Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
  • B67C3/00—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus; Filling casks or barrels with liquids or semiliquids
  • B67C3/02—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus
  • B67C3/06—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus using counterpressure, i.e. filling while the container is under pressure
  • B67C3/065—Filling siphons, e.g. carbonating beverages during filling
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H15/00—ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method and an apparatus for charging carbonated drinks, beverages, particularly soda-water into bottles, or as commonly called siphons.
• the apparatus comprises a charging head, a bottle support, a buffer tank for temporary storing the carbonated drink, and a pipe with an admission valve is installed between the charging head and the buffer tank.
• the outlet pipe is available for filling in the liquid and for discharging the gas.
• the siphon head is positioned on the bottle, with a pipe extending into the lower part of the bottle. This pipe should extend into the gas space, so the bottle must be gripped with the siphon head down, and the outlet pipe of the siphon head must be kept in open position by pressing down the actuating arm. In this case the steps of filling of the liquid and discharging of the pressurized gas can be separated only in time, since two different pipes belonging to the charging head can not be passed through the siphon head.
• the bottle is filled with soda-water to a certain extent, then pressurized gas is discharged, and again the steps of filling and discharging are repeated for several times if necessary.
• changing of these steps i.e. control of the valves is performed mechanically, with human assistance.
• both the pressure and the level of liquid inside each bottle will fluctuate.
• Chinese utility model documents CN 2040071 U, CN 2228076U and CN 2228077U describe machines for filling soda-water into bottles. However, these documents do not give a satisfactory solution for discharging the overpressure. Accordingly the object of the present invention is to provide a method and automatic apparatus which enables filling of bottles particularly soda-water bottles wherein filling is performed according to a predetermined programme without the need of human assistance.
• two buffer tanks are used through the charging head which is in communication with the common opening, one for the carbonated drink to be filled into the bottle and one for the pressurized gas to be discharged, and these are operated alternately according to a predetermined (e.g.: experimentally verified) timing, so that simultaneous opening of the two tanks is prevented.
• a level detector is used for making an end of the filling cycle and at the same time for setting the exact level of the liquid.
• the level detector is a capacitive level detector.
• the apparatus comprises a branching joined to the pipe section connecting the charging head and the admission valve, the branching is in communication with a blow-off tank through a blow-off valve.
• the blow-off tank is provided with an adjustable overpressure discharge valve.
• the apparatus is provided with a level detector which is adjustably fastened to the bottle support, and a controller which periodically and alternately opens the admission valve and the blow-off valve according to a predetermined timing, until an electric output signal is transmitted by the level detector indicating the end of the filling cycle.
• the method of the present invention comprises the steps of discharging the pressurized gas accumulated in the bottle during filling into a blow-off tank through a branching having a blow-off valve installed, the branching is joined to the pipe section connecting the charging head and the admission valve; releasing the surplus gas from the blow-off tank into the ambient air through an adjustable overpressure discharge valve; opening the admission valve and the blow-off valve periodically and alternately according to a predetermined timing until an electric signal is received indicating the end of the filling cycle.
• an output signal of a level detector is used, but a fix timing signal might also be proper.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic drawing of a part of the apparatus according to the in- vention showing two adjacent filling stands.
• Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the arrangement for the filling method of the present invention.
• the charging apparatus comprises a bottle support 9 in which a bottle 10 for example a soda-water bottle called siphon may be placed with the siphon head down and the actuating arm of the siphon head can be opened by means of an arm 11 so that charging of the bottle is enabled.
• bottle 10 is placed in the bottle holder with the siphon head down in order to ensure connection to the gas space.
• Charging head 8 is coupled to the outlet pipe of bottle 10. Connecting pipe extending from charging head 8 bifurcates. One of the branches is used for filling the liquid into the bottle through admission valve 2.
• the base material is filled into buffer tank 1 from the direction of arrow F, in which the drink is temporarily stored.
• the pressure in case of soda-water is approximately 6 bars.
• the other branch serves for discharging the surplus pressurized gas from the gas space of bottle 10 through blow-off valve 3 into blow-off tank 5.
• Blow-off tank 5 can not be seen separately in Fig. 1 because it is arranged behind buffer tank 1.
• the admission valve 2 and the blow-off valve 3 must not be in open state at the same time. They are operated in turns, so that first, at the beginning of a filling cycle, admission valve 2 is opened, through which bottle 10 is filled up to a certain extent, which is usually 50-70%. Then admission valve is closed, and by opening of blow-off valve 3 surplus gas having increased pressure is discharged from gas space of bottle 10. A shorter valve opening time may be sufficient for discharging than for filling.
• the opening time of the blow-off valve 3 is typically 2-10% of the preceding opening time of the admission valve 2.
• the following filling/blowing-off cycles may be chosen shorter while maintaining the proportions between the opening times.
• This procedure is continued until level detector 4 which is fastened to bottle support 9 gives an indication that the required filling level is obtained.
• the level detector 4 is a capacitive level detector.
• the capacitive level detector has the advantage of being able to detect a predetermined level of the liquid for certain irrespective of the type, the quality or the optical transparency of the bottle.
• blow-off tank 5 At the second bottle filling post a one-way valve V is used between blow-off tank 5 and blow-off valve 3. This one way valve is used if blow-off valve 3 is of a magnetic controlled type. Then, the high pressure applied on the closed magnetic controlled valve from the direction of the blow- off tank 5 would make opening of that valve difficult.
• the blow-off tank 5 receives not only the surplus gas discharged from the bottle, since the direction of flow changes when changing the open state of the admission valve 2 and the blow-off valve 3, and some of the liquid to be filled remains in the common pipe section and gets into the blow-off tank 5. This liquid may be collected at the bottom of the tank and may be removed from time to time.
• Fig. 2 is the block diagram of the method according to the invention for filling carbonated drinks into bottles showing the components of the apparatus.
• the drink flows from buffer tank 1 into the charging head 8 through admission valve 2, while in the following step the gas flows in the opposite direction through charging head 8 into the blow-off tank 5 via blow-off valve 3.
• Overpressure discharge valve 6 of blow-off tank 5 assures that the pressure of the surplus gas accumulated in blow- off tank 5 does not exceed a predetermined threshold value.
• the overpressure discharge valve 6 which is preferably a weighted valve opens and overpressure is discharged into the ambient air.
• the aforementioned threshold value for opening the weighted valve is set to 3-8 bars.
• Admission valve 2 and blow-off valve 3 must not be open at the same time.
• the duration of opening is determined by a given timing program ensuring an altering opening time, it is the basic principle of the automatic charging process.
• the proper length of time to be chosen depends on the cubic capacity of the bottle, the type of the bottle, the admission pressure of the drink, etc. However, it may be advantageous, if the length of the first opening time of admission valve 2 equals to the time necessary for filling a given bottle with a given carbonated drink up to 50-70% of the cubic capacity of that bottle, and subsequently each opening time of admission valve 2 is shorter.
• Proper timing is effectuated by use of a programmable controller 7 which transmits control signals to electronically controllable admission valve 2 and blow-off valve 3, starting from the beginning of the filling cycle.
• programmes needed for operation according to the predetermined timing are also stored in controller 7.
• controller 7 When bottle 10 is filled, that is, the liquid inside the bottle has reached a predetermined level, then level detector 4 transmits a signal to controller 7 which in automatic operation determines the end of the filling cycle on the basis of the aforementioned electric output signal of level detector 4.
• Level detector 4 is adjustably fastened to the bottle support 9. However, during a filling cycle or during a series of filling cycles necessary for charging a certain bottle type with a certain filling method, level detector 4 stays in a predetermined fixed position.
• An optical detector may be used as level detector, but as the optical transparency of the bottle may vary, preferably a capacitive detector is used, which comprises one or more known capacitive electrodes positioned on the outer side of bottle 10 gripped in bottle holder 9.
• the method and the apparatus according to the description may also be used for filling other types of bottles, in which case the simpler arrangement may be favourable as opposed to arrangements having a separate filling tube and a separate blow-off tube, however, as compared to other known solutions the present invention presents its greatest advantage in the field of soda-water bottles with siphon head.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Primary Health Care (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=89980568

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (1)

Citations (9)

• 2002
  • 2002-06-28 HU HU0202123A patent/HU226023B1/hu unknown
• 2003
  • 2003-06-25 AU AU2003279703A patent/AU2003279703A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-06-25 WO PCT/HU2003/000052 patent/WO2004002874A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (9)

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