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Beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material having a filling machine with a filling control element

  • US 20060266003A1
  • Filed: 03/07/2006
  • Published: 11/30/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2005
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. In a beverage bottling plant, a filling machine being configured and disposed to fill bottles with a liquid beverage, said filling machine comprising:

  • a first conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to convey bottles to be filled to said bottle filling machine;

    a rotor;

    a rotatable vertical machine column;

    said rotor being connected to said vertical machine column to permit rotation of said rotor about said vertical machine column;

    a plurality of bottle filling elements for filling bottles with liquid beverage material being disposed on the periphery of said rotor;

    each of said plurality of bottle filling elements comprising a bottle carrier being configured and disposed to receive and hold beverage bottles to be filled;

    each of said plurality of bottle filling elements being configured and disposed to dispense liquid beverage material into bottles to be filled;

    at least one liquid reservoir being configured to hold a supply of liquid beverage material;

    a liquid supply line being configured and disposed to connect said at least one liquid reservoir to said bottle filling machine to supply liquid beverage material to said bottle filling machine;

    at least one sensor being configured to sense the amount of liquid beverage being dispensed into bottles disposed beneath said filling elements;

    a second conveying arrangement being configured and disposed to move bottles out of said bottle filling machine;

    a flow valve being disposed in said liquid supply line;

    said flow valve comprising a housing;

    said housing comprising an inlet portion and an outlet portion;

    a liquid channel being disposed in said housing and being configured to permit the flow of liquid therethrough;

    said flow valve comprising;

    an opening and closing device being disposed at a juncture between said inlet portion and said outlet portion;

    said opening and closing device being configured and disposed to be moved, to permit the fast flow of liquid from said inlet portion to said outlet portion during filling, to permit the slow flow of liquid from said inlet portion to said outlet portion during filling, and to block the flow of liquid through said flow valve upon a bottle being filled;

    an actuator device being configured to actuate said opening and closing device, said actuator device comprising;

    a piston rod being connected to and extending perpendicularly away from said opening and closing device, and comprising an enlarged upper segment;

    a housing being configured and disposed to house said piston rod;

    a first lower piston being disposed within said housing and about said piston rod;

    a first lower cylinder compartment being disposed between said first lower piston and said housing;

    a second upper piston being disposed within said housing and about said piston rod;

    a second upper cylinder compartment being disposed between said second upper piston and said housing;

    said first lower piston being disposed substantially closer to said opening and closing device than said second upper piston;

    a compression spring being disposed between said first lower piston and said second upper piston;

    said compression spring being configured and disposed to apply a bias force to said piston rod to hold said opening and closing device in a closed rest position to block the flow of liquid through said flow valve;

    a first adjustable stroke limiter being disposed in the upper side of said housing above said second upper piston;

    a second adjustable stroke limiter being disposed in the upper side of said housing above said piston rod, and being disposed substantially parallel to said first adjustable stroke limiter;

    a motor driven adjustment drive being configured to individually adjust said first adjustable stroke limiter and said second adjustable stroke limiter to compensate for variances in the liquid being bottled, such as for temperature and thickness of the liquid;

    a first control valve being disposed outside of said housing;

    a second control valve being disposed outside of said housing;

    said first control valve being configured to pressurize said second upper cylinder compartment upon receiving a signal from said at least one sensor, and to move said piston rod, said first lower piston, and said second upper piston upwardly in a short stroke motion toward said first adjustable stroke limiter;

    said first adjustable stroke limiter being configured and disposed to come into contact with said second upper piston and to stop the upward short stroke motion of said piston rod;

    said upward short stroke motion of said piston rod being configured to move said opening and closing device from its closed rest position against the bias of said compression spring, and into a partially opened position, permitting a slow fill of a bottle being disposed beneath said filling device;

    said second control valve being configured to pressurize said first lower cylinder compartment upon receiving a signal from said at least one sensor, and to move said piston rod and said first lower piston upwardly in a long stroke motion toward said second adjustable stroke limiter;

    said second adjustable stroke limiter being configured and disposed to come into contact with said enlarged upper segment of said piston rod and to stop the upward long stroke motion of said piston rod;

    said upward long stroke motion of said piston rod being configured to move said opening and closing device from its partially opened position and into a fully opened position, permitting a fast fill of a bottle being disposed beneath said filling device; and

    said first control valve and said second control valve being configured to be deactivated to move said piston rod and said opening and closing device, back into a closed rest position upon a bottle being filled.

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