Connected drain plug for wine tank

Abstract

CONNECTED BUN FOR WINE TANK A recovery or aseptic bun (10) for a container (30) intended for storing a liquid (L), in particular a wine tank, said bun comprising a hollow bun body (11) for recovering liquid overflowing from the container, a cover (12) and airtight connection means (13) for being connected to an opening in the container such as an overflow opening, characterized in that it comprises an electronic probe (15) for determining the liquid level in the bun body (11), and in that said probe is connected to a wireless communication module (17). Figure for the abstract: Figure 2

Description

Title of the invention: Connected drain for wine tank Technical field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of plugs for containers intended to receive a liquid, in particular wine tanks, and relates more particularly to a connected plug for a wine tank, making it possible to indicate its filling level and to regulate the filling of the tank accordingly.

[0002] The present invention finds a direct, but not exclusive, application in the production of red wine in vats. State of the art

[0003] Since ancient times, the decrease in the volume of wine in containers (amphorae) has been noted and led to the invention of the bung hole through which the level of wine can be regulated.

[0004] This reduction in the volume of wine can be caused by several phenomena (infiltration of the wine into the porous walls of the container, evaporation, drop in temperature, degassing of the carbon dioxide contained in the wine after its fermentation, etc.), and is necessarily accompanied by an increase in the volume of air and its contact surface with the wine in the container. This promotes the oxidation of the wine and the development of aerobic bacteria and / or yeasts which can alter the quality of the wine.

[0005] In order to prevent the loss of wine volume and its consequences, there are operations to regulate the level of wine in the containers, the best known of which is topping up.

[0006] Topping up is a periodic action to maintain a maximum level of liquid in the container. It is carried out through the bung hole. This operation is nevertheless reserved for low-capacity containers (drums, barrels, etc.) and is not well suited to large-capacity containers such as vats.

[0007] There have been recovery plugs for a long time, designed to be mounted on tanks.

[0008] Documents US2124685A and FR1200764A describe such plugs.

[0009] To allow visualization of their filling level, these plugs are transparent or translucent.

[0010] A prior art plug is illustrated in [Fig. 1]. This conventionally comprises a transparent plug body 11 allowing the liquid L it contains to show through, and a cover 12 for closing said body and through which the sanitized air passes.

[0011] This sanitized air is obtained thanks to sulfur encapsulated in the cover in particular.

[0012] The plug 10 is hermetically mounted on the tank 30.

[0013] However, this exposes the wine to the surrounding light and leads to a deterioration of its quality. This phenomenon is called “light tastes” in jargon.

[0014] On the other hand, current bungs, despite a direct indication of their wine filling level, do not allow effective action on the filling of the tank to maintain the desired level. Indeed, it is up to the user to check the filling level of the bung and to act accordingly either by removing wine or by adding wine. Summary of the invention

[0015] The present invention aims to overcome all or part of the drawbacks of the prior art set out above by proposing an innovative solution making it possible to indicate the filling level of the bung, and therefore of the tank, and to automatically regulate the quantity of wine in the tank, while preserving the organoleptic properties of the wine throughout its vinification and storage in the tank.

[0016] To this end, the present invention relates to a recovery or aseptic bung for a container intended to store a liquid, in particular a wine tank, said bung comprising a hollow bung body, in the form of a container for recovering the liquid overflowing from the container, a cover and hermetic connection means for being connected to an orifice of the container such as an overflow orifice. This bung is remarkable in that it comprises an electronic probe for determining the level of liquid in the bung body, and in that said probe is connected to a wireless communication module.

[0017] The probe in fact makes it possible to determine the filling level of the bung, and therefore of the container to which it is connected, in order to allow the user to regulate the quantity of liquid in said container. In the case of wine, this makes it possible to avoid prolonged contact with the air infiltrated over a large contact surface, and thus to protect the wine against oxidation.

[0018] Advantageously, the plug body is opaque.

[0019] Indeed, the presence of the electronic probe makes it possible to dispense with the transparent or translucent bodies used in the prior art to allow direct visualization of the liquid level in the bung. The opacity of the bung body makes it possible to avoid exposing the wine to light which can alter its taste in particular.

[0020] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the plug includes a visual indicator of the liquid level, connected to the electronic probe.

[0021] Such an indicator can be fixed to the outside of the drain to be visible to the user, and connected to the electronic measuring probe by an electric cable or by a short-range wireless link.

[0022] More particularly, the visual indicator comprises at least one light-emitting diode, called LED (Light Emitting Diode), to indicate the level of liquid in the bung body.

[0023] Advantageously, the electronic probe is arranged axially relative to the bung body and is partially immersed therein when it is filled with liquid.

[0024] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the wireless communication module is configured to control remote means for regulating the liquid level in the container as a function of a signal received from the electronic probe.

[0025] Thus, the filling of the container can be regulated automatically according to the level of liquid measured in the plug using the electronic probe.

[0026] The present invention also relates to a system for producing and storing a liquid such as wine, comprising a container such as a wine tank and a connected bung as shown.

[0027] Advantageously, in this system, the container comprises a means for regulating the quantity of liquid it contains, controlled by the plug via the wireless communication module.

[0028] The regulation system is for example an inflatable pocket placed inside the container, or a pump.

[0029] The fundamental concepts of the invention having just been set out above in their most elementary form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows and with reference to the appended drawings, giving by way of non-limiting example an embodiment of a connected plug, in accordance with the principles of the invention. Presentation of the drawings

[0030] The figures are given purely for illustrative purposes for a better understanding of the invention without limiting its scope. The various elements may be represented schematically and are not necessarily to scale. Throughout the figures, identical or equivalent elements bear the same numerical reference.

[0031] It is thus illustrated in:

[0032] [Fig. 1]: a transparent plug of the prior art mounted on a wine tank;

[0033] [Fig.2]: a plug according to an embodiment of the invention, on which the electronic probe appears in a broken line;

[0034] [Fig.3]: the cover of the plug with the electronic probe;

[0035] [Fig.4]: the plug mounted on a tank and wirelessly controlling a means of regulating the filling the tank;

[0036] [Fig.5]: a block diagram of a system comprising a container and a plug according to one embodiment of the invention. Detailed description of embodiments

[0037] It should be noted that certain technical elements well known to those skilled in the art are described herein to avoid any insufficiency or ambiguity in the understanding of the present invention.

[0038] In the embodiment described below, reference is made to a connected bung, intended mainly for wine vats. This non-limiting example is given for a better understanding of the invention and does not exclude the use of the bung in other types of containers for liquids.

[0039] In the present description, the term "bung" designates a recovery or aseptic device provided with a container called a "bung body" and intended to be mounted on a container for liquids to recover the liquid overflowing from said container. This occurs in particular in the case of wine.

[0040] [Fig.2] shows a connected plug 10 comprising a plug body 11, a cover 12, hermetic connection means 13 and an electronic probe 15 making it possible to indicate the level of liquid contained in the plug body.

[0041] The plug body 11, according to the illustrated embodiment, is of hollow truncated cone shape and made of an opaque material to prevent light from penetrating.

[0042] The plug body 11 may be made of plastic, for example high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and manufactured in particular by molding, extrusion-blowing or any other known technique.

[0043] Thus, the liquid L contained in the plug 10 is not visible through the walls of the plug body 11. Only the electronic probe 15 makes it possible to indicate its level in the plug 10.

[0044] [Fig. 3] represents the electronic probe 15, here fixed to the cover 12 which holds it, without the plug body.

[0045] The electronic probe 15 makes it possible to precisely measure the height of the liquid in the drain, and therefore its quantity, or simply to indicate the level of the liquid according to a standard scale of the type (low, medium, high).

[0046] For this purpose, the electronic probe 15 may comprise any sensor of any technology to obtain this result, in particular infrared proximity sensors, optical sensors, electrolytic sensors, etc.

[0047] The information on the liquid level in the drain 10 is indicated on an external visual indicator 16.

[0048] According to the illustrated embodiment, the visual indicator 16 comprises LEDs 161 to indicate different liquid levels in the drain 10.

[0049] For example, the visual indicator 16 comprises three LEDs 161 of different colors, each corresponding to a level on a three-level scale (low, normal, high).

[0050] Of course, other alternatives are possible and easily imaginable by the person skilled in the art.

[0051] The visual indication provided by the visual indicator 16 allows the user to act and adjust the quantity of liquid in the container on which the plug is mounted.

[0052] The plug 10 can also send a signal to remote regulation means placed in the container or to a mobile terminal in the possession of the user.

[0053] [Fig.4] schematically represents a plug 10 mounted on a tank 30 and wirelessly controlling a regulation means 35, here an inflatable pocket placed inside said tank.

[0054] The regulating means 35 can also be a pump for filling and emptying the tank 30.

[0055] The connected plug 10 and the container 30 equipped with means 35 for regulating the quantity of liquid together constitute a system 100 for producing and storing liquids, which is particularly innovative, especially in the wine-growing sector.

[0056] [Fig. 5] represents an example of electronic architecture in which the connected drain 10 comprises two filling level sensors 151 of the proximity infrared type, connected to a main electronic card 152 by a cable, an antenna 17 and at least one battery 18 of the lithium-ion type.

[0057] The main electronic card 152 centralizes all the services necessary for the operation of all the sensors and electronic components, such as the energy management and control units, data transmission, wireless communication, etc. In particular, the card 152 comprises a processing and calculation unit in the form of a microcontroller allowing both the acquisition of data from the sensors and their transmission over a wireless network (Bluetooth, Wifi, etc.) to a receiver connected to the regulation means 35 of the tank 30.

[0058] According to the architecture of [Fig.5], the electronic components can be positioned at different locations on the plug 10, as long as their performance is not significantly reduced.

[0059] Equipped with the aforementioned sensors and electronic components, the connected plug 10 is capable of sensing the liquid filling level of the container 30 on which it is mounted and of informing the user directly or indirectly.

[0060] It is clear from the present description that certain non-essential elements of the bung, or of the derived system for producing and storing wine, can be replaced or removed without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the claims below.

Claims

Claims

1. A recovery or aseptic plug (10) for a container (30) intended to store a liquid (L), in particular a wine tank, said plug comprising a hollow plug body (11) for recovering the liquid overflowing from the container, a cover (12), hermetic connection means (13) for being connected to an orifice of the container such as an overflow orifice, an electronic probe (15) for determining the level of liquid in the plug body (11), said probe being connected to a wireless communication module (17), said plug being characterized in that the wireless communication module is configured to control remote means for regulating the level of liquid in the container as a function of a signal received from the electronic probe.

2. A plug according to claim 1, wherein the plug body (11) is opaque.

3. A drain according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a visual indicator (16) of the liquid level, connected to the electronic probe (15).

4. A plug according to claim 3, wherein the visual indicator (16) comprises at least one light-emitting diode (161), called LED, to indicate the level of liquid in the plug body (11).

5. A plug according to any preceding claim, wherein the electronic probe (15) is arranged axially relative to the plug body (11) and is partially immersed therein when filled with liquid (L).

6. System (100) for producing and storing a liquid (L) such as wine, comprising a container (30) such as a wine tank and a bung (10) according to one of the preceding claims.

7. System according to claim 6, in which the container (30) comprises a means (35) for regulating the quantity of liquid which it contains, controlled by the plug (10) via the wireless communication module (17).

8. System according to claim 7, wherein the regulating means (35) is an inflatable bag placed inside the container (30).

9. A system according to claim 7, wherein the regulating means (35) is a pump.

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