Container treatment system with component receptacle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container treatment device (100) for treating containers, preferably for filling containers with a filling product and / or for closing containers filled with a filling product with a container closure, comprising a housing part (110) defining a treatment chamber (120) and an electrical and / or electronic component (500) for monitoring and / or illuminating a treatment module in the treatment chamber (120), wherein the electrical and / or electronic component (500) is arranged in a component receptacle (200) projecting through the housing part (110) into the treatment chamber (120).

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container treatment device for treating containers, preferably for filling containers with a filling product and / or for closing containers filled with a filling product with a container closure. State of the art

[0002] Container handling systems are known in which containers to be filled are first manufactured in a stretch blow molding module using a stretch blow molding process, then filled with the respective product by a filler, and finally sealed by a capper. The corresponding modules of the container handling system, such as the stretch blow molding module, the filler, and the capper, are typically enclosed in a housing. The housing protects operators from contact with high-speed moving components of the modules and from product ejected from a damaged container, for example. At the same time, the housing can prevent unwanted objects and particles from entering the product.

[0003] For particularly sensitive products, it is known to arrange the modules, especially the filler and the capper, in a so-called isolator, which provides a space completely sealed off from the environment. This ensures that the product only comes into contact with a defined atmosphere within the isolator.

[0004] Such an isolator can, for example, be designed to be essentially hermetically sealed from the environment. The insertion of containers to be filled and the removal of filled containers are achieved via appropriate airlocks, which ensure that a defined atmosphere is maintained inside the isolator even during operation.

[0005] Aseptic isolators are used for particularly sensitive products, providing a sterile or protective gas atmosphere within the isolator. For example, dairy products are preferably filled in such an aseptic isolator.

[0006] The use of an isolator remains important to protect an operator and the surrounding area from contact with cleaning media such as caustic soda or hot water when automated cleaning of the device with cleaning media is performed.

[0007] If treatment modules of the container treatment device are arranged in such an isolator, direct viewing or monitoring from the outside is difficult due to the sealing isolator walls. An operator also cannot easily access the treatment chamber or select a preferred observation position within it, for example, to make adjustments to components of the treatment modules. Description of the invention

[0008] Starting from the known state of the art, the object of the present invention is to provide a container treatment device which enables more reliable monitoring of the interior of an isolator.

[0009] The problem is solved by a container treatment device with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims, the description, and the figures.

[0010] Accordingly, a container treatment device is proposed for treating containers, preferably for filling containers with a product and / or for sealing containers filled with a product using a container closure. The device comprises a housing section defining a treatment chamber. Furthermore, an electrical and / or electronic component is provided for monitoring and / or illuminating a treatment module within the treatment chamber.

[0011] Accordingly, monitoring or adjustment of machine components of a treatment module can be carried out using the electrical and / or electronic components.

[0012] According to the invention, the electrical and / or electronic component is arranged in a component receptacle that projects through the housing part into the treatment room and seals the treatment room.

[0013] This allows the electrical and / or electronic component to operate within the treatment room, while effectively being located outside of it in terms of spatial separation. In particular, this makes it possible to leave a treatment room designed as an isolator undamaged and to achieve separation between the external area where the electrical and / or electronic component is located and the treatment room itself.

[0014] The component receptacle preferably includes a transparent boundary that defines a receptacle volume for receiving the electrical and / or electronic component and that projects into the treatment space to such an extent that a line of sight is formed between the electrical and / or electronic component and the treatment module.

[0015] The transparent partition allows the electrical and / or electronic component to interact optically with the treatment room, preferably the isolator room, without the component actually being located within that room. The electrical and / or electronic component effectively interacts with the treatment room from the outside, yet still provides a line of sight, enabling optical monitoring or illumination of the treatment module being monitored.

[0016] The transparent barrier can be in the form of a cylinder, a cone, a truncated cone, or a hemispherical dome. This allows for easy access to the treatment room and establishes a line of sight to the modules being monitored.

[0017] In order to withstand the harsh conditions in a treatment room and to achieve durability, the transparent barrier is preferably made of a transparent, alkali-resistant, acid-resistant, and temperature-resistant material and particularly preferably comprises acrylic glass, glass, or Plexiglas.

[0018] The transparent boundary is preferably mounted in a sealing manner against the housing part. Particularly preferred is the transparent boundary being held elastically against the housing part and preferably also sealed by means of a first elastic element and / or a second elastic element, which together accommodate a flange area of ​​the transparent boundary.

[0019] The transparent partition can be sealed to the housing part via a hygienic sealing ring in such a way that undercuts and areas that cannot be flushed are avoided from the perspective of the treatment room. This allows for a particularly hygienic design that can also be used in a cleanroom or an aseptic isolator.

[0020] The treatment room can be an isolator room and the delimiting housing part can be a wall, preferably a ceiling panel, of a housing delimiting the isolator room.

[0021] To monitor or illuminate the treatment module of interest in the treatment room, the electrical and / or electronic component can be a lamp, a light, a camera and / or a smartphone.

[0022] Particularly convenient assembly and maintenance can be achieved if the component receptacle is designed as a pre-assembled unit. Brief description of the characters

[0023] Preferred further embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail by the following description of the figures. These show: Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective sectional view of a section of a container treatment device with a component receptacle in which an electrical or electronic component can be accommodated. Figure 2 shows a schematic side sectional view of the section of the container treatment device. Figure 1 Figure 3 shows a schematic perspective sectional view of the section of the container treatment device from the Figures 1 and 2 , wherein a light is now arranged as an electrical component in the component holder; Figure 4 shows a schematic side sectional view of the section of the container treatment device from the Figure 3Figure 5 shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary upper part of a capper with several built-in component mounts, and Figure 6 shows a schematic side view of the exemplary upper part of the capper. Figure 5 with built-in component mounts. Detailed description of preferred embodiments

[0024] Preferred embodiments are described below with reference to the figures. Identical, similar, or equivalent elements in the different figures are designated with identical reference numerals, and repeated descriptions of these elements are sometimes omitted to avoid redundancy.

[0025] In Figure 1Figure 100 shows a section of a container treatment device, schematically depicting a cross-section through a ceiling panel 110 of an isolator (not shown in detail). The ceiling panel 110 closes off an isolator chamber 120, schematically indicated by the reference numeral 120, at the top. The isolator chamber 120 is typically further delimited from the surroundings 300 by other walls.

[0026] The ceiling panel 110 has a receiving opening 130 in which a component receptacle 200 is inserted. The component receptacle 200 is designed to accommodate an electrical and / or electronic component, such as a light, a camera, a sensor, a smartphone, etc., so that the electrical component can be used for optical interaction, in particular for optical monitoring or for illuminating the insulator room 120.

[0027] The component receptacle 200 comprised a transparent partition 220 that, when installed, projected into the insulator space 120, providing a receiving volume 222. At least a portion of the electrical and / or electronic component can be accommodated in the receiving volume 222.

[0028] The transparent demarcation 220 is in the Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment is designed in the form of a hemispherical dome made of a transparent material such as Plexiglas. The boundary 220 can also be made of glass or acrylic glass.

[0029] The transparent material of the partition 220 thus allows optical access from the surroundings 300 into the isolator chamber 120 for electrical and / or other components, such as a lamp, camera, or smartphone, contained in the intake volume 222. In other words, for example, a lamp contained in the intake volume 222 can shine through the wall provided by the transparent partition 220 into the isolator chamber 120.

[0030] The transparent demarcation 220 can, as in the Figures 1 and 2The transparent boundary 220 is shown to be designed in the form of a hemispherical dome. However, other geometric forms are also conceivable, such as the transparent boundary 220 being designed in the form of a cylinder, cone, truncated cone, or other geometric shapes extending into the insulator space 120, and simultaneously being able to accommodate the corresponding electrical components in a receiving volume 222 on the side of the boundary 220 facing away from the insulator space 120. Figure 1 is a perspective sectional view of component image 200, whereas Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view taken directly from the side.

[0031] In the presentation of the Figure 2 The shape of the transparent demarcation 220 is particularly easy to see. The demarcation 220 is at least in its in the Figure 2The downward-pointing section is essentially shaped like a hemispherical dome.

[0032] The ceiling panel 110 forms a termination plane on its lower side 112, which closes off the isolation chamber 120 at the top. The transparent partition 220 projects beyond the termination plane defined by the lower side 112 of the ceiling panel 110. As a result, part of the intake volume 222 is located within the isolation chamber 120, while at the same time being hygienically completely separated from the isolation chamber 120 by the transparent partition 220.

[0033] In other words, the transparent boundary 220 makes it possible to draw the environment 300, which by definition lies outside the insulator space 120, virtually into the insulator space 120, so that an electrical component located in the environment 300 still has optical access to the insulator space 120.

[0034] Due to the transparent partition 220 projecting into the isolator chamber 120, it is possible to introduce electrical components that can monitor the isolator chamber 120 and, in particular, the modules of a container handling device 100 provided therein, for example, a capper, a filler, or a stretch blow molding device. At the same time, the volume of the isolator chamber 120 remains intact, and the hermetic separation from the environment 300 is maintained, so that an aseptic design is also possible.

[0035] The component receptacle 200, and in particular the transparent partition 220, project into the insulator chamber 120, which is to be monitored but separated from the environment 300, in such a way that a direct optical connection can be established between the electrical components housed in the receptacle 222 of the partition 220 of the component receptacle 200 and the modules to be monitored housed in the insulator chamber 120. In other words, a direct line of sight can be established between the module in the receptacle 222 and the module to be monitored.

[0036] The geometric dimensions of the boundary 220 are therefore determined both by the positioning of the modules of the container treatment device 100 to be monitored in the insulator chamber 120, and by the physical dimensions of the electrical components to be accommodated in the receiving volume 222. The larger the electrical components that are to be accommodated in the receiving volume 222 and project into the insulator chamber 120, the larger the transparent boundary 220 must be.

[0037] Similarly, it depends on where within the isolator chamber 120 the respective module of the container treatment device 100 to be monitored is located relative to the component receptacle 200. If, for example, the module to be monitored is provided directly below the component receptacle 200, so that an optical connection between the component receptacle 200 and the module to be monitored can be established in the isolator chamber 120 such that this optical connection extends virtually perpendicular to the plane formed by the lower side 112 of the ceiling plate 110, then the requirements for the intrusion of the boundary 220 into the isolator chamber 120 are minimal.

[0038] However, if the module to be monitored is located essentially in or on the plane formed by the lower side 112 of the ceiling plate 110, the transparent boundary 220 must extend very far into the insulator space 120 in order to establish an optical connection between the module to be monitored of the container treatment device 100 and the electrical component contained in the receiving volume 222.

[0039] The transparent boundary 220 always extends into the space to be monitored, in the illustrated embodiment, therefore, into the isolator chamber 120. The isolator chamber 120 is defined by the housing walls that delimit the isolator chamber 120, for example, by the walls in the Figures 1 and 2 The ceiling panel 110 shown is defined. These respective outer boundaries of the insulator space 120 are defined by corresponding housing parts, each forming a plane.

[0040] The phrase "that the transparent demarcation 220 extends into the isolator space 120" means that the transparent demarcation 220 extends across a plane defined by the housing parts of the isolator into the space of the container treatment device 100 to be monitored.

[0041] The component recording 200 includes, in addition to the delimitation 220, further components which will be discussed below.

[0042] The component receptacle 200 comprises a mounting body 230, which is inserted into the receiving opening 130 in the ceiling panel 110. The mounting body 230 accommodates a first elastic element 232, which is in contact with a flange area 224 of the boundary 220. The first elastic element 232 is designed as an elastic ring that rests in a ring receptacle of the mounting body 230. A second elastic element 234 is accommodated above the flange area 224, such that the flange area 224 of the transparent boundary 220 is in contact with the first elastic element 232 at its underside and with the second elastic element 234 at its upper side.

[0043] The elastic elements 232, 234 can preferably be made of a silicone foam in order to be appropriately temperature-resistant, acid-resistant, alkali-resistant and durable.

[0044] The first elastic element 232 and / or the second elastic element 234 can also be designed as seals, in particular as sealing rings, and seal the flange area 224 of the transparent boundary 220.

[0045] A retaining ring 240 enables the first elastic element 232 and the second elastic element 234 to be pressed together with the intermediate flange area 224 of the transparent boundary 220 against the mounting body 230. Accordingly, the boundary 220 can be held hermetically sealed between the mounting body 230 and the retaining ring 240.

[0046] A hygienic seal between the transparent boundary 220 and the ceiling panel 110 is achieved by an additional hygienic sealing ring 270, wherein the hygienic sealing ring 270 is pressed between the mounting body 230 and a receiving flange 132 of the ceiling panel 110.

[0047] By pressing the elastic elements 232 and 234 together, the hygienic sealing ring 270 is also pressed together at the same time.

[0048] The hygienic sealing ring 270 prevents the formation of undercuts and areas that cannot be flushed when connecting the component receptacle 200 to the ceiling panel 110. The hygienic sealing ring 270 enables a smooth and undercut-free seal of the transparent boundary 220 against the isolator chamber 120 and at the same time an equally smooth and undercut-free connection to the ceiling panel 110, especially in the area of ​​the receiving flange 132 of the receiving opening 130.

[0049] In this way, a particularly hygienic design of the component holder 200 is made possible, so that the component holder 200 can be used without problems in hygienically demanding applications, such as an aseptic isolator in a container treatment device 100.

[0050] The hygienic sealing ring 270 can preferably be a silicone disc in which a recess is provided that enables a sealing reception of the transparent boundary 220.

[0051] In other words, the receiving opening 130 in the ceiling plate 110 is hygienically sealed again from the perspective of the isolator room 120 by the combination of the transparent demarcation 220 and the hygienic sealing ring 270.

[0052] The retaining ring 240 is connected to the mounting body 230. In this case, the retaining ring 240 and the mounting body 240 are screwed together.

[0053] The mounting ring 250 serves to screw the component receptacle 200 to the ceiling plate 110 and accordingly has a flange 252 which has corresponding bolt receptacles and can then be screwed to the ceiling plate 110 by means of screw bolts 254.

[0054] By screwing the mounting ring 250 to the ceiling plate 110, the component receptacle 200 is pressed towards the receiving flange 132 in the receiving opening 130 of the ceiling plate 110, thereby pressing the hygienic sealing ring 270 between the mounting body 230 and the receiving flange 132.

[0055] A seal between the mounting ring 250 and an upper side 114 of the ceiling plate 110 is achieved by means of a sealing ring 256, which is arranged between the flange 252 of the mounting ring 250 and the upper side 114 of the ceiling plate 110.

[0056] Furthermore, an upper cover 260 is provided, which separates the receiving volume 222 of the transparent partition 220 from above. This does not constitute a sealing or hermetic closure of the receiving volume 222, but merely a mechanical cover intended to prevent the electrical components contained in the receiving volume 222 from being mechanically accessible from the environment 300. The upper cover 260 may have ventilation openings 262, which establish a connection between the receiving volume 222 and the environment 300, thus allowing air exchange.

[0057] Accordingly, the transparent boundary 220 is the part at which the separation between the insulator room 120 to be observed and the environment 300 actually takes place.

[0058] Since the boundary 220 is transparent, and in particular optically transparent in the visible range, optical observation of the isolator chamber 120 from the surroundings 300 is possible. However, this does not compromise the hermetic seal of the volume of the isolator chamber 120.

[0059] At the same time, the electrical components included in the receiving volume 222 are protected against actions carried out in the isolator room 120, such as cleaning or sterilization or mechanical operations within the isolator room 120.

[0060] In other words, the electrical components housed in the receiving volume 222 of the component receptacle 200 do not need to be specifically designed to withstand a cleaning or sterilization cycle within a container treatment device 100. Accordingly, specific sealing and design of the electrical components, such as a camera or a lamp, housed in the receiving volume 222 is not necessary, thus allowing the use of particularly high-quality optical components and / or cost savings.

[0061] Within the receiving volume 222, an electrical component can be mounted on a component holder 400. In the illustrated embodiment, the component holder 400 comprises an L-shaped holder 420, which is formed integrally with the mounting ring 240. The L-shaped holder 420 extends radially inward into the receiving volume 222 with respect to the mounting ring 240 and then upwards.

[0062] The L-shaped holder 420 comprises a plate with an elongated hole 422 in which a pivotable mounting device 430 is arranged. The pivotable mounting device 430 also has an elongated hole 432, so that a reliable yet very flexible positioning of an electrical component arranged on the mounting device 430 is enabled by means of a mounting bolt 440, which engages both in the elongated hole 432 of the pivotable mounting device 430 and in the elongated hole 422 of the L-shaped holder 420.

[0063] Positioning in both the pivoting and vertical directions can be achieved via the two elongated holes 422 and 432. In the rotational direction, the component holder 200 can be rotated so that an electrical component arranged on the mounting device 430 can be aligned in all degrees of freedom, allowing the electrical component to be positioned within the holding volume 222 in such a way that the respective module to be monitored in the insulator chamber 120 can be flexibly monitored.

[0064] In the Figures 3 and 4 The component intake 200 is from the Figures 1 and 2An exemplary embodiment is shown in which an electrical component 500, represented here as a lamp or light fixture, is mounted on the mounting device 430. The light fixture is held on the mounting device 430 in such a way that, due to the degrees of freedom of the mounting device, the electrical component 500 can be positioned and aligned within the receiving volume 222 in such a way that the illumination of an area within the insulator space 120 can be reliably achieved. In particular, a desired area within the insulator space 120 can be completely illuminated.

[0065] At the same time, the electrical component 500, in this case the light, is protected from cleaning media and mechanical stresses from the isolator room 120, so that the electrical component 500 can be selected to have the desired optical properties, but at the same time does not require any specific seals or specifications that make it particularly hygienic or resistant to the media used in the isolator room 120.

[0066] In the Figures 5 and 6 The top of a housing 600 of a closure device is shown schematically. The top of the housing 600 includes, among other things, a cover plate 110, which forms the top of an insulator. In Figure 5 Accordingly, a schematic perspective representation is shown and in Figure 6 a side view. In the side view of the Figure 6The housing 600 can be seen to have a ceiling plate 110, which in turn has a lower side 112 and an upper side 114, with the lower side 112 accordingly forming a boundary of an insulator space 120 which is not shown here but lies below the ceiling plate 110 when installed.

[0067] Several component mounts (200) are provided, with the side view of the Figure 6 The transparent boundaries 220 of the respective component mounts 200, which project into the isolator room 120, can be seen.

[0068] Since the transparent partitions 220 of the component receptacles 200 project into the insulator space 120, electrical components housed in the respective receptacle volume 222 can optically contact the insulator space 120. For example, a camera provided in one of the component receptacles 200, which is housed in a receptacle volume 222 of the respective transparent partition 220, can look into the insulator space 120, thus enabling monitoring of modules housed in the insulator space 120. Furthermore, a light fixture housed in one of the component receptacles 200 can also selectively illuminate the insulator space 120 and, in particular, direct a light focus or cone onto a specific module in the insulator space 120.

[0069] The material used for the transparent demarcation 220 is preferably transparent in the visible range, so that an optical camera or a light in the visible range can interact with modules in the isolator room 120.

[0070] The material used for the transparent boundary 120 can also be transparent in other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, for example, if a thermal imaging camera is used instead of a camera operating in the visible range. Accordingly, the material of the transparent boundary 220 must then be designed so that the heat rays of interest, which are to be recorded by the thermal imaging camera, can pass through the material of the transparent boundary 220 and reach the camera.

[0071] The material of the transparent partition 220 is preferably designed such that it does not discolor or become cloudy even after frequent exposure to aggressive cleaning agents, such as those used in container treatment devices for cleaning and sterilization. The material is therefore preferably transparent, alkali-resistant, acid-resistant, and temperature-resistant, so that normal operation of a container treatment device 100 has no negative impact on the optical properties of the component holder 200. Preferred materials for this purpose are acrylic glass, glass, or Plexiglas. However, other materials possessing the aforementioned properties are also suitable.

[0072] The container handling device 100 could, for example, be a capper, such as a can capper in a can-filling plant. In such a can capper, it is important to monitor the capping process and precisely adjust individual machine components to achieve reliable capping.

[0073] For this purpose, the component receptacle 200 is designed in such a way that it extends into the room to be monitored - in the present case into the isolator room 120 - but is hygienically separated from this room to be monitored.

[0074] The component holder 200 extends accordingly into the space 120 to be monitored. This enables reliable monitoring of the machine components of the can sealer without the need for specific protection of the electrical components housed in the component holder 200 against aggressive cleaning agents.

[0075] The component holder 200 can be supplied as a pre-assembled unit, requiring only the insertion of a ceiling plate 110 into a mounting opening 130, screwing it to the ceiling plate 110, and then making electrical connections. Accordingly, the component holder 200 can also be easily replaced if either the electrical component is defective or needs to be replaced with a different one. For example, a component holder 200 containing a lamp or light fixture can easily be replaced with one containing a camera.

[0076] Where applicable, all individual features shown in the exemplary embodiments can be combined and / or exchanged without leaving the scope of the invention. Reference symbol list

[0077] 100 Container handling device 110 Ceiling plate 112 Bottom side 114 Top side 120 Isolator compartment 130 Receiving opening 132 Receiving flange 200 Component receptacle 220 Transparent partition 222 Receiving volume 224 Flange area 230 Mounting body 232 First elastic element 234 Second elastic element 240 Retaining ring 250 Mounting ring 252 Flange 254 Screw bolt 256 Sealing ring 260 Top cover 262 Ventilation opening 270 Hygienic sealing ring 300 Environment 400 Component holder 420 L-shaped holder 422 Slotted hole 430 Mounting device 432 Slotted hole 440 Retaining bolt 500 Electrical component 600 Housing

Claims

1. Container treatment device (100) for treating containers, preferably for filling containers with a filling product and / or for closing containers filled with a filling product with a container closure, comprising a housing part (110) defining a treatment chamber (120) and an electrical and / or electronic component (500) for monitoring and / or illuminating a treatment module in the treatment chamber (120), characterized by the fact that the electrical and / or electronic component (500) is arranged in a component receptacle (200) which projects through the housing part (110) into the treatment space (120) and seals the treatment space (120).

2. Container treatment device (100) according to claim 1, characterized by the fact thatThe component receptacle (200) comprises a transparent boundary (220) that defines a receptacle volume (222) for receiving the electrical and / or electronic component (500) and that extends into the treatment space (120) to such an extent that a line of sight is formed between the electrical and / or electronic component and the treatment module.

3. Container treatment device (100) according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the transparent boundary (220) is formed in the form of a cylinder, a cone, a truncated cone, or a hemispherical dome.

4. Container treatment device (100) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the transparent boundary (220) is formed from a transparent, alkali-resistant, acid-resistant and temperature-resistant material and preferably comprises acrylic glass, glass or Plexiglas.

5. Container treatment device (100) according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized by the fact thatthe transparent boundary (220) is sealed against the housing part (110), in particular by means of a first elastic element (232) and / or a second elastic element (234), which between them accommodate a flange area (224) of the transparent boundary (220), is sealed against the housing part (110).

6. Container treatment device (100) according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized by the fact that the transparent demarcation (220) on the housing part (110) is sealed via a hygienic sealing ring (270) in such a way that undercuts and non-flushing areas are avoided from the view of the treatment room (120).

7. Container treatment device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the treatment room is an isolator room (120) and the delimiting housing part (110) is a wall, preferably a ceiling panel, of a housing delimiting the isolator room (120).

8. Container treatment device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the electrical and / or electronic component (500) is a lamp, a light, a camera and / or a smartphone.

9. Container treatment device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that The component holder (200) is a pre-assembled module.

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