Filling Device Separate Air Flow Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container filling devices face challenges in selecting materials for flexible pouches that are compatible with perfumes and must allow gravity-driven flow, and they often fail to distinguish between air and flow circuits, leading to inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A filling device with a rigid reservoir, a valve having a shutter and shutter seat, a separate air intake circuit, and a pushrod with distinct ducts for air and flow circuits, allowing air intake between the liquid inlet and outlet, enabling separate air and liquid flows without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flexible pouch is used as a reservoir, then the pouch can deform to allow gravity-driven perfume flow, but the material selection becomes difficult due to compatibility constraints with perfume
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the air intake circuit and flow circuit into distinct pathways. The flow circuit uses a rigid reservoir with a valve mechanism, while the air intake circuit provides separate air supply. This segmentation allows the use of rigid materials for the reservoir while maintaining gravity-driven flow capability through the valve system.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the air intake function from the flow circuit by providing a separate air intake circuit. This allows the flow circuit to use a rigid reservoir without being constrained by the need for material flexibility, as air intake is handled independently through dedicated pathways.
2Ease of manufacture
If a rigid reservoir is used, then material compatibility with perfume is improved, but air intake must be separately provided since the reservoir cannot deform
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the air intake circuit and flow circuit at the valve location, where both circuits converge. The air outlet of the air intake circuit and the liquid inlet of the flow circuit are both adjacent to the valve mechanism. This merging allows the rigid reservoir to maintain structural integrity while still enabling proper air and liquid flow control through the integrated valve system.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve mechanism acts as an intermediary that coordinates both the air intake circuit and flow circuit. By positioning both the air outlet and liquid inlet adjacent to the valve, the system uses the valve as a mediator to manage the interaction between air supply and liquid flow, eliminating the need for separate air intake provisions throughout the reservoir.
3Device complexity
If air inlet and liquid inlet are at the same location, then the valve can control both flows, but the two circuits are not distinguished and may interfere with each other
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by positioning the air outlet and liquid inlet at different locations relative to the valve. The air outlet is adjacent to the shutter seat, while the liquid inlet is also adjacent but at a distinct position. This spatial differentiation ensures that while both circuits are controlled by the same valve mechanism, they maintain distinct pathways that prevent interference, with each circuit having its own dedicated inlet/outlet zones.
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 allows for efficient refilling of perfume bottles using a rigid reservoir, ensuring compatibility and preventing waste by separating air and liquid flows, thus enabling effective refilling without the need for additional valves or mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
a pushrod has an upper end adjacent to said shutter, said pushrod being able to move between a first position, in which it allows the shutter to engage with the shutter seat, and a second position, in which it moves said shutter away from the shutter seat
Implementation Method 2
A flow circuit has a liquid inlet adjacent to the valve and a liquid outlet adjacent to the spout. The liquid outlet is located lower than the liquid inlet
Data Source
AI summary
Filling device (1, 101) including a reservoir (3, 103) intended to contain liquid, a valve (4, 104) connected to the reservoir and a spout (20, 120), in which the valve has a shutter (10, 110) and a shutter seat (11), a flow circuit having a liquid inlet adjacent to the shutter seat and a liquid outlet adjacent to the spout, the liquid outlet being located lower than the liquid inlet, and an air intake circuit separate from the flow circuit, in which a pushrod (22, 122) has an upper end adjacent to the shutter. The pushrod includes a first duct (27) and a second duct (28), the air inlet circuit including the first duct, the flow circuit including the second duct.