An online foam detection and rejection system for filling machines

Abstract

The present invention relates to an online foam detection and rejection system for a filling machine, comprising a filling mechanism, wherein the filling mechanism adopts a rotary filling machine, the filling mechanism comprises a filling cylinder, a plurality of filling valves are installed on the filling cylinder, a cylinder cover is installed on the top of the filling cylinder, a control circle is provided on one side of the filling cylinder, a zero position detection component is fixedly installed on the top of the control circle, and a zero position identification plate is fixed on the cylinder cover; a filling inlet star wheel is provided on one side of the filling mechanism, a filling encoder is provided on one side of the filling inlet star wheel, a filling valve number is provided on the filling encoder, and the filling inlet star wheel is used for arranging filling bottles to enter the filling mechanism for filling; the system solves the problem that after the filling of bottled carbonated and sugary beverages is completed, a large amount of foam will accumulate at the bottle mouth due to improper exhaust speed control or conveying vibration, plus overflow of gas in the bottle, and the bottle mouth spray device will flush away the foam at the bottle mouth, but continuous foaming cannot be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of filling machines, in particular to an online foam detection and removal system for a filling machine. Background Art

[0002] Bottled carbonated, sugary drinks contain large amounts of CO2. During the filling process, improper exhaust speed control or internal star wheel conveying can cause shaking and foaming, causing the liquid in the bottle to overflow the bottle mouth. If the foam is not promptly treated, it will enter the capping process, resulting in sugar stains on the bottle threads. The aluminum screw cap or plastic cap that corresponds to the threaded mouth is larger than the crown cap, which increases the probability of sugar stains inside. Over time, it can form bacterial colonies, which does not meet food hygiene requirements and must be removed.

[0003] Generally, filling machines can reduce the risk of foam overflow by adjusting and controlling the exhaust speed and improving the structure to increase the stability of the equipment. A bottle mouth spray device is also added to the conveying star wheel before capping to flush out residual foam at the bottle mouth, thereby ensuring that no sugar stains remain on the threads after the cap is screwed on. Although adjusting and controlling the exhaust speed and improving the structure can effectively control the problem, it is inevitable that some varieties of carbonated beverages will experience intermittent and large amounts of foaming. Even after the foam is flushed, the liquid in the bottle continues to bubble and overflow the bottle mouth, resulting in a large amount of sugar stains remaining at the bottle mouth after the cap is screwed on, causing quality inspection failure. The bottle mouth spray device is generally installed on the star wheel between the filling system and the capping machine. It sprays high-pressure water from a nozzle to flush out the foam that overflows from the bottle mouth, cleaning out the foam that overflowed from the filling valve to the bottle mouth spray. However, foam overflow may still occur after the bottle mouth spray flush. If it is not detected during the quality inspection process, it will enter the market and have a negative impact on the company and its products.

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned defects, a technical solution is now provided. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an online foam detection and rejection system for a filling machine.

[0006] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are as follows:

[0007] After the filling of bottled carbonated and sugary beverages is completed, a large amount of foam will accumulate at the bottle mouth due to improper exhaust speed control or conveying vibration, plus the overflow of gas in the bottle causing foaming. The bottle mouth spray device will wash away the foam at the bottle mouth, but continuous foaming cannot be avoided.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0009] An online foam detection and rejection system for a filling machine includes a filling mechanism, which adopts a rotary filling machine. The filling mechanism includes a filling cylinder, and a plurality of filling valves are installed on the filling cylinder. A cylinder cover is installed on the top of the filling cylinder. A control ring is provided on one side of the filling cylinder. A zero position detection component is fixedly installed on the top of the control ring. A zero position identification plate is fixed on the cylinder cover.

[0010] A filling inlet star wheel is provided on one side of the filling mechanism, a filling encoder is provided on one side of the filling inlet star wheel, a filling valve number is provided on the filling encoder, the filling inlet star wheel is used to arrange the filling bottles to enter the filling mechanism for filling, and cooperate with the filling encoder to number each filling valve on the filling cylinder, an outlet filling star wheel is provided on one side of the filling inlet star wheel, an outlet filling guard plate is installed on the outer side of the outlet filling star wheel, and a bottle head bottle detection component is provided on the outlet filling guard plate.

[0011] Furthermore, a centering cover is installed on one side of the filling cylinder for positioning the filling bottle to facilitate accurate filling. A bottle supporting cylinder is provided at the bottom of the filling cylinder, and a bottle clamping plate is fixedly installed at the output end of the bottle supporting cylinder.

[0012] Furthermore, a bottle mouth spray device is arranged on one side of the filling outlet star wheel, an industrial camera assembly is provided on the filling outlet guard plate, the industrial camera assembly is fixed on the column of the filling outlet guard plate, and a water baffle is provided between the industrial camera assembly and the bottle mouth spray device.

[0013] Furthermore, a capping head is provided at the outlet of the filling star wheel, the filling star wheel is located between the filling encoder and the capping head, and the capping head is used to seal the filling bottle with a plastic cap.

[0014] Furthermore, a bottle-discharging star wheel is provided on one side of the capping head, a bottle-discharging conveyor line is provided on one side of the bottle-discharging star wheel, and the bottle-discharging star wheel is located between the capping head and the bottle-discharging conveyor line.

[0015] Furthermore, the bottle discharging conveying line is provided with a bottle discharging conveying encoder, a bottle discharging detection photoelectric and striking device, and a bottle storage platform is provided on one side of the bottle discharging conveying line and opposite the striking device.

[0016] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0017] This invention installs a visual inspection device after spraying the bottle mouth. Using an industrial camera, it captures images of the foam at the bottle mouth, calculates the height of the foam from the bottle mouth, and compares it to the maximum allowable value set by quality inspection to determine whether any sugar residue remains after capping. This system then uses a bottle discharge detection system and a bottle discharge encoder on the bottle discharge conveyor line to reject bottles with foam overflow. The industrial camera offers fast detection speed and high accuracy, ensuring accurate rejection. When the cumulative number of rejected bottles reaches the system's maximum setting, the system stops for inspection and adjusts control parameters to reduce the number of rejected bottles, thereby minimizing costs.

[0018] Combining the bottle head bottle detection component and the filling encoder data, the filled bottle is coded and corresponds to the filling valve number, which is unique, avoiding missed detection and wrong detection, and improving work efficiency; using an industrial camera, the foam image at the bottle mouth after flushing is collected, the height of the foam from the bottle mouth is calculated, and compared with the quality inspection data to determine whether it is a defective product. Based on the bottle discharge detection photoelectric and bottle discharge conveyor encoder on the bottle discharge conveyor, defective products are accurately rejected, and the defective products can be accurately judged and rejected, thereby improving the production quality of the product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a top view of the distribution of an online foam detection and rejection system for a filling machine according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the filling mechanism of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the industrial camera assembly of the present invention.

[0023] In the figure: 1. Filling cylinder; 2. Cylinder cover; 3. Centering cover; 4. Zero position identification plate; 5. Zero position detection assembly; 6. Filling valve number; 7. Control ring; 8. Bottle clamping plate; 9. Bottle supporting cylinder; 10. Filling encoder; 11. Filling inlet star wheel; 12. Filling outlet guard plate; 13. Bottle head presence detection assembly; 14. Filling outlet star wheel; 15. Water baffle; 16. Bottle mouth spray device; 17. Industrial camera assembly; 18. Capping head; 19. Bottle outlet star wheel; 20. Bottle outlet conveyor line; 21. Bottle outlet conveyor encoder; 22. Bottle outlet detection photoelectric device; 23. Striking device; 24. Bottle storage table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] See also Figure 1-Figure 3 , the present invention provides a technical solution:

[0026] An online foam detection and rejection system for a filling machine includes a filling mechanism. The filling mechanism adopts a rotary filling machine. The filling mechanism includes a filling cylinder 1. Several filling valves are installed on the filling cylinder 1, and each of them can fill the filling bottle. A cylinder cover 2 is installed on the top of the filling cylinder 1. A control circle 7 is provided on one side of the filling cylinder 1. The control circle 7 is used to fix inspection components such as proximity switches. A zero position detection component 5 is fixedly installed on the top of the control circle 7. A zero position identification plate 4 is fixed on the cylinder cover 2 to cooperate with the zero position detection component 5 to achieve zero position identification. A filling inlet star wheel 11 is provided on one side of the filling mechanism, and a filling code is provided on one side of the filling inlet star wheel 11. The coder 10 and the filling valve number 6 are set on the filling encoder 10. The filling inlet star wheel 11 is used to arrange the filling bottles to enter the filling mechanism for filling, and cooperate with the filling encoder 10 to number each filling valve on the filling cylinder 1, so as to facilitate the recording and tracking of the position information of each filling bottle in the whole filling process. An outlet filling star wheel 14 is provided on one side of the filling inlet star wheel 11, and an outlet filling guard plate 12 is installed on the outer side of the outlet filling star wheel 14. A bottle head detection component 13 is provided on the outlet filling guard plate 12, which can determine that there is a bottle at the station and realize the counting function. In combination with the filling encoder 10, the filling valve number 6 corresponding to the bottle can also be determined;

[0027] A bottle mouth spray device 16 is arranged on one side of the filling star wheel 14, and an industrial camera assembly 17 is provided on the filling guard plate 12. The industrial camera assembly 17 can collect and analyze images of the filled bottles, calculate the foam height value at the bottle mouth, and judge whether the foam height of the filled bottles meets the requirements. When judging, it is compared with the maximum set value allowed by the system to determine whether the bottle needs to be rejected. The maximum set value allowed by the system is set based on actual quality inspection data and is related to the filling machine speed and foam overflow speed. The industrial camera assembly 17 is fixed to the column of the filling guard plate 12. A water baffle 15 is provided between the industrial camera assembly 17 and the bottle mouth spray device 16 to prevent the bottle mouth water from splashing back into the lens when the bottle mouth spray device 16 flushes the bottle mouth, affecting the subsequent image data processing;

[0028] A capping head 18 is provided at the outlet of the filling star wheel 14. The capping head 18 is installed on the capping machine. The filling star wheel 14 is located between the filling encoder 10 and the capping head 18 and plays a connecting role. The capping head 18 is used to seal the plastic cap on the filling bottle.

[0029] A bottle discharging star wheel 19 is provided on one side of the capping head 18, and a bottle discharging conveyor line 20 is provided on one side of the bottle discharging star wheel 19. The bottle discharging star wheel 19 is located between the capping head 18 and the bottle discharging conveyor line 20 and plays a connecting role. A bottle discharging conveying encoder 21 is provided on the bottle discharging conveyor line 20 for calculating the distance moved by the conveyor belt of the bottle discharging conveyor line 20. A bottle discharging detection photoelectric device 22 and a striking device 23 are also provided on the bottle discharging conveyor line 20. The bottle discharging detection photoelectric device 22 is used to detect whether a filled bottle passes by, and the striking device 23 is responsible for striking the filled bottle with foam overflowing. A bottle storage platform 24 is provided on one side of the bottle discharging conveyor line 20 and opposite the striking device 23 for storing the filled bottle with foam overflowing. There is a pair of photoelectric switches on the bottle storage platform 24 for full bottle detection.

[0030] The zero position detection component 5, the bottle head bottle detection component 13 and the bottle out detection photoelectric 22 are all equipped with position sensors, which can sense whether a filling bottle passes through;

[0031] The striking device 23 may be a cylinder for pushing the filling bottle;

[0032] A centering cover 3 is installed on one side of the filling cylinder 1 for positioning the filling bottle to facilitate accurate filling. A bottle-supporting cylinder 9 is provided at the bottom of the filling cylinder 1. A bottle-holding plate 8 is fixedly installed at the output end of the bottle-supporting cylinder 9. The bottle-supporting cylinder 9 can realize the lifting and rotation of the filling bottle and transport the filling bottle filled with the original liquid to the next process.

[0033] Working principle:

[0034] When the present invention is in use, the filling encoder 10 cooperates with the zero position detection component 5 to number each filling valve on the filling cylinder 1, making it convenient to record and track the position information of each filling bottle during the entire filling process. The filling bottle enters the filling mechanism through the filling inlet star wheel 11 for filling. After the filling bottle is filled, the back pressure in the bottle is exhausted and then transported to the filling outlet star wheel 14. The bottle head detection component 13 is installed on the filling outlet guard plate 12. The passing filling bottle will trigger the bottle head detection component 13. The bottle head detection component 13 can determine that there is a bottle at this station and can realize the counting function. The bottle mouth spray device 16 uses sterile water to rinse the bottle mouth thread to fill the original liquid;

[0035] When the bottle head detection component 13 detects a filled bottle passing through, the system, in conjunction with the filling encoder 10, calculates the time it takes for the filled bottle to reach the camera lens of the industrial camera component 17. This triggers the industrial camera to capture an image of the bottle mouth. The system then determines whether the bottle should be rejected by calculating the foam height at the bottle mouth and comparing it with the maximum set value allowed by the system. The filled bottle is then conveyed to the capping machine, where the capping head 18 seals the filled bottle with a plastic cap. The capped filled bottle is then conveyed by the bottle discharge star wheel 19 to the bottle discharge conveyor line 20.

[0036] The filled bottle passes through the bottle discharge detection photoelectric 22, and corresponds one-to-one with the filled bottle information detected by the bottle head bottle detection component 13. If the system determines that the filled bottle has foam overflow, the current conveyor belt speed is calculated based on the information of the bottle discharge conveying encoder 21. It can be known that the time required for the conveyor belt to move from the bottle discharge detection photoelectric 22 to the striking device 23 is known, and the striking device 23 is activated to strike the filled bottle with foam overflow into the bottle storage table 24. There is a pair of photoelectric switches on the bottle storage table 24 for full bottle detection. When the bottle storage table 24 is full of unqualified products struck out, an alarm is sent to the system to remind you to clean up the unqualified products, and the unqualified rate and the filling valve number 6 corresponding to the unqualified products are given, so that the operator can stop the machine in time for maintenance and replacement of the filling valve, or adjust the system parameters to reduce the unqualified rate and reduce production costs.

[0037] The above is a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention. However, the content described is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and should not be considered to limit the scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes and improvements made within the scope of the present invention should still fall within the scope of the patent coverage of the present invention.

Claims

1. An online foam detection and rejection system for a filling machine, comprising a filling mechanism, the filling mechanism comprising a filling cylinder (1), a plurality of filling valves being mounted on the filling cylinder (1), and characterized in that: A cylinder cover (2) is installed on the top of the filling cylinder (1), a control ring (7) is provided on one side of the filling cylinder (1), a zero position detection component (5) is fixedly installed on the top of the control ring (7), and a zero position identification plate (4) is fixed on the cylinder cover (2); A filling star wheel (11) is provided on one side of the filling mechanism, a filling encoder (10) is provided on one side of the filling star wheel (11), a filling valve number (6) is provided on the filling encoder (10), the filling star wheel (11) is used to arrange the filling bottles to enter the filling mechanism for filling, and cooperates with the filling encoder (10) to number each filling valve on the filling cylinder (1), a filling star wheel (14) is provided on one side of the filling star wheel (11), a filling guard plate (12) is installed on the outer side of the filling star wheel (14), and a bottle head detection component (13) is provided on the filling guard plate (12); A bottle mouth spray device (16) is arranged on one side of the filling star wheel (14), an industrial camera assembly (17) is provided on the filling guard plate (12), the industrial camera assembly (17) is fixed on the column of the filling guard plate (12), and a water retaining plate (15) is provided between the industrial camera assembly (17) and the bottle mouth spray device (16); A capping head (18) is provided at the outlet of the filling star wheel (14), and the filling star wheel (14) is located between the filling encoder (10) and the capping head (18). The capping head (18) is used to seal the filling bottle with a plastic cap; A bottle discharging star wheel (19) is provided on one side of the capping head (18), a bottle discharging conveyor line (20) is provided on one side of the bottle discharging star wheel (19), and the bottle discharging star wheel (19) is located between the capping head (18) and the bottle discharging conveyor line (20); The bottle discharging conveying line (20) is provided with a bottle discharging conveying encoder (21), and is also provided with a bottle discharging detection photoelectric device (22) and a striking device (23). A bottle storage platform (24) is provided on one side of the bottle discharging conveying line (20) and opposite to the striking device (23).

2. The online foam detection and removal system for a filling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A centering cover (3) is installed on one side of the filling cylinder (1) for positioning the filling bottle to facilitate accurate filling. A bottle-supporting cylinder (9) is provided at the bottom of the filling cylinder (1), and a bottle-holding plate (8) is fixedly installed at the output end of the bottle-supporting cylinder (9).

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