JP2002029502A - Agitating mechanism of filling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an entire content (filled material) within a storing tank to be effectively agitated and further an inner side of the storing tank to be easily cleaned without leaving the content or the cleaning water on an agitating plate of an agitating mechanism operated with the agitating plate which is vertically reciprocated within the storing tank of a filling device. SOLUTION: There is provided a filling device 1 in which an agitating plate 5 vertically reciprocated to agitate content stored in a storing tank 2 is installed in the storing tank 2. A bottom part 2a of the storing tank 2 is inclined toward a filling nozzle 4 placed at a lower end of the storing tank 2, and the agitating plate 5 vertically reciprocated is shaped similarly to the inclined part 2a of the storing tank 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stirring mechanism installed in a storage tank of a filling device, and more particularly, to a method of mixing a solid-mixed fluid (curry or stew containing ingredients) in the storage tank. The present invention relates to a stirring mechanism of a filling device suitable for stirring.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A filling device for filling a fluid containing a mixture of a plurality of materials having different properties, such as a mixture of a liquid material and a solid material, from a storage tank to an individual container. The provision of a stirring mechanism in a storage tank to stir the contents (filled material) stored in a storage tank is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-57-204805 and JP-A-3-240627. In each of the cited publications, the contents contained in the storage tank (hopper) are rotated by rotation of a stirring blade (stirring body) having a rotation axis at the center position of the storage tank (hopper). The technique of stirring (filling) is disclosed.

[0003]

By the way, when filling high-viscosity fluid foods mixed with solids such as curry or stew containing ingredients into individual containers, conventionally,
In the case of the retort sterilization method, the solid matter in the contents and the viscous liquid were separately filled because the paste was sterilized in a later step, whereas in the case of the aseptic filling method, the solid matter was mixed in the viscous liquid. The contents are sterilized and filled in advance, and the contents are stirred in the storage tank of the filling device by vertically reciprocating a flat stirring plate.

[0004] In other words, when filling a curry or the like with ingredients by an aseptic filling method, a fixed-quantity filling nozzle installed at the lower end of a storage tank of a filling device may be operated by a drive shaft passing through the storage tank. In such a case, a stirring blade (stirring body) having a rotating shaft at the center position of the storage tank as disclosed in the above cited publication is installed without being obstructed by the driving shaft of the filling nozzle. Since it is difficult to perform this operation in terms of space, a flat stirring plate that can be reciprocated up and down by a stirring drive shaft located at a position off the drive shaft of the filling nozzle in the storage tank is used.

[0005] However, in such a stirring by the vertical reciprocating motion of the flat stirring plate, since the bottom of the storage tank is inclined so as to narrow toward the center filling nozzle, the stirring plate is usually moved to the storage tank. Cannot be moved to near the bottom of the bottom of the storage tank, so that it is not possible to stir the wide gap between the stirring plate at the bottom dead center and the bottom of the storage tank, Is only in the vertical direction.

[0006] Therefore, the stirring efficiency is lowered, and the solid content ratio of the product after filling is greatly varied.
When filling contents mixed with more than one kind of solid matter,
Not only the solid content ratio but also the dispersion between the solid materials increases, making it difficult to manufacture a product in which the solid content is evenly mixed.

[0007] In the case of a flat stirring plate, solids are more likely to remain on the stirring plate in the flat surface portion between the through holes formed in the stirring plate, and are placed in the storage tank after filling is completed. When cleaning the inside of the storage tank with the washing water blown out from the washing nozzle, if the amount of washing water blown out from the washing nozzle is not increased and the momentum is not strengthened, the solid matter remaining on the flat surface of the stirring plate will be blown off There is also a problem that the washing water remaining on the flat surface of the stirring plate is difficult to flow down.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a stirring mechanism using a stirring plate that reciprocates up and down in a storage tank of a filling device is provided. It is another object of the present invention to effectively stir the storage tank and to easily wash the inside of the storage tank so that the contents and washing water do not remain on the stirring plate.

[0009]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a stir plate that reciprocates up and down to stir the contents stored in a storage tank is provided in the storage tank. In the installed filling device, while the bottom of the storage tank is inclined toward the filling nozzle at the lower end of the storage tank, the stirring plate that reciprocates up and down has a shape similar to the inclined bottom of the storage tank. It is characterized by being formed in.

According to the above configuration, the bottom dead center of the agitating plate that reciprocates up and down in the storage tank can be moved to a position near the bottom of the storage tank, and the entire contents in the storage tank can be moved. In addition to being able to stir, the stir plate is not flat, so that the contents can not only move up and down, but also move circularly by moving along the inclination of the stir plate. Efficiency will be increased.

Further, since the stirring plate is inclined, the contents are less likely to remain on the stirring plate. When the inside of the storage tank is washed with the washing water blown out from the washing nozzle after the filling is completed, the washing blown out from the washing nozzle is performed. Even if the amount of water is small and the momentum is weak, the water can be washed away without leaving the contents on the stirring plate, and the washing water can completely flow down without remaining on the stirring plate.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a stirring mechanism of a filling device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 schematically shows the appearance of the filling device of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 shows the inside of the filling device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows the inside of the filling device of the comparative example. It is.

The filling device 1 of the present embodiment is a liquid food mixed with solids (curry or stew containing ingredients).
Is a device for continuously filling a cup container by measuring a predetermined amount, a device for simultaneously filling a horizontal row of each cup container being conveyed in multiple rows,
As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality (three in the illustrated case) of food supply pipes 3 are provided on a ceiling portion of a storage tank 2 having a shape in which a cylindrical body is placed horizontally, at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction. And the lower end of the bottom (the center in the width direction of the bottom)
In addition, a plurality (four in the illustrated example) of filling nozzles 4 for fixed amount filling are arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction.

Although not shown, the filling device 1 is provided in the middle of a sterile filling line in a clean room (a room having a higher air cleanness than class 10,000). The filling of the cup container with food by the apparatus 1 is performed particularly in a clean booth (a room with higher air cleanliness than class 100) defined as a high air cleanliness region.

In the inside of the storage tank 2 of such a filling device 1, a stirring plate 5 having a shape similar to the bottom of the storage tank 2 is provided.
Are installed so as to reciprocate up and down, and as shown in FIG. 2, are installed inside the storage tank 2 with respect to the storage tank 2 having a bottom 2 a curved downward in an arc-shaped cross section in the width direction. The stirring plate 5 is also formed in the same R-shape as the bottom 2a of the storage tank 2 so that the cross section in the width direction becomes an arc shape.

A plurality of through holes 5a having such a shape are provided.
The lower end of an agitating drive shaft 6 that reciprocates up and down is connected to both sides in the width direction of the agitating plate 5 provided with the agitating plate 5, and extends through the storage tank 2 to extend above the tank 2. Although not shown, the upper end of 6 is connected to a driving device for stirring.

The plurality of through holes 5a formed in the stirring plate 5 have a size such that at least solid matter mixed in the contents can easily pass therethrough and the stirring efficiency is not reduced as much as possible. The specific size and number are appropriately set according to the size of the solid substance mixed in the contents and the viscosity of the liquid material.

In addition, inside the storage tank 2 of the filling device 1, each drive shaft 7 for opening and closing the filling nozzle 4 with respect to the filling nozzle 4 installed at the lower end of the bottom 2a of the storage tank 2 is provided. Is placed in the center of the storage tank 2 in the width direction, and the stirring plate 5
Through the through-hole 5a, penetrates the storage tank 2 and extends above the storage tank 2, and the upper end of each drive shaft 7 for opening and closing the filling nozzle is not shown. Connected to the drive for the vehicle.

After the filling operation is completed, the inside of the storage tank 2 (the inside surface of the storage tank 2 or the inside of the stirring plate 5 or the filling nozzle 4) is placed on the inner side of the ceiling of the storage tank 2 of the filling device 1. Washing nozzles 8 for spraying washing water are provided at appropriate locations to wash the washing nozzles.
Is connected to a pipe for supplying cleaning water from the outside of the filling device 1 (not shown).

In the filling apparatus 1 of the present embodiment having the above-described structure, the stirring drive shaft 6 is provided in the storage tank 2 for storing the liquid food mixed with the solids as the contents (filling). When the stirring plate 5 reciprocates up and down according to the vertical reciprocating motion, the contents are constantly agitated so that the solids are not biased, thereby opening and closing the filling nozzle 4 operated by each drive shaft 7. Thus, in each of the cup containers into which the contents are filled from the inside of the storage tank 2, the solids are mixed almost uniformly.

According to the filling device 1 of this embodiment, the center of the stirring plate 5 in the width direction is downward so as to approximate the round shape of the bottom 2a of the storage tank 2 in an arc shape. 3 is reciprocated up and down in the storage tank 2 as compared with the comparative example using the flat stirring plate 51 as shown in FIG. The bottom dead center of the stirring plate 5 can be moved to the vicinity of the lowermost part of the storage tank 2 (near the filling nozzle 4), and the entire contents stored in the storage tank 2 can be stirred. .

Further, when the stirring plate 5 is reciprocated up and down, the contents in which the solids are mixed simply move up and down with the flat stirring plate 51 as shown in FIG. In the stirring plate 5 of the present embodiment, since the stirring plate 5 is curved into an R shape so as to be a part of the cylindrical surface, the stirring plate 5 not only moves up and down but also performs a circular movement along the curved surface of the stirring plate 5. As a result, the stirring efficiency can be further improved.

Further, after the filling operation performed while constantly stirring the contents as described above, the storage tank 2
When cleaning the inside of the agitator 5, solid matter is placed on the agitator 5 of the present embodiment because the upper surface of the agitator 5 is inclined as compared with the case of the flat agitator 51 as shown in FIG. When the stirring plate 5 is washed by blowing out the washing water from the washing nozzle 8, even if the amount of the washing water blown out from the washing nozzle 8 is small and the momentum is weak, the washing plate 8 All of the washing water can be washed away without leaving any solid matter, and the washing water can completely flow down without remaining on the stirring plate 5.

As described above, one embodiment of the stirring mechanism of the filling device of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific examples shown in the above-described embodiments. Although it is suitable for filling foods mixed with solids such as curry and stew,
The present invention can be used not only for such applications but also for filling a homogeneous fluid such as a liquid, a viscous material, or a granular material.

Also, the specific structure of the filling device is such that the storage tank in which the cylindrical body is placed horizontally as shown in the above-mentioned embodiment is simultaneously filled in one row of the multi-row transported containers. Not only the device, but also a filling device for single-row containers as well as a filling device for multi-row containers, and a filling device for filling not only one row but also a plurality of rows simultaneously in the transport direction It can also be implemented as a device, the specific shape of the storage tank therefor can be appropriately changed, and the specific shape of the stirring plate is also curved in the width direction as shown in the above embodiment. It is needless to say that the design can be appropriately changed, for example, by forming the storage tank into a hemispherical shape in accordance with the shape of the bottom of the storage tank.

[0026]

According to the agitating mechanism of the filling device of the present invention as described above, the entire contents (filled material) in the storage tank are obtained by a simple structure in which the agitating plate is reciprocated up and down in the storage tank. Can be effectively stirred, and
At the time of cleaning the inside of the storage tank, the inside of the storage tank can be easily cleaned without leaving solids and cleaning water on the stirring plate without spraying a large amount of cleaning water.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an entire filling device according to an embodiment of a stirring mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the inside of the filling device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the inside of a filling device in a comparative example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Filling apparatus 2 Storage tank 2a Bottom part of storage tank 4 Filling nozzle 5 Stirring plate

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masami Matsunaga 5-5-1 Nishihashimoto, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Daiwa Seikan Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshinari Suganuma 5-5-Nishihashimoto, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture 1 Daiwa Seikan Co., Ltd. Research Laboratory F term (reference) 3E018 AB08 CA02 CA10 EA01 3F075 AA10 BA02 BB01 CA02 CA09 DA06 4B036 LE02 LF01 LF05 LP19 LP24 LT01 LT07 4G036 AB04

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A filling device in which a stirring plate that reciprocates up and down to stir contents stored in a storage tank is installed in the storage tank, toward a filling nozzle at a lower end of the storage tank. An agitating mechanism for a filling device, wherein a stirring plate that reciprocates up and down is formed in a shape similar to the inclined bottom of the storage tank, while the bottom of the storage tank is inclined. 2. A filling device for simultaneously filling a horizontal row of each container being conveyed in a multi-row, wherein a filling tank is provided with an R-shaped bottom with a cylindrical body lying down. A plurality of filling nozzles are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the bottom of the storage tank, and a stirring plate extending along the longitudinal direction of the bottom of the storage tank has a round bottom R curved at an arc-shaped cross section of the storage tank. The stirring mechanism of the filling device according to claim 1, wherein the stirring mechanism is curved in a cross-section in a width direction so as to approximate a shape.