GB1070106A - Container filling machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1,070,106. Bottling &c. INTERNATIONAL MACHINERY CORPORATION S.A. March 3, 1965 [March 4, 1964], No. 8994/65. Heading B8T. A container filling machine has a cam track with a lower surface and a lever movable between upper and lower positions, a valve movable along the track having a plunger which is movable between open and closed positions and a follower which rides on the lower surface and over the lever as the valve moves, there being means for supporting a container under the valve and means responsive to the presence of a container under the valve which moves the lever to its upper position for moving the plunger to its open position as the follower rides over the lever, the plunger being releasably retained in the upper position by means independent of the track. The machine comprises a turret 15 rotatably mounted on a centre post 17 and carrying a plurality of filler valves 19. Surrounding the centre post 17 are an annular horizontal container support table 38, an annular lower cam track 50, an upper annular cam track 62 and an annular reservoir 146 for containing a supply of liquid to be discharged into containers 20. Each filling valve 19 includes a vertical cylinder 156 housing a piston 168 fitted to piston rods 170 which are linked by follower rollers 173 to the lower cam track 50 for travelling therealong during rotation of the turret so that the pistons reciprocate during the rotation. On travelling from station B to station A (anticlockwisely-Fig. 2, not shown) the attitude of the cam track 50 causes the pistons 168 to move downwardly and draw liquid from the reservoir 146 into the cylinders 156. Each filling valve 19 has a nozzle (208, Figs. 3-5, not shown) with an opening (210) while a bushing (225) having upper and lower ports (226, 228) is fitted within the nozzle (208) and has a cylindrical plunger (236) slidably mounted therein under the action of an attached follower roller (283) moving along the upper cam track 62. The plunger (236) can occupy a lower closed position (Fig. 3) with communication between the lower port (218) and the nozzle opening (210) blocked, a by-pass position (Fig. 4) wherein the ports (224, 228) are connected, and an upper open position (Fig. 5) wherein the end face (240) of the plunger (236) is just above the lower port (224) so that this lower passage is connected to the opening 210. The upper cam track 62 has a lever (76) pivoted at one end and movable by a pneumatic actuator (290) controlled by a microswitch (320) which is closed by passing containers 20. The presence of a container closing the microswitch causes the lever 76 to be raised to the broken line position of Fig. 6 (not shown) which in turn raises the plunger (236) to its upper open position where it is held releasably by means of a spring-loaded ball (272) while the container is filled as a result of the piston (168) being moved, under the action of its cam follower and track, to transfer the liquid in the cylinder through the lower port (224) and opening (210) into the empty container 20 therebelow. If however no container 20 is present the microswitch is not closed and the lever (76) is not raised so that the follower (283) rides over the lever and the plunger (236) is in the by-pass position for liquid to be transferred by the piston (168) through the lower port (224), the recess (248), the upper port (228) and back into the reservoir (146). The containers are fed along the support table by a driven annular skirt (340) which has spaced pockets for receiving empty containers 20 as they are fed on to the support table 38 by means of a feed wheel (352), a feed worm (358) and a feed channel (356).