CN218507546U

CN218507546U - Filling facility

Info

Publication number: CN218507546U
Application number: CN202221213420.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马库斯·舍恩菲尔德
Original assignee: Krones AG
Current assignee: Krones AG
Priority date: 2021-05-21
Filing date: 2022-05-20
Publication date: 2023-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 2032-05-20
Also published as: EP4091983A1; DE102021113361A1

Abstract

The utility model relates to a filling facility, it is used for filling the container of waiting to fill with filling product and seal the filled container with the container closure, include: a filler having a filler carousel which is rotatable relative to a vertically oriented central axis of rotation, on the circumference of which at least one filling device for filling containers to be filled with a filling product and a container holding device associated with the filling device are provided; and a closure directly downstream of the filler in the conveying direction of the filled and to-be-closed containers, which has a closure carousel that is rotatable relative to a central axis of rotation, on the circumference of which a closure device for closing the containers to be closed with container closures and a container receptacle associated with the closure device are provided, wherein the axis of rotation of the closure is inclined relative to the vertical.

Description

Filling facility

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a filling system for filling a container to be filled with a filling product and subsequently closing the filled container with a container closure.

Background

It is known to fill a filling product, for example a non-carbonated or carbonated beverage, into a container to be filled by means of a filling facility and then to close the filled container with a container closure. For this purpose, the containers to be filled are fed to a filler, in which the containers are filled with the respective filling product, i.e. beverage. The filled container is then transported away from the filler and to a closure, in which the filled container is closed with a container closure.

A common filling plant has a filler and a closure, which are each formed in a circular rotor configuration. They therefore each comprise a carousel which rotates about a horizontally oriented, central axis of rotation, on the circumference of which a plurality of processing devices and respectively associated container holders or container receptacles are arranged. For transferring the containers, at least one transport star is provided between the filler and the closure.

In such filling plants, with increased capacity, and therefore with increased throughput of containers, challenges arise in particular with regard to the transfer of filled and unsealed containers from a filler to a closure.

Due to the influence of centrifugal forces and in particular centrifugal force changes on the containers and the filling product located inside them, in the case of high conveying speeds of the containers transported by the filling installation, an overflow of filling product or nitrogen gas filled into the neck region of the filled and unsealed container can result.

In order to be able to meet the demands for higher output or throughput, the transport stars and the turntables of the filler and the closure, which are arranged upstream, between and downstream of the filler and the closure, can be constructed with increasingly larger diameters, which leads to larger and more expensive structures for the manufacture and during the operation of the filling installation and correspondingly to higher costs. Due to the increasing size of the turntables, correspondingly more and more precise or sophisticated machines are required in order to be able to handle the containers appropriately and to transport them through the filling plant, in particular without the containers forming a carrying ring.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Starting from the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved filling installation for filling containers with a filling product.

The object is achieved by a filling installation for filling containers with a filling product having the features of the invention. Advantageous refinements emerge from the description and the drawing.

Accordingly, a filling installation is proposed for filling a container to be filled with a filling product and closing the filled container with a container closure, comprising: a filler having a filler carousel which is rotatable relative to a vertically oriented central axis of rotation, on the circumference of which at least one filling device for filling containers to be filled with a filling product and container holding means associated with the filling device are provided; and a closure directly downstream of the filler in the conveying direction of the filled and to-be-closed containers, the closure having a closure carousel which is rotatable relative to a central axis of rotation, a closure device for closing the to-be-closed containers with container closures and a container receptacle associated with the closure device being provided on the circumference of the carousel. According to the invention, the axis of rotation of the closure is inclined with respect to the vertical.

The axis of rotation of the closure is inclined with respect to the vertical, in such a way that: at least some parts of the closure are tipped out of a possible impact area between the filler and the closure. Thus, the closure can be arranged directly downstream of the filler. The container filled in the filler can thus be delivered directly to the closure without any transport device, for example a transport star, being arranged between the filler and the closure, as seen in the transport direction of the container, and the filler, in particular the filling device arranged on the filler, and/or the closure, in particular the closure arranged on the closure, need not be constructed in a significantly more complicated manner. Accordingly, the filling system can be constructed in a simple manner and at the same time is constructed as a container which can provide a high throughput.

The term "vertical line" is understood as a direction extending substantially parallel to the direction of gravity. Accordingly, "vertical" defines an orientation parallel to the direction of gravity. In this connection, the terms "horizontal" and "horizontal" are understood to be oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction of gravity.

It has proven advantageous, according to a preferred embodiment, for the axis of rotation of the closure to be inclined with respect to the vertical by a preset angle of inclination

Wherein the angle of inclination

Preferably from 0 ° to 30 °, particularly preferably from 1 ° to 20 ° and very particularly preferably 15 °.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the filler and the closure are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other in the horizontal connecting direction, wherein the circular portion of the filler (Teilkreis), on which the container to be filled is transported with its longitudinal or central axis, and the circular portion of the closure, on which the container to be closed is transported with its longitudinal or central axis, are in contact or tangent, wherein the predetermined distance preferably corresponds to the distance of the rotational axis of the filler from the vertical central axis of the closure.

Preferably, the axis of rotation of the closure is oriented such that the closure carousel is inclined with its upper side substantially away from the filler. In other words, the upper side of the closure disc is inclined in a direction oriented radially outwards with respect to the rotational axis of the filler. In particular, therefore, the components of the closure which are arranged in the upper region of the closure, such as the closure device and its drive, are inclined away from the filler in a receiving section of the usable processing angle of the closure, in which the closure receives the filled container from the filler, so as to lie outside the potential impact region.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the axis of rotation of the closure is oriented such that the angle of inclination is such that

With perpendicular angular components

The perpendicular angular component is defined by the projection of the vertical central axis and the axis of rotation onto a plane oriented perpendicular to the connecting direction, wherein the perpendicular angular component

Preferably in the range from 0 ° to 10 °, preferably from 0 ° to 3 °, particularly preferably from 1 ° to 3 °, and very particularly preferably 1.5 °. This inclination of the axis of rotation of the closure shows a particularly positive effect on the centrifugal force of the container held in the closure.

Preferably, the upper side of the closure carousel is in this case inclined in a direction tangential to the conveying direction at the transfer point of the container from the filler to the closure, wherein the transfer point preferably corresponds to the intersection of the circular portion of the closure with the connecting direction.

Alternatively or additionally, the axis of rotation of the closure can be oriented such that the angle of inclination is

With parallel angular components

The parallel angular components are defined by the vertical central axes and the projection of the rotation axis onto a plane formed by the connecting direction and the central axes, wherein the parallel angular components

Preferably in the range from 0 ° to 30 °, preferably from 0 ° to 20 °, particularly preferably from 1 ° to 20 °20 ° and more particularly preferably 5 °, 10 ° or 15 °. This makes it possible to: the parts of the closure are inclined away from the filler, viewed radially with respect to the filler.

Preferably, the upper side of the closure carousel is thus inclined in a direction which is directed radially with respect to the conveying direction of the containers from the filler to the closure at a transfer point, which preferably corresponds to the intersection of the circular portion of the closure with the connecting direction, i.e. parallel to the connecting direction, away from the filler.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the closure device is pivoted out of the receiving section of the usable processing angle of the closure, in which the filled containers are successively transferred from the filler to the container receptacle of the closure, at least partially from the component with respect to the filler, in particular the impact region of the filling device, as a result of the tilting of the closure carousel away from the filler.

According to a further preferred embodiment, a plurality of filling devices are arranged on the filler carousel at regular intervals from one another along the circumference thereof, wherein a container holding device is associated with each filling device, and a plurality of closure devices are arranged on the filler carousel at regular intervals from one another along the circumference thereof, wherein a container receptacle is associated with each closure device.

Preferably, in this case, the indexing (Teilung) of the closure carousel corresponds to the indexing of the filler carousel. The containers held by the container holding means of the filler can thus be transferred directly to the container receptacles of the closure without separate devices, such as radially or tangentially movable clamps at the container receptacles and/or the container holding means, being required for this purpose.

The term "indexing" is understood to mean the distance of two adjacent container holders or container receptacles from one another in the circumferential direction with respect to the respective axis of

rotation

306, 202.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the filler carousel and the closure carousel are designed for delivering filled containers directly from the container holding device to the container receptacle.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the upper part of the closure comprises a guide device for presetting the height position of at least one closure device, wherein the guide device preferably comprises a guide rail which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a carrier of the closure, which is height-adjustable together with the closure carousel, and a guide element of the closure device which engages with the guide rail, wherein the carrier of the closure is arranged rotationally fixed relative to the rotational axis of the closure. If a plurality of closing devices are provided, each of the closing devices preferably comprises its own guide element.

In order to be able to adjust or set the predetermined distance between the closure disc and the filler disc, the closure can preferably comprise a base frame and a slide, wherein the slide is movable in the connecting direction towards and away from the filler via a linear bearing, wherein the distance of the closure disc relative to the filler can be set by means of the linear bearing.

In order to be able to adjust or set the inclination of the closure relative to the vertical, the closure can preferably comprise a carrier which is arranged on a base frame of the closure, preferably on a carriage of the base frame, pivotably about a horizontal pivot axis by means of a pivot bearing, wherein the inclination angle can be set by means of the pivot bearing

In order to be able to adjust or set the height position of the closure carousel, the closure can preferably comprise a height adjustment device for presetting the height position of the closure carousel in the direction of the axis of rotation. Alternatively, the height adjustment device can also be designed to preset the height position of the closure carousel or carrier in the direction of the vertical center axis.

The closure can preferably comprise: an azimuth bearing for setting the angular position of the carrier about a vertical center axis relative to a horizontal connecting direction, and/or a second pivot bearing, which preferably has a horizontal second pivot axis oriented perpendicular to the pivot axis of the first pivot bearing.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the closure comprises a locking unit for locking the pivoting bearing and/or a locking unit for locking the linear bearing and/or a locking unit for locking the height adjustment and/or a locking unit for locking the azimuth bearing or the second pivoting bearing. The position of the closure disc relative to the filler disc can thus be maintained in a fixed state after its adjustment, without the position of the closure disc changing during operation.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the pivoting support and/or the linear support and/or the height adjustment and/or the orientation support or the second pivoting support respectively comprise a drive unit, preferably a motor-driven drive unit, preferably a spindle drive and/or a manually operable drive unit, preferably a spindle, for adjusting the current position of the closure carousel in the respective direction.

It has proven to be advantageous to orient the containers held in the container holders in each case in a transfer region of the filler, at least in the transfer point, with their longitudinal axes parallel to the axis of rotation of the closure and/or parallel to the orientation of the container receptacles, wherein the filled containers are successively transferred from the container holders to the closure in said transfer region.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the container holders are preferably arranged pivotably on the filler carousel via a substantially horizontally oriented pivot axis extending tangentially with respect to the circumferential direction, wherein the filler preferably has a guide for presetting the orientation of the container holders and/or an own drive for pivoting is associated with each container holder.

Drawings

Other preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth in the detailed description below of the drawings. Shown here are:

fig. 1 schematically shows a top view of a filling installation for filling beverages;

fig. 2 schematically shows a lateral sectional view through the filling system in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a detailed lateral view of the filling system in fig. 2;

fig. 4 schematically shows a further side detail view of the filling system in fig. 2;

fig. 5 schematically shows a further side detail view of the filling system in fig. 2;

fig. 6 schematically shows a further side detail view of the filling system in fig. 2;

fig. 7 schematically shows a further side detail view of the filling system in fig. 2;

fig. 8 schematically shows a side sectional view through a closure device of a closure of the filling plant according to fig. 1 and 2;

FIG. 9 schematically shows another cross-sectional view of the closure device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 schematically shows a detail view in FIG. 8; and

fig. 11 schematically shows a detail view in fig. 9.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the same, similar or identically functioning elements are provided with the same reference numerals in different drawings, and overlapping description of these elements is partially omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a top view of a filling system 100 for filling containers to be filled with a filling product and subsequently closing the filled containers with container closures.

The filling installation 100 comprises a filler 300 in the form of a circular rotor and a closure 200 in the form of a circular rotor located downstream of the filler 300 in the conveying direction 101 of the subsequently filled and to-be-closed containers, and an entry star 110 located upstream of the filler 300 in the conveying direction 100, from which entry star the containers to be filled are transferred to the filler 300. Furthermore, a removal belt 120 is provided to which the filled and sealed containers are delivered from the closure 200 and are removed by means of the removal belt 120.

The filler 300 comprises a filler carousel 304 which is rotatable relative to a central, preferably vertically oriented, axis of rotation 306, on the circumference of which a plurality of filling devices 310 are arranged regularly spaced apart from one another for filling the containers with a filling product, here a beverage.

Alternatively to the vertical orientation of the axis of rotation 306, the axis of rotation can also be formed at an angle to the vertical, preferably at an angle of between 0 ° and 15 °.

Associated with each filling device 310 is a container holder (not shown here) arranged below it as viewed in the direction of gravity, in which the containers to be filled are each held for filling and are positioned relative to the filling device 310.

The filler 300 comprises a receiving section 301 of the available processing angle, in which receiving section 301 the containers to be filled are transferred successively from the inlet star 110 to the container holding device. A filling section 302 of the available processing angle, in which the containers to be filled are filled by a corresponding filling device 310, is located downstream of the receiving section 301 in the conveying direction 101. Following the filling section, a delivery section 303 is provided with the available machining angles, in which the filled containers are delivered to the closure 200.

The closure 200 comprises a closure carousel 201 which is rotatable relative to a central axis of rotation 202, on the circumference of which carousel 201 a plurality of closure devices 210 for closing the filled and to-be-closed containers with container closures, in this case rotating closures, rolling closures or pressing closures, are arranged regularly spaced apart from one another.

Associated with each closure device 210 is a container receptacle (not shown here), in which a filled container is held by the closure 200 during transport.

The container receiving part of the closure 200 and/or the container holding means of the filler 300 can comprise, for example, passive clips and/or peg boards and/or clips with an active capability, which can be actively opened and closed. The container receptacle can be designed for neck treatment, i.e. for holding the container to be held at the neck region, and/or for bottom treatment, i.e. for holding the container to be held at its bottom and/or belly region.

The closure 200 comprises a usable processing-angle receiving section 204, in which the filled and to-be-closed containers are successively transferred from the filler 300 to the container receptacles of the closure 200. A treatment section 205, in which container closures are provided for the containers by a corresponding closure device 210, is arranged downstream of the receiving section 204 in the conveying direction 101. Connected to the processing section 205 is a delivery section 206, in which the filled and closed containers are delivered to the removal belt 120.

Viewed in the conveying direction 101, a pick-up section 207 is arranged between the delivery section 206 and the receiving section 204, in which pick-up sections the closure devices 210 each receive a container closure fed from a closure feed.

The filler 300 and the closure 200 are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other such that the circular portion 307 of the filler 300, on which the container to be filled is transported with its central or longitudinal axis, and the circular portion 208 of the closure 200, on which the container to be closed is transported with its central or longitudinal axis, are in contact or tangent. Accordingly, the filled container is delivered directly from the filler 300 to the closure 200 without any transfer equipment, such as a transfer star or a transport star, being provided between the filler 300 and the closure 200.

In the present case, the mentioned predetermined distance relates to a distance extending along a horizontal connecting direction 130, which extends between the rotational axis 306 of the filler and the vertically oriented central axis 227 of the closure 200. The mentioned preset distance thus corresponds to the distance between the axis of rotation 306 and the vertical central axis 227.

Preferably, in this case, the indexing of the closure disc 201 corresponds to the indexing of the filler disc 304. By "indexing" is understood the distance of two adjacent container holders or container receptacles from one another in the circumferential direction with respect to the respective axis of

rotation

306, 202.

The axis of rotation 202 of the closure carousel 201 and the corresponding closure carousel 201 are inclined with respect to a vertical line, i.e. with respect to a vertical central axis 227 extending in the direction of gravity, in the present case by a preset angle of inclination

Accordingly, the closure carousel 201 is tilted with respect to the vertical rotation axis 306 of the filler 300. Currently, the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200 is oriented such that the closure carousel 201 is tilted with its upper side substantially away from the filler 300 or points away from the filler.

The axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200 is preferably oriented such that the angle of inclination is

Comprising: angular component of perpendicularity

The perpendicular angular component extends from the vertical center axis 227 and the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200 to a plane oriented perpendicular to the connecting direction 130

The projection on the surface is enclosed; and angular component

Which is enclosed by the vertical center axis 227 and the projection of the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200 onto the plane formed by the connecting direction 130 and the center axis 227.

Preferably, the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200 is in this case, as is now the case here, oriented such that the upper side of the closure carousel 201 is inclined in a direction tangential to the conveying direction 101 of the containers at a transfer point 209 from the filler 300 to the closure 200, wherein the transfer point 209 corresponds to the intersection of the circular portion 208 and the connecting direction 130.

At present, the angle of inclination

Is 15 °, but it can optionally also have different magnitudes, the inclination angle preferably being 0 ° to 30 °, particularly preferably 1 ° to 20 °.

Angular component of perpendicularity

Currently 1.5 °, but it can optionally also have different magnitudes, preferably in the range from 0 ° to 10 °, particularly preferably in the range from 0 ° to 3 ° and very particularly preferably in the range from 1 ° to 3 °.

Angular component of parallelism

Currently 15 °, but it can also optionally have different magnitudes, preferably in the range from 0 ° to 30 °, particularly preferably in the range from 0 ° to 20 ° and very particularly preferably in the range from 1 ° to 20 °.

Due to the inclination of the closure disc 201 away from the filler 300, the closure device 210 arranged in the region of the middle up to the upper part of the closure disc 201 is pivoted away from the filler 300 in the receiving region 204. Thus, the closure device 210 is at least partially pivoted away from the impact region 140 relative to the components of the filler 300, in particular the filling device 310. The impact region 140 is represented in fig. 1 by the intersection of the impact diameter 240 of the closure disc 201, which is indicated by a dashed line, and the impact diameter 330 of the filler disc 304, which is indicated by a dashed line. The impact diameters 240, 330 correspond to a circle portion, respectively, which represents the maximum radial extension of the filler disk 304 or the obturator disk 201.

As will be explained in detail below with respect to fig. 2 to 4, the closure device 210 may be pivoted at least partially inward in relation to the rotational axis 202 of the closure 200 at least in the delivery area 204. In this case, the closure device 210 is preferably pivoted inward so that it is always arranged completely outside the impact region 140.

A dropper device 250 for introducing nitrogen into the respective container opening is arranged in the downstream region of the receiving section 204 in the conveying direction 101 in order in this way to prepare the oxygen in the air to be expelled from the head region of the filled container and/or to provide an overpressure in the closed container after closure, in order in this way to achieve a stabilization of the container due to the increased internal pressure.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a lateral sectional view through the filling system 100 of fig. 1.

Here it can be seen that the closure device 210 has an upper part 211 connected to the closure carousel 201 and a lower part 212 pivotably arranged on the upper part 211 relative to the upper part 211. Currently, the lower part 212 is connected with the upper part 211 by means of a hinge 213, wherein the hinge 213 provides a pivot axis 214 which is perpendicular to the rotation axis 202 and perpendicular to the radial direction with respect to the rotation axis 202.

The lower part 212 of the closure device 210 shown on the left in fig. 2 is pivoted by a preset angle β relative to the axis of rotation 202 in the direction of the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200. This radially inward pivoting of the lower part 212 of the closure device 210 effects: the lower portion 212 in the receiving section 204 pivots away from the impact region 140 (see fig. 1) and does not impact with the filling device 310.

The angle beta can have a tilt angle with

The same magnitude. However, the angle can also be chosen differently, as long as it is ensured that no collision with the filling device 310 occurs.

In order to preset the height position of the individual closure devices 210, a guide device 215 is provided, which comprises a height-adjustable guide rail 217, which is rotationally fixed to the carrier 222 together with the closure carousel 201, and a guide element 216 of each closure device 210, which engages with said guide rail, as is shown by way of example on the left side of the closure 200 in fig. 2.

The closure 200 comprises a base frame 220 with a slide 221 which can be moved in the direction of the connecting direction 130 toward and away from the filler 300 via a linear bearing indicated by means of reference numeral 223. The distance of the closure disc 201 relative to the filler 300 can be set via the linear bearing 223.

The closure 200 further comprises a carrier 222 which is arranged on the slide 221 pivotably about a horizontal pivot axis 228 by means of a pivot bearing 224. The angle of inclination can be set by pivoting the bearing 224

The closure carousel 201 and the guide rails 236, which will be described in detail below, are height-adjustably arranged relative to the carrier 222 in the direction of the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200 by means of a height adjustment device 225.

The closure 200 can also comprise an orientation support 226, denoted by reference numeral 226, for setting the angular position of the carrier 222 about a vertical central axis 227 relative to the connecting direction 130. Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that the closure comprises a second pivot bearing, which preferably has a horizontal (second) pivot axis oriented perpendicular to the pivot axis 228 of the (first) pivot bearing 224.

For the alternative case in which no azimuth bearing is provided, the horizontal pivot axis 228 is preferably oriented perpendicular to the connection direction 130.

Preferably, a locking unit, not shown here, is provided for locking the pivot bearing 224 and/or a locking unit, not shown here, is provided for locking the linear bearing 223 and/or a locking unit, not shown here, is provided for locking the height adjustment device 225 and/or a locking unit, not shown here, is provided for locking the azimuth bearing 226 or the second pivot bearing.

Alternatively or additionally, the pivot bearing 224 and/or the linear bearing 223 and/or the height adjustment device 225 and/or the orientation bearing 226 or the second pivot bearing can each have a drive unit, preferably a motor-driven drive unit, preferably a spindle drive, and/or a manually operable drive unit, preferably a spindle, not shown here, for adjusting the current position.

By providing the pivot bearing 224, the linear bearing 223 and the height adjustment device 225, and optionally additionally the orientation bearing device 226 or the second pivot bearing device, the delivery of the container 400 from the filler 300 to the closure 200 can preferably be adjusted steplessly, preferably by corresponding setting of the angle of inclination via the pivot bearing device 224

The height position of the closure carousel 201 or the upper part of the closure 200 is set accordingly via the height adjustment device 225 and/or the distance or displacement of the closure 200 is set accordingly via the linear bearing device 223. Accordingly, the filling system 100 and its components, when changing from processing containers of a first type or first size to processing containers of another type or another size, can be preset in accordance with the position of the closure 200, which is derived from the respective container, its type and size, in view of the filler 300 and/or in view of an optimal handling of the container (for example an orientation optimized by centrifugal forces of the container during transport through the filler 300 and/or the closure 200). The filling system 100 is thus in particular variable.

As already described with respect to fig. 1, the closure carousel 201 is at a predetermined inclination angle to the vertical or to the vertical central axis 227

Pivoting away from the filler.

The container holding means 320 is pivotably arranged on the filler carousel 304. The container holding device 304 has a clip 321 for holding the container 400 in a neck region 402 thereof, which clip is pivotably arranged on the filler carousel 304 via a hinge 320 via a horizontal pivot axis 326 oriented perpendicular to a radial direction with respect to the rotational axis 306 of the filler 300. To preset the position of the gripper 321, the container holding device 320 is guided by means of a guide 323. The guide elements 324, which are connected to the clips 321 and are optionally designed as guide rollers, are now engaged with guide rails 325 provided on the base frame 305 of the filler 300.

Alternatively, the guide 323 for setting the position of the container holder 320 can also comprise at least one of a servomotor, a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a magnetically driven unit and/or an electrically driven unit, not shown here, for presetting the position of the container holder 320.

Preferably, the container holding device 320 or its clip 321 is oriented substantially horizontally in the receiving region 301 in the accommodated position. In other words, the container holding device 320 or the clip 321 thereof is preferably oriented in the receiving region 301 such that the central or longitudinal axis 405 of the container 400 received by the clip 321 is displaced in a vertically oriented manner, i.e. in a manner oriented parallel to the gravitational acceleration and thus also parallel to the rotational axis 306 of the filler 300.

In order to prevent the container 400 held in the container holder 320 from slipping out of the container holder 320 due to centrifugal forces when the rotational speed is high, the container holder 320 or its clip 321 can be pivoted upward via the hinge 222, so that the container 400 held in the clip 321 is pivoted with its base 404 radially outward relative to the axis of rotation 306. It is thereby possible to reduce or even completely eliminate the moment acting between the container 400 and the clamp 321 as a result of centrifugal forces. Furthermore, it is thus possible to prevent: the level of the filling product and/or the level of the nitrogen dripping into the container opening 401 is oriented obliquely to the container opening 401 due to centrifugal forces, so that an overflow of the filling product from the container opening 401 and/or a discharge of nitrogen is caused.

By virtue of the orientation of the containers being preset in such a way that they are individually adapted to the respective type or size of the containers to be treated, a correspondingly high plant capacity or a high throughput of treated containers can be achieved in comparison with conventional plants, despite the reduced size of the filler and/or of the closure in comparison with conventional filling plants.

The pivoting away of the container 400 can be preset in a curve-controlled manner by the guide 323, so that the container 400 can be held in the set orientation even in the case of an insufficient filling, an excessive filling or during the starting process.

The guide rail 325 can include a full encircling curve or one or more curve segments.

Alternatively, a separate drive can be associated with each container holding device 320. This has the following advantages: the container holding devices 320 can be individually adapted to the filling process. In particular, when the filler 300 is started or stopped, the angular position of the container holding device 320 can thus be individually preset, in order to be able to adjust the orientation of the container 400, for example, in relation to the rotational speed of the filler disk 304 in view of a centrifugal-force-induced deflection of the container and/or in view of a centrifugal-force-induced jet deflection of the filling product jet transferred from the filling device 310 into the container 400.

Alternatively, the container holding device 320 can be designed to be freely pivotable at least on one section of the filling section 302, so that the clip 321 is subject to pivoting due to centrifugal forces.

In the case of filling with carbonated products, it is possible to propose: during filling, the container 400 is pivoted away from the horizontal by pivoting the container holder 320, wherein the filling valve of the filling device 310 is likewise arranged obliquely or the base part of the filling valve has a correspondingly obliquely oriented pressing surface.

Furthermore, at least in a sub-region of the filling section 302, it can be provided that: the container 400 is pivoted radially inward with its bottom 404, i.e. with its bottom 404 along the axis of rotation 306.

In order to achieve a defined transfer of the filled containers 400 from the filler disk 304 to the closure disk 201, the containers 400 are held in the transfer region 303 parallel to the orientation of the container receptacles 230 of the closure disk 201 relative to their longitudinal axis 405.

In the present case, the clip 231 of each container receptacle 230 is oriented in the receiving section 204 perpendicularly to the rotational axis 202 of the closure 200. In other words, the container receptacle 230 in the receiving section 204 is inclined at an angle of inclination relative to the direction of gravity or to the vertical, i.e. relative to the vertical central axis 227

And (4) inclining. Accordingly, the container 400 is oriented with its longitudinal axis 405 substantially parallel to the axis of rotation 202.

According to this embodiment, the container receptacle 230 also has an orientation perpendicular to the rotational axis 202 of the closure 200 in the processing section 205 following it. Thus, the container 400 is oriented with its longitudinal axis 405 substantially parallel to the rotational axis 202 of the closure 200 in such a way that the closure device 210, which is arranged in the direction of the rotational axis 202 of the closure 200 in each case on the container receptacle 230 and thus above the container 400, can apply a container closure (not shown) onto the container opening 401 by controlled lowering via the guide means 215 if the lower portion 212 is oriented parallel to the rotational axis 202 of the closure 200 (as shown on the right side of the closure 200 in fig. 2).

Alternatively, the container receptacle 230 in the treatment section 205 can also have an orientation deviating from the above-described perpendicular orientation toward the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200 in a curve-controlled manner via the guide 234, so that the container 400 can accordingly have an orientation deviating from a parallel orientation toward the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200. The closure device 210 then likewise has this offset orientation from the parallel orientation toward the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200.

Unlike the illustration in fig. 2, the guide 234 can also be arranged in the region of the upper side of the closure 200 and hang downward toward the container receptacle 230, instead of being arranged in the lower region of the upper part of the closure 200. For example, the guide 234 can be arranged radially inside the guide 215 and can preferably be connected to the container receptacle 230 via a connecting rod.

In the transfer section 206, as shown in fig. 2, on the right side of the closure 200, the container receptacle 230 is inclined at an angle of inclination from its orientation perpendicular to the rotational axis 202 of the closure 200

Pivoting outward into an orientation perpendicular to the vertical such that the longitudinal axis 405 of the container 400 is oriented parallel to the vertical. As a result, the container 400 can be delivered flat with its bottom 404 onto the linear removal belt 120 without unstable delivery and transport of the container 400 due to sudden changes in inclination of the container 400 during delivery.

Alternatively, once the container 400 to be transferred has come into contact with the transport belt 120, for example in an orientation perpendicular to the rotational axis 202 of the closure 200, which is shown in fig. 2 on the left side of the closure 200, the container receptacles 230 are pivoted radially outward in the delivery section 206 from the horizontal orientation they adopt for delivery to the transport belt 120 when delivering the held container 400 onto the transport belt 120, so that the held container 400 is easily released to the transport belt 120. Thus, a possible spike plate arranged on the container receptacle 230 can be disengaged from the container 400 placed on the conveyor belt 120 or a carrier ring, not shown here, of the container 400, for example.

According to a preferred embodiment, the removal tape 120 can be designed to be vertically adjustable, i.e. adjustable parallel to the direction of gravity, and/or horizontally movable, i.e. adjustable perpendicular to the direction of gravity, in order to be able to follow changes in the orientation and position of the closure 200 and is always arranged in the delivery section 206 in a predetermined position relative to the container receptacle 230.

As mentioned before, the axis of rotation 306 of the filler 300 can also be configured to be inclined with respect to the vertical. This may be advantageous in connection with an improved delivery of the filled container 400 to the closure 200. The inclined position of the axis of rotation 306 relative to the vertical can be achieved by means of a mechanism which corresponds to the mechanism of the closure 200, for example, comprising a correspondingly configured pivot bearing.

The tilting position of the closure 200 relative to its axis of rotation 202 and/or the tilting position of the filler 300 relative to its axis of rotation 306 can alternatively be achieved by providing feet of different lengths on the closure 200 or the filler 300.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a detailed lateral view of the filling system 100 from fig. 2, wherein in contrast to the embodiment according to fig. 2, the container receptacle 230 is pivoted in the receiving section 204 by a predetermined pivot angle α outward with respect to the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200. Accordingly, the bottom 404 of the container 400 pivots radially outward from the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200 when the container 400 is oriented parallel to the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200. Container with a lidThe longitudinal axis 405 of the tool 400 thus forms an angle with the vertical, which corresponds to the angle of inclination

And the sum of the deflection angles alpha. This embodiment can be particularly advantageous when the diameters of the

circular portions

208, 307 differ greatly and/or when the conveying speed is particularly high. Due to the additional deflection of the container 400 during the transfer, it is possible to prevent in particular: at high conveying speeds, the filling product is produced as a result of the centrifugal force acting on the liquid filling product located in the container 400 and/or nitrogen gas above it escapes from the container 400.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a further side detail view of filling system 100 from fig. 2, in which container receptacle 230 is deflected inward in receiving section 204 relative to axis of rotation 202 by a predetermined deflection angle α with respect to an orientation perpendicular to axis of rotation 202. Accordingly, the bottom 404 of the container pivots radially inward from the axis of rotation 202 compared to the position of the container when the container 400 is oriented parallel to the axis of rotation 202. The longitudinal axis 405 of the container 400 thus forms an angle γ with the vertical, which corresponds to the angle of inclination

And the magnitude of the difference between the deflection angle alpha.

Fig. 5 schematically shows a further side detail view of filling system 100 from fig. 2, wherein container holder 230 in receiving section 204 is at an oblique angle to rotational axis 202 of closure 200

The deflection angle a of the magnitude of (a) is deflected inwards. Accordingly, the bottom 404, as compared to its position when the container 400 is oriented parallel to the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200, is pivoted radially inward from the axis of rotation 202 of the closure 200 into an orientation perpendicular to the vertical, i.e., the container axis 405 is oriented substantially parallel to the vertical.

In this embodiment, the hinged connection of the container holding device 320 to the filler carousel 304 can be dispensed with. In other words, the clip 321 can also be arranged on the filler dial 304 in a fixed orientation perpendicular to the rotational axis 306 of the filler 300, and the hinge 322 and the guide 323 can be dispensed with.

Fig. 6 schematically shows a further side detail view of the filling system 100 from fig. 2, wherein the container holder 230 is rigidly fixed to the closure carousel 201. Thus, the orientation of the clip 231 and the support 232 is always perpendicular to the axis of rotation 202. The container receptacle 320 therefore has to be tilted downward in the delivery section 303 by an angle of inclination

The longitudinal axis 405 is thus oriented substantially parallel to the axis of rotation 202 and the container receptacle 230 can receive the container 400 to be transferred as intended.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a further side detail view of the filling system 100 from fig. 2, wherein in this embodiment the container holding device 320 is rigidly arranged on the filler carousel 304 and the container receptacle 230 is rigidly arranged on the closure carousel 201.

Fig. 8 schematically shows a cross-sectional view through a side of a closure device 210 for closing a container 400 with a container closure, which can be used, for example, in the closure 200 according to fig. 1 and 2.

The closure device 210 comprises a holding device 262 and a lifting cylinder 261 which is movable in relation to the holding device 262 in the longitudinal direction 261. The height position H of the lifting cylinder 260 relative to the holding device 262 is in this case preset in a manner interacting with the guide rail 236 via a guide element 235 arranged on the lifting cylinder 260, which guide element is in the present case embodied in the form of a guide roller.

The holding device 262 and the lifting cylinder 260 together constitute the upper part 211 of the closing apparatus 210.

In the state in which the closure device 210 is mounted on the closure 200, the lower part 212 is mounted pivotably on the lifting cylinder 260 via a hinge 213 on the end side of the upper part 211 facing the container receptacle 230 and correspondingly on the end side of the lower part of the lifting cylinder 260.

The pivot axis formed by the joint 213 is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 261 and perpendicular to a radial direction with respect to the longitudinal direction 261.

Furthermore, a pretensioning unit 268 for pretensioning the lower part 212 into a position which is predetermined with respect to the lifting cylinder 260 is provided between the lifting cylinder 260 and the lower part 212. The pretensioning unit 268 is formed in the form of a spring return unit, which pretensions the lower part 212 via a spring force into the position shown in fig. 8, in which it extends in the longitudinal direction 261. In this position, the gear 264 arranged on the lower part engages with the spur gear 265 of the drive unit 263 arranged on the holding device 262 for driving the lower part, i.e. in the present case for presetting a rotational movement about the longitudinal direction 261, for the closure receptacle 266 arranged on the free lower end of the lower part 212.

A flexible sealing element, which is in the present case designed as a trapezoidal bellows 280, is arranged on the lower part 212, said sealing element extending from the lower part 212 toward an annular sealing 281, by means of which a seal can be provided against the chamber wall, for example the wall of a cleaning chamber. The cross section of the sealing portion 281 is, in the present case, optionally oval. The seal 281 is designed such that pivoting of the lower part 212 via the hinge 123 is effected at least between the position of the lower part 212 shown in fig. 8, which is oriented along the longitudinal direction 261, and the position of the lower part 212 (as shown in fig. 9), which is pivoted by the angle β, without the lower part 212 colliding with the seal 281.

Preferably, the bellows 280 has a substantially oval, elliptical or oblong cross-section and tapers from the sealing portion 281 towards the connection of the bellows 280 on the lower portion 212. Currently, the bellows 280 comprises an elastomer, preferably an elastomer that is resistant to filling products, cleaning media and/or sterilization media, particularly preferably to hot water, water vapor, cleaning agents, caustic soda and/or potassium hydroxide, silicone oils and greases and/or at least some polar solvents, particularly preferably EPDM or silicone.

Preferably, the sealing portion 281 comprises a rotary bearing, preferably a sliding bearing or a rolling bearing, preferably a ball bearing, wherein the bellows 280 is configured to be able to transmit the friction generated by the rotary motion correspondingly in the rotary bearing device when the lower portion 212 performs a rotary motion, and to be able to absorb the moment of inertia generated when the rotary motion or the rotary motion changes, without being subjected to a torsion in the direction of the rotary motion. Preferably, the bellows has a predetermined wall thickness for this purpose, which is adapted to the mechanical properties of the material and to the dimensions, in particular the length and the radial extension, of the bellows 280.

Currently, the bellows 280 is manufactured by vacuum forming. Alternatively, other manufacturing methods can also be applied.

The bellows 280 is designed to compensate for the maximum possible stroke of the lower part 212 relative to the connection of the sealing 281 with the chamber wall.

The closure device 210 further comprises a dispensing unit 270 for dispensing container closures held in the closure accommodation 266. Alternatively or additionally, the head pressure acting on the container closure can be provided or increased by means of the dispenser during application of the container closure onto the container.

The dispenser 270 has a control unit 271 for controlling the position of the dispenser in the longitudinal direction 261. The control unit 271 preferably comprises a servo motor, a stepper motor, a pneumatic cylinder and/or a hydraulic cylinder for actively operating the dispenser 270.

Preferably, the control unit 271 is set up for providing dispensing of container closures located in the closure accommodation 266 independently of the angular position of the closure device 210 about the axis of rotation 202. The control unit 271 is therefore set up to be able to perform dispensing at any point on the circumference of the sealer carousel 201. Preferably, the control unit 271 is connectable or already connectable with a central control device (not shown) of the closure 200.

Preferably, the control unit 271 is set up for triggering dispensing only when a container closure is present in the closure accommodation 266, preferably downstream of the processing section 205 and/or the delivery section 206, viewed in the conveying direction, however preferably upstream of the pick-up section.

Currently, the control unit is optionally set up for: if the control unit 271 obtains information that there is no container 400 in the container receptacle 230 associated with the closing unit 210 or no container 400 in the processing section 205 and/or if the control unit 271 obtains information that a preset torque has not been reached in a preset closing process performed by the closing device 210 or that no torque has been transmitted via the receptacle closure received during the completion of the closing process, dispensing is triggered.

The distributor 270 comprises an upper contact element 272 arranged in the lifting cylinder 260, which upper contact element is movable in the longitudinal direction 261 relative to the lifting cylinder 260 via a control unit 271.

The distributor 270 also comprises a lower distributor rod 273 which is movable in the lower part 212 in its longitudinal direction 261 and which is currently pretensioned by means of a pretensioning element 275 into a position pretensioned toward the lifting cylinder 260.

As described above, the height position H relative to the holding device 211 and thus relative to the closure carousel 201 is changeable. In fig. 8, the lifting cylinder 260 has a first height position H1 in which the stop bolt 268 provided on the holding device 262 contacts the stop element 269 of the lower part 212 without substantially exerting a force on the stop element 269.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a further sectional view of the closure device 210 from fig. 8, wherein the lower part 212 is here pivoted by an angle β from the longitudinal direction 261 via a pivot axis 214. In order to provide pivoting at the angle β, the lifting cylinder 260 is lifted via the guide element 216 into a height position H2, which is higher by a preset height difference Δ H than a first height position H1 according to fig. 8, in which the stop bolt 268 and the stop element 269 are in contact.

Since the stop bolt 268 is fixedly arranged on the holding device 262, it accordingly has a fixed height level. By lifting the lifting cylinder 260 beyond the first height position H1, the stop bolt 268 presses onto the stop element 269 and prevents the stop element 269 from being able to follow the movement of the lifting cylinder 260. Accordingly, the lower part is subject to pivoting about the pivot axis 214 against the pretension of the pretensioning unit 267.

The height difference Δ H is here preset such that the lower part 212 is deflected by an angle β.

Since lower portion 212 is deflected by an angle β, according to this embodiment, gear 264 is disengaged from spur gear 265. The spur gear 265 has a tooth width such that a displacement of the spur gear 265 and the gear 264 relative to one another in the axial direction is achieved without the teeth of the gear 264 and the spur gear 265 becoming disengaged. Alternatively, the closure device 210 can also be designed such that the gear 264 and the spur gear 265 are not disengaged in the position according to fig. 9, which is offset by an angle β from the longitudinal direction 261, but remain engaged.

The lower dispensing lever 273 and the upper contact element 272 are now disengaged by the lower part 212 being deflected by the angle β. Alternatively, the lower dispensing lever 273 and the upper contact member 272 can remain permanently connected, preferably via a hinge, particularly preferably a ball hinge or a universal joint (not shown).

Fig. 10 and 11 are schematic detail views in the region of the connection between the lifting cylinder 260 and the lower part 212 of fig. 8 and 9.

In the position of the lower part 212 along the longitudinal direction 261, as shown in fig. 10, the upper contact element 272 comes into contact with the end side of the lower dispensing lever 273, wherein the end side of the dispensing lever 273 is formed as a rounded portion 274. This makes it possible to avoid: the dispensing lever 273 of the lower portion and the contact element 272 of the upper portion catch or curl as the lower portion 212 pivots relative to the lift cylinder 260 about the pivot axis 214.

The height position H1 of the lifting cylinder 260 is again shown on the stop bolt 268 side in fig. 10.

In fig. 11, lift cylinder 260 has been raised by height difference Δ H to a second height position H2. As described above, the stop bolt 268 prevents the stop element 269, which is arranged on the opposite side with respect to the hinge 213 with respect to the central longitudinal direction 261, i.e., the central longitudinal axis of the lifting cylinder 260, from following the lifting of the lifting cylinder 260. Accordingly, lower portion 212 experiences deflection about pivot axis 214 until lower portion 212 remains pivoted at angle β when lift cylinder 260 occupies second height position H2.

As far as applicable, all individual features shown in the exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another and/or substituted without departing from the scope of the invention.

List of reference numerals

100. Filling facility

101. Direction of conveyance

110. Access star

120. Carry-out belt

130. Horizontal direction of connection

140. Impact zone

200. Closing device

201. Sealer turntable

202. Axis of rotation

203. Sealer supply unit

204. Receiving section

205. Treatment section

206. Delivery section

207. Pick-up section

208. Round part

209. Transfer point

210. Closure device

211. Upper part

212. Lower part

213. Hinge member

214. Pivot axis

215. Equipment guiding device

216. Guide element

217. Guide rail

220. Base frame

221. Sliding seat

222. Bearing part

223. Linear bearing device

224. Pivoting support device

225. Height adjusting device

226. Azimuth support device

227. Vertical central axis

228. Horizontal pivot axis

230. Container storage part

231. Clamp with a locking member

232. Support for supporting a container at the abdominal region thereof

233. Hinge member

234. Accommodating part guide device

235. Guide element

236. Guide rail

237. Pivot axis

240. Collision diameter

250. Dropper apparatus

260. Lifting cylinder

261. Longitudinal direction

262. Holding device

263. Drive unit

264. Gear wheel

265. Spur gear

266. Closure receiving part

267. Reset unit

268. Stop bolt

269. Stop piece

270. Dispensing unit

271. Control unit

272. Upper contact element

273. Lower distribution rod

274. Round part

280. Corrugated pipe

281. Sealing part

300. Filling device

301. Receiving section

301. Filling section

303. Delivery section

304. Rotating disc of filling device

305. Base frame

306. Axis of rotation

307. Round part

310. Filling device

320. Container holding device

321. Clamp

322. Hinge member

323. Guiding device

324. Guide element

325. Guide rail

326. Pivot axis

330. Collision diameter

400. Container with a lid

401. Container opening

402. Neck region

403. Abdominal region

404. Bottom part

405. Longitudinal axis

Angle of inclination

Angular component of parallelism

Angular component of perpendicularity

Alpha deflection angle

Angle beta

Angle of gamma

H1 First height position

H2 Second height position

Δ H height variation

Claims

1. A filling facility (100) for filling a container (400) to be filled with a filling product and closing the filled container (400) with a container closure, comprising

A filler (300) having a filler carousel (304) rotatable relative to a vertically oriented central axis of rotation, on the circumference of which at least one filling device (310) for filling a container (400) to be filled with a filling product and a container holding device (320) associated with the filling device (310) are arranged, and

a closure (200) directly downstream of the filler (300) in the conveying direction (101) of the filled and to-be-closed containers (400), said closure having a closure carousel (201) which is rotatable relative to a central axis of rotation, a closure device (210) for closing the containers (400) to be closed with container closures and a container receptacle associated with the closure device (210) being provided on the circumference of the closure carousel,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the axis of rotation of the closure (200) is inclined with respect to the vertical.

2. The filling plant according to claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the axis of rotation of the closure (200) is inclined to the vertical by a preset angle of inclination

3. The filling plant according to claim 2,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the angle of inclination

Is 0 DEG to 30 deg.

4. The filling installation according to claim 2,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the angle of inclination

Is 1 to 20 degrees.

5. The filling plant according to claim 2,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the angle of inclination

Is 15 deg..

6. Filling plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the filler (300) and the closure (200) are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other along a horizontal connecting direction (130), wherein a circular portion of the filler (300) contacts or intersects a circular portion of the closure (200), wherein a container (400) to be filled is transported on the circular portion of the filler and a container (400) to be closed is transported on the circular portion of the closure.

7. The filling plant according to claim 6,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the predetermined distance corresponds to the distance between the axis of rotation of the filler (300) and the vertical central axis (227) of the closure (200).

8. Filling plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the axis of rotation of the closure (200) is oriented such that the closure carousel (201) is inclined with its upper side away from the filler (300).

9. Filling plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the axis of rotation of the closure (200) is oriented such that the angle of inclination is

With perpendicular angular components

The vertical angular component is formed by a vertical central axis (227) and the axis of rotation of the closure (200)The projection of the line onto a plane oriented perpendicular to the connecting direction (130) is enclosed, and/or the axis of rotation of the closure (200) is oriented such that the angle of inclination is such that

With parallel angular components

The parallel angular component is defined by the projection of the vertical center axis (227) and the axis of rotation of the closure (200) onto a plane formed by the connecting direction (130) and the center axis (227).

10. The filling plant according to claim 9,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the angular component of perpendicularity

In the range of 0 DEG to 10 DEG, and/or

Angular component of said parallelism

In the range of 0 ° to 30 °.

11. The filling plant according to claim 9,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the angular component of perpendicularity

In the range of 0 ° to 3 °, and/or

Angular component of said parallelism

In the range of 0 ° to 20 °.

12. The filling plant according to claim 9,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the angular component of perpendicularity

In the range of 1 ° to 3 °, and/or

Angular component of said parallelism

In the range of 1 ° to 20 °.

13. The filling plant according to claim 9,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the angular component of perpendicularity

Is 1.5 deg., and/or

Component of said parallel angle

Is 15 deg..

14. Filling plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

a plurality of filling devices (310) are arranged on the filler carousel (304) at regular intervals from one another along the circumference thereof, wherein a container holder (320) is associated with each filling device (310), and a plurality of closure devices (210) are arranged on the closure carousel (201) at regular intervals from one another along the circumference thereof, wherein a container receptacle (230) is associated with each closure device (210), and/or the axis of rotation of the closure (200) is oriented such that the upper side of the closure carousel (201) is inclined in a direction which is tangential and/or radial with respect to the conveying direction (101) of the containers (400) from the filler (300) to the transfer point (209) of the closure (200).

15. The filling plant according to claim 14,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the graduation of the closure disc (201) corresponds to the graduation of the filler disc (304), and/or

The transfer point (209) corresponds to the intersection of a circular portion of the closure with a joining direction (130).

16. Filling plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

by tilting the closure carousel (201) away from the filler (300), the closure device (210) is pivoted away at least partially from the impact region (140) relative to the components of the filler (300) in a receiving section (204) of the closure (200) in which filled containers (400) are successively transferred from the filler (300) to the container receptacle (230) of the closure (200).

17. Filling plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

by tilting the closure carousel (201) away from the filler (300), the closure device (210) is pivoted away at least partially from the impact region (140) relative to the filling device (310) in a receiving section (204) of the closure (200) in which filled containers (400) are successively transferred from the filler (300) to a container receptacle (230) of the closure (200).

18. Filling plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the filler carousel (304) and the closure carousel (201) are designed to deliver filled containers (400) directly from the container holding device (320) to the container receptacle (230).

19. Filling plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the upper part of the closure (200) comprises guiding means for presetting the height position (H) of the closure device (210).

20. The filling plant according to claim 19,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the guide device comprises a guide rail (217) which is connected to the carrier (222) of the closure (200) in a rotationally fixed manner and which is adjustable in height together with the closure carousel (201), and a guide element (216) of the closure device (210) which engages with the guide rail, wherein the carrier of the closure is rotationally fixed relative to the rotational axis of the closure (200).

21. The filling plant according to claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the closure (200) comprises a base frame (220) having a slide (221) which can be moved in a connecting direction (130) toward and away from the filler (300) by means of a linear bearing (223), wherein a predetermined distance of the closure carousel (201) relative to the filler (300) can be set by means of the linear bearing (223).

22. The filling plant according to claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the closure (200) comprises a carrier (222) which is arranged on a base frame (220) of the closure (200) pivotably about a horizontal pivot axis (228) by means of a first pivot bearing (224), wherein the angle of inclination can be set by means of the first pivot bearing (224)

23. The filling plant according to claim 22,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the carrier is arranged on a carriage (221) of the base frame (220) so as to be pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis (228) by means of the first pivot bearing (224).

24. The filling plant according to claim 1,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the closure (200) comprises a height adjustment device (225) for presetting the height position of the closure carousel (201) in the direction of the axis of rotation of the closure (200).

25. The filling plant according to claim 22,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the closure (200) comprises an orientation-bearing device (226) for setting the angular position of the carrier (222) about a vertical center axis (227) relative to a horizontal connecting direction (130) and/or a second pivot-bearing device.

26. The filling plant according to claim 25,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the second pivot bearing has a horizontal pivot axis oriented perpendicular to the pivot axis (228) of the first pivot bearing (224).

27. The filling facility according to any one of claims 21 to 26,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the closure has a locking unit for locking the pivot bearing (224) and/or a locking unit for locking the linear bearing (223) and/or a locking unit for locking the height adjustment device (225) and/or a locking unit for locking the orientation bearing (226) or the second pivot bearing, and/or the first pivot bearing (224) and/or the linear bearing (223) and/or the height adjustment device (225) and/or the orientation bearing (226) or the second pivot bearing respectively comprise a drive unit for adjusting the current position.

28. The filling plant according to claim 27,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the drive unit is a motor-driven drive unit and/or a manually operable drive unit.

29. The filling plant according to claim 28,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the motor-driven drive unit comprises a spindle drive and/or the manually operable drive unit comprises a spindle.

30. Filling plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

in a delivery region (303) of the filler (300), the containers (400) held in the container holders (320) are aligned at least in a transfer point (209) with their longitudinal axes (405) parallel to the rotational axis of the closure (200) and/or parallel to the orientation of the container receptacles (230), wherein in the delivery region filled containers (400) are transferred successively from the container holders (320) to the closure (200).

31. The filling plant according to claim 30,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the container holding device (320) is pivotably arranged on the filler carousel (304).

32. The filling plant according to claim 30,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the filler (300) has a guide for presetting the orientation of the container holders (320) and/or an own drive is associated with each container holder (320).