Measuring device

Abstract

To provide a metering device capable of CIP cleaning having a configuration that can prevent a sliding failure between a cylinder and a piston caused by adherence of a filling liquid etc. to be metered.SOLUTION: A head part water supply channel 7 is formed in a head part 5, which connects a water supply upstream end P1 arranged inside the head part 5 of a cylinder 3 and a water supply downstream end P2 opened on a lateral face oriented on an inner wall of the cylinder 3. A rod part 6 has a hollow tubular shape, and one end part is connected to the water supply upstream end P1 inside the head part 5, forming a rod part water supply channel 11. The water channel of a water supply device for an adherence-preventing liquid is connected to the other end part of the rod part 6 so as to allow following a reciprocating motion of the piston 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a metering device having a cylinder and a piston reciprocating in the cylinder, and having a configuration capable of preventing sliding failure between the cylinder and the piston caused by sticking of a filling liquid or the like to be metered.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when filling a container with a high-viscosity liquid with high metering accuracy, at high speed and high pressure, a filling device equipped with a piston-type metering device that accommodates the liquid in a piston cylinder and measures the filling amount by the movement amount of the piston has been used. The piston-type metering device is configured to discharge the liquid supplied to the cylinder to the filling device by sliding a piston in a state where the gap with the cylinder is sealed by a packing.

[0003] However, when measuring a liquid containing sugar and using it for filling, sugar or the like may stick to the sliding portion between the piston and the cylinder, which may妨碍 the sliding of the piston. …

[0004] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, in a metering device 1 that reciprocates a piston 2 inserted from an open portion at one axial end of a cylinder 3 toward the other axial end of the cylinder 3 and sucks and discharges the liquid from the other end side, as a countermeasure against sticking that妨碍 the sliding of such a piston 2, a tube 21 for supplying water is connected to the back side of the piston 2 and routed, and water is supplied to and applied to the sliding portion between the piston 2 and the cylinder 4 outside the packing 4 to prevent sliding failure (the reference numerals in FIG. 4 correspond to those of the present embodiment).

[0005] Here, in liquid filling of foods, pharmaceuticals, etc., in the case of multi-variety, small-quantity production, processes before and after filling such as product changeover, and cleaning and sterilization are essential regularly. And in the piston-type metering device, since it is difficult to clean between the piston and the cylinder, it has been disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled manually each time.

[0006] However, manual disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly were time-consuming, significantly reducing productivity, increasing costs, and carrying the risk of damage due to operational errors.

[0007] Therefore, in recent years, a cleaning method called "CIP (Cleaning In Place) cleaning," which automatically cleans the inside of the device by flowing cleaning fluid into it without disassembling the device, has been used, and the applicant has also developed a piston-type metering device that is compatible with CIP cleaning (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-060226 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] However, in piston-type metering devices that support CIP cleaning, the back of the piston is also cleaned, and the back of the piston is located inside a closed cylinder, covered, and not exposed. Therefore, the conventional method of preventing sliding failure as shown in Figure 4 could not be adopted.

[0010] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a CIP-cleanable measuring device equipped with a configuration that can prevent poor sliding between the cylinder and piston caused by the solidification of the filling liquid to be measured. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve the aforementioned objective, a metering device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a metering device having a piston having a head portion that slides against the inner wall of a cylinder via a sealing member and a rod portion connected to the head portion, the rod portion of which is extended toward one axial end of the cylinder, the head portion is reciprocated toward the other axial end of the cylinder, and the liquid to be metered or cleaning liquid can be sucked in or out from the other axial end of the cylinder, The cylinder is provided with the outer peripheral edge of the piston in its axial middle portion. Tame A measuring region with a constant inner diameter is provided on the inner circumferential surface that slides against the sealing member to measure the liquid, and a cleaning region with a large-diameter inner circumferential surface spaced apart from the piston and sealing member is continuously formed at at least one axial end of the measuring region of the cylinder, and a discharge section for discharging residual liquid from the cylinder is formed on the axial end side of the cylinder. The head portion has a head portion water supply channel formed between an upstream water supply end disposed within the head portion of the cylinder and a downstream water supply end that opens on the side facing the inner wall of the cylinder, on the side facing the sealing member, towards one end in the axial direction of the cylinder. The rod portion is hollow and tubular, with one end connected to the upstream end of the water supply in the head portion to form a water supply channel for the rod portion, and the other end of the rod portion is connected to a water channel for a water supply device for an anti-sticking fluid so as to be able to move in accordance with the reciprocating motion of the piston. The system enables CIP cleaning by supplying cleaning fluid into the cylinder while reciprocating the piston in the metering area and the cleaning area, and by discharging the cleaning fluid used for cleaning from the discharge section. It is characterized by the following:

[0012] With the metering device configured in this way, the anti-sticking liquid supplied from the water supply device is passed through the water supply channel of the rod section and the water supply channel of the head section and supplied to the downstream end of the water supply, which opens on the side of the head section facing the inner wall of the cylinder. In this state, the head section is reciprocated within the cylinder, and the anti-sticking liquid supplied to the downstream end of the water supply is applied between the inner wall of the cylinder and the piston by a sealing member, thereby suppressing the sticking of the liquid to be metered and preventing piston sliding failure. Furthermore, since the water channels for the anti-sticking fluid supplied to prevent the liquid being measured from solidifying are not exposed inside the shaft, CIP (Clean-in-Place) cleaning becomes possible.

[0013] Further, in the metering device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the head portion has the piston head provided with the sealing member outer edge and a piston base that fixes the piston head on one side and has the rod portion continuously provided on the other side, and a head portion water supply passage is formed in the piston base.

[0014] According to the metering device configured as described above, the anti-sticking liquid supplied from the water supply device can be supplied from the rod portion water supply passage of the rod portion through the head portion water supply passage formed in the piston base to the water supply downstream end that opens to the side surface of the head portion directed toward the inner wall of the cylinder. And since the water passage of the anti-sticking liquid supplied to suppress the sticking of the liquid to be metered is not exposed in the shaft, it does not hinder the reciprocating movement of the piston, and troubles such as the detachment of the tube of the water passage do not occur.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] As described above, according to the metering device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the sliding failure between the cylinder and the piston caused by the sticking of the filling liquid or the like to be metered, and it is possible to achieve a configuration that can be cleaned by CIP.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] 2]Cross-sectional view of the main part configuration of an embodiment of the metering device of the present invention [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view of the main part configuration of the head portion of the piston in the metering device of FIG. 1 [Figure 3] It is a plan view showing the head portion water supply passage of the piston in the metering device of FIG. 2, and is an explanatory view showing the state without water (A) and the state with water (B). [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of the main part configuration of an embodiment of the conventional metering device

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the metering device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the piston 2 of the metering device 1 in this embodiment has a head portion 5 that slidably contacts a sealing member 4 with the inner wall of a cylinder 3 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction, and a rod portion 6 that extends outward from one axial end side (lower end) of the cylinder 3 and is reciprocated within the cylinder 3 by a piston drive mechanism (not shown). The head portion 5 is fixed to one end side (upper end) of the rod portion 6, and by reciprocating the rod portion 6 within the cylinder 3 by a known piston drive mechanism, the packing 4 as the sealing member 4 provided on the head portion 5 is configured to slide with respect to the inner wall of the cylinder 3.

[0021] Here, as shown in FIG. 2, a head portion water supply passage 7 is formed in the head portion 5, which connects a water supply upstream end P1 formed within the head portion 5 and a water supply downstream end P2 opened on the side surface facing the inner wall of the cylinder 3. Specifically, the head portion 5 has a piston head 8 provided with a packing 4 on its outer peripheral edge portion, and a piston base 9 having a rod portion 6 connected to one surface side (lower surface) and the piston head 8 fixed to the other surface side (upper surface).

[0022] In this embodiment, the piston base 9 is substantially disc-shaped. As shown in FIGS. 3(A) and (B), a hole 10 serving as the water supply upstream end P1 is drilled in the center, and the head portion water supply passage 7 drilled from the hole 10 serving as the water supply upstream end P1 toward the four sides and toward the side surface of the piston base 9 is formed. That is, the opening on the side surface of the head portion water supply passage 7 facing the inner wall of the cylinder 3 serves as the water supply downstream end P2.

[0023] Further, the rod portion 6 is hollow tubular, and one end portion (upper end portion) is connected to the center of the lower surface of the piston base 9, and a rod portion water supply passage 11 is formed by connecting the water supply upstream end P1 and the inside of the hollow tube.

[0024] Returning to the description of the piston head 8, an annular rim 12 is formed around the outer periphery of the upper surface of the piston base 9, rising in a levee-like manner. The rim 12 is formed by bulging its outer peripheral wall toward the inner wall of the cylinder 3 compared to the outer periphery of the other side of the piston base 9.

[0025] The piston head 8 is then seated on the upper surface of the piston base 9, resting on the one-sided surface and the edge 12, and is fixed in place by a pin-shaped fastener 13 inserted from the lower side of the piston base 9.

[0026] More specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the piston head 8 is formed in three stages that gradually increase in diameter concentrically from the piston base 9 side. The first stage 8a, which is on the piston base 9 side, is placed on the upper surface of the piston base 9, the stepped portion 8d between the first stage 8a and the second stage 8b is fitted onto the edge portion 12 of the piston base 9, and a packing 4 is sandwiched between the stepped portion 8e between the second stage 8b and the third stage 8c and the edge portion 12 of the piston base 9, and the piston head 8 is fixed by a fixing device 13.

[0027] Therefore, the flow of water flowing through the head section water channel 7 is restricted by blocking the upper part of the hole 10 drilled in the center of the piston base 9, which constitutes the upstream end P1 of the water supply, with the first stage 8a of the piston head 8. The upper surface of the piston head 8 is slightly tapered upwards.

[0028] Furthermore, as will be described later, a piston drive mechanism (not shown) of a known configuration is connected to the other end of the rod portion 6 that protrudes from the lower end of the cylinder 3. In addition, a tube 21 that forms a water channel for a water supply device (not shown) for anti-sticking fluid is connected via a joint 22 so as to follow the piston 2 that reciprocates inside the cylinder 3 by this piston drive mechanism.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cylinder 3 is configured such that a cleaning area 3b is continuously formed at the axial upper end of the metering area 3a, and has a large-diameter inner circumferential surface spaced apart from the piston head 8 and the packing 4.

[0030] In other words, the cylinder 3 is formed with a bottom, and inside the cylinder 3, there is a measuring region 3a with a constant inner diameter on the inner surface that slides against a packing 4 provided on the outer circumference of the piston 2 to measure the liquid for filling, and cleaning regions 3b and 3c are continuously formed at the axial upper end of the measuring region 3a of the cylinder 3, with large-diameter inner surfaces spaced apart from the piston 2 and packing 4.

[0031] In these cleaning regions 3b and 3c, a large-diameter inner surface is formed over an axial length that accommodates the entire piston head 8. This large-diameter inner surface is formed by a tapered portion 3d that constitutes the cleaning region 3b and gradually increases in diameter upward from the upper end of the inner surface of the measuring region 3a, which has a constant inner diameter, and a large-diameter portion 3e that constitutes the cleaning region 3e and has the largest inner diameter of the tapered portion 3b.

[0032] The upper end of the cylinder 3 is closed by an upper lid 14, and a packing (not shown) is interposed between the two to ensure a seal. A connecting cylinder 15 for connecting to a liquid supply passage and a liquid drain passage (not shown) is formed to protrude upward from the central axis of the upper lid 14.

[0033] On the other hand, the rod portion 6 of the piston 2 is positioned at the bottom of the cylinder 3, which is the lower end of the cylinder 3, and is sealed by a sealing member (not shown) while passing through this bottom. Furthermore, a discharge portion (not shown) for discharging residual liquid from inside the cylinder 3 is formed at a position away from the point where the rod portion 6 of the piston 2 passes through the bottom.

[0034] Next, the operation of the weighing device of this embodiment will be explained. The filling liquid stored in a tank (not shown) is supplied to the measuring device 1 of this embodiment through the liquid supply passage connected to the connecting cylinder 15 by pressurizing the supply pump (not shown) and the tank (not shown), which opens various valves (not shown), and sets the device to a state where a fixed amount can be measured.

[0035] Specifically, the suction valve (not shown) located in the liquid supply passage laid between the tank and the measuring device 1 is opened, and the discharge valve (not shown) located in the liquid drain passage laid between the measuring device 1 and the filling section is closed. With these valves closed, the piston drive mechanism is driven, moving the piston 2 downwards in the measuring area 3a portion of the cylinder 3, and drawing the required amount of liquid from the liquid supply passage through the connecting cylinder 25a into the upper part of the cylinder 3. At this time, the piston 2 is in the measuring area 3a portion of the cylinder 3, and the packing 4 is always in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder 3 due to its own elasticity, so that the liquid is drawn in smoothly.

[0036] Next, with the suction valve located in the liquid supply passage closed and the discharge valve located in the drain passage opened, the piston drive mechanism is driven to move the piston 2 upward in the metering area 3aa portion of the cylinder 3, thereby discharging a predetermined amount of liquid from the cylinder 3 through the drain passage via the connecting cylinder 25a. At this time, the piston 2 is located in the metering area 3a portion of the cylinder 3, and the packing 4 is always in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder 3 due to its own elasticity. As the piston 2 moves upward by a predetermined length, a precisely measured predetermined amount of liquid can be discharged efficiently.

[0037] In the metering device 1 of this embodiment, while the metering device 1 is in operation, an anti-sticking liquid supplied from the water supply device (not shown) is supplied from a tube 21 connected to the lower end of the rod portion 6 via a joint 22 to the rod portion water supply channel 11 formed inside the rod 6.

[0038] The anti-sticking liquid used in this process should be selected appropriately in relation to the liquid being measured. For example, water can often be used for general food and beverages. The amount supplied should be adjusted as needed by the water supply system.

[0039] The anti-sticking liquid supplied from the water supply device is supplied from the rod section water supply channel 11 through the head section water supply channel 7, as shown in black in Figure 3(B), to the downstream water supply ends P2 that open below the packing 4 at four locations on the side of the head section 5.

[0040] In this state, when the head portion 5 is reciprocated within the cylinder 3, the anti-sticking liquid supplied to the downstream end P2 of the water supply is applied between the inner wall of the cylinder 3 and the piston 2 by the packing 4. In this way, the anti-sticking liquid is applied to the inner wall of the cylinder 3 as a preventative measure against the solidification of the liquid to be measured, and furthermore, the solidification of the liquid to be measured can be suppressed by using a small amount of anti-sticking liquid to scrape off any liquid that remains on the inner wall of the cylinder 3 and is prone to solidification with the packing 4.

[0041] Furthermore, since the anti-sticking fluid is supplied to the downstream water supply end P2, which opens below the packing 4, the packing 4 can prevent the anti-sticking fluid from mixing with the liquid to be measured, which accumulates above the piston head 8 inside the cylinder 3.

[0042] Excessive anti-sticking fluid, as well as residue and remaining fluid scraped off by the packing 4 along with the anti-sticking fluid, are collected at the bottom of the cylinder 3 and discharged as waste liquid through the discharge section (not shown) that discharges the remaining fluid from the cylinder 3.

[0043] Furthermore, the weighing device of this embodiment also allows for CIP (Clean-in-Place) cleaning. A brief explanation follows below. Before starting the cleaning process, the piston 2 is raised to the upper cleaning areas 3b and 3c, and all the liquid in the metering pathways, such as the tank 5, supply passage 6, the aforementioned drain passage, and cylinder 3, is discharged to the outside through the drain port (not shown).

[0044] In the metering device 1 of this embodiment, when cleaning the piston 2, the piston 2 is pushed up into the cleaning areas 3b and 3c, and the supply passage 24 is opened. Subsequently, the cleaning liquid filled in the tank (not shown) is supplied into the cylinder 3 through the supply passage 6 and connecting cylinder 25a at a considerable flow rate. The cleaning capacity of this cleaning liquid should be appropriately adjusted by appropriately selecting the flow rate of the cleaning liquid, the pH of the cleaning liquid, the temperature of the cleaning liquid, etc.

[0045] The cleaning fluid supplied between the upper surface of the piston 2 and the inner end surface of the upper lid 14 flows radially outward from the center. When the piston 2 is moved up and down axially within the cleaning region 3b, the cleaning fluid is vibrated, efficiently cleaning both sides of the piston 2. In this way, by greatly increasing or decreasing the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path through which the cleaning fluid can flow, formed between the cylinder 3 and the piston 2 in the cleaning regions 3b and 3c, the flow velocity of the cleaning fluid is changed, enabling efficient cleaning of the piston 2 and, furthermore, cleaning of the inside of the cylinder 3 using the cleaning fluid.

[0046] Furthermore, cleaning the inside of the cylinder 3 can be performed by moving the piston 2 back and forth in a large range within the metering area 3a while the inner wall of the cylinder 3 and the packing 4 are in sliding contact. Cleaning the drainage passage can also be performed by moving the piston 2 back and forth, similar to the drainage process, and disposing of the cleaning liquid through the drainage passage.

[0047] Thus, during CIP cleaning, in this embodiment, the water channel for the anti-sticking liquid supplied to prevent the liquid to be measured from sticking is not exposed inside the shaft. Therefore, it does not hinder the reciprocating motion of the piston 2, and problems such as the water channel tube coming loose do not occur.

[0048] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways without impairing the features of the present invention.

[0049] For example, in this embodiment, the head section water supply channels 7 are formed in all directions from the hole that becomes the upstream end P1 of the water supply, but the number of head section water supply channels 7 is not limited to this number. The configuration of the cylinder 3 capable of CIP cleaning is also not limited to the configuration described above, and for example, the cleaning area 3b of the piston 2 may be provided not only above the metering area 3a of the cylinder 3 but also below it. [Industrial applicability]

[0050] The measuring device 1 of the present invention can be used as the measuring device in a filling device that is configured to draw a liquid to be filled from a tank through a flow path into the cylinder 3 of the measuring device, and then fill a predetermined amount of the liquid to be filled from the cylinder 3 through a flow path into a filling section and into a filling container.

[0051] With a filling device configured in this way, it is possible to prevent poor sliding between the cylinder 3 and the piston 2 caused by the solidification of the filling liquid to be measured, and consequently, to prevent filling defects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 Weighing device 2 pistons 3 cylinders 3a Weighing area 3b,3c Cleaning area 3D tapered section 3e Large diameter section 4. Sealing component (packing) 5. Head section 6 Rod section 7. Head section water supply channel P1 Water supply upstream end P2 Water supply downstream end 8 Piston Heads 8a 1st stage 8b Second stage 8c third stage 8b Step (between the first and second stages) 8e (The step between the second and third stages) 9 Piston Base 10 holes 11. Rod section water supply channel 12 Edge 13 Fixtures 14 Upper lid 15 connecting tube 21 Tubes 22 joints

Claims

1. A metering device having a piston having a head portion that slides against the inner wall of a cylinder via a sealing member and a rod portion connected to the head portion, the rod portion of which extends toward one axial end of the cylinder, the head portion reciprocates toward the other axial end of the cylinder, and the device is capable of sucking in and discharging a liquid to be measured or a cleaning liquid from the other axial end of the cylinder, The cylinder has a measuring region in its axial middle portion, where the inner diameter of the inner surface is constant and the liquid is measured by sliding against a sealing member provided on the outer peripheral edge of the piston. A cleaning region with a large-diameter inner surface spaced apart from the piston and sealing member is continuously formed at at least one axial end of the measuring region of the cylinder. Furthermore, a discharge section is formed at one axial end of the cylinder to discharge any remaining liquid inside the cylinder. The head portion has a head portion water supply channel formed between an upstream water supply end disposed within the head portion of the cylinder and a downstream water supply end that opens on the side facing the inner wall of the cylinder, on the side facing the sealing member, towards one end in the axial direction of the cylinder. The rod portion is hollow and tubular, with one end connected to the upstream end of the water supply in the head portion to form a water supply channel for the rod portion, and the other end of the rod portion is connected to a water channel for a water supply device for an anti-sticking fluid so as to be able to move in accordance with the reciprocating motion of the piston. A metering device characterized in that it enables CIP cleaning by supplying cleaning fluid into the cylinder, reciprocating the piston in the metering area and the cleaning area, and discharging the cleaning fluid used for cleaning from the discharge section.

2. The metering device according to claim 1, wherein the head portion comprises a piston head on which the sealing member is provided on the outer peripheral edge, and a piston base on which the piston head is fixed to one side and the rod portion is connected to the other side, and the piston base is provided with a water supply channel for the head portion.

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