Apparatus and method for filling a product into a container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10633125-B2
Application number	US-201615567849-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2016
Priority date	Apr 22, 2015
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus for filling a product into a container is provided. The apparatus can include a filling unit that can deliver the product into the container. The filling unit can include a pump and a filling nozzle at its one end. The apparatus can also include a drive unit for moving the container in relation to the filling unit between a first position, in which a bottom end of the container is arranged at a maximum distance from the filling nozzle, and a second position, in which the bottom end of the container is arranged at a minimum distance from the filling nozzle. A controller can control delivery of the product through the filling nozzle and control the drive unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for filling a product into a container, the apparatus comprising:
a filling unit configured to deliver the product into the container, the filling unit comprising a pump and a filling nozzle at a first end;
a drive unit configured to move the container in relation to the filling unit between a first position, in which a bottom end of the container is arranged at a maximum distance from the filling nozzle, and a second position, in which the bottom end of the container is arranged at a minimum distance from the filling nozzle; and
a controller configured to:
control delivery of the product through the filling nozzle;
control the drive unit; and
calculate a new drive unit motion profile for controlling movement from said second position to said first position based on a current product volume delivered by the pump, said current product volume being converted into length units;
wherein the controller is further configured to register an operational end position of the drive unit corresponding to said second position, assign the registered operational end position as a new initial position for the drive unit, and calculate said drive unit motion profile based on said new initial position.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said controller is further configured to initiate delivery of the product through the filling nozzle before the drive unit reaches said operational end position.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said drive unit motion profile is further calculated as a function of a pump motion profile.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to update the drive unit motion profile by comparing the new initial position for the drive unit with the current product volume delivered by the pump converted into length units at certain predefined instances during filling of the container.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to calculate an actual product level in the container in relation to the new initial position of the drive unit by comparing the new initial position to the current product volume delivered by the pump converted into length units minus a constant multiplied by the converted volume squared.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to calculate drive unit compensation distances as a function of the actual product level at predefined positions of the drive unit, and to update the drive unit motion profile using said drive unit compensation distances.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to calculate a speed of the pump at predefined positions of the drive unit, to calculate drive unit compensation distances as a function of the pump speed at the predefined positions of the drive unit, and to update the drive unit motion profile using said drive unit compensation distances.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to calculate an acceleration of the pump at predefined positions of the drive unit, to calculate drive unit compensation distances as a function of the pump acceleration at the predefined positions of the drive unit, and to update the drive unit motion profile using said drive unit compensation distances.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to instruct the drive unit to keep the container in the new initial position until a calculated position for the drive unit is less than the new initial position before moving the container away from the filling nozzle.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the filling unit comprises inlet and outlet valves being configured to regulate a volume of product delivered into a fill volume and a volume of product delivered to the container respectively and wherein the controller is further configured to control time instances at which the inlet and outlet valves open and close.

11. A method for filling a product into a container, the method comprising:
controlling a drive unit for moving the container in relation to a filling unit from a first position, in which a bottom end of the container is arranged at a maximum distance from a filling nozzle, to a second position, in which the bottom end of the container is arranged at a minimum distance from the filling nozzle;
opening a first end of the filling unit and filling the product into the container;
moving the container away from the first end of the filling unit or vice versa by controlling the drive unit to step through a number of predefined positions according to a drive unit motion profile, while continuing to fill the product into the container;
closing the first end of the filling unit when the container has been moved to a predefined end position; and
calculating a new drive unit motion profile for controlling movement from said second position to said first position based on a current product volume delivered by a pump, said current product volume being converted into length units;
registering an operational end position of the drive unit corresponding to said second position as a new initial position, wherein said predefined positions of the drive unit during filling of the container are recalculated in relation to the new initial position.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein delivery of the product through the filling nozzle is initiated before the drive unit is controlled to move the container away from the first end of the filling unit or vice versa.

13. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising comparing the new initial position for the drive unit with the current product volume delivered by the pump converted into length units.

14. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising calculating an actual product level in the container in relation to the new initial position of the drive unit by comparing the new initial position to the current product volume delivered by the pump converted into length units minus a constant multiplied by the converted volume squared.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising calculating a speed of the pump at each of the predefined positions of the drive unit in order to obtain drive unit compensation distances as a function of the pump speed at each of the predefined positions of the drive unit.

16. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising calculating an acceleration of the pump at each of the predefined positions of the drive unit in order to obtain drive unit compensation distances as a function of the pump speed at each of the predefined positions of the drive unit.

17. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising controlling a volume of the product delivered into a fill volume and a volume of product delivered to the container respectively by controlling the movement of inlet and outlet valves in the filling unit.

18. A computer storage system comprising a non-transitory storage device, said computer storage system having stored thereon executable program instructions that direct a computer system of an apparatus for filling a product into a container to at least:
control a drive unit for moving the container in relation to a filling unit or vice versa from a first position, in which a bottom end of the container is arranged at a maximum distance from a filling nozzle, to a second position, in which the bottom end of the container is arranged at a minimum distance from the filling nozzle;
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Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Lindberg Peter
• Ekberg Gert

Classifications

• B65B39/12

  movable towards or away from container or wrapper during filling or depositing · CPC title

• B67C3/28

  Flow-control devices, e.g. using valves ({B67C3/2617, B67C3/2625, B67C3/2637 take precedence}; valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• B65B57/145

  for fluent material · CPC title

• B65B3/30

  by volumetric measurement · CPC title

• B67C3/24

  Devices for supporting or handling bottles (transport or storing devices in general B65G) · CPC title