PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container sterilizer capable of sterilizing the inner and outer surfaces of a container, in a reduced time required for sterilizing, with a reduced used amount of sterilant.SOLUTION: A container sterilizer 1 comprises container gripping means 11 installed at equally divided intervals around a rotary disk for gripping a container P, so that the inner and outer surfaces of the container P is sterilized with a sterilizing liquid SL during transportation in a circular orbit. At the inlet of the container sterilizer 1, the container P in an inverted state with a bottom part Pb facing upward is transferred to the container gripping means 11 from upstream. The oscillation of the container gripping means 11 allows the bottom part Pb to be tilted from the inverted state, so that a mouth part Pm is immersed in a sterilizing liquid tank 8 installed along the circular orbit. Subsequently the container trunk is moved to a horizontal state or further to a state with the bottom part Pb facing obliquely downward, such that the whole container can be immersed in the sterilizing liquid tank 8. A return movement in the direction opposite to the tilting movement allows the container to be lifted up at the outlet of the container sterilizer 1, so as to move into an inverted state with the bottom part Pb facing upward. The container P is thus sterilized by the sterilizing liquid.COPYRIGHT: (C)2014,JPO&INPIT【課題】殺菌所要時間を短縮し、殺菌剤の使用量を軽減でき、容器内外表面を完全に殺菌できる容器殺菌装置を提供する。【解決手段】回転円板に円周等分に設けた容器把持手段11で容器Pを把持して、円周軌道を搬送中に殺菌液SLで容器Pの内外表面を殺菌する容器殺菌装置1において、容器Pが、容器殺菌装置1の入口部で上流から容器把持手段11に底部Pbを上方に向けた倒立状態で受け渡されて、容器把持手段11の揺動作動によって倒立状態から底部Pbを傾斜させて口部Pmが円周軌道に沿って設けられた殺菌液槽8に浸漬される状態へ、続いて、容器全体が殺菌液槽8に浸漬されるように容器胴部を水平或いはさらに底部Pbを斜め下方に向けた状態へと傾斜移動され、その後傾斜移動と逆方向への復帰移動によって、容器殺菌装置1の出口部で持ち上げられて底部Pbを上方に向けた倒立状態へと移動されることにより、殺菌液によって殺菌される構成とする。【選択図】図2
