Remotely adjustable filling head

Claim 2

In a rotary packaging machine including a turntable having a plurality of operating stations for filling containers wherein a filling head at each station is provided for metering a quantity of material into a container, the improvement in means for adjusting the filling head while the machine is operating to vary the quality of material to be metered from the fillIng head to a container, said means comprising air operated means on said filling head having a rotating member and means for driving same in one direction responsive to one air signal to increase the quantity to be metered and in the opposite direction responsive to another air signal to decrease the quantity to be metered, a control panel having valve means and being connected to a source of air pressure to selectively discharge air signals, and a rotary union connected between said control panel and said air operated means including a stationary member for receiving the air signals and connected to the control panel and a movable member rotating with said turn-table discharging the air signals and connected to said air operated means.

Claim 3

The improvement defined in claim 1, wherein said rotating member of said air operated means includes a ratchet wheel portion, and said means for driving said rotating member includes first and second pneumatically driven pawls engagable with said ratchet wheel portion, one of said pawls for driving the ratchet wheel portion in one direction and the other of said pawls for driving it in the opposite direction.

Claim 4

The improvement defined in claim 2, wherein said control panel includes first and second valves for each air operated means to control air signals for said first and second pneumatically driven pawls.

Claim 5

The improvement defined in claim 1, wherein said rotating member of said air operated means includes a ratchet nut mounted on a threaded member and defining a stop for a quantity control member of the filling head, and said means for driving said rotating member includes first and second pneumatically driven pawls coacting with said ratchet nut, one of said pawls for driving the ratchet nut in one direction for increasing the quantity of material to be metered and the other of said pawls for driving the nut in the opposite direction for decreasing the quantity of material to be metered.

Claim 6

The improvement defined in claim 1, wherein the movable member of said rotary union is in the form of a manifold having an elongated cylindrical surface and includes inlets connected to said control panel, axially spaced outlets along said cylindrical surface, and said stationary member includes a plurality of stacked air rings on said cylindrical surface, each air ring having an annular groove inlet in communication with one of said outlets and an outlet port connected to an air operated means of a filling head.

Claim 7

In a rotary packaging machine including a rotatably driven turntable having a plurality of operating stations for filling containers wherein a filling head at each station is provided for metering a quantity of material into a container, each filling head including a threaded shaft and a control member movable relative to the shaft and controlling the quantity of material metered, the improvement in means for adjusting the filling head while the machine is operating to vary the quantity of material to be metered for a container, said means comprising nut means on the threaded shaft of said filling head defining a rotating stop member coacting with said control member and having first means for driving said stop member incrementally in one direction responsive to one signal to increase the material quantity to be metered and second means for driving same incrementally in the opposite direction responsive to another signal to decrease the material quantity to be metered, a control panel having manually operable selector means for producing said signals, and rotary connection means said control panel and said stop member driving means including a stationary member operably connected to said control panel and a movable member rotating with said turntable and operably connected to said first and second driving means, said rotary connection means serving to distribute signals from said control panel to one of said plurality of filling heads while said turntable is rotating.

Claim 8

In a rotary packaging machine including a rotatably driven turntable having a plurality of operating stations for filling containers wherein a filling head at each station is provided for metering a quantity of material into a container, each filling head including a threaded shaft and a control member movable relative to the shaft and controlling the quantity of material metered, the improvement in means for adjusting the filling head while the machine is operating to vary the quantity of material to be metered for a container, said means comprising nut means on the threaded shaft of said filling head defining a rotating stop member coacting with said control member and having first means for driving said stop member incrementally in one direction responsive to one signal to increase the material quantity to be metered and second means for driving same incrementally in the opposite direction responsive to another signal to decrease the material quantity to be metered, a control panel having manually operable selector means for producing said signals, and rotary connection means said control panel and said stop member driving means including a stationary member operably connected to said control panel and a movable member rotating with said turntable and operably connected to said first and second driving means, said rotary connection means serving to distribute signals from said control panel to one of said plurality of filling heads while said turntable is rotating.

Claim 9

The improvement defined in claim 6, whErein said stop member includes a ratchet wheel, and said first and second driving means includes first and second pawls engagable with said ratchet wheel.

Claim 10

The improvement defined in claim 7, wherein said first and second driving means includes pneumatically operable motors.

Claim 11

The improvement defined in claim 8, wherein said signal producing means of said control panel includes a source of air pressure and valve means connected to the source and the said connection means.

Claim 12

The improvement defined in claim 9, wherein said valve means include push-button actuators.

Claim 13

The improvement defined in claim 6, wherein the threaded shaft includes a longitudinal slot and the control member includes a stop pin movable in the slot, and the adjusting means includes a pin movable in the slot and preventing relative rotation between the shaft and adjusting means.

Claim 14

The improvement defined in claim 6, wherein said nut means includes a first generally semi-cylindrical portion having a smooth face, a second generally semi-cylindrical portion having a threaded face, and means moving said portions relative each other to cause the nut means to be in or out of threaded engagement with the threaded shaft of the filling machine.