EP-4739934-A2 - A VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR A FILLER MACHINE

Abstract

A valve assembly for a filler machine includes a valve body which is cylindrical and defines a first passage and a second passage and has a first valve seat and a second valve seat, respectively in the first and second passages. The valve assembly includes a mechanical actuator provided at one end of the valve body, a mechanical linkage connected to the mechanical actuator, and a first valve head and a second valve head connected to the mechanical linkage such that the valve heads are displaceable via the mechanical linkage in response to a mechanical input. The first valve head is provided in or at the first passage and is configured to engage the first valve seat thereby to seal the first valve passage and the second valve head is provided in or at the second passage and is configured to engage the second valve seat thereby to seal the second valve passage. The mechanical linkage is configured such that when one of the first or second valve heads engages its respective first or second valve seat, the other of the second or first valve heads is spaced away from its respective second or first valve seat, such that when either the first or second passage is sealed, the other of the second or first passage is open.

Inventors

• Van Vreden, Gary, Malcom
• Van Vreden, Melchizedek, Byron, Malcom

Assignees

• Van Vreden, Gary, Malcom
• Van Vreden, Melchizedek, Byron, Malcom

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240701

Claims (20)

1. 1. A valve assembly for a filler machine configured to dispense flowable material into a container, the valve assembly including: a valve body which is cylindrical and defines a longitudinal axis, the valve body being configured to be accommodated within a valve housing of the filler machine, wherein: the valve body defines two passages therethrough, namely a first passage and a second passage; and two valve seats, namely a first valve seat and a second valve seat, are defined respectively in the first and second passages; and a mechanical actuator provided at one end of the valve body, the mechanical actuator being configured to receive a mechanical input; a mechanical linkage connected to the mechanical actuator; and two valve heads, namely a first valve head and a second valve head, connected to the mechanical linkage such that the valve heads are displaceable via the mechanical linkage in response to the mechanical input from the mechanical actuator, wherein: the first valve head is provided in or at the first passage and is configured to engage the first valve seat thereby to seal the first valve passage; the second valve head is provided in or at the second passage and is configured to engage the second valve seat thereby to seal the second valve passage; and the mechanical linkage is configured such that when one of the first or second valve heads engages its respective first or second valve seat, the other of the second or first valve heads is spaced away from its respective second or first valve seat, such that when either the first or second passage is sealed, the other of the second or first passage is open.
2. 2. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , in which the mechanical linkage includes an axle provided in the valve body, the valve heads being attached to the axle.
3. 3. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the valve heads are fixedly attached to the axle and radially spaced therefrom.
4. 4. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the axle is radially centrally offset from, that is parallel to but not co-axial with, the longitudinal axis.
5. 5. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , in which the passages, or at least parts thereof, are arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis.
6. 6. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , in which the valve seats are directed in opposite directions to each other, and the valve heads are similarly arranged in opposite directions to each other.
7. 7. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , in which the valve seats are removable and the valve body defines seat locating formations to accommodate the valve seats.
8. 8. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , in which each of the valve heads has a curved or rounded face.
9. 9. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , in which the valve body defines a keying formation configured to cooperate with a complemental keying formation provided by the filler machine, thereby to prevent rotational displacement of the valve body relative to the filler machine.
10. 10. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 9, in which the keying formation of the valve body is an outwardly projecting formation.
11. 11. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 9, in which the valve body includes plural oppositely-arranged keying formations.
12. 12. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , in which the valve body comprises plural sections connected together.
13. 13. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 12, in which the sections are separable and connectable together by means of fasteners, the sections being in the form of cylindrical longitudinally spaced segments or discs.
14. 14. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , which includes one or more sealing members in the form of one or more O-rings provided on an exterior of the valve body, the valve body defining one or more grooves to accommodate the one or more sealing members.
15. 15. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , in which the valve heads are reciprocable, or configured to be oscillated, between two positions, namely: a first position in which the first valve head engages the first valve seat and blocks the first passage while the second valve head is spaced away from the second valve seat and the second passage is open; and a second position in which the second valve head engages the second valve seat and blocks the second passage while the first valve head is spaced away from the first valve seat and the first passage is open.
16. 16. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the axle and the mechanical actuator are configured to rotate or oscillate in opposite directions.
17. 17. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 16, which includes a mechanical convertor as part of the mechanical linkage to convert the input from the mechanical actuator into one or more of a different direction of rotation, rotation about a different axis, or from rotary to linear motion or vice versa.
18. 18. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 17, in which the mechanical convertor includes one or more of a cam and cam follower, a crank mechanism, or gears.
19. 19. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 , in which the valve sleeve is of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene).
20. 20. A valve housing configured to accommodate the valve assembly as claimed in claim 9, the valve housing comprising the complemental keying formation for accommodating the keying formation of the valve sleeve.

Description

A Valve Assembly for a Filler Machine FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to automated dispensing of food or beverage by a filler machine into a container. More specifically, the invention is for a valve assembly for the filler machine. BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Filler machines for dispensing food or beverage into a container (e.g., a tin, can, bottle, etc.) are well known in the art. Examples of such machines are a rotary piston filler, a linear piston filler, and a gravity-fed filler. These filler machines are used in automated production lines for filling several containers at a time, and often have plural filling stations. Larger filler machines can fill hundreds of separate containers per minute. The containers may be filled sequentially or in parallel, depending on the configuration of the filler machine. Each station in the filler machine usually has its own valve, and there may thus be plural valves per machine, depending on how many stations there are. Each valve is placed within a valve housing with which it sealingly cooperates. The valve defines two passages; the first passage is configured to conduct the food or beverage from a main supply line to a temporary storage area; the second passage is configured to conduct the food or beverage from the temporary storage area to the container. The valve (or valve assembly) includes a valve body of metal (e.g., steel) around a valve sleeve or softer material, usually a polymer. The valve body and valve sleeve are fixed together and configured to rotate within the valve housing. Accordingly, the sliding interface is provided between an outer face of the valve sleeve and an inner face of the valve housing. The valve body has an axially offset cam follower at one end and the valve is driven to reciprocate between two positions. In a first position, apertures in the valve housing align with the first passage (therefore allowing passage therethrough) but the second passage is blocked by the valve housing. In a second position, different apertures in the valve housing align with the second passage (therefore allowing passage therethrough) but the first passage is blocked by the valve housing. A rate of reciprocation may vary based on the particular filler machine and food or beverage being filled, but it may be a complete reciprocation (from the first position to the second and back to the first again) once every 1-2 seconds. This may go on for hours. Although various seals may be provided, some of the food or beverage gets in the sliding interface between the valve and valve housing, causing wear. The rate of wear may depend on the type of food or beverage being filled. For example, where food is being processed, there may be undissolved (or partially dissolved) solids or particulate matter. This may be because the food is not fully cooked, seasoning has been added, the food is naturally fibrous, etc. Even beverages may contain pulp or fibres. These particles (whatever their source) tend to abrade the outer face of the valve sleeve and/or inner face of the valve housing, that is, the faces of the sliding interface. As the valve sleeve is usually softer (being of a polymer), this may wear first. This causes a gap to develop in the sliding interface as material from the valve sleeve is abraded away, which tends to reduce the sealing action, allowing more food or beverage material to enter. This is evidenced by a gradual leak at first, the rate of which increases as the valve sleeve wears further. This leak in itself leads to wastage, but can further lead to under- or over-filling of the container, leading to further wastage (or even bursting of the container downstream in the production line). The valves therefore need to be serviceable (or modular, replaceable, sacrificial, etc.). Additionally, the particles can begin to abrade or etch the inner face of the valve housing. Although it is of stainless steel and therefore stronger and harder than the valve sleeve, it is not impervious. Wear in the valve housing is more serious than wear on the valve sleeve, as the valve housing is a more permanent fixture. Nonetheless, the valve housing can be replaced, but it is more difficult and costly, and usually results in more downtime, compared to replacing the valve or valve sleeve only. In more extreme cases, if the valve is not serviced or replaced timeously, more food or beverage material may enter the sliding interface, and the reciprocating action churns the material into a paste, increasing friction between the valve sleeve and the valve housing, which can cause the valve to seize. This usually then causes damage to the cam follower on the valve or, even worse, to the cam on the filler machine. Any maintenance action, including merely cleaning the valve or valve housing, requires a pause in the production line. This is obviously undesirable as it impacts not only the specific station in which the valve is, but all the stations of the filler machine (as the