COMBINATION METERING ASSEMBLY FOR FILLING LIQUID PRODUCTS INTO CONTAINERS

Abstract

The invention relates to a combination metering assembly for filling liquid products into containers. The invention is characterised by a base unit (1) and pump components (3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14) of at least two different pump types for a metering operation, wherein the pump components of each pump type can be combined with the base unit in order to form a pump system of the corresponding pump type, and the base unit has connection means (19, 23) for this purpose which are compatible with the connections of the pump components. The combination metering assembly can be adapted to different metering situations with little complexity and has a comparably small space requirement.

Claims

1. A combination metering assembly for filling liquid products into containers, comprising: a base unit and pump components of at least two different pump types for a metering operation, wherein the pump components of each pump type are combinable with the base unit in order to form a pump system of a corresponding pump type, wherein the base unit comprises connection means for combining the pump components of each pump type with the base unit, the connection means being compatible with connections of the pump components, wherein pump components of a first pump type and pump components of at least one pump type other than the first pump type are combinable with the base unit at a same time to configure at least two operational pump systems; and a controllable switching device by means of which each of the pump systems to be configured are selectable for operation.

2. The combination metering assembly of claim 1, wherein the pump types comprise at least one of a rotary lobe pump and a peristaltic pump.

3. The combination metering assembly of claim 1, wherein the pump components comprise pump drive components and fluid delivery components to be driven by the pump drive components for the pumping operation.

4. The combination metering assembly of claim 3, wherein the base unit further comprises a first connection region for connecting the pump drive components and a second connection region separated from the first connection region by a partition wall for connecting the fluid delivery components.

5. The combination metering assembly of claim 4, wherein the base unit comprises a drive shaft arrangement extending through the partition wall and a drive shaft for connecting drive components to fluid delivery components of a corresponding pump type.

6. The combination metering assembly of claim 5, wherein an electric drive motor is provided as a drive component for connection to the drive shaft.

7. The combination metering assembly of claim 6, wherein a pump head of a corresponding pump type for connection to the drive shaft is provided as a fluid delivery component.

8. The combination metering assembly of claim 7, wherein the pump head comprises a power take-off coupled to the drive shaft and a power take-off connection for connecting pump components of a further pump type to the power take-off, so that pump components connected to the power take-off connection are drivable by means of the drive shaft.

9. The combination metering assembly of claim 1, further comprising components of a time/pressure metering device.

10. The combination metering assembly of claim 1, wherein the pump systems to be configured are operable in parallel.

11. A metering system comprising: a plurality of combination metering assemblies, each of the plurality of combination metering assemblies comprising: a base unit, first pump components of a first pump type, and second pump components of a second pump type, wherein the base unit comprises first connection means for combining the first pump components with the base unit to form a first pump system of the first pump type and second connection means for combining the second pump components with the base unit to form a second pump system of the second pump type, and wherein the first pump components and the second pump components are combinable with the base unit at a same time such that the first pump system and the second pump system are both operational; and wherein the plurality of combination metering assemblies are arranged adjacent to one another and provided on a common frame.

12. The metering system of claim 11, further comprising a central drive source for providing drive energy for the plurality of combination metering assemblies.

13. The metering system of claim 11, further comprising a controllable switching device by means of which each of the first pump system and the second pump system to be configured are selectable for operation.

14. The metering system of claim 11, wherein the first pump type comprises at a rotary lobe pump and the second pump type comprises a peristaltic pump.

15. The metering system of claim 11, wherein the first pump components comprise pump drive components and the second pump components comprise fluid delivery components to be driven by the pump drive components for the pumping operation.

16. The metering system of claim 15, wherein the base unit comprises a first connection region for connecting the pump drive components and a second connection region separated from the first connection region by a partition wall for connecting the fluid delivery components.

17. The metering system of claim 16, wherein the base unit comprises a drive shaft arrangement extending through the partition wall and a drive shaft for connecting drive components to fluid delivery components of a corresponding pump type.

18. The metering system of claim 17, wherein an electric drive motor is provided as a drive component for connection to the drive shaft.

19. The metering system of claim 18, wherein a pump head of a corresponding pump type for connection to the drive shaft is provided as a fluid delivery component.

20. The metering system of claim 19, wherein the pump head comprises a power take-off that is able to be coupled to the drive shaft and a power take-off connection for connecting pump components of a further pump type to the power take-off, so that pump components connected to the power take-off connection are drivable by means of the drive shaft.

Description

[0026] Preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a group of components of the combination metering assembly in the form of an exploded perspective view.

[0028] FIG. 2a shows a combination metering assembly assembled from components shown in FIG. 1 in a perspective view.

[0029] FIG. 2b shows the combination metering assembly from FIG. 2a in a longitudinal sectional view.

[0030] FIG. 2c shows the combination metering assembly from FIG. 2a in a view from below with the sectional plane of FIG. 2b indicated therein with B-B.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an expansion stage of the combination metering assembly from FIG. 2a with a completed rotary lobe pump system.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an expansion stage of the combination metering assembly from FIG. 2a and FIG. 3 with a time/pressure metering device and a storage metering container.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a 6-position combination metering system according to the invention for in particular simultaneous filling of six containers.

[0034] In FIG. 1, the basic unit of the combination metering assembly is identified by the reference sign 1.

[0035] A group of three exchangeable fluid delivery components, namely pump heads, is identified by reference sign 2, these pump heads being a rotary lobe pump head 3, a peristaltic pump head 4 and a peristaltic pump head 5 equipped with a power take-off having connection means for a rotary lobe pump (24 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4).

[0036] Reference sign 6 indicates a hose-squeezing component of a time/pressure metering device in FIG. 1.

[0037] The base body 1 has a partition wall 10 which divides it into an upper region for the connection of fluid delivery components 3,4 or 5 and a lower region for the connection of pump drive components 11, 12, 13 and 14.

[0038] In FIG. 1, reference sign 11 denotes a transmission which converts a motor rotation into a linear movement and by means of which, if necessary, stroke movements of a pump head connected as specified to the base body 1 can be generated. A controllable electric motor (not shown) is in particular suitable as the drive motor.

[0039] In FIG. 1, reference sign 12 denotes a transmission which converts a motor rotation into a linear movement and by means of which, if necessary, stroke movements of a pump foot 20 optionally connected to the base body 1 can be generated. In this case too, a controllable electric motor (not shown) is particularly suitable as the drive motor.

[0040] Alternative drive means for the hose-squeezing component 6 of the time/pressure metering device are identified by reference signs 13 and 14, namely a pneumatic drive device 13 and a linear motor drive device 14.

[0041] Mounting components or connection means for receiving a rotary lobe pump are identified by reference signs 20, 21 and 22.

[0042] The partition wall 10 is penetrated by a drive shaft arrangement 15. This has a drive shaft housing 16 and a drive shaft 17 rotatably mounted therein about its shaft axis. The drive shaft 17 is to be connected at its lower end 18 to a controllable drive motor, preferably an electric motor (not shown).

[0043] For the specified arrangement of the pump drive components 11, 12, 13, 14 and the drive motor for the drive shaft 17 and other motors on the base unit 1, the base unit 1 has a mounting plate 19 with connection contours for the pump drive components in its lower connection region.

[0044] At its upper end in FIG. 1, the drive shaft housing 16 has connection means 23 for the operational connection of a relevant pump head 3, 4 or 5 thereto, so that the corresponding pump head 3, 4 or 5 is coupled to the drive shaft 17 when connected accordingly.

[0045] Storage containers and containers to be filled as well as hose lines for the supply and discharge of the liquid to be metered are not shown in FIG. 1-3.

[0046] In the case of the combination metering assembly according to the invention, which is composed of components according to FIG. 1, the peristaltic pump head 5 equipped with a power take-off 18 with connection means 22 for a rotary lobe pump is combined with the base unit 1 via the connection means 23 of the drive shaft housing 16 and operatively coupled to the drive shaft 17, as shown in FIG. 2a. In this configuration, the arrangement forms a single-hose peristaltic pump system.

[0047] The partition wall 10 and the motors to be connected to the pump drive components 11, 12, 17 are not shown in FIG. 2a-2c, but their positions are indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 2b as x11, x12 and x17, respectively. Reference sign 11x denotes the installation position of the motor to be connected to the transmission 11, reference sign 12x denotes the installation position of the motor to be connected to the transmission 12 and reference sign 17x the installation position of the motor for the drive shaft 17.

[0048] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an expansion stage of the combination metering assembly from FIG. 2a, wherein a completed rotary lobe pump system 24 having a rotary lobe pump connected at the connection 22 of the pump head 5 is also added in FIG. 3 in order to create a CIP/SIP (=clean in place/sterilise in place) version.

[0049] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of another combination metering assembly according to the invention composed of corresponding components, wherein in FIG. 4, a completed rotary lobe pump system 24 and a time/pressure metering device 26 cooperating therewith, which serves as a shut-off device for the suction hose 32 in CIP/SIP mode, are added in addition to the equipment shown in FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b. The pump drive components provided below the partition wall 10 are not shown in FIG. 4, although they are present.

[0050] The combination metering assembly according to FIG. 4 is designed for metered filling of respective containers 28 with liquid. A supply of the liquid is located in a storage metering container 30. Not shown are the mounting and exchange means by means of which the containers 28 are brought into their filling position, held therein during the filing process and removed therefrom again.

[0051] The metering container 30 is connected to the combination metering assembly via a suction line 32. The suction line 32 is routed through the hose squeezer 6 of the time/pressure metering device 26 to the input connection of the rotary lobe pump system 24.

[0052] A filling line 31 is connected to the pressure-side connection 29 of the rotary lobe pump system 24 and has a filling needle 33 at its outlet end from which the liquid is introduced into the relevant container 28. The drives of the rotary lobe pump system 24 and the time/pressure metering device 26 are electronically controllable with a control device (not shown) of the combination metering assembly in order to allow the desired metering operation to run correctly.

[0053] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a 6-position combination metering system according to the invention for in particular simultaneous filling of six containers. The combination metering system comprises, for example, six metering assemblies of the type explained above, these preferably being connected to one another by common frame parts, for example a common intermediate plate 10′.