FR2635098A1 - METHOD AND MACHINE FOR ADDING A PRODUCT TO A LIQUID, IN PARTICULAR THE ADDING OF FERMENTION IN WINE - Google Patents

Abstract

Process for adding a product to a liquid during packaging of the liquid in a container, characterized in that a dose of product to be added is determined, this dose is placed in the path of the liquid towards the container and it is introduces the product into the container by the flow of liquid which flows towards the container for its packaging.

Description

The invention relates to a method and a

  machine for adding a product to a liquid, in particular

  ment for adding ferment to wine.

  There are many cases in which it is advisable to add an additive to a liquid, an additive which can take many forms

  such as powder, especially fruit pulp, granules

  strips, etc. This is how for the fermentation of wine,

  we imagined putting the ferment in the form of micro-

  capsules or beads coated with a gelatin-like product. However, the main problem posed by the use of these micro-capsules or "beads" of ferment,

  is that they are relatively fragile

  them and that they must not be injured when they are introduced into the bottles so as not to

cloud the liquid.

  The object of the present invention is to create a means for adding in a determined quantity a product in the form of powder, pulp, granules,

  marbles, etc. to a liquid and, in particular, to add

  to ferment wine to make sparkling wine

  seux. To this end, the invention relates to a process characterized in that a dose of product is determined

  to add, place this dose on the liquid path

  from to the container and the product is introduced into the container by the flow of the liquid which flows towards

  the container for packaging.

  According to another characteristic of the

  Be careful, the product to be added is wetted, preferably

  this by the liquid to be conditioned and we determine

  then the dose of wet product.

  According to another characteristic of the

  vention, we determine the dose of product on the journey

  liquid flowing to the container.

  The invention also relates to a machine

  for the implementation of the process as defined above

  above, this machine being characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, a body. connected to a room

  containing the liquid to be conditioned, this body

  both a cavity connected to a supply line

  tion in product to be added, and on the other hand, a sliding control member passing right through the cavity and comprising a liquid flow channel towards a flow orifice, this channel being closed by two valves arranged on either side of the cavity, one to prevent the flow of liquid to the cavity, the other to prevent the flow of

  product to be added from the cavity towards the drain opening

lement.

  The invention is shown by way of example

  ple nonlimiting on the attached drawings in

which: -

  : - Figure 1 is an axial sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a withdrawal head according to the invention, this head being shown at the initial stage of determining the dose of product to be introduced into a bottle; - Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are views in partial section showing the successive stages of the operation of the head, namely: - Figure 2: opening of the lower shutter, - Figure 3: determination of the dose of beads , - Figure 4: release of the dose of beads,

  - Figure 5: filling a bottle with liquid

  - of and simultaneous evacuation of the dose of

balls to the bottle.

  This description will relate to

  as an example, to a machine for adding beads

  of ferment in bottles of wine.

  The object of the present invention is therefore a method and a machine which make it possible to successively dose determined quantities of ferment balls and to introduce these doses into the wine bottles, without these balls being deteriorated during the dosing and transfer. , using as

  means of transfer the wine to fill the bottles

the.

  20..Depending on the invention, it was also pre-

  seen to wet the balls before any handling

  to facilitate their mobility, one by

  compared to others, as well as to different

  annuities walls of the conduits in which they move, this wetting liquid thus acting for

favor their dosage.

  These balls are arranged in bulk, for example-

  ple in a hopper 1, the lower opening of which opens into a conduit 11 leading to a bore

  lateral 2 of the body 3 of a withdrawal head. This per-

  slot 2 ends & a dosing cavity 4 which has

  an annular rim 5, preferably circular, direct

  ge toward the lower end of the head, that is

  say in the direction of flow of the wine, and whose edge

  lower is located according to a plan referenced 6.

  The balls are placed in the hopper with a liquid the quantity of which is sufficient to wet the balls, this liquid being, of course, preferably identical to that which must be bottled. This wine, acting as a wetting product, carries with it the balls in the conduit 11, the bore 2 and in the cavity 4 and this until

  level of plane 6 consisting of plane 6 of the opening

re of the annular rim 5.

  The balls are arranged exactly in the cavity 4 up to level 6 due to an overpressure

  which is established in this cavity, as will be pre-

  mentioned later when explaining the function-

machine.

  The upper part of the body 3 is provided with a cylindrical chamber 7 of determined volume, and containing the exact quantity of wine which must be

  introduced into a bottle. This bedroom 7 has

  te at its lower end an opening 71 which la

  connects via a speaker

  te 8 and a line 9 with a tank. 10

  containing the wine you want to drink. This reservation

  see 10 is provided at its upper end with level 11 and 12 sensors respectively controlling

  stopping the filling of tank 10 with pro-

  coming from a tank, or on the contrary, the supply of this tank. The upper end of the reservoir is brought to atmospheric pressure by a tube 13,

  this tubing possibly being used for the

  production in this tank, of a neutral gas for

avoid oxidation of the wine.

  The upper end of chamber 7 com-

  carries a piston 14 whose hollow rod 14 is mounted by screwing at 142 through the upper wall of the chamber 7. This rod 14 is immobilized by a nut 143. The screwing in one direction or the other of the rod 14, makes it possible to adjust the position of the piston 14 in the chamber 7 in order to determine with precision its volume and, therefore, the volume of liquid which will be introduced into a bottle. Inside the body 3, there is a sliding control member 15 which comprises: - an axial channel 16 said to be vented to the open air of the bottle during its filling and which opens laterally at 161 onto this body 15 , as well as in 162 at its lower end;

  a bulge 17 located substantially at the top

  tor of cavity 4 and whose lower end

  forms in 171 a valve seat on which comes to

  sealingly fold a ring 18 pushed by a helical spring 19; an annular passage 20 for the flow of wine and the balls, which is normally closed at its upper end, at the height of the valve seat 17,

  formed between the bulge 17 and the ring 18. The end

  lower part of this flow channel 20 is closed

  reed by a valve 211, intended to prevent dripping

  your wine flows from your head outside the peri

  bottles filling, this valve being formed at the lower end of a sleeve 22 made of several pieces. This valve 21 comes to bear,

  under the action of a helical spring 23, against the ex-

  flared end, forming a valve seat, from the end

  lower tee of the axial channel 16; - An upper extension 38, f provided with a bore 381. This extension is produced at the upper end of the bulge 17 and delimits a chamber 24 communicating with the cavity 4 of the body 3 by a circular arrangement of perforations 25 formed between the head 17 and extension 38;

  - A valve 26 which closes the upper end

  of the chamber 24 of the extension 38, this valve being held in the closed position by a spring 27 working in compression. This valve 26 comprises a rod 28 which passes through the bore 381 and which is provided, at its upper end, with a head 29 housed inside the chamber 7. This head is capable of being actuated by a cam 30 mounted on an axis 31 comprising, moreover, a roller

  control 32 arranged outside the tank 7.

  The upper end of the body 15, constituted by the extension 23, forms at 33 a valve capable of being applied to a valve seat 34 formed at the lower end of the opening 71 of the chamber 7 sealing generally designated by the reference 35, are provided for

  sealing between the various moving parts

  the. Furthermore, the ring 18 sliding in leaktight manner on the body 15, is provided at its upper end with an annular lip 181. The ring 18 as well as its lip 18, are designed so that, in the low position (see FIGS. 1 and 2), the lip is located below the plane 6 whereas, in the high position (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5) it comes to be placed above the plane 6 by applying sealingly against the seat 36 formed on the body 3, at the end

upper cavity 4.

  The lip 184 is thin in order to

  do not risk crushing beads when applying it

  cation against the seat 36 and its diameter is less than that of the annular rim 5, so that during the axial and simultaneous vertical displacement of the ring 18 and the bulge 17 of the control member 15, these two parts pass through the bed of balls and wine which extends to the level of plane 6 by lifting a determined quantity of these balls. Thus, when the lip 18 comes to rest against its seat 36, a determined dose of balls 37 (see FIG. 3) is formed in the annular housing delimited by, on the one hand, the ring 18 and its lip 181 , on the other hand, the

bulge 17.

  The operation of this device is the

following.

  The first stage (figure 1) corresponds to the filling of chamber 7 with the dose of wine which must fill the bottle and to the first stage of

  formation of a dose of beads in the cavity 4.

  The wine fills the chamber 7 by the principle of communicating vessels, since the reservoir as well as this chamber 7 are in communication with the open air, respectively by the tube 13 and by the hollow rod 141 of the piston 14. The wine Therefore completely fills the chamber 7 as well as partially the hollow rod 141, since the feelers 11 and 12 determine, in the reservoir 10, a level of liquid which is located at the height of this hollow rod 141. During this first stage of operation from the racking head, the balls wetted by the wine flow through the pipe 1 to the cavity 4 o a bed of balls piled up on top of each other is formed, their level being however limited to that of plane 6 determined by the lower edge of the lip

circular 5.

  When a bottle is placed against the pad made of flexible material 22, of the sleeve 22, the

  relative axial displacement of the head and the bottle

  the product raises the sleeve 22 against the spring 23 and possibly against a spring disposed between the sleeve 22 and the body 15

  (second stage of the cycle shown in Figure 2).

  This movement has the effect of opening the valve 21, formed

  between the end 162 of the axial passage 16 and the end

  lower half of the ring 22. The opening of this cla-

  pet is intended to make possible the subsequent flow

laughing at the wine and the marbles.

  At the third stage of the operating cycle-

  ment (see Figure 3), the relative axial movement of the bottle and the filling head continues, so that the sleeve 22 which is in the high position

  relative to the control member 15, raises many

  nant this control member 15 as well as the ring 18 which is still supported on the seat 171 by the spring 19. During this lifting, the lip 181 crosses the bed of balls, carrying with it the exact dose of desired balls. When the lip 181 is applied sealingly against the seat 36, this dose of balls 37 is perfectly isolated

  remaining balls of the cavity 4.

  The fourth stage of operation is

  shown in Figure 4 and corresponds to the continuation

  te relative axial displacement of the bottle and the head, resulting in the lifting of the organ

15 in the body 3.

  At this stage, the lifting of the control member continues against the spring 23 bearing on the body 3 and against the spring 19 bearing on the ring 18, itself immobilized by application of its lip 181 against seat 36. The bulge 17 of the control member is then raised

  relative to the ring 18, which has the effect of

  screw the valve 171 by allowing the dose of balls 37 to flow through the annular passage 20 and the valve

  open at the lower end 211 of the sleeve 22.

  The axial movement of the body 15 continues until the valve 33 comes to bear against

  the seat 34 formed at the lower end of the opening

  ture 71 of chamber 7, which has the effect of separation

  r the determined volume of wine from the chamber 7 of that which is in the enclosure 8. From this instant, the body 15 is immobilized and the continued axial movement of the head and the bottle is only reflected by compression of the spring 23,

  that is to say by the displacement of the sleeve 22.

  The last stage of operation of the head is represented in FIG. 5 and corresponds to the flow of wine from chamber 7 into the bottle with simultaneous entrainment of the dose of balls 37, of which only a small quantity, or even none

  of them, has not yet reached the bottle.

  This flow is obtained by actuation

  of the valve 26 from the cam 30, itself action-

  born, outside the head, by the roller 32.

  20. In practice, the machine will have a

  large number of heads similar to that described, .ran-

  circularly around the periphery of a barrel

  rotating and, in this case, the rollers 32 will be controlled

  dice by a fixed cam, in order to produce the opening of the valve 26 in a determined angular position of the barrel. When the chamber 7 is empty and the wine which it contained, as well as the balls of the dose 37, are placed in the bottle, the roller 32 controls

  the lifting of the valve 26 which again comes to be

  fold tightly on seat 25. Also,

  the full bottle and the head move with one

  inverse relative axial bearing, as depicted

  sively in Figures 4, 3, 2 and 1, so that the volume of air contained in the enclosure 24 and the cavity 4 tends to compress since, during this downward movement of the body 15, this volume of air is limited in its upper zone by the closed valve 36 and in its

  lower zone by the fixed and waterproof surface

  killed by the bed of wet marbles of wine arranged at level 6 formed by the lower end of the lip

ring finger 5.

  Note that the seal is

  ensured by the wine which wets the beads and which

  accumulates around the balls in the cavity 4, which is

  lower than tank 1, and up to level 6.

  When lowering the body 5, the volume

  of air from enclosure 24 and cavity 4 is therefore

  which has the effect of cooperating in the provision of

  tion of the balls, very exactly according to level 6.

  Pressure balancing is established between the balls contained in line 1 and the air

  compressed from chamber 24 and cavity 4, excess

  compressed air tooth evacuating outward

  passing under the lip 5 then in the channel-

  tion It filled with balls and finally towards the hopper 1.

  It can therefore be seen that this machine makes it possible to transfer the balls to the dosing cavity, using the wine as a transfer means, makes it possible to carry out the dosing of a determined quantity of balls by using the wine as a means of sealing at the level

  from plan 6 and using wine as a means of

  fert the beads from the dosing cavity and to the bottle, since the exact dose of beads is placed in the flow of wine flowing to the bottle. These

  marbles, always accompanied by wine in the opera-

  transfer and dosage, are therefore dosed and

  brought into the bottle without being damaged.

  Although the invention has been described below

  above in its application to the production of a sparkling wine by addition of a ferment, the invention can be applied in general to the addition of a product of any kind, to a liquid, during the

packaging of this liquid.

Claims (8)

  1) Process for adding a product to a liquid when packaging the liquid in a container, process characterized in that a dose (37) of product to be added is determined, this dose is placed in the path of the liquid to the container and the product is introduced into the container through the flow of   liquid flowing to the container for its condi-   operation. 2) Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the product to be added is wetted, preferably with the liquid to be conditioned and   then determines a dose of wet product.   3) Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the dose of product is determined   on the path of the liquid flowing to the container.   4) Process according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   determines the dose of product to add to a cavity   produced in a filling head for the 'filling -   age of the containers, the product to be added being brought from   excess in this cavity.   ) Machine for implementing the process   according to any of the preceding claims   teeth, characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, a body (3) connected to a chamber (7) containing the liquid to be conditioned, this body comprising a cavity (4) connected to a supply pipe in   product to be added, and secondly, a com   sliding strip (15) crossing right through   cavity and comprising a flow channel (381, 24, 20)   ment of the liquid towards a flow orifice, this channel being closed by two valves (26, 171) arranged on either side of the cavity (4), one (26) for preventing the flow of the liquid towards the cavity, the other (17) to prevent the flow of the product to   add cavity to the drain hole.   6) Machine according to claim 4,   characterized in that the control member is for   seen, at the level of the cavity (4), means (18, 17, 5) for quantitatively determining doses of product to add.   7) Machine according to claim 6, characterized in that the means for determining the doses of product to be added comprise a ring (18) slidably mounted on the control member (15) against a spring ( 19), this ring forming with the control member, on the one hand a valve (171) preventing the flow of the product to be added, towards   the flow orifice (211), on the other hand, a housing   ment for receiving a dose (37) of product.   8) Machine according to claim 7, characterized in that the ring (18) comprises a lip (181) applying in a sealed manner, for a sliding position of the control member (15), on the body ( 3) at the level of the cavity (4) by insulating   of this cavity the housing for the dose (37) of pro-   duit. 9) Machine according to any of   claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the   cavity has an annular rim (5) disposed around the control member (15) and the top of which is oriented in the direction of flow of the liquid, the line t1l) for the flow of the product opening 33 the outside of this ledge.   ) Machine according to any of   claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the   lip (181) of the ring (18) forming with the   control (15) the dosing housing for the product to be added   t movable in the cavity (4), inside the rim (5) and on either side of the plane (6) formed by this ledge.   11) Machine in accordance with any of   claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the   liquid and product flow channel extends downstream of the cavity (4) by a passage formed between the ring (18) and the control member (15) then by a passage (20) formed at the inside the control unit. 12) Machine in accordance with any of   claims 5 to 11, characterized in that the   flow channel (20) provided inside the organ-   control is provided, at its lower end,   a shutter valve (211, 162).   13) Machine in accordance with any of   previous claims, characterized in that the   valve (26) provided above the cavity (4) is controlled by a member (32) external to the withdrawal head. 3O