RU2843720C1 - Liquid and semi-liquid products dosing device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: dispensing.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to dispensing and can be used for packing liquid and semi-liquid products in food, pharmaceutical and other industries. Device comprises a pressure product line, a product dose output nozzle, a measuring sleeve in which a freely floating piston is installed, dividing the measuring sleeve into two chambers, and at least one housing provided with two channels, one of which connects the pressure pipeline and the product dose output nozzle to each other and to one of the chambers, and a mechanism for alternate connection of each chamber, respectively, to the nozzle and the pressure pipeline, made in the form of pneumatically controlled valves installed in pairs in each of the channels with the possibility of their overlapping. Besides, the device is additionally equipped with the product dose output nozzle and the pressure pipeline connected by the second channel to each other and to the other chamber, and the housing channels connection to the corresponding sleeve chambers is made by means of pipelines.

EFFECT: provision of double increase of outlet channels of the device for simultaneous dosing of various products and reduction of its dimensions and prime cost.

3 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The invention can be used for packaging liquid and semi-liquid products in the food, pharmaceutical, paint and varnish, chemical and other industries.

A device for dosing liquid and semi-liquid products is known from the prior art (USSR Patent Application No. 1685790; IPC 7 B65B 3/12; A23 G 9/00, 1991), comprising a pressure product pipeline, a nozzle for outputting a dose of product, a measuring container in which a freely floating piston is installed, dividing the measuring container into two chambers, and a mechanism for alternately connecting each chamber to the nozzle and the pressure product pipeline by turning the measuring container until the outlet opening of each chamber is aligned with the pressure product pipeline or with the nozzle.

With several parallel channels for dispensing product doses, known technical solutions, as a rule, lead to the need to manufacture and install the same number of single-channel dispensers, which increases the overall dimensions and cost of the dosing unit. This drawback is especially pronounced on automatic lines of the “Form-Fill-Seal” type, where the number of parallel dosing channels can reach several dozen.

A carousel (USSR patent No. 401565; B65B 3/12; 1973) and rotary (RU patent No. 2474521; B65B 3/00; 2011) mechanism for alternately connecting each chamber to a nozzle and a pressure product pipeline is known, which provides for an increase in multi-channel capacity by shifting the outputs of the chambers of a small number of containers relative to a larger number of alternating inputs of nozzles and a pressure product pipeline.

For small doses, when the measuring container has small dimensions, a technical solution is known for the mechanism of alternating connection (application No. 2024135678 of 28.11.2024 for a patent of the Russian Federation) by turning the shaft with a built-in package of measuring containers in a hollow cylinder until the outlet openings of the chambers coincide with the inlets of the nozzles or pressure product pipeline made on the cylinder. The presence of such mechanisms also increases the overall dimensions, complexity and cost of the dosing unit as a whole.

On modern automatic packaging lines, multi-channeling is usually achieved by organizing a package of identical dispensers with common control. Such a solution is known from US Patent No. 4438872 (IPC G01F 11/06, 1984). The integration of such a package into an automatic product packaging line is significantly complicated due to the fact that:

1. single-channel dispensers - with a large number of channels (and this is the productivity of the line) the length of the package increases significantly;

2. a measuring container is built into the dispenser and, accordingly, into each element of the package, which significantly increases the size of the dosing unit, especially for large doses of the product. Moreover, due to the difference in the sizes of the measuring containers, it is not always possible to assemble in one package dispensers that, in accordance with the technological regulations, must simultaneously dispense different doses of different products (for example, curd dessert: 120 cm3 of soft curd + 20 cm3 of jam).

In general, the simultaneous dosing of different products with significantly different doses is one of the problematic tasks of automation of filling equipment. The above-mentioned known technical solutions allow for the simultaneous packing of one, rarely two different products. To date, there is no known scheme for a single dispenser that could, in two consecutive dosing cycles, give out two equal doses of different products.

The prior art also includes a device for dosing liquid and semi-liquid products according to Russian Federation Patent No. 2285246 (IPC G01F, 13/00, 2005), which is the closest analogue of the claimed invention in terms of its composition of elements. It comprises a pressure product pipeline, a product dose output nozzle, a measuring sleeve in which a free-floating piston is installed, dividing the measuring sleeve into two chambers, and at least one housing equipped with two channels, one of which connects the pressure product pipeline and the product dose output nozzle to each other and to one of the chambers, and a mechanism for alternately connecting each chamber to the nozzle and the pressure product pipeline, respectively, made in the form of pneumatically controlled valves installed in pairs in each of the channels with the possibility of shutting them off. This device is also characterized by the above-described disadvantages.

The task, which the claimed invention is aimed at solving, is the creation of two-channel dispensers, their combination into a package and the resulting compact multi-channel dispenser, which, with a two-fold reduction in the number of measuring tubes, allows for the simultaneous packaging of various products with different doses.

The technical result that can be achieved by implementing the invention consists in reducing the overall dimensions of the device and its cost by reducing the length of the package by two times and by removing measuring sleeves from the package.

The above technical result in a device for dosing liquid and semi-liquid products, comprising a pressure product pipeline, a nozzle for outputting a product dose, a measuring sleeve in which a free-floating piston is installed, dividing the measuring sleeve into two chambers, and at least one housing provided with two channels, one of which connects the pressure product pipeline and the nozzle for outputting a product dose to each other and to one of the chambers, and a mechanism for alternately connecting each chamber, respectively, to the nozzle and the pressure product pipeline, made in the form of pneumatically controlled valves, installed in pairs in each of the channels with the possibility of shutting them off, is achieved in that it is additionally provided with a nozzle for outputting a product dose and a pressure product pipeline, connected by a second channel to each other and to another chamber, and the connection of the housing channels with the corresponding chambers of the sleeve is made by pipelines.

In addition, each of the housings can be designed with the possibility of connecting them together into a package, and each housing can be provided with at least one opening, the combination of which, when connecting the housings into a package, forms a pressure product pipeline.

The invention is illustrated by three figures, where Fig. 1 shows a complete diagram of the proposed device with a housing for dosing different products; Fig. 2 is a drawing of a pneumatically controlled valve; Fig. 3 is a diagram of a variant of a housing for dosing one product.

The device for dosing liquid and semi-liquid products comprises two nozzles 1 and 2 (Fig. 1) for outputting a dose of product; two pressure product pipelines 3 and 4 with products A and B, respectively; a measuring sleeve 5 with a free-floating piston 6 dividing the sleeve 5 into two chambers 7 and 8; and a body 9 connected by pipelines 10 and 11 to the measuring sleeve 5. The piston 6 can move in the sleeve 5 between two stops 12 and 13, the distance between which determines the dose of the product. One of the stops, for example, 12, is designed with the possibility of axial displacement - for adjusting the dose.

In the body 9 there are two channels 14 and 15; channel 14 connects nozzle 1 for outputting the product dose and pressure product pipeline 3 with each other and through pipeline 10 - with chamber 7 of measuring sleeve 5. Channel 15 accordingly connects nozzle 2 and product pipeline 4 with each other and through pipeline 11 - with chamber 8 of sleeve 5. As we can see, the entire upper part of the diagram of Fig. 2, namely channel 14, pipeline 10 and chamber 7 of sleeve 5 is fed from pressure product pipeline 3 and will be filled only with product A, and the lower part of the diagram - channel 15, pipeline 11 and chamber 8 is fed from pressure product pipeline 4 and is filled with product B. Separation of products A and B in measuring sleeve 5 is carried out by floating piston 6. Accordingly, when the dispenser is operating, a dose of product A will be output through nozzle 1, and a dose of product B through nozzle 2.

In each of the two channels 14 and 15 of the body 9, pneumatically controlled valves are installed in pairs: in channel 14 - valves 16 and 17; in channel 15 - valves 18 and 19. Valves 16 and 17 are designed with the possibility of blocking channel 14 of communication of chamber 7, respectively, with nozzle 1 and pressure product pipeline 3. Valves 18 and 19 can block channel 15 of communication of chamber 8, respectively, with nozzle 2 and pressure product pipeline 4. All pneumatically controlled valves in their totality form a mechanism for alternately connecting each chamber to the nozzle and the pressure product pipeline: when connecting chamber 7 to product pipeline 3 (valve 16 is closed), chamber 8 is connected to nozzle 2 (valve 19 is closed); when connecting chamber 7 to nozzle 1 (valve 17 is closed), chamber 8 is connected to pressure product pipeline 4 (valve 18 is closed). The direction of movement of products A and B in pipelines 10 and 11 is shown by arrows. When switching valves, the direction of movement changes to the opposite.

All valves are identical. Each of them is a nozzle 20 (Fig. 2), which is closed by an elastic membrane 21 when compressed air is supplied to the supra-membrane cavity through a fitting 22.

Each of the housings 9 can be made with the possibility of connecting them together into a package. In addition, each housing can be provided with an opening 23 (Fig. 1), the combination of which, when connecting the housings into a package, forms a pressure product pipeline. Fig. 3 shows a variant of the device with a housing intended for dosing a single product C. Here, product C comes from a pressure product pipeline formed by openings 23 of housings 9, and when the dispenser is triggered, identical doses of one product C will be supplied to the containers through nozzles 1 and 2.

The proposed device operates as follows. In the initial position, compressed air from the pneumatic distributor (not shown in the figures) is supplied to the supra-membrane cavities of all valves 16, 17, 18 and 19 through the fittings 22. The air pressure is constant and is always selected to be greater than the product pressure in product pipelines 3 and 4. As a result, all valves 16, 17, 18 and 19 are closed and reliably isolate product pipelines 3 and 4 from nozzles 1 and 2. In this case, the free-floating piston 6 is in one of the extreme positions, for example, at the top - on the stop 12, and the chamber 8 of the sleeve 5 is filled with product B.

The cycle of dispensing doses of products A and B consists of two strokes. When it is necessary to dispense doses, for example, when another pair of containers has arrived under nozzles 1 and 2, the first stroke begins: the pneumatic distributor releases the air pressure in valves 17 and 18, located diagonally on body 9. As a result, valves 17 and 18 open and product A from product pipeline 3 through channel 14 and pipeline 10 enters chamber 7 of sleeve 5. Under the action of the pressure of product A, free-floating piston 6 moves downwards, squeezing a dose of product B out of chamber 8 through pipeline 11, channel 15, open valve 18 and nozzle 2. Dosing of product B will be completed when free-floating piston 6 reaches lower stop 13. By this time, a dose of product A will have been collected in chamber 7 of sleeve 5.

After piston 6 reaches its extreme lower position (stop 13), the first dosing stroke of product B ends, and valves 17 and 18 close. During the second dosing stroke, valves 16 and 19, located along the other diagonal of body 9, open. In this case, product B from product pipeline 4 will enter chamber 8 of sleeve 5 through open valve 19, channel 15 and pipeline 11. In this case, free-floating piston 6 will begin to move upward, squeezing out the dose of product A previously formed in chamber 7 through pipeline 10, channel 14, open valve 16 and nozzle 1 into the substituted container. The second stroke and, accordingly, the dosing cycle will end when piston 6 reaches its extreme upper position (stop 12), and a dose of product B for the first stage of the next dosing cycle will be collected in chamber 8 of sleeve 5. Valves 16 and 19 close - the dosing cycle is complete: the two containers substituted contain the same doses of products A and B.

Thus, by alternately opening pairs of valves located on one diagonal of the body 9, multiple paired doses of products A and B are dispensed through nozzles 1 and 2.

For simultaneous multi-position filling, which is often required on modern packaging lines, the device can be made in the form of a package of housings 9. It should be noted that when controlling the package, the number of control elements (pneumatic distributors) does not increase, since all valves located on the same-name diagonals of housings 9 throughout the package are combined into one pneumatic line.

Since each of the devices combined into a package is two-channel, the number of these devices and, accordingly, the length of the package will be two times less than in previously known dosing systems. For example, to fill a cassette of 10 containers with identical doses of paints of ten different colors used by an artist in his work, only one cycle of operation of the dosing device formed by a package of five housings 9 shown in Fig. 1 will be required.

For mass production of the above-mentioned dessert from 120 cm3 of soft curd (product C) and 20 cm3 of various jams (products A and B), the automatic packaging line can be equipped with the proposed dosing device, which is a package of alternately assembled bodies 9, shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 1. With a line productivity requirement of 10 finished products per cycle, the package should consist of five pairs of such bodies. As a result, in one cycle of the line, we will receive the entire assortment: ten curd desserts, differing in the type of added jam.

Along with the twofold reduction of the package length, its overall dimensions in width and height are also significantly reduced. In the proposed device, the package dimensions do not depend on the product dose values, since the measuring sleeves are located outside the package, are connected to the housings 9 only by flexible pipelines and can be placed in any free, convenient for the operator place of the packaging line, without cluttering its dosing zone.

Claims (3)

1. A device for dosing liquid and semi-liquid products, comprising a pressure product pipeline, a nozzle for outputting a product dose, a measuring sleeve in which a freely floating piston is installed, dividing the measuring sleeve into two chambers, and at least one housing equipped with two channels, one of which connects the pressure product pipeline and the nozzle for outputting a product dose to each other and to one of the chambers, and a mechanism for alternately connecting each chamber, respectively, to the nozzle and the pressure product pipeline, made in the form of pneumatically controlled valves, installed in pairs in each of the channels with the possibility of shutting them off, characterized in that the device is additionally equipped with a nozzle for outputting a product dose and a pressure product pipeline, connected by a second channel to each other and to another chamber, and the connection of the housing channels with the corresponding chambers of the sleeve is made by pipelines. 2. The device according to item 1, characterized in that each of the housings is designed with the possibility of connecting them together into a package. 3. A device according to any one of paragraphs 1, 2, characterized in that the body is provided with at least one opening, the combination of which, when the bodies are connected into a package, forms a pressure product pipeline.