FR2600038A1 - METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF EMPTY OR INCORRECTLY FILLED CONTAINERS BY A SOLID PRODUCT, ESPECIALLY FOOD, IN A CARROUSEL FILLING MACHINE AND SYSTEM FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

THE PRESENT INVENTION CONCERNS A PROCESS FOR THE DETECTION OF EMPTY CONTAINERS OR INCORRECTLY FILLED WITH A SOLID PRODUCT, AS WELL AS A CARROUSEL FILLING MACHINE AND A SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING THIS PROCESS. ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION, THIS PROCESS IS CHARACTERIZED IN THAT A DETECTION STATION45 OF EMPTY OR INCORRECTLY FILLED CONTAINERS11 IS PROVIDED BETWEEN THE FILLING PLACE OF THE CONTAINERS IN THE CARROUSEL AND THE EVACUATION STATION43 OF THE CORRECTLY FILLED CONTAINERS AND, IF NECESSARY, ACTION ON THE DEVICE FOR DELIVERY OF EMPTY CONTAINERS11 TO ENSURE THE REINTRODUCTION OF EMPTY CONTAINERS SEPARATE AMONG THE CONTAINERS TO BE FILLED. THE INVENTION FOUND IN PARTICULAR APPLICATION IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for the detection of containers

  empty or incorrectly filled with a solid product, especially food, in a carousel filling machine and a system for carrying out this method. Filling machines are already known which comprise a multitude of filling stations provided in the carousel, a station for transferring empty containers brought by a supply conveyor to the various filling stations and a station for evacuating the carousel from the filled containers. and transfer of

  these to an evacuation carrier.

  These machines which ensure automatic filling of the containers are not equipped with means 15 for detecting and recycling in the filling circuit the containers which have not been filled in.

the carousel.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for automatically detecting such empty or improperly filled containers and for also automatically re-introducing empty containers.

in the filling circuit.

  To achieve this purpose, the method according to the invention is characterized in that a station is provided for detecting empty or improperly filled containers between the filling place of the containers in the carousel and the evacuation station of the containers of the container. carousel, empty or incorrectly filled receptacles are separated, receptacles which have been correctly filled, and, where appropriate, the empty receptacle feeding device is operated to ensure the reintroduction of the empty receptacles separated from the receptacles

containers to be filled.

  According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, provision is made in the path of the containers discharged from the machine a separator station empty containers or improperly filled, the time interval is set a container to travel the path between the detection station and the separating station, after detection of an empty or incorrectly filled container, the separating means is actuated after the lapse of said time interval to separate the container which is then in the separating station and which is the container which comes from 'to be detected,

  evacuated containers properly filled.

  According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the containers which have been detected as empty by the detection station are kept in the carousel and empty containers are created on the conveyor of empty containers between two successive boxes of spaces. transfer station has empty transfer compartments 20 allowing the detected and maintained containers to

cross this transfer station.

  The system for carrying out this method in a filling machine in which each filling station is equipped with a packing buffer of the product contained in the containers after the filling operation is characterized in that each filling station comprises a lifting buffer of the empty containers received at their filling position, which is adapted to perform a recoil movement of a predetermined length, under the effect of the tamping buffer during the tamping operation, representative of the state. filling containers and means for maintaining the tamping buffer in its extreme settlement position at least up to the detection station, and the latter comprises detecting means of said recoil movement and means generating a triggering signal separating means in the separating station of empty or incorrectly filled receptacles, of those which have been filled correctly, after a time delay corresponding to the time interval a container takes to travel the path between the

detection and separator station.

  The invention will be better understood and others

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

  explanatory text which will follow with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings given solely by way of example illustrating two embodiments of the invention and in which: - Figure 1 shows in a vertical sectional view, axial, a filling machine equipped with a system for detecting empty or incorrectly filled containers according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view of the detail indicated by the arrow II in Figure 1; and FIGS. 3 and 4 schematically illustrate two embodiments of the method and of the

  detection system 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

including tin cans.

  The machine essentially comprises a carousel portion 1 rotatable about a fixed central portion 2 mounted on a frame 3. The reference numeral 4 indicates the motor which rotates the carousel 1, via a gear reducer 5. The carousel comprises a number of filling stations 7 distributed angularly equidistant to the periphery of the carousel 1, all around it. The reference numerals 8 and 47 respectively denote the supply conveyor of the empty boxes and the transporter allowing a reintroduction of the boxes which have been recognized as not having been correctly filled during their passage through the carousel 1. The boxes are transferred. from the conveyor 8 to the various filling stations 7 and discharged from them via a device

  41 with transfer star wheels 42, 43.

  Each filling station 7 essentially comprises a device 10 for receiving and holding the boxes to be filled, one of which is indicated at 11, a device 12 for receiving and supplying the filling product of the boxes 11 and means 13 for filling. Filling and packing of the products in the boxes 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 for mounting the various filling devices

and tamping 13.

  The receiving and feeding devices 12 each comprise a feed chamber 18 in which the product intended to be transferred into the boxes 11 is introduced via a hopper element 19. A plate 20 is slidably mounted. in the opening of the hopper 19 in the chamber 18. It allows this chamber to be closed after it has received a desired quantity of fillers intended for a boot. A piston 21 is movably mounted in the chamber to push the product towards an orifice 22

  filling practiced in the bottom of the room. 18 in axial alignment with the boxes to be filled 11. This piston 35 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder indicated at 23.

  The filling and tamping devices 13 each comprise a tamping pad 25 mounted movably in the axis of the box 11 to be filled and the opening 22 in the bottom of the feed chamber 18 between an extreme high position. represented in FIG. 1 and a low tamping position. In this position the stamp enters the box that has just been filled on a

  predetermined length. The buffer 25 may occupy a third intermediate position, at the upper rim 10 of a box 11 which has just been filled.

  The drive 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 cylinder body at 30 to 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 when they are in their filling position, that is to say at the level of the plane. 32 of the lower surface of the flange of the receiving device 12, which surrounds the supply port 22 and against which the boxes are applied in their filling position. The cylinder 28 is adapted to impress the piston 25 with a shorter stroke, allowing it to move between its position at the plane 32 and its tamping position. Means 33 are

  provided, which make it possible to vary the stroke of the piston of the jack 28.

  The receiving and holding device 10 of the boots 11 in a filling station 7 essentially comprises a lifting device 35 of the boxes to bring them from their position indicated in strong lines in FIG. 1 in their filling position indicated in dashed lines. . In this filling position, the lifting device holds l. box that must be filled in application by its upper edge against the area surrounding the -On feed 22 at the plane 32. Figure 2 shows the lifting device 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, 10 with the interposition of an elastic element such as the coil spring 39. The buffer 36 is guided by a cylindrical portion 40 secured to the plate 14 of the carousel. The spring 39 is dimensioned in such a way that the pad 36 is elastically pushed against the force of the spring 39 by elastically deforming it, by the tamping pad 36, when it tamps the product contained in a box 11 which has just been filled. The length of the recoil stroke of the buffer 36 is representative of the filling state of the boxes. Of course, the jack 38 may be provided with means for adjusting and varying the stroke of the

uplift buffer 36.

  The system for detecting empty or incorrectly filled boxes according to the invention comprises means forming part of the filling and tamping devices, the lifting device and the means which will be described below with reference to FIGS. and 4. As can be seen from these figures, the machine 30 according to the invention comprises, schematically indicated in, a detection station for empty or incorrectly filled boxes. This station is mounted on the fixed part of the machine and is located at a predetermined location of the path traveled by the boxes in the carousel, between the filling point of the cups and the station 43 of the carousel boxes, formed by a star wheel for transferring the boxes of the carousel 1 to the evacuation conveyor 9. The detection station 45 is placed near the periphery of the carousel 1, so that all the boxes 11 pass in front of it. It comprises means, not shown, which are adapted to detect the absence of a backward stroke of the lifting buffers 36 or, more generally, a difference of a reversing stroke of the value indicative of the state of filling. correct boxes. These detector means could be of the electric contact type which would for example be closed when there is no backtracking. These means could also be proximity detectors of the inductive or capacitive type or of any other appropriate nature. The detector station also comprises generating means (not shown) of an actuation signal of appropriate means for separating the empty boxes or

  incorrectly filled with those whose filling is correct and their reintroduction among the empty boxes to be filled.

  In the embodiment of the system for detecting and reintroducing the empty boxes in the circuit of the filling boxes shown in FIG. 3, the actuating signal coming from the detection station 45 is intended for a separating station or ejector 46 empty boxes or, where appropriate, improperly filled boxes, of the series of boots being on the evacuation conveyor 9 and running 30 in front of the separating station or injector. The actuation of the latter is delayed by means of a timer device 44. This delay is equal to the time interval that a boot 11 makes to travel the path between the detector station 45 and the separator station 46. is at

  It should be noted that the conveyors 8 for evacuation 9 are advantageously formed by the same conveyor.

  The separator means or ejectors of the station 46 may be of any suitable type, for example of the compressed air jet type. This embodiment of the separating means is advantageous because it makes it possible to obtain a selective effect. The force of the air jet can be adjusted so that its impact on the boxes 11 10 produces an ejection or separation effect on the empty boxes and therefore lighter, as shown in FIG. Boxes 11 thus separated or ejected from the series of well filled boxes reach a reintroduction conveyor 47 which brings them to a storage station 48. When this station contains for example a predetermined number of ejected boxes, the normal supply of boxes voids could be interrupted using for example a star wheel 49 and the ejected boxes could be reintroduced among the boxes to be transferred in the carousel 1. The means of reintroduction of the station 48 could be of any appropriate nature. The reintroduction operation could be carried out automatically or by a

  operator. To complete the description of FIG. 3, a rotary spiral 54 is recognized which allows

  to adapt - the spacing of successive boxes 11 to

  subdivision of star impeller 42.

  In the embodiment of the invention, according to FIG. 4, the empty boxes do not leave the carousel i at the evacuation station 43, but are maintained in their filling station. In order for the empty boots to pass through the input transfer station 42, i.e. to be able to engage in an empty compartment 52, the actuation signal produced by the detection station 45 has the effect of creating in the queue of the boxes on the conveyor 8 a gap between boxes adjacent to a place such that the compartment 52 in front of a vacuum boot detected and not evacuated is empty. The difference 53 indicated in FIG. 4 will produce this effect. The method of detecting empty or incorrectly filled boots, their separation from the boxes whose filling is correct and the reintroduction of

  empty boots among the boots to be filled spring from the 10 description that has just been made by referring to the

  Figures 1 to 4. Each box 11 located in a filling station 7 of the carousel 1 is subjected after the filling operation of the boot to the tamping operation performed with the tamping pad 25. This buffer is maintained in its packing position at least until the box is in front of the detection station 45. If the box thus presenting itself to the detector means is empty, the lifting piston 36 occupies its high position, ie that is to say, he did not make a recoil. This fact is detected and the box that has just been checked is separated from the boxes properly filled. According to Figure 3, the empty boot detected is removed from the carousel, separated by the separator means of the station 46 to be then reintroduced among the empty boxes to be filled, being on the supply conveyor 8. In the embodiment of the Figure 4, the empty detected boot is held in the carousel and its passage through the input transfer station 52

  is organized by creating an appropriate free place in this post, as explained above.

  The system according to the invention could be

  suitable for detecting incorrectly filled boots.

  This fact would result in a recoil stroke different from a predetermined value representative of a correct fill state and thus detected. We could

2600.:038

  in this case, content to eject the boxes in question in the separator station 46.

26O0038

Claims (9)

  A method for the detection of empty or improperly filled containers, such as cans, by a solid product, especially food, in a carousel filling machine comprising a plurality of filling stations provided in the carousel, a transfer station of empty containers brought by a conveyor to the various filling stations and a station for evacuating the carousel from the filled receptacles and transferring them to an evacuation conveyor, characterized in that provision is made for a detecting station (45) empty or improperly filled containers (11) between the filling place of the containers in the carousel and the evacuation station (43) of the carousel containers, separating the containers (11) empty or improperly filled, correctly filled receptacles and, where appropriate, the device for feeding   empty containers (11) to ensure the reintroduction of the empty containers separated from the containers to be filled.   2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the path of the containers (11) discharged from the machine a separation station (46) of the empty or incorrectly filled containers is provided. time that a container takes to travel the path between the detection station (45) and the separating station (46), it is actuated, after detection of an empty vessel or incorrectly filled, separating means in the separation station ( 46) after the lapse of said time interval to separate the container (11) then in the separating station and which is the container which has just been detected,   evacuated containers, which are properly filled.   3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the containers (11), which have been detected as empty by the detection station (45), are kept in the carousel (1) and created on the 5 conveying conveyor (8) of empty containers between two successive boxes (11) of the spaces (53) so that the input transfer station (42) has empty transfer compartments (52) allowing   containers detected and maintained to pass through this transfer station (42).   4. System for implementing the method   according to one of claims 1 to 3, for a machine   filler, each filling station of which is equipped with a tamping buffer of the product contained in the containers after the filling operation, characterized in that each filling station comprises a lifting buffer (36) for the empty containers (11) received, at their filling position, which is adapted to perform a recoil movement of a length, if appropriate, predetermined, representative of the filling state of the containers, under the effect of the tamping buffer (25) during the a tamping operation, and means (28) for holding the tamping pad in its extreme packing position at least up to the detecting station (45), and the latter including means for detecting said recoil movement and means generators of an actuating signal of separating means in the separating station (46) of the empty or improperly filled receptacles, of those which have been filled correctly, timer means (44) as provided in the connection between the detection station (45) and the separator station (46) for delaying said signal to the time interval it takes for a   container (11) to travel the path between the detecting and separating stations. 26P0033   5. System according to claim 4, characterized in that the sensor means in the detection station (45) of the aforementioned recoil movement of the lifting buffer (36) are of the electrical contact type or proximity sensors of the inductive type or capacitive.   6. System according to one of claims 4 or   characterized in that the separator means of the separator station (46) are advantageously of the compressed air jet type, the force of the air jet being selectable to produce a separation or ejection effect only on empty containers.   7. System according to one of claims 4 to   6, characterized in that it comprises a conveyor (47) 15 empty boxes (11) which were ejected by the separator device (46) and a reintroduction station (48) of these containers among the containers lying   on the supply conveyor (8) empty containers.   8. System according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the lifting buffer (36)   is mounted on a movable member such as the piston rod (37) of a hydraulic cylinder (38), with the interposition of an elastic element (39), such as a helical spring   dimensioned to allow the aforementioned recoil movement.   9. System according to one of claims 4 to   8, characterized in that the drive device of the tamping buffer (25) comprises two drive means, such as hydraulic cylinders (27, 28) connected in series so that the first means (27) prints at the buffer packer (25) reciprocating between an extreme high position, above the containers (11) to be filled and a position at the upper edge of the containers, wherein the pad (25) provides a closure containers, and that the second drive means (28) reciprocates the tamping pad (25) back and forth between said closed position of the containers and the low packing position of the products contained in the containers. packing buffer (25) being held in its packing position at least to the detection station (45) by   said second drive means (28).