EP3486589A1 - Cleaning and/or drying device for boxes - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus (100, 100 ') and a method for cleaning and / or drying boxes (K) are described. This cleaning and / or spin-drying device (100, 100 ') comprises a box inlet (50) for taking over boxes (K) to be cleaned and / or dried and a box outlet (60) for dispensing boxes (K). Between the box inlet (50) and the box outlet (60) a rotating device (20) is arranged. The rotating device (20) has a substantially vertical rotary shaft (22) and a turntable (21) arranged on the upper side thereof. Optionally, the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus (100, 100 ') comprises a spraying device (90) for spraying a box (K) to be cleaned with a cleaning fluid (R F). The cleaning and / or spin-drying device (100, 100 ') is designed such that a box (K) to be cleaned and / or dried can be placed on the turntable (21) with a box bottom inside, wherein the turntable (21) in the spin position (SP) at a distance (a) below the box outlet (60) is arranged. In addition, a cleaning and / or drying system (200, 200 ', 200 ") is described which comprises a cleaning and / or spin-drying device (100, 100') and a feed-conveying path (110) to be cleaned and / or to transport boxes (K) to be dried to the box inlet (50) of the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus (100, 100 ') and / or a discharge conveyor (120) to cleaned and / or dried boxes (K) to the box outlet ( 60) of the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus (100, 100 ').

Description

The invention relates to a cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus for cleaning and / or drying of boxes, which has a box inlet, a box outlet and arranged between the box inlet and box outlet rotation device, and a method for cleaning and / or drying of boxes.

Conveying lines with conveyor belts are needed in many industrial and commercial sectors to transport goods in warehouses for distribution of goods or in manufacturing plants from one position to another position. The conveyor lines must meet different requirements depending on their use. If, for example, pharmaceutical products or foodstuffs are transported in a conveyor line, it must always be ensured on account of the high hygiene regulations for the transport of the goods that not only the conveyor line but also the boxes used for transport are clean and hygienically clean. Before or after use or temporary storage of the empty boxes they must therefore be cleaned or washed and dried. Since the washed boxes should be quickly available again for the transport of goods and on the other hand, the wet and moist boxes can provide a breeding ground for bacteria, the boxes should be dried as quickly as possible. Drying of the washed boxes is often carried out by means of drying systems, which try to dry the wet boxes with the help of various blowers. Problems of these drying systems, however, are the relatively high drying time, which can delay the conveying process in the conveyor line, a high energy demand and high noise.

That's how it shows EP 1 154 214 B1 a centrifugal dryer, wherein a stack of boxes to be dried is positioned by a conveyor on a turntable of the centrifugal dryer, wherein the turntable is directly connected via a toothed belt with a motor in connection and is driven. The turntable is located on a common plane with the conveying plane of a feed and discharge conveyor line of the box stacks. After transferring a stack of boxes to be dried from the feed conveyor to the centrifugal dryer, it is stabilized by means of additional columns on the turntable. For this purpose, the boxes are clamped at their corners by means of an extra clamp part, which is connected to the columns. This clip part includes, among others an additional cylinder, which is connected with brackets to open and close the clamp part can. In order to prevent already dried boxes from being splashed by the splashes of wet and drying boxes, the centrifugal dryer is designed as a closed container with doors on its feed and discharge sides. In addition to the complicated transfer, stabilization and positioning of the box stacks, the doors therefore have to be opened during the transfer and delivery of the box stacks and closed before the stack of crates is rotated.

Before the boxes are dried, they are often cleaned in separate, mostly the crate drying plant upstream, crate washer. In smaller sized crate conveyors where the throughput of crates is rather low, such separate cleaning (or washing) and subsequent drying can be relatively inefficient and costly because separate drying and washing equipment must be purchased and operated. In addition, more energy and more space is required for each additional system to set up the equipment. In addition, the efficiency can be reduced because, for example, the boxes must first be transported from a box washing installation to a box drying installation and must be repositioned each time for the relevant station.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative for this, which allows a particularly simple and rapid cleaning and / or drying of boxes.

This object is achieved by a cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus according to claim 1 and a cleaning and / or drying system according to claim 14 and a method for cleaning and / or drying of boxes according to claim 15.

According to the invention, the cleaning and / or spin-drying device for drying boxes, which usually each have a box bottom or a bottom surface and circumferential side walls, a box inlet to take over the washed and dried boxes. Under a box inlet is here to understand any interface, can be taken on the drying boxes on a conveyor line and transferred to the cleaning and / or spin drying device. The boxes to be dried can be serial, for example one Crate after another, fed on a conveyor belt of a conveyor line and processed accordingly serially, ie dried.

In addition, the cleaning and / or spin-drying device has a box outlet for dispensing the boxes dried by the cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus. Under a box outlet is here also an arbitrary interface to understand the dried boxes can be passed from a cleaning and / or spin drying device back to a conveyor line.

The box inlet and the box outlet may in particular also each comprise a transfer area or longer section in the conveying direction of the boxes.

In order to dry boxes, the cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus further comprises a rotating device which is arranged between the box inlet and the box outlet.

In this case, the rotating device has a substantially vertical rotary shaft and a horizontally oriented turntable arranged on top thereof. The term "substantially" is understood to mean that the rotary shaft is vertically aligned within tolerances, for example, within a tolerance of preferably a maximum tilt of 10 °, more preferably at most 5 ° to the vertical.

In addition, the cleaning and / or spin-drying device is designed so that a box to be dried can be stored with a box bottom inside on the turntable or is. Ie. The box is lying on the turntable upside down or with an upper edge of its side walls pointing downwards or downwards. In this case, the box, preferably at least before the start of the rotation, preferably free, that is, first without additional extra clamping, on the turntable.

In order to protect boxes already dried by the cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus from, for example, emerging pointed water during a spin-drying process or drying process, the turntable is arranged in a spinning position of the box at a distance below the box outlet. The "spinning position" is characterized in that in this position, the box to be dried can be subjected to the spin-drying process.

Unless the boxes are previously cleaned in a separate car wash, the device according to the invention can be designed to clean a box in a cleaning process. For this purpose, the cleaning and / or spin-drying device described above optionally has a spraying device in order to spray a box that has been taken over at the box inlet and to be cleaned first with a cleaning fluid. A "cleaning fluid" here is to be understood as meaning any liquid or gas which is suitable for cleaning the boxes, or a mixture thereof. Preferably, it is water, optionally also with cleaning additives (eg detergents). It could also be compressed air. In any case, the cleaning fluid may also comprise solid particles.

Thus, the cleaning and / or drying plant can be used both for drying and for cleaning boxes, as well as optionally only for drying or only for cleaning, i. it may - depending on the design and control - be a pure drying plant or a cleaning system or a combination of both.

In the corresponding method according to the invention for drying a box by means of a cleaning and / or spin-drying device, a box to be dried is first taken over at a box inlet and brought into the spinning position, in which the box with a box bottom inside on a turntable of a rotating device, preferably as above mentioned, is freely stored. Then the turntable begins to rotate while taking the box.

Due to the centrifugal force generated by the high rotation of the turntable, the water in the box is pressed outwards, collects on the inner edge or on the inner surfaces of the side walls of the box and flows downwards in the box positioned upside down. The water on the outside is simply thrown away. Due to this resulting displacement of the water due to centrifugal force, the box is almost completely dried and contains only a residue of moisture, which also dries during the removal of the crate within a few seconds. After the rotation or the spinning of the box to be dried, this is lifted from the spinning position to spend the then dried box to the box outlet. The box outlet is, as already mentioned, in a plane at a distance above the spin position.

The inventive method can also be used optionally for cleaning boxes. Here, instead of a (possibly already washed) to be dried, a box to be cleaned at the box inlet taken and placed on the turntable. Thereafter, the turntable begins to rotate with the box (possibly slowly in proportion to the spin) and the box is sprayed by means of a spray with a cleaning fluid.

After spraying the box, the turntable on which the cleaned box rests can rotate faster and spin the box so that the box, as already described, is dried due to the centrifugal force. The crate can not only be thrown during the spin drying process, but alternatively during the cleaning process. When the cleaning and drying process is complete, the cleaned and dried box can be handed over to the box outlet.

The cleaned box can also be passed without a subsequent to the cleaning process spin drying process to the box outlet, z. B. when the box was cleaned by means of compressed air and requires no further drying. Even a still wet, cleaned box could in principle be handed over without subsequent spin drying process to the box outlet and dried, for example, by a cleaning and / or spin drying device downstream box drying plant, if desired.

By means of the devices according to the invention and the method optionally a quick, simple drying and / or cleaning of the boxes takes place. Since the boxes are stored only upside down freely on the turntable, the tolerance range in which the boxes to be cleaned and / or to be dried can be placed on the turntable, is relatively large. The boxes to be cleaned and / or to be dried therefore do not have to be exactly aligned, positioned or additionally clamped by means of extra tools or work steps - which would cost additional time - in order to be placed on the turntable and subsequently rotated. In addition, due to the arrangement of the Kistenauslaufs and the turntable to each other the already dried boxes on and behind the box outlet during the cleaning and / or spin drying process before splashing the following to be cleaned and / or to be dried boxes protected.

The cleaning and / or spin-drying device can be installed in an existing conveyor line and thus form a cleaning and / or drying system. If the cleaning and / or spin-drying device has no spraying device, then the cleaning and / or spin-drying device can be followed in particular by a box washing system in order to be able to dry the wet, washed boxes in a subsequent step in a timely manner. The cleaning and / or spin drying device or the cleaning and / or drying system can therefore also be regarded as part of an already existing box washing system.

Likewise, it is possible to provide a complete cleaning and / or drying plant, which as a set a feed conveyor line to transport the boxes to be cleaned and / or dried to the box inlet of the cleaning and / or spin-drying device, and a discharge Conveyor section comprises to convey already cleaned and / or dried boxes to the box outlet of the cleaning and / or spin drying device. But it would also be possible that the cleaning and / or drying plant has only one feed conveyor line or only one discharge conveyor line and routes or conveyor modules are used by other components in an overall system.

Further, particularly advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims and the following description, wherein the claims of a claim category can also be developed analogous to the claims and description parts to another claim category and in particular also individual features of different embodiments or variants new embodiments or variants can be combined.

According to the invention, the turntable is, as already mentioned, in the spinning position at a distance below the box outlet. For example, the distance between the turntable in the spin position and the box outlet in a preferred variant is at least 10 mm, particularly preferably at least 300 mm. In addition, the turntable is preferably located in the spinning position below an inlet edge of the box inlet. The turntable is thus located in a plane at a distance below the box inlet. For example, the distance between the turntable in the spinning position and the crate inlet here is at least 10 mm, particularly preferably at least 300 mm in a preferred variant.

Particularly preferably, the box inlet and the box outlet are located substantially in a common conveying plane, so that the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus can be easily interposed or installed between two conveyor lines. The resulting cleaning and / or drying plant would thus be constructed so that a box to be dried can be picked up in the same level and output after the spin-drying process. As a result, depending on the configuration, it may be easier to feed a box at the same time while another box is being led away.

In order to move the boxes dried by the spin-drying process from the spinning position to the box outlet located above the spinning position, the cleaning and / or spin-drying device may comprise a lift device or lifting platform. With this lifting device, it is also preferably possible to move a box to be dried from a "pick-up position" down to a spinning position. In the "pick-up position", the box is thus in a position on the lift device in order to be able to be moved into the spin position.

In a possible variant, the lift device is integrated in the turning device. For this purpose, the turntable may be preferably height-adjustable mounted in the rotating device, which can be realized for example by a reciprocating piston in the rotating device. Thus, the rotating device could pick up a box to be dried in its pick-up position and move into its spin position and / or lift the box after the spin-drying process again to the box outlet or box outlet.

Advantageously, however, the lifting movement to move the boxes between the pick-up position and the spinning position, on the one hand, and the rotational movement for drying the boxes, on the other hand, can be carried out separately from various components or devices.

For this purpose, the lift device preferably has a box-lift platform (which is separate from the rotary device), preferably automatically or manually by means of a lifting drive, which can be moved between at least one upper position above the turntable and one lower position below the turntable. To be able to move the crate lift platform, the lift device is designed accordingly or the crate lift platform is accordingly coupled to a lifting actuator, in particular a lifting mechanism, the lift device and is suitably controlled by means of a control device described below.

The crate lift platform provides a basis for receiving a crate. The dimensions of the crate lift platform should in this case be designed to be able to accommodate a crate to be transported in the conveying path with defined crate dimensions in accordance with the normalized or standardized crate type used. In the context of the present invention, a "defined" or predetermined crate dimension or inner crate dimension or outer dimension is to be understood as meaning a respective standard or standard dimension for the crates used in the cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus. The transport crates or boxes usually used in the factories are usually standardized or standardized, whereby the standard or the standard can depend on which working area the crates are used for. In addition, there are also own standards for the crates of a company or company.

The boxes to be dried can be transported both transversely and longitudinally to the conveying direction of the boxes on the feed conveyor belt. Therefore, the boxes can be taken accordingly transversely or longitudinally at the box inlet or output at the box outlet. If a "box width" is described below, the dimension - irrespective of the proportions of the box itself - refers to a box dimension transverse to the conveying direction. A box length accordingly describes a crate dimension along the conveying direction. A front of a box describes a first side wall of the box in the conveying direction and a rear side describes a last side wall of a box in the conveying direction.

The boxes to be dried are usually transported with a horizontally oriented bottom surface on a conveyor line. Therefore, the crate lift platform is preferably designed to accommodate a box oriented substantially horizontally with the bottom surface and on a preferably also horizontally oriented turntable to be able to take off. The box to be dried arriving, for example, on a feed conveyor line can - as explained in detail later - transported to the horizontally oriented box lift platform at the box inlet or pushed onto this.

According to the invention, the box is as mentioned with its bottom inside, d. H. upside down, placed on the turntable. Therefore, the box should also preferably rest upside down or with an upper edge of its side walls facing down on the crate lift platform and so be carried by this from below. Are - as is quite common - the boxes already transported upside down on the feed conveyor line, so advantageously no extra repositioning of the boxes needed to be able to dry them in the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus can.

If the box has been placed in the pick-up position on the box lift platform, the box lift platform will be moved from its "upper position", where the box is picked up in its pick-up position, past the turntable to a "lower position". The "lower position" corresponds to a position in which the crate lifting platform no longer has contact with the crate and this is deposited freely in its spin position on the turntable. Ie. the lower position is preferably at least below the upper edge of the side walls of the boxes lying on the turntable. Preferably, this lower position of the crate lift platform is at least 10 mm, more preferably at least 50 mm, below the upper edge, i. of the - in the head-over position - lower edge of the side walls of a lying on the turntable box.

Crates or transport boxes, which are used in a conveyor line for the transport of goods, are usually reused several times. Due to the multiple use of the boxes may have these signs of wear or deformation. Such boxes could, for example, due to their shape in the pick-up position, become caught on components of the cleaning and / or spin-drying device.

In order for the crate lift platform to accommodate, for example, a deformed crate and to take it with it, the crate lift platform may preferably also have clamping elements, for example motor-driven claws or the like. By means of the clamping elements, the crate lift platform can clamp a box and move it from its pick-up position into its spinning position. As soon as the box is in its spinning position on the turntable, the box, for example by moving apart of the claws, no longer clamped and held.

So that the lift device can hold the box securely or stably during a change of position and pass between the upper position and the lower position on the turntable or can pass the turntable, the case lift platform in a preferred variant has at least two contact areas for the case. which are with respect to the turntable in opposite areas or at opposite positions. Between these support areas there is then a free space. Advantageously, a minimum clear dimension of this free space is greater than a minimum side length of a rectangle circumscribing the turntable. In addition, an inner length of the free space is preferably greater than a maximum side length of a rectangle circumscribing the turntable.

For the specific design of the box lift platform with two relative to the turntable opposite support areas and a space for the turntable in between there are various possibilities.

For example, the crate lift platform may preferably have a relatively large support surface in the form of a frame or the like running on at least two, preferably four, sides, eg. B. a fork-shaped or U-shaped frame, which has a cutout in the middle as a free space for the turntable. The opposing bearing areas here z. B. corresponding, opposite to the cutout portions of the frame.

However, the frame may for example also be formed as an L-profile, wherein the L-legs extend along two adjacent sides of the turntable. In this case, the ends of the L-legs may be considered as the opposing bearing areas.

Other training is possible. In particular, the bearing areas do not necessarily have to be flat, but can, for example, also be realized in the form of (relatively small, eg pointed) contact points on which the box rests selectively with the upper edge of its side walls.

Also, the turntable can be designed largely arbitrary.

So z. B. the bearing surface of the turntable on which rests a box, also have any shape, for example, be circular. However, a polygonal shape is preferred since - with appropriate dimensioning, as described below - at least one corner or edge of the turntable can contact a box during rotation and take it along during the rotation.

Particularly preferably, the turntable, in particular the support surface of the turntable, the basic shape of a turnstile on. Thus, the turntable itself can have a low weight and torque, although it has a relatively large extent.

In particular, the turntable can also have a plurality of partial support surfaces, also in the form of support points, on which the inside of the box bottom rests selectively. These partial bearing surfaces can z. B. also be positioned in largely arbitrary arrangement to each other, for. B. at the ends of a turnstile.

It is preferred that a largest diameter of the turntable, so for example, the diagonal of a turnstile, is at least as large as a smallest diameter of a defined, predetermined Kisteninnenmaßes. As a result, the turntable can take the box freely stored upside down on the turntable with a rotation of the turntable with it. If the turntable begins to rotate during the spin-drying process, the turntable contacts an inner surface of the box to be dried (corresponding to the smallest) at least with one edge or corner located on one side of the turntable which describes the largest outside diameter of the turntable Inner box dimension) and therefore takes the box with it during the rotation.

Preferably, the storage of the box on the turntable and the rotation take place in such a way that the box even lifts off the turntable during the spin-drying process.

In order to facilitate the drying of different boxes with different box dimensions, the turntable is detachably connected to the rotary shaft. Thereby, the turntable can be selected against a turntable with a corresponding dimension, matching the type of box and replaced to retrofit the cleaning and / or spin drying device. For releasable attachment fasteners such. As screws, clamp connectors or clamps are used. Preferably, the compound of the Turntable with the rotary shaft by means of a quick release, such as a bayonet coupling or the like.

A preferred further option to position or center the boxes to be dried more accurately on the turntable during the spin-drying process is to use additional centering elements, e.g. B. on an edge of the turntable to install. These can be, for example, motor-driven, extendable and retractable pins or preferably centrifugal weights. These centrifugal weights are pressed during the rotation by the centrifugal force to the outside of a box inner surface, thereby producing further contact between the turntable and the box to be hurled. The centering can z. B. compensate for a difference in size between the turntable and box, whereby a variety of different types of boxes different Kistenabmaßes can be thrown with a turntable one size.

The cleaning and / or drying plant can, as already mentioned above, preferably be operated so that at the same time a box to be dried is taken over at the box inlet when a dried box is transferred from the spinning position to the box outlet. As a result, as many boxes as possible can be dried in no time.

In order to position a crate to be dried at the box inlet in the pick-up position, for example on the raised crate lift platform, the cleaning and / or spin-drying device preferably has a positioning device. Preferably, the positioning device has movable positioning elements in order to grasp or grasp the boxes to be dried at the box inlet and to be able to transport them into the picking position.

The positioning device could be realized, for example, by means of two driving belts revolving by drive rollers (as a form of positioning elements). The driving belts can thereby run synchronously in the conveying direction and point with an upper run in the direction of an outside of a box. Here, the conveyor belts may have a distance from each other, which corresponds to a defined external dimension for a box width of a box to be dried. As a result, the driving bands can seize a box between them, pinch laterally and position in the conveying direction.

By the orientation of the driving bands, for example, in addition to a positioning in the conveying direction and a right-left centering transverse to the conveying direction of the boxes possible.

If the boxes reach the pick-up position, the boxes are no longer clamped by the driving straps, so that they can be moved into the spinning position, z. B. by lowering the crate lift platform. To realize this, the driving bands can be a widening at least in the pickup position, z. B. "bulbous" shape. The "belly" would then, for example, correspond to the area in which the box is in the pick-up position and the distance between the driving bands is the greatest. In the region of the pick-up position, the driving bands have a distance from one another which is greater than the outer dimension of the box width, so that the upper runs of the driving bands no longer have any contact with the box. But it would also be possible that the conveyor belts move apart as soon as the box is in the pick-up position and is to be moved into the spinning position.

Additionally or alternatively, the positioning device may also have other or further positioning elements, preferably for example driver or slider to seize the boxes to be dried at the box inlet and push it into the pickup position. The drivers can preferably grab the boxes outside on a rear side or on a lateral web or also from the inside on a front side or engage behind.

Accordingly, the drivers preferably have a driving surface, which is preferably oriented transversely to the conveying direction of the boxes. They are moved in a suitable position in the area of the crate inlet between the boxes to take them, and then moved to push the boxes in the conveying direction. You can z. B. at the latest in the area of the box outlet again moved between the boxes.

The drivers may for example be mechanically attached to the aforementioned driving bands to seize the boxes on the box inlet. Since the boxes are taken here by the carriers, the driving bands z. B. also have a distance from each other, which is wider than a width of a defined Kistenmaßes.

Depending on the specific design of the driver but these could also be attached to the supply and / or discharge conveyor line, for example on a rotating conveyor belt. As a result, the drivers can seize and carry along the serially incoming and outgoing boxes.

Preferably, the drivers are also preferably in the conveying direction at equal intervals one behind the other, for example, attached to the driving belts. The distances between the drivers are preferably greater than a Kistenausßenmaß or more than a box length of a box to be transported in order to take the serial, for example, on a conveyor belt running boxes.

In a possible further variant, the drivers could be driven for example via a pneumatically formed device. Here, drivers could be positioned in a first step across the conveyor between the boxes, then moved in the conveying direction, so as to position the boxes on the lift device in the pick-up position. In a further step, the drivers would again be pulled out transversely in the conveying direction, in order then to return to the starting position. There they can then pick up the next box to be dried.

If the drivers are arranged and designed so that they can be moved across the cleaning and / or spin-drying device from the box inlet to the box outlet, they can simultaneously serve to deliver dried boxes on the box outlet again, for. B. to move from the crate lift platform on the discharge conveyor line.

Another possibility with a positioning device to achieve a right-left centering transversely to the conveying direction of the boxes are centering on the crate lift platform. The centering strips can run in the conveying direction substantially parallel to each other. In order to center a box on the crate lift platform, the box is pushed at the crate inlet between the centering strips. There is preferably a gap between the centering strips and a box, so that the box is not clamped.

By means of a control device, all the essential components of the cleaning and / or drying system, such as the rotating device, the lifting device, the positioning device and possibly also the supply and / or discharge conveyor line, are controlled synchronously.

In this case, a control device can centrally control all of the devices described above. But it would also be possible that the control is decentralized, that is z. B. at least some of the devices have their own control devices or sub-control devices that communicate in a suitable manner with each other and / or with a higher-level control device. The communication between the control device (s) and components and / or between the control devices with one another can take place via cable, but also, for example, wirelessly.

By means of the control device, for example, the transport speed or a timing of the supply and / or discharge conveyor lines can be adjusted. This can be done depending on the drying time, e.g. the rotation time in which the box is thrown, plus the times for positioning as well as the raising and lowering of the box.

The rotation of the turntable or the spin of the box can be done for example over a pre-defined, adjustable period of time. Preferably, the rotation time is at least 0.5 seconds, more preferably about 1 second. The maximum rotation time is preferably 2 seconds, more preferably 5 seconds.

If the rotation time is set fixed, a suitable fixed timing of the conveying speed at the supply and / or discharge conveyor sections, the positioning device and the lifting device can be specified accordingly. This can preferably be selected so that a dried box is transferred from the spinning position to the box outlet and at the same time a box to be dried is taken over at the box inlet.

Another option would be to spin the boxes until they reach a defined degree of dryness. The degree of drying is preferably at most 2 g residual moisture, particularly preferably almost 0 g residual moisture. This degree of drying can be determined, for example, via sensors which are likewise connected to the control device. If z. B. the achievement of a previously defined degree of dryness detected by the sensors, they may for example issue a stop command to the controller, whereby the rotation of the turntable (and thus the Spin drying process) is stopped and the boxes are moved back up and output.

If the box transfer and output at the box inlet or box outlet is not timed fixed as described above, but depends on the individual drying time, so preferably the other components such as supply and / or discharge conveyor lines, the positioning and the lift device also individually but depending on each other, d. H. coordinated, controlled.

For example, it would also be possible that the positioning device has sensors, for. B. pressure sensors and / or a light barrier. The sensors can be triggered, for example, as soon as a box to be dried is in the pick-up position. If the sensors are connected to the control device, the control device can output a command to the lift device, for example based on the data sent by the sensors, so that it moves from its upper position to its lower position.

Also, the speed at which the turntable flings the boxes, for example, to dry them in the given time or to the predetermined degree of drying, can be controlled by means of the control device. The boxes are preferably spun at a speed of at least 300 min ^-1 , more preferably of at least 700 min ^-1 .

The box dimensions of the types of boxes used in the cleaning and / or drying plant can also be stored in the control device. Thus, for example, the respective type of box can be selected on a box, for example, a feed conveyor belt. Thus, for example, the positioning could be automatically aligned or adjusted to the box size used to be able to correctly position them in the picking position. Also a timing could be adapted to the box type. After selecting the type of box could also be displayed, for example, whether the inserted turntable to the incoming on the feed conveyor line box type fits, eg. B. that the boxes are taken correctly during the rotation, or whether another turntable should be selected with a different outer diameter.

As already described, the cleaning and / or spin-drying device can also be designed to clean the boxes themselves in a cleaning process, which is why they can optionally be equipped with a spraying device. Such a spraying device can be designed in different ways.

The spraying device may preferably have washing nozzles. These may preferably be arranged laterally and / or below and / or above a crate lying on the turntable and to be cleaned. If a box to be cleaned is rotated by means of the turntable, the washing nozzles open and spray the box with a cleaning fluid, preferably water, from inside and outside.

The spraying of the boxes can take place over a defined period of time (spraying time). Preferably, the spray time is at least 2 seconds, more preferably at least 3 seconds. Preferably, the spraying time is a maximum of 5 seconds, more preferably a maximum of 4 seconds, e.g. about 3.6 seconds.

To achieve a larger spray radius, the wash nozzles preferably include pivotable wash nozzles.

Another parameter that can be set depending on the need for cleaning and / or the type of boxes and / or their usual use is the pressure with which the cleaning fluid is blasted onto the box. With average pollution, the pressure may preferably be around 4.5 bar.

Often there are on the conveyed in a conveyor crates labels that have, for example, information about a transported goods. In order to clean a box and, for example, free it from these labels, the spraying device preferably has at least one high-pressure nozzle (which, for example, preferably emits a jet at a pressure of, for example, approximately 150 bar). Preferably, the high-pressure nozzle is attached laterally to a box to be cleaned and rotated. By means of the high-pressure nozzle, the labels can be radiated and removed.

• Figur 1 schematisch ein erstes Ausführungsbeispiel einer Reinigungs- und/oder Schleudertrocknungsvorrichtung während eines ersten Ausführungsschritts,
• Figur 2 die Reinigungs- und/oder Schleudertrocknungsvorrichtung nach Figur 1 während eines zweiten Ausführungsschritts,
• Figur 3 schematisch eine Unteransicht einer zu trocknenden Kiste auf der Kisten-Liftplattform sowie eines Schnitts durch die Drehvorrichtung mit einem Drehteller in Form eines Drehkreuzes einer Reinigungs- und/oder Schleudertrocknungsvorrichtung nach den Figuren 1 und 2,
• Figur 4 bis 11 schematisch verschiedene Ausführungsschritte bei einem möglichen Ablauf eines erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens zur Trocknung einer Kiste mittels eines weiteren Ausführungsbeispiels einer erfindungsgemäßen Reinigungs- und/oder Trocknungsanlage,
• Figur 12 schematisch ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel einer Reinigungs- und/oder Schleudertrocknungsvorrichtung als Schnittansicht quer zur Förderrichtung.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying figures with reference to embodiments. The same components are provided with identical reference numerals in the various figures. Show it:

• FIG. 1 schematically a first embodiment of a cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus during a first execution step,
• FIG. 2 the cleaning and / or spin-drying device after FIG. 1 during a second execution step,
• FIG. 3 schematically a bottom view of a box to be dried on the box lift platform and a section through the rotating device with a turntable in the form of a turnstile of a cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus according to the FIGS. 1 and 2 .
• FIGS. 4 to 11 3 schematically different execution steps in a possible sequence of a method according to the invention for drying a box by means of a further embodiment of a cleaning and / or drying installation according to the invention,
• FIG. 12 schematically another embodiment of a cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus as a sectional view transverse to the conveying direction.

The in the FIGS. 1 and 2 Cleaning and / or drying plant 200 shown has a feed-conveying section 110, a discharge conveyor section 120 and a cleaning and / or spin-drying device 100 connected between the feed-conveying section 110 and the discharge conveyor section 120.

With the aid of the feed-conveying section 110, boxes K to be dried are dried in the cleaning and / or drying plant 200 in the conveying direction F, d. H. in the direction of the cleaning and / or spin-drying device 100 upside down, that is opened down, transported. The discharge conveyor line 120 serves to further transport the boxes K, which have already been dried in the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus 100, in a conveying direction F.

The in the FIGS. 1 and 2 On these support structures 4 rotatably mounted conveyor rollers 3 'along the conveying path perpendicular to the conveying direction F, wherein at least one conveyor roller 3', preferably a plurality or even all conveyor rollers 3 ', can be driven by a motor. Alternatively, the feed conveyor section 110 and / or the discharge conveyor section 120 could also be in be realized in any other way, for example by means of conveyor belts or the like, which are driven by means of a drive. However, the feed conveyor section 110 and / or the discharge conveyor section 120 could also be realized, for example, by a combination of conveyor belts and conveyor rollers.

In order to dry the wet boxes K transported by the feed conveyor 110, the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus 100 has a rotary device 20 with a turntable 21 at the top. The rotary device 20 is located at a distance a below the conveyor rollers 3 'of the feed conveyor section 110 and discharge conveyor section 120. The feed conveyor section 110 and the discharge conveyor section 120 here have a common conveyor plane FE. As a result, as will be explained later, it is easier to supply a box K at the same time while another box K is being led away. The distance a of the turntable 21 of the rotating device 20 to the conveying plane FE of the feed conveyor section 110 and discharge conveyor section 120 is preferably at least 10 mm, particularly preferably at least 300 mm.

In order to bring the boxes K coming from the feed conveyor line 110 to the rotary device 20, the cleaning and / or spin drying device 100 comprises a lift device 30 which moves the boxes K downwards and in the rotary device 20, namely on the turntable 21 of the rotary device 20, head down. The rotating device 20 and the lifting device 30 will be explained later in more detail.

In order to explain the operation of the cleaning and / or drying plant 200 easier, are in the FIGS. 1 and 2 three boxes K are shown, which are transported longitudinally in a conveying direction F during a spin-drying process by the cleaning and / or drying plant 200 and dried there.

The first box K (still shown in the figure on the right) is a still wet box K to be dried, which is conveyed on the supply conveyor 110 straight towards the cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus 100. The box K moves to a box inlet 50 in a positioning device 40 of the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus 100, from which it is taken over and positioned at a below described pickup position AP in the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus 100. The crate inlet 50 here corresponds to a transition section from the feed-conveying section 110 to the cleaning and / or spin-drying device 100, in which the positioning device 40 grips the crate K.

The positioning device 40 here specifically comprises two circumferential driving bands 42 which are stretched, for example, over rollers 43, 44, wherein two of the rollers serve as drive rollers 43 (cf. FIGS. 4 to 11 it is arbitrary which of the rollers 43, 44 of a driving belt 42 are driven). The driving belts 42 extend in the conveying direction F in synchronism with one another and have an upper run in the direction of an outer side of the boxes K located in the cleaning and / or drying installation 200.

In addition, positioning elements 41, in this case drivers 41, are fastened to the driving belts 42. The drivers 41 grasp the boxes K, which are located between the driving belts 42, at a rear side and push so the boxes K during circulation of the driving belts 42 in the conveying direction F further forward.

The drivers 41 accordingly have a driving surface which is aligned transversely to the conveying direction F of the boxes K. The drivers 41 are at intervals of at least one box length K _al (see FIG. 3 ) of the boxes K to be conveyed in the cleaning and / or drying plant 200 are arranged in succession on the driving belts 42. As a result, the boxes K which are running serially on the delivery conveyor section 110 can be picked up and delivered by the discharge conveyor section 120.

The driving bands 42 are also at a distance from each other, which is at least greater than a width K _from a defined Kistenmaßes, as in FIG. 3 is drawn. By this distance, which may also be very low, it is ensured that a box K is not clamped when it is to be moved by the lift device 30 downwards in the direction of the rotating device 20.

The second (in the FIG. 1 middle) still to be dried box K in the cleaning and / or drying plant 200 has already been taken by the driving belts 42 and with the help of the driver 41 and positioned in the pickup position AP. In this collection position AP, the box K can be transferred from the lift device 30 to the rotating device 20.

For this purpose, the lift device 30 comprises a height-adjustable box lift platform 31. The in the form of a peripheral frame (see FIG. 3 ) formed box lift platform 31 is thereby horizontally aligned to record in the cleaning and / or drying plant 200 also with a bottom surface horizontally oriented boxes K can.

The crate lift platform 31 is connected to a lifting drive 32, not shown in detail, which is controlled by a control device 70. The control device 70 can also be connected to the positioning device 40, the rotating device 20, the feed conveyor section 110 and the discharge conveyor section 120 and can control these devices, as already described, coordinated or synchronized. The controller 70 may be connected to said devices via cables 71, but may also communicate wirelessly with the devices.

Below the crate lift platform 31, the rotating device 20 can be seen. The rotary device 20 has a substantially vertical rotary shaft 22 and the turntable 21 mounted on top of him, specifically here the shape of a turnstile 21 (see Figures 3 such as FIGS. 4 . 5 . 10 and 11 ) having.

The FIG. 3 For this purpose, a bottom view of the cleaning and / or spin-drying device 100 is shown FIG. 1 and 2 , The turnstile 21, the rotary shaft 22 cut from below, and the crate lift platform 31 with a coupling section, with which the crate lift platform 31 is coupled to the lifting drive 32, and a crate K on the crate lift platform 31, can be seen here Box lift platform 31 corresponds here as mentioned a frame on the support area, the box K rests with an upper edge of its side walls. Since the box K would thus be covered by the crate lift platform 31, it is shown only by dashed lines.

As in FIG. 3 shown, the largest inner diameter T _{imax of} the crate lift platform 31 is smaller than the largest outer diameter K _{amax of} the box to be dried K. In addition, the largest outer diameter T _{amax of} the crate lift platform 31 is greater here than the largest inner diameter K _imax a defined Kistenmaßes to be dried box K.

In order to store the box K on the turntable 21, the box lift platform 31 and the frame must be designed or dimensioned so that they can drive past the turntable 21 down. Ie. the remaining space in the middle area of the crate lift platform 31 or the opening or recess in the frame 31 must be large enough for the turnstile 21 to fit through in at least one rotational position. Therefore, here it is ensured that a minimum light measure T _{ib of} the free space of the frame 31, namely here the inner width T _{ib of} the free space, greater than a minimum side length D _Min of the turntable 21, here the hub 21, circumscribing rectangle. In addition, an inner length T _{il of} the free space, greater than a maximum side length D _{l of} a turntable 21, in this case the hub 21, circumscribing rectangle.

Thus, the crate lift platform 31 of the lift device 30 can move between an upper position P _o above the turntable 21 (as in FIG FIG. 1 ), in which the frame 31 receives the box K in its pickup position AP, and a lower position P _u below the turntable 21 (as in FIG FIG. 2 ).

So that the box K rests freely on the turntable, as in FIG. 2 is shown, the frame 31 is in the lower position P _u in a position in which the frame 31 has no contact with the box K, when this rests on the turntable 21. In the lower position P _{u there} is thus a gap S between the support surface of the frame 31 and the upper edge of the side walls of the box K. Preferably, this lower position is at least 10 mm, more preferably at least 50 mm below the surface of the turntable.

To entrain the box K to be dried in the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus 100 during rotation of the turnstile 21, the largest outer diameter D _{max of} the turnstile 21 extending from one corner of the turnstile 21 to an opposite corner of the turnstile 21 , at least a smallest diameter K _{iB of} the box K to be hurled, as in FIG. 3 easy to recognize. The dimensions of the turnstile 21 and the box K are not shown to scale here. Thus, a distance between the hub 21 and inner walls of the box K may also be less than in the FIG. 3 is drawn.

Now, if the rotation of the turntable 21, which is driven by a motor 25 of the rotating device 20 is started, so immediately touched at least one corner of the hub 21 an inner corner of the box K, which entrained in the rotation about an axis of rotation R in the direction of rotation and thus spun and dried. During the rotation, rotational speeds of at least 300 min ^-1 and particularly preferably at least 700 min ^-1 are preferably achieved.

In order to be able to catch the water of the boxes K flowing down during a rotation and allow it to flow outward, a catch basin 80 with a drainage channel to a collecting basin (not shown) is located below the rotary device 20.

In order to dry boxes of different sizes, the turntable 21, as already described, releasably connected via a quick release 23 with the vertical rotary shaft 22. As a result, the turntable 21 can be easily and quickly replaced and adapted to the respective size of a box type. The quick release 23 can be realized for example by a bayonet coupling.

On the discharge conveyor line 120 is in the FIGS. 1 and 2 On the left, the third box K, already dried by the spin-drying process, is shown. This dried box K was moved after the rotation of the hub 21 using the lift device 30 back to its pickup position AP and transported by the driving belts 42 and the drivers 41 of the cleaning and / or spin drying device 100 via a box outlet 60 to the discharge conveyor line 120. The box outlet 60 corresponds here, similar to the box inlet 50, an area that passes from the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus 100 to the discharge conveyor line 120. The fact that the rotating device 20 is located below the box outlet 60, it can be ensured that already dried boxes K can not be taken from, for example, spray still to be dried boxes K.

Moreover, in FIG. 2 to recognize that the still to be dried box K on the feed conveyor line 110 and the already dried box K on the discharge conveyor line 120 have been transported only a small piece in the conveying direction F, since the drying process in the cleaning and / or Centrifugal drying device 100 only takes a few seconds.

In the FIG. 1 and 2 illustrated cleaning and / or drying plant 200 also has a spraying device 90 with washing nozzles 91.95, of which concrete exemplarily a high-pressure nozzle 91 and two further washing nozzles 95 are shown, which operate with slightly lower pressure.

The lower pressure washing nozzles 95 and the high pressure nozzle 91 may be opened when in the cleaning and / or drying unit 200 K boxes K are to be cleaned directly in the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus 100 and not already been cleaned as described above.

The washing nozzles 95 with the lower pressure are here below the turntable 21. The high-pressure nozzle 91 is located, as in FIG. 2 , laterally from a box K located in the spinning position SP. When the turntable 21 starts to rotate while carrying the box K to be cleaned, the washing nozzles 95 spray the rotating box K inside to clean them. The high-pressure nozzle 91 sprays or irradiates the rotating box K laterally and can therefore also remove any labels on a side wall of the box K. The washing nozzles 95 and the high-pressure nozzle 91 spray or irradiate the box K to be cleaned with a cleaning fluid R _F , here water R _F.

The washing nozzles 95 are connected via a pressure hose 72 to a pump 92 of the spraying device 90 and the high-pressure nozzle 91 is connected via a pressure hose 72 to a high-pressure pump 93 of the spraying device 90. As a result, for example, the spray pressure on the respective washing nozzles 95 and the high-pressure nozzle 91 can be precisely adjusted, and the washing nozzles 95 and the high-pressure nozzle 91 can be operated independently of one another. It would also be conceivable that the washing nozzles 95 and the high-pressure nozzles 91 are operated with one and the same pump. The pump 92 and the high-pressure pump 93 are connected to a reservoir 94 for a cleaning fluid, here a water tank 94 of the spray device 90.

The pump 92 and the high-pressure pump 93 are here coupled to the control device 70 of the entire cleaning and / or drying system 200 so that the spraying device 90 can be controlled to match the further sequences of the cleaning and / or spin-drying device 100.

The catch basin 80 here captures the water R _F used for cleaning. The collected in the catch basin 80 water can then be filtered in a filter system and returned to the water tank 94 in a return device (not shown in the figures).

In the following FIGS. 4 to 12 No sprayer is shown. However, the drying systems 200 ', 200 "shown there could also be extended as desired by a spraying device.

Based on a series of pictures in the FIGS. 4 to 11 For the previously described cleaning and / or spin-drying device 100, once again individual process steps for drying a box K in a cleaning and / or drying plant 200 'are explained.

This cleaning and / or drying plant 200 'here, unlike the cleaning and / or drying plant 200 according to the FIGS. 1 and 2 , a feed conveyor section 110 and a discharge conveyor section 120 with conveyor belts 3 instead of conveyor rollers 3 '. In each case, the feed conveyor section 110 and the discharge conveyor section 120 are only symbolically represented by the conveyor belts 3 themselves, which are stretched in this illustration via rollers 45, 46, wherein two of the rollers serve as drive rollers 45. However, it is arbitrary which of the rollers 45, 46 of the conveyor belts 3 are driven.

In FIG. 4 is again first an incoming box K transported upside down on the conveyor belts 3 of the feed conveyor section 110. The box K is received here by the positioning device 40 by means of the driving belts 42 with the drivers 41, as already described, and conveyed in the conveying direction F to the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus 100.

In FIG. 5 the box K to be dried is exactly positioned on the height-adjustable box lifting platform 31 of the lifting device 30 by means of the positioning device 40. The contact surface of the crate lift platform 31 is aligned horizontally and is in the illustrated upper position P _O in a plane with the conveying plane FE of the conveying surface of the conveyor belts 3 of the feed conveyor section 110 and the discharge conveyor line 120. Is the box to be dried positioned exactly on the crate lift platform 31, so drive the driver 41 a small piece against the conveying direction FE back so that they have no contact with the box K. This has the advantage that if a box K has deformations, the box K can be positioned freely on the box lift platform 31 and, for example, can not get caught on the catch 41.

The box lift platform 31 moves, as explained above and again in FIG. 6 shown from its upper position P _o past the turnstile 21 in its lower position P _u . In its lower position P _u , the crate lift platform 31 moves as in FIG FIG. 7 to recognize so far down that the box K no longer rests on the crate lift platform 31, but is freely stored on the turnstile 21 of the rotating device 20. The turntable 21 is doing in a rotational position, as in FIG. 3 in which only the box bottom inner side of the stored box K has a contact with the turnstile 21. In this rotational position, the turnstile 21 thus still has no contact with an inner surface of a side wall of the box K and is thus stored freely on the turnstile 21. Only with a rotation of the turnstile 21 ( FIG. 8 ), as already described, contacted the turnstile 21, at least with a corner of the hub 21, the box K.

If the box transfer and issue at box inlet 50 or box outlet 60 timed fixed, as already described, so also moves the box lift platform 31 according to this timing the drying box K to the bottom, as in FIG. 6 shown. If the box transfer and output at the box inlet 50 or box outlet 60 are not fixed in time, it would also be possible, for example, for the positioning device to have 40 sensors, for example, B. pressure sensors and / or a light barrier (not shown here), which starts the lifting drive 32 of the lift device 30 and then moves the crate lift platform 31 down.

Does the box K lie on the turnstile 21 (FIG. FIG. 7 ), this is carried along with the to be dried box K ( FIG. 8 ) is set in rapid rotation, in such a way that the box is dried by the resulting centrifugal force and preferably can even easily lift off the turnstile 21. Since the box K rests upside down on the turnstile 21, the water can collect as described on the side walls of the box K and flow out of the box K down.

If the drying process or spin drying process is completed, the turnstile 21, as in FIG. 9 shown in a rotational position in which the lying on the turnstile 21 box K is again in its initial position in which it was stored on the turnstile 21 or rotated in a 180 ° to this starting position again.

In the braking operation of the rotating device 20, during the end of the spin-drying process, the box K rotates in the opposite direction of the spin direction. Therefore, the box K strikes an inside (which is opposite an inside which had contacted a corner of the spider 21 during the spin-drying process) to at least one corner of the spider (which is opposite a corner contacting an inside of the spider 21 during the spin-drying process had). The hub 21 thus wedged only during a rotation in the on the Turnstile 21 lying box K. If the spin drying process is stopped, the box K is free again on the hub 21.

In FIG. 10 moves the lift device 30 with the dried box K lying thereon back up to its upper position P _o , so that the box K is again with its upper edge of the side walls in a common plane with the conveying FE of the discharge conveyor line 120.

In FIG. 11 the dried box K is gripped by the drivers 41 of the positioning device 40 and conveyed by the lifting device 30 in the direction of the discharge conveyor line 120.

The in the FIGS. 1 to 12 illustrated cleaning and / or drying plant 200 and the cleaning and / or drying system 200 'each show variants in which the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus 100 next to the rotating device 20 has a separate lift device 30. But this does not necessarily have to be the case.

The FIG. 12 shows a further variant of a cleaning and / or drying plant 200 ", in which a box K to be dried can be picked up from its pick-up position AP by means of a rotating device 20 and moved into its spinning position SP FIG. 12 a sectional view of the cleaning and / or drying plant 200 "transverse to the conveying direction.

In this embodiment of the cleaning and / or spin-drying device 100 ', the turntable 21 is mounted vertically adjustable in the rotating device 20. This was realized by the rotary shaft 22 is formed here as a telescopic cylinder with a reciprocating piston 24, on which the turntable 21, in particular a turnstile 21, is arranged at the top. Thus, the turntable 21 can go up and upside down on a shelf, here z. For example, two storage rails 3 "accommodate a box K lying in its pick-up position AP, for which purpose the rotary device 20 first lifts the box K so that it rests freely on the turntable 21. The storage rails 3" on which the box K is in the pick-up position AP has accumulated, are then moved transversely to the stroke direction of the telescopic cylinder 22 to the outside.

These storage rails 3 "may form a kind of bridge section between the feed conveyor section 110 and the discharge conveyor section 120.

If the storage rails 3 "are moved outwards, the rotary device 20 moves downwards until the box K lying on it is in the spin position SP After the rotation, ie the spinning for drying the box K, the rotary device 20 moves the box K back up to a position above the storage rails 3 ". The storage rails 3 "then move together again and the box K can be stored in its pickup position AP on the conveyor belts 3 and from there, for example, by means of the driver 41 are transferred to the discharge conveyor 120, so that, preferably simultaneously new box K to be dried can be moved from the supply conveyor 110 to the picking position AP on the storage rails 3 ".

The above examples all show that a cleaning and / or spin-drying device according to the invention makes it possible to clean and dry a box in a cleaning and / or drying plant as quickly as possible so that at most there is only a residual amount of moisture after the drying process.

It is finally pointed out once again that the devices and methods described in detail above are merely exemplary embodiments which can be modified by the person skilled in the art in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, for example, a buffer system can be connected in front of or behind the cleaning and / or drying plant or integrated into this cleaning and / or drying plant, in which the wet or the dried boxes can be collected. Furthermore, the use of the indefinite article does not exclude "one" or "one" that the features in question may also be present multiple times.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

• 3 conveyor belts
• 3 'conveyor rollers
• 3 "storage rails
• 4 supporting structure / support frame
• 20 turning device
• 21 turntable / turnstile
• 22 rotary shaft
• 23 quick release
• 24 reciprocating pistons
• 25 engine
• 30 lift device
• 31 crate lift platform / frame
• 32 lifting drive
• 40 positioning device
• 41 positioning elements / drivers
• 42 positioning elements / driving straps
• 43, 44, 45, 46 rolls
• 50 box inlet
• 60 box outlet
• 70 control device
• 71 cables
• 72 hose
• 80 catch basins
• 90 spraying device
• 91 Washer / High pressure nozzle
• 92 pump
• 93 high pressure pump
• 94 reservoir / water tank
• 95 washing nozzle
• 100, 100 'cleaning and / or spin drying device
• 110 feed conveyor line
• 120 discharge conveyor
• 200, 200 ', 200 "cleaning and / or drying system
• a distance
• AP pick-up position
• D _l maximum side length
• D _min minimum side length
• D _max maximum outside diameter
• F conveying direction
• FE conveying level
• K box
• K _al box length
• K _from box width
• K _amax largest outside diameter
• K _imax largest inner diameter
• K _iB smallest diameter
• P _o upper position of the crate lift platform
• P _u bottom position of crate lift platform
• R rotation axis
• R _F cleaning fluid
• S cleft
• SP spin position
• T _imax largest inner diameter
• T _amax largest outer diameter
• T _ib minimum light measure
• T _il inner length

Claims (15)

Cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus (100, 100 ') for cleaning and / or drying boxes (K), comprising a box inlet (50) for taking over and / or drying boxes (K), a box outlet (60) for dispensing boxes (K), a rotary device (20) arranged between the box inlet (50) and the box outlet (60), having a substantially vertical rotary shaft (22) and a turntable (21) arranged on the top thereof, and optionally spraying means (90) for spraying a box (K) to be cleaned with a cleaning fluid (R _F ), wherein the cleaning and / or spin-drying device (100, 100 ') is designed so that a box (K) to be cleaned and / or dried is placed on the turntable (21) with a box bottom inside, the turntable (21) being in a spinning position (SP) of the box (K), in which the box (K) is subjected to a cleaning and / or spin-drying process, at a distance (a) below the box outlet (60) is arranged. Cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the turntable (21) in the spin position (SP) at a distance (a) below the box inlet (50) is arranged, preferably the box inlet (50) and the box outlet (60 ) are located substantially in a common conveying plane (FE). Cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus (100, 100 ') comprises a lifting device (30) for moving a box from the spinning position (SP) to the box outlet (60) or to move a box (K) to be cleaned and / or dried from a pick-up position (AP) of the box (K) downwards into the spinning position (SP) of the box (K). Cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the lift device is integrated in the rotating device (20). Cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the lift device (30) comprises a height-adjustable box lift platform (31) for receiving a box (K), wherein the box lift platform (31) between at least one upper position (P _o ) above the turntable (21) and a lower position (P _u ) below the turntable (21) is movable A cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the box lift platform (31) has at least two support areas for the box (K) located at opposite positions with respect to the turntable (21) and has a clearance between the support areas, to move past the turntable (21) during a position change between the upper position (P _o ) and the lower position (P _u ). Cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the box lift platform (31) is formed so that a bottom surface of a box (K) disposed on the box lift platform (31) is substantially horizontally aligned. Cleaning and / or spin-drying device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the turntable (21) has a polygonal shape, preferably the shape of a turnstile (21). Cleaning and / or spin- _{drying device} according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a largest diameter (D _max ) of the turntable (21) is at least as large as a smallest diameter (K _iB ) of a defined Kisteninnenmaßes. Cleaning and / or spin-drying apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the turntable (21) releasably, preferably by means of a quick-acting closure (23), with the rotary shaft (22) is connected. Cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the turntable (21) has a number of centering elements for centering a box (K) on the turntable (21). Cleaning and / or spin-drying device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cleaning and / or spin-drying device (100, 100 ') has a positioning device (40) for positioning a box (K) taken over at the box inlet (50) in the pick-up position (AP). having. A cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said positioning means (40) includes movable positioning members (41) for catching a box (K) at the box gate (50) and conveying it to the picking position (AP). Cleaning and / or drying plant (200, 200 ', 200 ") comprising a cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus (100, 100') according to any one of the preceding claims and a feed conveyor line (110) to be cleaned and / or closed drying boxes (K) to the box inlet (50) of the cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus (100) to transport and / or a discharge conveyor line (120) to cleaned and / or dried boxes (K) to the box outlet (60) of the cleaning - And / or spin-drying device (100, 100 ') to transport. Method for cleaning and / or drying a box (K) by means of a cleaning and / or spin drying apparatus (100, 100 '), comprising at least the following steps: - Taking over a box to be cleaned and / or to be dried (K) at a box inlet (50) in a spin position (SP), in which the box (K) with a box bottom inside on a turntable (21) of a rotating device (20) is stored . Rotation of the turntable (21) while carrying the box (K), - optional spraying of a box (K) with a cleaning fluid (R _F ) - Lifting the box (K) from the spinning position (SP) to the output of the box (K) to a box outlet (60), which is at a distance (a) above the spinning position (SP).

Images