EP0262258A1 - Device for filling receptacles - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus for filling receptacles comprises a storage vessel (8) which is connected by its base to filling chambers (11). The filling chambers (11) are closed via displaceable lids (12), so that the volume of the filling chamber can be adjusted. When the connection between the filling chamber and the storage vessel (8) is opened, liquid flows from the storage vessel (8) into the filling chamber until the liquid level in a breather tube (13), which is routed through the lid (12) of the filling chamber, is identical to the level (15) in the storage vessel. After closing the opening in the storage vessel and simultaneous opening of the discharge opening in the connection between the storage vessel and the filling chamber (11) the liquid flows from the filling chamber into the receptacle (16) to be filled. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device for filling containers with precisely measured quantities, with a storage container in which the liquid to be filled is contained.

Various piston filling devices are known, which are used in particular for filling liquids with high viscosity.

The filling devices of this type are complicated and equipped with pistons, the vertical alternating movements of which bring about the forced transfer of the liquid from the storage container to the metering chambers and the subsequent forced delivery from the metering chambers into the containers passed underneath. In the case of the filling devices mentioned, the previous determination of the quantity to be dispensed is achieved in that the stroke of the pistons in the interior of the metering chambers is previously set.

The vertical lifting movements are carried out using complicated kinematics with connecting rod and crank elements or using appropriately designed inclined guides which engage the ends of the piston rods.

The control of the stroke of the crank mechanisms is carried out by varying the radius of the crank, while the control of the stroke is carried out in devices with an inclined guide by changing the inclination of the guide.

The typical accelerations of alternating movements represent a major impairment in both types of the known filling devices.

With increased demands on the productivity and reliability of modern filling systems, especially for processing liquids that are consumed in large quantities, such restrictions are unacceptable.

The invention has for its object a generic To design the filling device in such a way that a simple mechanism provides increased performance compared to known devices.

This object is achieved in that the reservoir is connected at its bottom to a filling chamber, that a closure for opening and closing the connection between the reservoir and the filling chamber or for opening and closing the outlet of the filling chamber is provided that in the filling chamber a lid is arranged as an upper end, and that a vent pipe is guided through the lid to above the highest liquid level in the storage container.

The market trend is towards extremely fast, reliable, precise, maintenance and repair-friendly filling devices with a wide range of uses, which makes it possible to fill bottles with variable capacities between a quarter liter and more than two liters with the same device.

The device according to the invention shows that pistons in the interior of metering chambers or cylinders are not absolutely necessary.

The features essential to the invention are as follows: The storage container for the liquid to be filled is a piezometric shaft, i.e. its liquid level is kept constant by constant supply via a float system.

This piezometric shaft is able, by natural gravity, to perform the functions of forced transfer which the pistons carried out when they were lifted upwards; consequently, the pistons can be omitted.

In addition, the function of the forced dispensing of the liquid, which was carried out by sinking pistons, by natural gravity through the decanted liquid themselves, because it is possible due to a drain hole in the upper lid of the filling chamber that the liquid flows freely by gravity.

Both functions previously carried out by the pistons can be performed from the liquid to be filled, and consequently all piston and connecting rod mechanisms that perform alternating vertical movements can be dispensed with.

Herein lies the overcoming of the prejudice regarding the indispensability of movable pistons inside the dosing or. Filling chambers.

A simple filling chamber closed at the top by a lid, the lid having a vent opening that is higher than the liquid level of the storage container, works without a piston and is suitable for forming a complete metering device with all the functions that were previously required by a complex kinematic system obsolete piston filling machines have now been implemented.

At the bottom of the filling chamber there is a connection to the bottom of the storage container, inside which the liquid to be filled, which is kept at a constant level, functions like a central hydraulic pressure pot, which can be used to raise all "virtual pistons" without kinematic linkage, with which analog the amounts of liquids that have penetrated into the interior of the filling chambers from below can be equated.

It is essentially gravity that, due to the principle of the communicating tubes, causes the liquid to rise from below into the filling chambers.

When the liquid in the interior of the filling chamber has reached top dead center, that is to say the closure lid, it continues to rise in the vent pipe until it has reached the level of the liquid in the storage container.

Only when the liquid has reached this hydrostatic equilibrium is the movement reversed by opening the lower outlet opening after previously closing the outlet opening in the bottom of the storage container. The metered amount of liquid can then flow due to gravity and due to the presence of the vent pipe connected to the outside air. It should be noted that the flow rate of the liquid decreases, i.e. tends towards zero, when its height in the filling chambers decreases until it is completely emptied.

This reduction of the discharge velocities enables the complete removal of residual foam in the bottle neck.

• a) Während des Ansteigens der Flüssigkeit in den Füllkammern ermöglicht das Entlüftungsrohr die Abgabe der Luft, die vorher in der Kammer vorhanden war.
• b) Das Entlüftungsrohr ermöglicht die Abgabe der dosierten Flüssigkeit infolge der Schwerkraft und das gleichzeitige erneute Eindringen von Luft.
• c) Der kleine Durchmesser des Entlüftungsrohres ermöglicht außerdem eine Minimierung des Einflusses von evtl. vorübergehenden kleinen Schwankungen des Flüssigkeitspegels im Vorratsbehälter, womit die Genauigkeit der Dosierung innerhalb eines zulässigen oder akzeptablen Toleranzbereiches verbleibt.

The vent pipe provides a triple function combination and optimizes the entire filling process:

• a) As the liquid rises in the filling chambers, the vent pipe allows the air that was previously present in the chamber to be released.
• b) The vent pipe allows the metered liquid to be dispensed due to gravity and the simultaneous re-entry of air.
• c) The small diameter of the vent pipe also allows a minimization of the influence of possibly temporary small fluctuations in the liquid level in the storage container, so that the accuracy of the dosage remains within an allowable or acceptable tolerance range.

In the device according to the invention, all masses in motion, that is to say pistons and connecting rods, are eliminated.

The device according to the invention works without a piston and connecting rods, but still contains a combination of all the functional features of devices for the determination, simultaneous control and micrometic calibration of exact amounts of liquid that are to be dispensed in the most technologically advanced filling processes.

• Fig. 1 eine Vorrichtung mit Vorratsbehälter und Füllkammer während deren Füllung,
• Fig. 2 eine Draufsicht der Winkelposition bei einer Abfüllvorrichtung mit rotierendem Vorratsbehälter,
• Fig. 3 die Lage der Flüssi gkeit nach Erreichen des hydrostatischen Gleichgewichtes;
• Fig. 4 eine schematische Darstellung der Winkelposition, in der das hydrostatische Gleichgewicht eintritt;
• Fig. 5 den Beginn der Phase der Befüllung der Flaschen,
• Fig. 6 eine Draufsicht der Winkelposition am Beginn des Befüllens;
• Fig. 7 den Stand der Flüssigkeit bei ca. der Hälfte der Befüllungsphase;
• Fig. 8 eine Draufsicht der entsprechenden mittleren Winkelposition zu Fig. 7;
• Fig. 9 die abschließende Phase des Abfüllens mit stark reduzierter Geschwindigkeit;
• Fig. 10 eine Draufsicht der Winkelposition der in Fig. 9 angegebenen Phase;
• Fig. 11 den Beginn der Umfüllphase, d.h. der Füllung der Füllkammer,
• Fig. 12 schematisch die relative Winkelposition bei der Anordnung nach Fig. 11;
• Fig. 13 im Detail die Dosiereinrichtung einer Abfüllvorrichtung, die für eine Flasche mit maximalem Fassungsvermögen eingestellt ist;
• Fig. 14 die Dosiereinrichtung nach Fig. 13 nach Einstellung für die Befüllung einer Flasche mit geringerem Inhalt und
• Fig. 15 eine Vorrichtung zur unabhängigen mikrometrischen Eichung der Füllkammer.

Further features and advantages essential to the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which exemplary embodiments are explained with reference to the drawing. It shows:

• 1 shows a device with storage container and filling chamber during its filling,
• 2 is a plan view of the angular position in a filling device with a rotating storage container,
• 3 shows the position of the liquid after reaching the hydrostatic equilibrium;
• Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of the angular position in which the hydrostatic equilibrium occurs;
• 5 the beginning of the phase of filling the bottles,
• 6 is a top view of the angular position at the start of filling;
• 7 shows the level of the liquid at approximately half of the filling phase;
• FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the corresponding mean angular position from FIG. 7;
• 9 shows the final phase of filling at a greatly reduced speed;
• Fig. 10 is a plan view of the angular position of the phase shown in Fig. 9;
• 11 the beginning of the decanting phase, ie the filling of the filling chamber,
• 12 schematically shows the relative angular position in the arrangement according to FIG. 11;
• 13 shows in detail the metering device of a filling device which is set for a bottle with maximum capacity;
• FIG. 14 shows the metering device according to FIG. 13 after setting for filling a bottle with less Content and
• 15 shows a device for independent micrometric calibration of the filling chamber.

Fig. 1 shows a device for filling containers. The liquid 10 to be filled is contained in a storage container 8. The container 8 has in its bottom 40 an opening 17 which is connected to a filling chamber 11 via a connection 42. The connection 42 is formed with an opening 43 through which the liquid to be filled is dispensed into the containers to be filled.

A plunger 14 is guided through the storage container 8, a closure 18 being arranged at the lower end thereof. The closure 18 has an upper valve seat 45 for closing the opening 17 in the container 8 and a lower valve seat 46 for closing the opening 43 in the connection 42. In Fig. 1, the plunger 14 is moved downward, so that the lower valve seat 46 closes the opening 43 and there is a connection between the container 8 and the filling chamber 11.

The filling chamber 11 is closed by a cover 12, which is sealed by means of sealing rings 26 in the interior of the filling chamber 11. A vent pipe 13 is passed through the cover 12, through which the air contained in the filling chamber 11 can escape as the liquid enters the filling chamber 11. The vent pipe 13 is so long that its opening lies above the liquid level 15 in the reservoir 8.

The lid 12 of the filling chamber is fastened to a holder 29 via the vent pipe, which in turn is arranged on a frame 30. As can be seen from FIG. 14, the holder 29 is displaceable on the frame 30 in the direction of the arrow 31. The height of the cover 12 in the filling chamber 11 can thus be adjusted. A fine adjustment of the lid height can be done on the holder 29. The vent pipe 13 is for this formed with an external thread 28 and the height of the holder 29 on the vent pipe 13 can be adjusted via nuts 33. The frame 30 can be raised and lowered, as a result of which the lid height can be adjusted in all filling chambers of a filling device with a rotating storage container. The lids can all have the same height in the filling chamber, or different amounts can be set in the filling chambers by individually adjusting the ventilation pipe 13 on the holder 29.

In the arrangement in FIG. 1, the filling chamber 11 is filled by liquid 10 flowing from the reservoir 8 through the connection 42 into the filling chamber 11 from below. This continues until the liquid level in the vent pipe 13 is equal to the level 15 in the storage container 8, which can be seen from FIG. 3. Fig. 3 also shows a bottle 16 to be filled below the arrangement.

Fig. 5 shows the arrangement with raised plunger 14, which in this position closes the opening 17 in the container 8 with its closure 18. In this state, liquid can no longer get into the filling chamber from the container 8. For this purpose, the opening 43 in the connection 42 is open and liquid can flow from the filling chamber 11 into the container 16. 5 shows this process, with the liquid level 20 in the filling chamber 11 dropping. The outflow rate of the liquid that enters the container 16 from the filling chamber 11 decreases continuously since the pressure in the filling chamber 11 also decreases. At the end of the filling process of the container 16, the outflow rate approaches zero, so that foaming in the container 16 is avoided.

FIG. 7 shows the arrangement with the liquid level 20 further lowered in the filling chamber 11. In FIG. 9, the filling chamber 11 is almost empty, and the liquid level 21 has reached the opening 43 of the connection 42. For this, the container 16 is filled up to its neck 22. 11 shows the device at the beginning of a new metering cycle, in which the opening 43 in the connection 42 is closed and liquid from the storage container 8 enters the filling chamber 11, which is shown by the liquid level 24 in the filling chamber 11.

2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 show a rotary filling device in plan view with an entrance turnstile 7, with a rotating storage container 8 and with an exit turnstile 9. The positions indicated in these figures with the reference numerals 1 to 6 correspond to the states , which correspond to Figures 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 respectively.

13 shows a device with which a relatively large container 16 is filled up to its neck 23. The lid 12 of the filling chamber 11 is pulled all the way up so that the entire interior 27 of the filling chamber 11 is available for metering.

Fig. 14 shows the device with which a small container 16ʹ is to be filled. The lid 12 of the filling chamber 11 is shifted downward in the filling chamber, so that a relatively small space 27 'is available for metering.

The cover 12 can be moved in the filling chamber 11 if the frame 30 is designed as a spindle, during the rotation of which the holder 29 is moved up or down in the direction of the arrow 31.

In the device according to the invention, the principle of the communicating tubes works, ie the filling chamber 11 is filled as a result of the liquid pressure in the container 8 when its connection to the container 8 is opened. The liquid level in the vent pipe rises until it has reached the position of the liquid level in the container 8. After closing the container 8 and at the same time opening the discharge opening of the connection, the liquid flows from the filling chamber 11 into the container to be filled due to its own weight. With that, any pistons or Connecting rods are not required for the filling device.

Claims (8)

1. Device for filling containers (16) with precisely measured quantities, with a storage container (8) in which the liquid to be filled (10) is contained, characterized in that the storage container (8) at its bottom with a filling chamber (11 ) is connected that a closure (18) for opening and closing the connection (42) between the storage container (8) and the filling chamber (11) or for opening and closing the outlet (43) of the filling chamber is provided in the filling chamber (11) a lid (12) is arranged as the upper end, and that through the lid (12) a vent pipe (13) is guided up to the highest liquid level (15) in the reservoir (8). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure (18) is designed as a double-acting valve (45, 46). 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the closure (18) is arranged at the lower end of a plunger (14) guided through the storage container (8). 4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the liquid level (15) in the reservoir (8) has a constant height. 5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cover (12) in the filling chamber (11) is adjustable. 6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cover (12) of a plurality of filling chambers (11) on a common frame (29, 30) are arranged. 7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the cover (12) are independently adjustable on the frame (29). 8. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the frame (29) can be raised.

Images