EP4674771A1

EP4674771A1 - A filling machine for filling food products in a package

Info

Publication number: EP4674771A1
Application number: EP24185876.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Magnus ROSBERG
Original assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Current assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Priority date: 2024-07-02
Filing date: 2024-07-02
Publication date: 2026-01-07

Abstract

A filling machine for filling food products in a package, comprising a forming and filing unit configured to produce packages filled with food product, an enclosed structure which at least partly encloses the forming and filing unit, the enclosed structure comprising a door for providing access from the outside of the enclosed structure to the forming and filing unit on the inside of the enclosed structure, and a walking platform arranged at an upper section of the enclosed structure and projecting laterally beyond an outer perimeter of the enclosed structure such that said at least one door is openable and closable underneath the walking platform,
wherein the walking platform comprises brackets, each bracket being individually connected to the upper section of the enclosed structure and projecting laterally from the enclosed structure, and platform plates arranged on top of, and supported by, said brackets.

Description

Technical Field

The invention relates to a filling machine for filling food products in a package. In particular, the invention relates to a filling machine comprising a forming and filling unit configured to produce packages filled with food products by forming package materials into packages, filling the formed packages with food products and sealing the filled packages.

Background Art

Today filling machines are widely used in the food industry for producing and filling packages with food products. Such filling machines may have quite large dimensions. Due to, for example, hygienic reasons some parts of the filling machine may suitably be at least partly enclosed by an enclosed structure, the interior of which may be accessible to the operating staff via a door. Other parts of the filling machine, however, may be located outside, typically vertically above the enclosed structure.
To be able to access such elevated parts above the enclosed structure, for example for reasons of maintenance, an operator needs to be able to climb up to those elevated parts. Although ladders of other forms of stand-alone climbing devices are conceivable and simple solutions to provide access to the elevated parts, such simple solutions involve a safety hazard for the operator.
A safer solution, which is available on the market, is the provision of a large walking platform at an upper section of the enclosed structure, which walking platform may suitably be reached via an integral staircase. A large walking platform is desirable to allow operators to safely carry out operations such as cleaning, maintenance, etc. To this end the walking platform may oftentimes extend beyond the perimeter of the enclosed structure. To provide sufficient structural support to such a large walking platform, a large load-carrying frame-like structure with multiple and mutually interacting parts, has traditionally been used. In particular, the load-carrying structure is formed as one integral unit which is mounted to the enclosed structure. To form the load-carrying structure, various different parts and components are welded to each other. While such a large load-carrying structure may provide a desired robustness and structural support for the walking platform, it may come with undesirable side effects. In particular, because multiple parts are welded together into one large unit before mounting it to the enclosed structure, the resulting load-carrying structure may sometimes result in small gaps being present between different parts, simply because the parts do not fit to each other well enough. This in turn may result in problems when mounting the frame to the enclosed structure. The load-carrying structure is typically fastened to the enclosed structure by means of bolts or the like. When the bolts are tightened, the load-carrying structure and the enclosed structure are urged towards each other. Due to the possible small gaps in the load-carrying structure, the tightening of the bolts will result in deformations of the mating structures as they are urged to each other. These deformations can propagate to other parts of the enclosed structure and even to machined surfaces which have been carefully designed to present accurate interfaces.
One particular example where the deformation can present a major practical problem, which may even prevent the filling machine from being brought into operation, is in a situation in which the deformation of the enclosed structure is such that it affects the use of one or more doors, for example causing a door to become hard to open/close, or even causing the door to become completely stuck. It is, of course, highly inappropriate to deliver a malfunctioning filling machine to a customer, so a corrective action needs to be performed. For instance, it may be necessary to insert a shim or other component between relevant interfaces to counteract the problem with the door. This may be a time consuming process, and may also come with the risk of the shim falling off during transportation, in which case the corrective action needs to be repeated at the customer's location, but with inferior equipment.
Thus, it would be highly desirable to provide a filling machine which can be manufactured in a more simple and reliable manner, without compromising on the safety and accessibility aspects for the staff that will operate the filling machine after it has been installed.

Summary

It is an object of the invention to at least partly overcome one or more of the above-identified limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object to provide a filling machine which comprise a walking platform that allows operating staff to safely perform cleaning, maintenance, etc., and which filling machine can be manufactured in a simple and accurate way that reduces the risk of resulting undesirable deformations that may cause interfacing surfaces to become inappropriately aligned, such as resulting in a door of the filling machine becoming stuck.
To solve these objects a filling machine is provided, in particular a filling machine for filling food products in a package. The filling machine comprises:

a forming and filing unit configured to produce packages filled with food product by forming package material into packages, filling the formed packages with food products and sealing the filled packages,
an enclosed structure which at least partly encloses the forming and filing unit, the enclosed structure comprising at least one door for providing access from the outside of the enclosed structure to the forming and filing unit on the inside of the enclosed structure, and
a walking platform arranged at an upper section of the enclosed structure and projecting laterally beyond an outer perimeter of the enclosed structure such that said at least one door is openable and closable underneath the walking platform,

brackets, each bracket being individually connected to the upper section of the enclosed structure and projecting laterally from the enclosed structure, and
platform plates arranged on top of, and supported by, said brackets.

By providing individually connected brackets (instead of one large load-supporting structure) to the upper section of the enclosed structure, each bracket can be conveniently aligned and connected in a correct manner to the enclosed structure, without effecting the connection of the other brackets. Thus, the risk of deformations such as those caused in the prior art by possible gaps between some of the multiple welded parts in the large load-carrying structure can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, by providing the brackets so that they project laterally from the enclosed structure, a large and robust support can still be provided to the platform plates arranged on top of the brackets. Hereby, a walking platform can be provided for the filling machine, which is simple to manufacture, while still resulting in a safe and spacious working environment for future operating staff.
Additional benefits of using individual brackets is increased safety during the actual manufacturing process. In contrast to having one large load-supporting structure which needs heavy equipment, such as a crane or a fork lift, for mounting it at the right place, individual brackets are easily handled and the risk of someone getting injured during mounting of the individual brackets is greatly reduced. Furthermore, if the site where the filling machine is assembled does not have such equipment or the available space for such equipment is limited, it may become even more hazardous tom mount such a large load-supporting structure, while the individual brackets can still be mounted relatively effortlessly.
The brackets may be made of a suitable structurally robust material, such as a metallic material. For example, the brackets may suitably be made of stainless steel.
Since the enclosed structure partly encloses the forming and filling unit, some parts of the forming and filling unit may be allowed to extend outside/beyond the enclosed structure. For instance, the enclosed structure may suitably enclose the forming and filling unit in different, or even in all, lateral directions, while being at least partly open upwards, so as to allow a part of the forming and filling unit to protrude vertically upwardly of the enclosed structure. The enclosed structure may, in addition to the previously mentioned at least one door, comprise any other spatially delimiting parts which together form a housing, an enclosure, etc. around the forming and filling unit. For instance, the enclosed structure, may include a framework carrying different wall panels, viewing windows, control units, user interfaces, etc.
It should be understood that said at least one door providing access from the outside of the enclosed structure to the forming and filing unit on the inside of the enclosed structure may be one of more doors. If the enclosed structure comprises several such doors, then at least some of them may be of the same type and/or at least some of them may be of different types. Any suitable type of door is conceivable, including sliding door, hinged door, revolving door, etc. The size of any door may depend on its purpose. For example, a door may be of standard size allowing a person to walk through the door. If the purpose is just to be able to allow a person to reach in with his/her arms or with a tool, the door may be smaller, such as in the form of a hatch or window, etc.
It should also be understood that the platform plates may be in any suitable form, such as checker plates, walking plates, and may come in different sizes or same sizes.
The forming and filling unit may be of any suitable type, including forming and filling units currently available on the market. The food products that are filled in into the packages may be liquid food products, including beverages, or they may be solid food products, or a combination of both.
In one embodiment the enclosed structure may comprise a frame, an upper section of which being provided with a plurality of spaced apart bracket-receiving elements, wherein a plurality of said brackets are connected to respective ones of said bracket-receiving elements. By providing individual bracket-receiving elements to the frame (rather than relying on the frame itself to commonly receive the brackets), individual adjustments may be made to the bracket-receiving elements, for example to compensate for geometrical irregularities or deviations which may affect the end result after the brackets have been connected.
In one embodiment each bracket-receiving element may have a machined planar attachment surface facing its connected bracket, wherein said bracket-receiving elements are linearly aligned along the frame and wherein said machined planar attachment surfaces of the bracket-receiving elements extend in a common geometrical plane. By providing machined planar attachment surfaces on the bracket-receiving elements, lying in a common geometrical plane, a reliable and predictable interface may be achieved. In other words, during manufacturing of the filling machine, the geometry and orientation of the interface presented by the machined planar attachment surfaces may in this manner be well defined, and therefore the contacting of the brackets in an accurate and predictable orientation can be facilitated.
In one embodiment each one of the connected brackets may have a machined planar bracket surface which is in contact with, and which extends in parallel with, a respective one of said machined planar attachment surfaces of the bracket receiving elements. By providing the brackets with a machined planar bracket surface which is configured to mate with the machined planar attachment surface of the bracket-receiving element, the accuracy and predictability of the orientation of the connected brackets can be increased even further. In particular, a very accurate perpendicular alignment relative to the frame can be achieved in this way.
The machined planar attachment surface of the bracket-receiving element may also be referred to as a first machined planar surface. The machined planar bracket surface may also be referred to as a second machined planar surface. Accordingly, each first machined planar surface may be interfacing with a respective second machined planar surface when the brackets have been connected to the bracket-receiving elements.
In one embodiment each bracket may have a general U-shape having two leg portions extending from a respective end of an interconnecting portion, wherein said interconnecting portion comprises said machined planar bracket surface. An advantage of having generally U-shaped brackets is that they may provide good structural robustness. Furthermore, the space between the two leg portions of the U-shape may be used for receiving various accessories and/or components for mounting other parts of the walking platform, such parts that may contribute to load absorption.
In one embodiment the interconnecting portion may be provided with a through hole for receiving a fastener for tightening the bracket to the respective bracket-receiving element, wherein each connected bracket is formed as a bent flat bar or as a welded bracket having the two leg portions welded to the interconnecting portion. A through hole for receiving a fastener allows a bracket, which has been brought into proper aligned contact with the bracket-receiving element, to be properly secured in the desired position. Welded brackets may advantageously be used in case of short-series manufacturing, whereas bent flat bars may be more economically viable in case of long-series manufacturing (since welding may be relatively costly), however, both types are from a technical perspective readily conceivable in either case.
In one embodiment at least one of said brackets may be provided with a cover plate inserted between said two leg portions, wherein said at least one bracket supports two neighbouring platform plates such that an interface between the two neighbouring platform plates extends above and along the support plate. By having a cover plate aligned in this way below the interface between two neighbouring platform plates, dirt and other material is prevented from falling down through a minor gap between the two neighbouring platform plates. Additional sealing, such as silicone, may suitably be applied between the cover plate and the platform plates, which may not only improve reduce the risk of material falling down, may also provide additional fixation of the platform plates.
In one embodiment one of said brackets may be provided with a first through hole at one of its leg portions and a second through hole at the other one of its leg portions, wherein at least another one of said brackets is provided with a third through hole at one of its leg portions and a fourth through hole at the other one of its leg portions, wherein the first, second, third and fourth through holes are positioned coaxially with respect to each other. By having through holes in the leg portions of two or more brackets positioned coaxially with each other, cables may be conveniently be drawn through the brackets, and any other component that may extend through several brackets can be mounted in a straight and aligned manner.
In one embodiment the walking platform further comprises a mounting bar located at an outer section of and extending across a plurality of brackets. Such a mounting bar may, in addition to providing fixating possibilities to a plurality of component, also have a load distributing function. Some examples of components that may be fixed to the mounting bar include said plurality of brackets, one or more edge plates, platform plates, rail arrangements, staircase, connecting elements for brackets and/or auxiliary equipment, etc. The mounting bar may suitably be provided with a plurality of openings for fixating, or for contributing to fixating, various components, including the brackets. The mounting bar may suitably be located at an outer periphery of the walking platform laterally spaced apart from the enclosed structure.
In one embodiment the mounting bar may comprise a single elongated bar structure, or a plurality of mounting bar portions which are arranged in series to form an elongate bar structure, wherein the brackets are configured to be connected to the mounting bar at the free ends of the leg portions of the U-shaped brackets. Hereby, when the individual brackets have been connected to the common mounting bar, a large integral structure is provided which can take up loads. As explained, the mounting bar may comprise several mounting bar portions arranged in series, which may facilitate the actual assembling of the walking platform.
In one embodiment each bracket may be connected to the mounting bar by means of a respective connecting element on top of which the mounting bar is positioned, wherein the connecting element is fixed to both leg portions of the bracket and wherein the connecting element is fixed to a downwardly facing side of the mounting bar. This presents an efficient way of connecting the individual brackets to the mounting bar. Suitably, the connecting element may be provided with a poka-yoke functionality, so as to ensure consistent orientation of the connecting element relative to the individual brackets. This may be particularly relevant in case the connecting element is provided with different types of fixing features, such as apertures of different diameters or threading, etc., wherein the different fixing features may have respective intended technical purpose. A central portion of the connecting element may suitably be received in the space between the two leg portions. Other portions, such as tongues, may suitably project from the central portion and be engaged with the leg portions.
In one embodiment the filling machine may further comprise a handrail provided at the outer perimeter of the walking platform, wherein the handrail comprises vertically extending poles which are engaged with the mounting bar. By having the vertically extending poles of the handrail engaged with the mounting bar, a stable fixation may be achieved for the poles. In particular, loads emanating from the fixation of the poles may be distributed by mounting bar.
In one embodiment the filling machine may further comprise an edge plate which has a vertically extending plate portion and a horizontally extending plate portion, wherein the vertically extending plate portion extends upwardly at the outer periphery of the walking platform and is configured to obstruct loose objects on the platform plates from inadvertently falling off the walking platform, wherein the vertically extending plate portion is a load bearing portion which is configured to distribute loads exerted on the vertically extending plate portion to at least two or more of said brackets. By having an edge plate which not only obstructs loose objects from falling off the walking platform, but which additionally extends over at least two brackets, a good load distributing function can be achieved. In particular, the edge plate can effectively distribute point loads to a plurality of brackets. At a corner portion of the filling machine, the edge plate may suitably also be directly attached to the frame of the enclosed structure so as to pass on loads to the frame as well. Furthermore, it can be understood that using the edge plate as a load carrying part of the filling machine contributes in enabling a more ergonomic and safe assembling of the filing machine compared to the prior art large integral load-carrying frame-like structure. The edge plate may suitably be made of aluminum, although other materials are also conceivable.
In one embodiment the horizontally extending plate portion of the edge plate may be supported by the brackets. Hereby, the edge plate may effectively distribute loads to the brackets. In one embodiment the horizontally extending plate portion of the edge plate may lie on top of and in contact with the mounting bar. By allowing the horizontally extending plate portion to be placed on top of and in contact with the mounting bar, a simple and convenient mounting and aligning of the edge plate can be enabled. It should, however, be understood that the edge plate does not necessarily have to be fixed to the actual mounting bar. Instead, in at least some examples, the edge plate may for example be fastened to the previously mentioned connecting elements (such as by means of a bolt and nut connection). In such examples, the mounting bar may be sandwiched between the connecting elements and the horizontally extending plate portion of the edge plate.
In one embodiment said edge plate may be a first edge plate, the filling machine may further comprise a second edge plate, wherein the second edge plate together with the first edge plate form a corner, the second edge plate being fixated to the enclosed structure. The second edge plate may suitably have a load bearing and/or load distributing functionality similarly to the first edge plate.
In one embodiment the enclosed structure may have a first side, an opposite second side, and a third side interconnecting the first and second sides, wherein the first edge plate extends along the first side, wherein the second edge plate extends along the third side such that it projects laterally beyond both the first side and the second side. Analogously to the above explanations, such a configuration of edge plates contribute to a good load bearing and/or load distributing capacity. In at least some embodiments at least one of the first and the second edge plates may be a continuous (uninterrupted) edge plate.
The filling machine may, in at least some exemplary embodiments, suitably have a substantially rectangular (including a square) configuration. In particular the enclosed structure may present two opposite sides, such as above mentioned first and second sides (these may, for example be long sides), and two other opposite sides, such as above mentioned third side and a fourth side (these may, for example, be short sides). The walking platform may suitably extend laterally outwardly from the enclosed structure from more than one of said sides. Similarly, as understood from the previous discussion, there may be provided an edge plate at the outer periphery of the walking platform on one or more of said sides. Such edge plates may thus be spaced apart from the enclosed structure in a respective direction.
Still other objectives, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description as well as from the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which

Fig. 1a is a perspective view of a filling machine according to at least one embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 1b is a schematic illustration of the operation of a forming and filling unit included in the filling machine in Fig. 1a.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view, as seen from above, of a walking platform for a filling machine, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view, as seen from below, of the walking platform illustrated in Fig. 2.
Figs. 4a-4c are perspective views of brackets that may form part of a walking platform of a filling machine, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the invention.
Fig. 5 illustrates a frame forming part of an enclosed structure of a filling machine, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 6 illustrates brackets of the type shown in Figs. 4a-4b connected to the frame shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 illustrates a plurality of brackets connected to a mounting bar, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 8 is an exploded detailed view, illustrating a connecting element provided for connecting a bracket to the mounting bar, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 9 is a detailed perspective view, as seen from above, of a corner portion of a walking platform, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 10 is detailed perspective view, as seen from below, of the corner portion illustrated in Fig. 9.
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of an edge plate which may form part of a filling machine, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

With reference to Fig. 1a a filling machine 1 is illustrated. More specifically, Fig. 1a illustrates a filling machine 1 for filling food products in a package. With reference to Fig. 1b, the filling machine comprises a forming and filling unit 2 which is configured to produce packages 100 filled with food product 102. In order to produce packages 100 filled with food product 102, the forming and filling 2 unit is configured to form package materials 104, typically from a roll of material, into packages 100, and then fill the formed package with food product 102. The filled packages 100 are then sealed by the forming and filling unit 2. In Fig. 1a, only some upper parts of the forming and filling unit 2 are visible, while lower parts thereof are concealed by other structures of the filling machine 1.
The filling machine 1 comprises an enclosed structure 4 which at least partly encloses the forming and filling unit 2. In this example, the enclosed structure 4 encloses the lower parts of the forming and filling unit 2. The enclosed structure 4 may comprise various wall panels, windows, control panels, user interfaces, etc. In particular, the enclosed structure comprises at least one door 6 for providing access from the outside of the enclosed structure 4 to the forming and filling unit 2 on the inside of the enclosed structure 4 (in particular, providing access to the lower parts of the forming and filling unit 2). As can be seen in the illustrated embodiment, the filling machine 1 has a plurality of different doors and of different sizes. As mentioned previously in this disclosure, doors may be sliding, hinged, revolving, and may be of small size such as window or hatch-like, or may be of normal household size.
A walking platform 8 is arranged at an upper section 9 of the enclosed structure 4. the walking platform 8 projects laterally beyond an outer perimeter of the enclosed structure 4 such that the doors 6 are openable and closable underneath the walking platform 8. As will be explained in more detail subsequently, the configuration and the assembling of the walking platform 8 is such that the risk of the doors 6 getting stuck is greatly reduced compared to what has been experienced in the prior art.
In this example, the enclosed structure 4 is substantially rectangular, and the walking platform 8 projects beyond the outer perimeter of the enclosed structure 4 on all four sides. In other examples, however, the walking platform 8 may project beyond said outer perimeter on only one, two or three sides of the enclosed structure 4. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the walking platform may suitably be reached by means of a staircase 13, although other means of accessing the walking platform 8 would be technically feasible, such as a ladder, elevator, ramp, etc.
In Figs. 2 and 3, the forming and filling unit as well as the enclosed structure have been removed for reasons of clarity. Fig. 2 illustrates the walking platform 8 in a perspective view seen from above, while Fig. 3 illustrates the walking platform 8 in a perspective view seen from below. In Fig. 3, it can be seen that the walking platform 8 comprises brackets 10. Each bracket 10 can be individually connected to said upper section 9 of the enclosed structure 4 (the upper section 9 of the enclosed structure is illustrated in Fig. 1, not in Figs. 2-3). Each bracket 10 projects laterally from the enclosed structure 4. As can be seen in both Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, platform plates 12 are arranged on top of, and supported by, the brackets 10.
Figs. 4a-4c are perspective views of brackets 10 that may form part of a walking platform of a filling machine, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the invention. Starting with Fig. 4a, an example embodiment of a bracket 10 that may be used for a walking platform is illustrated, wherein the bracket 10 has a general U-shape having two leg portions 22 extending from a respective end of an interconnecting portion 24. In this example, the two leg portions 22 have been welded to the interconnecting portion 24. As will be explained in more detail subsequently, the interconnecting portion 24 is configured to be connected to said upper section 9 of the enclosed structure 4. The opposite end of the bracket 10 (i.e., at the free ends 44 of the leg portion 22) is configured to be connected to other part(s) of the walking platform 8. As illustrated in Fig. 4b, at the free ends 44 of the led portions 22 there may suitably be provided a connecting element 46, for connecting the bracket 10 to said other part(s) of the walking platform, which will be discussed in more detail further on in this disclosure. Contrary to the embodiment in Figs. 4a-4b, the embodiment in Fig. 4c is not a welded bracket 10 but is instead a bracket 10 formed as a bent flat bar 11. Apart from this productional difference, the functionality and usage may be the same as for the welded brackets 10.
For each one of the illustrated examples in Figs. 4a-4c, the bracket has a machined planar bracket surface 20. In particular, the interconnecting portion 24 of the U-shape is provided with said machined planar bracket surface 20. The interconnecting portion 24 of the U-shape is also provided with a through hole 26. The machined planar bracket surface 20 and the through hole 26 are used for achieving an accurate connection of the bracket 10 to the enclosed structure 4. This will now be discussed in more detail with reference to Figs. 5 and 6.
Fig. 5 is a detailed view, illustrating a frame 14 forming part of the enclosed structure of a filling machine. In particular, Fig. 5 illustrates an upper section of the frame 14. The frame 14 is provided with a plurality of spaced apart bracket-receiving elements 16. Each bracket-receiving element 16 has a machined planar attachment surface 18. The bracket-receiving elements 16 are linearly aligned along the frame, and the machined planar attachment surfaces 18 extend in a common geometrical plane P.
Fig. 6 illustrates brackets 10 of the type shown in Figs. 4a-4b connected to the frame 14 shown in Fig. 5. As can be seen in Fig. 6, the brackets 10 have been connected to respective ones of said bracket-receiving elements 16. In particular, the machined planar attachment surface 18 of each bracket-receiving element 16 is facing its connected bracket 10. More specifically, for each bracket 10, the machined planar bracket surface 20 discussed in relation to Fig 4a-4b is in contact with, and extends in parallel with, a respective one of the machined planar attachment surfaces 18 of the bracket receiving elements 16. Hereby, the brackets 10 will be properly aligned and the risk of deformations between connected parts occurring due to improper alignment is greatly reduced. As can further be seen in Fig. 6, the through hole 26 (shown in Figs. 4a-4b) of each bracket 10 may suitably receive a fastener 28, such as a threaded bolt, for tightening each bracket 10 to a respective bracket receiving element 16, which may suitably have a receiving threaded hole 19 (shown in Fig. 5). It should be understood that in other embodiments, instead of a direct contact between the machined planar attachment surface 18 and the machined planar bracket surface 20, there may be provided a sandwiched element in between the machined planar attachment surface 18 and the machined planar bracket surface 20, in which case said sandwiched element has two opposite machined planar surfaces for maintaining a planar alignment. For example, in some embodiments a washer having machined planar surfaces may be sandwiched between the machined planar attachment surface 18 and the machined planar bracket surface 20.
Continuing with Fig. 6, in which two of the brackets 10 are illustrated, one of the brackets 10 is provided with a first through hole 32 at one of its leg portions and a second through hole 34 at the other one of its leg portions 22. The other bracket 10 is provided with a third through hole 36 at one of its leg portions 22 and a fourth through hole 38 at the other one of its leg portions 22. The first, second, third and fourth through holes 32-38 are positioned coaxially with respect to each other. Such through holes 32-38 in the brackets 10 allows for a modular system with accessories to be used, and may facilitate cable routing. For example a tube, for receiving cables may conveniently extend through the through holes 32-38.
Turning back to Fig. 3, it can be seen that the walking platform 8 may comprise a mounting bar 40. This mounting bar 40 will now be discussed in more detail in relation to Figs. 7 and 8.
Fig. 7 illustrates a plurality of brackets 10 connected to the mounting bar 40, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention. In particular, the mounting bar 40 is located at an outer section 41 of the brackets 10, i.e., opposite to the interconnecting portion 24 of the U-shaped brackets 10. Thus, the brackets 10 have been connected to the mounting bar 40 at the free ends 44 of the leg portions 22 of the U-shaped brackets 10 (said free ends 44 are indicated in Figs. 4a and 8). Furthermore, the mounting bar 40 extends across a plurality of brackets 10. The mounting bar 40 may be regarded as an interface to components on the upper side of the platform 8, such as to rails, staircase, platform plates, edge plates, attachments for accessories, etc. The mounting bar 40 may be configured as a single elongated bar structure, or as a plurality of mounting bar portions which are arranged in series to form an elongate bar structure.
Fig. 7 also illustrates that at least one of the brackets 10 may be provided with a cover plate 30 inserted between two leg portions 22. A bracket 10 may suitably supports two neighbouring platform plates, however, there may be a small gap between the two neighbouring platform plates. Therefore, to avoid dirt and other material from falling down, the cover plate 30 may be used under such a gap between neighbouring platform plates. Fig. 7 also illustrates how various accessories, attachments 31 etc. can be connected to the various holes of the brackets 10.
As already mentioned in relation to Fig. 4b, and which will now be discussed in more detail in relation to Fig. 8, the brackets 10 may engage a connecting element 46. In particular, each bracket 10, may suitably be connected to the mounting bar 40 by means of a respective connecting element 46. The connecting element 46 is fixed to both leg portions 22 of the bracket 10. The mounting bar 40 is position on top of the connecting elements 46, so that the connecting element 46 is fixed to a downwardly facing side of the mounting bar 40.
As can be seen in Fig. 8, the connecting element 46 has two tongues 45 projecting substantially horizontally in opposite directions. The two tongues 45 are slightly differently dimensioned, so as to fit a respective one of two grooves 47 in the leg portions 22 of the bracket 10, the grooves 47 thus also being correspondingly differently dimensioned. Hereby, a poka-yoke functionality is achieved, only allowing one orientation for fixating the connecting element 46 to the bracket 10. The actual fixation may be suitably be completed by means of fastening elements (not illustrated) such as bolts, nuts, etc.) inserted in hole patterns 49 in the leg portions 22 and matching hole patterns 51 in downwardly directed flanges 53 of the connecting element 46.
Continuing with Fig. 8, the actual fixation of the connecting element 46 to the mounting bar 40 can be achieved by inserting two fastening elements 55 such as screws or bolts from below and into holes 57 in the connecting element 46, and then up into threaded openings 42 in the mounting bar 40. Between said two holes 57 in the connecting element 46, there is provided a threaded opening 59. The mounting bar 40 has a corresponding hole 61 intended to be aligned with the threaded opening 59 in the connecting element 46. The purpose of the threaded opening 59 in the connecting element 46 and the corresponding hole 61 in the mounting bar 40 will now be discussed in relation to Figs. 9-11.
Starting with Fig. 11, there is illustrated an edge plate 52 which may form part of a filling machine, such as the filling machine 1 shown in Fig. 1a, where the edge plate 52 is clearly visible. The edge plate 52 is also shown at the walking platform 8 in Figs. 2-3, where it can be clearly seen that the edge plate 52 is provided at the outer periphery of the walking platform. As can be seen in Fig. 11, the edge plate has a vertically extending plate portion 54 and a horizontally extending plate portion 56. The vertically extending plate portion 54 is thus configured to extend upwardly at the outer periphery of the walking platform 8 and is configured to obstruct loose objects on the platform plates 12 from inadvertently falling off the walking platform 8 (see for example Fig. 9). In addition to having such an obstructing function, the vertically extending plate portion 54 may also act as a load bearing portion which is configured to distribute loads exerted on the vertically extending plate portion 54 to at least two or more of the brackets 10. As can be understood from Figs. 9 and 10, the horizontally extending plate portion 56 of the edge plate 52 may be supported by the brackets 10, at least indirectly. More specifically the horizontally extending plate portion 56 may rest on top of the mounting bar 40, which in turn extends on top of and across the brackets 10, as previously explained. In Fig. 11, there are illustrated mounting holes 63 in the horizontally extending plate portion 56. A fastening element 65 (see Fig. 9), such as a screw or a bolt, may be inserted from above, into each mounting hole 63, which is configured to be aligned with a respective hole 61 in the mounting bar 40 and threaded opening 59 in the connecting element 46 (Fig. 8). Thus, the fastening element 65 is inserted down through the mounting hole 63, then through the hole 61 in the mounting bar 40 and is then threadedly engaged with the threaded opening 59 in the connecting element 46.
As best seen in Fig. 9 (but also clearly visible in for example Fig. 1a), there may be edge plates on more then one side of the filling machine. For instance, in Fig. 9, it can be seen that said edge plate 52 is a first edge plate 52, and that there is also provided a second edge plate 58 (having similar or identical configuration as the first edge plate 52). The second edge plate 58 together with the first edge plate 52 forms a corner. The second edge plate 58 may suitably be fixated to the enclosed structure 4. As best seen in Fig. 1a, the extension of the second edge plate 58 may be longer than the width of the enclosed structure 4. In particular, as can understood from Fig. 1a, the enclosed structure 4 may have a first side 71, an opposite second side 72, and a third side 73 interconnecting the first and second sides 71, 72. The first edge plate 52 may extend along the first side 71. The second edge plate 58 may extend along the third side 73 such that it projects laterally beyond both the first side 71 and the second side 72. Similarly, the length of the first edge plate 52 may be larger than the length of the first side 71. The first and second edge plates 52, 58 contribute in the load bearing function of the walking platform 8. In particular, they are configured to distribute loads across several brackets 10.
Figs. 1a, 2 and 3 illustrate that the filling machine 1 may suitably comprise a handrail 48 provided at the outer perimeter of the walking platform 8. The handrail 48 comprises vertically extending poles 50. With reference to Fig. 9 it can be seen that such poles 50 may be stand on the horizontal extending plate portion 56 of the edge plate 52. The poles 50, however are engaged with the mounting bar 40 which is located below the horizontally extending plate portion 56. Fig. 7 shows apertures 43 in the mounting bar 40 that may be used for engaging the poles 50. These apertures 43 are thus spaced apart along the mounting bar 40, in particular displaced from the threaded openings 42 and holes 61 of the mounting bar 40. As can be seen in Fig. 10, a fastening element 67 (such as a bolt or a screw) may be inserted from below the mounting bar 40, through a respective one of the apertures 43, and through a hole in the horizontally extending plate portion 56 and be threadedly engaged with an inner threaded portion of the pole 50. In this manner, the mounting bar 40 presents a stable attachment for the rail 48 and its poles 50, and distributes loads emanating from the engagement with the poles 50.
From the description above follows that, although various embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, the invention is not restricted thereto, but may also be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject-matter defined in the following claims.

Claims

A filling machine (1) for filling food products in a package, comprising:
- a forming and filing unit (2) configured to produce packages (100) filled with food product (102) by forming package material (104) into packages (100), filling the formed packages with food products and sealing the filled packages (100),

- an enclosed structure (4) which at least partly encloses the forming and filing unit (2), the enclosed structure (4) comprising at least one door (6) for providing access from the outside of the enclosed structure (4) to the forming and filing unit (2) on the inside of the enclosed structure (4), and

- a walking platform (8) arranged at an upper section (9) of the enclosed structure (4) and projecting laterally beyond an outer perimeter of the enclosed structure (4) such that said at least one door (6) is openable and closable underneath the walking platform (8),
wherein the walking platform (8) comprises:
- brackets (10), each bracket (10) being individually connected to the upper section (9) of the enclosed structure (4) and projecting laterally from the enclosed structure (4), and

- platform plates (12) arranged on top of, and supported by, said brackets (10).
The filling machine (1) according to claim 1, wherein the enclosed structure (4) comprises a frame (14), an upper section of which being provided with a plurality of spaced apart bracket-receiving elements (16), wherein a plurality of said brackets (10) are connected to respective ones of said bracket-receiving elements (16).
The filling machine (1) according to claim 2, wherein each bracket-receiving element (16) has a machined planar attachment surface (18) facing its connected bracket (10), wherein said bracket-receiving elements (16) are linearly aligned along the frame (14) and wherein said machined planar attachment surfaces (18) of the bracket-receiving elements (16) extend in a common geometrical plane (P).
The filling machine (1) according to claim 3, wherein each one of the connected brackets (10) has a machined planar bracket surface (20) which is in contact with, and which extends in parallel with, a respective one of said machined planar attachment surfaces (18) of the bracket receiving elements (16).
The filling machine (1) according to claim 4, wherein each bracket (10) has a general U-shape having two leg portions (22) extending from a respective end of an interconnecting portion (24), wherein said interconnecting portion (24) comprises said machined planar bracket surface (20).
The filling machine (1) according to claim 5, wherein the interconnecting portion (24) is provided with a through hole (26) for receiving a fastener (28) for tightening the bracket (10) to the respective bracket-receiving element (16), wherein each connected bracket (10) is formed as a bent flat bar (11) or as a welded bracket having the two leg portions (22) welded to the interconnecting portion (24).
The filling machine (1) according to any one of claims 5-6, wherein one of said brackets (10) is provided with a first through hole (32) at one of its leg portions (22) and a second through hole (34) at the other one of its leg portions (22),
wherein at least another one of said brackets (10) is provided with a third through hole (36) at one of its leg portions (22) and a fourth through hole (38) at the other one of its leg portions (22), wherein the first, second, third and fourth through holes (32, 34, 36, 38) are positioned coaxially with respect to each other.
The filling machine (1) according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the walking platform (8) further comprises a mounting bar (40) located at an outer section (41) of and extending across a plurality of brackets (10).
The filling machine (1) according to claim 8 when dependent on any one of claims 5-7, wherein the mounting bar (40) comprises a single elongated bar structure, or a plurality of mounting bar portions which are arranged in series to form an elongate bar structure, wherein the brackets (10) are configured to be connected to the mounting bar (40) at the free ends (44) of the leg portions (22) of the U-shaped brackets (10).
The filling machine (1) according to claim 9, wherein each bracket (10) is connected to the mounting bar (40) by means of a respective connecting element (46) on top of which the mounting bar (40) is positioned, wherein the connecting element (46) is fixed to both leg portions (22) of the bracket (10) and wherein the connecting element (46) is fixed to a downwardly facing side of the mounting bar (40).
The filling machine (1) according to any one of claims 8-10, further comprising a handrail (48) provided at the outer perimeter of the walking platform (8), wherein the handrail (48) comprises vertically extending poles (50) which are engaged with the mounting bar (40).
The filling machine (1) according to any one of claims 1-11, further comprising an edge plate (52) which has a vertically extending plate portion (54) and a horizontally extending plate portion (56), wherein the vertically extending plate portion (54) extends upwardly at the outer periphery of the walking platform (8) and is configured to obstruct loose objects on the platform plates (12) from inadvertently falling off the walking platform (8), wherein the vertically extending plate portion (54) is a load bearing portion which is configured to distribute loads exerted on the vertically extending plate portion (54) to at least two or more of said brackets (10).
The filling machine (1) according to claim 12 when dependent on any one of claims 9-11, wherein the horizontally extending plate portion (56) of the edge plate (52) is supported by the brackets (10).
The filling machine (1) according to any one of claims 12-13, wherein said edge plate (52) is a first edge plate (52), the filling machine (1) further comprising a second edge plate (58), wherein the second edge plate (58) together with the first edge plate (52) form a corner, the second edge plate (58) being fixated to the enclosed structure (4).
The filling machine (1) according to claim 14, wherein the enclosed structure (4) has a first side (71), an opposite second side (72), and a third side (73) interconnecting the first and second sides (71, 72), wherein the first edge plate (52) extends along the first side (71) wherein the second edge plate (58) extends along the third side (73) such that it projects laterally beyond both the first side (71) and the second side (72).