Multiple Station Machine for Cleaning a Container by Scouring With a Compressed Gas Peripheral Jet

• US 20070272287A1
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sidel Participations (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Original Assignee: Sidel Participations (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Inventors: Cirette, Damien, Freire Diaz, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 7,487,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/142
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/283 by gas jets
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/32 Rotating conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/34 Arrangements of conduits or nozzles

Abstract

A machine for cleaning the inner walls (66, 75) of a receptacle (12), includes several cleaning stations of which one is fitted with an insufflation tube (36) that is connected to a source of pressurized gas and that is provided with a nozzle (38) insufflating the gas towards the inner walls (66, 75) of the receptacle (12) during a cleaning cycle including an ascending phase and a descending phase (Pd) of the insufflation tube (36), the nozzle (38) having an annular peripheral slot (64) that is capable of forming a peripheral jet (f2) of gas of generally frustoconical shape directed towards the inner side walls (66) of the receptacle (12) and towards the bottom, and the peripheral jet (f2) being triggered for at least a part of the descending phase (Pd).

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. Machine (10) for cleaning the inner walls (66, 75) of a receptacle such as a bottle (12) of the type comprising several cleaning stations (14) that are mounted so as to rotate about a main axis (A1) and that are distributed circumferentially about the main axis (A1), characterized in that each cleaning station (14) is fitted with an insufflation tube (36) that extends along a substantially vertical axis (A2), that is connected to a source (16) of pressurized gas, and that is provided, at its top axial end, with a generally cylindrical nozzle (38) designed to insufflate the gas towards the inner walls (66, 75) of the receptacle (12), and each station is of the type comprising support means (62) that hold the receptacle (12) generally vertically so that the opening of the receptacle (12) is arranged downwards on the axis (A2) of the insufflation tube (36), of the type in which the insufflation tube (36) is controlled so as to slide along its axis (A2), during a cleaning cycle, between a first top axial position, in which the nozzle (38) extends inside the receptacle (12), and a second bottom axial position, the cleaning cycle comprising an ascending phase (Pm) corresponding to the ascending travel of the insufflation tube (36), from its bottom position to its top position, and a descending phase (Pd) corresponding to the descending travel of the insufflation tube (36), from its top position to its bottom position,

in that the nozzle (38) comprises an annular peripheral slot (64) that is capable of forming a peripheral jet (f2) of pressurized gas of generally frustoconical shape directed towards the inner side walls (66) of the receptacle (12) and downwards, when the nozzle (38) extends inside the receptacle (12), and in that the peripheral jet (f2) is triggered for at least a part of the descending phase (Pd) inside the receptacle (12), in that the source (16) of pressurized gas is common to several cleaning stations (14),

in that the machine is fitted with a gas distributor (28) comprising

a main fixed duct (31) that is coaxial with the main axis (A1), that is connected to the source (16) of pressurized gas and that comprises, in its axial wall (102), at least one distribution window (104, 106),

a connection hub (32) that is mounted so as to rotate about the main duct (31), that is connected rotatably to the cleaning stations (14) and that comprises a series of radial channels (33, 35), and in that each radial channel (33, 35) comprises, at its outer end, an outer orifice (98) that is connected to the insufflation tube (36) of an associated cleaning station (14) and, at its inner end, an inner orifice (100) that opens in line with the distribution window (104, 106) during an angular sector of the rotation cycle of the hub (32) so as to cause the supply of the associated insufflation tube (36) during an adequate period of the cleaning cycle.

11. Machine (10) according to the claim 10, characterized in that the insufflation tube (36) comprises a peripheral duct (72) that opens on the outside of the annular slot (64) and a central duct (74) that opens on the outside of a central orifice (76) situated at the free axial end of the nozzle (38), and in that the central orifice (76) is capable of producing a central jet (f1) of pressurized gas directed towards the bottom inner facing wall (75) of the receptacle (12), when the nozzle (38) extends inside the receptacle (12).

12. Machine (10) according to claim 11, characterized in that the cleaning cycle comprises a phase (Pm), called the ascending phase, corresponding to the travel of the insufflation tube (36), from its first position to its second position, and a phase (Pd), called the descending phase, corresponding to the travel of the insufflation tube (36) from its second position to its first position and in that the machine comprises a gas distributor (28) that supplies only the central duct (74) during at least a part of the ascending phase (Pm) and that supplies only the peripheral duct (72) during at least a part of the descending phase (Pd).

13. Machine (10) according to claim 12, characterized in that the connection hub (32) comprises a first top track (94) of radial channels (33, 35) that are connected to the respective central ducts (74) of the associated insufflation tubes (36) and a second bottom track (96) of radial channels (33, 35) that are connected to the respective peripheral ducts (72) of the associated insufflation tubes (36), and in that the main duct (31) comprises a first top distribution window (104) that is associated with the first top track (94) and a second bottom distribution window (106) that is associated with the bottom track (96).

14. Machine (10) according to claim 13, characterized in that, considering a determined insufflation tube (36), during the ascending phase (Pm), the inner orifice (100) of the radial channel (35) associated with the central duct (74) comes into line with the said second bottom distribution window (106), the inner orifice (100) of the radial channel (33) associated with the peripheral duct (72) being in line with the axial wall (102) of the main duct (31), and, during the descending phase (Pd), the inner orifice (100) of the radial channel (35) associated with the peripheral duct (72) comes into line with the said first top distribution window (104), the inner orifice (100) of the radial channel (35) associated with the central duct (74) being in line with the axial wall (102) of the main duct (31), so that only the central duct (74) is supplied with gas during the majority of the ascending phase (Pm), and so that only the peripheral duct (72) is supplied with gas during the majority of the descending phase (Pd).

15. Machine (10) according to claim 14, characterized in that, considering a determined insufflation tube (36), in the vicinity of the said first top position of the insufflation tube (36), the inner orifices (100) of the two associated radial channels (33, 35) come into line with the corresponding distribution windows (104, 106) so that the central duct (74) and the peripheral duct (72) are supplied with gas simultaneously for a determined lapse of time.

16. Machine (10) according to claim 13 characterized in that each distribution window (104, 106) extends over an angular sector of a value greater than the angular gap between the two consecutive inner orifices (100) of the same series of radial channels (33, 35) so as to supply simultaneously at least two radial channels (33, 35) of the same series.

17. Machine (10) according to claim 10, characterized in that the gas consists of compressed air.

18. Machine (10) according to claim 14 characterized in that each distribution window (104, 106) extends over an angular sector of a value greater than the angular gap between the two consecutive inner orifices (100) of the same series of radial channels (33, 35) so as to supply simultaneously at least two radial channels (33, 35) of the same series.

19. Machine (10) according to claim 15 characterized in that each distribution window (104, 106) extends over an angular sector of a value greater than the angular gap between the two consecutive inner orifices (100) of the same series of radial channels (33, 35) so as to supply simultaneously at least two radial channels (33, 35) of the same series.