Freeze-drying apparatus with a loading and unloading device

Abstract

A freeze-drying apparatus (1) includes an arrangement of individual product platforms (19) that are supported vertically in a frame (20) in a drying chamber, in which each platform is able to be moved to a shift level, in which lateral guides (20, 21) designed to support a carriage (15) are arranged with a fixed height position, and which cooperate with the guides (16, 18) of a loading and unloading device. All product platforms (19) in the drying chamber can be loaded by repeating this operation cyclically. In order to unload the drying chamber, the arrangement of the product platforms (19) are moved to such a position above the shift level in which the carriage (15) can be moved as far as its rear limit position inside the drying chamber, travelling underneath each loaded product platform (19).

Claims

1. A freeze-drying apparatus (1), comprising: a drying chamber (2) accommodated inside a housing (3); an arrangement of product platforms (19) disposed so as to be displaceable vertically in a frame (20) and designed to support drying receptacles (42) containing a substance to be dried, located inside the drying chamber (2), wherein the housing (3) has at least one opening (13) that is closable by a door (12); a loading and unloading device (45) for the drying receptacles (42) outside of the drying chamber (2); and a carriage (15) that is supported by guides (16,18, 21, 22), a structure of the carriage comprising a front side that forms a front leading edge (23) of the carriage (15) and a back side that forms a back leading edge (24) of the carriage (15), wherein the carriage (15) is configured to push the drying receptacles (42) into the drying chamber (2) using the back leading edge (24) of the carriage (15), wherein the arrangement of product platforms (19) is liftable vertically inside the drying chamber (2), such that the carriage (15) advances by travelling under loaded product platforms (19), thus avoiding travelling directly or indirectly over the loaded product platforms (19), as far as a rear limit position in the drying chamber (2), wherein after a respective next higher loaded product platform (19) is lowered, the drying receptacles (42) are moveable out of the drying chamber (2) through the opening (13) using the front leading edge (23) of the carriage (15).

2. The freeze-drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carriage (15) advances in a shift level which is defined in the drying chamber (2) by a fixed height position of the guides (16, 18, 21, 22).

3. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 2, further comprising an arrangement of supports defined by bolts (41) for the product platform in the shift level, so that the height position of the product platform (19) located in the shift level is ascertainable independently of the frame (6), wherein the system of supports is movable between an active position that reaches under the product platform (19) in the shift level and an inactive position that does not reach under the product platform.

4. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the loading and unloading device comprises a conveyor belt (8), wherein a direction of advance of said conveyor belt (8) runs transversely to a direction in which the drying receptacles (42) are pushed into or pushed out of the drying chamber (2).

5. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the loading and unloading device comprises a loading stage (17) that supports the guides (18) and is advanceable into the drying chamber (2) to connect with the guides (21) therein.

6. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein a front limit position (48) of the carriage (15) is arranged on the loading and unloading device.

7. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 6, wherein the front limit position is located on a side of a conveyor belt (8) opposite the drying chamber (2).

8. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the carriage (15) is equipped with a drive unit (47).

9. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 8, further comprising an electrical drive unit (47), wherein the electrical drive unit is supplied with power and/or controlled via the guides (16, 18,21, 22).

10. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 8, further comprising a battery-powered electrical drive unit and by a charging station (28) set up outside the drying chamber (2).

11. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 8, further comprising an electrical drive unit and a radio link (50) established between the drive unit (47) and a control device (49) located outside the drying chamber (2) to control the drive unit.

12. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 8, wherein the drive unit is in non-positive locking connection with the guides (16,18,21,22) via a toothed belt with double-sided profiling, transmitting a motion in the pushing in or a pushing out direction, into and out of the drying chamber (2).

13. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 8, wherein the carriage (15) is a slimline structural unit accommodating the drive unit and a controller (51) thereof, wherein a structural height of said carriage does not exceed that of the guides (16,18, 21, 22).

14. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the guides (16, 18, 21, 22) are segmented longitudinally and are arranged so as to be movable between a position in which frontal faces abut each other and a position in which a gap is left between the frontal faces.

15. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the guides are arranged so as to be movable horizontally with respect to a lengthwise extension of said guides while preserving the mutually parallel alignment.

16. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, further comprising lateral guides (29, 30, 31) for the drying receptacles (42) to be pushed into and out of the drying chamber (2), wherein said lateral guides (29, 30, 31) are arranged so as to be displaceable horizontally to the direction of pushing in or out.

17. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the loading and unloading device is supported on a structural unit (6) that is arranged so as to be movable away from the drying chamber (2) and toward said drying chamber.

18. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, further comprising the housing (3) that accommodates the drying chamber (2) with the opening (13) having the closable door (12) and the loading and unloading device respectively on opposite sides thereof.

19. The freeze-drying apparatus (1) according to claim 1, operated using a method comprising the steps of: in order to load the drying chamber (2), pushing forward the drying receptacles (42) containing the substance to be dried onto a respective one of the product platforms (19) to be loaded in the shift level one row at a time using the back leading edge (24) of the at least one carriage (15), until the loading operation for the respective one of the product platforms (19) is completed, wherein the loading operation of each subsequent one of the product platforms (19) is continued by cyclical moving of each subsequent one of the product platforms (19) into the shift level until loading of the drying chamber (2) is completed; in order to unload the drying chamber (2) after completion of the drying process, advancing the carriage (15) into the drying chamber (2) as far as it rear limit position (52) in the shift level by travelling underneath the loaded product platforms (19); lowering the respective one of the product platforms (19) to the shift level after the carriage has travelled beneath it; and pushing out the drying receptacles (42) standing upright on the respective one of the product platforms (19) in the shift level through the opening (13) by the front leading edge (23) of the carriage (15), wherein the steps of advancing the carriage (15) into the drying chamber (2) as far as the rear limit position on the shift level by travelling below each successive loaded product platform (19) located above the shift level, lowering the located product platform (19) to the shift level, and pushing the drying receptacles (42) out through the opening (13) are repeated cyclically until the process of unloading the drying chamber (2) is completed.

20. A freeze-drying apparatus (1), comprising: a drying chamber (2) accommodated inside a housing (3); an arrangement of product platforms (19) disposed so as to be displaceable vertically in a frame (20) and designed to support drying receptacles (42) containing a substance to be dried, located inside the drying chamber (2), wherein the housing (3) has at least one opening (13) that is closable by a door (12); a loading and unloading device (45) for the drying receptacles (42) outside of the drying chamber (2), which has a carriage (15) that is supported by guides (16,18,21, 22), and is configured to push the drying receptacles (42) into the drying chamber (2) by means of a back side (24), wherein said back side (24) forms a first movable leading edge, wherein at least one horizontal shift level (46) is defined by a height position of the opening (13), wherein the guides extend into said opening (13) and assume a fixed height position, wherein the arrangement of product platforms (19) is displaceable vertically inside the drying chamber (2), such that the carriage (15) advances in the shift level by travelling under loaded product platforms (19), thus avoiding travelling directly or indirectly over loaded product platforms (19), as far as a rear limit position in the drying chamber (2), wherein after a respective next higher loaded product platform (19) is lowered into the shift level, the drying receptacles (42) are moveable out of the drying chamber (2) through the opening (13) using a front side (23) of the carriage (15), wherein said front side (23) forms a second movable leading edge; and an arrangement of supports defined by bolts (41) for a product platform in the shift level, wherein the arrangement of supports allows vertical displacement of platforms (19) independently of the frame (6), wherein the arrangement of supports is movable between a first position that reaches under the product platform (19) to support the product platform using the bolts (41) and a second position that does not reach under the product platform.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following, the invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to the exemplary embodiment represented in the drawing. In the drawing:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective, partial cutaway representation of a freeze-drying system according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a view of the freeze-drying system along a horizontal plane II-II in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective representation of the freeze-drying system of FIG. 1 with the housing removed;

(5) FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the carriage used as a component of the freeze-drying system of FIG. 1 for pushing the products into and out of the unit;

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of the lateral guides of the drying receptacles of the freeze-drying system of FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of part of the carriage guides of the freeze-drying system of FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective partial view of the underside of the freeze-drying system of FIG. 1;

(9) FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part of a single unit A of FIG. 7;

(10) FIG. 9 is a perspective partial view of the underside of the freeze-drying system of FIG. 1;

(11) FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of part of a single unit B of FIG. 9;

(12) FIGS. 11 to 17 each represent consecutive operating phases of the freeze-drying system of FIG. 1, beginning with the opening of the housing door until the ejection of a group of drying receptacles at the end of a drying treatment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

(13) Reference sign 1 in FIG. 1 designates a freeze-drying system, the main components of which are a drying chamber 2 configured inside a housing 3 and a structural unit 6 that is displaceable on rails 4 in the direction of arrows 5 and supports a loading and unloading device 45. Structural unit 6 together with the rails and housing 3 are mounted on a common base plate 7, and—except during maintenance work—structural unit 6 is normally docked permanently with the housing.

(14) Reference sign 8 designates a conveyor belt, via which drying receptacles containing the substance that is to be freeze-dried may be transported in the direction of arrow 9, that is to say perpendicularly to the direction of arrows 5.

(15) Additional rails 11 are located on the top 10 of the structural unit and are aligned parallel to rails 4 and arrows 5, toward an opening 13 in housing 3 with a closable door 12. Door 12 is opened and closed by a drive unit not shown in the drawing.

(16) A guide unit 14 is supported on rails 11 and displaceable in the direction of arrows 5, and the top of said guide unit in turn supports two guides 16 that are aligned parallel with one another and retain a carriage 15, which will be described in greater detail in the following. Also supported on rails 11 and displaceable in the direction of arrows 5 is a loading stage 17, the top of which also support guides 18 and the function of which will be explained in the following. Carriage 15 is able to travel along guides 16, 18, which are arranged one above the other and constructed identically.

(17) The size and arrangement of guides 16, 18 are determined in conjunction with the displaceability of guide unit 14 and loading stage 17 in the direction of arrows 5, on the basis of the need to ensure that carriage 15 can be moved to a front limit position or loading position on the side of conveyor belt 8 farthest from housing 3.

(18) Drying chamber 2 is equipped in known manner with an arrangement of parallel, horizontal product platforms 19, which are retained so as to be vertically movable in a frame 20, and each serves to support drying receptacles containing a substance to be dried, and which are to be removed from drying chamber 2 when the drying operation is complete.

(19) A height position corresponding to the loading and unloading position of a product platform 19, referred to in the following as the shift level 46, is located inside drying chamber 2, and any of the product platforms can be moved to this shift level. This is the height position inside the drying chamber at which, when door 12 is open, drying receptacles can be inserted in and removed from drying chamber 2 by means of carriage 15, in a manner that will be explained in the following.

(20) In FIG. 2 and all subsequent figures of the drawing, matching functional elements are denoted with corresponding reference numbers, so to that extent repeated descriptions may be avoided.

(21) The plan view according to FIG. 2 and the diagram in FIG. 3 show a support plate 19 in the loading position. Further guides 21, 22, which exactly match the construction of guides 16, 18, are also located on this shift level. Consequently, when guide unit 14 and loading stage 17 are moved, a travel range can be created for carriage 15 that starts at the front limit position 48 described in the introduction and extends as far as the rear limit position 52 inside housing 3, the unloading position, by moving guides 21, 22 together. Guides 21, 22 are arranged so as to be displaceable lengthwise inside housing 3, but the height position thereof is fixed unalterably.

(22) Carriage 15, shown in FIG. 4, is retained laterally in guides 16, and is characterized on the front 23 thereof, and on the rear 24, that is to say the opposite end in the direction of arrows 5, by identical guide surfaces, which are designed to lie flush against the drying receptacles to be pushed in and out of the device. The support for carriage 15 in guides 16 is assured by running wheels 25, which are connected to each other by a toothed belt 26, wherein toothed belt 26 is also furnished with an outer tooth system, which engages with a corresponding profile on guides 16 and other guides 18, 21, 22. All drive and control components of carriage 15 are accommodated in a slimline housing 27, which is approximately the same height as guides 16, and thus lower than the height of a drying receptacle.

(23) In particular, a battery-powered electric drive unit 47 may be installed in carriage 15, wherein a contactless, e.g. inductive charging station 28 is provided at the charging point to charge the battery 44. (FIG. 1)

(24) In order to ensure that the drying receptacles are retained securely in an upright position, the width of the area available on which the receptacles are to stand must be equal to an integral multiple of the diameter or a comparable dimension of a drying receptacle. In addition, the individual rows of drying receptacles that are pushed onto loading stage 17 must be positioned with an offset of half a diameter with respect to each other to achieve optimum packing density. In this way, a mutual support effect may be achieved among the drying receptacles.

(25) For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 5 loading stage 17 is equipped with lateral guides 29 and product platform 19 is equipped with lateral guides 30, 31. These each form lateral guidance edges for the drying receptacles and are arranged so as to be displaceable transversely to the insertion direction, that is to say in the direction of arrows 32, thus enabling adjustment to different drying receptacle dimensions in this respect. Lateral adjustment of lateral guides 29 to 31 is assured by drive units.

(26) One product platform 19 is always located in the shift level, the method for ensuring this is described in the following with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10.

(27) The corner areas of every rectangular product platform 19 are furnished with protruding lugs 33, which are also rectangular and project in the plane of the respective product platform 19, and each lug has a roughly semicircular cutout 34 that is open toward the peripheral exterior. Said cutouts 34 combine with vertically aligned rods 35 of frame 20 to provide vertical guidance for product platforms 19. In this way, precise vertical guidance is assured for product platforms 19.

(28) Reference numerals 36, 37 designate carriages that are connected to one another and are displaceable by motor in a direction parallel to arrows 5, and are connected to the respective guides 21, 22. In this way it is possible for guides guided 21, 22 to be displaced lengthwise between two lugs 33 in each case within cutouts 38.

(29) The lengthwise displaceability of guides 21, 22 that is made possible in this way is subject to the limitation that in a first limit position shown in FIG. 6 the opposing frontal faces of two consecutive guides 21, 22 are at a distance from one another, whereas in a second limit position the same frontal faces are in flush contact with one another, thus forming a continuous, practically constant guide segment for carriage 15.

(30) The first limit position is characterized in that product platforms 19 are freely displaceable in the vertical direction. The second limit position is characterized in that one product platform 19 is located in the loading and unloading position or shift level described in the introduction, and is secured therein in positive locking manner. For this purpose, the end plates 39, 40 (FIG. 7, 8) of carriages 36, 37 shown on the left in FIG. 7 are equipped with horizontally aligned bolts 41 that have a bearing function.

(31) FIG. 8 shows carriage 36 in the first limit position, wherein it is evident that a vertical movement of product platforms 19 is not prevented by bolt 41. On the other hand, FIG. 10 shows the carriage in the second limit position, in which it is shown that a section of a lug 33 facing bolt 41 rests on bolt 41, thus preventing support plate 19 for descending any further. In the following, the movement sequences in a work cycle of freeze-drying system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 17, starting with drying receptacles being pushed into the freeze-drying system one row at a time, and ending with the drying receptacles being pushed out of the system after the drying operation is completed.

(32) As shown in FIG. 11, door 12 of housing 3 has been moved into the opening position thereof, wherein, as shown in FIG. 12, guides 21, 22 have been shifted to the second limit position thereof, and the frontal faces thereof are thus abutting and forming a continuous guide for carriage 15 inside drying chamber 2.

(33) Guidance unit 14 is also displaced together with loading stage 17 in the direction of arrows 5, with the qualification that loading stage 17 and thus also guides 18 thereof lie flush with the front faces of guides 21 inside drying chamber 2, so that loading stage 17 has been moved partly inside drying chamber 2.

(34) In this starting position, a first row of drying receptacles 42 is transported via conveyor belt 8 to a position in front of carriage 15, which is thus located on the side of conveyor belt 8 farthest from housing 3.

(35) As rows of drying receptacles 42 are brought into position cyclically thereafter via conveyor belt 8, possibly with the respective withdrawal of guidance unit 14 on rails 11 towards housing 3, said rows are pushed by carriage 15 one after the other over loading stage 17 and onto the product platform 19 that is initially in the topmost position of the plurality of product platforms 19 in the drying chamber 2, until the number of drying receptacles 42 in the chamber is equal to the holding capacity thereof. In this process, the placement of the drying receptacles is carried out in known manner with the qualification that consecutive rows in the direction of insertion are positioned with a vertical offset relative to this direction due to timed transverse shifting by means of a shifter 43, so that optimum packing density is achieved. This state of full loading of the product platform 19 in the loading position is shown in FIG. 14.

(36) The loaded product platform 19 shown in FIG. 15 is thus raised relative to its position in FIG. 14 to such a degree that now another product platform 19 is in the loading position below the first platform, and the operation of loading in rows can continue until the loading state of drying chamber 2 is complete.

(37) As shown in FIG. 15, carriage 15 is then moved backward, that is to say away from the last product platform 19, wherein this operation is repeated after the next product platform 19 is shifted into the loading position until all product platforms 19 down to the one that was originally at the bottom are fully loaded, and after loading stage 17 has been withdrawn from drying chamber 2 and door 12 has been closed, the freeze-drying process may be carried out in known manner.

(38) After the freeze-drying process is completed, an empty rack level is established in the loading position that corresponds to the unloading position, that is to say below the loaded product platforms 19, possibly after the vertical shift thereof, and then after door 12 is opened and guide unit 14 is shifted and loading stage 17 is advanced into drying chamber 2, guides 18, 21, 22 are moved toward each other in the lengthwise direction thereof, thus again creating a continuous displacement path for carriage 15. The carriage is then advanced into this empty rack level, thus in the process travelling underneath the loaded product platforms 19, until it reaches its rear limit position opposite door 12 inside drying chamber 2. Then, the loaded product platform 19 positioned immediately above the originally empty rack level is lowered into the shift level, and is secured in this position in positive locking manner by shifting of guides 16, 18 to the second limit position thereof. Carriage 15 is now located behind the group of drying receptacles 42, which is opposite door 12. This position of the carriage is shown in FIG. 16.

(39) Carriage 15 is now actuated in order to push the drying receptacles across loading stage 17 onto conveyor belt 8, on which drying receptacles 42 that have undergone freeze-drying treatment are carried away in the direction of arrow 9.

(40) After the bottom product platform 19 has been emptied, carriage 15 is then moved back into drying chamber 2 again, along product platform 19 that is now empty, until it reaches its rear end position, travelling under the next product platform 19 that is to be unloaded. This product platform is then lowered into the unloading position and secured therein by positive locking means, at which point the unloading process is continued with carriage 15 and conveyor belt 8 working together. Product platforms 19 are thus unloaded one after the other by means of just a single carriage, and carriage 15 always travels below product platforms 19 that are still loaded, thereby ensuring in this respect that aseptic conditions are reliably maintained.

(41) The specification incorporates by reference the disclosure of German patent application DE 10 2011 117 628.8, filed Nov. 4, 2011, as well as PCT/EP2012/004595, filed Nov. 3, 2012.

(42) The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the specific disclosure of the specification and drawings, but also encompasses any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

(43) TABLE-US-00001 LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 1 Freeze-drying system 2 Drying chamber 3 Housing 4 Rails 5 Arrows 6 Structural unit 7 Base plate 8 Conveyor belt 9 Arrow 10 Top 11 Rails 12 Door 13 Opening 14 Guide unit 15 Carriage 16 Guide 17 Loading stage 18 Guide 19 Product platform 20 Frame 21 Guide 22 Guide 23 Front 24 Rear 25 Running wheel 26 Toothed belt 27 Housing 28 Loading unit 29 Lateral guide 30 Lateral guide 31 Lateral guide 32 Arrows 33 Lug 34 Cutout 35 Rod 36 Carriage 37 Carriage 38 Cutout 39 End plate 40 End plate 41 Bolt 42 Drying receptacle 43 Shifter 44 Battery 45 Loading and unloading device 46 Shift level 47 Drive unit 48 front limit position 49 Control device 50 Radio link 51 Controller 52 Rear limit position