This application is a National Stage Entry of International Application No. PCT/IB2015/051280, filed Feb. 19, 2015, which claims priority from European Patent Application No. 14155855.1, filed Feb. 19, 2014. The entire contents of the above-referenced applications are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a machine and a method for filling containers with a pourable product.
The present invention may be used to particular advantage for liquid products with particles, i.e. liquid products containing particles, such as soft drinks or beverages with fruit particles, which the following description will refer to, although this is in no way intended to limit the scope of protection as defined by the accompanying claims.
As known, there is an increasing demand from the market for soft drinks or beverages containing fruit particles or pieces, such as soft fruit bits, normally available in cubes or slices, fruit fibers, containing large portions of fruit cellulose, and fruit sacs, i.e. intact “pouch-like” structures of a citrus fruit, containing fruit juice and having lengths up to 5-8 mm.
A typical known filling machine used for this kind of pourable products substantially comprises a carousel rotating about an axis, a product tank containing the pourable product, and a plurality of filling units supported by the carousel in positions radially external with respect to the carousel axis and conveyed by the carousel along a circular transfer path.
In particular, the carousel receives a succession of empty containers from an input star wheel and releases the filled containers to an output star wheel.
Each filling unit comprises a dosing tank to measure out a given volume of pourable product to be then fed to the respective container, a fluidic line connecting the dosing tank to the product tank, and a support element provided to arrange the mouth of the respective container in a lower position than the dosing tank.
Movable plungers are typically used to convey the pourable product from the product tank to each dosing tank and to measure up the volume of pourable product within each dosing tank; in particular, by detecting the displacement of the respective movable plunger during filling of each dosing tank, it is possible to determine the volume of pourable product flowed into the dosing tank itself.
Interaction of moving parts with this kind of pourable products may cause damage of the fruit particles, in particular when these particles are sacs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a machine for filling containers with a pourable product, which is designed to overcome the aforementioned drawback, and which is capable of performing a gentle action on the pourable product during conveyance thereof from the product tank to the dosing tank and from the latter to the final container.
According to the present invention, there is provided a machine for filling containers with a pourable product, as claimed in claim 1.
The present invention also relates to a method for filling containers with a pourable product, as claimed in claim 8.
A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Number 1 in
Machine 1 is clearly also adapted to fill bottles 2 with other types of pourable products, either food products, such as milk, still water, carbonated water, fruit juices, beer, soft drinks and beverages in general, or non-food products, such as detergents. Machine 1 is also adapted to fill bottles 2 with emulsions, suspensions and high viscosity liquids.
As visible in particular in
In the example shown, bottles 2 are made of plastics; however, machine 1 may be also used for other types of containers, such as containers made of aluminum, steel, glass and composites.
Machine 1 comprises a conveying device 5 (
In the preferred embodiment as illustrated in
Carousel 6 receives a succession of empty bottles 2 from an input star wheel 7, which cooperates with the carousel 6 itself at a first transfer station 8 and is mounted to rotate continuously about a respective longitudinal axis C parallel to axis B.
Carousel 6 releases a succession of filled bottles 2 to an output star wheel 9, which cooperates with the carousel 6 itself at a second transfer station 10 and is mounted to rotate continuously about a respective longitudinal axis D parallel to axes B and C.
Machine 1 further comprises a plurality of filling units 12 for filling respective bottles 2 while they are advanced by carousel 6. Filling units 12 are equally spaced angularly about axis B, are mounted along a peripheral portion 13 of carousel 6, and are moved by the carousel 6 along path P; in the present case, path P has a circular configuration about axis B and extends through stations 8 and 10.
Machine 1 also includes a product tank 15 common to all filling units 12 and which comprises (
In particular, the gas is a pressurization gas, in the present case sterile air, adapted to pressurize the inside of product tank 15 at a pressure value P1, preferably higher than the environment pressure.
The gas flows into upper portion 17 of product tank through a fluidic line 18 and a valve 19 arranged along the fluidic line 18.
In particular, valve 19 is selectively set in:
The gas is discharged from product tank 15 through a fluidic line 20 and a valve 21 arranged along the fluidic line 20.
Even in this case, valve 21 is selectively set in:
Pressure inside product tank 15 is continuously detected by a pressure sensor 11.
Valves 19 and 21 are controlled by a control unit on the basis of the pressure detected by pressure sensor 11 so as to maintain the inside of product tank 15 at pressure value P1.
As shown in the enclosed Figures, each filling unit 12 comprises a support device 23, adapted to receive and retain a relative bottle 2 in a vertical position, in which such bottle 2 has its axis A parallel to axis B of carousel 6, and a filling device 24 for feeding the pourable product into a bottle 2 as the support device 23 travels along path P.
Each filling device 24 is conveniently arranged above the bottle 2 to be filled.
With reference to
Each dosing tank 25 is defined by a rigid container or chamber, arranged above the bottle 2 to be filled with the measured volume V of pourable product.
In particular, each dosing tank 25 contains a gas, in the present case sterile air, which is pressurized as a result of the filling of the dosing tank 25 with the pourable product.
Each dosing tank 25 has a main cylindrical portion and a bottom neck defining an outlet mouth 31, through which the pourable product is fed to the respective bottle 2 under the control of respective valve 26.
Each valve 26 is arranged along outlet mouth 31 of the respective dosing tank 25 and is selectively set in:
In a completely analogous manner, each valve 28 is selectively set in:
Each fluidic line 27 extends between a bottom wall of product tank 15 to a lateral wall 33 of main portion 30 of the respective dosing tank 25.
As shown in
Machine 1 further comprises first pressurizing means 40 selectively pressurizing each dosing tank 25 at a pressure value P2, lower than first pressure value P1, in a condition in which the respective valves 26 and 28 are both in their closed configurations and the dosing tank 25 is product-free, i.e. only contains gas.
Pressure value P2 is preferably higher than the environment pressure.
Pressurization of each dosing tank 25 is performed prior to starting filling thereof with the pourable product contained in product tank 15, so as to allow flow of the pourable product to the dosing tank 25 under the difference between pressure values P1 and P2 only, with limited use of movable parts or pumps acting on the pourable product.
First pressurizing means 40 basically comprise a first pressurizing tank 41, which is filled with gas, in the present case sterile air, maintained at pressure value P2, and is fluidically connected to each dosing tank 25 through a respective fluidic line 42 and a respective valve 43, arranged along the fluidic line 42.
In particular, first pressurizing tank 41 has an annular configuration about axis B and is common to all filling units 12. First pressurizing tank 41 is carried by carousel 6 and is arranged above dosing tanks 25.
Each valve 43 is selectively set in:
As shown in
In particular, valve 45 is selectively set in:
The gas is discharged from first pressurizing tank through a fluidic line 46 and a valve 47 arranged along the fluidic line 46.
Even in this case, valve 47 is selectively set in:
Pressure inside first pressurizing tank 41 is continuously detected by a pressure sensor 48.
Valves 45 and 47 are controlled by control unit 22 on the basis of the pressure detected by pressure sensor so as to maintain the inside of first pressurizing tank 41 at pressure value P2.
Machine 1 further comprises second pressurizing means 50 selectively pressurizing each dosing tank 25 at a pressure value P3, lower than pressure value P1, in a condition in which the respective valve 26 is in the open configuration and the respective valve 28 is in the closed configuration.
Pressure value P3 is preferably lower than pressure value P2 and higher than the environment pressure.
Pressurization of each dosing tank 25 at pressure value P3 is performed after filling thereof with the pourable product coming from product tank 15, so as to allow flow of the pourable product from the dosing tank 25 to the respective bottle 2 under the pressure difference therebetween only, with limited need of using movable parts or pumps acting on the pourable product
Second pressurizing means 50 basically comprise a second pressurizing tank 51, which is filled with gas, in the present case sterile air, maintained at pressure value P3, and is fluidically connected to each dosing tank 25 through a respective fluidic line 52 and a respective valve 53, arranged along the fluidic line 52.
In particular, second pressurizing tank 51 has an annular configuration about axis B and is common to all filling units 12. Second pressurizing tank 51 is carried by carousel 6 and is arranged above dosing tanks 25.
Each valve 53 is selectively set in:
As shown in
In particular, valve 55 is selectively set in:
The gas is discharged from second pressurizing tank through a fluidic line 56 and a valve 57 arranged along the fluidic line 56.
Even in this case, valve 57 is selectively set in:
Pressure inside second pressurizing tank 51 is continuously detected by a pressure sensor 58.
Valves 55 and 57 are controlled by control unit 22 on the basis of the pressure detected by pressure sensor 58 so as to maintain the inside of second pressurizing tank 51 at pressure value P3.
As shown in
With reference to each filling unit 12, control unit 22 is advantageously programmed:
In practice, the volume V is measured up in each dosing tank 25 by considering that the product of pressure and volume of the gas present in such dosing tank 25 is substantially constant before and after filling of the dosing tank 25 itself (Boyle's gas law) if temperature is kept constant.
More specifically, by knowing volume Vx of each dosing tank 25, pressure value P4 can be determined as follows:
where, as previously specified, P2 is the pressure value at which first pressurizing means 40 pressurize the gas in each dosing tank 25 before starting filling thereof with the pourable product, and V is the desired volume of pourable product to be conveyed from product tank 15 to the dosing tank 25.
The applicant has observed that temperature may vary in each dosing tank 25 as a result of the filling operation. Hence, in such a case, control of closure of each valve 28, during flow of the pourable product from product tank 15 to the respective dosing tank 25, may be also a function of the temperature detected by the respective sensor 35. In practice, the exact point in time in which each valve 28 has to be closed during filling of the respective dosing tank 25 with the pourable product may be calculated on the basis of the pressure and temperature detected by respective sensors 34, 35 and by using Boyle's gas law.
Operation of machine 1 will now be described with reference to the filling of one bottle 2, and therefore to one filling unit 12, and as of the instant in which such bottle 2 is received by support device 23 of the filling unit 12 from input star wheel 7 in order to be filled with the pourable product.
In particular (
Starting from this condition, valve 43 of first pressurizing means 40 is set in the open configuration (
At this point, the respective dosing tank 25 is connected to product tank 15 to measure out volume V of pourable product prior to feeding it to the bottle 2.
In particular, the respective valve 28 is set in its open configuration (
In the meanwhile, pressure and temperature of the gas in the dosing tank 25 are measured by sensors 34, 35.
As the detected pressure of the gas in the dosing tank 25 reaches pressure value P4, which, on the basis of the Boyle's gas law, is correlated with the volume V of pourable product flowed into the dosing tank 25, the valve 28 is set by control unit 22 in the closed configuration.
It should be observed that, in case of appreciable variation of temperature in the dosing tank 25 during filling of the pourable product, the point in time at which valve 28 is closed by control unit 22 is also a function of the temperature detected by sensor 35.
Once the desired volume V of pourable product has been measured up in the dosing tank 25, valve 53 of second pressurizing means 50 is set in the open configuration (
The valve 26 is then also set in the open configuration so as to allow the pourable product to flow from the dosing tank 25 to the bottle 2 under the pressure difference therebetween.
Once the pourable product contained in the dosing tank 25 has been fully conveyed to the bottle 2, the valve 26 is set in the closed configuration and the bottle 2 is transferred to output star wheel 8, to be then subjected to further operations, such as capping, labelling and so on.
The advantages of machine 1 and the filling method according to the present invention will be clear from the foregoing description.
In particular, any flow of the pourable product is achieved by means of a pressure differential with limited need of using movable elements or pumps acting on the pourable product.
This leads to limited wearing parts as well as reduced risks to damage the fruit particles floating in the pourable product.
Clearly, changes may be made to machine 1 and the filling method as described and illustrated herein without, however, departing from the scope as defined in the accompanying claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
14155855 | Feb 2014 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/IB2015/051280 | 2/19/2015 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2015/125108 | 8/27/2015 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6192946 | Clusserath | Feb 2001 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
29609831 | Jul 1997 | DE |
2852944 | Oct 2004 | FR |
WO 2006075239 | Jul 2006 | WO |
Entry |
---|
International Search Report and Written Opinion dated May 7, 2015 in corresponding PCT International Application. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20170166429 A1 | Jun 2017 | US |