Method and device for displacing air from bottles of carbonated beverages

Abstract

A method and a device are described for displacing air from bottles of carbonated beverages. Sound waves may be emitted from at least one sound source and propagate through the ambient air, penetrate through the mouths into the beverage and/or make the walls of the bottles vibrate so that CO.sub.2 is expelled from the beverage and the beverage foams in the headspace such that air contained therein is displaced through the mouth. The oxygen content in the beverage can thus be reduced flexibly and in an adjustable manner with comparatively little expenditure on equipment and for different bottle formats.

Claims

1. A method for displacing air from bottles containing carbonated beverages, comprising: emitting sound waves from at least one sound source; propagating the sound waves through ambient air; penetrating through the mouths of said bottles into said beverages with the sound waves and/or making the sidewalls of said bottles vibrate with the sound waves, so that CO.sub.2 is expelled from said beverages, thereby forming undissolved CO.sub.2 that rises to the surface of the beverage and there creates foam displacing air present in headspaces of said bottles above said beverages through said mouths.

2. The method according to claim 1, where first sound waves are directed onto said sidewalls of said bottles and an output frequency is adapted to a natural resonance frequency of said bottles that are filled with said beverages.

3. The method according to claim 2, where said output frequency is tuned during emission of said first sound waves.

4. The method according to claim 3, where said output frequency is tuned on a basis of a standard natural resonance frequency associated with a respective bottle format of said bottles and/or said beverages and/or a filling level.

5. The method according to claim 1, where said bottles are irradiated with first sound waves at different output frequencies of a first sound source, where the first soundwaves are received by a sound receiver configured to register signal amplitudes, and where a natural resonance frequency is determined by comparing associated signal amplitudes of the received first soundwaves.

6. The method according to claim 1, where second sound waves are directed through said mouths of said bottles onto bases of said bottles and standing waves are thus generated in said beverages.

7. The method according to claim 6, where a distance of said at least one sound source from said bases of said bottles is adapted to at least one of a format of said bottles, a type of the beverage, and a filling level of the beverage.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the distance of said at least one sound source from said bases of said bottles is adapted automatically.

9. The method according to claim 6, where said second sound waves are directed onto a curved wall portion of said bases.

10. The method according to claim 1, where amplitudes of first and/or second sound waves of said sound waves are set individually.

11. The method according to claim 1, where first and/or second sound waves of the sound waves are generated by at least one piezoceramic speaker.

12. The method according to claim 1, where first and/or second sound waves of the sound waves are generated by at least one piezoceramic spherical cap and focused to form shock waves.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, where

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a bottle when CO.sub.2 is expelled;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of tuning the output frequency emitted; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic top view onto the device between a filler and a capper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(5) As indicated schematically by FIG. 1, device 100 according to the present disclosure and the method performed therewith serve to expel CO.sub.2 from bottles 1 of carbonated beverages 2, such as beer, lemonade containing vitamin C or the like, by way of standing sound waves 3 which are generated, for example, by a first sound source 4 and/or a second sound source 5. This results in foam 2a arising which ultimately displaces the air existing in headspace 1a of bottles 1 and the oxygen contained therein.

(6) First sound source 4 is directed from the outside onto a sidewall 1b of a bottle 1. Second sound source 5 is directed through mouth 1c of bottle 1, and therefore from the inside, onto its base 1d, so that standing sound waves 3 form in beverage 2 due to sound reflection from base 1d. A base 1d with curved wall sections, as indicated schematically, is advantageous for the reliable formation of standing sound waves 3, in particular, with individually different bottle dimensions and/or filling levels 2b.

(7) First sound source 4 operates by way of first sound waves 4a that are contactlessly transmitted through the ambient air to sidewall 1b. Second sound waves 5a emitted from second sound source 5 are also contactlessly coupled into beverage 2 through the ambient air and mouth 1c.

(8) Only a single standing sound wave 3 is illustrated for the sake of clarity, which is formed by a second sound wave 5a emitted by second sound source 5, a sound wave 3a returning after reflection from base 1d, and common wave nodes 3b. Expelling CO.sub.2 dissolved in beverage 2 is based to its release due to pressure fluctuations in beverage 2, in particular, at wave nodes 3b.

(9) Schematically indicated is further a wall vibration 6 in sidewall 1b and in base 1d of bottle 1 which is excited by first sound source 4 enhancing the formation of foam and which has a natural resonance frequency 7 (shown in FIG. 2). The latter can fluctuate individually for a particular bottle format due to production-related circumstances and/or for a particular beverage 2, for example, also depending on filling level 2b.

(10) Accordingly, FIG. 2 in a schematic frequency-time diagram illustrates that output frequency 8 of first sound source 4 can be tuned during a suitable treatment period of individual bottles 1. For this purpose, output frequency 8 may be continuously raised and/or lowered over a tuning range 9 covering the possible natural resonance frequencies 7 of all bottles 1 to be treated.

(11) Tuning range 9 can be based on a standard natural resonance frequency 10 depending on the format and/or depending on the beverage and/or depending on the filling level and be respectively determined for bottles 1 to be treated such that, during the tuning, output frequency 8 temporarily coincides with the actual natural resonance frequency 7 of each filled bottle. A wall vibration 6 enhancing the foaming can thus at least temporarily be excited reliably on all bottles 1, even with systematically caused scattering of individual natural resonance frequency 7.

(12) Tuning output frequency 8 in the example shown leads to a linearly increasing frequency-time sequence 8a. Linearly lowering output frequency 8 or other frequency-time sequences covering natural resonance frequency 7 are likewise conceivable.

(13) Tuning range 9 may be determined specifically for the format and/or specifically for the product, i.e. possibly also depending on beverage 2 filled into bottle 1. For this purpose, for example, the statistical variation of bottle dimensions and/or filling level 2b can be incorporated into determining tuning range 9.

(14) To determine natural resonance frequency 7 of individual bottles 1 and/or a statistical scattering of natural resonance frequency 7 for a particular bottle format with the associated beverage, for example, as an average value and standard deviation, bottles 1 can be irradiated by first sound source 4 at different output frequencies 8 and signal amplitudes registered by way of suitable sound receivers 15, 16 can be compared.

(15) By statistical evaluation of such measurement results, it is then possible to calculate, for example, associated standard natural resonance frequencies 10 and/or associated tuning ranges 9 for individual combinations of possible bottle formats and beverages.

(16) Device 100 for contactlessly coupling in sound waves 4a, 5a shown in FIG. 1 further comprises a (schematically indicated) transport device 11 with an associated axis of rotation 11a and an optional bearing surface 11b for bottles 1. Transport device 11 is, for example, a transfer starwheel or the like, from which a direction of transport 1e of bottles 1 with respect to the sound sources 4, 5 arises. In principle, however, it could also be a linear transport path in the form of a conveyor belt or the like.

(17) In principle, it would be possible to additionally make bearing surface 11b vibrate in accordance with output frequency 8. In the example shown, however, wall vibration 6 at natural resonance frequency 7 is excited exclusively by first sound source 4.

(18) First and/or second sound source 4, 5 can be formed, for example, as a piezoceramic speaker. In particular output frequency 8 of first sound source 4 can be automatically tuned by a controller 12.

(19) A lifting device 13 can be provided for second sound source 5 to set a distance 14 between second sound source 5 and base 1b of bottles 1. Distance 14 and/or output frequency 8 can then be predetermined, for example, centrally by controller 12 by way of a touchscreen or similar input unit in a format-specific and/or beverage-specific manner.

(20) In particular second sound source 5 could also be configured as a piezoceramic spherical cap for generating shock waves on the basis of convergent spherical waves. Due to the associated focusing, the sound can be coupled more effectively into beverage 2 and standing sound waves 3 can be generated particularly efficiently.

(21) Piezoelectric elements can then be arranged in a single-layered or double-layered manner in the spherical cap in a manner known per se in order to be expanded at the same time by way of a high-voltage pulse in the micrometer range and to thus generate a pressure pulse in the adjacent medium. The piezoelectric elements are then known to be oriented toward a focus, in the region of which shock waves form.

(22) Alternatively, electromagnetic pressure pulse or shock wave generation is conceivable with flat coils based on the working principle of a speaker. In this case, a flat membrane is deflected in an impact-loaded manner by electromagnetic forces creating a plane wave that is then suitably focused using an acoustic lens. Also in this case, the shock waves arise in the vicinity of the focus.

(23) FIG. 1 shows first and second sound sources 4, 5 combined at any random transport position of bottle 1. In principle, foam 2a could also be created by releasing CO.sub.2 from beverage 2 only using first sound source 4 or only using second sound source 5, in order to displace air that is present in headspace 1a of bottles 1 above beverage 2 with foam 2a.

(24) It would also be conceivable to arrange several first sound sources 4 and/or several second sound sources 5 one behind the other on transport device 11 in direction of transport 1e. It would also be conceivable to arrange a first sound sources 4 and a second sound source 5 one behind the other on transport device 11 in direction of transport 1e.

(25) This is indicated by way of example in schematic FIG. 3. Visible there is a filler formed as a rotary machine with an inlet starwheel and an outlet starwheel and a capper 21 and transport device 11 formed therebetween as a transfer star with a first sound source 4 and a second sound source 5.

(26) For example, a wall vibration 6 at natural resonance frequency 7 of bottles 1 could first be excited by way of first sound source 4, and the amount of foam 2a in bottles 1 could then be selectively controlled by coupling in sound waves 5a from second sound source 5. CO.sub.2 is already released due to excited wall vibrations 6 and foam 2a is produced as a result. Its quantity can be adjusted, for example, by changing the sound amplitude of first sound source 4 and/or by selectively adjusting its output frequency 8. Regardless thereof, foaming can then be additionally controlled from above with second sound source 5.

(27) However, in principle, any variants of simultaneously or successively acting first and/or second sound sources 4, 5 are conceivable.

(28) Bottles 1 may be filled in filler 20 with beverage 2 in a continuous product flow and transferred from outlet starwheel of filler 20 to transport device 11. Sound waves 4a, 5a are coupled into sidewalls 1b, bases 1c and/or beverage 2 in the region of transport device 11 by way of first sound source 4 and/or second sound source 5 during the continuous transport of containers 1. As a result, CO.sub.2 is expelled from beverage 2 and therewith forms foam 2a in headspaces 1a of bottles 1, so that previously existing air may be entirely displaced from headspaces 1a. The entry of oxygen into beverage 2 can thus be reduced to an acceptable level.

(29) Thereafter, bottles 1 thus treated are fed to capper 21 and closed therein with closure caps 22 in a manner known per se. The further handling of sealed bottles 1 is known and therefore not further explained.

(30) The vibration amplitude of sound waves 4a, 5a emitted by sound sources 4, 5 can be adapted centrally to the respective bottle format and/or beverage. Any series arrangement of sound sources 4, 5 along direction of transport 1e with individually adapted sound amplitudes is conceivable. This allows for particularly precise control of the formation of foam in bottles 1, in order to, firstly, expel as much as possible the air present above beverage 2 and at the same time to avoid foam 2a from overflowing.

(31) Contactlessly coupling in sound waves 4a, 5a through the ambient air is flexible and adaptable to different bottle formats and beverages with comparatively little expenditure of equipment. In particular, no replacement of setup parts or the like is necessary for format adaptation.

(32) Instead, possibly only output frequency 8, in particular for the excitation of wall vibration 6 at the natural resonance frequency 7 of filled bottle 1 and/or distance 14 between second sound source 5 and the inner walls of bases 1d are to be adapted specifically to the format, and/or specifically to the beverage or specifically to the filling level, respectively. An equally flexible and efficient displacement of the air from headspace 1a of bottles 1 is thereby given.

(33) The formation of foam can be specifically controlled in particular by the following parameters: output frequency and/or sound amplitude of the sound source (s); distance of first sound source 4 from base 1c of the bottle; vibration form of the emitted sound waves, such as sinusoidal, sawtooth-shaped, rectangular or the like; series arrangement of several separately controllable first and/or second sound sources 4, 5 between the filler and the capper; and/or the excitation to wall vibration 6 at natural resonance frequency 7 of filled bottles.

(34) The following advantages can be obtain, for example: Adjustment and control of the parameters described is possible centrally, for example on a touch screen, and in dependence of machine performance. Foam 2a can be generated in a particularly selective manner, so that air is expelled out of headspace 1a, in particular, in a laminar manner and unwanted turbulence in headspace 1a is avoided. Optimum hygiene due to contactless sound coupling; No introduction of additional substances, such as water, into beverage 2, thereby maintaining product quality; and Low energy consumption.