JPH1119601A - Device for cleaning outside surface of vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable dust and dirt stuck on a vessel to be surely removed by carrying vessels at widened pitch and spraying cleaning medium from both sides thereof to be capable of straying the cleaning medium on whole flanks of the vessel and to enable receipt and delivery of the vessels to be surely performed at the widened pitch by providing a part where both screws overlap. SOLUTION: The device is provided with screws 5 rotating around an axis line and transporting a vessel 1 at an equal pitch at both sides of a transportation direction of a transportation route through which the vessel 1 is transported from an upstream side to a downstream side. The screws 5 are arranged with some shift in the transportation direction on one side and another side of the transportation route so that a downstream end of the screws 5 on the one side and an upstream end of the screws 5 on the another side are superposed at the transportation direction position. Further, nozzles 4 for spraying the cleaning medium onto the carrying vessel 1 are provided at opposed positions facing to respective screws 5 across the transportation route.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning the outer surface of a container provided on a bottling line for soft drinks, juice drinks, chemicals, etc., for removing dust and dirt attached to the outer surface of the container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in particular, resin containers such as PET bottles are sometimes charged during transportation due to friction with a transportation guide or the like, causing dust and dirt to adhere to the outer surface of the container. In order to remove these, a large number of containers are supplied in a line and are closely attached to each other, so that it is necessary to open a pitch and provide an interval between the containers.

On the other hand, a pre-sterilization chamber is provided at a bottle entrance of a clean room that is maintained in an aseptic state, and the pre-sterilization chamber is provided with a sterilizing solution and / or a cleaning solution toward a bottle running in the pre-sterilizing room. A device for supplying
The apparatus for supplying the sterilizing liquid and / or the cleaning liquid is a pre-sterilizing apparatus for a bottle having a spray port for spraying the sterilizing liquid and / or the cleaning liquid toward the bottle (JP-A-6-17169).
No. 7) is conventionally known.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Conventional Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-17 / 1994
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 1697 is a pre-sterilization apparatus for a bottle that performs cleaning by spraying washing water from an opposite side facing the screw conveying device while the screw conveying device is conveyed in a pitched state. This means that you can clean only one side, almost half of the container,
Dust and the like could not be removed.

[0005]

The present invention employs the following technical means in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. In the invention according to claim 1, on both sides in the transport direction of the transport path in which the containers are transported from the upstream side to the downstream side, a screw that rotates around an axis and transports the containers at equal pitches is provided. A nozzle that injects a cleaning medium into a container to be transferred is provided at a position opposite to each screw with the position shifted in the transfer direction on one side and the other side of the transfer path and opposed to each screw across the transfer path. The technical means of washing was adopted.

In the invention described in claim 2, the screws arranged on both sides in the conveying direction are arranged such that the downstream end of one screw and the upstream end of the other screw overlap at the position in the conveying direction. The technical means that an overlap portion for transferring one container simultaneously with the screws on both sides was provided.

[0007]

Next, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the container outer surface cleaning apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow BB shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, reference numeral 2 denotes a conveyor which forms a transport path on which the container 1 is transported. The conveyor 2 places the container 1 and moves the container 1 from the left upstream side to the right downstream side in the figure. Is transported. On both sides of the conveyor 2 in the conveying direction, screws 5 are provided in parallel with the conveyor 2, and these screws 5 are fixedly provided on one rotating shaft 9 on one side, and are simultaneously rotated by an upstream motor. And synchronously rotate on the rotating shafts 9 on both sides. The rotating shaft 9 is rotatably supported by a support 7 attached to the body of the conveyor 2 (see FIG. 3). In the case of the present embodiment, two screws 5 are provided above and below to correspond to the height of the container.

As is well known in the art, the screw 5 has a spiral guide groove formed in the outer peripheral surface thereof extending in the axial direction. The container 1 is accommodated in the guide groove, and the screw 5 is rotated around the axis to transfer the container 1 at a constant pitch. It is configured to be. Among these, the screw 5 located at the most upstream side has its upstream side portion tapered so that the container 1 can be smoothly introduced.

These screws 5 are arranged at intervals on each side of the conveyor 2, and are shifted in the direction of transport of the container 1 on one side and the other side opposite to each other with the conveyor 2 interposed therebetween, as shown in FIG. Are arranged alternately from the upstream side. As shown in FIG. 3, a conveyance guide 8 is provided at a position facing each screw 5 across the conveyor 2.

Further, each of the screws 5 is arranged at the most upstream side of the one side of the conveyor 2 in order from the leading end of the screw 5 to the downstream end thereof and upstream of the other side of the screw 5 opposed to the other end of the conveyor 2. Side ends are arranged so as to overlap with each other, and in this portion, the above-mentioned guide grooves are overlapped so that the positions thereof are matched (overlap portion 6), and both are synchronously rotated in phase. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, one container 1 can be simultaneously transferred by the screws on both sides.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a supply pipe 3 for supplying cleaning water as a cleaning medium in the present embodiment is provided above the conveyor 2 and supported by a support member 11.
From there, the cleaning water is supplied to each nozzle 4. The nozzle 4 is disposed between the screws 5 on one side of the conveyor 2, that is, at a position opposite to the screw 5 on the other side, and is attached to the container 1 transferred by the screw 5 opposed to the rotating shaft 9 and the conveyance guide 8. On the other hand, it is configured to be able to spray cleaning water. In the present embodiment, nozzles are provided vertically above and below the container 1 so as to be able to spray cleaning water onto the upper portion and the intermediate portion. Reference numeral 10 denotes a chamber surrounding these cleaning regions.

The operation of the apparatus for cleaning the outer surface of a container according to the present invention will be described. The container 1 conveyed and supplied by the conveyor 2 in a state where the front and rear are in close contact with each other in a line from the left upstream side in FIGS. And the container is transported at an interval with the container and the dust is removed by the washing water injected from the nozzle 4.

At this time, the container 1 is moved forward, one side,
Wash water is sequentially sprayed on the three rear surfaces. When further transferred and delivered to the screw 5 on the downstream side,
The cleaning water is sprayed from the side different from the previous one, and the cleaning water is sprayed on both the front and rear surfaces, so that dust and dirt are completely removed. By repeating the above steps again, the container 1 is transported to the downstream side and discharged from the present apparatus.

When the container is transferred from the screw 5 on the upstream side (for example, the lower side in FIG. 1) to the screw 5 on the other side (for example, the upper side in FIG. 1) immediately downstream thereof, In the wrap portion 6, while being accommodated in the guide groove of one screw 5 at the same time, the wrap portion 6 is accommodated in the guide groove of the screw 5 immediately downstream of the screw 5 and is transferred to the downstream side by the downstream screw 5 as it is. Become.

In this embodiment, the case where cleaning water is used as the cleaning medium has been described. However, compressed air is supplied from the supply pipe 3 and air is jetted from the nozzle 4 to remove dust and dirt attached to the container 1. The air may be blown off. In this case, it is preferable that the chamber 10 be provided with an exhaust blower and ventilated. Moreover, you may comprise so that sterile water or sterile air may be used for a washing medium.

[0017]

According to the present invention, as a result of employing the above configuration,
The following effects can be obtained. (1) By opening the container at a pitch and spraying the cleaning medium from both sides, the cleaning medium can be sprayed on all side surfaces of the container, so that dust and dirt attached to the container can be reliably removed. (2) When transferring the container from one screw to the other screw, both screws are provided with a portion that overlaps, so that the container can be reliably transferred with the pitch opened.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of a container outer surface cleaning apparatus of the present invention, except for a supply pipe of cleaning water in a side view shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a side view showing one embodiment of the apparatus for cleaning the outer surface of a container according to the present invention, in which a support for a screw is partially cut away so that a nozzle can be seen.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB shown in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 container 2 conveyor 3 supply pipe 4 nozzle 5 screw 6 overlap 7 support 8 transport guide 9 axis of rotation 10 chamber 11 support Element

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A screw that rotates around an axis and transports containers at a constant pitch on both sides in the transport direction of a transport path in which containers are transported from an upstream side to a downstream side. A nozzle that injects a cleaning medium into a transferred container is provided at a position opposite to each screw with a transfer path interposed therebetween, and the outer surface of the container is cleaned at a position opposite to a screw in a transfer direction. An apparatus for cleaning the outer surface of a container. 2. The screws arranged on both sides in the transport direction are arranged so that the downstream end of one screw and the upstream end of the other screw overlap, and at least one container is simultaneously placed on both sides. The apparatus for cleaning the outer surface of a container according to claim 1, wherein an overlap portion for transferring by a screw is provided.