초록 ▼

The apparatus comprises a sealed chamber including a sterilizing section, a cooling section and a conveyor including carrier receivers and circulated through the sterilizing and cooling sections. The flat flexible packages containing substances to be sterilized are contained in rotatable carriers. W

The apparatus comprises a sealed chamber including a sterilizing section, a cooling section and a conveyor including carrier receivers and circulated through the sterilizing and cooling sections. The flat flexible packages containing substances to be sterilized are contained in rotatable carriers. With one side of the sealed chamber is provided a sealing means through which the carriers are charged and discharged into and out of the sealed chamber.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A continuous sterilization apparatus comprising: a casing having a laterally extending portion with a vertical dimension less than that of the remainder of said casing, and the lateral end wall of said extending portion having an opening therein; a thermally insulating separating member exten

1. A continuous sterilization apparatus comprising: a casing having a laterally extending portion with a vertical dimension less than that of the remainder of said casing, and the lateral end wall of said extending portion having an opening therein; a thermally insulating separating member extending in a generally horizontal direction across said remainder of said casing and dividing said remainder of said casing into a heating section in the upper part of said remainder of said casing and a cooling section in the lower part of said remainder of said casing; a heating medium filling said heating section and cooling water substantially filling said cooling section, said separating member having downwardly depending portions defining paths for articles to be sterilized, the lower ends of said depending portions extending downwardly into said cooling water for defining pockets between the surface of said cooling water and the underside of said separating member and said heating section and said cooling section being in contact with each other only in a limited contact region constituted by said paths; a partition wall depending from the top of said casing at the junction between said laterally extending portion and said remainder of said casing, the laterally extending portion being filled with cooling water; carriers for articles to be sterilized; a conveyer in said remainder of said casing and having a plurality of carrier receivers for removably and rotatably receiving said carriers for causing said carriers to be maintained in a horizontal position at all times during conveying by said conveyer, said conveyer extending from a position adjacent said partition wall and along said paths and through said heating and cooling sections and back to said position adjacent said partition wall; means for moving said conveyer successively through said heating section and said cooling section; a rotary valve in said opening in said lateral end wall of said extending portion of said casing; substantially horizontally extending carrier supporting feed members extending across said laterally extending portion of said casing from adjacent said rotary valve to adjacent said conveyer and substantially horizontally extending carrier supporting removal means extending across said laterally extending portion of said casing from adjacent said conveyer to adjacent said rotary valve, rotating levers having the ends movable along said carrier supporting members for moving said carriers along said carrier supporting members, and means for rotating said rotating levers in synchronism with the rotation of said rotary valve. 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said carrier supporting members having means for preventing said carriers from moving along said carrier supporting members unless they are moved by said levers. 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said rotary valve comprises a tubular casing, a rotor rotatable within said casing with a narrow gap between said rotor and said casing, said rotor having a plurality of circumferentially spaced pockets for receiving said carriers and means for pushing the carriers out of said pockets. 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each carrier receiver comprises a semicircular member and each carrier is a rotatable carrier having means for holding a plurality of flat flexible packages. 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a preheating water tank on the outside of said laterally extending portion of said casing and into which said opening opens, and a further conveyer in said water tank having a plurality of carrier receivers for removably and rotatably receiving said carriers for causing said carriers to be maintained in a horizontal position at all times during conveying by said further conveyer and for conveying said carriers to and from said rotary valve. 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising shafts on which said rotating levers are mounted for being rotated, guide means on said shafts for supporting said levers for movement in the radial direction during rotation, and cam means on said casing and engaged by said levers for moving said levers radially during rotation for causing said levers to be moved radially outwardly of said shafts toward said carrier supporting members as said levers are moved along said carrier supporting levers and moved radially inwardly during the remainder of rotation. 7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said means for rotating said levers comprise means for rotating said shafts at different speeds during different portions of a single revolution.