Patent Publication Number: US-6334473-B1

Title: Installation for filling containers

Description:
The present installation relates to an installation for filling containers, such an installation serving, for example, in a bottling line. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A filling installation generally includes a filling platform of the carrousel type which is mounted to rotate about an axis on a fixed frame, and it continuously fills containers conveyed along the bottling line. To this end, it includes a tank to which filling nozzles are connected. 
     In sterile filling installations, i.e. installations in which filling is performed without any germs entering the containers during the various steps of packaging the substance, a lid is fixed to the tank in sealed manner. The lid is provided with a valve which is controlled to put the tank in communication with the ambient atmosphere, as maintained in a sterile state, during the container-filling stage, and with a circuit for dispensing a cleaning substance during a periodic cleaning stage. 
     The filling liquid is fed to the tank via a pipe having one end fixed to the lid via a rotary gasket so as to open out into the tank. The tank is thus filled continuously even while it is rotating during filling of the containers. The need for a rotary gasket complicates the structure of the installation. In addition, the rotary gasket is subject to wear, and the duct connecting the valve to the circuit for dispensing the cleaning substance must also be connected to the rotary gasket, and so the rotary gasket is of complex structure. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the invention is to provide a filling installation that has a structure making it possible to omit the rotary gasket. 
     To this end, the invention provides a filling installation comprising a fixed frame, a tank mounted on the fixed frame so as to rotate about an axis, and a lid associated with the tank and provided with a feed pipe, positioning means being fixed to the lid, and being mounted on the fixed frame to slide parallel to the axis of rotation between a position in which the lid is applied against an edge of the tank so as to close off said tank and a position in which the lid is spaced apart from the edge of the tank. 
     Thus, during the filling stage, the positioning means are actuated so as to maintain the lid spaced apart from the edge of the tank. In this position, the lid is prevented from rotating relative to the frame. The feed pipe can thus be fixed rigidly to the lid without it being necessary to use a rotary gasket. In addition, when the lid is in this position, the tank is naturally in communication with the ambient atmosphere. For the cleaning stage, the positioning means are actuated so that the lid closes off the tank. The tank can then be cleaned by injecting the cleaning substance under a high pressure, thereby facilitating proper cleaning of the tank. 
     In a particular embodiment, the positioning means include at least one arm having a first end fixed to the lid and a second end mounted to slide on a column secured to the frame. Preferably, the edge of the tank is provided with an annular rim projecting-outwards from the tank, and the lid comprises a plate from which a cylindrical wall extends that surrounds the annular rim, and that has an annular internal shoulder extending facing the rim, the positioning means including an abutment for limiting the downward movement of the lid, and at least one actuator having a body secured to the lid and a moving rod angularly positioned so that, when it is in the deployed position, it comes into abutment against an abutment piece secured to or integral with the tank. Thus, the lid is spaced apart from the edge of the tank merely by the weight of the lid, and it is necessary to feed the actuators only to seal the tank during washing. 
     In addition, in order to produce batches comprising containers filled with different substances, e.g. with a plurality of flavors of flavored dairy produce, it is necessary with known types of installation to fill series of containers separately with respective ones of the substances, and then to store said series until all of the series of containers have been filled, and finally to package the batches of containers by combining the various series. Such manufacture assumes that large storage volumes are available, and it suffers from poor productivity. 
     According to a particular characteristic of the invention, at least one cylindrical wall extends coaxially inside the tank so as to partition said tank into compartments, and at least one second feed pipe equips the lid, the feed pipes passing through the lid so as to open out in the tank, each pipe opening out facing a respective one of the compartments. 
     Thus, different filling substances can be fed respectively to the compartments via feed pipes that still face the same respective ones of the compartments while the tank is rotating. Each filling nozzle can then be connected selectively to the compartment that contains the filling substance that the container to be filled is to contain, so that batches with different substances can be produced by taking successive containers. 
     Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of a particular non-limiting embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     Reference is made to the accompanying sole figure which is a fragmentary view in section on a vertical axial plane, showing a filling installation of the invention. 
    
    
     MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The filling installation of the invention includes a fixed frame  1  on which a tank given overall reference  2  is mounted via a structure  27  represented in chain-dotted lines and carried by a bearing  28  so as to rotate about an axis  3 . The tank  2  is part of a filling platform of the carrousel type, and it is connected to filling nozzles  4  that are known per se, only one of which is shown in the figure. 
     The tank  2  is of cylindrical shape and it comprises a bottom  5  and a top opening  6  opposite from the bottom  5 , and an annular rim  7  adjacent to the opening  6  and projecting outwards. 
     Two partitions  9  and  10  that are of cylindrical shape and that are centered on the axis  3  extend inside the tank  2 , and they subdivide said tank into three compartments, the bottoms of which receive ducts  11  that open out in said bottoms and that are selectively connected to filling nozzles  4 . 
     The installation includes a lid designated by overall reference  12  and covering the top portion of the tank  2 . 
     The lid  12  comprises a plate  13  from which a cylindrical wall  14  extends that surrounds the rim  7 . A ring  15  that has an inside diameter smaller than the outside diameter of the rim  7  is fixed to the edge of the cylindrical wall  14  that is opposite from the plate  13 . The ring  15  thus defines an internal annular shoulder equipped with a sealing gasket extending under the rim  7  of the tank  2 . 
     Positioning means are fixed to the lid  12 . 
     In the embodiment shown, the positioning means include three arms  17  (only one of which is visible in the figure) extending radially at 120° relative to one another about the axis  3 , each arm having one end  17 . 1  fixed to the lid  12  and its opposite end  17 . 2  in the form of a yoke and mounted on a column  18  parallel to the axis  3  and fixed to the frame  1 . The ends  17 . 2  are slidably mounted on the columns  18 . In a low position shown in the figure, the ends  17 . 2  abut against rings  19  which are carried by the columns  18 , and which form abutments for the ends, 17 . 2  of the arms  17 . In this position, the internal shoulder  15  of the lid  12  is spaced apart from the rim  7 . The arms  17  prevent the lid  12  from rotating relative to the frame  1 . 
     The positioning means also include actuators that are given overall reference  20 , only one of which is visible in the figure. The actuators are uniformly distributed about the axis  3  in a configuration that is offset relative to the arms  17 . Each actuator  20  comprises a body  21  fixed to the lid  12  and a rod  22  that can be actuated between a deployed position in which the free end of the rod  22  abuts against a fixed piece  23  projecting outwards from the tank  2  so as to form an integral part of said tank, and a retracted position (as shown in the figure) in which the free end of the rod  22  is released from said piece  23 . 
     The installation includes feed pipes  24 , each of which has an end connected to a supply (not shown) of filling substance, the feed pipes passing through the lid  12  and opening out into the tank facing respective ones of the compartments. The feed pipes  24  are coupled to the lid  12  in sealed manner. 
     The installation also includes pipes  25  for dispensing a cleaning substance, each of which pipes has an end connected to a supply (not shown) of cleaning substance and passes through the lid  12  to open out into the tank facing a respective one of the compartments. The pipes  25  are coupled to the lid  12  in sealed manner. 
     During filling, the rods  22  of the actuators  20  are retracted so that, under the effect of its own weight, the lid is supported in the low position by the arms  17  whose ends  17 . 2  are in abutment against the abutment rings  19  on the columns  18 . The internal shoulder  15  of the lid  12  is then spaced apart from the rim  7  so that the lid  12  does not hinder rotation of the tank  2 . It should be noted that wheels  26  are fixed to the portions  23  so as to be in abutment against the outside surface of the ring  15  and so as to guide the tank  2  in rotation relative to the lid  12 . In addition, when the lid is in the low position, the tank  2  is in communication with the outside atmosphere. While the tank  2  is rotating, filling substances are inserted into the corresponding compartments via the feed pipes  24 . 
     During cleaning, the rotation of the tank  2  is stopped so that the tank is in a position in which the actuators  20  face the portions  23 , and the rods  22  of the actuators  20  are deployed to bear against the portions  23  of the tank. The lid is raised by reaction. The internal shoulder  15  of the lid  12  is then applied against the rim  7  so that the lid  12  closes off the tank  2 . The cleaning liquid is then injected into the tank  2  via the pipes  25 . It should be noted that, in the embodiment described, the actuators  20  are fed only during the cleaning stage. 
     The feed pipes  24  and the pipes  25  include flexible hose portions enabling them to accommodate the lid  12  being displaced between its high and low positions. 
     Naturally, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described, and variant embodiments are possible without going beyond the ambit of the invention as defined by the claims. 
     In particular, the free end of the rod of each actuator may be equipped with a wheel so as to roll on a piece  23  that is of annular shape. The low position of the lid is then defined by the retracted position of the rods of the actuators, without abutment shoulders being necessary on the columns  18 . 
     In addition, the lid and the positioning means may be organized so that the lid closes off the tank when said lid is in the low position, and so that it is spaced apart from the tank when it is in the high position. In which case, the lid may be suspended above the tank. Instead of providing anti-rotation arms  17  and actuators  20  carried by the lid, it is then possible for the lid to be carried by actuators, each of which has one end fixed to a portion of the frame extending above the lid, and one end fixed to the lid. The actuators then serve as actuating members and as abutment members for the lid. 
     When substance is to be packaged in sterile manner, the installation is placed in a stream of sterile air flowing vertically from top to bottom. In which case, a sterile air intake pipe may be fixed to the lid so that it passes therethrough, said pipe having a top end opening out into the stream of sterile air, and a bottom end opening out under the lid. To enable pressurization to take place during cleaning, the sterile air intake is preferably equipped with a valve.