대표
청구항
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1. An apparatus for filling containers with liquid product, said apparatus comprising a product vessel and a filling element arranged below said product vessel, wherein said filling element comprises a filling-element housing, a dispensing opening, an actuator, a liquid valve, a liquid duct, a valve plunger, a liquid valve body, a gas tube, a first gas-duct, a first gas-valve, a second gas-valve, a gas-valve body, a valve seat, a second gas-duct, a valve face, and a valve opening, wherein in operation, liquid product partially fills said product vessel, ...
1. An apparatus for filling containers with liquid product, said apparatus comprising a product vessel and a filling element arranged below said product vessel, wherein said filling element comprises a filling-element housing, a dispensing opening, an actuator, a liquid valve, a liquid duct, a valve plunger, a liquid valve body, a gas tube, a first gas-duct, a first gas-valve, a second gas-valve, a gas-valve body, a valve seat, a second gas-duct, a valve face, and a valve opening, wherein in operation, liquid product partially fills said product vessel, thus defining a liquid space occupied by said filling product and a first gas-space above said liquid space, wherein said filling-element housing comprises said liquid duct formed therein, said liquid duct connecting to said liquid space, wherein said dispensing opening is disposed on an underside of said filling-element housing, said underside facing away from said product vessel, wherein said liquid valve comprising said valve plunger and a liquid valve body, wherein said valve plunger is aligned coaxially with a filling-element axis, wherein said liquid-valve body is provided on said valve plunger, wherein said liquid-valve body is movable along said filling-element axis to open and close said liquid valve, wherein said gas tube is provided on said valve plunger, wherein said gas tube, in operation, extends into a head space of a container that is arranged to be filled at said filling element, wherein said valve plunger and said gas tube cooperate to define said first gas-duct, wherein said first gas-duct extends through said valve plunger and through said gas tube, wherein said first gas-duct has an upper end that extends into said first gas-space of said product vessel and a lower end that opens into an interior of said container, wherein said first gas-valve is disposed along said first gas-duct, wherein said first gas-valve comprises said gas-valve body, wherein said gas-valve body interacts with said valve seat, wherein said valve seat is configured in said first gas-duct, wherein said first gas-valve transitions between an open and closed state in response to said actuator, wherein said second gas-duct is formed through said gas-valve body, wherein said second gas-duct is configured to at least temporarily engage said first gas-duct in a fluid-tight manner, and wherein said gas-valve body comprises said valve face and said valve opening, wherein said valve face and said valve opening cooperate to form said second gas-valve, and wherein, when said second gas-valve opens, a flow of gas through said first and second gas-ducts enters said container. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gas-valve body is configured as a hollow needle. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first gas-duct has a first cross-section, wherein said second gas-duct has a second cross-section, and wherein said second cross-section is less than said first cross-section. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a restrictor in said second gas-duct, wherein said restrictor is configured to reduce gas flow through said second gas-duct. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said actuator is configured to open or close said valve opening by execution of a first partial-stroke, a length of which is restricted by an obstruction to travel. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gas-valve body is configured to be movable along said filling element axis for opening and closing of said first gas-valve, and wherein said gas-valve body and interacts with a valve face configured in said first gas-duct. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said actuator is configured to move said gas-valve body along a first partial-stroke and along a second partial-stroke, wherein stroke paths of said first and second partial-strokes are coaxial. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first and second gas-valves are configured such that opening said first gas-valve causes a greater gas flow rate than opening said second gas-valve. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a part of a length of said gas-valve body of said first gas-valve is accommodated in said first gas-duct, wherein said gas-valve body comprises an upper end that projects out of said first gas-duct, wherein said upper end interacts said actuator. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said valve opening of said gas-valve body is provided on an upper end face of said gas-valve body, wherein said upper end face projects beyond said first gas-duct. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plunger and an adapter, wherein said actuator comprises first and second lifting-elements that are coaxial with said filling-element axis, wherein said first lifting-element acts through said plunger and said adaptor on said gas-valve body, wherein said second lifting-element forms a stop for a stroke of said first lifting-element, wherein said second lifting element transitions between first and second states, wherein, in said first state, said stroke is limited to a first partial-stroke, wherein, in said second state, said second lifting-element is raised by a second partial-stroke such that said stroke of said first lifting-element has a length that is increased to increased to a sum of said first and second partial strokes. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said adapter brings about a sealing of said opening, wherein said adapter causes closing of said second gas-valve when said first lifting element is in a lowered state. 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when said first lifting element is in a raised state, said adapter is lifted off said opening, and said second gas-valve opens. 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said adapter comprises a hooking surface, wherein during said first partial-stroke, said hooking surface remains separated from said gas-valve body, wherein during said second partial-stroke, said hooking surface engages said gas-valve body so as to raise said gas-valve body out of said sealed position of said valve face configured in said first gas-duct. 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said adapter comprises an adapter surface that interacts with said valve plunger for closing said liquid valve. 16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a spring, wherein said spring is configured to pre-tension said liquid valve into an open state thereof. 17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second gas-space, wherein said second gas-duct second gas-duct connects at least temporarily to said second gas space, wherein said second gas space is independent of said first gas-space. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said second gas-duct is configured to transition between a first state for purging said container and a second state for pre-tensioning said container, wherein, in said first state, said second gas-duct connects to said said first gas-space, and wherein, in said second state, said second gas-duct connects to said second gas space. 19. A method for treating a container with a gas prior to filling said container using a filling element against which said container is sealed during treatment, through which gas is introduced into said container, and through which gas displaced from said container passes through, said filling element comprising a first gas-duct that opens, at an upper end thereof, into a gas-space of a product vessel and that opens, at a lower end thereof, into a head space of said container, said first gas-duct having a gas-valve body that is movable to open and close a first gas-valve and in which a second gas-duct is configured, said second gas-duct being connected at least temporarily with said first gas-duct in a fluid-tight manner, said method comprising before pre-tensioning said container with a first process gas stored in said gas space, evacuating said container with a vacuum provided by a vacuum source, opening a first gas-valve to pre-tension said container with said first process gas, said first process gas flowing at a pre-tensioning volumetric flow rate, and with said container still connected to said vacuum source, opening a second gas-valve to introduce a second process gas for purging said container through said second gas-duct, said second process gas flowing at a purging volumetric flow rate, wherein said purging volumetric flow rate is less than said pre-tensioning volumetric flow rate. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein said first process gas and said second process gas are the same gas. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising selecting said purging volumetric flow rate and said vacuum such that when said second process-gas flows into said container's interior, said interior is maintained at a purging pressure that is within a pre-set tolerance around ambient pressure. 22. The method of any one of claim 21, said purging pressure is within 0.1 bar and 0.45 bar of ambient pressure. 23. The method of claim 19, wherein evacuating said container comprises evacuating to a pressure ranging between 0.05 bar and 0.2 bar in a first process step, and in a second, subsequent process step introducing said second process gas into said container in such a way that pressure in said container increases by less 0.2 bar. 24. The method of any one of claim 19, further comprising passing said second process gas through a restrictor provided in said second gas-duct. 25. The method of claim 24 wherein said restrictor comprises a bore with a diameter of 0.3-1 mm for a restrictor length in said direction of flow of said gas of 0.5 mm. 26. The method of claim 19, wherein opening a second gas-valve comprises causing an actuator to execute a first partial-stroke that results in an interaction said gas-valve body. 27. The method of claim 19, wherein opening a first gas-valve to pre-tension said container with said first process gas comprises causing an actuator to move said gas-valve body.
