Filling device for filling CO2 cylinders with side gas outlets

Abstract

Filling device (100) for filling CO2 cylinders with lateral gas outlets, comprising a filling gripper with two opposing filling nozzles (130a, 130b), and a centering unit (150) which reproducibly aligns the CO2 cylinder so that the filling nozzles are arranged coaxially to the lateral gas outlets, wherein insertion aids (140a, 140b) are assigned to the filling nozzles, which centeringly grip the valve before the insertion of the filling nozzles, wherein the filling nozzles are mounted to be tracked relative to the insertion aids, so that a sequential insertion of the filling nozzles into the gas outlets takes place, and wherein the insertion aids have a conical insertion area (142) through which sealing elements (133) of the filling nozzles are radially pre-deformed before penetration into the gas outlets.

Description

Field of invention

[0001] The present invention relates to CO2 cylinders or gas cylinders for use in water carbonators and in particular to the filling of CO2 cylinders with plug-in valves using the present filling apparatus. Background of the invention

[0002] Using a CO2 cylinder inserted into a water carbonator, tap water can be transformed into sparkling water. The cylinder valve is activated, and the gas is injected into a water bottle through a nozzle and trapped. Once the CO2 is used up, the cylinder can be refilled. Refilling requires a machine with an adapter or a filling device that introduces the liquid CO2 in a controlled manner through the valve attached to the cylinder into the pressure chamber.

[0003] Various cylinder valves exist for CO2 cylinders, in particular screw valves with standard threads and push-in valves with lateral gas outlet openings. An embodiment of such a push-in valve is known, for example, from DE 20 2020 005 533 U1. Such valves typically have two opposing gas outlet bores for gas extraction or gas supply. Separate adapters or different machines are usually used for these different valve variants.

[0004] Known filling adapters are based on different design principles, in which the valve is either inserted into an adapter housing or pressed axially against a sealing surface.

[0005] During pressure equalization after the filling process is complete, pressure pulses occur due to escaping gas from the filling nozzles and the lateral gas outlet bores. With axially operating filling adapters, these pulses can act along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder. Summary of the invention

[0006] The invention relates to a filling device for filling CO2 cylinders with side gas outlets.

[0007] The device comprises a filling gripper with two opposing filling nozzles and a centering unit for reproducible alignment of the cylinder relative to the filling nozzles. Insertion aids are assigned to the filling nozzles, which center the valve and enable coaxial insertion of the filling nozzles into the lateral gas outlets.

[0008] The filling nozzles are mounted so that they can be tracked relative to the insertion aids, allowing for sequential insertion. The insertion aids have a conical insertion area that radially and elastically pre-deforms the sealing elements of the filling nozzles before they penetrate the gas outlets.

[0009] In one embodiment, the centering unit is movable between a working position and a release position, wherein a switching device is provided which, when actuated, simultaneously moves the centering unit between the working and release positions, supplies the pressure medium supply via a first directional control valve either to the pneumatic parallel gripper or a pneumatic lifting cylinder, and supplies the gas supply via a second directional control valve either to the screw cylinder filling head or the lateral double filling system.

[0010] In another embodiment, a check valve is arranged in each of the gas supply lines to the two filling nozzles. Detailed description

[0011] The invention relates to a filling device, which is hereinafter also referred to as a lateral double filling system. Fig. Figure 1A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the lateral double filling system before filling. The drawing depicts the lateral double filling system with the pneumatic parallel gripper 320, the upper and lower finger adapters 321a, 321b, the centering unit 150, insertion aids 140a, 140b with elastic mounting, and integrated filling nozzles 130a, 130b, which perform a closing movement synchronously with the axis when the CO2 cylinder with plug valve 310, 311 is filled. The elastic mounting can be implemented, for example, by metal springs 145a, 145b, which are fixed to the finger adapters 114a, 114b and the insertion aids 144a, 144b by means of washers. The actuator is a commercially available pneumatic parallel gripper. Fig. 1A-1C as well as Fig. 3A-3B represent the entire filling process.

[0012] To start the filling process, the cylinder is inserted horizontally from above into the centering unit, which is fixed exactly in the middle between the filling nozzles of the parallel gripper. The locking ring 316 (see Fig. 7A) of the plug valve 311 ensures locking in the counterpart 251 of the centering unit (see Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B), which fixes the cylinder in the axial direction. The integrated bumper 254 on the centering unit prevents damage during insertion at the filling nozzle and the insertion aid. The cylinder is precisely aligned using the wrench size 253. Fig. 1A The centering unit and the parallel gripper are rigidly connected by the base holding device 120, ensuring precise reproducibility of the cylinder's positional alignment. The parallel gripper is positioned orthogonally to the side of the valve, with the arms of the parallel gripper 110a, 110b, 321a, 321b aligned above and below the valve in their initial position. The plug-in valve 311 can be a standard valve with lateral gas outlet bores. Due to the integrated safety valve 313 and the wrench size, it is not rotationally symmetrical and is therefore inserted into the centering unit in a rotationally secure manner. This ensures precise injection of the filling nozzles into the lateral gas outlet bores 312 of the valve.Each arm of the parallel gripper contains a channel 111a, 111b that runs at a 90-degree angle through the finger adapters, so that on the side facing the valve, the channels are aligned perpendicular to the gas outlet bores and are threaded. A filling support 130a, 130b with an external thread is screwed into the threaded bore on each arm and sealed with a copper gasket. The filling nozzle in . Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B has a cylindrical shape with a central bore 131. At the gas outlet, the pipe section of the filling nozzle transitions into a pointed shape 135. Two O-ring seals 133 are inserted into a groove 132 on the cylindrical part of the filling nozzle 134a, 134b. The second O-ring seal serves as a backup in case of seal wear. In the initial position according to Fig. 1A The arms of the parallel gripper are opened sufficiently to allow the valve to be positioned centrally between the arms and then inserted and locked into the centering unit 150 from above. The insertion aids, which are positioned in front of the filling nozzles in the initial position, have a contour adapted to the valve with a bead 141 that fits precisely into the annular groove 314 of the cylinder valve and completely fills it around the valve bore (see Figure 1). Fig. 4A and Fig. 3A). In the initial position, the filling nozzles are inserted into the conical bore 142 of the insertion aid, but not pushed through. If the gripper is – as in Fig. As shown in Figure 1B, when activated for filling, both arms with the insertion aid move parallel to the valve in a closing motion. The ridge on the insertion aid and the groove of the valve, together with the filling nozzle, ensure controlled and precise guidance of the spring-loaded insertion aid. Furthermore, the insertion aids are automatically centered when they meet in the middle in the filling position and align themselves precisely around the gas outlet bore of the valve on the flat surfaces 146. Once the insertion aids have completely enclosed the valve, the spring is released – as shown in Figure 1B. Fig. 3C can be seen – compressed by the continued closing movement of the filling gripper until the filling nozzles pass through the conical bores and are immersed in the gas outlet bore 312. The conical bore of the sleeve forms a line with the gas outlet bore of the valve. The narrowed cross-section towards the end of the conical bore ensures slight compression of the O-rings and prevents shearing at the edge of the gas outlet bore. Once the filling nozzle has passed through the cone of the insertion aid, the nozzle is guided in a controlled manner into the gas outlet bore (see Figure 3C). Fig. 1B and Fig. 1C). The radial seal allows the gas to be directed from the pipes into the CO2 cylinder 310 without significant dead volume.

[0013] After the filling process, pressure equalization occurs between the line and the cylinder. Since only a small amount of gas evaporates in the setup described here, and the gas exits in opposite directions through the valve's gas outlet bores and the filling nozzle, the recoil forces largely cancel each other out. Furthermore, the filling nozzles have a very small cross-section, which means that the pressure impulses during pressure equalization encounter small contact areas at the nozzles 135 of the filling nozzles, thus reducing recoil forces. The sum of these design features reduces the time required for pressure equalization.

[0014] In one variant of the lateral double filling system 200, a check valve 330a, 330b is integrated on both sides in front of the hose connection to further reduce gas loss and recoil after pressure equalization (see Fig. 2) The reduced leakage during pressure equalization results in lower gas consumption, reduces CO2 emissions and exposes the filling personnel to a lower CO2 concentration in the ambient air.

[0015] In the permanently installed version of the filling device, a T-piece adapter 160 with threaded connection 161 is screwed into the standard filling head of the filling machine. The T-piece adapter is sealed by a sealing bead 162 and a flat gasket 164. Threaded connections 163 branch off from the central bore 165, to which two flexible gas lines are connected, supplying the filling nozzles symmetrically with CO2 (see figure). Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B).

[0016] The gripper is supplied with air from the existing compressed air infrastructure of the filling system. When filling threaded screw cylinders, in many systems the cylinder is pressed against a seal on the filling head by a pneumatic piston cylinder 420 to create a tight connection to the valve (see [reference]). Fig. 7B). Since longitudinal compression of the cylinder is not necessary for filling with the parallel gripper, the existing compressed air supply can be used to power the pneumatic parallel gripper. This allows for a simple conversion of the filling system without requiring new logic for controlling the pneumatic valves. Only the pressure equalization time needs to be adjusted as required. The pneumatic parallel gripper 320 is designed to operate under the same conditions, such as air pressure and air volume, as the pneumatic piston cylinder of the filling system.

[0017] In another version according to Fig. 7A and Fig. In version 7B, the liquid CO2 is drawn directly from the gas line before the filling head via a directional control valve 360 ​​and routed to the filling ports via a T-piece 361, to which flexible lines are connected. Because the gas is drawn before the filling head, it remains unobstructed. This configuration allows for quick switching between the screw-type cylinder filling head 410 and the side-mounted dual-fill system, depending on whether a screw-type cylinder 315 or a cylinder with a plug-in valve 310 is being filled. This reduces the changeover time between the two valve types.

[0018] In the second variant, a directional control valve 380 is also installed in the compressed air line to allow for quick switching between the parallel gripper and the pneumatic press. Both valves can be switched together via a simple circuit using a central switching element 370. Instead of the fixed centering unit integrated into the base bracket, the base 220 in this variant serves only to support the pneumatic filling gripper. Here, the centering unit is freely movable and attached to a pneumatic actuator. It is actuated by a directional control valve 390 to switch between the working and release positions in a single movement. As long as the centering unit 250 is extended, no screw cylinder can be filled.As previously described, in many conventional filling machines, screw cylinders are pressed axially into the filling head by a pneumatic piston cylinder located at the base of the CO2 cylinder, where the valve top is pressed against a flat gasket. This is no longer possible in the configuration with the extended centering unit. To insert a screw cylinder, the centering unit is moved laterally towards the sliding mechanism – for example, using a 350 mm pneumatic cylinder, a solenoid, a linear actuator, or manually via a slide rail with a defined locking function. Except in the manually operated version, the actuator can also be controlled via the central switching element. This allows switching between filling screw cylinders and quick-connect plug-in cylinders with a quick actuation of a switch.The ability to quickly switch between filling screw-type cylinders and quick-connect cylinders eliminates the need for manual pre-sorting of cylinders, resulting in significant time savings. List of characters Fig. Figure 1A schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the lateral double filling system in its initial position before filling, in which the fingers with the integrated filling nozzles are wide open so that the cylinder valve can be positioned centrally between the fingers and inserted into the centering unit from above. The spring is relaxed. Fig. Figure 1B schematically depicts a cross-sectional view of the lateral dual-filling system in the central position, with the insertion aid positioned around the valve for the filling process. In the central position, the conical bore of the insertion aids is aligned with the lateral gas outlets of the valve. The spring remains relaxed. Fig. Figure 1C schematically depicts a cross-sectional view of the lateral double filling system in the filling position, in which the filling nozzles have been inserted into the gas outlet bores of the plug-in cylinders using the insertion aid. The O-rings in the groove of the filling supports seal the gap between the filling nozzle and the bore. The spring between the finger adapter and the valve is compressed. The wrench size of the filling nozzle also serves as a stop on the click valve. Fig. Figure 2 schematically represents a cross-sectional view of the lateral double filling system in the middle position, identical in configuration to Fig. 1B, but additionally equipped with check valves at the hose connections. Fig. Figure 3A schematically represents an ISO diagram of the lateral double filling system in its initial position – identical to the configuration in Fig. 1A. Fig. Figure 3B schematically represents an ISO diagram of the lateral double filling system in the center position - identical to the configuration in Fig. 1B. Fig. 3C schematically represents an ISO diagram of the lateral dual filling system in the filling position - identical to the configuration in Fig. 1C. Fig. Figure 4A schematically depicts an ISO representation of the filling nozzle and the spring-loaded insertion aid. The view shows the filling nozzle in its fully extended position, with the cylindrical part of the nozzle protruding from the insertion aid – corresponding to the configuration during the filling process. The spring is in its relaxed state. Fig. Figure 4B schematically depicts a cross-sectional view of the filling nozzle and the spring-loaded insertion aid. The illustration shows the filling nozzle at the lowest point of the insertion aid, where the O-ring seals experience the highest compression in the conical bore – just before they enter the lateral gas outlet bores of the plug-in valve. The compression of the O-rings actively prevents shearing at the bore, which would otherwise lead to premature seal failure. Fig. Figure 5A schematically represents an ISO diagram of the centering unit for the sliding device. The contours for aligning the valve are identical to those of the permanently installed centering unit. Fig. Figure 5B schematically depicts the centering unit in a front view. Fig. Figure 6A schematically shows an exploded view of the T-piece adapter with connection thread. The adapter is screwed into the filling head for screw cylinders and sealed with a flat gasket. The adapter has two connections on both sides for the filling lines to establish the gas supply to the side-mounted double filling system. Fig. Figure 7A shows a schematic overview of the filling system with the sliding device extended and the centering unit attached to it, in position for filling a quick-connect plug-in cylinder. The CO2 cylinder is locked in the centering unit, and the lateral double filling system is in its starting position before the filling procedure begins. Fig. Figure 7B shows a section of the filling system in a schematic overview diagram in the screw-cylinder configuration with the sliding device retracted. In this configuration, the filling nozzles are positioned in their initial position. A screw-threaded CO2 cylinder is inserted in the standard filling head behind the lateral double filling system and is pressed against the seal in the standard filling head by means of the pneumatic piston cylinder. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 20 2020 005 533 U1

[0003]

Claims

[1] Filling device (100) for filling CO2 cylinders with lateral gas outlets, comprising a filling gripper with two opposing filling nozzles (130a, 130b), and a centering unit (150) which reproducibly aligns the CO2 cylinder so that the filling nozzles are arranged coaxially to the lateral gas outlets, wherein insertion aids (140a, 140b) are assigned to the filling nozzles, which center the valve before the filling nozzles are inserted, wherein the filling nozzles are mounted to be tracked relative to the insertion aids, so that a sequential insertion of the filling nozzles into the gas outlets takes place, and wherein the insertion aids have a conical insertion area (142) through which sealing elements (133) of the filling nozzles are radially pre-deformed before penetration into the gas outlets. [2] Filling device according to claim 1, characterized bythat the filling nozzles each have a circumferential O-ring groove (132) with at least one radially acting sealing element (133). [3] Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the insertion aids are mounted elastically and flexibly relative to the filling nozzles. [4] Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the insertion aids engage the valve in a form-fitting manner, at least in sections, when it is closed. [5] Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the filling gripper is actuated by means of a pneumatic drive (320). [6] Filling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the filling nozzles are connected to a CO2 supply via flexible gas lines (113). [7] Filling device according to claim 6, characterized by, that the flexible gas line is connected to a CO2 supply via a filling head adapter in the form of a T-piece (160). [8] Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the centering unit (250) is movable between a working position and a release position. [9] Filling device according to claim 8, characterized by , that a switching device is provided by means of a first directional control valve (380) through which it is possible to switch between the actuation of the filling gripper and the actuation of a pneumatic cylinder (420) and by means of a second directional control valve (360) through which it is possible to switch between a gas supply for a screw cylinder filling head and the gas supply of the filling nozzles (130a, 130b). [10] Filling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that a non-return valve (330a, 330b) is arranged in each of the gas supply lines to the two filling nozzles.

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