Filling system and filling machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9988255-B2
Application number	US-201414770281-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2014
Priority date	Feb 25, 2013
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus for processing containers includes a container-filling system having filling-point pairs in which each filling point has a filling element. Each filling element has a channel formed in a housing, a liquid valve in the channel that controls flow through a dispensing opening. The filling system also has internal and external gas-paths that are internal and external relative to the filling elements. These gas paths connect to each other. A gas-path control-valve controls the external path. Nothing controls the internal path. A stand-alone control module contains part of the external gas-path and the gas-path control-valve.

First claim

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

1. An apparatus for processing containers, said apparatus comprising a modular filling-system for filling containers with liquid filling-material, wherein said modular filling-system comprises a plurality of filling-point pairs and stand-alone control-modules, said filling-point pairs and said stand-alone control-modules having a modular architecture that permits said stand-alone control-modules and filling-point pairs thereof to be interchanged, wherein each filling-point pair comprises filling points, each of which includes a filling element that comprises a filling-element housing, a liquid channel that is formed within said filling-element housing and that ends in a dispensing opening, and a liquid valve that controls flow of liquid filling-material through said dispensing opening and into a container that is to be filled, wherein each filling-point pair comprises an internal gas-path that is internal to a filling element of said filling-point pair and a first section of an external gas-path, the first section being external to any filling element of said filling-point pair and being common to both filling elements in said filling-point pair, wherein a stand-alone control module from said plurality of stand-alone control modules connects to said filling-point pair to form said external gas-path, wherein said stand-alone control module comprises a control-module housing within which is formed a second section of said external gas-path, wherein when connected to said first section, said second section completes said external gas-path, wherein, when said stand-alone control module is connected to said filling-point pair to complete said gas-path, a gas-path control-valve is disposed along said second section of said external gas-path, and connects to said internal gas path, whereby, as a result of said modular architecture, said stand-alone control module is interchangeable.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a transport element having an outer surface on which said filling elements are disposed, wherein a section of said external gas-path is formed on said transport element, wherein gas flow through said section is uncontrolled.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said section of said external gas-path that is formed on said transport element opens into internal gas-paths of multiple filling elements.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said section of said external gas-path that is formed on said transport element opens into channels provided in said transport element, said channels being common to multiple filling elements.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a transport element, wherein said stand-alone control-modules are arranged on an annular surface of said transport element.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said external gas-path opens directly into said internal gas-path.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising first and second openings, wherein said first opening is an opening of said external gas-path, wherein said second opening is an opening of said internal gas-path, and a seal, wherein said seal has a cross-sectional area having a first value, wherein said first opening has a cross-sectional area having a second value, wherein said second opening has a cross-sectional area having a third value, wherein said first and second openings define an interface for fluid communication between said external gas-path and said internal gas- path, wherein said seal seals said interface, wherein said first value is greater than said second value, and wherein said third value is less than said first value.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a transport element that forms a partition that defines a first region and a second region, wherein said second region is an aseptic space for sterile filling of containers passing therethrough with liquid filling-material, wherein each of said filling elements comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein said dispensing opening is at said second portion, wherein only said second portion extends into said aseptic space, wherein said stand-alone control-module is disposed on said partition in said first region, and wherein said gas-path control-valves are disposed on said partition in said first region.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said filling elements are spaced apart by a fixed distance, wherein said stand-alone control-module and said filling elements are configured to be mounted on a rotor that defines first and second concentric pitch circles having corresponding first and second radii that differ by no more than a specified value, and wherein said stand-alone control-modules are configured to be mounted along said first pitch circle and said filling elements are configured to be mounted along said second pitch circle.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a rotor, wherein said filling-point pairs are mounted on said rotor radially offset from said control modules, which are also mounted on said rotor.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said filling elements are spaced apart by a fixed distance, wherein said stand-alone control-module and said filling elements are configured to be mounted on a rotor that defines first and second concentric pitch circles having corresponding first and second radii, said first radius being greater than said second radius, wherein said stand-alone control-modules are configured to be mounted along said second pitch circle and said filling elements are configured to be mounted along said first pitch circle.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said control-module housing comprises a level underside that defines a first plane that is perpendicular to a machine axis, wherein each of said filling elements comprises a mating surface that defines a second plane that is perpendicular to said machine axis.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a rotor that rotates about a machine axis, wherein said control modules are on a top face of said rotor, wherein said control modules are between said machine axis and said filling-point pairs.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a rotor that rotates about a machine axis, wherein said filling-point pairs move along a movement path, wherein said stand-alone control-modules are radially inside said movement path.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising further comprising first and second openings, wherein said first opening is an opening of said external gas-path, wherein said second opening is an opening of said internal gas-path, and wherein said control module and said filling-point pair are disposed such that said first and second openings are misaligned.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said filling-point pairs and said stand-alone control-modules are designed to fit a rotor having a first radius and wherein said stand-alone control-modules and said filling-point pairs are disposed on a rotor having a second radius that is different from said first radius.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said filling-point pairs and said stand-alone control-modules are designed to fit a rotor having a first radius, wherein each filling-point pair interfaces with a corresponding one of said stand-alone control-modules through a seal having a seal opening that engages a first mouth and a second mouth, wherein said first mouth is an opening of said external gas-path, wherein said second mouth is an opening of said internal gas-path, wherein said stan

Assignees

• Khs Gmbh

Inventors

• CLüSSERATH LUDWIG
• Krulitsch Dieter-Rudolf

Classifications

• B67C3/244

  Bottle lifting devices actuated by jacks, e.g. hydraulic, pneumatic (B67C3/242 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B67C2003/228

  Aseptic features · CPC title

• B67C3/225 Primary

  Means for filling simultaneously, e.g. in a rotary filling apparatus or multiple rows of containers · CPC title

• B67C3/2634

  specially adapted for vacuum or suction filling · CPC title