Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
  • B67C3/00—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus; Filling casks or barrels with liquids or semiliquids
  • B67C3/02—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus
  • B67C3/20—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus with provision for metering the liquids to be introduced, e.g. when adding syrups
  • B67C3/208—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus with provision for metering the liquids to be introduced, e.g. when adding syrups specially adapted for adding small amounts of additional liquids, e.g. syrup
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B3/00—Packaging plastic material, semiliquids, liquids or mixed solids and liquids, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
  • B65B3/26—Methods or devices for controlling the quantity of the material fed or filled
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B3/00—Packaging plastic material, semiliquids, liquids or mixed solids and liquids, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
  • B65B3/26—Methods or devices for controlling the quantity of the material fed or filled
  • B65B3/30—Methods or devices for controlling the quantity of the material fed or filled by volumetric measurement
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
  • B67C3/00—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus; Filling casks or barrels with liquids or semiliquids
  • B67C3/02—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus
  • B67C3/023—Filling multiple liquids in a container

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 1 or 3 and to a filling system according to the preamble of claim 18 or 28.
• the invention relates to a method for filling containers with a liquid product, which consists of at least two components, namely, for example, a base component and another component, wherein the components are mixed together during the filling process.
• a liquid product which consists of at least two components, namely, for example, a base component and another component, wherein the components are mixed together during the filling process. Processes of this type are known in particular from the beverage industry.
• the object of the invention is to provide a method for filling bottles or similar containers with a liquid product produced by mixing at least two components, which (method) allows this filling with a reduced design effort.
• a method according to claim 1 or 3 is formed.
• a filling system for filling bottles or similar containers with a consisting of at least two components liquid product is the subject of claim 18 or 28th
• the mixing of the components takes place in the respective container, wherein the filling of the respective container, i. the controlled metered delivery of the at least two components in the required amount for the desired mixture or in the required volume using a single, the respective filling position or the respective filling element associated flow meter. Since in a filling machine with a large number of filling systems or filling elements only one such flow meter is required for each filling element, filling of a liquid mixture also formed by several components in mixture is possible without increased design complexity at a reduced overall cost.
• the filling is volume or volume controlled, i. taking into account the measured by the respective flow meter and the respective container supplied amount of the contents in mixture forming components.
• the components are each introduced in chronological succession or offset in time into the respective container.
• the mixture of the components takes place in the container.
• a volume or volume-controlled filling and then introduced for the last Component or partial filling to perform a filling level controlled filling, of course, taking into account the average void volume of the container and the desired mixing ratio, in which case, for example, a volume or volume controlled filling using the flow meter and for a second component a filling level controlled filling only for one component.
• the mixing of the components takes place outside the respective container in a mixing chamber of the respective filling system or filling element before the liquid product is introduced into the container.
• the peculiarity of this method is that the filling of the container from the mixing chamber is controlled height level.
• liquid level of the filling element forming the outlet of the mixing chamber or communicating with this outlet is closed by means which determine the filling level in the respective container during filling when the predetermined filling level in the container has been reached.
• the fill level determining means are e.g. at least one, at least during filling into the respective container extending into the probe with at least one probe contact or a return gas pipe or its gate.
• the volume of the mixing chamber is in this case designed so that it is in any case slightly larger than the void volume of the processed surfaces or containers. This design ensures even when mixing the components in a mixing chamber outside the respective container a constant filling level of the contents in the containers, especially in those containers whose void volume fluctuate greatly.
• Figures 1 - 3 respectively in a simplified representation of a filling element of a filling machine of rotating design, together with two boilers for different contents, in various embodiments of the invention
• FIG. 4 in a simplified representation of the respective filling element associated flow meter, together with an integrated in this flow meter 3/2-way valve;
• Fig. 5 in a representation as Figure 1 shows a further embodiment of the filling system according to the invention.
• a filling element of a filling system of a circulating type machine is used for filling bottles 2 or similar containers with a liquid filling material, which is composed of two components which are mixed with one another during filling only in the respective bottle 2.
• a component is, for example, as a supplementary component, a liquid flavor, eg syrup and the other component as a basic component of a CO 2 -containing water, for example mineral water.
• the filling element 1 is provided together with a plurality of similar filling elements 1 on the circumference of a vertical machine axis rotating driven rotor 3, on which, inter alia, two common for all filling elements 1 boiler 4 and 5 of the filling machine for each separate receiving a component of the liquid filling material
• the boiler 4 for the additive component to be mixed and the boiler 5 for the base or basic component for example, the boiler 4 for the additive component to be mixed and the boiler 5 for the base or basic component.
• each filling element a liquid channel 7 is formed, the inlet 8 is connected via a flow meter 9 and a connecting line 10 with the outputs of two controllable by an electric control device 11 metering valves 12 and 13.
• the metering valves 12 and 13 which constitute a control valve means for controlling the mixing ratio of the two components in the respective bottle 2 and which are controlled by the control means 11 between a closed state and an opened state in the manner to be described later, are connected with their inputs to a respective boiler, namely the metering valve 12 to the boiler 4 and the metering valve 13 to the boiler. 5
• Each filling element 1 of the filling machine thus a flow meter 9 and the two metering valves 12 and 13 having valve assembly 14 are assigned.
• the flowmeter 9 is designed as MID, ie as a non-contact, magneto-inductive flow meter which generates a magnetic field in a known manner in a flowed through by the filling material measuring channel, which induces an electrical voltage proportional to the electrically conductive filling material flowing through this measuring channel is the flow rate and is evaluated as the flow rate determining measurement signal.
• Each filling element 1 is assigned to the rotor 3 and a container carrier 19 to which the respective bottle 2 is held suspended with a formed near the bottle mouth 2.1 flange 2.2, in such a way that the bottle mouth 2.1 of the discharge opening 15 is spaced.
• a liquid valve 16 is provided in the liquid channel 7, which opens at its lower end in FIG. 1 at a gas barrier provided with a discharge opening 15, a liquid valve 16 is provided, the valve body 16.1 is actuated with a confirmation device 18 and controlled by the control device 11, so that the liquid valve 16 at the beginning of the filling process and closes at the end of the filling process.
• the metering valve 12 and 13 are opened, taking into account the measured quantities of the flow meter 9 by the controller 11, wherein with an open metering valve 12 and 13, the other metering valve 13 and 12 is closed.
• the control takes place in such a way that the metering valve 12 is opened at the beginning of each filling process and when the liquid valve 16 is open and after a certain period of time, taking into account the liquid quantity measured by the flow meter 9, the volume of the bottle 2 and the desired mixing ratio of the components closed again.
• the bottle 2 is filled by opening the metering valve 13 with the second component (for example, basic component) until the required amount of filling material is introduced into the bottle 2 and a corresponding signal of the flow meter 9 via the control device 11 volume-controlled closing of the metering valve 13 and the liquid valve 16 causes.
• the liquid valve 16 is preferably closed before the metering valve 13, to avoid running empty of the connection or connection channel 10 and to achieve a clear, each identical starting situation for the beginning of each filling.
• the filling process can also be controlled so that by repeated opening and closing of the metering valves 12 and 13 respectively subsets of the required total quantities of the components of the liquid filling material are introduced into the bottle , in which case the subsets of the components detected by the flow meter 9 are summed up in the control device 11 and, in this case, the observance of the desired mixing ratio is monitored and controlled.
• the bottles 2 have different volumes, for example due to manufacturing tolerances, as is generally the case with glass bottles, and therefore a constant or essentially constant filling level can not be achieved with a volume-controlled filling, it is preferably carried out by, for example, a respective bottle 2 introduced and indicated in the figure 1 very schematically with 20 probe monitoring the filling level and a completion of the filling process, ie closing the liquid valve 16 until it reaches the desired level, ie a filling height controlled closing.
• the adjustment of the filling level is carried out, for example, using that component of the liquid filling material, which is anyway introduced at the end of the filling process in the respective bottle 2, ie in the above-described example of the basic component from the boiler. 5
• FIG. 2 shows, as a further example, a filling element 1a of a peripheral type of filling machine.
• the filling element 1a which is again provided together with a plurality of similar filling elements on the rotor 3 of this machine, differs in the scope of interest here of the filling element 1 essentially only in that it is formed with a long filling tube 21 which at its upper end in the turn provided in Guelementgephinuse 6a and the liquid valve 16a having liquid channel 7 opens and forms the discharge opening 21.1 with its lower end.
• the respective bottle 2 is pressed over a designed as a bottle plate container carrier 22 with its mouth 2.1 in sealing position against the underside of the filling element 1a or against a local seal 23 and is connected via a filling tube 21 enclosing annular gap with a return gas path in combination.
• the filling tube 21 is provided in this embodiment with at least one probe contact 24, with which the Gregut Ah is determined, ie one of the two components, namely the last introduced into the bottle 2 component is supplied via the filling element 1a until the probe contact 24 to the closing end the liquid valve 16 and the subsequent closing of the metering valve 12 and 13 responds and so the required Gregutiere is reached.
• FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of the invention, a filling system with a filling element 1 b, which in turn is provided with a plurality of similar filling elements on the circumference of a rotor of a rotating type of filling machine for filling the bottles 2 with the contents formed by the two liquid components serves under counterpressure.
• the respective bottle 2 is pressed during filling with its bottle mouth 2.1 in sealing position against the formed on the underside of the Greelementgepuruses 6 and a return gas pipe 25 annularly enclosing discharge opening or against a local seal 27, with the container carrier 28, to which the Bottle 2 with its flange 2.2 is kept hanging.
• the return gas pipe 27 forms, inter alia, the valve body of the liquid valve 16 and is at its upper end controlled by control valves 29 gas paths and common to all filling elements 1b of the Grechige annular gas duct 30 formed in the boilers 4 and 5 gas chambers 4.1 and 5.1 as well as another, for example, leading to the atmosphere gas channel 31 in conjunction.
• the controlled delivery of the two components of the liquid product and the mixing of these components in the respective bottle 2 takes place in this embodiment in the same manner as described for the filling system of Figure 1, by controlled opening and closing of the metering valves 12 and 13th depending on the flow rate measured by the flow meter 9, wherein, however, the filling material height is determined by the return gas pipe 25, ie the inflow of the introduced at the end of the filling process in the respective bottle 2 liquid component is then terminated when the lower, open end of the return gas pipe 25 is immersed in the rising in the respective bottle 2 when filling the liquid contents.
• connection 10 is designed to be relatively long for the sake of clarity.
• the metering valves 12 and 13 with their outputs are arranged as close as possible to the inlet of the flow meter 9 so that a small residual volume results for the flow path between the metering valves 12 and 13 and the flow meter 9, which significantly improves the accuracy of mixing the two components.
• FIG. 4 shows a simplified representation of a flow meter 31 with an integrated 3/2-way valve 32, the inputs 33 and 34 are each connected to a chamber 4 and 5 and via which thus the chambers 4 and 5 optionally with the flow meter 31st or can be connected to the liquid channel 7 of the respective filling element 1, 1a or 1b which adjoins this flow meter or has the flow meter.
• the connection to both chambers 4 and 5 is blocked.
• FIG. 5 shows a simplified representation of a filling element 1c of a filling system, in which the mixing of the two components takes place outside the respective bottle 2 in a mixing chamber 36 of the filling element 1c, namely in the illustrated embodiment filling height controlled by a arranged in the mixing chamber 36 sensor 37th
• the mixing chamber 36 is connected with its inlet 38 via the metering valves 12 and 13 to the respective boiler 4 and 5, respectively.
• these metering valves 12 and 13 are in turn opened and closed sequentially controlled by the signal of the sensor 37, so that mixing of the components with the desired mixing ratio is achieved in the mixing chamber 36.
• the liquid valve 16 c provided at the outlet of the mixing chamber 36 is then opened.
• the liquid valve 16c is closed in a height-controlled manner by means of a probe 39 arranged in the bottle 2 during filling and provided with at least one probe contact.
• the filling element 1c which in turn is provided with a plurality of similar filling elements on the circumference of a rotor of a filling machine of rotating design, is designed for a free-jet filling.
• the filling element can also be designed for other filling methods, for example for filling with a long filling tube or for filling under counter-pressure, in the latter case the filling level in the bottle 2 or Closing the liquid valve 16c in turn be controlled by a the return gas pipe 25 corresponding return gas pipe.
• volume-controlled to carry out the mixing of the components in the mixing chamber 36, for example by the fact that at the inlet 38 of the mixing chamber 36 a flow meter 9 corresponding flow meter is provided, or the inlet 38 of the mixing chamber 36 via the Flow meter 32 with integrated three-way valve 32 is connected to the boilers 4 and 5, respectively.
• the filling system or the corresponding filling machine can also be designed so that more than two boilers are used, of which in turn a boiler, the base or base component of the contents to be filled, for example, the beverage to be filled and the other boiler to mix the base component contain liquid additional components.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)
• Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
• Supply Of Fluid Materials To The Packaging Location (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=38738852

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (46)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2006
  • 2006-09-27 DE DE102006045987A patent/DE102006045987A1/de not_active Ceased
• 2007
  • 2007-09-07 EP EP07802206A patent/EP2069227A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-09-07 CN CNA2007800359563A patent/CN101588986A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-09-07 JP JP2009529559A patent/JP2010504886A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-09-07 RU RU2009115664/12A patent/RU2009115664A/ru unknown
  • 2007-09-07 WO PCT/EP2007/007818 patent/WO2008037338A1/de active Application Filing
  • 2007-09-07 MX MX2009003149A patent/MX2009003149A/es not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2007-09-07 BR BRPI0715263-9A patent/BRPI0715263A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2009
  • 2009-03-26 US US12/412,020 patent/US20090236007A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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