Method and device for filling bottles

Abstract

 A plurality of filling members that can be closed and by which of each of them an individual bottle (1) is filled during their operative condition, the bottle and the filling member concerned moving from a bottle feeding station (2) towards a bottle delivery station (3), detectors (4, 5) near the feeding station and near the delivery station providing information whether a bottle is connected to a given filling member. When it is perceived that a given filling member is connected to a bottle near the feeding station whereas the bottle concerned fails to arrive at the delivery station, means are actuated for signalling the next following bottle connected to said filling member, the signalling being caused by incomplete filling of the bottle concerned.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method of driving a device for filling bottles or the like comprising a plurality of filling members that can be closed and through each of which a separate bottle is filled during operation, whilst the bottle and the filling member concerned are moving from a feeding station of bottles to a delivery station of the bottles.

[0002] For filling bottles or the like, for example, in a brewery, refreshing and alcoholoc beverage industries they are filled during their movement through the device concerned with the aid of filling members usuht ally comprising a filling pipe and a sealing sleeve. The product to be introduced into the bottles is pressed in at a relatively high pressure of about 2 to 7 kgs/cm². Inter alia due to this high pressure it often occurs that a bottle engaged at the feeding station by a filling member breaks down during the displacement across the device. Glass fragments will often stick to the filling member, for example, the filling pipe or the sealing sleeve. These small glass fragments may get into the next following bottle filled by means of the same filling member, since the glas particles are carried along with the liquid to be introduced into the bottle. Even four or five bottles filled in order of succession by means of the same filling member may thus be contaminated by glass particles. It is almost impossible to detect such glass particles so that such bottles containing glass particles are likely to be handed over to the consumer.

[0003] The invention has for its object to provide a method in which the disadvantage of contamination of filled bottles by glass involved in the use of the filling devices hitherto known can be eliminated.

[0004] According to the invention this can be achieved by watching the bottles connected with a given filling member near the feeding station and near the delivery station and when it is detected that a given filling member is connected with a bottle near the feeding station and arrives without said bottle at the delivery station, by actuating means for signalling the bottle next connected with the filling member concerned.

[0005] By suitably signalling a bottle filled by a filling member previously connected with a bottle thas has broken down it is easy to remove such a bottle which may be contaminated by glass particles in order to prevent said bottle from being passed to the consumer.

[0006] According to the invention a bottle filling device comprising a bottle feeding station, a bottle delivery station and means for displacing the bottle through the device whilst the bottles are filled with the aid of filling members travelling with the bottles, can be readily adapted to carry out the method according to the invention by arranging a detector near the feeding station for assessing the presence or absence of a bottle at a filling member, by arranging a detector near the delivery station for assessing the presence or absence of a bottle at a filling member and by providing a counter for cheoking the displacement of the bottles, said two detectors and the counter being coupled with a signalling mechanism for signalling a bottle in a manner such that the signalling mechanism is actuated for a bottle connected with a filling member that is recognized as having previously been connected with a bottle near the feeding station and as having arrived without said bottle at the delivery station.

[0007] . The invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to an embodiment of a device according to the invention shown schematically in the accompanying drawing.

[0008] A conventional device for filling bottles 1 or the like with a liquid or the like comprises a transport mechanism with the aid of which the bottles to be filled can be conveyed along a given path from a bottle feeding station 2 to a bottle delivery station 3. Whilst the bottles 1 are displaced along a given path, in the accompanying drawing a substantially circular path, through the device, each bottle is connected with a filling member that can be closed and that moves with the bottle concerned along at least part of the path covered by the bottle in the device. Usually such a filling member comprises a filling pipe and a sealing sleeve and the bottles are arranged on lifting plates disposed in the filling direction for presssing the bottles upwards against the sealing sleeves so that the filling pipes get into the bottles. In normal operation the product is introduced into the bottle through the filling pipe for a given period of time, after which the supply of the product is stopped at the instant at which the bottle or the like is filled to the desired height.

[0009] According to the invention a detector 4 is arranged near the point where the bottles arrive at the feeding station 2. With the aid of said detector it can be perceived whether a bottle to be filled is present or is not for a given filling member. In a similar manner a detector 5 is arranged near the exit point of the bottle i.e. near the delivery station 3 in or - der to check whether a bottle is present at each filling member. These detectors may be of conventional structure and may be formed by a source of light and a photo-electric cell, the light ray from the source to the photocell being or not being interrupted, when a given filling member is passing by the detector, in accordancd with the presenae or absence of a bottle for said filling member.

[0010] At a suitable spot along the path covered by the bottles to be filled across the device a counter 6 is arranged for counting the number of filling members passing by.

[0011] Moreover, at a comparatively short distance from the feeding station 2 a closing mechanism 7 is arranged near the path covered by the bottles. With the aid of said closing mechanism a filling member-passing by can be shut for preventing further filling of the bottle or the like with said filling member.

[0012] The two detectors 4 and 5 and the counter 6 are connected to a computer receiving the signals from said parts. The arrangement is such that for each one of the plurality of filling members forming part of the filling device a signal is applied to the computer to indicate whether a bottle to be filled is present or absent at the filling member passing by the detector 4. After a period of time this filling member will arive at the detector 5, which, in turn, applies a signal to the computer, which is indicative of the presence or absence of a bottle. The two signals are compared with one another and when detector 4 has assessed the presence of a bottle for a given filling member, whereas detector 5 ascertains the absence of a bottle, the conclusion is that the bottle concerned has broken down. When the computer reeeives such a fracture signal, it calculates with the aid of the counter 6 the instant at which the filling member concerned passes by the closing mechanism 7. At the instant at which this fining member passes by the closing mechanism a signal is applied to the closing mechanism by the computer, the closing mechanism being thus actuated to stop the supply of material to the bottle or the like through said filling member, for example, by closing a supply tap forming part of the filling member. The disposition of the closing mechanism is such that at the instant of actuation of the closing mechanism for blocking a given gfilling member the bottle connected with Said filling member is only partly filled. If desired, the structure may be such that after the assessment of a bottle breakdown for a given filling member a signal is applied to the closing mechanism 7 during a plurality of consecutive cycles, for example four or five cycles at the instants at which the filling member concerned passes by the closing mebha- nism so that four or five bottles connected with said filling member are filled only partly before a bottle connected with it will be completely filled again.

[0013] The bottles only partly filled are automatically perceived by a conventional detecting device arranged after a filling device, the partly filled bottles being then removed by said d-etecting device. Thus it can be ensured in a simple manner that bottles containing material likely to be contaminated by glass particles are in due time removed from the production line so that they cannot be delivered to consumers.

[0014] Since usually a device for detecting partly filled bottles is provided anyway, it is particularly effective to signal contaminated bottles because they are filled only partly. As a matter of course, it is possible to signal glass-contaminated bottles in a different way. For example, instead of providing a closing mechanism 7 there may be provided a mechanism which applies a characteristic indication to the bottle concerned, so that it can be selected with the aid of said indication and be removed manually or in a suitable manner by a mechanism.

[0015] Within the spirit and scope of the invention many supplements and/or modifications of the embodiment described are possible.

Claims

1. A method of operating a device for filling bottles or the like comprising a plurality of filling members that can be closed, through each of which a separate bottle is filled during operation whilst the bottle and the filling member concerned are moving from a bottle feeding station towards a bottle delivery station, characterized in that near the feeding station and near the delivery station it is checked whether a bottle is connected with a given filling member and, when it is perceived that a given filling membe is connected with a bottle near the feeding station whereas the bottle concerned is failing near the delivery station, means are actuated for signalling the next following bottle connected with said filling member.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 characterized in that after the assessement of the absence of a bottle at a given filling member several bottles subsequently connected with said filling member are signalled.

3. A method as dlaimed in Claim 1 or 2 characterized in that signalling is caused by incomplete filling of the bottle concerned.

4. A device for filling bettles comprising a bottle feeding station, a bottle delivery station and means for displacing the bottles across the device whilst the bottles are being filled with the aid of filling members moving together with the bottles, characterized in that a detector is provided near the feeding station for assessing the presence or absence of a bottle at a filling member, a detector is provided near the delivery station for assessing the presence or absence of a bottle at a filling member and a counter is provided for checking the displacement of the bottles, the two detectors and the counter being coupled with a signalling mechanism for signalling a bottle, the arrangement being such that the signalling mechanism is actuated for a bottle connected with a filling member, which is recognized as having been connected with a bottle near the feeding station and as arriving without said bottle near the delivery station.

5. A device as claimed in Claim 4 characterized in that the device is provided with a closing mechanism located at a given distance from the feeding station and being actuable by the signalling mechanism for closing a filling member.

Drawing