Method for forming and/or testing a bag in the interior space of a container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10859463-B2
Application number	US-201716335365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2017
Priority date	Sep 26, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for producing a bag in the interior space of a container and for testing said bag, and to a system for this purpose, to a computer program product for execution, and to the use of the system for the methods.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for forming a collapsible bag in an interior space of a container, comprising:
peeling bag material away from an inner face of a wall of the container, the container comprising an extraction opening and a ventilation opening, and the interior space of the container comprising an extraction side associated with the extraction opening and a ventilation side associated with the ventilation opening, the extraction side and the ventilation side being separated from one another by the bag material, and the bag material being stuck to the inner face of the wall of the container when in an initial state;
generating a differential pressure between the ventilation side and the extraction side and changing the differential pressure such that the bag material stuck to the wall detaches, thereby forming the bag, the differential pressure being generated first, upon which there is an overpressure on the ventilation side in relation to the extraction side, resulting in the bag material peeling away from the wall in part, and the differential pressure then being reversed in terms of sign or in terms of the direction of the differential pressure such that the bag material that has already peeled away is re-joined to the wall; and
a further differential pressure is generated, upon which the pressure on the ventilation side is greater than on the extraction side such that the bag material in the already peeled-away portion is moved away from the wall first and then another portion of the bag material is detached from the wall.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the differential pressure is changed in an alternating manner such that the bag material stuck to the wall detaches in stages.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the differential pressure is changed cyclically, each cycle having at least two phases.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein:
in one phase, the pressure on the ventilation side is greater than the pressure on the extraction side or the differential pressure detaches the bag from the wall of the container,
in another phase, the pressure on the ventilation side is lower than the pressure on the extraction side or the differential pressure presses the bag against the wall, and
the differential pressure alternates.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the cycles each have a period length of more than 0.5 s, or less than 3 s.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the differential pressure is more than 100 kPa, or less than 400 kPa.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein to produce the bag, a wall material forming the wall of the container, and the bag material are first made into the shape of the container directly abutting one another, the bag material sticking to the inner face of the wall of the container, and the bag then being formed by peeling away the bag material from the wall of the container.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a pressure storage volume is brought to a target pressure and then connected to the ventilation side such that the pressure between the pressure storage volume and the ventilation side is equalized, and the resultant pressure after the pressure equalization being measured as a parameter or to determine either the degree of peeling or the volume.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein overpressure is applied to the extraction side compared with the ventilation side such that the bag is joined to the wall of the container, and in that together with or by means of the ventilation side, a closed test volume is generated, in which a pressure or pressure differential is identified following or depending on a test duration and is used as an indicator for the degree of tightness of the bag provided in the container.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the container comprises a non-circular ventilation opening, wherein as a result of the container being inserted into a system, or during or following said insertion, a radial pressure is exerted on the container and acts on the ventilation opening such that the diameter or opening cross-sectional area thereof is temporarily enlarged, and wherein, by means of the temporarily enlarged diameter or the temporarily enlarged opening cross-sectional area, a pressure equalization through the ventilation opening is sped up.

11. A method for determining a degree to which a bag has peeled away from the inner face of the wall of a container, a volume by which the bag can be collapsed or a corresponding parameter, the container comprising an extraction opening and a ventilation opening, an interior space of the container comprising an extraction side associated with the extraction opening and a ventilation side associated with the ventilation opening, which sides are separated from one another by the bag, the method comprising:
bringing a pressure storage volume to a target pressure and then connecting the pressure to the ventilation side such that the pressure between the pressure storage volume and the ventilation side is equalized, and
measuring the resultant pressure after the pressure equalization as a parameter or to determine either the degree of peeling or the volume.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the pressure storage volume is brought to an overpressure, the overpressure exceeding the ambient pressure.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the pressure storage volume corresponds to more than half or less than four times the volume of the container or bag.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein when a valve between the ventilation side and the pressure storage volume is closed, the pressure storage volume is brought to overpressure, and the pressure storage volume is then connected to the ventilation side by opening the valve, the extraction side being vented or evacuated.

15. A system, comprising:
a chamber into which a container can be or is inserted, the container comprising an extraction opening and a ventilation opening and an interior space of the container comprising an extraction side associated with the extraction opening and a ventilation side associated with the ventilation opening, which sides are separated from one another by a bag material, the chamber tightly securing the extraction side and the ventilation side separately from one another,
wherein the system generates a differential pressure between the extraction side and the ventilation side in order to peel the bag material away from the inner wall of the container.

16. The system according to claim 15 , wherein the differential pressure is alternating causing the bag material to be peeled off step-by-step.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the chamber produces a radial pressure on the wall of the container as a result of the container being inserted into the chamber, or during or following said insertion, such that the diameter or the opening cross-sectional area of the ventilation opening is enlarged.

18. A system, comprising:
a chamber into which a container can be or is inserted, the container comprising an extraction opening and a ventilation opening and an interior space of the container comprising an extraction side associated with the extraction opening and a ventilation side associated with the ventilation opening, which sides are separated from one another by a bag material, the chamber tightly securing the extraction side and the ventilation side separately from one another,
wherein the system comprises a pressure storage volume and is designed to bring the pressure storage volume to a

Assignees

• Boehringer Ingelheim Int

Inventors

• Mathe Gerald
• Pereira-Kirchwehm Carlos-Manuel Costa

Classifications

• B29C2049/78805

  Computer or PLC control · CPC title

• B29C49/80

  Testing, e.g. for leaks · CPC title

• B29C49/04 Primary

  Extrusion blow-moulding · CPC title

• G01M3/3263 Primary

  using a differential pressure detector (G01M3/3245, G01M3/3272 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01M3/3218

  for flexible or elastic containers · CPC title