Liquid dispensing system comprising an unitary dispensing nozzle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11975348-B2
Application number	US-202017104200-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2020
Priority date	Dec 16, 2019
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

A liquid dispensing system for dispensing two or more liquids of different composition, viscosity, solubility and/or miscibility at high filling speeds into a container through a unitary dispensing nozzle to improve homogeneous mixing of such liquids, while said nozzle is an integral piece free of any movable parts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid dispensing system for dispensing two or more liquids into a container, comprising:
(A) a first liquid source for supplying a first liquid;
(B) a second liquid source for supplying a second liquid that is different from said first liquid in composition, viscosity, solubility, and/or miscibility;
(C) a unitary dispensing nozzle in fluid communication with said first and second liquid sources, said unitary dispensing nozzle is an integral piece free of any movable parts and comprises:
(a) a first end;
(b) a second, opposite end;
(c) one or more sidewalls between said first and second ends;
(d) a plurality of first flow passages for flowing the first liquid through said nozzle, wherein each of said first flow passages is defined by a respective one of a plurality of first inlets and a respective one of a plurality of first outlets; wherein said plurality of first inlets are located at the first end of said nozzle; and wherein said plurality of first outlets are located at the second end of said nozzle to generate a plurality of first liquid flows exiting the plurality of first outlets; and
(e) one or more second flow passages for flowing the second liquid through said nozzle, wherein each of said second flow passages is defined by a second inlet and a second outlet; wherein said second inlet(s) is/are located on or near at least one of said sidewalls; wherein said second outlet(s) is/are located at the second end of said nozzle so that said one or more second flow passages extend through said at least one of the sidewalls and the second end of said nozzle; and wherein said second outlet(s) is/are substantially surrounded by said plurality of first outlets such that the plurality of first liquid flows exiting the plurality of first outlets generate a liquid shroud around a second liquid flow exiting said second outlet(s) to reduce an instance of the second liquid flow depositing on a side of the container,

(D) a first valve assembly located at or near the first end of said unitary dispensing nozzle for opening and closing said one or more first flow passages; and
(E) a second valve assembly located at or near at least one of said sidewalls for opening and closing said one or more second flow passages.

2. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said first liquid source is controlled by a servo-driven pump.

3. The liquid dispensing system of claim 2 , wherein the servo-driven pump comprises a servo-driven positive displacement pump or a servo-driven rotary positive displacement pump.

4. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said first liquid source comprises a storage tank for storing said first liquid under atmospheric pressure.

5. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising a flowmeter for measuring the mass or volumetric flow rate of said first liquid supplied by the first liquid source to said unitary dispensing nozzle.

6. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said first valve assembly comprises: (i) an air cylinder having an internal piston that divides said air cylinder into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, wherein said piston is capable of moving up and down along said air cylinder when pressurized air is passed into the lower or upper chamber of said air cylinder; (ii) a spring; and (iii) a liquid plunger that is connected with and actuated by said spring and said internal piston of the air cylinder to move between a first position and a second, different position to open and close the one or more first flow passages of the unitary dispensing nozzle.

7. The liquid dispensing system of claim 6 , wherein said first valve assembly is actuated by a first remotely mounted pneumatic solenoid that is in fluid communication with a pressurized air supply for passing pressurized air into the lower or upper chamber of said air cylinder so as to effectuate movement of the internal piston.

8. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said second liquid source comprises a pressurized header for supplying said second liquid at an elevated pressure.

9. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said second liquid source is controlled by a servo-driven pump.

10. The liquid dispensing system of claim 9 , wherein the servo-driven pump comprises a servo-driven piston pump with a rotary valve.

11. The liquid dispensing system of claim 10 , wherein said the rotary valve of said servo-driven piston pump is actuated by a second remotely mounted pneumatic solenoid to alternate between a dosing mode and a dispensing mode; wherein in said dosing mode, a predetermined amount of said second liquid is dosed by said second liquid source into said servo-driven piston pump; and wherein in said dispensing mode, said predetermined amount of the second liquid is dispensed by said servo-driven piston pump to said unitary dispensing nozzle.

12. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said second valve assembly comprises an air-operated valve for opening and closing said one or more second flow passages of the unitary dispensing nozzle.

13. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said unitary dispensing nozzle is substantially free of dead space.

14. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of first outlets have a circular shape; and wherein said plurality of first flow passages are configured to form the plurality of first liquid flows that are substantially parallel to each other and substantially surround the second liquid flow formed by said one or more second flow passage.

15. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said unitary dispensing nozzle comprises a plurality of said first flow passages with a plurality of said first inlets and a plurality of said first outlets; wherein each of said first outlets have a crescent shape; and wherein second outlet(s) is/are located at or near the radius centers of the crescents formed by the first outlets.

16. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the first outlet(s) over the total cross-sectional area of the second outlet(s) ranges from about 5:1 to about 50:1.

17. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the first outlet(s) over the total cross-sectional area of the second outlet(s) ranges from about 15:1 to about 35:1.

18. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising a third liquid source for supplying a third liquid that is different from said first and second liquids in composition, viscosity, solubility, and/or miscibility; wherein said unitary dispensing nozzle is in fluid communication with said third liquid source; wherein said unitary dispensing nozzle further comprises one or more third flow passages for flowing said third liquid through said nozzle; wherein each of said third flow passages is defined by a third inlet and a third outlet; wherein said third inlet(s) is/are located on or near at least one of said sidewalls and is/are spaced apart from said second inlet(s); wherein said third outlet(s) is/are located at the second end of said nozzle, so that said one or more third flow passages extend through said at least one of the sidewalls and the second end of the nozzle; and wherein said third outlet(s) is/are substantially surrounded by said first outlet(s).

19. The liquid dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of first outlets and the second outlet(s) are configured such that the generated liquid shroud is a diverg

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Cacciatore Justin Thomas
• Gu Chong
• Capeci Scott William
• D'Haeseleer Ilse Maria Cyrilla
• Guida Vincenzo
• Ng Boon Ho
• Zhang Qi

Classifications

• B05B7/08 Primary

  with separate outlet orifices, e.g. to form parallel jets {, i.e. the axis of the jets being parallel}, to form intersecting jets {, i.e. the axis of the jets converging but not necessarily intersecting at a point} · CPC title

• B05B1/1609

  with a selecting mechanism comprising a lift valve (B05B1/1681 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05B1/3013

  Lift valves (B05B1/3033 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65B3/326 Primary

  for dosing several products to be mixed · CPC title

• B65B39/00

  Nozzles, funnels or guides for introducing articles or materials into containers or wrappers · CPC title