JP7686949B2 - Cap sterilization method and cap sterilization device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and device for sterilizing caps that seal bottles filled with contents in an aseptic filling machine.

A method and device for filling aseptic containers has been proposed (Patent Document 1) in which a preform is sterilized, the sterilized preform is heated, the heated preform is molded into a bottle, the molded bottle is filled with contents sterilized in a sterile atmosphere, and the bottle filled with the contents is sealed with a sterilized cap. Also proposed is a method and device for filling aseptic containers (Patent Document 2) in which a preform is molded into a bottle, the molded bottle is sterilized, the sterilized bottle is filled with contents sterilized in a sterile atmosphere, and the bottle filled with the contents is sealed with a sterilized cap. Various methods and cap sterilization devices for sterilizing caps supplied to such aseptic filling machines have also been proposed.

Conventional cap sterilization devices generally spray sterilizing liquid onto the caps being transported inside a chamber. For example, there is a device that sprays a mist of sterilant with the opening of the cap facing sideways (Patent Document 3), and a device that sprays sterilizing liquid with the opening of the cap facing downwards (Patent Document 4). There has also been proposed a device that sprays the chemical liquid toward the outer periphery and top surface of the cap with the opening facing upwards, and also sprays the chemical liquid toward the inner surface, collecting the chemical liquid in the mouth and sterilizing the inside and outside surfaces of the cap (Patent Document 5).

In addition, a device that does not use chemicals and sprays hot water with the cap opening facing downward or sideways (Patent Document 6) and a device that sprays steam with the cap opening facing sideways to sterilize have been proposed (Patent Document 7).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-44902 JP 2006-111295 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-293319 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-152115 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-139416 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-167386 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-193009

In a sterile filling machine, sterilized bottles are filled with sterilized contents in a sterile atmosphere, and the bottles filled with the contents are sealed with sterilized caps. Here, cap sterilization has been performed by spraying a sterilizing agent or steam onto the caps or by immersing the caps in a sterilizing agent. Spraying the sterilizing agent or steam is performed individually on relatively small caps, which results in a large loss of sterilizing agent and steam and is inefficient. In such cases, sterilizing agent or steam is sprayed onto aligned caps, but not all of the sprayed sterilizing agent or steam contributes to sterilization, and the sterilizing agent or steam that does not contribute to sterilization of the caps is exhausted and wasted. Sterilization by steam involves a large heat load and may cause deformation of the caps. In addition, when immersing the caps in a sterilizing agent, hot air is sprayed onto them after immersion to remove the sterilizing agent attached to the complex threads formed inside the caps, but this process consumes excessive energy. All of the conventional methods involve processes such as sterilization, washing, and drying, which take a long time to process the caps and require excessively large processing equipment.

The cap sterilization devices described in Patent Documents 3, 4, and 5 all use a disinfectant, and require processes such as hot air blowing, cleaning, and drying to remove the disinfectant and increase the sterilization effect, resulting in excessive processing time and equipment.

The cap sterilization device described in Patent Document 4 sterilizes caps by sequentially spraying a sterilizing agent mist and hot air onto the caps that are lined up and transported in a row. Because the caps are lined up and transported in a row, the device is long and large, and the number of caps that are sterilized is small, resulting in poor productivity.

The cap sterilizer described in Patent Document 3 sprays sterilizing liquid on caps transported by two rows of wheels arranged horizontally, washes them with sterile water, and dries them by blowing hot air on them. Because the caps are transported horizontally, the area of the cap sterilizer becomes large, and since sterilization with sterilizing liquid requires washing and drying processes, the equipment becomes excessively large.

The cap sterilization device described in Patent Document 5 performs the processes of washing with sterile water, chemical sterilization, and finish washing on caps transported by a spiral transport device, and transport between the spiral transport devices is performed by wheels. Although the processing volume is large, the device is complex and excessively large.

The cap sterilization device described in Patent Document 6 transports caps using a vertical row of wheels, and although the installation area of the device is small, it sterilizes the caps by spraying hot water onto the entire surface, which takes time and requires a large amount of hot water.

The cap sterilization device described in Patent Document 7 sterilizes with steam without using a sterilizing agent. Sterilization with steam can be performed in a relatively short time, but there is a risk that the cap may be deformed by the heat of the steam. If the cap is deformed during aseptic filling, a minute gap will be created where the cap fits into the mouth of the container, and bacteria may enter through the gap and contaminate the contents. Therefore, deformation of the cap must be avoided. In addition, the caps are transported aligned in a row, which makes the device long and large.

Therefore, there is a demand for a cap sterilization method and a compact cap sterilization device that can sterilize caps in a short time with simple steps.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a cap sterilization method and cap sterilization device in response to the demand for sterilizing caps in a short time using a simple device, in which hydrogen peroxide gas is passed from below onto caps that are transported from above to below using wheels arranged in at least two vertical rows to sterilize them.

The method for sterilizing caps according to the present invention is characterized in that a recess in which a cap is stored is provided on the periphery of a wheel, the center of an upper first wheel is located above an upper end of a lower second wheel in the vertical direction within a chamber shielding the wheels, and the distance between the center of the upper first wheel and the upper end of the lower second wheel is greater than 0 and up to 1/4 of the diameter of the upper first wheel, a third wheel is provided vertically below the first wheel and a fourth wheel is provided vertically below the second wheel, the upper wheels and the lower wheels are provided in two rows in the vertical direction with a close distance between them, the caps are stored in the recess of the first wheel provided at the top, the caps are transported from the top to the bottom of the chamber from the first wheel to the second wheel, and further from the second wheel to the third wheel and then to the fourth wheel, with the closed surface of the cap parallel to the surface of the wheels, and hydrogen peroxide gas is flowed from below the chamber to sterilize the caps.

In addition, in the cap sterilization method according to the present invention, it is preferable to sterilize the cap by flowing the hydrogen peroxide gas and heated gas from below the chamber.

In addition, in the cap sterilization method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the heated gas is either heated air or heated steam, or both.

The cap sterilization device of the present invention is characterized in that the center of an upper vertical wheel having a recess on its peripheral portion for storing a cap is located above the upper end of the lower wheel, the distance between the center of the upper first wheel and the upper end of the lower second wheel is greater than 0 and up to 1/4 of the diameter of the upper first wheel, a third wheel is provided vertically below the first wheel and a fourth wheel is provided vertically below the second wheel, and the distance between the upper wheel and the lower wheel is close enough to enable the cap to be transferred from the first wheel to the second wheel and then from the second wheel to the fourth wheel via the third wheel , and the device comprises two vertical rows of wheels, a chamber that shields the wheels, a cap supplying device that supplies the cap to the first wheel at the top of the chamber, a cap discharging device that discharges the cap from the wheel at the bottom of the chamber outside the chamber, and a hydrogen peroxide gas supplying device that supplies hydrogen peroxide gas from below the chamber.

In addition, it is preferable that the cap sterilization device according to the present invention is provided with a heated gas supply device that supplies heated gas from the lower part of the chamber.

In addition, in the cap sterilization device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the heated gas supply device is configured to supply either heated air or heated steam, or both.

According to the cap sterilization method and cap sterilization device of the present invention, a recess in which the cap is stored is provided on the periphery of the wheel, and two rows of the upper and lower wheels are provided vertically in a chamber that shields the wheels, with the center of the upper wheel being higher than the upper end of the lower wheel, and the upper and lower wheels are closely spaced apart, the caps are stored in the recess of the wheel provided at the top, and the caps are transported from the top to the bottom of the chamber by passing between the wheels with the closed surface of the cap parallel to the wheel surface, and hydrogen peroxide gas is flowed from the bottom of the chamber to sterilize the caps.

By supplying hydrogen peroxide gas from below to the caps being transported from above to below, the hydrogen peroxide gas comes into contact with all of the caps being transported through the chamber, which lengthens the time the caps are in contact with the hydrogen peroxide gas and provides a high sterilization effect. In addition, because the hydrogen peroxide gas can be kept in contact with the caps for a long period of time, the amount of oxygen used can be reduced.

The cap sterilizer requires a small installation area because the wheels are arranged vertically. In addition, the caps are sterilized by supplying hydrogen peroxide gas from the bottom of the chamber, making the device simple to use.

The sterilization effect can be enhanced by the simple operation of supplying heated gas from the bottom of the chamber along with hydrogen peroxide gas.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a cap according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a cap supplying device that supplies caps to a cap sterilizing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view showing an outline of a cap supplying device that supplies caps to a cap sterilizing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view showing a state in which the cap is transported upward from the receiving tank according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 shows a cap sterilization device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 shows a state in which a cap is held in a cap sterilization device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

The cap 1 shown in FIG. 1 is supplied to the cap sterilizer 8 shown in FIG. 5 by the cap supply device 6 shown in FIG. 2 and sterilized. The sterilized cap 1 is discharged from the cap sterilizer 8 by the cap discharge rail 9 into the sterile atmosphere of the aseptic filling machine. The discharged cap 1 is used by a capper provided in the sealing section of the aseptic filling machine to seal the container filled with the sterilized contents.

The cap 1 in this embodiment is used to seal a bottle sterilized in a sterile filling machine with contents sterilized in a sterile atmosphere, using a sealer, and has a shape, for example, as shown in Figure 1. The cap 1 is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and is formed by injection molding or compression molding. At the same time as molding, a female thread is formed on the inside of the cap 1, and although it is flat in Figure 1, an uneven portion is formed to fit with the top surface of the bottle mouth.

After being molded, the cap 1 is placed in a container at a molding factory, sealed, and transported to, for example, a beverage factory. The cap 1 transported to the beverage factory is supplied to an aseptic filling machine installed in the beverage factory. The supplied cap 1 is sterilized, and the sterilized cap 1 is transported to the sealing section of the aseptic filling machine and handed over to a sealing wheel equipped with a capper, which then tightens the cap around the mouth of a bottle filled with the contents. The mouth of the bottle is formed with a male thread that fits with a female thread formed on the inside of the cap 1. The present invention relates to a method for sterilizing the cap 1 during the process of supplying the cap 1 to the sealing section that constitutes the aseptic filling machine, and a cap sterilization device.

Caps 1 molded in the molding factory are placed into polyethylene bags, and the polyethylene bags are placed into metal, cardboard, or plastic containers and sealed. Care is taken to ensure that caps 1 are not contaminated by garbage, dust, etc. when transported from the molding factory to the beverage factory. The container transported to the beverage factory is opened and tilted above receiving tank 2, and caps 1 inside the container are placed into receiving tank 2. Receiving tank 2 is opened upwards, and caps 1 are placed from the container.

After the caps 1 are added, the receiving tank 2 is sealed. The caps 1 added to the receiving tank 2 are stored in a disorderly manner. The receiving tank 2 has a hopper shape formed so that the effective storage area decreases toward the bottom. The top of the receiving tank 2 is square in Figure 2, but it may also be circular. The receiving tank 2 is made of a durable, corrosion-resistant material such as stainless steel.

Caps 1 are transported by conveyor 3 from the bottom of receiving tank 2. In order to maintain the cleanliness of the inside of receiving tank 2 while caps 1 are being transported, sterile air that has been sterilized by passing the air through a sterilizing filter may be supplied into receiving tank 2.

As the caps 1 are transported by the conveyor 3, the amount of caps 1 in the receiving tank 2 decreases, and when it reaches a certain level, the receiving tank 2 is opened and the caps 1 are dumped from the container into the receiving tank 2. A cap level sensor is installed in the receiving tank 2, and when the caps 1 no longer come into contact with the sensor, it detects the decrease in the amount of caps 1 and issues an alarm.

As shown in Figure 3, the caps 1 stored at the bottom of the receiving tank 2 are transported by the conveyor 3. The conveyor 3 has bars 4 arranged at regular intervals perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 3, and the caps 1 hanging on these bars 4 are transported by the conveyor 3. Also, as shown in Figure 4, a curtain board 10 of a length that does not rub against the bars 4 is provided on the wall surface of the receiving tank 2 in the conveying direction, and removes caps 1 that exist above the bars 4. Due to the removal effect of the curtain board 10, the caps 1 are transported by the conveyor 3 so that multiple caps 1 do not overlap. It is appropriate that the curtain board 10 is flexible enough not to damage the caps 1 and is made of a material that does not deteriorate. For example, silicone rubber, fluororubber, perfluoroelastomer, fluorosilicone rubber, etc. are suitable.

The width of the bottom opening of the receiving tank 2 is set narrower than the width of the conveyor 3 and the crosspiece 4. This is to prevent the caps 1 from falling off the conveyor 3 and the crosspiece 4. The height of the crosspiece 4 is preferably 0.8 to 1.5 times the height of the caps 1. This is the height at which the caps 1 can be blocked by the crosspiece 4 and placed on the conveyor 3. If it is less than 0.8 times, there is a risk that the caps 1 will be removed by the curtain board 10, and if it exceeds 1.5 times, there is a risk that two caps 1 will overlap and get caught on the crosspiece 4. The conveyor 3 must be flexible, and is preferably made of the same material as the curtain board 10. Also, the crosspiece 4 is preferably made of plastic so as not to damage the caps 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the conveyor 3 transports the caps 1 upward. The correct position is when the closed surface 1b of the cap 1 is in contact with the conveyor 3. The position when the open surface 1a of the cap 1 is in contact with the conveyor 3 is called a back cap and is an incorrect position. As shown in FIG. 4, the conveyor 3 is arranged in a slightly tilted state from the upright position so that the conveyor 3 surface faces upward. The lower end of the conveyor 3 is arranged at the bottom of the receiving tank 2. The interval between the bars 4 is slightly wider than the diameter of the caps 1, and when the conveyor 3 is driven, the caps 1 stored in the receiving tank 2 are scooped up by the bars 4. At this time, there are caps 1 in the correct position and caps 1 in the incorrect position. However, the center of gravity of the caps 1 in the incorrect position is outside the bars 4, and they fall from the bars 4 to the lower end of the conveyor 3. The fallen caps 1 are scooped up by the bars 4 until they are in the correct position.

The caps 1 are lined up at irregular intervals along the bars 4 in the correct position. The caps 1 raised by the conveyor 3 are moved horizontally by sterile air sprayed from the nozzle 7, aligned by the alignment device 5, and introduced into the cap sterilization device 8. The nozzle 7 is a device for sending the caps 1 transported by the bars 4 to the alignment device 5 with high-pressure sterile air, and is arranged parallel to the bars 4 so that high-pressure sterile air is sprayed between a pair of bars 4 corresponding to the alignment device 5. The high-pressure sterile air can be air produced by a blower that has been passed through a sterilization filter, or high-pressure air produced by a compressor that has been passed through a sterilization filter.

The cap supply rail 11 that supplies the caps 1 to the cap sterilizer 8 is inclined downward, and the caps 1 are transported while rotating on their sides due to their own weight. When the caps 1 are introduced into the cap sterilizer 8, the caps 1 are held by the cap supply rail 11 in a position such that the opening surface 1a of the caps 1 faces to the side. The caps 1 are held by multiple rails. The caps 1 are held by two rails on the opening surface 1a of the caps 1, two rails on the closed surface 1b, and two rails on the top and bottom of the sides. There may be only one rail for each side. The cross section of the rails is circular, but it may be polygonal or elliptical.

Caps 1 are supplied to the cap sterilizer 8 by a cap supply device 6 that includes a receiving tank 2, a conveyor 3 with battens 4, an alignment device 5, and a cap supply rail 11.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cap 1 supplied to the cap sterilizer 8 is stored in a recess provided on the periphery of the wheel A12 by its own weight from the cap supply rail 11. The cap 1 stored in the recess of the wheel A12 is transported by the rotation of the wheel A12. The cap 1 is supplied to the cap sterilizer 8 by the cap supply rail 11 with the closed surface 1b oriented horizontally and parallel to the surface of the wheel A12, and the supplied cap 1 is transported in the cap sterilizer 8 with the closed surface 1b oriented horizontally and parallel to the surface of the wheel A12.

Cap 1 is held by wheel A12 as shown in Figure 6. One side of cap 1 is stored in a recess in wheel A12, and cap 1 is transported as wheel A12 rotates by cap support rails 17 that support the opposite side, and two cap support rails 17 for opening surface 1a and closing surface 1b on the side of cap 1.

Cap 1 is handed over from wheel A12 to wheel B13. It is then handed over from wheel B13 to wheel C14 and then to wheel D15 while being transported. Wheel A12, wheel B13, wheel C14 and wheel D15 are shielded by chamber 16. Although four wheels are shown in Figure 5, two or more wheels may be used. With one wheel, the residence time in chamber 16 cannot be sufficiently ensured, resulting in insufficient sterilization.

The recesses provided in each wheel may be of any size and shape as long as they can accommodate the cap 1. The depth of the recess is preferably between 1/2 and 1/2 the diameter of the cap 1. If it is less than 1/2 the diameter of the cap, it may not be possible to support the cap 1 during transportation, and if it is 1/1 the diameter of the cap 1 or more, it may not be possible to transfer the cap 1 between wheels. The shape of the bottom of the recess is preferably semicircular to match the diameter of the cap 1.

Wheels A12, B13, C14 and D15 are arranged vertically, and the caps 1 are transported in sequence from wheel A12, which is arranged at the top of the chamber 16, to wheel D15, which is arranged below. The center of wheel A12 arranged at the top is arranged to be located above the upper end of wheel B13 arranged below. If the center of wheel A12 is arranged below the upper end of wheel B13, the chamber 16 becomes larger in the horizontal direction, and the cap sterilization device 8 cannot be made compact. In addition, wheels A12 and B13 are arranged close enough to allow the transfer of caps 1. The distance between the center of wheel A12 and the upper end of wheel B13 is preferably more than 0 and up to 1/4 of the wheel diameter. If the distance is made larger, the residence time of caps 1 in chamber 16 cannot be extended.

Wheel A12 and wheel B13 are provided at different positions in the vertical direction. Therefore, at least two rows of wheels are provided vertically within chamber 16. Three or more rows of wheels may be provided vertically. In FIG. 5, wheel C14 is provided vertically below wheel A12, and wheel D15 is provided vertically below wheel B13, but a wheel may be provided further below. The wheels have the same diameter, but the diameters of the wheels may be different.

The caps 1 being transported through the chamber 16 are sterilized by flowing hydrogen peroxide gas from below the chamber 16. A hydrogen peroxide gas supply device 18 is provided in the cap sterilizer 8 to flow hydrogen peroxide gas into the chamber 16. The hydrogen peroxide gas supplied by the hydrogen peroxide gas supply device 18 is supplied to the bottom of the chamber 16 as shown in FIG. 5.

The hydrogen peroxide gas supply device 18 is a device that gasifies hydrogen peroxide and supplies hydrogen peroxide gas to the chamber 16. The hydrogen peroxide gas supply device 18 is provided with a hydrogen peroxide gas generator that generates hydrogen peroxide gas. The hydrogen peroxide gas generator includes a hydrogen peroxide supply unit, which is a two-fluid spray nozzle that supplies hydrogen peroxide in droplet form, and a vaporization unit that heats the hydrogen peroxide supplied from the hydrogen peroxide supply unit to a temperature below the decomposition temperature to vaporize it. The hydrogen peroxide supply unit introduces hydrogen peroxide and compressed air from a hydrogen peroxide supply path and a compressed air supply path, respectively, to spray hydrogen peroxide into the vaporization unit. The vaporization unit is a pipe with a heater sandwiched between the inner and outer walls, and heats and vaporizes the hydrogen peroxide injected into the pipe. The vaporized hydrogen peroxide gas is sprayed out of the vaporization unit from the hydrogen peroxide gas spray nozzle. The sprayed hydrogen peroxide gas is supplied to the lower part of the chamber 16.

Operating conditions for the hydrogen peroxide supply unit include, for example, compressed air pressure adjusted to a range of 0.05 MPa to 0.6 MPa. At this time, a supply rate of compressed air of 50 L/min to 300 L/min is appropriate. The hydrogen peroxide may be dropped by gravity or pressure may be applied, and the supply rate of the hydrogen peroxide can be freely set; for example, the hydrogen peroxide is supplied to the hydrogen peroxide supply path at a rate of 1 g/min to 100 g/min. The inner surface of the vaporizer is heated to 120°C to 450°C to vaporize the sprayed sterilant.

Although the hydrogen peroxide gas generator is exemplified as spraying hydrogen peroxide onto a heated vaporizer to gasify it, any type of hydrogen peroxide gas generator can be used as long as it is a device that generates hydrogen peroxide gas. The hydrogen peroxide gas supply device 18 includes a hydrogen peroxide gas generator and a supply pipe for supplying the generated hydrogen peroxide gas to the chamber 16. In addition, a pressure device, a valve, a hydrogen peroxide concentration meter, etc. for supplying hydrogen peroxide gas may be provided.

The hydrogen peroxide content in the hydrogen peroxide solution is preferably in the range of 0.5% to 65% by mass. If it is less than 0.5% by mass, the sterilizing power may be insufficient, and if it exceeds 65% by mass, handling becomes difficult from a safety standpoint. More preferably, it is 0.5% to 40% by mass. If it is 40% by mass or less, handling is easier, and the amount of residual sterilizing agent after sterilization can be reduced because the hydrogen peroxide concentration is low. In addition, it may contain one or more of alcohols such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, normal propyl alcohol, and butyl alcohol, ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and acetylacetone, and glycol ethers. In addition, it may contain additives such as organic acids such as peracetic acid and acetic acid, inorganic acids such as nitric acid, basic compounds such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, compounds having a sterilizing effect such as sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, and ozone, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, and phosphoric acid compounds.

Supplying heated gas to the chamber 16 improves the sterilization effect of the hydrogen peroxide gas on the cap 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the cap sterilization device 8 is provided with a heated gas supply device 19 that supplies heated gas from below the chamber 16.

The heated gas supplied by the heated gas supply device 19 is either heated air or heated water vapor, or a combination thereof. The gas to be heated may be nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, etc., other than air and water vapor. The heated gas is supplied from below the chamber 16.

Heated air is obtained by heating compressed air by a compressor or air sent out by a blower with a heating device such as a heater or burner. The temperature of the obtained heated air is appropriately 40°C to 170°C. If the temperature is below 40°C, no improvement in the sterilization effect can be expected, and if the temperature exceeds 170°C, there is a risk of deformation of the cap 1. It is preferable that the air before being heated is sterilized air that has been passed through a sterilization filter. This is because although it is assumed that bacteria in the air are sterilized by hydrogen peroxide gas, there is a risk that unsterilized bacteria may remain. A device for supplying air, a sterilization filter, and a heating device for heating the air are provided as a heated gas supply device 19.

Heated steam is generated by a heated steam generator that heats water with electricity or fuel. The water used may be purified through a reverse osmosis membrane. The boiler body that turns water into steam is used with boiler compounds and condensate treatment agents, but food additive grade is used. The boiler body and conveying piping are preferably made of stainless steel. The heated steam may be passed through a filter, activated carbon, or ultrafiltration membrane to remove foreign matter, ions, medicines, etc. from the heated steam. Furthermore, the heated steam supply device is preferably a reboiler that uses the heated steam as a heat source and exchanges heat with water that has passed through a reverse osmosis membrane to generate heated steam. The temperature of the heated steam is preferably 105°C to 170°C. Below 105°C, the steam may liquefy, and above 170°C, the cap 1 may deform. A device for supplying water and a heated steam generator that turns water into heated steam are provided as the heated gas supply device 19.

The heated gas is supplied to the chamber 16 separately from the hydrogen peroxide gas, but a conduit from the heated gas supply device 19 may be connected to the conduit that supplies the hydrogen peroxide gas to the chamber 16, and the hydrogen peroxide gas and the heated gas may be mixed in the conduit and supplied below the chamber 16. The heated gas can increase the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide gas, improving the sterilization effect.

The hydrogen peroxide gas supplied into the chamber 16 flows from bottom to top, comes into contact with the cap 1 being transported from top to bottom of the chamber 16, and sterilizes bacteria and other substances present on the surface of the cap 1. The sterilization effect is improved by having the hydrogen peroxide gas and the cap 1 flow in opposite directions. When flowing in the same direction, the air currents generated by the flow of the transported cap 1 will flow in the same direction, which is thought to reduce the opportunities for the hydrogen peroxide gas to come into contact with the cap 1.

In order to allow hydrogen peroxide gas to flow from the bottom to the top of the chamber 16, it is preferable to provide an exhaust device 20 on the top surface of the chamber 16. The exhaust device 20 exhausts an amount of gas equal to or greater than the amount of hydrogen peroxide gas and heated gas supplied to the chamber 16, making the pressure inside the chamber 16 below atmospheric pressure. Even if outside air flows in through the opening that supplies the cap 1, it is sterilized by the hydrogen peroxide gas. The exhaust device 20 is a blower, and it is preferable to provide a filter between the chamber 16 and the blower that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.

It is preferable that the inside of the chamber 16 of the cap sterilizer 8 is sterilized before operation. At this time, the inside of the chamber 16 can be sterilized by supplying hydrogen peroxide gas into the chamber 16 using the hydrogen peroxide gas supply device 18. There is no need to provide a device for sterilizing the inside of the chamber 16.

The sterilized caps 1 are discharged from the chamber 16 by a cap discharge device. An example of the cap discharge device is the cap discharge rail 9 shown in FIG. 5. The caps are transferred from the wheel D15 to the cap discharge rail 9 by their own weight. The cap discharge rail 9 has the same structure as the cap supply rail 11 and is inclined downward, and transports the caps 1 while rotating the sides of the caps 1 by their own weight. The transported caps 1 are transported by the cap discharge rail 9 to the sterilized sealing section of the aseptic filling machine adjacent to the chamber 16. The cap discharge device may be a device that blows sterile air onto the caps 1 to discharge them.

The caps 1 being transported are used to seal containers in the sealing section of the aseptic filling machine. Since there is very little hydrogen peroxide remaining on the caps 1 being sterilized in the chamber 16, there is no need to rinse the sterilized caps 1.

However, sterile air may be sprayed onto the sterilized cap 1. This is to remove any hydrogen peroxide or foreign matter that may remain in the cap 1. The sterile air may be air from a blower that has been sterilized by passing it through a filter, or compressed air that has been sterilized. It is generated by a sterile air supply device and supplied to a sterile air spray nozzle. The sterile air spray nozzle is provided on the opening surface 1a side and the closing surface 1b side of the cap 1.

The present invention is configured as described above, but is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways within the gist of the invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...cap 6...cap supply device 8...cap sterilizer 9...cap discharge rail 11...cap supply rail 12...wheel A
16: chamber 17: cap support rail 18: hydrogen peroxide gas supply device 19: heated gas supply device

Claims (6)

A recess is provided on the periphery of the wheel to accommodate the cap,
In the vertical direction within the chamber that shields the wheels, the center of the upper first wheel is located above the upper end of the lower second wheel, and the distance between the center of the upper first wheel and the upper end of the lower second wheel is greater than 0 and up to 1/4 of the diameter of the upper first wheel, a third wheel is provided vertically below the first wheel, and a fourth wheel is provided vertically below the second wheel, and the upper wheels and the lower wheels are provided in two vertical rows with a close distance between them,
The cap is stored in the recess of the first wheel provided at the top;
conveying the cap from above to below the chamber , from the first wheel to the second wheel, and then from the second wheel to the third wheel and then to the fourth wheel, with the closed surface of the cap parallel to the surface of the wheels;
A method for sterilizing a cap, comprising flowing hydrogen peroxide gas from below the chamber to sterilize the cap. The method for sterilizing a cap according to claim 1,
A method for sterilizing a cap, comprising flowing the hydrogen peroxide gas and heated gas from below the chamber to sterilize the cap. The method for sterilizing a cap according to claim 2,
A method for sterilizing a cap, wherein the heated gas is either heated air or heated steam, or both. a center of an upper wheel in a vertical direction having a recess on its periphery for receiving a cap is located above an upper end of a lower wheel, and a distance between the center of an upper first wheel and an upper end of a lower second wheel is between 0 and 1/4 of a diameter of the upper first wheel, a third wheel is provided vertically below the first wheel, and a fourth wheel is provided vertically below the second wheel, and the wheels are arranged in two vertical rows close together such that the distance between the upper wheel and the lower wheel is such that the cap can be transferred from the first wheel to the second wheel, and further from the second wheel to the third wheel and then to the fourth wheel ;
a chamber for shielding said wheel;
a cap feeder for feeding the cap to the uppermost first wheel within the chamber;
A cap sterilization device comprising: a cap discharge device that discharges the cap from the wheel at the bottom of the chamber to the outside of the chamber; and a hydrogen peroxide gas supply device that supplies hydrogen peroxide gas from below the chamber. The cap sterilization device according to claim 4,
A cap sterilization apparatus comprising a heated gas supply device for supplying heated gas from a lower portion of the chamber. The cap sterilization device according to claim 5,
A cap sterilization apparatus, characterized in that the heated gas supply device is configured to supply either heated air or heated steam, or both of them.

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