JP7304779B2 - Filling method and filling equipment - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a filling method suitable for filling a flexible container with a liquid product such as a beverage.

Conventionally, as a method of filling a container with, for example, a carbonated beverage, the counterpressure method disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been common.
Since the counter-pressure method takes a long time for filling, in recent years, as disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, carbonic acid pressurized in a storage tank is placed in a container whose interior is previously made negative pressure. A method has been proposed in which the product liquid is injected all at once. This filling controls the amount of filling by monitoring the change over time in the pressure rise inside the container while the carbonated product liquid is ejected into the container.

The filling by the pre-evacuation method according to Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 uses the pressure difference between the container and the reservoir to fill the product liquid, so the product liquid is filled at an extremely high speed compared to the counter pressure method. be able to.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-23758 JP 2015-199545 A JP 2015-199546 A

As described above, the filling according to Patent Documents 2 and 3 can fill a container with a product liquid in a short period of time, but there are restrictions on the target container. In other words, the pre-evacuation method can only be applied to rigid containers such as glass bottles because it is necessary to create a negative pressure inside the container prior to filling the product solution. For example, if the pre-evacuation method disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 is applied to a flexible plastic container, the plastic container cannot withstand the negative pressure and collapses. Further, Patent Document 3 describes pre-evacuating a chamber in which the entire container is housed. become disadvantageous.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a filling method capable of filling beverages and other liquid products at high speed while maintaining the shape of a flexible container.

In the method of filling the product liquid according to the present invention, the product liquid stored in the storage tank with the counter pressure _PF applied is placed in a container whose internal initial pressure _PB0 is a positive pressure equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure, and is passed through the filling liquid supply passage. Fill the target fill quantity _QG via.
The filling method in the present invention comprises a differential pressure filling step and an evacuation filling step.
The differential pressure filling step fills the container with the product liquid from the reservoir based on the pressure difference between the initial pressure P _B0 of the container and a counter pressure P _F that is higher than the initial pressure P _B0 .
The exhaust filling step maintains the pressure _PB of the container at a maintenance pressure _PB3 that is equal to or lower than the counter pressure _PF while discharging gas components inside the container, and fills an amount corresponding to the difference from the target filling amount _QG . Fill the container with the product liquid from the reservoir.

In the differential pressure filling step of the present invention, preferably, the supply of product liquid is stopped once the pressure _PB reaches a set pressure _PB1 which is less than the counter pressure _PF .

The filling method of the present invention preferably includes a difference calculation step. This step calculates the amount corresponding to the difference based on the peak pressure _PB2 in the container measured after the product liquid supply was stopped. In the exhaust filling step, an amount of product liquid corresponding to the difference calculated in the difference calculating step is filled.

In the present invention, if the peak pressure P _B2 is higher than the counter pressure P _F , preferably the container pressure P _B is reduced to the set pressure P _B3 before the evacuation and filling step is performed. Also, in the present invention, when the peak pressure _PB2 is lower than the counter pressure _PF , preferably the container pressure _PB is increased to the set pressure _PB3 before the evacuation and filling step is performed.

In the differential pressure filling step of the present invention, preferably, the product liquid is filled into the container by the pressure difference without discharging the gas component of the pressure _PB sealed inside the container to the outside.

The present invention provides a filling apparatus comprising a reservoir in which the product liquid is stored under an environment to which a counter pressure P _F is applied, and a filling liquid supply passage for filling the container with the product liquid from the reservoir. The filling apparatus of the present invention applies a counter pressure P _F and a container pressure P _B to a container maintained at an initial pressure P _B0 that is a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure and lower than the counter pressure P _F in the reservoir. Fill the product liquid based on the pressure difference between The filling device of the present invention then maintains the pressure _PB at a maintenance pressure _PB3 below the counter pressure _PF while evacuating the gas components inside the container while corresponding to the difference from the target filling amount _QG . Fill the container with the amount of product liquid from the reservoir.

According to the present invention, in the differential pressure filling step, the product liquid is filled in the container while a differential pressure (pressure P _B0 <pressure P _F ) is formed between the initial pressure P _B0 of the container and the counter pressure P _F . Since it is filled, high-speed filling is realized. Moreover, according to the present invention, both the initial pressure P _B0 and the counter pressure P _F before filling the product liquid are positive pressures higher than the atmospheric pressure. can be maintained. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the insufficient filling amount in the differential pressure filling step is compensated in the exhaust filling step, so that the target amount can be filled at high speed.

It is a figure which shows the basic procedure of the filling method which concerns on this invention. It is a figure showing the main composition of the filling device which carries out the filling method concerning the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the beginning of the filling operation of the filling device of FIG. 2; Continuing from FIG. 3, (a) shows the start of differential pressure filling, and (b) shows the end of differential pressure filling. Continuing from FIG. 4, (a) shows the start of exhaust filling, and (b) shows the end of exhaust filling. It is a flow chart which shows the procedure of the filling method concerning an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the procedure which concerns on the modification of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the main structures of the filling apparatus for performing the procedure which concerns on FIG.7(b).

The present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 attached.
[Filling Procedure of Embodiment]
First, with reference to FIG. 1, the outline of the basic procedure of the filling method in this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, this procedure comprises a differential pressure filling step and an exhaust filling step, and in the differential pressure filling step, the amount of product liquid L that is less than the target filling amount is compensated for in the exhaust filling step.

In the differential pressure filling step, the container 100 is filled with the pressure difference between the storage tank 3 storing the product liquid L and the container 100 . Please refer to FIG. 2 for the storage tank 3 and the like. In FIG. 1, the vertical axis on the left indicates the pressure P, the vertical axis on the right indicates the filling amount Q of the product liquid L, and the horizontal axis indicates the elapsed time T. As shown in FIG. In the graph, the line segments labeled VL and VG indicate ON (open) and OFF (closed) of the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe. The liquid supply valve VL is an on-off valve that controls the filling of the product liquid L from the storage tank 3 into the container 100, and the gas exhaust valve VGe is an on-off valve that controls the discharge of gas from the container 100 to the outside of the system. is.

As shown in FIG. 1, a differential pressure ΔP (P _F −P _B0 ) is formed in advance between the initial pressure P _B0 inside the container 100 and the counter pressure P _F (>P _B0 ) applied to the storage tank 3. be done. The initial pressure P _B0 is, for example, atmospheric pressure (1 atm) and the counter pressure P _F is a pressure above the atmospheric pressure required for the product liquid L to be handled, for example, 5 atm.
The differential pressure filling step fills the container 100 with the product liquid L using the differential pressure ΔP (P _F −P _B0 ). When the closed (OFF) liquid supply valve VL is opened (ON), the product liquid L is filled into the container 100 while the initial pressure _PBO rises toward the counter pressure _PF .

Here, FIG. 1 assumes that filling of the container 100 with the product liquid L is stopped at the same time as the liquid supply valve VL is closed, and the product liquid is supplied until the pressure _PB in the container 100 matches the counter pressure _PF . An example in which L is filled into the container 100 is shown. However, although _the details will be described later, in the differential pressure filling according to the present embodiment, the pressure _PB may exceed the counter pressure _PF or may be less than the counter pressure _PF .

Even if the container 100 has flexibility, the container 100 will not collapse if the initial pressure _PB0 is included and the pressure _PB is maintained at a positive pressure equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure. In this embodiment, the pressure P _{2 B} is maintained in the range of atmospheric pressure to the counter pressure P 2 _F , eg, 1-5 atmospheres, throughout the differential pressure filling step, so that the container 100 does not collapse.

As shown in FIG. 1 , if the filling amount in the differential pressure filling step is Q ₁₁ , the differential pressure filling amount Q ₁₁ does not satisfy the target filling amount _QG of the container 100 . The exhaust filling amount _Q12 , which is insufficient for this target filling amount _QG , is compensated for in the exhaust filling step.
Before the exhaust filling step, as shown in FIG. 1, a calculation step is performed to obtain the exhaust filling amount _Q12 by calculation, during which both the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe are closed. The calculation step will be described later.

In the exhaust filling step, as shown in FIG. 1, both the gas exhaust valve VGe and the liquid supply valve VL are opened. The product liquid L is filled into the container 100 from the storage tank 3 until the exhaust filling amount _Q12 is reached while the pressure _PB3 is kept constant. During this time, the pressure _PB is maintained constant at a maintenance pressure _PB3 that is equal to or lower than the counter pressure _PF . During this time, by opening the gas exhaust valve VGe, for example, carbon dioxide gas contained in the container 100 is discharged from the container 100, and the container 100 is filled with the product liquid L in an amount corresponding to the discharged carbon dioxide gas. When the exhaust charge _Q12 is filled, both the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe are closed.
As described above, the container 100 is filled with the target filling amount _QG of the product liquid L by the differential pressure filling step and the exhaust filling step.

[Details of filling equipment and filling method]
The filling apparatus and filling method according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. FIG.
The filling apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment includes only a differential pressure filling step using the pressure difference between the reservoir 3 in which the product liquid L is stored and the container 100 in which the product liquid L is filled, and a differential pressure filling step. Then, the product liquid L is filled at a high speed by performing an exhaust filling step of filling an amount short of the target filling amount. A beverage is applied to this product liquid L as an example of the present invention. In the filling apparatus 1A of the present embodiment, since the inside of the container 100 is at a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure at the start of filling, even the plastic container 100 can maintain its shape. The filling of the product liquid L can be finished.

[Components of Filling Device 1A]
The filling device 1A includes, as shown in FIG. . A gas phase 3S, which is a space above the product liquid L in the storage tank 3, stores, for example, carbon dioxide CG. The counter pressure _PF of the carbon dioxide gas CG in the storage tank 3 in the gas phase 3S is controlled to be a constant pressure exceeding the atmospheric pressure corresponding to the characteristics of the product liquid L to be filled. A second pressure sensor 17 is provided to control this counter pressure _PF . Further, the product liquid L is replenished when the container 100 is filled with the product liquid L, and the liquid level in the storage tank 3 is controlled so as to be at a fixed position.

One end side of the filling liquid supply passage 7 is connected to the lower end portion of the storage tank 3 , and the other end side of the filling liquid supply passage 7 is provided so as to face the mouth portion 101 of the container 100 . The filling liquid supply passage 7 is provided with a liquid supply valve VL that opens and closes a channel through which the product liquid L flows.
When the product liquid L is filled, the other end of the filling liquid supply passage 7 is hermetically sealed with the opening of the container 100 . The gas exhaust path 11 is also the same. Also, FIG. 2 shows an example in which one container 100 is filled with the product liquid L from one storage tank 3, but this merely shows the minimum unit of the filling device 1A. In a filling device used for actual production, a plurality of containers 100 can be filled with the product liquid L from one storage tank 3 .

The gas exhaust path 11 is provided so that one end faces the container 100, and the other end is open to the environment under atmospheric pressure. The gas exhaust path 11 includes a gas exhaust valve VGe that opens and closes a flow path through which the carbon dioxide gas CG flows from the container 100 . Further, the gas exhaust path 11 is provided with a throttle 13 on the upstream side of the gas exhaust valve VGe. The throttle 13 controls the exhaust amount of carbon dioxide CG from the container 100 .

The filling device 1A includes a first pressure sensor 15 for detecting the internal pressure _PB of the container 100 having a volume _VB , and a second pressure sensor 17 for detecting the counter pressure _PF of the gas phase 3S in the storage tank 3. Prepare. The internal pressure _PB of the container 100 is the pressure of the entire volume of the container 100 at the time when the differential pressure is formed before the product liquid L is filled, and when the product liquid L is filled, the liquid level of the product liquid L is It is the pressure in the headspace, which is the upper space. When the product liquid L starts to be filled, the pressure _PB rises from the initial pressure _PB0 toward the counter pressure _PF .
A first pressure sensor 15 is provided in the gas exhaust path 11 between the throttle 13 and the container 100 . A second pressure sensor 17 is connected to the gas phase 3S of the reservoir 3 .

The filling device 1A is provided with a supply/discharge mechanism 40 attached to the storage tank 3 for controlling supply of the product liquid L and gas supply/exhaust.
The supply/discharge mechanism 40 includes a liquid supply path 41 provided with a pump 42 and a liquid control valve 48 . The liquid supply path 41 replenishes the storage tank 3 with the product liquid L from a supply source (not shown) by the operation of the pump 42 and the liquid control valve 48 .
Further, the supply/discharge mechanism 40 includes a gas supply path 43 that supplies the carbon dioxide CG to the gas phase 3S of the storage tank 3, and a gas discharge path 45 that discharges the carbon dioxide CG from the gas phase 3S of the storage tank 3. . A gas valve 44 is provided in the gas supply path 43 and a gas valve 46 is provided in the gas discharge path 45 .

The filling device 1A includes a controller 2 that controls opening and closing operations of the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe.
The controller 2 acquires the internal pressure P _B and the counter pressure P _F of the container 100 detected by the first pressure sensor 15 and the second pressure sensor 17, and opens and closes the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe. to control. Further, the controller 2 controls the opening and closing operations of the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe based on the set conditions necessary for the product liquid L filled by the filling device 1A. Further, the controller 2 controls the operation of the pump 42 of the liquid supply path 41 and the liquid control valve 48 so that the liquid level of the product liquid L in the storage tank 3 is at a fixed position. Furthermore, the controller 2 controls opening and closing operations of the gas valve 44 of the gas supply path 43 and the gas valve 46 of the gas discharge path 45 so that the counter pressure _PF is constant.

[Beverage filling procedure]
Next, a method of filling the container 100 with the product liquid L using the filling device 1A will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG. 3 to 6, the liquid supply valve VL and gas exhaust valve VGe that are open are shown in white, and the liquid supply valve VL and gas exhaust valve VGe that are closed are shown in black.
The filling method according to this embodiment includes a differential pressure filling step and an evacuation filling step.
In the differential pressure filling step, for example, the product liquid L is filled into the container 100 that has been replaced with carbon dioxide gas CG at atmospheric pressure due to the pressure difference with the storage tank 3 . In this differential pressure filling, only an amount of the product liquid L smaller than the target filling amount in the container 100 is filled. In the exhaust filling step, the container 100 is filled with the product liquid L that is insufficient for the target filling amount.

[Differential pressure formation step (Fig. 6 S101)]
A series of steps starts from an initial state in which both the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe are closed, as shown in FIG. In the initial state, the container 100 is at atmospheric pressure (P _B0 =atmospheric pressure) replaced with carbon dioxide gas CG as an example of the initial pressure P _B0 .
On the other hand, inside the storage tank 3, a counter pressure _PF exceeding the atmospheric pressure is applied to the product liquid L from the gas phase 3S. is formed ( FIG. 6 differential pressure forming step S101).
Each step will be described in order below. The gas phase 3S consists of a gas component necessary for maintaining the properties of the product liquid L, such as carbon dioxide gas.

[Differential pressure filling step (Fig. 4 (a), (b), Fig. 6 S103)]
In the differential pressure filling, as shown in FIG. 4(a), first, the liquid supply valve VL is opened to allow the storage tank 3 and the container 100 to communicate with each other. The storage tank 3 is under a pressurized environment in which a counter pressure P _F exceeding the atmospheric pressure is applied, while the pressure P _B is the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the container 100 begins to be filled with the product liquid L from the storage tank 3 at high speed at a flow rate and flow rate corresponding to the pressure difference between the counter pressure P _F and the initial pressure P _B0 (differential pressure filling step S103 in FIG. 6). The pressure _PB increases as the filling progresses.

Here, the pressure of the container 100 is continuously detected by the first pressure sensor 15 during differential pressure filling. The pressure sensed by the first pressure sensor 15 is the pressure _PB in the headspace 105 of the container 100 .
When the pressure _PB detected by the first pressure sensor 15 reaches the set pressure _PB1 , the liquid supply valve VL is closed to stop the filling of the product liquid L, as shown in FIG. 4(b). The product liquid L is filled up to the first filling line TL1. This completes the differential pressure filling operation, and the product liquid L is filled by the differential pressure filling amount _Q11 . During this differential pressure filling, the carbon dioxide gas CG contained in the container 100 continues to be filled while being confined in the container 100, so the pressure _PB inside the container 100 rises.

Although the liquid supply valve VL is closed based on the set pressure _PB1 here, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the rise waveform of the pressure _PB of the container 100 is obtained, the set time _TF is experimentally obtained in advance from the elapsed time and pressure of the waveform, and the liquid supply valve VL is closed based on this set time _TF . can also However, the set time _TF does not have to match the experimentally obtained value completely. A set time _TF shorter than the experimental value can be set for the purpose of shortening the filling time, and a set time _TF longer than the experimental value can be set for the purpose of stabilizing the state of the product liquid L. The same applies to exhaust filling.

[Exhaust filling amount calculation step (Fig. 6 S105)]
The differential pressure filling amount _Q11 with which the container 100 is filled in the differential pressure filling is obtained by the following equation (1). The differential pressure filling amount _Q11 is based on the premise that the peak pressure _PB2 of the container 100 matches the counter pressure _PF of the storage tank 3, as shown in FIG. The peak pressure P _B2 is detected by the first pressure sensor 15 . Further, the volume _VH of the head space 105 (FIG. 4(b)) of the container 100 after the product liquid L is filled by the differential pressure filling amount _Q11 is obtained by the following equation (2). Equations (1) and (2) are based on Boyle's law, and the same applies to equations (3) to (7) described later. The difference between the target filling amount _QG and the differential pressure filling amount _Q11 matches the exhaust filling amount _Q12 in the exhaust filling step.

Differential pressure filling amount Q ₁₁ = (1−P _B0 /P _B2 )×V _B … Equation (1)
Headspace volume V _H1 =P _B0 /P _B2 ×V _B Expression (2)
P _B0 : Initial pressure of container 100 P _B2 : Peak pressure of container 100 V _B : Volume of container 100 V _H1 : Volume of headspace 105 after differential pressure filling

For example, let the initial pressure P _B0 of the vessel 100 be 1 atmosphere and the peak pressure P _B2 be 5 atmospheres. Then, the exhaust filling amount _Q12 and the headspace volume _VH1 are as follows, and the product liquid L is filled by the differential pressure filling amount _Q11 corresponding to 4/5 of the volume _VB of the container 100 in the differential pressure filling. Therefore, the amount corresponding to the remaining Q _G −4/5×V _B must be filled in the exhaust filling. The amount corresponding to this remaining Q _G −4/5×V _B corresponds to the exhaust filling amount Q ₁₂ required to satisfy the target filling amount Q _G of the container 100 .
The above arithmetic processing is performed by the controller 2, and the controller 2 controls the opening/closing operations of the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe so as to obtain the exhaust filling amount _Q12 .
Exhaust filling amount Q ₁₂ = 4/5·V _B
Headspace volume V _H1 = 1/5·V _B

Here, in the process of differential pressure filling, the withstand pressure of the container 100 must be higher than the pressure _PB applied to the interior of the container 100 . This also applies to exhaust filling.
Assuming that the pressure resistance of the container 100 is _PP and the pressure of the product liquid L after differential pressure filling is _PB , the following equation (3) must be satisfied. Assuming that the counter pressure P _F of the gas phase 3S is 5 atm, the initial pressure P _B0 of the container 100 is 1 atm, and the peak pressure P _B2 after differential pressure filling of the container 100 is the maximum value, for example, 6 atm, this differential pressure The pressure resistance _PP of the container 100 required for filling is 6 atmospheres.
P _P >P _B =V _B /(V _B −Q ₁₁ ) Equation (3)

[Evacuation filling step (Fig. 5 (a), (b), Fig. 6 S107)]
Evacuation filling is performed after differential pressure filling. In the exhaust filling, the product liquid L is filled by the exhaust filling amount _Q12 , which is the difference between the target filling amount _QG and the differential pressure filling amount _Q11 .
For exhaust filling, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe are opened.

When the gas exhaust valve VGe is opened, the headspace 105 of the container 100 communicates with the atmosphere through the gas exhaust line 11, but the pressure _PB in the headspace 105 is higher than the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the carbon dioxide gas CG filling the headspace 105 is discharged to the atmosphere. Along with this, the container 100 is filled with the product liquid L from the storage tank 3 (Fig. 6, exhaust filling step S107). A throttle 13 is provided in the gas exhaust path 11, and the pressure _PB of the container 100 is stably maintained at the maintenance pressure _PB3 , while the product liquid L is filled into the container 100 at a constant filling speed S. be. When the product liquid L reaches the second filling line TL2 and is filled with the exhaust filling amount _Q12 , the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe are closed as shown in FIG. 5(b). The diaphragm 13 can be of both a constant opening and an adjustable opening.

Based on the constant filling speed S and the exhaust filling amount _Q12 , the controller 2 obtains the filling time _T12 required to fill the exhaust filling amount _Q12 by the formula (4), and the liquid supply valve VL and the gas The exhaust valve VGe can be closed.
Filling time T ₁₂ = Q ₁₂ /S... Equation (4)

The controller 2 can also control the exhaust filling amount _Q12 of the product liquid L in the exhaust filling step by the following method.
The height of the filling line corresponding to the target filling amount _QG in the container 100 is preset as a reference height. The liquid surface of the container 100 filled with the product liquid L is photographed by the image processing system, and when the filling line of the product liquid L photographed by the digital camera reaches the reference height, the exhaust filling amount Q ₁₂ is filled. Close the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe.

The amount filled at this time corresponds to the difference. The amount of the product liquid L filled after the exhaust filling, that is, the target filling amount _QG is obtained by the following equation (5).
Target filling amount Q _G = (1−P _B0 /P _B2 )×V _B … Equation (5)

[Capping step (Fig. 6 S109)]
Once the target filling amount _QG has been filled, the mouth 101 of the container 100 is capped (capping step) either in situ or after being transported to another location. Further, a label is affixed to the container 100, and a series of steps for manufacturing the beverage product centered on filling the container 100 with the product liquid L is completed.

[Deviation of peak pressure _PB2 of container 100]
An example has been described above in which the peak pressure _PB2 of the container 100 coincides with the counter pressure _PF , assuming that the filling of the product liquid L into the container 100 is stopped at the same time as the liquid supply valve VL is closed. However, in reality, the peak pressure _PB2 may be greater than the counter pressure _PF , and the peak pressure _PB2 may be less than the counter pressure _PF . Hereinafter, the former is referred to as form 1, and the latter is referred to as form 2.

There are two main factors that cause the peak pressure _PB2 to not match the counter pressure _PF to form 1 or form 2.

The first factor is that inertia is generated in the product liquid L filled in the container 100 using the pressure difference. That is, even if the liquid supply valve VL is closed, the movement of the product liquid L, which has inertia, does not immediately stop, so the supply of the product liquid L to the container 100 continues. As a result, even if the liquid supply valve VL is closed when the pressure _PB of the container 100 reaches the counter pressure _PF , for example, the product liquid L is filled into the container 100, and the peak pressure _PB2 of the container 100 corresponding to that amount is increased. exceeds the counter pressure _PF .

The second factor is that when the product liquid L is filled into the container 100, part of the gas component is once released from the product liquid L, but is redissolved in the product liquid L thereafter. That is, since the product liquid L is filled in the container 100 having a pressure lower than that of the storage tank 3 up to that point, the gas component is released from the product liquid L. However, as the filling progresses, the pressure in the container 100 also increases, so that the once released gas components are dissolved in the product liquid L again. As a result, for example, even if the pressure _PB temporarily reaches the counter pressure _PF , the pressure _PB deviates to a value lower than the counter pressure _PF due to redissolution of the gas components. The air is also included in the gas component, but the release and redissolution of carbon dioxide gas are more remarkable than the air.

In mode 1 corresponding to the above first factor, it is necessary to close the liquid supply valve VL before the pressure _PB reaches the counter pressure _PF . Also, in mode 2 corresponding to the second factor, it is necessary to close the liquid supply valve VL in consideration of the release and re-dissolution of carbon dioxide gas. Modes 1 and 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. The filling device 1B shown in FIG. 8 has the same configuration as the filling device 1A shown in FIG. there is The gas supply path 12 is connected to a gas supply source (not shown), and the supply and stop of the gas component, carbon dioxide in this embodiment, to the container 100 is controlled by opening and closing the gas supply valve VGs.

[Mode 1: Peak pressure P _B2 > counter pressure P _F ]
With reference to FIG. 7(a), the procedure from differential pressure filling to exhaust filling in mode 1 will be described.
When the pressure _PB reaches the set pressure _PB1 after the liquid supply valve VL is opened and differential pressure filling is started, the liquid supply valve VL is closed. The set pressure P _B1 is lower than the counter pressure P _F . As the product liquid L continues to be supplied to the container 100 by inertia, the pressure _PB reaches a peak pressure _PB2 exceeding the counter pressure _PF .

After that, when the gas exhaust valve VGe is opened and the pressure _PB drops to the maintenance pressure _PB3 lower than the peak pressure _PB2 , the gas exhaust valve VGe is kept open and the liquid supply valve VL is opened to carry out exhaust filling. When the exhaust filling amount _Q12 is filled, the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe are closed to complete the exhaust filling.

The set pressure P _B1 in configuration 1 can be empirically filled with various values to select the optimum value. In comparison, if the set pressure P _B1 is too low, the peak pressure P _B2 cannot exceed the counter pressure P _F . Also, if the set pressure _PB1 is too high and the peak pressure _PB2 greatly exceeds the counter pressure _PF , it takes time to lower the peak pressure _PB2 to the maintenance pressure _PB3 .

[Mode 2: Peak pressure P _B2 <counter pressure P _F ]
Next, for form 2, a procedure from differential pressure filling to exhaust filling will be described with reference to FIG. 7(b).
When the pressure _PB reaches the set pressure _PB1 after the liquid supply valve VL is opened and differential pressure filling is started, the liquid supply valve VL is closed. The set pressure P _B1 is less than the counter pressure P _F. The pressure _PB reaches a peak pressure _PB2 which is lower than the counterpressure _PF . After reaching the peak pressure _PB2 , the pressure _PB becomes a constant pressure lower than the peak pressure _PB2 due to redissolution of the gas components released from the product liquid L during the differential pressure filling into the product liquid L. fit. This pressure is also lower than the counter pressure _PF .

After that, the gas supply valve VGs is opened to supply the gas component to the container 100 . When the pressure _PB reaches the maintenance pressure _PB3 equal to the counter pressure _PF , the gas supply valve VGs is closed, and the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe are opened to perform exhaust filling. When the exhaust filling amount _Q12 is filled, the liquid supply valve VL and the gas exhaust valve VGe are closed to complete the exhaust filling.

For the set pressure P _B1 in mode 2, the optimum value can be selected by experimentally filling with various values. Relatively, if the set pressure _PB1 is too low, the time to supply the gas component to the container 100 will be long. Also, if the set pressure _PB1 is too high, the peak pressure _PB2 will exceed the counter pressure _PF even if the gas components are released and remelted.

[Effect of this embodiment]
Effects of the present embodiment described above will be described.
In this embodiment, the pressure _PB is the atmospheric pressure when the differential pressure filling of the product liquid L is started. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the container 100 made of resin and having flexibility is used as a filling target, the shape of the container 100 can be maintained without being crushed.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the counter pressure P _F of the storage tank 3 is set higher than the initial pressure P _B0 of the container 100 when differential pressure filling and exhaust filling of the product liquid L are started. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the product liquid L is delivered to the container 100 using this pressure difference, so that the container 100 can be filled with the product liquid L at high speed.

Furthermore, since the present embodiment performs two-stage filling consisting of differential pressure filling and exhaust filling, the container 100 can be reliably filled with the product liquid L in an amount that satisfies the target filling amount _QG .

Furthermore, immediately after the container 100 is filled in the differential pressure filling of this embodiment, the pressure is instantaneously released, so the carbon dioxide gas CG appears as bubbles. However, since the bubbles are fine and the pressure _PB rises until the filling is completed, the bubbles immediately dissolve again in the product liquid and disappear. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the operation of attaching the cap to the container 100 can be quickly started after differential pressure filling and exhaust filling.

In this embodiment, when filling the beverage containing carbon dioxide gas CG, the inside of the container 100 is replaced with carbon dioxide gas CG of a predetermined concentration prior to differential pressure filling. As a result, the present embodiment can keep the concentration of carbon dioxide contained in the product liquid L at a predetermined value while avoiding oxygen from being mixed into the product liquid L. FIG. For non-gas beverages, air at atmospheric pressure may be used.

In addition to the above, it is possible to select the configurations described in the present embodiment or to change them to other configurations as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example of a carbonated beverage is described as the liquid product, but the present invention can also be applied to non-carbonated beverages and other liquid products.
Also, in this embodiment, the counter pressure _PF and the gas inside the container 100 before filling is carbon dioxide gas because it is intended for carbonated beverages. However, in the present invention, not only carbon dioxide gas but also gas components necessary for maintaining the characteristics of the product liquid filled in the container, such as inert gas such as nitrogen gas, can be used.
In addition, although the container 100 described in the present embodiment is made of resin, the filling object of the present invention is not limited to resin containers, and can also be applied to other flexible containers such as metal cans. can. Moreover, the present invention does not exclude non-flexible bottles made of glass, for example, from the objects of filling.

1A, 1B filling device 2 controller 3 storage tank 7 filling liquid supply passage 11 gas exhaust passage 12 gas supply passage 13 throttle 15 first pressure sensor 17 second pressure sensor 40 supply and discharge mechanism 41 liquid supply passage 42 pump 43 gas supply passage 44, 46 gas valve 48 liquid control valve 100 container 101 mouth 105 head space

Claims (6)

The product liquid stored in the storage tank to which the counter pressure P _F is applied is filled to the target filling amount _QG through the filling liquid supply passage into the container whose internal initial pressure P _B0 is set to a positive pressure equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure. a method,
a differential pressure filling step of filling the container with the product liquid from the reservoir based on the pressure difference between the initial pressure P _B0 of the container and the counter pressure P _F that is higher than the initial pressure P _B0 ;
a difference calculation step of calculating an amount corresponding to the difference from the target filling amount _QG based on the peak pressure _PB2 of the container measured after the supply of the product liquid is stopped;
while maintaining the pressure _PB of the container at a maintenance pressure _PB3 equal to or lower than the counter pressure _PF while exhausting the gas components inside the container, the amount corresponding to the difference calculated in the difference calculation step an exhaust filling step of filling the container with the product liquid from the storage tank;
with
If the peak pressure _PB2 is higher than the counter pressure _PF ,
A product liquid filling method , wherein the container pressure PB _is reduced to the maintenance pressure _PB3 before the evacuation and filling step is performed.
Counter pressure P _F. is added to the product liquid stored in the storage tank, and the internal initial pressure P _B0 A target filling amount Q _G. A method of filling a
said initial pressure P of said vessel _B0 and the initial pressure P _B0 said counter pressure P which is higher than _F. a differential pressure filling step of filling the product liquid from the storage tank into the container based on the pressure difference between the
The peak pressure P of the container measured after the supply of the product liquid is stopped _B2 based on the target filling amount Q _G. A difference calculation step of calculating an amount corresponding to the difference from
While evacuating gas components inside the container, the pressure P of the container _B. the counter pressure P _F. Maintaining pressure P below _B3 an exhaust filling step of filling the container with an amount of the product liquid corresponding to the difference calculated in the difference calculating step from the storage tank while maintaining the
with
The peak pressure P _B2 is the counter pressure P _F. if lower than
pressure P of the container _B. the maintaining pressure P _B3 and then the evacuation and filling step is performed.
In the differential pressure filling step,
if the pressure _PB reaches a set pressure _PB1 that is less than the counter pressure _PF , stop supplying the product liquid;
The filling method according to claim 1 or 2 .
In the differential pressure filling step,
Filling the container with the product liquid by the pressure difference without discharging the gas component of the pressure P _B sealed inside the container to the outside;
The filling method according to claim 1 or 2 .
a reservoir in which the product liquid is stored under an environment with a counter pressure P _F ;
a filling liquid supply passage for filling the container with the product liquid from the storage tank,
A pressure equal to the counter pressure P _F and the container pressure P _B is applied to the container, which is maintained at an initial pressure P _B0 that is positive above atmospheric pressure and lower than the counter pressure P _F in the reservoir. fill the product liquid based on the difference,
Next, while maintaining the pressure PB at a maintenance pressure _PB3 that is equal to _{or lower} than the counter pressure _PF , gas components inside the container are exhausted, and the container measured after the supply of the product liquid is stopped. Filling the container with an amount of the product liquid corresponding to the difference from the target filling amount _QG calculated based on the peak pressure _PB2 of from the storage tank ,
If the peak pressure _PB2 is higher than the counter pressure _PF ,
The pressure _PB of the container is reduced to the maintenance pressure _PB3 before the filling takes place.
filling device.
Counter pressure P _F. A reservoir in which the product liquid is stored in an environment to which
a filling liquid supply passage for filling the container with the product liquid from the storage tank,
A positive pressure equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure, and the counter pressure P in the storage tank _F. lower initial pressure P _B0 The counter pressure P _F. and the vessel pressure P _B. Fill the product liquid based on the pressure difference between
Then, the counter pressure P _F. Maintaining pressure P below _B3 to the pressure P _B. The peak pressure P of the container measured after the supply of the product liquid is stopped while evacuating the gaseous components inside the container while maintaining the _B2 Target filling amount Q calculated based on _G. Filling the container with an amount of the product liquid corresponding to the difference from the storage tank,
The peak pressure P _B2 is the counter pressure P _F. if lower than
pressure P of the container _B. the maintaining pressure P _B3 and then said filling is carried out,
filling device.

Images