KR20030037270A - Cone-shaped jet filling tube and filling machine equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a filling tube for dispensing a liquid into a container, wherein the tube (10) comprises an orifice (36, 40) for dispensing the liquid which conditions a cone-shaped jet, and wherein the tube comprises an axial cannula provided with a gas discharge conduit (24) emerging inside the space defined by the cone-shaped jet. The invention is characterised in that the cannula comprises a gas intake pipe (28) which emerges inside the space defined by the cone-shaped jet and which sprays a gas stream which flows substantially parallel to the liquid cone-shaped jet, on the inner side thereof.

Description

Conical Jet Filling Tube and Charger with Tube {CONE-SHAPED JET FILLING TUBE AND FILLING MACHINE EQUIPPED THEREWITH}

It is well known to implement filling tubes which regulate the conical or 'umbrella' product jet. The chargers used to fill bottles, in particular, allow the product to be projected very quickly from the tube outlet onto the inside of the bottle. In this way, the product inserted into the bottle is introduced along the inner wall and is not projected directly to the bottom of the bottle. As such, the filling of the bottles can be carried out with the minimum possible foaming, thereby increasing the filling flow rate to reduce the time required for filling the bottles.

In addition, it is well known to place nozzles in this type of tube which are located along the axis which exhausts the first air contained in the bottle without disturbing the conical injection.

Two examples of tubes in this sense are found in US Pat. Nos. US-A-4.156.444 and US-A-5.125.441. These tubes allow a clear way to reduce the filling time of the same bottle when the bottled product is a solution of carbonate like soda water or beer, or a solution that tends to foam like milk or fruit juice.

Another problem that may occur during the filling of the bottle is the contact of the product with the ambient air. As it says, many products, especially beer and fruit juices, can be spoiled by oxygen. By the way, the product is strongly exposed to air during filling with a tube of unprecedented meaning. Oxygen tends to coalesce into the product, limiting the shelf life of the product.

The present invention relates in particular to the field of filling tubes designed for the filling system of bottles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an axial schematic cross-sectional view of a filling tube in accordance with the spirit of the present invention, showing a function during filling of the bottle.

2 is a reduced cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

Accordingly, the present invention aims at proposing a new concept of filling tubes, which makes it possible to strongly remove air contact with the bottled product while having suitable properties for the tubes described above. It allows the contact itself to be removed.

To this end, the present invention proposes a filling tube for dispensing a solution into a container, in which the tube has a dispensing conduit of the solution subjecting the conical spraying, and the tube is also spaced by the conical spraying. Having a nozzle along an axis with a gas exhaust pipe leading into the interior of the nozzle, characterized by the nozzle having a gas supply pipe which exits into the interior of the space defined by the conical injection, essentially the conical shape of the solution. Eject a lot of gas that flows out parallel to the injection.

Another feature of the invention is as follows.

The gas supply line exits into a confined space with a conical jet in the form of an annular inlet.

About the exiting end of the gas supply line, the supply line has a deflection surface which is quite conical.

The exhaust pipe exits along the axis at the center of the annular inlet of the gas supply line, which exits along the axis at the center of the annular product distribution conduit.

The gas supply line is fed to the neutral gas for the product to be dispensed.

The injection of the product represents the component of rotation along the axis.

The tube has an annular chamber into which the product is injected together with the junction component, the exiting end of the chamber extending along the axis to the annular conduit for rotation to form the distribution conduit of the product.

The chamber carrying out the rotation is connected to the annular conduit by a funnel shaped surface.

The conduit along the axis penetrates in the axial direction the chamber carrying out the rotation.

The invention also relates to a container charger, which features at least one filling stage with one filling tube incorporating any of the preceding features.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when compared with the accompanying drawings.

The filling tube 10 shown on the figures is more particularly intended for the filling of a bottle 12 with a narrow bottleneck. For example, it could be used not only in glass bottles but also in plastic bottles such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Of course this tube will in particular be used for the manufacture of chargers with several tubes of the type having, for example, a rotating swivel.

Directional concepts such as "up", "down", "upper", "lower", etc ... used in the description of the drawings are consistent with the examples shown and are considered to have limitations in the distance to which the present invention may be applied Should not be.

The tube 10 shown on the figures essentially has a hollow hollow body 14 which is a revolution of the axis A1. The body traverses in the axial direction by two coaxial tubes, namely the inner tube 16 and the outer tube 16.

The main body 14 thus delimits the inner volume penetrated along the axial direction by the tubes 16, 18. The main body 14 described here alone may also be made of several parts to facilitate manufacturing. It closes the inner volume in a waterproof manner upwards and is governed by an upper lid 20 which bears the tubes 16, 18.

The lid 20 has an inner diameter cut into layers that traverse in the axial direction. The upper end 22 of the inner diameter extending upward towards the outside of the main body is cylindrical in diameter axis A1 which is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the inner tube 16 .

The lower end 24 exiting down in the inner volume is cylindrical in diameter axis A1 which is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the outer tube 18.

The intermediate end 26 extending axially between the upper ends 22 and the lower ends 24 is cylindrical with a diameter axis A1 substantially equal to the inner diameter of the outer tube 18.

The upper end of the outer tube 26 comes from the intermediate end 26 to the annular surface of the braking device delimiting the lower end 24 and presses the lower end 26 of the inner diameter of the lid along the axial direction from the bottom up. Enter). The tube 18 is installed by tightening the outer tube 18 on the lid 20 on the one hand and by torus jointing on the other hand to ensure moistureproofing of this installation.

The inner tube 16 enters along the axial direction at the center of the outer tube 18 so as to completely penetrate the lid 20. The outer tube 18 is held tightly through the upper end 22 of the lid inner diameter. This also fixes the inner tube 16.

As can be seen in the figures, the inner diameter of the outer tube 18 is equal to the outer diameter of the inner tube 16, so that when the two tubes are coaxially mounted on the lid 20, the two tubes 16, Between 18) there is an annular space forming the conduit 28.

However, the inlet 30 penetrates the lid in a radial fashion so that it exits to the middle end 24 of the inner diameter, so that it can be delivered to the conduit 28 with the source of fluid.

The inner volume, which is delimited by the main body 14, has essentially three parts. That is, the upper chamber 32, the conical speed changer 34, and the annular distribution conduit 36 which perform rotation. The chamber 32 which performs the rotation here shows a simple ring shape arranged around the outer tube 18. The supply inlet 38 allows the insertion of a product to be filled in the chamber 32 in the direction of viewing the tangent component, as opposed to being only radiation shaped. As the product is introduced into the chamber at a constant pressure, this pressure is driven in a helical circulation in the chamber even if it does not cause an outflow by gravity of the product. In some cases, it can be expected to give a slight slope to the supply inlet 38 along the vertical direction.

The annular distribution conduit 36 allows the product to be filled to flow toward the container 12 and is formed around the lower portion of the outer tube 18. In the illustrated example, this portion of the tube 10 enters into the bottleneck portion of the container to be filled, with the result that the conduit 36 exhibits a diameter lower than the diameter of the remaining portion of the main body 14. The conduit is delimited by a cylindrical cylindrical inner wall element. In order to connect the chamber 32 to the conduit 36, a connecting surface 34 selected in the shape of a truncated cone is designed for simplicity.

Of course, the internal shapes of the main body 14 of the tube 10 may yield an optimal scale, as not shown in US Pat. No. 5,125.441, for example, unless abandonment of the spirit of the invention. .

As can be seen in Figure 1, the lower end of the outer tube 18 is lowered down about the lower end of the conduit 36. In this way the annular product outlet conduit 40 is defined. In addition, the lower end of the outer tube 18 extends radially outwardly so that the outer surface of the outer tube tends to eject the product radially outward so that the outer surface of the outer tube contacts the inner wall surface of the container forming a conical jet. Form a deflector.

The size and location of each of the outer tube 18 end and the conduit 36 end are selected so that the passage section of the outlet conduit 4 is relatively reduced. This is to prevent the flow of fluid contained in the tube when the supply is interrupted. The maximum acceptable passage section to prevent the product from falling down is especially determined by changes in the intrinsic surface tension of the product.

In a comparable manner, the lower end of the inner tube 16 passes axially below the lower end of the outer tube 18, with the outer surface of the inner tube 16 end forming the deflection surface 46. To the outside in the shape of radiation toward the end. The lower end of the conduit 28 is thus annular in shape and ends radially outward.

According to the function, the supply inlet 38 of the chamber 32 is connected with the storage tank of the product to be filled by the mediation of the adjustment opening and closing door. The opening and closing of the door can be manipulated according to the change of different parameters. It may be related to a temporary control that determines a constant filling period to be applied to all containers. The controls are by weight type and product dispensing stops when the container reaches a predetermined weight. It may also relate to a flow control device, where the flow value delivered to the tube is summed to estimate the volume of product released into the container. In the case of a volume meter, the amount of product to be dispensed will be determined in an intermediate volume located between the storage tank and the filling tube.

The inlet 30 of the gas supply conduit 28 is connected to a source of neutral gas, in particular for the product under consideration. This neutral gas can come from, for example, carbon dioxide (CO2) or nitrogen (N2).

A central conduit 42 having an area defined inside the center tube 16 is connected to the gas exhaust device or very simply connected out.

Depending on the function, many of the products injected into the tube body are rotated in the chamber 32 such that the product is combined with the annular form of the outlet conduit 40 and the deflection 44 surface form so that the product is in the form of a conical jet To be dispensed by. The lower part of the tube enters the container or immediately near the container so that the product comes into contact with the inner wall of the container and flows out along the inner wall to fill the container. Even when the flow rate is high, it flows almost without foaming.

In accordance with the present invention, by feeding the conduit 28 to the neutral gas, a large amount of gas exiting the lower end of the conduit 28 exits the conical outflow of the product "down." Due to the flared shape on the deflection 48 surface, a large amount of gas flows out of the bottle almost simultaneously with a large amount of product.

Thus, thanks to the present invention, a large amount of the product is in a sealed state between the inner wall of the container which is the outer surface and the large amount of neutral gas which is the inner surface. As such, contact of the ambient air with the product may be quite limited or even discarded.

Of course, the exhaust pipe 42 allows gas to be ejected from the container as the degree of product in the container increases. This exhaust is formed in a special way upwards along axis A1 by the center of the vessel. The evacuated gas may be the portion of the gas first contained within the container prior to filling or the portion of the neutral gas supplied by the conduit 36.

In addition, in order to limit the possibility of contact with the ambient air and the product, it is possible to schedule the start of the filling operation as a preliminary step of cleaning the vessel with neutral gas. The cleaning effect by this tube according to the invention will be particularly improved with the unique outflow due to the tube. Indeed, a large amount injected into the gas supply pipe 28 flows down along the inner wall of the container, and goes back toward the exhaust pipe 42 along the axis A1. This runoff allows the air contained within the vessel to be driven out first in a very short time and in a fairly effective manner. This reduces the air contact of the product in a very important way without too increasing the total time required for filling the container.

Thanks to the tube according to the invention, neutral gas injection can be extended beyond the time required for product filling. This is to complete the cleaning of the container head space with a neutral gas to avoid sealing the air in the bottle, ie at the moment of contacting the product or sealing the bottle with a lid.

Claims (10)

Filling tubes for dispensing a solution into a container, in this type, have a dispensing conduit (36, 40) of the solution in which the tube (10) is subject to conical spraying, and the tube is also inside a space delimited by conical spraying. Having a nozzle along an axis with a gas exhaust pipe 42 leading to the nozzle, characterized in that the nozzle has a gas supply pipe 28, which is drawn out of the space delimited by the conical injection, essentially To blow out a lot of gas that flows out parallel to the conical injection of the solution. 2. Filling tube according to claim 1, characterized in that the supply pipe (28) of the gas exits into the space defined by the conical jet in the form of an annular inlet. 3. Filling tube according to claim 2, characterized in that the gas supply line (28) has a substantially conical deflection surface at about the exit end of the supply line. 4. The exhaust pipe (42) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the exhaust pipe (42) exits along the axis at the center of the annular inlet of the gas supply pipe (28), which exits along the axis at the center of the product distribution conduits (36, 40) which are fairly annular. Filling tube, characterized in that. 5. Filling tube according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gas supply line is fed with a neutral gas to the product to be dispensed. 6. Filling tube according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the injection of the product represents a rotational component along the axis. 7. The chamber according to claim 6, wherein the tube has an annular chamber (32) in the feed inlet (38) into which the product is injected along with the connection component, and extends along the axis to the annular conduit (36) to effect rotation. Its exiting end of which forms a distribution conduit (40) of the product. 8. Filling tube according to claim 7, characterized in that the chamber (32) performing the rotation is connected to the annular conduit (36) by a funnel shaped surface (34). 8. Filling tube according to claim 7, characterized in that the conduits (16, 18) along the axis pass through the chamber (32) in which the rotation is effected in the axial direction. A container charger, characterized in that it has at least one filling stage with one filling tube in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.