JP2023161921A - Filling device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a filling device used in filling containers having different shell diameters, the device maintaining high filling capacity irrespective of the sizes of the shell diameters.SOLUTION: A filling device comprises a filling liquid tank that stores liquid, and a filling valve 26. The filling valve 26 comprises a filling nozzle 32 having a valve seat 33 provided therein, a valve rod 34 in which a valve body 39A to be seated on the valve seat 33 is formed, a turning fin 50 that adds a turning force to liquid flowing through a liquid passage 30 formed between the inner circumferential surface of the filling nozzle 32, provided at an outer circumferential unit, a servo cylinder 40 that lifts the valve rod 34 to open and close the valve body 39A, and a control device 42 that controls the servo cylinder 40. In the control device 42, opening degree of the valve seat and the valve body can be changed according to the shell diameter of the container to be filled, and filling is performed with small opening degree when a small container having a small shell diameter is filled, and filling is performed with large opening degree when a large container having a shell diameter larger than that of the small container is filled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a filling device for filling a container with a gas filling liquid.

As a device for filling bottles with a gas-filled liquid containing gas, a configuration is known in which a swirling fin is provided on the valve rod of the filling valve to supply the gas-filled liquid to the container while swirling it, in order to suppress foaming during filling. (Patent Document 1). The filling valve utilizes the centrifugal force of the swirling flow to guide the filling liquid toward the shoulder of the bottle, thereby supplying the filling liquid along the inner wall of the bottle and suppressing the generation of bubbles.

JP 2019-094098 Publication

It is desirable that the filling valve be used for different types of containers. When the filling valve of Patent Document 1 is used for both a small container with a small body diameter and a large container with a large body diameter, filling the small container with a relatively large flow rate suitable for filling the large container at high speed. , the swirling flow becomes stronger and the liquid filled along the inner wall of the small container hits the bottom and splashes, causing foaming. Therefore, in order to suppress foaming when filling liquids that tend to foam, a filling valve is required even for large containers. The flow rate of is set according to the small container. However, with the same configuration, the flow rate is adjusted to a small container, so the filling capacity when filling a large container is lower than that of a filling valve dedicated to large containers.

An object of the present invention is to maintain a high filling capacity regardless of the size of the body diameter in a filling device used for filling containers with different body diameters.

A filling device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a filling liquid tank for storing liquid, and a filling valve provided with a sealing member downwardly abutting the mouth of the container, and the filling valve has an inner surface. A filling nozzle is provided with a valve seat and has a liquid outlet formed at its lower end, and a valve body is formed to sit on the valve seat, and liquid is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the filling nozzle. A valve rod having swirling fins provided on the outer circumference to apply a swirling force to liquid flowing through a passage, a driving means for opening and closing the valve body by raising and lowering the valve rod, and a control means for controlling the driving means. The control means can change the opening degree of the valve seat and the valve body according to the body diameter of the container to be filled, and when filling a small container with a small body diameter, the control means can fill the small container with a small opening degree. When filling a large container with a larger body diameter than the small container, the filling is performed with a wide opening.

In the filling device according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the control means includes a storage section that stores a relationship between the flow rate and the opening degree according to the body diameter of the container to be filled. The device is characterized in that the degree of opening is selected from a storage section depending on the type of container.

A third aspect of the present invention is a filling device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the container includes a cylindrical portion having an opening formed at an upper end, and an enlarged diameter portion connected to the cylindrical portion. a body portion connected to the enlarged diameter portion, and a sloped surface that spreads downward is provided at the lower end of the valve rod, and when the valve body is opened, the sloped surface at the lower end of the valve rod is located in the cylindrical portion of the container, protruding below the outlet at the lower end of the filling nozzle, and directs the swirling flow of the filling liquid swirled by the swirling fins into the cylindrical portion of the container by the inclined surface. It is characterized by being guided to the inner peripheral surface.

According to the present invention, in a filling device used for filling containers having different body diameters, a high filling capacity can be maintained regardless of the size of the body diameter.

1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a part of a filling device that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a filler according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the filling valve of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the tip of the filling valve. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a filling valve for filling a container with a small body diameter. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a filling valve that fills a container with a large body diameter. It is a block diagram showing the relationship between a control device and a servo cylinder. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a table stored in a storage unit of the control device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a partial configuration of a filling line according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The filling line 10 of this embodiment is a filling equipment that fills a container V with a gas filling liquid (for example, a carbonated gas drink) that is a liquid containing gas. The filling line 10 includes a wheel-type rinser 12, a filler (filling device) 14, and a capper 16.

The container V whose inner and outer surfaces have been cleaned in the rinser 12 is delivered to the filler 14 via the supply wheel 13, and the container V is filled with gas-filled liquid.

The filled container V is transferred to the capper 16 via the intermediate wheel 15, and a cap is attached thereto. The container V that has been capped is delivered to the discharge conveyor 20 via the discharge wheel 18 and discharged to a processing device on the downstream side.

The container V is, for example, a resin bottle (for example, a PET bottle) having a flange on the neck, and the container V is conveyed by grippers alternately gripping the lower and upper parts of the flange in each wheel from the rinser 12 to the capper 16. be done. Note that from the discharge wheel 18 onward, the bottle is conveyed with the bottom surface of the bottle supported by the conveyor conveyance surface.

FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the filler 14 of this embodiment. The filler 14 includes a filler body 22 and a filling liquid tank 24 provided above the filler body 22. The filler body 22 is composed of a rotating wheel, and a number of filling valves 26 are arranged around its outer periphery. Further, grippers for holding the containers V are arranged on the rotating wheel in correspondence with each filling valve 26 (not shown).

The gas filling liquid F is supplied to the filling liquid tank 24 through the liquid supply passage 24A. Further, pressurized gas is supplied to the head space of the filling liquid tank 24 from a pressurizing device (not shown) through the gas supply passage 24B (pressurizing means). When filling, pressurized gas such as carbon dioxide gas is supplied, and the head space within the filling liquid tank 24 is maintained at, for example, about 0.3 MPa.

A liquid passage 30 that supplies the filling liquid to the filling valve 26 is connected to the bottom of the filling liquid tank 24 via a rotary joint 30B. The liquid passage 30 is branched at the filler body 22 and is supplied to each filling valve 26 through a flow meter 30A. The filling valve 26 is in airtight contact with the mouth of the container V, and supplies the filling liquid to the container V.

Next, the configuration of the filling valve 26 of this embodiment will be described with reference to a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the filling valve 26 in FIG. The filling valve 26 is arranged in a hollow nozzle body (filling nozzle) 32 constituting an outer shell portion and is movable up and down within the nozzle body 32, and forms a liquid passage 30 between the nozzle body 32 and the liquid passage 30. A valve rod 34 that constitutes a liquid valve 31 that opens and closes is provided. The filling valve 26 opens and closes the liquid valve 31 at predetermined timing to inject the filling liquid into the container V.

The valve rod 34 is provided with a gas passage 36 for communicating the gas phase in the head space of the filling liquid tank 24 and the gas phase in the sealed container V. The gas passages 36 of each filling valve 26 are connected to a gas manifold 36B via a gas valve 36A and are combined into a single gas passage 36 through a rotary joint 30B and connected to the top of the filling liquid tank.

Further, a sniff passage 38 for communicating the internal space of the sealed container V to the outside is connected to the gas passage 36 closer to the filling valve 26 than the gas valve 36A. The snift passages 38 connected to each gas passage 36 are each provided with a snift valve 38A, and are integrated into one snift passage 38 via a snift manifold 38B and opened to the outside.

The nozzle body 32 includes a lower outer shell member 32A and an upper outer shell member 32B that moves the valve rod 34 up and down. A liquid passage 30 that supplies the filling liquid F to the filling valve 26 is connected to the upper side surface of the lower shell member 32A.

An annular liquid passage 30 through which filling liquid F flows is formed between the valve rod 34 and the lower outer shell member 32A so as to surround the valve rod 34, and the lower end of the valve rod 34 is connected to the lower end of the lower outer shell member 32A. It protrudes slightly downward.

A gas passage 36 is provided in the center of the valve rod 34 along the longitudinal direction, and as described above, communicates the container V with the head space of the filling liquid tank 24 via the gas valve 36A and connects it to the snift passage 38. and is communicated to the outside via the sniff valve 38A.

The valve rod 34 includes a small diameter part 34A forming the lower end thereof, a medium diameter part 34B located above the small diameter part 34B, and a large diameter part 34C located further above the small diameter part 34A. A first reduced diameter part 39A is provided between the narrow diameter part 34A and the medium diameter part 34B, and a second reduced diameter part is provided between the medium diameter part 34B and the large diameter part 34C, which connects the two. A section 39B is provided.

The inner circumferential surface of the lower outer shell member 32A is shaped to match the shapes of the narrow diameter portion 34A, the medium diameter portion 34B, the large diameter portion 34C, and the first and second reduced diameter portions 39A and 39B. A liquid passage 30 is formed between 32A and the valve rod 34.

The valve rod 34 is held by a servo cylinder 40 above the upper shell member 32B, and is movable up and down within the lower shell member 32A. The drive of the servo cylinder 40 is controlled by a control device 42, and the control device 42 includes a storage section that stores the relationship between the flow rate and the opening degree according to the diameter of the body of the container V to be filled. As will be described later, the control device 42 reads the opening degree corresponding to the type of container V to be filled from the storage section, and its drive is controlled according to the size.

The first reduced diameter portion 39A functions as a valve body with the valve seat 33 formed by the inner circumferential surface of the lower outer shell member 32A, and both constitute the liquid valve 31. When the valve rod 34 is raised, the liquid valve 31 is opened, and when the valve rod 34 is lowered, the liquid valve 31 is closed. Further, the gap between the second reduced diameter portion 39B and the lower outer shell member 32A is expanded or contracted by raising and lowering the valve rod 34, and becomes narrower when the valve rod 34 is lowered and widened when the valve rod 34 is raised. The flow rate of the filling liquid F flowing through the liquid passage 30 can be adjusted.

In addition, in order to isolate the liquid passage 30 from the driving part of the valve rod 34, the outer periphery of the valve rod 34 in the lower shell member 32A is covered around the valve rod 34, and moves up and down as the valve rod 34 moves up and down. The lower end of a cylindrical bellows 44 that expands and contracts is airtightly attached, and the upper end of the bellows 44 is airtightly attached to the lower end of the upper outer shell member 32B. That is, the liquid passage 30 is separated from the sliding portion of the upper shell member 32B and the valve rod 34 by the bellows 44.

Further, as described above, the gas passage 36 formed inside the valve rod 34 can communicate with the head space of the filling liquid tank 24 via the gas valve 36A, and can be opened to the outside via the snift valve 38A.

The lower end of the valve rod 34 is provided with a flare portion 46 that extends downward and radially outward, thereby forming an inclined surface on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the narrow diameter portion 34A. Moreover, a plurality of fins (swivel fins) 50 formed in a spiral shape on the outer peripheral portion of the medium diameter portion 34B are provided above the first reduced diameter portion 39A. As a result, a swirling flow path is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the medium diameter portion 34B and the lower outer shell member 32A. As shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of the tip of the filling valve 26 in FIG. A ring-shaped sealing member 52 is provided to seal the opening Vm of the container V.

Next, the filling operation of the filler 14 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

The filler 14 is capable of filling containers V of different diameters. That is, in the filling line 10 of this embodiment, a container V1 having a relatively small body diameter and a container V2 having a relatively large body diameter are handled. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the filling valve 26 that fills a container V1 with a small body diameter, and FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the filling valve 26 that fills a container V2 with a large body diameter. As mentioned above, the containers V1 and V2 are resin bottles such as PET bottles, and have a cylindrical part with a mouth Vm formed at the upper end, an enlarged diameter part connected to the cylindrical part, and a diameter enlarged part connected to the cylindrical part. The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion expands relatively rapidly to the inner diameter of the barrel by the enlarged diameter portion.

The filling operation corresponding to each container V is controlled by a control device 42 using a servo cylinder 40 and the like. In the control device 42, before starting the filling operation, the operator sets the filling operation corresponding to the container V to be handled. Settings for the filling operation are performed depending on, for example, the container V to be handled and the type of filling liquid.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the control device 42 and the servo cylinder 40. The control device 42 includes a servo cylinder command section 42A and a storage section 42B. The servo cylinder command section 42A refers to the data in the storage section 42B, transmits a control command to the servo cylinder 40, and controls the lift amount of the valve rod 34.

For example, a table schematically shown in FIG. 8 is stored in the storage unit 42B. For example, the type of container V and the corresponding flow rate, opening degree, and filling amount are recorded in the table. The servo cylinder command unit 42A refers to the same table and moves the valve rod 34 up and down in accordance with the selected container V based on the signal from the flow meter 30A. Although FIG. 8 illustrates a table in which the flow rate, opening degree, and filling amount are stored for three types of containers, the number of types of containers is arbitrary. Further, even if the containers have the same capacity, the flow rate and the degree of opening may differ based on, for example, a difference in shape.

In filling the container V1, which has a relatively small body diameter, the valve rod 34 is slightly lifted by the servo cylinder 40, the liquid valve 31 is opened, and the filling liquid F flows through the liquid valve 31 and the filling valve 26 is filled. is supplied into the container V1 from the outlet at the lower end of the container V1. On the other hand, when filling the container V2 with a relatively large body diameter, the valve rod 34 is lifted higher by the servo cylinder 40 than in the case of the container V1 with a small body diameter, and the liquid valve 31 is opened more widely. Furthermore, the gap between the second reduced diameter portion 39B and the lower outer shell member 32A is also enlarged compared to when filling the container V1 with a small body diameter. As a result, when filling the container V2 with a large body diameter, the flow rate of the filling liquid F becomes larger compared to the case of the container V1 with a small body diameter, and more filling liquid F can be supplied to the container V2 per unit time. , it is possible to prevent the filling time from increasing.

In each filling operation, the flared part 46 at the tip of the valve rod 34 protrudes from the outlet at the lower end of the lower shell member 32A, is located within the cylindrical part of the mouth part Vm of the containers V1 and V2, and The position of the upper end at which the slope begins to widen is approximately at the same level as the upper end position of the openings Vm of the containers V1 and V2 when the valve rod 34 opens the valve body during filling.

During the filling operation, the upper ends of the openings Vm of the containers V1 and V2 are pressed against the sealing member 52 provided at the lower end of the lower shell member 32A, thereby making the insides of the containers V1 and V2 airtight from the surrounding atmosphere. It will be sealed. In the filling operation with gas filling liquid, before opening the liquid valve 31, the gas valve 36A is opened and the snift valve 38A is closed, so that the head space between the containers V1 and V2 and the filling liquid tank 24 is The liquid valve 31 is opened after the pressure becomes the same, and the same state is maintained while the liquid valve 31 is opened. As a result, the pressurized filling liquid F in the filling liquid tank 24 is injected into the containers V1 and V2 through the liquid passage 30, and the gas in the containers V1 and V2 passes through the gas passage 36 into the filling liquid tank 24. reflux into the headspace of the body.

The filling liquid F flowing down the liquid passage 30 when the liquid valve 31 is opened is given a tangential flow velocity component by the spiral passage formed by the fins 50, and flows down while swirling inside the liquid passage 30. When the filling liquid F reaches the outlet, the filling liquid F moves radially outward from the center of the valve rod 34 while having a tangential velocity component due to the centrifugal force of the swirling flow and the expansion of the inclined surface of the flare portion 46. and is released to the inner circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical portions of the containers V1 and V2. During the filling start period when the centrifugal force due to the swirling flow generated by the fins 50 is weak, the filling liquid F is applied to the inner peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical portions of the containers V1 and V2 due to the swirling action of the filling liquid F and the action of the inclined surface of the flare portion 46. Thereafter, when the swirling flow is sufficiently developed, the centrifugal force generated by the swirling action guides the filling liquid F to the inner peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical portions of the containers V1 and V2.

The filling operation is performed in parallel with the rotation of the rotating wheel of the filler 14, and the flow rate of the filling liquid F supplied to each filling valve 26 is measured by the flow meter 30A. When the amounts supplied to the containers V1 and V2 reach their respective filling amounts (predetermined amounts), the valve rod 34 is lowered by the servo cylinder 40 and the liquid valve 31 is closed. Thereafter, the gas valve 36A is closed, and the sniff valve 38A is opened, so that the pressure inside the containers V1 and V2 is brought to the outside pressure (external pressure).

As described above, in the filling device of this embodiment, the flow rate of the filling liquid can be adjusted according to the body diameter of the container, so it is possible to set an appropriate flow rate according to the body diameter of the container, and it is possible to High filling capacity can be maintained while suppressing foaming of the filling liquid.

In this embodiment, the flow rate, opening degree, and filling amount according to the type of container are recorded in the storage unit, and the filling operation is controlled by the operator selecting the type of container to be handled. The configuration may be such that the flow rate, opening degree, filling amount, etc. are individually set according to the container being handled. Further, even when filling with a non-gas filling liquid that tends to foam, the flow rate may be adjusted according to the diameter of the container. Furthermore, the mechanism for raising and lowering the valve rod 34 is not limited to a servo cylinder, but it is also possible to employ a multistage air cylinder mechanism that can position the valve rod 34 at a plurality of heights.

10 Filling line 14 Filler (filling device)
24 Filling liquid tank 24A Liquid supply passage 24B Gas supply passage 26 Filling valve 30 Liquid passage 30A Flow meter 31 Liquid valve 32 Nozzle body (filling nozzle)
33 Valve seat 34 Valve rod 36 Gas passage 36A Gas valve 38 Snift passage 38A Snift valve 39A First reduced diameter part (valve body)
40 Servo cylinder (driving means)
42 Control device (control means)
50 fins (swivel fins)
52 Seal member F Filling liquid V Container V1 Container with a relatively small body diameter V2 Container with a relatively large body diameter Vm Mouth part

Claims (3)

a filling liquid tank for storing liquid;
and a filling valve provided with a sealing member that contacts the mouth of the container at the bottom,
The filling valve is
a filling nozzle having a valve seat inside and a liquid outlet formed at the lower end;
A valve rod is formed with a valve body that seats on the valve seat, and is provided with swirl fins on its outer circumferential portion that apply swirling force to liquid flowing through a liquid passage formed between the valve body and the inner circumferential surface of the filling nozzle. and,
a drive means for raising and lowering the valve rod to open and close the valve body;
and a control means for controlling the drive means,
The control means is capable of changing the opening degree of the valve seat and the valve body according to the body diameter of the container to be filled, and when filling a small container with a small body diameter, filling is performed at a small opening degree; A filling device characterized in that when filling a large container having a larger body diameter than the small container, filling is performed with a wide opening. The control means is characterized in that it includes a storage section that stores the relationship between the flow rate and the opening degree according to the body diameter of the container to be filled, and selects the opening degree from the storage section according to the type of the container to be filled. The filling device according to claim 1. The container has a cylindrical part with a mouth formed at an upper end, an enlarged diameter part connected to the cylindrical part, and a body part connected to the enlarged diameter part,
a lower end of the valve rod is provided with an inclined surface that spreads downward;
When the valve body is open, the inclined surface at the lower end of the valve rod protrudes below the outlet at the lower end of the filling nozzle and is located within the cylindrical portion of the container;
3. The filling device according to claim 1, wherein the swirling flow of the filling liquid swirled by the swirling fins is guided to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion of the container by the inclined surface.

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