Device for the filling and/or closing of containers having a drive actuator decontamination box

Abstract

A filling/closing device comprises a conditioned zone 2 for performing operations to containers. A drive actuator 11 of an operating system is movable with into and out of the zone. The drive actuator extends through a decontamination box 14 with an outer suction chamber 15 and an inner sterilization chamber 16 is provided. A sterilization medium supply 17 connects to the sterilization chamber, and a discharge 22 connects to the suction chamber. One or more outflow gaps 20, 21 are provided which connect the sterilization to the suction chamber. According to the invention an inner inflow gap 24 is provided in between the suction chamber and the drive actuator which connects the zone to the suction chamber.

Claims

1. Device for the filling and/or closing of containers, under sterile or aseptic conditions, comprising: a conditioned zone inside which operations to containers are to be performed, the conditioned zone connectable to a conditioned medium supply; operating system for performing said operations, the operating system having a drive shaft unit being at least partially placed in an environment outside the conditioned zone, and the drive shaft being movable with at least part of the drive shaft into and out of the conditioned zone; a decontamination box comprising an outer suction chamber and an inner sterilization chamber, the sterilization chamber lying at least partly inside the suction chamber, and the drive shaft extending at least partly through both the suction chamber and the sterilization chamber, the sterilization chamber connectable to a sterilization medium supply and the suction chamber being connectable to a media discharge for discharging the media from out of the decontamination box; one or more outflow gaps connect the sterilization chamber to the suction chamber; and an inner inflow gap disposed in between the suction chamber and the drive shaft, which inner inflow gap connects the conditioned zone to the suction chamber.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more outflow gaps comprise first and second outflow gaps that are provided at opposing ends along the drive shaft in between the sterilization chamber and the drive shaft, which first and second outflow gaps both connect the sterilization chamber to the suction chamber.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein the sterilization chamber is delimited by a bushing inside which a distribution tube is placed, the sterilization medium supply connecting to a space lying in between the bushing and the distribution tube.

4. Device according to claim 3, wherein the distribution tube comprises a plurality of openings for sterilization medium to flow through towards the drive shaft.

5. Device according to claim 3, wherein the distribution tube is held centred inside the bushing by means of end rings.

6. Device according to claim 3, wherein the distribution tube fits with a play of between 1-5 millimetres around the drive shaft.

7. Device according to claim 1, wherein an outer inflow gap is provided in between the suction chamber and the drive shaft which connects the environment to the suction chamber.

8. Device according to 1, wherein a control unit is provided for regulating respective pressures of the conditioning and sterilization medium inside the respective chambers and conditioned zone such that media are forced to merely flow out of the decontamination box via the media discharge.

9. Device according to claim 1, wherein the operating system comprises a pick and place unit, a filling nozzle or a capping unit.

10. Device according to claim 1, wherein the sterilization medium supply is connected to the sterilization chamber.

11. Device according to claim 1, wherein the media discharge is connected to the suction chamber for discharging the media from out of the decontamination box.

12. Method for operating the device according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: supplying conditioning medium into the conditioned zone; supplying sterilization medium into the sterilization chamber; sucking media out of the suction chamber; moving the drive shaft into and out of the conditioned zone for performing operations to the containers, while keeping the drive shaft part sterilized.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein the sterilization medium is supplied into the sterilization chamber at a pressure which is higher than a suction pressure at which the media are sucked out of the suction chamber.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein the sterilization medium flows out of the sterilization chamber along the drive shaft into the suction chamber.

15. Method according to claim 12, wherein the media are sucked out of the suction chamber at a pressure which is lower than a pressure at which the conditioning medium is supplied into the conditioned zone.

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein the media are prevented from flowing out of the suction chamber along the drive shaft into the conditioned zone.

17. Method according to claim 12, wherein the media are sucked out of the suction chamber at a pressure which is lower than a pressure in the environment.

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein the media are prevented from flowing out of the suction chamber along the drive shaft into the environment.

Description

(1) The invention shall be explained in more detail with reference to accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a device according to the invention also showing some preferred flow patterns for the respective media;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an enlarged schematic view of a variant;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a further enlarged view of a detail of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 3a shows an exploded view of the sterilization chamber of FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 with some more detail; and

(7) FIG. 4a shows an enlarged view of FIG. 4.

(8) In FIG. 1 the device in its entirety has been given the reference numeral 1. The device 1 comprises an aseptic zone 2 which at its upper side is delimited by a roof top 3. Bottles 4 are transported with their upper ends through the zone 2 by means of bottle carriers 5. During operation a conditioning medium is supplied into the zone 2 by means of a conditioning medium supply (not shown) connecting to an upper part 2a of the zone 2. A grid plate 6 is provided for equally distributing the conditioning medium throughout the zone 2 over the upper ends of the bottles 4.

(9) On top of the device 1, in an environment outside the conditioned zone 2, a capping unit 9 is mounted. The unit 9 comprises a servo drive unit 10 which is able to translate a drive shaft 11 up and down along an y-axis as well as to rotate it around this y-axis, in order to place and screw suitable caps, lids, or the like, on top of the bottles 4. For this the drive shaft 11 at its lower end is provided with an operating organ 12 which is connectable to a chuck 13 present inside the conditioned zone 2.

(10) The drive shaft 11 extends through a decontamination box 14 which comprises an outer suction chamber 15 and an inner sterilization chamber 16. The sterilization chamber 16 lies fully inside the suction chamber 15 and as it where is enclosed/encompassed by it. A sterilization medium supply 17 is connected to the sterilization chamber 16. The sterilization medium supply 17 is connected to a reservoir from out of which sterilization medium can be supplied, for example by means of a pump, at a pressure Pin, into the sterilization chamber 16. The drive shaft 11 partly extends through the sterilization chamber 16. At upper and lower ends of the sterilization chamber 16, first and second outflow gaps 20, 21 are provided leading into the suction chamber 15. The gaps 20, 21 are each formed by a play left free in between walls delimiting feed-through openings in the sterilization chamber 16 and an outer circumferential wall of the drive shaft 11.

(11) The suction chamber 15 is equipped with a media discharge 22. The media discharge 22 is connected to a reservoir towards which media sucked out of the chamber 15 can be transported, for example by means of a pump, at a pressure Pout, out into the discharge 22. Besides partly extending through the sterilization chamber 16, the drive shaft 11 also partly extends through the suction chamber 15. At upper and lower ends of the suction chamber 15, inner and outer inflow gaps 24, 25 are provided leading into the suction chamber 15. The gaps 24, 25 are each formed by a play left free in between walls delimiting feed-through openings in the suction chamber 15/roof top 3 and an outer circumferential wall of the drive shaft 11.

(12) During operation, the supplying pressure Pin of the sterilization medium supplied to the sterilization chamber 16 preferably is controlled such that it is higher than the discharging pressure Pout of the media sucked out of the suction chamber 15. Furthermore, during operation, the discharging pressure Pout of the media sucked out of the suction chamber 15 preferably is controlled such that it is lower than the supplying pressure Pc.m. of the conditioning medium supplied to the conditioned zone 2. Furthermore, during operation, the discharging pressure Pout of the media sucked out of the suction chamber 15 preferably is controlled such that it is lower than the pressure Pe.a. of the environmental air surrounding the device 1. For regulating those aimed pressure differences:
Pin>Pout(1)
Pout<Pc.m.(2)
Pout<Pe.a.(3)
a control unit can be provided for steering respective valves, pumps, and the like connecting to the various media supplies and discharges.

(13) Owing to the described provisions and pressure differences, flow patterns of the various media occur as indicated in FIG. 1. In particular it can be seen that the sterilization medium distributes itself inside the chamber 16, from there starts to flow along the shaft 11, then flows via the gaps 20, 21 out of the chamber 16 into the chamber 15, where it is mixed with some conditioning medium flowing via the gap 24 out of the conditioned zone 2 into the chamber 15, and where it is mixed with some environmental air flowing via the gap 25 out of the environment into the chamber 15. This mixture of the three respective media then flows out of the chamber 15 via the discharge 22.

(14) In FIG. 2-4 similar components have been given the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1. In this embodiment a set of two adjacent drive shafts 11 is shown. For each drive shaft 11 an own dedicated sterilization chamber 16 is provided. Those two sterilization chambers 16 are housed inside one common suction chamber 15, having a central common media discharge 22.

(15) Each sterilization chamber 16 at its outer side is delimited by a cylindrical bushing 30. Inside the bushing 30 a distribution tube 31 is placed. See FIG. 3a. Between the bushing 30 and the tube 31 a distribution space 32 is present. The supply 17 connects to this space 32. The tube 31 is formed by a perforated body, each perforation forming an opening for sterilization medium to flow through towards the drive shaft 11. The dimensions of the openings can be varied, and for example be made larger the further away they lie from the supply 17.

(16) The tube 31 is held centred inside the bushing 30 by means of two curved end rings 33. The curved shape of the rings 33 helps to smoothly guide the sterilization medium flowing out of the chamber 16 into the chamber 15. For the same purpose, curved flow guides 35 are provided at outer sides of the bushing 30 and leading towards the common media discharge 22.

(17) The distribution tube 31 fits with a play of preferably a few millimetres, and for example be about 3 millimetres, around the drive shaft 11. The gaps 20, 21, 24, 25 have been given similar smallest width dimensions of a few millimetres. Together the defined play and gaps create equal flows along the drive shaft 11.

(18) The diameter of the openings inside the tube 31, preferably is a few millimetres, and can for example be about 2 millimetres. This may help to create a minor overpressure of a few Pa, for example about 3 Pa, in the bushing 30 in order to have an equal projection and distribution of the sterilization medium onto and over the surface of the shaft 11.

(19) The advantageous flowing patterns occurring in the decontamination box according to the invention are also clearly shown in FIG. 4. There it can be seen that the sterilization medium can be brought in via the sterilization medium supply by using a manifold to maintain a certain flow rate of for example about 175 Nm3/hr (flow I). The sterilization medium is distributed inside the bushing (flow II). By causing an overpressure in this bushing and the perforated tube, an equal distribution of the sterilization medium over the surface of the shaft is created (flow III). After having sterilized the surface of the shaft, the sterilization medium is being exhausted by an under pressure in the suction chamber (flow IV). The under pressure also creates a flow out of the conditioned zone (flow V) to make sure no organisms enter the conditioned zone. A flow through a top plate of the suction chamber along the drive shafts prevents the mixture of the sterilization and conditioning media getting in the environment (flow V). The different flows IV, V, IV and V are all led by the flow guides in the direction of the common discharge and there are exhausted due to under pressure in this central discharge (VII).

(20) Besides the shown embodiments numerous variants are possible. For example the dimensions and shapes of the various components can be varied. The sterilization medium can be the same as the conditioning medium and for example be HPV. The media may also be different from each other. The amounts, speeds and pressures of the media supplied can be increased or decreased depending on the circumstances and depending on a required level of sterilization. Instead of the suction chamber being positioned directly adjacent the conditioned zone, it is also possible to provide some kind of distancing organ there between. Furthermore, in the case that it is no problem if some of the sterilization and conditioning media flow out of the suction chamber into the environment, than it is also possible to choose the pressure inside the suction chamber somewhat higher than the environmental pressure.

(21) Thus the invention provides a relative simple, economic and user-friendly decontamination box provision for operating means of a container filling and/or closing device with which high levels of sterility up to aseptic conditions, can easily be obtained even for operating systems which have to perform somewhat more complex operations like combinations of translational and rotational movements.