Patent Publication Number: US-8109281-B2

Title: Cleaning assembly for containers

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims the benefit of priority of German Patent Application No. 102008008529.4, filed Feb. 11, 2008. The entire text of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure refers to a cleaning assembly for containers, particularly bottles, such as for beverage bottling operations. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Such a cleaning assembly is e.g. known from EP 536530. The known cleaning assembly contains a conveying device formed as an endless chain and comprises a plurality of accommodation means into which the bottles can be fitted. The bottles are then conveyed through the cleaning container in a freely suspended manner, said cleaning container being filled with a cleaning agent. To give the cleaning agent sufficient time to unfold its cleaning effect, the conveying device is guided within the cleaning container via a dwell time path, i.e. the conveying device is guided e.g. over spiral or helical paths prolonging the conveying path and thus the contact time with the cleaning agent. However, the bottles must remain completely submersed in the cleaning bath over the entire dwell time path, i.e. the cleaning bath requires a lot of space; and it has a considerable weight. Additionally, the cleaning agent must be kept in the entire cleaning container at an increased temperature, which requires enormous energy. Furthermore, a large amount of cleaning agent is required, which must be correctly disposed of after consumption. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     One aspect of the disclosure is to provide an energy and space saving cleaning assembly that uses cleaning agent sparingly. 
     An individual cleaning of the container in its own tubular is possible by using a liquid-tight tubular according to the disclosure so that the large-volume cleaning baths with their static requirements due to their high weight (40 to 60 t) are no longer needed. Furthermore, the treatment temperature can be lowered and the processing time can be reduced. At the same time, the amount of cleaning agent and fresh water consumption is significantly reduced. 
     The tubulars are preferably dimensioned such that at least one container can be received and can completely be submersed into the cleaning agent located in the tubular, wherein the tubular is preferably adapted such that the container can be submersed with its filling opening pointing upwards, i.e. in an upright standing manner, into the cleaning bath. 
     Caused by a heat insulation of the tubular, the temperature of the cleaning agent can possibly also be sustained without additional heating over the entire duration of the cleaning procedure. 
     It is also advantageous to equip the tubular with a means for intensifying the cleaning effect, i.e. to take care that the cleaning agent in the tubular is set in motion, since thereby the dwelling time of the containers in the tubular can be shortened. 
     A closure of the tubular on the one hand prevents a heat loss and on the other hand the loss of cleaning agent by unintended shocks during the conveying process. 
     The tubulars are preferably formed as part of the conveying device, i.e. they are directly connected to each other in the form of a tubular chain. 
     The cleaning assembly further contains means and/or stations and/or cleaning cycles, which are especially adapted to the use of the tubulars according to the disclosure. 
     A spray nozzle cleaning has the advantage that a plurality of cleaning agents can be used and that caused by the different spray pressures a mechanical treatment can be achieved and can be precisely metered concerning its intensity. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       An embodiment of the disclosure will now be described in detail by means of the drawings. 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic view of a cleaning assembly according to the disclosure, and 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic view of a conveying device for the cleaning assembly according to  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A cleaning assembly  1  for containers  2 , particularly for reusable packagings for beverages, can be seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , wherein the containers  2  in the embodiment shown are bottles. The containers  2  are made of plastics or glass, however, they can also be composed of any other cleanable material. For the following description it shall be assumed that the cleaning assembly  1  is adapted for cleaning reusable bottles, wherein the bottles are emptied from residues, are cleaned from the inside and outside and are freed from possibly adhering labels or shrinkable sleeves and the like. Depending on the type of the container to be cleaned, other cleaning steps and other precautions or assembly parts can also be required. 
     The cleaning assembly  1  comprises in the embodiment shown a pretreatment means  3  realized by a conventional design. The preferably mono-material containers enter the pretreatment means in one row. Caused by the known constructions, e.g. by means of support rails, the containers that are possibly already sprayed over are tilted in order to discharge them (preferably about approx. 100°) and are erected again. In tilted condition, they are preferably additionally set into rotation, e.g. via a belt drive to accelerate the discharging process and to support the forward movement of the containers. Subsequently, the containers are arranged to form a row with predetermined distances, which may for instance be implemented via a one-piece worm  4  and a run-in star  5 . From this device the containers reach a rotary apparatus  6  to which a means for removing and/or perforating and/or cutting labels or shrinkable sleeves or the like is associated. The label removing means  7  preferably contains a laser that removes or perforates the labels to give the subsequently applied cleaning agent a greater contact surface. 
     The rotary apparatus  6  further offers the option to hand over the containers  2  to a conveying device  8  with an endlessly revolving conveyor  9 . The conveying device contains, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a plurality of receptacle means for the containers  2 , which according to the disclosure are formed as liquid-tight tubulars  10  and which allow an individual treatment of the containers  2 . The expression “tubulars” means any type of receptacle capable of receiving both cleaning agent as well as at least one container  2  and to transport same over a conveying path. In the embodiment shown, each tubular  10  contains one container  2  each, however, it is also possible to design the tubulars in a manner that two or more containers  2  can be stored in one tubular  10 . 
     The capacity and the shape of the tubular  10  are adapted to the shape and dimensions of the container  2  such that the container/s  2  can substantially completely be submersed into a cleaning agent bath located in the tubular  10 . Although the containers can also be accommodated in horizontal fashion, it is preferred to design the tubulars  10  such that the container can be accommodated in the tubular in an upright manner, i.e. with a filling opening pointing upwards and can be submersed into the cleaning bath located there. 
     The tubular  10  contains a peripheral wall  10   a , a bottom  10   b  and is preferably closed by a lid  10   c . The tubular  10  is preferably heat-insulated, wherein the heat insulation in the embodiment shown extends over the peripheral wall  10   a , the bottom  10   b  and the lid  10   c.    
     Spacers  12  are provided in the interior of the tubular  10 , said spacers holding the container  2  at a distance to the tubular  10  so that it can be washed around on all sides by the cleaning bath. 
     Means for intensifying the cleaning effect (which are not shown) can be provided in the tubular  10  itself and/or at the conveying device  8  and/or along the conveying path of the conveying device  7 , said means enforcing the cleaning effect by a turbulence in the cleaning bath, i.e. a relative movement between the cleaning bath and the container  2 . Turbulences can for instance be generated by an air effervescence in the tubular  10 , a sonotrode for ultrasonic cleaning, a magnetic drive with an internal magnetic stirrer or the like. 
     The conveyor  9  of the conveying means  8  consists, as shown in  FIG. 2 , preferably of tubulars  10  directly connected to one another in the form of a tubular chain. The connection is carried out in the embodiment shown via connecting flaps  13 , each being fixedly connected to the tubulars  10 , and which project from the tubular  10  the opposing sides. The connecting flaps of two adjoining tubulars  10  are connected to one another via a hinge  14 . The hinge  14  allows those degrees of freedom of a relative movement of two adjoining tubulars  10  that are required in the course of the conveying path, as will be described hereinafter. 
     The containers  2  are inserted by the rotary apparatus  6  into the tubulars  10  of the conveying device. This is preferably implemented by lowering the rotary apparatus into the tubulars passed by underneath. Before or after insertion into the tubulars  10 , the containers  2  are filled with cleaning agent. Subsequently, the tubulars  10  and the containers  2  arranged therein are guided into a reversing loop or transfer conveyor in which the tubulars  10  are filled with cleaning agent in a manner that the containers  2  are fully filled with cleaning agent. 
     Any known cleaning agent, particularly cleaning base can be used as cleaning agent, which was also formerly used for cleaning these containers  2 . To clean reusable packagings, such as bottles, a cleaning base is preferably used which was heated to approx. 60° C. This is a further advantage compared to the cleaning of the containers in conventional base baths, in which the base has to be heated to 80° C. In most cases, the same cleaning agent will be located in the container  2  and in the tubular  10 , however, it is also possible to use different cleaning agents and/or different concentrations within and outside of the container  2 . 
     The tubulars  10  filled with cleaning agent and the containers  2  reach from the transfer conveyor  15  into a dwell time area  16  so that the cleaning agent can contact the container  2  for a time required for a thorough cleaning. The dwell time area  16  is formed by a respectively long dimensioned conveying path, which in the example shown is designed in the form of a treatment tower at whose periphery the endless conveyor  9 , guided by respective guides, is guided spirally or in the form of a helix up and down in the internal and external circuit. The required process times are achieved by an optimal dimensioning of the helical diameters and the number of windings. At least during the conveying movement through the dwell time area  16  the possibly existing means for intensifying the cleaning effect is set into operation, i.e. particularly the cleaning agent in the tubular  10  and/or in the container  2  is set into turbulences, e.g. in that the air effervescence is switched on. 
     After running through the dwell time area  16 , the endless conveyor  9  reaches a further rotary apparatus  17  by means of which the containers  2  are lifted out of the tubulars  10  and are emptied, e.g. by tilting. The endless conveyor  9  with the tubulars  10  reaches a circulation means  18  at which the tubulars  10  are emptied and cleaned. The base is subsequently recycled. Subsequently, the empty tubulars return to the rotary apparatus  6 , where newly arriving containers  2  are either first lowered into the tubulars  10  and are subsequently filled or are first filled and then lowered into the tubulars  10 . 
     The containers  2  accepted and emptied by the rotary apparatus  2  can then be supplied to any suitable further procedure or, if the cleaning process is terminated, they can be subjected to a washing and drying process or to a storing process. 
     After the above described first cleaning cycle H, which serves for main cleaning, the containers  2  preferably run through a second cleaning cycle N for a post-cleaning, particularly for sterilization and rinsing, which in view of its constructive design basically corresponds to the first cleaning cycle H with the first rotary apparatus  6 , the endless conveyor  9 , the transfer conveyor  15 , the dwell time area  16  and the transfer conveyor  18 . 
     The second cleaning cycle N starts at a rotary apparatus, i.e. at the rotary apparatus  17  at which the containers are lowered into the tubulars  10  of a further endless conveyor  19 , which corresponds to the endless conveyor  9  in terms of construction. Before and after lowering, the containers  2  are filled with a cleaning agent. Subsequently, the tubulars  10  filled with the containers  2  are transferred to a transfer conveyor  20 , which corresponds to the transfer conveyor  15 . The tubulars  10  are filled there. During the second cleaning cycle, the filling of the containers and/or tubulars with a cleaning agent takes place, which preferably differs from the cleaning agent in the first cycle. Particularly, the cleaning agent in the second cleaning cycle is also a base, however having a lower temperature of approx. 50° C. Caused by the individual treatment of the containers  2  in the tubular  10 , cleaning tablets can economically also be used, e.g. for a effervescence cleaning or a neutralization of the pH value. 
     The endless conveyor  19  with the filled tubulars  10  and containers  2  reaches into the dwell time area  21 , which is also formed as a treatment tower around which the endless conveyor  19  is wound in upward and downward helixes in the inner and outer circuit guided through respective guides. In this case, the cleaning effect can also be enforced by the generation of turbulences. 
     Behind the end of the dwell time area  21 , the endless conveyor  19  reaches a third rotary apparatus  22 , the so-called rinser, where the containers  2  are emptied and lifted out of the tubulars  10 . Subsequently, the containers  2  are conveyed over the guide rail across a short arcuate segment along the periphery of the rotary apparatus  22  and are rinsed, e.g. by a spray treatment with fresh water. After rinsing, the containers reach into an exit conveyor  23 , where the cleaning result is possibly monitored and the containers are taken off for further processing. 
     The endless conveyor  19  with the tubulars reaches via a deflection conveyor  24  back to the second rotary apparatus  17 , wherein the tubulars are also emptied and possibly rinsed, e.g. by using the exhaust water produced during rinsing of the container  2  at the rinser  22 . 
     The advantages according to the disclosure are also achieved if only one of the two cleaning cycles, particularly the cleaning cycle H, is carried out with the containers accommodated in the tubulars. A favorable cleaning effect is also achieved if the dwell time area  21  in the second cleaning cycle N is designed for a spray treatment. For this purpose, the endless conveyor  19  does no contain a liquid-tight tubular, but supports, which do not hold back the liquid, i.e. either supports for freely suspending the containers  2  or baskets or comparable receptacle means. In this manner the containers  2  when running through the dwell time area  21  can be treated by spray or high pressure nozzles. This has the decisive advantage that the containers  2  can be treated in the dwell time area  21  successively or simultaneously by different cleaning agents. The containers  2  can for instance be treated in any winding or helix at the treatment tower with a different cleaning agent, including fresh water. The cleaning liquids are collected at the end of each helix and are pumped for further application or for recycling. The nozzles used for treatment can be arranged stationarily or they can be moved on sectional paths or on the entire area together with the endless conveyor  19 . The baskets or suspensions can be changed in inclination by guide rails so that an intensive additional internal and external cleaning is ensured. This variant enables a gentle temperature application, an optimum cleaning effect and adjustment option of the cleaning intensity via pressure, temperature and flow rate of the cleaning media and is therefore environmentally friendly. The spray treatment described does not necessarily have to be used together with a treatment of the containers in the tubular. On the other hand, tubulars with closable discharge openings can be used, which depending on the requirements can be used either in closed manner for a submersion treatment or in opened manner for a spray treatment. 
     As a modification of the embodiments described and drawn, different conveying means can be used instead of the rotary apparatus and treatment towers etc. shown. It is also not necessarily required to arrange the tubulars at an endless conveyor, or to compose them to form an endless conveyor. The tubulars can also be supported by rotary apparatus, belt conveyors or the like. The main and after treatment of the containers in the two cleaning cycles can be replaced by one single cleaning process.