WO2006075239A1

WO2006075239A1 - Equipment for dispensing liquid substances into containers

Info

Publication number: WO2006075239A1
Application number: PCT/IB2006/000050
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eros Stivani; Maurizio Donini
Original assignee: Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche A.C.M.A. S.P.A.
Priority date: 2005-01-14
Filing date: 2006-01-13
Publication date: 2006-07-20
Also published as: ITBO20050017A1

Abstract

Liquids (2) are dispensed into containers (3) by equipment (1) comprising a carousel (5) rotatable about a vertical axis (A), and a plurality of filler units (8) mounted peripherally to the carousel (5). Each filler unit (8) incorporates a flow control device (9) that comprises a storage element (9a) containing a limited, readily controllable supply of the liquid (2), and an outlet (11) from which a given quantity of this same liquid (2) is batched into the container (3).

Description

Equipment for dispensing liquid substances into containers

Technical Field

The present invention relates to equipment for dispensing liquid substances into containers .

In particular, the invention relates to equipment used for filling containers both with foamable liquid substances, typically liquid detergents , wines, fizzy beverages and other such products , and with viscous fluid substances such as creme liquid soaps , gels , oils and the like .

The liquid substance with which the containers are filled is held in a tank and/or received direct from a production system.

Background Art

Patent EP 974 548 Bl , in the name of the present applicant , teaches the solution of varying pressure internally of the liquid holding tank in order to create the best possible conditions for dispensing the liquid. More precisely, the pressure will assume values lower or higher than atmospheric , according to whether the substance being dispensed is a foamable liquid or a viscous fluid, respectively. The above noted patent discloses the application of such a pressure control method to filling equipment of the type furnished with a carousel carrying a plurality of filler valves , each one of which comprises an outlet from which to dispense a predetermined quantity of material into a relative container standing on a special pedestal . The single containers are conveyed by the carousel between an infeed station, at which an empty container is placed on one of the pedestals , and an outfeed station at which this same container, filled with the selected material , is removed from the carousel and directed toward a further unit utilized in the manufacturing process .

The material to be put into the containers is held in a feed tank surmounting the carousel . A solution of this type gives the equipment a compact geometry and manageable dimensions, but significantly limits its versatility of use .

In practice, only one type of substance can be dispensed into the containers , so that there is no possibility of using the same carousel to fill a given type of container with different substances , or to fill dissimilar types of containers with different substances , during a single production run .

Difficulty is also encountered when cleaning the filler valves , this being an especially important operation in the case of perishable materials such as foodstuffs . In effect , the valves and their delivery systems can be flushed clean only after the tank has first been emptied completely and then filled with a cleansing solution . To the end of overcoming these drawbacks , in conventional equipment , prior art methods include the adoption of systems using feed devices equipped, for example, with one or more fixed tanks located remote from the carousel and connected to the filler valves by way of suitable pipelines and manifolds .

Where equipment of this type is connected to a single tank, the operation of cleaning the filler valves is made easier, and where the equipment is connected to a plurality of tanks , substances of different types can be dispensed simultaneously.

Solutions of the type in question are not devoid of drawbacks , however . In particular, with the remote tank connected to the relative filler valve by way of manifolds and pipelines , any system used to control the pressure of the dispensed liquid will tend to be of limited reliability and not always effective .

Furthermore , the pulsating action of the pump that delivers the liquid to the filler valves is itself a contributory factor in making the dispensing pressure difficult to control .

As a direct consequence of this same drawback, the equipment is limited in terms of versatility, and in practice unsuitable as a single resource for handling liquid substances both with dissimilar viscosity and with different foamability characteristics

The obj ect of the present invention is to provide equipment for dispensing liquid substances that will be unaffected by the drawbacks mentioned above with reference to the prior art . Disclosure of the Invention

The stated obj ect is realized in equipment for filling containers with substances, preferably liquid substances , as recited and characterized in claim 1. The invention will now be described in detail , by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings , in which :

-figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of equipment according to the invention, viewed schematically in side elevation with certain parts cut away and others omitted for clarity;

-figures 2 , 3 and 4 illustrate three respective alternative embodiments of the equipment according to the invention, viewed schematically in side elevation with certain parts cut away and others omitted for clarity;

-figure 5 shows a detail of figure 1 , in a schematic plan view.

With reference to the drawings , numeral 1 denotes a piece of equipment , in its entirety, for dispensing liquid substances 2 into containers 3.

Such equipment 1 comprises a frame 4 supporting a carousel 5 rotatable about a substantially vertical axis A. The carousel 5 presents a shaft 6 mounted rotatably to the frame 4 and aligned longitudinally on the aforementioned axis A.

Also forming part of the equipment 1 , coinciding with and coupled to a bottom end 6a of the shaft 6 , is a drive component 7 serving to set the carousel 5 in rotation . The drive component 7 is conventional in embodiment and therefore will not be described further in the course of the present specification .

The carousel 5 comprises a plurality of filler units 8 , two only of which are visible in figure 1 , arranged circumferentially about' the vertical axis A and equispaced angularly one from the next .

Each filler unit 8 comprises a device 9 by means of which to control the flow of a respective liquid substance 2 , a pedestal 10 on which to stand a container 3 for filling, and an outlet 11 positioned in alignment with the pedestal 10 , from which a predetermined quantity of a respective liquid substance 2 is dispensed into the container 3 through a mouth 3a of the selfsame container .

Each pedestal 10 is carried by an arm 12 connected to a first flange 12a associated with the shaft 6 , whilst the outlets 11 are carried by a circular second flange 12b and arranged around the periphery of this same second flange .

Each of the outlets 11 , which are conventional in embodiment , is able to alternate between an open operating condition in which at least one liquid substance 2 is dispensed into the container 3 , and at least one closed non-operating condition in which no liquid substance 2 is dispensed into the container 3. As described in greater detail hereinafter, the outlets 11 are caused to shift between the operating position and the non-operating position, according to the quantity of liquid substance 2 directed into the container 3 , by a control unit of conventional type indicated schematically in figures 1 to 4 by a block denoted 13.

Each outlet 11 is fed by a respective flow control device 9 that comprises a storage element 9a holding a liquid substance 2.

The storage elements 9a are carried by the circular second flange 12b and fed from a tank (not indicated in the drawings) by way of a main pipeline 14 , a header chamber 15 and respective final ducts 16.

The equipment 1 also comprises means 17 associated with each flow control device 9 and serving to vary the pressure internally of the storage element 9a , which consists in a fluid-tight enclosure . The pressure variation means 17 comprise an extraction component 18 , connected operationally to the storage element 9a in such a way as to remove air and thus lower the pressure in the enclosure , and a pumping component 19 , connected operationally to the storage element 9a in such a way as to introduce air and thus raise the pressure in the enclosure .

The extraction and pumping components 18 and 19 are connected to the output side of the aforementioned control unit 13 and caused to operate in a manner that will be described more fully hereinafter.

Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings show four different embodiments of equipment 1 according to the present invention.

In the example of figure 1 , the storage element 9a (shown cut away in the drawing) comprises an outer containing wall 20 , and on the inside, a diaphragm 21 of flexible material appearing tubular in shape and aligned longitudinally on an axis substantially- parallel to the aforementioned vertical axis A. The liquid substance 2 is stored within the volume delimited by the tubular diaphragm 21 , whilst the volume enclosed between the outer wall 20 of the storage element 9a and the diaphragm 21 affords a chamber 22 occupied by a gas , preferably air . The chamber 22 is connected fluidically, via a duct denoted 23 , to the means 17 by which pressure is varied within the storage element 9a .

Still referring to figure 1 , the equipment 1 comprises a first pressure sensor 24 located within the volume delimited by the tubular diaphragm 21 , serving to measure the pressure value of the liquid substance 2 occupying the storage element 9a, and a second sensor 25 located within the chamber 22 , serving to measure the pressure value of the air in the selfsame chamber 22.

The control unit 13 is interlocked to the first and second sensors 24 and 25 , thus providing the input on the basis of which to govern the operation of the extraction and pumping components 18 and 19. The control unit 13 also governs the operation of the outlet 11 , causing it to alternate between the open operating condition and the closed non-operating condition aforementioned .

Referring hereinafter to the embodiments of the equipment 1 illustrated in figures 2 , 3 and 4 , mention will be made only of those features by which the examples of these same drawings are caused to differ from that of figure 1 described above .

In the example of the equipment 1 illustrated in figure 2 , the storage element 9a comprises an outer containing wall 20 , and on the inside , a diaphragm 26 of flexible material appearing broadly frustoconical in shape and centred on an axis substantially parallel to the aforementioned vertical axis A. The liquid substance 2 is stored within the volume delimited by the frustoconical diaphragm 26 , whilst the volume enclosed between the outer wall 20 of the storage element 9a and the diaphragm 26 affords a chamber 22 occupied by a gas , such as air . As in the previous instance, the chamber 22 is connected fluidically via a duct 23 to the means 17 of varying pressure within the storage element 9a .

In the example of the equipment 1 illustrated in figure 3 , the liquid substance 2 is held internally of the storage element 9a in contact with the inside surface of the outer wall 20 , whilst the volume enclosed above the free surface 27 of the liquid substance 2 affords a chamber 22 occupied by a gas , such as air . As in the previous instance, the chamber 22 is connected fluidically via a duct 23 to the means 17 of varying pressure within the storage element 9a .

In the example of the equipment 1 illustrated in figure 4 , the storage element 9a again comprises an outer containing wall 20. The liquid substance 2 is stored within the volume delimited by the outer wall 20 , whilst the volume enclosed above the free surface 27 of the liquid substance 2 , between the wall 20 of the storage element 9a and the selfsame free surface 27 , affords a chamber 22 occupied by a gas , preferably air .

Likewise in this instance, the chamber 22 is connected fluidically via a duct 23 to the means 17 of varying pressure within the storage element 9a . In contrast to the embodiments described above, the equipment 1 of figure 4 presents a feed duct 28 through which the liquid substance 2 is directed into the storage element 9a at a point below the free surface 27 of the liquid held within the selfsame element 9a . This type of solution is particularly advantageous when handling liquid substances 2 of a foamable nature .

Advantageously, in the examples of figures 1 , 2 and 3 , the storage element 9a will be filled by way of an opening (not illustrated) , located at the top of the selfsame element 9a .

In the examples of the accompanying drawings , the tubular diaphragm 21 , the frustoconical diaphragm 26 and the free surface 27 create a wall 29 designed to separate the chamber 22 from the liquid substance 2 internally of the storage element 9a .

With reference to figure 5 , it will be seen that the equipment 1 comprises a plurality of flow control devices 9 equispaced angularly about the axis of the carousel , each furnished with a respective storage element 9a and a respective duct 16 coupled to the header chamber 15.

As illustrated in figures 1 to 4 , each pedestal 10 comprises at least one platform 30 associated with an upright member 31 from which two arms 32 extend to retain the container 3 transversely. The platform 30 in turn is attached to the respective arm 12 by way of an interposed weighing unit 33 comprising a load cell 34 , indicated by phantom lines , coupled directly to the platform 30.

In operation, each outlet 11 is activated by the control unit 13 in such a way that a predetermined quantity of a liquid substance 2 will be caused to pass from the storage element 9a into a respective container 3. The pressure of the flow supplied to the outlets 11 can be controlled through the agency of the means 17 by which pressure is varied within the storage element 9a .

In the event that the liquid substance 2 batched into the containers 3 is an especially viscous fluid, the pressure internally of the storage element 9a can be increased, advantageously, so that the substance will be dispensed into the containers 3 at a faster rate . Conversely, when the liquid substance 2 batched into the containers 3 is easily foamable , it may be expedient to maintain a low pressure internally of the storage element 9a, so that the j et directed into the container 3 by the relative outlet 11 will not be released so forcibly as to generate a significant amount of foam. To advantage , and precisely in order to minimize the likelihood of foam being formed, the feed duct 28 carrying the liquid substance 2 , in the example of figure 4 , is connected to the storage element 9a at a point below the free surface 27 of the substance 2 already occupying the enclosure .

Likewise to advantage , each filler unit 8 comprises a respective storage element 9a from which the single outlet 11 is supplied with a given liquid substance 2 to be batched into the containers 3. In accordance with other embodiments not shown in the drawings , the filler units 8 and/or the storage elements 9a might equally well include more than one outlet 11 each .

As discernible from the accompanying drawings , the pressure variation means 17 combine with the action of the components denoted 18 and 19 to establish dissimilar pressure values within the different storage elements 9a, independently of one another . Accordingly, the pressure within a given storage element 9a can be regulated at values different to the atmospheric pressure registering at the mouth 3a of the container 3 , and this can be achieved using different control modes and pressure values for each of the storage elements 9a . Using equipment 1 embodied according to the present invention, it therefore becomes possible to dispense different substances 2 into selected containers 3 conveyed by and supported on the same carousel 5.

Advantageously, the volume within each storage element 9a that will be destined to hold the liquid substance 2 is of an order comparable to the volume of a single container 3 being filled . Accordingly, after a container 3 has been filled by activating the outlet 11 , the volume of the liquid substance 2 in the respective storage element 9a will be replenished with further liquid substance 2 from a tank of substantially familiar type, neither illustrated nor described in detail in the present specification. Similarly, the methods of transferring the liquid substance 2 from the aforementioned tank (not illustrated) to the storage element 9a may be deduced from the teachings of prior art and are not therefore described in the present specification.

Claims

1) Equipment for dispensing substances (2 ) , preferably liquid substances, into containers (3) , typically equipment (1) comprising a carousel (5) rotatable about a vertical axis (A) and carrying a plurality of units (8) by which the containers (3) are filled, each filler unit (8) comprising at least one outlet (11) from which a substance (2) is directed into the container (3 ) , characterized in that each filler unit (8) comprises a respective device (9) controlling the flow of the substance (2) and connected to the unit (8) in such a way as to supply the relative outlet (11) with at least one substance (2) to be batched into the containers (3 ) .

2) Equipment as in claim 1 , wherein each flow control device (9) comprises a storage element (9a) in receipt of the substance (2) , and means (17) by which to vary the pressure internally of the storage element (9a) .

3) Equipment as in claim 2 , wherein the storage element (9a) is a fluid-tight enclosure, and pressure variation means (17) serve to establish respective pressure values internally of the selfsame storage element (9a) .

4) Equipment as in claims 2 and 3 for dispensing a fluid substance (2) into a container (3 ) positioned in the filler unit ( 8) with a mouth (3a) facing the outlet (11) , wherein pressure variation means (17) serve to vary the pressure internally of the storage element (9a) , to the end of establishing pressure values different to the atmospheric pressure registering at the mouth (3a) of the container (3 ) .

5) Equipment as in claims 2 to 4 , wherein pressure variation means (17) comprise at least one pumping component (19) or at least one extraction component (18) , and a chamber (22 ) , located at least partly within the storage element (9a) , to which the at least one pumping component (19) or extraction component (18 ) is connectable fluidically.

6) Equipment as in claim 5 , wherein each storage element (9a) comprises an internal wall (29) by which the chamber (22 ) is separated from the liquid substance (2 ) contained in the selfsame element (9a) .

7) Equipment as in claim 6 , wherein the wall (29) consists in a diaphragm (21 , 26) of flexible material .

8 ) Equipment as in claim 7 , wherein the flexible diaphragm (21) is of tubular shape .

9 ) Equipment as in claims 2 to 7 , comprising first sensing means (24) serving to detect the pressure value within the liquid substance (2 ) occupying the storage element (9a) .

10) Equipment as in claims 5 to 9 , comprising second sensing means (25) serving to detect the pressure value within the chamber (22 ) .

11) Equipment as in claims 9 and 10 , comprising a control unit (13) interlocked to the first and/or to the second sensing means (24 , 25) and piloting the operation of at least the pumping component (19) or the extraction component (18 ) .

12) Equipment as in claims 1 to 11 , comprising a pedestal (10) associated with each flow control device (9) and each outlet (11) , on which to stand a relative container (3 ) , wherein each pedestal (10) incorporates a weighing unit (33 ) .

13 ) Equipment as in claim 12 , wherein each weighing unit (33 ) comprises a load cell (34 ) .