JP7365572B2 - Content filling system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to content filling systems.

An aseptic filling system (aseptic filling system) is known in which a sterilized container (PET bottle) is filled with sterilized contents in an aseptic environment, and then the container is closed with a cap. Specifically, in an aseptic filling system, a shaped container is supplied to the aseptic filling system, and within the aseptic filling system, the container is sprayed with an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution as a disinfectant. Thereafter, this is dried to sterilize the container, and then the contents are aseptically filled into the container. Another method is to drop a small amount of sterilizer onto the inner surface of the container when forming the container, seal the mouth, and sterilize the inner surface of the container with vaporized sterilizer (hydrogen peroxide). There is also a method of feeding the container into an aseptic filling system, sterilizing the outer surface of the container within the aseptic filling system, and then opening the mouth and aseptically filling the container with the contents.

By the way, in such an aseptic filling system, it is necessary to inspect the mouth, body, and bottom of the container for the presence of abnormalities such as scratches, adhesion of foreign matter, and discoloration. For this reason, the aseptic filling system is provided with an inspection section that inspects the containers.

For example, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, an inspection section that inspects the top surface of the neck of a container (bottle) by taking an image of the top surface with a camera is connected to a molding section that molds the container and a molding section that sterilizes the container. A sterile filling system is disclosed that is disposed between a sterilization section and a sterilization section.

However, if the inspection section that inspects the containers is installed between the molding section that molds the containers and the sterilization section that sterilizes the containers, it takes a predetermined time after the containers are molded before they are sent to the sterilization section. It takes. For this reason, the surface temperature of the container heated by blow molding decreases, and there is a possibility that the sterilization efficiency when sterilizing the container decreases. Further, the inspection section provided between the molding section and the sterilization section is generally provided in a non-sterile environment, and there is a risk that intermediate contamination of the container may occur in the inspection section.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-216391 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-157651

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of these points, and provides a content filling system that can enhance the sterilizing effect during bottle sterilization and reduce intermediate contamination of bottles. The purpose is to

A content filling system according to an embodiment includes a bottle molding unit that molds a bottle, a sterilizer that sterilizes the bottle, a filling device that fills the bottle with content, and a cap that closes the bottle with a cap. a mounting device, the bottle molding unit includes a preform transport unit that transports the preform, a blow molding unit that molds the bottle by performing blow molding on the preform, and a blow molding unit that molds the bottle by performing blow molding on the preform; It has a bottle transport section that transports bottles, and an inspection section that tests the preform or the bottle.

The content filling system according to one embodiment may further include a rejecting section that rejects the preform or the bottle based on the inspection result inspected by the inspecting section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the displacement section may be provided within the bottle forming section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the exclusion section may be provided on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of the blow molding section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the exclusion section may be provided both upstream and downstream of the blow molding section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the inspection unit includes a flange inspection unit that inspects the upper surface of the flange of the preform or the bottle, and a mouth inspection unit that inspects the mouth of the preform or the bottle. a body inspection section that inspects the body of the preform or the bottle; a bottom inspection section that inspects the bottom of the preform or the bottle; and a bottle temperature inspection section that inspects the surface temperature of the bottle. , may also be included.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the preform conveyance unit includes a plurality of preform gripping members that rotate while gripping the flange portion of the preform and convey the preform, and the preform conveyance unit The unit may include a plurality of bottle gripping members that rotate while gripping the flange portion of the bottle and convey the bottle.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the flange inspection section may be installed along the preform conveyance section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the preform conveyance section includes the plurality of preform gripping members and also includes a delivery section that delivers the preform to the blow molding section, and the flange section inspection section , installed along the delivery section of the preform transport section, and the plurality of preform gripping members of the delivery section grip an upper part of the flange part of the preform, and may be transparent. .

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the preform conveying section includes a star wheel provided with a notch for accommodating the preform, and a guide disposed around the star wheel. Also good.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the flange part inspection part is installed along the preform conveyance part, and the upper surfaces of the star wheel and the guide may be matted. .

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the body inspection section is installed along the preform conveyance section, and the preform gripping member and the bottle gripping member are arranged in the body inspection section. When inspecting the bottle, the preform may be arranged in a positional relationship such that the preform does not come within the field of view of the body inspection section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the body inspection section may be installed along the preform conveyance section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the body inspection section includes an upper portion inspection section that inspects an upper portion of the body of the bottle, and a lower portion that inspects a lower portion of the body of the bottle. It may also include an inspection section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the body inspection section is installed along the bottle conveyance section, and the preform gripping member and the bottle gripping member are arranged so that the body inspection section is installed along the bottle conveyance section. When inspecting the preform, the bottle may be arranged in a positional relationship such that it does not enter the field of view of the body inspection section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the body inspection section may be installed along the bottle conveyance section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the flange inspection unit is installed along the bottle conveyance unit, and the plurality of bottle gripping members grip an upper part of the flange of the bottle, and It may be transparent.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the mouth inspection section and the bottom inspection section may be installed along the bottle conveyance section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the mouth inspection section and the bottom inspection section may be installed along the preform conveyance section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, the bottle temperature inspection section may be installed upstream of the exclusion section.

In the content filling system according to one embodiment, an adjustment conveyance section is provided between the bottle forming section and the sterilization device, and receives the bottle from the bottle conveyance section and delivers the bottle to the sterilization device. You may also be prepared.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to enhance the sterilizing effect during bottle sterilization, and to reduce intermediate contamination of the bottle.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a bottle filled with contents by the contents filling system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a preform for producing a bottle to be filled with contents by the contents filling system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the content filling system according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing an enlarged bottle forming section of the content filling system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a side view (view taken along the line V in FIG. 4) showing the flange inspection section of the content filling system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view (view taken along the line VI in FIG. 4) showing the trunk inspection section of the content filling system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a side view (view taken along the line VII in FIG. 4) showing the bottom inspection section of the content filling system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a side view (view taken along the line VIII in FIG. 4) showing the mouth inspection section of the content filling system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a content filling method using the content filling system according to this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a modification of the content filling system according to this embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a modification of the content filling system according to this embodiment. FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view showing a modification of the content filling system according to this embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing a modification of the content filling system according to this embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view showing a modification of the content filling system according to this embodiment. FIG. 15 is a side view showing a modification of the trunk inspection section of the content filling system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view showing a modification of the preform conveying section of the content filling system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view showing a modification of the preform conveying section of the content filling system according to the present embodiment.

The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, first, an outline of a bottle to be filled with contents and a preform for manufacturing the bottle will be explained using the contents filling system according to the present embodiment. In this specification, "upper" and "lower" respectively refer to the upper and lower parts of the bottle 100 when it is erected (FIG. 1).

The bottle 100 shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by expanding the preform 100a by subjecting the preform 100a to biaxial stretch blow molding using a blow mold.

The bottle 100 includes a mouth part 110, a neck part 130 provided below the mouth part 110, a shoulder part 120 provided below the neck part 130, a body part 200 provided below the shoulder part 120, and a body part 200 below the body part 200. A bottom portion 300 is provided at the bottom.

Among these, the mouth portion 110 has a threaded portion 140 that is screwed onto a cap (not shown), and a flange portion 170 provided below the threaded portion 140. Note that the shape of the mouth portion 110 may be a conventionally known shape.

The neck portion 130 is located between the flange portion 170 and the shoulder portion 120, and has a substantially cylindrical shape with a substantially uniform diameter. Further, the shoulder portion 120 is located between the neck portion 130 and the body portion 200, and has a shape whose diameter gradually increases from the neck portion 130 side toward the body portion 200 side.

Further, the body portion 200 has a cylindrical shape with a substantially uniform diameter as a whole. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the body portion 200 may have a polygonal cylindrical shape such as a quadrangular cylindrical shape or an octagonal cylindrical shape. Alternatively, the body portion 200 may have a cylindrical shape with a horizontal cross section that is not uniform from the top to the bottom. Further, in the present embodiment, the body portion 200 has a substantially flat surface without any unevenness, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, irregularities such as panels or grooves may be formed on the body portion 200.

On the other hand, the bottom portion 300 has a recess 310 located at the center and a grounding portion 320 provided around the recess 310. Note that the shape of the bottom portion 300 is not particularly limited, and may have a conventionally known bottom shape (for example, a petaloid bottom shape, a round bottom shape, etc.).

Such a bottle 100 may be, for example, a bottle with a capacity of 100 ml or more and 2000 ml or less. Further, as the material for the bottle 100, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin, particularly PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), or PEN (polyethylene naphthalate). Although an example in which the present disclosure is applied to a container as a PET bottle for beverages will be described, the present disclosure is not limited to such a bottle 100, and can be applied to the transportation of various containers.

Next, the configuration of the preform 100a will be explained with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the preform 100a includes a mouth 110a, a body 200a connected to the mouth 110a, and a bottom 300a connected to the body 200a. Among these, the mouth portion 110a corresponds to the mouth portion 110 of the bottle 100 described above, and has substantially the same shape as the mouth portion 110. That is, the mouth portion 110a includes a threaded portion 140a corresponding to the threaded portion 140 described above, and a flange portion 170a provided below the threaded portion 140a and corresponding to the flange portion 170 described above. Further, the body portion 200a corresponds to the neck portion 130 and the body portion 200 of the bottle 100 described above, and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The bottom portion 300a corresponds to the bottom portion 300 of the bottle 100 described above, and has a substantially hemispherical shape.

(Contents filling system)
Next, a content filling system (aseptic filling system, aseptic filling system) according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. A content filling system 10 shown in FIG. 3 is a system for filling a bottle 100 with a content such as a beverage.

As shown in FIG. 3, the contents filling system 10 includes a bottle forming section 30, a sterilizer 11, an air rinse device 14, a sterile water rinse device 15, a filling device (filler) 20, and a cap attaching device (capper). , sealing or capping machine) 16, and a product bottle delivery section 22. The bottle forming section 30, the sterilizing device 11, the air rinsing device 14, the sterile water rinsing device 15, the filling device 20, the cap attaching device 16, and the product bottle unloading section 22 are arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side along the conveyance direction of the bottle 100. They are arranged in this order. Moreover, the contents filling system 10 further includes a discarding section 50 that discards the bottle 100 based on the test results inspected by the test section 40, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the repelling section 50 is provided within the bottle forming section 30. The content filling system 10 also includes an adjusting conveyance section 60 that is provided between the bottle forming section 30 and the sterilizer 11, receives the bottle 100 from a bottle conveyance section 33 (described later), and delivers the bottle 100 to the sterilizer 11. It also has the following. Furthermore, a plurality of transport wheels 12 are provided between the sterilizer 11, the air rinse device 14, the sterile water rinse device 15, the filling device 20, and the cap attachment device 16 to transport the bottles 100 between these devices. There is. Note that each of the plurality of transport wheels 12 includes a gripper (not shown) that transports the bottle 100 while gripping the upper or lower part of the flange portion 170 of the bottle 100.

The bottle molding section 30 sequentially receives preforms 100a from the outside, molds the bottles 100, and then transports and supplies the molded bottles 100 toward the sterilizer 11. As described above, since the bottle molding section 30 is configured to receive the preform 100a and mold the bottle 100, in the content filling system 10, the process from supplying the preform 100a to molding the bottle 100 is possible. , filling the bottle 100 with contents and closing the bottle 100 can be performed continuously. In this case, since it is possible to transport from the outside to the content filling system 10 in the form of a preform 100a with a small volume rather than in the form of a bottle 100 with a large volume, transportation costs can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottle molding section 30 includes a preform transport section 31 that transports the preform 100a, and a blow molding section 32 that molds the bottle 100 by performing blow molding on the preform 100a. , a bottle transport section 33 that transports the molded bottle 100, and an inspection section 40 that tests the preform 100a and/or the bottle 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, the preform conveying section 31 includes a receiving section 34 that receives the preform 100a supplied from the preform supplying device 1 via the preform supply conveyor 2, and a receiving section 34 that receives the preform 100a supplied from the preform supplying device 1 via the preform supply conveyor 2. The heating section 35 receives the preform 100a and heats the preform 100a while conveying it, and the delivery section 36 receives the preform 100a heated by the heating section 35 and delivers it to the blow molding section 32.

Of these, the receiving section 34 includes a rotatable receiving wheel 34a and a plurality of grippers 34b provided on the receiving wheel 34a and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The gripper 34b rotates (revolutions) as the receiving wheel 34a rotates. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the gripper 34b is configured to rotate while gripping the lower part of the flange portion 170a of the preform 100a and convey the preform 100a. In this embodiment, the gripper 34b of the receiving section 34 rotates in a counterclockwise direction in plan view in FIG. Note that a first sensor 34c is provided near the receiving section 34 for checking whether or not the gripper 34b has properly received the preform 100a supplied from the preform supplying device 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the heating section 35 is provided with a heater 35a that heats the preform 100a. This heater 35a may be, for example, an infrared heater. The preform 100a is heated, for example, to about 90° C. or more and 130° C. or less by the heater 35a. Note that the temperature of the mouth portion 110a of the preform 100a is suppressed to 70° C. or lower to prevent deformation and the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the delivery section 36 includes a rotatable delivery wheel 36a and a plurality of grippers (preform gripping members) 36b provided on the delivery wheel 36a and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Contains. The gripper 36b rotates (revolutions) as the delivery wheel 36a rotates. Further, the gripper 36b is configured to rotate while gripping the upper part of the flange portion 170a of the preform 100a and convey the preform 100a, as shown by the imaginary line (two-dot chain line) in FIG. In this embodiment, the gripper 36b of the transfer section 36 rotates in a counterclockwise direction in a plan view in FIG.

The blow molding section 32 includes a mold (not shown), and the bottle 100 is molded by performing blow molding on the preform 100a using this mold. Note that a second sensor 32c is provided near the blow molding section 32 to check whether or not a gripper 33b (described later) has properly received the blow molded bottle 100.

Further, the bottle conveyance section 33 includes a rotatable conveyance wheel 33a and a plurality of grippers (bottle gripping members) 33b provided on the conveyance wheel 33a and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The gripper 33b rotates (revolutions) as the conveyance wheel 33a rotates. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the gripper 33b is configured to rotate while gripping the upper part of the flange portion 170 of the bottle 100 and convey the bottle 100. In this embodiment, the gripper 33b of the bottle conveyance section 33 rotates in a counterclockwise direction in a plan view in FIG.

By the way, the above-mentioned gripper (preform gripping member) 36b of the delivery section 36 and the gripper (bottle gripping member) 33b of the bottle conveyance section 33 are used when the body inspection section 43 (described later) inspects the bottle 100. The preform 100a is arranged in a positional relationship such that the preform 100a does not enter the field of view of the inspection section 43. Thereby, when the body inspection section 43 (described later) images the body 200 of the bottle 100, it is possible to prevent the preform 100a from appearing in the captured image. Therefore, when the body inspection section 43 inspects the body 200 of the bottle 100, the field of view of the body inspection section 43 can be expanded, and the inspection accuracy can be improved.

Next, the inspection section 40 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inspection unit 40 includes a flange inspection unit 41 that inspects the upper surface of the flange 170a of the preform 100a, an opening inspection unit 42 that inspects the opening 110 of the bottle 100, and a body of the bottle 100. 200; a bottom inspection section 44 that inspects the bottom 300 of the bottle 100; and a bottle temperature inspection section 45 that inspects the surface temperature of the bottle 100. The flange part inspection part 41, the body part inspection part 43, the mouth part inspection part 42, the bottom part inspection part 44, and the bottle temperature inspection part 45 are oriented from the upstream side to the downstream side along the conveyance direction of the preform 100a and the bottle 100. The levers are arranged in this order.

Among these, the flange portion inspection section 41 is installed along the preform conveyance section 31. Specifically, the flange inspection section 41 is installed along the receiving section 34 of the preform conveyance section 31. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the flange portion inspection section 41 is arranged above the gripper 34b via the support member 41a. Here, as described above, the gripper 34b of the receiving section 34 rotates while gripping the lower part of the flange portion 170a of the preform 100a, and conveys the preform 100a. Therefore, by installing the flange part inspection part 41 along the receiving part 34 and above the gripper 34b, it is possible to reliably inspect the upper surface of the flange part 170a of the preform 100a. . Further, the flange portion inspection section 41 includes a camera 41b that images the upper surface of the flange portion 170a of the preform 100a. Furthermore, a lighting section 41c is provided above the gripper 34b. The camera 41b is arranged to receive the reflected light L2 reflected from the upper surface of the flange part 170a out of the irradiated light L1 from the illumination part 41c. Then, the camera 41b captures an image of the upper surface of the flange portion 170a by receiving the reflected light L2. In this case, the camera 41b is connected to an image processing device and a control device (not shown), and the captured image is processed by the image processing device, and the presence of abnormalities such as scratches, foreign objects, and discoloration is determined by the control device. . Then, the preform 100a determined by the control device to have an abnormality is rejected from the rejection unit 50 after being blow molded.

As shown in FIG. 4, the trunk inspection section 43 is arranged along the preform transport section 31. Specifically, the trunk inspection section 43 is installed along the delivery section 36 of the preform transport section 31. As shown in FIG. 6, the trunk inspection section 43 is placed on the floor surface of the work space via a support member 43a, and is placed below the gripper 33b. This body inspection section 43 includes a mirror 43b and a camera 43c that images the body 200 of the bottle 100. Furthermore, an illumination section 43d is provided at the rear of the bottle 100 when viewed from the body inspection section 43. The camera 43c is arranged to receive reflected light L4, which is transmitted through the body 200 of the bottle 100 and reflected by the mirror 43b, out of the irradiated light L3 from the illumination section 43d. Then, the camera 43c images the torso 200 by receiving the reflected light L4. In this way, by the camera 43c receiving the reflected light L4 reflected by the mirror 43b and capturing an image of the body 200, the body inspection section 43 can be arranged in a limited space, and the contents filling system 10 It is possible to save space.

Further, as described above, the gripper 36b of the delivery section 36 and the gripper 33b of the bottle conveyance section 33 are arranged so that when the body inspection section 43 inspects the bottle 100, the preform is placed within the field of view of the body inspection section 43. They are arranged in such a positional relationship that 100a does not fit therein. That is, among the irradiated light L3 from the illumination section 43d, incident light L31 (see FIG. 6) that passes through the body 200 of the bottle 100 and enters the mirror 43b is transmitted to the preform gripped by the gripper 36b of the delivery section 36. They are arranged in a positional relationship that does not allow light to pass through 100a. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when the gripper 33b of the bottle conveyance section 33 comes to a position directly facing the body inspection section 43, the gripper 36b of the delivery section 36 moves away from the body inspection section 43 around the circumference in a plan view. position so as to shift in the direction. On the other hand, when the above-described gripper 36b of the delivery section 36 and the gripper 33b of the bottle transport section 33 inspect the bottle 100, the preform 100a enters the field of view of the body inspection section 43. If they are arranged in such a positional relationship, as shown by the virtual line (two-dot chain line) in FIG. It may pass through the preform 100B gripped by the gripper 36b. In this case, when the body inspection section 43 captures an image of the bottle 100A, the preform 100B may appear in the captured image. On the other hand, when the body inspection section 43 inspects the bottle 100, the gripper 36b of the delivery section 36 and the gripper 33b of the bottle conveyance section 33 move the preform 100a within the field of view of the body inspection section 43. By arranging the preform 100B in a positional relationship that prevents the preform 100B from appearing in the captured image, it is possible to prevent the preform 100B from appearing in the captured image. Therefore, when the body inspection section 43 inspects the body 200 of the bottle 100, the field of view of the body inspection section 43 can be expanded, and the inspection accuracy can be improved. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the body inspection section 43 detects the center axis C1 of the bottle 100A to be inspected by the body inspection section 43 and the gripper 36b of the delivery section 36 in a plan view. The gripper 36B that is closest to the gripper 33B that grips the bottle 100A to be inspected by the unit 43 is installed at a position that does not overlap with the straight line X connecting the central axis C2 of the preform 100B gripped by the gripper 36B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom inspection section 44 and the mouth inspection section 42 are installed along the bottle conveyance section 33. Of these, the bottom inspection section 44 is arranged above the gripper 33b via a support member 44a, as shown in FIG. The bottom inspection section 44 includes a camera 44b that images the bottom 300 of the bottle 100. Furthermore, a lighting section 44c is provided below the gripper 33b. The camera 44b is arranged to receive transmitted light L6 that has passed through the bottom 300 of the bottle 100, out of the irradiated light L5 from the illumination section 44c. Then, the camera 44b images the bottom portion 300 by receiving the transmitted light L6.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the mouth inspection section 42 is arranged above the gripper 33b via the support member 42a. The mouth inspection section 42 includes a camera 42b that images the mouth 110 of the bottle 100. Furthermore, a lighting section 42c is provided above the gripper 33b. The camera 42b is arranged to receive the reflected light L8 reflected by the mouth part 110 out of the irradiated light L7 from the illumination part 42c. Then, the camera 42b captures an image of the mouth 110 by receiving this reflected light L8.

In this case, the cameras 43c, 44b, and 42b of the torso inspection section 43, the bottom inspection section 44, and the mouth inspection section 42 are connected to an image processing device and a control device (not shown), and the captured images are It is processed by a processing device, and the presence of abnormalities such as scratches, foreign objects, and discoloration is determined by a control device. Then, the bottle 100 determined by the control device to have an abnormality is rejected from the rejection unit 50.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottle temperature inspection section 45 is installed upstream of the exclusion section 50. This bottle temperature inspection section 45 plays a role of inspecting the surface temperature of the blow-molded bottle 100 and determining whether the bottle 100 is good or bad. Further, the bottle temperature inspection section 45 may include, for example, an infrared radiation thermometer (infrared radiation camera). Note that the bottle temperature inspection section 45 may include other thermometers. It is preferable that the surface temperature of the bottle 100 detected by the bottle temperature inspection unit 45 is, for example, 50° C. or higher. Since the surface temperature of the bottle 100 is 50° C. or higher due to residual heat during molding of the bottle 100, the bottle 100 can be properly sterilized by the sterilizer 11. Further, in this case, the bottle temperature inspection unit 45 is connected to a control device (not shown), and the bottle 100 whose surface temperature is determined to be lower than a predetermined temperature by the control device is rejected from the rejection unit 50. be done.

Note that the arrangement order of the mouth inspection section 42, body inspection section 43, bottom inspection section 44, and bottle temperature inspection section 45 described above can be changed as appropriate, and the arrangement position can also be changed as appropriate. Further, other inspection sections may be added for other inspection items.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inspection section 40 further includes a discard confirmation sensor 46 that is provided downstream of the discard section 50 and inspects the presence or absence of the bottle 100. This exclusion confirmation sensor 46 is connected to a control device (not shown). When the control device determines that an abnormal bottle 100 that should be rejected by the rejecting unit 50 has been transported, the control device stops the transport of the content filling system 10, and also stops normal bottles 100 that should not be rejected by the rejecting unit 50. If it is determined that the bottle 100 has not been transported, the bottle forming section 30 stops transporting the bottle 100. Thereby, the bottle molding section 30 can have a fail-safe function.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the displacing section 50 is provided within the bottle forming section 30 as described above, is provided downstream of the blow forming section 32, and is configured to transport bottles in the bottle forming section 30. 33. This rejecting unit 50 plays a role of rejecting bottles 100 determined to be abnormal by a control device (not shown) from the contents filling system 10 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the adjustment conveyance unit 60 is provided between the bottle forming unit 30 and the sterilizer 11, as described above. This adjustment conveyance section 60 is housed inside an atmosphere isolation chamber 72, which will be described later. As described above, since the adjustment conveyance section 60 is housed inside the atmosphere isolation chamber 72, the sterilizing agent gas or mist, or a mixture thereof generated in the sterile chamber 73, which will be described later, can be accommodated in the bottle forming section 30. It is possible to suppress the problem of flowing into the molding part chamber 71, which will be described later.

The sterilizer 11 sterilizes the inside of the bottle 100 by injecting a sterilizer into the bottle 100. Thereby, the bottle 100 is sterilized by the sterilizing agent before filling with the contents. As the disinfectant, for example, an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is used. In the sterilizer 11 , a mist or gas of an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is generated, and the mist or gas is sprayed onto the inner and outer surfaces of the bottle 100 . In this manner, the inside of the bottle 100 is sterilized with the mist or gas of the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, so the inside and outside surfaces of the bottle 100 are sterilized evenly.

The air rinse device 14 supplies sterile heated air or room temperature air to the bottle 100, thereby activating hydrogen peroxide and removing foreign matter, hydrogen peroxide, etc. from inside the bottle 100.

The sterile water rinsing device 15 cleans the bottle 100, which has been sterilized with hydrogen peroxide, which is a sterilizing agent, using sterile water at a temperature of about 15° C. or higher and 85° C. or lower. As a result, hydrogen peroxide adhering to the bottle 100 is washed away and foreign matter is removed.

The filling device 20 fills the bottle 100 with pre-sterilized contents from the mouth of the bottle 100. In this filling device 20, contents are filled into an empty bottle 100. In this filling device 20, contents are filled into the bottles 100 while the plurality of bottles 100 are rotated (revolving).

The cap attachment device 16 closes the bottle 100 by attaching the cap 80 to the mouth of the bottle 100. In the cap attachment device 16, the mouth of the bottle 100 is closed by a cap 80, and the bottle 100 is sealed to prevent outside air and microorganisms from entering. In the cap attachment device 16, the caps 80 are attached to the mouths of a plurality of bottles 100 filled with contents while rotating (revolving). By attaching the cap 80 to the mouth of the bottle 100 in this manner, a product bottle 101 is obtained.

The cap 80 is sterilized in advance by the cap sterilizer 18. The cap sterilizer 18 is arranged, for example, near the cap attachment device 16. In the cap sterilizer 18 , a large number of caps 80 brought in from outside the content filling system 10 are collected in advance and conveyed in a line toward the cap mounting device 16 . On the way to the cap mounting device 16, the cap 80 is sprayed with hydrogen peroxide mist or gas toward the inner and outer surfaces of the cap 80, and then dried with hot air and sterilized.

The product bottle unloading section 22 continuously transports the product bottles 101 to which the caps 80 have been attached by the cap attaching device 16 to the outside of the content filling system 10 .

Note that the content filling system 10 includes a molding section chamber 71, an atmosphere isolation chamber 72, and a sterile chamber 73. Among these, the bottle forming section 30 is housed inside the forming section chamber 71, and the adjustment conveying section 60 is housed inside the atmosphere blocking chamber 72. Further, inside the sterile chamber 73, the above-mentioned sterilizing device 11, air rinsing device 14, sterile water rinsing device 15, filling device 20, cap sterilizing device 18, and cap mounting device 16 are housed. Such a filling system 10 may comprise, for example, an aseptic filling system. In this case, the inside of the sterile chamber 73 is maintained in a sterile state. Further, the atmosphere blocking chamber 72 is configured to prevent sterilizing agent gas or mist, or a mixture thereof generated in the sterile chamber 73 from flowing into the molding part chamber 71.

Alternatively, the content filling system 10 may be a high temperature filling system that fills the content at a high temperature of 85°C or higher and less than 100°C. Alternatively, it may be a medium-temperature filling system that fills the contents at a medium temperature of 55°C or higher and lower than 85°C. On the other hand, the technical idea according to this embodiment can also be applied to aseptic packaging using post-sterilization such as retort sterilization.

(Content filling method)
Next, a content filling method using the above-described content filling system 10 (FIG. 3) will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

First, the preform supply device 1 sequentially supplies a plurality of preforms 100a to the receiving section 34 of the preform conveyance section 31 via the preform supply conveyor 2 (preform supply step, reference numeral S1 in FIG. 9). ). The preform 100a supplied to the receiving section 34 is conveyed while being gripped below the flange section 170a by the gripper 34b of the receiving section 34.

Next, the preform 100a supplied to the receiving section 34 is inspected by the flange section inspection section 41 installed along the receiving section 34 (preform inspection step, reference numeral S2 in FIG. 9). At this time, the upper surface of the flange portion 170a is imaged by the camera 41b of the flange portion inspection section 41. The captured image is then processed by an image processing device (not shown), and a control device (not shown) determines the presence of abnormalities such as scratches, foreign objects, and discoloration.

Next, the preform 100a is sent to the heating section 35, and heated by the heater 35a to, for example, about 90° C. or higher and 130° C. or lower. Next, the preform 100a heated by the heating section 35 is sent to the delivery section 36. The preform 100a is then sent from the delivery section 36 to the blow molding section 32.

Next, the bottle 100 is blow-molded by blow-molding the preform 100a sent to the blow-molding section 32 using a mold (not shown) (bottle-molding step, reference numeral S3 in FIG. 9). The blow-molded bottle 100 is then sent to the bottle transport section 33.

Next, the body 200 of the bottle 100 sent to the bottle conveyance section 33 is inspected by the body inspection section 43 disposed along the delivery section 36 of the preform conveyance section 31 (bottle body inspection step). S4 in FIG. 9). At this time, the body 200 of the bottle 100 is imaged by the camera 43c of the body inspection section 43. The captured image is then processed by an image processing device (not shown), and a control device (not shown) determines the presence of abnormalities such as scratches, foreign objects, and discoloration.

At this time, when the body inspection section 43 inspects the bottle 100, the gripper 36b (see FIG. 4) of the delivery section 36 and the gripper 33b (see FIG. 4) of the bottle conveyance section 33 The preform 100a is arranged in a positional relationship such that the preform 100a does not enter the field of view of the preform 100a. Thereby, when the body part inspection section 43 images the body part 200 of the bottle 100, it is possible to suppress the preform 100a from appearing in the captured image. Therefore, the inspection accuracy when the body inspection section 43 inspects the body 200 of the bottle 100 can be improved.

Moreover, the bottom part 300 of the bottle 100 sent to the bottle transport part 33 is inspected by the bottom part inspection part 44 arranged along the bottle transport part 33 (bottle bottom part inspection step, reference numeral S5 in FIG. 9). At this time, the bottom part 300 of the bottle 100 is imaged by the camera 44b of the bottom part inspection section 44. The captured image is then processed by an image processing device (not shown), and a control device (not shown) determines the presence of abnormalities such as scratches, foreign objects, and discoloration.

Furthermore, the mouth part 110 of the bottle 100 sent to the bottle transport section 33 is inspected by the mouth part inspection part 42 arranged along the bottle transport part 33 (bottle mouth part inspection step, reference numeral S6 in FIG. 9). . At this time, the mouth 110 of the bottle 100 is imaged by the camera 42b of the mouth inspection section 42. The captured image is then processed by an image processing device (not shown), and a control device (not shown) determines the presence of abnormalities such as scratches, foreign objects, and discoloration.

Furthermore, the surface temperature of the bottle 100 sent to the bottle transport section 33 is inspected by the bottle temperature inspection section 45 provided upstream of the rejecting section 50 (bottle temperature inspection step, reference numeral S7 in FIG. 9). At this time, the bottle temperature inspection section 45 measures the surface temperature of the bottle 100. Then, a control device (not shown) determines whether or not the surface temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature.

In this way, by inspecting the preform 100a and the molded bottle 100 in the bottle molding section 30, the bottle 100 can be promptly supplied to the sterilizer 11 after the bottle 100 is molded. Therefore, intermediate contamination of the bottle 100 can be reduced, and the sterilization effect when sterilizing the bottle 100 can be enhanced.

Next, in the preform inspection step (S2 in FIG. 9) described above, the bottle 100 formed from the preform 100a determined to have an abnormality is expelled from the expulsion unit 50 to the outside of the content filling system 10. (abnormal bottle exclusion process, reference numeral S8 in FIG. 9). At this time, it is determined that an abnormality exists in the bottle body inspection process (symbol S4 in FIG. 9), the bottle bottom inspection process (symbol S5 in FIG. 9), and the bottle mouth inspection process (symbol S6 in FIG. 9). The bottle 100 that has been removed is ejected from the ejection unit 50 to the outside of the content filling system 10 . Further, in the bottle temperature inspection step (S7 in FIG. 9), bottles 100 whose surface temperature is determined to be lower than a predetermined temperature are rejected from the rejection unit 50 to the outside of the content filling system 10.

On the other hand, bottles 100 that are not determined to be abnormal by a control device (not shown) and whose surface temperature is not determined to be higher than a predetermined temperature are sent to the sterilizer 11 .

By the way, the inspection unit 40 further includes a rejection confirmation sensor 46 that is provided on the downstream side of the rejection unit 50 and that tests the presence or absence of the bottle 100. This rejection confirmation sensor 46 is connected to a control device (not shown), and when the control device determines that an abnormal bottle 100 that should be rejected by the rejection unit 50 has been conveyed based on a signal from the rejection confirmation sensor 46. Then, transport of the bottle 100 in the bottle forming section 30 is stopped. This suppresses the problem of abnormal bottles 100 being sent to the downstream side of the rejecting section 50. Further, when the control device determines that a normal bottle 100 that should not be rejected by the rejecting unit 50 is not being conveyed based on the signal from the rejecting confirmation sensor 46, the control device prevents the bottle 100 from being conveyed in the bottle forming unit 30. Stop. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the content filling system 10, for example, a normal bottle 100 that should not be rejected by the rejecting unit 50 is not transported, only the normal bottles 100 can be reliably handled. It can be sent to the downstream side of the exclusion section 50.

Next, in the sterilizer 11, the bottle 100 is sterilized using an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution as a sterilizer (sterilization step, reference numeral S9 in FIG. 9). At this time, the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution is a gas or mist that has been vaporized at a temperature above the boiling point, and is supplied toward the bottle 100. The mist of the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution adheres to the entire inner surface of the bottle 100 and sterilizes the inner and outer surfaces of the bottle 100. The amount of hydrogen peroxide mist supplied into the bottle 100 is, for example, 5 μL/bottle or more and 50 μL/bottle or less, and in the case of hydrogen peroxide gas, it may be 1 mg/L or more and 5 mg/L or less. . This makes it possible to reduce the amount of hydrogen peroxide used.

Subsequently, the bottle 100 is sent to an air rinse device 14 by the conveyor wheel 12, and in the air rinse device 14, foreign substances are removed from the bottle 100 while activating hydrogen peroxide by supplying sterile heated air or room temperature air. , hydrogen peroxide, etc. are removed. Bottles 100 are then transported by transport wheels 12 to a sterile water rinse device 15 . In this sterile water rinsing device 15, washing with sterile water at a temperature of about 15° C. to 85° C. is performed (rinsing step, reference numeral S10 in FIG. 9). Specifically, sterile water at about 15° C. or higher and 85° C. or lower is supplied into the bottle 100 at a flow rate of 5 L/min or higher and 15 L/min or lower. At that time, the bottle 100 is preferably in an inverted state, and sterile water is supplied into the bottle 100 from the downward facing mouth, and this sterile water flows out of the bottle 100 from the mouth. This hot water washes away hydrogen peroxide adhering to the bottle 100 and removes foreign substances.

Subsequently, the bottle 100 is transported to the filling device 20 by the transport wheel 12. In this filling device 20, the bottle 100 is rotated (revolution), and contents are filled into the bottle 100 from its mouth (content filling step, reference numeral S11 in FIG. 9).

Before filling the bottle 100 with this filling device 20, the contents are prepared in advance and heat sterilized. The heating temperature is generally about 60° C. or more and 120° C. or less when the acidity of the contents is less than 4.0, and about 115° C. or more and 150° C. or less when the pH is 4.0 or more. This sterilizes all microorganisms that may grow within the product bottle 101 in the contents before filling. The heat-sterilized contents are cooled to a temperature of about 3°C or higher and 40°C or lower.

In the filling device 20, the sterilized bottle 100 is filled at room temperature with the contents that have been sterilized and cooled to room temperature. The temperature of the contents during filling is, for example, approximately 3°C or higher and 40°C or lower.

Subsequently, the bottle 100 filled with the contents is transported by the transport wheel 12 to the capping device 16 .

On the other hand, the cap 80 is sterilized in advance by the cap sterilizer 18 (cap sterilization process, reference numeral S12 in FIG. 9). During this time, the cap 80 is first carried into the cap sterilizer 18 from outside the contents filling system 10 . Next, the cap 80 is sprayed with hydrogen peroxide mist or gas in the cap sterilizer 18 to sterilize its inner and outer surfaces, dried with hot air, and sent to the cap attachment device 16 .

Next, in the cap attaching device 16, a sterilized cap 80 is attached to the mouth of the bottle 100 conveyed from the filling device 20, thereby obtaining a product bottle 101 (cap attaching step, reference numeral S13 in FIG. 9). .

Thereafter, the product bottle 101 is transported from the capping device 16 to the product bottle unloading section 22 and transported to the outside of the content filling system 10.

Note that each process from the sterilization process to the cap attachment process is performed in a sterile atmosphere surrounded by a sterile chamber 73, that is, in a sterile environment. The inside of this sterile chamber 73 has been sterilized in advance by spraying hydrogen peroxide, spraying warm water, and the like. After the sterilization process, positive pressure sterile air is supplied into the sterile chamber 73 so that the sterile air is constantly blown out to the outside of the sterile chamber 73.

Note that the production (transportation) speed of the bottles 100 in the content filling system 10 is preferably 100 bpm or more and 1500 bpm or less. Here, bpm (bottle per minute) refers to the transport speed of bottles 100 per minute.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the bottle molding unit 30 includes a preform transport unit 31 that transports the preform 100a, and a blow molding unit that molds the bottle 100 by performing blow molding on the preform 100a. 32, a bottle conveyance section 33 that conveys the molded bottle 100, and an inspection section 40 that inspects the preform 100a and the bottle 100. Thereby, in the bottle molding section 30, the preform 100a and the molded bottle 100 can be inspected. Therefore, there is no need to provide an inspection section between the bottle molding section 30 and the sterilizer 11. As a result, after the bottle 100 is molded, the bottle 100 can be promptly supplied to the sterilizer 11. Therefore, intermediate contamination of the bottle 100 can be reduced, and the sterilization effect when sterilizing the bottle 100 can be enhanced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the content filling system 10 further includes a discarding section 50 that discards the bottle 100 based on the test results inspected by the test section 40. Thereby, the bottle 100 molded from the preform 100a determined to have an abnormality or the bottle 100 determined to have an abnormality can be expelled from the rejecting unit 50 to the outside of the content filling system 10.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the repelling section 50 is provided within the bottle forming section 30. Thereby, the bottle 100 in which the abnormality has occurred can be rejected from the bottle molding section 30. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the supply of disinfectant to the bottle 100 in which the abnormality has occurred, and it is possible to reduce the amount of disinfectant used.

Further, according to this embodiment, the flange portion inspection section 41 is installed along the preform conveyance section 31. In this way, by inspecting the flange portion 170a of the preform 100a in the preform conveyance section 31, the step of inspecting the flange portion 170 of the bottle 100 after molding the bottle 100 can be omitted. Therefore, after the bottle 100 is molded, the bottle 100 can be supplied to the sterilizer 11 more quickly.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the mouth inspection section 42 and the bottom inspection section 44 are installed along the bottle conveyance section 33. Thereby, the mouth portion 110 and bottom portion 300 of the bottle 100 can be quickly inspected after the bottle 100 is molded. Therefore, after the bottle 100 is molded, the bottle 100 can be promptly supplied to the sterilizer 11.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the trunk inspection section 43 is arranged along the preform conveyance section 31. Also in this case, the body 200 of the bottle 100 can be quickly inspected after the bottle 100 is molded. Therefore, after the bottle 100 is molded, the bottle 100 can be promptly supplied to the sterilizer 11.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the bottle temperature inspection section 45 is installed upstream of the exclusion section 50. Thereby, the surface temperature of the bottle 100 can be inspected by the bottle temperature inspection section 45 on the upstream side of the exclusion section 50. Therefore, bottles 100 whose surface temperature is determined to be lower than a predetermined temperature can be rejected from the rejecting unit 50, and bottles 100 whose surface temperature is determined to be higher than a predetermined temperature can be rejected from the sterilizer 11. Can be sent. Therefore, the sterilization effect when sterilizing the bottle 100 can be enhanced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the gripper 36b of the delivery section 36 and the gripper 33b of the bottle transport section 33 are within the field of view of the body inspection section 43 when the body inspection section 43 inspects the bottle 100. The preform 100a is arranged in a positional relationship such that the preform 100a does not fit inside. Thereby, when the body part inspection section 43 images the body part 200 of the bottle 100, it is possible to suppress the preform 100a from appearing in the captured image. Therefore, when the body inspection section 43 inspects the body 200 of the bottle 100, the field of view of the body inspection section 43 can be expanded, and the inspection accuracy can be improved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the content filling system 10 is provided between the bottle forming unit 30 and the sterilizer 11, receives the bottle 100 from the bottle transport unit 33, and transfers the bottle 100 to the sterilizer 11. It further includes an adjustment conveyance section 60 for delivering and delivering. Thereby, the sterilizing agent gas or mist, or a mixture thereof generated in the sterile chamber 73 can be prevented from flowing into the molding section chamber 71 that accommodates the bottle molding section 30.

In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which a sterilizer that performs hydrogen peroxide sterilization and hot water sterilization is used as the container sterilizer, but the present invention is not limited to this. The peracetic acid sterilization method involves sterilizing the inner and outer surfaces of the bottle with a peracetic acid rinse and then rinsing the inner and outer surfaces with sterile water, or the electron beam sterilization method in which the bottle is sterilized by irradiating the bottle with an electron beam from the inner or outer surface, followed by an air rinse with sterile air. All sterilization devices such as sterilization methods and UV sterilization can be applied. In addition to sterilizing bottles, it can also be used to sterilize preforms, cups, and pouches.

Further, in the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the repelling section 50 is provided downstream of the blow molding section 32 and is connected to the bottle conveyance section 33 of the bottle molding section 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the repelling section 50 may be provided upstream of the blow molding section 32 and connected to the delivery section 36 of the preform transport section 31. Further, the repelling section 50 may be provided both on the upstream side and the downstream side of the blow molding section 32. In this case, the rejecting section 51 of the rejecting section 50 connected to the delivery section 36 of the preform transport section 31 removes the preform 100a determined to be abnormal by a control device (not shown) from the outside of the content filling system 10. It plays a role of excluding people. That is, the preform 100a determined by the control device to have an abnormality is rejected from the rejection section 51 before being subjected to blow molding.

Further, in the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the repelling section 50 is provided within the bottle forming section 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, although not shown, the repelling section 50 may be provided within the sterile chamber 73. In this case, for example, the repelling section 50 may be connected to the conveyance wheel 12. Moreover, in this case, a gripper is provided to grip the lower part of the flange part 170a of the conveying wheel 12 on the upstream side of the ejection part 50, without inspecting the upper surface of the flange part 170a of the preform 100a in the flange part inspection part 41. The upper surface of the flange portion 170 of the bottle 100 may be inspected on the conveyor wheel 12. Furthermore, by making the gripper transparent, the upper surface of the flange portion 170 of the bottle 100 can be held on the conveyance wheel 12 provided with the gripper that grips the upper part of the flange portion 170a among the conveyance wheels 12 on the upstream side of the displacing portion 50. It may be inspected.

Further, in the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the flange portion inspection section 41 is installed along the receiving section 34 of the preform transport section 31, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the flange inspection section 41 may be installed along the delivery section 36 of the preform conveyance section 31. Furthermore, in this case, the gripper (preform gripping member) 36b of the delivery section 36 is preferably transparent. As a result, even when the gripper 36b rotates while gripping the upper part of the flange part 170a of the preform 100a and conveys the preform 100a (see FIG. 6), the flange part of the preform 100a is moved from above the preform 100a. The top surface of 170a can be inspected.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the flange inspection section 41 may be installed along the bottle conveyance section 33. In this case, the flange portion inspection unit 41 may inspect the upper surface of the flange portion 170 of the bottle 100 instead of the upper surface of the flange portion 170a of the preform 100a. Moreover, in this case, it is preferable that the gripper (bottle gripping member) 33b of the bottle conveying section 33 be transparent. As a result, even when the gripper 33b rotates while gripping the upper part of the flange part 170 of the bottle 100 and conveys the bottle 100 (see FIGS. 6 to 8), the flange part 170 of the bottle 100 is The top surface of the can be inspected.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the mouth inspection section 42 and the bottom inspection section 44 are installed along the bottle transport section 33, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the mouth inspection section 42 and the bottom inspection section 44 may be installed along the preform conveyance section 31. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the mouth inspection section 42 and the bottom inspection section 44 may be installed along the delivery section 36 of the preform conveyance section 31, and although not shown, the preform inspection section 42 and the bottom inspection section 44 may It may be installed along the receiving section 34 of the conveying section 31. In this case, the mouth inspection section 42 and the bottom inspection section 44 may inspect the mouth 110a and the bottom 300a of the preform 100a instead of the mouth 110 and the bottom 300 of the bottle 100, respectively.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the trunk inspection section 43 was installed along the preform conveyance section 31, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the body inspection section 43 may be installed along the bottle transport section 33. In this case, the body inspection section 43 may inspect the body 200a of the preform 100a instead of the body 200 of the bottle 100.

In addition, at this time, the gripper 36b of the delivery section 36 and the gripper 33b of the bottle transport section 33 are arranged so that when the body inspection section 43 inspects the preform 100a, the bottle 100 is in the field of view of the body inspection section 43. They may be placed in a positional relationship that prevents them from entering. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, when the gripper 36b of the delivery section 36 of the preform conveyance section 31 comes to a position directly facing the body inspection section 43, the gripper 33b of the bottle conveyance section 33 reaches the position where it directly faces the body inspection section 43. 43 in the circumferential direction in plan view. In this way, the gripper 36b of the delivery section 36 and the gripper 33b of the bottle transport section 33 prevent the bottle 100 from entering the field of view of the body inspection section 43 when the body inspection section 43 inspects the bottle 100. By arranging the bottle 100A in such a positional relationship that the bottle 100A is not included in the preform 100B, it is possible to prevent the bottle 100A from appearing in an image in which the preform 100B is captured. Therefore, when the body part inspection section 43 inspects the body part 200a of the preform 100a, the field of view of the body part inspection part 43 can be expanded, and the inspection accuracy can be improved. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the body inspection section 43 determines whether the center axis C2 of the preform 100B to be inspected by the body inspection section 43 and the body of the gripper 33b of the bottle conveyance section 33 are The gripper 33B that is closest to the gripper 36B that grips the preform 100B that is inspected by the internal inspection section 43 is installed at a position that does not overlap with the straight line X that connects the central axis C1 of the bottle 100A that the gripper 33B is gripping.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the body part inspection section 43 includes an upper part inspection part 431 that inspects the upper part of the body part 200 of the bottle 100, and a lower part inspection part 431 that inspects the lower part of the body part 200 of the bottle 100. 432. These upper portion inspection section 431 and lower portion inspection section 432 each include the above-mentioned mirror 43b and camera 43c. Thereby, the range of the torso 200 imaged by the torso inspection section 43 can be widened. In particular, even if the bottle 100 has a full filling capacity of about 2000 ml, the entire body 200 can be imaged, and the inspection accuracy can be improved.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the receiving section 34 of the preform conveyance section 31 includes a rotatable receiving wheel 34a and a plurality of grippers 34b provided on the receiving wheel 34a and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. , but the example is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the receiving section 34 of the preform conveying section 31 has a star wheel 34e provided with a notch 34d for accommodating the preform 100a, and a star wheel 34e arranged around the star wheel 34e. A guide 34f that prevents the renovation 100a from falling off may be included. Similarly, an example in which the delivery section 36 of the preform conveyance section 31 includes a rotatable delivery wheel 36a and a plurality of grippers 36b provided on the delivery wheel 36a and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Although explained above, it is not limited to this. The delivery section 36 of the preform conveyance section 31 includes a star wheel 36e provided with a notch 36d for accommodating the preform 100a, and a guide 36f arranged around the star wheel 36e to prevent the preform 100a from falling off. It may be included. In this case, the flange inspection section 41 may be installed along the preform conveyance section 31 (see FIGS. 4 and 11). Further, in this case, it is preferable that the upper surfaces of the star wheels 34e, 36e and the guides 34f, 36f be matted. Thereby, when the flange part inspection part 41 inspects the flange part 170a of the preform 100a, among the irradiation light L1 (see FIG. 5) from the illumination part 41c, the upper surface of the star wheels 34e and 36e or the guide 34f, It is possible to suppress the reflected light reflected from the upper surface of 36f from being reflected on the upper surface of the flange portion 170a imaged by the camera 41b. Therefore, inspection accuracy can be improved.

It is also possible to appropriately combine the plurality of components disclosed in the above embodiments and modifications as necessary. Alternatively, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above embodiments and modifications.

10 Content filling system 11 Sterilizer 16 Cap mounting device 20 Filling device 22 Product bottle unloading section 30 Bottle forming section 31 Preform conveying section 32 Blow molding section 33 Bottle conveying section 33b Gripper 34d Notch 34e Star wheel 34f Guide 36 Delivery section 36b Gripper 36d Notch 36e Star wheel 36f Guide 40 Inspection section 41 Flange inspection section 42 Mouth inspection section 43 Body inspection section 44 Bottom inspection section 45 Bottle temperature inspection section 50 Rejection section 60 Adjustment conveyance section 100 Bottle 100A Bottle 100a Pump Reform 100B Preform 110 Mouth part 170a Flange part 200 Body part 300 Bottom part 431 Upper part inspection part 432 Lower part inspection part

Claims (17)

a bottle molding section that molds the bottle;
a sterilizer that sterilizes the bottle;
a filling device for filling contents into the bottle;
a cap mounting device for closing the bottle with a cap;
The bottle forming part is
a preform transport section that transports the preform;
a blow molding unit that molds the bottle by performing blow molding on the preform;
a bottle transport unit that transports the shaped bottle;
an inspection section that inspects the preform or the bottle;
The inspection section includes a flange section inspection section that inspects the upper surface of the flange section of the preform,
The flange inspection section is installed along the preform conveyance section,
The preform conveyance unit includes a plurality of preform gripping members that rotate while gripping the flange portion of the preform and convey the preform,
The preform transport section includes the plurality of preform gripping members and a delivery section that delivers the preform to the blow molding section,
The flange inspection section is installed along the delivery section of the preform transport section,
In the content filling system , the plurality of preform gripping members of the delivery section grip an upper portion of the flange portion of the preform and are transparent. The content filling system according to claim 1, further comprising a rejecting section that rejects the preform or the bottle based on the inspection result inspected by the inspecting section. 3. The content filling system according to claim 2, wherein the displacement section is provided within the bottle forming section. The content filling system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the exclusion section is provided on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of the blow molding section. The content filling system according to claim 4, wherein the exclusion section is provided both upstream and downstream of the blow molding section. The inspection section includes a mouth inspection section that inspects the mouth of the preform or the bottle, a body inspection section that inspects the body of the preform or the bottle, and a bottom inspection section of the preform or the bottle. The content filling system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, comprising a bottom inspection section that inspects the bottom part and a bottle temperature inspection section that inspects the surface temperature of the bottle. The content filling system according to claim 6, wherein the bottle conveyance section includes a plurality of bottle gripping members that rotate while gripping the flange portion of the bottle and convey the bottle. The body inspection section is installed along the preform conveyance section,
The preform gripping member and the bottle gripping member are arranged in a positional relationship such that the preform does not enter the field of view of the body inspection unit when the body inspection unit inspects the bottle. 8. The content filling system according to claim 7 . The body inspection section includes an upper section inspection section that inspects an upper section of the body of the bottle, and a lower section inspection section that inspects a lower section of the body of the bottle. 8. The content filling system according to 8 . The body inspection section is installed along the bottle conveyance section,
The preform gripping member and the bottle gripping member are arranged in a positional relationship such that the bottle does not enter the field of view of the body inspection unit when the body inspection unit inspects the preform. 8. The content filling system according to claim 7 . The content filling system according to any one of claims 6 to 10 , wherein the mouth inspection section and the bottom inspection section are installed along the bottle conveyance section. The content filling system according to any one of claims 6 to 10 , wherein the mouth inspection section and the bottom inspection section are installed along the preform conveyance section. The content filling system according to any one of claims 6 to 12 , wherein the bottle temperature inspection section is installed upstream of the exclusion section. 14. Any one of claims 1 to 13 , further comprising an adjusting transport section provided between the bottle forming section and the sterilizer, receiving the bottle from the bottle transport section, and delivering the bottle to the sterilizer. The content filling system according to item 1. a bottle molding section that molds the bottle;
a sterilizer that sterilizes the bottle;
a filling device for filling contents into the bottle;
a cap mounting device for closing the bottle with a cap,
The bottle forming part is
a preform transport section that transports the preform;
a blow molding unit that molds the bottle by performing blow molding on the preform;
a bottle transport unit that transports the shaped bottle;
an inspection section that inspects the preform or the bottle;
The inspection section includes a flange section inspection section that inspects the upper surface of the flange section of the preform,
The preform conveyance unit includes a plurality of preform gripping members that rotate while gripping the flange portion of the preform and convey the preform,
The preform transport section includes the plurality of preform gripping members and a delivery section that delivers the preform to the blow molding section,
The flange inspection section is installed along the delivery section of the preform transport section,
In the content filling system, the plurality of preform gripping members of the delivery section grip an upper portion of the flange portion of the preform and are transparent. a bottle molding section that molds the bottle;
a sterilizer that sterilizes the bottle;
a filling device for filling contents into the bottle;
a cap mounting device for closing the bottle with a cap;
The bottle forming part is
a preform transport section that transports the preform;
a blow molding unit that molds the bottle by performing blow molding on the preform;
a bottle transport unit that transports the shaped bottle;
an inspection section that inspects the preform or the bottle;
The inspection section includes a flange section inspection section that inspects the top surface of the flange section of the bottle,
The bottle conveyance unit includes a plurality of bottle gripping members that rotate while gripping the flange portion of the bottle and convey the bottle,
The flange inspection section is installed along the bottle conveyance section,
The plurality of bottle gripping members grip an upper portion of the flange portion of the bottle and are transparent. The inspection unit includes a mouth inspection unit that inspects the mouth of the bottle, and a bottom inspection unit that inspects the bottom of the bottle,
The content filling system according to claim 15 or 16 , wherein the mouth inspection section and the bottom inspection section are installed along the bottle conveyance section.