The present invention concerns filling containers with liquids.
It is known that containers like bottles and the like are filled with liquids by automatic machines generally equipped with an operating bed structure.
In particular, known machines usually feature a conveying line for containers to be filled, situated over the bed.
This conveying line feeds a singling device, which includes e.g. a screw feeder, with containers. The singling device brings the containers one by one to a rotary drum that moves in the region of the liquid delivering means situated over the bed, in a containers filling station.
The containers filled with the liquid are moved to further working stations, in particular for caps application.
The dimensions of the bed structure of these machines are usually big and do not allow the operators to control easily the operation steps.
Moreover, it is often difficult to approach the machine driving means and electric devices, e.g. for maintenance operations or the like.
An automatic filling machine is known from the US-A-4.083.389. This machine includes pump units for filling containers which are advanced along a conveyor belt and a star wheel which is rotated by the containers as they pass by. When the star wheel is locked, it holds the container in a position for filling.
The machine described by document US-A-4.083.389 does not teach housing the means for driving the machine inside a body and supporting the conveyor belt on cantilevered support means protruding from the body. Moreover, the cited document does not disclose a singling device for singling out the containers downstream of the conveying line.
The object of the present invention is to propose a compact structure for a container filling machine, which allows a rapid operation on the machine working parts and easy access to the machine inner means.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a structure, whose form allows to clearly separate electric board area from the machine driving means area.
The above mentioned objects are obtained in accordance with contents of the claims.
The characteristic features of the invention will be pointed out in the following description, with particular reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:
With reference to the above described figures, numeral 1 indicates the structure of a machine for filling containers 2, e.g. bottles, with liquids.
The structure 1 features a box-like body 3, of e.g. prismatic form, extending suitably upwards.
The body 3 of the structure is divided longitudinally in a part 4 with a fixed configuration, which contains machine driving means, and a part 5 which can be opened and contains electric devices.
The part 5, that can be opened, includes e.g. two covers 5a, 5b, hinged to the fixed part 4, as seen in figure 3; obviously only one cover can be provided to form the part which can be opened.
Both the driving means contained inside the fixed part 4 and the electric devices can be easily approached by opening the covers 5a, 5b.
A cantilevered bracket 6, supporting a conveying line 7 for the containers 2, protrudes from the front part of the fixed part 4 of the body 3, on the side opposite to the covers 5.
The conveying line 7 is situated over the shelf 6 and is operated by the said driving means through transmission means, known to those skilled in the art, housed inside the said bracket 6.
Obviously, the conveying line can be place on one side of the bracket, close thereto, without that the machine goes out of the scope on the claims.
The conveying line 7 is preferably equipped with a steel conveying belt 8, like the one disclosed in the Italian Patent Application no. BO93U 000222 of the same Applicant.
The conveying line 7 feeds a singling device 9 with containers 2. The singling device includes e.g. a screw feeder 9 which is carried in cantilevered fashion by the bracket 6, downstream of the conveying line 7, and that extends in the same direction as the containers 2 move.
Liquid dosing means 10, situated over the shelf 6 and working along the conveying line 7, are carried in cantilevered way by the fixed part 4 f the structure body 3.
In the illustrated example liquid dosing means 10 are includes cylinder-piston assemblies 10, nevertheless it is possible to use other delivering means, like e.g. peristaltic pumps or flow cut off devices.
The dosing means 10 are fed by a suitable liquid container, not shown, via respective valves 11. The containers 2 are filled by a series of nozzles 12 connected with respective dosing means 10 through the valves 11.
The nozzles 12 are carried by a carriage 13, moving longitudinally to the conveying line 7, over the support bracket 6, following a closed-loop path.
A rotary drum 14, equipped with capping means 15 for application caps to the containers 2, is situated downstream of the screw feeder 9.
The drum 14 brings the capped containers 2 to an exit line 16, also preferably provided with a conveying steel belt 17 of the above mentioned type.
For this purpose, the drum 14 co-operates, with rotary star-like distribution means 18,19, situated at the inlet and at the outlet thereof and operated in time relation with the drum 14.
The caps, supplied by a vibration feeder 20, are sent by a feeding line 21 to another star-like distributor 22, situated over the entrance distributor 18, that carries the containers 2, and is operated in time relation therewith.
If two caps are to be applied to each container 2, there is provided a second rotary drum 24, equipped with capping means 25, situated downstream of the first rotary drum 14, as shown in fig. 5.
Another star-like distributor 26, operated in time relation with the drums 14,24, is situated therebetween.
It is to be pointed out that operating mechanism of the drum 14 is housed inside a case 27, placed vertically below the drum 14; obviously the same is provided for a possible second drum 24.
It is also to be pointed out that the exit line 16 of the filled and capped containers 2 protrudes from the front part of the body 3 of the machine 1 and is more or less longitudinally aligned with the conveying line 7, that feeds the containers 2 to be filled. Preferably this exit line 16 is equipped with a steel belt.
The nozzles 12 are connected to respective containers 2 to be filled, placed one after another on the conveying belt 8 of the line 7.
As has already been said, these nozzles 12 move longitudinally to the conveying line 7, along a close-loop path, so as to follow the containers 2 during the filling step.
In fact, during the filling step, the group of nozzles 12 moves in synchrony with the conveying line 7, as indicated with broken line in figs. 2 and 3.
When the filling step is completed, the group of nozzles 12 is moved vertically to a raised position 12b, so as to disengage from the containers 2, and then translated longitudinally to the conveying line 7, in the direction opposite to this line 7 movement direction, as shown with broken line 12c.
Afterwards, the group of nozzles 12 is brought back to the lowered position to fill a next group of containers 2, in the same way as described previously.
The nozzles 12 fill the containers 2, moving along the conveying line 7, with the liquid supplied by the relative dosing means 10.
At the exit of the conveying line 7, the filled containers 2 are taken up by a separating device 9 which includes a screw feeder, that co-operates with the star-like distributor 18 to send them one by one to the drum 14.
On the drum 14 the containers 2 are capped and afterwards transferred to the exit line 16, with the help of the star-like distributor 19.
The described structure achieves the object of realising a compact and clean machine for filling containers.
In fact, containers conveying and filing means protrude from one side of the box-like body containing the machine driving means and electric devices.
Therefore, these means are visible and easily accessible for the operators, which facilitates maintenance and size change over operations.
Moreover, this structure allows an easy access to the machine inner means, i.e. the above mentioned driving means and electric devices, due to their location inside the box-like body, that can be opened on the side opposite the side on which the containers conveying and filling means are situated.