Shibuya Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Suntory Holdings Limited

Kenichi Tsukano

Katsunori Tanikawa

Shinya Kamori

Masaaki Eda

Yukinobu Nishino

Taro Kitayama

Futoshi Konishi

Katsunori Tanigawa

Ichiro Takeda

Tooru Shimode

A beverage filling method and an apparatus to perform the beverage filling method, wherein a liquid is delivered from a storage tank into a filler tank of a filler, and the liquid is filled into containers by the filler. The method is characterized in that the liquid in the filler tank is returned through return piping attached to the filler tank and refluxed to the storage tank through a reflux path. According to this method, an excess of liquid in the filler can be circulated throughout the entire line.

Liquid filling method and device

A valve housing which is internally formed with a filled liquid passage and a liquid valve which allows or interrupts a communication of the filled liquid passage are provided, and a liquid valve opening/closing air cylinder opens or closes the liquid valve to perform a filling operation of a filled liquid. An outlet portion located at the bottom end of the valve housing is formed by a separate liquid outlet member. A first liquid outlet member which is connected with a gas exhaust passage and used for a carbonated filling operation and a second liquid outlet member which carries a screen on its bottom end and used for a non-carbonated filling operation are interchangeably used. A filling valve which permits a combined use with a carbonated filling operation and a non-carbonated filling operation enables an accommodation for a filling operation which should take place in a clean environment.

Filling valve

A vessel mouth gasket unit is fitted around the outer periphery of a valve body which is internally formed with a filled liquid passage. A first gasket having a smaller diameter and a second gasket having a larger diameter is mounted on the lower surface of the unit. The filling valve is made up of a liquid valve opening and closing air cylinder which opens and closes a liquid valvedisposed in the filled liquid passage, and a vessel mouth gasket auxiliary air cylinder which urges the unit downward. The valve body has an outer diameter which is greater than the aperture diameter of a bottle-like first type vessel and less than the aperture diameter of a second type vessel having a larger aperture. The operating pressure of the auxiliary air cylinder is controllable and the filling operation takes place by urging the gasket against the first vessel with a low load and by urging the gasket against the second type vessel with a high load. The filling valve enables a combined use for filling the bottle-like first type vessel B and the second type vessel without requiring a replacement of parts.

A liquid passage for filling which communicates with a liquid supply piping for filling is formed within a valve housing and carries a filling nozzle at its lower end. The liquid passage is opened or closed by a liquid valve. A packing which seals the mouth of a vessel B, a cylinder which elevates the packing , a flow meter which detects a filled content of the liquid which is filled into the vessel B, and an exhaust passage formed in the valve housing are provided. The exhaust passage has an opening disposed toward the vessel which is disposed outside an opening of the filling nozzle , and the opening of the filling nozzle is maintained above the elevation of the liquid level which is filled into the vessel B during the filling operation. The filling valve assures a sanitary excellence and is usable with vessels B of differing sizes and shapes.

A filling apparatus is made up of a gas passage connected to a storage tank via a connection passage a first gas valve that opens and closes the gas passage, a pressure gas passage connected to a pressure gas supply source, a pressure gas valve that opens and closes the pressure gas passage, an exhaust passage that allows an interior of a container to communicate with the exterior thereof, and an exhaust valve that opens and closes the exhaust passage. With this filling apparatus, before a pressurized filling operation, both the gas passage and the pressure gas passage are opened to pressurize the interior of the container with a carbonated gas supplied through both passages. Further, also before a unpressurized filling operation, both the gas passage and the pressure gas passage are opened to perform a flushing operation in which droplets are discharged from the gas passage with air exhausted from the container into the storage tank via the gas passage. Then, after the filling operation, both the gas passage and the exhaust passage are opened to discharge a certain amount of filling liquid remaining in the gas passage, into the container.

Filling apparatus and filling method therefor

In a filler, a preliminary substitution in which a carbonate gas within a storage tank is substituted into a vessel interior takes place by opening a first gas discharge valve and a first gas valve, followed by a proper substitution in which a genuine carbonate gas in a chamber is substituted into the vessel interior by opening a second gas valve and the first gas discharge valve while closing the first gas valve, and subsequently followed by a pressurization in which the vessel interior is pressurized to the same pressure as in the storage tank by opening the second gas valve while closing the first gas discharge valve. Subsequently, a liquid valve is opened as the second gas valve is closed and the first gas valve is opened to fill the vessel with a liquid while discharging the genuine carbonate gas in the vessel into the storage tank. In this manner, a filling operation can take place while a carbonate gas of a higher concentration than the conventional practice is substituted into the vessel interior.

Growing community of inventors

Ishikawa-ken, Japan

Kenichi Tsukano