Filling System

Abstract

To detect a transport state of a container in a filling system that transports the container by gripping a neck part thereof.SOLUTION: A filling system 10 transports a container V by gripping a neck part of the container V alternately in a plurality of rotation wheels and fills the container V in a filler 20A. A fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D for supplying an inspection container Vt mounted with an acceleration sensor is connected on the upstream of the filler 20A. In a first operation mode, a filling operation is executed while transporting the container V. In a second operation mode, the inspection container Vt is supplied from the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D to detect an acceleration signal from the acceleration sensor when the inspection container Vt is transported.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a filling system capable of detecting a transport state of a container. [Background technology]

[0002] In a filling facility equipped with multiple material processing machines such as filling machines and capping machines, a configuration is known in which an acceleration sensor is incorporated in the container transport rack that transports the containers to measure the impact force acting on the container during transport in order to inspect the presence or absence of abnormalities in the transport performance of the bottle transport line (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3410586 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is a known filling system that does not use a hakama but instead grips the neck of the container to transport it. In this filling system, the presence or absence of an abnormality in transportability cannot be detected using the configuration of Patent Document 1.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to detect the transport state of a container in a filling system in which the container is transported by gripping the neck. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A filling system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a rotating wheel having a gripper on its outer periphery for gripping the neck of a container and for transporting the container while gripping the neck of the container, and a plurality of the rotating wheels are arranged in series, with at least one of the rotating wheels being a filling device, and the system transports containers while alternately gripping the neck of the container with the gripper. A supply wheel equipped with an acceleration sensor is connected upstream of the filling device, and the system is switchable between a first operating mode in which the container is transported and filled, and a second operating mode in which the acceleration sensor detects the acceleration of the inspection container when it is received from the supply wheel and transported between the rotating wheels. At the same time, a return conveyor is provided on the discharge conveyor of the filling system for returning the inspection container to the supply wheel. It is characterized by the following.

[0007] A filling system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the filling system according to the first aspect of the present invention, characterized in that the plurality of rotating wheels are disposed in a chamber that is isolated from the outside atmosphere.

[0008] The third invention of the present invention is a filling system in which, in the second invention, at least one of a plurality of rotating wheels arranged upstream of the filling device is a sterilization wheel that sprays a sterilant onto the containers being transported, and the supply wheel is arranged upstream of the sterilization wheel, and the inspection containers supplied in the second operating mode are sterilized by spraying the sterilant onto them using the sterilization wheel. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the transport state of a container can be detected in a filling system in which transport is performed by gripping the neck portion. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing the overall layout of a filling system according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a cuvette used in the present embodiment. [Diagram 3]FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cuvette is transferred from an upstream wheel to a downstream wheel. [Figure 4] 4 is a graph showing a time series change in a signal measured by an acceleration sensor. [Diagram 5] 13 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the third inspection container supply wheel and a part of the inspection supply wheel with the fourth inspection container supply wheel in the center. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a spring-type gripper. [Figure 7] 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a test container is handed over between an opening / closing type gripper of a fourth test container supply wheel and a spring type gripper of an inspection supply wheel. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the opening and closing type gripper of FIG. 7 as viewed from the radial outside of the fourth inspection container supply wheel. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the openable gripper in a closed state. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the open / close gripper in an open state. [Figure 11] 13 is a plan view of the opening / closing gripper in a state where it is opened to a retracted position. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the overall layout of a filling system in a first operation mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] In the filling system 10 of this embodiment, grippers provided on the outer periphery of the rotating wheels alternately grip the bottom of the flange of the neck portion Vn of the resin container V, and transfer the container V between the rotating wheels to transport it. The filling system 10 is, for example, an aseptic filling system, and includes a molding chamber 12, an inspection chamber 14, a sterilization / air rinser chamber 16, a water rinser chamber 18, a filling chamber 20, a capping chamber 22, and an inspection container supply chamber 24. During production, the chambers other than the molding chamber 12 are kept in a sterile state, and the container V is transported in each chamber in a sterile state isolated from the outside atmosphere. Note that FIG. 1 shows a part of the container V gripped by each rotating wheel.

[0013] A wheel-type blow molding machine 12A that blow molds the container V is disposed in the molding chamber 12. A parison is supplied to the molding chamber 12 from a parison chute 26A, and the parison supplied to the molding chamber 12 is transported to the blow molding machine 12A via a plurality of parison supply wheels 26B, a parison preheating and transporting device 26C, and a blow molding supply wheel 26D. In the blow molding machine 12A, air is blown into the parison to form the container V. The container V molded in the blow molding machine 12 is delivered to a first intermediate wheel 28A in the inspection chamber 14 via a blow molding discharge wheel 26E.

[0014] The container V handed over to the first intermediate wheel 28A is then handed over to the inspection wheel 14A via the inspection supply wheel 28B. The inspection wheel 14A judges whether the molded container V is good or bad, for example, using a camera or the like. A container V judged to be defective by the inspection wheel 14A is removed from the conveying line by the next reject wheel 28C. On the other hand, a container V judged to be free of problems is handed over to the sterilization supply wheel 30A in the sterilization / air rinser chamber 16 via the second intermediate wheel 28D.

[0015] A sterilizing wheel 16A and an air rinser 16B are disposed in the sterilization / air rinser chamber 16. The container V delivered to the sterilizing supply wheel 30A is first delivered to the sterilizing wheel 16A, where a sterilizing treatment is performed by spraying a sterilizing agent onto the container V. After the sterilizing treatment is completed, the container V is delivered from the sterilizing supply wheel 30A via the air rinser supply wheel 30B to the wheel-type air rinser 16B. In the air rinser 16B, heated air is blown onto the container V to dry the sterilizing agent. Thereafter, the container V is delivered via the water rinser supply wheel 32 to the wheel-type water rinser 18A disposed in the water rinser chamber 18.

[0016] In the water rinser 18A, the container V is cleaned by spraying a cleaning liquid onto it. After cleaning, the container V is transferred to a wheel-type filler (filling device) 20A disposed in the filler chamber 20 via a filler supply wheel 34. In the filler 20A, the container V is filled with, for example, a liquid, and the filled container V is transferred to a wheel-type capper 22A disposed in the capping chamber 22 via a capper supply wheel 36A. The container V with a cap attached in the capper 22A is transferred to a discharge conveyor 38 that transports the container V from the capping chamber 22 to a downstream device via a capper discharge wheel 36B and a discharge wheel 36C.

[0017] In addition, the discharge conveyor 38 of the filling system 10 of this embodiment is provided with a return conveyor 40 that conveys the inspection container Vt conveyed in the second operation mode to the inspection container supply chamber 24. The return conveyor 40 branches off from the middle of the discharge conveyor 38, and is configured to be able to switch its path between the discharge conveyor 38 and the return conveyor 40 according to the container V conveyed in the first operation mode and the inspection container Vt conveyed in the second operation mode, as described below. The conveying path between the discharge conveyor 38 and the return conveyor 40 is switched by a guide 38A provided at the branching portion of the discharge conveyor 38. The guide 38A is, for example, a lever that can swing around a vertical axis, and in the first operation mode, the guide 38A is retracted from the conveying path of the discharge conveyor 38, and the container V is discharged downstream along the discharge conveyor 38. On the other hand, in the second operation mode, the guide 38A is pushed out onto the transport path of the discharge conveyor 38, and the path of the inspection container Vt is switched to the return conveyor 40. As a result, the inspection container Vt transported on the discharge conveyor 38 is guided to the return conveyor 40.

[0018] After the return conveyor 40 branches off from the discharge conveyor 38, its downstream end extends into the inspection container supply chamber 24. An infeed screw 40A is provided downstream of the return conveyor 40 in the inspection container supply chamber 24. In the inspection container supply chamber 24, for example, first to third inspection container supply wheels 24A, 24B, and 24C are arranged adjacent to each other, and the container V transported on the return conveyor 40 is delivered to the first inspection container supply wheel 24A via the infeed screw 40A.

[0019] As described later, in the second operation mode, the inspection container Vt held by the first inspection container supply wheel 24A is transported to the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D arranged in the inspection chamber 14 via the second and third inspection container supply wheels 24B and 24C, and can be delivered from the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D to the inspection supply wheel 28B. The container V delivered from the capping chamber 22 to the discharge conveyor 38 is returned to the first inspection container supply wheel 24A through the return conveyor 40, and can be circulated in the filling system 10. Note that the driving and switching of each device (each wheel including the first to fourth inspection container supply wheels 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D, the guide 38A, etc.) between the first and second operation modes is performed by the control device 42. In addition, the discharge conveyor 38 and the return conveyor 40 in this embodiment are housed in a chamber 43 that covers each conveyor.

[0020] The first operation mode is a normal mode in which the filling process is performed on the container V, in which the container V is supplied from the blow molding chamber 12, filled with the filler 20A, capped with the capper 22A, and discharged to a downstream processing device by the discharge conveyor 38. On the other hand, the second operation mode is a mode in which the transport state of the container V is detected in order to detect abnormalities in the transport performance in the filling system 10. The transport state of the container V in the filling system 10 is detected by transporting an inspection container Vt equipped with a sensor through the filling system 10.

[0021] In this embodiment, the first to third inspection container supply wheels 24A, 24B, and 24C hold the inspection containers Vt in advance. In the second operation mode, the blow molding machine 12A is stopped, and the inspection containers Vt held by the first to third inspection container supply wheels 24A, 24B, and 24C are supplied to the inspection wheel 14A via the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D and the inspection supply wheel 28B. The inspection containers Vt supplied to the inspection wheel 14A are discharged to the discharge conveyor 38 via the sterilization wheel 16A, the air rinser 16B, the water rinser 18A, the filler 20A, and the capper 22A, and are returned to the first inspection container supply wheel 24A through the return conveyor 40 by the guide 38A.

[0022] The inspection container Vt returned to the first inspection container supply wheel 24A is again supplied to the inspection supply wheel 28B via the second to fourth inspection container supply wheels 24B, 24C, and 24D, and similarly circulated within the filling system 10. By circulating the inspection container Vt multiple times, the external force (impact force) applied to the inspection container Vt is detected by all the grippers of each wheel between the inspection supply wheel 28B and the discharge wheel 36C. The control device 42 can determine which gripper of which wheel each inspection container Vt is held at what time based on information from the encoder of each wheel, and can therefore identify abnormal locations in the filling system 10.

[0023] The second operation mode may circulate the inspection containers Vt at different times. For example, if the filler 20A has 120 grippers and 30 inspection containers Vt are prepared, the filling system may be operated at a timing to supply the inspection containers Vt to grippers No. 1 to 30 in the first inspection, to grippers No. 31 to 60 in the second inspection, to grippers No. 61 to 90 in the third inspection, and to grippers No. 91 to 120 in the fourth inspection. The intervals between the first and second inspections, the second and third inspections, and the third and fourth inspections may be set by the user as desired, such as one hour, one day, or one week. The timings for supplying the inspection containers Vt and inspecting them may be daily, once a week, once a month, or when adjustment work such as overhaul is performed.

[0024] 2A and 2B are longitudinal sectional views of the cuvette Vt used in this embodiment, in which Fig. 2A is a longitudinal sectional view of the entire cuvette Vt, and Fig. 2B is an enlarged view of a joint of the cuvette Vt.

[0025] The test container Vt is, for example, a resin bottle body similar to the container V handled by the filling system 10, which is divided into an upper part V1 and a lower part V2 at a position slightly below the center, and a wireless acceleration sensor 44 is accommodated in the lower part V2. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the upper part V1 and the lower part V2 are connected by screws provided around the upper and lower ends of both parts, and a seal member 46 is interposed between them. Note that the opening of the test container Vt in this embodiment is closed, and the acceleration sensor 44 is sealed in the test container Vt. Therefore, in the second operation mode, the sterilization process by the sterilization wheel 16A and the cleaning process by the air rinser 16B can be performed. Note that, when the test container Vt is supplied in a state where the sterilization in the test chamber 14, the sterilization / air rinser chamber 16, the water rinser chamber 18, the filling chamber 20, the capping chamber 22, and the test container supply chamber 24 is released, the test container Vt does not need to be sterilized by the sterilization wheel 16A or dried in the air rinser 16B.

[0026] 3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining the state of impact force detection during transportation of the test container Vt. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the state of the test container Vt being handed over from the upstream wheel 48A to the downstream wheel 48B. The upstream wheel 48A and the downstream wheel 48B represent any adjacent wheels downstream of the inspection supply wheel 28B in the filling system 10. Fig. 4 is a graph showing the time series change of the signal measured by the acceleration sensor 44 at this time.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, the rotation direction of the test container Vt transported around the outer periphery of the wheel is reversed between the upstream wheel 48A and the downstream wheel 48B. For example, the test container Vt is transported counterclockwise on the upstream wheel 48A in Fig. 3, and is transported clockwise on the downstream wheel 48B. Therefore, the direction of the centrifugal force applied to the test container Vt by the rotation of the wheels 48A and 48B is reversed before and after the transfer between the wheels.

[0028] 4 shows a signal (normal waveform) S1 from the acceleration sensor 44 when there is no abnormality in the transport state, and a signal (abnormal waveform) S2 from the acceleration sensor 44 when there is an abnormality. Section A is the output when the neck of the inspection container Vt is held by the upstream wheel 48A and transported, and section B is the output when the inspection container Vt is handed over from the upstream wheel 48A to the downstream wheel 48B. Section C is the output when the neck of the inspection container Vt is held by the downstream wheel 48B and transported.

[0029] 4, the signal from the acceleration sensor 44 outputs a substantially constant negative or positive value corresponding to the centrifugal force of each wheel in, for example, sections A and C. These values ​​change suddenly and are inverted in the transfer section B. At this time, the output signal shows a disturbance in the waveform, mainly an overshoot, due to the impact during transfer between the grippers, but the output waveform differs depending on whether the conveying system is normal or abnormal. In this embodiment, the signal from the acceleration sensor 44 of each inspection container Vt is stored in the control device 42, and the control device 42 identifies the presence or absence of an abnormality in the conveying system and its location based on the difference in the signal waveform.

[0030] In the first operation mode, the inspection supply wheel 28B of this embodiment receives the container V from the first intermediate wheel 28A, and receives the inspection container Vt from the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D in the second operation mode. That is, the wheel from which the inspection supply wheel 28B receives the container is switched depending on the first and second operation modes, and the switching is performed by the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D. Hereinafter, the configurations of the inspection supply wheel 28B and the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 11.

[0031] In the conveying system using the neck gripper of the filling system 10 of this embodiment, the containers are alternately transferred between a wheel equipped with an open-close gripper that is opened and closed using a drive mechanism such as a cam mechanism, and a wheel equipped with a spring gripper that is biased only in the closing direction. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the inspection supply wheel 28B and the third inspection container supply wheel 24C are equipped with the spring grippers 50 shown in FIG. 6 at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery, and the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D uses an open-close gripper. Note that FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a part of the third inspection container supply wheel 24C and the inspection supply wheel 28B centered on the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D.

[0032] 6 is a plan view of the spring-type gripper 50. The spring-type gripper 50 is composed of a pair of grip arms 50A that grip the neck Vn of the container V or the inspection container Vt, a pair of parallel plates 50B that hold the base end of each grip arm 50A, a spring 50C that is between the plates 50B and biases both plates 50B in a direction that draws them together, and a contact portion 50D that is disposed between the grip arms 50A and contacts the neck Vn gripped by the grip arms 50A from the inside of the gripper, supporting the neck Vn from three sides together with the grip arms 50A.

[0033] Normally, the grip arms 50A are closed by the biasing force of the spring 50C with a gap narrower than the diameter of the neck Vn. The inner surface of the tip of each grip arm 50A is tapered, and the tips of the left and right grip arms 50A are opened outward in a V shape. As a result, when the neck Vn of the container V (Vt) is pressed against the V-shaped tip of the grip arm 50A, the grip arms 50A open against the biasing force, and the neck Vn is pressed between the grip arms 50A and pressed against the abutment portion 50D. As a result, the neck Vn is held from three sides by the grip arms 50A and the abutment portions 50D, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0034] FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inspection container Vt is handed over between the open / close gripper 52 provided along the outer periphery of the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D and the spring gripper 50 of the inspection supply wheel 28B.

[0035] The open / close gripper 52 of the fourth test container supply wheel 24D includes a pair of grip arms 52A, 52B for gripping the neck Vn of the test container Vt. The base ends of the grip arms 52A, 52B are integrally attached to the lower ends of rotation shafts 54A, 54B, respectively, and the rotation shafts 54A, 54B are rotatably supported by a support member 56 of the fourth test container supply wheel 24D.

[0036] Gears 58A, 58B of the same size that mesh with each other are integrally provided on the rotating shafts 54A, 54B, respectively. As a result, the rotating shafts 54A, 54B, i.e., the gripping arms 52A, 52B, are rotated by the same angle in opposite directions. A torsion spring 60, one end of which is connected to the support member 56, is arranged on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 54B, and applies a rotational biasing force to the rotating shaft 54B in a direction to close the gripping arms 52A, 52B. Note that Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the open-close gripper 52 in Fig. 7 as viewed from the radial outside of the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D.

[0037] The gears 58A and 58B have teeth on approximately half of the circumference, and gear levers 60A and 60B are provided on the opposite sides. A pin 61 protruding vertically is provided at the tip of the gear lever 60A. A cam lever 62 is rotatably supported directly below the gear 58A of the rotating shaft 54A. As shown in the plan views of the open-close gripper 52 in Figs. 9 and 10, a cam follower 62A is provided at the tip of the cam lever 62. As shown in Fig. 5, the cam follower 62A engages with a cam 64 provided at a container transfer position between the third inspection container supply wheel 24C and the inspection supply wheel 28B on the outer periphery of the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D, and rotates the cam lever 62 around the rotating shaft 54B in a direction to open the grip arms 52A and 52B. Note that Fig. 9 shows the open-close gripper 52 in a closed state, and Fig. 10 shows the open-close gripper 52 in an open state.

[0038] A pin engagement portion 62B that engages with the pin 61 is provided on the cam lever 62 on the opposite side of the cam follower 62A with respect to the rotation shaft 54B. The pin engagement portion 62B is formed so as to engage with the pin 61 when the cam lever 62 rotates in a direction to open the grip arms 52A, 52B. Since the gear levers 60A, 60B are biased by the torsion spring 60 in a direction to close the grip arms 52A, 52B, the pin 61 provided on the gear lever 60A is pressed against the pin engagement portion 62B, and the cam lever 62 is biased in a direction to be pressed against the cam 64.

[0039] A gripper retraction lever 66 is rotatably supported directly above the gear 58B of the rotating shaft 54B. A pin 68 extending in the vertical direction is provided at the tip of the gripper retraction lever 66. The pin 68 extending downward is inserted into an arc-shaped long hole 70 provided at the tip of the gear lever 60B, and the upper and lower ends of the pin 68 are rotatably attached to a tip 72B of a rod 72A of an air cylinder 72. The air cylinder 72 can advance and retract the rod 72A in the approximate radial direction of the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D, and the control device 42 controls the advance and retraction of the rod 72A in accordance with the selected operation mode.

[0040] In the first operating mode, the rod 72A is retracted radially inward to the state shown in FIG. 11. In the state shown in FIG. 11, the pin 68 engages with one end of the elongated hole 70 to move the gear lever 60B radially inward. This causes the open-close gripper 52 to be opened widely to a position where the tips of the grip arms 52A and 52B are retracted from the movement path of the spring gripper 50 of the inspection supply wheel 28B. At this time, the pin 61 of the gear lever 60A is separated from the pin engagement portion 62B of the cam lever 62 that engages with the cam 64, so that the retraction operation of the open-close gripper 52 is not hindered.

[0041] In this way, in the first operating mode, the open / close gripper 52 is retracted from the transport path of the inspection supply wheel 28B, so that a container V handed over from the first intermediate wheel 28A to the spring gripper 50 of the inspection supply wheel 28B upstream of the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D is transported to the downstream inspection wheel 14A without interfering with the open / close gripper 52 of the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D.

[0042] On the other hand, in the second operating mode, the rod 72A is pushed outward in the radial direction, resulting in the state shown in Figures 9 and 10. At this time, the gear lever 60B can rotate within the range of the elongated hole 70 with which the pin 68 engages, and the open-close gripper 52 can be opened and closed by the engagement of the cam 64 and the cam follower 62A. Figure 9 shows a state in which the open-close gripper 52 is closed by the biasing force of the torsion spring 60, and Figure 10 shows a state in which the open-close gripper 52 is opened by the engagement of the cam 64 and the cam follower 62A.

[0043] In the second operating mode, the upstream blow molding machine 12A is stopped, no container V is supplied from the first intermediate wheel 28A, and the inspection container Vt held by the open / close gripper 52 from the fourth inspection container supply wheel 24D is handed over to each spring-type gripper 50 of the inspection supply wheel 28B.

[0044] As described above, according to the filling system of this embodiment, in a filling system that transports containers by gripping their necks, normal filling operations are performed in a first operating mode, and by switching to a second operating mode, the transport status of the containers can be detected using inspection containers.

[0045] In the filling system, the conveying system is adjusted to the best state when it is installed, but over time, parts (such as cams and cam follower bushings) wear out and the timing of opening and closing the gripper becomes misaligned, or if a deformed container gets caught during operation, a strong load is placed on the gripper, causing the gripper position to shift slightly. However, in this embodiment, by switching the operation mode as described above, it is possible to quantitatively grasp the container conveying state, easily find problem areas, and prevent problems during conveying.

[0046] In addition, in this embodiment, since the inspection containers can be circulated within the system by the return conveyor, the states of all the grippers can be easily inspected with a small number of inspection containers. Note that the return conveyor can be omitted.

[0047] In this embodiment, the signal is recorded in the memory of the control device, but a memory may be provided in the inspection container and the signal may be recorded in the memory. Also, by installing a GPS in the inspection container and transporting the inspection container downstream from the discharge conveyor instead of transporting it to the return conveyor, it is possible to grasp the position of the inspection container during transport on the conveyor after being discharged from the filling system and the impact at that time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10 Filling System 16 Sterilization / Air Rinse Chamber 16A Sterilizing Wheel 20 Filling chamber 20A Filler (filling device) 24A~24D 1st~4th inspection container supply wheels (supply wheels) 28B Inspection Supply Wheel 42 Control device 44 Acceleration Sensor 50 Spring Gripper 52 Opening and closing gripper V container Vn Neck Vt Test Container

Claims

1. a rotating wheel having a gripper provided on an outer periphery thereof for gripping a neck portion of a container, the rotating wheel gripping the neck portion of the container while conveying the container; A filling system comprising: a plurality of the rotating wheels arranged in series; at least one of the rotating wheels being a filling device; and a filling device for conveying containers while alternately gripping necks of the containers with the grippers, A supply wheel for supplying an inspection container equipped with an acceleration sensor is connected to the upstream of the filling device, A filling system that is switchable between a first operating mode in which the container is transported and filled, and a second operating mode in which the acceleration sensor detects the acceleration when the inspection container is received from the supply wheel and transported between the rotating wheels, and is characterized in that the discharge conveyor of the filling system is provided with a return conveyor that returns the inspection container to the supply wheel.

2. 10. The filling system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of rotating wheels are disposed within a chamber that is isolated from the outside atmosphere.

3. At least one of the plurality of rotating wheels arranged upstream of the filling device is a sterilizing wheel that sprays a sterilizing agent onto the container being transported, and the supply wheel is arranged upstream of the sterilizing wheel; The filling system according to claim 2, characterized in that the inspection containers supplied in the second operating mode are sterilized by spraying a sterilizing agent onto them using the sterilizing wheel.

Images