Liquid filling machine and servo control filling process

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of liquid filling equipment technology, specifically a liquid filling machine and a servo-controlled filling process, applicable to liquid packaging scenarios requiring precise control of filling volume in industries such as food, liquids, pharmaceuticals, and daily chemicals. The filling machine includes a rotating table with an inlet assembly on its inner side and a liquid cylinder located at the end of the rotating table. At least one set of filling tubes is located below the liquid cylinder, and a top-layer lifting assembly, a middle-layer lifting assembly, and a bottom-layer lifting assembly are connected to the filling tubes below them. It also includes a bottle containing the liquid to be filled. The bottle rotates synchronously with the filling tubes under the combined action of the top-layer, middle-layer, and bottom-layer lifting assemblies, with the bottom of the bottle suspended in the air. This invention achieves high-precision, high-efficiency, and low-energy-consumption liquid filling through servo drive technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of liquid filling equipment technology, and in particular to a liquid filling machine and servo-controlled filling process, which is applicable to liquid packaging scenarios in industries such as food, liquids, pharmaceuticals, and daily chemicals where precise control of filling volume is required. Background Technology

[0002] Rotary filling machines, also known as rotary filling machines, generally adopt a continuous filling method, meaning that the container automatically completes the filling action while running.

[0003] Chinese Patent Publication No. CN222247925U discloses a pet wet food canning equipment, in which the filling port completes the filling operation of the can during the transportation of the can in the filling channel, avoiding the interruption of filling the can and improving the efficiency of pet can filling.

[0004] Furthermore, Chinese Patent Publication No. CN107735353A discloses that at least one defined unit is capable of moving synchronously with the transport equipment in a portion of the transport track of the container.

[0005] It is evident that continuous filling can be achieved by synchronizing the movement of the bottle and the filling head, without any pauses, thereby effectively improving filling efficiency.

[0006] However, these types of filling machines use a dual-system drive for the transport equipment and the filling head, which requires a very high degree of synchronization between the rotation of the transport equipment and the filling head. Therefore, the cost of this dual-system drive is very high. In addition, the transport equipment has another drawback: the bottle needs to be placed on the transport equipment to form support at the bottom of the bottle for transport. This bottom support transport method inevitably causes the vibration generated by the operation of the transport equipment to affect the bottle, which can easily lead to leakage. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention provides a liquid filling machine and a servo-controlled filling process, which creates a suspended arrangement of the bottle to be filled below the filling section and forms an integrated support for all parts of the bottle, thereby solving the problems mentioned in the background art, namely: When bottles are placed on transport equipment, it is unavoidable that the vibrations generated by the equipment will affect the bottles, causing them to shift and tilt, which can easily lead to leakage during the filling and transportation stages.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a liquid filling machine, comprising a rotating platform with a liquid inlet assembly disposed on its inner side and a liquid cylinder disposed at the end of the rotating platform, wherein at least one set of filling pipes is disposed below the liquid cylinder, characterized in that it further comprises: An integrated bottle lifting mechanism includes a top-level lifting assembly, a middle-level lifting assembly, and a bottom-level lifting assembly arranged coaxially from top to bottom; The top-level hoisting assembly includes a valve mounting ring plate and a hoisting rod connecting the liquid cylinder, with the filling pipe vertically mounted on the valve mounting ring plate. The middle-level hoisting assembly includes a bottleneck support plate and a second hoisting rod. The bottleneck support plate is provided with a first edge groove that is adapted to the bottleneck. The bottom lifting assembly includes a bottle protection ring block and a lifting rod three. The bottle protection ring block is provided with a second edge groove that is adapted to the bottle body. The lifting rods one, two, and three form a multi-group, surrounding array structure. Lifting rod two and three are coaxially arranged to form an integrated support frame, allowing the bottle placed on the integrated bottle lifting mechanism to be suspended in the air and rotate synchronously.

[0009] As a further improvement to this technical solution, a servo feeding mechanism is also included. The servo feeding mechanism is located at the bottom edge of the liquid cylinder and includes multiple discharge components and filling components arranged in a circle. The discharge component includes a gear pump and a guide pipe connected to the gear pump. The filling component includes a filling valve and a filling pipe arranged on a valve mounting ring plate. The gear pump is connected to the liquid cylinder, and the guide pipe connects the gear pump and the filling valve.

[0010] Based on this, the gear pump is a pump body driven by a servo motor.

[0011] As a further improvement to this technical solution, it also includes a bottle input mechanism and a bottle output mechanism. The bottle input mechanism includes an input plate, and the bottle output mechanism includes an output plate. The edges of the input plate and the output plate are respectively provided with transport slots. The ratio of the number of transport slots of the input plate and the output plate to the number of edge slots of the bottle neck support plate and the bottle protection ring block is 24 to 8. The transport slot is for screwing on the cap, and the edge slot is for filling.

[0012] In the above technical solution, the valve mounting ring plate, the neck support plate, and the bottle protection ring block form a three-layer lifting mechanism. Through the locking design of the edge groove, the bottle neck and the bottle body are positioned simultaneously. Furthermore, by combining the lifting baffle with the conveying environment without bottom support, the risk of bottle tipping is further reduced, thereby fundamentally avoiding the impact of the transport equipment on the bottle.

[0013] The present invention also provides a servo-controlled filling process, comprising the following steps: S1. The bottles to be filled will be horizontally inserted into the neck support plate and the bottle guard ring block, wherein: The bottle neck will be inserted into the edge slot of the bottle neck support plate, while the bottle body will be inserted into the edge slot of the bottle protection ring block, forming a stable lifting state. S2. Under the action of the rotating table, the bottle body and the filling tube rotate synchronously. S3. The liquid is controlled by a servo motor to enter the filling assembly through a gear pump and a guide tube. S4. Start the filling valve to allow the liquid to pass through the filling tube and finally fall into the bottle to be filled below; S5. The bottle and filling tube continue to rotate. When the bottle to be filled rotates to the side close to the bottle output mechanism, the bottle that has been filled will be exported under the action of the bottle output mechanism.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a liquid filling machine and a servo-controlled filling process, which has the following beneficial effects: The integrated hoisting system stably suspends the bottle below the filling tube, eliminating the need for additional transportation equipment. This results in a simpler structure, easier maintenance, and lower costs. Furthermore, the suspended state of the bottle at the bottom avoids the effects of bottle shifting, tilting, and vibration that can occur during transport when the bottle is supported at the bottom.

[0015] Moreover, the gear pump precisely controls the liquid flow rate through a servo motor, and together with the built-in high-precision flow meter and anti-drip nozzle, it achieves accurate filling. It also eliminates the need for the weighing structure below, providing a prerequisite for hoisting.

[0016] In addition, the ratio of filling positions to capping positions is 24:8. This design allows for control over the size of the filling machine, enabling direct shipment after in-plant assembly, thereby reducing transportation costs. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the structural distribution of the bottle lifting mechanism and the servo unloading mechanism in this invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the middle; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the structural distribution of the rotating platform, hydraulic cylinder, and lifting baffle in this invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the structural distribution of the bottom lifting assembly, bottle input mechanism, bottle output mechanism, and lifting baffle in this invention.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Rotating platform; 11. Rotating base platform; 12. Lifting assembly; 121. Lifting base; 122. Lifting shaft; 2. Hydraulic cylinder; 3. Top-level lifting assembly; 31. Valve mounting ring plate; 311. Through groove; 32. Lifting rod one; 4. Middle-level lifting assembly; 41. Bottle neck support plate; 42. Lifting rod two; 5. Bottom-level lifting assembly; 51. Bottle protection ring block; 52. Lifting rod three; 6. Discharge assembly; 61. Gear pump; 62. Guide pipe; 7. Filling assembly; 71. Filling valve; 72. Filling pipe; 8. Lifting baffle. Detailed Implementation

[0019] 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.

[0020] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, a liquid filling machine includes a rotating table 1, a bottle lifting mechanism, a bottle input mechanism, a bottle output mechanism, and a servo unloading mechanism. A liquid inlet assembly is provided inside the rotating table 1, and a liquid cylinder 2 communicating with the liquid inlet assembly is provided at the end of the rotating table 1. Figure 2 As shown, the servo feeding mechanism includes a feeding component 6 and a filling component 7. The feeding component 6 includes a gear pump 61 and a guide pipe 62, and the filling component 7 includes a filling valve 71 and a filling pipe 72. The gear pump 61 is located below the liquid cylinder 2 and is connected to it through a pipe. The gear pump 61 is a pump body driven by a servo motor, which enables precise control when discharging the filling liquid inside the liquid cylinder 2, thereby improving the accuracy of the filling volume. The guide pipe 62 is located below the gear pump 61 and is fixedly connected to one side of the filling valve 71.

[0021] The bottle lifting mechanism is located below the liquid cylinder 2 and surrounds the outside of the rotating platform 1, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the bottle lifting mechanism includes a top-level lifting assembly 3, a middle-level lifting assembly 4, and a bottom-level lifting assembly 5. The top-level lifting assembly 3 includes a valve mounting ring plate 31 and a lifting rod 32. The lifting rod 32 is vertically positioned at the lower end of the bottom wall of the liquid cylinder 2, and the valve mounting ring plate 31 is fixedly positioned at the bottom end of the lifting rod 32. The middle-level lifting assembly 4 includes a neck support plate 41 and a lifting rod 42. The lifting rod 42 is vertically positioned at the bottom end of the valve mounting ring plate 31, and the neck support plate 41 is fixedly positioned at the bottom end of the lifting rod 42. The bottom-level lifting assembly 5 includes a bottle protection ring block 51 and a lifting rod 52. The lifting rod 52 is vertically positioned at the bottom end of the neck support plate 41, and the bottle protection ring block 51 is fixedly positioned at the bottom end of the lifting rod 52.

[0022] The filling valve 71 is vertically mounted on the valve mounting ring plate 31. The filling tube 72 passes through the through groove 311 on the valve mounting ring plate 31, and the end of the filling tube 72 is connected to the filling valve 71. The bottom end is directly opposite the edge groove of the neck support plate 41. After the neck of the bottle to be filled is inserted into the edge groove of the neck support plate 41, the filling tube 72 will be directly opposite the mouth of the bottle to be filled. At this time, the gear pump 61 controlled by the servo motor works, which can accurately control the amount of liquid falling, so as to achieve the effect of precise filling control. The filling tube 72 has a built-in high-precision flow meter and an anti-drip nozzle.

[0023] Preferably, the liquid cylinder 2 is an annular cylinder, and the connection position between the liquid cylinder 2 and the gear pump 61 is close to the bottom edge of the liquid cylinder 2. The annular liquid cylinder 2 can use the centrifugal force during rotation to press the liquid towards the pump port at the connection with the gear pump 61, thereby improving the liquid delivery efficiency, especially for high viscosity liquids. At the same time, it reduces the residue in the liquid cylinder 2, avoids liquid stratification or sedimentation, and enhances filling consistency.

[0024] As one implementation method of this embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the neck support plate 41 and the bottle guard ring 51 are respectively provided with edge grooves for limiting the position of the bottle. The edge groove of the neck support plate 41 corresponds to the neck of the bottle to be filled, so that after the neck of the bottle to be filled enters the edge groove of the neck support plate 41, the groove can be used to hold the neck of the bottle to be filled. Figure 2 As shown, the edge groove of the bottle guarding ring 51 corresponds to the bottle body of the bottle to be filled, so that after the bottle body enters the edge groove of the bottle guarding ring 51, the groove can fit the bottle body of the bottle to be filled.

[0025] In addition, such as Figure 2 As shown, the bottle lifting mechanism also includes a lifting baffle 8, which is fixedly mounted on the fixed base of the rotating base platform 11. The lifting baffle 8 is an annular baffle that is driven to lift by a cylinder. The annular baffle portion of the lifting baffle 8 surrounds the outside of the neck support plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51, so that when the bottle to be filled is inserted into the edge groove of the neck support plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51 and is transported, the annular baffle can fit against the outside of the bottle, preventing the bottle from tipping over or shifting, and helping the bottle to be filled to be lifted and transported on the neck support plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51. The bottle is transported without bottom support throughout the entire process.

[0026] like Figure 5As shown, the bottle input mechanism is connected to the input end of the bottle lifting mechanism, and the bottle output mechanism is connected to the output end of the bottle lifting mechanism. The bottle input mechanism includes an input plate, and the bottle output mechanism includes an output plate. The edges of the input plate and the output plate are respectively provided with transport slots, which can input the bottle onto the neck plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51 through the input plate. After filling is completed, the bottle on the neck plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51 will also be exported through the output plate. The bottle input mechanism, the bottle output mechanism and the rotating table 1 are all driven to rotate by a servo synchronous belt to complete the three processes of bottle input, transfer and output.

[0027] Preferably, the number of transport slots on the input tray and output tray (where the transport slot on the output tray is the capping position) is eight, and the number of edge slots (for filling positions) on the bottle neck support plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51 is twenty-four.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, lifting rod 2 42 and lifting rod 3 52 are coaxial, which makes the neck support plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51 integrated through the fixed connection of lifting rod 2 42 and lifting rod 3 52. At the same time, the neck support plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51 are synchronized under the valve mounting ring plate 31, which enhances the support stability of the neck support plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51 for the bottle body.

[0029] The hoisting rods 32 or more are arranged in a group around the bottom of the liquid cylinder 2. The discharge components 6 are arranged in a group around the bottom of the liquid cylinder 2. The guide pipe 62 includes a vertical pipe and an inclined pipe. The vertical pipe is fixedly connected to the gear pump 61, and the inclined pipe is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the vertical pipe and one side of the filling valve 71.

[0030] The valve mounting ring plate 31 is a circular ring plate. The valve mounting ring plate 31 is located directly below the hydraulic cylinder 2 and surrounds the outside of the rotating platform 1. A through groove 311 surrounding the plate body is provided on the valve mounting ring plate 31.

[0031] like Figure 4 As shown, the rotating platform 1 includes a rotating base platform 11 and a lifting assembly 12. The lifting assembly 12 includes a lifting base 121 and a lifting shaft 122. The rotating base platform 11 includes a fixed base and a rotatable top platform located above the base. The hydraulic cylinder 2 is located on the top platform. The lifting base 121 is fixedly located on the top platform of the rotating base platform 11. The top end of the lifting shaft 122 is fixedly connected to the hydraulic cylinder 2. The bottom end of the lifting shaft 122 is spirally installed inside the lifting base 121, and the connection is locked by a nut, so that the hydraulic cylinder 2 can be raised and lowered on the rotating platform 1.

[0032] Working principle: First, the liquid to be filled is introduced into the liquid cylinder 2 through the liquid inlet component. Then, the bottle to be filled is input to the bottle lifting mechanism through the input plate of the bottle input mechanism. The bottle to be filled will be horizontally inserted into the neck support plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51. At this time, the neck part of the bottle will be inserted into the edge groove of the neck support plate 41, and the body part of the bottle will be inserted into the edge groove of the bottle protection ring block 51.

[0033] At this time, under the action of the rotating platform 1, when the lifting rod 32 drives the valve mounting ring plate 31 to rotate, the filling component 7 on the valve mounting ring plate 31 rotates synchronously. At the same time, the gear pump 61 and the guide pipe 62 below the liquid cylinder 2 will also rotate synchronously. During the rotation, the gear pump 61 is started, and the flow rate is controlled by the servo motor, so that the liquid in the liquid cylinder 2 enters the filling valve 71 through the gear pump 61 and the guide pipe 62. Finally, the liquid falls into the bottle body to be filled below through the filling pipe 72. As the liquid continuously enters the bottle body, and as the bottle body lifting mechanism, the bottle body in the lifting state and the servo material dropping mechanism continue to rotate, when the bottle body to be filled rotates to the side close to the bottle body output mechanism, the bottle body that has completed filling will be exported under the action of the bottle body output mechanism.

[0034] Based on the above scheme, a servo-controlled filling process is also proposed, including the following steps: Initialization: The HMI (Human Machine Interface) supports parameter setting (such as filling volume, speed, bottle type parameters), real-time monitoring and data storage. The PLC controller integrates PID control algorithm, receives sensor signals and outputs servo control commands to control the start and stop of servo motors. In addition, parameters can be switched with one click via HMI, supporting filling of various bottle sizes from 50mL to 5L.

[0035] S1. First, the liquid to be filled is introduced into the liquid cylinder 2 through the liquid inlet assembly. Then, the bottle to be filled is input to the bottle lifting mechanism through the input plate of the bottle input mechanism. The bottle to be filled will be inserted horizontally into the neck support plate 41 and the bottle protection ring block 51. At this time, the neck part of the bottle will be inserted into the edge groove of the neck support plate 41, and the bottle body part will be inserted into the edge groove of the bottle protection ring block 51. S2. Under the action of the rotating table 1, the bottle lifting mechanism, the bottle in the lifting state and the servo unloading mechanism are driven to rotate synchronously; S3. Start the gear pump 61 and control the flow rate through the servo motor to allow the liquid in the liquid cylinder 2 to enter the filling assembly 7 through the gear pump 61 and the guide pipe 62. S4. Start the filling valve 71 to allow the liquid to pass through the filling tube 72 and finally fall into the bottle to be filled below; S5. As the bottle lifting mechanism, the bottle in the lifting state and the servo unloading mechanism continue to rotate, when the bottle to be filled rotates to the side close to the bottle output mechanism, the bottle that has been filled will be exported under the action of the bottle output mechanism.

[0036] 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 liquid filling machine, comprising a rotating table (1) with a liquid inlet assembly disposed on its inner side and a liquid cylinder (2) disposed at the end of the rotating table (1), wherein at least one set of filling pipes (72) is disposed below the liquid cylinder (2), characterized in that, Also includes: The integrated bottle lifting mechanism includes a top-level lifting assembly (3), a middle-level lifting assembly (4), and a bottom-level lifting assembly (5) arranged coaxially from top to bottom. The top-level hoisting assembly (3) includes a valve mounting ring plate (31) and a hoisting rod (32) connecting the liquid cylinder (2), and the filling pipe (72) is vertically arranged on the valve mounting ring plate (31). The middle-level hoisting assembly (4) includes a bottleneck support plate (41) and a second hoisting rod (42). The bottleneck support plate (41) is provided with a first edge groove that is adapted to the bottleneck. The bottom lifting assembly (5) includes a bottle protection ring block (51) and a lifting rod three (52). The bottle protection ring block (51) is provided with a second edge groove that is adapted to the bottle body. The lifting rods 1 (32), 2 (42), and 3 (52) are a multi-group array structure, and the lifting rods 2 (42) and 3 (52) are coaxially arranged to form an integrated support frame, so that the bottle placed on the integrated bottle lifting mechanism can be suspended in the air and rotate synchronously.

2. The liquid filling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The depth of the first edge groove of the bottleneck support plate (41) is adapted to the diameter of the bottleneck, and the curvature of the second edge groove of the bottle protection ring block (51) matches the curvature of the bottle body, forming a three-point positioning constraint.

3. The liquid filling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a servo feeding mechanism, which is located at the bottom edge of the liquid cylinder (2) and includes multiple discharge components (6) and filling components (7) arranged around it. The discharge components (6) include a gear pump (61) and a guide pipe (62) connected to the gear pump (61). The filling components (7) include a filling valve (71) and a filling pipe (72) arranged on the valve mounting ring plate (31). The gear pump (61) is connected to the liquid cylinder (2), and the guide pipe (62) is connected to the gear pump (61) and the filling valve (71).

4. The liquid filling machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The filling valve (71) is vertically mounted on the valve mounting ring plate (31); The guide pipe (62) includes a vertical pipe and an inclined pipe; The inclined pipe portion of the feed guide tube (62) is connected to the filling valve (71). The filling tube (72) passes through the through groove on the valve mounting ring plate (31), and the bottom end of the filling tube (72) is directly opposite the edge groove of the bottle neck support plate (41). The filling tube (72) passes vertically through the through groove (311) of the valve mounting ring plate (31) and is directly opposite the center of the bottle mouth.

5. The liquid filling machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The liquid cylinder (2) is a ring-shaped cylinder body, and the connection with the guide tube (62) is located at the end in the centrifugal direction. The liquid cylinder (2) and the rotating table (1) are height-adjusted through the lifting assembly (12), which includes a lifting shaft (122) with a screw engagement and a lifting base (121).

6. The liquid filling machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The gear pump (61) is a pump body driven by a servo motor.

7. The liquid filling machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a bottle input mechanism and a bottle output mechanism. The bottle input mechanism includes an input plate, and the bottle output mechanism includes an output plate. The edges of the input plate and the output plate are respectively provided with transport slots. The ratio of the number of transport slots of the input plate and the output plate to the number of edge slots of the bottle neck support plate (41) and the bottle protection ring block (51) is 24 to 8. The transport slot is for screwing on the cap, and the edge slot is for filling.

8. The liquid filling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a lifting baffle (8), which is fixedly installed at the bottom edge of the rotating table (1); The lifting baffle (8) is an annular baffle that is driven to lift by a cylinder. The plane of the annular baffle is located between the neck support plate (41) and the bottle protection ring block (51), and forms a bottomless bottle limiting channel with the neck support plate (41) and the bottle protection ring block (51).

9. The liquid filling machine according to claim 8, characterized in that, The inner wall of the lifting baffle (8) is provided with a flexible buffer layer, and its lifting stroke covers two-thirds of the height of the bottle.

10. A servo-controlled filling process for controlling the liquid filling machine of claim 7, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. The bottle to be filled will be horizontally inserted into the neck support plate (41) and the bottle guard block (51), wherein: The neck of the bottle will be inserted into the edge slot of the neck support plate (41), while the body of the bottle will be inserted into the edge slot of the bottle protection ring block (51), forming a stable hoisting state. S2. Under the action of the rotating table (1), the bottle body and the filling tube (72) are driven to rotate synchronously; S3. The liquid is controlled by a servo motor to enter the filling assembly (7) through the gear pump (61) and the guide pipe (62); S4. Start the filling valve (71) to allow the liquid to pass through the filling tube (72) and finally fall into the bottle to be filled below; S5. The bottle and filling tube (72) continue to rotate. When the bottle to be filled rotates to the side close to the bottle output mechanism, the bottle that has been filled will be exported under the action of the bottle output mechanism.

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