Upright Bottle Bottom Cooling via Diagonal Nozzle Injection

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing carbonated drink filling methods require complex manufacturing line structures and increased equipment costs due to the need to invert and reorient bottles for cooling and filling, which can lead to deformation and instability, especially in bottles with thick bottoms.

Innovation Solution

A method where the bottle is kept upright throughout the process, with a sterilization device and coolant injection nozzles positioned to cool the bottle's bottom before and after sterilization, preventing deformation by injecting coolant from nozzles on either side of the conveyance line, directed diagonally upward to intersect with the bottle's path, ensuring efficient cooling and minimizing liquid droplet entry into the bottle.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If the bottle is inverted and water is injected for cooling and washing, then the bottom of the bottle can be quickly cooled, but the manufacturing line structure becomes complex and equipment cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebottom cooling efficiencyVSAvoidmanufacturing line structure
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of inverting the bottle to inject cooling water from below, the patent applies cooling nozzles directed diagonally upward from the sides of the conveyance line. This inverted approach achieves bottom cooling without requiring bottle inversion, thereby simplifying the manufacturing line structure while maintaining cooling effectiveness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Device complexity

If the bottle is kept upright throughout the process, then the manufacturing line structure is simplified, but the bottom of the bottle may deform due to slow heat removal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing line structureVSAvoidbottle bottom stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies cooling nozzles positioned to direct coolant diagonally upward at the bottom area of the bottle. This localized cooling approach concentrates thermal energy removal at the bottom region, ensuring rapid heat removal and preventing deformation while keeping the bottle upright throughout the process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Object-affected harmful factors

If coolant is injected from nozzles on either side of the conveyance line, then liquid droplets are less likely to enter the bottle, but the cooling coverage area increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontamination riskVSAvoidcooling coverage area
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent positions cooling nozzles asymmetrically on either side of the conveyance line with diagonal upward orientation. This asymmetric arrangement creates a cooling pattern that directs coolant away from the bottle opening while maintaining effective bottom cooling coverage, thereby reducing contamination risk without sacrificing cooling efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach simplifies the manufacturing line, prevents buckling and deformation of bottle bottoms, maintains bottle stability, and reduces contamination risks by keeping the bottle upright during filling, ensuring a stable and clean filling process.

Implementation Method 1

a coolant (f) is injected to a bottom (2b) of the container (2) to cool the bottom (2b) of the container (2)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCooling: Cooling

Implementation Method 2

the container (2) is subjected to a sterilization process before the container (2) is filled with the carbonated drink (a)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSterilization:

Data Source

PatentEP3199489B1Carbonated beverage filling method and device
Publication Date: 2023.11.01 DAI NIPPON PRINTING CO LTD
  • EP3199489B1 patent drawingFigure 1(A)~1(C)
  • EP3199489B1 patent drawingFigure 2(D)~2(F)
  • EP3199489B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

To prevent deformation of a bottom of a container due to a pressure of a carbonated drink filling the container. In a carbonated drink filling method, a preform (1) is continuously transferred and introduced into a heating furnace (33), the preform (1) is heated to a temperature for molding the preform (1) into a container (2) in the heating furnace (33), the preform (1) is molded into the container (2) in a molding die (4) after the preform (1) exits the heating furnace (33), the container (2) is conveyed in an upright position, a coolant (F) is injected to a bottom (2b) of the container (2) to cool the bottom (2b) of the container (2), the container (2) is filled with a carbonated drink (a) through a mouth portion (2a) of the container (2), and the mouth portion (2a) is then sealed, the coolant is injected in the cooling to the bottom of the container from a nozzle opening on either or both sides of a conveyance line of the container, and the nozzle opening is directed diagonally upward to the bottom of the container in such a manner that an extension of the nozzle opening intersects with the conveyance line of the container.