Liquid filling system with improved fluid displacement, nozzle and container handling, cleaning, and calibration/set-up capabilities

A filling system for automatically filling containers with liquid product in a production cycle and for clean-in-place (CIP) cleaning of the product contact parts during said production cycle, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem for carrying containers to and from a filling area,
• a container indexing assembly for indexing containers through said filling area;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into containers in said filling area, said product contact subsystem further including;
• a first set of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices for metering liquid through said filling nozzles into the containers, and
• a second set of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices for metering liquid through said filling nozzles into the containers;
• a cleaning subsystem for circulating cleaning fluid through a selectable one of said first or second sets of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem for coordinating operation of the container indexing assembly with the product contact subsystem, said controls/utilities subsystem periodically initiating a cleaning cycle in which supply and metering of liquid through one set of filling nozzles and metering devices is stopped for cleaning by said cleaning subsystem and pressurized cleaning fluid is circulated there through, while in-process metering of liquid is continued through the other set of filling nozzles and metering devices.

A filling system for automatically filling containers with liquid product in a production cycle and for clean-out-of-place (COP) cleaning of product contact parts, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem for carrying containers to and from a filling area, and a container indexing assembly for indexing containers into position in said filling area, said container handling subsystem and said container indexing assembly being mounted stationary on a frame;
• a product contact subsystem for metering liquid product into containers in said filling area, said product contact subsystem further including at least one filling nozzle and corresponding metering device for metering liquid through said filling nozzle into the containers;
• a COP trolley subsystem for movably supporting said at least one filling nozzle and corresponding metering device relative to said container handling and indexing assembly frame and for shuttling said at least one filling nozzle and metering device to a cleaning site for remote cleaning;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem for coordinating operation of the container handling subsystem and the container indexing assembly with the product contact subsystem.

A filling system for automatically filling containers with liquid product in a production cycle and for clean-out-of-place (COP) cleaning of the product contact parts, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem for carrying containers to and from a filling area, and a container indexing assembly for indexing containers into position in said filling area, said container handling subsystem and said container indexing assembly being mounted stationary on a frame;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into containers in said filling area, said product contact subsystem further including at least two sets of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices for metering liquid through said filling nozzles into the containers;
• a COP trolley subsystem for shuttling a selectable one of said sets of filling nozzles and metering devices to the remote cleaning site for cleaning, and for shuttling another set of filling nozzles and metering devices back to the filling area for use in said production cycle;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem for coordinating operation of the container handling subsystem and the container indexing assembly with the product contact subsystem.

A method for automatically filling containers with liquid product in a production cycle and for clean-out-of-place (COP) cleaning of product contact parts during said production cycle, comprising the steps of:

• providing a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into containers via at least one filling nozzle and corresponding metering device;
• providing a remote cleaning subsystem including pressurized cleaning fluid feed system for circulating cleaning fluid through a reservoir;
• providing a COP trolley subsystem for shuttling said at least one filling nozzle and corresponding metering device to the remote cleaning subsystem for cleaning;
• alternately initiating either one of a production cycle during which containers are conveyed to and from a filling area and are filled by said at least one set of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices, or a cleaning cycle by which said at least one set of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices are shuttled by said COP trolley subsystem to said remote cleaning subsystem for cleaning out of place.

A method for automatically filling containers with liquid product in a production cycle and for clean-out-of-place (COP) cleaning of product contact parts during said production cycle, comprising the steps of:

• providing a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into containers via one of at least two sets of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices;
• providing a remote cleaning subsystem including pressurized cleaning fluid feed system for circulating cleaning fluid through a reservoir;
• providing a COP trolley subsystem for shuffling a selectable one of said sets of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices to the remote cleaning subsystem for cleaning, and for shuttling another set of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices back to the filling area for use in said production cycle;
• initiating a production cycle during which containers are conveyed to and from a filling area and are filled by one of said sets of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices;
• and
• initiating a cleaning cycle during which another of said sets of filling nozzles and corresponding metering devices are shuttled by said COP trolley subsystem to said remote cleaning subsystem for cleaning out of place.

A filling system for automatically filling containers with liquid product in a production cycle and for clean-out-of-place (COP) cleaning of product contact parts, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem for carrying containers to and from a filling area, and a container indexing assembly for indexing containers into position in said filling area, said container handling subsystem and said container indexing assembly being mounted stationary on a frame;
• a product contact subsystem for metering liquid product into containers in said filling area, said product contact subsystem further including at least one filling nozzle, at least one flexible product delivery tube, and at least one corresponding metering device for metering liquid through said filling nozzle and said delivery tube into the containers;
• a COP trolley subsystem for movably supporting said at least one filling nozzle and at least one flexible product delivery tube and for shuttling said at least one filling nozzle and product delivery tube between said container handling and indexing assembly frame and a cleaning site for remote cleaning;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem for coordinating operation of the container handling subsystem and the container indexing assembly with the product contact subsystem.

A filling system for automatically filling containers with liquid product in a production cycle and for clean-out-of-place (COP) cleaning of the product contact parts, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem for carrying containers to and from a filling area, and a container indexing assembly for indexing containers into position in said filling area, said container handling subsystem and said container indexing assembly being mounted stationary on a frame;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into containers in said filling area, said product contact subsystem further including,
• at least two sets of filling nozzles, at least two sets of flexible product delivery tubing and corresponding metering devices for metering liquid through said sets of filling nozzles and said sets of product delivery tubing into the containers,
• a COP trolley subsystem for shuttling a selectable one of said sets of filling nozzles and one of said sets of product delivery tubing to the remote cleaning site for cleaning, and for shuttling another set of filling nozzles and another set of product delivery tubing back to the filling area for use in said production cycle;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem for coordinating operation of the container handling subsystem and the container indexing assembly with the product contact subsystem.

A filling system for semi-automatically filling containers with liquid product, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem in which an operator places said containers for filling, said container handling subsystem being mounted on a stationary frame and further comprising a container body/nozzle alignment assembly;
• a nozzle support subsystem for supporting at least one nozzle during a filling process;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into said containers in said alignment assembly, said product contact subsystem further comprising one or more articulated filling nozzles, one or more flexible product delivery tubes, and one or more metering devices for metering liquid to said one or more filling nozzles;
• a COP trolley subsystem for movably supporting one or more articulated filling nozzles and one or more flexible product delivery tubes relative to said container handling subsystem frame and for shuttling said one or more filling nozzles and said one or more delivery tubes to a cleaning site for remote cleaning;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem for coordinating operation of said container handling subsystem and said nozzle support subsystem with said product contact subsystem.

A filling system for semi-automatically filling containers with liquid product, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem in which an operator places said containers for filling, said container handling subsystem being mounted on a stationary frame and further comprising a container body/nozzle alignment assembly;
• a nozzle support subsystem for supporting at least one nozzle during a filling process;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into said containers in said alignment assembly, said product contact subsystem further comprising one or more articulated filling nozzles and one or more metering devices for metering liquid to said one or more filling nozzles;
• a COP trolley subsystem for movably supporting one or more articulated filling nozzles and one or more metering devices relative to said container handling subsystem frame and for shuttling said one or more filling nozzles and said one or more metering devices to a cleaning site for remote cleaning;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem for coordinating operation of said container handling subsystem and said nozzle support subsystem with said product contact subsystem.

A method for automatically filling containers, comprising the steps of:

• feeding two lanes of containers through a filling system;
• indexing said containers beneath at least two filling nozzles each positioned over a respective lane;
• metering a single supply of liquid to product diversion means for dividing and directing said liquid to said at least two filling nozzles;
• and
• filling both lanes of containers with a predetermined amount of liquid in an alternating fashion, the step of filling said containers in said two lanes in an alternating fashion further comprising filling at least one container in one lane while removing at least one filled corresponding container in the other lane, repetitively, until a production run has been completed;
• whereby the number of containers filled per minute is increased.

A method for automatically filling containers, comprising the steps of:

• feeding a single lane of empty containers into a filling system;
• dividing said single incoming lane of containers into two filling areas;
• indexing said containers beneath at least two filling nozzles each positioned over a respective filling area;
• metering a single supply of liquid to product diversion means for directing said liquid to one of said at least two filling nozzles;
• filling both areas of containers with a predetermined amount of liquid in an alternating fashion, said alternating fashion further comprising the steps of filling at least one container located in one area with said predetermined amount of liquid while simultaneously at least one container in a second area is indexed into position beneath at least one filling nozzle positioned in said second area, and said at least one filling nozzle in said second area is positioned to begin filling said at least one container in said second area;
• and
• combining the two areas of containers and discharging them from the filling system in a single lane;
• whereby the number of containers filled per minute is increased.

A method for semi-automatically filling containers, comprising the steps of:

• placing empty containers into two filling areas of a filling system;
• centering said containers beneath at least two filling nozzles each positioned over a respective filling area;
• metering a single supply of liquid to product diversion means for directing said liquid to one of said at least two filling nozzles;
• and
• filling both areas of containers with a predetermined amount of liquid in an alternating fashion, said alternating fashion further comprising the steps of filling at least one container located in one area with said predetermined amount of liquid while simultaneously at least one container is placed in position in a second area beneath at least one filling nozzle positioned in said second area, and said at least one filling nozzle in said second area is positioned to begin filling said at least one container in said second area;
• whereby the number of containers filled per minute is increased.

A filling system for semi-automatically filling containers with liquid product, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem in which an operator places said containers for filling, said container handling subsystem further comprising a dual-area container body/nozzle alignment assembly;
• at least two nozzle support subsystems for supporting at least two nozzles during the filling process;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into said containers in said dual-area alignment assembly, said product contact subsystem further comprising at least two articulated filling nozzles, at least one metering device for metering liquid, and a diverter valve assembly for directing the metered liquid output from said at least one metering device to said at least two filling nozzles;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem for coordinating operation of said container handling subsystem and said at least two nozzle support subsystems with said product contact subsystem.

A filling system for automatically filling containers with liquid product, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem for carrying a plurality of containers to and from a filling area, said container handling subsystem further comprising:
• a lane dividing mechanism for directing a single lane of incoming containers into one of two lanes for passage through the filling area;
• a dual-lane conveyor assembly for transporting the containers through the filling area;
• and
• a lane combining assembly at the termination of the dual-lane conveyor assembly for combining two lanes of filled containers into a single lane;
• a container indexing assembly for indexing containers through said filling area;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into containers in said filling area, said product contact subsystem further including;
• a plurality of filling nozzles;
• a nozzle support subsystem for supporting said nozzles during the filling process;
• at least one metering device capable of continuously metering liquid;
• and product diversion means for directing the metered liquid output from the metering device into one of said filling nozzles;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem connected to the container handling subsystem and the container indexing assembly for coordinating operation with the product contact subsystem.

A filling system for automatically filling containers with liquid product, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem for carrying a plurality of containers to and from a filling area;
• a container indexing assembly for indexing containers through said filling area;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into containers in said filling area, said product contact subsystem further including;
• a plurality of filling nozzles;
• a nozzle support subsystem for supporting said nozzles during the filling process;
• at least one metering device capable of continuously metering liquid, said metering device is any one from among the group comprising a rotary gear pump, a rotary lobe pump, a peristaltic pump, a diaphragm pump, a double-ended piston pump, a flow meter, and a time/pressure filling head;
• and
• product diversion means for directing the metered liquid output from the metering device into one of said filling nozzles;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem connected to the container handling subsystem and the container indexing assembly for coordinating operation with the product contact subsystem.

A filling system for automatically filling containers with liquid product, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem for carrying a plurality of containers to and from a filling area;
• a container indexing assembly for indexing containers through said filling area;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into containers in said filling area, said product contact subsystem further including;
• a plurality of filling nozzles;
• a nozzle support subsystem for supporting said nozzles during the filling process;
• at least one metering device capable of continuously metering liquid;
• and product diversion means for alternately directing the metered liquid output from the metering device into one of said filling nozzles, said product diversion means is a diverter valve assembly;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem connected to the container handling subsystem and the container indexing assembly for coordinating operation with the product contact subsystem.

A filling system for automatically filling containers with liquid product, comprising:

• a container handling subsystem for carrying a plurality of containers to and from a filling area, said container handling subsystem further comprising two conveyor lanes;
• a container indexing assembly for indexing containers through said filling area;
• a product contact subsystem for metering said liquid product into containers in said filling area, said product contact subsystem further including;
• a plurality of filling nozzles;
• a nozzle support subsystem for supporting said nozzles during the filling process, said nozzle support subsystem including a walking beam assembly for maintaining a proper relative position between said plurality of filling nozzles and said plurality of containers in said two conveyor lanes during a filling cycle, said walking beam assembly further comprises a walking beam, a horizontal motion drive mechanism for articulating said filling nozzles along a horizontal axis of motion, and a vertical motion drive mechanism for articulating said filling nozzles along a vertical axis of motion;
• at least two metering devices for metering liquid;
• and
• a controls/utilities subsystem connected to the container handling subsystem and the container indexing assembly for coordinating operation with the product contact subsystem.