EP0546347A1 - Filling head with a gas barrier in the form of a horizontally grooved bell - Google Patents

Abstract

A filling element (2) for drinks filling devices having a liquid valve which closes once the reflux of gas from the container has been interrupted and having a gas barrier which is shaped like a bell (14), is arranged in the region of the gate (7) of the said valve and is provided with openings which are designed in such a way that they only admit liquid, and not gas, is characterised in that openings taking the form of horizontal slots (15) are formed in the cylindrical part of the bell. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a filling element of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1.

Filling elements of this type form the state of the art customary today. Usually, a return gas tube projecting downward into the container is provided on the valve body, through which gas escapes from the container and, when its lower end is reached by the filling level, prevents further escape of back-flowing gas and thus stops the filling. The fill level can also be determined in another way, for example by means of sensors, and the escape of the gas can be interrupted with a return gas valve.

In the case of filling devices of the generic type, the liquid valve is still open for a certain period of time after the filling stop by interrupting the return gas flow, which e.g. can be very long when the beverage filler is stopped. During this period, before the liquid valve closes and further flow into the container is finally interrupted, it must be prevented that gas rises in another way, for example past the liquid valve, and thus liquid can continue to flow in, since the desired fill level in the container would then be exceeded.

For this purpose, a gas barrier is provided in the generic valve in the area of the liquid valve, which is designed in the special generic form as a perforated bell mounted on the valve body.

A filling device of the type mentioned is known from DE-PS 1 162 711. Openings are provided in the form of individual, difficult to position holes. From DE-PS 27 27 723 a bell is known in which openings are provided in the form of vertical slots extending to the lower edge. Here too, production is relatively complex. This type of slitting also leads to an unstable damage-sensitive edge.

The object of the present invention is to provide a filling element of the type mentioned at the outset, which can be made cheaper with regard to the manufacturability of the bell.

This object is achieved with the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

In this construction, the openings are formed as essentially horizontal slots. On the one hand, these are easier than in the known constructions, e.g. make with a saw. In addition, there is a stable construction with a closed lower edge.

The invention is advantageously designed in such a way that there are always several slots in e.g. the bell is provided all around a common plane. Such a bell is particularly easy to manufacture.

The slots are advantageously designed inclined. As a result, their flowability is improved while the gas barrier effect remains good.

• Fig.1 ein Füllorgan mit geschlitzter Glocke im Schnitt,
• Fig.2 die Glocke gemäß Figur 1 in einer perspektivischen Darstellung
• Fig. 3 in Achsansicht die Glocke der Figur 2 mit Säge zur Herstellung der Schlitze und
• Fig. 4 eine Ausführungsvariante im Schnitt der Linie 4 - 4 in Figur 3.

The invention is shown schematically, for example, in the drawings. Show it:

• 1 a filling element with a slotted bell in section,
• 2 shows the bell according to Figure 1 in a perspective view
• Fig. 3 in an axial view, the bell of Figure 2 with a saw for making the slots and
• 4 shows an embodiment variant in the section of the line 4 - 4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 1 shows, under an opening of a beverage storage kettle 1, a filling element 2 fastened by means not shown. The outlet 3 of the filling element is sealed with a seal 4 on the edge of a bottle 5.

In the interior 6 of the filling element, a valve body 7 is arranged such that it can move in height. The valve body 7 is extended upwards and downwards with a return gas tube 8, the gas channel of which passes through the valve body 7.

The valve body 7 carries a sealing ring 9, which lies in the lowest position of the valve body 7 in sealing contact on the valve seat 10 of the filling element 2.

In the figure, valve body 7 and return gas tube 8 are shown in different operating positions on the left and right of the center line, respectively. The closed position is shown on the right-hand side, in which the valve body 7 lies sealingly on the valve seat 10. The opening position, in which the valve body is raised, is shown on the left-hand side. Means, not shown, are provided which, for example, engage the upper end of the return gas tube 8, not shown, in order to move the valve body 7 between the two operating positions shown. These means can consist, for example, of a spring that opens at constant pressure or of levers that can be actuated from the outside.

A stop ring 11 is fixedly mounted in the interior 6 of the filling element 2 and forms a fixed stop 12 on its lower ring surface. An upwardly facing annular surface is formed on the valve body 7, which serves as a valve stop 13. The upward opening movement of the valve body is limited in the open position shown in the left half of the figure by the valve stop 13 abutting against the fixed stop 12.

Above the valve stop 13, a bell 14 is freely movable in height on the valve body 7. The bell 14 is in the reason for this Form a ring with a large inner hole 27 which sits with play on the circumference of the valve body 7. The bell is provided with a plurality of horizontally extending slots 15 in the case shown.

As the comparison of the two halves of the figure shows, the bell 14 is firmly clamped between the valve stop 13 and the fixed stop 12 in the open position shown on the left, for which purpose it has correspondingly shaped annular stop surfaces on its upper and lower sides, and is thus defined on a surface Height held at the distance shown above the valve seat. This distance results in a gap which is selected in a size of a few tenths of a millimeter such that liquid can flow through it, but no gas bubbles can pass through it. The width of the slots 15 is selected so that they also allow liquid to pass through but no gas bubbles.

In the closed position of the valve shown on the right, the bell 14 is free. It stands on the valve seat and does not have to participate in the entire downward movement of the valve body 7.

The valve seat is shown differently in the two halves of the figure to illustrate a variant. On the right side, the valve seat 10 forms a siphon of conventional construction, the bell protruding into the channel 16 of the siphon.

On the left side of the figure, the valve seat 10 'is flat, that is, without the formation of a siphon.

• In der rechts dargestellten Schließstellung des Füllorganes steht die Flüssigkeit aus dem Vorratskessel 1 im Innenraum 6 des Füllorganes oberhalb des geschlossenen Ventiles. Jetzt kann an der Unterseite des Füllorganes eine neue Flasche 5 oder gegebenenfalls bei etwas anderer Gestaltung des Füllorganes eine zu füllende Dose angesetzt werden.

The operation of the construction shown is explained as follows:

• In the closed position of the filling element shown on the right, the liquid from the storage vessel 1 is in the interior 6 of the filling element above the closed valve. Now a new bottle 5 or, if necessary, a can to be filled with a slightly different design of the filling element can be attached to the underside of the filling element.

The container is prestressed by the return gas pipe 8 or in another way, if it is carbonated beverages. Then the liquid valve is opened by lifting the valve body 7 into the open position shown on the left side of the figure. Now liquid (left side of the figure) flows through the slots 15 of the bell 14 or through the gap which is formed under the edge thereof. The liquid flows into the bottle 5 until the liquid level reaches the lower end of the return gas pipe 8 or is determined in some other way, for example by means of sensors. The filling process is now stopped by blocking the return gas path. Since no more gas can escape from the bottle 5, no more liquid can flow into the container.

However, gas from the unfilled head space of the container could flow upwards past the still open liquid valve. Then more liquid would get down.

This prevents the bell 14 serving as a gas barrier. Although this allows liquid to flow through its openings 15 and below its edge, it is dimensioned with respect to the gap size of the slots so that no gas can rise. The liquid therefore remains stopped until the liquid valve is closed by moving the valve body 7 downward and the liquid supply is thus finally interrupted.

In a departure from the illustration in FIG. 1, the bell 14 can also be provided in accordance with the prior art, that is to say it can be fastened in a suitable manner, for example, to the fixed stop 12 or to the valve stop 13. It is then either fixed or arranged to move with the valve body 7. In the latter case, as can be seen from the right-hand side of FIG. 1, the channel 16 has to be deepened in order to allow the lower edge of the bell 14 to penetrate far enough downwards.

In Figure 2, the bell 14 according to Figure 1 is shown separately in a perspective view. It can be seen that the slots 15 are formed all around in several planes of the bell 14. Such a slot arrangement is particularly easy to implement. You only have to guide the bell blank at the level of one of the orbits with a piece of rotation to a saw 30, which is shown in Figure 3 in an axial view. The saw 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow about its axis 31. With drive and control means (not shown), it can be brought radially to the axis of the bell 14. The bell 14 is held by means not shown and after completion of a slot can be rotated by a certain angle to introduce the next slot or raised or lowered to introduce slots in another plane, so that the slot pattern shown in Figure 2 results.

As FIG. 2 shows, 15 holes 25, for example as bores, can be provided in addition to the sawn slots.

FIG. 4 shows in section an embodiment variant in which the slots 15 'are not introduced horizontally, but instead run in an incline downwards in section. This facilitates the passage of liquids. As indicated by the flow arrows, the liquid can pass through the slots 15 'essentially undisturbed, that is to say without a strong flow deflection.

The embodiment of FIG. 4 is not so simple with a saw as shown in FIG. 3 producible. The slots would then not be of a straight, horizontal basic shape, as shown in FIG. 2, but would run in an arc. However, parallel slits can also be produced with the oblique cross section of FIG. 4 if other tools are used, for example narrow milling heads or advantageously laser cutting tools. Such tools can of course also be used to produce slots of any shape. In a departure from the illustration in FIG. 2, the slots can, for example, also be provided in a slightly oblique arrangement, if this is advantageous.

Claims (3)

1. Filling element for beverage fillers with a liquid valve closing after the interruption of the return gas flow from the container and a gas barrier arranged in the area of the valve body thereof in the form of a bell, which is provided with openings which are dimensioned such that they only allow liquid, but not gas , characterized in that openings in the cylindrical part of the bell (14) are formed as essentially horizontal slots (15). 2. Filling device according to claim 1, characterized in that in each case a plurality of slots (15) are arranged in one plane of the bell (14). 3. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the slots (15 ') are formed in a radial section inclined downwards inwards.

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