Patent Grant
11124403
The present invention relates to a guide member that is attachable to a filling valve of a filler device that includes: the filling valve for filling a container with a product; and a container supporting unit configured to be lifted and lowered relative to the filling valve, the filling valve being provided with a filling port configured to be opened upon the container mounted on the container supporting unit being lifted as a result of the container supporting unit being lifted, and to be closed upon the container mounted on the container supporting unit being lowered as a result of the container supporting unit being lowered.
A factory for manufacturing a product such as beverages is provided with a filler device that injects a beverage into a container such as a bottle or a can. The filler device is provided with, for example: a filler bowl in which a beverage is stored before being filled into a container; a plurality of filling valves that are provided in the filler bowl; container supporting units that are respectively provided below the filling valves and move along a circumferential trajectory in synchronization with the rotation of the filler bowl; a carry-in conveyer that conveys containers to the container supporting units; and a carry-out conveyer that conveys containers from the container supporting units (see
Containers that have been conveyed from the carry-in conveyer to the container supporting units are filled with a predetermined amount of beverage using the filling valves until the containers are conveyed from the container supporting units to the carry-out conveyor.
Each filling valve includes, for example: a housing that is tubular and penetrates through the bottom surface of the filler bowl; an outer valve body that is tubular and is inserted into the housing; an inner valve body that is tubular, the upper end thereof being fixed to the housing, and is inserted into the outer valve body; and a biasing unit that biases the outer valve body downward relative to the housing.
The container supporting units are configured to be lifted and lowered relative to the filling valves. Upon the opening portion of a container mounted on a container supporting unit pressing a press-target portion provided on the outer valve body of a filling valve upward as a result of the container supporting unit being lifted, the outer valve body is moved upward resisting a biasing force applied by the biasing portion, and accordingly a filling port that is provided at the lower end of the inner valve body is opened, i.e., the filling valve is opened. The product stored in the filler bowl passes through the respective internal spaces of the outer valve body and the inner valve body, and is filled into a container via the filling port.
The filling valve is configured such that: the filling of the container with the product is stopped upon the internal pressure of the container becoming equal to the internal pressure of the filler bowl; the outer valve body is moved downward as a result of the container supporting unit being lowered; and accordingly the filling port is closed by the lower end of the outer valve body, i.e., the filling valve is closed.
As described above, each filling valve is configured to be opened and closed as a result of a container being lifted and lowered. Therefore, if a container is not mounted at an appropriate position on a container supporting unit, there is the risk of the outer valve body not being properly lifted by the container, the filling port not being opened wide enough, and the flow rate of the beverage not reaching a predetermined rate. For example, if the flow rate of the beverage is lower than a predetermined rate, the time required to fill a container with a predetermined amount of beverage increases. Therefore, there is demand for a mechanism that can guide the opening portions of containers to appropriate positions relative to the filling ports.
Note that no appropriate prior art document that discloses the above-described filler device, which is prior art of the present invention, has been found, and therefore no prior art document such as a patent document is indicated herein.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and an objective thereof is to provide a guide member that is attachable to a filling valve, and is capable of appropriately adjusting the respective positions of a container mounted on a container supporting unit and a filling port.
Characteristic configurations of a guide member according to the present invention for achieving the above-described objective lie in that the guide member is a guide member that is attachable to a filling valve of a filler device that includes: the filling valve for filling a container with a product; and a container supporting unit configured to be lifted and lowered relative to the filling valve, the filling valve being provided with a filling port configured to be opened upon the container mounted on the container supporting unit being lifted as a result of the container supporting unit being lifted, and to be closed upon the container mounted on the container supporting unit being lowered as a result of the container supporting unit being lowered, the guide member including: an upper main body that is positioned so as to enclose the filling valve and so as to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the filling port; and a lower main body that is positioned so as to enclose the upper main body and is configured to be slidable on the surface of the upper main body, wherein the lower main body is provided with an abutting portion that protrudes inward relative to the inner surface of the lower main body and that is configured to abut against at least an opening portion of the container mounted on the container supporting unit, and the guide member is configured to allow the container to be lifted while keeping the abutting portion abutted against the opening portion, thereby guiding the opening portion to an appropriate position relative to the filling port.
With the above-described configuration, the guide member guides the opening portion of the container to an appropriate position relative to the filling port of the filling valve. Thus, it is possible to appropriately open the filling port upon the container being moved upward. Upon the filling port being opened, the product supplied from the filler bowl to the respective internal spaces of the outer valve body and the inner valve body is appropriately filled into the container via the filling port. Note that the filling of the container with the product is stopped upon the internal pressure of the container becoming equal to the internal pressure of the filler bowl.
Also, the upper main body and the lower main body of the guide member are configured to be telescopic, and thus the guide member can expand and contract in a vertical direction. Therefore, before a container abuts against the guide member, the guide member is in an expanding state, and the opening portion of the container can be swiftly abutted against the abutting portion. Therefore, the guide member can thereafter smoothly guide the opening portion. Also, when the filling valve fills the container with the product, the guide member is in a contracted state. Therefore, although the guide member is positioned so as to enclose the filling valve, the guide member is not an obstruction in terms of space.
In the present invention, it is preferable that a lower outward protruding portion that protrudes outward is provided at a lower end of the upper main body, an inward protruding portion that protrudes inward is provided at an upper end of the lower main body, the upper main body and the lower main body are configured to be slidable on each other along a common axis such that at least the lower outward protruding portion slides on the inner surface of the lower main body, or the inward protruding portion slides on the outer surface of the upper main body, and the lower main body is configured such that the inward protruding portion and the lower outward protruding portion hook on each other due to the weight of the lower main body.
With the above-described configuration, the inward protruding portion and the lower outward protruding portion hook on each other due to the weight of the lower main body, and thus the lower main body is suspended from the upper main body.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the lower main body is provided with a push-up portion that is configured to come into contact with the lower outward protruding portion, and the push-up portion is configured to, when in contact with the lower outward protruding portion, push up the upper main body as a result of the lower main body moving upward due to the container being lifted.
With the above-described configuration, upon the lower main body being moved upward, the push-up portion comes into contact with the lower outward protruding portion and pushes up the upper main body. Therefore, it is unnecessary to provide a dedicated power source for moving the upper main body.
In the present invention, it is preferable that an upper outward protruding portion that protrudes outward is provided at an upper end of the upper main body, and the upper main body is configured such that the inward protruding portion and the upper outward protruding portion hook on each other when the lower main body is pushed up.
With the above-described configuration, when the lower main body and the upper main body need to be pushed up, the upper main body is pushed up when the lower main body is pushed up. Therefore, it is unnecessary to separately push up the lower main body and the upper main body.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the upper main body and the lower main body are tubular, and a side surface of the lower main body is provided with an opening portion.
With the above-described configuration, it is possible to look inside the lower main body through the opening portion. Therefore, when the abutting portion fails to abut against the opening portion, it is easy to find the failure.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the abutting portion is provided on an abutting member that is detachably attached to the lower main body.
With the above-described configuration, the abutting member can be replaced with another member that fits the shape of the container, for example. Also, when a failure occurs in the abutting member, it is possible to replace only the abutting member. Furthermore, it is possible to form the upper main body and the lower main body from a metal material, and form the abutting member from a resin material. Therefore, it is possible to mitigate the impact of the abutting portion of the abutting member when abutting against the opening portion.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the filling valve includes: a housing that is tubular and penetrates through the bottom surface of a filler bowl for storing the product; an outer valve body that is tubular and is inserted into the housing; an inner valve body that is tubular, the upper end thereof being fixed to the housing, and is inserted into the outer valve body; and a biasing unit that biases the outer valve body downward relative to the housing, the outer valve body is provided with a press-target portion that is configured to be pressed upward by the opening portion, the filling valve is configured such that the opening portion of the container mounted on the container supporting unit presses the press-target portion and moves the outer valve body upward as a result of the container supporting unit being lifted, and accordingly the filling port provided in a lower end of the inner valve body is opened, and the outer valve body is moved downward as a result of the container supporting unit being lowered, and accordingly the filling port is closed by a lower end of the outer valve body, the biasing unit includes compression coil springs provided between the housing and the press-target portion, the compression coil springs include an upper spring whose upper end is fixed to an upper fixing portion provided on the housing side; and a lower spring whose lower end is fixed to a lower fixing portion provided on the press-target portion side, the lower end of the upper spring and the upper end of the lower spring are coupled to each other by a coupling portion that is provided so as to be slidable on the surface of the outer valve body, the upper main body includes an upper case and a lower case that is detachably attached to the upper case, the upper case is located above the lower fixing portion, and is configured to be restricted from moving downward upon the lower end of the upper case coming into contact with the lower fixing portion, and the lower case is configured to extend downward relative to the lower fixing portion, and is configured to allow the press-target portion to slide on the inner surface of the lower case.
In the filling valve with the above-described configuration, the compression coil springs, which constitute a biasing unit, include an upper spring and a lower spring. Therefore, coil springs that are shorter than the stroke of the valve for opening the filling port can be employed as the upper spring and the lower spring.
The likelihood of a coil spring meandering is proportional to the length of the coil spring. If a coil spring meanders a lot when compressed, there is the risk of the coil spring coming into contact with the inner surface of the guide member and causing a failure when the filling port is to be opened. As in the above-described configuration, by using a plurality of coil springs that are short, considering the length of the stroke, and coupling them to each other in series using the coupling portion, it is possible to reduce the degree of meandering, compared to when using one long coil spring. Thus, it is possible to prevent a coil spring from coming into contact with the inner surface of the guide member. The guide member can be favorably attached to the filling valve with such a configuration. The guide member is configured as described above. Therefore, the guide member attached to the filling valve does not cause a failure when the filling port is to be opened. Note that the upper main body is provided such that the upper case is suspended from the lower fixing portion due to the weight of the upper main body.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the respective outer diameters of the upper fixing portion, the lower fixing portion, and the coupling portion of the filling valve are larger than the diameter of the upper spring and the lower spring, the inner diameter of the upper case is larger than the respective outer diameters of the upper fixing portion, the lower fixing portion, and the coupling portion, and the upper case is configured to be slidable at least on the coupling portion, the inner diameter of the lower case is larger than the outer diameter of the press-target portion, and the lower case is configured to be slidable at least on the press-target portion, and the length of the upper case is such that, when the lower end of the upper case covers at least a portion of the lower fixing portion, the upper end of the upper case covers the coupling portion, but does not cover the housing, whereas when the upper end of the upper case covers at least a portion of the housing, the lower end of the upper case covers the coupling portion, but does not cover the lower fixing portion.
With the above-described configuration, the upper case of the guide member is always slidable on the coupling portion, and can be lowered to a position where the upper case covers the lower fixing portion, or lifted to a position where the upper case covers the upper fixing portion, while being kept in such a state. During such movement, the lower case of the guide member slides on the press-target portion. The guide member slides while being guided by the coupling portion that slides on the outer valve body and the press-target portion that is provided on the outer valve body. Therefore, it is ensured that the guide member moves in a vertical direction along the axis of the outer valve body, i.e., the axis of the filling valve.
The following describes a preferred embodiment of a guide member according to the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment describes an example in which a filler device is provided in a factory for manufacturing whisky, which is a commercial product, and containers that are to be filled with whisky using filling valves are bottles. The term “whisky” in the present specification is not intended to limit its main ingredient to a specific ingredient among malt, corn, rye, etc., or exclude a specific ingredient from them, or limit its production region to a specific region among the United States, Canada, Japan, etc., or exclude a specific area from them. In the drawings, solid arrows indicate the flow of whisky, and dotted arrows indicate the flow of air.
As shown in
The filler bowl 11 is a tank for storing whisky that is to be injected into the bottles 13. A plurality of (e.g., eighteen) filling valves 20 are arranged on the filler bowl 11 at equal intervals along a circumferential trajectory. The filler bowl 11 and the filling valves 20 are corrosion resistant to the product that is handled, i.e., whisky, and are also formed using a durable material such as stainless steel, which is a typical example.
The bottles 13, which have been conveyed from the carry-in conveyer 14 to the container supporting units 12, are filled with a predetermined amount of whisky using the filling valves 20 until the bottles 13 are conveyed from the container supporting units 12 by the carry-out conveyer 15. The bottles 13 that have been filled with whisky are conveyed from the container supporting units 12 to the carryout conveyer 15, and then a cap is put on each of the bottles 13.
The carry-in conveyer 14 and the carry-out conveyer 15 are formed using a conveyor mechanism that is a well-known mechanism such as a belt mechanism or a screw mechanism. A carry-in star wheel 16 and a carry-out star wheel 17 are provided to transfer the bottles 13 between the container supporting units 12 and the carry-in conveyer 14, and between the container supporting units 12 and the carry-out conveyer 15.
The container supporting units 12 are formed as mounts on which the bottles 13 can be respectively mounted. The container supporting units 12 are configured to be lifted and lowered by a cam mechanism (not shown) according to predetermined timing while moving along the rotation trajectory in synchronization with the rotation of the filler bowl 11.
The following describes the filling valves 20. As shown in
The outer valve body 22 is provided with a press-target portion 25 that is configured to be pressed upward by an opening portion 18 of a bottle 13.
A seal 27 is provided on a surface of the housing 21 on which the outer valve body 22 slides. The seal 27 is formed using a well-known material such as rubber, resin, or elastomer.
The biasing unit 24 includes compression coil springs provided between the housing 21 and the press-target portion 25. The compression coil springs include: an upper spring 24b whose upper end is fixed to an upper fixing portion 24a provided on the housing 21 side; and a lower spring 24d whose lower end is fixed to a lower fixing portion 24c provided on the press-target portion 25 side. The compression coil springs are manufactured from a well-known material such as a steel wire, a piano wire, or a stainless steel wire, and are subjected to well-known end processing so as to form a closed end or an open end, for example.
The diameter of the upper spring 24b and the lower spring 24d is smaller than the inner diameter of a guide member 40 described below, and is larger than the outer diameter of the outer valve body 22, and is also set to an appropriate size so that the springs, when expanding and contracting, do not come into contact with the inner surface of the guide member 40 or the outer surface of the outer valve body 22. Furthermore, the length of the upper spring 24b and the lower spring 24d is set to an appropriate length so that the springs do not meander when expanding and contracting. Preferably, the upper spring 24b and the lower spring 24d are wound in directions different from each other.
The lower end of the upper spring 24b and the upper end of the lower spring 24d are coupled to each other by a coupling portion 24e that is provided so as to be slidable on the surface of the outer valve body 22.
In the present embodiment, the upper fixing portion 24a, the lower fixing portion 24c, and the coupling portion 24e are formed using a polyacetal resin, for example.
Both ends of the upper spring 24b and both ends of the lower spring 24d are each provided with a so-called end turn portion including one to several end turns that do not to contribute to expansion or contraction. The upper spring 24b and the lower spring 24d are located at predetermined positions such that the end turn portions thereof are fitted to the upper fixing portion 24a, the lower fixing portion 24c, and the coupling portion 24e, respectively.
With the above-described configuration, the press-target portion 25 is biased downward relative to the housing 21, due to an elastic force applied by the biasing unit 24.
Note that the respective outer diameters of the upper fixing portion 24a, the lower fixing portion 24c, and the coupling portion 24e of the filling valves 20 are larger than the diameter of the upper spring 24b and the lower spring 24d.
As shown in
Note that the inner valve body 23 includes: a valve body 23b that is provided with a seal 23a that seals the gap between the inner valve body 23 and the outer valve body 22 so as to be liquid-tight; and a pipe body 23c whose lower end is fixed to the valve body 23b and whose upper end is fixed to the housing 21. Note that the seal 23a is made of a well-known material such as rubber, resin, or elastomer.
An opening 23d is provided in the valve body 23b. This opening 23d constitutes the filling port 26. Note that the opening 23d is provided with a mesh member. The mesh member functions as a filter that prevents a foreign substance other than whisky, if present in the whisky in the filler bowl 11, from being filled into the bottle 13.
Also, an opening 23e that is opened upon the opening 23d being opened is provided in the lower end of the pipe body 23c. The opening 23e functions as an air vent for discharging the air in the bottle 13 to the outside when the bottle 13 is filled with whisky.
The filling valve 20 is configured such that: the filling of the bottle 13 with whisky is stopped upon the internal pressure of the bottle 13 becoming equal to the internal pressure of the filler bowl 11; the outer valve body 22 is moved downward as a result of the container supporting unit 12 being lowered; and accordingly the filling port 26 is closed by the lower end of the outer valve body 22.
The guide member 40 according to the present invention is configured to be detachably attached to such a filling valve 20.
As shown in
The upper main body 41 includes an upper case 41a and a lower case 41b. The upper case 41a and the lower case 41b are detachably coupled to each other by female screws and male screws engaging with each other. However, a configuration that enables the upper case 41a and the lower case 41b to be detachable is not limited in such a way. The upper case 41a and the lower case 41b may be configured such that, once they are coupled to each other, they cannot be disassembled.
An upper outward protruding portion 43a that protrudes outward is provided at the upper end of the upper main body 41, i.e., the upper end of the upper case 41a. Furthermore, a lower outward protruding portion 43b that protrudes outward is provided at the lower end of the upper main body 41, i.e., the lower end of the lower case 41b. An inward protruding portion 44 that protrudes inward is provided at the upper end of the lower main body 42.
The lower surface of the inward protruding portion 44 and the upper surface of the lower outward protruding portion 43b hook on each other due to the weight of the lower main body 42, and thus the lower main body 42 is suspended from the upper main body 41.
The upper main body 41 and the lower main body 42 are configured to be slidable on each other along a common axis such that the inward protruding portion 44 slides on the outer surface of the upper main body 41.
An abutting member 46 that includes an abutting portion 47 that protrudes inward relative to the inner surface of the lower main body 42 and that can abut against at least the opening portion 18 of the bottle 13 mounted on the container supporting unit 12 is detachably attached to the lower main body 42. The abutting member 46 is made of a polyacetal resin, for example. The abutting member 46 is configured to be detachably attachable to the lower main body 42 by being screwed into the lower main body 42. However, note that the abutting member 46 may be provided integrally with the lower main body 42.
Furthermore, the abutting member 46 is provided with a push-up portion 48 that is configured to come into contact with the lower outward protruding portion 43b. The push-up portion 48 is configured to push up the upper main body 41 as a result of the lower main body 42 moving upward due to the bottle 13 being lifted when the upper surface of the push-up portion 48 is in contact with the lower surface of the lower outward protruding portion 43b. Note that the push-up portion 48 may be provided integrally with the inner surface of the lower main body 42.
The upper case 41a of the upper main body 41 is located above the lower fixing portion 24c, and is configured to be restricted from moving downward upon the lower end of the upper case 41a coming into contact with the lower fixing portion 24c.
The inner diameter of the upper case 41a is larger than the respective outer diameters of the upper fixing portion 24a, the lower fixing portion 24c, and the coupling portion 24e, and the upper case 41a is configured to be slidable at least on the coupling portion 24e.
The lower case 41b is configured to extend downward relative to the lower fixing portion 24c, and is configured to allow the press-target portion 25 to slide on the inner surface of the lower case 41b.
The inner diameter of the lower case 41b is larger than the outer diameter of the press-target portion 25, and the lower case 41b is configured to be slidable at least on the press-target portion 25.
The length of the upper case 41a is such that, when the lower end of the upper case 41a covers at least a portion of the lower fixing portion 24c as shown in
The guide member 40 with the above-described configuration allows the bottle 13 to be lifted while keeping the abutting portion 47 of the abutting member 46 abutted against the opening portion 18, thereby guiding the opening portion 18 to an appropriate position relative to the filling port 26. The following describes such a situation with reference to
In
In
In
In
In
Although the product in the above-described embodiment is whisky, which is a beverage, the product is not limited to whisky. The product may be any product that is to be filled into containers such as bottles, cans, PET bottles, or paper cartons, and examples of the product include alcoholic beverages such as rum, tequila, gin, brandy, and wine, beverages such as water, coffee, and milk, seasonings, cosmetics, and drugs.
Note that each filling valve 20 is configured such that the height position of the press-target portion 25 can be adjusted by chanting the number, the thickness, and so on, of spacers 28 according to the shape of the containers.
The upper outward protruding portion 43a that protrudes outward is provided at the upper end of the upper main body 41, i.e., the upper end of the upper case 41a.
As shown in
Also, as shown in
Note that the upper main body 41 and the lower main body 42 are configured such that, in a state where the push-up portion 48 of the abutting member 46 and the lower outward protruding portion 43b of the upper main body 41 are in contact with each other, the upper surface of the inward protruding portion 44 of the lower main body 42 and the lower surface of the upper outward protruding portion 43a of the upper main body 41 do not abut against each other, and even in a state where the abutting member 46 is removed and the upper surface of the inward protruding portion 44 of the lower main body 42 and the lower surface of the upper outward protruding portion 43a of the upper main body 41 abut against each other, the lower end of the lower main body 42 covers the lower outward protruding portion 43b of the upper main body 41.
If it is unnecessary to change the height position of the press-target portion 25, the filling valves 20 may not be provided with the upper outward protruding portion 43a.
The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The specific configuration of each portion may be subjected to design changes as appropriate, as long as operative effects can be achieved.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2663479 | Detrez | Dec 1953 | A |
| 3695315 | Ayars, Jr. | Oct 1972 | A |
| 3807463 | Rademacher | Apr 1974 | A |
| 4151867 | Wilhere | May 1979 | A |
| 4938261 | Petri | Jul 1990 | A |
| 5150740 | Yun | Sep 1992 | A |
| 5156200 | Mette | Oct 1992 | A |
| 20110030843 | Krulitsch | Feb 2011 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200247568 A1 | Aug 2020 | US |
