Container Filling Vent Structure for Accurate Level Filling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filling devices using a ventilation tube for level-based filling suffer from inaccuracies due to liquid attraction bonds and pressure variations causing irregular liquid outflow, leading to errors in fill level determination and increased foaming.
Innovation Solution
A filling device with a divider body that angularly delimits the supply port and connects the ventilation channel to the container, maintaining equal gas pressure above and below the liquid veil, using a divider body with an opening to stabilize the liquid veil and ensure consistent fill levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a ventilation tube is used for level-based filling, then the filling process is simple and efficient, but the fill level accuracy deteriorates due to liquid attraction bonds and pressure variations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the ventilation tube into two separate functional components: a supply tube for liquid filling and a ventilation tube for gas evacuation. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each function, eliminating the interference between liquid flow and gas venting that caused accuracy problems in the single-tube design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary mechanism (the separate supply tube with liquid shutter) between the liquid source and the container, allowing precise control of liquid flow independent of the ventilation process. This intermediary enables accurate fill level control while maintaining efficient gas evacuation through the dedicated ventilation tube.
2Speed
If the liquid shutter diverts liquid rapidly towards the bottle wall, then filling speed is improved, but liquid outflow regularity deteriorates causing foaming and gas bubble inclusion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the liquid shutter dynamic and adjustable, allowing it to modulate the liquid flow rate in real-time. This dynamic control enables the system to maintain optimal flow characteristics throughout the filling process, preventing both excessive speed that causes foaming and insufficient speed that reduces efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the flow parameters by introducing a controllable liquid shutter that can adjust the liquid flow rate. This parameter control allows the system to optimize the balance between filling speed and outflow regularity, eliminating the foaming problem while maintaining efficient filling.
3Device complexity
If the ventilation tube lower end is positioned at the desired fill level, then the structure is simple, but the actual fill level deviates due to liquid rising above the tube end
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the filling function into two separate tubes positioned at different levels: the supply tube extends to the desired fill level for precise liquid delivery, while the ventilation tube is positioned higher to allow gas evacuation without interfering with the accurate fill level determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The separate supply tube acts as an intermediary that delivers liquid precisely to the desired fill level without the complications of the ventilation tube. This intermediary structure eliminates the need to account for liquid rising above the ventilation tube end, providing consistent and accurate fill levels.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution stabilizes the liquid veil during filling, ensuring accurate and reproducible fill levels and reducing foaming by equalizing gas pressures, thus improving filling precision and yield.
Implementation Method 1
The separation of the two areas results in different pressures P1 and P2 in the lower area and the upper area, respectively
Implementation Method 2
The difference in behaviour is due to the strong attraction bonds in the liquid, the presence of foam, and the proximity of the walls of the bottle 2 to the area where the liquid enters the bottle 2
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A liquid foodstuff container filling device (14) has a liquid foodstuff supply channel (19); a ventilation channel (20) coaxial to, and arranged within, the supply channel (19); a liquid shutter (24), which is arranged at the lower end of the supply channel (19) to selectively open and close a supply port; and a divider body (28), which is adjacent to the liquid shutter (24), is configured to angularly delimit the supply port, and is provided with an opening (29) to fluidically connect the ventilation channel (20) and the interior of the container (11), when the liquid shutter (24) is in the open position.