Device and method for filling a container with a filling product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11130667-B2
Application number	US-201816644138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2018
Priority date	Sep 4, 2017
Publication date	Sep 28, 2021
Grant date	Sep 28, 2021

Abstract

A device for filling a container with a filling product includes a filling valve for influencing the supply of the filling product into the container to be filled, generally during the transport, by means of a container transporting device, of the containers to be filled, a dosing valve for dosing a dosing product from a dosing product reservoir into the filling valve, and a main component reservoir for providing a main component at the filling valve. A dosing product changing device is provided for changing the dosing product in the dosing product reservoir during the filling operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for filling a container with a filling product, comprising:
a filling valve configured to control a supply of the filling product into the container;
a dosing valve configured to dose a dosing product from a dosing product reservoir into the filling valve;
a component reservoir configured to provide a component at the filling valve; and
a dosing product changing device configured to change the dosing product in the dosing product reservoir during a filling operation, wherein the dosing product changing device comprises a pressurization gas valve that controls a pressure in the dosing product reservoir.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the dosing product changing device is configured to change the dosing product in the dosing product reservoir while the filling valve is closed.

3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a flow meter, and wherein the dosing product changing device is configured to switch an opening or a closing of the dosing valve based on a measurement of a flow of the component through the flow meter.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the dosing product changing device is configured to set a differential pressure between the dosing product reservoir and the component.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the dosing product changing device is configured to make a pressure of the dosing product obtained at the filling valve lower than a pressure of the component obtained at the filling valve.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a container transporting device configured to transport the container along a transport path, and wherein the filling valve is disposed on the container transporting device.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the container transporting device comprises a rotary machine or a filler carousel.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the filling valve comprises at least two filling valves, the dosing valve comprises at least two dosing valves, and the at least two dosing valves are connected to the dosing product reservoir via a ring line.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the ring line comprises a circulating pump and the dosing product changing device is configured to switch the circulating pump to change the dosing product in the dosing product reservoir.

10. The device of claim 8 , further comprising a dosing product changing valve, and wherein the dosing product changing device is further configured to switch the dosing product changing valve to discharge a current dosing product from the ring line.

11. A method for filling a container with a filling product, comprising:
controlling, by a filling valve, a supply of the filling product into the container;
dosing, by a dosing valve, a dosing product from a dosing product reservoir into the filling valve;
providing a component at the filling valve from a component reservoir; and
changing, by a dosing product changing device, the dosing product in the dosing product reservoir during a filling operation, wherein the dosing product changing device comprises a pressurization gas valve that controls a pressure in the dosing product reservoir.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the dosing product is changed while the filling valve is closed.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein changing the dosing product in the dosing product reservoir comprises lowering a pressure in the dosing product reservoir while the filling valve is closed and the dosing valve is opened such that the dosing product is at least partially forced back into the dosing product reservoir.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
measuring a flow of the component; and
determining, based on the flow, whether the dosing product has been forced back fully into the dosing product reservoir.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
exchanging the dosing product in the dosing product reservoir after the dosing product is fully forced back; and
increasing a pressure in the dosing product reservoir such that a pressure of a new dosing product obtained at the filling valve is higher than a pressure of the component obtained at the filling valve.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising connecting the dosing valve to the dosing product reservoir via a ring line and providing a circulation pump in the ring line.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising switching the circulating pump to pump the dosing product out of the ring line and introducing a new dosing product.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising supplying a medium at the circulating pump to pump the dosing product out of the ring line.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the medium comprises the component or water.

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Becher Valentin
• Knott Josef
• Angerer Florian
• Winter Ute
• Poeschl Stefan
• Doblinger Josef

Classifications

• B67C3/202

  by weighing · CPC title

• B67C3/208 Primary

  specially adapted for adding small amounts of additional liquids, e.g. syrup · CPC title

• B67C3/026

  Filling the liquids simultaneously · CPC title

• B67C2007/006

  Devices particularly adapted for container filling · 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