Method and apparatus for filling containers
AssigneeSeitz Enzinger Noll Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsSiegfried Paasche, Gerald Raabe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for filling containers with a liquid material. The filling machine has a plurality of filling elements that form filling stations. At least one filling station is provided with a flowmeter that cooperates with a control device. On the basis of measurement data delivered by the flowmeter, the control device forms a control value that is used to control the filling stations that do not have a flowmeter.
Claims38
In a method of filling containers with a prescribed quantity of a liquid material using a filling machine that has a plurality of filling stations, each with a filling element having a liquid flow valve controlled by an actuating mechanism, with said liquid flow valve being disposed in a liquid channel that forms a part of a material or product path and that has a discharge opening via which said liquid material, during a filling phase with said liquid flow valve open, flows to a container that is positioned below said filling element, with said filling machine also having an electrical control device that cooperates with said actuating mechanisms of said filling elements, whereby to terminate a filling phase said control device delivers to a pertaining actuating mechanism a signal that effects closing of said liquid flow valve and that is a function of a measured value that is delivered by a flowmeter that is disposed in said product path, with said measured value corresponding to the quantity of material that has actually flowed to said container via the pertinent filling element, and with said control device also taking into consideration, for termination of said filling phase, said prescribed quantity of material that is to be dispensed into said container, the improvement including the steps of:
- providing at least one of said filling elements with a flowmeter and designating said at least one filling element as a master filling station;
- providing at least one further filling element that has no flowmeter and designating said at least one further filling element as a slave filling station;
- associating said slave filling station with said master filling station;
- determining with said control device, on the basis of said measured value delivered by said flowmeter of said master filling station, a control value that corresponds to a filling time required by said master filling station to achieve said prescribed quantity of material;
- and
- effecting with said control device, via appropriate control signals, an opening of said liquid flow valve of said filling element of said at least one associated slave filling station during a period of time or opening time derived from said control signals.
In a filling machine for filling containers with a prescribed quantity of a liquid material, said filling machine having a plurality of filling stations each With a filling element having a liquid flow valve controlled by an actuating mechanism, with said liquid flow valve being disposed in a liquid channel that forms a part of a material or product path and that has a discharge opening via which said liquid material, during a filling phase with said liquid flow valve open, flows to a container that is positioned below said filling element, with said filling machine also having an electrical control device that cooperates with said actuating mechanisms of said filling elements, whereby to terminate a filling phase said control device delivers to a pertaining actuating mechanism a signal that effects closing of said liquid flow valve and that is a function of a measured value that is delivered by a flowmeter that is disposed in said product path, with said measured value corresponding to the quantity of material that has actually flowed to said container via the pertinent filling element, and with said control device also taking into consideration, for termination of said filling phase, said prescribed quantity of material that is to be dispensed into said container, the improvement comprising:
- at least one of said filling elements with a flowmeter and said at least one filling element as a master filling station;
- at least one further filling element that has no flowmeter and said at least one further filling element as a slave filling station;
- and
- said slave filling station associated with said master filling station whereby said control device, on the basis of said measured value delivered by said flowmeter of said master filling station, determines a control value that corresponds to a filling time required by said master filling station to achieve said prescribed quantity of material, and whereby said control device, via appropriate control signals, effects an opening of said liquid flow valve of said filling element of said at least one associated slave filling station during a period of time or opening time derived from said control signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.