needed.

When the internal pressure Pa of the air supply air duct 1 and the internal pressure Pb of the transfer chamber 4 are controlled to predetermined values as described above, the outlet formed toward the upper portion of the container 3 as described above. The velocity of the air jet from the container 3 is determined, and the transport speed of the container 3 is determined. That is, according to the total area of the air outlets in the apparatus and the flow path resistance between the air supply air duct 1 and the transfer chamber 4, the air jet from the air outlets at the differential pressure between their internal pressures Pa and Pb Is determined, and the transfer speed of the container 3 is determined according to the weight and number of the containers, the coefficient of friction during transfer, and the like. In that case,
The sterile air that has flowed into the transfer chamber 4 has an internal pressure P
While the pressure b is maintained at the external pressure Pd or higher, the air is almost sucked into the exhaust air duct 6 through the communication portion 5, so that the flow of the sterile air in the transfer direction in the transfer chamber 4 is avoided. Therefore, when the transfer chamber 4 itself is used as an exhaust passage, it is necessary to increase the cross-sectional area to a certain extent or more due to the influence of the exhaust air pressure on the container being transferred. There is a degree of freedom in which the cross-sectional area of the transfer chamber 4 can be significantly reduced. The exhaust air duct 6 may be formed so as to be in communication with the transfer chamber 4 via the communication portion 5, and may be installed at the lower part of the transfer chamber 4, on one side or both sides. Good. Further, as a specific communication means constituting the communication part 5, an appropriate communication means such as one having a large number of openings, a mesh-like one, or a one communicating through a slit-like gap can be applied. In Although,
Forming the communication hole at the end as much as possible has less influence on the container being transported.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the layout of one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the aseptic air transport conveyor device 9 according to the present invention is used as a transport means between an upstream processing device 10 such as a sterilizer and a downstream processing device 11 such as a filling device in a clean room. Is done. In the present embodiment, the pressurized air for conveyance is configured to be supplied from the upstream side of the air conveyance line through the valve mechanism 12 and the air supply pipe 13 from the air supply means 2 including a turbo-type blower or the like. Have been. As the pressurized air for transportation, sterilized air such as sterilized air that has been sterilized through the aforementioned HEPA filter or ULPA filter, or sterilized air that is further mixed with hydrogen peroxide by spraying the sterilized air. Is used. Further, the exhaust of the used sterile air used for conveyance is sucked into the exhaust unit 7 including a turbo-type blower or the like via the exhaust air duct 6, the exhaust pipe 14, and the valve mechanism 15, and It is configured to be exhausted. In this embodiment, the exhaust means 7 is connected to the downstream side of the exhaust air duct 6, but can be connected to an appropriate place. Then, the valve mechanisms 12, 15
As described above, the opening degree control is performed via the control device 8 so that the internal pressure Pa of the air supply air duct 1 and the internal pressure Pb of the transfer chamber 4 are controlled. In the drawing, 16 is a pitch cutting means, 17 is a decapper,
18 is a capper.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view thereof. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. As shown in FIG.
The upper part is formed with an air supply air duct 1 at its upper part and an exhaust air duct 6 at its lower part. And
The internal pressure Pa of the air supply air duct 1 via the control device 8
The internal pressure Pb of the transfer chamber 4 is controlled to be higher than the external pressure Pd. A neck guide 20 that supports and guides the neck of the container 3 is provided on a partition wall between the air supply air duct 1 and the transfer chamber 4. An air transfer chamber 2 surrounding the upper portion of the container 3 supported by the neck guide 20 is provided above the neck guide 20.
1 is formed, and the outlet 22 is formed in the wall thereof in a state of being inclined in the transport direction. Air supply air duct 1
Is supplied with sterile pressurized air from the air supply means 2 and blows out from the outlet 22 toward the upper part of the container 3 to apply a propulsive force to the container 3 by the wind pressure. The aseptic pressurized air blown into the air transfer chamber 21 from the outlet 22 then flows into the transfer chamber 4 through a gap between the necks of the adjacent containers 3 and the like, The periphery of the body of the container 3 being transported is maintained in a sterile state. Therefore, the container 3 is transported in an atmosphere in a sterile state.

The sterile air that has flowed into the transfer chamber 4 is sucked into the exhaust air duct 6 through the communication section 5 as described above, and is then passed through the exhaust pipe 14, the valve mechanism 15, and the exhaust means 7. Exhausted. Therefore, as described above, aseptic air hardly flows in the transfer direction in the transfer chamber 4, and it is avoided that the flow of the aseptic air impairs the transfer operation of the container 3.
An extremely good transport action is obtained. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, if the communication hole 23 formed in the communication portion 5 is formed as close to the end as possible, the influence on the container 3 during transportation is reduced. In the figure, reference numerals 24 and 25 denote guide support members.
The body of the container 3 is configured to be guided by rod-shaped guide members 26 and 27 supported at the distal ends of the guide support members 24 and 25. Reference numeral 28 denotes a connection part on the air supply side, and 29 denotes a connection part on the exhaust side.
Is connected to the air supply air duct 1 via the connection portion 28, and the exhaust pipe 14 is connected to the exhaust air duct 6 via the connection portion 29.

In this embodiment having the above-described configuration, when the pressurized air for transfer made of aseptic air is supplied from the air supply means 2 to the air supply air duct 1 through the air supply pipe 13, the air outlet 22 is opened. From the container 3
Propulsion is applied to the upper part of the vehicle. This allows container 3
Is transported along the neck guide 20 while being guided by the guide members 26 and 27. The sterile air is then
It flows into the transfer chamber 4 from a gap between the containers 3 and the like, and the inside of the transfer chamber 4 is made to have a sterile atmosphere. The sterile air that has flowed into the transfer chamber 4 is sucked into the exhaust air duct 6 through the communication hole 23 formed in the communication section 5, and
Will be exhausted. Therefore, the upper surface of the container 3 and the outer peripheral surface of the body are surrounded by aseptic air during the transportation, and are transported while maintaining a sterile state sterilized by a sterilization device or the like constituting the upstream processing apparatus 11. That is, by using the aseptic transport air, a local aseptic transport space can be formed and space-efficient aseptic transport can be performed.

[0015]

According to the pneumatic conveyor system of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Use aseptic air as pressurized air for air conveyance,
The aseptic air flows into the transfer chamber surrounding the body of the container being conveyed, and the inside of the chamber is made to have a sterile atmosphere, so that it is possible to easily and aseptically transfer the container with good space efficiency. is there. (2) Since the sterile air that has flowed into the transfer chamber is sucked into the exhaust air duct and exhausted, the flow of the sterile air in the transfer direction in the transfer chamber is almost eliminated, and the flow of the sterile air to the container being transferred is reduced. The effect is reliably avoided, so that a good transport action is obtained. (3) Since a dedicated exhaust air duct separate from the transfer chamber is used for exhaust, the degree of freedom to significantly reduce the cross-sectional area of the transfer air chamber is reduced as compared with the case where the transfer chamber itself is used as an exhaust passage. In addition, even if the exhaust speed in the exhaust air duct is increased, no particular trouble occurs in the transport operation, so that the exhaust can be efficiently exhausted in a small exhaust sectional space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram relating to supply and exhaust of sterile air in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a layout of an example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Air supply air duct, 2 ... Air supply means, 3 ... Container, 4 ...
Transfer chamber, 5: communication section, 6: exhaust air duct,
7 ... Exhaust means, 8 ... Control device, 9 ... Sterile air transport conveyor device, 10 ... Upstream processing device, 11 ... Downstream processing device, 12 ... Valve mechanism, 13 ... Air supply pipe, 14 ... Exhaust pipe, 1
5: Valve mechanism, 16: Pitch cutting means, 17: Decapper, 18: Capper, 19: Support leg, 20: Neck guide, 21: Air transfer chamber, 22: Air outlet, 23: Communication hole,
24, 25: Guide support member, 26, 27: Guide member, 28, 29: Connection, Sa, Sb, Sc: Pressure sensor

Claims (1)

[Claims] An air supply air duct having a neck guide for supporting and guiding a neck portion of a container, an air outlet for blowing a propulsion air jet toward an upper portion of the container supported by the neck guide, In an air conveyance conveyor device provided with an air supply means for supplying pressurized air to the air supply air duct, aseptic air is used as the pressurized air, and air is blown out from the air outlet provided in the air supply air duct. The aseptic air is configured to flow into a transfer chamber formed so as to surround the body of the container being transferred, and further provided with an exhaust air duct communicating with the transfer chamber, A sterile air transfer conveyor device configured to exhaust the sterile air flowing into the transfer chamber through the transfer device.