Filling element and filling machine for filling bottles or similar containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862586-B2
Application number	US-201113702240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2011
Priority date	Jun 7, 2010
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A filling element for filling a container includes a liquid channel configured in a filling element housing, a connector or inlet for feeding the liquid into the channel, a discharge opening for discharging the liquid into the container, and a liquid valve that controls liquid discharge into the container. The liquid valve is arranged in the channel and includes a valve seat and valve body movable to open and close the valve to engage the seat, and an insert configured as a swirl body or gas barrier. The insert is arranged, relative to a flow direction, upstream of the seat and is fixed in position in the channel so that it remains stationary relative to the valve body during opening and closing of the liquid valve.

First claim

Having described the invention, and a preferred embodiment thereof, what is new and secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus comprising a filling element for filling a plurality of bottles with liquid, said filling element comprising
a housing that comprises a recess forming a channel through which said liquid flows,
a valve arranged in said channel, said valve comprising a seat and a body,
an insert that remains stationary during operation of said filling element, said insert being disposed upstream of said seat and comprising a ring from which project blades that form both said gas barrier and said swirl body, said blades projecting in a direction having a radially outward component and away from said ring and axially downward beyond an underside of said ring, said blades being oriented to impart a swirl to said liquid as said liquid flow's past said blades, and wherein said blades are arranged to arrest residual flow of liquid when said bottle has been filled to a desired level, and
an annular opening through which liquid discharges in a direction toward an inner wall of said bottle during filling thereof,
wherein each of said blades comprises a bottom edge below the underside of the ring, the bottom edge being transverse to both a radial axis and a longitudinal axis of the housing, and
wherein said recess includes a lower conically narrowing section, wherein said bottom edge of each of said blades is disposed in said lower conically narrowing section.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said blades define Sow channels through which said liquid flows during filling of said bottle, wherein said flow channels define a first cross-sectional area that is available for said liquid to flow through, wherein said body and said ring are contiguous during filling, wherein a gap between said valve body and said ring has second cross-sectional area that is less than said first cross-sectional area.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein all but one edge of each of said blades is exposed to Liquid as said liquid moves past said blades during filling of said bottles.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein spaces between said blades form flow channels for said liquid, said flow channels being perpendicular to a surface defined by said opening.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said filling element has a filling-element axis, wherein said filling-element axis defines a cylinder having a cylinder axis that is coincident with said filling-element axis, wherein said blades are spaced apart from one another by a space, wherein each of said spaces forms a flow channel between adjacent blades, wherein, each, of said blades defines a blade-defined plane that forms an angle relative to said filling-element axis, and wherein said angle is the same for all of said blade-defined planes.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said angle is less than ninety degrees.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a gas restrictor in a gas path of a return gas, wherein said gas restrictor is configured to cause a restricted flow of said return gas, wherein during said restricted flow, gas flows through said gas restrictor, thereby suppressing turbulence in flow through said gas barrier.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said blades are oriented with sides thereof being parallel to an axis of said insert.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said blades are oriented with sides thereof being non-parallel to an axis of said insert.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each blade projects away from said ring section in a direction with both radial and circumferential components, wherein each blade makes an angle of in the range between 45-60 relative to said ring.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a gas tube and a probe, wherein said gas tube comprises an open lower end that extends through said channel and that projects beyond said discharge opening into said bottle and an open upper end that extends upward past a seal at a top of said channel and a probe that determines fill level during filling of said container, wherein said probe extends through said gas tube and projects beyond said lower end of said gas tube, wherein said probe and said gas tube form an annular channel that encircles said probe within said gas tube.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an actuator and a gas tube, wherein said actuator actuates said valve by moving said gas tube along a filling-element axis in response to a signal from a probe that extends along a filling-element axis and into said container.

Assignees

• Krulitsch Dieter-Rudolf
• Khs Gmbh

Inventors

• Krulitsch Dieter-Rudolf

Classifications

• B67C3/2608 Primary

  comprising anti-dripping means · CPC title

• B67C2003/2645

  Means to avoid overfilling by preventing gas returning from the container into the filling tank via the liquid valve, e.g. mesh screens · CPC title

• B67C2003/268

  by means of a flow channel integral with the filling nozzle · CPC title

• B65B3/10

  by application of pressure to material (by screw-type feeders B65B3/08) · CPC title