JP2026000575A - Filling device and filling method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a filling device and a filling method that can efficiently perform filling work while minimizing waste of filling liquid.
[Solution] The filling device 100 of the present invention comprises a supply piping section 10 to which filling liquid is supplied from one end 11, a pump 20 that pressurizes the filling liquid, and a control section that controls at least the pump 20, and the other end 12 of the supply piping section 10 is connected to a filling container 90 either directly or via a piping member including a main connector 36, and the control section has a supply control that pressurizes the filling liquid in the direction of filling the filling container 90, and a liquid return control that pressurizes the filling liquid in the opposite direction to the supply control.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a filling device and method for filling a predetermined amount of filling liquid into a filling container.

Conventionally, filling systems have been used to fill bags or other filling containers with a predetermined amount of manufactured fluid product, such as a pharmaceutical solution. The filling system disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a mechanism for holding the filled container, a pump for pressurizing the filling liquid to be supplied, and piping connected to the filled container. The filling system in Patent Document 1 is an aseptic filling system, and uses a filled container with piping attached to the container side.

Before starting filling, the worker connects the container-side piping of the filling container to the piping on the filling system side. The worker then begins filling. The filling liquid is filled to a specified amount within a specified range based on a specified amount. Once the specified amount of filling liquid has been filled into the filling container, the worker clamps a specified location on the container-side piping of the filling container, welds it, and cuts it. Once filling into the filling container is complete, the worker replaces the filling container and repeats the filling process.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-158128

However, because the filling liquid is sent to the filling container via piping, some of the filling liquid remains in the piping when filling is complete. In particular, with filling containers used in aseptic filling systems, some of the filling liquid remains in the piping on both the filling system side and the filling container side when filling is complete. After filling was completed, the piping was cut while the filling liquid remained in the piping, resulting in the filling liquid in the piping being wasted. In particular, in the pharmaceutical and biotech fields, the fluid products handled, such as chemical solutions, are expensive, so it is desirable not to waste even a small amount. Conventional filling systems did not take this into consideration.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a filling device and filling method that can perform filling operations efficiently while minimizing waste of filling liquid.

A filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
a supply pipe portion to which the filling liquid is supplied from one end side;
a pump that pumps the filling liquid; and a control unit that controls at least the pump,
the other end of the supply pipe section is connected to the filling container directly or via a pipe member including a main connector;
The control unit has a supply control for pressure-feeding the filling liquid in a direction for filling the filling container, and a liquid return control for pressure-feeding the filling liquid in a direction opposite to the supply control.

The filling device of one embodiment of the present invention minimizes waste of filling liquid and allows for efficient filling operations.

A filling method using a filling device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of:
the filling device includes a supply pipe section to which the filling liquid is supplied from one end side;
a pump that pumps the filling liquid; and a control unit that controls at least the pump,
the other end of the supply pipe section is connected to the filling container directly or via a pipe member including a main connector;
The filling method includes a filling step of supplying the filling liquid to the filled container via the supply piping section, and a liquid return step of, after the filling step, pressure-feeding the filling liquid in the opposite direction to that during the filling step.

The filling method of one embodiment of the present invention minimizes waste of filling liquid and allows for efficient filling operations.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the filling device of FIG. 1 . 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1; 1A is an enlarged partial view of part B of FIG. 1, showing one state of the filling device during operation. 1A is an enlarged partial view of part B of FIG. 1, showing one state of the filling device during operation. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the operation and operation of the filling device of FIG. 1;

<Embodiment>
A filling device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIGS. 1 and 2 are a front view and a right side view, respectively, of the filling device 100. The filling device 100 is a device that fills a filling container 90 with a predetermined amount of filling liquid. The filling liquid is a liquid substance that has fluidity. The filling liquid includes a liquid and a suspension in which fine particles are dispersed in a liquid. The filling liquid includes, for example, liquids such as medicinal solutions used in the medical field, biotechnology field, etc., and suspensions in which solids such as fine particles, microorganisms, and cells are dispersed in a liquid.

As shown in FIG. 1, the filling device 100 includes a supply pipe section 10 that supplies filling liquid from a supply source 1 to the filling device 100, an extension pipe section 14, a pump 20, an air supply section 30, a main connector 36, a connection pipe section 40, an air discharge section 50, a stand 80, and a control section (not shown).

Referring to Figure 1, a filling container 90 that can be used with the filling device 100 is described. The filling container 90 is a container into which a predetermined amount of filling liquid can be injected and stored. Filling containers 90 can be of any desired shape, such as a flexible, closed bag-like shape, a cylindrical shape, or a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The filling container 90 is formed, for example, from resin. Figure 1 shows a bag-shaped filling container 90 connected to the filling device 100. The filling container 90, as well as the piping and connectors included in the supply piping section 10, extension piping section 14, air supply section 30, main connector 36, and connection piping section 40, may be single-use and not reused. All shapes of filling containers 90 include a container piping 93 that connects the interior and exterior of the container body 91. The container piping 93 is attached by passing through a connecting section 92 formed on the outer surface of the container body 91. The container piping 93 has a coupling 94 at the end of the container piping 93 that protrudes from the container body 91. The container pipe 93 is made of a thermoplastic elastomer tube. The inner and outer diameters of the container pipe 93 can be selected as appropriate; for example, the outer diameter is approximately 12.7 mm (1/2 inch) and the inner diameter is approximately 9.5 mm (3/8 inch).

In the case of a filling container 90 made of soft resin and formed in a bag shape, before it is filled with the filling liquid, no gas such as air is sealed inside and it is in a folded, flat shape except for the container piping 93 protruding from the container body 91. The capacity of the filling container 90 can be selected as appropriate, for example 12 liters. The filling container 90 may also be a filling container 90 made of hard resin and formed in a cylindrical shape with the container piping 93. Once filling of the filling container 90 is complete, the middle of the container piping 93 is welded to seal the filling container 90, as is well known, and the container piping 93 is cut.

The stand 80 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The stand 80 is a member that holds the components of the filling device 100, such as the air supply unit 30, the connection piping unit 40, and the filling container 90. The stand 80 is configured so that one or more filling containers 90 can be connected and held while filling with filling liquid. The stand 80 is, for example, a rack formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is composed of a lower plate 81, an upper plate 82, multiple pillar members arranged between them, and multiple horizontally arranged shelves 83. The stand 80 of this embodiment has three shelves 83 arranged vertically. Together with the lower plate 81, it has two rows that can hold four filling containers 90 vertically, allowing a total of eight filling containers 90 to be connected and held. The stand 80 may be configured so that only one filling container 90 can be connected and held. Alternatively, the stand 80 may be configured so that any number of filling containers 90, two or more, can be connected and held vertically. The stand 80 has four or more casters 85, allowing the worker to move it easily. This allows the worker to easily move and store the stand 80 with the filled container 90 attached, or just the stand 80, in a constant temperature bath such as a refrigerator or freezer.

The stand 80 has a weight measuring unit 84. The weight measuring unit 84 is a component capable of measuring the weight of the filled container 90. One weight measuring unit 84 is installed at each mounting position of the filled container 90 on the lower plate 81 and the shelf plate 83, and in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a total of eight weight measuring units 84 are provided. The weight measuring units 84 are communicatively connected to the control unit, and the control unit can measure weight at each point before filling begins, during filling, and until filling is completed.

The supply piping section 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The supply piping section 10 is a piping component that supplies the filling liquid. The filling liquid is supplied from one end 11 of the supply piping section 10, which is the end on the supply source 1 side. One end 11 of the supply piping section 10 is provided with an on-off valve 13 and is connected to the supply source 1. The other end 12 of the supply piping section 10 is connected to a portion of the air supply section 30. The piping portion of the supply piping section 10 is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer tube. The supply piping section 10 may be formed by connecting two or more pipes in series. Connectors may also be connected along the length as necessary. Alternatively, the supply piping section 10 may be branched by providing three or more connectors on one end 11, with the multiple pipes connected to the connectors each connected to a different supply source 1. When one supply source 1 becomes empty, the on-off valves 12 provided on each pipe section are opened and closed to switch to another supply source 1.

The pump 20 will be described with reference to Figure 1. The pump 20 is a known pump that pumps the filling liquid and is provided in the supply piping section 10. The pump 20 is disposed at one end 11, the other end 12 of the supply piping section 10, or somewhere between them. Under the control of the control section, the pump 20 can selectively pump the filling liquid in either the forward direction from the supply source 1 to the filling container 90, or the reverse direction from the filling container 90 to the supply source 1.

The air supply unit 30 will be described with reference to Figure 1. The air supply unit 30 is a component that supplies air to the connection piping unit 40. The air supply unit 30 has a pipe 31, an air supply device 34, and an air supply valve 35. The pipe 31 has one end 32 and the other end 33 and is formed from a thermoplastic elastomer tube. The air supply device 34 is connected to the other end 33. The air supply valve 35 is connected between the one end 32 and the other end 33. The one end 32 is connected to a main connector 36. The main connector 36 can be a four-port connector, a three-port connector, or the like, and is selected appropriately depending on the number of pipes to be connected.

The air supply device 34 is a device that supplies air into the piping 31. The air supply device 34 is, for example, a filter-equipped air introducer that includes a filter (not shown) and filters and introduces ambient air. The filter of the air supply device 34 is a sterile filter that allows air to pass through while filtering out airborne microorganisms, particles, etc., while preventing the filling liquid from passing through and retaining it within the piping 31. In addition to the above configuration, the air supply device 34 may also be a storage device such as a container or tank that stores air at normal or high pressure without introducing air from the outside. The air supply valve 35 is a component that allows or stops the flow of air and filling liquid within the piping 31. The air supply valve 35 is, for example, a pinch valve that controls the flow by pressing a portion of the piping 31 from the outside. The air supply device 34 has a three-port connector 37 between one end 32 and the air supply valve 35, to which the other end 12 of the supply piping section 10 is connected.

The air supply unit 30 is positioned so that the entire unit is lower than the main connector 36. This positioning allows the filling liquid to flow smoothly from the connection pipe 40 into the air supply unit 30 due to gravity. The air supply device 34 is also positioned at its lowest position. The air supply unit 30 is positioned so that the closer it is to the air supply device 34, from one end 32 to the air supply device 34, the lower it becomes. By positioning the entire air supply unit 30 at the height position described above, the filling liquid can more easily flow from the connection pipe 40 into the air supply unit 30.

The connection piping section 40 will be described with reference to Figures 1, 3, and 4. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, showing an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the connection piping section 40. Figure 4 is a partially enlarged view of section B in Figure 1, showing the state during filling and at the end of filling. The connection piping section 40 is a component that connects the filling container 90 and injects the filling liquid into the filling container 90. The connection piping section 40 includes a pipe 41, a coupling 44, and a filling valve 45. One end 42 of the pipe 41 is provided with the filling valve 45. The other end 43 of the pipe 41 includes a coupling 44 that corresponds to the coupling 94 of the filling container 90. The filling container 90 is attached to the filling device 100 by fitting the coupling 94 into the coupling 44. The pipe 41 is formed from a thermoplastic elastomer tube. The inner and outer diameters of the pipe 41 can be selected as appropriate; for example, the outer diameter is approximately 9.5 mm (3/8 inch) and the inner diameter is approximately 6.4 mm (1/4 inch).

Referring to Figure 3, the structure of the filling valve 45 included in the connection pipe 40 will be described. The filling valve 45 is a component that closes or opens the connection pipe 40 to allow or stop the flow of filling liquid and air. The filling valve 45 is, for example, a pinch valve that controls the flow of filling liquid by pressing a portion of the pipe 41. The filling valve 45, which is configured as a pinch valve, has a valve body 46, a clamping portion 47, and a plunger 48. The pipe 41 is attached by being sandwiched between the valve body 46 and the clamping portion 47. As shown in Figure 3, when the filling valve 45 is in an open state, not closing the connection pipe 40, filling liquid can flow through the pipe 41. When driving air is applied to the pressure-receiving surface 49 of the plunger 48, the pressed plunger 48 moves toward the pipe 41. As a result, the pipe 41 is sandwiched between the plunger 48 and the clamping portion 47, pressing the pipe 41, and the filling valve 45 closes the connection pipe 40 to its closed state. This stops the flow of filling liquid. Because the pinch valve can control the flow of filling liquid flowing through piping 41 without any parts coming into direct contact with the filling liquid, it can easily block the filling liquid while maintaining its sterility.

The filling valves 45 are held by a support member 86 fixed to the stand 80. The support member 86 has one or more adjustment units 87 for each filling valve 45. The adjustment units 87 are, for example, elongated holes extending in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 4 . Each filling valve 45 is held at the desired height of the adjustment unit 87 by one or more position-retaining devices 88 provided on the filling valve 45. The position-retaining devices 88 are, for example, bolts and corresponding nuts. The bolts are passed through the adjustment units 87 and the nuts are attached, holding the filling valve 45 between the support member 86. By including the position-retaining devices 88 in the filling device 100, the height of the filling valve 45 can be maintained at any position within the range of the adjustment units 87, depending on the height of the connection unit 92, which varies depending on the shape and size of the filling container 90 when it is placed on each shelf of the filling device 100. This allows the filling device 100 to use multiple types of filling containers 90 with different shapes and/or capacities.

The extension piping section 14 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The extension piping section 14 is a component that supplies the filling liquid supplied from the supply piping section 10 to a location farther away than the main connector 36. One end 15 of the extension piping section 14 is connected to the main connector 36, and it is disposed vertically, extending upward so that it becomes higher from the one end 15 to the other end 16. One or more connection piping sections 40 are connected to the extension piping section 14, and each connection piping section 40 is connected to one filling container 90. The extension piping section 14 has multiple piping sections and one or more sub-connectors 17 that connect the sections. The sub-connectors 17 may be a four-port connector, a three-port connector, or a four-port connector with one sealed section, and are selected appropriately depending on the number of piping sections to be connected.

The air exhaust unit 50 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The air exhaust unit 50 is connected to the other end 16 of the extension pipe 14. The air exhaust unit 50 is a device that exhausts unnecessary air present inside the supply pipe 10, extension pipe 14, etc., at the start of the filling operation, etc. The air exhaust unit 50 includes a pipe 51, an air exhaust valve 55 provided at one end 52 of the pipe 51, and an air exhaust device 54 provided at the other end 53 of the pipe 51. The air exhaust device 51 is, for example, a bag, container, or tank made of resin or the like that can store the exhausted air. When the filling operation begins, the control unit opens the air exhaust valve 55 and controls the pump 20 so that the filling liquid flows forward. The unnecessary air present inside the supply pipe 10, extension pipe 14, etc. is then pushed by the filling liquid and exhausted to the air exhaust device 54. This reduces the amount of unnecessary air that is injected into the filling container 90 along with the filling liquid, and minimizes the volume of the filling container 90 after filling.

Referring to Figures 4 to 6, each step of filling a predetermined amount of filling liquid into a filling container 90 using the filling device 100 will be described. Figure 5, like Figure 4, is an enlarged view of part B in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows the state during filling and at the end of filling, while Figure 5 shows the state during liquid return control and at the end of liquid return control. Figure 6 is a workflow diagram of the filling operation. Below, the following three cases, which differ in the number of filling containers 90 and filling method, are described. The three cases are: [Filling Operation Procedure 1] filling one filling container 90; [Filling Operation Procedure 2] filling multiple filling containers 90 simultaneously; and [Filling Operation Procedure 3] filling multiple filling containers 90 one by one consecutively. The operator can select one of filling operation procedures 1 to 3 at the start of filling and set it on the filling device 100.

[Filling procedure 1]
The operator turns on the power switch provided in the control unit (STEP 101, power-on step).

Attach the filling container 90, as well as the piping and connectors included in the supply piping section 10, extension piping section 14, air supply section 30, and connection piping section 40 (STEP 102, installation process). The worker places the filling container 90 on the weight measurement section 84 and connects the coupling 94 to the coupling 44 of the connection piping section 40.

The weight of the filled container 90 is measured (STEP 103, weight measurement process). The operator operates the control unit, and the control unit measures the weight of the filled container 90 before filling using the weight measurement unit 84. The measured weight of each filled container 90 is recorded as the tare weight.

The zero point of the weight measuring unit 84 is adjusted (STEP 104, zero point adjustment process). With the filling container 90 attached, the operator operates the control unit to adjust the zero point of each weight measuring unit 84. The control unit sends a command to each weight measuring unit 84 to set the output value of each weight measuring unit 84 to 0 g with the filling container 90 attached. When filling multiple filling containers 90, the corresponding multiple weight measuring units 84 are adjusted simultaneously.

The target filling weight range is determined (STEP 105, filling target determination process). The state with the filling container 90 attached is set to 0 g, and the weight error range of the filling amount of the filling liquid is set as the target filling weight range. The weight of a specified amount of filling liquid is determined by the type of filling liquid and the filling amount. These values are stored in the control unit for each type of filling liquid, and the operator can set it by selecting the appropriate value. Alternatively, the operator can directly input the values into the control unit, and the control unit can store the input values. The target filling weight range is, for example, ±30 g. The filling device 100 of the present invention can set a narrower target weight range than conventional systems by ingeniously arranging the piping and valves, and can fill each filling container 90 with a filling amount very close to the specified amount. Alternatively, steps 102 to 105 can be performed as follows instead of the above method. First, without placing a filling container 90 on the weight measuring unit 84, zero-point adjustment is performed so that the output value of each weight measuring unit 84 is 0 g. The filled containers 90 are then placed on the weight measuring unit 84, and their weights are measured and recorded. Alternatively, the recorded weight of the filled container 90 may be added to the weight of the predetermined amount of filling liquid to be filled into the filled container 90 to calculate the weight range of the filled container 90 after filling, i.e., the target filling weight range.

The filling container 90 is filled (STEP 106, filling process). Figure 4 shows the state during filling of the filling container 90 with filling liquid and immediately after filling is completed. The operator starts filling by operating the filling start switch on the control unit. When the filling start switch is operated, the control unit first opens the air exhaust valve 55 while keeping the air supply valve 35 and each filling valve 45 closed. This establishes communication between the supply pipe 10 and the extension pipe 14. In this state, the control unit operates the pump 20 in the forward direction for a predetermined time, supplying filling liquid from the supply source 1 and exhausting air present inside the supply pipe 10 and the extension pipe 14 to the air exhaust device 54 of the air exhaust unit 50. This reduces unnecessary air filling the filling container 90. The predetermined time can be either the time it takes for the filling liquid to reach the air exhaust device 54 from the supply source 1 or the time it takes for the filling liquid to reach the main connector 36 from the supply source 1, and is determined appropriately depending on the usage situation. Alternatively, the operator can change and set the specified time as needed.

Then, filling is performed. The control unit closes the air exhaust valve 55, keeps the air supply valve 35 closed, and opens the filling valve 45. This opens the piping from the supply piping unit 10 to the container piping 93. The control unit simultaneously operates the pump 20 in the forward direction, supplying the filling liquid to the filling container 90 through the supply piping unit 10. In Figure 4, filling liquid is present inside the supply piping unit 10, air supply unit 30, connection piping unit 40, and container piping 93, and is shown in black. During filling, the control unit constantly monitors the weight of the connected filling container 90 and compares it with the target filling weight range. The control unit is configured to measure the weight of the filling container 90 during filling using the weight measurement unit 84 and terminate the filling operation into the filling container 90 based on the measured weight. The control to end the filling operation includes control performed when the filling container 90 is in a first state where a predetermined amount of filling liquid has been filled, and when the filling container 90 is in a second state where the predetermined amount of filling liquid has not been filled when the supply of filling liquid from the supply source 1 has finished. The control unit can automatically end filling when the weight of the filling container 90 reaches a target weight range. As described below, the control unit can also detect that the supply of filling liquid from the supply source 1 has finished and automatically end filling even if there is a filling container 90 whose weight has not reached the target weight range.

The container piping 93 of the filled container 90 is clamped (STEP 107, clamping process). When the filling volume of the filled container 90 reaches the target filling volume, as shown in FIG. 5, the operator attaches a clamping device C to the filled container 90, which is filled with a predetermined amount of filling liquid, at a position slightly toward the supply source 1 from the intended welding position of the container piping 93, thereby closing off the container piping 93. The clamping device C may be any known clamping device capable of closing off the container piping 93 for welding operations, such as a device that clamps and closes the container piping 93. As an example, the clamping device C may have a pair of rod-shaped members sufficiently longer than the outer diameter of the container piping 93, with one end of the pair of rod-shaped members connected to each other and capable of moving toward and away from each other around the connected one end as a central axis of rotation. By blocking the container piping 93 with the clamp device C, the filling liquid in the filling container 90 is prevented from flowing back up the container piping 93 toward the supply source 1 during the liquid return process in the next step 108. If the weight of the filling container 90 has not reached the target weight range, the operator skips this step and performs the liquid return process STEP 108 (2).

Liquid return control is performed (STEP 108, liquid return step). The liquid return control includes the following two controls that are performed depending on the filling state of the filling container 90.
(1) Liquid return control when the target filling amount is reached. (2) Liquid return control when the target filling amount is not reached. Each of these will be explained below.

(1) Liquid Return Control When Target Filling Amount Reached This control is performed when the filling container 90 has been filled with the target filling amount of filling liquid, i.e., when the first state is reached. FIG. 5 shows the filling device 100 executing this liquid return control. The operator operates the liquid return start switch of the control unit to start the filling liquid return control. In liquid return control, the air supply valve 35 is opened, and the filling liquid present in the container piping 93 and at least the container piping 93 of the connection piping unit 40 replaces the air present in the air supply unit 30, and the filling liquid is sucked toward the supply source 1 by the pump 20. First, the control unit opens the air supply valve 35. Then, the filling liquid present in the container piping 93, etc. flows downward by gravity and replaces the air present in the air supply unit 30. Immediately after, or simultaneously with, the control unit operates the pump 20 in the direction opposite to that during filling, and the filling liquid present in the container piping 93, the connection piping 40, the portion of the air supply unit 30 through which the filling liquid passes, and the piping portion that is the supply piping 10 is sucked toward the supply source 1. By the liquid return control, the filling liquid present inside the container piping 93 and the connection piping 40 of the filling container 90 for which filling has been completed can be recovered. Alternatively, the control unit can be configured to automatically continue to perform this control as soon as it detects that filling of the filling container 90 has been completed.

In Figure 5, the connection piping section 40, which contains air, is shown in white. Filling liquid is present in the filling container 90 side of the container piping 93 from clamp C, between the main connector 36 and the three-port connector 37, and inside the supply piping section 10, which are shown in black. The control unit continues reverse operation control of the pump 20 for a predetermined time, and then stops it. This predetermined time is the operation time of the pump 20 required for at least the filling liquid present in the container piping 93 and the connection piping section 40 to be returned and replaced with air. If at least the filling liquid present inside the container piping 93 can be recovered, leakage and waste of filling liquid can be prevented when a predetermined portion of the container piping 93 is welded and cut after filling is completed.

(2) Liquid Return Control When Target Filling Amount Is Not Reached This control is performed during the filling process in STEP 106 when the filling amount of the filling container 90 does not reach the target weight range after filling. This occurs, for example, when the entire amount of filling liquid in the supply source 1 is supplied to the filling device 100 and the filling container 90 is empty, resulting in insufficient filling liquid to reach the target weight range. In this case, the entire amount of filling liquid in the filling container 90 is returned to the supply source 1. After a certain period of time has passed since the supply source 1 was empty, the presence or absence of a filling container 90 that has not yet reached the target weight range is detected. This detection can be performed using, for example, a known clamp-on flow sensor (not shown). The flow sensor can detect both the flow rate and whether filling liquid is flowing. The flow sensor is preferably attached, for example, to the other end 12 of the supply pipe 10 or the other end 43 of the connection pipe 40 to which the filling container 90 to be filled is connected.

The return control of the filling liquid in a filling container 90 that does not meet the target weight range can be performed by the operator manually operating the control unit. Alternatively, the control unit can be configured to continue this control automatically as soon as it detects that the filling container 90 is not yet fully filled. In this case, the operation ends. If further filling is desired, replace the supply source 1, all piping from the supply piping unit 10 to the connection piping unit 40, and the filling container 90, and then repeat the filling operation.

When the filling volume of the filled container 90 reaches the target filling volume, the container piping 93 of the filled container 90 is welded and cut after clamping (STEP 109, welding and cutting process). With the clamp device C still attached, the worker welds and cuts a predetermined location on the container piping 93 slightly closer to the supply source 1 than the attachment position of the clamp device C. This seals the filled container 90. After the container piping 93 is cut, the clamp device C is removed.

Remove the filling container 90 (STEP 110, removal process). The worker removes the sealed filling container 90 from the filling device 100. If the worker then wants to continue filling another filling container 90, attach the new filling container 90. This completes filling procedure 1.

[Filling procedure 2]
Next, the simultaneous filling of multiple filling containers 90 will be described. Basically, this is the same as filling procedure 1, but differs from filling procedure 1 in that multiple filling containers 90 are detached and attached, multiple filling containers 90 are filled simultaneously, and the response when there is a filling container 90 that does not reach the target filling amount. The differences from filling procedure 1 are the attachment of multiple filling containers 90 (STEP 103), filling (STEP 106), clamping and welding of the container piping 93 (STEP 107), liquid return (STEP 108), cutting of the container piping 93 (STEP 109), and removal of all containers after filling is complete (STEP 110). The rest of the process is the same as filling procedure 1. Below, the filling process (STEP 106) to the liquid return process (STEP 108) will be described, and the rest will be omitted.

After multiple filling containers 90 are attached, filling is performed (STEP 106, filling process). This is essentially the same as filling procedure 1. During filling, the control unit constantly monitors the weight of each connected filling container 90 and compares it with the target filling weight range. The control unit is configured to measure the weight of each filling container 90 using the weight measurement unit 84 during filling and execute control to terminate the filling operation for each filling container 90 based on the measured weight. The control to terminate the filling operation includes control to be executed when the filling container 90 is in a first state, in which a predetermined amount of filling liquid is filled, and when the filling container 90 is in a second state, in which the predetermined amount of filling liquid has not been filled when the supply of filling liquid from supply source 1 has ended. The control unit can automatically terminate filling when the weight of each filling container 90 reaches the target weight range. Furthermore, as described below, the control unit can detect the end of the supply of filling liquid from supply source 1 and automatically terminate the filling operation for any filling container 90 whose weight has not reached the target weight range.

The container piping 93 of the filled container 90 is clamped (STEP 107, clamping process). The filled containers 90 to be clamped are all filled containers 90 whose fill volume has reached the target fill volume, and all filled containers 90 whose fill volume has reached the target fill volume if there are any filled containers 90 whose fill volume has not reached the target fill volume. The method for clamping the container piping 93 is the same as in filling procedure 1. If there are any filled containers 90 that have not reached the target fill volume, the filling valve 45 of the connection piping section 40 connected to the corresponding filled container 90 is closed, and the clamping operation is performed on the filled containers 90 whose fill volume has reached the target fill volume.

Liquid return control is performed (STEP 108, liquid return process). The liquid return control includes the following two controls that are performed depending on the filling status of the filling container 90. The purpose and general operating method of the following controls (1) and (2) are the same as those of (1) and (2) in [Filling Work Procedure 1], respectively.
(1) Liquid return control when all filling containers 90 have reached the target filling amount. (2) Liquid return control when there is a filling container 90 that has not reached the target filling amount. Each of these will be explained below.

(1) Liquid Return Control When All Filling Containers 90 Reach the Target Fill Volume: The operator operates the control unit to initiate liquid return control. If the filling volume of any filling container 90 does not reach the target filling volume, the operator closes the filling valve 45 of the connection piping 40 connected to that filling container 90. The control unit opens the air supply valve 35 while leaving the filling valve 45 of each connection piping 40 of the filling container 90 open for the filling-completed filling container 90. This replaces the filling liquid present in each container piping 93 up to the clamping position of the multiple filling containers 90 and at least the container piping 93 of each connection piping 40 with air present in the air supply unit 30. Next, the control unit operates the pump 20 in the direction opposite to that during filling, sucking the filling liquid present in the piping sections consisting of the container piping 93, the connection piping 40, the air supply unit 30, and the supply piping 10 toward the supply source 1. The control unit automatically resumes this control once it detects that filling of all filling containers 90 is complete.

(2) Liquid Return Control in the Event of a Filling Container 90 Not Reaching the Target Filling Amount This control is performed following (1) if, in the filling step STEP 106, there is one or more filling containers 90 whose filling amount does not meet the target filling weight range after filling is executed, but is not performed if there are none. In this step, the entire amount of filling liquid in the filling containers 90 that did not meet the target filling amount is sucked into the supply source 1. During the filling operation, after a certain time has passed since the supply source 1 became empty, the presence or absence of any filling containers 90 that have not been filled to the target weight range is detected. To detect whether the supply source 1 has become empty, for example, a known clamp-on flow sensor (not shown) can be used. For example, when filling multiple filling containers 90 simultaneously, the flow sensor is preferably attached at least to the other end 12 of the supply piping section 10.

The operator operates the control unit to perform this control. The control unit opens the filling valve 45 of the connection pipe 40 connected to the filling container 90 that does not reach the target filling amount, operates the pump 20 in the opposite direction to that used for filling, and sucks the filling liquid present between the filling container 90 and the supply pipe 10 into the supply source 1.

[Filling procedure 3]
Next, a case where multiple filled containers 90 are continuously filled one by one will be described. This is basically the same as filling procedure 1, except that multiple filled containers are attached and detached, that after one filled container 90 is filled, the next filled container 90 is started and controlled so that all are continuously filled one by one, and how to respond if there is a filled container 90 that does not reach the target filling amount. The differences from filling procedure 1 are the attachment of multiple filled containers 90 (STEP 103), filling (STEP 106), clamping and welding of the container piping 93 (STEP 107), liquid return (STEP 108), cutting of the container piping 93 (STEP 109), and removal of all containers after filling is completed (STEP 110). The rest of the process is the same as filling procedure 1. Below, the filling process (STEP 106) to the liquid return process (STEP 108) will be described, and the rest will be omitted.

After multiple filling containers 90 are attached, filling begins (STEP 106, filling process). This is essentially the same as filling procedure 1. During filling, the control unit constantly monitors the weight of each connected filling container 90 and compares it with the target filling weight range. When multiple filling containers 90 are filled one by one, control is possible to terminate the filling operation of the filling containers 90 based on the weight of the filling container 90. Control to terminate the filling operation includes both a first state in which all filling containers 90 are filled with a predetermined amount of filling liquid, and a second state in which one or more filling containers 90 are not filled with the predetermined amount of filling liquid when the supply source 1 is empty. The control unit measures the weight of each filling container 90 using the weight measurement unit 84 during filling. When one filling container 90 reaches the target filling weight range, filling of that filling container 90 is terminated and filling of another filling container 90 is automatically initiated. This process is repeated until all connected filling containers 90 are filled. Additionally, if the supply source 1 becomes empty during filling and the supply of filling liquid is cut off, the control unit detects that an incompletely filled filling container 90 has occurred and automatically ends the filling operation for that filling container 90.

The container piping 93 of the filled containers 90 is clamped (STEP 107, clamping process). The filled containers 90 to be clamped are all filled containers 90 whose filling volume has reached the target filling volume. The method for clamping the container piping 93 is the same as in filling procedure 1. If there are any filled containers 90 that have not reached the target filling volume, the filling valve 45 of the connection piping section 40 connected to the corresponding filled container 90 is closed, and then the clamping operation for the filled containers 90 that have reached the target filling volume is performed.

Liquid return control is performed (STEP 108, liquid return step). The liquid return control includes the following two controls that are performed depending on the filling state of the filling container 90.
(1) Liquid return control when the target filling amount is reached. (2) Liquid return control when there is a filling container 90 that has not reached the target filling amount. Each of these will be explained below.

(1) Liquid Return Control When Target Filling Amount Reached The operator operates the control unit to initiate liquid return control. If the filling amount of any of the filled containers 90 does not reach the target filling amount, the operator first closes the filling valve 45 of the connection piping unit 40 connected to that filled container 90. The control unit opens the air supply valve 35 while leaving the filling valve 45 of each connection piping unit 40 of the filled container 90 open. This replaces the filling liquid present in each container piping 93 up to the clamping position of the multiple filled containers 90 and at least the container piping 93 of each connection piping unit 40 with air present in the air supply unit 30. Next, the control unit operates the pump 20 in the direction opposite to that used during filling, sucking the filling liquid present in the piping portions consisting of the container piping 93, connection piping unit 40, air supply unit 30, and supply piping unit 10 toward the supply source 1. The control unit automatically resumes this control once it detects that all of the filled containers 90 have been filled.

(2) Liquid Return Control in the Event of a Filling Container 90 Not Reaching the Target Filling Amount This control is performed when, during the filling process of STEP 106, there is one or more filling containers 90 whose filling amount does not meet the target filling weight range after filling. In this case, the entire amount of filling liquid in the filling containers 90 in the second state, which do not meet the target filling weight range, is returned to the supply source 1. When filling one or more filling containers 90, the presence or absence of any filling containers 90 that have not been filled to the target filling weight range is detected after a certain period of time has passed since the supply source 1 became empty. To detect whether the entire amount of filling liquid has been supplied from the supply source 1, for example, a known clamp-on flow sensor (not shown) can be used. When filling multiple filling containers 90 one at a time, the flow sensor is preferably attached to the container pipe 93 of at least the last filling container 90 to be filled, for example, the container pipe 93 at the top of the right column in FIG. 1 .

The operator operates the control unit to perform this control. For a filling container 90 that does not meet the target filling weight range, the control unit opens the filling valve 45 of the connection pipe 40 connected to the corresponding filling container 90, operates the pump 20 in the opposite direction to that used for filling, and sucks the filling liquid present in the supply pipe 10 from the filling container 90 to the supply source 1 side.

With reference to Figures 1 and 4, the effects of the filling device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention and the filling method using the filling device 100 will be described.

The filling device 100 comprises a supply piping section 10 to which filling liquid is supplied from one end 11, a pump 20 that pumps the filling liquid, and a control section that controls at least the pump 20. The other end 12 of the supply piping section 10 is connected to the filling container 90 either directly or via a piping member including a main connector 36. The control section has a supply control that pumps the filling liquid in the direction of filling the filling container 90, and a liquid return control that pumps the filling liquid in the opposite direction to the supply control.

Even in a filling device 100 configured without an air supply unit 30, it is possible to suck the filling liquid present inside the container piping 93, etc., toward the supply source 1. When the pump 20 operates to suck the filling liquid inside the container piping 93, etc., the container piping 93, connection piping unit 40, supply piping unit 10, etc., are appropriately crushed and deformed, allowing the filling liquid to be sucked in. Note that in the above configuration, if the entire container piping 93 of the filling device 100 is positioned higher than the supply piping unit 10, the filling liquid present inside the container piping 93, etc., will flow more easily due to gravity and be more easily sucked in, which is preferable.

The control unit of the filling device 100 of the present invention can supply filling liquid by operating the pump 20 through supply control to pressure-feed the filling liquid in the direction of filling the filling container 90. Meanwhile, the control unit can recover filling liquid by operating the pump 20 through liquid return control to pressure-feed the filling liquid in the opposite direction to the supply control. By providing liquid return control, the filling device 100 can minimize waste of filling liquid and perform filling operations efficiently.

The conditions under which the control unit of the filling device 100 of the present invention performs liquid return control include the corresponding filling container 90 being filled with a predetermined amount of filling liquid.

The condition for the liquid return control performed by the control unit is that the corresponding filling container 90 is filled with a predetermined amount of filling liquid, and the filling liquid can be efficiently recovered from the container piping 93, connection piping section 40, main connector 36, air supply section 30, and supply piping section 10 connected to the filling container 90 that has finished being filled with the predetermined amount of filling liquid. This allows for a filling device that minimizes waste of filling liquid and enables efficient filling operations.

The conditions under which the control unit of the filling device 100 of the present invention performs liquid return control include the corresponding filling container 90 not being filled with the specified amount of filling liquid.

The condition for the liquid return control performed by the control unit is that the corresponding filling container 90 is not filled with the specified amount of filling liquid. Even if a filling container 90 is not filled with the specified amount of filling liquid due to an untimely termination of filling, etc., the filling liquid can be efficiently recovered from the path of the filling container 90, as well as the container piping 93, connection piping 40, main connector 36, air supply 30, and supply piping 10 connected to that filling container 90. This minimizes waste of filling liquid, allowing for efficient filling operations.

The filling device 100 of the present invention is a filling device 100 that fills a filling container 90 with a filling liquid, the filling container 90 having a container piping 93 protruding from a connection portion 92 of the container body 91 of the filling container 90. One end 15 is connected to a main connector 36, and the device is equipped with an extension piping portion 14 that is positioned higher from the one end 15 toward the other end 16. The one end 15 is connected to the main connector 36, and the other end 16 is configured to be connectable to the container piping 93. The device is equipped with one or more connection piping portions 40 that have a filling valve 45 between the one end 15 and the other end 16, and each of the connection piping portions 40 is connected between the one end 15 and the other end 16 of the extension piping portion 14.

The filling device 100 is equipped with an extension piping section 14, and one or more connection piping sections 40 are connected between one end 15 and the other end 16, allowing multiple filling containers 90 to be easily connected. This allows many filling containers 90 to be filled efficiently with filling liquid in a short amount of time. Furthermore, because the extension piping section 14 is positioned so that it rises from one end 15 to the other end 16, the filling liquid and air remaining inside the extension piping section 14 at the end of filling can be easily replaced by gravity. Therefore, the filling device 100 can efficiently collect the filling liquid after filling is complete.

The filling device 100 is equipped with an air exhaust unit 50 connected to the main connector 36. This allows unnecessary air to be exhausted at the start of filling, allowing for efficient filling operations.

The filling device 100 is equipped with an air exhaust unit 50 connected to the other end 16 of the extension piping unit 14. This allows unnecessary air to be exhausted via the extension piping unit 14 at the start of filling, even when the extension piping unit 14 is connected to the main connector 36, allowing for efficient filling operations.

The filling device 100 has one or more weight measuring units 84 that can measure the weight of each filling container 90. The control unit is configured to measure the weight of each filling container 90 using the weight measuring units 84 while filling, and to execute control to terminate the filling operation for each filling container 90 based on each measured weight. This allows the filling amount to be accurately filled without overfilling the filling liquid.

The control unit of the filling device 100 is configured so that the operator can select either a method of filling multiple filling containers 90 simultaneously or a method of filling them one by one. This allows the operator to select the appropriate filling method when filling multiple filling containers 90 and efficiently carry out the filling work.

The filling device 100 is a filling device for filling a filling container 90 with a filling liquid, the filling container 90 having a container pipe 93 protruding from a connection portion 92 of the container body 91 of the filling container 90. The filling device 100 includes an air supply unit 30 having one end 31 connected to a main connector 36, an air supply device 34 at the other end 32, and an air supply valve 35 between the one end 31 and the air supply device 34, and one or more connection pipe units 40 having one end 42 connected to the main connector 36, and the other end 43 configured to be connectable to the container pipe 93, and having a filling valve 45 between the one end 42 and the other end 43. The other end 43 of the supply piping section 40 is connected to either the main connector 36 or the air supply section 30 between the main connector 36 and the air supply valve 35. The air supply section 30 is capable of holding the container body 91 so that the entire air supply section 30 is positioned lower than the main connector 36 and the connection section 92 of the container piping 93 is positioned higher than the main connector 36. The filling valve 45 is positioned so that the connection piping section 40 and the container piping 93 are at the same height as or higher than the filling valve 45 as they move closer to the container body 91 from one end 42 of the connection piping section 40.

The filling device 100 used in the filling method of the present invention comprises a supply piping section 10 to which filling liquid is supplied from one end 11, a pump 20 that pumps the filling liquid, and a control section that controls at least the pump 20. The other end 12 of the supply piping section 10 is connected to the filling container 90 directly or via a piping member including a main connector 36. The filling method of the present invention comprises a filling process in which filling liquid is supplied to the filling container 90 via the supply piping section 10, and a liquid return process in which, after the filling process, the filling liquid is pumped in the opposite direction to that during the filling process.

The filling method of the present invention includes a filling process in which the filling container 90 is filled with filling liquid, and a liquid return process in which the pump 20 is operated to pump the filling liquid in the opposite direction to the supply control, thereby efficiently recovering the filling liquid. Therefore, this filling method minimizes waste of filling liquid and allows for efficient filling operations.

The filling device 100 used in the filling method of the present invention is a filling device 100 that fills a filling container 91 having a container piping 93 protruding from a connection portion 92 of the container body 91 of the filling container 90 with a filling liquid, and is equipped with an air supply unit 30 having one end 32 connected to a main connector 36, an air supply device 34 at the other end 33, and an air supply valve 35 between the one end 32 and the air supply device 34, and one or more connection piping units 40 having one end 42 connected to the main connector 36, and the other end 43 configured to be connectable to the container piping 93, and having a filling valve 45 between the one end 42 and the other end 43, and the other end 12 of the supply piping unit 10 being connected to the main connector 36. The filling device 100 is connected to either the connector 36 or the air supply unit 30 between the main connector 36 and the air supply valve 35, the entire air supply unit 30 is positioned lower than the main connector 36, and is capable of holding the container body 91 so that the connection part 92 of the container piping 93 is positioned higher than the main connector 36, and the filling valve 45 is positioned so that the connection piping part 40 and the container piping 93 are at the same height as or higher than the filling valve 45 as they move closer to the container body 91 from one end 42 of the connection piping part 40. The liquid return process is a filling method performed by operating the pump 20 while introducing air from the air supply unit 34.

The filling method of the present invention uses the filling device 100. The liquid return process of the filling method involves operating the pump 20 while introducing air from the air supply device 34. Therefore, when liquid return control is performed, the operator clamps the container piping 93 of the container body 90, opens the air supply valve 35 while keeping the filling valve 45 open, and causes the filling liquid present within the piping section consisting of the container piping 93, the connection piping section 40, and the air supply unit 30 to flow by gravity into the piping 31 between the air supply device 34 and the air supply valve 35 of the air supply unit 30, which is filled with air. In other words, the filling liquid present above the piping section replaces the air present below the piping section by gravity. When the pump 20 is operated in this state, the filling liquid present within the piping 31 between the air supply device 34 and the air supply valve 35 of the air supply unit 30 is sucked in, ultimately recovering the filling liquid. Therefore, the filling device 100 minimizes waste of the filling liquid, allowing for efficient filling operations.

<Modification of the embodiment>
Below, modified examples of the filling device 100 are described. In the above, an embodiment in which the filling device 100 is provided with the extension piping section 14 has been described, but for example, the filling device 100 does not have to be provided with the extension piping section 14. In this case, the air discharge section 50 is connected to the main connector 36. If one or two to four filling containers 90 are to be connected, such a configuration can be used to shorten the piping length.

In the above description, the other end 12 of the supply piping unit 10 is connected between the main connector 36 and the air supply valve 35 of the air supply unit 30. However, the other end 12 of the supply piping unit 10 may also be connected to the main connector 36. This allows the piping length to be shortened.

The other end 12 of the supply piping section 10 of the filling device 100 is configured to be connected to the filling container 93 directly or via a piping member including the main connector 36. Here, the piping member includes piping including the supply piping section 10, and connectors of any shape that connect piping. The piping member including the main connector 36 is, for example, the main connector 36 and the connection piping section 40, as in the filling device 100 described above. Alternatively, the piping member including the main connector 36 may be, for example, the main connector 36 alone. In this case, the other end 12 of the supply piping section 10 may be connected to the container piping 93 of the filling container 90 via the main connector 36. In addition to being connected via a piping member including the main connector 36, the other end 12 of the supply piping section 10 may also be directly connected to the filling container 93. In other words, the filling device 100 may be configured without the main connector 36 and piping members including the supply piping section 10. By using any of the above configurations, the filling device 100 can be configured more simply. When performing liquid return control to suck in the filling liquid in a filling device 100 that does not have an air supply unit 30, the corresponding pipes, such as the container pipe 93, connection pipe unit 40, and supply pipe unit 10, collapse and deform appropriately to suck in the filling liquid.

The filling device 100 has been described in an embodiment using a filling container 90 having a container piping 93, but it is also possible to use a filling container 90 that does not have a container piping 93. In this case, the other end 43 of the connection piping section 40 is directly connected to the container body 91 of the filling container 90. Alternatively, the other end 12 of the supply piping section 10 is directly connected to the container body 91 of the filling container 90. By using either of the above configurations, the filling device 100 can be configured more simply.

10 Supply piping section 11, 15, 32, 42, 52 One end 12, 16, 33, 43, 53 Other end 14 Extension piping section 17 Sub-connector 20 Pump 30 Air supply section 34 Air supply device 35 Air supply valve 36 Main connector 40 Connection piping section 45 Filling valve 50 Air discharge section 55 Air discharge valve 84 Weight measuring section 86 Support member 90 Filling container 91 Container body 92 Connection section 93 Container piping 88 Position holding device 100 Filling device

Claims (11)

A filling device for filling a filling container with a filling liquid,
a supply pipe portion to which the filling liquid is supplied from one end side;
a pump that pumps the filling liquid; and a control unit that controls at least the pump,
the other end of the supply pipe section is connected to the filling container directly or via a pipe member including a main connector;
The control unit has a supply control for pressure-feeding the filling liquid in a direction for filling the filling container, and a liquid return control for pressure-feeding the filling liquid in a direction opposite to the supply control. The filling device of claim 1, wherein the conditions for performing the liquid return control include the corresponding filling container being filled with a predetermined amount of the filling liquid. The filling device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the conditions for performing the liquid return control include the corresponding filling container not being filled with a predetermined amount of the filling liquid. The filling device is a filling device that fills the filling container with the filling liquid, the filling container having a container pipe that is provided so as to protrude from a connection portion of a container body of the filling container,
One end of the extension pipe is connected to the main connector, and the extension pipe is arranged higher from the one end toward the other end,
one end of the connecting pipe section is connected to the main connector, and the other end of the connecting pipe section is configured to be connectable to the container pipe, and the connecting pipe section has a filling valve between the one end and the other end;
The filling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the extension pipe portion has one end and the other end connected to the connection pipe portion. The filling device of claim 1 or 2, further comprising an air exhaust port connected to the main connector. The filling device of claim 4, further comprising an air discharge section connected to the other end of the extension piping section. one or more weight measuring units capable of measuring the weight of each of the filled containers;
The filling device described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is configured to measure the weight of each of the filling containers during filling using the weight measuring unit, and to execute control to terminate the filling operation for each of the filling containers according to each measured weight. The filling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is configured to selectively fill multiple filling containers either simultaneously or individually. The filling device is a filling device that fills the filling container with the filling liquid, the filling container having a container pipe that is provided so as to protrude from a connection portion of a container body of the filling container,
an air supply unit having one end connected to the main connector and the other end having an air supply device, and an air supply valve between the one end and the air supply device; and
one end of the connecting pipe section is connected to the main connector, and the other end of the connecting pipe section is configured to be connectable to the container pipe, and the connecting pipe section has a filling valve between the one end and the other end;
the other end of the supply pipe section is connected to either the main connector or an air supply section between the main connector and the air supply valve;
The air supply unit is arranged such that the entire air supply unit is lower than the main connector,
The container body can be held so that the connection portion of the container pipe is at a higher position than the main connector,
The filling valve is provided in a position where it can be held so that the height of the filling valve is the same as or higher than the height of the connecting piping section and the container piping as it approaches the container body from one end of the connecting piping section. A filling method using a filling device that fills a filling container with a filling liquid, comprising:
the filling device includes a supply pipe section to which the filling liquid is supplied from one end side;
a pump that pumps the filling liquid; and a control unit that controls at least the pump,
the other end of the supply pipe section is connected to the filling container directly or via a pipe member including a main connector;
The filling method includes a filling step of supplying the filling liquid to the filled container via the supply piping section, and a liquid returning step of, after the filling step, pressure-feeding the filling liquid in a direction opposite to that in the filling step. The filling device is a filling device that fills the filling container with the filling liquid, the filling container having a container pipe that is provided so as to protrude from a connection portion of a container body of the filling container,
an air supply unit having one end connected to the main connector and the other end having an air supply device, and an air supply valve between the one end and the air supply device; and
one end of the connecting pipe section is connected to the main connector, and the other end of the connecting pipe section is configured to be connectable to the container pipe, and the connecting pipe section has a filling valve between the one end and the other end;
the other end of the supply pipe section is connected to either the main connector or an air supply section between the main connector and the air supply valve;
The air supply unit is arranged such that the entire air supply unit is lower than the main connector,
The container body can be held so that the connection portion of the container pipe is at a higher position than the main connector,
the filling valve is provided at a position where the connection pipe portion and the container pipe can be held so that the height of the filling valve is equal to or higher as the connection pipe portion approaches the container body from one end of the connection pipe portion,
The filling method according to claim 10, wherein the liquid returning step is performed by operating the pump while introducing air from the air supply device.