JP2009029448A - Filling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filling apparatus capable of performing air vent without using any pressure tank and reducing the amount of wasteful liquid. <P>SOLUTION: The filling apparatus includes a filling liquid tank 2 for storing a filling liquid, a filling liquid passage for feeding the filling liquid to a filling nozzle 4 from the filling liquid tank 2, and a filling valve 6 for blocking the communication of the filling liquid passage. A cup 12 for air vent fitted to a vacuum header 14 is attached to the filling nozzle 4, and the vacuum header 14 is evacuated by a vacuum pump 20 connected via a vacuum pipe 16. After checking the vacuum state by a pressure sensor 22, the filling valve 6 is opened. By performing the evacuation, air in the filling liquid passage is discharged outside for a short time together with the filling liquid. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a filling apparatus, and more particularly, to a filling apparatus that performs an air venting operation for discharging air that has stopped in a filling liquid passage or the like in the apparatus before starting a production operation.

  A filling device for filling a container with a liquid usually sends a filling liquid from a storage tank for storing the filling liquid to a filling mechanism having a filling valve and a filling nozzle through a filling liquid passage, and opens and closes the filling valve. Thus, the container is filled with liquid from the filling nozzle.

  In the filling device, when the filling liquid is supplied from the liquid storage tank into the filling liquid passage at the start of the production operation, the filling liquid flowing in the filling liquid passage entrains the air that is stopped in the passage. The first filling liquid discharged from the filling nozzle is in a state where bubbles are mixed. Filling a container with such a liquid mixture containing air bubbles by timer filling or flow rate filling will also determine that the part of the air bubbles contained in the liquid is also the filling liquid, resulting in an error in the filling amount. End up. Therefore, conventionally, before starting the production operation of the filling device, an air bleeding operation in the filling liquid passage is performed.

  Normally, when there is a liquid in which bubbles are mixed in the pipe from the liquid storage tank to the filling valve, the bubbles in the liquid cannot be removed unless the liquid is discharged to the outside of the pipe through the filling nozzle. For this reason, in the conventional filling device, the air venting operation is performed by discharging the filling liquid from the filling nozzle while repeatedly opening and closing the filling valve. And the filling liquid discharged by the said air bleeding work is discarded.

  As described above, in the conventional filling device in which the filling liquid flows in the same direction as in normal filling and the filling liquid is discharged from the filling nozzle to release the air, a large amount of waste is discarded even in the case of expensive filling liquid. There was a problem that there was a lot of waste.

  Therefore, a filling apparatus has been proposed that does not require disposal of a large amount of filling liquid even when air bleeding is performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The configuration of the invention described in Patent Document 1 will be briefly described. The main tank 2 for storing the filling liquid is connected to the liquid storage tank 6 through the first liquid supply passage 4. A first open / close valve 8 is provided in the first liquid supply passage 4. When supplying liquid from the main tank 2 to the liquid storage tank 6, the first open / close valve 8 is opened to stop supply of liquid. Sometimes it closes.

  The main tank 2 is pressurized at a predetermined pressure with the first pressurizing means 10 connected thereto. The liquid storage tank 6 is pressurized at a predetermined pressure by connecting the second pressurizing means 12. In the configuration of the invention of this Patent Document 1, the pressure is set so that a higher pressure is applied in the main tank 2 than in the liquid storage tank 6.

  A filling mechanism 14 is connected to the downstream side of the liquid storage tank 6 through a filling passage 13. The filling mechanism 14 fills the container from the filling nozzle 18 by opening and closing the filling valve 16. The filling flow rate is measured by the flow meter 20, and the measurement signal is input to the control device. When a predetermined filling amount is reached, the filling valve 16 is closed and the filling is completed.

  This filling device is provided with a washing cup 22 that can be attached to and detached from the filling nozzle 18, and this washing cup 22 is used when performing air bleeding. Further, the second liquid supply passage 24 communicates the upstream side of the first liquid supply passage 4 with respect to the first opening / closing valve 8 and the lower side of the cleaning cup 22. A second opening / closing valve 26 is provided in the second liquid supply passage 24. Further, a drain passage 30 is connected to the second liquid supply passage 24 via a drain valve 28.

  In the filling apparatus according to the above configuration, when the air in the filling passage 13 and the filling valve 16 on the downstream side of the liquid storage tank 6 is vented before the production operation is started, the cleaning cup 22 is liquid-tight. The holding nozzle 18 is attached to the filling nozzle 18, the first opening / closing valve 8 of the first liquid supply passage 4 is closed, the second opening / closing valve 26 of the second liquid supply passage 24 is opened, and the filling valve of the filling mechanism 14 is further opened. 16 is also opened.

  The main tank 2 is applied with a higher pressure than the pressure in the liquid storage tank 6 (the pressure of the second pressurizing means 12) by the first pressurizing means 10. The filling liquid in the main tank 2 passes through the second liquid supply passage 24 and enters the filling nozzle 18 from the bottom surface side of the cleaning cup 22 and flows in the filling valve 16 and the filling passage 13 in the direction opposite to that during filling. Then, the liquid is discharged into the liquid storage tank 6. The discharged filling liquid contains bubbles that are retained in the filling passage 13 and the filling valve 16, but the liquid storage tank 6 has a large volume capable of storing the filling liquid, and the filling liquid containing bubbles. Are separated into bubbles and filling liquid in the liquid storage tank 6.

As described above, in the filling apparatus according to the invention described in Patent Document 1, the filling liquid is supplied in the reverse direction from the filling nozzle 18, thereby stopping in the passage between the filling nozzle 18 and the liquid storage tank 6. In addition, the filling liquid that can be discharged into the liquid storage tank 6 and discarded in the air venting operation can be a small amount that remains in the second liquid supply passage 24 and the cleaning cup 22. Liquid loss can be reduced.
Japanese Patent No. 3918626 (page 1-5, FIG. 1)

  The filling device according to the invention described in Patent Document 1 is a device that seals the main tank 2 and the liquid storage tank 6 and performs filling in a state where pressure is applied, and the configuration applies pressure to the liquid storage tank. Not applicable to any type of filling device. In addition, since the filling liquid flows in the reverse direction from the filling nozzle side and flows into the storage tank, a large amount of filling liquid flows into the storage tank when using a filling valve that is difficult to vent. There was a problem that a large-capacity liquid storage tank was required.

  The present invention includes a filling liquid tank that stores a filling liquid, a filling nozzle that discharges the filling liquid, a filling liquid passage that sends the filling liquid from the filling liquid tank to the filling nozzle, and a filling valve that cuts off the filling liquid passage. In the filling apparatus comprising: a sealing means that is attached to the filling nozzle in an airtight manner; and a vacuum means that is connected to the sealing means via a connecting means, and before the filling is started, the sealing is performed. The means is connected to a filling nozzle, the filling valve is opened, and suction is performed by the vacuum means, whereby the filling liquid is circulated into the filling liquid passage from the filling liquid tank to perform air bleeding. is there.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the vacuum means is a tank whose inside is in a vacuum state.

  In the filling device of the present invention, when the air is vented, the filling device is sucked by a vacuum means so that the filling solution is circulated from the filling solution tank to the filling nozzle. The air can be vented even if it is not. Further, the consumption of the filling liquid at the time of air bleeding can be extremely reduced, and it is not necessary to discard a large amount of the filling liquid, which is economical. Moreover, even with a filling valve having a structure in which it is difficult to remove air by the conventional method, the air can be surely removed.

  A filling liquid tank for storing the filling liquid; a filling nozzle for filling the filling liquid in the container; and a filling valve for blocking communication of the filling liquid passage from the filling liquid tank to the filling nozzle. In a filling device using an open tank that is not pressurized, a sealing means that seals the liquid in a liquid-tight state and a vacuum means that is connected to the sealing means and sucks from the filling nozzle side are provided. In addition, it is possible to achieve the object of reducing the amount of the filling liquid that is wasted when air is released.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a filling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The filling apparatus includes a filling liquid tank 2, a filling nozzle 4, and a filling valve 6 that opens and closes a filling liquid passage extending from the filling liquid tank 2 to the filling nozzle 4. In the filling apparatus according to this embodiment, the filling nozzle 4 is integrally provided at the lower end of the housing 8 that accommodates the filling valve 6. One end of a liquid supply pipe 10 is connected to the lower surface of the filling liquid tank 2, and the other end is connected to the housing 8 of the filling valve 6. A filling liquid passage is formed inside the liquid supply pipe 10 and the housing 8 of the filling valve 6. Is formed and communicates with the filling nozzle 4.

  Next, in the filling apparatus according to the above-described configuration, an air bleeding system that discharges air that has stopped in the filling liquid passage (including the passage in the housing 8 of the filling valve 6) from the filling liquid tank 2 to the filling nozzle 4. The configuration of will be described. Sealing means (air venting cups 12) to be attached to a plurality of (four in this embodiment) filling nozzles 4 are connected to the vacuum header 14. Either or both of the valve housing 8 provided with the filling nozzle 4 and the vacuum header 14 can be moved up and down, and when the air in the filling liquid passage is vented before the start of the production operation, The air vent cup 12 is attached to the filling nozzle 4 in an airtight state, and then the air vent cup 12 is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the container or the like at the start of operation.

  The vacuum header 14 is connected to a vacuum means (a vacuum pump 20 driven by a motor 18) via a vacuum pipe 16, and the inside of the vacuum header 14 can be vacuumed. A pressure sensor 22 is provided in the middle of the vacuum pipe 16 to detect the vacuum level when the vacuum header 14 is vacuumed and to detect that the vacuum header 14 has reached a predetermined vacuum pressure. . In addition to the pressure sensor 22, the vacuum pipe 16 is provided with a separator 24, a filter 26, etc., and between the vacuum header 14 and the separator 24, between the separator 24 and the pressure sensor 22, On-off valves 28, 30, and 32 are provided between the filter 26 and the vacuum pump 20, respectively. Further, the vacuum header 14 and the separator 24 are provided with drainage valves 34 and 36, respectively, and the filling liquid sucked from the filling liquid passage of the filling device is discharged from these drainage valves 34 and 36 to the outside. Is done.

  The operation of the air bleeding system will be described. An air vent cup 12 is attached to each filling nozzle 4, and each filling nozzle 4 is connected to the vacuum header 14 while maintaining airtightness. Next, the vacuum pump 20 is driven by the motor 18 to evacuate the vacuum header 14. The vacuum level is detected by the pressure sensor 22 provided in the vacuum pipe 16 during evacuation. After the pressure sensor 22 detects that a predetermined vacuum pressure has been reached, the filling liquid passage of the filling device is passed through. The filling valve 6 that cuts off the communication is opened.

  When the filling valve 6 is opened, the vacuum header 14 communicates from the air vent cup 12 through the filling nozzle 4 to the filling liquid passage (the passage inside the liquid supply pipe 10 and the valve housing 8) of the filling device. Then, the inside of the filling liquid passage is sucked by the vacuum, and the air staying in the filling liquid passage is discharged together with the filling liquid. When the filling valve is released by simply opening the filling valve without vacuuming as in the conventional configuration, it is necessary to circulate a large amount of filling liquid in order to discharge the air in the filling liquid passage. By evacuating, the air in the filling liquid passage can be discharged in a short time, so that the amount of the filling liquid to be discharged can be reduced and waste can be reduced. The filling liquid sucked into the vacuum header 14 is discharged through the drain valve 34. The filling liquid that has flowed into the vacuum pipe 16 is separated by the separator 24 and discharged by the drain valve 36.

  FIG. 2 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the filling apparatus capable of releasing air from the filling liquid passage by vacuum suction. In the first embodiment, the filling nozzle 4 is connected to the electric vacuum pump 20 via the vacuum header 14 so as to suck the inside of the filling liquid passage. In the second embodiment, however, evacuation is performed. Then, the vacuum tank 100 whose inside is evacuated is connected to the filling nozzle 104 to suck the inside of the filling liquid passage. FIG. 3 is a view showing a configuration for evacuating the vacuum tank 100.

  In the filling apparatus of this embodiment, the housing 108 of the filling valve 106 is directly attached to the bottom surface of the open type filling liquid tank 102. A hose 140 is connected to the downstream side of the filling valve 106 in the housing 108, and a filling nozzle 104 directed in the vertical direction is connected to the downstream end thereof. In this embodiment, the filling nozzle 104 can be raised and lowered, and when a container (not shown) filled with liquid is supplied downward, the filling nozzle 104 is lowered to approach the bottle mouth, Filling is performed by opening the filling valve 106.

  The filling liquid tank 102 and the filling nozzle 104 are connected by a filling liquid passage comprising a passage formed inside the housing 108 of the filling valve 106 and a passage in the hose 140, and the vacuum inside the filling liquid passage Suction is performed by the tank 100. A sealing means (nozzle adapter) 144 is attached to one end of a tube connecting the filling nozzle 104 and the vacuum tank 100 (in this embodiment, a Teflon (registered trademark) tube 142 whose inside is visible) is used. . The nozzle adapter 144 is attached to the front end opening of the filling nozzle 104, and communicates the inside of the filling nozzle 104 and the Teflon (registered trademark) tube 142 in an airtight manner. The other end of the Teflon (registered trademark) tube 142 is connected to the vacuum tank 100 via a coupler 146 attached to the vacuum tank 100.

  A coupler 146 for connection to the outside is attached to the vacuum tank 100, and the passage between the inside of the vacuum tank 100 and the coupler 146 can be blocked by a hand valve 148. When the vacuum tank 100 is evacuated and evacuated, a vacuum ejector 150 is connected to the coupler 146 as shown in FIG. A vacuum pressure gauge 154 is provided in the suction inlet side pipe 152 of the vacuum ejector 150, and the pressure in the inlet side pipe 152 is measured while the vacuum tank 100 is evacuated by the vacuum ejector 150. is doing.

  A process of performing air bleeding of the filling device according to the second embodiment will be described. First, the vacuum tank 100 is evacuated to evacuate the tank 100. In this case, the suction inlet side pipe 152 of the vacuum ejector 150 is connected to the coupler 146 of the vacuum tank 100 and the hand valve 148 is opened. Pressurized air is blown into the vacuum ejector 150 from the direction of the arrow to depressurize the inside, and the inside of the vacuum tank 100 is sucked through the suction inlet side pipe 152. The degree of vacuum is measured by a vacuum pressure gauge 154, and the inside of the vacuum tank 100 is set to a predetermined vacuum pressure. After reaching a predetermined vacuum pressure, the hand valve 148 is closed, and the vacuum ejector 150 is removed from the coupler 146 of the vacuum tank 100.

  After the vacuum tank 100 is evacuated, a nozzle adapter 144 attached to one end of a Teflon (registered trademark) tube 142 for connection is connected to the tip of the filling nozzle 104. Further, the other end of the Teflon (registered trademark) tube 142 is connected to the coupler 146 of the vacuum tank 100 so that the filling liquid passage of the filling device and the inside of the vacuum tank 100 can communicate with each other. Next, the hand valve 148 is opened, and the inside of the piping to the filling valve 106 including the Teflon (registered trademark) tube 142, the filling nozzle 104 and the hose 140 is evacuated.

  Subsequently, the filling valve 106 is opened, and the filling liquid passage in the filling apparatus is vented. By suctioning with the vacuum in the vacuum tank 100, air in the filling liquid passage formed by the passage in the housing 108 in which the filling valve 106 is accommodated, the hose 140 and the filling nozzle 104 is performed. By sucking with vacuum, even in the case of a filling valve having a structure in which air is difficult to escape, air can be reliably extracted in a short time. Moreover, since the time is short, the amount of the filling liquid sucked together with the air can be very small. In this embodiment, the opening time of the filling valve 106 is set in advance, and is automatically closed when the set time elapses. The setting of the time during which the filling valve is opened is determined by visually confirming that the filling liquid has flowed into the Teflon (registered trademark) tube 142.

  After completing the air bleeding in the filling device, the nozzle adapter 144 is removed from the filling nozzle 104. When the nozzle adapter 144 attached to the filling nozzle 104 in an airtight state is removed, the filling liquid remaining in the Teflon (registered trademark) tube 142 is also brought into the vacuum tank 100 by the residual negative pressure in the vacuum tank 100. Sucked.

It is a block diagram which simplifies and shows the structure which performs air bleeding in a filling apparatus. Example 1 It is a figure which shows the structure in the case of performing air bleeding of a filling apparatus using a vacuum tank. (Example 2) It is a figure which shows the structure which evacuates a vacuum tank.

Explanation of symbols

2 Filling liquid tank 4 Filling nozzle 6 Filling valve 12 Sealing means (cup for air venting)
14 Connection means (vacuum header)
16 Connection means (vacuum piping)
20 Vacuum means (vacuum pump)
100 Vacuum means (vacuum tank)
102 Filling liquid tank 104 Filling nozzle 106 Filling valve 142 Connecting means (Teflon (registered trademark) tube)
144 Sealing means (nozzle adapter)

Claims (2)

A filling liquid tank that stores the filling liquid, a filling nozzle that discharges the filling liquid, a filling liquid passage that sends the filling liquid from the filling liquid tank to the filling nozzle, and a filling valve that cuts off the filling liquid passage. In the device
There is provided a sealing means that is attached to the filling nozzle in an airtight manner and a vacuum means that is connected to the sealing means via a connecting means, and before the filling is started, the sealing means is connected to the filling nozzle. The filling device is characterized in that the filling valve is opened and sucked by the vacuum means, whereby the filling liquid is circulated from the filling liquid tank into the filling liquid passage to perform air bleeding.   2. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum means is a tank whose inside is in a vacuum state.

Images