Container Filling Valve Control for Level Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Achieving a constant filling level in container filling systems, particularly in active filling pressure-controlled systems, is challenging due to variations in filling parameters and factors like manufacturing variances and external contamination, leading to potential underfilling or overfilling issues.
Innovation Solution
A container treatment system with a detection device to monitor filling levels and a control device that calculates a common average and filling valve-specific mean values to automatically adjust the opening time of filling valves, ensuring consistent filling levels by adapting to deviations and preventing unnecessary adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual adjustment of filling valve opening time is used, then operational flexibility is maintained, but manufacturing precision of fill levels deteriorates due to human error and inconsistency
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic self-adjustment of filling valve opening times by comparing individual valve performance against the common mean. Each filling valve automatically adapts its opening time based on detected fill level deviations, eliminating the need for manual intervention while maintaining operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device continuously monitors fill levels detected by the detection device and feeds this information back to adjust opening times. The system calculates individual mean values for each filling valve and compares them with the common mean, using this feedback loop to automatically correct deviations and improve fill level consistency.
2Manufacturing precision
If frequent manual adjustments are made to maintain fill levels, then manufacturing precision improves, but productivity deteriorates due to production interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic adjustment system operates continuously during production without interrupting the filling process. The control device processes detection data and adjusts opening times in real-time, ensuring continuous production while maintaining fill level accuracy, eliminating the need for production stoppages for manual adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-adjustment of filling parameters during normal operation, automatically compensating for variations in valve performance, product temperature, and other influencing factors without requiring manual intervention or production interruptions.
3Manufacturing precision
If individual filling valves are manually calibrated, then manufacturing precision improves, but device complexity increases due to multiple adjustment points
Solution Approach 1:
The control device serves multiple functions: it calculates the common mean of all filling valves, determines individual mean values for each valve, compares individual performance against the common mean, and automatically adjusts opening times. This multi-functional approach simplifies the overall system by replacing multiple manual calibration points with a single automated control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical adjustment of each filling valve with an automated electronic control system. The control device uses detection data to calculate and adjust opening times electronically, eliminating the need for physical manual calibration of multiple valves and reducing device complexity.
4Measurement precision
If detection device monitors all containers, then measurement precision improves, but loss of time increases due to data processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The control device segments the data processing task by calculating individual mean values for each filling valve separately and comparing them with the common mean. This segmentation allows parallel processing of data from multiple valves and containers, reducing overall data processing time while maintaining comprehensive monitoring and high measurement precision.
Data Source
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Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates, inter alia, to a container treatment system (10) comprising a treatment device (12) with several treatment stations (24), each having a filling valve (28), a detection device (22) configured to detect the fill levels of the containers filled by the filling valves (28), and a control device (52). The control device (52) is configured to determine a common average value for the multiple filling valves (28) based on the detected fill levels of several of the containers filled by the filling valves (28).The control device (52) is further configured to determine a filling valve-specific mean value for at least one of the several filling valves (28) based on the recorded fill levels of several of the containers filled by the respective filling valve (28) and to adjust the filling valve-specific opening time duration (D) for future container filling operations depending on the respective filling valve-specific mean value and the common mean value.