Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
  • B67C3/00—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus; Filling casks or barrels with liquids or semiliquids
  • B67C3/02—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus
  • B67C3/04—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus without applying pressure

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a rotary machine for filling hollow containers, such as bottles or jars, with a food product, more particularly a filling liquid such as water, milk, oil or juice. of fruit.
• a rotary filling machine comprising an annular tank for storing the filling product.
• Such rotary filling machines conventionally comprise a rotary carousel carrying an annular tank and a plurality of filling stations, each filling station comprising a filling spout connected to the tank, and dosing means for delivering a determined quantity of filling product. filling in each container.
• the metering means comprise a valve system disposed at the filling spout and valve control means for controlling the valve system in opening and closing.
• These control means are mounted in the upper part of the annular tank with control cables extending towards the hollow central zone of the annular tank for their connection to a control unit.
• the filling product feed means of this type of tank conventionally comprise a fixed vertical main tube extending in the central hollow zone along the axis of rotation of the tank and connected at the lower end via a rotary joint to one or several secondary tubes in communication fluidic with the annular tank, said secondary tubes rotating with the latter.
• annular tanks make it possible to propose rotary machines with a large number of filling stations, while limiting the capacity of the tank.
• their feed system with rotating joint is of complex design, delicate maintenance, and is difficult to clean.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a rotary filling machine overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks, which is simple in design and easy to clean.
• the present invention relates to a rotary machine for filling containers comprising
• each filling station comprising a filling spout connected to the annular tank and dosing means, said metering means comprising a valve system arranged at the level of the filling spout and means for controlling the filling; valve mounted in the upper portion of the annular tank for controlling opening and closing of the valve system, with control cables extending from said control means to the hollow central zone of the annular tank, and
• supply means for the annular tank characterized in that said supply means comprise at least one fixed feed tube, independent of the tank, without contact with the latter, arranged between the control means valve filling stations and the outer side wall of the annular tank.
• a feed tube is fixedly mounted on a support element independent of the rotary tank, so as to extend substantially vertically between the outer side wall of the tank and the valve control means, without disturbing the rotation of the valve control means integral with the rotary tank.
• a feed tube is particularly simple in design and easy to maintain.
• the capacity of the tank can be easily adapted to the nature of the filling product and the number of filling stations by choosing the corresponding spacing between the inner side wall of the tank and the axis of rotation of the machine.
• the fixed feed tube is of rectangular or circular cross section, preferably of rectangular section to limit its bulk.
• the filling spouts are mounted on the bottom wall of the annular tank, the valve system being formed by a valve mounted at the free end of the rod of a jack, said jack, preferably pneumatic, constituting said valve control means.
• the upper opening of the tank is covered by first protection means integral with the vessel and second fixed protection means, without contact with the vessel.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a rotary filling machine half according to the invention
• FIG. 2 represents a schematic partial view from above of the machine of FIG. 1.
• the rotary machine comprises a carousel 1, represented only schematically in FIG. 1, comprising a support structure 11 intended to be mounted in a rotating manner on a fixed frame (not shown) around a vertical axis of rotation A
• the carousel 1 carries a tank 2 of annular filling liquid, equipped with a plurality of filling stations 3 arranged at regular angular space around the axis of rotation.
• the annular shaft 2 of axis A comprises a cylindrical outer side wall 21, also called peripheral wall, an inner cylindrical sidewall 22 and a bottom wall 23, said walls defining between them a volume for storing a filling liquid.
• the annular tank is fixed on the support structure 11 by its inner side wall, for example in the vicinity of the upper edge.
• Each filling station 3 comprises a filling spout 31 mounted vertically on the bottom wall 23 of the filler tank, with a discharge port, facing downwards, in fluid communication with the filler tank.
• the nozzles are for example arranged equidistant from the side walls of the tank, as shown in FIG.
• Each station further comprises a container support system (not shown) for supporting and holding a container, such as a bottle, under the filling spout.
• This support system comprises for example a clamp system capable of grasping a bottle and a base to support the bottle by its bottom.
• Metering means 32 of the product are associated with each filling spout for delivering a determined quantity of product into each container brought under the filling spout.
• These metering means comprise a valve 321 disposed in the filling spout and controlled in opening and closing by a pneumatic cylinder 322 disposed above the tank.
• the body 322a of the jack is mounted on a support plate 5 specific to each of the bodies 332a of cylinders (not shown) or on a single annular support plate 5 assembled to the support structure 11, its rod 322b extends substantially vertically in the tank and carries at its free end the valve, so that the valve can be moved vertically in translation by the cylinder to open or close the discharge port.
• the electrical cables 323 for controlling the cylinders are brought back to the hollow central zone 24 delimited by the inner side wall 22 of the tank, where they will be grouped to be connected to a mounted control unit, for example in the central area dig.
• the dosing means are, for example, of the weight type, the cylinder being controlled by a weighing sensor placed at the level of the support system, for example at the aforementioned base.
• the cylinder is controlled by a sensor for detecting the filling level of the container or a flow sensor that is interposed between the container and the nozzle at the time of filling.
• the cylinder bodies 322a are disposed above the tank so as to maintain between said cylinders and the outer side wall 21 a free annular sector, shown schematically by the shaded area B in FIG. 2, to allow the passage of a tube fixed supply 61, hollow and straight.
• This filling tube is preferably of rectangular section, as it appears in Figure 2, to limit the space required for its positioning without contact between the outer side wall and the cylinders.
• This feed tube is mounted via fixing lugs 71 on a fixed support member 7, which is for example integral with the fixed frame of the carousel.
• the feed tube extends vertically in the tank, near the outer side wall and parallel to the latter.
• the plate support 5 for the cylinders partially covers the tank, and the free annular sector is covered by a first ring 81, fixed to the support plate, having an upward vertical outer flange which is directed upwards and disposed at a distance from the feed tube, and a second ring 82, which is fixedly mounted, without contact with the tank, like the feed tube, by suitable fixing means, this second ring having an outward rim directed downwards and disposed beyond the upper edge of the outer side wall, and extending above the first ring, slightly beyond the vertical rim of the latter.

Landscapes

• Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)
• Basic Packing Technique (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=37989173

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 2006
  • 2006-10-05 FR FR0608733A patent/FR2906789B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2007
  • 2007-10-02 MX MX2009003592A patent/MX2009003592A/es not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2007-10-02 CN CNA2007800369758A patent/CN101563287A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-10-02 US US12/444,245 patent/US20100032056A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-10-02 WO PCT/FR2007/001604 patent/WO2008040876A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2007-10-02 EP EP07848303A patent/EP2069226A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-10-02 JP JP2009530910A patent/JP2010505706A/ja active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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