JP6753079B2 - Sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sterilizer including an opening / closing door that moves up and down.

Conventionally, a sterilizer having a mechanism for automatically opening and closing a door attached to an opening of a main body in which an object to be processed is housed has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses this kind of technology. Patent Document 1 discloses a mechanism in which a lid supported in parallel with an L-shaped support portion moves up and down along columns on both sides of a tower in an automatic lid opening / closing device in a horizontal retort machine.

Jikken Sho 62-25674

In a structure that moves the opening / closing door up and down, if a foreign object is caught in the moving range of the opening / closing door or the member that supports the opening / closing door, the drive source continues to drive even though the foreign object prevents the opening / closing door from moving. There was a risk. In a configuration as in Patent Document 1, the lid parallel to the L-shaped support portion is sandwiched by foreign matter, and the parallel L-shaped support portion moves downward, and in some cases, the lid floats inside. It is also possible that the lid may fall or the drive mechanism may fail. There was room for improvement from the viewpoint of the safety of the automatic opening / closing function.

The present invention provides a highly safe configuration that can effectively prevent a situation in which the opening / closing door is continuously driven in a state where the opening / closing door is not properly supported by a foreign substance in a sterilizer having an automatic door opening / closing mechanism. The purpose is.

The present invention includes a main body in which an opening for accommodating an object to be processed is formed, an opening / closing door for opening / closing the opening of the main body, an arm portion provided on the opening / closing door, a support base for supporting the arm portion, and the like. By moving the support base up and down, a moving mechanism for moving the opening / closing door between a closing position for closing the opening of the main body and an opening position for opening the opening, and a contact state between the arm portion and the support base are detected. The movement mechanism is controlled so that the movement of the opening / closing door is stopped when the contact state detecting unit detects a non-contact state between the arm unit and the support base while the contact state detecting unit and the opening / closing door are moving. The present invention relates to a sterilizer including a control unit.

The arm portion is supported from below by the support base on both sides of the opening / closing door, and the moving mechanism is arranged on both the left and right sides, respectively, and has a protruding position for supporting the arm portion above the closed position. The control unit has a shaft-shaped member that can expand and contract in the front-rear direction between standby positions that do not come into contact with the arm portion, and when the control unit detects the non-contact state during the movement of the opening / closing door, the shaft-shaped member is moved. It is preferable to move it from the standby position to the protruding position.

According to the present invention, in a sterilizer having an automatic door opening / closing mechanism, a highly safe configuration capable of effectively preventing a situation in which the opening / closing door is continuously driven in a state where the opening / closing door is not properly supported by a foreign substance is provided. Can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the sterilizer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the arrangement relation of the main body side engaging claw and the door side engaging claw of this embodiment. It is a side view which shows how the opening / closing door of this embodiment moves to a closed position and engages with a main body. It is a perspective view which shows the main body side engaging claw and the guide of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the guide, the roller part and the support base of this embodiment from the back side. It is a rear view which shows the state of the roller part and the support base of this embodiment. It is a side view which shows the state of the position adjustment at the engaging position by the roller part of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows how the lock pin of this embodiment operates. It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure which detects the state of the opening / closing door of a sterilizer. It is a perspective view which shows the state that the lower lock device operated below the arm part. It is a perspective view which shows the state that the lower lock device operated at the position which overlaps with the arm part.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a sterilizer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the arrangement relationship between the main body side engaging claw 15 and the door side engaging claw 35 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing how the opening / closing door 30 of the present embodiment moves to the closed position and engages with the main body 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sterilizer 1 of the present embodiment includes a main body 10, an opening / closing door 30, and a moving mechanism 40.

The main body 10 is a processing tank that houses an object to be sterilized. The main body 10 is a cylindrical container having a hollow portion 19 in which one end is opened and the other end is closed. Container-packaged foods such as canned foods, retort pouch foods, molded container foods, and bottled foods are stored as the food to be treated.

A main body side flange 11 is provided around the opening of the main body 10. An annular groove 12 is formed in the main body side flange 11, and a packing member 13 is arranged in this groove. In the present embodiment, the packing member 13 is brought into close contact with the opening / closing door 30 at the closed position by the air supplied from the air supply source (not shown), so that high airtightness can be exhibited.

A plurality of main body side engaging claws 15 as engaging portions that engage with the opening / closing door 30 are arranged on the main body side flange 11 at intervals. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body side engaging claws 15 are arranged at a total of five locations on the main body side flange 11 on both the left and right sides, diagonally lower right, diagonally lower left, and the lowermost portion. As shown in FIG. 3, the main body side engaging claw 15 is formed so as to project forward from the main body side flange 11 and then bend toward the radial center side of the main body 10.

The opening / closing door 30 opens / closes an opening located on the front side of the main body 10. The front side of the opening / closing door 30 is formed in a spherical shape. A door-side flange 31 is provided so as to surround the spherical portion of the opening / closing door 30.

An arm portion 32 is fixed to the upper part of the opening / closing door 30. The arm portion 32 is formed so as to extend horizontally from both the left and right sides of the opening / closing door 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of door-side engaging claws 35 that engage with the main body 10 are arranged on the door-side flange 31 at intervals. The door-side engaging claws 35 of the present embodiment are arranged at three locations on both sides of the uppermost portion and the uppermost portion of the door-side flange 31, and are located on the back side of the arm portion 32.

As shown in FIG. 3, the door-side engaging claw 35 is formed so as to project rearward from the door-side flange 31 and then bend toward the radial center side of the opening / closing door 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, the moving mechanism 40 includes a drive motor 45 as a drive source, a left and right set of elevating portions 41, a left and right set of lower lock devices 51, and a left and right set of upper lock devices 81. To be equipped.

The drive motor 45 transmits a driving force for raising and lowering the opening / closing door 30 to the left and right elevating portions 41 via the drive shaft 46. The elevating unit 41 moves the opening / closing door 30 up and down by the driving force of the drive motor 45.

Next, the guide 16 that guides the opening / closing door 30 to the closed position will be described. Of the plurality of main body side engaging claws 15, guides 16 are provided on the uppermost main body side engaging claws 15R and 15L on both the left and right sides. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the main body side engaging claw 15R and the guide 16 of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the state of the guide 16, the roller portion 70, and the support base 62 of the present embodiment from the back side.

As shown in FIG. 4, a substantially triangular columnar guide 16 is fixed to the upper surface of the main body side engaging claw 15R. The guide 16 has an inclined surface that approaches the main body 10 as it goes from top to bottom. The lower end of the inclined surface of the guide 16 is connected to the inner surface of the main body side engaging claw 15R. The inclined surface of the guide 16 smoothly guides the door-side flange 31 to the closed position where it engages with the main body-side engaging claw 15 (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 5, two bolt mounting holes 17 are formed on the inclined surface of the guide 16. The guide 16 is fastened to the main body side engaging claw 15R (main body side engaging claw 15L) through the bolt mounting hole 17 by a bolt (not shown). Further, the guide 16 of the present embodiment is arranged so that the rear end surface in the front-rear direction slightly overlaps the inner space of the main body side engaging claw 15R. The guide 16 fixed above the main body side engaging claw 15L has the same configuration as the guide 16 fixed to the main body side engaging claw 15R.

A ball screw mechanism 60 for transmitting the driving force of the drive motor 45 is provided inside the elevating portion 41. The ball screw mechanism 60 includes a shaft portion 61 in which a screw groove is formed, and a support base 62 that moves up and down inside the elevating portion 41. The upper surface of the support base 62 is formed flat.

The arm portion 32 includes roller portions 70 on both the left and right sides thereof. The roller portion 70 projects downward from the arm portion 32, and the bottom portion thereof is supported by the support base 62. A plurality of wheels 71 are provided on the bottom of the roller portion 70 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the support base 62.

When the support base 62 on which the roller portion 70 is arranged on the upper surface moves up and down, the opening / closing door 30 which is a member integrated with the arm portion 32 moves up and down. Further, a recess 72 recessed in the front direction is formed on the rear surface side of the roller portion 70 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a rear view showing the state of the roller portion 70 and the support base 62 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the support base 62 is provided with a bracket 66 for holding the limit switch 65. The limit switch 65 is a contact state detection unit for detecting the distance between the arm portion 32 including the roller portion 70 and the support base 62. In the present embodiment, the limit switch 65 and the bracket 66 are provided on the support bases 62 on both the left and right sides, respectively.

As shown by the chain line in FIG. 6, when the arm portion 32 is lifted from the support base 62 for some reason, the detection portion of the limit switch 65 is separated from the roller portion 70, and the detection signal is changed from the ON signal to the OFF signal (or OFF signal). It is possible to determine that an abnormal state has occurred by switching from (to ON signal).

Next, the locking mechanism by the lower locking device 51 will be described. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing how the lower lock device 51 of the present embodiment operates. The lower lock device 51 includes a lock pin 52 that retracts between the standby position and the restricted position. The lock pin 52 is configured to protrude from the main body portion by, for example, an air cylinder mechanism. Further, the lower lock device 51 is provided with a proximity sensor (not shown) for detecting the extrusion of the lock pin 52 so that the proximity sensor can detect a state in which the lock pin 52 is extruded and the movement of the door is restricted. It is composed of.

As shown by the chain line in FIG. 8, the lock pins 52 of the left and right lower lock devices 51 are in a state of protruding from the standby position to the regulated position with the opening / closing door 30 in the closed position. By locating the lock pin 52 above the arm portion 32, the lock pin 52 hinders the upward movement of the arm portion 32. That is, the opening / closing door 30 is locked at the closed position. The object to be sterilized is sterilized with the opening / closing door 30 and the main body 10 properly in close contact with each other.

The upper lock device 81 has the same configuration as the lower lock device 51, and includes a lock pin 82 that moves from the standby position to the regulated position. When the opening / closing door 30 moves to the open position, or after the movement, it operates to regulate the movement of the opening / closing door 30 away from the open position. Further, the upper lock device 81 is provided with a proximity sensor (not shown) for detecting the extrusion of the lock pin 82 so that the proximity sensor can detect a state in which the lock pin 82 is extruded and the movement of the door is restricted. It is composed of.

Next, the operation when the arm portion 32 of the opening / closing door 30 is not properly supported by the support base 62 will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration for detecting the state of the opening / closing door 30 of the sterilizer 1.

As shown in FIG. 9, the sterilizer 1 includes a control unit 90 that controls the sterilization process of the sterilizer 1 and the automatic opening / closing mechanism. The control unit 90 is a computer including a CPU, a storage unit, and the like, and is electrically connected to drive means such as a drive motor 45, an upper lock device 81, and a lower lock device 51, and a detection unit such as a limit switch 65.

The control unit 90 transmits a control signal to the drive motor 45 to move the opening / closing door 30 up and down. When the control unit 90 of the present embodiment detects a non-contact state in which the arm unit 32 is separated from the support base 62 based on the detection signal of the limit switch 65 during the movement control of the opening / closing door 30, the drive motor of the movement mechanism 40 Stop 45.

As described above, the limit switches 65 are arranged on the support bases 62 on both the left and right sides. The control unit 90 of the present embodiment controls to stop the drive motor 45 when even one of the left and right limit switches 65 detects a non-contact state. As a result, it is possible to detect the tilted state of the arm portion 32 such that only one of the roller portions 70 on the left and right sides of the arm portion 32 is separated. The control unit 90 determines that the opening / closing door 30 is not properly supported by the support base 62 when the arm unit 32 is tilted.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing how the lower lock device 51 operates below the arm portion 32. When the control unit 90 detects the non-contact state, the control unit 90 then controls the lower lock devices 51 arranged on the left and right sides to move the lock pin 52 from the standby position to the protruding position.

As shown in FIG. 10, after the support base 62 and the arm portion 32 are separated from each other and the opening / closing door 30 is in a state of floating inside, the lock pin 52 at the protruding position is the arm portion 32 (roller portion 70) even if the door 30 is dropped. ) Can be supported to prevent the opening / closing door 30 from falling further.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing how the lower lock device 51 operates at a position where it overlaps the arm portion 32. As shown in FIG. 11, even if the lower surface of the arm portion 32 (roller portion 70) passes through the protruding position of the lock pin 52, the lock pin 52 operates before the arm portion 32 reaches the closed position. By making the lock pin 52 come into contact with the arm portion 32, the opening / closing door 30 can be prevented from falling. In the example of FIG. 11, the opening / closing door 30 is prevented from falling further by fitting into the recess formed on the back side of the arm portion 32.

In either case, the falling opening / closing door 30 and the main body 10 can be prevented from colliding with each other, and the opening / closing door 30 and the main body 10 can be effectively prevented from being damaged.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved.
That is, the sterilizer 1 of the present embodiment has a main body 10 in which an opening for accommodating an object to be processed is formed, an opening / closing door 30 for opening / closing the opening of the main body, an arm portion 32 provided in the opening / closing door 30, and an arm portion. A moving mechanism 40 that moves the opening / closing door 30 between a closing position that closes the opening of the main body 10 and an opening position that opens the opening by moving the support base 62 that supports 32 and the support base 62 up and down, and an arm portion. While the limit switch 65 for detecting the contact state between the 32 and the support base 62 and the opening / closing door 30 are moving, the movement of the opening / closing door 30 is stopped when the limit switch 65 detects the non-contact state between the arm portion 32 and the support base 62. A control unit 90 that controls the movement mechanism 40 is provided.

As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the situation in which the drive motor 45 of the moving mechanism 40 continues to be driven while the opening / closing door 30 is floating inside. When the distance between the arm portion 32 of the opening / closing door 30 and the support base 62 is increased, the opening / closing door 30 falls and the opening / closing door 30 and the main body 10 are significantly damaged, or the arm portion 32 is appropriate for the support base 62. If the drive motor 45 continues to be forcibly driven without being supported by the door, a heavy load is applied to the drive system, which can avoid a situation that causes a failure, and the sterilizer 1 is automatically opened and closed stably. Can be done.

The arm portion 32 is supported from below by the support base 62 on both sides of the opening / closing door 30, and the moving mechanism 40 is arranged on both the left and right sides, respectively, and the protruding position and the arm supporting the arm portion 32 above the closed position. It has a lock pin 52 that can expand and contract in the front-rear direction between standby positions that do not come into contact with the unit 32, and the control unit 90 projects the lock pin 52 from the standby position when it detects a non-contact state while the opening / closing door 30 is moving. Move to position.

As a result, even if the arm portion 32 and the support base 62 are separated from each other and the opening / closing door 30 is dropped, the lock pin 52 can effectively prevent the opening / closing door 30 from colliding with the main body 10. For example, in a configuration in which the main body side engaging claw 15 and the door side flange 31 of the opening / closing door 30 are engaged, when the main body side engaging claw 15 is deformed due to the fall of the opening / closing door 30, the opening / closing door 30 and the main body 10 are sealed. Although it may not be maintained satisfactorily, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to effectively avoid the collision between the door side flange 31 of the opening / closing door 30 and the main body side engaging claw 15 that are dropped by the lock pin 52.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified.

In the above embodiment, the limit switch 65 is arranged on the support base 62, but the number of contact state detection units, the arrangement position, and the like can be appropriately changed depending on the circumstances. For example, the limit switch can be arranged on the arm portion side. Further, the limit switch may be provided only on one side of the support bases 62 arranged on both the left and right sides.

In the above embodiment, the limit switch is adopted as the contact state detection unit, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the distance between the arm portion 32 and the support base 62 may be detected by an optical non-contact sensor.

1 Sterilizer 10 Main body 30 Opening and closing door 32 Arm part 40 Moving mechanism 52 Lock pin (shaft member)
62 Support base 65 Limit switch (contact state detector)
90 Control unit

Claims (2)

A body with an opening to accommodate the object to be processed,
An opening / closing door that opens and closes the opening of the main body,
The arm part fixed to the opening / closing door and
A support base that supports the arm portion and
A moving mechanism that moves the opening / closing door between a closing position that closes the opening of the main body and an opening position that opens the opening by moving the support base up and down.
A contact state detection unit that detects the distance between the arm unit and the support base,
During the movement of the opening / closing door, when the contact state detecting unit detects a non-contact state in which the arm portion and the support base are separated from each other, a control unit that controls the moving mechanism so as to stop the movement of the opening / closing door.
A sterilizer equipped with. The arm portion is supported from below by the support base on both sides of the opening / closing door.
The moving mechanism
It has a shaft-shaped member that is arranged on both the left and right sides and can expand and contract in the front-rear direction between a protruding position that supports the arm portion above the closed position and a standby position that does not contact the arm portion.
The control unit
The sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein when the non-contact state is detected while the opening / closing door is moving, the shaft-shaped member is moved from the standby position to the protruding position.

Images