Method for controlling the feed of a filling system, control device and filling system

Abstract

The present application relates to a method for controlling feed of a filling system, a control device and a filling system. In one aspect, a method for controlling feed of a filling system is described. The filling system comprises a feed valve and a product tank, the feed valve being arranged upstream of the product tank and configured to control a flow rate of a product fluid delivered to the product tank. The method comprises: determining whether the product fluid contains particles; and selecting a control mode for controlling the feed valve as one of a PID control mode and a fixed opening control mode according to the determination result, the PID control mode being adopted when the product fluid does not contain particles, and the size of the particles being detected when the product fluid contains particles and one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening control mode being selected according to the detection result. In the method, a suitable control mode of the feed valve can be selected for different product fluids.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of filling, in particular to a method for controlling the feed of a filling system, a control device for performing the method and a filling system comprising the control device. BACKGROUND

[0002] The contents of this section merely provide background information related to the present application and do not necessarily constitute the prior art.

[0003] In the prior art, a filling machine is usually used to fill a package, in the filling process, the filling machine outputs product fluid in a product tank to fill a certain amount of product fluid into the package. In order to maintain the supply of product fluid in the product tank at a level sufficient to continuously fill the product package, the feed of the product tank of the filling machine needs to be precisely controlled. A suitable feed control method needs to be selected for different product fluids, however, there is no suitable feed control method for the product tank of the filling machine for different product fluids (product fluids without particles, product fluids containing different particle sizes, etc.) in the prior art.

[0004] On the other hand, a feed valve is arranged in the feed line of the filling machine, in the prior art, the feed valve is usually controlled by a PID control method to maintain the product tank at a set production liquid level. However, if the filling machine is in full-speed production (e.g. 6 tracks full open), the product demand is large, and the feed valve will be maintained at a large opening degree; if the filling machine is in reduced-speed production (e.g. 2 tracks running), the product demand is only 1 / 3 of that in full-speed production, and the opening degree of the feed valve will be greatly reduced under the condition of maintaining the product tank at the set production liquid level. The opening degree of the feed valve has little effect on the production of pure liquid products, but when producing products containing particles, the reduction of the opening degree of the feed valve will cause poor passability of the particles in the product, affecting the content of the particles in the product package, and the breakage degree of the particles in the product will also increase.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the feed control method of the product tank of the filling machine in the prior art to at least partially solve the problems existing in the prior art. SUMMARY

[0006] One object of the present application is to select a suitable feed control method for the product tank of the filling machine for different product fluids (product fluids without particles, product fluids containing different particle sizes, etc.).

[0007] Another object of the present application is to enable different product fluids to smoothly pass through the feed valve and the flow rate of the product fluid to be effectively controlled by selecting a suitable feed control method for the product tank of the filling machine for different product fluids.

[0008] Another object of the present application is to ensure the passability of the particles in the product fluid, reduce the breakage of the particles in the product fluid, and ensure that the content of the particles in the product package is within the desired range without large fluctuations, while reliably controlling the liquid level value of the product barrel, for a product fluid containing large particles, by using a fixed opening degree control method.

[0009] Another object of the present application is to ensure the passability of the particles in the product fluid, reduce the breakage of the particles in the product fluid, and ensure that the content of the particles in the product package is within the desired range without large fluctuations, while reliably controlling the liquid level value of the product barrel, for a product fluid containing small particles, by selecting a suitable product barrel feed control method for the filling machine according to the production capacity of the filling system.

[0010] In a first aspect of the present application, a method for controlling the feed of a filling system is provided, the filling system comprising a feed valve and a product barrel, the feed valve being arranged upstream of the product barrel and configured to control the flow rate of a product fluid delivered to the product barrel, wherein the method comprises: determining whether the product fluid contains particles; and selecting a control method for controlling the feed valve as one of a PID control method and a fixed opening degree control method according to the determination result, wherein the PID control method is used when the product fluid does not contain particles, and the size of the particles is detected and one of the PID control method and the fixed opening degree control method is selected according to the detection result when the product fluid contains particles, wherein the PID control method refers to a control method of continuously adjusting the opening degree of the feed valve to control the liquid level value of the product barrel, and the fixed opening degree control method refers to a control method of selectively opening the feed valve at a set fixed opening degree and closing the feed valve to control the liquid level value of the product barrel.

[0011] Preferably, in the case where the product fluid contains particles, the fixed opening degree control method is used when the size of the particles is greater than a first particle size preset value, and one of the PID control method and the fixed opening degree control method is selected when the size of the particles is less than or equal to the first particle size preset value.

[0012] Preferably, when the size of the particles is less than or equal to the first particle size preset value, one of the PID control method and the fixed opening degree control method is selected according to the production capacity of the filling system, wherein the PID control method is used when the production capacity of the filling system is greater than a production capacity preset value, and the fixed opening degree control method is used when the production capacity of the filling system is less than or equal to the production capacity preset value.

[0013] Preferably, the energy production preset value is in a range between 70% and 90%.

[0014] Preferably, when the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted, the fixed opening degree of the feeding valve is set according to the size of the particles, so that the fixed opening degree of the feeding valve is correspondingly larger when the size of the particles is larger.

[0015] Preferably, the fixed opening degree of the feeding valve is set in a range between 20% and 60%.

[0016] Preferably, the first particle size preset value is in a range between 4mm and 6mm.

[0017] Preferably, a variable-speed pump is arranged upstream or downstream of the feeding valve, and the method comprises additionally controlling the feeding of the filling system by controlling the speed of the pump.

[0018] Preferably, the viscosity of the product fluid is additionally detected, and when the viscosity exceeds a viscosity preset value, the opening degree of the feeding valve is fixedly set in a range between 80% and 100% and the speed of the pump is controlled to control the flow rate of the product fluid delivered upstream of the product tank.

[0019] Preferably, when the size of the particles is greater than a second particle size preset value greater than the first particle size preset value, the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted and the fixed opening degree of the feeding valve is set in a range between 80% and 100%, and the speed of the pump is controlled to control the flow rate of the product fluid delivered upstream of the product tank.

[0020] Preferably, the second particle size preset value is in a range between 6.1mm and 10mm.

[0021] Preferably, in the case of adopting the fixed opening degree control mode, the feeding valve is opened at the fixed opening degree when the liquid level value of the product tank is less than or equal to a lower limit value of a liquid level preset range, and the feeding valve is closed when the liquid level value of the product tank is greater than an upper limit value of the liquid level preset range.

[0022] Preferably, the liquid level preset range is 50% to 80%.

[0023] In a second aspect of the present application, a control device is provided, which is configured to perform the method for controlling the feeding of a filling system according to the first aspect of the present application.

[0024] In a third aspect of the present application, there is provided a filling system comprising: a product tank for containing a product fluid to be filled; and a feed valve disposed upstream of the product tank and configured for controlling a flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank, wherein the filling system further comprises a control device according to the second aspect of the present application.

[0025] Preferably, the filling system further comprises a level probe disposed in the product tank for monitoring a level value of the product tank in real time.

[0026] Preferably, the filling system further comprises a control panel configured to enable a user to input or set, through the control panel: a relationship between a fixed opening degree of the feed valve and a size of the particles; and / or a range of the fixed opening degree of the feed valve; and / or manually select the fixed opening degree of the feed valve; and / or manually select the PID control mode or the fixed opening degree control mode.

[0027] Preferably, the control panel comprises a control mode switching switch configured to switch a control mode for controlling the feed valve between the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode.

[0028] According to the technical solution of the present application, on one hand, by judging whether the product fluid contains particles and selecting the control mode for controlling the feeding valve to be one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening control mode according to the size of the particles, the feeding control method of the product bucket of the filling machine can be selected for different product fluids (product fluids without particles, product fluids containing particles of different sizes, etc.), so that different product fluids can smoothly pass through the feeding valve and the flow rate of the product fluid can be effectively controlled through the feeding valve, while the liquid level value of the product bucket is maintained within a suitable range, so that the supply of the product fluid in the product bucket is kept at a level sufficient for continuous filling of product packages. On the other hand, for product fluids containing large particles, by adopting the fixed opening control mode, it is possible to reliably control the liquid level value of the product bucket while ensuring the passability of the particles in the product fluid, reducing the breakage of the particles in the product fluid, and ensuring that the content of the particles in the product package is within the desired range without large fluctuations. On the other hand, for product fluids containing small particles, one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening control mode is selected according to the production capacity of the filling system, so that the liquid level value of the product bucket can be reliably controlled while ensuring the passability of the particles in the product fluid, reducing the breakage of the particles in the product fluid, and ensuring that the content of the particles in the product package is within the desired range without large fluctuations. That is, when the particle size is small and the production capacity is small, the fixed opening control mode can be preferred, which ensures the passability of the particles and the non-damage of the particles by avoiding too small opening, while still ensuring that the liquid level value of the product bucket can be at a suitable liquid level value (by intermittently closing the feeding valve to avoid too high liquid level), and when the particle size is small and the production capacity is large, the PID control mode can be adopted, in which the opening of the feeding valve is automatically in a large opening state to meet the requirement of large production capacity, thereby ensuring that the liquid level value of the product bucket can be at a suitable liquid level value (to avoid too low liquid level) to realize continuous filling of the filling system, while ensuring the passability of the particles and the non-damage of the particles due to the large opening of the feeding valve. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] Embodiments of the present application will be described below by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical features or components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In the drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a filling system according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0031] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for controlling the feeding of a filling system according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0032] Figure 3 a schematic perspective view of a filling system of the prior art is shown; and

[0033] Figure 4 a schematic perspective view of a filling system according to an embodiment of the application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Example embodiments of the present application will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Example embodiments are provided herein to enable a thorough and complete disclosure of the present application to be made to one of ordinary skill in the art and to convey the full scope of the application. Numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the application. However, these are

[0036] In this document, if employed, the terms "upper", "lower", "top", and "bottom" are used with reference to the orientation of the figures as shown. The use of these terms is intended to facilitate the description of the application and is not intended to limit the application.

[0037] In a first aspect of the application, a method for controlling the feed of a filling system 1 is provided.

[0038] The method for controlling the feed of a filling system 1 according to the application will be explained in detail below. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The method for controlling the feed of a filling system 1 according to the application will be explained in detail below. Figure 1 a schematic view of a filling system 1 according to an embodiment of the application is shown. Figure 2 a flow chart of a method for controlling the feed of a filling system 1 according to an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0039] As shown in Figure 1 The filling system 1 comprises a product tank 11 and a feed valve 12. The feed valve 12 is arranged in a feed line 13 leading to the product tank 11 and is located upstream of the product tank 11. The feed valve 12 is configured for controlling the flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank 11.

[0040] As shown in Figure 2As shown, the method for controlling the feeding of the filling system 1 according to the embodiment of the present application includes: judging whether the product fluid contains particles; and selecting one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening control mode for controlling the feeding valve 12 according to the judgment result. In particular, the PID control mode is adopted when the product fluid does not contain particles, and the size of the particles is detected and one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening control mode is selected according to the detection result when the product fluid contains particles.

[0041] In this context, the PID control mode refers to a control mode in which the opening degree of the feeding valve 12 is continuously adjusted to control the liquid level value of the product tank 11. Specifically, when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is too high, the opening degree of the feeding valve 12 is reduced to reduce the flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank 11, and when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is too low, the opening degree of the feeding valve 12 is increased to increase the flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank 11, so as to keep the liquid level value of the product tank 11 substantially constant.

[0042] The fixed opening control mode refers to a control mode in which the feeding valve 12 is selectively opened at a set fixed opening degree and closed to control the liquid level value of the product tank 11. Specifically, when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is too low, the feeding valve 12 is opened at a set fixed opening degree, and when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is too high, the feeding valve 12 is closed.

[0043] In the method for controlling the feeding of the filling system 1 according to the embodiment of the present application, the control mode of the feeding valve 12 is selected by judging whether the product fluid contains particles, and when the product fluid does not contain particles, i.e. the product fluid is a pure liquid product, the PID control mode is adopted, and when the product fluid contains particles, the size of the particles is further detected, and one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening control mode is selected according to the size of the particles to control the feeding valve 12, so that the appropriate control mode of the feeding valve 12 can be selected for different product fluids (product fluids without particles, product fluids containing particles of different sizes, etc.), so that different product fluids can smoothly pass through the feeding valve 12 and the flow rate of the product fluid can be effectively controlled through the feeding valve 12, while the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is maintained within an appropriate range, so that the supply of the product fluid in the product tank 11 is maintained at a level sufficient for continuous filling of product packs.

[0044] Preferably, as Figure 2As shown, in the case where the product fluid contains particles, when the size of the particles is greater than a first preset particle size value, the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted, and when the size of the particles is less than or equal to the first preset particle size value, one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode is selected. Preferably, the first preset particle size value is in the range of 4 mm to 6 mm (in particular, in the range of 4.5 mm to 5.5 mm, more particularly, 5 mm). In the embodiment according to the present application, when the size of the particles in the product fluid is large, such as greater than the first preset particle size value, the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted to control the feed valve 12, so that the feed valve 12 is opened at a fixed opening degree, which ensures the passability of the particles and avoids the breakage of the particles, and therefore, the opening degree of the feed valve 12 will not be reduced (in particular, reduced to a small opening degree that affects the passability of the particles and causes the breakage of the particles) due to the production speed (throughput) of the filling system, thereby ensuring the passability of the particles in the product fluid, reducing the breakage degree of the particles in the product fluid, and ensuring that the content of the particles in the product package is within the desired range without large fluctuations. Here, it should be noted that, for particles in the form of a spherical ball or a substantially spherical ball, the particle size can refer to the diameter of the particles, and for particles in other shapes, the particle size can refer to the equivalent size of the particles (for example, if the particle has the same volume as a spherical ball, the diameter of the spherical ball can be used as the equivalent size of the particle).

[0045] Preferably, as Figure 2In the case that the product fluid contains particles, as shown, when the size of the particles is less than or equal to the first particle size preset value, one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode is selected according to the size of the production capacity of the filling system 1. Specifically, when the production capacity of the filling system 1 is greater than the production capacity preset value, the PID control mode is adopted, and when the production capacity of the filling system 1 is less than or equal to the production capacity preset value, the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted. In this way, by avoiding too small opening degree, the passability of the particles and the non-damage of the particles are ensured, and at the same time, the liquid level value of the product barrel can still be ensured to be at a suitable liquid level value (by intermittently closing the feed valve to avoid too high liquid level). Preferably, the production capacity preset value is in the range of 70% to 90% (in particular, in the range of 75% to 85%, more particularly, 80%). In the embodiment according to the application, when the size of the particles in the product fluid is small, such as less than or equal to the first particle size preset value, the size of the production capacity of the filling system 1 is judged, when the production capacity of the filling system 1 is large, such as greater than the production capacity preset value (for example, a value in the range of 70% to 90%), the PID control mode can be used to control the feed valve 12, in the PID control mode, the opening degree of the feed valve 12 is large (the opening degree of the feed valve is automatically in a large opening degree state to meet the requirement of large production capacity), thereby ensuring that the liquid level value of the product barrel can be at a suitable liquid level value while ensuring the passability of the particles in the product fluid; when the production capacity of the filling system 1 is low, such as less than or equal to the production capacity preset value, if the PID control mode is used at this time, the opening degree of the feed valve 12 will be automatically adjusted to be small, which cannot ensure the passability of the particles in the product fluid, therefore, the fixed opening degree control mode is used to control the feed valve 12 at this time, so that the feed valve 12 is opened at a set large fixed opening degree, which can ensure the passability of the particles in the product fluid, reduce the damage of the particles in the product fluid, and ensure that the content of the particles in the product package is in the desired range without large fluctuations. Here, it should be noted that the size of the production capacity of the filling system can refer to: the percentage of the filling amount / filling rate of the filling system to the full working capacity (filling amount / filling rate) of the filling system.

[0046] Preferably, when the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted, the fixed opening degree of the feed valve 12 is set according to the size of the particles, so that the fixed opening degree of the feed valve 12 is correspondingly larger when the size of the particles is larger. This makes it possible to set different fixed opening degrees for product fluids with different particle sizes, further ensuring the passability of the particles in various product fluids, while reducing the breakage of the particles in the product fluids, and ensuring that the content of the particles in the product bag is within the desired range without large fluctuations. Preferably, the fixed opening degree of the feed valve 12 is set in the range of 20% to 60% (in particular, in the range of 30% to 50%, more particularly, 40%). For example, when the particle size is 6mm, the fixed opening degree adopted is 60%, when the particle size is 5mm, the fixed opening degree adopted is 40%, and when the particle size is 4mm, the fixed opening degree adopted is 20%.

[0047] Preferably, a variable-speed pump 14 is provided upstream or downstream of the feed valve 12, and the method for controlling the feed of the filling system 1 comprises additionally controlling the feed of the filling system 1 by controlling the speed of the pump 14. In the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 1 the pump 14 is provided upstream of the feed valve 12, however, in other embodiments of the present application not shown, the pump 14 can also be provided downstream of the feed valve 12. Preferably, the pump 14 is controlled using the PID control mode, i.e. when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is too high, the speed of the pump 14 is reduced to reduce the flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank 11, and when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is too low, the speed of the pump 14 is increased to increase the flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank 11, so that the liquid level value of the product tank 11 remains substantially constant.

[0048] Preferably, the viscosity of the product fluid is additionally detected, and when the viscosity exceeds a preset viscosity value, the opening degree of the feed valve 12 is fixedly set in the range of 80% to 100% (for example, 90%) and the speed of the pump 14 is controlled to control the flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank 1. In the embodiment of the present application, when the viscosity of the product fluid is too large, by fixedly setting the opening degree of the feed valve 12 at a larger value, the product fluid can smoothly pass through the feed valve 12, and the flow rate of the product fluid can be controlled by controlling the speed of the pump 14, so that the liquid level value of the product tank 11 can be controlled within a suitable range.

[0049] Preferably, in the case that the product fluid contains particles, when the size of the particles is greater than a second particle size preset value which is greater than the first particle size preset value, the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted and the fixed opening degree of the feed valve 12 is set in the range of 80% to 100% (for example, 90%), and the speed of the pump 14 is controlled to control the flow rate of the product fluid delivered upstream of the product tank 11. Preferably, the second particle size preset value is greater than 6 mm, more preferably in the range of 6.1 mm to 10 mm (in particular, in the range of 7 mm to 9 mm, more particularly, 8 mm). In the embodiment of the present application, in the case that the product fluid contains particles, when the size of the particles is too large (for example, the product fluid contains blueberry particles), the feed valve 12 is fully opened (i.e., the fixed opening degree is set at 100%) or the fixed opening degree of the feed valve 12 is set at a larger value (for example, 90%) so that the product fluid containing the particles of too large size can smoothly pass through the feed valve 12, and the flow rate of the product fluid can be controlled by controlling the speed of the pump 14, thereby being able to control the liquid level value of the product tank 11 in a suitable range.

[0050] Preferably, in the case that the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted, the feed valve 12 is opened at the fixed opening degree when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is less than or equal to the lower limit value of the liquid level preset range, and the feed valve 12 is closed when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is greater than the upper limit value of the liquid level preset range. Preferably, the liquid level preset range is 50% to 80%, i.e., the lower limit value of the liquid level preset range is 50% and the upper limit value of the liquid level preset range is 80%, the feed valve 12 is opened at the fixed opening degree when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is less than or equal to 50%, and the feed valve 12 is closed when the liquid level value of the product tank 11 is greater than 80%. This makes it possible to control the liquid level value of the product tank 11 in a suitable liquid level preset range by adopting the fixed opening degree control mode.

[0051] In a second aspect of the present application, as shown in Figure 1 The control device 15 is electrically connected with the feed valve 12 to control the opening and closing and the opening degree of the feed valve 12, and is electrically connected with the pump 14 to control the speed of the pump 14.

[0052] In a third aspect of the present application, as shown in Figure 1As shown, a filling system 1 is provided, comprising a product tank 11 and a feed valve 12. The product tank 11 is configured to contain a product fluid to be filled; the feed valve 12 is arranged upstream of the product tank 11 and is configured to control the flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank 11. The filling system 1 further comprises a control device 15 according to the second aspect of the present application. The filling system 1 of the present application is capable of performing the method for controlling the feed of the filling system 1 according to the first aspect of the present application by means of the control device 15.

[0053] Preferably, as Figure 1 As shown, the filling system 1 further comprises a level probe (not shown) arranged in the product tank 11, which is configured to monitor the level value of the product tank 11 in real time. Preferably, the level probe is electrically connected to the control device 15 and transmits the level value information to the control device 15, so that the control device 15 can control the feed valve 12 and / or the pump 14 according to the level value information.

[0054] Preferably, as Figure 1 As shown, the filling system 1 further comprises a control panel 16, which is configured to enable a user to input or set the relationship between the fixed opening degree of the feed valve 12 and the size of the particles through the control panel 16; and / or input or set the range of the fixed opening degree of the feed valve 12; and / or manually select the fixed opening degree of the feed valve 12; and / or manually select the PID control mode or the fixed opening degree control mode. By providing the control panel 16, the user can more conveniently set and select the control mode of the feed valve 12.

[0055] Preferably, the control panel 16 comprises a control mode switching switch (not shown), which is configured to switch the control mode for controlling the feed valve 12 between the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode. By providing the control mode switching switch, the user can conveniently switch between the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode. That is, in some specific cases, the operator is allowed to manually select the control mode of the feed valve (i.e., override the automatic selection of the control device between the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode) according to the specific situation on site.

[0056] It should be noted that those skilled in the art should understand that the "opening degree of the feed valve" described herein refers to the degree of opening of the feed valve.

[0057] In addition, in other aspects of the present application, other aspects of the filling system are also improved.

[0058] Figure 3 A schematic perspective view of a prior art filling system is shown. As Figure 3As shown, the existing filling system includes a cap conveying device 20', a platform 21', and a cap hopper 22'. The cap conveying device 20' smoothly transports the caps to the sorter. The cap conveying device 20' is inclined, resulting in a large longitudinal length and height of the filling system, occupying a significant amount of factory space. The cap hopper 22' is fixedly located at the end of the filling system opposite to the platform 21', and the cap feeding area 23' is located on one side of the cap hopper 22'. When maintenance or cap installation is required on the cap hopper 22', the operator needs to move to the cap feeding area 23' at the end of the filling system, consuming operator labor and time. The cap hopper 22' uses a vibratory feeding method for feeding, which can uniformly supply caps.

[0059] Figure 4 A schematic perspective view of a filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 As shown, the filling system of the present invention includes a cap conveying device 20, a platform 21, and a cap hopper 22. The cap conveying device 20 can smoothly transport the caps to the sorter. The cap conveying device 20 is vertical, which makes the longitudinal length and height of the filling system smaller, and the filling system occupies less space in the factory. The cap hopper 22 is located below the platform 21 and is equipped with casters to allow it to move relative to the platform 21. The cap feeding area 23 is located on one side of the cap hopper 22. When maintenance or capping is required in the cap hopper 22, the operator only needs to move to the cap feeding area 23 next to the platform 21 and pull out the cap hopper 22 for maintenance or capping operations. The cap hopper 22 uses a belt feeding method to supply materials, which can evenly supply caps.

[0060] Although various embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described and shown herein, and other modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the invention. Moreover, all components described herein can be replaced by other technically equivalent components.

Claims

1. A method for controlling feeding of a filling system, the filling system comprising a feeding valve and a product tank, the feeding valve being arranged upstream of the product tank and configured to control a flow rate of a product fluid delivered to the product tank, the method comprising: determining whether the product fluid contains particles; and selecting a control mode for controlling the feeding valve as one of a PID control mode and a fixed opening degree control mode according to the determination result, wherein the PID control mode is adopted when the product fluid does not contain particles, and when the product fluid contains particles, a size of the particles is detected and one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode is selected according to the detection result. when the product fluid contains particles, the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted when the size of the particles is greater than a first particle size preset value, and one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode is selected when the size of the particles is less than or equal to the first particle size preset value. when the size of the particles is less than or equal to the first particle size preset value, one of the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode is selected according to a capacity of the filling system, wherein the PID control mode is adopted when the capacity of the filling system is greater than a capacity preset value, and the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted when the capacity of the filling system is less than or equal to the capacity preset value. the capacity preset value is in a range of 70% to 90%. when the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted, a fixed opening degree of the feeding valve is set according to the size of the particles, so that the fixed opening degree of the feeding valve is correspondingly greater when the size of the particles is greater. the fixed opening degree of the feeding valve is set in a range of 20% to 60%. the first particle size preset value is in a range of 4mm to 6mm. a variable speed pump is arranged upstream or downstream of the feeding valve, and the method comprises additionally controlling feeding of the filling system by controlling a speed of the pump. viscosity of the product fluid is additionally detected, and when the viscosity exceeds a viscosity preset value, an opening degree of the feeding valve is fixedly set in a range of 80% to 100% and a speed of the pump is controlled to control the flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank. when the size of the particles is greater than a second particle size preset value greater than the first particle size preset value, the fixed opening degree control mode is adopted and a fixed opening degree of the feeding valve is set in a range of 80% to 100%, and a speed of the pump is controlled to control the flow rate of the product fluid delivered upstream of the product tank. the second particle size preset value is in a range of 6.1mm to 10mm. characterized in that ​ ​ ​ 2. The method of claim 1, wherein, ​ 3. The method of claim 2, wherein, ​ 4. The method of claim 3, wherein, ​ 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, ​ 6. The method of claim 5, wherein, ​ 7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, ​ 8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, ​ 9. The method of claim 8, wherein, ​ 10. The method of claim 8, wherein, ​ 11. The method of claim 10, wherein, ​ 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, In the case of the fixed opening degree control mode, the feed valve is opened at a fixed opening degree when the liquid level value of the product tank is less than or equal to the lower limit value of the liquid level preset range, and the feed valve is closed when the liquid level value of the product tank is greater than the upper limit value of the liquid level preset range.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The liquid level preset range is 50% to 80%.

14. A control device characterized by comprising: The control device is configured to perform the method for controlling the feed of the filling system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A filling system, comprising: a product tank for containing a product fluid to be filled; and a feed valve arranged upstream of the product tank and configured to control the flow rate of the product fluid delivered to the product tank, characterized in that the filling system further comprises a control device according to claim 14.

16. The filling system of claim 15, wherein, The filling system further comprises a liquid level probe arranged in the product tank for monitoring the liquid level value of the product tank in real time.

17. The filling system according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The filling system further comprises a control panel configured to enable a user to input or set, through the control panel: the relationship between the fixed opening degree of the feed valve and the size of the particles; and / or the range of the fixed opening degree of the feed valve; and / or the fixed opening degree of the feed valve manually; and / or the PID control mode or the fixed opening degree control mode manually.

18. The filling system of claim 17, wherein, The control panel comprises a control mode switching switch configured to switch the control mode for controlling the feed valve between the PID control mode and the fixed opening degree control mode.

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