TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY AND COMPUTER-CONTROLLED OR ELECTRONIC METHOD FOR OPERATING THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport system (1, 10, 14) in the beverage industry with a transport device (TR) which is designed to transport containers (3) through the transport system in a transport direction, having a rinsing region (4, 18) which is designed to form a liquid curtain (5, 19) through which containers that can be transported by the transport device (2) can pass. The invention furthermore relates to a computer-controlled or electronic method for operating the transport system.

Claims

1. A transport system comprising: a transport device configured to transport one or more containers through the transport system in a transport direction; and a rinsing region configured to form a liquid curtain for drying the one or more containers, wherein the transport device is configured to transport the one or more containers through the liquid curtain.

2. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the rinsing region further configured to form the liquid curtain across a total width of the transport device.

3. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the rinsing region is further configured to form the liquid curtain with a width of 0.5 mm to 15 mm.

4. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the rinsing region, comprises a spraying device configured to form the liquid curtain, wherein the spraying device comprises, a plurality of liquid nozzles per meter width of the liquid curtain.

5. The transport system according to claim 1, to wherein the rinsing region is further configured to provide a flow rate of the liquid of the liquid curtain within a range of 60 liters per hour per meter of the liquid curtain to 600 liters per hour per meter of the liquid curtain.

6. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid of the liquid curtain comprises at least one of water or surface-active substances.

7. A transport system according to claim 1, further comprising a basin arranged underneath the rinsing region and is configured to receive liquid from the rinsing region.

8. The transport system according to claim 7, wherein the rinsing region is further configured to use liquid received by the basin to form the liquid curtain.

9. The transport system according to claim 1, further comprising: a container treatment machine comprising: a container treatment region configured to treat the one or more containers transported by the transport device, wherein the rinsing region follows the container treatment region in the transport direction.

10. The transport system according to claim 9, wherein the rinsing region is comprised by the container treatment machine.

11. The transport system according to claim 9, wherein the rinsing region is separate from the container treatment machine.

12. The transport system according to claim 9, wherein the container treatment region is configured to spray or sprinkle liquid onto the one or more containers.

13. The transport system according to claim 9, further comprising: a basin arranged underneath the rinsing region and the container treatment region, wherein the basin is configured to receive liquid from the rinsing region and the container treatment region.

14. The transport system according to claim 13, wherein the rinsing region is further configured to use liquid received by the basin to form the liquid curtain.

15. The transport system according to claim 1, further comprising: a drying region following the rinsing region in the transport direction, wherein the drying region is configured to generate an airflow to blow one or more surfaces of the one or more containers dry.

16. The transport system according to claim 15, wherein the rinsing region and the drying region are comprised by a container treatment machine.

17. The transport system according to claim 15, wherein the rinsing region and the drying region are separate from a container treatment machine.

18. The transport system according to claim 9, wherein the container treatment machine is a pasteurizer, a cooler or a heater.

19. (canceled)

20. A method for transporting one or more containers through a transport system, the method comprising: transporting, via a transporting device, one or more containers through a liquid curtain of a rinsing region of the transport system, wherein the transport device is configured to transport the one or more containers through the transport system in a transport direction; and transporting, via the transporting device, the one or more containers through a drying region of the transport system, wherein the drying region is configured to generate an airflow to blow one or more surfaces of the one or more containers dry.

21. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising: cause one or more containers to be transported, via a transporting device, through a liquid curtain of a rinsing region of a transport system, wherein the transport device is configured to transport the one or more containers through the transport system in a transport direction; and cause the one or more containers to be transported, via the transporting device, through a drying region of the transport system, wherein the drying region is configured to generate an airflow to flow one or more surfaces of the one or more containers dry.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The included figures represent, by way of example, aspects of the invention for a better understanding and for illustrating the invention. In the drawings:

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a first embodiment of a transport system,

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through a second embodiment of a transport system,

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section through a third embodiment of a transport system, and

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section through the rinsing region of the third embodiment of the transport system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a first embodiment of a transport system 1 comprising a transport device 2 by which containers 3 are transported in a transport direction TR. In the representation, the containers 3 are transported upright on the transport device 2. The transport device 2 may be, for example, a conveyor belt or the like.

[0040] Initially, the containers 3 reach a rinsing region 4 and are transported through it. Thereby, the containers 3 pass a liquid curtain 5 which is generated by a spraying device 6. The containers 3 are wetted by liquid of the liquid curtain 5 in the process. For example, the surface of the containers 3 is covered by a liquid film. The spraying device 6 can be designed in the form of a spraying beam which has, for example, a continuous outlet cross-section across the total transport belt's width, or in the form of a spraying tube with a plurality of fan nozzles arranged across the transport belt's width. The spraying tube contains a plurality of fan nozzles arranged across the transport belt's width. For example, the spraying tube may include 2-5 nozzles per meter of the spraying curtain 5. The liquid curtain 5 can be oriented perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the transport direction TR and have a thickness d. For example, the liquid falls downwards in the liquid curtain 5 only by gravitational force. After the containers have passed the liquid curtain 5, the majority of the liquid can flow down from the containers 3 under the action of gravitational force, so that no small liquid drops (diameter smaller than 1 mm) which are difficult to blow off are present anymore.

[0041] Optionally, the containers 3 can be transported from the rinsing region 4 to and/or through a drying region 7 in which the containers 3 are blown dry additionally, i. e. their surfaces, by an airflow 8 which is generated by air discharged from blow nozzles 9, i. e. the liquid still adhering to the surfaces of the containers 3 is displaced from the surface, for example blown away, or dries). Instead of the blow nozzles, a blow beam can be employed as an alternative.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through a second embodiment of a transport system 10. Apart from the elements of the first embodiment of the transport system 1 already described in FIG. 1, the second embodiment of the transport system 10 moreover comprises a container treatment machine 11 with a container treatment region 12 which is arranged upstream of the rinsing region 4 and upstream of the optional drying region 7 in the transport direction TR. Between the container treatment machine 11 and the rinsing region 4, no further type of container treatment may be provided, so that the rinsing region 4 can be considered as directly following the container treatment region 12 in the transport direction TR in some embodiments.

[0043] The containers 3 are transported through the container treatment machine 11 by the transport device 2, and in the container treatment region 12, liquid is sprayed onto the containers 3 by means of spray nozzles 13, or the containers 3 are sprinkled by means of the liquid discharged from the spray nozzles 13. Subsequently, the containers 3 are further transported into the rinsing region 4 with the transport device 2, where the containers 3 pass the liquid curtain 5 as already described with respect to FIG. 1. As the containers 3 can be wetted by liquid of the liquid curtain 5, liquid drops which still adhere to the containers 3 after the containers 3 have left the container treatment region 12 can also be absorbed by the liquid.

[0044] The optional subsequent blow-drying of the containers 3 in the drying region 7 can thus be accomplished more easily since no small drops are present.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section through a third embodiment of a transport system 14 comprising a container treatment machine 15, wherein the container treatment region 16, the rinsing region 18, and the optional drying region 21 are comprised by the container treatment machine 15. The containers 3 are transported by the transport device 2 in the transport direction TR, so that the transport device 2 transports the containers 3 in and through the container treatment region 16, wherein by means of the spray nozzles 17, liquid is sprayed onto the containers 3, or the containers 3 are sprinkled by the liquid discharged from the spray nozzles 17. Subsequently, the containers 3 are further transported into the rinsing region 18 with the transport device 2 where they pass the liquid curtain 19 which is generated by the spraying device 20. As the containers 3 can be wetted by liquid of the liquid curtain 19, liquid drops which still adhere to the containers 3 after the containers 3 have left the container treatment region 16 can also be absorbed by the liquid. In this manner, no small drops adhere to the containers 3 anymore, and the optional blow-drying of the containers 3 in the drying region 21 can be accomplished more easily since no small drops are present. The containers 3 (e.g., the surfaces of the containers 3) are blown dry by an airflow 22 which is generated by means of air discharged by means of blow beams 23, (e.g., the liquid still adhering to the surfaces of the containers 3 is displaced from the surface, for example blown away, or dries).

[0046] Underneath the container treatment region 16 and the rinsing region 18, an optional basin 24 is represented in a dot-dash line which can receive liquid from the container treatment region 16 and from the rinsing region 18.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section through the rinsing region 18 of the third embodiment of the transport system 14. The spraying device 20 is arranged—as already described in the embodiment with respect to FIG. 1 by way of example—above the transport device 2, and the liquid curtain 19 is formed across the total width b of the transport device 2. In this way, a plurality of containers 3 transported on the transport device 2 one next to the other can pass the liquid curtain 19.