A lift cylinder piston guide mechanism and a filling machine

Abstract

The application relates to a lifting cylinder type piston material guide mechanism and a filling machine, and belongs to the technical field of filling equipment. The lifting cylinder type piston material guide mechanism comprises a piston cylinder and a piston assembly. The piston cylinder comprises a first cylinder body and a second cylinder body. The bottom end of the second cylinder body is provided with a material inlet and outlet. The inner diameter of the first cylinder body is larger than that of the second cylinder body. The cylinder wall of the first cylinder body is provided with a cleaning nozzle in the circumferential direction. The piston assembly comprises a piston pressing plate arranged in the piston cylinder and a piston shaft connected to the center of the piston pressing plate. A piston guide block is further connected between the piston pressing plate and the piston shaft. The piston guide block is sleeved on one end of the piston shaft. The outer side of the piston guide block is sleeved with a first sealing ring which is attached to the inner wall of the second cylinder body. The combined piston cylinder structure with different inner diameters is adopted to cooperate with the cleaning pipeline, so that the online cleaning and disinfection of the piston assembly, the inner wall of the piston cylinder and other structures can be realized. The equipment does not need to be disassembled, the operation is simple, and the cleaning and maintenance are good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of filling equipment technology, specifically to a cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism and a filling machine. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, quantitative filling machines typically use a piston structure with a reversing valve for quantitative filling of materials. However, due to the complexity of the piston structure, including sealing, guiding, and fixing structures, quantitative filling machines are difficult to clean, and unsanitary corners can easily accumulate in the gaps. To thoroughly clean the machine, the piston structure needs to be disassembled for cleaning and disinfection. However, repeated disassembly of the equipment can easily damage the components, and it also requires high operational skills from employees, which is time-consuming and wastes a lot of manpower and resources. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism and a filling machine, which can solve the technical problem of the piston structure being difficult to clean as mentioned in the background art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a technical solution for a cylinder-type piston guiding mechanism, comprising a piston cylinder and a piston assembly. The piston cylinder includes a first cylinder body and a second cylinder body. The bottom end of the second cylinder body is provided with a material inlet and outlet. The inner diameter of the first cylinder body is larger than the inner diameter of the second cylinder body. The cylinder wall of the first cylinder body is provided with a cleaning nozzle along the circumferential direction. The piston assembly includes a piston pressure plate disposed inside the piston cylinder and a piston shaft connected to the center of the piston pressure plate. A piston guide block is also connected between the piston pressure plate and the piston shaft. The piston guide block is sleeved on one end of the piston shaft. A first sealing ring is sleeved on the outer side of the piston guide block and fits against the inner wall of the second cylinder body.

[0005] In a preferred embodiment, the piston cylinder further includes a transition cylinder connected between the first cylinder and the second cylinder. By providing the transition cylinder, a smooth transition of the first sealing ring between the two cylinders can be achieved, preventing damage to the first sealing ring caused by a sudden decrease in inner diameter when moving from the first cylinder to the second cylinder.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, the outer diameters of the piston guide block and the piston pressure plate are the same, and they are clearance-fitted with the inner wall of the second cylinder. This reduces the frictional resistance of the piston guide block during movement and increases the service life of the piston assembly.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the top end of the piston guide block protrudes circumferentially away from the axis, forming a circumferential support protrusion. The gap between the support protrusion and the inner wall of the second cylinder is set at 200-300 μm. During the axial movement of the piston assembly, the cooperation between the support protrusion and the inner wall of the second cylinder ensures the stability of the axial movement of the piston assembly, prevents the movement position from deviating, avoids uneven force on the first sealing ring, and thus affects the accuracy of piston material guiding.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the piston guide block has an annular groove for embedding a first sealing ring. The annular groove connects to a piston pressure plate. The piston pressure plate has a first protrusion circumferentially positioned, corresponding to the end face of the first sealing ring. The piston guide block has a second protrusion circumferentially positioned at the other end face of the first sealing ring. By providing the first and second protrusions that can be pressed into both ends of the first sealing ring, the pressure connected to the sealing ring can be increased, thereby improving the sealing performance of the connection between the piston pressure plate and the piston guide block and the sealing ring, and preventing liquid ingress.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the inner diameter of the first cylinder is 6-10 mm larger than the inner diameter of the second cylinder. This arrangement provides sufficient clearance between the first sealing ring and the inner wall of the first cylinder, which serves as a channel for the cleaning fluid injection.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the height of the cleaning nozzle is greater than the total thickness of the piston guide block and the piston pressure plate. This arrangement allows the cleaning fluid sprayed from the nozzle to thoroughly clean the piston guide block, piston pressure plate, and joint gaps.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism further includes an annular pipe arranged around the first cylinder body, the annular pipe corresponding to the position of the cleaning nozzle, for connecting the cleaning fluid connecting pipe.

[0012] In another aspect, the present invention provides a technical solution for a filling machine, including the cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism described in any of the above solutions.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the filling machine further includes a material storage tank, a filling section, a reversing valve assembly, and a cleaning assembly. The material storage tank has an inlet, a CIP inlet, and an outlet. The filling section is used to fill materials into packaging materials. The reversing valve assembly has three channels respectively connected to the outlet, the material inlet / outlet, and the filling section. The reversing valve assembly is configured to selectively connect the material inlet / outlet to the outlet or the filling section. The cleaning assembly includes a first cleaning pipeline connected to the material storage tank, a second cleaning pipeline connected to a cleaning fluid connection pipe, and a return fluid manifold connected to the CIP return fluid system. The outlet is connected to an outlet pipeline, which is connected to the reversing valve assembly and the return fluid manifold via two branch pipelines. The outlet end of the filling section is connected to the return fluid manifold.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0015] 1. The piston guiding mechanism provided by the present invention adopts a combined piston cylinder structure with different inner diameters and a cleaning pipeline to achieve online cleaning and disinfection of the piston assembly, piston cylinder inner wall and other structures. The piston assembly is lifted to the cleaning position, and a gap is formed between the piston assembly and the cylinder wall at the cleaning position. An annular cleaning nozzle is set on the cylinder wall at the corresponding position. The cleaning liquid forms a cleaning ring along the cleaning nozzle and sprays towards the piston assembly. Under the action of the cleaning liquid and the impact force, the piston assembly, cylinder wall, reversing valve group and filling part are cleaned.

[0016] 2. By setting up piston guide blocks, support protrusions and various sealing structures, not only can the piston assembly and the inner wall of the piston cylinder be sealed during the filling operation to achieve piston-type filling, but the sealing of the piston assembly can also be ensured during cleaning and disinfection, effectively preventing the infiltration of cleaning fluid. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the piston assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of the piston guide block in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the piston guide block, piston pressure plate and first sealing ring in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the ring pipeline structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the filling machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] The meanings of the labels in the diagram are as follows:

[0024] 1. Piston drive unit; 2. Material storage tank; 3. Feed inlet; 4. CIP inlet; 5. Level gauge; 6. Reversing valve assembly; 61. First channel; 62. Upper valve; 63. Lower valve; 64. Third channel; 65. Second channel; 7. Piston assembly; 71. First sealing ring; 72. Piston pressure plate; 721. First boss; 73. Pressure plate stud; 74. Twisting groove; 75. Piston guide block; 751. Second boss; 752. Support protrusion; 76. Second sealing ring; 8. Piston cylinder; 81. First cylinder body; 811. Cleaning nozzle; 82. Second cylinder body; 83. Transition cylinder body; 9. Material inlet / outlet; 10. Annular pipeline; 11. Cleaning fluid connection pipe; 12. Third sealing ring; 13. Gland; 14. Piston shaft; 141. Hexagonal groove; 142. Shaft body; 143. Mounting shaft; 15. Quick-release chuck assembly; 16. Filling section; 161. Filling branch line; 17. First cleaning line; 171. First branch line; 172. Second branch line; 18. Second cleaning line; 19. Discharge line; 191. Third branch line; 192. Fourth branch line; 21. CIP liquid supply system; 221. First valve; 222. Second valve; 223. Third valve; 224. Fourth valve; 225. Fifth valve; 226. Sixth valve; 23. Cleaning ball; 24. Return manifold; 25. Self-priming pump; 26. CIP return system. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] This embodiment discloses a cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism for use in filling equipment to achieve quantitative filling of liquid materials.

[0029] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the lifting cylinder type piston guiding mechanism includes a piston cylinder 8 and a piston assembly 7 disposed inside the piston cylinder 8.

[0030] The inner wall of the piston cylinder 8 is mirror-polished with a surface finish below 0.4μm. One end of the piston cylinder 8 has a material inlet / outlet 9, which connects to a reversing valve assembly 6. The reversing valve assembly 6 controls the metered filling material to enter or exit the piston cylinder 8 via the material inlet / outlet 9. The other end of the piston cylinder 8 is connected to a pressure cap 13, which is detachably connected to the other end of the piston cylinder 8 via a quick-release chuck assembly 15. In this embodiment, the quick-release chuck assembly 15 is prior art and includes a sanitary chuck, a gasket, and a clamp for sealing connection.

[0031] The piston assembly 7 can reciprocate along the length of the piston cylinder 8. This reciprocating motion of the piston assembly 7 draws material from the valve chamber of the reversing valve group 6 into the piston cylinder 8, or forces material from the piston cylinder 8 into the valve chamber of the reversing valve group 6. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the piston assembly 7 includes a piston pressure plate 72 and a piston shaft 14 connected to the center of the piston pressure plate 72. A piston guide block 75 is also connected between the piston pressure plate 72 and the piston shaft 14. A first sealing ring 71 is sleeved on the outer side of the piston guide block 75. The piston guide block 75 is used to guide the movement of the piston assembly 7 and ensure that its movement path is perpendicular to the piston cylinder 8. In this embodiment, the piston guide block 75 is preferably made of food-grade organic material, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This material is softer than the commonly used piston cylinder material and has good wear resistance, resulting in lower replacement costs after wear.

[0032] Specifically, the piston guide block 75 has a central mounting through hole, and the piston shaft 14 further includes a shaft body 142 and a mounting shaft 143 fixed to one end of the shaft body 142. The outer diameter of the mounting shaft 143 matches the diameter of the mounting through hole, and the outer diameter of the mounting shaft 143 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft body 142. Therefore, when the piston guide block 75 is fitted onto the mounting shaft 143, the connection between the mounting shaft 143 and the shaft body 142 can axially limit the piston guide block 75. To prevent material or cleaning fluid from seeping in from this connection position, a second sealing ring 76 is also fitted onto the connection between the mounting shaft 143 and the shaft body 142. Furthermore, the piston pressure plate 72 is preferably made of food-grade stainless steel, and a pressure plate stud 73 is fixed on the side facing the piston shaft 14. Correspondingly, the mounting shaft 143 is provided with a threaded hole that matches the pressure plate stud 73. During installation, the piston guide block 75 is sleeved on the mounting shaft 143, and then the piston pressure plate 72 is screwed onto the piston shaft 14, which can fasten the piston pressure plate 72 and the piston guide block 75.

[0033] To facilitate the screwing of the piston plate 72, a screwing groove 74 is provided on the side of the piston plate 72 facing away from the piston shaft 14. This groove provides torque for the rotational tightening or disassembly of the piston plate 72 and piston shaft 14. The screwing groove 74 can be a shallow, wide U-shaped groove with a width of 3-4 mm and a depth of 1-2 mm. Correspondingly, the shaft body 142 of the piston shaft 14 is provided with a hexagonal groove 141 for mounting a wrench. When tightening or disassembling the piston assembly 7, the hexagonal groove 141 and the screwing groove 74 are used together.

[0034] In this embodiment, the piston guide block 75 and the piston pressure plate 72 have the same outer diameter, and both are fitted with the inner wall of the piston cylinder 8 with a clearance to reduce the frictional resistance of the piston guide block 75 during movement and increase the service life of the piston assembly 7. The clearance is typically set at 2-3 mm. The sealing between the piston assembly 7 and the inner wall of the piston cylinder 8 is achieved by the first sealing ring 71, which is fitted onto the piston guide block 75, making close contact with the inner wall of the piston cylinder 8.

[0035] Combination Figure 6 The piston-guided feeding mechanism also includes a piston drive unit 1 for driving the piston assembly 7 to reciprocate. The piston drive unit 1 is located outside the piston cylinder 8. The other end of the piston shaft 14 passes through the pressure cap 13 and is connected to the piston drive unit 1. The piston drive unit 1 can adopt a linear drive structure, including but not limited to linear cylinders and electric lead screws. The piston drive unit 1 drives the piston assembly 7 to reciprocate within the piston cylinder 8. A third sealing ring 12 is provided at the connection between the piston shaft 14 and the pressure cap 13 to ensure a sealed connection between the piston shaft 14 and the pressure cap 13 and prevent liquid leakage.

[0036] like Figure 1As shown, the piston cylinder 8 further includes a first cylinder body 81 connected to the pressure cap 13 and a second cylinder body 82 connected to the reversing valve assembly 6. The material inlet / outlet 9 is located at the bottom end of the second cylinder body 82. The first cylinder body 81 and the second cylinder body 82 are coaxially arranged. They can be connected separately or integrally formed. To ensure the sealing of the piston cylinder 8, integral forming is preferred. The first sealing ring 71 is tightly fitted to the inner wall of the second cylinder body 82. The piston guide block 75, the piston pressure plate 72, and the inner wall of the second cylinder body 82 are in clearance fit. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the first cylinder body 81 is larger than the inner diameter of the second cylinder body 82. When the piston assembly 7 moves to the first cylinder body 81, there is a gap between the first sealing ring 71 and the inner wall of the first cylinder body 81. Preferably, the inner diameter of the first cylinder body 81 is 6-10 mm larger than the inner diameter of the second cylinder body 82. This arrangement provides sufficient gap between the first sealing ring 71 and the inner wall of the first cylinder body 81, which serves as a channel for the cleaning fluid injection.

[0037] Furthermore, the cylinder wall of the first cylinder 81 is provided with a cleaning nozzle 811 along the circumference. The cleaning nozzle 811 is formed by a combination of several sets of cleaning spray holes. The cleaning fluid enters the piston cylinder 8 through the cleaning spray holes. The diameter of the cleaning spray holes is set between 1.5-2mm. The cleaning spray holes are constructed to be densely distributed at the top and bottom ends and sparsely distributed in the middle, so that the water flow at the top and bottom ends is more concentrated, and the cleaning effect on the gaps at the top and bottom ends of the piston guide block 75 is better. The height of the cleaning nozzle 811 is greater than the total thickness of the piston guide block 75 and the piston pressure plate 72. When the piston assembly 7 moves to the position of the cleaning nozzle 811, the cleaning fluid sprayed through the cleaning nozzle 811 can clean the piston guide block 75, the piston pressure plate 72 and the connecting gaps from all directions.

[0038] In this embodiment, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of each cleaning nozzle is approximately 2 / 3 to 3 / 4 of the cross-sectional area of ​​the cleaning fluid connecting pipe 11. This arrangement enables each cleaning nozzle to generate cleaning pressure, ensuring the cleaning effect under the action of the cleaning fluid and the impact pressure.

[0039] Combination Figure 5 Preferably, the cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism further includes an annular pipe 10 arranged around the first cylinder 81, which corresponds to the position of the cleaning nozzle 811 and is used to connect the cleaning fluid connecting pipe 11. To ensure the sealing of the connection between the annular pipe 10 and the first cylinder 81, the annular pipe 10 adopts a half-pipe structure and is welded to the cylinder wall of the first cylinder 81, completely covering the cleaning nozzle 811.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the piston cylinder 8 further includes a transition cylinder 83 connected between the first cylinder body 81 and the second cylinder body 82, such as... Figure 1As shown, the transition cylinder 83 is frustum-shaped and is used to connect the first cylinder 81 and the second cylinder 82, which have different inner diameters. It can be understood that when the first sealing ring 71 is in the second cylinder 82, it is in a compressed sealing state; when the first sealing ring 71 moves to the first cylinder 81, it is in a relaxed and expanded state. By setting the transition cylinder 83, the first sealing ring 71 can smoothly transition between the two cylinders, preventing damage to the first sealing ring 71 caused by a sudden decrease in inner diameter when moving from the first cylinder 81 to the second cylinder 82.

[0041] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the piston cylinder 8 is vertically arranged, and the first cylinder 81 and the second cylinder 82 are vertically corresponding. Compared with the horizontally arranged piston cylinder 8, the cleaning fluid is less affected by gravity, resulting in a better cleaning spray effect.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] The following text is for reference only. Figure 4 The lifting piston guiding mechanism provided in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. The lifting piston guiding mechanism provided in the second embodiment has a substantially the same structure as the lifting piston guiding mechanism provided in the first embodiment. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, only the differences will be described in detail here.

[0044] In this embodiment, the piston guide block 75 is provided with an annular groove for embedding the first sealing ring 71. The annular groove is located at the lower end of the piston guide block 75 and connects with the piston pressure plate 72. The piston pressure plate 72 is circumferentially fixed with a first boss 721 on the side facing the first sealing ring 71, and the position of the first boss 721 corresponds to the end face of the first sealing ring 71. The piston guide block 75 is circumferentially fixed with a second boss 751 at the position corresponding to the other end face of the first sealing ring 71.

[0045] The height of the first boss 721 and the second boss 751 should be set between 0.8-1mm. If the height is too high, it may damage the first sealing ring 71. If the height is too low, the pressing effect will not be obvious.

[0046] In practical applications, the cleaning fluid is sprayed from the side of the piston guide block 75. The cleaning fluid can easily seep in through the connection gap of the first sealing ring 71. By setting the first boss 721 and the second boss 751 that can be pressed into both ends of the first sealing ring 71, the pressure connected to the sealing ring can be increased, thereby improving the sealing performance of the piston pressure plate 72 and the piston guide block 75 with the sealing ring and preventing liquid ingress.

[0047] Example 3

[0048] The following text is for reference only. Figure 3The lifting piston guiding mechanism provided in the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. The lifting piston guiding mechanism provided in the third embodiment has a substantially the same structure as the lifting piston guiding mechanism provided in the first embodiment. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, only the differences will be described in detail here.

[0049] It is understandable that both the piston guide block 75 and the piston pressure plate 72 are clearance-fitted with the second cylinder 82, and the piston assembly 7 reciprocates frequently within the second cylinder 82 and the first cylinder 81, whose inner diameter is much larger than the second cylinder 82. This can easily cause the movement of the piston guide block 75 to deviate from the axis of the piston cylinder 8. In this embodiment, the top of the piston guide block 75 protrudes circumferentially away from the axis, forming a circumferential support protrusion 752. The gap between the support protrusion 752 and the inner wall of the second cylinder 82 is set at 200-300 μm. During the axial movement of the piston assembly 7, the cooperation between the support protrusion 752 and the inner wall of the second cylinder 82 ensures the stability of the axial movement of the piston assembly 7, prevents the movement position from deviating, and avoids uneven force on the first sealing ring 71, thereby affecting the accuracy of piston material guiding. If the spacing is set too small, the piston guide block 75, which is made of organic material, will press tightly against the inner wall of the second cylinder 82 when it expands due to heat, thus hindering its reciprocating motion; if the spacing is set too large, it will not be able to play its role in precise motion guidance.

[0050] Example 4

[0051] Based on the cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism provided in the above embodiments, this embodiment provides a filling machine, as described below. Figure 6 The filling machine provided in the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0052] In this embodiment, the filling machine also includes a material storage tank 2, a reversing valve group 6, a filling section 16, and a cleaning group.

[0053] The material storage tank 2 is used for material storage. It is equipped with a feed inlet 3 and a CIP inlet 4 at the top and a discharge outlet at the bottom. The feed inlet 3 is the material entry channel, the CIP inlet 4 is the cleaning fluid entry channel, and the discharge outlet is connected to the reversing valve group 6 through the discharge pipeline 19.

[0054] The reversing valve assembly 6 is used to control the flow direction of materials. It has a first channel 61, a second channel 65, and a third channel 64. The first channel 61 is connected to the discharge pipe 19, through which materials enter the valve chamber. The second channel 65 is connected to the material inlet / outlet 9 of the piston cylinder 8, and the third channel 64 is connected to the filling section 16. The reversing valve assembly 6 also has an upper valve 62 for closing the first channel 61 and a lower valve 63 for closing the third channel 64. The two valves move synchronously; that is, when the upper valve 62 closes the first channel 61, the third channel 64 is open, and when the lower valve 63 closes the third channel 64, the first channel 61 is open, allowing the material inlet / outlet 9 to selectively connect to the discharge port or the filling section 16. In this embodiment, the structure of the reversing valve assembly 6 is prior art, and its structure and principle will not be described in detail here.

[0055] The cleaning assembly includes a first cleaning pipe 17 and a second cleaning pipe 18 connected to the CIP liquid supply system 21. The other end of the first cleaning pipe 17 is connected to the inlet 3 and the CIP inlet 4 of the material storage tank 2 via two branch pipes, namely the first branch pipe 171 and the second branch pipe 172. The first branch pipe 171 is connected to the inlet 3 and is used to clean the inlet pipe. The second branch pipe 172 is connected to the CIP inlet 4, enters the material storage tank 2 from the CIP inlet 4 and is connected to a cleaning ball 23, through which cleaning liquid is sprayed. The other end of the second cleaning pipe 18 is connected to the annular pipe 10 of the piston cylinder 8 via a cleaning liquid connecting pipe 11. Furthermore, the discharge pipe 19 is connected to two branch pipes at its end, namely a third branch pipe 191 and a fourth branch pipe 192. The third branch pipe 191 is connected to the first channel 61 of the reversing valve assembly 6, and the fourth branch pipe 192 is connected to the return liquid manifold 24. The return liquid manifold 24 is connected to a self-priming pump 25 that provides kinetic energy for CIP return liquid. The self-priming pump 25 recovers the cleaning fluid to the CIP return liquid system 26. The outlet end of the filling section 16 is also connected to the return liquid manifold 24 via a filling pipe.

[0056] Control valves are respectively installed on the first branch pipe 171, the second branch pipe 172, the second cleaning pipe 18, the fourth branch pipe 192, and the discharge pipe 19. Specifically, the first branch pipe 171 is equipped with a first valve 221, the second branch pipe 172 is equipped with a second valve 222, the second cleaning pipe 18 is equipped with a third valve 223, the fourth branch pipe 192 is equipped with a fourth valve 224, and the discharge pipe 19 is equipped with a fifth valve 225, so as to selectively clean different parts.

[0057] For ease of understanding, the operation process of the filling machine in this embodiment is described as follows:

[0058] I. Filling Operation

[0059] The material to be filled enters the material storage tank 2 through the feed inlet 3, and the liquid level signal is transmitted to the control system through the liquid level gauge 5 to control the feed rate of the material and keep the material level stable.

[0060] During material filling, the upper valve 62 of the reversing valve assembly 6 opens, opening the first channel 61, while the lower valve 63 closes, sealing the third channel 64. Simultaneously, the piston drive unit 1 drives the piston assembly 7 to move, drawing material from the valve chamber into the piston cylinder 8. Then, the shut-off valve of the filling unit 16 opens, the upper valve 62 of the reversing valve assembly 6 closes, and the lower valve 63 opens. The piston drive unit 1 drives the piston assembly 7 to move in the opposite direction, pushing the material out of the piston cylinder 8 and discharging it through the third channel 64 and the filling unit 16. After the stroke ends, the shut-off valve of the filling unit 16 closes, cutting off the material and preventing dripping. This process is repeated continuously for continuous filling. In this embodiment, the filling unit 16 adopts a filling structure from the prior art.

[0061] II. Cleaning Operation

[0062] During the cleaning operation, the piston guide block 75 and piston pressure plate 72 are lifted to the first cylinder 81 and positioned directly opposite the cleaning nozzle 811 on the first cylinder 81.

[0063] Step 1: Cleaning material storage tank 2. The CIP liquid supply system 21 supplies liquid. The first valve 221 and the second valve 222 are opened alternately. The cleaning liquid flows through the first cleaning pipeline 17 and the first branch pipeline 171 and the second branch pipeline 172, and enters the feed inlet 3 and the cleaning ball 23 respectively to clean the feed pipeline and the material storage tank 2. At the same time, the fourth valve 224 and the fifth valve 225 are opened. After the cleaning liquid is collected in the return liquid manifold 24, it returns to the CIP return liquid system 26 through the self-priming pump 25. The cleaning is circulated until the cleaning is completed.

[0064] Step Two: Cleaning the first channel 61 of the piston assembly 7 and the reversing valve group 6. The CIP liquid supply system 21 supplies liquid, and the third valve 223 opens. The cleaning fluid enters the annular pipeline 10 through the second cleaning pipeline 18 and the cleaning fluid connecting pipe 11. The cleaning fluid is then sprayed onto the piston assembly 7 through the annular pipeline 10 and cleaning nozzles, cleaning the inner walls of the piston assembly 7 and piston cylinder 8. During the cleaning process, controlling the piston assembly 7 to move slightly up and down within the coverage area of ​​the cleaning nozzle 811 will create a better cleaning effect, facilitating the removal of material residue adhering to the outer wall of the piston assembly 7.

[0065] The cleaning fluid is discharged through the first channel 61 of the reversing valve group 6. The fifth valve 225 is closed and the fourth valve 224 is opened. The cleaning fluid flows through the third branch pipe 191 and the fourth branch pipe 192, and after being merged in the return manifold 24, it returns to the CIP return system 26 via the self-priming pump 25.

[0066] Step 3: Clean the piston assembly 7, the third channel 64 of the reversing valve group 6, and the filling section 16. The CIP liquid supply system 21 supplies liquid, the third valve 223 is opened, and the cleaning liquid enters the annular pipeline 10 through the second cleaning pipeline 18 and the cleaning liquid connecting pipe 11. The cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the piston assembly 7 through the annular pipeline 10 and the cleaning nozzle to clean the inner wall of the piston assembly 7 and the piston cylinder 8. The cleaning liquid is discharged through the third channel 64 of the reversing valve group 6. The shut-off valve of the filling section 16 is opened, the fourth valve 224 is closed, and the cleaning liquid is discharged through the outlet of the filling section 16. After being collected in the return liquid manifold 24, it returns to the CIP return liquid system 26 through the self-priming pump 25.

[0067] Preferably, to ensure the cleaning effect on the filling section 16, a filling branch pipe 161 is connected between the other outlet of the shut-off valve of the filling section 16 and the return manifold 24. A sixth valve 226 is connected to the filling branch pipe 161. When the shut-off valve of the filling section 16 is closed, the sixth valve 226 is opened. The cleaning fluid discharged through the third channel 64 of the reversing valve group 6 flows out from the other outlet of the shut-off valve of the filling section 16, flows into the return manifold 24 through the filling branch pipe 161, and returns to the CIP return system 26 through the self-priming pump 25.

[0068] By controlling the first valve 221, the second valve 222, the third valve 223, the fourth valve 224, the fifth valve 225, the sixth valve 226, as well as the shut-off valves of the reversing valve group 6 and the filling section 16, three cyclical intermittent cleaning processes are performed to achieve automatic cleaning of the material storage tank 2, the feed inlet 3, the piston assembly 7, the piston cylinder 8, the reversing valve group 6, and the filling section 16.

[0069] This invention utilizes a combined piston cylinder 8 structure with varying inner diameters, along with a cleaning pipeline, to achieve online cleaning and disinfection of structures such as the piston assembly 7 and the inner wall of the piston cylinder 8. It eliminates the need to disassemble the equipment, is simple to operate, and offers excellent cleanliness and maintainability.

[0070] During application, the piston assembly 7 is raised to the cleaning position, forming a gap between the piston assembly 7 and the cylinder wall at the cleaning position. An annular cleaning nozzle 811 is provided on the cylinder wall at the corresponding position. The cleaning fluid forms a cleaning ring along the cleaning nozzle 811 and is sprayed onto the piston assembly 7. Under the action of the cleaning fluid and the impact force, the piston assembly 7, cylinder wall, reversing valve assembly 6, and filling section 16 are thoroughly cleaned. Through the piston guide block 75, support protrusion 752, and various sealing structures, not only can a seal be formed between the piston assembly 7 and the inner wall of the piston cylinder 8 during filling operations, achieving piston-type filling, but the sealing of the piston assembly 7 body itself is also ensured during cleaning and disinfection, effectively preventing the infiltration of cleaning fluid.

[0071] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely preferred examples and are not intended to limit the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A cylinder-type piston guiding mechanism, characterized in that, include: The piston cylinder (8) includes a first cylinder body (81) and a second cylinder body (82). The bottom end of the second cylinder body (82) is provided with a material inlet and outlet (9). The inner diameter of the first cylinder body (81) is larger than the inner diameter of the second cylinder body (82). The cylinder wall of the first cylinder body (81) is provided with a cleaning nozzle (811) along the circumferential direction. The cleaning nozzle (811) is formed by a combination of several sets of cleaning nozzles. The cleaning nozzles are constructed to be densely distributed at the top and bottom ends and sparsely distributed in the middle. The height of the cleaning nozzle (811) is greater than the total thickness of the piston guide block (75) and the piston pressure plate (72). The piston assembly (7) includes a piston pressure plate (72) disposed inside the piston cylinder (8) and a piston shaft (14) connected to the center of the piston pressure plate (72). A piston guide block (75) is also connected between the piston pressure plate (72) and the piston shaft (14). The piston guide block (75) is sleeved on one end of the piston shaft (14), and a first sealing ring (71) that fits against the inner wall of the second cylinder body (82) is sleeved on the outside of the piston guide block (75). The lifting piston guiding mechanism also includes an annular pipe (10) arranged around the first cylinder (81). The annular pipe (10) corresponds to the position of the cleaning nozzle (811) and is used to connect the cleaning fluid connecting pipe (11). The annular pipe (10) adopts a half-pipe structure and is welded to the cylinder wall of the first cylinder (81) to fully cover the cleaning nozzle (811).

2. The cylinder-type piston guiding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The piston cylinder (8) also includes a transition cylinder (83) connected between the first cylinder (81) and the second cylinder (82).

3. The cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer diameters of the piston guide block (75) and the piston pressure plate (72) are the same, and they are fitted with the inner wall of the second cylinder (82) with clearance.

4. The lifting cylinder type piston guiding mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The top of the piston guide block (75) protrudes circumferentially away from the axis to form a circumferential support protrusion (752), and the gap between the support protrusion (752) and the inner wall of the second cylinder (82) is set at 200-300um.

5. The cylinder-type piston guiding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The piston guide block (75) is provided with an annular groove for embedding the first sealing ring (71). The annular groove is connected to the piston pressure plate (72). The piston pressure plate (72) is provided with a first boss (721) in the circumferential direction. The first boss (721) corresponds to the end face of the first sealing ring (71). The piston guide block (75) is provided with a second boss (751) in the circumferential direction at a position corresponding to the other end face of the first sealing ring (71).

6. The cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the first cylinder (81) is 6-10 mm larger than the inner diameter of the second cylinder (82).

7. The cylinder-type piston guiding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height of the cleaning nozzle (811) is greater than the total thickness of the piston guide block (75) and the piston pressure plate (72).

8. A filling machine, characterized in that, Includes the cylinder-lifting piston guiding mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. The filling machine according to claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: The material storage tank (2) is equipped with a feed inlet (3), a CIP inlet (4) and a discharge outlet; The filling section (16) is used to fill materials into the packaging. The reversing valve assembly (6) has three channels respectively connected to the discharge port, the material inlet / outlet (9) and the filling section (16). The reversing valve assembly (6) is configured to allow the material inlet / outlet (9) to selectively connect to the discharge port or the filling section (16). The cleaning assembly includes a first cleaning pipeline (17) connected to the material storage tank (2), a second cleaning pipeline (18) connected to the cleaning fluid connection pipe (11), and a return manifold (24) connected to the CIP return system (26). The outlet is connected to a discharge pipeline (19), which is connected to the reversing valve assembly (6) and the return manifold (24) via two branch pipelines. The outlet end of the filling section (16) is connected to the return manifold (24).

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