Method and filling device for filling a container with a filling product, in a beverage filling system, wherein the method comprises: determining one or more changeable influence variables which influence a target variable of the filling process, a filling level and/or a filling volume; receiving the influence variables by means of a control apparatus; calculating at least one output variable from the received influence variables by means of a calculation model of the control apparatus; and filling the container as a function of the at least one output variable.

Disclosed embodiments provide a liquid product dispensing system. Cans are transported onto a weigh plate. The weigh plate is coupled to a dispensing system such that, when the can is filled with product to a predetermined weight, the dispensing system stops the flow of product into the can. A transport system then moves the filled cans from the weigh plate and moves another set of empty cans onto the weigh plate, and the process continues, enabling high-speed production of canned beverages.

A container filling valve may include a shuttle and a drive sleeve that are magnetically coupled. Movement of the drive sleeve may move the shuttle from a position in which the filling valve is closed to a position in which the filling valve is open. A container handling arm may include a distal end configured to hold a container and a proximal end that includes a load cell. A low flow setpoint system may be configured to arrest closing of a filling valve when that filling valve is partially closed. A pressure control system may be configured to maintain a desired pressure in a reservoir or in a flow path from that reservoir. A product recirculation system may be configured to adjust flow rate in the product recirculation system.

A dosing machine for dosing fluid products includes: containers having vertical longitudinal axes and configured to contain fluid products, rotary stirring elements located inside respective containers and operable in rotation by electric motors, and a dispensing head having nozzles connected to respective containers, where each container is associated with a level measuring device having: a floater containing a permanent magnet and free to move inside the container, a magnetic detector arranged outside the container, and having magnetic sensors spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction and each of which is configured to detect a variation in a magnetic field caused by passage in its proximity of said floater, and a control unit which analyzes signals provided by the magnetic sensors to detect a fluid level inside the container and passage of the floater in a vicinity of one or more of said magnetic sensors.

A dosing machine for dosing fluid products includes: containers having vertical longitudinal axes and configured to contain fluid products, rotary stirring elements located inside respective containers and operable in rotation by electric motors, and a dispensing head having nozzles connected to respective containers, where each container is associated with a level measuring device having: a floater containing a permanent magnet and free to move inside the container, a magnetic detector arranged outside the container, and having magnetic sensors spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction and each of which is configured to detect a variation in a magnetic field caused by passage in its proximity of said floater, and a control unit which analyzes signals provided by the magnetic sensors to detect a fluid level inside the container and passage of the floater in a vicinity of one or more of said magnetic sensors.

A filler spout including a tubular body having mounted therein a valve member extending facing a valve seat and a secondary shutter arranged in a distribution chamber downstream from the valve member and rigidly connected thereto with a small amount of axial clearance between the valve member and the secondary shutter, and a movable portion of an actuator being coupled to the valve member in order to move it between an extreme closure position and an extreme opening position. The valve member possesses an intermediate closure position and includes a portion that is received in a bore opening out into the distribution chamber in order to form a suction system when the valve member is moved from the extreme closure position to the intermediate closure position.

A system and method for filling containers with a precise amount of fluid is disclosed. The system and method use artificial neural network logic to sense conditions and to control the two-valve dispensing unit based on the sensed conditions to fill containers with a precise amount of fluid. Using neural network logic combined with sensors and controllers for equipment eliminates the significant human effort and human errors associated with manually filling containers with fluid. Furthermore, the neural network can log data quicker and with more accuracy than a human manually logging data. The system and method use a two-valve dispensing unit to precisely fill and to prevent and clear clogs caused by fluid solidifying within the dispensing unit.

The disclosure concerns a dispensing system, having at least one dispense location with at least one dispensing head configured to dispense a beverage through a bottom portion of a container. In one aspect, the dispensing head may dispense a plurality of different beverage ingredients which a user may select to dispense a custom beverage. In another aspect the dispensing system comprises a modular dispensing system having a plurality of dispense locations each connected through piping to a central, remote ingredient system.

A container filling valve may include a shuttle and a drive sleeve that are magnetically coupled. Movement of the drive sleeve may move the shuttle from a position in which the filling valve is closed to a position in which the filling valve is open. A container handling arm may include a distal end configured to hold a container and a proximal end that includes a load cell. A low flow setpoint system may be configured to arrest closing of a filling valve when that filling valve is partially closed. A pressure control system may be configured to maintain a desired pressure in a reservoir or in a flow path from that reservoir. A product recirculation system may be configured to adjust flow rate in the product recirculation system.

An auto-calibration system for a beverage container packaging machine that includes a filler comprising one or more fill heads for filling one or more beverage containers. The filled beverage containers may be weighed at a weigh station of the auto-calibration system. A conveyance mechanism conveys a filled beverage container from the weigh station, wherein the conveyance mechanism may be clocked. The auto-calibration system may also include a control system in electronic communication with the conveyance mechanism and the weigh station. The control system optimizes the operation of the fill heads by tracking each of said one or more filled beverage containers, comparing the weight measured of each of said one or more filled beverage containers to a pre-determined target weight and a minimum weight; and then adjusting the operation of the one or more fill heads if said measured weight varies from said target weight.