Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
  • A61L2/00—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor
  • A61L2/16—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor using chemical substances
  • A61L2/18—Liquid substances or solutions comprising solids or dissolved gases
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
  • A61L2/00—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor
  • A61L2/16—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor using chemical substances
  • A61L2/22—Phase substances, e.g. smokes, aerosols or sprayed or atomised substances
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B9/00—Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto 
  • B08B9/08—Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks
  • B08B9/20—Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks by using apparatus into or on to which containers, e.g. bottles, jars, cans are brought
  • B08B9/28—Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks by using apparatus into or on to which containers, e.g. bottles, jars, cans are brought the apparatus cleaning by splash, spray, or jet application, with or without soaking
  • B08B9/30—Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks by using apparatus into or on to which containers, e.g. bottles, jars, cans are brought the apparatus cleaning by splash, spray, or jet application, with or without soaking and having conveyors
  • B08B9/32—Rotating conveyors
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B9/00—Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto 
  • B08B9/08—Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks
  • B08B9/20—Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks by using apparatus into or on to which containers, e.g. bottles, jars, cans are brought
  • B08B9/28—Cleaning containers, e.g. tanks by using apparatus into or on to which containers, e.g. bottles, jars, cans are brought the apparatus cleaning by splash, spray, or jet application, with or without soaking
  • B08B9/34—Arrangements of conduits or nozzles

Definitions

• Object of the present invention is a machine for rinsing and/or sterilizing bottles made of plastics or glass.
• rinsing and/or sterilizing machines are known, among which the most common ones are composed of a platform rotating around a vertical axis, technically defined as turntable, on the peripheral area of which a plurality of nozzles are assembled, said nozzles facing upwards and being connected with a rotating manifold, central to the turntable, that contains rinsing and/or sterilizing liquid.
• grippers are provided, always supported by the turntable, that grip a bottle by its neck and rotate it .
• every gripper is equipped with a fork-shaped appendix that engages a fixed annular cam that surrounds the turntable and, when rotating, makes the gripper, and therefore the bottle, perform an oscillating movement.
• Bottles are supplied to the rinsing machine by a star conveyor that arranges them in their correct angular position to be taken by the grippers carried by the turntable.
• a similar star conveyor is placed at its outlet in the position in which the grippers, after having put back the bottles in their vertical position with their neck upwards, are released by the grippers themselves.
• Some machines are provided, on the inlet star conveyor, with bottle-detecting means of the photocell type in order to inhibit the nozzle supply in case there are no bottles.
• This system has been proven unsafe since if the possible drop of a bottle occurs in the passing area from star conveyor to gripper (a rather frequent case), its absence is not detected and therefore there will be a nozzle that sprays washing liquid uselessly.
• whether bottles are detected or not mechanically occurs through limit switches, placed next to the nozzles, that then operate on nozzle supplying valves through rods and transmissions that make the machine highly complex.
• Object of the present invention is removing the above inconveniences, by providing a rinsing machine that is far simpler than the known machines and is absolutely reliable when detecting the absence of a bottle from a gripper and therefore when inhibiting the related nozzle.
• a bottle detecting sensor when a bottle has already been taken by a gripper and placed above a nozzle
• a first device for sensing the bottle angular position composed of an emitter in a fixed position and of a plurality of receivers assembled on the turntable, one for each nozzle, each receiver being adapted to allow energising for opening a related solenoid valve placed on a nozzle supplying duct when emitter and receiver are aligned on an axis and the bottle presence has been detected by the detecting sensor
• a second device for sensing the bottle angular position composed of an emitter in an adjustable position and of a plurality of receivers assembled on the turntable, one for each nozzle, each receiver being adapted to allow de-energising the solenoid valve for its related closure.
• - figure 2 schematically shows, in a top view, the rinsing machine of the present invention
• - figure 3 is an elevation view of half the rinsing machine
• FIG. 4 is an elevation view of half the rinsing machine according to a possible embodiment variation.
• 1 designates as a whole a rinsing machine comprising a platform 2 or turntable rotatingly placed around a vertical axis 3 through known means that are not shown.
• a plurality of nozzles 4 are uniformly arranged, such nozzles 4 being supplied through a corresponding plurality of ducts 5 by a central manifold 6 containing a washing liquid.
• a plurality of grippers 7 of a known type are also assembled on the turntable, such grippers 7 comprising two moving jaws 8 whose opening is controlled by a small roller 9 that, in some positions, engages a fixed cam, not shown.
• Each gripper is equipped with a fork-shaped appendix 10 that engages a fixed annular cam 11 that surrounds the turntable.
• the machine is equipped with a known device for supplying the bottles 13 to be rinsed, designated as a whole with 12, and with a discharging device of the star type, designated with 14 for rinsed bottles.
• 15 designates a sensor for detecting the presence of a bottle on a nozzle: in fact, the sensor, that could be a photocell or another type of sensor, is placed along the external circumference of the turntable in a position in which the grippers have already overturned the bottles on the nozzles.
• the sensor for detecting the presence of a bottle transmits its own signal to a plurality of solenoid valves 17, each one of which is inserted on one of the liquid supplying ducts 5 in order to allow its related control only when a first device for sensing the bottle angular position, designated as a whole with 16, will be energised.
• Every solenoid valve is equipped with an electronic circuit adapted to manage bottle-present signals and angular position signals and to decide, if both signals are present, to open the spraying valve or, if one of the two signals is absent, to keep such valve closed.
• Each angular position sensing device 16 is composed of an emitter 18 in a fixed position and of a plurality of receivers 19 assembled on the turntable, one for each nozzle and adapted to allow energising the related solenoid valve, in order to open it, when emitter and receivers are coaxial.
• a second position sensing device that is composed of an emitter 21 that is assembled on a bar 22 that can have different angular positions with respect to the emitter 18, and of a plurality of receivers 23 assembled on the turntable, having the operating mode like the previous ones, but in order to close the solenoid valves.
• Emitters and receivers can for example be of the magnetic type, that well operate in a humid or wet environment, since they are placed next to the nozzles and in a tank 30 for collecting the washing water that is discharged through a pipe 29.
• the detecting sensor 15 of bottles 13 is assembled on a rod 25 that can be vertically translated for adjustments.
• the detecting sensor 15 can be oriented in order to take the photocell radius substantially axial with the emitter 18 for calibrating the start of spraying.
• the machine thereby operates as follows: the detecting sensor 15 detects whether or not a bottle 13 is present next to a nozzle placed before the washing cycle starts. If there are no bottles, no signals are sent to the solenoid valve, so that they will not be opened.
• the washing cycle therefore will always start in a precise angular position, but the cycle end could be adjusted at will by simply moving the rod 22.
• Movement of the rod 22 can be manual or motored, in order to keep the spraying time constant when the turntable angular speed changes.
• Motoring allows being able to change the angular position even with a moving machine, without any risk for personnel and to keep the plant possibly aseptic.
• Magnetic emitters and detectors could however be replaced by other types of emitters and detectors, such as for example of the optical or infrared types, etc.
• an electromagnetic emitter device 31 has been inserted, directly connected with the bottle detecting sensor 15.
• the above-described machine has several advantages, among which the main ones are: - direct reading of the presence of a bottle on a nozzle and presence signal directly transmitted to all solenoid valves placed on the turntable;
• - adjustable treatment times and possibly a second treatment could be provided by inserting another detecting sensor and other position sensing devices for opening and closing the solenoid valves;

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)
• Cleaning In General (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=32321440

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (14)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2002
  • 2002-11-18 IT ITPR20020066 patent/ITPR20020066A1/it unknown
• 2003
  • 2003-11-13 EP EP03767535A patent/EP1562715A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2003-11-13 AU AU2003292012A patent/AU2003292012A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-11-13 WO PCT/EP2003/012682 patent/WO2004045784A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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