Cap sterilization device and content filling system

A cap sterilization device comprising:

• an introduction unit;
• a sterilant spraying unit that sprays a sterilant onto a cap supplied from the introduction unit;
• an air-rinsing unit that subjects the cap onto which the sterilant has been sprayed by the sterilant spraying unit to air-rinsing;
• a cleaning unit that cleans the cap that has been subjected to air-rinsing in the air-rinsing unit;
• and
• a conveyance guide that is disposed to extend successively through the introduction unit, the sterilant spraying unit, the air-rinsing unit, and the cleaning unit and along which the cap is conveyed from the introduction unit toward the cleaning unit,
• wherein the air-rinsing unit is provided with an air-rinsing nozzle that supplies hot air to the cap, the air-rinsing nozzle being disposed with a distal end of the air-rinsing nozzle in front of a proximal end of the air-rinsing nozzle in relation to a conveying direction of the conveyance guide,
• the cap is conveyed along the conveyance guide by its own weight from the introduction unit toward the cleaning unit through the sterilant spraying unit,
• the introduction unit is provided with a cap movement controller that controls a movement of the cap along the conveyance guide,
• when the cap movement controller temporarily stops the cap on the conveyance guide, a plurality of caps accumulate on the conveyance guide in a region above the cap movement controller, then, when the cap movement controller is opened, the caps that have accumulated pass the cap movement controller and move toward the introduction chamber,
• a sensor is provided on the conveyance guide at a location above the cap movement controller, and the sensor is used to determine a number of the plurality of caps that have accumulated on the conveyance guide,
• a full sensor is provided on the conveyance guide in the cleaning unit, the full sensor detects an accumulation of the cap on the conveyance guide, and
• when the full sensor detects that the cap has accumulated, the movement of the cap is stopped by the cap movement controller.