JP6501483B2 - Beverage filling method and beverage filling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for filling tea, beverages such as mineral water, and other beverages in various containers PB represented by a plastic bottle and a bottle.

  In the beverage filling apparatus, air bubble entrainment and liquid splash are problems that can not be avoided to obtain high production efficiency. Therefore, various proposals including the patent document 1 and the patent document 2 have been made so far. Also, as a practical measure, while conducting a filling test, it is also conducted to search for a filling condition that does not cause liquid splash, but it takes a lot of time and effort to find out this condition. On the other hand, depending on the type of beverage and the form of the container, this condition can not be found, which requires that the production rate be sacrificed.

JP, 2007-161312, A JP 2005-59919A

With respect to liquid honey, in addition to the liquid honey being generated during filling of the beverage, liquid honey may also be generated after the filling of the beverage is completed. The liquid splash after the completion of the filling is a factor that splashing occurs on the surface of the filled beverage due to interruption of the filling of the beverage. It is not preferable from a hygienic point of view that the liquid splashes fly out from the mouth of the container and adhere to the periphery of the mouth or adhere to the nozzle for filling the beverage. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the filling speed at the end of filling so that no liquid splash occurs even when filling is completed.
The present invention has been made based on these problems, and it is possible to prevent the liquid splash produced at the time of completion of filling from adhering to the container and the filling nozzle of the beverage without reducing the filling speed. It is an object to provide a method and apparatus.

The beverage filling method of the present invention, which has been made for this purpose, is a beverage filling step of supplying a predetermined amount of beverage from the filling nozzle to the container through the mouth of the container, and after supplying the predetermined amount of beverage. And a liquid splash shielding step of forming an air curtain consisting of an air flow from one side to the other between the mouth of the container and the filling nozzle for a predetermined time.
According to the beverage filling method of the present invention, the air curtain can be formed to prevent the liquid splash from leaking out of the container, or the liquid curtain can be carried away by the air curtain. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the container and the filling nozzle from being contaminated by the liquid splash after the filling is completed.

  In the beverage filling method of the present invention, the air curtain is preferably formed in an area of closed circumference. Since the air curtain can be formed in the area where the environment is closed, the air curtain can be formed in the area necessary to prevent the liquid flow from jumping out of the container by preventing the air flow from being separated. Can.

  In particular, the air flow forming the air curtain is preferably guided in the horizontal direction until passing through the container, and is guided downward in the vertical direction after passing through the container. As a result, since the air flow is always controlled to be in a straightening or nearly straightening state, it is possible to reliably prevent the liquid splash from jumping out of the container.

The beverage filling apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a filling nozzle for supplying a predetermined amount of beverage to the container through the mouth of the container; and between the mouth of the container and the filling nozzle after the supply of the predetermined amount of beverage is finished. And an air curtain forming device for forming an air curtain consisting of an air flow from one side to the other for a predetermined time.
According to the beverage filling apparatus of the present invention, the air curtain can be formed to prevent the liquid splash from leaking out of the container, or the liquid curtain can be carried away by the air curtain. Therefore, it is possible to avoid contamination of the container and the filling nozzle and peripheral devices by liquid splash after filling is completed.

In the beverage filling apparatus of the present invention, the air curtain forming device has a cylindrical shape in which a supply source of compressed air and a nozzle for receiving an air flow receiving the supply of compressed air from the supply source open on the inner peripheral surface. Preferably, the forming device body is provided.
According to this air curtain forming device, since the air curtain can be formed in the area where the periphery is closed, the area necessary to prevent the air flow from being separated and prevent the liquid splash from jumping out of the container The air curtain can be formed reliably.

In the beverage filling apparatus of the present invention, the forming body has a plurality of nozzles arranged circumferentially spaced on one side, and the air flow is vertically directed downward on the other side opposite to one side. Preferably, a guide for guiding the vehicle is provided.
As a result, since the air flow is always controlled to be in a straightening or nearly straightening state, it is possible to reliably prevent the liquid splash from jumping out of the container.

  According to the present invention, the air curtain can be formed to prevent the liquid splash from leaking out of the container, or the liquid curtain can be carried away by the air curtain. Contamination of the filling nozzle can be avoided.

It is a figure showing a schematic structure of a drink filling system in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the drink filling apparatus in this embodiment. It is a figure showing a schematic structure of an air curtain formation machine in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the air curtain formation device in this embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiment shown in the attached drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the beverage filling system in the present embodiment includes a supply conveyor 01, a transfer wheel 02, a beverage filling apparatus 03, a transfer wheel 04, a capper 05, an ejection wheel 06, and an ejection conveyor 07 as components. .
In this beverage filling system, each of the transfer wheel 02, the beverage filling device 03, the transfer wheel 04, the capper 05, and the discharge wheel 06 has an outer peripheral portion so that the container PB (for example, a plastic bottle) can be transported while being gripped. The holders are provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. As a result, the transfer wheel 02 to the discharge wheel 06 rotate, and the container PB is gripped, transported and delivered.

  The container PB transported by the supply conveyor 01 is gripped by the holder of the transfer wheel 02 at the position A and transported from the position A to the position B. In the position B, the container PB is delivered from the transfer wheel 02 to the beverage filling device 03, held by the holder of the beverage filling device 03, and conveyed from the position B to the position C. When being transported from the position B to the position C, the container PB is filled with the beverage through the filling nozzle provided to the beverage filling device 03.

  Furthermore, the container PB is at position C from the beverage filling device 03 to the transfer wheel 04, at position D to the transfer wheel 04 to the capper 05, at position E to the capper 05 to the discharge wheel 06, at position F to the discharge wheel 06 Are delivered to the discharge conveyor 07 and transported. In the capper 05, capping is performed to cap the container PB.

Hereinafter, the drink filling apparatus 03 which is the characterizing portion of the drink filling system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the beverage filling device 03 shown in FIG. 2, the swivel table T rotates in the horizontal plane centering on the swivel axis C1. A plurality of filling nozzles 1 and a plurality of holders 20 are arranged in pairs at equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral edge of the turning table T.
A liquid storage tank 30 is disposed above the filling nozzle 1. The liquid storage tank 30 rotates in synchronization with the filling nozzle 1 and the swivel table T integrally. The liquid storage tank 30 and each filling nozzle 1 are connected by a beverage supply pipe 40. The filling nozzle 1 pours the beverage L flowing down from the lower end thereof into the container PB while maintaining the relative positional relationship of the beverage L with the container PB in the filling direction, that is, the vertical direction. The arrangement of the reservoir 30 is optional, and the present invention allows for placement in a position separated from the swivel table T.

  The holder 20 is fixed to the swivel table T, and holds the container PB at a predetermined position below the filling nozzle 1. The load cell 21 is assembled to the holder 20, and the weight of the beverage L to be filled can be measured. The weight of the beverage L can be measured by zeroing the weight of the container PB by calibration. The measurement data (beverage weight data W) obtained by the load cell 21 is output to the control unit 50. In addition, it is an example to measure the filling amount of the drink L using the load cell 21, and this invention measures the filling amount by the flowmeter 41 which measures the volume of the passing drink L, for example, other methods. Tolerate.

Inside the liquid storage tank 30, a beverage L such as a beverage to be filled in the container PB is stored. Further, in the interior of the liquid storage tank 30, in the space above the stored beverage L, a gas such as carbon dioxide gas if it is a carbonated beverage or nitrogen gas if it is a non-carbonated beverage is stored, and the beverage L is degraded. It can be prevented.
The upper end of the beverage supply pipe 40 is in communication with the liquid storage tank 30, and the downstream end is in communication with the filling nozzle 1, and the liquid storage tank 30 and the filling nozzle 1 are connected.

The beverage filling device 03 is provided with an air curtain forming unit 10 as shown in FIG.
The air curtain forming device 10 is provided across the tip of the filling nozzle 1 and the mouth of the container PB in which the beverage L is filled, and when the filling of the beverage L is completed, the tip of the filling nozzle 1 and the mouth of the container PB By creating an air flow between the parts, an air curtain is formed. Even if the liquid curtain is generated with the completion of the filling of the beverage L, the air curtain forming device 10 prevents the liquid curtain from leaking out of the container PB by the air curtain.
The air curtain forming unit 10 is connected to an air supply source 19 via a supply pipe 18. The air supply source 19 supplies compressed air toward the air curtain forming unit 10 based on an instruction from the control unit 50 as described later.

The air curtain forming device 10 has a cylindrical forming device main body 11 as shown in FIG.
The forming body 11 is provided with a plurality (three in this case) of air nozzles 12 on one side bordering on the central axis C2. The air nozzle 12 is formed by drilling a predetermined length from the inner peripheral surface 11A of the forming device main body 11 toward the outer peripheral surface 11B, and its discharge port is opened in the inner peripheral surface 11A.
The forming body 11 is provided with an air passage 13 on the side where the air nozzle 12 is provided. The air passage 13 includes a vertical passage 13A extending straight along the central axis C2 direction, and a horizontal passage 13B formed in an arc shape in the circumferential direction. One end (upper end in the drawing) of the vertical passage 13A is connected to the supply pipe 18 at the upper end of the forming body 11, and the other end (lower end in the drawing) is connected to the horizontal passage 13B. The horizontal passage 13B communicates with the vertical passage 13A at a central portion in the circumferential direction, and also communicates with the rear ends of the three air nozzles 12 (opposite to the discharge ports). Therefore, the compressed air supplied from the air supply source 19 is discharged from the respective air nozzles 12 through the supply pipe 18, the vertical passage 13A and the horizontal passage 13B. When the air curtain forming device 10 is viewed in plan, upstream and downstream are defined based on the direction in which the compressed air discharged from the air nozzle 12 flows.

The forming body 11 functions as a first guide 14 for preventing the inner peripheral surface 11A from being separated mainly in the horizontal direction in the process of flowing compressed air which is projected from the air nozzle 12 at the inner peripheral surface 11A downstream. That is, the compressed air discharged from the air nozzle 12 flows from the upstream side to the downstream side in the region closed in the horizontal direction.
The forming device main body 11 is provided with a second guide 15 on the downstream side facing the upstream side on which the air nozzle 12 is provided. As the thickness of the second guide 15 decreases continuously toward the lower side of the forming body 11, the side facing the upstream side forms an inclined surface. In the compressed air flowing from the upstream side, the second guide 15 acts as a resistance and is guided downward in the vertical direction.
In addition, as shown in FIG.3 (d), the former main body 11 can also be divided | segmented into plurality.

The beverage filling apparatus 03 includes a control unit 50 as shown in FIG.
The control unit 50 controls the start and stop of the supply of the beverage L to be filled from the filling nozzle 1 into the container PB. The control unit 50 also controls the start and stop of the supply of compressed air in the air curtain forming unit 10. To that end, the control unit 50 includes an arithmetic unit 51, a data holding unit 52, and an instruction unit 53.

The computing unit 51 acquires data (beverage weight data W) regarding the weight of the container PB output from the load cell 21.
The data holding unit 52 holds container specification data for each type of container PB. The container specification data is data in which the filling weight Wf of the beverage L determined for each type of container PB is associated with the identification information ID of the container PB. The operation unit 51 acquires container specification data from the data holding unit 52 when the container PB is filled with the beverage L.
The operation unit 51 acquires container specification data from the data holding unit 52, acquires beverage weight data W from the load cell 21, and sequentially determines whether the beverage weight data W reaches the filling weight Wf of the container specification data. . When the beverage weight data W reaches the filling weight Wf, the computing unit 51 notifies the instruction unit 53 to that effect, and the instruction unit 53 receives the notification and closes the filling nozzle 1 to supply the beverage L. Instruct them to stop.

  When the beverage filling system according to this embodiment fills the beverage L in a plurality of containers PB having different specifications, container specification data of each container PB is held in the data holding unit 52. Then, prior to the filling of the beverage L, the calculation unit 51 acquires the container specification data from the data holding unit 52 by selecting the container specification data corresponding to the container PB into which the beverage L is to be filled.

Next, a procedure for filling the container PB with the beverage L by the beverage filling apparatus 03 will be described.
The filling of the beverage L is started on condition that the container PB is transported to the predetermined filling position (the position B in FIG. 1) of the beverage filling device 03.
When the filling of the beverage L starts, the computing unit 51 of the control unit 50 acquires the beverage weight data W output from the load cell 21 and acquires the container specification data from the data holding unit 52.
The calculation unit 51 compares the acquired filling weight data with the container specification data (filling weight Wf), and when the filling weight data reaches the filling weight Wf, notifies the instruction unit 53 to that effect. In response to the notification, the instructing unit 53 instructs the closing of the filling nozzle 1 to stop the supply of the beverage L. The instructing unit 53 simultaneously instructs the air curtain forming unit 10 to form an air curtain.
Thus, when the container PB filled with the beverage L is transported to the predetermined filling position of the beverage filling device 03, the filling process of the beverage L is completed.

Next, the operation of the air curtain forming unit 10, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG.
Now, as shown in FIG. 3 (b) and FIG. 4 (a), the container PB was filled with the beverage L from the filling nozzle 1 to the figure, but since the required filling amount has been reached, Stop and assume complete. Then, the beverage L is disconnected from the filling nozzle 1, but as shown in FIG. 4 (b), immediately after that, the air curtain forming device 10 is activated to form the air curtain AC. The air curtain AC is formed to cover the upper portion of the mouth of the container PB. Therefore, even if liquid splash occurs and leaks from the mouth to the outside, it is blocked by the air curtain AC and returns back into the container PB. In addition, even if the liquid splash is caught in the air curtain AC, the air curtain AC having the liquid splash is passed above the mouth and further guided by the second guide 15 to be separated from the container PB.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4B, the distance D from the tip of the mouth M of the container PB to the air curtain AC is preferably set in the range of 5 mm to 100 mm. If the distance D is too small, the air flow collides with the mouth to cause disturbance in the flow, and if the distance D is too large, the liquid splash may leak without reaching the air curtain AC. The preferred distance D is 10 to 40 mm, and the more preferred distance D is 20 to 30 mm.
Moreover, it is preferable that the blowing speed v of the air flow discharged from the air nozzle 12 be several m / s to several tens m / s. If the velocity v is too small, the spouting of the liquid splash can not be suppressed, and if the velocity v is too large, a vortex may be generated and the function of the air curtain may be inhibited. Therefore, the preferable velocity v is 1 to 25 m / s, and the further preferable distance D is 10 to 40 mm.

  As described above, according to the beverage filling system of the present embodiment, the air curtain AC is formed to prevent the liquid splash from leaking out of the container PB, or the liquid curtain is carried by the air curtain AC. leave. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the container PB and the filling nozzle 1 from being contaminated by liquid splash after the filling stop.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the formed air curtain AC is formed by the compressed air flowing in one direction from the upstream to the downstream, so the beverage L filled in the container PB is not adversely affected. For example, if compressed air is supplied radially outward to the center of the circle, the air curtain AC can be formed, but the compressed air colliding at the center of the circle flows upward and downward in the vertical direction. change. This downward flowing compressed air may enter the interior of the container PB and collide with the filled beverage L, causing the beverage L to be ruffled and cause foaming. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the air curtain AC is formed by the compressed air flowing in one direction from the upstream to the downstream, it hardly enters the container PB.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the formed air curtain AC is controlled to be in a state where the flow is constantly rectified or nearly rectified by the first guide 14 and the second guide 15 provided in the forming body 11, Can be reliably prevented from popping out of the container PB, and the beverage L filled in the container PB is not corrugated.

  As mentioned above, although the present invention was explained based on a desirable embodiment, unless it deviates from the main point of the present invention, it is possible to sort out the composition quoted by the above-mentioned embodiment, or to change suitably to other composition. It is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 filling nozzle 10 air curtain forming device 11 forming device main body 11A inner peripheral surface 11B outer peripheral surface 12 air nozzle 13 air passage 13A vertical passage 13B horizontal passage 14 first guide 15 second guide 18 supply pipe 19 air supply source 20 holder 21 load cell 30 Liquid storage tank 40 Beverage supply pipe 41 Flow meter 50 Control unit 51 Operation unit 52 Data holding unit 53 Instruction unit AC Air curtain L Beverage D Distance PB container T Turn table

Claims (6)

A beverage filling step of supplying a predetermined amount of beverage to the container from the filling nozzle through the opening of the container;
After the supply of a predetermined amount of the beverage is completed, the air directed from one side to the other in the radial direction of the container is disposed between the mouth of the container and the filling nozzle disposed vertically away from the mouth. A liquid honey shielding step of forming a flowing air curtain for a predetermined time;
A beverage filling method comprising: The air curtain is formed in a closed area.
The beverage filling method according to claim 1. The air flow is
It is guided horizontally until it passes the container,
After passing through the container, it is guided downward in the vertical direction,
The beverage filling method according to claim 1 or 2. A filling nozzle for supplying a predetermined amount of beverage to the container through the opening of the container;
After the supply of a predetermined amount of the beverage is completed, the air directed from one side to the other in the radial direction of the container is disposed between the mouth of the container and the filling nozzle disposed vertically away from the mouth. An air curtain forming device for forming a flowing air curtain for a predetermined time;
A beverage filling apparatus comprising: The air curtain former is
A source of compressed air,
A nozzle for receiving the compressed air from the supply source and discharging the air flow, the nozzle having a cylindrical forming body opened in the inner circumferential surface;
The beverage filling device according to claim 4. A plurality of said nozzles being arranged circumferentially spaced on said one side;
The other side opposite to the one side is provided with a guide for guiding the air flow downward in the vertical direction,
The beverage filling device according to claim 5.

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