EP0546346B1 - Filling head provided with a gas barrier on the valve - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a filling element of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1.

Filling elements of this type form the state of the art customary today. Usually, a return gas tube projecting downwards into the container is provided on the valve body, through which gas escapes from the container and which, when its lower end is reached by the filling level, prevents further escape of back-flowing gas and thus stops the filling. The fill level can also be determined in another way, for example by means of sensors, and the escape of the gas can be interrupted with a return gas valve.

In the case of filling devices of the generic type, the liquid valve is still open for a certain period of time after the filling stop by interrupting the return gas flow, which can be very long, for example, when the beverage filler is standing. During this period, before the liquid valve closes and further flow into the container is finally stopped, gas must be prevented from spreading to others Way, for example, rises past the liquid wedge valve and thus liquid can continue to flow in, since the desired filling level in the container would then be exceeded.

For this purpose, in the case of filling organs of the generic type, a gas barrier, which is provided on the valve body and provided with openings, is provided in the region of the liquid valve.

Filling elements of the type mentioned are known from DE-PS 1 162 711 and DE-PS 27 27 723. In the known constructions, the gas barriers are provided with holes or slots which have to be drilled or milled, which leads to considerable manufacturing costs which depend on the number of openings. The slotted construction is also designed with a view to clearing the slits by flushing them out, which can occur, for example, from solids contained in fruit juices.

Another construction of this type is known from EP-A 0 409 401, in which the gas barrier mounted on the valve body is designed as a sieve. However, this construction is extremely prone to constipation and cannot be used, for example, in fruit juices.

To solve the clogging problem with gas barriers in non-generic filling elements from DE-AS-1 203 631, the use of a conical spring is known, which is arranged below the valve in the outlet of the filling element and which lengthens when blocked due to the increased flow resistance, so that through the spring movement adjacent solids can be flushed out.

The object of the present invention is to provide a filling element of the type mentioned at the outset which is improved with regard to the production costs and the security against constipation.

This object is achieved with the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

According to the invention, a spring is provided which replaces the known gas barrier mounted on the valve body. The openings of the required size are formed between the windings of the spring and are gas-blocking but liquid-permeable. The spring is moved over at least part of the stroke of the valve body relative to the valve housing, so that it is moved in itself each time the valve is actuated, which leads to the release of adhering solids. This construction can replace the conventional gas barrier arranged on the valve body without major design changes on the filling element, can be produced at low cost, has a good gas barrier effect, has a low flow resistance for liquid to be filled and cleans itself due to the constant movement.

The features of claim 2 are advantageously provided. In this construction, the spring is attached to the outer edge in a defined manner. The entire stroke of its inner edge is used to lengthen or shorten the spring, so that there is a particularly good cleaning effect.

Alternatively, the features of claim 3 are provided. In this embodiment, the spring is only attached to the valve body, so it can be installed together with it in a particularly favorable manner in terms of assembly technology. The lower edge of the spring is at a small gap above the valve seat, which is sufficient for a gas barrier effect, when the valve is open. The spring is then relaxed and is shortened when the valve body closes after the lower edge has been placed on the valve seat.

Fig.1

ein Füllorgan im Schnitt,

Fig. 2 - 5

verschiedene Federausführungen und

Fig. 6

in einer Darstellung gemäß Figur 1 zwei Varianten der Federausführung der Figur 5.

The invention is shown schematically, for example, in the drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a filling organ in section,

Figs. 2-5

various spring designs and

Fig. 6

1 shows two variants of the spring design of FIG. 5.

As FIG. 1 shows, the valve housing 2 of a filling element is fastened under an opening of a beverage storage boiler 1 by means not shown. The outlet 3 of the filling element is sealed with a seal 4 on the edge of a bottle 5.

In the interior 6 of the filling element, a valve body 7 is arranged such that it can move in height. The valve body 7 is extended upwards and downwards with a return gas tube 8, the gas channel of which passes through the valve body 7.

The valve body 7 carries a sealing ring 9 which, in the lowest position of the valve body 7, lies in sealing contact on the valve seat 10 of the filling element 2.

In Figure 1, the valve body 7 and the return gas pipe 8 are shown to the left and right of the center line in different operating positions. The closed position is shown on the right-hand side, in which the valve body 7 lies sealingly on the valve seat 10. The opening position, in which the valve body is raised, is shown on the left-hand side. Means, not shown, are provided which, for example, engage the upper end of the return gas tube 8, not shown, in order to move the valve body 7 between the two operating positions shown. These means can consist, for example, of a spring that opens at constant pressure or of levers that can be actuated from the outside.

A stop ring 11 is fixedly mounted in the interior 6 of the filling element 2 and forms a fixed stop 12 on its lower ring surface. An upwardly facing annular surface is formed on the valve body 7, which serves as a valve stop 13. The opening movement of the valve body is limited in the opening position shown in the left half of the figure by the valve stop 13 abutting against the fixed stop 12.

The valve seat is shown differently in the two halves of the figure to illustrate a variant. On the right side, the valve seat 10 forms a siphon of conventional construction, the bell protruding into the channel 16 of the siphon.

On the left side of the figure, the valve seat 10 'is flat, that is, without the formation of a siphon.

The two halves of the figure also show two different variants of the gas barrier.

In both cases, the gas barrier is designed as an essentially helically wound spring 14 or 24. The spring 14 is attached with its uppermost turn in an annular manner to the valve body 7, for example, as shown, snapped into a small groove. The spring 14 is designed to expand slightly downward in diameter and, in the open position of the valve body 7 shown, is in a relaxed position with its lowest turn at a short distance above the valve seat 10 '. In this relaxed position, the turns with respect to one another and the lowest turn from the valve seat 10 'each have a gap distance which allows liquid to pass through but has a gas-blocking effect and which is, for example, in the range of a few tenths of a millimeter.

If the valve body 7 is now moved downward into the closed position, the spring 14 rests with its lowest turn on the valve seat 10 'and is greatly shortened until the turns come together. With the next opening movement it takes on the form shown again. During this constant movement of the spring, any adhering solids, such as fibers of a fruit juice drink to be filled, are repeatedly rinsed off by movement.

In the right-hand side of the figure, a variant is shown in which the spring 24 is of exactly helical design concentric with the valve axis. It is attached with its uppermost turn to a free-standing ring 25 which is mounted with play on the valve body above the valve stop 13. In the illustrated closed position of the valve body 7, the ring 25 is free. During the opening movement of the valve body 7, it is gripped by the valve stop 13 and raised against the fixed stop 12. The spring 24 is attached with its lowest turn on the bottom of the channel 16 to the valve seat 10. When the valve body 7 opens, when the ring 25 is raised to the fixed stop 12, the spring 24 is also elongated here and returns to the position shown the next time the valve closes.

In different variants, the spring 24 can also be fastened with its ring 25 to the valve body 7 in the same way as the spring 14. Likewise, in a different construction, the spring 14, like the spring 24, can be fastened to the valve seat 10 '.

Figures 2 to 5 show different spring designs. Figure 2 shows the spring 24 with ring 25, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows a spring 26, which corresponds in its basic form to the spring 24, but in which 25 instead of the ring wound additional spirally Spring layers are provided. Figure 4 shows the spring 14 of Figure 1. In Figures 2 to 5, the inner edge of the spring is designated 27. This is the edge with which the spring is attached to the valve body 7 (spring 14) or is slidably mounted thereon (spring 24).

Figure 5 shows a spring 15, which is not helical but spiral, that is wound in one plane. The arrangement of this spiral spring 15 in a filling element 2 is shown in FIG. 6, which otherwise corresponds entirely to FIG.

Again, two variants are shown here. On the left-hand side, the spiral spring 15 is fastened on both sides, ie fastened with its inner edge 27 to the valve body 7 and fastened with its outer edge to the filling element 2.

The spring 15 'shown on the right-hand side of FIG. 6 essentially corresponds to the spring 15, but is not fastened either to its inner edge 27 or to its outer edge. Outside she can move freely. With its inner edge 27, it is carried along by part of the stroke of the valve body 7, as has already been described above for the spring 24 (FIG. 1, right).

The spiral springs 15 and 15 'of FIG. 6 obviously fulfill a gas barrier function corresponding essentially to the helically wound springs described above. They are also constantly moved in the same way by the valve lift and are thus kept free of blockages.

In different variants compared to the embodiments in FIG. 6, the spirally wound springs 15 and 15 'can also have a slightly bell-shaped arch. For example, there are all shape transitions between the spring 15 and the spring 14 can be used. The springs 15 and 15 'can even be slightly curved upwards outwards.

The mode of operation of the structures shown is explained as follows using the embodiment in FIG. 1 (left):
In the closed position of the filling element shown on the right, the liquid from the storage vessel 1 is in the interior 6 of the filling element above the closed valve. Now a new bottle 5 or, if necessary, a can to be filled with a slightly different design of the filling element can be attached to the underside of the filling element.

The container is prestressed by the return gas pipe 8 or in another way, if it is carbonated beverages. The liquid valve is then opened by lifting the valve body 7 into the open position shown on the left side of the figure. Now liquid (left side of the figure) flows through the turns of the spring 14 or through the gap which is formed under the lowest turn. The liquid flows into the bottle 5 until the liquid level reaches the lower end of the return gas tube 8 or is determined in some other way, for example by means of sensors. The filling process is now stopped by blocking the return gas path. Since no more gas can escape from the bottle 5, no more liquid can flow into the container.

However, gas from the unfilled head space of the container could flow upwards past the still open liquid valve. Then more liquid would get down.

This prevents the spring 14 serving as a gas barrier. This leaves through the openings between its turns and Liquid flows through under its lower edge, but is dimensioned with regard to the gap sizes so that no gas can rise. The liquid thus remains stopped until the liquid valve is closed by moving the valve body 7 downward and the liquid supply is thus finally interrupted. The other spring designs shown in the figures function in the same way as the spring 14.

Claims (3)

1. Filling head for beverage fillers with a liquid valve having a valve body (7) which closes after interruption of the return gas flow out of the container (5) and a gas barrier (14,15,15',24,26), which is mounted with its inner edge (27) on the valve body (7) and is moved with opening and closing movements thereof and which is provided with openings which are so dimensioned that they let through only liquid but not gas, characterised in that the gas barrier is so constructed as a wound wire spring (14,15,15',24,26) that it is deformed by the movement of the valve body (7).
2. Filling head as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the spring (15,24) is fastened with its outer edge to the valve seat (10,10') or to the filling element (2).
3. Spring as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that in the open position of the valve the outer edge of the spring (14) is at a small distance above the valve seat (10').

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