EP2848325B1 - Heat insulated apparatus for washing beverage crates - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for washing beverage crates. Such devices have long been known from the prior art. In this case, beverage crates are usually conveyed through a treatment room by means of a transport device and, in this treatment room, cleaning media, for example warm water, liquid cleaning agents and the like, are applied to them in order to clean them. In addition, devices of this type also have separating means in order, for example, to separate out bottle residues left behind in the bottle crates, such as broken glass, for example. The use of such bottle crate washing systems has proven itself in the prior art. An example of such a device for cleaning bottle crates is in DE 44 00 871 A1 specified.

In the EP 1 477 240 A2 describes a bottle crate cleaning system having thermal insulation on an outer surface of the peripheral wall disposed between it and a cover according to the preamble of claim 1.

In the utility model DE 85 26 600 U1 discloses a crate cleaning device which is shielded from its surroundings by acoustic and/or thermal insulation. It is described that for this purpose the outer walls of the housing in the cleaning area are clad with thermal insulation elements.

Efforts have recently been made to also improve the energy efficiency of such systems. The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a device for cleaning bottle crates which saves more energy during operation. According to the invention, this is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claim. Advantageous embodiments and developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

A device according to the invention for cleaning bottle crates has at least one treatment chamber formed within a housing, in which the bottle crates can be cleaned by being exposed to a liquid medium. Furthermore, the device has a transport device which transports the bottle crates along a predetermined transport path through the treatment room. At least one application device is provided, which applies a liquid cleaning agent to the bottle crates in order to clean them. In this case, the housing has at least one peripheral wall which surrounds the treatment space and a bottom wall which is arranged below the treatment space. According to the invention, all walls have a heat-insulating wall, with an insulating medium for insulating the wall being integrated into this wall.

It is therefore proposed according to the invention to thermally insulate the housing which surrounds the treatment room. The Applicant has found that, despite the temperatures used to clean the crates, ranging from 40° to 60°, there is a high energy requirement since a great deal of heat is lost.

The insulating means can be plastics or polyurethane foams, for example, but it would also be possible for the insulating means to be air or a partial vacuum, for example, which is introduced between the two walls of the wall delimiting the treatment chamber. The device also has a cover wall which delimits the treatment space at the top. The housing is therefore advantageously completely closed, with the exception of a first opening through which the beverage crates are fed in, a second opening through which the beverage crates are removed and, if necessary, one or more further openings through which dirt or other objects, such as broken glass in the can be disposed of during operation.

Filter devices are also advantageously arranged in the treatment room or in the housing, which filter the liquid medium used for rinsing or cleaning the bottle crates. This can be, for example, coarse filters and fine filters and the like.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the device has an immersion bath, within which the bottle crates are transported. It is possible that the bottle crates are transported by a current occurring in this immersion bath. A side wall of this immersion bath is also advantageously at least partially thermally insulated. It is possible that any flow in this immersion bath is generated by pumps and the like, with these pumps advantageously being arranged outside the housing. Thus, preferably at least one circulating pump generating the flow of cleaning medium in the immersion bath is provided, which is preferably in flow connection with its outlet to one end of the immersion bath and with its inlet to the other end of the immersion bath, preferably via a return channel.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the transport route, along which the beverage crates are guided, has at least two sections which are offset in the vertical or horizontal direction and extend in a longitudinal direction of the device. These two sections can be connected to one another, for example, via a turning conveyor, which rotates the beverage crates by 180° with respect to a predetermined plane or axis of rotation.

More specifically, the sections of the transport route arranged one on top of the other in a vertical direction may be connected to each other via jaw conveyors provided inside the housing, and the sections may be formed by separate conveyors, respectively.

Such a clamping jaw conveyor is preferably connected to the above-mentioned immersion bath.

In addition to the immersion bath, further application devices are preferably provided which apply a cleaning liquid to the bottle crates, such as spray nozzles which apply a cleaning agent to the bottle crates or fresh water nozzles which rinse the bottle crates after they have been cleaned.

In a method described here for producing such a device, it is possible for the device itself, including its walls, to be constructed first and for an insulating material to be introduced into these walls in a final method step.

In a further advantageous method, the device has a heat exchanger which supplies heat to the treatment space from the outside. This can be a gas/liquid heat exchanger, a gas/gas heat exchanger or a liquid/liquid heat exchanger. In this case, for example in larger systems, the thermal energy of other sub-units, which is produced there as a waste product, can be used in order to provide the thermal energy required in the present invention. For example, cleaning machines that clean the bottles themselves are also provided in manufacturing plants. These usually work at much higher temperatures and therefore emit much higher amounts of heat than the machine described here. This emitted energy can be used by using the heat exchanger to supply additional heat to the treatment room.

Each wall has an outer wall element and an inner wall element pointing towards the treatment room, with the insulating medium being arranged between the outer wall element and the inner wall element. In this way, the insulating material itself is not visible during operation and, above all, does not have to be protected separately from cleaning or rinsing agents.

In a further advantageous embodiment, at least one wall element, i.e. the outer wall element or the inner wall element, is made of stainless steel. Both the outer wall element and the inner wall element are advantageously made of stainless steel.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the device has at least one liquid line in order to transport the liquid between the treatment room and the outside of the treatment room. This can be, for example, a supply of the above-mentioned immersion bath, where, as mentioned above, the pumps for generating the flow in the immersion bath are preferably arranged outside the housing. However, the pumps for other units of the device can also be arranged outside the housing, for example the pumps which supply the spray nozzles arranged inside the treatment chamber, any pumps with which waste water is transported away and the like.

This liquid line preferably extends through a heat-insulated wall.

A large number of liquid lines of the type described above are therefore advantageously routed through said wall at a predetermined point or a predetermined area. In the prior art, the liquid lines are fed through in essentially random areas or in the area in which it is geometrically most favorable. In the context of the present invention, it is proposed to collect the areas in which the liquid lines are routed through the wall or to concentrate the penetrations of the liquid lines. This procedure can also improve the overall heat insulation, since an opening or passage through the heat-insulating wall has to be created and not, as would be necessary with an arrangement in the prior art, a large number of such openings. For example, a collection of several, for example three, four, five or six lines could be guided together through a correspondingly created opening in an insulating wall. In addition, however, other lines can also be routed through the wall, such as electrical control lines, which activate electrical elements inside the treatment room. In addition, mechanical actuating elements can also be guided through a wall of the treatment room.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the device has at least one viewing window, this viewing window also having an insulating element.

Some of the devices known in the prior art also had such viewing windows. These viewing windows were usually made of conventional glass. Recently, there has been a move to greatly increase the size of these viewing windows. For this reason, it is proposed here that this viewing window also has heat-insulating properties. So it is possible that the viewing window is made of insulating glass or single-pane safety glass (ESG). In addition, it would also be conceivable to use double pane safety glass or multiple pane safety glass. At least one window is preferably made of laminated safety glass. In this case, this glass can have a film between two panes of this glass, and in particular a tough-elastic film. This film advantageously consists of polyvinyl butyral or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which are preferably bonded to the respective adjoining panes by the action of pressure and temperature. In addition, partially toughened glass can also be used

In a further advantageous embodiment, the viewing window can be opened and closed. This viewing window is of a size that allows a user to climb into the machine or into the housing when the viewing window is open. In this way, the viewing window also serves to release an access hatch when the system is in the open state. In a further embodiment, it would also be conceivable for the window itself to be a double window. The outer wall has a number of wall modules which are connected to one another. These wall modules are each constructed in the manner described above, i.e. with an outer wall element and an inner wall element, within which the relevant insulating body is arranged. In a further advantageous embodiment, the device also has a cleaning system in order to clean the device itself. For example, a so-called CIP (Cleaning In Place) cleaning system can be provided, which in particular also cleans the inner walls of the device. Such a cleaning system can have spray nozzles arranged inside the housing, which apply a further cleaning medium to components of the devices, such as wall components, but also components of the transport device.

According to the invention, all peripheral walls and also a cover wall of the housing are thermally insulated in the manner described here. According to the invention, the bottom wall is also thermally insulated. In an embodiment not according to the invention, a heat-insulated bottom wall is dispensed with. It should be noted that on the one hand a larger part of the heat is lost in the upper areas of the housing, but on the other hand the water bath or immersion bath described is also arranged in the lower area of the housing and the liquid itself already causes a certain thermal insulation. In particular, it would be possible for the bottom insulation of this immersion bath to be constructed on only two surfaces.

In a further advantageous embodiment, support elements or carriers are provided in the treatment room and at least one support element is arranged directly on a region of the heat-insulating wall and in particular is welded directly. In the prior art, such measures were usually dispensed with, since it was known that by welding on such supports, traces of the welding process, for example, can also appear on the outside of the wall that is visible to the user. Since two-walled structures are now used for the housing wall, it is therefore possible to arrange the support elements inside the housing directly on the outer wall. In this way, it is possible to dispense with the U-profiles and the like that have hitherto been customary in the prior art in the interior of the housing. Advantageously, these are support elements for the transport device or its components or also support elements for spindles and the like.

In a further advantageous embodiment, a valve element is arranged inside the housing or the treatment chamber, and a drive device for actuating this valve element is arranged outside the housing. For example, this valve element can be a valve element that controls the closure of a splash tank, and this valve element is in turn controlled by a drive arranged outside of the housing, in particular, but not exclusively, an electric motor, pneumatic or hydraulic drive.

This valve element can, for example, be a ball valve, in particular for a post-spray tank. Such a rinsing trough is advantageously arranged in the interior of the housing in such a way that rinsing water, which is used for rinsing the beverage containers, can be caught by this trough. This ball valve can be actuated, for example, by a drive spindle, and this drive spindle can be passed through a heat-insulated wall of the housing.

Fig. 1

Eine schematische Darstellung einer erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zum Reinigen von Behältniskästen;

Fig. 2

eine weitere schematische Darstellung mit einer Veranschaulichung des Innenbereichs;

Fig. 3a

eine Darstellung eines Wandungselements nach dem Stand der Technik;

Fig. 3b

eine Darstellung eines Wandungselements gemäß der Erfindung; und

Fig. 4

eine Darstellung eines Wandungselements mit einer Flüssigkeitsdurchführung.

Further advantages and embodiments result from the accompanying drawings. Show in it:

1

A schematic representation of a device according to the invention for cleaning storage boxes;

2

a further schematic representation with an illustration of the interior;

Figure 3a

a representation of a wall element according to the prior art;

Figure 3b

a representation of a wall element according to the invention; and

4

a representation of a wall element with a liquid passage.

1 shows a roughly schematic representation of a device 1 for cleaning bottle crates. It is conceivable that the bottle crates (not shown) are fed to the device at the bottom right and removed at the top left, as indicated by the arrow. The device has a housing which is designated in its entirety by 2 and which surrounds the bottle crates at least during the cleaning process. A treatment room 4 is formed within this housing 2 . Outside of the housing 2, pump devices 32, 34 and the like can be arranged, which serve to flush the containers inside the housing. The feed openings for feeding the beverage crates into the device 1 and the discharge openings for discharging the beverage crates from the device 1 are therefore preferably arranged at different heights. In addition, it would also be possible for the device to have two or more tracks, ie the beverage crates to be conveyed through the device on two or more parallel tracks.

Reference numerals 42 and 44 denote wall elements which, as will be explained in more detail below, also have a heat-insulating function. The reference number 22 designates a window which is integrated here in the wall element 42 or in the housing 2 . This can also be a thermally insulating window. The windows are dimensioned so large that users can also enter the interior of the housing 2 for maintenance purposes, for example. More specifically, reference numeral 44 refers to a bottom wall. This bottom wall could also be multi-walled with an insulating medium located between two walls. In a form not according to the invention, it would also be conceivable for this bottom wall to have only one wall, in particular if a liquid is conducted above this floor, since in this case this liquid also has a certain insulating function.

The reference number 46 relates to drains, for example to be able to drain dirty water out of the device 1 . A cover wall of the device is also designed with two walls with an insulating medium lying between them. Temperature measuring devices for measuring a (liquid or air temperature) could also be provided inside the treatment room.

An immersion bath through which the beverage crates are conveyed could also be arranged in the bottom area of the device. In this case, flow-generating devices could also be provided, which generate a flow in this immersion bath, through which the beverage crates are conveyed.

2 shows a further representation of a device for cleaning bottle crates. Here transport devices are also shown inside the housing, which are turning conveyors 6 here, which transport the crates and turn them at the same time.

The reference number 16 designates an exit via which the beverage crates can be removed again here, and this exit can also be designed here as a heat-insulated lock. The beverage crates are brought into the interior of the housing or the treatment room via a feed device 14 and transported there, for example, first with the aid of a liquid flow before they can be taken over by the right-hand transport device 6 . The reference number 8 schematically designates a liquid line 8 running in the interior of the treatment chamber. Nozzles can be provided in flow connection with this line, which nozzles apply a liquid and in particular a rinsing liquid to the drinks crates. As shown below, these lines can be routed through a wall of the housing.

Figure 3a shows a wall element 142 according to the prior art. It can be seen that this wall element is designed in one layer. It was possible in the prior art, for example, to attach a carrier 132 to this wall element in turn carries 4 further elements inside the treatment room. However, such a fastening of a carrier to the wall element 142 was often accompanied by disfigurements of the outer surface 142a since, for example, welding processes on the inner wall are also visible on the outer side 142a.

Figure 3b shows a representation of a wall element 42 according to the invention. This has an outer side 42a and an inner side 42b. An insulating medium 42c is introduced between these two sides. This can be, for example, air, PU foam, rock wool, Styrodur and the like. It is advantageously a material that has a lower thermal conductivity coefficient than the material of the walls, which is aluminum, for example.

The insulating medium advantageously has a physical density which is less than 2.7 g/cm ³ , preferably less than 2.0 g/cm ³ , preferably less than 1.5 g/cm ³ . In addition, the insulating medium can also be composed of several components or materials. The insulating medium advantageously has a thickness between the outside 42a and the inside 42b that is between 0.5 cm and 20 cm, preferably between 1 cm and 15 cm, preferably between 1 cm and 10 cm. The distance between the outside and the inside is therefore considerably greater than the thickness of the outside or the inside. The outer wall 42a and the inner wall 42b can preferably have thicknesses of between 0.2 cm and 3 cm, preferably between 0.4 cm and 2.0 cm. The outside 42a and the inside 42b (or the outside wall 42a and the inside wall 42b) are thus spaced apart from one another.

The wall element is cuboid in its entirety and forms a cavity within which the insulating medium is arranged.

4 shows a further illustration of a wall element 42. A feed-through opening 12 is also provided here, through which, for example, further lines 8 can be guided. Wall elements 42d can also be seen here, which delimit this feed-through line from insulating medium 42c. As mentioned above, it is possible to lead a large number of lines through said opening 12 or to concentrate them on the area of opening 12 . Also in this way, the variety of such Openings 12 are kept small and thus the overall insulating effect of the housing can be improved.

The reference number 18 denotes, roughly diagrammatically, a carrier which is provided inside the housing and on which further elements such as components of the transport device can be arranged. This carrier is fastened here to the inner wall 42a, for example screwed or welded on. However, this does not affect the outer wall 42b.

Reference List

1

cleaning device

2

Housing

4

treatment room

6

transport device

8th

Management

12

Feed-through line/opening

14

feeding device

16

Exit

18

carrier

22

window

32, 34

pumping facilities

42, 44

wall elements

42a

outside

42b

inside

42c

insulating medium

42d

wall elements

46

drain

142

wall element

142a

outer surface

Claims (8)

1. Apparatus for cleaning bottle crates (1), having at least one treatment chamber (4) formed within a housing (2), having a transport device (6) which transports the bottle crates along a predetermined transport path through the treatment chamber (4), having at least one application device (12) which acts upon the bottle crates with a liquid cleaning agent for cleaning them, wherein the housing (2) having at least one circumferential wall which surrounds the treatment chamber (4) and a bottom wall (8) which is arranged below the treatment chamber (4),
   characterized in that
   each circumferential wall, the bottom wall (44) and a lid wall is a thermally insulated wall, wherein an insulating medium (42c) for insulating the wall is integrated into this wall, wherein the thermally insulated wall comprises several wall modules (42) which are connected to each other and which each comprise an outer wall element (42a) and an inner wall element (42b) facing the treatment chamber (4), wherein the insulating medium (42c) is arranged between the outer wall member (42a) and the inner wall member (42b), wherein a wall module (42) is parallelepipedic in its entirety and forms a cavity within which said insulating medium (42c) is disposed.
2. Apparatus (1) according to claim 1,
   characterized in that
   at least one wall module (42) is made of stainless steel.
3. Apparatus (1) according to claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the apparatus (1) comprises at least one liquid line (8) for transporting liquid between the treatment chamber (4) and an external environment of the treatment chamber (4).
4. Apparatus (1) according to claim 3,
   characterized in that
   this liquid line (8) extends through a thermally insulated wall.
5. Apparatus (1) according to claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the apparatus (1) comprises at least one viewing window (22), wherein this viewing window (22) comprising an insulating element.
6. Apparatus (1) according to claim 5,
   characterized in that
   the window (22) is a double window.
7. Apparatus (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   support elements are provided in the treatment chamber (4) and at least one support element is welded directly to a region of the heat-insulating wall (42).
8. Apparatus (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   a valve element (24) is arranged inside the housing, and a drive device for actuating this valve element (24) is arranged outside the housing.

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