EP2433899A1 - Device for locking containers with clean area - Google Patents

Abstract

The device (20) has a closure head (4c) for applying screw closures and located in a clean area (R) that is sealed by a medium (8). A movement mechanism (21) is partially arranged in the clean area for producing a rotational movement of the closure head around movement mechanism longitudinal axis (Y) and a translational movement of the closure head along the movement mechanism longitudinal axis. The movement mechanism is sectionally in contact by the medium for sealing the clean area in relation to an unclean area (U). The clean area exhibits walls that are movable relative to each other. An independent claim is also included for a system for closing containers comprising a carrier.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for closing containers with screw caps according to the preamble of claim 1.

For example, a well-known in the art container treatment plant has a section for heating the containers, a section for inflating and stretching the containers, a section for sterilizing the containers and a section for closing the containers.

The section or the system for closing the containers in this case comprises, for example, at least one device for closing the containers, which has at least one closing head for applying the closure caps to the containers, a movement device for transmitting a rotary and a translatory movement of a motor to the closing head and a Clean room in which the containers are moved during the process has.

In the EP 1 905 728 B1 For example, a capping head for an automatic lid attaching machine having a support, a rotating shaft, and a lid gripping member will be described. Disposed on the support is a rotatable rotating shaft which is surrounded by a sleeve which forms a chamber sealed around the rotating shaft which is filled with a disinfectant, the sleeve being fixed with respect to the support. The chamber is closed by two mechanical seals, each having a fixed and a rotating part. The cuff itself extends through an opening of an upper stationary plate and has on the outer circumference of a bellows, the upper end of which is arranged on the stationary plate and the lower end of the sleeve. The chamber is further connected to an inlet and an outlet opening for the disinfectant, wherein the openings are located above the stationary plate and thus in the non-sterile area. A sealing of the non-sterile area with respect to a sterile area by means of a hydraulic seal takes place here only via the sleeve, which additionally has to have a seal in the region of the plate which it penetrates. Accordingly, additional sealing systems arranged to a hydraulic seal are required.

The DE 10 2008 034 389 A1 describes inter alia a capping machine for closing bottles, which has a functional element, which has a sterile space separating a sterile space from a non-sterile space, with a relative to a movement of the functional element with respect to the wall enabling hydraulic seal. The closing machine thus consists of a drivable rotor, on the circumference of a vertical axis of the machine concentrically enclosing ring-like sterile space is arranged, which is formed within a housing and is bounded by a plurality of walls to the non-sterile space.

Here are some walls on the rotor with this circumferential and other walls on a machine frame not provided with the rotor rotating. Between these walls, a hydraulic seal is arranged. The closure stations arranged in the circumference of the rotor have a closing tool which has a drive arranged outside the sterile room and a spindle which is arranged partly outside the sterile room and extends through the hydraulic seal or the siphoning seal into the sterile room. This hydraulic seal has a very complex structure outside the first wall regions.

Also the DE 10 2008 056 242 A1 describes a closure device for containers, which has a closure head for attaching the closures to the containers, which is arranged within a sterile room and performs a translational and a rotational movement. These lifting and rotating movements are transmitted to the closure head by means of a movement device, which is arranged partially outside the sterile room and the movement itself is generated or moved by a drive element arranged outside the sterile room. The sterile room is through a first Wall limited and has an annular channel, in which protrudes the first wall. This annular channel is movable relative to the first wall and filled with a liquid and thus forms together with the first wall a so-called moated castle.

This water lock seals the non-sterile area from the sterile area. The movement device runs through this water lock from the non-sterile area into the sterile room. For this purpose, a cylindrical body through which the movement device extends, arranged in the annular channel and fixedly connected thereto. The movement device furthermore has a cylindrical body arranged on it, the peripheral wall of which projects into the liquid independently of the position of the movement element. This device therefore requires to seal the clean room with respect to the impure space consuming constructed body, which are arranged in such a way that a seal by means of a moated castle can be done even with a translational or rotational movement of the moving device.

Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a device for closing containers, which, in spite of a simple structural design and during the movement of the moving device in rotational and translational direction allows adequate sealing of the clean room against the impure room and thereby produce economically or easy to assemble and maintain.

This object is achieved by the present invention by means of a device for closing containers with screw caps according to claim 1.

The device for closing containers with screw caps has at least one closure head located in a clean room sealed by a medium for applying the closures and a movement device arranged at least partially in the clean room for generating a rotational movement of the closure head about a longitudinal axis of the movement device and a translatory movement of the closure head the Bewegungsseinrichtungslängsachse, wherein the moving means is at least partially contacted by the medium for sealing the clean room against an impure room.

Advantageously, in comparison to the known state of the art with the present invention, for example, no complicated construction of the movement device with additionally arranged cylindrical bodies is required for delimitation or sealing of the clean room with respect to the impure space or the surrounding space.

The rotational and translational movement can be generated, for example, by an electric motor arranged outside the clean room, which transmits the movement to the movement device, which in turn transmits the movement to the closure head.

It is also conceivable that the movement device is a servomotor or a magnet or hysteresis clutch. In addition, lifting curves can also be used.

The device for closing containers is preferably arranged on a circular plate-like support element, which is arranged centrally with a rotor or its rotor axis aligned in the vertical direction and in the vertical direction above the rotor. In the circumferential direction around the rotor advantageously extends the clean room, which is preferably delimited by a plurality of walls of the impure room.

The support element forms the first upper wall of the clean room.

The movement device thus extends through this support element or through the first upper wall of the impure space into the clean room inside. Thus, to seal the clean room from the dirty room, a corresponding seal, which is preferably a hydraulic seal, is necessary.

For this purpose, the upper wall preferably has an annular channel extending in the circumferential direction on the upper side of the wall in the vertical direction. A region of a second upper wall, which is stationary, ie immovable, with respect to the first upper wall, preferably extends into this channel. Within the channel, a liquid medium, such as a disinfectant is arranged, in which engages the region of the second upper wall.

Thus, in a rotational movement of the first upper wall about the rotor axis relative to the second upper wall of the clean room is sealed against the impure space.

Furthermore, a cylindrical or sleeve-shaped guide or holding element is advantageously arranged on the lower side of the first upper wall in the vertical direction, which has only a lateral surface.

The guide element allows the medium in the vertical or translational direction to flow down into the guide element.

In a preferred embodiment, the movement device extends through this guide element from the impure space in the direction of the clean room.

Advantageously, the section of the movement device arranged in the translatory direction below the first upper wall has the closure head arranged substantially rotationally fixed on a lower end in the translatory direction in order to receive or execute the rotational and / or translatory movement transmitted by the movement device.

That is, the rotary and / or lifting movement is transmitted, for example, from the drive unit to the movement device and is passed on from this to the closure head, so that it rotates about its axis and relative to the first and / or second upper wall in vertical or moved up or down translational direction.

Furthermore, a bellows which can be stretched in a translatory direction is preferably provided for sealing off the clean room in relation to an impure space in the case of a translatory movement of the movement device, wherein the latter is particularly preferably arranged at least in sections on the movement device.

Accordingly, the bellows advantageously encloses at least a partial region of the movement device completely and moreover preferably has an inner surface in contact with the medium and in particular also an outer surface in contact with the clean room.

Thus, for example, the medium of the hydraulic seal, which forms a so-called water lock between the first and the second upper wall, on the inside of the guide member and on the outer surface of the moving means along to flow into the region of the bellows and in the space, forms the bellows to the moving means or arrange in the folds of the bellows. Due to the, caused by the translational motion pumping effect, the disposed within the bellows disinfectant is replaced regularly.

Preferably, the medium is continuously along the outer surface of the moving means from the moat to the vertical upper end of the closure head.

The upper end of the bellows in the translatory direction is preferably arranged on a sleeve-like hub element rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the movement device.

In this case, the hub member may for example be positively connected to the movement device, whereby portions of the inner surface of the hub member do not rest directly on the outer surface of the moving means. The resulting space is used so that the medium of the hydraulic seal along the movement device in the direction of the bellows can flow or spread.

Because the hub element is preferably torsionally rigidly connected via a positive connection with the movement device, it accordingly carries out the movements transmitted by the movement device.

Accordingly, the hub member, for example, rotate about the longitudinal axis of the moving means or move up and down in the translational direction.

Preferably, however, the hub element is only capable of transmitting rotational movements and is thus arranged on the movement device such that only the rotational movement of the movement device is performed by the hub element. Accordingly, the translational movements of the movement device are not absorbed by the hub element, so that the hub element acts like a kind of floating bearing. Accordingly, the movement device preferably moves up and down in the translational direction relative to the hub element and thereby expands or compresses the bellows arranged in the circumferential direction about the movement device.

Since the upper end of the bellows is advantageously connected to this hub element, the bellows also rotate about the longitudinal axis of the device when the hub element rotates about the longitudinal axis of the movement device.

Furthermore, the bellows is preferably connected with its lower end in the translational direction with the closure head or a lower region of the movement device. Thus, for example, the closure head, the bellows, the movement means and the hub member preferably move at equal angular velocity about the longitudinal axis of the implement during a rotational movement required, for example, to unscrew or unscrew a lid onto or from a container.

Consequently, in a preferred embodiment, at least the inner surface of the hub member at least partially in contact with the medium, since the medium from the annular channel flows through the guide member into the hub member.

The hub element, which is advantageously rotationally connected to the movement device, is preferably at least partially enclosed by a cylindrical guide element, wherein both elements are advantageously arranged concentrically to one another.

That is, the hub member is at least partially disposed within the guide member, preferably with a circumferential sliding seal disposed between the inner surface of the guide member and the outer surface of the hub member.

Thus, the hub element and the guide element preferably form a bearing for the rotational movement of the movement device.

Thus, advantageously, the inner surface of the guide element and / or the sliding seal in each case at least partially in contact with the medium.

In a preferred embodiment, therefore, the medium, which is a component of the hydraulic seal, extends in the translatory direction along the movement device and surrounds the movement device completely.

The medium thus flows through the guide element, the hub element and the bellows.

The hydraulic seal itself is preferably a liquid seal for sealing the stationary wall relative to at least one movable wall of a container closing system, which forms a so-called water lock, as mentioned above.

Since the medium advantageously essentially forms a boundary region between the clean room and the impure room, only the area is to be regarded as a clean room, which is separated from the impure room by the medium.

Because the medium extends along the outer surface of the moving means, the moving means itself is arranged in the dirty space. Accordingly, for example, the outer surface of the bellows or the outer surface of the guide element is substantially in the clean room.

Accordingly, the clean room preferably has relatively movable walls, since, for example, the wall of the rotor or of the carrier move with respect to the stationary wall.

In addition, for example, the hub member forms a wall, which is preferably arranged movably relative to the guide element. Furthermore, preferably also the outer surface of each fold of the bellows forms a wall of the clean room, which can be moved to each other due to the extension or the compression of the bellows.

In addition, a system for closing containers with a plurality of devices of the above type is claimed, which are arranged on a rotatably movable about a rotor longitudinal axis carrier.

Consequently, this system has, for example, a rotor with a rotor longitudinal axis extending in the vertical or translational direction and a circular plate-like carrier arranged concentrically with the rotor longitudinal axis.

On or through this support are a plurality of devices according to the invention for closing containers substantially in the circumferential direction of the carrier (advantageously evenly spaced from each other), which extend substantially in translational direction through the wall of the carrier.

Accordingly, the system of the invention requires a seal for sealing the clean room against the impure room.

In a preferred embodiment, therefore, the carrier is sealed with a hydraulic seal against a stationary wall.

Accordingly, the carrier preferably has, on its upper surface in the translatory direction, a peripheral annular channel with walls extending in a translatory direction upwards in which a section of the stationary wall engages and in which the medium is introduced for sealing.

This stationary wall is the already mentioned second upper wall and the carrier or the carrier plate forms the first upper wall. In order to cause a movement, preferably a rotational movement of the carrier about the rotor longitudinal axis without contamination of the clean room by the impure space, the hydraulic seal by means of a preferably liquid medium creates a water lock, which separates the impure space from the clean room.

This medium for sealing the carrier relative to the stationary wall is advantageously the same medium, which also contacts the movement device.

Thus, the medium of the hydraulic seal extends not only within the annular channel, but also along the surface of the moving means to the closure head, which, however, preferably is not acted upon by the medium.

Consequently, the medium preferably also does not enter the clean room.

The medium is preferably delimited at the vertically lower end of the bellows, which is arranged on the closure head, for example by a lower wall of the bellows or an upper wall of the closure head and thus can not spread in or around the closure head.

For example, for an operating state "end of production" and / or "cleaning" and / or "drainage" is located advantageously at the lower end of the bellows an emptying device. As a result, contrary to the properties described above, which are necessary, for example, for a "production" operating state, the medium arranged in the interior of the bellows can be drained off in a targeted manner. Since the disinfectants commonly used by decomposition over time lose effectiveness, fresh, reactive medium can always be refilled in this way.

Further advantages, objects and features of the present invention will be explained with reference to the following attached drawing, in which by way of example a system known from the prior art for closing containers and an embodiment of a device according to the invention for closing containers is shown.

Components which at least substantially coincide in the figures with respect to their function may in this case be identified by the same reference symbols, these components not having to be identified and explained in all figures.

Fig. 1

eine aus dem Stand der Technik bekannte Anlage zum Verschließen von Behältnissen, und

Fig. 2

eine Schnittzeichnung einer Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zum Verschließen von Behältnissen.

In the figures show:

Fig. 1

a known from the prior art plant for sealing containers, and

Fig. 2

a sectional view of an embodiment of the inventive device for closing containers.

Fig.1 shows a known from the prior art plant 1 for closing containers 10, which a rotor 2 with a translationally extending rotor axis X, a rotor 2 driving or controlling the rotor drive element 3, two devices 4 for closing the containers 10 with each of a device drive unit 5, which are arranged on a support 6, and a hydraulic seal 7 with a medium 8 has.

The variety in and on the system 1 arranged further holding and / or guide elements should not be mentioned here in detail, because their design is not relevant to the subject invention essential.

In this case, the closing device 4 has movement devices 4a, 4b or movement transmission devices 4a, 4b of two elements 4a, 4b, wherein a rotational movement of the second movement device element 4b is caused by a rotational movement of the first movement device element 4a, whereby the closure head 4c is caused likewise to carry out a rotary movement preferably for closing or optionally also for opening containers with sealing caps.

The translational movement of the closure head 4c relative to the container 10 is made possible by a second movement device 11 in order, for example, to apply the closure head 4c to the container 10, which preferably already has a closure cap (not shown here).

These rotational movements are generated by the drive unit 5, wherein via a gear 5a and a pinion 5a, another gear 4d, which is rotationally rigidly connected to the first movement device element 4a, is driven and transmits this movement to the first movement device element 4a.

The hydraulic seal 7 is composed of an annular channel element 7a, which is arranged on a stationary or immovable wall 9, while the carrier 6 is a movable wall 6, wherein a translationally downwardly extending portion 6a of the carrier. 6 in a medium 8, which is disposed within the channel 7a, (preferably circulating) immersed.

Thus, by this hydraulic seal 7, which is also referred to as a water lock 7, a clean room R against an impure space U, ie sealed from the environment.

That is, the shutter head 4c, the second moving device member 4b, and the container 10 are inside the clean room R, whereas portions of the first moving means 4a are disposed outside the clean room R in the dirty room U.

This transition region of the first movement device element 4a from the dirty space U into the clean room R is sealed, for example, by a sliding seal or sealing rings (not shown here) or the like.

Fig.2 shows a sectional view of an embodiment of the device 20 according to the invention for closing containers (not shown here), wherein the device 20 comprises a rod-shaped movement device 21, which extends through a support 6 in the translational direction Z of an impure space U in the direction of a clean room R. ,

The device 20 in this case has a closure head 4c, on whose in the translatory direction upper end a bellows 22 is arranged. This bellows 22 completely surrounds the movement device 21 along a defined area and is connected to a sleeve-shaped hub element 23 by its upper end in the direction of translation.

Due to the non-rotatable or rotationally rigid connection of the hub member 23 with the moving means 21, the hub member 23 rotates at exactly the same angular velocity as the moving means 21 when driven by a drive unit (not shown) in rotation about a longitudinal axis of movement Y of the implement.

Consequently, the bellows 22, which is preferably torsionally rigidly connected to the hub member 23, is also moved at the same angular velocity about the movers longitudinal axis Y as the hub member 23.

The hub member 23 is preferably positively connected to the moving means 21 to form gaps 24 between the outer surface 21 a of the moving means 21 and the inner surface 23 a of the hub member 23.

The hub member 23 is at least partially surrounded by a cylindrical or sleeve-shaped guide member 25 in the circumferential direction, so that the hub member 23 at least is arranged with a defined area within the guide member 25, wherein both elements 23 and 25 are concentric with each other.

Between the hub member 23 and the guide member 25, a sliding seal 26 is arranged so that the clearance between the outer surface 23b of the hub member 23 and the inner surface 25a of the guide member is completely filled by the sliding seal 26.

The sliding seal 26 is thus arranged circumferentially about the hub member 23.

The guide member 25 is a portion of the carrier 6 and is disposed at its lower side in the translational direction. At the side of the carrier 6 opposite this side, the carrier 6 forms an annular channel 27 which consists of two walls 27a and 27b which extend upwardly in a translatory direction and are arranged at a distance from one another and which are closed in the circumferential direction of the carrier 6.

Thus, the first wall 27a forms an inner circle and the second wall 27b forms an outer circle.

In the channel 27, a medium 8 is arranged, which is preferably a liquid medium, such as a disinfectant.

The medium 8 thus preferably extends not only within the channel 27 but also along the outer surface 21a of the moving means 21 in the direction of the closure head 4c.

Thus, the medium 8 passes through the inner surface 25a of the guide element 25, the inner 23a and partially the outer surface 23b of the hub member 23, at least in sections the sliding seal 26 and fills the bellows 22 and the individual folds of the bellows 22.

For example, a lower wall (not shown here) of the bellows 22 or an upper wall (not shown here) of the closure head 4c, the medium 8 can not penetrate from the bellows into the clean room R or flow out.

For example, in a lower wall (not shown here) of the bellows 22 or an upper wall (not shown here) of the closure head 4c, a suitable emptying device (not shown) may be arranged, such as a ball valve. In order to operate this emptying device, there is also a suitable actuating device (not shown).

Consequently, the medium 8 preferably forms a border region between the clean room R and the impure room U, whereby accordingly, for example, the movement device is still completely disposed within the impure room U, while the outer walls of the bellows are already inside the clean room R.

Thus, the medium 8 of the hydraulic seal 7 is arranged not only within the channel 27, but also on individual components of the device 20 or surrounds them.

The Applicant reserves the right to claim all features disclosed in the application documents as essential to the invention, provided that they are novel individually or in combination with respect to the prior art.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Plant for closing containers (prior art)

2

rotor

3

Rotor drive element

4

Device for closing (prior art)

4a

first movement device element

4b

second movement device element

4c

bolt head

4d

Gear or pinion

5

Device drive unit

5a

Gear or pinion

6

carrier

6a

support element

7

hydraulic seal

7a

annular channel

8th

medium

9

stationary wall

10

container

11

second movement device

20

Device for closing

21

mover

21a

outer surface of the movement device

22

bellow

23

hub element

23a

inner surface of the hub element

23b

outer surface of the hub member

24

gap

25

guide element

25a

inner surface of the guide element

26

abrasive seal

27

channel element

27a

inner wall of the channel element

27b

outer wall of the channel element

R

cleanroom

U

impure space

X

rotor axis

Y

Mover longitudinal axis

Z

translational direction

Claims (15)

Device (20) for closing containers (10) with screw caps, wherein the device (20) has at least one closure head (4c) for applying the closures and at least partially in the clean space (R) sealed by a medium (8) Clean room (R) arranged movement means (21) for generating a rotational movement of the closure head (4c) about a Bewegungsseinrichtungslängsachse (Y) and a translational movement of the closure head (4c) along the Bewegungsseinrichtungslängsachse (Y)
characterized in that
the movement device (21) is at least partially contacted by the medium (8) for sealing the clean room (R) with respect to an impure space (U). Device (20) according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the closure head (4c) is arranged substantially rotationally fixed on a lower end of the movement device (21) in the translatory direction in order to receive or execute the rotational and / or translatory movement transmitted by the movement device (21). Device (20) according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
a bellows (22) which can be stretched in a translatory direction for sealing the clean room (R) with respect to an impure space (U) is arranged at least in sections on the movement device (21) during a translatory movement of the movement device (21). Device (20) according to claim 3,
characterized in that
the bellows (22) surrounds at least a portion of the movement device (21) in its entirety and has an inner surface in contact with the medium (8) and an outer surface in contact with the clean room (R). Device (20) according to one of claims 3 or 4,
characterized in that
the translatory-direction upper end of the bellows (22) is arranged on a sleeve-like hub element (23) that is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the movement of the implement (Y). Device (20) according to claim 5,
characterized in that
the hub element (23) is at least partially enclosed by a cylindrical guide element (25), so that both elements (23, 25) are arranged concentrically with one another. Device (20) according to claim 6,
characterized in that
between the inner surface (25a) of the guide member (25) and the outer surface (23b) of the hub member (23), a sliding seal (26) is circumferentially arranged. Device (20) according to claim 6,
characterized in that
the inner surface (25a) of the guide element (25) is at least partially in contact with the medium (8). Device (20) according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the medium (8) is a component of a hydraulic seal (7) and extends in a translatory direction along the movement device (21) and completely surrounds the movement device (21). Device (20) according to claim 9,
characterized in that
the hydraulic seal (7) is a liquid seal for sealing a stationary (9) or stationary wall (9) against at least one movable wall (6) of a system (1) for closing containers (10). Device (20) according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the clean room (R) has relatively movable walls. Device (20) according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
the medium (8) essentially forms a boundary between the clean room (R) and the dirty room (U). Plant for closing containers (10) with a multiplicity of devices (20) according to one of the preceding claims, which are arranged on a carrier (6) which is rotatable about a rotor longitudinal axis (X). Plant according to claim 13,
characterized in that
the carrier (6) is sealed with a hydraulic seal (7) with respect to a stationary wall (9). Plant according to claim 13,
characterized in that
the carrier (6) has a circumferential annular channel (27) in which a portion of the stationary wall (9) engages and in which the medium (8) is introduced for sealing.

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