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
  • B67C3/22—Details
  • B67C3/28—Flow-control devices, e.g. using valves
  • B67C3/281—Profiled valve bodies for smoothing the flow at the outlet of the filling nozzle
• • 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
  • B67C3/22—Details
  • B67C3/26—Filling-heads; Means for engaging filling-heads with bottle necks
• • 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
  • B67C3/22—Details
  • B67C3/26—Filling-heads; Means for engaging filling-heads with bottle necks
  • B67C2003/2602—Details of vent-tubes
• • 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
  • B67C3/22—Details
  • B67C3/26—Filling-heads; Means for engaging filling-heads with bottle necks
  • B67C2003/2671—Means for preventing foaming of the liquid
  • B67C2003/2674—Means for preventing foaming of the liquid by creating a conical shaped flow directed to the container wall at the container neck height
  • B67C2003/2677—Means for preventing foaming of the liquid by creating a conical shaped flow directed to the container wall at the container neck height by means of a deflector

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a valve filling spout, in particular for filling water bottles, mounted in a carousel device at very high speed.
• Such a spout comprises sealing means with the neck of the bottle, a filling tube with a closing head, this tube being movable between two positions, one open, detached from the head in which the liquid flows and the other closed, in sealed support on the head, in which the flow is interrupted.
• this tube is also necessary, in addition to the movement of the filling tube, that the air contained in the bottle can escape from the bottle, through a so-called air return duct. As soon as the liquid arranged in the bottle reaches the level of the entry of this conduit, there is interruption of the flow.
• the problem is not as simple because other parameters such as filling time, the volumes of the bottles, the conformation of these bottles can be of paramount importance to achieve the desired rates, especially when they are at very high rates.
• the filling time for a bottle of a liter and a half even by multiplying the number of spouts on the carousels, must be the order of a few seconds, except to provide excessive installations.
• the air exhaust In order for the water to flow as quickly as possible, the air exhaust must also be adapted. It is advisable that the evacuated air does not disturb the flow of water by deflecting the veins of water, or even by torch said spout, that is to say that water is directly sucked into the flow d 'air.
• the spout must avoid presenting retention zones capable of allowing the proliferation of bacteria and preferably the spout must be easy to clean, in particular by a simple passage of disinfection fluid.
• the spout according to the present invention aims to meet all of the conditions indicated above.
• the liquid filling spout, with valve in particular intended to be mounted on carrousel machines and at high speed, is characterized in that it comprises an air return tube with a central channel with a head integral with this tube, and an external coaxial liquid flow tube, the return air tube and the flow tube being movable relative to each other so as to take two positions, one closed, the tube being in leaktight contact with the head and the other open in which the liquid can flow between the tube and the head, as well as valve-leveling means.
• the valve leveling means comprise:
• this housing formed in the head, opening into the central channel, this housing comprising a lower seat and an upper seat, - at least one lateral channel for circulation of air and water, each channel opening outwards in a point located below the flow tube, and
• each lateral air and water circulation channel makes an angle ⁇ with the longitudinal axis of the air return tube and emerges internally immediately above the ball when it rests on the lower seat.
• the housing also has a lower hole, of diameter d, located in the lower seat, opening under the ball.
• the arrangement describes a particular head which comprises two cones linked by their bases, the upper cone having a flow ramp leading to a peripheral seal carried by the head and disposed substantially in line with the connecting plane of the two cones.
• the joint is of rectangular section.
• Means are also provided for guiding the flow tube with respect to the air return tube.
• FIG. 1 a view in longitudinal section of the spout according to the invention
• FIG. 2 a view of the spout of FIG. 1, after partial rotation about its longitudinal axis,
• Figure 1 shows a flow tube 1 0, a head 1 2 and a tube 1 4 for air return as well as means 1 6 for leveling with a valve 1 7.
• the flow tube 10 is connected to a membrane 1 8, in the form of a funnel, which is the subject of French Patent No. 2 466 433, which simultaneously guides the liquid coming from the supply tank 20 and the effort of elastic return to press the end of the flow tube 1 0 on the head 1 2 as will be explained later.
• the tube is also integral with retaining means 22 allowing the support of the neck 24 of the bottle, means which ensure, under the effect of displacement of the bottle, the movements of the tube 1 0 relative to the head 1 2, against the return effort of the membrane.
• the diameter of the tube is adapted to cooperate sealingly with the head when it is in the closed position.
• a peripheral seal 26, carried by this head, serves as a seat at the end of the tube 10.
• This seal is preferably of rectangular section.
• This head 1 2 fits substantially in an envelope comprising two cones 28 and 30 linked by their base.
• the seal 26 is disposed in the immediate vicinity of the connection plane of these two cones linked by their bases.
• the lower cone has a housing 32 with part of the valve 1 7, namely a lower seat 34 receiving a ball 36.
• This housing comprises at its lower part an end hole 38, of diameter d, as well as lateral channels 40 of air and water circulation, inclined at an angle ⁇ with respect to the longitudinal axis, putting the outside into communication with the inside of the housing. These channels open at or immediately above the ball when the latter rests in its seat.
• These channels are, in the embodiment shown, divided into 2 series of 3 juxtaposed channels and the diameter of each channel is of the order of 1 to 3 mm for a central channel diameter of 5 to 10 mm, in the case of filling with water.
• the ball is made of a material having a density lower than that of water in the case of the same example used, and to fix an order of magnitude, the density of this material is 0.6 g / cm 3 .
• This ball also has a very precise sphericity.
• the material used is a polymer of great hardness to avoid premature wear in contact with the lower and especially upper seats.
• the housing 32 extends into the upper cone 30 which has an upper seat 42, at the junction of this housing with an inner channel 44, formed in the tube 1 4 of air return.
• this seat 42 makes an angle of 45 ° with the vertical.
• the ball 36 can thus take two positions, one low in which it rests in its seat 34 and the other high, in which it comes to bear on the upper seat 42, closing the channel 44 of the tube 14 for return of air.
• the upper cone 30 has a particular external profile, in the form of a ramp 46.
• the foot of the ramp opens onto the gasket 26 of the flow tube with the head 12.
• the air return tube 14 comprises, in its part located immediately above the head 1 2, means 48 for guiding the flow tube 1 0, internal to this tube.
• These guide means 48 essentially comprise a ring 50, supported by wings 52, said ring having a barrel shape with a very large radius of curvature so as to ensure essential and preferential contact in the middle part of this ring.
• the wings 52 and the ring 50 are profiled so as to disturb the flow of the liquid as little as possible.
• FIG. 3 shows the constituent elements in section which give a good approximation of the ratios, in particular in thickness.
• the upper part of the air return tube 14 is provided with fixing means 54, suitable for the nozzle concerned of the filling machine.
• fixing means 54 suitable for the nozzle concerned of the filling machine.
• FIGS. 4A to 4D For this description, reference is made to FIGS. 4A to 4D.
• the spout is in the waiting position.
• the filling tube 10 is supported by its end on the seal 26, which prevents any flow of liquid from the buffer tank 20.
• Bottle B is waiting, in line with the spout.
• the ball 36 rests by simple gravity in its lower seat 34, formed in the lower cone 28, the ball in the air is not subject to any other constraint.
• the air return tube 14 is preferably connected to a manifold, not shown, which collects the air evacuated from the bottle, for the sake of containment.
• the next step shown in FIG. 4B sees a relative movement of the bottle with respect to the spout which causes the neck of the bottle to come into tight contact with the retaining means 22. Therefore the relative movement causes the lifting of the filling tube 1 0 relative to the head, against the elastic return force of the membrane 1 8, which liberates the flow of water by gravity .
• the guide means comprising the ring 50 in the shape of a barrel, provide guidance, including when the movement is not perfectly parallel to the vertical axis, for example under the effect of a very slightly asymmetrical push of the elastic return means.
• the air in the bottle must have the possibility of being evacuated through the channel 44 inside the tube 1 4 for the return of air.
• the air passes through the side channels 40.
• the flow rate of these channels must be sufficient to allow the evacuation of air, but it is also necessary that, at the confluence of the air intake, above the ball, the central channel accepts this flow rate so as not to brake the speed, which would decrease the flow.
• the evacuation speed is adapted so as not to create a vortex immediately above the ball so as not to entrain it in the generated air call, the ball then blocking the central channel.
• the air flows tend to pass immediately above the ball in its seat, being at most tangential to the sphere, well above its horizontal diametral plane, ensuring then rather a tackle.
• the hole 38, of diameter d is of reduced dimensions, of the order of 1 to 2 mm so as not to favor the passage of air in order to avoid any untimely lifting of the ball 36.
• the water level has reached the base of the filling tube 1 0.
• the ball of density less than that of water, floats and comes to seal, the channel 44 inside the air return tube.
• the ball bears on the upper seat 42.
• the supply tube 10 bears on the seal 26 and provides sealing. Once the neck is cleared, the water level drops to compensate for the volume of the spout removed.
• the rates obtained allow filling times of the order of a few seconds to be reached for one and a half liter water bottles.

Landscapes

• Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9543544

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (5)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 1999
  • 1999-03-18 FR FR9903617A patent/FR2791050A1/fr active Pending
• 2000
  • 2000-03-14 AU AU32972/00A patent/AU3297200A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-03-14 WO PCT/FR2000/000611 patent/WO2000055087A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2000-03-14 EP EP00910936A patent/EP1082265A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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