EP0588356B1 - Filling divice for bottles or like containers - Google Patents

Abstract

In the case of a device for filling bottles or similar containers having at least one filling element with a liquid valve (9) there are provided a first (21) and a second (17) gas duct which are used to feed and/or discharge a tensioning gas and are connected by means of a connection to the interior of the container in question during filling of the latter. A first gas duct (21) can be controlled by the filling elements via a control valve (23), while the second gas duct (17) is constantly connected to the connection leading inside the container. For the first (21) and second (17) gas duct there is provided a common connection which is formed by a third gas duct (16) and the control valve (23) can be actuated independently of the liquid valve (9). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device for filling bottles or the like. Containers. A device of this type is known (DE-PS 16 32 004).

In the known device, which uses a filling element without a filling tube, the first gas path is connected on the one hand to a gas space which is formed above the filling level in the interior of an annular bowl of a filling machine which is not completely filled with the liquid filling content and on the other hand is controlled by a control valve via the control valve Interior of the first gas channel leading to be filled bottle connected. The latter is formed in a gas pipe or tubular shaft which carries the valve body of the liquid valve. In the known case, the container to be filled is pretensioned via the gas path and the aforementioned gas channel.

In the known device, a second gas path is also provided, which leads into a return gas or residual gas chamber which is common to all filling elements of the filling machine and which is connected to the atmosphere via a nozzle or throttle. Furthermore, this second gas path is permanently connected to a second gas channel, which is also formed in the tubular shaft of the valve body and is open at the lower end of this shaft projecting above the valve body. The second gas channel encloses a fill level-determining probe provided in the shaft.

Although only a single control valve is provided in this known device for controlling the gas paths, this device has certain disadvantages. Thus, in addition to the need for two separate gas channels in the stem of the valve body, it also has a relatively complex construction. A further disadvantage is that a common actuating device is provided for the control valve and the liquid valve, which greatly increases the possibility of different controls or control methods is restricted. Furthermore, the functional elements of the control valve and especially the valve body of this control valve are difficult to access.

The invention has for its object to develop a device of the above type in such a way that it avoids the disadvantages while maintaining the basic advantages of the known device, in particular. It also provides improved control options with a simplified construction.

To solve this problem, a device is designed according to the characterizing part of patent claim 1.

In the device according to the invention, in the simplest case, only a single control valve is required to control the gas paths, which only has two states, namely a blocking and an open state. With this control valve, the gas paths or the supply and discharge of the compressed gas into or out of the container are at least for the pretensioning, for the counter pressure filling (preferably including slow filling, quick filling and / or braking and correction filling) as well as for relieving (preferably including Calming phase and / or pre-relief phase) fully controllable.

Since the actuating device of the control valve is separate from the actuating device of the liquid valve and thus the control valve can be actuated independently of the liquid valve, restrictions with regard to the control options are avoided with the invention.

The use of a third common gas path for connecting the first and second gas paths to the respective container, ie both for supplying and for discharging the tensioning gas into and out of the container, results in a simplified construction.

Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be designed such that the control valve with all its functional elements remains accessible from the outside without difficulty, that is to say can also be easily replaced in the event of a repair.

Developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

Fig. 1

in vereinfachter Darstellung und im Schnitt eines der am Umfang eines um eine vertikale Drehachse umlaufenden Rotors vorgesehenen Füllelemente einer Gegendruckfüllmaschine umlaufender Bauart, zusammen mit einer zu füllenden Flasche;

Fig. 2

eine ähnliche Darstellung wie Fig. 1, jedoch bei einer CIP-Reinigung.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. Show it:

Fig. 1

in a simplified representation and in section of one of the filling elements of a counterpressure filling machine of the type provided on the circumference of a rotor rotating around a vertical axis of rotation, together with a bottle to be filled;

Fig. 2

a representation similar to Fig. 1, but with a CIP cleaning.

In the figures, 1 is a filling element which, together with further, similar filling elements 1, is provided on the circumference of a rotor part 3 which rotates around a vertical machine axis and forms an annular bowl 2.

The filling element 1 essentially consists of a housing 4 fastened to the rotor 3, in which a liquid channel 5 is formed. This is connected in its upper region to the ring bowl 2 and forms with its lower region an annular discharge opening 7 for a liquid tube which surrounds a gas pipe 6.

In the liquid channel 5, the liquid valve 8 is also provided, which in the usual way has a valve body 9 which interacts with a valve seat formed in the interior of the liquid channel. The valve body 9 is in the illustrated embodiment on the in its axis in the vertical direction and parallel to the machine axis arranged, provided on the underside of the filling element 1 and the housing 4 projecting gas pipe 6. In Fig. 1 the liquid valve is shown in the closed position. A pneumatic actuating device is actuated to release the liquid valve 8. This actuating device, which acts on the part of the gas pipe 6 extending above the valve body 9, contains, for example, a piston as an actuating element, but preferably a membrane, which is indicated schematically in FIG. 1 at 10 by broken lines.

In the gas tube 6, a fill-level-determining probe 11 is provided, which is enclosed by the gas tube 6 at a distance, so that there is a gas channel 12 within the gas tube 6, which is ring-shaped around the probe 11 and is open at the lower end of the gas tube 6. At the upper end of the gas pipe 6, the gas channel 12 opens into a chamber 13 formed in the housing 4 and closed to the outside.

On the radially outer side of the housing 4 with respect to the machine axis, a valve housing 14 is provided there, which forms a chamber 15 which is closed towards the outside. The latter is permanently connected to the chamber 13 via a line or a channel 16 '. The channel 16 'forms a gas path 16 together with the gas channel 12. Furthermore, the chamber 15 is located via a gas path 17 running partly in the valve housing 14, partly in the housing 4 and partly in the rotor part 3, with a gas path 17 provided in the rotor part 3 and common to all filling elements 1 Return gas channel 18 in constant communication. A throttle or nozzle 19 is provided in the part of the gas path 17 formed in the valve housing 14. Parallel to the nozzle 19, the gas path 17 forms a bypass in which a check valve 20 is arranged. This check valve 20, which in the embodiment shown consists of a ball forming the valve body and a spring, is designed such that it opens in a flow direction out of the gas path 17 into the chamber 15 and prevents a flow in the opposite direction.

The chamber 15 is also connected via a third gas path 21, which is formed by a line or a channel, to a gas space 22 which is in the ring vessel 2, which is not completely filled with the liquid filling material, but only up to a predetermined level N above the filling material level is formed. The connection between the gas path 21 and the chamber 15 is controlled by a control valve 23 which, in the non-actuated state shown in FIG. 1, closes the gas path 21 at the junction with the chamber 15 with its valve body 24. The control valve 23 can be actuated pneumatically and has a pneumatic actuation device 25.

1 also shows various lines, specifically a line 26 leading into the gas space 22, via which compressed gas is supplied to this gas space in a controlled manner, in such a way that a predetermined pressure is maintained in the gas space 22.

The liquid filling material is fed to the ring bowl 2 via the line 27, specifically controlled in such a way that a desired level N of the filling material level is maintained (within a predetermined fluctuation range). The line 28, which opens into the residual gas channel 18, leads in the illustrated embodiment to the atmosphere via a pressure control device, so that a predetermined pressure, for example between 0.5 and 1 bar, is maintained in this channel.

With 30 the usual centering bell, with 31 a liftable and lowerable bottle carrier and with 32 an existing bottle carrier on this bottle, which is pressed for filling in the usual way against the filling element 1 and with its mouth with the help of a seal 33 in a sealing position against the filling element 1 is applied. The gas pipe has an opening 6 ′ for the gas channel 12 above its lower end, the cross section of which is smaller than the cross section of the gas channel 12.

The peculiarity of the filler element 1 described above is that only a single, very simple valve, namely the control valve 23, is sufficient to control the gas paths, which only has two operating states, namely an open state and a closed state. In the embodiment shown, only the control valve 23 and the liquid valve 8 have to be actuated to fill the bottle.

With the filling element 1, for example, the following process sequence is possible when filling the bottles 32, the liquid valve 8 and the control valve 23 being in the closed position in the description below, unless the open position of these valves is expressly indicated.

1. Preload

After pressing and sealing the bottle mouth of the bottle 32 to be filled in each case, the control valve 23 is opened by the actuating device 25, so that compressed gas, which in the embodiment shown is sterile air, into the gas path 21, which is now connected to the chamber 15 Chamber 15 and via the gas path 16 and the gas channel 12 into the interior of the bottle 32. The bottle 32 is thus biased to a pressure corresponding to the pressure in the gas space 22 via the gas pipe 6 protruding into the interior through the bottle mouth. A small amount of pressurized gas also reaches the residual gas duct 18 via the gas path 17. However, by selecting the nozzle 19 accordingly, it is ensured that this amount of pressurized gas is small.

2. Slow filling

After a predetermined pretension time has elapsed, the control valve 23 is closed again and the liquid valve 8 is opened so that the liquid filling material flows into the interior of the bottle 32 via the discharge opening 7. That out here Compressed or return gas displaced from the interior of the bottle 32 flows via the gas channel 12 and the gas paths 16 and 17 into the return gas chamber 18. The nozzle 19 provides for a corresponding throttling of the displaced gas flow and thus for a gentle and slow filling speed. The filling speed actually achieved results from the cross section of the nozzle 19 and the difference between the pressure in the gas space 22 and in the residual gas duct 18. Both parameters can be changed or set depending on the sensitivity of the filling material (beverage) to be filled. The time for this slow filling is usually only a few 100 milliseconds.

3. Quick fill

In order to achieve a high specific valve performance, the bottle 32 is filled after its slow filling in its less critical middle area with a high inflow rate. For this purpose, the control valve 23 is opened so that there is then an additional connection to the gas space 22 via the gas path 21, via which an additional, unthrottled gas flow of the gas displaced during filling can be discharged. The filling speed in this rapid filling phase is essentially determined by the level N in the ring bowl. Via the level control, the level of level N, i.e. these parameters can be adapted to the respective special requirements (e.g. filling properties of the filling material and / or shape of the bottle 32 to be filled, etc.).

4. Brake and correction fill

After a predetermined time for the rapid filling phase, the control valve 23 is closed again via the actuating device 25, and thus the connection via the gas path 21 to the gas space 22 is interrupted. The filling speed is thereby reduced to the value of the filling phase. In the narrowing bottle neck of the bottle 32, the level of the filling material now rises at a low speed. Small bubbles that go through during the quick fill phase Flow turbulences that were held in suspension rise to the surface. The product level reaches the probe 11 arranged in the gas pipe 6 with a uniform surface appearance and free of bubbles. The product level, which is at a standstill in the braking phase, enables the level to be measured precisely.

After the probe has been loaded, the liquid valve 8 is closed, preferably for a correction filling with a time delay generated, for example, by a control electronics, with which a filling level correction in the range of approximately 10-20 mm is then possible.

During this braking and correction phase, the control valve 23 is briefly opened once or several times, so that the filling pressure which corresponds to the pressure in the gas space 22 is maintained in the bottle 32.

5. Filling and calming

After the liquid valve 8 has been closed, the pressure in the neck of the filled bottle 32 begins to decrease via the nozzle 19 provided in the gas path 17 to the pressure which is set in the residual gas channel 18.

Even during this calming phase, it is possible to open the control valve 23 briefly in a controlled manner one or more times, so that a pressure which is approximated to the pressure in the gas space 22 is maintained inside the bottle for a certain calming time.

6. Intermediate or preliminary relief

By opening or closing the control valve 23 one or more times, this relief process or the pre-relief pressure can be adapted to the properties of the respective filling material. The corresponding relief cycles, In other words, the opening times can be variably preselected as a time function via the control electronics, regardless of the filler speed.

After the control valve 23 is finally closed, the pressure inside the bottle 32 builds up via the nozzle 19 to the pressure prevailing in the residual gas channel 18, which is, for example, between 0.5 and 1.0 bar.

7. Relieve the pressure and pull off the bottle

The pressure regulated in the residual gas channel 18 is maintained in the bottle interior until the bottle 32 is pulled off. The bottle 32 is then finally pulled off with a slight excess pressure in the interior of the bottle, with no spraying losses. Since the gas pipe 6 has an opening 6 ', through which the gas channel 12 is connected to the interior of the bottle 32 in the area of the bottle mouth, there is no expansion shock from the gas pipe 6 which disturbs the liquid filling material when the bottle is pulled off. An additional relief valve can be used to avoid pulling off with a slight overpressure.

When the bottle 32 is pulled off, a greatly reduced gas flow flows out of the residual gas channel 18 via the nozzle 19 and the gas pipe 6 into the mouth of the bottle 32. This gas flow strips off any residues of filling material adhering to the gas pipe 6 into the bottle 32. Furthermore, this gas flow also prevents the penetration of ambient air into the mouth of the bottle 32. If this gas flow is not desired, a further control valve controlling the gas path 17 can be provided.

Modifications to the process sequence described above are of course possible. For example, it is possible to use an inert gas (CO₂) or an air-gas mixture with a high proportion of inert gas (CO₂) as the compressed gas.

Furthermore, it is also possible to flush the respective bottle 32 with the pressurized gas used before pretensioning, by opening the control valve 23, the bottle 32 being raised only to such an extent that the gas pipe 6 extends into the interior of the bottle, but on a gap remains between the mouth of the bottle 32 and the filling element 1.

CIP cleaning is also possible with the filling element 1, as shown in FIG. 2. For this cleaning, a cap 32 is provided on the underside of the filling element 1, which forms a flushing space which receives the gas pipe 6 and which is sealed off from the outside by a seal 35 of the cap 34, by the centering tulip 30 and its seal 33.

The cleaning medium used for CIP cleaning is supplied to the residual gas channel 18 with an overpressure, for example with an overpressure of 3.0 to 4.0 bar. First of all via the nozzle 19 and then also via the opening check valve 20, the cleaning medium enters the chamber 15 and from there flows through the gas path 16 with the return gas channel 12. The cleaning medium emerging from the gas pipe 6 into the cap 34 passes through the opened liquid valve 8 in the ring bowl 2, which forms the return of the cleaning medium. The cleaning is carried out in such a way that the cleaning medium initially has a pressure which is not yet sufficient to open the check valve 20, and that this pressure then increases to the pressure required to open the check valve. This ensures that the nozzle 19 is rinsed or cleaned sufficiently in any case. If the control valve 23 is open, the cleaning medium also flows through the gas path 21.

Deviating from the described embodiment, it is possible for the residual gas channel 18 to communicate with the atmosphere via an opening or nozzle or for the gas path 17 to lead directly to the atmosphere via such an opening or nozzle.

Claims (13)

1. Device for the filling of bottles or the like containers with a liquid filling stock, with at least one filling element (1) displaying a liquid valve (8), with gas paths (16, 17, 21), which are each at least partially formed in the respective filling element (1) and stand in connection with the interior space of the container (32) each by way of a respective connection during the filling and of which a first gas path (21) is connected to a space (22), which holds a pressurising gas at a first pressure, of a tank (2) for the filling stock and a second gas path (17) serves for the discharge of the pressurising gas to a region of a second pressure lying below the first pressure as well as with a control valve (23), which is controllable between an opened and a closed setting and by way of which the first gas path (21) or its connection to the connection leading to the interior space of the container (32) is controllable, whilst the second gas path (17) is constantly connected with the connection leading to the interior space of the container (32), characterised thereby, that a common connection is provided for the first and the second gas path (21, 17) and formed by a third gas path (16), which serves for the feeding as well as also for the discharging of the pressurising gas into or out of the container (32) and that separate actuating equipments (25, 10) are provided for the control valve (23) and the liquid valve (8).
2. Device according to claim 1, characterised thereby, that the second and the third gas path (17, 16) are constantly or uncontrollably connected together.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised thereby, that the control valve (23) is provided at an outward side of the filling element (1) or a housing (4) of this filling element (1) to be easily accessible.
4. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised thereby, that at least one nozzle or throttle (19) is provided in the second gas path (17) and determines the effective flow cross-section of this gas path.
5. Device according to claim 4, characterised thereby, that at least one non-return valve (20) is provided parallelly to the at least one nozzle (19) in the second gas path (17) and opens in a flow direction which extends in the second gas path (17) in the direction to the connection with the third gas path (16) and/or the first gas path (21).
6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised thereby, that the gas paths (16, 17, 21) open into a common chamber (15).
7. Device accoridng to claim 6, characterised thereby, that a valve body (24) of the control valve (23) is provided in the common chamber (15).
8. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 7, characterised thereby, that the first gas path (21) is connected with a pressurising gas chamber or a gas space of a tank (2) filled only partially by the liquid filling stock.
9. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 8, characterised thereby, that the second gas path (17) stands in connection with the atmosphere.
10. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 8, characterised thereby, that the second gas path (17) stands in connection with a return gas channel or rest gas channel (18).
11. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 10, characterised by means for the maintenance of a preset value of the second pressure, preferably for the maintenance of a preset pressure in the return gas channel or rest gas channel (18).
12. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 11, characterised thereby, that the third gas path (16) includes a gas channel (12), which is formed in a gas tube (6) of the filling element and preferably surrounds a probe (11) determining the filling height.
13. Device according to claim 12, characterised thereby, that the gas tube (6) above its lower end displays an additional opening for the gas channel (12).

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