Device for filling a non-vacuum-resistant system by means of vacuum pressure filling

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for filling an assembly of a non-vacuum-resistant system with a service fluid. The problem addressed by the invention is that of providing a device by means of which such non-vacuum-resistant systems can be filled air-free by means of vacuum pressure filling and can be closed. Said problem is solved in that the device has a vacuum chamber (1) for holding at least one assembly (3) to be filled, wherein: in the interior of the vacuum chamber (1), a rotary device (4) for supporting and moving at least one holding unit (5) for an assembly (3) to be filled is disposed in the lower region; the at least one holding unit (5) is assembled from at least two separate segments (51; 52), which, in the assembled position, form a common free available space (53) in their interior, the inner contour of said available space being congruent to the outer contour of the assembly (3) to be filled; in one segment (52) of the holding unit (5), an additional free available space (54) is formed above the outer contour of the assembly (3) to be filled; in the interior of the vacuum chamber (1), a screwing tool (7) for a closure element (8) of the assembly (3) to be filled and a filling unit (6) are disposed above the holding unit (5); the portions of the screwing tool (7) and of the filling unit (6) which are to be operatively connected to the assembly (3) to be filled can each be moved into the additional free available space (54) of the holding unit (5) above the outer contour of the assembly (3) to be filled.

Claims

1. A device for filling an assembly of a non-vacuum-resistant system with a service fluid by vacuum-pressure filling and subsequent closing thereof, the device comprising: a vacuum chamber for receiving at least one assembly to be filled, wherein a rotary device for supporting and moving at least one holding unit for an assembly to be filled is disposed in an interior of the vacuum chamber in a lower region, wherein the at least one holding unit is assembled from at least two separate segments which, in an assembled position, form a common free available space in an interior of the at least two separate segments, an inner contour of which is congruent with an outer contour of the assembly to be filled, and wherein an additional free available space is formed in a segment of the holding unit above the outer contour of the assembly to be filled, wherein a screwing tool for a closure element of the assembly to be filled and a filling unit are disposed in the interior of the vacuum chamber above the holding unit, and wherein sections of the filling unit and the closure element are to be brought into an operative connection with the assembly to be filled can each be moved into the additional free available space of the holding unit above the outer contour of the assembly to be filled.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary device includes a shaft with centering pin and tensioner for the holding unit, wherein a drive for the rotary device is a swivel drive with toothed belt pulleys and is disposed outside the vacuum chamber, and wherein the rotary device is supported in a housing of the vacuum chamber starting from the drive via a flange with bearing and vacuum-resistant rotary feedthrough.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein mutually congruent locking elements are formed on a top side of the rotary device and on a bottom side of a segment of the holding unit resting on the rotary device in the assembled position.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein locking elements on the rotary device include two sword bolts and two cylindrical recesses on the segment of the holding unit.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the filling unit is designed with a filling sleeve, includes an end seal to a filling port of the assembly to be filled, and is supported in a housing of the vacuum chamber via a housing, a sealing piston, and a flange.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the screwing tool has a drive, a coupling, a shaft, and a screwing bit, wherein the drive for the screwing tool is disposed outside the vacuum chamber and the screwing tool is supported, starting from the drive, in a housing of the vacuum chamber via a housing, a piston, and a flange with a vacuum-resistant rotary feedthrough.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the screwing tool includes a mechanical clamping element for fixing a position of a closure element for the assembly to be filled.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the closure element of the assembly to be filled is a special screw with a guide pin and a seal on an end face of the special screw.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a stylized representation of the structure of the device

(2) FIG. 2 shows an assembly to be filled and a holding unit

(3) FIG. 3 shows a rotary device with drive

(4) FIG. 4 shows a filling unit as a separate assembly

(5) FIG. 5 shows the operative connection between the filling unit and the holding unit

(6) FIG. 6 shows a screwing tool as a separate assembly

(7) FIG. 7 shows the operative connection between the screwing tool and the holding unit

(8) FIG. 8 shows a specific design of a closure element

(9) The device shown in the drawing is designed for filling an assembly of a non-vacuum-resistant system with a service fluid by means of vacuum-pressure filling and subsequent closing. An application for ultrasound probes for the medical sector is described as an exemplary embodiment in this regard.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(10) According to FIG. 1, the device comprises a vacuum chamber 1, the interior of which is accessible via a closing device 2. At least one assembly to be filled is disposed in the interior, in the specific exemplary embodiment an ultrasonic probe 3, the basic structure of which is shown in FIG. 2.

(11) A rotary device 4 for supporting and moving at least one holding unit 5 for the ultrasonic probe 3 is disposed in the lower area of the interior of the vacuum chamber 1. The basic structure of said rotary device 4 is shown in FIG. 3. The rotary device 4 has a shaft 41 with centering pin and tensioner for the holding unit 5. The drive of the rotary device 4 is designed as a swivel drive 42 with toothed belt pulleys 43 and is disposed outside the vacuum chamber 1. Starting from its drive 42, the rotary device 4 is supported in the housing of the vacuum chamber 1 via a flange 44 with bearing and vacuum-resistant rotary feedthrough.

(12) Congruent locking elements are provided on the top side of the rotary device 4 and on the bottom side of the segment 51 of the holding unit 5 resting on the rotary device 4 in the assembled position. These can, for example, be designed as two sword bolts 45 on the rotary device 4 as shown in FIG. 3 and as cylindrical recesses 55 on the segment 51 of the holding unit 5 as shown in FIG. 2. The operative connection of these locking elements can be seen, for example, in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7.

(13) The basic structure of a holding unit 5 is shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, a holding unit 5 is made up of at least two separate segments 51 and 52. In their assembled position in the interior, these segments 51 and 52 form a common free available space 53. The inner contour of said free available space 53 is congruent with the outer contour of the ultrasonic probe 3 to be filled. Furthermore, an additional free available space 54 is formed in a segment 52 of the holding unit 5 above the outer contour of the ultrasonic probe 3 to be filled.

(14) A filling unit 6 and a screwing tool 7 for a closure element 8 of the ultrasonic probe 3 are disposed in the interior of the vacuum chamber 1 above the holding unit 5. The sections of the screwing tool 7 and the filling unit 6 to be brought into operative connection with the ultrasonic probe 3 can each be moved into the additional free available space 54 of the holding unit 5 above the outer contour of the ultrasonic probe 3 to be filled.

(15) The basic structure of the filling unit 6 is shown in FIG. 4. Accordingly, the filling unit 6 is designed as a filling sleeve 61 with an end seal to the filling port of the ultrasonic probe 3. The filling sleeve 61 is supported by a housing 62, a sealing piston 63, and a flange 64 in the housing of the vacuum chamber 1. The functional operative connection of the filling sleeve 61 and the ultrasonic probe 3 disposed in the holding unit 5 and to be filled is shown in FIG. 5.

(16) The basic structure of the screwing tool 7 is shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly, the screwing tool 7 has a drive 71, a coupling 72, a shaft 73, and a screwing bit 74. The drive 71 for the screwing tool 7 is disposed outside the vacuum chamber 1. Starting from the drive 71, the screwing tool 7 is supported in the housing of the vacuum chamber 1 via a housing 75, a piston 76, and a flange 77 with a vacuum-resistant rotary feedthrough. The screwing tool 7 can also comprise a mechanical clamping element (not shown), which can be used to fix the position of a closure element 8 for the ultrasonic probe 3 to be filled.

(17) The closure element 8 for the ultrasonic probe 3 to be filled is preferably designed with a screw contour. FIG. 8 shows a variant in which the closure element 8 is designed, for example, as a special screw with a guide pin and a seal on its end face.

(18) If such a device is to be used to fill a non-vacuum-resistant ultrasonic probe 3 for the medical sector with a service fluid by means of vacuum-pressure filling, the following functional sequence results:

(19) The ultrasonic probe 3 is inserted into a holding unit 5 outside the vacuum chamber 1 and fixed in position by joining the segments 51 and 52. A closure element 8 is then placed on the screwing tool 7 in the vacuum chamber 1. The holding unit 5 equipped with the ultrasonic probe 3 is then inserted into the vacuum chamber 1, positioned on the rotary device 4 and clamped via the shaft 41 with centering pin and tensioner. The vacuum chamber 1 is then closed by means of the closing device 2.

(20) While the work steps described so far have been carried out manually by a worker, the following work steps are carried out automatically:

(21) The holding unit 5 is pushed inside the vacuum chamber 1 to the filling position (left in FIG. 1). Then the filling tip of the filling sleeve 61 is provided. The entire system inside the vacuum chamber 1 is then evacuated. Then the filling process is carried out. Then the filling sleeve 61 is reset. Then the sniffing starts. The holding unit 5 is then pushed toward the screw position (right in FIG. 1). The screwing tool 7 is then provided. The closure element 8 is then screwed into the filling port of the ultrasonic probe 3. The screwing tool 7 is then reset. At the same time, the vacuum chamber 1 is ventilated. The holding unit 5 is then moved to the home position.

(22) After these automatically performed work steps, the following work steps are performed again manually by a worker:

(23) The closing device 2 of the vacuum chamber 1 is opened. The holding unit 5 is removed from the vacuum chamber 1. The ultrasonic probe 3, now filled, is removed from the holding unit 5.

(24) Thus, an ultrasonic probe 3, which previously could not be filled air-free due to a lack of vacuum resistance, was advantageously filled and closed air-free using a vacuum-pressure method.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(25) 1 vacuum chamber 2 closing device 3 ultrasonic probe 4 rotary device 41 shaft with centering pin and tensioner 42 swivel drive 43 toothed belt pulley 44 flange with bearing and vacuum-resistant rotary feedthrough 45 sword bolts 5 holding unit 51 segment 52 segment 53 free available space 54 free available space 55 recess 6 filling unit 61 filling sleeve 62 housing 63 sealing piston 64 flange 7 screwing tool 71 drive 72 coupling 73 shaft 74 screwing bit 75 housing 76 piston 77 flange with vacuum-resistant rotary feedthrough 8 closure element