Patent ID: 6729366
Filing Date: 2004-05-04
Classification: B67C

Abstract:
A flow meter type liquid filling apparatus comprising:a plurality of filling nozzles each having a feed-out opening and a valve that opens and closes, a valve actuating means installed at a position that corresponds to each one of said filling nozzles and opens and closes said valve of each one of said filling nozzles, a reservoir tank which stores a liquid therein, a liquid supplying means connected to an upstream side of said reservoir tank, an air pressure adjustment means which adjusts air pressure inside said reservoir tank, a liquid pipe extending from said reservoir tank to a distribution chamber and then branched into liquid pipe channels each connected to each one of said filling nozzles, a liquid pressure sensor which detects a pressure of a liquid inside said liquid pipe, and a flow meter disposed on each one of said liquid pipe channels at a position that corresponds to said each one of said filling nozzles; wherein said air pressure adjustment means is actuated on the basis of a detection signal of said liquid pressure sensor, thus adjusting said air pressure inside said reservoir tank so that said pressure of said liquid inside said liquid pipe is maintained at a constant value, and said valve of each one of said filling nozzles is opened by said valve actuating means at a specified timing and is closed by said valve actuating means on the basis of a measurement signal of each one of said flow meters, thus filling containers with a fixed amount of a filling liquid; and wherein said air pressure adjustment means is comprised of: a pressurized air supply source, a plurality of air supply paths provided in parallel between said pressurized air supply source and said reservoir tank, air supply path opening-and-closing valves that open and close said air supply paths, a plurality of air discharge paths connected in parallel to said reservoir tank, air discharge path opening-and-closing valves that open and close said air discharge paths, and a control device that controls, based upon a detection signal of said liquid pressure sensor, an opening and closing operations of said air supply path opening-and-closing valves and said discharge path opening-and-closing valves.