Compact Bottle Processing Line With Closed-Loop Hygienic Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bottle processing solutions, whether industrial or manual, face challenges in terms of hygiene, productivity, and environmental impact due to their scale and the need for transportation, especially in establishments like hotels and restaurants that require compact, cost-effective, and hygienic bottle reuse systems.
Innovation Solution
A compact bottle processing device with an automated conveying unit, gripping arms, and stations for cleaning, filling, and capping, designed to operate within a closed circuit of less than 20m, ensuring minimal human intervention and integration into existing facilities, with features like rotating handles for bottle orientation and a protective enclosure for hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If industrial-scale bottling lines are used, then productivity and hygiene level are improved, but device complexity and space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into modular functional stations (washing station, filling station, capping station) arranged along a compact closed-loop conveyor circuit. Each station performs a specific function independently, allowing the system to achieve industrial-level automation without requiring a massive integrated facility. The segmentation enables the complex process to be broken down into manageable, space-efficient components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a closed-loop conveyor system where bottles are transported vertically and horizontally through compact routing. The conveyor unit creates a three-dimensional processing path that fits within a small footprint, effectively using vertical space and optimized routing to reduce the horizontal area required compared to traditional linear bottling lines.
2Reliability
If industrial-scale bottling lines are used, then hygiene level is improved, but area occupied increases to several hundred or thousands of square meters
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple processing functions (washing, filling, capping) that would traditionally require separate rooms or large facility areas are merged into a single integrated compact device. The closed-loop conveyor brings all stations into close proximity, allowing the entire bottling process to occur within a small footprint while maintaining industrial hygiene standards through automated enclosed processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses vertical arrangement and compact routing of the closed-loop conveyor to accommodate multiple processing stations in a limited horizontal area. By utilizing three-dimensional space efficiently, the device achieves industrial-scale hygiene and automation without requiring hundreds of square meters of facility space.
3Area of stationary object
If manual workshops are used, then space requirements are reduced, but hygiene level and productivity decrease due to manual handling
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables bottles to be processed automatically through the closed-loop system without manual intervention between stations. The automated conveying and processing eliminate the need for human handlers, ensuring consistent hygiene levels comparable to industrial facilities while maintaining a compact footprint suitable for small establishments.
4Ease of manufacture
If glass bottles are transported from external sources, then local production capability is reduced, but transport costs and environmental impact increase due to weight
Solution Approach 1:
The compact device serves multiple functions: it can process both returned glass bottles and new bottles, handle washing, filling, and capping operations, and adapt to different bottle types. This multi-functionality allows establishments to implement complete local bottle processing without requiring separate equipment for each function, making local production viable even for small operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
A compact bottle processing device (1) (2) comprising: an automatic bottle conveyor unit (10) for moving a plurality of bottles along a closed circuit, a gripping zone (11) for an operator to place one bottle from the plurality of bottles onto the conveyor unit and/or to take one bottle from the plurality of bottles onto the conveyor unit, a bottle cleaning station (12), a bottle filling station (13), and a bottle capping station (14), each of these stations being arranged along the closed circuit, such that a bottle passes successively through the cleaning station, the filling station, and the capping station when moved by the conveyor unit, the length of the closed circuit being less than or equal to 20 m, preferably less than 15 m. The invention also relates to a method of processing bottles using said device.