Abstract:
Filling system for filling bottles or similar containers with a liquid consisting of a main component and at least one additional component, said system comprising a plurality of filling elements in which the additional component(s) is/are supplied in controlled quantities via at least one mixing line per filling element in order to be mixed with the main component in the filling element.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is the National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2010/001762, filed on Mar. 20, 2010, which claims the benefit of the priority date of German Patent Application No. 10 2009 018 730.8, filed on Apr. 27, 2009. The contents of both applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates to a filling system for filling bottles or other containers with a liquid filling material consisting of a mixture of a main component and at least one additional component, wherein, with a filling material is in the form of a beverage, the main component is, for example, water and the at least one additional component is at least a flavoring. 
     In production installations of the beverages industry, the main component is usually mixed with one or more additional components in a mixing installation that is separate from the filling machine. The finished filling material or mixed product is then delivered from this mixing installation to the filling machine. 
     There have been previous proposals for the mixing of at least one main component and at least one additional component to be effected during the filling of the containers, i.e. at the particular filling element and/or in the container itself, with the at least one main component and the at least one additional component being delivered to the particular filling element in the quantity that is necessary for the mixing ratio. 
     SUMMARY 
     The object of the invention is to provide a filling system that, with a simplified design, allows a mixing of the main component and at least one additional component at the particular filling element in a precisely proportioned and repeatable manner. This avoids the need for a separate mixing installation. 
     A first fundamental advantage of the inventive filling system is therefore that, in a production installation in which the inventive filling system or a corresponding filling machine is used, no separate mixing installation is needed to mix the product from the main component and the at least one additional component. 
     However the invention also has the advantage of a repeatable and precisely proportioned addition of one or more additional components to the main component through the fact that the addition or admixture of the additional component is effected during the actual filling by a proportioning pump that is dedicated to each filling element and preferably by a controllable control valve. In order to simplify the design, at least two proportioning pumps driven by a common motor together form one proportioning unit, for example, with each proportioning unit then being assigned a filling element group in which the number of filling elements equals the number of proportioning pumps in the associated proportioning unit, and each filling element being connected by a mixing line and preferably by a control valve to the outlet of a proportioning pump that is discretely assigned to that filling element. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, at least two, for example three proportioning pumps driven by a common motor together form a proportioning unit, with each filling element of the filling system being assigned such a proportioning unit that, or whose outlet, is connected by a mixing line to the filling element. Under the control of control valves, the outlet of the proportioning unit can be connected to the outlet of optionally one or more of its proportioning pumps so that, in this embodiment too, the proportioned addition of the at least one additional component to each filling element is effected by a discrete proportioning pump, but it is still possible by appropriate triggering of the control valves to add different additional components or combinations of such additional components to the main component. 
     To avoid proportioning errors or proportioning inaccuracies in a startup phase of the proportioning pump, the proportioning devices are preferably operated in such a way that, during the filling operation, the proportioning pumps are always driven by the particular motor assigned to multiple proportioning pumps at constant speed and/or delivery rate, and the proportioned delivery of the at least one additional component is effected by opening the normally closed control valve over a time window within which, having regard to the delivery rate of the proportioning pumps, the quantity of the at least one additional component required for admixing is delivered to the related filling element. The proportioning of the additional component can be adjusted by altering the time window and/or by changing the delivery rate of the proportioning pumps or the speed of their drive motors. 
     Further, embodiments, advantages and possible applications of the invention arise out of the following description of embodiments and out of the figures. All of the described and/or pictorially represented attributes, whether alone or in any desired combination, are fundamentally the subject matter of the invention independently of their synopsis in the claims or a retroactive application thereof. The content of the claims is also made an integral part of the description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is explained below in greater detail by reference to 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  that illustrate three filling elements of a filling system in simplified representation. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The filling system  1 , which is shown in  FIG. 1 , is part of a filling machine, for example of a rotary filling machine for filling bottles  2  with a liquid filling material in the form of a mixture of a main component K 1  and a further component or additional component K 2 . The main component is, for example water, e.g. carbonated water, and the additional component K 2  is, for example, a flavoring. 
     The filling system  1  or the filling machine that exhibits this filling system possesses, on the periphery of a rotor that can be driven to rotate about a vertical machine axis, a plurality of filling elements  4 . In  FIG. 1 , filling elements  4  provided at different angular positions I-III of rotor  3  are shown adjacent to one another for the sake of simplicity. In reality however, like all other filling elements of the filling system  1  or of the filling machine, these filling elements are disposed on the periphery of the common circular or annular rotor  3  in the manner known to the person skilled in the art. 
     On the rotor  3 , each filling element  4  is assigned a container support  5  on which, during filling, a particular bottle is held suspended on a flange  2 . 2 , or a neck ring, that is integrally molded below a bottle mouth  2 . 1  so as to permit open jet filling. Open jet filling occurs when there is a gap between the bottle mouth  2 . 1  and the underside of a filling element  4  or a delivery opening  6  formed at that location and when, during filling, an open jet of the liquid filling material  7  crosses this gap and flows into the particular bottle  2 . 
     Inside a filling element housing  8 , and in each filling element  4 , there is configured a liquid channel  8  that forms the delivery opening  6  on the underside of the filling element  4 . A region of the top of the filling element  4  or of the filling element housing  8  is connected to a boiler  12  by a line  10  that incorporates a flow meter  11 . The boiler  12  is disposed on rotor  3  and is common to all filling elements  4  of the filling machine. 
     During filling operations, the boiler  12  is partially filled with the liquid filling material so that a lower liquid space  12 . 1  is occupied by the filling material and a gas space  12 . 2  above it is formed inside the boiler  12 . In the liquid channel  9 , there is provided a liquid valve  13  that, at the start of filling, is opened by an actuating device  14  and that, when the quantity of filling material filled in the particular bottle  2  is reached, is closed again by actuating device  14  in a controlled manner through a measuring signal from the flow meter  11 . 
     A salient feature of the filling system  1  is that the mixing of the main component K 1  and the additional component K 2  takes place during the filling process, i.e. inside the filling material jet  5  and possibly also inside the particular bottle  2 . For this purpose, each filling element  4  is connected, by a proportioning or mixing line  15 , to an outlet of a proportioning unit  16 , with each proportioning unit  16  being assigned to a group of multiple filling elements  4 , in the case of filling system  1  shown in  FIG. 1  for example, to three filling elements  4  or to the filling positions of the filling elements  4 . 
     Each mixing line  15  discharges centrally at the delivery opening  6  of its associated filling element  4  and hence centrally at a gas seal  17  that is provided at the particular delivery opening  6  or that forms that delivery opening  6 , the gas seal  17  being formed in a manner that is in itself known by way of an insert with a large number of penetrating channels. 
     Each mixing line  15  has its own separate proportioning pump  18 . All proportioning pumps  18  are driven by a common electric motor  19 . Proportioning pumps  18  are configured so that, by varying the speed of the motor  19 , the delivery rate of the proportioning pump  18 , i.e. the quantity of the additional component K 2  that is pumped during the filling process and during activation of the proportioning unit  16  through the mixing line  15  to the particular filling element so as to be added to the main component K 1  in liquid jet  7  at filling element  4 , i.e. when liquid valve  13  is open, can be adjusted in a finely proportioned manner. At the discharge of each proportioning pump  18 , there is provided a control valve  20  for effecting the proportioning of the additional component K 2  in the manner described below. The proportioning unit  16  is also connected to a line  21  for delivering the additional component K 2 . 
     An essential advantage of the filling system  1  is that the mixing of the main component K 1  and the additional component K 2 , i.e. the mixing of the particular product, takes place during the actual filling operation, i.e. with the liquid valve  13  open at the filling element  4 , or inside the liquid jet  7 , and if necessary, even inside bottle  2 . As a result, a production installation that uses a filling machine with the filling system  1  no longer needs to purchase and maintain a separate mixing installation to mix the main and additional components K 1  and K 2 . 
     Proportioning units  16  and the proportioned delivery of additional component K 2  by these units can be controlled in many different ways. One way is to vary the delivery rate of the proportioning pumps  18 . This can be carried out by varying the speed of the particular motor  19  and/or by controlling the opening times of the control valves  20  accordingly. Preferentially, the proportioned delivery of the additional component K 2  is effected, for example, such that while proportioning pumps  18  are being driven steadily and continuously, the normally closed control valves  20  are opened for the proportioned admixing of the additional component K 2  over a time window within which a quantity of the additional component K 2  corresponding to the delivery rate of the proportioning pumps  18  is then introduced into the particular mixing line  15  and so added to liquid jet  7  at the associated filling element  4 . 
     To simplify the triggering of individual proportioning units  16 , a proportioning unit  16  assigned to each group of filling elements  4  is activated, for example, in common for all filling elements in that group. It goes without saying that the particular proportioning unit  16  is only activated for the proportioned delivery of the additional component K 2  during the filling phase. Control valves  20  are preferably not simultaneously activated until the liquid valves  13  of all filling elements  4  assigned to the proportioning unit  16  are open, and with a time delay such that the control valves  20  of each proportioning unit  16  remain closed until a certain quantity of the main component K 1  has already been filled in each bottle  2  of the group of filling elements to which this proportioning unit  16  is assigned. 
     In a representation similar to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2  shows, as a further embodiment, three filling elements  4  of a filling system that exhibits a plurality of such filling elements. 
     Unlike the filling system  1  that is shown in  FIG. 1 , each filling element  4  in the filling system  1   a  shown in  FIG. 2  is assigned to a dedicated set of pumps  18  and lines that lead to that filling element  4 , with each line having its own control valve  20 . This configuration allows the optional addition of multiple components, i.e. in the embodiment shown, of three additional components K 2 . 1 , K 2 . 2  and K 2 . 3 , to the main component K 1  at the particular filling element  4  or in the liquid jet  7 . Otherwise, the filling system  1   a  shown in  FIG. 2  is the same as filling system  1 , especially as regards the configuration of filling elements  4  and the open jet filling of bottles  2 . To assist an understanding of the explanation and graphic representation, the filling elements  4  provided at different angular positions I-III of rotor  3  are again illustrated as being horizontally adjacent to one another. In reality, they would be provided around the periphery of common rotor  3 . 
     A common variable-speed motor  19  is again provided for the proportioning pumps  18 . The mixing line  15  for each filling element  4  is connected to three lines for the separate delivery of the additional components K 2 . 1 , K 2 . 2  and K 2 . 3 . Each of the three lines has its own control valve  20  for that filling element  4 . In order to add an additional component K 2 . 1 , K 2 . 2  and K 2 . 3  to the main component K 1  during filling, the control valve  20  that is assigned respectively to that additional component K 2 . 1 , K 2 . 2  and K 2 . 3  is opened. The remaining control valves  20  are closed. 
     For purging mixing line  15  there is provided, in addition to control valves  20 , a control valve  22  by which mixing line  15  can be purged by a purging fluid in order to remove, from mixing line  15 , remnants of whatever additional component K 2 . 1 .K 2 . 2 , K 2 . 3  that was added to the main component K 1  before the purging. The purging fluid can be the main component K 1 , or a beverage-neutral fluid, such as a gaseous or vapor fluid, including, for example, sterile air or an inert gas, such as carbon dioxide gas or nitrogen gas. 
     The control valve  22 , with its associated purging line  22 . 1  is only shown for one mixing line  15  in  FIG. 2  for the sake of greater clarity. In fact, each mixing line  15  actually has its own control valve  22  with its own associated purging line. 
     The filling system  1   a  makes it possible to add one or more of additional components K 2 . 1 -K 2 . 3  during the filling of the main component K 1  and to change the filling machine over from one product, which consists of the main component K 1  and one or more additional components K 2 . 1 -K 2 . 3 , to a different product, which consists of the main component and a different additional component. To accomplish this change, the mixing line  15  of each filling element  4  is purged by opening the control valve  22  before the changeover. The mixing lines  15  are purged, for example, at the beginning or each end of each production run, i.e. at the beginning of the filling of a product batch and/or at the end of the filling of a product batch, or for example at the end of each filling phase, i.e. at the end of the filling of a bottle  2 . Such purging ensures that repeatable conditions exist at each filling element at the beginning of a new filling phase, i.e. when a further bottle  2  is filled. 
     The invention has been described hereinbefore by reference to embodiments. It goes without saying that variations as well as modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concept underlying the invention. In particular, the system can also be used analogously for pressurized filling. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
     
         
           1 ,  1   a  Filling System 
           2  Bottle 
           2 . 1  Bottle mouth 
           2 . 2  Flange 
           3  Rotor 
           4  Filling element 
           5  Container support 
           6  Delivery opening 
           7  Liquid jet 
           8  Filling element housing 
           9  Liquid channel 
           10  Product line 
           11  Flow meter 
           12  Boiler for the main component K 1   
           12 . 1  Liquid space 
           12 . 2  Gas space 
           13  Liquid valve 
           14  Actuating element 
           15  Mixing line 
           16 ,  16   a  Proportioning unit 
           17  Gas seal 
           18  Proportioning pump 
           19  Pump motor 
           20  Control valve 
           21  Line for the additional component 
           22  Control valve 
           22 . 1  Purging line 
         K 1  Main component 
         K 2 , K 2 . 1 -K 2 . 3  Additional or flavoring component 
         I, II, II Angular position of filling elements  4  at rotor  3