Powder filling machine

• US 4,061,164 A
• Filed: 10/07/1976
• Issued: 12/06/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shionogi & Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Shionogi & Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sato, Fumio, Sakamoto, Teruo, Inoue, Hayao, Watashiro, Seiichi, Yahata, Yoshihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Jr., Houston S.
• Application Number:
  US05/730,447
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 141/37, 141/47, 141/48, 141/63, 141/64, 141/67, 141/59, 141/89-92, 141/144-152, 141/172, 141/177, 141/181-191, 141/250-284, 141/285
• US Class Current: 141/90
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/36 by volumetric devices or methods checking volume of filled material B65B1/48
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/363 with measuring pockets moving in an endless path
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/60 rotatable

Abstract

A composite measure of varying capacity, composed of supplying-aperture of straight cylinder and an inside measure telescopically inserted into the aperture and having a hollow of frusto-conical section, is employed in order to improve accommodation of the known conventional capacity type rotary powder filling machine, to powder of varying bulk density.

A turntable which receives the supplying-aperture, superimposes over another turntable which holds the inside measure, and the distance between the both, is adjustable during the operation in accordance with the variance in the bulk density. The height of the container transferring path is also adjustable simultaneously with that of the second turntable.

Spouting of compressed-air through an annular nozzle the diameter of which approximates to that of the aperture as a flow parallel to their inside wall is effected to blow off remaining powder in the measure and clean the same when the nozzle is disposed on the aperture.

Evacuation for removing air from an empty or partly filled container is made through an annular suction inlet capable of suctioning the air as a flow parallel to the inside wall of the container.

Claims

1. In the powder filling machine of the type wherein, (A) distribution of the powder to each of measuring-aperture aligned with constant spacings along a circle inside a circumference of a filling-turntable of flat surface rotatably supported around an upright center shaft mounted on a base of the machine of flat surface which also serves for carrying containers and equipped with a means for rotating the same, (B) measurement of the amount of the powder to be filled for a single shot, are performed by (a) forming a heap of powder into or around the aperture and then by (b) levelling off the heap with a reservoir for storing the powder mounted over the filling-turntable partly covering the surface of said turntable and having a closed side wall capable of (i) confining the powder within the reservoir and of (ii) levelling off the heap, and (C) sluicing-down of that measured amount of powder into an empty container placed underneath the measuring-aperture is effected by opening usually shut bottom outlet of the aperture in a timed sequence and in accordance with their angular position when they are in vertically aligned relationship, an improvement which comprises:

1. a measure-holding turntable having substantially the same configuration, including measure-receiving openings which correspond to the measuring-apertures, as the superimposing filling-turntable and being supported coaxial and rotatable with the filling-turntable, but permitted of vertical displacement with respect to the filling-turntable;

2. a plurality of bottomless inner measures, each having a hollow of inverted frusto-conical section and a straight outer stem, the root portion of which is secured by each of said measure-receiving openings and the upper portion is telescopically inserted into each of the measuring-apertures to form a composite measure of varying capacity, and

3. a means for adjusting the height of the measure-holding turntable to vary the capacity of said composite measure which is dependent upon the distance between the turntables, simultaneously with that of the container placed underneath the apertures to combine the mouth of the container with the bottom of the aperture.

2. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein;

both of the filling-turntable and the measure-holding turntable are carried on a common hub supported around the center shaft and combined with each other at the plurality of the circumferential positions with stems of the bottomless measures.

3. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein;

the empty container is brought to be placed underneath the measuring-aperture with a combination comprising;

(a) a cogged wheel supported around the center shaft between the measure-holding turntable and the base, rotatable with the turntables, and having a plurality of cogs, the numbers and respective positions of dents between the two adjacent cogs correspond to those of the measuring-apertures, (b) an arcuate guide plate installed on the base fencing a path for transferring the containers, to encircle the path with a space sufficient for receiving a container in the dent of the cogged wheel and the guide plate, and (c) a container lifting cam embedded in the base along the transferring path for the containers having a plateau of a height sufficient for lifting the container to place underneath the measuring-aperture during the sluicing period.

4. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 3, wherein;

the combination is associated with similar combinations of cogged wheels with guide plates, capable of passing empty containers and of removing filled containers one by one to and from the first mentioned combination.

5. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 1, which further comprises;

a means for adjusting the height of the measure-holding turntable simultaneously with that of the plateau of the container-lifting cam to maintain the distance between the measure-holding turntable and the plateau constant.

6. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 5, wherein;

the means for adjusting is operable during the continuance of the rotation of the turning elements.

7. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 6, wherein the means for adjusting is a manual adjusting means.

8. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 6, wherein the means for adjusting is an automatic adjusting means which automatically adjusts in accordance with the variance in the bulk density of the powder to be filled.

9. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 1, which further comprises;

a mean for evacuating to remove air from the empty or partly filled container placed underneath the aperture as a flow parallel to the inside wall of the container prior to or during the sluicing period.

10. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein;

each of the bottom outlets of the composite measures is opened or shut with a slider suspended from the under surface of the measure-holding turntable and being radially displaceable in its suspended position, having (a) a flat face which serves as a shutter for the bottom outlet, (b) a chute which serves to interconnect the opened outlet with the mouth of 3the container placed underneath the measure, and (c) a means for engaging itself with a cam mounted around the center shaft capable of effecting the radial displacement.

11. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 10, wherein;

the slider further has (a) an annular suction inlet encircling the chute and being accommodated to the inside diameter of the mouth of the container for evacuating to remove air from the container, (b) an outwardly open outlet capable of accommodating itself to a suction junction of an exhausting means disposed outside the circumference of the turntable, and (c) a lengthwise conduit which connects (a) with (b) and permits the air to flow therethrough.

12. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 11, wherein;

the annular suction inlet is formed as a narrow endless slit between the lower end portion of the chute and a packing ring of elastic material affixed to the bottom face of the slider to encircle the chute.

13. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 10, wherein;

the means for engaging is a roller which follows a profile of the cam which acts to force the slider outwardly to align its chute with the aperture and with the container, and to make the outlet of the conduit to communicate with the suction junction to enable an evacuation of the empty container through the annular suction inlet.

14. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 1, which further comprises;

another turning element of a revolving turret being supported around the center shaft at its highest position rotatable simultaneously with the turntables and associated with an outside compressed-air supplying equipment, and having a plurality of vertical cylinders, the numbers and respective positions of which are identical with those of the supplying aperture;

each of said cylinders slidably supports a scavenging gun capable of (a) moving to its most descended position where a nozzle head affixed to its lower end contacts with the surface of the filling-turntable to cover the respective supplying-aperture and of (b) blowing off to clean the supplying-aperture and the components beneath the aperture with the compressed-air as a spout parallel to the inside walls of these components.

15. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 14, wherein;

the vertical movement of the scavenging gun is effected by the rotation of the turret under the control of a cylindrical cam fixed to the center shaft.

16. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 14, which further comprises;

a distributor capable of supplying compressed-air from the associated supplying equipment to each of the scavenging guns to spout the air through the nozzle head in accordance with its angular and vertical positions in the timed sequence.

17. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 16, wherein the distributor comprises at least one control valve interposed between the compressed-air supplying equipment and each of the scavenging guns capable of regulating the spout of air through the nozzle head and being actuatable by the rotation of the turret.

18. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 14, wherein;

the nozzle head of the scavenging gun is capable of spouting the compressed-air as an annular flow parallel to the inside wall of the nozzle head.

19. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 18, wherein;

the annular flow of the compressed-air is brought with a combination of the bottom opening of the nozzle head with a substantially cylindrical core suspended inside the opening, forming an annular slit which conforms to the diameter of the supplying-aperture through which the compressed air flows.

20. A powder filling machine in accordance with claim 14, wherein at least lower rigid end of the nozzle head is covered with a boot of elastic material capable of (a) absorbing shock caused by possible collision of the head with the surface of the filling-turntable and of (b) maintaining air-tightness between the head and the surface during a period wherein the gun is in its most descended position.