EP4054971B1 - Control ring arrangement for use in an apparatus for filling containers with liquid contents, and apparatus for filling containers with liquid contents - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a control ring arrangement for use in a device for filling containers with a liquid filling material and to such a device with a control ring arrangement.

The invention relates to container treatment machines in the beverage industry, in particular container treatment machines with an output of more than 10,000 containers per hour, in particular container treatment machines with an output of more than 50,000 containers per hour. In particular, the invention relates to container treatment machines, which are designed and set up as so-called filling machines or fillers for filling the containers with liquid filling material, in particular with drinks.

Filling machines of the type mentioned, namely devices for containers with a liquid filling material, have a large number of treatment stations or positions which can also be understood as filling stations or filling points or filling positions. At each filling position of the filling machine, a filling element or filling element with a filling valve or liquid valve is provided, via the discharge opening of which the liquid filling material is discharged into the container. For this purpose, a container carrier, for example with a container plate, is generally provided at each filling position, via which the container to be filled is lifted towards the filling element by means of a vertically oriented lifting movement and is brought up to it and pressed against it. For example, the filling material is dispensed into the containers under pressure by means of a so-called "pressure filling", in which the containers to be filled are subjected to a preload pressure, namely prestressed, before the filling material is dispensed.

Particularly in cases where glass containers, such as glass bottles, are filled, glass breakages occur again and again during the filling process. For example, a glass container can burst during prestressing with tension gas or while filling with filling material. This creates, in addition to larger ones Glass fragments and shards also include glass splinters, which pose a high risk when bottling drinks, especially in the food sector, and are to be considered a particular hazard. It is well known that shards and splinters that end up in containers have numerous negative consequences. Quite apart from the health risk for consumers, broken pieces in the container can lead to recalls, loss of prestige and also to the manufacturer's loss of market share.

There are therefore numerous efforts to equip filling machines with appropriate protective measures to prevent shards and splinters from bursting or shattering glass containers from getting into the containers to be filled and thus to the consumer. For example, from the WO 2012/097838 A1 and the WO 2015/091050 A1 Different protective coverings or clamping zone coverings are already known, which are provided in the pre-tensioning area of the filling machine, ie in the area where the containers are subjected to a pre-tensioning pressure before the filling material is dispensed, and which serve to catch container shards or container book pieces that are moved or thrown away by the machine .

Such protective coverings, in particular clamping zone coverings, can also be mounted, for example, on a control ring arrangement which is arranged in a stationary manner with respect to the rotor of the filling machine. The control ring arrangement usually serves to attach different control elements, for example controls for the cam path control of the filling elements. The control ring arrangement here usually comprises a control ring made of a rolled flat material, which is held by several column-like support and carrying units above the filling area of the filling machine along the rotor circumference.

Furthermore, for example, also from the WO 2012/097838 A1 It is known to provide dewatering devices or spray devices in the form of a cleaning assembly, with the help of which glass breakage residues can be removed from such protective cladding. There is an additional means of supplying the cleaning medium to the cleaning assemblies Piping assembly required. However, the production and assembly of the cleaning and piping assembly are technically complex and do not enable optimized cleaning of the protective or clamping zone cladding.

From the publication WO 2009/068162 A1 a device for filling containers with a liquid filling material is also known, which has a rotor which can be rotated about a machine axis and in which a stationary control ring arrangement concentrically surrounding the rotor is provided.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device which avoids the disadvantages of the solutions known from the prior art and which, in particular, enables effective, individual and needs-based removal of glass breakage residues from protective or clamping zone cladding.

The invention solves the problem by means of a control ring arrangement with the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

The present invention provides a control ring arrangement for use in a device for filling containers with a liquid filling material. In the understanding of the invention, a device for filling containers with a liquid filling material is to be understood as a rotating filling machine or as a rotary filling machine and is also referred to in the present case as a filling machine, filler or filler carousel. A filling machine includes several filling elements, which, together with several container carriers that also rotate with the rotor, form a large number of filling points or filling positions.

The essential aspect of the control ring arrangement according to the invention is that the control ring is designed to guide a fluid medium is. Particularly advantageously, the design of the control ring as a media-carrying control ring enables the supply of a medium, in particular cleaning medium or sanitization medium, to any position along the rotor circumference without having to provide an additional piping assembly for this purpose.

The control ring advantageously forms a ring line with an annular channel for guiding the fluid medium, with a tubular element preferably being used to produce the control ring. For example, the control ring can be made from a tube or from several tube elements connected to one another. A square tube is preferably used, which has high torsional rigidity and load-bearing capacity. The tubular element preferably has a tube wall which encloses the annular channel of the ring line.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the control ring arrangement is designed to be height-adjustable, with the column-like support and support units of the control ring arrangement preferably being designed to be height-adjustable. The control ring arrangement can thus be particularly advantageously adapted to the individual feeding and/or cleaning needs within the filling machine.

Furthermore, the control ring advantageously has a media connection for connecting a media line on at least one free ring end, with a media connection for connecting a media line preferably being provided on both ring ends of the open control ring. Advantageously, the medium can either be supplied from both ends or the medium can be guided in a circle within the media-carrying control ring.

Preferably, at least one media line is connected to the respective media connection of the control ring via an articulated connection, preferably via a shear joint connection. Even with a height-adjustable design of the control ring arrangement, a trouble-free supply of the medium to the media-carrying control ring is ensured.

Furthermore, the control ring can advantageously have a plurality of nozzle units, preferably spray nozzle units, for dispensing the fluid medium. The nozzle units are preferably mounted on the media-carrying control ring and are in fluid communication with the media-carrying annular channel of the control ring. The nozzle units are preferably formed by ball head spray nozzles In a particularly preferred embodiment variant, a switching valve is connected upstream, in such a way that the medium is only supplied from the annular channel to the nozzle units when a predetermined minimum pressure is reached within the annular channel.

Furthermore, the control ring is advantageously designed for hanging a protective covering, in particular clamping zone covering. The clamping zone cladding is arranged on the control ring at least in the clamping area of the filling machine.

Furthermore, the nozzle units are advantageously arranged on the control ring in such a way that the areas of the clamping zone cladding facing the rotor can be acted upon by the medium guided in the control ring and delivered by the nozzle units. This makes it possible for at least the clamping zone cladding to reliably flow down via the nozzle unit.

In the sense of the invention, the expression “essentially” or “approximately” means deviations from the exact value by +/- 10%, preferably by +/- 5% and/or deviations in the form of changes that are insignificant for the function.

Further developments, advantages and possible applications of the invention also emerge from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the figures.

Fig. 1

beispielhaft eine perspektivische Darstellung einer erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zum Befüllen von Behältern mit einem flüssigen Füllgut,

Fig. 2

beispielhaft eine perspektivische Darstellung der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung gemäß Figur 1 ohne umlaufenden Rotor,

Fig. 3

beispielhaft eine perspektivische Darstellung der freigestellten Steuerringanordnung, und

Fig. 4

beispielhaft eine schematische Ausschnittsdarstellung durch die erfindungsgemäße Vorrichtung im Bereich des am Rotorumfang vorgesehenen Steuerringanordnung.

The invention is explained in more detail below using the figures and exemplary embodiments. Show it:

Fig. 1

an example of a perspective view of a device according to the invention for filling containers with a liquid filling material,

Fig. 2

an example of a perspective view of the device according to the invention Figure 1 without rotating rotor,

Fig. 3

an example of a perspective view of the isolated control ring arrangement, and

Fig. 4

For example, a schematic sectional representation of the device according to the invention in the area of the control ring arrangement provided on the rotor circumference.

Figure 1 shows an example of a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a device 1 designed as a rotary machine for filling containers with liquid filling material.

The device 1, which is also referred to in the present case as a filling machine or rotary filling machine, comprises a rotating rotor 2 which can be driven or driven around a vertical machine axis MA. In the present case, the machine axis MA also represents the axis of rotation of the rotor 2, which is in Figure 1 is indicated with an arrow.

The rotor 2 can, for example, be supported in a height-adjustable manner on the top of a support arrangement 3, the support arrangement 3 having, for example, a slewing ring 3.1 which can be rotated about the machine axis MA and which is rotatably mounted, for example, on a stationary stand arrangement 3.2.

Fig. 1 shows an example of an embodiment of the device according to the invention in the form of a rotary filling machine 1, which has a rotor 2 rotating about the machine axis MA and having a plurality of filling stations which are arranged at an equidistant distance over the circumference. Each of the filling stations includes a filling element 4, which can be brought into a pressure-tight connection with a container to be filled, in particular a bottle or glass bottle. The rotary filling machine 1 also does not include at least one in the figures Inlet and outlet star shown, via which containers can be fed in and removed from the rotary filling machine 1 in a controlled manner.

The device 1 for filling containers with a liquid filling material includes, in addition to the rotor 2 which can be driven in rotation around the vertical machine axis MA, a stationary control ring arrangement 5 which concentrically surrounds the vertical machine axis MA and the rotor 2 and which is intended to accommodate control elements in the device 1 . The control ring arrangement 5 consists of several column-like support and carrying units 5.1 to 5.6, which are distributed around the circumference of the rotor, and a circumferential open control ring 6 carried by them with two free control ring ends 6.1, 6.2 lying opposite one another. In the present exemplary embodiment, the control ring arrangement 5 comprises a first to sixth column-like support and carrying units 5.1 to 5.6, which are arranged distributed along the circumference of the rotor 2 at an approximately equidistant distance from one another.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the column-like support and carrying units 5.1 to 5.6 are connected to the support arrangement 3, ie the load is transferred via the support arrangement 3 or its stationary stand arrangement 3.2, which is located essentially below the rotor 2. In Figure 2 the device is according to Figure 1 shown without rotor 2 in order to clarify the structure of the control ring arrangement 5 and its connection to the carrier arrangement 3.

The control ring arrangement 5 and in particular the control ring 6 preferably serve to accommodate and hold stationary control elements within the device 1, for example parts of the control cams of a cam track control for the lifting movement of the filling element 4. Such control elements are preferably releasably mounted on the control ring 6. Sensor units can also be arranged on the control ring arrangements 5.

According to the invention, the control ring 6 is designed to guide a fluid medium, ie the control ring 6 forms a ring line with an annular channel 6.3 to guide the fluid medium. The annular channel for guiding the fluid medium, in particular a cleaning medium or sanitization medium extends along the circumference of the rotor 2 and can be used to supply the fluid medium to different circumferential positions within the rotary filling machine 1.

For this purpose, the control ring 6 is made from a tubular element, preferably from a tube, the tubular element comprising a tube wall which encloses or forms the annular channel of the ring line. The tubular element can be made from a tube, preferably a square tube. In order to provide sufficient stability and load-bearing capacity, the control ring 6 or the tubular element is made of metal or a metal alloy or a reinforced plastic material.

The control ring 6 has a media connection 7.1 for connecting a media line 8.1 at least at a free ring end 6.1. However, the control ring 6 preferably includes a media connection 7.1, .7.2 at both ring ends 6.1, 6.2 for connecting a media line 8.1, .8.2. The at least one media line 8.1, .8.2 is connected to the respective media connection 7.1, 7.2 of the control ring 6 via an articulated connection 9.1, 9.2, the articulated connection 9.1, 9.2 preferably being implemented in the form of a media line 8.1. In the present exemplary embodiment, a first media connection 7.1 is provided at the first free ring end 6.1, to which a first media line 8.1 is connected via a first joint connection 9.1. Furthermore, a second media connection 7.2 is provided at the second ring end 6.2, to which a second media line 8.1 is connected via a second joint connection 7.2. This results in a “double connection” on the control ring 6, which means that media can be fed from both sides. The medium to be conveyed can thus be fed into the media-carrying control ring 6 from the two free ring ends 6.1, 6.2. Alternatively, it is also possible to guide the medium in a circle. In Figure 3 A perspective view of the exposed control ring 6 with the media lines 8.1, 8.2 connected to it is shown as an example.

Due to the articulated connection of the media-carrying media lines 8.1, 8.2 with the media-carrying control ring 6, a height-adjustable design of the control ring arrangement 5 is possible. The column-like supports are preferred for this purpose and support units 5.1 to 5.6 of the control ring arrangement 5 are designed to be height-adjustable. These can, for example, be moved in a controlled manner via a control unit not shown in the figures. If the control ring arrangement 5 is designed to be height-adjustable, the media lines 8.1, 8.2 are connected to further media lines or the respective media supply or discharge devices via further shear joint connections.

In a preferred embodiment variant, the control ring 6 has, at least in sections, a plurality of nozzle units 10, preferably spray nozzle units, for discharging the fluid medium guided in the control ring 6. The nozzle units 10 are preferably implemented in the form of ball head spray nozzles, which can be preceded by a switching valve, which only releases a flow when a predetermined minimum pressure is present, for example approximately 1 bar.

The control ring 6 is preferably designed for hanging or fastening a protective covering, in particular clamping zone covering 11. In the present exemplary embodiment, such a clamping zone cladding 11 is provided at least in that peripheral area along the rotor circumference in which the containers are prestressed and filled under pressure, ie in the so-called clamping area. The structure and functionality of such a clamping zone cladding 11 are well known. The ones in the Figures 1 , 2 and 4 Clamping zone cladding 11 shown is preferably clamped to the control ring 6 and partly also to the column-like support and support units 5.1 to 5.6. Furthermore, the clamping zone cladding 11 is designed in several parts and has, among other things, a large number of cladding sections, which are preferably formed by sheet-like cladding elements.

The nozzle units 10 or ball head spray nozzles are preferably arranged in the area of the clamping zone cladding 11, so that the area of the clamping zone cladding 11 facing the filling elements 4 is cleaned by applying the medium, preferably cleaning or sanitizing medium, supplied to the nozzle units 10 via the media-carrying control ring 6. In particular, this causes the span zone cladding 11 to shrink enabled. With a height-adjustable design of the control ring 6, the clamping zone cladding 11 is also designed to be height-adjustable.

The nozzle units 10 can also be designed to be individually controllable or switchable in a controlled manner, for which purpose it is necessary to connect them to the control unit, not shown. In Figure 4 For example, in a detail view, the arrangement of the ball-head spray nozzles 10 is shown on the underside of the control ring 6 formed by a square tube, which are arranged approximately in the fastening area of the clamping zone cladding 11 on the control ring 6 and thus enable the clamping zone cladding 11 to fall almost completely.

The invention has been described above using exemplary embodiments. It is understood that a large number of changes or modifications are possible without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the patent claims. The content of the patent claims is declared to be the subject of the description.

Reference symbol list

1

Device for filling containers

2

rotor

3

Carrier arrangement

3.1

slewing ring

3.2

Stand arrangement

4

Filling element

5

Control ring arrangement

5.1 - 5.6

columnar support and bearing units

6

control ring

6.1, 6.2

free ring ends

6.3

Ring channel

7.1, 7.2

Media connection

8.1, 8.2

Media management

9.1, 9.2

Articulated connection

10

Nozzle units, in particular spray nozzle units

11

Tension zone cladding

M.A

Machine axis

Claims (13)

1. Control ring arrangement (5) for use in an apparatus (1) for filling containers with liquid filling contents, with a rotor (2) which is drivable circumferentially about a vertical machine axis (MA), with a plurality of filling elements (4) arranged in a distributed manner along the circumference of the rotor for filling the containers with the liquid contents, and with a stationary control ring arrangement (5) which concentrically encloses the vertical machine axis (MA) and the rotor (2), wherein the control ring arrangement (5) comprises a plurality of columnar supporting and carrying units (5.1-5.6) arranged in a distributed manner about the rotor circumference of the apparatus (1) for filling containers with a liquid filling product, and a circumferential open control ring (6) borne by the said units, with two free control ring ends (6.1, 6.2) which are opposite each other, characterised in that the control ring (6) is configured to guide a liquid medium.
2. Control ring arrangement (5) according to claim 1, characterised in that the control ring (6) forms a ring line with a ring channel (6.3) for guiding the fluid medium.
3. Control ring arrangement (5) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the control ring (6) is produced from a tubular element, preferably from a tube, in particular a quadrilateral or square tube.
4. Control ring arrangement (5) according to claim 3, characterised in that the tubular element comprises a tube wall, which encloses the ring channel (6.3) of the ring line.
5. Control ring arrangement (5) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the control ring arrangement (5) is configured to be height-adjustable.
6. Control ring arrangement (5) according to claim 4, characterised in that the columnar supporting and carrying units (5.1-5.6) of the control ring arrangement (5) are configured to be height-adjustable.
7. Control ring arrangement (5) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the control ring (6) comprises, at least at one free control ring end (6.1, 6.2), a media connection (7.1, 7.2) for connecting a media line (8.1, 8.2).
8. Control ring arrangement (5) according to claim 7, characterised in that the control ring comprises at both control ring ends (6.1, 6.2) in each case a media connection (7.1, 7.2) for connecting a media line (8.1, 8.2).
9. Control ring arrangement (5) according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that a media line (8.1, 8.2) is connected by means of a jointed connection (9.1, 9.2) to the respective media connection (7.1, 7.2) of the control ring (6), and specifically preferably by means of a scissor joint connection.
10. Control ring arrangement (5) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the control ring (6) comprises a plurality of nozzle units (10), preferably spray nozzle units, for applying the fluid medium.
11. Control ring arrangement (5) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the control ring (6) is configured for the suspended reception of an item of protective clothing, in particular restricted zone clothing (11).
12. Control ring arrangement (5) according to claims 10 and 11, characterised in that the nozzle units (10) are arranged at the control ring (6) in such a way that the regions of the restricted zone clothing (11) facing towards the rotor (2) can be subjected to the medium being guided in the control ring (6) configured to guide media, and emitted by the nozzle units (10).
13. Apparatus (1) for filling containers with liquid contents with a rotor (2) which is drivable circumferentially about a vertical machine axis (MA), with a plurality of filling elements (4) arranged in a distributed manner along the circumference of the rotor for filling the containers with the liquid contents, and with a stationary control ring arrangement (5) which concentrically encloses vertical machine axis (MA) and the rotor (2), characterised in that the control ring arrangement (5) is a control ring arrangement (5) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 12.

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