JP4622142B2 - Cleaning device for filling machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Technical field to which the invention belongs]
The present invention relates to a cleaning device that performs cleaning of a filling machine that fills a container with a liquid via a filling valve, and more particularly to a cleaning device of a filling machine that performs cleaning by attaching a cleaning cup to the filling valve. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a filling machine that fills a container with a liquid such as a beverage, it is necessary to clean all wetted parts such as a liquid passage from a filling liquid tank to a filling valve after the operation is completed for the purpose of food hygiene management. When the filling machine is washed, a washing cup is attached to the filling valve, and a washing liquid such as hot water or sterilizing water is injected into the filling liquid tank so as to circulate in the filling liquid passage.
[0003]
In the cleaning device of the filling machine, in which the cleaning cup is attached to the filling valve and the cleaning liquid is circulated from the cleaning cup to the liquid passage and gas passage of the filling valve to clean the inside, a passage for liquid recovery is formed in the cleaning cup. If not, the cleaning liquid remains in the cleaning cup after cleaning, and this residual water must be discharged from the cleaning cup.
[0004]
In order to discharge such residual water in the washing cup, conventionally, a drain passage having an open / close valve is connected to the bottom of the washing cup, and the valve is opened after washing to leave the remaining in the washing cup. Water was recovered (Japanese Patent No. 2808482). However, such a configuration in which the drain passages are connected has problems such as a complicated structure, a large-sized apparatus, and high costs.
[0005]
Therefore, a drain valve is provided at the bottom of the cleaning cup so that the cleaning liquid remaining in the cleaning cup as described above can be discharged with a simple configuration. After the cleaning is completed, the drain valve is opened to discharge residual water. An apparatus cleaning cap "has been proposed (JP-A-6-31788).
[0006]
In the apparatus described in the above publication (JP-A-6-31788), at the time of cleaning, the cleaning cap is moved from the non-cleaning position to the cleaning position directly below the filling valve, and then the upper end of the cleaning cap is moved through the centering bell by the expansion / contraction driving means. The valve is brought into contact with the valve block of the filling valve, the filling valve is opened, the cleaning liquid is circulated through the cleaning liquid circulation system, and the liquid contact portion is cleaned. When the cleaning is completed, the lifter is raised, the drain valve is opened, and the remaining cleaning liquid is discharged out of the cleaning cap.
[0007]
In the washing apparatus for a filling machine having the above-described configuration, when draining residual water from the washing cup (in this invention, the washing cap) after washing, the lifter is raised to open the drain valve. After the cleaning liquid in the cleaning cup is discharged, the cleaning cup is moved to the non-cleaning position.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the said structure, there existed a problem that a lifter had to be raised in order to open | release a drain valve and to discharge | emit the washing | cleaning liquid which remained in the washing cup. In addition, since the drain valve is opened due to the lift of the lifter, there is a problem that the cleaning liquid is discharged into the region to be filled.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and with a very simple structure, the cleaning liquid remaining in the cleaning cup after cleaning can be discharged, and the surroundings can be contaminated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device for a filling machine that is not present.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A cleaning apparatus for a filling machine according to the present invention includes a cleaning cup that is provided with a seal portion at an upper end and is movable between a cleaning position and a retracted position, and a driving unit that moves the cleaning cup, and cleaning the cleaning cup. The seal portion is brought into close contact with a filling means for discharging the filling liquid into the container, and a drain passage is formed at the bottom of the cleaning cup, and the drain passage is connected to the drain passage. The cleaning cup can be opened and closed by a valve , and the cleaning cup is attached to an arm arranged on the outer periphery of the rotating body at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and an engaging means for engaging and releasing the drain valve is provided to each of the arms. provided, when moving the arm to the retracted position by the driving means, characterized in that the drain valve of each wash cup engages the engaging member provided on the arm for cleaning cup adjacent It is intended to.
[0011]
In the cleaning device of the filling machine, the engaging member is provided at the retracted position of the cleaning cup, and there is no need to drive the lifter and the like, and the drain valve is opened only by moving the cleaning cup to the retracted position. The cleaning liquid remaining in the cleaning cup can be discharged. In addition, the cleaning liquid is discharged to the retreat position of the cleaning cup that is out of the conveyance path for filling the container. Furthermore, since the engaging member for opening the drain valve of the cleaning cup is provided on the arm to which the cleaning cup is attached, the structure is extremely simple and compact.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a filling machine equipped with a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Containers transported by a container transport conveyor 2 are separated at predetermined intervals by an infeed screw 4. And is fed into the filling machine 8 through the inlet star wheel 6.
[0015]
The filling machine 8 is provided with filling valves 10 (see FIG. 2 to be described later) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral side, and is lifted by neck lifters 12 respectively provided below the filling valves 10. The liquid valve in the filling valve 10 is opened by the container, and the liquid sent from a filling liquid tank (not shown) is filled into the container. The container filled with the liquid is discharged onto the container transport conveyor 2 via the outlet star wheel 14 and sent to the next step. The neck lifter 12 is of a conventionally known configuration in which air is always supplied and constantly biased upward during production, and is forcibly lowered by a cam at the supply / discharge position of the container.
[0016]
A cleaning cup 16 is provided corresponding to each of the filling valves 10. These washing cups 16 are provided so as to be movable between the circumference (circle shown by a one-dot chain line in FIGS. 3 and 4) where the filling valve 10 is arranged and the inside thereof. The arrangement of the cleaning cup 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. A rotating body 22 is fixed on a rotating base 18 of the filling machine 8 via a support column 20, and the cleaning cups 16 are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating body 22 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. These cleaning cups 16 move between a retracted position (a position shown in FIG. 4) on the inner peripheral side of the filling valve 10 and a cleaning position (a position shown in FIG. 3) that is located directly below the filling valve 10. It is possible.
[0017]
Arms 26 are respectively attached to upright rotating shafts 24 provided at equal intervals near the outer periphery of the rotating body 22. A cleaning cup 16 is fixed to the tip of each arm 26. Further, a drain block 30 is fixed to the inner side of the cleaning cup 16 of each arm 26 via a bracket 28 extending laterally. These drain blocks 30 engage with a drain valve, which will be described later, to open the drain valve.
[0018]
A rotating plate 32 that is rotatable relative to the rotating body 22 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the rotating body 22. Rollers 34 are attached to the lower surface side of the rotating plate 32 at equal intervals. On the other hand, one end of a lever 36 having a long hole 36a is fixed to the rotating shaft 24 to which each arm 26 is fixed, and the roller 34 is fitted in each long hole 36a of each lever 36. Yes. One end 38 a of a driving cylinder 38 is rotatably mounted on the rotating body 22, and the piston rod 38 b side of the driving cylinder 38 is connected to the lower surface of the rotating plate 32.
[0019]
By the operation of the drive cylinder 38, the rotation plate 32 rotates relative to the rotating body 22, and the lever 36 rotates. As the levers 36 rotate, the arms 26 to which the cleaning cup 16 and the drain block 30 are fixed rotate. In a state where the piston rod 38b of the drive cylinder 38 is contracted, each arm 26 swings outward to face the radial direction, and the cleaning cup 16 fixed to the tip of each arm 26 is positioned immediately below the filling valve 10, respectively. (State shown in FIG. 3). When the piston rod 38a of the drive cylinder 38 extends, the rotating plate 32 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3 with respect to the rotating body 22, and each arm 26 swings inward via the lever 36. (State shown in FIG. 4).
[0020]
Next, the structure of the cleaning cup 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a), (b), and (c). A lifting rod 40 is fitted in the guide hole 26a at the tip of each arm 26 so as to be movable up and down. A horizontal support plate 42 is attached to an intermediate portion of the lifting rod 40, and the lifting rod 40 is always attached downward by a spring 44 interposed between the lower surface of the arm 26 and the upper surface of the support plate 42. It is energized. A large-diameter push-up portion 40 a is provided at the lower part of the lift rod 40, and the lift rod 40 is pushed up by raising the neck lifter 12. A push-up block 12a is fixed to a portion (upper end surface) of the neck lifter 12 that contacts the lifting rod 40 (see FIG. 2).
[0021]
A horizontal support plate 42 attached to an intermediate portion of the lifting rod 40 extends in the distal direction of the arm 16, and the cleaning cup 16 is fixed to the extended portion. As described above, when the lifting rod 40 is pushed up by the neck lifter 12, the cleaning cup 16 rises integrally through the support plate 42. The washing cup 16 has a cylindrical portion 16a extending downward, and a spool 46 is fitted in the cylindrical portion 16a so as to be movable up and down. A large diameter portion is provided at the upper end of the spool 46, and a seal ring 48 is fitted on the lower surface side thereof. The spool 46 is always urged downward by a spring 50, and normally, a large-diameter seal ring 48 of the spool 46 is seated on a valve seat 16b formed on the inner surface of the upper end of the cylindrical portion 16a. A drain valve 52 is constituted by the seal ring 48 of the spool 46 and the valve seat 16b on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 16a.
[0022]
A plurality of laterally directed drain passages 16c are formed slightly below the valve seat 16b of the cylindrical portion 16a (see FIG. 5C), and the spool 46 is pushed up to seal the seal ring 48. When separated from 16b, the inside of the cleaning cup 16 communicates with the outside via the drain passage 16c.
[0023]
An annular seal packing 54 is attached to the upper end of the cleaning cup 16, and when the cleaning cup 16 is raised at the cleaning position, this seal packing 54 is provided at the lower end of the filling valve 10 (see FIG. 2). The inside of the washing cup 16 is sealed tightly.
[0024]
The drain block 30 attached to the side of each arm 26 has a flat portion 30a and an inclined portion 30b on the upper surface, and is slightly inclined with respect to the arm 26 as shown in FIG. It is attached toward. When each arm 26 swings from the state of FIG. 3 to the state shown in FIG. 4, the lower end of the spool 46 of the drain valve 52 provided at the lower portion of the cleaning cup 10 is connected to the drain block 30. When it is gradually pushed up by engaging with the inclined portion 30b and enters the state shown in FIG. 4, the lower end of the spool 46 is engaged with the flat portion 30a of the drain block 30 so that the drain valve 52 is completely opened. It has become.
[0025]
Operation of the cleaning device for the filling machine according to the above configuration will be described. After the normal production operation of the filling machine 8 is completed, the filling liquid remaining in the liquid passage extending from the filling liquid tank (not shown) to the filling valve 10 is extracted. Next, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the filling liquid tank. During the production operation of the filling machine 10, as shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning cup 16 is moved to the retracted position inward of the filling valve 10.
[0026]
When the cleaning cup 16 is moved to the cleaning position, the air of the neck lifter 12 is extracted and lowered, and the filling valve 10 is raised to a height that does not interfere with the cleaning cup 16. Then, the drive cylinder 38 is actuated to rotate the rotary plate 32, the arms 26 are swung outwardly as shown in FIG. 3, and the cleaning cups 16 are positioned directly below the filling valve 10, respectively.
[0027]
Subsequently, the filling valve 10 is adjusted to the cleaning height, and air is supplied to the neck lifter 12 to be raised. When the washing cup 16 is positioned directly below the filling valve 10, the push-up portion 40a at the lower end of the lifting rod 40 to which the washing cup 16 is attached faces the push-up block 12a at the upper end of the neck lifter 12 vertically. When the neck lifter 12 is raised, the push-up block 12a hits the push-up portion 40a of the lift rod 40 and pushes it up. When the elevating rod 40 is raised, the cleaning cup 16 attached to the horizontal support plate 42 integral with the elevating rod 40 is also raised, and the seal packing 54 attached to the upper end thereof is in close contact with the guide cone 56 of the filling valve 10. Thus, the inside of the washing cup 16 is sealed (see FIG. 6). In the neck lifter 12 of the present embodiment, the distance between the lowest end height when air is introduced and the height at which the air is shut off is made larger than the distance from when the cleaning cup 16 is lifted up and brought into close contact with the filling valve 10. All the washing cups 16 are attached at the same time.
[0028]
After the inside of the cleaning cup 16 is sealed, the liquid valve in the filling valve 10 is opened to supply the cleaning liquid into the cleaning cup 16 and circulate for a predetermined time to perform cleaning. After completion of the cleaning, the filling valve 10 is raised and the neck lifter 12 is evacuated and lowered.
[0029]
After separating the filling valve 10 and the neck lifter 12 up and down, the drive cylinder 38 on the rotating body 22 is actuated to rotate the rotating plate 32 in the reverse direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 3), and the arm 26 in FIG. The cleaning cup 16 is moved to the retracted position by swinging in the direction of the position shown. During the movement of the arm 26, the drain valve 52 of the washing cup 16 fixed to the tip of the arm 26 is released by engaging the lower end of the spool 46 with the drain block 30 of the adjacent arm 26. . When the drain valve 52 is opened, the cleaning liquid remaining in the cleaning cup 16 is discharged from the drain passage 16c. As described above, the apparatus of this embodiment can open the drain valve 52 of the cleaning cup 16 and discharge the remaining cleaning liquid with a very simple structure. Further, since the drain valve 52 of the cleaning cup 16 is always open at the retracted position, the inside of the cleaning cup 16 can be kept clean by spraying sterile water or sterilized water during production operation. .
[0030]
In the above embodiment, the drain block 30 for opening the drain valve 52 is attached to the arm 26 of the adjacent cleaning cup 16, but it is not always necessary to attach it to the arm 16, for example, the cleaning cup 16 is retracted. A drain block may be fixed at the position. Further, although the drain valve 52 of the cleaning cup 16 is opened and closed by the spool 46 that moves up and down, it can also be configured to be opened and closed by a spool that moves in the horizontal direction. Further, the drain passage 16c is provided in the cylindrical portion 16a of the cleaning cup 16 so as to face the radial direction (lateral direction). However, the drain passage 16c is not necessarily in the lateral direction and may be drained downward. .
[0031]
FIG. 7 is a view showing a cleaning device for a filling machine according to another embodiment. In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the drain valve 52 is opened at the retracted position to discharge the cleaning liquid remaining in the cleaning cup 16, but in this embodiment, the cleaning cup 16 is retracted. A toy 58 for receiving drain water is installed below the position, and the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning cup 16 is collected by this toy 58 and concentrated drained. Since other parts of the configuration of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts and the description thereof is omitted.
[0032]
In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning device provided in the gas filling machine has been described. However, in such a gas filling machine, there is no mechanism for absorbing dimensional errors on the filling valve 10 side. Therefore, the neck lifter 12 is lifted. However, for example, in the case of a configuration that can absorb an error on the valve side, such as a gravity type, the neck lifter air is shut off and lowered all at once, and the filling liquid tank is lowered. It is also possible to seal the wash cup. Further, pushing up the cleaning cup 16 is not limited to the neck lifter 12 but may be a container stand for raising and lowering the container.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the cleaning cup is provided with the sealing portion provided at the upper end and movable to the cleaning position and the retracted position, and the driving means for moving the cleaning cup. In a cleaning apparatus for a filling machine, which is moved to a position, and in which cleaning is performed by bringing the seal portion into close contact with a filling means for discharging a filling liquid into a container, a drain passage is formed at the bottom of the cleaning cup, and the drain passage is The cleaning cup can be opened and closed by a valve , and the cleaning cup is attached to an arm arranged on the outer periphery of the rotating body at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and an engaging means for engaging and releasing the drain valve is provided to each of the arms. When the arm is moved to the retracted position by the driving means, the drain valve of each washing cup is engaged with the engaging member provided on the adjacent washing cup arm. By the, the drain valve provided at the bottom of the wash cup, it is possible to discharge the cleaning liquid remaining open by a very simple structure, as in the conventional configuration, the circuit for drain having an opening and closing valve Since there is no need to raise the air lifter when connecting or opening, the structure of the entire cleaning device is simplified, compact, and low cost. It is also hygienic. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid remaining in the cleaning cup can be discharged by opening the drain valve simply by moving the cleaning cup from the cleaning position to the retracted position. In addition, since the engaging member that opens the drain valve is provided on the arm to which the cleaning cup is attached, the structure is extremely simple, compact, and low cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a simplified arrangement of an entire cleaning device for a filling machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the cleaning device of the filling machine, showing a case where a cleaning cup is retracted to a retracted position.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a mechanism for moving the cleaning cup to a cleaning position and a retracted position, and shows a state in which the cleaning cup is moved to the cleaning position.
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the cleaning cup is moved to the retracted position.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the configuration of the cleaning cup, in which FIG. (A) is a longitudinal sectional view, FIG. (B) is a view of FIG. (A) viewed from the right direction, and (c) is a drain valve. It is a cross-sectional view showing the drain passage.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state at the time of cleaning in which the cleaning cup is pressed against the filling valve to seal the inside of the cleaning cup.
7 is a view showing a cleaning device for a filling machine according to a second embodiment, and is a view showing the same position as in FIG. 2. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
8 Filling machine 10 Filling means (filling valve)
16 Washing cup 16c Drain passage 26 Arm 30 Engaging means (engaging member)
38 Drive means (drive cylinder)
52 Drain valve 54 Seal part (seal packing)

Claims (1)

A sealing portion is provided at the upper end, and includes a cleaning cup that can be moved between a cleaning position and a retracted position, and a drive unit that moves the cleaning cup. In the cleaning device of the filling machine that performs cleaning by bringing the seal portion into close contact with the discharging filling means,
A drain passage is formed at the bottom of the washing cup, the drain passage can be opened and closed by a drain valve , and the washing cup is attached to an arm arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the rotating body, and Engaging means for engaging and releasing the drain valve is provided in each of these arms, and when this arm is moved to the retracted position by the driving means, the drain valve of each washing cup is provided in the adjacent washing cup arm. A cleaning device for a filling machine, wherein the cleaning device is engaged with the engaged member .

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