METHOD FOR CALIBRATING A FILLING SYSTEM AND FILLING SYSTEM

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for calibrating a filling system with at least one first filling point and at least one second filling point, wherein the first filling point comprises at least one first factory-calibrated flow or level measuring device with a first control and evaluation unit, and the second filling point comprises at least one second factory-calibrated flow or level measuring device with a second control and evaluation unit, wherein the number of factory calibration points of the first flow or level measuring device is greater than the number of factory calibration points of the second flow or level measuring device, and / or wherein the dwell time at at least one calibration point of the first flow or level measuring device is greater than the dwell time at at least one calibration point of the second flow or level measuring device.and wherein the control and evaluation unit of the at least first flow or level measuring device and the control and evaluation unit of the at least second flow or level measuring device are at least indirectly connected to each other via a communication channel. The invention also relates to a corresponding filling system.

[0002] Filling systems are known in a wide variety of ways from the prior art and are used to fill various media into containers. For this purpose, filling systems typically have multiple filling points, each of which includes at least one filling valve for adjusting the flow opening, a flow or level measuring device for determining the flow rate or level value, and a control and evaluation unit for regulating and monitoring the filling processes at that point.

[0003] To ensure high filling accuracy, it is necessary to calibrate the flow or level measuring devices installed in the filling system. In practice, it is common to first calibrate the flow or level measuring devices at the factory, i.e., at the manufacturer's site, and then recalibrate these factory-calibrated devices at the customer's site under process conditions. Factory calibration is generally performed under so-called reference conditions with a reference medium and predefined reference parameters, such as a reference temperature and / or reference pressure. These reference conditions are usually not present in the actual process, so factory calibration is insufficient.

[0004] To minimize the effort required for factory calibration, typically only a few calibration points are used. For example, when calibrating a flow meter, only a few flow rates are calibrated. However, there are also devices where a significantly higher number of calibration points are used during factory calibration and / or where the dwell time at each calibration point is considerably longer than in standard factory calibration. Such devices consequently exhibit better measurement accuracy than those calibrated using standard methods.

[0005] DE 10 2020 130738 A1 discloses a method for calibrating a filling device in a filling plant, wherein the filling plant has a plurality of filling devices for filling a product into containers and the method comprises the steps of introducing the product into a reference line of a filling device selected as a reference filling device to generate a reference flow rate, measuring the reference flow rate in the reference filling device to obtain a reference measurement value, introducing the reference flow rate into a first filling device to generate a first filling flow rate, measuring the first filling flow rate in the first filling device to obtain a first filling device measurement value, and determining a first calibration parameter by comparing the reference measurement value with the first filling device measurement value.

[0006] Process calibration is performed both when a filling plant is commissioned and when changing the medium to ensure the accuracy of the flow or level measuring devices. Since filling plants have many filling points, for example several hundred, and therefore also many flow or level measuring devices, process calibration is a very complex and time-consuming process.

[0007] The invention is based on the objective of providing a method for calibrating a filling system and a corresponding filling system, with which the effort required for calibrating the filling system can be minimized.

[0008] The problem is solved in the method according to the invention by carrying out the following process steps: First, in a first calibration step, a calibration parameter of the first flow or level measuring device is calibrated at a first calibration point under process conditions. Which calibration parameter is calibrated depends in particular on the type of measuring device installed in the filling system. For example, if a flow meter is installed, the calibration parameter can be the flow rate. If, on the other hand, a level measuring device is installed, the calibration parameter can be the fill level. The same type of measuring device is installed at both the first and the second filling point. Therefore, both the first and the second filling point have either a flow meter or a level measuring device.This is not contradicted by the fact that a different type of measuring device may be installed at two other filling stations.

[0009] The method according to the invention is further characterized in that, in a first deviation determination step, the first control and evaluation unit of the first flow or level measuring device determines an average deviation of the calibration parameter measured by the first flow or level measuring device from a target value of this calibration parameter at the first calibration point. In a subsequent first correction step, the first control and evaluation unit corrects the at least one calibration parameter taking into account the determined deviation.

[0010] According to the inventive method, in a first transmission step, the first control and evaluation unit transmits the determined deviation at the first calibration point and / or the at least one corrected calibration parameter to the second control and evaluation unit via the communication channel. Furthermore, in a first adjustment step, the second control and evaluation unit corrects the at least one calibration parameter at a first calibration point, taking into account the deviation or calibration parameter transmitted by the first control and evaluation unit. The calibration point of the second flow or level measuring device corresponds to the calibration point of the first flow or level measuring device. Thus, the calibration parameters are corrected for the same flow rate or level.

[0011] The second control and evaluation unit gives particular priority to confirming receipt of the data transmitted by the first control and evaluation unit.

[0012] According to the invention, it has been recognized that the calibration effort can be significantly reduced by not calibrating each individual flow or level measuring device separately. According to the invention, it has been recognized that it is sufficient to calibrate at least one flow or level measuring device and transmit the calibration data to at least one further flow or level measuring device, which then adjusts its calibration data accordingly.

[0013] The invention is described here using two filling points as an example, but is readily transferable to a multitude of filling points. The only requirement of the invention is that the first flow or level measuring device, or the control and evaluation unit of the first flow or level measuring device, is connected to the further control and evaluation units of the further flow or level measuring devices via communication channels, so that communication can take place.

[0014] In practice, all filling points in a bottling plant are usually identical in design, meaning they all have, for example, a flow meter or a level sensor. However, the invention is also readily transferable and applicable to bottling plants where some filling points have flow meters and some have level sensors. In this case, it is necessary that filling points with the same type of measuring device communicate with each other.

[0015] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the previously described process steps are carried out at at least one further calibration point. A further calibration point can, for example, be a further flow rate or a further fill level. According to this embodiment, in at least one second calibration step, a calibration parameter of the first flow or level measuring device is calibrated at a second calibration point under process conditions. In at least one second deviation determination step, an average deviation of the calibration parameter measured by the first flow or level measuring device from a target value of this calibration parameter at the second calibration point is determined by the first control and evaluation unit of the first flow or level measuring device.In at least one second correction step, the first control and evaluation unit corrects at least one calibration parameter taking into account the determined deviation; in at least one second transmission step, the first control and evaluation unit transmits the determined deviation at the second calibration point and / or the at least one corrected calibration parameter to the second control and evaluation unit via the communication channel; and in at least one second adjustment step, the second control and evaluation unit corrects at least one calibration parameter at a second calibration point taking into account the deviation or calibration parameter transmitted by the first control and evaluation unit.

[0016] The process steps are particularly preferably carried out at additional calibration points, namely, most preferably at the factory calibration points of the second flow or level measuring device. To enable even more precise calibration, in a further embodiment the process steps are carried out at the factory calibration points of the first flow or level measuring device. Since the number of factory calibration points of the first flow or level measuring device is greater than the number of factory calibration points of the second flow or level measuring device, this further increases the accuracy of the calibration.In particular, this offers the advantage that the second flow or level measuring device, or, if further flow or level measuring devices are installed in the filling system and integrated into the process, is also calibrated at the multiple calibration points of the first flow or level measuring device. Thus, the method according to the invention enables very good calibration of all installed flow or level measuring devices with minimal calibration effort.

[0017] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the first transmission step for transmitting the deviation at the first calibration point and the at least one further transmission step for transmitting the deviation at the second calibration point, and particularly preferably further or all further transmission steps for transmitting the deviations at several, preferably all, calibration points, are carried out in a single overall transmission step. This requires that all deviations at the corresponding calibration points are determined beforehand. The second control and evaluation unit of the second flow or level measuring device then receives all deviations for the various calibration points and can also perform the adjustment at all calibration points in a single overall adjustment step.

[0018] According to the invention, the calibration step can be carried out in various ways. In a particularly preferred first embodiment of the method according to the invention, a predetermined number of fillings are performed at the first filling point to calibrate the calibration parameter. After each filling, the actual quantity of medium dispensed is determined. In the preferred first embodiment, the actual quantity of medium dispensed is determined by weighing. In a second preferred embodiment, the actual quantity of medium dispensed is determined by measurement with a further flow or level measuring device that has already been calibrated to process conditions. According to the invention, it is then provided that the value of the actual quantity of medium dispensed is compared with the value determined by the flow or level measuring device to be calibrated, and the deviation is determined.

[0019] Another preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is distinguished in that a standard deviation is determined in order to determine the deviation in the deviation determination step.

[0020] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, at least one support point of an optimization curve is corrected as a calibration parameter in the correction step. In a further preferred embodiment, an encoder constant is corrected as a calibration parameter in the correction step. The encoder constant is a parameter that describes a relationship between the raw measured value and the output value.

[0021] In one embodiment, the first control and evaluation unit and the second control and evaluation unit are requested by a superior control and evaluation unit of the filling plant to execute the process steps.

[0022] In addition to the method for calibrating a filling system, the invention also relates to a filling system. The filling system has at least one first filling point and at least one second filling point. The first filling point has at least one factory-calibrated flow or level meter with a first control and evaluation unit, and the second filling point has at least one second factory-calibrated flow or level meter with a second control and evaluation unit. The number of factory calibration points of the first flow or level meter is greater than the number of factory calibration points of the second flow or level meter, and / or the dwell time at at least one calibration point is greater for the first flow or level meter than the dwell time at at least one calibration point for the second flow or level meter.Furthermore, the control and evaluation unit of the at least first flow or level measuring device and the control and evaluation unit of the at least second flow or level measuring device are connected to each other via a communication channel.

[0023] The problem is solved in the filling system according to the invention primarily and essentially by the fact that the control and evaluation unit of the first flow or level measuring device and the control and evaluation unit of the second flow or level measuring device are designed in such a way that they perform the process steps of the method according to the invention described above during operation of the filling system.The filling system according to the invention is therefore characterized in that the first control and evaluation unit is designed such that, during operation of the filling system, it performs a calibration of a calibration parameter of the first flow or level measuring device at a first calibration point in a first calibration step under process conditions, that it determines an average deviation of the calibration parameter measured by the first flow or level measuring device from a target value of this calibration parameter at the first calibration point in a first deviation determination step, that it corrects at least one calibration parameter taking into account the determined deviation in a first correction step, and that it transmits the determined deviation at the first calibration point and / or the at least one corrected calibration parameter to the second control and evaluation unit via the communication channel in a first transmission step.The second control and evaluation unit is designed in such a way that, in a first adjustment step, it corrects at least one calibration parameter at a first calibration point, taking into account the deviation transmitted by the first control and evaluation unit or the transmitted calibration parameter.

[0024] In further embodiments according to the invention, the filling plant according to the invention is designed such that the first control and evaluation unit and the second control and evaluation unit are further designed such that they perform at least one of the further described process steps during the operation of the filling plant.

[0025] All embodiments described in connection with the method according to the invention, with their advantages, can be applied analogously to the filling plant according to the invention and apply accordingly.

[0026] A further preferred embodiment of the filling system according to the invention is characterized in that the first control and evaluation unit and the second control and evaluation unit are designed as subunits of a higher-level control and evaluation unit. In a further embodiment, a higher-level control and evaluation unit is provided which is configured to instruct the first control and evaluation unit and the second control and evaluation unit to carry out the described process steps.

[0027] Furthermore, another embodiment of the filling system according to the invention is distinguished by the fact that the communication channel between the first control and evaluation unit and the at least second control and evaluation unit is wired. In an alternative embodiment, the communication channel is wireless.

[0028] In detail, there are numerous possibilities for designing and further developing the inventive method and the inventive filling system. Reference is made to the dependent claims and to the description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the drawing. The drawing shows Fig. 1 a block diagram of a first method for calibrating a filling plant, Fig. 2 a block diagram of a second method for calibrating a filling plant, Fig. 3 a schematic representation of a first filling plant and Fig. 4 a schematic representation of a second filling plant.

[0029] In Fig. 1 A block diagram of a procedure 100 for calibrating a filling plant 1 is shown. A corresponding filling plant 1 is in Fig. 3 The filling system 1 is shown in the figure. It has a first filling station 2 and a second filling station 3. The first filling station 2 has a first factory-calibrated flow meter 4 with a first control and evaluation unit 5, whereas the second filling station 3 has a second factory-calibrated flow meter 6 with a second control and evaluation unit 7. In alternative filling systems 1, the measuring devices can be designed as level meters. The first flow meter 4 differs from the second flow meter 6 in that the number of factory calibration points of the first flow meter 4 is greater than the number of factory calibration points of the second flow meter 6.Furthermore, in the illustrated configuration, the residence time at at least one calibration point, namely a first flow velocity, is greater for the first flow meter 4 than the residence time at the same calibration point for the second flow meter 6. As can be seen in the illustration, the control and evaluation unit 5 of the first flow meter 4 and the control and evaluation unit 7 of the second flow meter 6 are connected to each other via a communication channel 8. The first control and evaluation unit 5 and the second control and evaluation unit 7 are configured as shown in . Fig. 1 The procedure shown in section 100 is to be carried out, which is described below.

[0030] Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a first embodiment of a method 100 for calibrating a filling plant 1. The illustrated method 100 is preferably carried out during the commissioning of a filling plant 1 or when changing the medium to be filled. The method 100 is carried out under process conditions. In a first calibration step 101, a calibration parameter of the first flow meter 4 is calibrated at a first calibration point. Subsequently, in a first deviation determination step 102, the first control and evaluation unit 5 of the first flow meter 4 determines an average deviation of the calibration parameter measured by the first flow meter 4, namely the flow rate, from a target value of this calibration parameter at the first calibration point, namely a first set flow rate value.In a first correction step 103, the first control and evaluation unit 4 corrects at least one calibration parameter, taking into account the determined deviation. Subsequently, in a first transmission step 104, the first control and evaluation unit 4 transmits the determined deviation at the first calibration point and / or the at least one corrected calibration parameter via communication channel 8 to the second control and evaluation unit 7 of the second flow meter 6. In a first adjustment step 105, the second control and evaluation unit 7 corrects at least one calibration parameter at the first calibration point, taking into account the deviation or calibration parameter transmitted by the first control and evaluation unit 7.Thus, the second flow meter 6 is calibrated indirectly by transmitting the relevant data and correcting the corresponding calibration parameter. This significantly reduces the effort required to calibrate the filling system.

[0031] Fig. 2 Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a second embodiment of a method 100 for calibrating a filling plant 1. The diagram in Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a second embodiment of a method 100 for calibrating a filling plant 1. Fig. 2 The method 100 presented here, in addition to those already mentioned in connection with the one in Fig. 1 The described procedure includes 100 further additional process steps 106 to 110. In a second calibration step 106, the calibration parameter of the first flow meter 4 is calibrated at a second calibration point. Here, a second calibration point is another flow value. Subsequently, in a second deviation determination step 107, the first control and evaluation unit 5 of the first flow meter 4 determines an average deviation of the calibration parameter measured by the first flow meter 4, namely the flow rate, from a target value of this calibration parameter at the second calibration point, namely a second set flow value. In a second correction step 108, the first control and evaluation unit 4 corrects at least one calibration parameter, taking the determined deviation into account.Subsequently, in a second transmission step 109, the first control and evaluation unit 4 transmits the determined deviation at the second calibration point and / or the at least one corrected calibration parameter via communication channel 8 to the second control and evaluation unit 7 of the second flow meter 6. In a second adjustment step 110, the second control and evaluation unit 7 corrects at least one calibration parameter at the second calibration point, taking into account the deviation or calibration parameter transmitted by the first control and evaluation unit 7. For clarity, it is shown that the method 100 is carried out for two different calibration points. Preferably, the method 100 is carried out at all factory calibration points of the second flow meter 6 or at all factory calibration points of the first flow meter 4.

[0032] In calibration steps 101 and 105, a predetermined number of fillings are performed at the first filling station 2 for calibrating the calibration parameter. After each filling, the actual quantity filled is determined as the target value by weighing the filled quantity and comparing it to the value determined by the first flow meter 4. The deviation is determined in deviation determination steps 102 and 107 by calculating a standard deviation. Additionally, in correction steps 103 and 108, a sensor constant is corrected as a calibration parameter.

[0033] Fig. 4 shows another design of a bottling plant 1. The one in Fig. 4 The depicted filling plant 1 differs from the one shown in Fig. 3 The filling plant 1 shown and described above is characterized by the fact that the control and evaluation unit 5 of the first flow meter 4 and the control and evaluation unit 7 of the second flow meter 6 are designed as subunits 9, 10 of a higher-level control and evaluation unit 11. Furthermore, the communication channel 8 between the first control and evaluation unit 5 and the second control and evaluation unit 7 is wired, whereas the communication channel 8 in Fig. 3 It is wireless.

[0034] Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment of a filling plant 1, which differs from the one in Fig. 3The depicted filling plant differs in that a higher-level control and evaluation unit 11 is provided, which is connected via a communication channel 8' to the first control and evaluation unit 5 of the first flow meter 4 and via a further communication channel 8" to the second control and evaluation unit 7 of the second flow meter 6. In the depicted embodiment, the higher-level control and evaluation unit 11 is configured such that it requests the first control and evaluation unit 5 and the second control and evaluation unit 7 to carry out the process steps. Reference sign

[0035] 1 Filling system 2 First filling point 3 Second filling point 4 First flow or level measuring device 5 Second flow or level measuring device 6 First control and evaluation unit 7 Second control and evaluation unit 8 Communication channel 8' Communication channel 8" Communication channel 9 Subunit 10 Subunit 11 Higher-level control and evaluation unit 100 Procedure 101 First calibration step 102 First deviation determination step 103 First correction step 104 First transmission step 105 First adjustment step 106 Second calibration step 107 Second deviation determination step 108 Second correction step 109 Second transmission step 110 Second adjustment step

Claims

1. Method (100) for calibrating a filling system (1) having at least one first filling point (2) and at least one second filling point (3), wherein the first filling point (2) has at least one first factory-calibrated flow or level measuring device (4) having a first control and evaluation unit (5), and the second filling point (3) has at least one second factory-calibrated flow or level measuring device (6) having a second control and evaluation unit (7) wherein the number of factory calibration points of the first flow or level measuring device (4) is greater than the number of factory calibration points of the second flow or level measuring device (6) and / or wherein the dwell time in at least one calibration point in the first flow or level measuring device (4) is greater than the dwell time in at least one calibration point in the second flow or level measuring device (6) and wherein the control and evaluation unit (5) of the at least first flow or level measuring device (4) and the control and evaluation unit (7) of the at least second flow or level measuring device (6) are at least indirectly connected to one another via a communication channel (8), wherein, in a first calibration step (101), a calibration of a calibration variable of the first flow or level measuring device (4) is performed at a first calibration point under process conditions, wherein, in a first deviation determination step (102), the first control and evaluation unit (5) of the first flow or level measuring device (4) determines an average deviation of the calibration variable measured by the first flow or level measuring device (4) from a desired value of this calibration variable at the first calibration point, wherein, in a first correction step (103), the first control and evaluation unit (5) corrects at least one calibration parameter taking into account the determined deviation, characterized in that, in a first transmission step (104), the first control and evaluation unit (5) transmits the determined deviation at the first calibration point and / or the at least one corrected calibration parameter to the second control and evaluation unit (7) via the communication channel (8), and that, in a first adjustment step (105), the second control and evaluation unit (7) corrects at least one calibration parameter at a first calibration point, taking into account the deviation transmitted by the first control and evaluation unit (5) or the transmitted calibration parameter.

2. Method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the method steps are performed (106-110) in at least one further calibration point, in particular that the method steps are preferably performed in the factory calibration points of the second flow or level measuring device (6), further preferably that the method steps are performed in the factory calibration points of the first flow or level measuring device (4).

3. Method (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the first transmission step (104) and the at least second transmitting step (109), preferably all transmission steps, are performed in one overall transmission step.

4. Method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, in the calibration step (101, 106), a predetermined number of fillings are performed at the first filling point (2) for calibrating the calibration variable, that, after each filling, the amount actually filled is determined as a desired value, in particular by weighing or by determination with a further flow or level measuring device, and that the value of the amount actually filled, namely the desired value, is compared with the value determined by the flow or level measuring device (2) to be calibrated.

5. Method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a standard deviation is determined for determining the deviation in the deviation determining step (102, 107).

6. Method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in the correction step (103, 108) at least one pair of coordinates of an optimization curve is corrected as a calibration parameter or a transmitter constant is corrected as a calibration parameter.

7. Filling system (1) having at least one first filling point (2) and at least one second filling point (3), wherein the first filling point (2) has at least one first factory-calibrated flow or level measuring device (4) having a first control and evaluation unit (5), and the second filling point (3) has at least one second factory-calibrated flow or level measuring device (6) having a second control and evaluation unit (7) wherein the number of factory calibration points of the first flow or level measuring device (4) is greater than the number of factory calibration points of the second flow or level measuring device (6) and / or wherein the dwell time in at least one calibration point in the first flow or level measuring device (4) is greater than the dwell time in at least one calibration point in the second flow or level measuring device (6) and wherein the control and evaluation unit (5) of the at least first flow or level measuring device (4) and the control and evaluation unit (7) of the at least second flow or level measuring device (6) are at least indirectly connected to one another via a communication channel (8), characterized in that the control and evaluation unit (5) of the first flow or level measuring device (4) and the control and evaluation unit (7) of the second flow or level measuring device (6) are designed in such a way that they perform the method (100) according to claim 1 during operation of the filling system (1).

8. Filling system (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the first control and evaluation unit (5) and the second control and evaluation unit (7) are further configured in such a way that, during operation of the filling system, they perform the method steps (102-110) according to at least one of claims 2 to 6.

9. Filling system (1) according to any one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the first control and evaluation unit (5) and the second control and evaluation unit (7) are designed as subunits (9, 10) of a higher-level control and evaluation unit (11), or that a higher-level control and evaluation unit (11) is connected via a first communication channel (8') to the first control and evaluation unit (5) and via a second communication channel (8") to the second control and evaluation unit (7).

10. Filling system (1) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the communication channel (8) between the first control and evaluation unit (5) and the second control and evaluation unit (7) is designed to be at least partially wired and / or at least partially wireless.