EP1344579B1 - Apparatus for washing bottles or bottle crates - Google Patents

Abstract

The device for the cleaning of bottles has a conveyor track including an immersion bath for passage of the bottles. At least one collector unit (19-21) for solids or sludge is provided at the bottom (17) of the immersion bath and has a collecting chamber formed by a recess in the bottom and can be opened by a valve for releasing the solids collected in the chamber. The collecting chamber on a side opening out into the immersion bath is covered by a grid or sieve plate which lies level with the bottom of the bath.

Description

The invention relates to a device according to claim 1. A device of this type for cleaning crates is known ( DE 44 00 871 A1 ). DE-A-44 00 871 comprises a device according to the preamble of claim 1. In the known device is a part of the conveyor line on which the bottle crates are moved during cleaning, formed by a dip bath, which is flowed through by a liquid cleaning medium in circulation. In a return for the cleaning medium, a dirt discharge device is provided, with which foreign matter or solids are removed from the cleaning medium Despite this dirt discharge device, it is necessary to clean the device or the dipping bath of muddy foreign substances, for which in the known case a shutdown of the machine and draining the entire cleaning liquid of the immersion bath are necessary.

A device is known for cleaning bottles ( US 3,302,655 ), which are moved for this purpose with a wheel-like feed through an ultrasonically charged immersion bath and then to spray nozzles over. The cleaning liquid for the spray nozzles is removed at the bottom of the dip bath at a local extension or depression via a filter and fed via a pump to the spray nozzles.

Also known is a device for cleaning bottles with a cylindrical housing, which is oriented with its cylinder axis in the horizontal direction and in which are provided around this axis surrounding bottle carrier, so arranged on the bottle carriers bottles for cleaning, for example, several times alternately by one of a Immersion bath formed under the lower part of the housing and then, after a turning and emptying, are moved past spray nozzles provided in an upper region of the housing. For dirt discharge, a discharge opening is provided at the bottom of the housing portion forming the immersion bath, which is closed during normal operation, can be opened for discharging solids or the soiled cleaning medium. It is also known ( US-A-1 906 548 ), in a device of this type to provide the discharge opening with a sieve.

Also known is a device for cleaning or sterilizing containers ( US1,853,335 ), in which the containers are moved on a transport path through a treatment space formed in the interior of a housing, in which the containers are treated by means of a cleaning medium discharged from nozzles. The latter is collected again in a trough arranged below the conveyor line and conveyed back to the spray nozzles via a circulating pump. The tub is covered by a sieve. A dip is not provided in this known device.

Finally, devices for cleaning bottles ( GB-A-159.826 ), in which the bottles for handling with a liquid cleaning medium on a transport path to spray stations are moved past. Below the transport path and below a sieve provided there are trough-like or funnel-like collecting trays for the liquid treatment medium,

The object of the invention is to develop a device of the type mentioned in such a way that removal of muddy foreign matter is possible during operation and without an interruption. To solve this problem, a device according to the patent claim 1 is formed.

In the device according to the invention, in particular, mud-like foreign substances collect in the collecting space of the at least one collecting device. In order to remove these foreign substances from the collecting space, the valve associated with this collecting space or, respectively, a discharge pipe is opened at short notice, so that together with a small amount of cleaning liquid, for example with 50 liters of cleaning liquid per collecting device, a complete discharge the foreign matter or the foreign matter sludge from the respective collection space takes place.

The valve assigned to the collecting space is opened, for example, via an automatic controller at predetermined time intervals, for example, at short notice, to discharge the foreign matter sludge.

Fig. 1

in vereinfachter Darstellung und im Längsschnitt eine Flaschenkasten-Reinigungsmaschine gemäß der Erfindung;

Fig. 2

in vereinfachter Darstellung einen Horizontalschnitt durch die Maschine der Figur 1 im Bereich der unteren Reinigungsstrecke bzw. des Tauchbades;

Fig. 3

in Teildarstellung einen Querschnitt durch die Maschine der Figur 1;

Fig. 4

in vergrößerter Einzeldarstellung eine Draufsicht auf den Innenboden der Maschine im Bereich eines Fremdstoffauslasses.

Further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims. The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the figures of an embodiment. Show it:

Fig. 1

in a simplified representation and in longitudinal section a bottle crate cleaning machine according to the invention;

Fig. 2

in a simplified representation of a horizontal section through the machine of FIG. 1 in the area of the lower cleaning section or the immersion bath;

Fig. 3

in partial view a cross section through the machine FIG. 1 ;

Fig. 4

in enlarged detail a plan view of the inner bottom of the machine in the region of a Fremdstoffauslasses.

The illustrated in the figures and generally designated 1 machine is used to clean bottle crates 2 and consists essentially of an elongated housing 3, which is formed widened in the region of its housing base and limits a treatment or interior space 4. In this interior 4 several cleaning and transport routes are formed one above the other in the vertical direction, each extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine 1, namely a lower, trained as a dip cleaning section 5, an overlying middle cleaning section 6 and an upper cleaning section 7. Die Cleaning sections 5 and 6 or 6 and 7 are connected to each other via an up-turning conveyor 8 or 9 (jaw conveyor).

The bottle crates 2 to be cleaned are designed as an immersion bath cleaning section 5 directed with its bottom of the box down at an inlet 10, which is provided on a narrow side 3 'of the housing 3. The crates 2 are moved in the horizontal conveying direction A through the cleaning section 5. To promote the crates 2 along the cleaning section 5 is used in the illustrated embodiment, a stream of the immersion bath forming cleaning liquid (water and / or alkali), the (current) in Direction of conveyance A is directed and is generated by a circulating pump 11 and associated outlet nozzle 12. The nozzle 12 provided at the outlet of the circulating pump 11 is located in the vicinity of the inlet 10 in the immersion bath. The inlet of the circulating pump 11 is connected via a laterally provided by the cleaning section 5 in the housing 3 feedback to the inlet 10 opposite the end of the cleaning section 5, in the flow direction behind a Schmutzaustragsvorrichtung 14. This has a rotating screen belt 16, which during the operation of the cleaning machine 1 in the cleaning liquid of the immersion bath entrained foreign substances removed from the flowing back to the circulation pump 11 cleaning liquid.

In the area of the cleaning section 5 there is provided a continuous guide 16 formed, for example, by a guide rail or a tube profile, which ensures that the bottle crates 2 or their trays moved along the cleaning section 5 have a minimum distance from the cleaning section 5 or the immersion bath have the bottom of the machine final bottom 17 of the housing 3.

Via the turning conveyor 8, the crates 2 then reach the likewise horizontal cleaning section 6 and are further conveyed there in the conveying direction A opposite conveying direction B and arrive via the turning conveyor 9 to the cleaning section 7 with the horizontal conveying direction C opposite to the conveying direction B. The cleaned Bottle crates 2 finally leave the machine 1 at the outlet 18, which is provided on the front side 3 'opposite end side 3 "of the housing 3. At the turning conveyors 8 and 9 and on the conveyor lines 6 and 7, the usual treatment of the bottle crates is done by spraying with cleaning fluid (eg lye) as well as the final spraying and cleaning with fresh water.

Although a large part of the solid constituents are removed from the cleaning liquid forming the immersion bath by the dirt discharge device 14, foreign components also accumulate in the immersion bath, although they are present in the latter Cleaning liquid not solve in the chemical sense, but finely dispersed or "dissolved" in this cleaning fluid are present and are not or only partially detected by the dirt discharge 14, namely, inter alia, mud-like foreign substances such. B. dissolved in the cleaning liquid of the dipping bath paper or label residues, etc.

In order to remove these components from the cleaning machine during operation, without the need for a complete cleaning of the machine 1 and the immersion bath (cleaning section 5 and return channel 13) is necessary with the machine off, are at the bottom 17 of the cleaning section 5 more collection Provided in the illustrated embodiment, three such devices, which are designated in the figures with 19, 20 and 21. Two of these devices, namely the devices 19 and 20 are located on the cleaning section 5, namely the collecting device 19 approximately in the middle of this cleaning section 5, the collecting device 20 approximately at the transition between the cleaning section 5 and the up-feed conveyor 8. The collecting device 21 is behind the screen belt 15 of the dirt discharge device 14 is provided. Each collecting device consists essentially of a collecting space 21, which is formed below the inner surface or the level of the bottom 17 and open to the dip bath 5. The collecting space 22, which narrows down like a funnel, is formed rectangular in the illustrated embodiment and lies with its greater width perpendicular or transverse to the conveying direction A of the cleaning section 5. The width of the opening of the collecting space 22 is only slightly narrower than the width of the Cleaning section 5. At the top of the cleaning chamber 22 and its opening are covered by a grid plate 23 with a plurality of openings. The grid plate 23 is located with its top approximately level with the top of the bottom 17. At the funnel-shaped narrowed bottom 24 of the plenum 22, a pipe 25 is connected with its one open end. The tube 25 is guided below the bottom 17 to a longitudinal side of the machine 1, in such a way that all tubes 25 protrude over a common longitudinal side of the machine 1, each having the same length ( FIG. 2 ). An electrically operable valve 26 (spool valve) is each Tube 25 connected to a common for all collecting devices 19 - 21 drain pipe 27.

The mode of operation of the machine 1 or the collecting device 19-21 can be described as follows:

The valves 26 are normally closed. The collecting chambers 22 form for the flow of the cleaning medium through the cleaning section 5 or by the immersion Srömungstoträume, ie spaces where virtually no flow exists, so that in the cleaning medium entrained fine components, such as paper sludge, etc. through the respective grid or screen plate 23 passes through in the respective collection space 22. Automatically or time-controlled, the valves 26 are briefly opened for emptying the collecting chambers 22, so that the solids collected in the collecting space 22 are flushed out or discharged via the collecting pipe 27 with the cleaning liquid flowing through the respective collecting space. The opening time of the valves 26 is limited for example by a timer. Of course, a manual opening and closing of the valves 26 is possible.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

cleaner

2

bottle crates

3

casing

3 ', 3 "

Body face

4

inner space

5 - 7

cleaning section

8, 9

Up turning conveyor

10

Inlet

11

circulating pump

12

exhaust nozzle

13

return

14

Schmutzaustragseinrichtung

15

screen belt

16

guide

17

Floor of the cleaning section 5 and the dip

18

outlet

19-21

Collection device for solids or soil sludge

22

plenum

23

Grid or screen plate

24

Plenum floor

25

pipe

26

Valve

27

common manifold

A, B, C

transport direction

Claims (11)

1. Device for cleaning bottle crates (2), with at least one conveyor track formed inside a housing (3) on which the bottle crates can be moved for treatment with at least one fluid cleaning agent, with an immersion bath (5) forming at least one part of the conveyor track through which the bottle crates can be moved in a horizontal conveyor direction (A), as well as with a mechanism (11, 12) for generating a flow of the cleaning agent through the immersion bath in the conveyor direction (A), characterised in that several collecting devices (19, 20, 21) are provided in the conveyor direction (A) of which each one has a collecting chamber formed by an indentation in the bottom (17) of the immersion bath (5) and is suitable for collecting up sludge materials or solid materials carried along by the flow of the cleaning agent, as well as a valve (26) for opening the collecting chamber for discharging the solid or sludge materials which have gathered there.
2. Device according to claim 1 characterised in that each relevant collecting chamber (22) tapers funnel-like towards the underneath.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that a pipe member having the valve (26) opens at the bottom of the relevant collecting chamber (22).
4. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the mechanism (11, 12) for producing a flow of cleaning agent in the immersion bath (5) is formed by a circulating pump (11) which is connected by its inlet to one end of the immersion bath and by its outlet to a nozzle (12) provided at the other end of the immersion bath.
5. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the relevant collecting chamber (22) is covered on one side opening into the immersion bath by a sheet metal mesh or screen.
6. Device according to claim 6 characterised in that the sheet metal mesh or screen lies at the same level as the bottom (17) of the immersion bath (5).
7. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the relevant collecting chamber (22) tapers funnel-like towards the underneath side.
8. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that a pipe section containing the valve (26) opens at the bottom of the relevant collecting chamber (22).
9. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that in the case of several collecting devices (19, 20, 21) the discharge pipes (25) containing the valves (26) open into one common collecting pipe (27).
10. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that at least one guide (16) for the bottle crates (2) is provided in the immersion bath (5), namely at a distance from the inside surface of the bottom (17).
11. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterised by a dirt ejector device (14) provided at a cleaning agent outlet of the immersion bath (5) wherein a further collecting device (21) is provided following the dirt ejector device (14) in the flow direction of the cleaning medium.

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