FR2600037A1 - PROCESS FOR FILLING A CONTAINER SUCH AS A PRESERVE BOX, BY A SOLID PRODUCT, ESPECIALLY FOOD, IN A CARROUSEL FILLING MACHINE AND AN ARRANGEMENT OF A FILLING STATION FOR CARRYING OUT THE PROCESS - Google Patents

Abstract

THE PRESENT INVENTION CONCERNS A PROCESS FOR FILLING A CONTAINER WITH A SOLID PRODUCT, IN A FILLING MACHINE WITH CARROUSEL, AS WELL AS AN ARRANGEMENT OF A FILLING STATION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PROCESS. THE FILLING PROCEDURE, ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION, OF THE TYPE CONSISTING OF FILLING AN EMPTY CONTAINER WITH A PRODUCT, IN PACKING THIS PRODUCT IN THE CONTAINER USING A MOBILE PAD, IS CHARACTERIZED IN THAT AFTER THE SETTLEMENT PRODUCT THE SQUEEGEE 25 IS ONLY REMOVED UNTIL A POSITION AT THE TOP EDGE OF THE CONTAINER11, SO THAT IT IS CLOSED BY THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE PAD 25 AND THE PAD IS HELD IN THIS POSITION UNTIL NOW. EVACUATION OF THE CONTAINER FROM THE FILLING MACHINE 1. THE INVENTION FOUND IN PARTICULAR APPLICATION IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY.

Description

260003?

  The present invention relates to a method of filling a container such as a canning boot, by a solid food product in particular, in a carousel filling machine comprising a certain number of filling stations angularly distributed around the axis of rotation. the machine, and an arrangement of a filling station for carrying out this method. Carousel filling machines of this type are known. Each filling station comprises a filling arrangement equipped with a tamping pad which is movable in the axis of the box between a high position above it and a packing position inside the boot, a predetermined distance below the upper edge thereof. After the tamping operation, the pad is removed and returned to its upright position. The known filling method with known filling arrangements has the major disadvantage that the products after the return of the buffer and after being released can move up and out of the boot. If for example the boots contain green beans, they can, after the return of the buffer, extend beyond the upper level of the boots and be cut later when the evacuation thereof from the machine. It can thus be seen, in general, that the known filling method and arrangements have the considerable disadvantage that the weight of the product contained in the boots after their removal from the machine is lower than the initial weight, which is nevertheless carefully dosed, and that lost products or pieces of product fall inside the machine, which requires stops and

frequent cleanings of it.

  The present invention aims to overcome these disadvantages and to provide a method and a container filling arrangement, which prevent any loss of products after filling, in the machine. To achieve this purpose, the method according to the invention is characterized in that after having packed the product in the box, the tamping pad is only removed to a position at the upper edge of the boot, so that it is closed by the lower surface of the buffer, and that the buffer is held in this closed position of the box until the moment of evacuation of the box of the

filling machine.

  For the implementation of this method, the arrangement of a filling station according to the invention is characterized in that the drive device of the tamping buffer comprises two drive means, which are connected in series so that the first means prints to the pad a movement between the high rest position and a position at the upper edge of the box and the second means prints to the pad a shorter length of stroke between said position at the edge of the box.

  the box and the settlement position.

  According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the two drive means of the tamping buffer are formed by double-acting hydraulic cylinders, mounted in series, the first cylinder being connected by its piston rod to said buffer and by its cylinder body. to the piston rod of the second cylinder whose

cylinder is kept fixed.

  According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the arrangement of a filling station, according to the invention, comprises a lifting member 35 of a boot to be filled in a pressed application position of the open end of the box against the edge of the product supply port, practiced in the

  feeding chamber, in the axis of the packing buffer.

  According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the lifting member comprises a buffer which is mounted on a movable support, by means of an elastic element such as a spring, dimensioned so as to allow a movement of recoil of said pad against said elastic member under the effect of the packer pad penetrating the boot, the support member of the lifting pad being able to be the piston rod of a

hydraulic cylinder.

  The invention will be better understood and others

  goals, features, details and benefits thereof will become more apparent in the description

  explanatory which follows with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings given solely by way of example illustrating an embodiment of the invention and in which: - Figure 1 is a vertical axial sectional view of a filling machine equipped with a multitude of filling stations arranged according to the present invention; - Figure 2 is an axial sectional view, on a larger scale of the detail surrounded by the circle II in Figure 1, and; - Figures 3 to 9 illustrate

  schematically the method according to the present invention.

  Fig. 1 shows the structure of a carousel filling machine for filling solid products such as for example vegetables, containers

especially tin cans.

  The general structure of such a machine is known. It is therefore sufficient to briefly recall that it includes a rotatable carousel portion 1 around

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  a fixed central portion 2 mounted on a frame 3. The reference numeral 4 indicates the motor which rotates the carousel 1, by means of a reduction gear 5. The carousel comprises a certain number of filling 7 distributed angularly equidistant to the periphery of the carousel 1, all around it. The reference figure 8

  denotes the supply conveyor empty boxes.

  These are transferred from this carrier to the various filling stations 7 via

  a transfer star wheel device 9.

  The invention relates to the arrangement of filling stations. Each filling station 7 essentially comprises a device 10 for receiving and holding boxes to be filled, one of which is indicated at 11, a device 12 for receiving and supplying filling material for boxes 11 and means 13 for filling. filling and packing of the products in the boxes 20 11. The receiving and holding devices 10 of the boxes 11 and the product supply devices 12 of all the filling stations 7 are mounted on the platforms 14 and 15 superimposed , secured to the carousel 1. A plate 16 is provided at the top of the carousel 25 for mounting the various filling devices

and tamping 13.

  The receiving and feeding devices 12 each comprise a feed chamber 18 into which the product intended to be transferred into the boxes 11 is introduced via a hopper member 19. A plate 20 is slidably mounted in the opening of the hopper 19 in the chamber 18. It allows to close this room, after it has received a desired amount of filling products for a box. A piston 21 is movably mounted in the chamber to push the product to a hole 22 of circular shape, formed in the bottom of the chamber 18 in axial alignment with the boxes to be filled 11. This piston is driven by a hydraulic cylinder indicated in FIG.

23.

  The filling and tamping devices 13 each comprise a tamping pad 25 mounted movably in the axis of the boot 11 to be filled and the opening 22 in the bottom of the feed chamber 18 between an extreme position. high shown in Figure 1 and Figures 3 to 5 and 9 and a low tamping position. Figure 7 shows the buffer 28 in this position. The buffer 25 may occupy a third intermediate position, at the upper edge of a box 11 having just been filled. Figures 6 and 8 show the

buffer in this position.

  The driving device enabling the tamping pad 25 to occupy these three positions comprises a series connection of two double acting hydraulic cylinders 27 and 28. The jack 27 is connected by its rod 29 to the pad 25 and by its barrel. cylinder 30 at the piston rod of the cylinder 28 whose body is fixedly mounted at 31 to the upper plate 16 of the carousel. The hydraulic cylinder 27 serves to move the buffer 25 between its extreme high position and its position at the upper edge of the boxes held in their filling position, represented in FIGS. 4 to 6 and 8, that is to say at the plane 32 of the lower surface of the rim of the receiving device 12, which surrounds the supply port 22. The cylinder 28 is adapted to print to the piston 25 a shorter stroke, allowing it to move between its position at the plane 32 and the tamping position shown in Figure 7, wherein it enters a predetermined distance in the box just filled. Means 33 are provided which allow

  vary the piston stroke of the cylinder 28.

  The device for receiving and holding boxes 11 in a filling station 7 essentially comprises a device for lifting the boxes to bring them from their position shown in bold lines in FIG. 1 in their filling position indicated in dashed lines. . In this filling position, the lifting device holds the box to be filled in application by its upper edge against the area surrounding the orifice.

  supply 22 at the plane 32.

  Figure 2 shows the lifting device 15 on a larger scale. It is found that this device comprises a lifting buffer 36 which is mounted on the end of the piston rod 37 of a hydraulic cylinder 38, with the interposition of an elastic element such as the helical spring 39. The buffer 36 is guided by a cylindrical portion 40 secured to the plate 14 of the carousel. The spring 39 is sized such that the pad 36 is resiliently biased against the spring force 39 by elastically deforming it, by the tamping pad 36, when it tamps the product contained in a box 11 which has just been completed. Of course, the cylinder 38 may be provided with means for adjusting and varying the stroke

lifting buffer 36.

  The filling process according to the invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9.

  Figures illustrate the different steps of the process.

  In FIG. 3 a container 11 has just been put in place in a filling station 7. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the feed chamber 18 receives the product schematically indicated at 42 which must be transferred into the boot 11. This is lifted by the lifting device 35 so that its upper edge is applied against the abutment area surrounding the supply port 22, in axial alignment therewith. Then the cylinder 23 of the piston 21 movable inside the chamber 18 is actuated to bring the product 42 into the part of the chamber above the supply port 22, after closing the chamber 18 to Using the sliding plate 20. In the following operation, according to FIG. 6, the hydraulic cylinder 27 is actuated to lower the tamping pad 25 to a position at the upper edge of the box 11. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the hydraulic cylinder 28 is operated so that the pad 25 can enter the box 11 to compact the product 42 contained therein. Under the effect of the tamping buffer 25 the lifting buffer 36, due to the presence of the spring 39, is somewhat pushed back. It should be noted that the box is held by the buffer 25. After the tamping operation, the hydraulic cylinder 28 is again actuated, as shown in FIG. 8 to return the tamping buffer 25 to its position shown in FIG. 6, that is to say at the upper edge of the box-11. The buffer 27 is held in this closed position of the box until it is removed from the machine. Then the cylinders 23, 27 and 38 are actuated to respectively return the piston 21, the tamping buffer 25 and the lifting buffer 36 in their rest positions (Figure 9). Now the filling station is ready for receiving a

new empty boot 11.

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Claims (7)

  1. A method of filling containers such as cans, with a solid food product in particular, in a carousel filling machine comprising a number of filling stations angularly distributed around the axis of the machine, which is transferred an empty container open at its upper end in the machine at one of said filling stations, the container is filled with said product and the product contained in the container is packed with a mobile tamping pad in the axis of the container between a high position above the container and a settling position of the product in the container, inside thereof, characterized in that after the compaction of the product the tamping pad (25) is only removed until at a position at the upper edge of the container (11) so that it is closed by the lower surface of the buffer (25) and the buffer is held in this position. closing the container until the moment of evacuation   the container of the filling machine.   2. Arrangement of a filling station for containers such as bunches, a solid food product, especially for a filling machine preferably carousel, comprising a plurality of filling stations angularly distributed about the axis of carousel, of the type comprising a device for holding an empty container, open at the top, in its filling position below a hole of shape corresponding to the cross section of the boot, formed in the bottom of a chamber of receiving the filling product from the container, axially aligned with the container axis, a packing buffer of the product contained in the container, movable in a reciprocating axis of the container 2600n37 between an extreme high position at a predetermined distance above the container and a low settling position of the product contained in the container, under the effect of a driving device, characterized in that the driving device of the tamping pad (25) comprises two drive means (27, 28) connected in series, so that the first means (27) imparts to the tamping pad a movement between said upper extreme position and a position at the level (32) of the upper edge of the container (11) and that the second means (28) imparts to the buffer (25) a shorter stroke length between said position at (32) the edge of the container and said settlement position.   3. Arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that the two drive means (27, 29) of the tamping buffer (25) are formed by double-acting hydraulic cylinders, connected in series, the first jack (27) being connected by its piston rod (29) to said buffer (25) and by its cylinder body (30) to the piston rod of the second cylinder (28) whose cylinder is maintained fixed (at 31).   4. Arrangement according to one of claims 2   or 3, characterized in that it comprises a lifting device (35) of the containers (11) to be filled in their position of application of the open end of the containers against the edge of the feed orifice (25). ) in product, practiced in the feeding chamber (18) in the axis of the tamping buffer.   5. Arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the lifting member (35) above comprises a buffer (36) which is mounted on a movable support (37), via an elastic member (39) , such as a spring, dimensioned to allow a recoil movement of said buffer (36) to 26 to 037   against said elastic member under the effect of the tamping pad (25) penetrating into the box, the support member (37) of the buffer (36) being able to be the rod of   piston of a hydraulic cylinder (38).   6. Arrangement according to one of claims 3   at 5, characterized in that said second drive means (28) of the tamping pad (25) comprises means (32) for adjusting or varying said stroke. the shortest length of tamping.   7. Arrangement according to one of claims 4   at 6, characterized in that the lifting device comprises means for adjusting the lifting stroke.