Movable Dummy Bottle Prints for Sanitizing Filling Nozzles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filling apparatuses for containers, particularly those handling sensitive food products, face challenges in effective sanitization without increasing overall dimensions or structural complexity, and existing sanitization processes are not reliable or easily actuatable.
Innovation Solution
A filling apparatus with movable dummy bottle prints and a discharge circuit that places them in fluid communication with their environment, allowing sanitizing fluid to be distributed through a conduit system, avoiding direct discharge and condensate interference, and enabling easy configuration between filling and sanitization statuses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a closed return path is used to guide sanitising fluid, then sanitisation effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fluid guidance function from a complex closed return path system and implements it through simple discharge conduits that lead directly from the dummy bottle to the sump. This eliminates the need for complex routing while maintaining sanitisation effectiveness through direct fluid discharge.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sump as an intermediary component that collects sanitising fluid discharged from the dummy bottle. This simple collection point replaces complex return paths while ensuring proper fluid disposal and maintaining sanitisation effectiveness.
2Device complexity
If sanitising fluid is discharged freely, then device complexity is reduced, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sump acts as an intermediary between the discharge conduit and the environment, collecting sanitising fluid in a controlled manner. This prevents uncontrolled discharge and potential contamination while maintaining system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses gravitational flow and pressure differential to guide sanitising fluid through conduits into the sump, eliminating the need for complex mechanical discharge control systems while ensuring controlled fluid management.
3Productivity
If dummy bottle is moved away during filling, then filling efficiency is improved, but sanitisation reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The dummy bottle is designed to be movable between a retracted position during filling (maintaining productivity) and a positioned state during sanitisation (ensuring reliability). This dynamic positioning allows the system to optimize for different operational modes without compromising either filling efficiency or sanitisation effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system operates in periodic cycles, with the dummy bottle in different positions during filling phases versus sanitisation phases. This periodic repositioning ensures optimal conditions for each operation while maintaining overall system productivity and reliability.
4Reliability
If overall dimensions are increased to improve sanitisation, then sanitisation effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential sanitisation function from a complex, space-consuming system and implements it through compact discharge conduits and a small sump. This maintains sanitisation effectiveness while avoiding the need to increase overall machine dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a simplified representation of the fluid management function through basic discharge conduits and a collection sump, rather than implementing a full-scale complex return path system. This copied function achieves the same sanitisation purpose with minimal structural complexity and space.
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
The solution effectively sanitizes filling devices without increasing complexity, ensures reliable operation, and prevents contamination by guiding sanitizing fluid through a controlled conduit system, avoiding direct discharge and condensate issues.
Implementation Method 1
a discharge circuit comprising a plurality of conduits, the discharge circuit being configured to place the dummy bottle prints in fluid communication with the environment in which they are housed
Implementation Method 2
confining means bounding an environment in which the prints are located
Data Source
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AI summary
A filling apparatus (10) for containers (100), comprising: - a plurality of filling devices (1), each of which comprises a dispensing nozzle for dispensing (2) a fluid; - a plurality of dummy bottle prints (11), each dummy bottle print (11) being associated with one of the filling devices (1) and being movable at least between a first position, in which it is located below the corresponding dispensing nozzle (2), and a second position, in which it is moved away from the dispensing nozzle (2); - confining means (30) bounding an environment (31) in which the prints (11) are located; - a discharge conduit (12) comprising a plurality of conduits (13), which is configured to place the dummy bottle prints (11) in fluid communication with the environment (31) in which they are located.