EP2218523B1 - Bottle cleaning machine - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a bottle washing machine and a method for cleaning bottles.

The classic, known from the prior art, bottle washing machines (eg LAVATEC the company KRONES) drive the bottles in bottle containers, which are lined up on crossbeams by various alkaline baths. Fig. 6 shows, for example, the successively arranged sections, which passes through a bottle for cleaning. The caustic baths must have a certain volume in order to achieve the appropriate treatment times and adequate cleaning. However, the large volume means a lot of chemistry, a lot of energy for heating and keeping the temperature of the cleaning liquid and a stable construction to carry the weight.

From the EP 0 529 387 A1 is also already known a spiral transport of bottles. Here the bottles go through a cleaning solution bath. From the US 2,011,786 A It is known to spirally bottle bottles in a container containing a strong alkaline solution. Again, bottles are already ejected with a corresponding injection device. From the DE 28 44 126 A1 It is known to transport bottles in a plurality of convolutions through both a treatment room with rinsing baths and through a feeding and dispensing station in a spiral path. The device is modular. From the DE 24 32 987 A1 a device for cleaning cans or cans is known, which are spirally guided and sprayed in a wash cycle with detergent. From the US 3,556,847 A is a bottle washer known, the bottles are guided in loops. Here is a nozzle wheel described which ejects the bottles. In the DE 1 532 515 A1 It is described that in a region after the last spray treatment, a sterile air flow is generated from the dirty side to the clean side.

On this basis, the present invention seeks to provide a simplified bottle washer and a simplified method for cleaning bottles, which allow a more efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective cleaning.

According to the invention, this object is solved by the features of claims 1 and 13.

• eine erhebliche Gewichtseinsparung und dadurch weniger "Stahl und Eisen";
• weniger Heizleistung und eine leichtere Temperaturführung (Durchlauferhitzer);
• weniger Vorlaufzeit, sowie
• weniger Chemie und Abwasser.

In contrast to the prior art, the bottles to be cleaned are no longer guided by lye immersion baths, but transported on a substantially spiral transport path to the spray nozzles over. In essence, spiral means that it does not have to be an exact mathematical spiral, but that the transport path winds around a central axis. The fact that the bottles are transported spirally past the spray nozzles, they can be intensively cleaned by the spray nozzles in a mechanical manner. This intensive mechanical cleaning saves cycle time, energy and water. Compared to the prior art, a much smaller amount of alkali is needed. The smaller amount of alkali brings the following advantages:

• a significant weight saving and therefore less "steel and iron";
• less heat output and easier temperature control (instantaneous water heater);
• less lead time, as well
• less chemistry and wastewater.

The lower machine weight thus requires no more heavy transport and facilitates installation at the customer. Preferably, the spiral transport path extends around a horizontal axis. This has the advantage that the bottles can always empty again in their spiral movement. Under transport means here means the device that holds and promotes the bottles in transit, and includes a bottle holder, a correspondingly extending guide and a drive.

Advantageously, the bottle cleaning machine comprises an enclosure with at least one collecting trough. The housing serves as protection, in particular splash protection to the outside. In the at least one drip tray cleaning liquid can be collected and recycled again for cleaning.

The spray nozzles may be arranged outside and / or inside the substantially spiral transport path. The spray nozzles can be arranged stationary. It is also possible that, in particular, the spray nozzles arranged within the transport path are arranged to rotate, in particular on a nozzle wheel. If, for example, the spray nozzles rotate synchronously to the transport movement of the bottles, a particularly effective and reliable internal cleaning can be ensured. In a particularly simple manner, the spray nozzles can be arranged on a nozzle wheel whose axis is preferably rotated by the pitch angle of the spiral to the horizontal axis L.

At least in one spiral turn of the transport path, an area is formed as a circular arc, in particular as a 150-200 ° circular arc. This ensures that the cleaning jet, for example, from the nozzles on the nozzle wheel always centric meets in the bottles or bottle baskets. For this purpose, preferably the upper region of the spiral is designed as a circular arc. When filling the bottles can be moved analogously with a lower portion of the transport path.

Advantageously, a trough is arranged in front of the spiral transport path through which the bottles are transported. In the tub, the Vorweiche, for example, with the help of spray heads, can be performed here.

According to a preferred embodiment, the bottles are transported in bottle holders, in particular latticed bottle baskets, which are connected to one another to form an omnipresent chain. Thus, the bottles can be guided in the transport direction one behind the other along the spiral transport path and also in the region of the circular arc are the spray nozzles bottle holder. be driven overhead. Through the bottle holder, the mouthpiece of the bottle can be centered in the middle.

In order to ensure a very good cleaning, at least some of the spray nozzles are preferably designed as high-pressure nozzles. The cleaning liquid can be ejected in particular in the form of a pulsed jet and / or mixed with compressed air. Thus, a particularly thorough cleaning can be achieved.

It is also possible that, according to a preferred embodiment, the bottle washing machine further comprises a device for generating a purified air flow in the housing from the clean side to the dirty side. The introduced air flow from the clean side to the dirt side can counteract germ spreading.

Advantageously, the bottle washer is modularly constructed from a plurality of individual modules, in which case each individual module comprises a spiral-shaped bottle transport device, spray nozzles and at least one collecting trough. Thus, the bottle washing machine can be adapted to different requirements by lining up different individual modules. Since the same components are used in all cleaning sections and also the housing can be divided into standard transport sizes, the machine is inexpensive to manufacture. With the standard modules, the machine can be configured according to power requirements and cleaning requirements. In the assembled state of the modules, the collecting trays are preferably formed separately from each other, so that the cleaning liquid, which runs in certain cleaning sections in the respective collecting trays, can be recycled separately to a specific cleaning section. In this case, the cleaning liquid from the at least one collecting tray via at least one filter and a pump again certain spray nozzles of a cleaning section or a specific module are supplied.

Fig. 1

zeigt in perspektivischer Darstellung einen Abschnitt einer Flaschenreinigungsmaschine gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung.

Fig. 2

zeigt in schematischer Darstellung einen Querschnitt durch eine Flaschenreinigungsmaschine gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung.

Fig. 3

zeigt in schematischer Darstellung einen Längsschnitt durch den spiralförmigen Transportweg der zu reinigenden Flaschen.

Fig. 4a

zeigt in schematischer Darstellung einen Längsschnitt eines Flaschenhalters mit Flaschenkorb und Antrieb.

Fig. 4b

zeigt schematisch eine Aufsicht auf die raumgängige Kette mit Flaschenkorb und Spiralführung.

Fig. 5

zeigt in schematischer Darstellung mehrere zu einer Flaschenreinigungsmaschine zusammengesetzte Einzelmodule A, B, C.

Fig. 6

zeigt schematisch die unterschiedlichen Stationen einer Flaschenreinigungsmaschine gemäß dem Stand der Technik.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the following figures.

Fig. 1

shows in perspective a section of a bottle washing machine according to the present invention.

Fig. 2

shows a schematic representation of a cross section through a bottle washing machine according to the present invention.

Fig. 3

shows a schematic representation of a longitudinal section through the spiral transport path of the bottles to be cleaned.

Fig. 4a

shows a schematic representation of a longitudinal section of a bottle holder with bottle cage and drive.

Fig. 4b

schematically shows a plan view of the space-consuming chain with bottle cage and spiral guide.

Fig. 5

shows a schematic representation of several combined to a bottle washer single modules A, B, C.

Fig. 6

schematically shows the different stations of a bottle washing machine according to the prior art.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a section of a bottle washing machine according to the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a cross section through the bottle washing machine 10 according to the invention. The bottle washing machine 10 has a bottle conveyor for transporting the bottles to be cleaned 5, which is designed such that the bottles 5 are transported past on a substantially spiral transport path to spray nozzles 15a, b. The bottles 5 are held with bottle holders 6 so that the bottles can be moved overhead and the mouthpiece of the bottle is centered center. The bottle holders are connected to each other via a corresponding joint 40 (FIG. Fig. 4b ) connected to a space-permeable chain 7. As a bottle holder are particularly suitable in Fig. 4a . 4b illustrated bottle baskets. 6

The bottles 5 are accommodated in the bottle baskets 6 and are held in place, for example, by means of a pivotable basket cover 41, through which the neck of the bottle projects outwards, for example. The lid 41 remains tightly closed during transport.

The bottle holders 6 run in the bottle cleaning machine 10 in corresponding guides and are driven by a plurality of electronically synchronized electric drives 22, which can ensure that the chain can not tighten despite the large number of wraps. Spiral transport path 8 is not strictly understood to mean a mathematical spiral, but merely that the transport path of the bottles winds around an axis L.

The bottle washer has an enclosure 12 with at least one sump 17 that collects cleaning fluid. Here, spray nozzles 15 a, b are arranged outside and inside the substantially spiral-shaped transport path 8. The bottles are moved along their transport path past the spray nozzles 15a, b and can be mechanically cleaned from inside and outside by the jet of the spray nozzles. Advantageously, the spray nozzles 15a, b are designed as high-pressure nozzles, which are operated pulsed to improve the cleaning effect and / or eject a jet, which is mixed with compressed air. In this embodiment, the spray nozzles 15 a, which are arranged outside the spiral transport path 8, are mounted stationary. As in Fig. 1 is shown, the upper spray nozzles 15a are arranged in the upper region on a spray water line 25 here. The spray nozzles 15 b, which are arranged within the spiral transport path 8, are arranged rotatably on a nozzle wheel 16. Preferably, at least a number of spray nozzles 15b are provided on a wheel 16 corresponding to the number of baskets in a 360 ° spiral. In this case, the spray nozzles 15b can rotate in synchronism with the transport movement of the bottles. A corresponding nozzle wheel 16 can, in particular via driving rod 20, as required, for example, by the transport device, in particular on the chain formed by the bottle holder 7, be turned in accordance with the division. The spray nozzles 15b are z. B. supplied via the Sprüharmleitungen 26 of the hollow shaft 30 with cleaning liquid.

As in particular from Fig. 3 it can be seen, then in a spiral winding of the transport path, an upper portion 8b may be formed as 150-200 ° circular arc. In Fig. 3 the area is formed as a 180 ° circular arc. This ensures that the cleaning jet from the nozzles 15b on the nozzle wheel always hits centrally in the bottle baskets or bottle mouths.

The circular arc can lie, for example, in a plane that is perpendicular to the horizontal axis L, as in FIG. 3 is shown. The lower portion 8a of the spiral winding then does not run in the same plane as the upper portion 8b, but extends in the direction of the axis L to the rear to a point which lies in the transport direction T behind the point K. It can be arranged one behind the other several spiral wheels. It is also possible that the nozzle wheels are not in a plane perpendicular to the horizontal axis L, but in a plane which is inclined at an angle to the horizontal axis L, wherein the spiral in the region then correspondingly obliquely to the horizontal axis Lansteigen, such as in Fig. 2 is shown. The axis of the nozzle wheel is then rotated by the pitch angle of the spiral to the horizontal axis. DH the FIG. 3 would be a cut along the course of the area 8b. It is essential that in the area of the circular arc the bottle holders are located opposite the spray nozzles 15b.

In Fig. 3 It is shown that the upper portion 8b of the spiral winding is formed as a circular arc. It is also possible that the lower or lateral region 8a of the spiral winding is formed as a 150-200 ° circular arc, which is advantageous when filling the bottles with cleaning liquid. Through slots in the hollow shaft 30, the nozzles 15 b can be specifically supplied in desired segments via corresponding lines with cleaning fluid.

In the bottle washer according to the invention are in the transport direction T (see Fig. 2 ) a plurality of nozzle wheels 16 arranged one behind the other. Also, several arrangements of external spray nozzles 15a are arranged one behind the other in the direction T. The cleaning liquid, which runs down from the nozzles and from the bottles, is collected in corresponding, separate collection trays 17 and can via a pump 18 and a filter 19 again via a corresponding line 25 to the nozzles of a cleaning section, in the region of the drip pan 17 is supplied, or even the cleaning nozzles of another section, which are above another collecting trough 17. The dimensions of the troughs 17 are matched to the number of spirals in the respective cleaning section.

The common housing 12 has maintenance windows 21, thus allowing access to the components in the various cleaning sections.

The bottle washing machine thus comprises any number of spiral turns of the transport path with corresponding spray nozzles, as well as an inlet and outlet device. As inlet device is a Flaschenabsenkstern 1 (see Fig. 2 ), via which the bottles 5 enter into the bottle holder here, the bottle baskets 6. With a closure mechanism 2, the bottle holder, here the baskets 6, can be closed, so that the bottles can be moved overhead. The chain return 4 is located here in a trough 3, which also includes elements for guiding the chain 7 here. In the tub 3, a plurality of spray nozzles 14 is provided to perform the Vorweiche. The chain 7 runs from the tub 3 via a lower spiral arc 8a in the housing 12 and then passes through the number of spiral turns of the transport path 8. At the end of the spiral transport path, the chain 7 runs out of the housing 12 via an outlet bend 9. In this case, the bottle holder, here the baskets 6, opened again with an opening mechanism 23 and with a Flaschenhebestern 11, the bottles 5 are pushed out of the baskets 6 and discharged purified via an outlet star 13.

Advantageously, the bottle cleaning machine, as in particular Fig. 5 shows, modular design. In this case, the bottle cleaning machine 10 in Fig. 5 For example, three modules A, B, C on. Each individual module has a spiral-shaped bottle transport device, spray nozzles 15a, b and at least one drip pan 17 and a corresponding housing section (without front and rear cover) 12a, b, c. The individual modules are assembled into an entire bottle washing machine and preferably closed at the front and rear ends with a cover. Since the same components are used in all cleaning sections, the housing can be divided into standard transport sizes, whereby the machine is inexpensive to manufacture. With the standard modules A, B, C, the machine can be configured according to power requirements and cleaning requirements. For example, to increase the cleaning performance of the in Fig. 5 machine shown an additional module B are used.

It is advantageous if the bottle washer further a device, not shown, for generating a purified air flow in the enclosure of the cleanroom dirty side, ie opposite to the arrow T in Fig. 2 having. An air flow introduced, for example, via hepafilter can counteract a germ carryover.

In the method according to the invention, the contaminated bottles 5 enter here via the bottle lowering star 1 here into the lattice-like bottle baskets 6, which are connected to each other to the space-continuous chain 7. With the shutter mechanism 3, the baskets 6 are closed, so that the bottles can be moved overhead and the mouthpiece of the bottle is also centered centered. The bottles run through the tub 3 and can for Vorweiche, as in Fig. 1 is shown, sprayed on spray nozzles 14. The liquid in the tub can in the cycle again the spray nozzles 14, z. B. be supplied via a pump and a filter. The chain then enters the enclosure 12 via the lower spiral arch 8a and passes through a number of spiral turns, preferably .24 to .48 spiral turns. All spiral coils are located in the common housing 12 with the other components. The bottles 5 pass through several cleaning sections (eg emptying, cleaning, rinsing). In the first two spiral windings 8, for example, a high-pressure pre-spraying and emptying is carried out. These are preferably spray nozzles outside the arranged spiral-shaped transport path. In further spiral windings provided in the transport direction T, the bottles 5 are cleaned with further stationary nozzles 15a from the outside and via the nozzles 15b on the nozzle wheels 16 from the inside.

The final cleaning steps, clear and fresh water flushing are done in the same way, with the intensity of common rinser. The fresh water rinse can be intensified by a hot steam treatment.

The cleaning liquids or water are collected via the troughs 17a, b, c and fed via corresponding pumps 18 and filters 19 for the cleaning liquid again a desired treatment section. The logic for the distribution and processing corresponds to the conventional bottle washing machines (see also Fig. 6 ). At the end of the enclosure, the bottles 5, ie the chain 7, leave the housing 12 again via an outlet guide arch 9. The baskets are opened again with an opening mechanism 10 and the bottles are pushed out of the baskets with a bottle elevator 11 and are discharged via an outlet star 13.

A significant advantage lies in the smaller amount of cleaning liquid, so that e.g. Temperature and degree of contamination are easier to control and the proportion of chemical cleaning additives can be minimized. Swamping is not possible and label discharge can be assisted by high pressure injection. A lumping of the labels is thereby excluded. The cleaning liquid used is water with the customary chemical additives. The rinse is done with tempered fresh water. The cleaning fluids can be brought via unillustrated water heater or heat exchanger in different sections to the appropriate temperature level. This has the advantage that no large volumes of liquor must be kept at temperature.

Claims (13)

1. Bottle cleaning machine (10) having a bottle conveying device for conveying the bottles (5) to be cleaned, and having spray nozzles (15a, b), wherein
   the bottle conveying device is designed in such a way that the bottles (5) are conveyed past the spray nozzles (15a, b) on a substantially helical conveying path (8) about a horizontal axis (L), characterised in that in the case of at least one spiral winding of the conveying path (8) a region is designed as a 150 to 200° arc of a circle, wherein bottle holders (6) oppose the spray nozzles (15b) in the region of the arc of a circle.
2. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that the bottle cleaning machine (10) comprises a housing (12) having at least one collecting tray (17).
3. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the spray nozzles (15a, b) are arranged outside and/or inside of the substantially helical conveying path (8).
4. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the spray nozzles (15a, b) are stationarily arranged.
5. Bottle cleaning machine (10), characterised in that the spray nozzles (15b) arranged inside the conveying path (8) are arranged so as to rotate, in particular on a nozzle wheel (16).
6. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that a tray (3), through which the bottles (5) are conveyed, is arranged before the helical conveying path (8).
7. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the bottles (5) are conveyed in bottle holders, in particular mesh-like bottle baskets (6) which are connected to each other to form a side-flexing chain (7).
8. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to at least one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that at least some of the spray nozzles (15a, b) are designed as high-pressure nozzles, wherein the cleaning fluid is pulsed in particular and/or compressed air is added to it.
9. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to claim 2, characterised in that the bottle cleaning machine (10) also comprises a device for producing a purified stream of air in the housing (12) from the clean side to the dirty side.
10. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to at least one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the bottle cleaning machine (10) has a modular construction comprising a plurality of individual modules (A, B, C), wherein each individual module (A, B, C) comprises a helical bottle conveying device, spray nozzles (15a, b) and at least one collecting tray (17).
11. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to claim 10, characterised in that in the assembled state the collecting trays (17) are constructed separately from each other.
12. Bottle cleaning machine (10) according to at least one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the cleaning fluid is supplied to spray nozzles (15a, b) again from the at least one collecting tray (17) via a filter (19) and a pump (18).
13. Method for cleaning bottles, wherein bottles are moved past spray nozzles (15a, b) through a bottle cleaning machine (10) on a substantially helical conveying path (8) about a horizontal axis and are mechanically cleaned by these nozzles, characterised in that in the case of at least one spiral winding of the conveying path (8) a region is designed as a 150 to 200° arc of a circle, wherein bottle holders (6) oppose the spray nozzles (15b) in the region of the arc of a circle.

Images