Abstract:
A passage for the sealed and/or sterile passage of a functional element ( 15 ), for example a rod and/or wave-like functional element through at least one wall ( 6 ) separating a sterile chamber ( 5 ) from an non-sterile chamber, comprising at least one hydraulic seal ( 20 ) enabling a relative movement of the functional element ( 15 ) in relation to the at least one wall ( 6 ).

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is the National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2009/005001, filed on Jul. 10, 2009, which claims the benefit of German Application Serial No. 10 2008 034 389.7, filed on Jul. 23, 2008, the contents of both of the foregoing applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     The invention relates to container-treatment machines, and in particular, to an apparatus defining a passage for passing, in a sealed and/or sterile manner, a functional element through a wall that separates a sterile space from a non-sterile space in a container-treatment machine. 
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     Background 
     Especially in the case of container treatment machines for the aseptic or sterile treatment of bottles or similar containers, e.g. in the case of closing machines for the aseptic or sterile closing of bottles or containers, in many cases there is the problem of having to pass the rotatingly driven and/or axially moved and/or radially moved, rod-like and/or shaft-like function element in a sealed and sterile manner through an enclosure that separates a non-sterile space from a sterile space or through a separating wall that separates the non-sterile space from the sterile space in order to accomplish the aseptic or sterile treatment, for example the filling and/or closing of the containers, in the sterile space. Said containers are accommodated in this case in the sterile space either completely or at least by way of a part portion that includes the container mouth. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is the object of the invention to provide a passage which makes it possible for the respective functional element to be passed in an absolutely sealed, sterile manner through a separating wall out of the non-sterile space above the enclosure or separating wall into a sterile space inside the enclosure or below the separating wall, with the possibility of a relative movement between the functional element and the separating wall. 
     Further developments, advantages and application possibilities of the invention are produced from both the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the Figures. In this case all the features described and/or graphically represented, individually or in arbitrary combination, are in principle objects of the invention, irrespective of their summary in the claims or their dependency. The content of the claims is also made a component part of the description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The invention is explained below by way of the Figures of an exemplary embodiment, in which, in detail: 
         FIG. 1  shows a simplified, sectional representation of a closing machine of the rotating type for closing bottles or similar containers by way of screw-type closures; 
         FIG. 2  shows a simplified, sectional representation of a detail of one of the closing tools of the closing machine in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows a representation of a detail of the hydraulic seal or siphon seal in the region of the passage of a spindle through a wall of the closing machine in  FIG. 1  separating a sterile space from a non-sterile space that is situated above said sterile space; 
         FIG. 4  shows a top view of one of the two sealing elements of the hydraulic seal in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows a representation of a detail of the additional sealing element of the hydraulic seal in  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The closing machine, given the general reference of  1  in  FIG. 1 , is used for closing bottles  2  by way of closures  3  that are in the form of screw-connectable closures or caps. For this purpose, the closing machine  1  comprises a rotor  4  that is rotatingly driveable about a vertical machine axis MA, a ring-channel-like sterile space  5  that surrounds the machine axis MA in a concentric manner being provided on the periphery of said rotor, said sterile space being formed within an enclosure and being defined by a plurality of walls in relation to the surrounding area, i.e. in relation to the non-sterile space formed by the surrounding area, in the case of the schematic representation in  FIG. 1  by an upper wall  6 , by a wall  7  lying radially inside with reference to the machine axis MA and surrounding the machine axis MA in a ring-shaped manner, by a wall  8  lying radially outside with reference to the machine axis MA and surrounding the machine axis MA in a concentric manner and on the underside by portions  7 . 1  or  8 . 1  of the walls  7  and  8 . The walls  6  and  7  including the portion  7 . 1  are provided on the rotor  4  so as to rotate with said rotor. The wall  8  including the portion  8 . 1  is provided on a machine frame of the closing machine  1  so as not to rotate with the rotor. At the transitions between the walls  6  and  8  and the portions  7 . 1  and  8 . 1  there is provided in each case a seal  9  or  10 , for example a hydraulic seal or siphon seal, such that the sterile space  5  is separated in a sealing manner by the walls  6 - 8  and the associated seals  9  and  10  from the surrounding area or from the non-sterile space. 
     For closing the bottles  2  by way of the closures  3 , a plurality of closing stations  11  are formed on the periphery of the rotor  4 , only two of which are represented in  FIG. 1  and they are provided distributed at regular angular spacings about the machine axis MA. Each closing station  11  comprises a closing tool  12 , by means of which the respective closure  3  is screw-connected to the bottle  2 , which is held by way of its bottle mouth below the closing tool  12  on a container carrier  13  and is accommodated completely in the sterile space  5 . In the case of the embodiment represented, the bottles  2  are held in a suspended manner on the respective container carrier  13 , which is height-controlled by a control cam (not shown), at a container flange that is realized below the bottle mouth. 
     The respective closing tool  12  is realized as a screw-type closing means and comprises, among other things, a, for example, electromotive drive  14 , a spindle  15  which is oriented with its axis parallel to the machine axis MA and is connected by way of its top end in a driving manner to the drive  14  or to the motor shaft of said drive, and a closing head  16 , which is axially spring-loaded at the bottom end, by mean of which closing head, with the rotor  4  rotating, the respective closure  3  is removed from a closure transfer position (not shown), is then fitted onto the bottle mouth by raising the respective bottle  2  against the closing head  16  and is then screw-connected to the relevant bottle  2  via the closing head  16  that is driven by the drive  14  via the spindle  15 , in a manner that is known to the expert. 
     As is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the drive  14  and a tubular housing  17 , in which the spindle  15  in the embodiment represented is mounted at two bearings (upper bearing  18  and lower bearing  19 ) and which connects axially to said drive and accommodates an upper part length of the spindle  15 , are situated outside the sterile space  5  and above the wall  6 . The particular problem here is to pass the spindle  15  through the wall  6  in a sealed manner. For this purpose a hydraulic seal or siphon seal, given the general reference  20  in the Figures, is provided for each closing station  11  on the top side of the wall  6 . Said seal comprises, among other things, a sealing element  21  that is realized as a moulded body produced from a suitable material, for example metal. As is clearly shown in particular in  FIG. 4 , the sealing element  21  includes a cup-like portion  22 , which is open at the top side, has two wall portions  22 . 1  and  22 . 2  that are located concentrically to each other and, in the embodiment represented, are circular cylindrical, said wall portions, between each other, forming a ring channel  23 , which is the sealing space of the siphon seal  20  and is closed at the underside of the portion  22  or of the moulded body  21  and is open at the top side of the portion  22  or of the moulded body  21 . The inner wall portion  22 . 1  surrounds an opening  24 , through which the spindle  15  is passed through the sealing element  21  or the siphon seal  20 . In addition, the height of the inner wall portion  22 . 1  is reduced in comparison to that of the outer wall portion  22 . 2 . 
     The sealing element  21 , in addition, is realized with a portion or groove segment  25  moulded on the portion  22 , which portion or groove segment is open on the top side of the moulded body  21  and is defined by two wall portions  27  and  28  and a bottom  29 . The portion  25  or its wall portions  27  and  28  are curved in an arcuate manner such that the portions  25  of the closing stations  11  or of the hydraulic seals  20  of said stations connecting to one another in the circumferential direction of the rotor  4  form a ring channel  26 , which is made up of the portions  25  or segments, surrounds the machine axis MA in a concentric manner, is open at the top and, with reference to the machine axis, surrounds the portions  22  and consequently the spindles  15  that are passed through the openings  24  in said portions on the outside. 
     The height of the wall sections  27  and  28  in the axial direction perpendicular to the bottom  29  and consequently in the installed state in the axial direction parallel to the machine axis MA is, for example, identical to the corresponding height of the outer wall portion  22 . 2 . The groove segment  26  communicates via an opening  30  with the ring channel  23 . The opening  30 , in this case, is situated in the region of the bottom  29  of the groove segment  25  that is located at the same level or approximately at the same level as the bottom of the ring channel  23 . 
     In the mounted state, the moulded body  21  of each hydraulic seal  20  is secured to the top side of the wall  6  in the region of an opening  31  provided in said wall in such a manner that the opening  24  coincides with the opening  31  and the ring channel  23  and the groove segment  25  are each open towards the top side remote from the wall  6 . 
     In the mounted state, the housing  17  is sealingly connected by way of a housing portion  17 . 1  that has the bottom bearing  19  to the outer housing portion  22 . 2  at the top side of said wall portion. 
     A component part of each hydraulic seal  20 , in addition, is a cup-like or bell-like sealing element  32 , which is realized as a moulded part and, as can also be seen in detail in particular in  FIG. 5 , comprises a ring-shaped portion  33 , which in the mounted state is secured on the spindle  15  engaging around said spindle, and a circular cylindrical portion  34 , which in the mounted state surrounds the axis of the spindle  15  in a concentric manner and at a radial spacing and at its upper end merges into the ring-shaped portion  33 . The portion  34  is realized such that, in the mounted state of the respective hydraulic seal  20 , said portion extends into the ring channel  23  of the sealing element  21  in such a manner that the circular cylindrical inside surface and the equally circular cylindrical outside surface of the portion  34  is at a spacing from the inside surface of the wall portions  22 . 1  and  22 . 2  and the bottom free end of the portion  34  is at a spacing from the bottom of the ring channel  23 . 
     Each hydraulic seal  20 , in addition, has a plurality of mechanical sealing elements, in the embodiment represented a sealing ring  35 , which seals off the transition between the housing portion  17 . 3  and the upper edge of the wall portion  22 . 2 , a sealing ring  36  which seals off the gap between the portion  33  and the outside surface of the spindle  17 , and a ring-shaped sealing element  37  which is realized for example with at least one stripping lip between the portion  33  of the sealing element of moulded part  32  rotating with the spindle  17  and the inside surface of the outer wall  222  in the upper region of said wall. Additional seals (not shown) are provided between the individual groove segments  25  that connect to one another in order to create, in this manner, a liquid-tight groove  26  that is made up of said groove segments  25 . 
     During operation, the groove  26 , formed by the groove segments  25  and surrounding the machine axis MA in a concentric manner, and consequently via the openings  30  also the respective volume of the ring channel  23  of each hydraulic seal  26  not occupied by the portion  34  of the sealing element  32 , are filled up to a level N with a liquid sealing or sterilizing medium, said level N being somewhat below the level of the upper edge of the inner wall portion  22 . 1 . The portion  34  extending into the respective ring channel  23  and the liquid sealing or sterilizing medium accommodated in the ring channel  23  produce a reliable siphon-like sealing in the region of the passage of the spindle  15  at each closing station  11 . The level N of the sealing or sterilizing medium is maintained in a controlled or regulated manner for example via a level-controlled supply unit (not shown). 
     The invention has been described above by way of an exemplary embodiment. It is obvious that numerous modifications or conversions are possible without in any way departing from the inventive concept underlying the invention. Thus, it has been assumed above that the seals  20  are used for passing the spindles  15  through in a sealed manner, rotating about their spindle axes. Obviously seals  20  or the passages having said seals can also be realized for an axial and/or radial movement of the spindle  15  or of another functional element of a closing station, in particular with corresponding adaptation of the axial dimensions of the sealing elements  21  and  32 , i.e. in particular the height of the wall portions  22 . 1 ,  22 . 2 ,  27 ,  28 , and in particular through corresponding adaptation of the axial dimensions of the circular cylindrical portion  34 . 
     The hydraulic seal  20  ensures that the spindle  15  is passed through the wall  6  in a totally sealed, sterile manner, in particular also by the liquid sealing and/or sterilizing medium accommodated in the ring channel  23  forming a block which extends around the entire portion  34  that is immersed into said sealing and/or sterilizing medium. With the exception of the sealing element  37  that abuts against the inside surface of the wall portion  22 . 1 , the sealing is effected without any contact between the sealing elements  21  and  32 . 
     In addition, the seal or passage according to the invention is obviously not only suitable for use with closing machines, but also for use with other container treatment machines where, for example, a rotating and/or axially and/or radially moveable functional element extends by way of a part portion from the surrounding area or from a non-sterile space from above into a sterile space. 
     LIST OF REFERENCES 
     
         
           1  Closing machine 
           2  Bottle 
           3  Closure 
           4  Rotor 
           5  Sterile space 
           6 ,  7 ,  8  Wall 
           7 . 1 ,  8 . 1  Portion of the wall  7  or  8   
           9 ,  10  Seal 
           11  Closing station 
           12  Closing tool or screw-type closing means 
           13  Container carrier 
           14  Drive of the closing tool 
           15  Spindle 
           16  Closing head 
           17  Housing 
           17 . 1  Housing portion 
           18 ,  19  Bearing 
           20  Hydraulic sealing unit 
           21  Sealing element or moulded body 
           22  Portions of the moulded body  21   
           22 . 1 ,  22 . 2  Wall portion 
           23  Ring channel 
           24  Opening 
           25  Portion or groove segment 
           26  Groove 
           27 ,  28  Wall portion 
           29  Bottom 
           30  Opening or connection 
           31  Opening 
           32  Sealing element or moulded body 
           33 ,  34  Portion of the sealing element 
           35 ,  36  Sealing ring 
           37  Seal 
         N Level of the sealing or sterilizing medium