EP2576421B1 - Filling element and filling machine for filling bottles or similar containers - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a filling element according to the preamble of claim 1, to an insert in use in filling elements according to the preamble of claim 7 and to a filling machine according to the preamble of claim 9. Die EP 0 562 254 A1 discloses a generic filling element, a generic insert and a generic filling machine.

Filling elements for filling bottles or similar containers are known in various designs, especially in a training with acting as a gas barrier and / or swirl body for the filling insert in the liquid channel in the flow direction of the contents in front of the valve seat of the liquid valve to improve Füllgutflusses with open liquid valve or during the filling phase ( EP 1 593 648 B1 . EP 0 546 346 A1 . DE 41 40 524 A1 ). This prior art has in common that the respective use is moved with the opening and closing of the liquid valve with this, among other things with the disadvantage that when closing the liquid valve that volume of the liquid filling material, at this time between the discharge opening and the Valve body or the insert is, additionally reinforced by the use of a movement component or acceleration in the direction of the discharge opening is impressed. This then means an increased, in the respective already filled container still introduced residual volume with increased kinetic energy, resulting in particular in a CO2-containing product to a disturbance of the contents in the container, with the result of a release of CO2 gas and an additional foaming.

The object of the invention is to show a filling element, which avoids the disadvantages of known filling elements while maintaining the basic advantages of trained as a gas barrier and / or swirl body and / or acting insert.

To solve this problem, a filling element according to the patent claim 1 is formed. A use in use in filling elements is the subject of 7. A filling machine for filling bottles or similar containers is the subject of claim 9.

It has surprisingly been found that the properties of a filling element can be significantly improved by the inventive design, in particular with regard to reducing the size and speed or acceleration of the closing of the liquid valve in the respective container still introduced residual or tailing volume.

Further developments, advantages and applications of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the figures.

Fig. 1

in vereinfachter Teildarstellung und im Schnitt ein Füllelement gemäß der Erfindung zum Füllen von Behältern oder Flaschen mit einem flüssigen Produkt oder Füllgut;

Fig. 2

einen vergrößerten Teilschnitt des Füllelementes der Figur 1;

Fig. 3 und 4

jeweils in perspektivischer Darstellung und in Unteransicht (Figur 3) bzw. in Obersansicht (Figur 4) einen ringförmigen Einsatz zur Verwendung bei dem Füllelement der Figuren 1 und 2;

Fig. 5 und 6

den Einsatz der Figur 3 und 4 in Seitenansicht sowie in Draufsicht.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the figures of an embodiment. Show it:

Fig. 1

in simplified partial representation and in section a filling element according to the invention for filling containers or bottles with a liquid product or filling material;

Fig. 2

an enlarged partial section of the filling element of FIG. 1 ;

3 and 4

each in perspective view and in bottom view ( FIG. 3 ) or in upper view ( FIG. 4 ) an annular insert for use with the filling element of FIGS. 1 and 2 ;

FIGS. 5 and 6

the use of FIGS. 3 and 4 in side view as well as in plan view.

That in the FIG. 1 illustrated and there generally designated 1 filling valve is part of a plurality of such valves having filling system, for example, the filling system of a filling machine rotating design, in which the filling elements 1 are then provided in the manner known to those skilled in the periphery of a vertical machine axis rotatably driven rotor , The Filling element 1 comprises inter alia a multi-part Füllelementgehäuse 2, in which a liquid channel 3 is formed for the liquid product, through a recess 3.1 in the housing 2. The liquid channel 3 is in the region of its upper end via a connection or inlet 4 with a line or connected to a boiler for supplying the liquid filling material and forms in the region of its lower end or on the underside of the Füllelementgehäuses 2, that is on a conically narrowing portion of the recess 3.1 a vertical Füllelementachse FA concentrically enclosing annular discharge opening 5, via which the liquid contents during filling (filling phase) flows to the respective container.

During filling, in particular pressure filling, the respective container is in sealing position on the filling element 1, i. he lies with his mouth surrounding the mouth of the container mouth or against a provided on the underside of the Füllelementgehäuses seal 6 which surrounds the discharge opening 5 annular and in the illustrated embodiment part of a centering tulip 7 for centering the respective container with respect to the filling element. 1 is.

Axially with the Füllelementachse FA a valve or gas pipe 8 is provided, which projects with its lower open end of the gas pipe 8.1 via the discharge opening 5 and the annular seal 6 downwards, extends with a partial length through the liquid channel 3 and at the top of the liquid channel 8 by means a seal 9 formed, for example, as a membrane sealed out of the liquid channel 3 is led out.

Axelgleich with the Füllelementachse FA is also a rod-shaped filling level determining the filling of the respective container 10 is provided which extends through the gas pipe 8 and protrudes with its lower end of the probe from the lower, open end of the gas pipe 8.1, to form a probe This gas channel 11 is open at the lower end of the gas pipe 8.1 and opens at the upper end of the gas pipe 8 in a chamber 12, as well as the gas channel 11 is part of the respective filling process controlling gas paths of the filling element 1, as is also known in the art.

In the liquid channel 3, a liquid valve 13 is provided, which is opened and closed for controlled delivery of the liquid filling material in dependence on the signal of the probe 10. For the liquid valve 13, the gas pipe 8 is formed on a relatively short lower and received in the liquid channel 3 partial length as a valve body 14 which cooperates with a valve seat 15 which is formed on the conical inner surface 16 of the narrowing lower portion of the recess 3.1. To open and close the liquid valve 13, the gas pipe 8 is controlled in the manner of a valve tappet in the direction of the axis FA by an example pneumatic actuator 17 up and down (double arrow A). The valve body 14 is designed with a section with a circular cylindrical peripheral surface concentrically surrounding the filler element axis FA.

The filling of the respective container with the filling element 1 takes place with a filling process known to those skilled in the art, for example with a pressure or Gegendruckfüllverfahren, in which the sealing element located on the filling container - for example, after a pre-evacuation and / or purging with inert gas (CO2 gas) - Pre-stressed, filled under pressure and at the end of the filling process is at least partially relieved via the gas channel 11 to ambient pressure.

A special feature of the filling element 1 is in the generally designated 18 in the figures and in the Figures 3 - 6 detailed use, which acts as a gas barrier and as a swirl body. The insert 18 is in the liquid channel 3, in the lower, conically narrowing portion of the liquid channel 3 forming recess 3.1 arranged, and that stationary, ie not moved with the valve body 14 during opening and closing of the liquid valve 13. The insert 18 is in the illustrated embodiment, inter alia, against the conical inner surface 16, and relative to the flow direction of the liquid filling material at a region in front of the valve seat 15, so that the insert 18 is within that part of the liquid channel 3, the at closed liquid valve 13 is separated from the discharge opening 5 by this valve.

As in particular in the Figures 3 - 6 1, the insert 18 is made of a suitable material, for example of a suitable plastic and / or metal, for example in one piece with an annular ring section 19 and with a multiplicity of lamellae or lamellar wall sections 20, each similarly shaped in the illustrated embodiment spaced apart from each other and spaced equidistantly about the circumference of the ring portion 19 and about the axis EA of the insert 18, both over the underside of the ring portion 19 and beyond its outer periphery. The wall portions 20 form a lamellar structure 21 and are oriented in the illustrated embodiment so that the planes of the surface sides of the wall portions 20 are each parallel to the axis EA, but the wall portions 20 each project in the same direction obliquely from the circumference of the ring portion 19, so that each wall portion 20th with an imaginary tangent to that peripheral region of the annular portion 19, where the relevant wall portion 20 merges into the annular portion 19, an angle smaller than 90 °, for example, an angle of about 45 - 60 ° includes.

The insert 18 is further shaped so that the annular portion 19 protrudes with a portion 19.1 over the top of the lamellar structure 21, which at the bottom of the insert 18 adapted to the course of the conical surface 16 conical outer contour and the periphery of the insert 18 an axis EA concentric enclosing and adapted to the circular cylindrical cross-section of the recess 3.1 circular cylindrical outer contour forms. Like the wall sections 20, the lamellar structure 21 projects beyond the underside of the ring section 19. The louver structure 21 forms between the spaced-apart wall portions 20 a plurality of flow channels which are open at the periphery and at the bottom of the annular insert 18 and at the top and on the inside of the annular insert 18 (outside of the ring portion 19).

In detail, the insert 18 in the liquid channel 3 forming recess 3.1 is inserted such that the lamellar structure 21 rests with its conical bottom against the surface 16 and circumferentially against the inner surface of the recess 3.1 in front of the conically narrowing portion of this recess, as so in the FIG. 2 is shown. The axis EA is arranged coaxially with the Füllelementachse FA. The valve body 14 also extends with its portion with the circular cylindrical circumferential surface concentrically surrounding the filler element axis FA into the insert 18, whose inner ring diameter is adapted to the outer diameter of the valve body 14. For example, the valve body 14 is guided in the annular portion 19 of the insert 18. In the opened state of the liquid valve 13, which in the FIG. 2 is shown, therefore, the liquid product flows from the liquid channel 3 exclusively or almost exclusively through the flow channels of the insert 18 to the discharge opening 5. The described embodiment of the insert 18 the filling material while a twist is impressed with a swirl moment about the Füllelementachse FA, so that the liquid product flows into the container held in sealing position on the filling element 1 along its container inner surface, which in this case from the contents of the container displaced air and / or gas and / or vapor volume can be removed as a return gas smoothly via the gas channel 11 and also premature wetting of the probe 10 is avoided with the liquid product before reaching the desired level.

It has also surprisingly been found that by the use of the insert 18 and in particular by its stationary arrangement, the accelerated when closing the liquid valve 13 from the case moving valve body 14 Füllgutrestvolumen is significantly reduced. This is due, among other things, to the fact that, when the liquid valve 13 is open, the liquid product flows out of the flow channels of the lamellar structure 21 into the part of the liquid channel 3 located below the opened valve body 14 and opens into the discharge opening 5, and that from The filling material flow exiting the flow channels of the lamellar structure 21 when closing the liquid valve 13 is thus interrupted by the valve body 14 moving transversely to the direction of flow.

The advantageous effects that are achieved with the stationarily arranged insert 18, are particularly pronounced when the lamellar structure 21 forming wall sections 20 as possible with their relative to the axis EA inside and preferably oriented parallel to this axis edges or narrow sides of a circular cylindrical plane of movement are closely adjacent, on which the portion of the valve body 14 moves with the circular cylindrical peripheral surface, so that at least when the liquid valve 13 is open, the entire flow cross section of the flow channels formed between the wall portions 20 of the insert 18 is substantially larger than the flow area of a possibly between the peripheral surface of the Valve body 14 and the inner surface of the insert 18 existing gap. Preferably, the distance between the inner edges or narrow sides of the wall sections 20 of this plane of motion is not greater than 0.5 mm. When closing the liquid valve 13 thus the radially inner outlet openings of the flow channels formed between the wall portions 20 are increasingly and tightly sealed or at least largely sealed by the valve body 14. Furthermore, the inner edges or narrow sides of the wall sections 20, for example, are arranged on a common, imaginary circular cylindrical surface, which is then preferably also the circular cylindrical surface of the inner side of the annular section 19.

The invention has been described above by means of an embodiment.

Thus, it is particularly of great advantage if a gas barrier is used in conjunction with a throttling of the return gas stream. When using such a method it comes surprisingly to a significant improvement in Füllhöhe accuracy of the filled containers. In particular, the standard deviation of the measured actual fill levels is significantly reduced.

According to the current state of knowledge, the throttling of the return gas leads to a more uniform inflow of the filling material into the container, or to a more even, ie turbulence-free flow of the filling material through the Gas barrier. Due to these improved flow conditions, the (inflowing) filling material is stopped almost immediately and almost completely by the gas barrier at the moment when the nominal filling level is reached. In any case, the amount of filling material still flowing after reaching the nominal filling level is considerably reduced.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

filler

2

filling element

3

liquid channel

4

Connection or inlet

5

discharge opening

6

poetry

7

centering bell

8th

gas pipe

8.1

lower end of the gas pipe

9

poetry

10

probe

11

gas channel

12

chamber

13

liquid valve

14

valve body

15

valve seat

16

Conical inner surface

17

actuator

18

commitment

19

ring section

19.1

subregion

20

Slat or wall section

21

lamellar structure

A

Hub of the valve body 14th

FA

filling element

EA

Axis of the insert 18

Claims (9)

1. Filling element for filling bottles or similar containers with a liquid product or filler, with at least one liquid channel (3) formed in a fillingelement housing (2), with a connection or inlet (4) for conducting the liquid filler into the liquid channel (3) and with an outlet aperture (5) for the discharging the filler into a container to be filled, with at least one liquid valve (13) which is arranged in the liquid channel (3) and controls the discharge of the filler into the respective container and which has at least one valve body (14) that can be moved to open and close the liquid valve (13) and that engages with a valve seat (15), and with an insert (18) which is designed as and/or acts as a swirl body and/or as a gas barrier and, in the direction of flow of the filler, is arranged upstream of a valve seat (15) of the liquid valve (13), wherein the insert (18) is fixed in position in the liquid channel (3), i.e. it is not moved with the valve body (14) during the opening and closing of the liquid valve (13), characterised in that the insert (18) has an annular segment (19) concentrically surrounding the filling element axis (FA), held at which are fins or wall segments (20) forming a fin structure (21), and that the fin structure (21) or its fins or wall segments (20) project outwards over an underside of the circular segment (19) and over the circumference of the circular segment.
2. Filling element according to claim 1, characterised in that the insert (18) surrounds the valve body (14) of the liquid valve (13) at a valve body circumferential surface, preferably at an at least partially circular cylindrically shaped valve body circumferential surface in the closed state of the liquid valve (13) and/or in at least an open state of the liquid valve (13).
3. Filling element according to any one the preceding claims, characterised in that the insert (18) forms a plurality of flow channels for the filler, and that, in the closed state of the liquid valve (13) and/or in at least an open state of the liquid valve (13), the valve body (14) is adjacent with its valve body circumferential surface to the insert (18) in such a way that, in the open state of the liquid valve (13), the total flow cross-section of the flow channels of the insert (18) is greater than the flow cross-section of a gap which may be present between the valve body outer surface and the insert (18).
4. Filling element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the fins or wall segments (20) themselves form the flow channels of the insert (18), wherein the fins or wall segments (20) or their planes are preferably oriented parallel to the filling element axis (FA) and/or are inclined in the same direction towards an imaginary circular cylindrical surface concentrically surrounding the filling element axis (FA), and specifically at an angle of less than 20°.
5. Filling element according to the claim 3 or 4, characterised in that the insert (18) and/or the fins or wall segments (20) of the fin structure (21) extend as far as the movement space of the valve body (20) or, respectively, as far as a circular cylindrical movement plane of the valve body circumferential surface and/or exhibit a distance interval from this movement plane of less than 0.5 mm.
6. Filling element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one choke is provided in the gas path of the return gas.
7. Insert in use in a filling element (1) according to any one of claims 1-6 for the filling of bottles or similar containers with a liquid product or filler, wherein the insert is formed as a shaped part with a circular annular segment (19) concentrically surrounding an axis (EA) of the insert, characterised in that a fin structure (21) held at the segment, with a plurality of fins or wall segments (20) spaced apart from one another, wherein the fin structure (21) and its fins or wall segments (20), projects outward both over an underside of the annular segment (19) as well as over the circumference of the annular segment (19), wherein the valve body (14) extends into the insert (18) with its segment with the circular cylindrical circumferential surface concentrically surrounding the filling element axis (FA), wherein the inner annular diameter of the insert (18) is adapted to the outer diameter of the valve body (14).
8. Insert according to claim 7, characterised in that the fins or wall segments (20) forming the fin structure (21) are oriented with their surface sides parallel or essentially parallel to the axis (EA) of the insert (18) and/or are inclined in the same direction towards an imaginary plane of rotation, such as a circular cylindrical plane, concentrically surrounding the axis (EA) of the insert (18).
9. Filling machine for filling bottles or similar containers with a liquid filler, with at least one filling element (1), preferably with a plurality of filling elements (1) provided at a circumferential rotor, characterised in that the filling element (1) is formed in accordance with any one of claims 1-6.

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