Claims
- 1. Apparatus for supplying comminuted tobacco or similar particulate material to several consuming machines, especially for supplying shredded tobacco to a plurality of cigarette rod making machines, comprising a storage reservoir; means for feeding comminuted tobacco into said reservoir; means for converting at least the major part of tobacco in said reservoir into a fluidized bed, including means for imparting substantially vertical up-and-down movements to comminuted tobacco in said reservoir; means for pneumatically conveying comminuted tobacco directly from the fluidized bed to selected consuming machines; and means for monitoring the quantity of tobacco in said reservoir, including means for starting said feeding means when the quantity of tobacco in said reservoir drops below a predetermined value.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said reservoir includes a bottom wall and said conveying means comprises a discrete pipe for each of the consuming machines, said pipes having intakes extending into said reservoir and being spaced apart from said bottom wall.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said reservoir comprises a foraminous bottom wall and said converting means comprises a plenum chamber disposed below said bottom wall and means for supplying a compressed fluid into said chamber so that the gas which escapes from said chamber via said bottom wall causes the comminuted tobacco in said reservoir to float and to form said fluidized bed.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said converting means further comprises means for pulsating the gas which enters said reservoir via said bottom wall.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said means for supplying compressed gaseous fluid comprises conduit means having a discharge end connected with said chamber and said pulsating means comprises means for intermittently sealing and unsealing said conduit means.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said converting means comprises means for mechanically agitating and means for pneumatically agitating comminuted tobacco in said reservoir.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said reservoir has a foraminous bottom wall and said means for pneumatically agitating comprises a plenum chamber below said bottom wall and means for supplying a compressed gas into said chamber so that the gas which leaves said chamber to enter said reservoir through said bottom wall forms a plurality of ascending streamlets which lift comminuted tobacco off said bottom wall and cause the lifted tobacco to float in said reservoir.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said reservoir has a substantially semicircular cross-sectional outline.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said intakes are substantially equidistant from said discharge end.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said intakes include a plurality of equidistant neighboring intakes.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said reservoir has a substantially circular cross-sectional outline and includes a cylindrical side wall, said intakes being adjacent to said side wall and said feeding means including a portion which discharges comminuted tobacco into the center of said reservoir.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said intakes are substantially equidistant from said portion of said feeding means.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said reservoir has a substantially circular cross-sectional outline and includes a cylindrical side wall, said intakes being disposed at the center of said reservoir and said feeding means including a portion which discharges comminuted tobacco into said reservoir in a region adjacent to said side wall.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said converting means further comprises means for pneumatically agitating comminuted tobacco in said reservoir, said reservoir having a foraminous bottom wall and said means for pneumatically agitating including means for conveying currents of a gaseous fluid through said bottom wall and into the interior of said reservoir.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said reservoir has a substantially polygonal cross-sectional outline and includes a plurality of upstanding walls, said intakes being adjacent to one of said walls and said feeding means including a portion which discharges comminuted tobacco into said reservoir adjacent to another of said walls.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said intakes are disposed in several groups of four intakes each.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said intakes are disposed in a plurality of rows.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said fluidized bed has an upper side facing away from and spaced apart from said bottom wall, said intakes having open lower ends adjacent to said upper side.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising means for reducing the pressure in selected pipes so as to draw comminuted tobacco into such selected pipes by suction.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said intakes are substantially vertical.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said intakes are hollow frusta of cones and taper upwardly and away from said bottom wall.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for imparting up-and-down movements comprises mechanical oscillating means for said storage reservoir.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said oscillating means comprises at least one rotary eccentric, means for rotating said eccentric, and means for moving said reservoir up and down in response to rotation of said eccentric.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said reservoir includes a bottom wall and said moving means acts directly upon said bottom wall.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said eccentric constitutes a support on which said reservoir rests and said eccentric is rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said oscillating means includes a stationary support, a plurality of substantially parallel links articulately connecting said support with said reservoir, and means for moving said reservoir with respect to said support.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said moving means comprises a crank drive.
- 28. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising at least one counterweight movable by and articulately connected with said links.
- 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said moving means includes a twin crank drive.
- 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said crank drive has a first output element articulately connected with said reservoir and a second output element articulately connected with said counterweight.
- 31. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fluidized bed has an upper surface and further comprising means for equalizing the upper surface of said bed.
- 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein said equalizing means comprises signal generating means for monitoring the level of the upper surface of the fluidized bed in at least one portion of said reservoir.
- 33. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said monitoring means includes means for monitoring the level of the upper surface of the fluidized bed in said reservoir.
- 34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said means for monitoring the level of the upper surface of the fluidized bed comprises a reflection type photocell.
- 35. Apparatus for supplying comminuted tobacco or similar particular material to several consuming machines, especially for supplying shredded tobacco to a plurality of cigarette rod making machines, comprising a storage reservoir having a bottom wall; means for feeding comminuted tobacco into said reservoir; means for converting at least the major part of tobacco in said reservoir into a fluidized bed, comprising mechanical oscillating means for said reservoir, said oscillating means comprising a stationary support, a plurality of substantially parallel links including resilient means and articulately connecting said support with said reservoir, and means for moving said reservoir with respect to said support; at least one counterweight movable by and articulately connected with said links, said moving means including a twin crank drive having a first output element articulately connected with said reservoir and a second output element articulately connected with said counterweight; and means for pneumatically conveying comminuted tobacco directly from the fluidized bed to selected consuming machines, including a discrete pipe for each of the consuming machines, said pipes having intakes extending into said reservoir and being spaced apart from said bottom wall.
- 36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said resilient means are leaf springs.
- 37. Apparatus for supplying comminuted tobacco or similar particulate material to several consuming machines, especially for supplying shredded tobacco to a plurality of cigarette rod making machines, comprising a storage reservoir having a substantially semicircular cross-sectional outline and including a bottom wall, a substantially semicylindrical first side wall having a convex outer side and a concave inner side and a substantially flat second side wall; means for feeding comminuted tobacco into said reservoir; means for converting at least the major part of tobacco in said reservoir into a fluidized bed; and means for pneumatically conveying comminuted tobacco directly from the fluidized bed to selected consuming machines, including a discrete pipe for each of the consuming machines, said pipes having intakes extending into said reservoir and being spaced apart from said bottom wall, said intakes being adjacent to the inner side of said first side wall and said feeding means having a discharge end adjacent to said second side wall.
- 38. Apparatus for supplying comminuted tobacco or similar particulate material to several consuming machines, especially for supplying shredded tobacco to a plurality of cigarette rod making machines, comprising a storage reservoir; means for feeding comminuted tobacco into said reservoir; means for converting at least the major part of tobacco in said reservoir into a fluidized bed having an upper surface, including means for agitating said reservoir at a variable frequency; means for equalizing the upper surface of the fluidized bed, including signal generating means for monitoring the level of the upper surface of the fluidized bed in at least one portion of said reservoir and control means for varying said frequency in response to signals from said monitoring means; and means for pneumatically conveying comminuted tobacco directly from the fluidized bed to selected consuming machines.
- 39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein said agitating means is operative to advance comminuted tobacco of said fluidized bed in a direction from said feeding means toward said conveying means and said monitoring means comprises a first and a second monitoring device for discrete portions of the upper surface of said bed, one of said monitoring device being located upstream of the other of said monitoring devices, as considered in said direction.
- 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein said control means is operative to increase said frequency in response to signals generated by said one monitoring device and denoting a rise in the level of the respective portion of said upper surface.
- 41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein said control means is operative to reduce said frequency in response to signals generated by said other monitoring device and denoting a rise in the level of the respective portion of said upper surface.
- 42. Apparatus for supplying comminuted tobacco or similar particulate material to several consuming machines, especially for supplying shredded tobacco to a plurality of cigarette rod making machines, comprising a storage reservoir; means for feeding comminuted tobacco into said reservoir; means for pneumatically conveying comminuted tobacco directly from said reservoir to selected consuming machines, including a plurality of intakes disposed above the comminuted tobacco in said reservoir to draw particles of tobacco from the reservoir; and means for converting at least the major part of tobacco in said reservoir into a fluidized bed, including means for automatically leveling the fluidized bed in said reservoir irrespective of the distribution of said intakes, said leveling means including means for imparting substantially vertical up-and-down movements to comminuted tobacco in said reservoir.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 125,230 filed Feb. 27, 1980 for "Method and apparatus for storing and transporting comminuted tobacco or the like", now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
685219 |
Apr 1964 |
CAX |
2159182 |
Jun 1973 |
FRX |
39147 |
Jan 1974 |
SUX |
609698 |
Jun 1978 |
SUX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
125230 |
Feb 1980 |
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