EP2690054A1

EP2690054A1 - Filling group for bottles, with a dummy-bottle automatic sanitising system

Info

Publication number: EP2690054A1
Application number: EP13177662.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Emanuele Gatteschi
Original assignee: OCME SRL
Current assignee: OCME SRL
Priority date: 2012-07-26
Filing date: 2013-07-23
Publication date: 2014-01-29
Also published as: ITMI20121313A1

Abstract

Filling group (10) for filling bottles (B) or other containers with a filling liquid of the type comprising:
- a filling nozzle (3) arranged to dispense both said filling liquid into said bottle or other container to be filled (B), and a sanitising liquid coming from a tank (7); and
- a dummy-bottle sanitising device (9);

characterised in that
said dummy-bottle sanitising device (9) comprises:
- a chamber for collecting (11) the sanitising liquid supplied by said nozzle (3) or counter-current by a channel (21) communicating with said collecting chamber (11);
- a collecting arm (13) bearing said chamber (11) movable in a reversible roto-translational manner between a rest position in which said filling nozzle (3) is free and dispenses said filling liquid into said bottle or other container to be filled (B), and a working position in which the collecting chamber (11) is coupled with the dispensing end of said filling nozzle (3);
- an actuator (15) for driving said collecting arm (13) in movement between said rest position and said working position.

Description

The present invention relates to a filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid.
Such a filling group in particular comprises an automatic device of the "dummy bottle" type for cleaning, sterilising, or decontamination, in general for sanitising the nozzle from which the filling liquid is dispensed.
By "dummy bottle" is meant in general a piece of equipment which, during the cleaning or sanitisation cycle, is coupled to the end of the filling nozzle so as to collect the sanitising liquid.
The cleaning liquid is then recovered and sent to a suitable collector or collecting tank, to be used again.
In general, therefore, the dummy bottle remains free or inoperative during the bottle filling cycle, and only at the end thereof can it be moved into the working position to be coupled to the filling nozzle.
Once the nozzle and the whole of the filler has been sanitised, the dummy bottle returns to its rest position, freeing the nozzle and enabling filling of another bottle.
Currently known are both dummy bottles that are manual, i.e. they are moved from the rest position to the working position by hand, and automatic ones, the movement of which is governed by respective actuators. Because the number of filling nozzles of a filling machine or of a filling plant is often very high and can range between 20 and 160 nozzles, the use of manual dummy bottles requires insertion and removal operations that can take more than one hour, or at any rate a considerable period of time.
On account of this problem, it is preferable today to use automatically actuated dummy bottles, that is, ones that are governed by a suitable actuator capable of moving a plurality of dummy bottles simultaneously in a co-ordinated manner.
Examples of cleaning or sanitising systems having automatic dummy bottles are known and have been described in various patents.
However, these known, automatically actuated dummy bottles are of complex construction and expensive, and can prove to be unreliable on account of jamming or breakdown.
The aim of the present invention is to produce a filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, which filling group is fitted with an automatic sanitising device of an alternative dummy-bottle type to those that are known, and is also of simple construction and reliable.
These aims according to the present invention are achieved by producing a filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, which filling group is fitted with an automatic sanitising device of the dummy-bottle type as described in claim 1.
Further features of the invention are presented in the dependent claims.
The features and the advantages of a filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, which filling group is fitted with an automatic sanitising device of the dummy-bottle type according to the present invention will be made clearer by the following exemplifying and non-limiting description, with reference to the schematic drawings, wherein:

- Fig. 1 is a view of a filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, which filling group is fitted with an automatic sanitising device of the dummy-bottle type according to the present invention, in a state of dispensing the filling liquid and with a dummy bottle in the rest position;
Fig. 2 shows a top view of the group in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of the filling group of Fig. 1 along the line AA indicated in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a view of a filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, which filling group is fitted with an automatic sanitising device of the dummy-bottle type according to the present invention, in a state of washing the filling nozzle of the filling liquid and with a dummy bottle in an operative position;
Fig. 5 shows a top view of the group in Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 shows a sectional view of the filling group of Fig. 4 along the line CC indicated in fig. 5; and
Fig. 7 shows a sectional view of the filling group of Fig. 4 along the line BB indicated in Fig. 5.

With reference to the drawings, an embodiment is shown of a filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, which filling group is fitted with an automatic sanitising device of the dummy-bottle type according to the present invention. Such a filling group is usable for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, and the filling liquid may be of alimentary type or not.
The filling group 10 comprises:

a filling nozzle 3 for dispensing the supplied filling liquid into the bottle B and optionally also the sanitising liquid;
an automatic sanitising device 9 of the dummy-bottle type.

According to the invention, the automatic sanitising device 9 of the dummy bottle type in turn comprises:

a collecting chamber 11 movable between a rest position rest in which it frees the nozzle 3 for dispensing the filling liquid, and an working position in which said chamber is coupled to the end of the nozzle 3 to collect the sanitising liquid;
a collecting arm 13 equipped with a first extremity bearing the collecting chamber 11 and a second extremity associated with a drive system 15 for moving the collecting arm 13.

The rest position is shown in Figs. 1-3, wherein the collecting chamber 11 is not coupled to the nozzle 3 and the filling liquid can flow into the bottle B.
The second working position is shown in Figs. 4-7, where the collecting chamber 11 is coupled to the end of the nozzle 3 in such a way as to make of it a sort of stopper in which the sanitising liquid leaving the actual nozzle 3 is collected in the chamber 11.
In this operating mode, at least one end of the point of the filling nozzle 3 is inserted into the collecting chamber 11.
Provision may be made for the filling nozzle 3 to be provided with a sealing gasket 17 to increase the grip between the nozzle 3 and the collecting chamber 11 formed on the arm 13 and to reduce, possibly even eliminate, the losses of sanitising liquid released from the filling nozzle.
The sealing gasket 17 is preferably an O-ring, or other annular seal, inserted on the free end of the nozzle 3 so as to surround it. The O-ring or other annular packing 17 preferably lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the filling nozzle 3.
The internal surface which forms the sides of the collecting chamber 11 advantageously has a widened, or at any rate inclined, portion 110, which is arranged to engage with the sealing gasket 17 turned back towards the point of the nozzle 3. For this purpose, as in the attached drawings, the internal surface, which forms the sides of the collecting chamber 11 is advantageously shaped like a cone or a truncated cone. The actuator 15 is preferably of the hydraulic or dual-effect pneumatic type.
As visible in the drawings, this hydraulic or dual-effect pneumatic type actuator 15 comprises:

a containment sleeve 150 in the interior of which a race chamber is formed; and
A piston plunger 152 pre-arranged to slide within the race chamber and shaped to divide the race chamber into two hemi- chambers 166A, 166B upstream and downstream.

A actuating rod 154 is fixed to or integral with the piston plunger 152, while one or both ends of the containment sleeve 150 may be closed by one or two sealing caps 156.
The drive system 15 preferably comprises a cam mechanism 158 driven by the actuating rod 154 and arranged to move the collecting arm 13.
As shown in the drawings, the cam mechanism 158 is arranged to impart a rotary translation on the collecting arm 13, wherein the translation is along the axis AR of the piston plunger and the rotation is about the same axis AR.
The actuating rod 154 is advantageously arranged to actuate the cam mechanism 158, and this can be achieved for example in the following way.
The cam mechanism 158 may comprise a cam profile 160 formed on the containment sleeve 150, and a fixed guiding element 162 formed by one or more pins.
As shown in the drawings, the dummy bottle device 9 is fixed to the rest of the filling group 10 by means of a mounting rod or block 168 integrally formed of a piece, or at any rate solid with the piston plunger 152. The mounting block 168 may be fixed for example to the yoke or plate 19, which is in turn fixed to the rest of the carcass or bearing frame of the filling machine. The filling nozzle 3 may also be fixed to the same yoke 19. The collecting arm may be fixed to, or at any rate solid with the containment sleeve 150.
The linear liquid drive is preferably arranged in such a way that, by injecting a suitable drive liquid such as, for example, compressed air or hydraulic oil, into the race chamber, the containment sleeve 150 is caused to move relative to the actuating rod 154, and by thus moving, the containment sleeve 150 actuates the cam mechanism 158.
Two side ducts 164A, 164B are advantageously formed, arranged to allow respectively inflow of the drive liquid into hemi- chambers 166A and 166B upstream and downstream of the piston plunger 152 in the race chamber.
In this way by supplying selectively the one or the other hemi- chamber 166A and 166B, the descent and return ascent of the actuating rod 154 will be obtained and, consequently, the actuation of the collecting arm 13.
The piston plunger 152, the actuating rod 154 and the mounting rod 168 are coaxial with one another and/or formed integrally from a single piece.
The longitudinal axis of this single piece preferably corresponds to the axis AR of rotary translation of the collecting arm 13.
Reference numeral 23 indicates a clamp or other positioning support arranged to grip and rigidly hold the bottle B or other container while the nozzle 3 is filling it. The clamp 23 may likewise be fixed to the yoke or plate 19.
The dummy bottle device 9 is preferably provided with a drainage duct 21 arranged to evacuate the sanitising liquid from the collecting chamber 11 via a channel 21'.
In particular, the sanitising liquid may be dispensed by the nozzle 3, or may be injected in a "counter-current" manner from the channel 21 towards the collecting chamber 11.
There now follows a description of the functioning of a filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, which filling group is equipped with an automatic sanitising device of the dummy bottle type as previously described.
When the filling group 10 fills the bottle B with the filling liquid, the dummy bottle 9 is in the rest position with the collecting chamber 11 not coupled to the filling nozzle 3, as can be seen in Figs. 1-3.
At the end of the filling cycle, when sanitising of the group is required, the filling nozzle 3 is no longer supplied with the filling liquid, but with a sanitising liquid. As said, alternatively sanitising liquid may be injected in a "counter-current" manner from the channel 21 towards the collecting chamber 11.
At this point the actuator 15 is activated, causing compressed air or oil to flow into a hemi-chamber 166A via the supply duct 164A. The hemi-chamber 166A expands and consequently causes the containment sleeve 150 to slide relative to the body forming the piston plunger 152, the actuating rod 154 and the mounting rod 168. The motion of the containment sleeve 150 causes the pin tracker 162 of the cam drive 158 to slide, and consequently moves the containment sleeve 150 and the collecting arm 13 in rotary translation relative to the axis AR bearing the chamber in 11 in contact with the end of the filling nozzle 3, as can be seen in Figs. 4-7.
By pressing against the truncated-conical, or at any rate inclined, sides of the collecting chamber 11, the annular sealing gasket 17 ensures a good hold by preventing, or at least considerably reducing, undesirable leakage of sanitising liquid between the arm 13 and the nozzle 3.
When the cycle of washing, disinfection or decontamination is finished, the actuator 15 is activated again, causing compressed air to flow into the other hemi-chamber 166B via the supply duct 164B. The other hemi-chamber 166B expands, bringing the dummy bottle into the second position of rest. The nozzle 3 is therefore ready to dispense filling liquid again.
The preceding description reveals that the filling group 10 and its dummy-bottle 9 automatic sanitising device are of very simple mechanical construction and can be achieved with a very small number of parts, substantially an actuator such as a simple pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, a collecting arm and a cam mechanism, wherein the actuator has the function both of actuating the cam mechanism and collecting arm and of fixing the dummy bottle to the rest of the filling machine.
The main components of the dummy bottle, i.e. the containment sleeve 150 and the body which forms the piston plunger 152, the actuating rod 154 and mounting rod 168 are easily and economically obtained on a lathe or by pressing, fusion and then lathe turning. This enables a large number of dummy bottles 9 to be produced at low cost, and therefore to reduce the costs of very large filler machines fitted with a large number of filler nozzles. Since the collecting arm 13 can be very short, very small relative to the actuator 15 and translates in rotation about the axis AR, it can commute very rapidly between the working position and that of rest, with very low risks of jamming.
The reduced number of mechanical components also contributes to increased reliability of the dummy bottle. Since they are activated by an actuator, it is possible to activate a large number of dummy bottles according to the invention simultaneously with a single command signal, with a considerable time saving as compared with manual insertion and removal of certain types of known dummy bottles.
In general, therefore, it is thus seen that a filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, which filling group is fitted with an automatic sanitising device of the dummy-bottle type according to the present invention, achieves the aims set out above by yielding an alternative filling group to the groups currently known.
The thus-designed filling group for filling bottles or other containers with a filling liquid, which filling group is fitted with an automatic sanitising device of the dummy-bottle type according to the present invention, is capable of numerous modifications and variations, all of which fall within the same inventive concept; furthermore, all the features may be substituted with technically equivalent elements. In practice, the materials used, and their dimensions, may be of any type according to the technical requirements.

Claims

Filling group (10) for filling bottles (B) or other containers with a filling liquid of the type comprising:
- a filling nozzle (3) arranged to dispense both said filling liquid into said bottle or other container to be filled (B), and a sanitising liquid coming from a tank (7); and

- a dummy-bottle sanitising device (9);
characterised in that
said dummy-bottle sanitising device (9) comprises:
- a chamber for collecting (11) the sanitising liquid supplied by said nozzle (3) or counter-current by a channel (21) communicating with said collecting chamber (11);

- a collecting arm (13) bearing said chamber (11) movable in a reversible rotary translational manner between a rest position in which said filling nozzle (3) is free and dispenses said filling liquid into said bottle or other container to be filled (B), and a working position in which the collecting chamber (11) is coupled with the dispensing end of said filling nozzle (3);

- an actuator (15) for driving said collecting arm (13) in movement between said rest position and said working position.
Filling group (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that said filling nozzle (3) is provided with a sealing gasket (17) in abutment against the walls of said collecting chamber (11) in said working position.
Filling group (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that said walls of said collecting chamber (11) are inclined so as to widen towards said filling nozzle (3), said sealing gasket (17) being in abutment against said inclined walls of said collecting chamber (11) in said working position.
Filling group (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that said actuator (15) is of the hydraulic or pneumatic type and provided with a fluid for actuating the motion.
Filling group (10) according to claim 4, characterised in that said actuator (15) comprises a cam mechanism (158) for governing said collecting arm (13).
Filling group (10) according to claim 5, characterised in that said actuator (15) comprises an actuating rod (154) arranged to translate into a race chamber inside a containment sleeve (150) and provided with a piston plunger (152) for actuating said cam mechanism (158).
Filling group (10) according to claim 6, characterised in that said cam mechanism (158) comprises a cam profile (160) formed on said containment sleeve (150) and a fixed guiding pin element (162).
Filling group (10) according to claim 7, characterised in that said piston plunger (152) is shaped so as to divide said race chamber into two sealed sub-chambers (166A, 166B) for governing the descent and the ascent of said piston plunger (152) in said race chamber.
Filling group (10) according to claim 8, characterised in that inside said actuating rod (154) two side ducts (164A, 164B) for supplying said fluid actuating the motion are formed and respectively connected to said two sealed sub-chambers (166A, 166B).
Filling group (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises means for gripping said bottle (B).