Device and method for evacuating containers

Abstract

The method is cost-effective for food and feed industrial production, and protein-rich and sustainable resources are one of new thousand years of challenges, in particular in consideration of continuous growth of population on the earth. The problem addressed by the invention is that of ensuring responsibility and traceability of the material flow when emptying the container. This is achieved by the device according to the invention in that the device has a measuring device, by means of which data relating to at least one container to be emptied and / or the container contents are collected before, during and / or after the emptying process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for emptying containers. The apparatus comprises: a container introduction device for introducing at least one container to be emptied; a container emptying device for emptying the at least one container; a container ejection device for ejecting the at least one empty container; a container conveying device for conveying at least one container to be emptied and / or an empty container, and a conveying device for conveying at least one container content emptied from the container, and / or a collecting device for collecting the container content emptied from the at least one container. The invention also relates to a method for emptying a container and the use of the apparatus according to the invention for emptying a container, in particular when breeding insects. Background Art

[0002] A device of the mentioned type is previously known from DE 677 253 A, namely a tilting device, in particular for milk tanks. This comprises a distributing device, by means of which milk tanks to be emptied are distributed for emptying. The milk tanks are emptied by a carrier, ejected after emptying and picked up by a basket unit. The milk emptied from the milk tanks is collected in a trough, the milk tanks being weighed before emptying. Furthermore, DE 10 2008 029 663 A1 discloses a device and a method for tracking waste material from a waste container, which relates to the traceability of the material flow of waste material. The technical problem solved by the described device is that it detects a waste container to be emptied and stores the data recorded in this process, and after comminuting and temporarily storing the waste, takes a sample therefrom and assigns the sample to the previously stored data. This enables the waste generated by the producer to be fully recorded and clearly assigned to a specific waste container.

[0003] However, in order to ultimately be able to ensure a clear classification, temporary storage of the fragmented waste as well as sampling units are required, which in turn leads to greater expenditure on equipment and, therefore, higher costs and time.

[0004] Furthermore, a device for rotating containers of fixed dimensions, in particular for emptying garbage containers, is known from DE 10 2015 004 256 A1, the object of which is to be able to rotate the container safely.

[0005] Producing cost-effective, protein-rich and sustainable sources for the food and feed industry is one of the challenges of the new millennium, especially as the world population continues to grow. Automated cultivation of insects, vegetables, sprouts and mushrooms has proven to be an innovative approach to providing and using cost-effective and sustainable food sources in the food and feed industry. If these sustainable sources can keep pace with traditional feed and food sources in terms of yield, nutritional content and economic decision criteria, they can become a real alternative. This is achieved through production automation, which can be scaled up by applying Industry 4.0 principles to agricultural technology.

[0006] With the use of "vertical farming" and insects being the forerunners of this change, it is clear that the continuous "tracking" of products and goods within fully automated factories will become even more important in the future. The transition from monitoring the transport of individual goods (e.g. within containers and / or factory containers) to the transport of bulk goods (e.g. on conveyor belts) is proving to be very important for quality assurance, monitoring and continuous optimization of biological and technical processes.

[0007] In this context, Chinese utility model CN209711168U proposes an apparatus for rotating containers. This comprises a container supply device, a container rotating device and a container ejection device. The container supply device comprises a profile frame, a conveyor belt and a container pushing device. With the aid of a guiding device, the incoming container conveyed by the container supply device is guided to a predetermined direction. Once the container reaches the container rotating device, the container is pushed into the container rotating device by the container pushing device and flipped over by the container rotating device. The container contents falling from the container are guided by a funnel onto a conveyor belt arranged below the container rotating device, and the material is conveyed by the conveyor belt to the next processing step. The empty container is conveyed to the container ejection device and ejected from the device.

[0008] However, in the device for rotating containers disclosed in the present invention, there is no distribution of the emptied container contents to the previously conveyed containers. However, since the condition of the container contents may vary from container to container, for example due to the growth stage of the organisms (e.g. insects) in the box of the container to be emptied, the object of the present invention is to ensure that a corresponding distribution is made at all times. In other words: the task of the device and method according to the present invention is to ensure that the material flow can be tracked after the container has been emptied. Summary of the invention

[0009] This object is achieved by a device according to independent claim 1. Furthermore, the object is achieved by the independent method claim 25 and the use claim 35. Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

[0010] In a first aspect, the present invention is an apparatus for emptying individual containers or trays of containers, comprising a container introduction device for introducing at least one container to be emptied into a container emptying device, a container emptying device for emptying at least one container of a tray of containers, a container ejection device for ejecting at least one emptied container, a container conveying device for conveying at least one container to be emptied and / or emptied, and a conveying device for conveying container contents emptied from the containers and / or a collecting device for collecting container contents emptied from at least one container.

[0011] In order to solve the problem posed by the invention, the invention proposes that the device has at least one measuring device, with which measurement data from at least one container and / or the container contents can be collected before, during and / or after emptying the container, and these data collected by the at least one measuring device can be assigned to the container contents emptied by the container emptying device onto the conveying device and / or the collecting device. It is also conceivable that the container contents of the containers are not assigned to individual containers, but to a batch of containers and / or containers of a pallet.

[0012] This can also be used to monitor the position of the container contents in a downstream transport medium or in a collection medium, or to derive instructions for transporting the container contents to a specific downstream processing station and processing location or downstream processing itself.

[0013] This means that in subsequent processing steps, the measurement data collected in this way can be accessed and the corresponding downstream processing steps can be adapted to the existing data situation.

[0014] In a further advantageous embodiment, at least one measuring device, preferably arranged on the container introduction device, has at least one sensor and / or at least one optical detection device for collecting measurement data of the container to be emptied and / or the container contents. At least one measuring device can be stationary and / or move with the container to be emptied over a part of the distance, and in another advantageous embodiment can also enter the stationary and / or moving container and / or the container contents to collect data that can only be collected by contact or by being at a short distance from the object to be measured. The data to be collected can be, for example, temperature, thermal radiation, humidity, filling level or overall surface contour, maturity of insects, color, etc. It is also conceivable that the optical detection device, which can be a camera in the visible spectrum, can be used to determine the condition of the contents of the container, in particular the condition of the insects in the container, in particular their growth stage, size distribution, activity, color, health, distribution in the container, etc.

[0015] In a further advantageous embodiment, the device also has a weighing device, with which, for example, the container introduced by the container introduction device into the container emptying device can be weighed before it is introduced into the container emptying device. For example, in conjunction with the filling height or the entire surface contour, the density of the container content can be determined.

[0016] In another advantageous embodiment, the measuring device is provided with an identification device, by means of which identification elements on at least one container, at least one batch of containers and / or at least one container of a pallet can be detected, so that the identification of at least one container, at least one batch of containers and / or at least one container of a pallet can be determined unambiguously and the container contents can be assigned to them. Thus, any information received can be clearly assigned to a container, a batch of containers and / or a container of a pallet. For example, a QR code can be envisaged as an identification element and a QR code reader can be envisaged as an identification device. However, simple forms of identification elements in the form of bar codes, notches in the container, etc. are also conceivable. If the container identification is not carried out in the device itself, it is also conceivable that in another embodiment, the corresponding information for identifying at least one container, at least one batch of containers and / or at least one container of a pallet is collected by a device upstream of the device and transmitted to the device itself. The upstream device can be, for example, a depalletizing device or a container separation device, which is connected upstream of the device according to the invention. The device according to the invention preferably has an interface with a conveying device and / or a buffer device so that the device can be connected to a conveying system and / or a buffer device. Particularly preferably, the device itself has a buffer device, from which at least one stored container, at least one batch of containers and / or at least one pallet of containers can be introduced into the device according to the invention via a conveying device, in particular a container conveying device.

[0017] In a further advantageous embodiment, the apparatus has an upstream and / or downstream container separation device, with which at least one stack, batch and / or pallet of containers are separated and fed to the container conveying device, and after the separation of the containers, the containers which have been emptied, received by the container conveying device and passed through the container separation device can be stacked again to form a stack, a batch and / or a pallet of containers.

[0018] In order to also obtain any information about the at least one container emptied by the container emptying device, the device further provides an advantageous embodiment in which a measuring device for collecting data about the at least one empty container is mounted on the container ejection device. If the at least one container is, for example, damaged, excessively worn or damaged during emptying of the container emptying device or not completely emptied, this can be determined by the measuring device arranged on the container ejection device. Particularly advantageously, the measuring device on the container ejection device has at least one sensor, for example a scale for recording the weight of the emptied container, and / or at least one optical detection device, in particular a camera, for collecting the relevant data.

[0019] In another advantageous embodiment, the invention provides an apparatus having a measuring device arranged on the container emptying device for collecting data before, during and / or after emptying. The data that may be of interest during the emptying process include: the amount of the empty container contents, the particle size, composition and distribution of the container contents, the emptying speed of the container contents and any other parameters arising in this case.

[0020] Particularly preferably, in an advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention, the conveying device is a continuous and / or discontinuous conveying device, such as a conveyor belt and / or an unmanned transport system. For example, an unmanned transport system is an unmanned transport vehicle, which represents a ground conveyor with its own drive, which can be automatically controlled and guided without contact.

[0021] Furthermore, the invention provides a container emptying device in an advantageous embodiment, wherein at least one container is rotated by a rotating device so that at least one container can be emptied and the container contents can be placed on a conveying device. It is also conceivable that after the rotation and emptying of at least one container by the rotating device, the container emptying device is rotated back again or transferred in a rotational position to the container ejecting device before further conveying by the container ejecting device. The rotating device preferably does not rotate the at least one container by 90° to 270°, for example 180°, but by 90° to 180°, which means that due to the shorter step distance, the container can be rotated back to the starting position faster, so that the angle of complete emptying can be adjusted or preset according to the container height, the contents and the rotation speed. In an alternative embodiment, the container is rotated by the rotating device by an angle of 90° to 270°, for example 180°, and the container is conveyed to the container ejecting device in its 180° rotational position. In another alternative embodiment, the container is rotated by 270° to 450°, particularly advantageously by 360°, so that a reversal of the rotation direction is avoided. In other words: the container is preferably rotated once completely around one of its axes.

[0022] In another embodiment, the container emptying device has a removal device, for example a suction device, with which the container contents can be removed from the at least one container by suction and transferred to a conveying device or introduced into a collecting device. In this case, at least one container of the containers of the tray can be transferred from the container emptying device to the container ejection device without changing its position, which in turn has a positive effect on the efficiency and speed of emptying the at least one container of the containers of the tray.

[0023] In order to ensure that the container emptying device has removed all container contents from the at least one container, the invention provides in an advantageous embodiment for the container emptying device to have a residue emptying device, in particular by means of which any residues can be removed from the at least one emptying container. This can, for example, have a shaking, knocking, vibration, high-pressure spraying or brushing device or a combination of the aforementioned devices, with which the at least one container to be emptied can be treated before, during and / or after emptying, so that any residues present can be loosened and removed from the at least one container, preferably transferred to a conveying device or introduced into a collecting device.

[0024] In another advantageous embodiment, the device has a cleaning unit to prevent at least one container to be emptied or emptied from contamination, in particular between batches, by removing any residues that may be present in the device. This can be achieved, for example, by an integrated high-pressure cleaning system for contaminated areas of the device (e.g. the container emptying device and / or the conveyor device). In alternative embodiments, the cleaning can be carried out using air pressure or water pressure or other suitable fluids, with or without cleaning active substances or mechanically.

[0025] In order to make the container contents, in particular the insects to be removed from at least one container, reach the conveying device in the most targeted, gentle and bundled manner possible, the present invention provides in another advantageous embodiment a container emptying device, which has a guide device, which ensures that the container contents can be picked up and transferred particularly gently and preferably adapted to the corresponding goods. This can be achieved, for example, by a particularly soft lining of the guide device and / or by a correspondingly adapted geometry of the guide device, wherein the impact of the bulk material can be absorbed, for example, by a very steep, parabolic flat angle. Alternatively, this can also be achieved by a generated air flow, in particular an air flow in the opposite direction of the falling direction of the bulk material, which cushions the impact of the bulk material (i.e. the container contents). It is also conceivable that the guide device is driven and thus allows the emptying of the container contents to be transferred very gently, not only by gravity. For example, this can be achieved by vibration transmission or pneumatic / hydraulic transmission.

[0026] Since the container contents may sometimes contain fine particles, such as substrates, feed residues, etc., and emptying the container may therefore lead to dust formation, the invention provides in a further advantageous embodiment a device that complies with ATEX guidelines. The device is preferably an ignition source analysis device, an ignition source avoidance device, a dust precipitation device and / or a purge air device, with which dust emissions can be reduced in accordance with ATEX guidelines.

[0027] In a second aspect, the invention relates to a method for emptying at least one container, in particular using an apparatus according to the invention. In this case, the container to be emptied is conveyed from a container conveying device to a container introducing device and introduced into the container emptying device by the container introducing device, and the container contents of the container to be emptied are emptied by the container emptying device to a conveying device and / or into a collecting device.

[0028] The method according to the invention is characterized in that data about the at least one container and / or the container contents are collected by at least one measuring device before, during and / or after emptying the container contents, and the data collected thereby are transmitted to the conveying device and / or assigned to the emptied container contents in the collecting device. In other words: the data collected from the at least one container and / or the container contents are matched or associated with the container contents on the conveying device or the collecting device, so that at any time later, for example in the next processing step, the container contents conveyed by the conveying device or the collecting device can be assigned to the previously collected data and, if necessary, any further processing operations can be adjusted using these data. It is also conceivable that the previously collected data can be used for quality assurance and process monitoring.

[0029] This can be achieved, for example, by detecting the position of the conveyor or, in the case of emptying the container contents on the conveyor, by identifying a code or number strip on the conveyor or the position of the point on the conveyor at which the container contents were emptied when the respective container was emptied. Furthermore, the exact time of the emptying process and the subsequent assignment of the position on the conveyor can also be detected, for example by detecting the position of the motor of the conveyor drive or, in the case of a conveyor, a combination of the average transport time for the next process.

[0030] In another advantageous embodiment, the data collected by the measuring device can be provided to a data processing device, in particular a higher-level control and monitoring system, such as a process control system, in order to ensure complete monitoring and tracking of the flow of materials, even during the transition from piece goods to bulk goods.

[0031] Furthermore, the invention provides a method for transmitting the collected data to a production control, monitoring system and / or a quality assurance device. The invention preferably provides a method for deriving instructions for actions from the collected data, in particular instructions for subsequent processes, such as further transport, processing, packaging, etc. In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, at least one container emptied by the container emptying device is transferred from the container emptying device to a container ejecting device, from which at least one container is ejected.

[0032] In addition, according to the method of the present invention, the identification element on or in at least one container, at least one batch of containers and / or at least one pallet of containers is read by the identification device, thereby uniquely determining the identity of at least one container, at least one batch of containers and / or at least one pallet of containers.

[0033] In another advantageous embodiment, when at least one container is ejected by the container ejection device, measurement data about the at least one container and its condition are collected. This means, for example, that if the container is damaged, it can be classified.

[0034] In order to ensure or avoid contamination of the container contents and / or at least one container, the method provides in a further advantageous embodiment that after emptying at least one container, at least one batch of containers and / or at least one pallet of containers, residues in the device, in particular residues in the container emptying device and / or the container conveying device, are removed by a cleaning device.

[0035] Finally, the invention provides in a third aspect a device according to the invention for emptying containers in feed and / or food industry companies. The device according to the invention is particularly preferably used for insect rearing.

[0036] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The present invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments.

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment, and

[0039] Figure 2 is based on Figure 1 Detailed view of the container emptying device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 1 according to the invention is shown in perspective. The apparatus 1 comprises a container introduction device 4, a container emptying device 7 and a container ejection device 12. For transporting containers 2 within the apparatus 1, it has a container transport device 3, which is, for example, a conveyor belt.

[0041] In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the container introduction device 4 has a measuring device 5 and a weighing device 6 arranged on the container introduction device 4. The weight of the container 2 can be determined by the weighing device 6. With the help of the measuring device 5, any data about the content of the container to be emptied and about the container 2 itself, such as filling level, temperature, humidity, degree of maturity of insects, etc., such as the age of the container 2, any existing damage, etc. can be collected. It is also conceivable that the device 1 has an identification device (not shown here) with which the container 2 can be clearly identified and the data collected in this way can be assigned to the correct container 2 without any doubt, or the data of the container identification can be sent to the device 1 from an upstream device. When the container 2 is conveyed from the container introduction device 4 in the direction of the container emptying device 7, the measuring device 5 and the weighing device 6 will collect the data of the container 2 or the container content.

[0042] exist Figure 2 The container emptying device 7 shown in detail in the figure has in this exemplary embodiment a rotating device 8 for rotating the container 2 conveyed by the container introduction device 4. By rotating the container 2 by 180° using the rotating device 8, the container contents emptied from the container 2 are guided via a guide device 11 to a conveying device 14 arranged below the container emptying device 7. The guide device 11 serves exclusively to guide the emptied container contents onto the conveying device 14. The conveying device 14 is, for example, also a conveyor belt like the container conveying device 3. However, it is also conceivable that the conveying device 14 is an unmanned conveyor system that conveys individual batches of emptied container contents.

[0043] In order to ensure that the container contents are completely emptied onto the conveyor 14 when the container 2 is rotated 180° by the rotating device 8, the container emptying device 7 has a residue emptying device 9. It has a shaking device (not shown) with which, for example, the container 2 rotated 180° can be shaken in order to loosen any remaining container contents and transfer them to the conveyor 14. In this exemplary embodiment, the container emptying device 7 also has a cleaning device 10 with which any remaining residues in the container 2 can be removed.

[0044] When the container 2 is emptied by the container emptying unit 7, the emptying process can be monitored before, during and after the emptying by means of a measuring device 12 arranged on the container emptying unit 7. It is conceivable that the measuring device 12 can be used to record all data related to the emptying, such as the rotation speed of the rotating device 8, the pouring speed of the container content, the particle size of the container content, the cargo composition, volume and quantity, color distribution, etc. during the emptying and / or emptying process.

[0045] If the container 2 has been emptied by the container emptying device 7 and the container contents have been conveyed to the conveying device 14, the data previously collected by the measuring device 5, the weighing device 6 and the measuring device 12 arranged on the container introduction device 4 are added to the container contents assigned to the conveying device 14. In the case of a conveyor belt, this can be done, for example, by the position of the conveyor belt when the container 2 is emptied onto the conveyor belt, i.e. the conveying device 14. In the case of an unmanned transport system, it is conceivable to assign the data of the emptying of the container 2 to the corresponding transport vehicle. In addition, it is conceivable to empty into a container arranged on the device 1, which can be removed or further transported by a ground-bound or non-bound conveying device. The container contents finally obtained in this way can be fed to further processing steps, such as the processing and processing of the container contents, together with the data assigned to the container contents, whereby in the further processing steps, the previously obtained data can be used as the basis for further processing, or different processing steps can be performed according to the data situation and according to the classification of the container contents.

[0046] The container 2 emptied by the container emptying device 7 is then transferred from the container emptying device 7 to the container ejecting device 13. At this time, the container 2 is transferred to the container ejecting device 13 in a state rotated by 180°. This has the advantage that the step of turning the container 2 back to the starting position is eliminated, which means that higher efficiency and speed are achieved when emptying the container 2. The container 2 emptied in this way and rotated by 180° is checked in the container ejecting device 13 by a measuring device (not shown) arranged on the container ejecting device 13, for example, whether there are residues or damage. The container 2 is then removed from the device 1 by the container ejecting device 13 and can, for example, be supplied to a cleaning device (not shown) to clean the container 2 if there are any residues, or discard it if there are any damages.

[0047] Thus, a device for emptying individual or palletized containers, in particular containers containing insects, is disclosed above, with which the contents of the emptied containers and / or the emptying of the containers can be monitored and various measurement data or various parameters of the containers and / or the container contents can be measured and made available for monitoring, regulating and controlling downstream transport, handling and processing processes, as well as for quality assurance, process control and yield testing.

[0048] Reference Symbols Table

[0049] 1 Equipment

[0050] 2 Container

[0051] 3 Container conveyor

[0052] 4 Container introduction device

[0053] 5. Measuring device

[0054] 6 Weighing device

[0055] 7 Container emptying device

[0056] 8 Rotating device

[0057] 9 Residue discharge device

[0058] 10. Cleaning device

[0059] 11 Management Device

[0060] 12 Measuring device

[0061] 13 Container ejection device

[0062] 14 Conveyor

Claims

1. An apparatus (1) for emptying individual containers or trays of containers (2), comprising: A container introduction device (4) for introducing at least one container (2) to be emptied; a container emptying device (7) for emptying the at least one container (2); a container ejecting device (13) for ejecting at least one emptied container (2); a container conveying device (3) for conveying the at least one container (2) to be emptied and / or emptied; and a conveying device (14) for conveying container contents emptied from the at least one container (2); and / or a collecting device for collecting container contents emptied from the at least one container (2); characterized in that the device (1) has at least one measuring device (5), by means of which data about the at least one container (2) and / or the container contents can be collected before, during and / or after emptying the container (2); and the data collected by the at least one measuring device (5) are assigned to the container contents emptied by the container emptying device (7) onto the conveying device (14) or in the collecting device.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The data collected by the at least one measuring device (5) are assigned to the at least one emptying container (2).

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The measuring device (5) has at least one sensor and / or at least one optical detection device, in particular a camera, for collecting data about the at least one container (2) to be emptied and / or the container contents.

4. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The device has at least one weighing device (6) for weighing the at least one container (2) to be emptied and / or emptied.

5. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that It has at least one identification device, by means of which the identification of the at least one container (2), at least one batch of containers (2) and / or at least one pallet of containers (2) is uniquely identified by means of an identification element on or in the at least one container (2), at least one batch of containers (2) and / or at least one pallet of containers (2).

6. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The identification device is connected upstream and / or downstream, and uses the identification device to uniquely identify the identification of the at least one container (2), the at least one batch of containers (2) and / or the containers (2) of the at least one pallet through an identification element on or in the at least one container (2), the at least one batch of containers (2) and / or the containers (2) of the at least one pallet.

7. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that It has an interface with the conveying device and / or the buffer device.

8. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The device has a buffer device in which the at least one container (2) to be emptied and / or emptied can be temporarily stored.

9. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The device has an upstream and / or downstream container separation device for stacking and / or unstacking a stack of containers, a batch of containers (2) and / or containers (2) of a pallet, by means of which unstacked containers (2) can be fed into a container conveyor (3) and / or empty containers (2) can be removed from the container conveyor (3).

10. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one measuring device (12) is arranged on the container ejection device (13) for collecting measurement data of the at least one emptied container (2) and its condition.

11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that The at least one measuring device (12) has at least one sensor and / or at least one optical detection device, in particular a camera, for collecting measurement data of the at least one emptied container (2).

12. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one measuring device is arranged on the container emptying device (7) for collecting measurement data before, during and / or after emptying the at least one container (2).

13. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The container conveying device (3) is a device suitable for continuously and / or discontinuously conveying the at least one container (2), in particular a roller, belt, ball or chain conveyor, a conveyor belt and / or an unmanned transport system.

14. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The container emptying device (7) has a rotating device (8) for rotating the at least one container (2) to be emptied.

15. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The container emptying device (7) has a removal device, in particular a suction device, for removing container contents from the at least one container (2) to be emptied.

16. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The container emptying device (7) has a residue emptying device (9), in particular by means of which any residues (2) which may be present can be removed from the at least one emptied container.

17. The device according to claim 16, characterized in that The residue emptying device (9) is a suction, shaking, knocking, vibration, high-pressure spraying or brushing device or a combination of the aforementioned devices, and any residues from the at least one emptied container (2) are emptied by means of the residue emptying device (9).

18. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that It has a cleaning device (10) with which any residues which may be present in the device (1), in particular in the container emptying device (7) and / or in the container conveying device (3), are removed.

19. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The container emptying device (7) has a guide device (11) for guiding the container contents emptied from the at least one container (2) in the direction of the conveying device (14).

20. The device according to claim 19, characterized in that The guiding device (11) has a lining and / or a geometric shape, in particular a very steep parabolic flat angle, by means of which the container contents can be gently guided in the direction of the conveying device (14) and the impact of the container contents on the conveying device can be reduced.

21. The device according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The guide device (11) has at least one flow device, by means of which the container contents can be conveyed to the conveying device (14) and / or collected by the conveying device (14) not only by gravity but also in particular by vibration, hydraulic and / or pneumatic means.

22. The device according to claim 21, characterized in that The impact of the container contents on the conveying device (14) can be reduced and / or prevented by the flow device, in particular by forming an air cushion.

23. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that It has a device that complies with ATEX guidelines.

24. The device according to claim 23, characterized in that Devices that comply with ATEX guidelines are ignition source avoidance and / or analytical measure devices and / or dust precipitation devices and / or purge air devices.

25. Method for emptying at least one container (2), in particular using a device (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims 1 to 24, characterized in that At least one container (2) to be emptied is introduced into a container emptying device (7) by a container conveying device (3) via a container introducing device (4), and in the container emptying device (7) the at least one container (2) to be emptied is placed on a conveying device (14) and / or is emptied into a collecting device, and data about the at least one container (2) and / or the container contents are collected by at least one measuring device (5) before, during and / or after emptying the at least one container (2).

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The data collected by the at least one measuring device (5) are assigned to the container contents emptied onto the conveying device (14) and / or the container contents emptied into the collecting device and / or to at least one emptied container (2).

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that The data collected by the at least one measuring device (5) are assigned to the position of the conveying device (14) when the container contents are emptied onto the conveying device (14).

28. The method according to at least one of claims 25 to 27, characterized in that The collected data are transmitted to at least one data processing device, in particular a data processing device of a process control system or a downstream process and / or system.

29. The method according to at least one of claims 25 to 28, characterized in that The collected data is transmitted to a production control and / or monitoring system and / or a quality assurance device.

30. The method according to at least one of claims 25 to 29, characterized in that Action instructions are derived based on the collected data, in particular instructions for subsequent processes.

31. The method according to at least one of the preceding claims 25 to 30, characterized in that The at least one emptied container (2) is transferred from the container emptying device (7) to the container ejecting device (13), and the at least one emptied container (2) passes through the container ejecting device (12) and is ejected from the apparatus (1).

32. The method according to at least one of the preceding claims 25 to 31, characterized in that By using the identification device, the identification of the at least one container (2), the at least one batch of containers (2) and / or the containers (2) of the at least one pallet is uniquely determined by reading the identification unit of the at least one container (2), the at least one batch of containers (2) and / or the containers (2) of the at least one pallet.

33. The method according to claim 31 or 32, characterized in that During ejection of the at least one container (2) by the container ejection device (13), measurement data on the at least one container (2) and its condition are collected.

34. The method according to at least one of the preceding claims 25 to 33, characterized in that After emptying the at least one container (2), at least one batch of containers (2) and / or at least one tray of containers (2), residues in the apparatus (1), in particular in the container emptying device (7) and / or in the container conveying device (3), are removed by a cleaning unit (10).

35. Use of the device (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims 1 to 24 for emptying the container (2) in operations in the feed and / or food industry.

36. The use according to claim 35, characterized in that The operation described is insect rearing.

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