Apparatus for sterilising plastic containers having a protection device

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for sterilising containers including a movable carrier on which a plurality of sterilisation units are provided, which sterilisation units respectively include a charge carrier source, as well as a rod-like body that is designed such that it can be inserted into the inner space of the containers through a mouth, with an exit window provided on the rod-like body, through which exit window the charge carriers can exit, with a plurality of holding units for holding the containers, the holding units being movable relative to the rod-like bodies in a longitudinal direction of the rod-like bodies. The apparatus includes a protection device that causes the rod-like bodies to be at least partially arranged within the protective bodies in a specified mode of the apparatus.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for sterilising containers with a movable carrier, on which a plurality of sterilisation units are arranged, the sterilisation units respectively including one source of radiation and in particular one source of charge carriers, as well as a rod-like body designed in such a way that it can be inserted into the inner space of the containers through a mouth, with an exit window provided on the rod-like body, through which exit window the charge carriers can exit, with a plurality of holding units for holding the containers, the holding units being movable relative to the rod-like bodies in a longitudinal direction of the rod-like bodies,
 wherein the apparatus comprises a protection device which causes the rod-like bodies to be at least partially arranged within the protective bodies in a specified mode of the apparatus.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the protection device includes a movement mechanism for moving the protective bodies in the longitudinal direction of the rod-like bodies, which protection device causes the rod-like bodies to be at least partially inserted into the protective bodies in the specified mode. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the carrier is a rotatable carrier. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein in the specified mode of operation, the protective bodies are arranged in a contact-free manner relative to the rod-like bodies. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus includes a cleaning unit for cleaning the apparatus. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each sterilisation unit includes at least one electric motor drive unit for at least one of moving the holding units relative to the rod-like bodies and for moving the protective bodies relative to the rod-like bodies in the longitudinal direction of the rod-like bodies. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the protection unit ensures that the containers to be sterilised serve as protective bodies. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has at least one stabilisation unit in order to fix the protective bodies relative to the rod-like bodies. 
     
     
         9 . A method for operating an apparatus for sterilising containers and in particular plastic containers, wherein the containers to be sterilised are each held and are transported along a predefined path by means of a movable carrier, and wherein a plurality of sterilisation units arranged on the carrier are provided, each of which have rod-like bodies that are introduced into the containers through a mouth of the containers and apply charge carriers onto an internal wall of the containers, which charge carriers exit through an exit window of the rod-like bodies, and wherein a relative movement of the containers in a longitudinal direction of the rod-like bodies relative to the rod-like bodies is carried out so as to insert the rod-like bodies into the containers,
 wherein in a further mode of the apparatus, the rod-like bodies are each inserted into protective bodies which at least partially surround said rod-like bodies, and this insertion is also carried out by way of a relative movement between the protective bodies and the rod-like bodies in a longitudinal direction of the rod-like bodies.   
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein all of the rod-like bodies are inserted into the protective bodies in this mode. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein two consecutive cleaning and/or sterilisation processes are carried out in this mode.