Apparatus for screening off radiation during the sterilization of containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9343190-B2
Application number	US-201414461148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2014
Priority date	Sep 10, 2013
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for the sterilization of containers with a conveying device which conveys the containers along a pre-determined conveying path (P), with a sterilization device which acts upon at least one area of the containers with charge carriers in the course of the sterilization, with a screening apparatus for screening off beams from the environment, which has at least two screening bodies which are arranged with respect to each other in such a way that one screening body is situated on the side of the screening apparatus facing the conveying path (P) and one screening body is situated on the one facing away from it, wherein the screening bodies are thermally insulated from each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for the sterilization of containers comprising a conveying device which conveys the containers along a pre-determined conveying path (P), a plurality of sterilization devices which acts upon at least one area of the containers with charge carriers in the course of the sterilization, a screening apparatus for screening off beams from the environment, which has at least two screening bodies which are arranged with respect to each other in such a way that one screening body is situated on the side of the screening apparatus facing the conveying path (P) and one screening body is situated on the side of the screening apparatus facing away from the conveying path (P), wherein the screening bodies are thermally insulated from each other.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening bodies are walls which extend along the conveying path (P).

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening bodies extend parallel to each other.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening bodies are thermally insulated from each other via a gap which extends at least locally between the screening bodies.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the gap between the screening bodies is filled with air.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening bodies are joined to each other.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the screening bodies are joined by welding seams, spot welds, screw connections or plug-in connections.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening body facing the conveying path (P) has a pre-set movability at a right angle to the conveying path as compared with the screening body facing away from the conveying path.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening body which faces away from the conveying path (P) is a steel sheet or the face of a casting.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening body facing the conveying path (P) is a metal sheet which is resistant to sterilization media.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening body facing away from the conveying path (P) is from 10 to 150 mm in thickness.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening body facing the conveying path (P) is less than 10 mm in thickness.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screening bodies facing the containers are thinner than the screening bodies facing away from the containers.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation to be screened off is ionizing radiation for the sterilization of the containers or interference radiation resulting from the sterilization.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the ionizing radiation comprises electron radiation.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the interference radiation comprises x-ray radiation.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a heating device is provided for heating at least one screening body.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the screening body to be heated is the screening body facing the conveying path.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the heating is carried out by the introduction of a heated gaseous medium.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sterilization device sterilizes at least one region of the inner wall of the containers.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the sterilization device has a radiation element, the longitudinal direction of which extends substantially at a right angle to the conveying path (P) of the containers and which is capable of being introduced into the interior of the container to be sterilized by a relative movement of the container with respect to the radiation element through an aperture in the containers to be sterilized.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein the radiation element has an outlet window through which the sterilizing radiation can emerge.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein the outlet window is formed of a titanium foil.

24. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying device has gripping elements.

25. An apparatus for the screening off of radiation in an apparatus for the sterilization of containers, comprising a conveying device, which conveys the containers along a pre-determined conveying path (P), and a plurality of sterilization devices, wherein the apparatus having at least two screening bodies which are arranged with respect to each other in such a way that one screening body is situated on the side of the apparatus facing the conveying path (P) and one screening body is situated on the side of the apparatus facing away from the conveying path (P), and the screening body facing the conveying path can be heated, and wherein the screening bodies are thermally insulated from each other.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25 , wherein the screening bodies are joined to each other.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25 , wherein the screening bodies are walls which extend along the conveying path (P).

28. An apparatus for the blow moulding of plastics material pre-forms comprising a conveying device, which conveys the plastics material pre-forms along a pre-determined conveying path (P), a stressing device, which acts upon the plastics material pre-forms with a medium in order to shape the plastics material pre-forms into plastics material containers, said apparatus comprising a plurality of sterilizing devices which act upon at least one area of the containers with charge carriers in the course of the sterilization and a wall apparatus, which has at least two walls which are arranged with respect to each other in such a way that one wall is situated on the side of the wall apparatus facing the conveying path (P) and one wall is situated on the one facing away from the conveying path (P), wherein the walls are thermally insulated from each other wherein the wall apparatus comprises a screening apparatus for screening off beams from the environment.

29. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the screening body facing the conveying path (P) is stretchable.

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Scheuren Hans
• Knott Josef
• Neubauer Michael

Classifications

• A61L2103/23

  Containers other than laboratory or medical, e.g. bottles or mail · CPC title

• A61L2/082

  X-rays · CPC title

• A61L2/08 Primary

  Radiation · CPC title

• G21F3/04 Primary

  Bricks; Shields made up therefrom · CPC title

• A61L2/087

  Particle radiation, e.g. electron-beam, alpha or beta radiation · CPC title