JP2002179031A - Method and apparatus of manufacturing aseptically filled canned food - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture aseptically filled canned food wherein a can and a lid can be reliably sterilized and the canned food has high sterility without being influenced by sterility of a seamer body. SOLUTION: A can barrel sterilizing and feeding device fills an empty can with a chemical from a chemical filling tank 18 while carrying by a net conveyer 17 to bring an internal surface of the can into contact with the chemical for a predetermined time, and also jets the chemical and warm water to an external surface of the can, thereby sterilizing the external surface of the can without heating to a high temperature. A lid sterilizing and feeding device 40 carries lids with intervals in a standing state and sequentially jets the chemical, sterile water and sterile air to internal and external surfaces of the lid from between the lids while carrying them thereby sterilizing the lids. A clean sealer 80 substitutes a high temperature substitution fluid for a head space gas before the can filled with the contents reaches the seamer body 85 in the device 80 and pressure-welds and temporarily rolls the lid to have the can sealed before it reaches a fully rolling space. Since the high temperature substitution fluid rapidly cools, the inside of the can reduces to a negative pressure, obtaining aseptically filled negative pressure canned food.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for producing canned aseptic cans by an aseptic filling method and an apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, aseptic filling methods have been put to practical use in bottled beverages and the like in place of conventional hot filling and retort sterilization methods in order to prevent flavor reduction due to excessive heating of contents such as fruit juice drinks. However, an aseptic filling method has been proposed for canning. In canning,
To achieve a high degree of aseptic filling, sterilize empty cans and lids,
In addition to sterilizing the contents and filling under aseptic conditions, sealing under aseptic conditions is necessary.

Conventionally, as a method of sterilizing empty cans in the aseptic filling method, a medicine is sprayed on the outer surface of the empty can while the empty cans are conveyed in a row in a conveyor, and then the medicine is sprayed on the inner surface, and the medicine is sprayed on the inner and outer surfaces. The sterilization process is performed by heating the sprayed cans with hot air in an oven, and at the same time, the medicine adhering to the cans is decomposed and removed by heat, and then cooled by spraying sterile water. (For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-2111912),
Alternatively, there has been proposed a method of sterilizing an empty can by injecting hot water or steam into the empty can being transported.

On the other hand, as a method of sterilizing a can lid in an aseptic filling method, for example, hydrogen peroxide is sprayed and adhered to the can lid from the outside in the orthogonal direction while the can lid is set up and transported at intervals. A method has been proposed in which the lid is heated in an oven to evaporate and remove the hydrogen peroxide to sterilize it (JP-A-6-404).
No. 3, JP-A-2000-51326).

[0005] However, cans are sealed in a clean atmosphere in a clean room. However, the cans are sealed by a usual method using a filling machine and a winding device similar to those in a normal canning manufacturing process. No special measures have been taken for sterilization. The reason is that, in the seamer body to be tightened, there is vertical movement of the lifter and knockout, rotation of the seaming roll, etc. at a position close to the container, and it is difficult to sterilize the seamer body during operation due to its structure. . Therefore, sterilization and maintenance of sterilization of the winding device, especially the seamer main body, have become a major technical problem to be solved in order to achieve a high degree of sterility in canning production by the aseptic filling method.

[0006]

The aseptic-filled canned canning manufacturing apparatus in the conventionally proposed can-aseptic filling system performs the sterilization process while transporting empty cans in a single row, so that the transport speed of the sterilization device is reduced. Must be synchronized with the processing speed of the downstream filling machine. On the other hand, sterilization of an empty can by a medicine or heating requires that the medicine is brought into contact with the empty can for a predetermined time or more or heated for a predetermined time or more in order to obtain a predetermined sterilization effect. To meet both requirements, the speed of the sterilization line must be increased while the conveyor in the sterilization zone must be lengthened in order to increase the sterilization time. Therefore, there is a problem that sterilization is unstable and sterilization unevenness easily occurs.

[0007] Further, the medicine is sprayed and heated in an oven,
Or, in the case of heat sterilization with hot water or steam, a heating step and a cooling step are required, and the steps and equipment become complicated, and depending on the drug concentration and heating conditions, a can having a thermoplastic film laminated on the inner and outer surfaces of the can. There are problems such as not being applicable to the body. Furthermore, in the case of the aseptic filling method, sterilization of cans is generally performed in a clean room, and the cans are introduced into the clean room in an upright state by a conveyor from a depalletizer installed outside the clean room. For this reason, dust and the like easily adhere to the bottom of the can due to static electricity due to contact with the conveyor, and when introduced into a clean room as it is, the cleanliness of the clean room is impaired, and the agent that sterilizes the outer surface of the can becomes dirty. This is problematic in that the repetitive use of the drug is restricted and uneconomical.

On the other hand, in sterilizing the lid with hydrogen peroxide, it is necessary to uniformly deposit hydrogen peroxide on both sides of the lid, and the deposited hydrogen peroxide must be heated to evaporate. Therefore, in order to perform sterilization in a short time corresponding to a high-speed line, it is necessary to increase the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and perform high-temperature heating. However, as the hydrogen peroxide concentration becomes higher and the heating and drying temperature becomes higher, blisters are more likely to be generated on the compound applied to the curled portion of the can lid and on the coating surface applied on the inner surface of the lid. There is a problem that affects the tightness and corrosion due to metal exposure. In addition, the aluminum lid has a problem that when the heating temperature is 180 ° C. or higher, the opening property is affected. On the other hand, in order to perform sterilization in a short time and obtain a high sterilization value of 6D or more, it is necessary to increase the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and to perform high-temperature heating at 160 ° C or more, and a complicated shape such as a lid with a tab is required. In the case of the lid, high-temperature heating is required. Therefore, it is difficult to stably secure a high sterilization value and product quality of the lid by conventional can lid sterilization using hydrogen peroxide. In addition, if the lid stays in the sterilizer for a certain amount or more due to a line stop or the like, the lid is damaged so that the lid cannot be used after restarting, and the lid is wasted.

On the other hand, in the can lid winding step after the filling of the contents, it is required that aseptic properties be maintained in the winding apparatus, especially the seamer body in which the can is completely sealed. As mentioned above, it is difficult to sterilize the seamer body with many moving parts during the sealing operation, and since there is vertical movement of the lifter and knockout near the container, rotation of the seaming roll, etc. It is difficult to maintain the winding atmosphere in a sterile and clean state due to the influence of the agent and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel aseptic filling canned production system which solves the above-mentioned problems in the canning production by the conventional aseptic filling method, and to lengthen the line of sterilization of empty cans. It is possible to secure a predetermined sterilization time without any need, and it is possible to sterilize reliably, and it is possible to sterilize at low temperature, reduce energy cost, and can be applied to cans laminated with a thermoplastic film, and is economical. Sterilization can be performed reliably, and even with a lid with a tab, it can be sterilized reliably at a low temperature and in a short time. Even if the line stops, there is no damage to the product, and a high sterilization value is obtained. Production of aseptic filled cans that can achieve a high degree of aseptic filling by ensuring sterility until the can is sealed without being affected by the sterility of the main body. And to provide a method and apparatus.

[0011]

Means for Solving the Problems A method for producing an aseptic filled can according to the present invention, which solves the above object, is a method for producing an aseptic filled can which produces cans by a can aseptic filling method. It consists of lid sterilization supply process, contents clean filling process, clean sealing process,
The can body sterilization supply step is a can inner surface sterilization treatment step in which an empty can is filled with a medicine and the inner surface of the can is brought into contact with the medicine for a predetermined time, and the medicine is injected into the outer surface of the can to bring the medicine into contact with the outer surface of the can. It is characterized by comprising a can outer surface sterilization process, a medicine discharging process, and a rinsing process. The medicine to be completely filled in the can inner surface sterilization step may be at room temperature, but by heating to about 35 to 70 ° C., the filling time can be shortened and the sterilization can be surely performed. Since sterilization can be performed at a lower temperature than heat sterilization, sterilization can be surely performed without damaging a can laminated with a thermoplastic film. It is desirable that the can inner surface sterilization process and the can outer surface sterilization process are each composed of a combination of a hot water sterilization process of bringing hot water into contact and a drug sterilization process of bringing medicine into contact.

In the can body sterilization supply step, the can inner surface sterilization and the can outer surface sterilization are performed in a multi-line process while transporting empty cans in a multi-line state, aligned in a single line and sent out to a rinsing process to clean and fill the contents. In the process and the clean-sealing process, by performing a single-row process, the can body cleaning supply line can be shortened and operated at a low speed, and a sufficient sterilization time can be obtained. The lid sterilization and supply step includes transporting the lid at intervals in a sterilization and cleaning device, and sequentially ejecting medicine, aseptic water, and aseptic air from the gap between the lids to the inner and outer surfaces of the lid during transport to sterilize and clean the lid. It is desirable to drain the water sequentially.

In the cleaning and sealing step, before the contents reach the seamer main body, the contents are replaced with a high-temperature replacement fluid for the headspace gas in the main body, and the lid is placed on the main body. The process includes a lid crimping step of crimping the lid on the can body. The separation of the gas replacement / lid placing step and the tightening step with the seamer body affects the degree of sterilization of the seamer body, which is difficult to sterilize. Without being able to obtain highly aseptic filled cans. Then, by replacing the headspace gas of the can body with a high-temperature replacement fluid and crimping the lid,
Since the inside of the can is rapidly cooled to a negative pressure state, it is possible to produce aseptic-filled negative pressure cans excellent in percussion suitability by this method. As the high-temperature displacement fluid, steam or a mixed gas of steam and an inert gas is suitable. In the lid pressing step, it is preferable that the lid is pressed and temporarily wound.

Further, the aseptic filling and canning manufacturing apparatus of the present invention comprises a can body sterilization supply apparatus, a lid sterilization supply apparatus, a contents clean filling apparatus and a clean sealing apparatus, and the can body sterilization supply apparatus transports empty cans. Filling machine having a filling nozzle which is disposed above the conveyor upstream of the conveyor and fills and fills the empty cans to be conveyed with the medicine, and sprays the medicine on the outer surface of the body of the empty can being conveyed. It is characterized by comprising a can outer surface sterilizing means and a rinser for cleaning the inner and outer surfaces of the can with sterile water. The can outer surface sterilization means may include a bottom sterilization nozzle that sprays a medicine from below the conveyor onto the bottom of the can, and a body sterilization nozzle that sprays the medicine on the outer body surface of the empty can being transported by the conveyor. it can.

An assembly conveyor for transporting empty cans conveyed in a single row in an erect and dense state upstream of the can bottom cleaning means, and a multirow state for empty cans conveyed in an erect and dense state. Arranging a sorting device that sorts and transports the cans, sorts empty cans into multiple rows so that the spacing between rows becomes a predetermined interval, and allows the cans to be adsorbed on the suction conveyor at the downstream end. This ensures that empty cans conveyed in a single row from the depalletizer can be supplied to the next step in a multi-row state without contacting each can. The medicine can be brought into contact, and the sterilization efficiency can be improved.

As a lid sterilizing / supplying device, a separator for cutting out the lids one by one, a lid interval transporting means for transporting the lids cut by the separator at intervals, and an order from the upstream side along the lid interval transporting means A medicine spray sterilization zone, a sterile water washing zone, and a sterile air drainage zone are arranged. In each zone, a medicine spraying means for spraying a medicine from the gap between the lids being conveyed to the inner and outer surfaces of the lid, and a sterile water spraying the sterile water. By adopting a configuration in which the injection means and the sterile air injection means for injecting sterile air are employed, the lid can be effectively and reliably sterilized.

In the cleaning and sealing device, gas replacement means for supplying a high-temperature replacement fluid to an opening of a can body filled with contents at room temperature to perform gas replacement of a head space of the can body, and a lid to the can body. Separate the lid mounting / crimping means from the seamer body by comprising a lid supply means, a lid mounting / crimping means for placing and pressing the lid on the gas-replaced can body, and a seamer body for tightening the can body and the lid. can do. More specifically, the lid placing and crimping means comprises lid placing means for placing the lid on the can body, and lid crimping and temporary winding means for crimping the lid onto the can body and temporarily tightening the lid, and The lid crimping / temporary tightening means includes a can pad for placing a can body for each pocket and a clincher chuck for crimping the lid to the can body for each pocket. Turret, the lid fitting, crimping
It is desirable to configure it with a curling rail arranged at a fixed position along the can transport path transported by the temporary winding turret.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an aseptic filled canned canning production apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view thereof. The aseptic filled canned canning apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that empty cans (hereinafter, simply referred to as cans) are sorted in a multi-row state, conveyed, and multi-rows can be sterilized at the same time. Slow sterilization time can be ensured with a short line,
This can save space. The aseptic filling canned production system of the present embodiment is a can bottom cleaning machine, a can body sterilization supply device for performing a can body sterilization supply step, a can sterilizer, a drug discharge conveyor, an alignment conveyor, a can rinser, and contents. Gas replacement means, lid supply means, lid placement means, lid crimping, which is a filler for performing a clean filling step, a lid sterilization supply apparatus for sterilizing and cleaning the can lid, and a clean sealing apparatus for performing the can body cleaning / sealing step. -Consists of temporary winding means, a seamer body, and a lid sterilization supply device, and these devices are arranged in a clean room.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a high-speed single-row conveyor for transporting cans c from a depalletizer in a single-row erect state, and reference numeral 2 denotes a group of cans conveyed from the single-row conveyor gathered in a multi-row dense state. It is an assembly conveyor that is composed of air conditioners. Reference numeral 3 denotes a sorting device arranged at the end of the air conditioner conveyor, which is composed of a sorting conveyor 3 'composed of an endless belt conveyor and a can row guide (not shown) arranged above the sorting conveyor 3'. The cans to be conveyed are divided into multiple rows (five rows in the illustrated embodiment) so as to have a predetermined interval in the width direction so that the outer periphery of the cans can be evenly sterilized in the subsequent can outer surface sterilization step, It is transported to the can body sterilization supply device.

An embodiment of a can body sterilization supply apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 4 denotes an outer surface hot water sterilizer for mainly sterilizing the bottom of the can with hot water. And an endless suction conveyor 5 that sucks the top of the opening of the can that has reached the end of the sorting conveyor 3 ′ and conveys the suspension to the relay conveyor 9 in a suspended manner. And a hot water jetting means 7 having a hot water jet nozzle for jetting hot water toward the bottom outer surface. As the suction means of the suction conveyor 5, a magnet, a vacuum, or the like can be appropriately used according to the material of the can to be handled. The injected hot water is drained from the drain port 8. The suction conveyor 5
Operated at a slightly higher speed than the sorting conveyor, cans that have been conveyed in a row in the sorting conveyor,
It is conveyed at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction by an adsorption conveyor, and hot water is easily brought into contact with the outer surface of the can body including the can bottom, so that the hot water can be effectively sterilized.

The cans transferred to the relay conveyor 9 are next
Inner surface temperature composed of transfer conveyor 12 and hot water injection means 13
Transferred to water sterilization means. The reversing conveyor 12 is a relay core.
Is disposed at the downstream end of the conveyor 9 at right angles thereto, and the magnet or
It is configured so that the can bottom can be sucked and held by vacuum.
The cans whose outer surfaces have been sterilized with hot water are
Can transfer guide 15 on conveyor 12₁Extruded along
The bottom of the can is sucked and held, and then reversed in the return path in that state
Can be transported in an inverted state. Reverse conveyor reversal
Along the road, warm toward the inside of the cans being transported in an inverted state.
Hot water inside the can with multiple hot water injection nozzles for injecting water
Injection means 13 is disposed, and hot water is injected into the can during transportation.
The inside of the can is cleaned and sterilized. Hot water sterilized
The cans are again corrected by the reversal of the reversal conveyor.
Standing up, can transfer guide 15 _TwoBy drug sterilizer
Sent to the net conveyor 17 placed in the chamber 16
It is. The can transfer guide 15₁, 15_TwoAre orthogonal
Between the arranged relay conveyor and the reverse conveyor, and
A state in which multiple rows are maintained between the transfer conveyor and the net conveyor
With a bend to guide the cans at right angles
A plurality of bears are provided in parallel above the bears.

The net conveyor 17 is placed in a medicine sterilization chamber, and cans are transferred from the reversing conveyor 12 in a multi-row state on the net conveyor. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, five sets of a pair of guides 14 for guiding the cans in each row are arranged on the upper surface of the net conveyor at predetermined intervals in the width direction.

Above the upstream side of the net conveyor 17, there is arranged a medicine filling tank 18 for filling the can with the medicine in a filled state during transportation over a predetermined section. On the lower surface of the medicine tank, a medicine filling nozzle 19 is provided so as to be located above each row of cans being conveyed by the net conveyor as shown in FIG. The medicine filling nozzle 19 is formed by a slit nozzle having a slit formed in the transport direction, a plurality of shower nozzles, or the like. Further, a drug replenishing tank 20 for replenishing and refilling the spilled drug generated during transport is provided downstream of the drug refilling tank 18 by a predetermined distance, and the inside of the can is always kept in a full filling state. Prevents sterilization leakage on the inner surface.

As shown in FIG. 3, the medicine filling tank 18 is provided with an overflow pipe 21 at a predetermined head position, and always keeps the liquid level height set so that the flowing pressure of the medicine flowing down from the nozzle is not too strong. You can keep it. As a result, the medicine can always be stably filled in a constant state. The overflowed drug
Along with the medicine sprayed for cleaning the outer surface as described later, and the medicine filled in the can, the medicine is collected in a medicine collection tank (not shown) from below the can sterilization chamber,
It is again circulated and supplied into the medicine filling tank 18 via the medicine supply pipe 22. The medicine replenishment tank 20 has a similar structure.

The transport route of the net conveyor 17 includes a body sterilizing nozzle 23 for sterilizing the outer surface of the body of the can.
And a bottom sterilization nozzle 24 for sterilizing the bottom outer surface. These nozzles have a spray nozzle structure for spraying a medicine, and by spraying the medicine in a fine particle state, the medicine easily adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the can for a long time, thereby improving the sterilizing effect of the outer peripheral surface. be able to. As shown in FIG. 4, the trunk sterilization nozzles 23 are alternately provided in a staggered manner in each row along the transport direction at an intermediate portion of each row of the can rows transported by the net conveyor 17, and on the left side in the transport direction. By arranging the line connecting the spray axis of the body sterilizing nozzle 23 located on the right side to be oblique to the transport direction, the medicine is sprayed on the entire body. The body sterilization nozzle 23 is configured as a vertical slit spray nozzle large enough to cover the height of the can, so that the spray liquid from one of the right and left nozzles continuously hits the can being transported. Thus, the outer surface of the can body can be efficiently sterilized with a small number of nozzles and a small amount of spray without causing uneven spray.

On the other hand, the bottom sterilizing nozzle 24 is provided below the can of the net conveyor, and is provided as a slit spray nozzle or a plurality of spray nozzle rows formed along the transport direction of the can. Therefore, the medicine can be sprayed onto the bottom of the can through the mesh of the net conveyor while the can is being conveyed, so that the sterilization of the inner surface of the can and the outer surface of the can bottom and the can body can be performed in one step.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a drainage device. In this embodiment, a wide endless belt-shaped suction reversing conveyor 26 is disposed at a right angle to the net conveyor facing the end of the net conveyor.
It is composed of The suction reversing conveyor 26 constituting the drainage device is guided by the can guide 27 to transfer a full-filled can group from the net conveyor, thereby suction-holding the can bottom, and in this state, the drainage conveyor is moved. By reversing on the return path, the can is reversed and the drug is drained. The drained cans are again erected by reversing the conveyor, guided by the can guide 28 and sent to the alignment conveyor 30.

The net conveyor 17, the medicine filling tank 18, the medicine replenishing tank 20, and the drainage device 25 are arranged in a medicine sterilizing chamber 16 having a medicine receiving wall at the bottom wall. The air is exhausted to the outside by an appropriate means so that an unpleasant odor generated from the medicine is not dispersed in the clean room.

Numeral 30 denotes an alignment conveyor, in which medicines are discharged and the cans transferred from the adsorption reversal conveyor in a multi-row assembly state are gradually aligned in a single row, and a rinser 35 in the next step is provided.
Are sent in a single row. In this embodiment, the alignment conveyor also serves as a saving conveyor so that the cans in the medicine filling zone can be drained and stand by when the line is stopped, and the downstream end is shifted in the transport direction as shown in FIG. Three rows of parallel conveyors 31 ₁ , 31 ₂ , 31 ₃
It is composed of Downstream of the three rows of conveyors, can alignment guides 32 are disposed diagonally across the ends of the conveyors, at which ends the cans are aligned in a row and transferred to the supply conveyor 34 to the rinser. . Of the three rows of parallel conveyors, 31 ₃ functions as a saving conveyor, and can stand by on the saving conveyor in a state where the medicine is drained from a can filled with the medicine when the line is stopped. It is. Normally, the can is a parallel conveyor 31 ₁ ,
Through 31 ₂ is supplied to the supply conveyor 34, but if the line is stopped can may terminate the contact with the prolonged drug is transferred to the saving conveyor, to protect the cans.

The alignment conveyor 30 and the rinser 35 described above.
The supply conveyor 34 is disposed in a sterilized can alignment chamber 36 formed by further surrounding the inside of the clean room, in which high-grade aseptic air is supplied and maintained at a class 100 or so. It is maintained in a much higher clean state than that.

Lid sterilizing / supplying device The lids e cut out one by one by a lid separating device 42 disposed on the downstream end side of the supply chute 41 are transferred to a lid interval transporting means 44 disposed in a chamber 43 isolated from the outside. The paper is transported at a predetermined interval. The cover interval transporting means 44 is composed of three feed screws 45 arranged as shown in FIG. 6, and the distance between the lids e is inclined toward the inner and outer surfaces of the lid being transported by each nozzle as described later. The pitch is formed so that the inside and outside surfaces of the lid can be aimed at from the lateral direction and the medicine and sterile water can be sprayed and conveyed with a sufficient interval to allow them to contact the entire inside and outside surfaces of the lid. ing. The transport interval of the lid is preferably about 10 to 20 mm. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 49 denotes a motor for driving the lid separating device and the feed screw.

In the chamber 43, a cover interval conveying means 44
Is divided into an exhaust zone 50, a chemical spray sterilization zone 51, a sterile water washing zone 52, and a sterile air drain zone 53 in this order from the upstream side by a partition plate 46 having a through hole through which the air flows. The drug used and sterile water can be collected so as not to mix. The exhaust zone 50 is located between the lid separating device 42 and the medicine injection zone 51, and an exhaust pipe 54 connected to the exhaust device is connected to the exhaust zone. The odor generated in step (1) is exhausted to the outside to prevent the odor from diffusing into the working environment, and also prevent the surroundings of the lid separator 42 from being corroded by chemicals.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a plurality of medicine injection nozzles 55 are provided in the medicine injection sterilization zone 51 along the transport direction so that the medicine can be injected from three directions between the three feed screws. Three sets of attached drug injection tubes 5
6 is provided along the feed screw 45.
The medicine injection pipe 56 is connected to a medicine supply source (not shown) via a medicine supply pipe 57. In addition, a medicine collection pipe 58 is provided at the bottom of the medicine injection sterilization zone 51 so that used medicine can be collected. In the present embodiment, the medicine injection nozzle 55 and the medicine injection pipe 5
6. The medicine injection means 59 is constituted by the medicine supply pipe 57, but the structure is not necessarily limited to the illustrated one. Further, in this specification, the term "spray" is used in a concept including "spray", and a spray nozzle structure may be used in which a medicine is sprayed in a mist state and applied to the inner and outer surfaces of the lid. Further, the feed screw can be constituted by two screws.

Although not shown, the medicine injection sterilization zone 51 can be started when the operation is resumed without discharging the lid remaining in the medicine injection sterilization zone when the filling line is stopped. Therefore, sterile water injection means is provided in parallel with the medicine injection means. The sterile water injection means is provided with a sterile water injection nozzle in a sterile water injection pipe provided in parallel with the medicine injection pipe in the same manner as the medicine injection means. However, the sterile water injection means is not necessarily provided separately from the medicine injection means, and the sterile water supply pipe is connected to the medicine supply pipe of the medicine injection means so as to be switchable via a switching valve, and the sterilization water injection means is connected to the medicine injection means. It is also possible to double as a means.

In the sterile water washing zone 52, sterile water injection means 64 having the same structure as the chemical injection means is arranged.
That is, three sets of sterile water injection pipes 61 to which a plurality of sterile water injection nozzles 60 are attached along the transport direction are provided along the feed screw 45. Sterile water injection pipe 61
Is connected to a sterile water supply source (not shown) via a sterile water supply pipe 62. Further, a sterile water recovery pipe 63 is provided at the bottom of the sterile water washing zone 52 so that the used sterile water can be recovered.

The aseptic air drain zone 53 is provided with aseptic air injection means 69. That is, three sets of aseptic air injection pipes 66 to which a plurality of aseptic air injection nozzles 65 are attached along the transport direction are provided along the feed screw 45. The sterile air injection pipe 66 is connected to a sterile air supply source (not shown) via a sterile air supply pipe 67. In addition, an exhaust pipe 68 is provided at the bottom of the aseptic air drain zone 53 so that the air can be exhausted.

The downstream end of the cover-to-cover conveying means, that is, the outlet side of the sterile air draining zone 53 of the chamber 43 is connected to a sterile space 70 having a higher cleanness (class 100 or higher) than the inside of the chamber 43 and the chamber inlet side. The lid e, which has been sterilized and washed by the outlet side chute 71 disposed in the aseptic space, is discharged from the feed screw 45, and is conveyed again to the lid sealing device in an overlapping state. In addition, although it is not always necessary, in order to cope with the high speed, a hot air drying booth is provided in the aseptic space 70 as needed, and the hot air drying booth is dried with a sterilized and washed can lid by hot air. Is also good.

The lid sterilizing / supplying apparatus of this embodiment is configured as described above, and the lid is sterilized and cleaned by the following method. The lids e cut out one by one by the lid separating device 42 are:
The inside of the chamber 43 is adjusted to about 10
When the medicine is conveyed at intervals of 20 mm, passes through the exhaust zone 50, and reaches the medicine ejection sterilization zone 51, medicine is ejected from the medicine ejection nozzle 55 from the oblique lateral direction toward the inner and outer surfaces of the lid being conveyed. . Thus, the medicine comes into contact with the entire inner and outer surfaces of the lid for a predetermined time while passing through the medicine injection sterilization zone, and the medicine is sterilized. Since the medicine is ejected obliquely from the plurality of medicine ejection nozzles 55 toward the inner and outer surfaces of the lid e being conveyed, even if the lid e has a complicated shape with tabs, the tab back surface including the gap between the tabs Sterilization is possible,
Sterilization can be performed without any leakage. The drug used in the present invention is preferably a peracetic acid-based sterilant, and is used at a peracetic acid concentration of 1000 ppm or more. From the point of sterilization effect and decrease in concentration due to drug decomposition,
80 ° C, more preferably 35 to 70 ° C is desirable. Thereby, the sterilization effect increases, and sterilization can be performed in a short time. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to peracetic acid-based sterilizing agents, and other agents, such as sodium hypochlorite and ozone water, which have a sterilizing effect without heating at high temperatures can be used.

By using such a drug,
Unlike the conventional case of using hydrogen peroxide that exhibits a sterilizing effect at the time of heating and drying, it is not necessary to heat the lid to a high temperature of 160 ° C or more, so sterilize without generating blisters on the compound or coating surface Can be. Also, the aluminum lid can be sterilized without affecting its openness. Further, the inner or outer surface of the lid is made of, for example, PE.
Even a lid laminated with a T film or the like can be effectively sterilized in a short time without having a thermal effect.

The lid e sterilized by the chemical in the chemical spray sterilization zone 51 is then sterilized in a sterile water washing zone 52. The sterile water is sprayed obliquely from the lateral direction toward the inner and outer surfaces of the lid, so that the lid e is sprayed on the inner and outer surfaces. The attached drug is washed away and removed.
At this time, as in the case of sterilization, cleaning including the gap between the tubs can be performed with sterile water, and the cleaning can be surely performed without causing leakage of the cleaning. Since each zone is separated by a partition, the injected medicine and sterile water can be separately collected without being mixed. Next, aseptic air is jetted in the aseptic air draining zone, and aseptic air is jetted obliquely from the lateral direction toward the inner and outer surfaces of the lid, thereby actively draining. In the aseptic air draining zone, aseptic air injected toward the lid and water dripping from the lid are separated into gas and liquid and exhausted.

As described above, the lid that has been sterilized, washed, and drained during the transfer at intervals in the chamber passes from the chamber 43 through the outlet-side chute 71 disposed in the sterile space 70 with higher cleanliness. And supplied to the cleaning and sealing device 80.

The above is the process of sterilizing and cleaning the lid during the operation of the filling line.
In conjunction with this, the lid sterilization washing line is also stopped, but in that case, the drug is injected by the drug injection means toward the stopped lid for a predetermined time, and then the sterile water disposed in the drug spray sterilization zone is discharged. Cleaning is performed by injecting sterile water by an injection means. As a result, it is possible to maintain a state of being sterilized and washed to some extent, and it is not necessary to take out the lid remaining in the sterilizing and washing apparatus, particularly in the medicine injection sterilization zone 51, and it remains as it is until the restart. Even if the lid is not damaged. At the time of restart, spray the medicine for a predetermined time and then start up in the normal operation state, so that the lid located near the end of the medicine sterilization zone is also sterilized for a predetermined time and then sent to the next sterile water washing zone. So that sterilization is not insufficient.
Thus, the entire lid remaining in the apparatus can be used as it is, and the lid is not wasted.

Cleaning and Sealing Device The cleaning and sealing device 80 is disposed in a clean box 81 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and has a lid supply / gas replacement turret 8 as a basic configuration.
2. It has a lid fitting / crimping / temporary tightening turret 83, a transfer turret 84, a seamer body 85, and a discharge turret 86, which are driven to rotate synchronously. Then, a timing conveyor 87 for supplying a can body filled with contents from a filler between the lid supply / gas replacement turret 82 and the lid fitting / compression / temporary tightening turret 83, and a canister discharged from the discharge turret Has a discharge conveyer 88 for carrying out.

The lid supply / gas replacement turret 82 has a lid fitting pocket on the outer periphery of the turret body, and a lid stacker 91 fixed at an upper position of the rotation path of the pocket.
From FIG. 8, the lid is removed by a lid cutting device (not shown).
The lid e is conveyed from the filler by the timing conveyor 87 above the can body c which is cut out one by one and held in a pocket. On the peripheral surface of the pocket of the turret body, there is provided a steam or a mixture of steam and an inert gas (hereinafter simply referred to as a high-temperature replacement fluid) provided inside the turret.
A number of nozzle holes are formed to communicate with the pipeline of the nozzle and eject the high-temperature replacement fluid, and in a predetermined section in which the lid is located at the top of the can body, the high-temperature replacement fluid is ejected between the can body and the lid. Constitute. This constitutes a so-called undercover gassing device. Note that the turret body and the gas replacement turret that injects the high-temperature replacement fluid may be configured separately and configured to rotate integrally. FIG. 8 shows such an example, in which a gas replacement turret is integrally fixed to the lower surface of the turret body. Further, instead of the rotating gas replacement turret, a replacement fluid ejection nozzle is fixedly arranged in a predetermined section in which the lid is located at the upper part of the can body, and the high-temperature replacement fluid is constantly ejected in that section. It is also possible.

The lid fitting, crimping and temporary winding turret 83
A lifter 93 provided at the same pitch as the pocket of the can lid supply / gas replacement turret, a clincher chuck 94 for pressing the lid to the can body with the can body and the lid transferred to the can pad on the upper surface of the lifter interposed therebetween; have. The lifter 93 is fitted with a lid (not shown),
The can body on which the lid is placed moves up and down with the rotation of the temporary winding turret 83, and the lid supply / gas replacement turret 82 and the lid fitting / crimping / temporary tightening turret as shown in FIGS. 8
3 is moved to the upper surface of the lifter 93 on a line connecting the center lines of the can 3 and the lid is gradually raised with the rotation of the turret 83 which is fitted, pressed, and temporarily tightened. When the lid is pressed against the can body and clamped, and the sheet passes through a position where a later-described curling device 95 is arranged, the can body and the can lid are rotated integrally and temporarily tightened. It has become.

The curling device 95 is fixedly arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the lid fitting / compression / temporary tightening turret 83 along the transport path of the can. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 in detail, the curling device 95 is provided with a curling frame 97 provided on a screw rod 96 erected on a fixing portion so as to be adjustable in the height direction. A curling rail 98 is provided in the direction of the can so as to be adjustable with an adjusting bolt 99. Seaming groove 1 of curling rail 98
As shown in the cross-section of FIG. 10, 00 is formed into a crimped shape in which the cover is fitted and press-fitted after gas replacement, and is temporarily wound to such an extent that the degree of vacuum in the can can be maintained. Curling rail 9
8 according to the type of the can, so that the seaming groove can be pressed against the can lid curl portion of the can conveyed while rotating by the turret while the lid is fitted and press-fitted after the gas replacement, and can be temporarily tightened. It is positioned in the radial direction by the adjusting bolt 99, and is fixed by the curling clamp 101 at that position.

The transfer turret 84 is a turret for relaying a can with the lid temporarily wound and fastened between the lid fitting, crimping and temporary winding turret 83 and the seamer main body 85, and has a lid fitted to the outer peripheral portion.・ It has pockets at the same pitch as the crimping / temporary tightening turret 83. The seamer body 85 and the discharge turret 86 may be the same as those conventionally known, and the temporarily wound can body and the lid are firstly and secondarily wound by the seamer body.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of the supply line to the gas replacement turret when a mixture of steam and nitrogen gas is employed as the high temperature replacement fluid. A pre-filter 111, a pressure reducing valve 112, an automatic valve 113, a secondary pressure reducing valve 114, an automatic valve 115, and a final filter 116 are arranged on a steam supply pipe 110 connected to a steam supply source in order from the upstream side, and a mixing device 117 is provided. It is connected to. Meanwhile, a nitrogen gas supply pipe 120 connected to a nitrogen gas supply source
Similarly, from the upstream side, a pre-filter 121, a pressure reducing valve 122, an automatic valve 123, and a final filter 124
Are arranged and connected to the mixing device 117.
The steam and the nitrogen gas are sterilized by the pre-filter and the final filter, respectively, and supplied to the mixing device 117 by the pipe circuit as described above, and are mixed at an appropriate mixing ratio to form a gap between the can body opening and the lid. To replace the gas in the head space of the can body. In the figure, 125 and 126 are manual valves, and 127 and 128 are traps. Reference numeral 119 denotes a sterilization circuit for a nitrogen gas pipe.

The aseptic filled canned canning manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, and the empty cans sent from the depalletizer in a single row on the single-row conveyor 1 are collected on the conveyer 2 in a row. The sheets are conveyed in a row dense state, are sorted into five rows by the sorting conveyor 3 ', and the suction conveyor 5 sucks the open end at the leading end, and is conveyed with the bottom opened. At that time, the suction conveyor 5 is operated at a slightly higher speed than the sorting conveyor, and the cans that have been conveyed continuously in the row direction on the sorting conveyor are conveyed by the suction conveyor at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction. The hot water is sprayed from a hot water injection nozzle 7 provided below the transfer path to the outer surface of the can bottom during the transfer to the hot water sterilization chamber 6 in the clean room and being conveyed by the suction conveyor, thereby intensively cleaning and sterilizing the outer surface of the can bottom. And also sterilize the outer surface of the can body. External surface sterilization with warm water
It is desirable to inject hot water of 65 ° C. or more for about 3 seconds or more. By adsorbing the top of the can and transporting the outside of the bottom of the can in an exposed state and spraying it with hot water toward the bottom of the can, the outer surface of the can bottom to which dirt is likely to adhere due to electrostatic action or the like is effectively sterilized.

The cans whose outer surfaces have been sterilized with hot water are transferred from the suction conveyor 5 onto the relay conveyor 9 and then onto the reversing conveyor 12. In a state where the can is inverted in the reversing path of the reversing conveyor 12, hot water of 65 ° C. or more, desirably 75 to 90 ° C. is sprayed from the nozzle on the inner surface of the can toward the inner surface of the can body for 3 seconds or more, so that the inner surface of the can is Perform hot water washing and sterilization. The can whose inner and outer surfaces have been washed and sterilized with hot water is then transferred onto a net conveyor 17 disposed in a chemical sterilization chamber 16. The cans in a multi-row dense state on the reversing conveyor 12 are spread at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction due to a speed difference from the net conveyor when they are transferred, and are also expanded in the width direction by the can guide 14 to be transferred. Conveyed by

In the medicine sterilization chamber 16, medicine flows at a constant flow rate from the medicine filling nozzle 19 of the medicine filling tank 18 provided above the net conveyor along the upper side of the can transport path. By passing through
The drug is fully filled. The drug used in this example is a peracetic acid drug heated to 35 to 70 ° C,
It is not necessarily limited to this. The temperature range of 35 to 70 ° C. is a range where sterilization can be performed effectively in a short time without thermally affecting a can whose inner surface is laminated with, for example, a PET film. In the case of peracetic acid-based drugs, the inside of the can can be sufficiently sterilized by keeping the drug in a fully filled state and holding the inner surface of the can for about 10 seconds to several minutes.
Sterilization time can be reduced. The net conveyor is
It is sufficient that the length is long enough to obtain the required sterilization time. Therefore, if the sterilization time can be shortened, the length of the net conveyor can be shortened accordingly. In addition, in this embodiment, since the cans are transported in five rows and multi-row processing is performed,
The speed of the net conveyor can be reduced to 1/5 compared to the conventional single-row processing, and liquid spillage during transportation can be reduced.
Reliable sterilization becomes possible.

Further, in the present embodiment, a drug replenishing tank 20 is further provided on the downstream side of the drug filling tank 18 for more certainty. Therefore, even if a liquid spill occurs, the liquid spill is refilled by passing through the position, the entire inner surface of the can can be reliably brought into contact with the medicine for a predetermined time or more, and no sterilization leakage occurs. On the other hand, during the transport by the net conveyor 17, the body sterilization nozzle 23 provided between the transport paths of each row and the bottom sterilization nozzle 24 provided below the net conveyor pass through the entire can outer peripheral surface of the body and the can bottom. Is sprayed with the agent, and the outer surface of the can is sterilized.

Upon reaching the end of the net conveyor 17, the can filled with the medicine and having a sterilized outer peripheral surface is pushed upward onto a suction reversing conveyor 26 arranged orthogonally thereto. The adsorption reversing conveyor 26 is operated at a constant speed,
The extruded can is sucked at the bottom by suction means provided on the conveyor, guided by the can guide 27 while receiving resistance, and spreads densely in the entire width direction of the conveyor. In this state, the can bottom is sucked, The medicine is discharged by the reversing conveyor 26 being reversed on the return path. Since the can is turned over over the entire length of the return path, the drainage time can be set long, and there is an advantage that the amount of drug adhering to the can can be reduced accordingly. The medicine used in the can sterilization chamber is collected and dropped on the bottom wall of the can sterilization chamber except for a small amount of the medicine adhered to the cans transferred from the adsorption reversing conveyor 26 to the alignment conveyor, not shown. It is sent to a recovery tank and is recycled again according to the degree of contamination.

The drained empty can is again erected when the suction reversing conveyor 26 changes from the return path to the forward path, and is guided by the guide when the can guide 28 is reached. And is extruded onto the alignment conveyor 30. By the action of the alignment guide 32 provided on the downstream side of the aligning conveyor 30, Sorakan gradually moves from the center of the conveyor 31 ₁ to the conveyor 31 ₂ of the adjacent, are aligned in a row at the downstream end of the conveyor 31 ₂ It is transferred to the supply conveyor 34 to the rinser 35. The inner surface and the outer surface of the can are washed with sterile water by the rinser 35 to completely remove the chemicals attached to the inner and outer surfaces, and are conveyed to the contents filling step.

In the contents filling step, the contents sterilized by heating for a short time are stored in a pre-sterilized filling tank, and the contents are filled in the can body by a filling nozzle provided in the filling tank in the same manner as before. Will be filled. The filler 38 is filled with contents in a clean atmosphere of a class 100 in a clean box 37, and is conveyed to a sealed space for performing a clean sealing process via a timing conveyor 87 surrounded by a tunnel 47 so as to maintain the clean atmosphere. Is done.

The cleaning and sealing process is performed in a clean box 8 in which the degree of cleanliness is maintained higher than that in the clean room.
This is done within 1. The clean box 81 has a structure separated by a wall except for the container entrance and exit, and is maintained in a positive pressure state by introducing sterile air as shown in FIG. Further, in the clean box 81, a portion for performing the process of pressing the lid onto the can body and temporarily tightening the lid and a portion for performing final winding of the lid are separated by an isolation wall 89. In addition,
The present invention is not limited to the one that performs temporary winding, but in order to securely seal before the final winding step even if the opening is slightly deformed, the temporary winding step is performed. It is desirable to provide.

Assuming that the pressure P1 in the filler-side aseptic space 39, the pressure P2 in the gas replacement / lid placement / temporary tightening space 77, the pressure in the main tightening space 78 is P3, and the pressure in the outlet space 79, ie, the pressure in the clean room is P0. , P1>P2>P3> P0 so as to prevent the air in the main tightening space 78 from flowing into the preceding process. This prevents the air from flowing into the gas exchange / lid placement / temporary fastening space 77 from the main fastening space 78 and ensures the cleanliness until the sealing is performed.

The can body c filled with the filler is:
The filler side aseptic space 39 surrounding the conveyor and maintained at a high degree of cleanliness is carried into the clean box 81 by the timing conveyor 87 at the same pitch as the pocket pitch of each turret, and the lid supply / gas replacement turret 82
The turret 83 is brought into a position where the turret 83 is engaged with the cover. On the other hand, the lid e is sterilized by the lid sterilizing / supplying device 40 and the lid stacker 91 through the outlet side chute 71.
7 is cut out one by one from the lid stacker 91 by a cutting-out device, fitted into the pocket of the turret main body of the lid supply / gas replacement turret 82, and is conveyed. As shown, the can body c conveyed by the timing conveyor
Conveyed directly above. At this time or immediately before this time, a high-temperature replacement fluid is injected from the nozzle hole of the gas replacement turret 82 between the lid and the can body opening. At this point, the can body has been transferred onto the lifter 93 of the lid fitting, crimping, and temporary winding turret.

By injecting the high-temperature replacement fluid between the lid and the can body opening, the gas in the head space of the can body is expelled and replaced with the high-temperature replacement fluid. After that,
With the rotation of the crimping / temporary tightening turret 83, the lid is completely placed on the opening of the can body, and the lifter 93 is lifted and the upper surface of the lid hits the crimping surface of the clincher chuck 94 as shown in FIG. Then, the lid is pressed against the opening of the can body. The gas in the head space of the can body filled with the contents at room temperature is replaced with a high-temperature replacement fluid composed of a mixed gas of steam and nitrogen gas and the like, and the lid is covered and pressed, whereby the steam is cooled and the inside of the can is cooled. Is instantaneously decompressed. As a result, if there is no deformation or the like in the fitting portion between the can body and the can lid, the temporary winding is not performed, and the like.
Even if the lid is simply pressed against the can body, the lid and the can body adhere to each other to form a sealed state, preventing the inflow of external air into the can body, eliminating liquid spillage during transportation, and transporting the container to the seamer body. be able to. However, if the fitting portion between the can lid and the can body, such as the flange portion of the can, is deformed, the completely sealed state may not be maintained. In order to prevent this, in this embodiment, the flange portion is slightly deformed. Temporary winding means is used to temporarily tighten the lid to a degree that the degree of vacuum in the can can be maintained with the lid pressed.

As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG.
The cans which are held between the clincher chuck 3 and the clincher chuck 94 and are in a decompressed state by the cooling of the steam,
When rotating through the position where 8 is arranged, the curled portion f of the can lid is pressed against the seaming group 100 of the curling rail 98 and temporarily wound around the can body flange. Since this temporary winding tightening method is performed using a fixed curling rail 98 instead of a rotating seaming roll, the necessity of sterilizing lubricating oil and oil leakage accompanying lubrication of the rotating portion are eliminated, and a knockout mechanism is not required. Since the winding mechanism is greatly simplified, sterilization of the device and maintenance of sterility after sterilization are facilitated, and sterility can be ensured. Therefore, the process of gas replacement and lid placement in the can body can be separated from the main winding process with the seamer, and the interior of the can is sealed in the lid pressure bonding process or the lid temporary winding process. The degree is not affected by the main tightening space 78.

Therefore, the can lid supply / gas replacement turret 82, the lid fitting / crimping / temporary tightening turret 83, which has a simple structure and few moving parts, and is easier to maintain sterility and sterility than the seamer body. , Transfer turret 8
If the sterility of the portion 4 is ensured, even if it is difficult to sterilize and maintain the sterility of the seamer body 85, the aseptic filling in the aseptic filling can be ensured and maintained without being affected by the difficulty. Higher aseptic filling can be achieved. In addition, since the canned food has a more stable hermetic seal before reaching the seamer body, the final tightening space 78 in which the seamer is installed is provided.
Can be reduced from the state of the cleanliness class 100, for example, to the state of the class 10,000 or the general room, and the cost of environmental facilities can be reduced.

In order to effectively check the sealability due to percussion and deterioration before shipping, the degree of vacuum in the container should be 20 to 4
It is desirable to maintain 0 cmHg, and it is preferable that the lid is wound to such an extent that the degree of vacuum can be stably secured in the temporary cover winding step. The mixing ratio of steam and nitrogen gas is preferably in the range of 1: 0 to 1: 1. Thereby, it is possible to obtain a canned negative pressure can that is aseptically filled and canned.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design changes can be made within the scope of the technical idea. For example, in the embodiment, the net conveyor and the drainage conveyor are provided separately for sterilization, but the net conveyor for can sterilization is constituted by an adsorption conveyor such as a magnet conveyor,
If the cans filled with the drug are sucked and held by the net conveyor as it is, and the can is inverted in the return process to drain the liquid, the net conveyor can also serve as the drain conveyor. . Also, the alignment conveyor does not necessarily need to be composed of multiple parallel conveyors,
It suffices if it can be aligned in a line at the downstream end, and various means can be adopted.

In the above embodiment, a mixed gas of steam and nitrogen gas was used as the high-temperature displacement fluid. What is necessary is just to be in a state. Further, the gas replacement means and the lid supply means are not necessarily limited to the lid supply turret and the gas replacement turret arranged in a positional relationship to engage with the lid fitting / crimping turret as in the above-described embodiment. , It is also possible to arrange a linear lid supply unit and a gas replacement unit. In this case, it is preferable to provide a lid pressing unit along the straight path of the timing conveyor immediately downstream of the lid supply unit and the gas replacement unit.

In the method for sterilizing an empty can according to the above-described embodiment, the sterilization is performed by a combination of the warm water sterilization and the drug sterilization process. FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are schematic views of the embodiment in that case. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to parts common to the above embodiment,
Only the differences will be described.

This embodiment is different in that a hot water sterilization step is not provided and a can bottom cleaning step is provided before the chemical sterilization step. Can bottom cleaning device 1 for can bottom cleaning
Reference numeral 40 denotes a can bottom cleaning chamber 14 which is disposed between the sorting conveyor 3 ′ and the net conveyor 17 disposed in the chemical sterilization chamber 141 in the clean room 10 and formed to reach the can carry-in port 11 of the clean room 10.
2, which penetrates the inside of the sorting conveyor 3 ′ to reach the end of the can 3
And an endless suction conveyor 5 for transporting the washing water to the bottom of the can, which is sucked and conveyed by the suction conveyor. I have. The suction conveyor 5 is operated at a slightly higher speed than the sorting conveyor 3 ′, and the cans that have been conveyed continuously in the row direction on the sorting conveyor are:
The paper is conveyed at a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction by the suction conveyor, and is transferred onto the net conveyor 17 arranged in the clean room.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the cans c carried into the chemical sterilization chamber are suction-held in a multi-row state, and the washing water is jetted toward the outer surface of the bottom, so that the bottom of the can can be reliably formed. Since it can be washed and is transported into the medicine sterilization chamber in that state, the contamination of the medicine used in circulation can be reduced, the circulation use time of the medicine can be lengthened, and it is economical. The following steps in the medicine sterilization chamber are the same as in the above embodiment.

[0068]

As described above, according to the first to fourteenth aspects of the present invention, since the empty can is kept in the state of being filled with the medicine for a certain period of time, the sterilizing agent is uniformly brought into contact with the entire inner surface of the can. It can be sterilized without any sterilization unevenness,
Moreover, since the cans are processed in multiple rows, the conveyor speed can be set to a low speed. As a result, there is no liquid spillage, and a sufficient sterilization time can be obtained, so that reliable sterilization can be performed, and the length of the conveyor can be shortened and the durability can be improved. In addition, since there is no need to heat in a can oven as in the past, reliable sterilization can be performed at low temperatures, energy costs can be reduced, and the present invention can be applied to cans laminated with a synthetic resin film. Canned aseptic filling can be obtained. And according to the present invention, for sterilization of empty cans,
Since no oven or cooling device is required, the entire device can be simplified accordingly.

According to the invention of claim 2 of the present application, since the sterilization is a combination of sterilization with hot water and sterilization with a full-filled drug, the cost of the drug can be reduced and the empty can can be sterilized effectively at low cost. According to the third and tenth aspects of the present invention, since the cans are processed in multiple rows, the conveyor speed can be set to a low speed, so that there is no liquid spillage, and sufficient sterilization time can be obtained, so that reliable sterilization is possible. The conveyor can be made durable and the entire line can be shortened.
Space can be saved.

According to the fourth and eleventh aspects of the present invention, the provision of the lid sterilizing / supplying device enables reliable sterilization even with a lid with a tab, and also enables low-temperature short-time sterilization with a chemical. The lid can be sterilized and cleaned at higher speed without causing damage to the lid and without generating blisters on the compound or the coating surface.

According to the fifth and twelfth aspects of the present invention, the gas replacement / lid placing step and the winding step can be separated, and the sterilization until the can is sealed regardless of maintaining the sterility of the seamer body. Thus, it is possible to achieve a high degree of aseptic filling by overcoming the difficulty of sterilizing the seamer body and maintaining the sterility of the tightening atmosphere in the aseptic filling system. In addition, by replacing with a high-temperature replacement fluid and covering with a lid, the high-temperature replacement fluid is cooled and the inside of the can is instantaneously depressurized, and the lid and the can body come into close contact with each other. it can. As a result, negative pressure cans can be obtained even at room temperature, and aseptic filled cans with excellent tapping aptitude can be manufactured, and sealability and deterioration inspection of contents can be more easily and reliably performed. Quality control of canned foods.

Further, claims 6 and 7 and claims 13 and 1
According to each invention of the fourth aspect, since the high-temperature replacement fluid is blown into the head space of the can body filled with the contents at room temperature and the lid is crimped, and the temporary tightening is performed with the fixed curling rail, the flange portion and the can lid etc. Even in the case where the fitting portion of the can body is slightly deformed, the inside of the can can be completely sealed before the main winding step, so that a higher degree of aseptic filling can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an aseptic filled canned production apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a sterilization operation state of an inner peripheral surface of a can on a net conveyor.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a sterilization operation state of an outer surface of a can on a net conveyor.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of an apparatus for sterilizing and cleaning a lid according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a schematic front view showing a main part of a lid with a tub in a chemical spray sterilization zone or a sterile water cleaning zone in a chemical spray sterilization zone or a sterile water cleaning zone of a lid sterilization supply device.
(B) is a schematic side view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a cleaning and sealing device in the aseptic filled canned canning manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic front view thereof.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the curling device.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a pipeline configuration diagram according to an embodiment when the high-temperature replacement fluid is a mixed gas of steam nitrogen gas.

FIG. 12 is a schematic front view of an aseptic filled canned product manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Single-row conveyor 2 Assembly conveyor 3 Sorting device 4 External surface hot water sterilizer 5 Adsorption conveyor 6 Hot water sterilization chamber 7 Washing water injection nozzle 10 Clean room 12 Reversing conveyor 16 Drug sterilization chamber 17 Net conveyor 18 Drug filling tank 19 Drug filling nozzle 20 Drug refill Tank 23 Body sterilization nozzle 24 Bottom sterilization nozzle 25 Drainage device 26 Adsorption reversal conveyor 30 Alignment conveyor 34 Supply conveyor 35 Rinser 37 Clean box 38 Filler 40 Lid sterilization supply device 44 Lid spacing conveyance means 51 Chemical spray sterilization zone 52 Sterile water washing Zone 53 Sterile air draining zone 77 Gas replacement / lid mounting / temporary tightening space 78 Final tightening space 80 Clean sealing device 81 Clean box 82 Can lid supply / gas replacement turret 83 Lid fitting /
Crimping / temporary tightening turret 85 Seamer body 87 Timing conveyor 93 Lifter 95 Curling device 98 Curling head 110 Steam supply pipe 117 Mixing device 120 Nitrogen gas supply pipe 140 Can bottom cleaning device 141 Chemical sterilization chamber 142 Can bottom cleaning chamber

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4C058 AA21 AA25 BB03 BB07 CC06 CC07 EE14 EE26 JJ06 JJ07 JJ24 JJ29

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A method for producing an aseptic filled can in which a can is produced by a can aseptic filling method, comprising: a can body sterilization supply step, a lid sterilization supply step, a contents clean filling step, and a clean sealing step. The sterilization supply process is
A can inner surface sterilization process in which an empty can is filled with a drug and the inner surface of the can is brought into contact with the drug for a predetermined time, a can outer surface sterilization process in which a drug is sprayed on the outer surface of the can to contact the outer surface of the can, and a drug is discharged. And a rinsing step. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sterilizing step for the inner surface of the can and the sterilizing step for the outer surface of the can each comprise a combination of a warm water sterilizing step of bringing hot water into contact and a chemical sterilizing step of bringing medicine into contact. A method for producing the aseptic filled can according to the above. 3. In the can body sterilization supply step, inner can sterilization and can outer sterilization are performed in a multi-row process while the empty cans are transported in a multi-row state. The method for producing an aseptic filled can according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a single row process is performed in the clean filling step and the clean sealing step. 4. In the lid sterilizing and supplying step, the lid is transported at intervals in a lid sterilizing and supplying apparatus, and a medicine, aseptic water, and aseptic air are sequentially jetted from the gap between the lids to the inner and outer surfaces of the lid during transport. The method for producing an aseptic filled can according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein sterilization, washing, and draining of the lid are sequentially performed. 5. The cleaning and sealing step includes, before the can body filled with the contents reaches the seamer body, replacing a headspace gas of the can body with a high-temperature replacement fluid and placing a gas on the lid of the can body. The gas replacement / lid placing step and the seam tightening step with the seamer body are separated, comprising a replacement / lid placing step and a lid crimping step of crimping the lid on the can body. For producing aseptic filled cans. 6. The method for producing an aseptic filling can according to claim 5, wherein the lid pressing step is a lid pressing / temporary tightening step of pressing and temporarily winding the lid. 7. The method for producing aseptic filled cans as described above, wherein the method for producing aseptic filled cans is a method for producing aseptic filled negative pressure cans.
The method for producing an aseptic filled can according to any one of the above. 8. A manufacturing apparatus for aseptic filled cans, comprising a can body sterilization supply device, a lid sterilization supply device, a contents clean filling device and a clean sealing device, wherein the can body sterilization supply device transports empty cans. Filling machine having a filling nozzle which is disposed above the conveyor upstream of the conveyor and fills and fills the empty cans to be conveyed with the medicine, and sprays the medicine on the outer surface of the body of the empty can being conveyed. An aseptic filled canned manufacturing device, comprising: a can outer surface sterilizing means; and a rinser for cleaning the inner and outer surfaces of the can with sterile water. 9. A bottom sterilization nozzle for spraying a medicine to the bottom of the can from below the conveyor, and a body sterilization nozzle for spraying a medicine to the body outer surface of an empty can being conveyed by the conveyor. The apparatus for producing a canned aseptic filling according to claim 8, comprising: 10. A conveyer for conveying empty cans conveyed in a single row in an erect and dense state upstream of the can body sterilization supply device, and empty cans conveyed in an erect and dense state A sorting device that sorts and transports the cans in a multi-row state is arranged, and the sorting device sorts the empty cans into a multi-row so that the interval between each row is a predetermined interval, and at the downstream end, the cans are transferred to an endless suction conveyor. The apparatus for producing an aseptic filled can according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the apparatus is adapted to be adsorbed. 11. A lid sterilizing and feeding device, comprising: a separator for cutting lids one by one; a lid interval transporting means for transporting the lid cut by the separator at intervals; and an upstream side along the lid interval transporting means. A medicine spray sterilizing zone, a sterile water washing zone, and a sterile air draining zone are arranged in this order, and in each zone, a medicine spraying means for spraying a medicine from the gap between the lids being conveyed to the inner and outer surfaces of the lid, and a sterile spraying sterile water. The aseptic-filled canned canned manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, comprising water injection means and sterile air injection means for injecting sterile air. 12. The cleaning and sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the high-temperature replacement fluid is supplied to an opening of the can body filled with the contents to perform gas replacement of a head space of the can body, and a lid is provided to the can body. Lid supplying means, a lid placing / crimping means for placing a lid on a gas-replaced can body and crimping it, and a seamer body for winding the can body and the lid, and the lid placing / crimping means and the seamer body are separated. The aseptic filled canned canning manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, 10 or 11, wherein: 13. The lid mounting and crimping means according to claim 12, comprising lid mounting means for mounting the lid on the can body, and lid crimping and temporary winding means for crimping the lid onto the can body and temporarily tightening the lid. The aseptic filled canned manufacturing apparatus according to the above. 14. The lid crimping / temporarily tightening means includes a can pad for placing a can body for each pocket and a clincher chuck for crimping the lid to the can body, and the lid fitting / rotating means is integrally rotated. 14. The aseptic filled canned canning production apparatus according to claim 13, comprising a crimping / temporary tightening turret, and a curling rail arranged at a fixed position along a can transport path conveyed by the lid fitting / crimping / temporary tightening turret.