APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING CONTAINERS HAVING QUERYING PROCESSING DEVICES

Abstract

Provided is a method for processing containers, wherein the containers are processed by. a first processing device in a first predetermined manner and are transported by. a transport device to a second processing device and are processed by this second processing device in a second predetermined manner, and wherein the processing devices are in each case controlled by at least control devices, wherein for the control parameters are used which are characteristic of the containers and/or the processing of the containers. According to the embodiment, predetermination parameters are output on at least one and preferably on several control devices, and said output predetermination parameters are compared with parameters required by at least one processing device, and it is checked whether the parameters required by the at least one processing device can be derived at least from the predetermination parameters.

Claims

1. A method for processing containers, wherein the containers are processed by a first processing device in a first predetermined manner and are transported by a transport device to a second processing device and are processed by this second processing device in a second predetermined manner, and wherein the processing devices are in each case controlled by control devices, wherein for the control parameters are used which are characteristic of the containers and/or the processing of the containers, comprising: outputting predetermination parameters, on at least one and preferably on a plurality of the control devices, and comparing these output predetermination parameters with parameters required by at least one processing device, and checking whether the parameters required by the at least one processing device can be derived at least from the predetermination parameters, wherein required parameters which cannot be derived from the predetermination parameters are requested and outputting the requested parameters to several and preferably all processing devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermination parameters are output for carrying out a change of processing and in particular a change of type.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one parameter is a parameter which is characteristic for the container to be processed and preferably this parameter is selected from a group of parameters which includes a container height, a container diameter, a container volume, a container material, and a wall thickness of the container.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one parameter is a parameter which is characteristic for the processing of the container, and preferably this parameter is selected from a group of parameters which includes a working speed of the machine, a heating temperature of plastics material parisons, a temperature for a label glue, a pressure, and a temperature.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one sequence control device requests the required parameters from the main control device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one processing device is selected from a group of processing devices which includes heating devices for heating plastics material parisons, sterilizing devices for sterilizing plastics material parisons and/or plastics material containers, transforming devices for transforming plastics material parisons into plastics material containers, filling devices for filling containers, closure devices for closing containers, labelling devices for labelling containers, and printing devices for printing containers.

7. An apparatus for processing containers, comprising a first processing device, which the processes the containers in a first predetermined manner, a second processing device, which processes the containers in a second predetermined manner, and a transport device, which transports the containers from the first processing device to the second processing device, wherein the two processing devices are each controlled by control devices, and the control devices control the processing devices using parameters which are characteristic for the containers and/or the processing of the containers, wherein the apparatus has a main control device, which outputs predetermination parameters to at least one sequence control device which serves for controlling at least one processing device, and the apparatus has at least one checking device, which is suitable and intended for checking whether all parameters required by the processing device controlled by this sequence control device can at least be derived from the predetermination parameters, wherein required parameters which cannot be derived from the predetermination parameters are requested and the requested parameters are output to several and preferably all processing devices.

8. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the main control device controls at least one processing device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0043] Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein:

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an apparatus according to embodiments of the invention for processing containers;

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation for illustration of embodiments of the invention; and

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram for a method according to embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an apparatus 1 according to embodiments of the invention for processing containers. This apparatus 1 has a plurality of the processing devices 2, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16. The containers 10 are successively conveyed through these processing devices and are processed there in different ways. Thus for example the processing device 2 may be a heating device or an oven which heats plastics material parisons. Subsequently the plastics material parisons thus heated can be for example sterilised in a further processing device 6. In this case it is possible for this sterilising device 6 to sterilise an inner wall of the plastics material parisons for instance by electromagnetic radiation or electrons.

[0048] Downstream of this second processing device there is a further processing device 8, which may be for example a transforming device for transforming the plastics material parisons into plastics material containers. This transforming device 8 can be followed by a filling device 12, which fills the plastics material containers with a liquid and in particular a beverage. The reference numeral 14 here can represent a closure device which closes the plastics material parisons. Lastly, a plurality of plastics material containers can also be combined into packs by a processing device 16.

[0049] The reference numeral 4 designates a transport device, which serves for transporting the containers in particular from a processing device to a subsequent processing device. In this case these transport devices 4 can preferably be configured as transport starwheels which convey the plastics material parisons or containers 10. In this case these transport device(s) can also have individual control devices to which parameters are transmitted, for instance parameters for a bearer ring cross-section of the containers or for a height of the containers or also parameters for an operating speed of the apparatus 1.

[0050] For a change of type hitherto in the known art the user has input the relevant parameters to be changed into each individual one of the said processing devices. The following now proposes a simpler procedure. Thus the individual processing devices each have sequence control devices 62, 82, 122, 142, 162. These sequence control devices are connected in communication with a main control device 20 (which in the example illustrated here also serves for controlling the heating device). By an input device 42 the user can input changed data, i.e. parameters, required for instance for a change of type, into this main control device 20. These input data are also communicated to the further sequence control devices 62, 82 . . . . The reference numeral 44 relates to a display device, for example a display, by which information can be output to the user, for instance a request for more parameters to be input.

[0051] If the data input by the user are not sufficient, each of the sequence control devices 62, 82 . . . can request missing data from the main control device 20. Then the user can input the data which are still missing, and these can then be output to all sequence control devices 62, 82 . . . or all machines. For this purpose the individual sequence control devices 62, 82 . . . each have checking devices 84 (only one is shown), which check whether the predetermination parameters are complete. The reference numeral 66 designates a communication device, by which the sequence control device 6 can communicate with a communication device 26 of the main control device 20in particular bidirectionally.

[0052] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation for illustration of embodiments of the invention. In this case data, i.e. parameters, such as for instance a bottle size, an operating speed and a diameter of the container, are input by the main control device 20. These data are communicated as predetermination parameters V to two further sequence control devices 62 and 82. In this case this communication can take place wirelessly or also via a cable link. The respective sequence control devices 62 and 82 determine data or parameters P1, P2, . . . Pn for operation thereof.

[0053] These are for example the bottle size (P1), which has already been communicated. The operating speed (P2) can also be required by the sequence control device 62 for the operation, and also the diameter (P3) of the container. However, the sequence control device 62 or the processing device 6 associated with this sequence control device 62 still requires information about the height of the container (P4). Consequently the sequence control device 62 requests the height from the main control device 20.

[0054] Accordingly, for example, the sequence control device 82 may still lack the information about a temperature of the label glue. This request can also be made to the main control device. In this case it is possible for the main control device 20 to collect all the missing data and to transmit to the user the instruction to supplement these data. When these data have been supplemented, all the sequence control devices can be supplied with these data.

[0055] FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram for a method according to embodiments of the invention. First of all, for example, a notification of a change of type is input by the user. Subsequently parameters for new containers are input in the main control device. These parameters are preferably communicated or transmitted as predetermination parameters V to all the sequence control devices of the further processing devices. The individual sequence control devices check whether the input parameters are sufficient for the specific processing device. If this is the case, the respective processing device is ready for operation for the new type.

[0056] If this is not the case, missing parameters are requested in particular at the main control device. In this case the input parameter sets are compared with the required parameter sets. Alternatively it would also be possible that the missing parameters are determined from the sequence control device itself, for instance on the basis of data sets used earlier.

[0057] In a further method step missing parameters are input into the main control device and in turn these missing parameters are transmitted to at least one and preferably all sequence control devices. Now all processing devices are ready for operation for the new type.

[0058] Although the present invention has been disclosed in the form of preferred embodiments and variations thereon, it will be understood that numerous additional modifications and variations could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0059] For the sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the use of a or an throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and comprising does not exclude other steps or elements. The mention of a unit or a module does not preclude the use of more than one unit or module.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0060] 1 apparatus [0061] 2, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16 processing devices [0062] 4 transport device [0063] 10 containers [0064] 20 main control device [0065] 26 communication device [0066] 42 input device [0067] 44 display device [0068] 62, 82, 122, 142, 162 sequence control device [0069] 66 communication device [0070] 84 checking device [0071] V predetermination parameter [0072] P1-P5 required parameters