Container filling apparatus and method

A method for filling to a predetermined fill level a product container of a particular configuration with a flowable product using a product filling machine, comprising the steps of:

• (a) causing, during a filling operation at a filling station of the filling machine, a flowable product to flow through a fill valve assembly into the product container of the particular configuration located at the filling station,
• (b) using a sensor mounted at the filling station, generating a signal in response to the first sensing of the flowable product within the container;
• and
• (c) using a controller operably coupled to the sensor and configured to operate the fill valve assembly at the filling station, stopping flow of the flowable product into the container at the filling station upon receiving the generated signal from the sensor at the filling station;
• (d) wherein the method further comprises a preliminary step of positioning the sensor at the filling station so that the threshold of the sensor's range for first sensing the flowable product through a wall of such a container corresponds to the predetermined fill level.

A method for filling, to a predetermined fill level, product containers with a flowable product using a product filling machine, comprising the steps of:

• (a) causing a flowable product to flow from a product supply to a manifold;
• (b) causing the flowable product to separately flow from the manifold to a filling station at the filling machine and, at the filling station, for each of a plurality of product containers having the same configuration,
• (i) causing, during a filling operation, the flowable product to flow through a fill valve assembly into a container located at the filling station of the product filling machine,
• (ii) using a sensor, sensing through a wall of the product container when the flowable product reaches the predetermined fill level within the container, and generating a signal in response to the sensing of the flowable product reaching the predetermined fill level within the container, wherein the predetermined fill level corresponds to a threshold of the sensor's range for first sensing the flowable product within the container;
• (iii) using a controller operably coupled to the sensor at the filling station and configured to operate the fill valve assembly at the filling station, stopping flow of the flowable product into the container at the filling station in response to receiving a generated signal from the sensor at the filling station;
• and
• (iv) as a preliminary step, adjusting the sensor at the filling station based on the predetermined fill level at which the product containers of the particular configuration are to be filled at the filling station such that, after said adjusting, the sensor will first sense flowable product within such a container at the predetermined fill level.

A method for filling first and second product containers with a flowable product using a product filling machine, the first product container being of a first configuration, and the second product container being of a second configuration that is different from the first configuration, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) for the first product container,
• (1) causing, during a filling operation at a filling station of the filling machine, the flowable product to flow through a fill valve assembly into the first container located beneath the fill valve assembly, and
• (2) using a sensor mounted in a first position, sensing through the first container when the flowable product reaches a predetermined fill level within the first container and generating a signal in response to the sensing of the flowable product reaching the predetermined fill level within the first container, wherein the predetermined fill level corresponds to the threshold of the sensor's range for first sensing the flowable product within the first container;
• and
• (3) stopping flow of the flowable product into the first container at the filling station upon generating the signal from the sensor at the filling station;
• (4) wherein the method further comprises a preliminary step of calibrating filling at the filling station by adjusting a mounting of the sensor such that, after said adjusting, the sensor will first sense flowable product within the first container at the predetermined fill level;
• and
• (b) for the second product container, and after filling of the first container,
• (1) causing, during a filling operation at the filling station of the filling machine, the flowable product to flow through the fill valve assembly into the second container located beneath the fill valve assembly, and
• (2) using the sensor mounted in a second position, sensing through the second container when the flowable product reaches a predetermined fill level within the second container and generating a signal in response to the sensing of the flowable product reaching the predetermined fill level within the second container, wherein the predetermined fill level corresponds to the threshold of the sensor's range for first sensing the flowable product within the second container;
• and
• (3) stopping flow of the flowable product into the second container at the filling station upon generating the signal from the sensor at the filling station;
• (4) wherein the method further includes a step performed subsequent to the filling of the first container at the filling station, but before the step of filling the second container at the filling station, of recalibrating filling at the filling station for the second container by adjusting the mounting of the sensor such that, after said adjusting, the sensor will first sense flowable product within the second container at the predetermined fill level within the second container.