FR2540259A1 - Liquid conditioning-metering device - Google Patents

Abstract

With a storage vat 10 fitted with filling 12 and drawing-off 13 solenoid valves and with conditioning elements is associated a float 14 which is sensitive to the liquid level in the vat and equipped with a permanent magnet 16; a fixed position detector 17 and a movable position detector 18 act respectively on the filling solenoid valve and on that for drawing-off in response to the detection of the presence of the permanent magnet, the position of the movable detector being representative of the quantity of liquid to be drawn off; the detectors are included in a circuit linked to the control circuit of the conditioning elements, the device being applicable especially to supplying a baker's kneading trough with predetermined quantities of conditioned water.

Description

 Liquid conditioner-metering device.

 The present invention relates to a device which can be used to condition and transfer an adjustable volume of liquid from a storage tank to a device for use, this device being in particular applicable to the supply of conditioned bakery kneader.

 Conventional liquid metering conditioners are expensive devices generally using traditional meters associated with a mixing valve. Such devices make it possible in particular to condition this, that is to say to heat and / or cool to a temperature between 10 ° C. and 300 ° C., a volume of water contained in a tank and to transfer a proportioned portion thereof. towards a baking kneader.

 There are already filling and emptying devices for liquid tanks, having a float level detector provided with a permanent magnet and collaborating with fixed electromagnetic detectors placed at the top and bottom of the tank in order to cause filling and emptying it.

 These devices are however not applicable to the metering and conditioning of the liquid contained in the tank.

 The object of the invention is in particular to create a simple, reliable and inexpensive liquid conditioner-metering device which can be used more particularly for feeding a baking kneader.

According to the invention, the metering-dosing device is associated with a liquid storage tank provided with a filling solenoid valve and with a withdrawal solenoid valve and it comprises
- a sensitive float at the level of the liquid in the tank,
- a permanent magnet linked to the float,
- a fixed magnetic position detector electrically connected to the filling solenoid valve, and
a movable magnetic position detector electrically connected to the withdrawal solenoid valve, preferably by means of flexible electrical conductors, and whose position is representative of the volume of liquid to be withdrawn, each detector being capable of acting on its respective solenoid valve response to the passage of the permanent magnet to the right of said detector, the two detectors being included in an electrical circuit connected to the control circuit of the conditioning members of the tank.

 In this way, a simple adjustment of the volume of liquid to be withdrawn is obtained by the displacement of the mobile magnetic detector, which is preferably fixed on an endless member such as strip, cable or wire, the movement of which is produced by a crank or other means. analog manual.

 The float can advantageously be housed in a level tube separate from the tank but hydraulically connected to the latter and visible from the outside of the device, in order to allow the operator to visually observe the level of the liquid in the tank. ; this notably authorizes the use of a standard tank normally insulated.

 The description of a nonlimiting example which follows with reference to the appended drawings will make it possible to better explain the invention.

 FIG. 1 schematically represents a conditioner-metering device according to the invention for baking kneader.

 Figure 2 is the electrical control diagram of the device of Figure 1.

 The conditioner-metering device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a heat-insulated water storage tank 11 and provided with a filling solenoid valve 12 disposed on a water supply pipe and with a withdrawal solenoid valve 13 disposed on a drawing pipe to feed a baking kneader.

The tank also comprises conditioning members constituted by the cooling coil of a refrigeration circuit with compressor, by a heating resistor and by an agitator; it is associated with the tank a bulb thermostat with two offset inverters in order to act on the compressor or the heating resistance depending on the water temperature.

 A float 14 is housed in a level tube 15 separated from the tank but in hydraulic connection with the latter by a tube 15a, the tube being arranged and arranged so that the float is visible from the outside of the device and that the operator can visually check the level.

 A permanent magnet is associated with the float, while a fixed magnetic position detector 17 and a movable magnetic position detector 18 arranged in the immediate vicinity of the tube are connected by electrical conductors to the filling solenoid valve 12 and to the solenoid valve. racking 13; in the latter case, isba flexible conductors.

 The movable detector 18 is associated with a cursor 19 situated opposite a graduated vertical scale 20 whose marks represent the volumes of water to be drawn from an origin corresponding to the full tank. The detector 18 and the cursor 19 are mounted on an endless wire or cable 21 which can be operated by means of a crank 22.

 The device 10 also houses the refrigeration circuit associated with the coil and the elements of the electrical control circuit including the magnetic detectors, which will now be described with reference to FIG. 2.

 This control circuit is supplied with alternating current and it includes the filling solenoid valve 12, the withdrawal solenoid valve 13, the compressor motor 23, the heating resistor 24, the motor 25 of itate'iri uatr - relay YS1 , KA2, KA3, KA4, the thermostat 26 with two offset reversers, an on / off switch 27, an automatic / manual withdrawal mode selector 28, an automatic filling contact 29, an agitator contact 30 and a contact automatic filling 31.

 The device operates as follows: the tank being assumed to be empty and the contact 29 being closed in its automatic filling position, the magnetic filling detector 17 closes the excitation circuit of the coil of the filling solenoid valve 12.

When the operator closes the stop switch 27, the tank is filled until the permanent magnet 16 associated with the float 14 in the tube 15 reaches the level of the full tank corresponding to the fixed magnetic detector 17 This switches and opens the excitation circuit of the solenoid valve 12 while supplying the relay KA1, the corresponding contacts of which, marked KA1 on the diagram, close and arm the supply to the conditioning members 23, 24 and 25.

 The operator adjusts the mobile magnetic detector 18 opposite the desired mark on the graduated scale 20 by means of the crank 22 and initiates an automatic draw-off cycle by closing the contact 31; it follows that the relay KA2 is supplied and that its corresponding contacts - marked KA2- on the schdma- arm its self-maintenance while de-energizing the coil of the filling electrovalve 12 and excite the coil of the withdrawal electrovalve 13 In this way, the drawing takes place while the filling of the tank is prohibited and this until the float 14 descends to the level of the magnetic detector 18 which, under the effect of the permanent magnet, rocks and cuts the supply of relay KA2. The withdrawal solenoid valve 13 is then de-energized and the drawing is interrupted, while the filling solenoid valve 12 is again energized.

If the contact 29 has remained closed (automatic filling), the tank is refilled as described above.

 The agitator is operated either alone by means of contact 30 and, provided that the tank is full, by means of the relay KA1, or in coupling with the compressor or the heating resistor by means of the relay KA3 or KA4.

 It goes without saying that the device described as a conditioner-doser can be constituted by a cooler-doser: it suffices to do this by removing the heating resistance and replacing the thermostat with two reversers by a thermostat with a single reverser while making the appropriate adjustments to the control circuit.

 The device is applicable to any metered distribution of a liquid food or usable in the food industry.

Claims (6)

1. Conditioner-metering device comprising a liquid storage tank (10) provided with a filling solenoid valve (12) and a withdrawal solenoid valve (13) and conditioning members (23-25), characterized by the fact that it comprises a float (14) sensitive to the level of the liquid in the tank, a permanent magnet (16) linked to this float, a fixed magnetic position detector (17) electrically connected to the filling solenoid valve, and a movable magnetic position detector (18) electrically connected to the withdrawal solenoid valve and whose position is representative of the volume of liquid to be withdrawn, each detector being capable of acting on its respective solenoid valve in response to the passage of the magnet permanent to the right of said detector, the two detectors being included in an electrical circuit connected to the control circuit of the conditioning members (23-25) of the tank. 2. A conditioner-metering device according to claim 1, characterized in that the movable magnetic detector ma (18) is connected to the withdrawal solenoid valve (13) by means of flexible electrical conductors. 3. conditioner-coseur device according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the float (14) is housed in a level tube (15) separate from the tank (11) but hydraulically connected to it- ci and visible from outside the device. 4. coditioneur-coseur device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the movable magndticue detector (18) is fixed on an endless organ manually operable. 5. A conditioner-metering device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the mobile magnetic detector (18) is electrically mounted in series with a contact of a pusher (31) triggering automatic withdrawal and with the coil of a relay (KA2) to which two contacts are subject, one of which in the withdrawal position excites the withdrawal solenoid valve (13) and the other in the withdrawal position de-energizes the filling solenoid valve (12) . 6. Conditioner-metering device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fixed magnetic detector (17) closes when the tank is not full the supply circuit of the coil of a relay (KA1) which determines the inhibition of the conditioning organs (23-25).