Apparatus and method for processing containers

Abstract

An apparatus (1) and a method for treating a container, preferably a tank, in which the apparatus (1) has: a flusher (10) arranged to clean the container with a cleaning agent, preferably consisting of or comprising CO2; a filling device (20) arranged to fill the container cleaned in the flusher (10) with a filling product, preferably a beverage; and a closing device (30) arranged to close the containers filled with the filling product in the filling device (20) with each container closure; the device is characterized by: a receptacle (40) in which the irrigator (10), the filling device (20) and the closing device (30) are arranged; and a protective gas system (50) arranged to supply a protective gas, preferably consisting of or comprising CO2, to the receptacle such that the flusher, the filling means and the closing means are arranged in a common atmosphere consisting of the protective gas.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for processing containers, in particular cans, in a beverage filling device, wherein the apparatus comprises a rinser, a filling device and a closing device. Background Art

[0002] In the field of beverage filling devices, it is known that containers such as bottles or cans are cleaned before being filled with a filling product. Thus, the containers are rinsed in a rinser pre-positioned in front of the actual filling device to remove foreign particles such as dust, impurities, residues, etc. For example, a rinser for cleaning containers is proposed in EP2676743A1.

[0003] The containers that have been cleaned and, if necessary, disinfected in the rinser are transported to the filling device by means of a transport device, which fills the containers with the filling product. The filled containers are then closed with each container closure in a closing device.

[0004] Most of the above components (rinser, transport device, filling device and closing device) for performing container processing are designed and optimized separately. Therefore, the already cleaned containers may be re-contaminated by the possible open transport before entering the filling device. Therefore, the containers are usually rinsed, for example, with CO 2 before being filled in the filling device. In addition, especially in the case of oxygen-sensitive filling products, the filled containers are usually inflated with CO 2 before closing to limit oxygen absorption. This results in a high consumption of CO 2 at the filling device and the closing device. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus and an improved method for processing containers, including rinsing, filling and closing of the containers, in particular in order to reduce resource consumption and / or improve the level of hygiene.

[0006] This object is achieved by the apparatus and method of the present invention. Advantageous improvements result from the description of the invention illustrations and the preferred embodiments.

[0007] The apparatus according to the present invention is for processing containers, in particular for filling containers with a filling product. Particularly preferably, the apparatus is used in a beverage filling device, for example for filling water (distilled water or carbonated water), beer, fruit juice, soft drinks, smoothies, dairy products, etc.

[0008] The containers to be processed usually have a container opening or a container mouth through which the containers are filled. Particularly preferably, the processed containers herein are cans, especially cans having a metal component. The processed cans can be entirely made of metal.

[0009] The device comprises: a rinser configured to clean containers with a cleaning agent preferably consisting of or comprising CO 2 consisting of or comprising CO 2 ; a filling device configured to fill the containers cleaned in the rinser with a filling product, preferably a beverage; and a closing device configured to close the containers filled with the filling product in the filling device with each container closure.

[0010] According to the invention, the device further comprises: a housing in which the rinser, the filling device and the closing device are arranged; and a protective gas system configured to supply a protective gas preferably consisting of or comprising CO 2 consisting of or comprising CO 2 to the housing such that the rinser, the filling device and the closing device are arranged in a common atmosphere constituted by the protective gas.

[0011] By arranging the various stations, namely the rinser, the filling device and the closing device, in a housing having a common atmosphere constituted by the protective gas, the containers to be processed are protected throughout the process. The risk of contamination that may occur especially between the individual processing stations is eliminated. Due to the properties of the protective gas that contacts substantially all relevant surfaces in the housing, the growth of bacteria is prevented or at least significantly reduced, so that the device as a whole achieves a significantly higher level of hygiene.

[0012] The concept of the common housing enables the synergistic use of the protective gas at multiple points and thus achieves significant resource savings. These savings occur especially at the filling device and the closing device, since the separate rinsing of the containers and / or the container closures in the relevant devices can be dispensed with or at least significantly reduced.

[0013] The protective gas is preferably an acidic protective atmosphere, thereby enhancing the hygienic stability.

[0014] During processing, the containers are preferably transported from one station to another along a track in the transport direction by means of a transport device. Thus, in addition to the rinser, the filling device and the closing device, the transport device is also at least partially installed in the common housing.

[0015] Preferably, the rinser is configured to perform at least part of the cleaning of the containers with the protective gas from the protective gas system, i.e., to apply the protective gas from the protective gas system to the interior and / or exterior of the containers, thereby enabling the synergistic use of the protective gas and thus further reducing the resource consumption.

[0016] Preferably, the protective gas system is arranged to supply the protective gas in the receiving part with a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure in the external environment. In this case, in the event of possible unsealing or when using a gate in the receiving part, it is ensured that an overflow from the inside to the outside occurs and thus the protective gas atmosphere in the receiving part is protected from possible external contamination.

[0017] Preferably, the protective gas system has a protective gas inlet which is arranged to introduce the protective gas into the receiving part, wherein the protective gas inlet is in particular arranged in the lower region and / or at the bottom of the receiving part, so that in the case of a higher density of the protective gas relative to air, the air is discharged from the receiving part in the direction of gravity. This ensures a particularly high purity of the protective gas throughout the receiving part.

[0018] Preferably, the protective gas system includes a suction part and / or an overflow part and a pipeline system which connects the suction part or the overflow part to the protective gas inlet, wherein the protective gas system is arranged to circulate the protective gas at least partially (through the pipeline system and the receiving part), so that an exchange of the protective gas in the receiving part can be achieved. The protective gas located in the receiving part can be guided in a circuit and, if necessary, foreign substances or particles can be removed therefrom using a filter or a protective gas treatment part.

[0019] Preferably, the protective gas system includes a protective gas treatment part for the treatment and at least partial reuse of the protective gas, thereby achieving a further reduction in resource consumption. Alternatively or additionally, the protective gas system has a buffer tank for the temporary storage of the protective gas.

[0020] Preferably, the filling device has a venting system which is arranged to lead the protective gas discharged from the container during filling and / or the protective gas from the headspace of the container into the protective gas system. Since container handling is generally carried out in a common protective gas atmosphere, the container is filled with the protective gas before filling. At this time, the protective gas discharged from the container during filling either directly reaches the receiving part or, alternatively, the discharged protective gas is purposefully transported through the venting system to the protective gas system, thereby achieving the synergistic reuse of the discharged protective gas and thus a further reduction in resource consumption. This can be achieved similarly for the protective gas present in the headspace after container filling and usually under filling pressure.

[0021] There is a possibility of internally and externally treating the container in the rinser with a sterilizing medium and subsequently removing possible residues from the sterilizing medium. The removal of such residues from the sterilizing medium can be carried out in the filling device during a rinsing process. Preferably, the rinser is thus arranged to sterilize the container with the sterilizing medium in addition to cleaning it with a cleaning agent. In this case, the filling device is preferably arranged to remove possible residues from the sterilizing medium by means of a rinsing process preferably using a protective gas.

[0022] In an alternative design, the removal of residues in the sterilizing medium can already be carried out on a suitable post-unit between the rinser or the rinser and the filler. Thereby, the rinsing process in the filler will be eliminated.

[0023] The above object is also achieved by a method for treating a container, preferably a tank, wherein the method has: cleaning the container with a cleaning agent preferably consisting of or comprising CO 2 by means of a rinser; filling the container cleaned in the rinser with a filling product, preferably a beverage, by means of a filling device; and closing the container filled with the filling product in the filling device with each container closure by means of a closing device. According to the invention, the rinser, the filling device and the closing device are arranged in a receiving part, wherein the receiving part is supplied with a protective gas preferably consisting of or comprising CO 2 by a protective gas system, such that the rinser, the filling device and the closing device are arranged and operate in a common atmosphere constituted by the protective gas. 2 by a protective gas system, such that the rinser, the filling device and the closing device are arranged and operate in a common atmosphere constituted by the protective gas. 2 The features, technical effects, advantages and embodiments described for the device similarly apply to the method.

[0024] For the above reasons, preferably, at least part of the cleaning of the container in the rinser is carried out with the protective gas from the protective gas system.

[0025] Preferably, for the above reasons, the protective gas system supplies the protective gas in the receiving part with a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure in the external environment.

[0026] Preferably, for the above reasons, the protective gas is at least partially circulated by means of the pipeline system of the protective gas system.

[0027] Preferably, for the above reasons, the protective gas is treated in the protective gas treatment part of the protective gas system and at least partially reused and / or temporarily stored in the buffer tank of the protective gas system.

[0028]

[0029] ​Preferably, for the above reasons, the protective gas discharged from the container during filling in the filling device and / or the protective gas from the headspace of the container is led into the protective gas system through the venting system of the filling device.

[0030] Preferably, the container is sterilized in the rinser with a sterilizing medium in addition to being cleaned with a cleaning agent, wherein possible residues in the sterilizing medium are removed in the filling device by means of a rinsing process, preferably using the protective gas from the protective gas system.

[0031] Alternatively, the rinsing process for removing residues in the sterilizing medium can already be carried out on a suitable post-unit between the rinser or the rinser and the filler. Thereby, the rinsing process in the filler will be eliminated.

[0032] Spatial names such as "upper" and "lower" refer to the direction of gravity of the device in its intended use and installed state. Names such as "front", "rear", "upstream", "downstream", "between" etc. refer to the conveying direction of the container by the transport device.

[0033] Other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments. The features described herein can be implemented individually or in combination with one or more of the above features, as long as these features are not mutually contradictory. Here, the preferred embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Description of the Drawings

[0034] Other preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail by the following description of the drawings. In the drawings:

[0035] Figure 1 A top view of a container processing device including a rinser, a filling device and a closing device is schematically shown. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

[0036] The following will refer to Figure 1 describe the preferred embodiments, Figure 1 A top view of a device 1 for processing containers (not shown in the figure) is schematically shown.

[0037] The device 1 is especially used in food processing and is or preferably forms part of a beverage filling device, for example for filling water (distilled water or carbonated water), soft drinks, fruit juices, beers, mixed drinks etc. For this purpose, the device 1 has a filling device 20 which fills containers with a filling product, preferably a beverage.

[0038] Particularly preferably, the containers discussed herein are cans, especially cans having a metallic component.

[0039] Device 1 includes a rinser 10 which is arranged to rinse empty, open, containers to be filled with a cleaning agent, in particular a gas, in order to remove foreign particles such as dust, impurities, residues, etc. The cleaned containers are fed to a filling device 20 through a filler inlet 25, and the filling device 20 is arranged to fill the cleaned containers with a filling product. The filled containers are transported out of the filling device 20 through a filler outlet 26 and fed to a closing device 30, which is arranged to close the filled containers with each container closure.

[0040] During processing, the containers are transported along a track in the conveying direction F from one station to another by means of a transport device 60. The track along which the containers are transported may include linear sections and curved sections (in particular circular sections defined by a processing turntable and / or a transfer star). The transport device 60 may include a conveyor belt, a transport star, a processing turntable and / or other suitable devices in order to transport the containers in the conveying direction F.

[0041] According to the present embodiment, the filling device 20 is implemented in the form of a rotary device, in which the containers to be filled are fed to a filler turntable 21 having a plurality of filling members 22 and are filled with the filling product along a sub-loop during transport. The filling members 22 are mounted on the outer periphery of the filler turntable 21 at uniform intervals ( Figure 1 only a part of the filling members is shown). The containers are arranged and held below the filling members 22 for filling in such a way that the filling members can introduce the filling product into each respective container.

[0042] According to the present embodiment, the closing device 30 is also implemented in the form of a rotary device, in which the filled and to-be-closed containers are fed to a closer turntable 31 having a plurality of capping members (not shown) and are closed with each container closure, preferably a can lid, along a sub-loop during transport.

[0043] The rinser 10, the filling device 20 and the closing device 30 (and at least part of the transport device 60) are mounted in a common housing 40 in which there is a protective gas preferably consisting of or including CO 2 consisting of or including CO 2 The protective gas is preferably an acidic protective atmosphere, thereby improving the hygienic stability. The protective atmosphere is provided by a protective gas system 50.

[0044] The protective gas system 50 includes a protective gas inlet 51 which is arranged to introduce the protective gas into the housing 40. For this purpose, the protective gas inlet 51 including one or more openings or nozzles is preferably arranged at the bottom of the housing 40, so that the protective gas, being of higher density relative to air, displaces the air in the direction of gravity (perpendicular to Figure 1is discharged from the receiving part 40 on the drawing plane).

[0045] The protective gas system 50 further includes a suction part 52 or an overflow part located in the upper region of the receiving part 40. Through the pipeline system 53 connecting the suction part 52 and the protective gas inlet 51, the protective gas can be brought into circulation and exchanged correspondingly in the receiving part.

[0046] The protective gas system 50 can have a protective gas treatment part 54 that treats the protective gas, such as cleaning the protective gas, partially renewing it, etc. In addition, a buffer tank 55 is preferably installed in the pipeline system 53 to temporarily store the protective gas.

[0047] The pressure of the protective gas inside the receiving part 40 is preferably higher than the external atmospheric pressure, so that an overflow from the inside to the outside occurs without sealing, and the protective gas atmosphere in the receiving part 40 is protected from possible external contamination.

[0048] The rinser 10 is arranged to apply a gaseous and / or liquid cleaning agent to the container from the outside and / or inside in order to clean the container and, if necessary, disinfect the container. The treatment of the container by the rinser 10 can be at least partially carried out with the protective gas from the protective gas system 50. Preferably, the container is rinsed by the rinser 10 with the protective gas, preferably CO 2 and / or N 2 and then disinfected or sterilized with a sterilization medium.

[0049] Once the container has been sterilized, the possible residues of the sterilization medium in the container can be removed with air, N 2 or CO 2 This can be carried out in the rinser 10, between the rinser 10 and the filling device 20, or in the filling device 20 through the filling member 22.

[0050] Since the container is treated with the protective gas in the rinser 10, a protective atmosphere in the receiving part 40 is completely or at least partially established. If necessary, the separate protective gas inlet 51 can be omitted in this case. If necessary, especially in the case of filling products that are sensitive to low oxygen, due to the continuous protective atmosphere in the receiving part 40, the rinsing of the container through the filling member 22 in the filling device 20 before filling can be completely omitted. In the case of oxygen-sensitive products, this rinsing with, for example, N 2 or CO 2 can be at least significantly reduced because the container is transferred into the filling device 20 through a pre-rinsing process with a protective gas with a greatly reduced oxygen content in the rinser 10.

[0051] During filling, the protective gas discharged from the container either directly enters the receiving part 40 or, alternatively, the discharged protective gas is purposefully conveyed away through the venting system 23.

[0052] In the present embodiment, the venting system 23 includes: venting pipelines 23a which are assigned to or are part of the filling member 22; and a gas extraction part 23b connected to the venting pipelines 23a, the gas extraction part 23b being arranged to extract the discharged protective gas from the receiving part 40 and preferably introducing it into the protective gas system 50. The gas extraction part 23b can be attached, for example, to a cleaning unit and / or a filter and / or a protective gas treatment part 54 and / or a separator in order to correspondingly process the discharged protective gas, for example for possible reuse. The thus-treated protective gas can be mixed with the same gas or other gases as required.

[0053] After filling the container with the filling product, the headspace of the container is filled with a protective gas which is usually under filling pressure. Similar to the protective gas discharged during filling, the protective gas in the headspace of the container can be directly discharged into the receiving part 40 or purposefully extracted through the venting system 23. Preferably, no separation of this gas to the environment through the valve node takes place. The gas thus made free can be guided through an additionally present valve to the receiving part 40 before a possible discharge valve and subsequently guided through an outlet transport path with the aid of a suitable distribution system.

[0054] In the above-described embodiment variant, the protective gas from the headspace venting part is preferably used in the receiving part 40. This protective gas can additionally or alternatively be used to inflate the container.

[0055] After filling the container with the filling product, the non-closed container is moved to the closing device 30 through the filler outlet 26 and the transport device. Here, the product cannot be re-contaminated with oxygen because the container remains in the receiving part 40 filled with the protective gas.

[0056] For the same reason, closing cleaning, in particular under-cap inflation of the can lid, and inflation of the headspace with CO 2 can be omitted before closing the container, which can significantly save CO 2 and / or other operating devices.

[0057] The container leaves the receiving part through a suitable gate ( Figure 1 not shown in the figure). For the case where more protective gas is sucked out of the receiving part 40 at the gate or a possible suction part than the protective gas provided through the filling device 20 or in some other way, the difference can be filled with N 2 or other non-atmosphere-destroying gases.

[0058] Via the common receiving section 40, the rinser 10, the filling device 20, and the closing device 30 can be cleaned with the same cleaning medium, for example, a cleaning medium within the CIP cleaning range. The cleaning medium can be collected beneath the device 1, enabling the use of higher concentrations of alkali and / or acid. The cleaning medium can be treated and at least partially reused if necessary.

[0059] The concept of the common receiving section 40 enables the coordinated use of protective gas at multiple stations or points of the device 1 and thus achieves significant resource savings, especially in terms of CO 2 savings. These savings occur especially at the filling device 20 and the closing device 30 because the separate rinsing of containers and / or container closures in the relevant devices can be omitted or at least significantly reduced. Additionally, the risk of contamination is eliminated throughout the process. The reuse of venting gases from the containers to be filled and the filled containers can be achieved.

[0060] There is a possibility to internally and externally treat the containers in the rinser 10 with a sterilizing medium and subsequently remove any possible residues in the sterilizing medium. The removal of such residues can be carried out in the filling device 20 during the rinsing process.

[0061] A blower for a positive pressure gradient between the internal and external environments of the receiving section 40 is not absolutely necessary. A bath or airlock can be achieved through a gravity airlock at the outlet.

[0062] Due to the properties of the protective gas that contacts substantially all relevant surfaces in the receiving section 40, the growth of bacteria is prevented or at least significantly reduced, enabling the device 1 to achieve a significantly higher level of hygiene overall.

[0063] The protective gas located in the receiving section 40 can be guided in a loop and a filter or a protective gas treatment unit 54 can be used to remove foreign substances or particles therein.

[0064] The device 1 is capable of providing a unified / comprehensive cleaning concept for the entire isolation device, from the inlet in the rinser 10 to the outlet of the closing device 30, for example, using acid and / or alkali and / or hot water instead of possible alkaline cold foam cleaning. This results in an alternative production line concept at the device level, such as reduced thermal product handling.

[0065] In applicable cases, all the individual features shown in the embodiments can be combined with each other and / or exchanged without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0066] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0067] 1 Device for processing containers

[0068] 10 Rinser

[0069] 20 Filling device

[0070] 21 Filler turntable

[0071] 22 Filling member

[0072] 23 Discharge system

[0073] 23a Discharge pipeline

[0074] 23b Gas extraction part

[0075] 25 Filler inlet

[0076] 26 Filler outlet

[0077] 30 Sealing device

[0078] 31 Sealer turntable

[0079] 40 Accommodating part

[0080] 50 Protection gas system

[0081] 51 Protection gas inlet

[0082] 52 Suction part

[0083] 53 Pipeline system

[0084] 54 Protection gas treatment part

[0085] 55 Buffer tank

[0086] 60 Transport device

[0087] F Conveying direction

Claims

1. A device (1) for treating containers, preferably tanks, wherein: The device (1) comprises: a flusher (10) arranged to clean the container with a cleaning agent which preferably consists of or includes CO2; a filling device (20) arranged to fill the container cleaned in the rinser (10) with a filling product, preferably a beverage; as well as a closing device (30) configured to close the container filled with the filling product in the filling device (20) with each container closure; Features: A housing (40) in which the flusher (10), the filling device (20) and the closing device (30) are arranged; and a protective gas system (50) configured to supply a protective gas, preferably consisting of or including CO2, to the housing (40), so that the flusher (10), the filling device (20) and the closing device (30) are arranged in a common atmosphere composed of the protective gas.

2. The device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The rinser (10) is configured to perform cleaning of the container at least partially with protective gas from the protective gas system (50).

3. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The protective gas system (50) is configured to provide the protective gas in the housing (40) with a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure in the external environment.

4. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The protective gas system (50) has a protective gas inlet (51), which is configured to introduce the protective gas into the receiving portion (40), wherein the protective gas inlet (51) is preferably arranged in a lower region and / or at the bottom of the receiving portion (40).

5. The device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that The shielding gas system (50) comprises a suction part (52) and / or an overflow part and a pipeline system (53), wherein the pipeline system (53) connects the suction part (52) or the overflow part and the shielding gas inlet (51), wherein the shielding gas system (50) is configured to at least partially circulate the shielding gas.

6. The device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that The protective gas system (50) has a protective gas treatment section (54) for treating and at least partially reusing the protective gas and / or a buffer tank (55) for temporarily storing the protective gas.

7. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The filling device (20) has a discharge system (23) which is arranged to conduct protective gas exhausted from the container during filling and / or protective gas from the head space of the container into the protective gas system (50).

8. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The flusher (10) is configured to sterilize the container with a sterilizing medium in addition to cleaning with the cleaning agent, wherein the filling device (20) is preferably configured to remove any residues in the sterilizing medium by means of a flushing process, preferably using protective gas.

9. A method for treating a container, preferably a tank, wherein: The method has: cleaning the container with a cleaning agent, preferably consisting of or including CO2, by means of a flushing device (10); filling the container cleaned in the rinser (10) with a filling product, preferably a beverage, by means of a filling device (20); as well as The containers filled with the filling product in the filling device (20) are closed with each container closure by means of a closing device (30); Features: The flushing device (10), the filling device (20) and the closing device (30) are arranged in a receiving portion (40), wherein the receiving portion (40) is supplied with a protective gas, preferably consisting of or including CO2, by a protective gas system (50), so that the flushing device (10), the filling device (20) and the closing device (30) are arranged in a common atmosphere composed of the protective gas.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Cleaning of the container in the rinser (10) is performed at least partially with shielding gas from the shielding gas system (50).

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The protective gas system (50) provides the protective gas in the accommodation portion (40) with a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure in the external environment.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that The protective gas is at least partially circulated by means of a line system (53) of the protective gas system (50).

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The shielding gas is processed in a shielding gas processing section (54) of the shielding gas system (50) and at least partially reused and / or temporarily stored in a buffer tank (55) of the shielding gas system (50).

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that The protective gas exhausted from the container during filling in the filling device (20) and / or the protective gas from the head space of the container is conducted into the protective gas system (50) via a discharge system (23) of the filling device (20).

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that In addition to being cleaned with the cleaning agent, the containers are sterilized with a sterilization medium in the rinser (10), any residues in the sterilization medium being removed in the filling device (20) by means of a flushing process, preferably using protective gas.

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