GB2035973A - Machine for filling bottles and other containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine for automatically filling containers, such as bottles, flasks, etc..., of the type comprising stations (51... 58) disposed as a turntable and provided with siphon- like filling nozzles (61... 66) of which one leg is immersed in a vat or tank, containing the liquid to be bottled in the containers (7), whilst the other leg opens out into the container to be filled, wherein the vat (1) comprises a plurality of coaxial annular compartments (21... 26) without any communication therebetween and the filling stations are grouped in successive and identical groups of nozzles in a number equal to that of the compartments in the vat, each nozzle (61... 66) being fed by a respective tube (261... 266) immersed in the compartment (21... 26) which is alloted thereto. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Machine for filling bottles and other containers The present invention relates to a machine for automatically filling containers such as bottles, flasks, etc.. ., of the type comprising stations disposed as a turntable and provided with siphonlike filling nozzles, one leg of which is immersed in a vat or tank, containing the liquid to be bottled in the containers, whilst the other leg opens into the container to be filled.

In conventional filling machines which are intended for filling containers with different products, the vat and the circuits must be completely emptied after each operation and subjected to a lengthy difficult cleaning operation.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate this drawback completely.

In accordance with the invention, the vat comprises a plurality of coaxial annular compartments without any communication therebetween and the filling stations are grouped in successive and identical groups of nozzles in a number equal to that of the compartments in the vat, each nozzle being fed by a respective tube immersed in the compartment alloted thereto.

In a particular embodiment, the nozzles of each group are mounted on the same support in the form of a circular sector on which they are regularly spaced and said supports are disposed side by side, fixed radially but movable axially independently of one another.

When the containers are introduced into the machine by recessed wheels, the angular deviation between the nozzles alloted to the same product on the different supports will be the same for all the products, with the result that, to change the filling product, it suffices to shift by predetermined angles all the nozzle supports with respect to the recessed wheels to present any one series of nozzles opposite the same recesses of the wheels.

In the case of the nozzles functioning under depression and being connected individually to a depression manifold provided with a lock for separating the liquid coming from the overflow of the containers, the invention provides as many lock-manifold assembles as there are products each assembly being detachably mounted according to the axis common to the annular compartments and the lock of each assembly being provided with a flow tube whose shape and position are such that it communicates with the annular compartment corresponding to the product to which the assembly is alloted.

To avoid any risk of mixing the products, the flow tube is angularly set with respect to the corresponding nozzles so that each lock can be positioned and function only if it corresponds both to the nozzles and to the annular compartment alloted to the product.

in the particular case of the annular compartments being very narrow, the regulation of the level of the liquid in these compartments can be achieved, instead of cumbersome floats, by monitoring the level of liquid in a transparent tube outside each compartment and connected thereto through a pipe, in application of the communicating vessels principle.

In the case of the containers to be filled being flasks of small dimensions relatively to the pitch of the filling nozzles it becomes virtually impossible to machine a selection screw for regulating the introduction of the flasks in the input recessed wheel and disposed laterally with respect to the drive shaft. The invention then provides conveying the flasks in the selection zone by a screw on which the flasks rest. This "screw underneath" arrangement enables a screw of large diameter to be used, having a small thread gradient for a very large final pitch. This screw has an increasing pitch in order to take the flasks one by one, accumulated one behind the other, and to space them to correspond to the pitch of the recessed wheel.

The invention will be more readily understood on reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -fig. 1 is a plane view, with parts broken away, and -fig. 2 is an axial section along the line Il-Il of fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the machine comprises, in the example shown, a fixed cylindrical vat 1 subdivided into six annular compartments 2a, 22... 26, coaxial with respect to one another and around which rotate, on the one hand, a plate 3 provided with recesses 4, on the other hand eight sectors 5,, 5,... 55... 5,, each carrying six filling nozzles 6r, 62... 66 cooperating respectively with the annular compartments 2,, 22... . 26. as will be explained hereinafter.

The bottles 7 to be filled, conveyed and discharged by chains (not shown), are selected and distributed in the recesses 8 or an input turntable or wheel 9 which deposits them in the recesses 4 of the plate 3. After completion of the filling the bottles are taken by the recesses 11 of the output turntable 10 and deposited on the discharge chain or belt 12. Each of the sectors Si ... 5, 58 is carried by a rod 13,, (13,... 138) bearing at its lower end a roller 14,, ....... 148) rolling on a cam 15 fast with the frame 1 6 of the machine on which the compartments 2 rest.

The plate 3 having recesses 4 may be secured for rotation to an annular ring 1 7 coaxial with respect to the vat 1 and provided with teeth on its periphery to allow its rotational driving in synchronism with that of the wheels 9 and 1 0.

The connection of the plates 3 and 4 and of the ring 1 7 is achieved by a pin 47 introduced into a bore 46 made in the plates 3 and 4 in one of the forty-eight bores 48 provided in the ring 1 7 in regular distribution. This ring 1 7 rests on a series of rollers 1 8 with horizontal axes mounted idly on a part 1 9 fixed to the frame and bears laterally against rollers 20 with vertical axes also mounted idly on the part 1 9. The rods 13 pass through and are guided, in the course of their vertical displacement, in bores 21, 22 formed in parts fast with the plate 3.Moreover, each sector 5 is guided in the course of this vertical displacement buy a roller 23 (23r, 232 . 2 238) displaceable in a respective groove 24 (241... 248) of a socket 45 also fast with the plate 3.

Each filling head 61(62... 66) communicates through a horizontal conduit 251(252... 256) with a tube 261(262... 266) which is immersed in the corresponding compartment 21 (22... 26). Each head 6, also communicates by a flexible tube 271 (272...276) with a depression manifold 28 (282.. ..28e) mounted according to the axis of the vat 1 and provided with a lock 291(292... 296) for separating the liquid coming from the overflow of bottles 7.The lock 291 communicates through a tube 351 which it carries and through the flow conduits 30,, 311 and 321 fast with the plate 3, with the compartment 21 corresponding to head 61. The lock-manifold assembly 28-29 is very easily mounted at the upper end of the hollow axial tube 33 connected to the source of depression by means of a bayonet coupling 34.

The assembly 28-29 is fixed to the plate 50, itself fast with plate 3, by four rods 48 penetrating at their lower threaded portions in holes 49 in the plate 50 and clamped by nuts. Thus, its connection tube 35 is angularly set with respect to the nozzles 6, with the result that it can only be placed in position if it corresponds to the compartment alloted to the product.

Orifices 361, (362... 366) at the base of the annular compartments 21(22... 26) cause these compartments to communicate with the tanks storing the different products via conduits 3 7, (372...376) and 381(382...386). Glass tubes connected to the teats 39, 39, (392 ... 396), themselves connected to unions 40,. (402... 406) for connecting conduits 37 and 38, allow achieving the regulation of the level of the products in the compartments 2 and controlling the feed thereof, by electro-valves connected with the conduits 38 and controlled by photoelectric cells monitoring the level of the liquid in the glass tubes connected to the teats 39.

The selection of the containers 7 upstream of the input recessed wheel 9, is here achieved, not by a lateral screw, as is generally the case, but by a "screw underneath" due to the small size of the flasks in this example. This screw 41 is of large diameter and of small thread gradient for a final large pitch. Its pitch increases to take the flasks 7 one by one, accumulated one behind the other on the input belt and to space them substantialiy in accordance with the pitch of the wheel 9.

The operation of the machine which has just been described follows immediately from this description. It is the same as that of conventional fillers with a single vat, once the filling product, therefore the annular compartment 2, has been selected, the lock-manifold assembly 28-29 has been mounted at the top of the central shaft 33, the supple tubes 27 of the corresponding heads 6 have been connected to the manifold 28, and once the ring 1 7 has been set with respect to the input wheel 9.

In fig. 1, it is seen that the setting has been effected so that the flasks 7 are presented by the wheel 9 beneath heads 6, of each sector 5. They will be filled with the product contained in the compartment 2 . If it is desired to fill the flasks with the product contained in the compartment 22, it suffices to shift the plate 3 (with recesses 4) through 1/48th of a revolution with respect to the ring 17, therefore the turntable 9 which is rotatable therewith. This shift is effected by lifting the pin 47 out of the bore 48, then after the rotation of the plate 3 through 1/48th of a revolution, by replacing the pin 47 into the bore 48 immediately following the bore from which it was removed. The wheel 9 may also be shifted with respect to plate 3, through 1/24th of a revolution, as it has in the present case four recesses, and, of course, the lock-manifold 282292 may be placed in position, then connected by the tubes 272 to the heads 62 of each sector 5.

Claims (8)

1. A machine for automatically filling containers, such as bottles, flasks, etc. , of the type comrpising stations disposed as a turntable and provided with siphon-like filling nozzles of which one leg is immersed in a vat or tank, containing the liquid to be bottled in the containers, whilst the other leg opens out into the container to be filled, wherein the vat comprises a plurality of coaxial annular compartments without any communication therebetween and the filling stations are grouped in successive and identical groups of nozzles in a number equal to that of the compartments in the vat, each nozzle being fed by a respective tube immersed in the compartment which is alloted thereto.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzles of each group are mounted on the same support in the form of a circular sector on which they are regularly spaced apart and the said supports are disposed side by side, fixed radially but movable axially independently of one another.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the containers are introduced by recessed wheels, the angular deviation between the nozzles alloted to the same product on the different supports being the same for all the products.

4. A machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the filling nozzles functioning under depression and being connected individually to a depression manifold provided with a lock for separating the liquid coming from the overflow of the containers there are provided as many lockmanifold assemblies as there are products, each assembly being detachably mounted according to the axis common to annular compartments and the lock of each assembly being provided with a flow tube whose shape and position are such that it communicates with the annular compartment corresponding to the product to which the assembly is alloted.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flow tube of each lock is angularly set with respect to the corresponding nozzles.

6. A machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the regulation of the level of the liquid in these compartments is achieved by monitoring the level of liquid in a tube outside each compartment and connected thereto by a pipe.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the containers to be filled being of small size relatively to the pitch of the filling nozzles, the selection screw regulating the introduction of the flasks in the input recessed wheel is with increasing pitch, of large diameter, of small thread gradient for a final large pitch and it is disposed beneath the flasks.

8. A machine substantially as described hereinabove and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.