Filling unit for filling containers of two different types with a liquid substance, in particular with a beverage

A filling unit (1) for filling containers with a liquid substance (99), comprising:

• a housing (2) configured to receive a mouth of the container to be filled;
• a dispenser (3) which opens onto said housing (2) and, in use, faces towards the mouth of the container so as to dispense, through a dispensing opening (30), the liquid substance (99) towards an internal volume of the container;
• a feed duct (13) for feeding the liquid substance (99) to the dispenser (3);
• a valve (4) interposed between the feed duct (13) and the dispensing opening (30), the valve (4) being controllable to assume an open position and a closed position, thus allowing and preventing the liquid substance (99) to be dispensed from the dispenser (3);
• the filling unit (1) being configured to fill containers (90) of a first type and to fill containers (95) of a second type,
• the housing (2) being configured to receive the mouth (91) of a container (90) of the first type and, alternatively, the mouth (96) of a container (95) of the second type,
• the housing (2) comprising a cavity (26) delimited by a bottom wall (24), on which the dispenser (3) opens, and by a lateral wall (25),
• the housing (2) being fitted with a first annular gasket (21), designed to come into contact with the mouth (91) of a container (90) of the first type, and a second annular gasket (22), designed to come into contact with the mouth (96) of a container (95) of the second type,
• wherein the first annular gasket (21) is smaller in size than the second annular gasket (22) and is positioned on the bottom wall (24) of the housing (2), the first annular gasket (21) encircling the dispensing opening (30),
• wherein the lateral wall (25) extends between the first annular gasket (21) and the second annular gasket (22) for at least one section (251) having a divergent shape, in particular a truncated cone shape, which diverges from the first annular gasket (21) towards the second annular gasket (22);
• wherein the dispenser (3) has a dispensing duct (31), ending in the dispensing opening (30), and a cross-section reducing element (33) that is substantially coaxial with the dispensing duct (31) and occupies its central region, so that the dispensing duct (31) and the dispensing opening (30) have an annular-shaped passage cross-section,
• the cross-section reducing element (33) having a section (34) that is a flow modifier, configured to impart a rotational motion on the liquid substance (99) passing through the dispensing duct (31), so that the liquid substance (99) comes out of the dispensing opening (30) with a helical flow,
• whereby:
• when filling a container (90) of the first type, the liquid substance (99) coming out of the dispensing opening (30) is dispensed directly into the mouth (91) of the container (90) and flows onto an internal surface of a lateral wall of the container (90);
• when filling a container (95) of the second type, the liquid substance (99) coming out of the dispensing opening (30) flows onto the lateral wall (25) of the housing (2) and, after having entered the mouth (96) of the container (95), flows onto an internal surface of a lateral wall of the container (95).