U.S. patent application number 13/661879 was filed with the patent office on 2013-06-13 for device for filling containers by weight, the device being fitted with an anti-vibration member.
This patent application is currently assigned to SERAC GROUP. The applicant listed for this patent is Serac Group. Invention is credited to Jean-Jacques GRAFFIN.
Application Number | 20130146178 13/661879 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47115928 |
Filed Date | 2013-06-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130146178 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
GRAFFIN; Jean-Jacques |
June 13, 2013 |
Device for filling containers by weight, the device being fitted
with an anti-vibration member
Abstract
A device for filling containers by weight, the device comprises:
a filler spout carried by a structure and having a delivery
orifice; a container support member extending on one side of the
filler spout, the container support member being associated with a
weight sensor arranged at a level that is higher than the delivery
orifice; and a connection arm having a first end fastened to the
structure and a second end fastened to the container support member
at a level below the weight sensor, the connection arm having two
folding portions configured to enable effortless folding about
mutually parallel horizontal axes, while providing a connection
that is rigid against forces in a horizontal plane.
Inventors: |
GRAFFIN; Jean-Jacques;
(Winfield, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Serac Group; |
La Ferte Bernard |
|
FR |
|
|
Assignee: |
; SERAC GROUP
La Ferte Bernard
FR
|
Family ID: |
47115928 |
Appl. No.: |
13/661879 |
Filed: |
October 26, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
141/83 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B67C 3/202 20130101;
G01G 23/12 20130101; B65B 3/28 20130101; G01G 13/003 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
141/83 |
International
Class: |
B65B 3/28 20060101
B65B003/28 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 26, 2011 |
FR |
1159737 |
Claims
1. A device for filling containers by weight, the device
comprising: a filler spout carried by a structure and having a
delivery orifice; and a container support member extending on one
side of the filler spout, the container support member being
associated with a weight sensor arranged at a level that is higher
than the delivery orifice, and including a receptacle holder
portion arranged below the delivery orifice, wherein the device
includes a connection arm having a first end fastened to the
structure and a second end fastened to the container support member
at a level below the weight sensor, and wherein the connection arm
includes at least one folding portion configured to enable
effortless folding about a horizontal axis while providing a
connection that is rigid against forces in a horizontal plane.
2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the connection arm has
two portions for effortless folding about two mutually parallel
horizontal axes.
3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the connection arm is
arranged at the level of the container-holding portion.
4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the connection arm
comprises a strip of plastics material and the folding portion is
defined by a V-groove.
5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the structure is rotary,
and the connection arm extends radially relative to a path traveled
by the containers during filling.
6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the support member
includes a support plate connected to the weight sensor by a rod,
and the connection arm is arranged at the level of the support
plate.
7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the container support
member is merely placed on the weight sensor.
8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the container support
member comprises a rod engaged in a support tube carried by the
structure, and the first end of the connection arm is rigidly
connected to the support tube by a spacer.
9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the weight sensor
comprises: an elastically deformable bar having one end rigidly
fastened to the structure and an opposite end that is cantilevered
out, together with a sensing element associated with the
elastically deformable bar to measure its deformation, and wherein
the container support member has a top end connected to the
cantilevered end of the elastically deformable bar.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a device for filling
containers by weight, the device being fitted with an
anti-vibration member.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A device for filling containers by weight is disclosed in
particular in document EP 1 025 424, which device comprises a
filler spout carried by a structure and having a delivery orifice
below which the containers are supported by a container support
member. The container support member is connected to a weight
sensor comprising both an elastically deformable bar having one end
rigidly fastened to the structure and an opposite end that is
cantilevered out, and a sensing element associated with the
elastically deformable bar to measure its deformation.
[0003] In order to protect the weight sensor against splashes of
the fluid to be packaged or of a fluid for cleaning the filler
spout, filler devices have been made in which the weight sensor is
arranged at a level that is higher than the delivery orifice.
Nevertheless, under such circumstances, it is necessary to use an
elongate support member that extends along one side of the filler
spout with a top end connected to the cantilevered end of the
elastically deformable bar and with a container- holding portion
arranged below the delivery orifice.
[0004] It has then been found that when the filler device is
mounted on a movable structure, for example a rotary structure of a
filler carousel, the support member tends to vibrate when a
container is put into place, thereby disturbing the measurement of
the weight sensor, such that it becomes necessary to wait for the
device to stabilize before it is possible to proceed with
filling.
[0005] This waiting time considerably reduces the throughput rate
at which containers can be filled.
[0006] In order to mitigate that drawback, proposals have been made
to associate the support member with connection arms that are
connected by ball bearings so as to form a hinged parallelogram.
Nevertheless, in order to ensure that the resulting hinged
parallelogram does not give rise to interfering forces on the
weight sensor, it is necessary to use high-precision ball bearings
that are very expensive and very sensitive to being dirtied by the
fluids for packaging or by the fluids for cleaning the filler
spouts.
Object of the Invention
[0007] An object of the invention is to propose a device for
filling containers by weight, the device being fitted with an
anti-vibration member of structure that is simple and relatively
insensitive to pollution.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In order to achieve this object, the invention provides a
device for filling containers by weight, the device comprising: a
filler spout carried by a structure and having a delivery orifice;
a container support member extending on one side of the filler
spout, the container support member being associated with a weight
sensor arranged at a level that is higher than the delivery
orifice, and including a receptacle holder portion arranged below
the delivery orifice; and a connection arm having a first end
fastened to the structure and a second end fastened to the
container support member at a level below the weight sensor, the
connection arm including at least one folding portion configured to
enable effortless folding about a horizontal axis while providing a
connection that is rigid against forces in a horizontal plane.
[0009] It has been found that because of the small movements of the
container support member during filling (through a few tenths of a
millimeter), there is no need to associate the container support
member with a hinged parallelogram, and that a connection with a
connection arm having a single folding portion suffices for
allowing movement to take place vertically without stressing the
support member and while also providing rapid damping of
vibration.
[0010] In an advantageous version of the invention, the connection
arm has two portions for effortless folding about two mutually
parallel horizontal axes. This facilitates vertical movement of the
container support member.
[0011] In an advantageous aspect of the invention, the connection
arm is arranged at the level of the container-holding portion, and
when the structure is rotary, the connection arm preferably extends
radially relative to a path traveled by the containers during
filling. This improves resistance to any lateral force exerted by a
container while it is being put into place.
[0012] In another advantageous aspect of the invention, the support
member includes a support plate connected to the weight sensor by a
rod, and the connection arm is arranged at the level of the support
plate. This provision has been found to be more advantageous with
large containers.
[0013] In yet another advantageous aspect of the invention, the
container support member comprises a rod engaged in a support tube
carried by the structure, and the first end of the connection arm
is rigidly connected to the support tube by a spacer. This provides
a device that is very compact.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention appear
on reading the following description of two particular and
non-limiting embodiments of the invention.
[0015] Reference is made to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary section view of a first embodiment
of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an outline II in
[0018] FIG. 1, drawn on a larger scale;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a section view analogous to the view of FIG. 1,
showing a second embodiment of the invention; and
[0020] FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary diagrammatic view of a
variant of the first embodiment.
MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in this first embodiment,
the device comprises in conventional manner a series of filler
spouts 1, only one of which is shown in FIG. 1, and its structure
is not shown in detail. The filler spouts are carried by a
structure represented herein by a rotary platform 2 having two
turntables 3 and 4 held spaced apart from each other by spacers
5.
[0022] Each filler spout 1 is associated with a weight sensor 6
having a base 7 fastened to the turntable 3 and made integrally
with an elastically deformable bar 8 having one end 9 rigidly
fastened to the structure 2 via the base 7 and an opposite end 10
that is cantilevered out. The weight sensor also includes a sensing
element, a strain gauge 11 in this example, that is associated with
the elastically deformable bar 8 in order to measure its
deformation.
[0023] In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the weight
sensor 6 is associated with a container-support member comprising a
rod 12 having a top end connected by a screw 13 to a plate 14 that
is fastened to the cantilevered end 10 of the bar 8. The head of
the screw 13 bears against the plate 14 via an annular ring 15.
[0024] The rod 12 is mounted to slide in a support tube 16 having a
shoulder 17 that bears against the bottom face of the turntable 4.
At its top end, the support tube 16 has a thread 18 with a nut 19
mounted thereon for locking the support tube 16 to the rotary
structure 2. At its bottom end, the support tube 16 carries one end
of a spacer 20 having its opposite end acting as an anchor point
for a connection arm 21 connected to a block 22 that is fastened to
the support rod 12 and that carries in conventional manner jaws 23
for holding a container 24 standing on a support plate 25 that is
fastened to the bottom end of the support rod 12. In known manner,
the jaws 23 are urged towards each other by a spring 26 and they
are opened under the control of a wheel 26 co- operating with a cam
(not shown).
[0025] The connection arm 21 in this example is formed by a
horizontally-extending strip of plastics material. As can be seen
better in FIG. 2, the strip 21 has two V-shaped grooves 28
extending parallel to each other and defining folding zones 37. In
practice, the thickness of the residual material at the tips of the
grooves 28 is a few tenths of a millimeter, thus making it possible
firstly for the strip to fold effortlessly about the parallel
horizontal axes 38 that coincide with the tips of the grooves 28,
and secondly to provide a connection that is rigid against forces
in a horizontal plane. In the example shown, in which the filler
spouts 1 are mounted on a rotary platform, the connection arms 21
extend radially relative to a trajectory of a container as
represented in FIG. 2 by a bold arrow. The connection arm 21 is
preferably connected to the spacer 20 by an interfitting connection
comprising a tenon 29 made on the spacer 20 and a mortise 30 made
in the strip 21. Similarly, the strip 21 is connected to the block
22 by an interfitting connection comprising a tenon 31 made on the
block 22 and a mortise 32 made in the strip 21.
[0026] As can be seen in FIG. 1, the jaws 23 for holding the
container 24 extend at a level below the delivery orifice 33 of the
filler spout 1, while the weight sensor 6 is arranged at a level
that is higher than the delivery orifice 33.
[0027] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a structure that is
generally analogous to the first embodiment. Parts that are
identical are given the same numerical references in FIG. 3, and
these parts are not described again.
[0028] In this embodiment, the support rod 12 has a plate 34 at its
top end with one end of the plate fastened to the support rod 12
and its opposite end cantilevered out over the cantilevered end 10
of the deformable bar 8. The plate 34 carries a screw 35 on its
bottom face, with the head of the screw bearing against the end 10
of the deformable bar 8.
[0029] At its bottom end, the support tube 16 in this embodiment is
connected to a U-shaped spacer 36 and the connection arm 31 extends
between the bottom branch of the spacer 36 and the support plate 25
so as to provide a connection between the support rod 12 and the
structure of the machine at the support plate 25.
[0030] Naturally, the invention is not limited to the embodiment
described and variants may be made thereto without going beyond the
ambit of the invention as defined by the claims.
[0031] In particular, although the invention is described with
reference to a strip 21 in which fold lines are defined by grooves,
it is possible to make the connection arm 21 in the form of a strip
made up of a plurality of portions that are connected together by a
tape of fabric or by a film of plastics material, which tape or
film may be clamped between pieces of the plate or embedded in
mutually adjacent blocks of resin, thereby defining lines for
effortless folding.
[0032] Although the invention is shown with support members
comprising support plates, the invention could equally well be
performed by suspending the containers from the neck.
[0033] Although the support rod 12 in the two embodiments shown is
suspended to a cantilevered end of an elastically deformable bar 8,
the invention could also be implemented with a rocker assembly, as
shown in above-mentioned document EP 1 025 424.
[0034] Although mounting the rod 12 free relative to the bar, as in
both of the above-described embodiments, is particularly
advantageous for avoiding interfering twisting, it is possible for
the weight sensor 6 to be implemented as a constant-moment gauge
and to provide rigid fastening of the top end of the rod 12 to the
cantilevered end 10 of the bar 8. This variant is shown in FIG. 4,
in which the rod 12 is rigidly fastened to the free end of the
plate 14 secured to the cantilevered end 10 of the bar 8. The bar 8
behaves like a deformable parallelogram, with the weight of the
container received on the support plate being transmitted in full
to the gauge and the connection arm serves to damp vibration
quickly.
[0035] It is also possible to replace the support tube 10 by a
bracket fastened to one of the turntables of the platform 2, or
even to both of its turntables.
* * * * *