Apparatus and method for filling containers with liquid contents

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11639288-B2
Application number	US-201917270633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2019
Priority date	Sep 11, 2018
Publication date	May 2, 2023
Grant date	May 2, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus for filling containers with a product includes a filling element, a supply line that supplies the product, a switching valve, a control valve, a vessel that is disposed between the switching valve and the control valve, and a volumeter that is disposed between the switching valve and the control valve. The vessel supplies a pre-metered quantity of the product for discharge via the switching valve to the filling element, the quantity having been pre-metered by the volumeter. The supply line provides the product to the vessel at a first flow rate. Discharge of the product through the switching valve and into the filling element occurs at a second flow rate that exceeds the first flow rate, the first and second flow rates being volumetric flow rates.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for filling containers with a product, said product being a liquid filling-product, said apparatus comprising a filling element, a supply line that supplies said product, a switching valve, a control valve, a vessel, and a volumeter, wherein said volumeter is disposed between said control valve and said vessel, wherein said vessel is disposed between said switching valve and said volumeter, wherein said vessel supplies a pre-metered quantity of said product for discharge via said switching valve to said filling element while said container is being prepared for filling by at least one of evacuation and pre-stressing of said container, said quantity having been pre-metered by said volumeter, wherein said supply line provides said product to said vessel at a first flow rate, and wherein discharge of said product through said switching valve and into said filling element occurs at a second flowrate that exceeds said first flow rate, said first and second flow rates being volumetric flow rates, wherein said apparatus further comprises a discharge line that leads to said filling element, wherein at least one of said discharge line has a cross-sectional area that is greater than that of said supply line and said apparatus further comprises means for imposing pressure on said product in said discharge line.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a first regulator, said first regulator comprising a pressure sensor that detects pressure in said supply line, a controller that receives said pressure, and a regulating valve that is controlled by said controller.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a distributor that conveys said product towards said filling element, said distributor being arranged downstream of said first regulator.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said distributor comprises a tank, wherein, during filling, said tank is partially filled with said product and an upper gas space above said product is filled with a pre-stressing gas that is under pressure.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said vessel is a header vessel that supplies said pre-metered quantity of product for discharge via said switching valve to said filling element, said quantity having been pre-metered by said volumeter before reaching said vessel.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said volumeter comprises a flow meter that is arranged upstream of said header vessel.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said vessel is a header vessel, wherein said apparatus further comprises a second regulator that comprises a regulating valve, a pressure sensor, and a controller, wherein said pressure sensor provides a measurement of pressure in said header vessel to said controller for use by said controller in controlling said regulating valve.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein said second regulator comprises a pressure regulator for regulating supply of a pre-stressing gas to said header vessel.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said header vessel is a first header vessel, said apparatus comprising a second header vessel having an associated regulator, wherein said apparatus further comprises slide valves, each of which is disposed between said switching valve and said control valve, wherein two of said slide valves are configured to cause product to enter said first header vessel and to be discharged from said first header vessel and two more of said slide valves are configured to cause product to enter said second header vessel and to be discharged from said second header vessel.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said volumeter comprises a piston, a cylinder, and a drive that drives said piston through said cylinder to cause filling of said vessel.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said drive comprises a linear drive.

12. A method for filling containers with a product, said product being a liquid filling-product, said method comprising providing said product at a first flow rate, using a volumeter that is disposed between a switching valve and a control valve to pre-meter a quantity of said product for discharge via said switching valve into a filling element, storing said quantity in a vessel that is disposed between said switching valve and said volumeter, and discharging said quantity from said vessel into said filling element at a second flow rate that exceeds said first flow rate, said first and second flow rates being volumetric flow rates, wherein said volumeter is disposed between said control valve and said vessel, said method further comprising selecting a cross-sectional area of said supply line and selecting a cross-sectional area of a discharge line through which said product is discharged such that said cross-sectional area of said discharge line is greater than that of said supply line or imposing pressure on said filling product in said discharge line to cause said second flow rate to exceed said first flow rate, wherein using said volumeter to pre-meter said quantity of said product comprises using said volumeter to pre-meter while said container is being prepared for filling by at least one of evacuation and pre-stressing of said container.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising accelerating said product during discharge until further acceleration becomes impossible, whereby flow of said product reaches a maximum speed.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a relationship exists between said first and second flowrates, wherein said relationship is that for a given first flow rate, said second flow rate will exceed said first flow rate.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, for a given first flow rate, the second flow rate is neither less than nor equal to said give first flow rate.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said control valve controls a stream of said liquid product that flows towards said switching valve.

Assignees

• Khs Gmbh

Inventors

• CLüSSERATH LUDWIG
• Krulitsch Dieter-Rudolf

Classifications

• B67C3/286 Primary

  related to flow rate control, i.e. controlling slow and fast filling phases · CPC title

• B67C3/204 Primary

  using dosing chambers · CPC title

• B67C3/206

  using arrangements of cylinders and pistons (B67C3/208 takes precedence) · CPC title