PRODUCTS

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus which doses and distributes liquid, semi-liquid and emulsified products which are supplied from a plurality of feeding lines and are directed to a plurality of users. More products can be directed to the same user and they can be either compatible or incompatible with each others.

More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus which can distribute predetermined sequences of various products each different from the other both in relation to quality or quantity. For example, sequences of different coloured paints and of chemical, food or petrol products directed to one or more users, even if placed at a long distance from the feeding lines of the products.

Background of the art

At present, liquid products are distributed by rigid pipelines having pneumatic or electric valves. One or more valves connect the pipeline of each product with a dosing system, of the volumetric or mass type, and with a pump which sends the product towards the distributing lines (also these lines are made of rigid material like steel or rigid PVC). For each final user a three way valve and a further two way valve are provided to expell a washing solvent. In a further known system, the delivery apparatus is connected to several valves placed beside a rail and which can be selected by a tube integral with a rail truck.

A drawback of the known systems is the large number of pipelines and valves which are required to distribute a number of different products to a considerable number of final users. It is evident that this large number of pipelines and valves involves both extra costs and bigger overall dimensions of the apparatus. Furthermore, the efficiency of the system decreases, the maintenance is difficult and the operation time is longer.

Aim of the invention The aim of the invention is to overcome said drawbacks by an apparatus to dose and distribute liquid, semi-liquid and emulsified products. The apparatus can be

easily connected to a plurality of feeding lines and final users by means of few pipelines and valves and has reduced overall dimensions. More specifically, the apparatus is able to distribute sequences of incompatible products, and also chemically aggressive products. Furthermore, the apparatus offers a very high accuracy together with short operation times. Summary of the invention

Said aims have been achieved according to the invention by an apparatus which collects, doses and distributes liquid, semi-liquid and emulsified products. The apparatus consists of a first collecting assembly connected with a plurality of product feeding lines and having an element selecting said feeding lines. The selected product can pass from the feeding line to a dosing assembly and then to a distributing assembly. The dosing assembly doses a predetermined quantity of the selected product and sends the same to the distributing assembly which is selectively connected with a plurality of user lines by means of a movable selecting element.

According to the invention the portion of the hydraulic circuit which is defined by the output of the feeding lines and the output of the dosing assembly is always filled with liquids, in order to perform quick and accurate measurements of whatever small quantities of the selected product. Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be better described with reference to the following non-limitative drawings, in which:

- fig.1 shows a side view of the collecting assembly of the invention;

- figs.2, 2a respectively show a front and a side sectional view of the assembly of fjg.1 ;

- fig.3 shows a side view of the distributing assembly of the invention;

- figs. 4a-4c respectively show a side view of a connecting valve to the feeding lines and a side view of the movable and of the fix element of the valve;

- fig.5 schematically shows the apparatus of the invention. Detailed description of the invention

With reference to the attached drawings the apparatus of the invention comprises:

J -

- a collecting assembly 1 , illustrated in figs. 1 , 2, 2a, which comprises a fixed part 2 having connections 3 to the feeding lines of the products to be distributed, and a selecting element 4 movable in respect of the part 2. The assembly 1 comprises also a safety cover 60 in order to avoid any accidental risks for the operator. - a dosing and delivering assembly 5, illustrated in fig.5, which is placed downstream from the collecting assembly 1 and is equipped with a flow-meter 6 and a pump 7 to deliver the selected product.

- a distributing assembly 1', illustrated in fig.3, comprising a fixed part 8 connected to the various final users and a movable selecting element 9 to selectively connect an user. Also assembly 1 ' comprises a safety cover 60'.

Furthermore, the apparatus comprises an air venting device of the fluid which flows from the collecting assembly towards the dosing assembly. The venting device comprises an upper tank 10 with a level sensor B1 (preferably a float) and lower valves V1 and S respectively to vent the air and to discharge the fluid. The venting device guaraπtes the complete filling of the duct portion in which the dosing assembly 5 works. Downstream from the dosing assembly, a pressurized air source 11 is provided to reduce the amount of the solving fluid required to wash the pipelines and to ensure that the product will be received even by distant users (more than 200 meters of distance between user and distributing assembly). In more details and with reference to figures 1 , 2A, 2B, said fixed part 2 is approximately disk shaped and supports the connections 3 of the product feeding lines, which are connected to corresponding housings 16 of the external portion of part 2, each of them housing a valve 17. Part 2 presents two circular housings 12, 13, the first one housing the engine 14 which drives the rotational motion of the selecting element 4, and the second one housing an actuator 15 which drives the horizontal motion of the selecting element 4. Housings 16 communicate with an internal annular cavity 18 to which the solving liquid feeding line 19 pours in. Valves 17, which will be better described, present passages 20-20' and 21 -21' leading to the outlet way 22 the liquid product coming from lines 3 and the solvent liquid coming from cavity 18.

The selecting element 4 is constitued by a preferably tilted arm 23 integral to a central rotating shaft 24 The end of the arm supports an actuator 25 acting by a junction element 26 on the valve 17 corresponding to the selected feeding line A second balancing arm 27 is also provided, symmetrical to the arm 23 and having a stop plate 28 which is adjustable at a predetermined distance from a fix point of part 2 A cylindrical gear wheel 29 is mounted on shaft 24 and is engaged with a gear pinion 30 driven in rotational motion by the engine 14 The horizontal motion of the arm 23 is ensured by the actuator 15, integral to the fixed part 2 and acting on the shaft 24 Arm 23 and shaft 24 are connected by a joint 50 wich moves with the horizontal motion of the arm 23 Joint 50 is rotationally mounted on shaft 24 by low friction sheets, preferably made of teflon, and o-πng sealings which allow the liquids to pass from arm 23 into the shaft 24

Junction element 26, arm 23, joint 50 and the external portion of shaft 24 are hollow elements which constitute the first part of the product and solvent's path towards the dosing assembly With reference to figure 5, the disposition of the dosing assembly 5, separated from the collecting assembly by a valve V2, is schematically illustrated Upstream the assembly 5, the apparatus comprises a venting device for the air which could be mixed in the duct together with the liquid during the selecting operation of the feeding line, a delivery pump 7 and a measuring device 6 The dosing assembly is separated from a valve V3 downstream from which a pressurized air source 11 and a distributing assembly 1 ' are provided The distributing assembly 1', shown in figure 3, is similar and operates similarly to the collecting assembly 1 exeption for the absence of valves 17 It is connected to a plurality of user lines by connections 31 which are arranged near the external portion of a disk shaped fixed part 8 and which can be selected by a movable selecting element 9 substantially similar to the already described element 4

Figures 4A-4C illustrate one of the valves 17 which are utilized to select the product supplied by a feeding line 3 or the liquid solvent coming from the annular cavity 18, and to send the selected liquid towards the dosing assembly

A valve 17 according to the invention constists of a substantially cylindrical external sleeve 32, preferably made of "Teflon" (registered trademark), having two lateral passage holes 20', 21' situated on a couple of diametrically opposed generatix of the sleeve 32 and at different longitudinal points The position of holes 20', 21' correspond respectively to the inlet opening of the cavity 18 supplying the liquid solvent and to the inlet opening of the product feeding lines connections 3. In the described embodiment, sleeve 32 is fixed to the part 2 by an external threaded end 39 and a corresponding blocking nut 39'. An hollow cylinder 33 can be inserted sliding with precision inside the sleeve 32. The cylinder 33 presents two passage holes 20, 21 , longitudinally aligned and placed at the same distance one from the other than the holes 20'-21'. When the cylinder 33 is completely inserted into sleeve 32 and touches the internal side of the end 39, the longitudinal position of holes 20, 21 corresponds to the longitudinal position of holes 20' and 21". To guarantee a leak-proof passage of the fluids, seven housings 34-35 and 36-37 able to house an equal number of o-ring sealings are provided. According to the invention, housings 34 and 35, and the corresponding o-rings, are placed around the external openings of the holes 20 and 21. The remaining five o-rings are inserted inside the conventional housings 36 coaxial to cylinder 33 and placed at the ends and in the middle of the valve. Sleeve 32 is also equipped with five external o-rings 37 to be inserted into housings 16 of fixed part 2 so that it is sealed.

The assembling of sleeve 32 and cylinder 33 is completed by a threaded plug 38, preferably made of Teflon (registered trademark), having a conical internal shape, and by a trasversal pin 40 fitted into corresponding lateral slots 41 of the cylinder 33.

The valve is operated by a fork 42 which is part of the junction element 26 of the selecting element 4. The fork engages with pin 40 while an externally conical surface 43 of the junction element 26, preferably made of steel, is sealingly joined to the internal surface of the plug 38. The junction element 26 of the actuator 25 can rotate the cylinder 33 so that either holes 20-20' and 21-21' are alternatively

superimposed or the valve is set in a neutral position such that both the holes are blinded.

In the apparatus operation, valves 17 are initially in the neutral position and the duct portion defined by the inlet opening of the arm 23 and the valve V2 is empty because it has been discharged by the valve S. After that arm 23 has selected a product line (and the arm 23' has selected an user) the corresponding valve is opened by the actuator 25 and the solvent line (holes 21-21' superimposed) is selected. At this moment, the venting valve V1 is open and valves S and V 2 are closed. When sensor B1 indicates that the tank 10 is full (it means that the duct portion between collecting assembly and the valve V2 is free of air), the valve V1 is opened, V 2 and V3 open and the valve 17 is set in the product line position (the holes 20-20' superimposed). Pump 7 starts to work and, at the same time, the flow-meter 6 measures the product flow. Advantageously, at the working pressures, both the liquid and the semi-liquid products are incompressible and any air has been removed, so that the measurement performed exactly represents the incoming flow of the product into the apparatus.

When the predetermined quantity of product has been sent, the valve 17 is set again in the solvent position and the proper quantity of solvent (depending on the product density and on the distance of the selected user) is sent to wash the ducts.

At this moment valves V2 and V3 close, the pump 7 stops and the duct portion defined by the valves V2-V3 is full of solvent. Then, valves S and V1 open, valve 17 is set in the neutral position and the arm 23 of the collecting assembly moves back. While the arm 23 selects, if requested, a new product line, valve V4 is opened and pressurized air is introduced to send the product to the user. The following is the complete sequence of the fluids which are sent by the apparatus:

- solvent: in the minimum quantity required to fill the duct portion between valve 17 and valve V2;

- the selected product to be sent to the user: in the predetermined quantity;

- solvent, in a proper quantity, depending on the viscosity of the product which has been sent and on the distance of the selected user, in order to completely wash the duct,

- pressurized air in the quantity requested by the user distance The pressurized air is usefull in order to reduce the required quantity of solvent and to trasport the product to the user at a speed which depends only on the product viscosity Thus, the present apparatus allows the operator to send sequences of products each different from the other and separated by predetermined quantity of solvent However, when two or more products mutually compatible have to be sent one after the other, only the solvent quantity needed to fill the duct portion between valves 17 and V2 is required, and one only washing operation and one air delivery are required when the operation has been completed In the present invention, the opening time of the valves, the type and the quantity of the fluids to be sent, the operation of the movable elements (namely of the selecting elements 4 and 9 and of the valves 17), and of the delivery pump 7 are managed and controlled by specifically developped software and hardware electronic equipment The electronic equipment allows the operator to perform a continuous check of the apparatus, by which possible wastes are revealed Furthermore, the timing of the various operations can be controlled in order to recovery any hysteresis of the components This is obtained substantially by the removal of any idle time and improving the rapidity and the accuracy of the system In particular, the apparatus is suitable for different uses because the pump speed and the quantities of solvent and of pressurized air which have to be sent can be automatically adjusted depending on the characteristics of the various fluids being sent

With the present apparatus it is then possible to obtain a considerable high flow in a short operation time, also because the only idle time is due to the filling of the duct portion between the valves 17 and V2 However, this idle time is of the order of a second, while, for example, the overall time required to send a sequence of products to a user which is distant approximately 100 meters from the apparatus,

is inside the range of 30-90 seconds. It is also to be noted that the traditional apparatus require, for the same operation, a time of approximately five minutes. Further advantages are due to the fact that the only limitations on the use of the apparatus according to the invention is the dimension of the ducts, but all the described devices are suitable to work with any flows, pressures and distances. It is also to be noted that the accuracy of the quantity of product which is sent to the user is the same as the ineherent accuracy of the mesunng device 6 employed, for any kind and any amount of product. The present invention has been described in a prefered embodiment but it is evident that modifications can be made without stepping outside of the scope of the invention