Multilevel container filling machine such as a multilevel beverage bottle filling machine

• US 7,866,123 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2009
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KHS GmbH (Salzgitter AG)
• Original Assignee: KHS AG (Salzgitter AG)
• Inventors: Clüsserath, Ludwig
• Primary Examiner(s): GERRITY, STEPHEN FRANCIS
• Application Number:
  US12/348,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20100000182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 532/02, 532/661, 532/79, 532/81, 532/82, 532/845, 141/144, 141/169, 141/234, 141/237
• US Class Current: 53/202
• CPC Class Codes: B67C 3/22 Details
• CPC Class Codes: B67C 3/225 Means for filling simultaneously, e.g. in a rotary filling apparatus or multiple rows of containers
• CPC Class Codes: B67C 7/002 General lay-out of bottle-handling machines
• CPC Class Codes: B67C 7/004 the containers travelling along a circular path

Abstract

A filling machine for containers such as bottles, cans, or similar containers. The filling machine comprises at least one rotor, which is driven in rotation around a vertical machine axis, and filling stations on the rotor. Each filling station is designed to receive a container and for the filling of this container during the rotational movement of the rotor between a container inlet point and a container outlet point. The filling stations are provided in at least two filling planes, which are offset from one another in the direction of the machine axis.

Claims

1. A bottling plant for filling bottles with a flowable filling material and capping filled bottles, said bottling plant comprising:

a bottle filling machine comprising;

at least one rotor having a vertical machine axis;

said at least one rotor comprising at least an upper and a lower bottle filling wheel rotatable about said vertical machine axis;

a plurality of bottle filling elements substantially equally spaced and disposed about a perimeter of said upper and said lower bottle filling wheels;

said bottle filling elements disposed with said upper bottle filling wheel being substantially vertically oriented with one of said bottle filling elements disposed with said lower bottle filling wheel;

said upper and said lower bottle filling wheels being vertically spaced in substantially parallel planes, said upper and lower bottle filling wheels being vertically spaced by an amount sufficient to permit a bottle filling element and a bottle to be disposed between said upper and said lower bottle filling wheels;

said bottle filling elements being configured to dispense a flowable filling material through a lower flowable filling material outlet;

said bottle filling elements comprising a flowable filling material inlet above said flowable filling material outlet;

said flowable filling material inlets being in flow communication with a corresponding flow meter;

said flow meters being in flow communication with a flowable filling material connection;

a sole flowable filling material reservoir above said flow meters and in flow communication with said flow meters through said flowable filling material connection;

a pressure reducing element in flow communication with said flowable filling material connection, said pressure reducing element being disposed between said upper and said lower bottle filling wheels;

said pressure reducing element being configured to reduce pressure of flowable filling material flowing to said lower bottle filling wheel such that the pressure of flowable filling material flowing to said flow meters of said lower bottle filling wheel is substantially equalized with the pressure of flowable filling material flowing to said flow meters of said upper bottle filling wheel;

a motor configured to rotate said upper and said lower bottle filling wheels at substantially the same rotational speed about said vertical machine axis; and

a bottle carrier below said bottle filling elements configured to receive and dispose a bottle about a bottle flange with a bottle mouth below said flowable filling material outlet of said bottle filling elements;

said bottling plant further comprising;

a bottle filling machine bottle outlet comprising;

an upper conveying apparatus rotatable about a vertical axis thereof configured to collect filled bottles from said upper bottle filling wheel;

a lower conveying apparatus rotatable about the vertical axis of said upper conveying apparatus and configured to collect filled bottles from said lower bottle filling wheel;

said upper conveying apparatus being configured to dispose bottles through an upper rotational distance; and

said lower conveying apparatus being configured to dispose bottles through a lower rotational distance, said upper rotational distance being different than said lower rotational distance;

said bottling plant further comprising;

an upper bottle capping machine configured to collect filled bottles from said upper conveying apparatus at said upper rotational distance from said bottle filling machine and cap filled bottles;

a lower bottle capping machine configured to collect filled bottles from said lower conveying apparatus at said lower rotational distance from said bottle filling machine and cap filled bottles;

said difference between said upper and said lower rotational distances of said upper and said lower conveying apparatus being sufficient to dispose said upper and said lower bottle capping machines sufficiently far apart to permit unimpeded operation of said upper and said lower bottle capping machines; and

said upper and said lower bottle capping machines each having a height substantially greater than the vertical spacing between said upper and said lower conveying apparatuses.

2. The bottling plant of claim 1 further comprising a bottle conveying apparatus, said bottle conveying apparatus comprising an upper and a lower bottle conveyor, said upper conveyor being configured to convey bottles to said upper bottle filling wheel and said lower conveyor being configured to convey bottles to said lower bottle filling wheel.

3. The bottling plant of claim 2 wherein said upper filling wheel is configured to dispose a bottle of a first size and said lower filling wheel is configured to dispose a bottle of a second size, said first and said second size bottles being different.

4. A container filling plant for filling containers with a flowable filling material and closing filled containers, said container filling plant comprising:

a container filling machine comprising;

at least one rotor having a vertical machine axis;

said at least one rotor comprising at least an upper and a lower container filling wheel rotatable about said vertical machine axis;

a plurality of container filling elements substantially equally spaced and disposed about a perimeter of said upper and said lower container filling wheels;

said upper and said lower container filling wheels being vertically spaced in substantially parallel planes, said upper and lower container filling wheels being vertically spaced by an amount sufficient to permit a container filling element and a container to be disposed between said upper and said lower container filling wheels;

said container filling elements being configured to dispense a flowable filling material through a flowable filling material outlet;

said container filling elements comprising a flowable filling material inlet;

said flowable filling material inlets being in flow communication with a flowable filling material connection;

at least one flowable filling material reservoir in flow communication with said flowable filling material inlets of said upper and said lower container filling wheels;

a motor configured to rotate said upper and said lower container filling wheels at substantially the same rotational speed about said vertical machine axis; and

a container carrier below said container filling elements configured to receive and dispose a container with a container opening below said flowable filling material outlet of said container filling elements;

said container filling plant further comprising;

a container filling machine container outlet comprising;

an upper conveying apparatus rotatable about a vertical axis thereof configured to collect filled containers from said upper container filling wheel;

a lower conveying apparatus rotatable about the vertical axis of said upper conveying apparatus and configured to collect filled containers from said lower container filling wheel;

said upper conveying apparatus being configured to dispose containers through an upper rotational distance; and

said lower conveying apparatus being configured to dispose containers through a lower rotational distance, said upper rotational distance being different than said lower rotational distance;

said container filling plant further comprising;

an upper container closing machine configured to collect filled containers from said upper conveying apparatus at said upper rotational distance from said container filling machine and close filled containers;

a lower container closing machine configured to collect filled containers from said lower conveying apparatus at said lower rotational distance from said container filling machine and close filled containers;

said difference between said upper and said lower rotational distances of said upper and said lower conveying apparatuses being sufficient to dispose said upper and said lower container closing machines sufficiently far apart to permit unimpeded operation of said upper and said lower container closing machines; and

said upper and said lower container closing machines each having a height substantially greater than the vertical spacing between said upper and said lower conveying apparatuses.

5. The container filling plant of claim 4 wherein said at least one flowable filling material reservoir is a sole flowable filling material reservoir.

6. The container filling plant of claim 5 further comprising a pressure reducing element in flow communication with said flowable filling material connection between said upper and said lower container filling wheels, said pressure reducing element being configured to reduce pressure of flowable filling material flowing to said lower container filling wheel such that the pressure of flowable filling material flowing to said flowable filling material inlets of said upper and said lower container filling wheels is substantially equal.

7. The container filling plant of claim 6 wherein said pressure reducing element is adjustable.

8. The container filling plant of claim 7 comprising a flow meter in flow communication with a corresponding flowable filling material inlet.

9. The container filling plant of claim 8 further comprising at least one duct configured for the delivery or removal of a gas, vapor, liquid, or combinations thereof.

10. The container filling plant of claim 9 further comprising a container conveying apparatus, said container conveying apparatus comprising an upper and a lower container conveyor, said upper conveyor being configured to convey containers to said upper container filling wheel and said lower conveyor being configured to convey containers to said lower container filling wheel.

11. The container filling plant of claim 10 wherein said upper filling wheel is configured to dispose a container of a first size and said lower filling wheel is configured to dispose a container of a second size, said first and said second size containers being different.

12. The container filling plant of claim 11 wherein said upper and said lower conveying apparatuses of said container filling machine container outlet are transport star wheels.

13. A container filling plant for filling containers with a flowable filling material and closing filled containers, said container filling plant comprising:

a container filling machine comprising;

at least one rotor having a vertical machine axis;

said at least one rotor comprising at least an upper and a lower container filling wheel rotatable about said vertical machine axis;

a plurality of container filling elements substantially equally spaced and disposed about a perimeter of said upper and said lower container filling wheels;

said upper and said lower container filling wheels being vertically spaced in substantially parallel planes, said upper and lower container filling wheels being vertically spaced by an amount sufficient to permit a container filling element and a container to be disposed between said upper and said lower container filling wheels;

said container filling elements being configured to dispense a flowable filling material through a lower flowable filling material outlet;

said container filling elements comprising a flowable filling material inlet;

said flowable filling material inlets being in flow communication with a flowable filling material connection;

a sole flowable filling material reservoir in flow communication with said flowable filling material connection;

a pressure reducing element being configured to reduce pressure of flowable filling material flowing to said flowable filling material inlets of said lower bottle filling wheel such that the pressure of flowable filling material flowing to said flowable filling material inlets of said lower bottle filling wheel are substantially equalized with the pressure of flowable filling material flowing to said flowable filling material inlets of said upper bottle filling wheel;

a motor configured to rotate said upper and said lower container filling wheels at substantially the same rotational speed about said vertical machine axis; and

a container carrier below said container filling elements configured to receive and dispose a container with a container opening below said flowable filling material outlet of said container filling elements;

said container filling plant further comprising;

at least one container closing machine configured to collect and close filled containers from said container filling machine.

14. The container filling plant of claim 13 further comprising a container filling machine container outlet, said container outlet comprising:

an upper conveying apparatus rotatable about a vertical axis thereof configured to collect filled containers from said upper container filling wheel;

a lower conveying apparatus rotatable about the vertical axis of said upper conveying apparatus and configured to collect filled containers from said lower container filling wheel;

said upper conveying apparatus being configured to dispose containers through an upper rotational distance; and

said lower conveying apparatus being configured to dispose containers through a lower rotational distance, said upper rotational distance being different than said lower rotational distance.

15. The container filling plant of claim 14 wherein said at least one closing machine comprises:

an upper container closing machine configured to collect filled containers from said upper conveying apparatus at said upper rotational distance from said container filling machine and close filled containers;

a lower container closing machine configured to collect filled containers from said lower conveying apparatus at said lower rotational distance from said container filling machine and close filled containers;

said difference between said upper and said lower rotational distances of said upper and said lower conveying apparatuses being sufficient to dispose said upper and said lower container closing machines sufficiently far apart to permit unimpeded operation of said upper and said lower container closing machines; and

said upper and said lower container closing machines each having a height substantially greater than the vertical spacing between said upper and said lower conveying apparatuses.

16. The container filling plant of claim 15 wherein said pressure reducing element is adjustable.

17. The container filling plant of claim 16 comprising a flow meter in flow communication with a corresponding flowable filling material inlet.

18. The container filling plant of claim 17 further comprising at least one duct configured for the delivery or removal of a gas, vapor, liquid, or combinations thereof.

19. The container filling plant of claim 18 further comprising a container conveying apparatus, said container conveying apparatus comprising an upper and a lower container conveyor, said upper conveyor being configured to convey containers to said upper container filling wheel and said lower conveyor being configured to convey containers to said lower container filling wheel.

20. The container filling plant of claim 19 wherein said upper filling wheel is configured to dispose a container of a first size and said lower filling wheel is configured to dispose a container of a second size, said first and said second size containers being different.