Patent Application
20190307162
The object of the invention is a method and an apparatus for conveying rod-like articles of the tobacco industry.
In the tobacco industry machines, various kinds of rod-like articles such as non-filter cigarettes, filter cigarettes, cigarillos, filter rods made of one kind of material, multi-segment filter rods, cigars etc. are manufactured. The semi-finished products manufactured at individual production stages are also referred to as rod-like articles. The rod-like articles may be transferred in a mass flow in which the reciprocal position of the articles being transferred is random and variable, however, a part of the machines requires transferring of rod-like articles in streams of individual articles in which the position of neighbouring articles relative to one another is defined. It is possible to transfer the rod-like articles successively one after another so that the axes of the rod-like articles are parallel to the transferring direction, which means that the articles are transferred axially. It is possible to transfer the articles one after another so that the axes of the articles are situated transversely to the conveying direction, the axes of the articles being situated parallel to one another.
Multi-segment filter rods are an example of a rod-like article which is composed of a plurality of rod-like articles. The multi-segment filter rods consist of segments made of various kinds of filter materials. Before manufacturing multi-segment rods, the filter rods containing a filter material of one kind are cut into a plurality of short filter segments. The filter segments made of different materials are placed in an appropriate order maintaining defined distances between the segments in order to ultimately manufacture multi-segment rods in successive operations, whereas in a finished rod the segments may touch each other or there may be distances left between the segments. An apparatus for the manufacture of multi-segment filter rods is known from the patent EP2230951B1, whereas in that apparatus several streams of rod-like articles with different configurations may be indicated. The rods made of a filter material of one kind are cut into segments which are conveyed in the form of a first stream in which the segments move axially one after another. The segments are fed one by one from the stream by means of a separating cam to a transferring apparatus comprising a transferring wheel provided with lugs which transfers the segments onto a belt conveyor. A segment stream forming unit together with the separating cam designed to separate individual segments constitute a feeding apparatus designed to feed the segments to the transferring apparatus, whereas the configuration of the stream from which the separating cam pulls out the segments, one at a time, is such that the segments move coaxially one after another and remain in contact with one another. The segments are transferred downwards by means of a transferring disc with lugs onto the belt conveyor which, in the segment receiving area, is U-shaped in cross-section. The belt conveyor constitutes a receiving apparatus on which a second stream of segments with a configuration different from the first stream is formed. The stream configuration on the belt conveyor is such that the segments move coaxially at distances. The patent EP2230951B1 has disclosed a transferring disc of a transferring apparatus on which the lugs are arranged uniformly and are used to place the segments at equal distances on the belt conveyor.
The segments are transferred from the first segment stream uniformly to a place from which they are taken by a lug of the transferring disc. A problem occurs in the case of an increase in machine efficiency when there is a need to increase the movement velocity of the segments on the belt conveyor. The transferring disc is designed in such a way that all lugs have the same velocity, so with increasing receiving speed also the speed with which the segments are hit and taken after being fed by the separating cam is increasing. The increasing speed with which a segment is hit may cause damage to the segments, which reduces the quality of manufactured segments. High accelerations may cause shifting of segment components or slipping out of segment contents from the wrapping material. Furthermore, in the case of feeding of very short segments, a momentary high acceleration may cause an uncontrolled movement of such short segment. As a result, short segments may be transferred and placed onto the belt conveyor in an uncontrolled position, in consequence of which a defective rod will be manufactured. The control system should detect such rod and it should be rejected from the production. However, a part of the rods with turned segments is not detected and defective filter tips made of them are attached to cigarettes. On the other hand, any deformations of individual segments may cause the deformations of complete multi-segment rods. Such defective cigarettes may get to customers.
This invention solves the problem of developing a conveying apparatus to convey rod-like articles which will eliminate the risk of manufacture of defective rods.
The object of the invention is an apparatus for conveying rod-like articles of the tobacco industry comprising a feeding apparatus adapted to feed rod-like article to a receiving area of a transferring unit, the transferring unit having lugs moving on a circular path, adapted to convey the rod-like article from the feeding apparatus to a receiving apparatus, the lug being attached rotatably relative to a rotatable disc and actuated by means of a drive mechanism, the path of movement of the lug passing through the area for receiving the rod-like article from the feeding apparatus and an area for transferring the rod-like article to the receiving apparatus, and the receiving apparatus adapted to convey the rod-like articles axially one after another. The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the drive mechanism is adapted so that the lug reduces the speed at least in a part of the path of movement before the area and/or in the area for receiving the rod-like article from the feeding apparatus to the transferring apparatus, and increases the speed at least in a part of the path of movement between the area for receiving the rod-like article from the feeding apparatus and the area for transferring the rod-like article to the receiving apparatus.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the drive mechanism is additionally adapted so that the lug increases the speed at least in a part of the path of movement between the area for transferring the rod-like article to the receiving apparatus and the area for receiving the rod-like article from the feeding apparatus.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the drive mechanism is provided with a cam and a double-arm lever attached rotatably relative to the rotatable disc. The lug is attached to the double-arm lever, to its longer arm, and the shorter arm of the double-arm lever is provided with a roller which rolls on the cam of the drive mechanism. The longer arm of the double-arm lever has a considerably greater length than the shorter arm of the double-arm lever.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the proportion of the length of the longer arm of the double-arm lever to the shorter arm of the double-arm lever is greater than 2:1, preferably greater than 3:1.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the drive mechanism is provided with electric drive with a linear electromagnetic motor whose track has an oval shape, and drive carriages moving along the track. The lug is attached to the drive carriage. The electric drive is adapted to actuate the drive carriage with a variable speed.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the drive mechanism is provided with a gear wheel and a mating planet gear attached to the rotatable arm, with the lug being attached to the gear wheel. The arm and the gear wheel have independent drives.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the drive mechanism is provided with a flexible bracket and an arm provided with support elements comprising the flexible bracket. The lug is attached to the flexible bracket. The flexible bracket and the arm have independent drives.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the feeding apparatus is adapted to feed the rod-like article transversely to the axis of the rod-like article.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the feeding apparatus is provided with a separating cam designed to feed the rod-like article.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the feeding apparatus is adapted to feed the rod-like article tangentially to the circular path of movement of the lug (15′) on the transferring apparatus.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the receiving apparatus is a belt conveyor.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the receiving apparatus is a conveying disc with lugs.
The apparatus according to the invention is further characterised in that the receiving apparatus is adapted to convey the rod-like articles at equal distances.
The object of the invention is also a method of conveying a rod-like article of the tobacco industry from an apparatus feeding the rod-like article through an apparatus transferring the rod-like article to a receiving apparatus in which the rod-like article is fed from the feeding apparatus to the transferring apparatus, the rod-like article is transferred on a circular path of movement by means of the transferring apparatus provided with the lugs, the rod-like article is transferred from the transferring apparatus to the receiving apparatus adapted to convey the rod-like articles axially one after another. The method according to the invention is characterised in that while conveying the rod-like article in the transferring apparatus the speed of the rod-like article is increased between the area for receiving the rod-like article from the feeding apparatus and the area for transferring the rod-like article to the receiving apparatus.
The method according to the invention is further characterised in that the rod-like article is fed to the transferring disc transversely to the axis of the rod-like article.
The method according to the invention is further characterised in that the rod-like article is fed to the transferring disc tangentially to the axis of the rod-like article.
The method according to the invention is further characterised in that the rod-like articles are conveyed at equal distances in the receiving apparatus.
An advantage of the invention is the control of the speed of the lugs as a result of which a high speed gradient during the rod-like article transferring operations in the article transferring areas in the conveying apparatus is avoided. It allows avoiding the destruction of the rod-like articles of the tobacco industry which are fragile and vulnerable to mechanical damage occurring during a stroke.
The object of the invention was shown in detail in a preferred embodiment in a drawing in which:
Furthermore, the receiving apparatus 4 may have the form of a conveying disc with lugs. The velocity v2 with which the rod-like article 5 moves in the transferring area 7 and on the receiving apparatus 4 is several times greater than the initial velocity v1, whereas the value of the velocity v2 stands at between 8 and 12 m/s. For example, when conveying the rod-like article 5 the velocity of the rod-like article 5 is increased from the velocity v1 equal to 2 m/s to the velocity v2 equal to 10 m/s.
The transferring apparatus 3 is provided with a rotatable disc 11 with the axis of rotation Y having the circumferential surface 12, whereas the disc 11 rotates with a constant speed co. The transferring apparatus 3 is provided with the lugs 15, rotatably attached to the disc 11 by means of a double-arm lever 13 and actuated by means of a drive mechanism 20. The double-arm lever 13 is rotatably attached on the axis Z, whereas the lug 15 is attached to the double-arm lever 13 on its longer arm 14, and the shorter arm 16 of the double-arm lever 13 is provided with a rotatably attached roller 17 rolling on the cam 19 of the drive mechanism 20. The lug 15 is used to convey the rod-like article 5 around or on the circumferential surface 12 in a conveying channel 18. The roller 17 mates with the cam 19 attached fixedly, centrally to the rotatable disc 11. The arms 14 and 16 of the lever 13 may be equal, however, preferably the arm 14 carrying the lug 15 is longer than the arm 16 carrying the roller 17, preferably 2 times longer, more preferably more than 3 times longer. The cam 19 together with the roller 17 and the arms 14 and 16 of the lever 13 constitute the drive mechanism 20 designed to shift the lugs 15 relative to the surface of the rotatable disc 11.
The lug 15 moves on the movement path 21 and is adapted to convey the rod-like article 5 in the conveying channel 18, from the feeding apparatus 2 to the receiving apparatus 4. The movement path 21 has two parts, the first part 21A of the path 21 runs from the rod-like article receiving area 6 to the rod-like article transferring area 7, the second part 21B of the movement path 21 runs from the rod-like article transferring area 7 to the rod-like article receiving area 6. In the receiving area 6, the rod-like article 5 begins its movement in the part 21A of the path 21, while in the transferring area 7 the rod-like article 5 ends its movement in the part 21A, with the drive mechanism being adapted so that the lug 15 reduces the speed at least in the part of the movement path 21 before the receiving area 6, i.e. still in the part 21B and/or in the area 6 for receiving the rod-like article 5 from the feeding apparatus 2 to the transferring apparatus 3, and increases the speed at least in the part 21A of the movement path 21, between the area 6 for receiving the rod-like article from the feeding apparatus 2 and the area 7 for transferring the rod-like article 5 to the receiving apparatus 4. In order to reduce the accelerations acting on the rod-like article 5, the cam 19 is designed so that in the receiving area 6 the lug 15 moves with a minimum speed, while a reduction of the speed of the lug 15 takes place at least before the receiving area 6, precisely before the moment of commencement of the movement by the rod-like article 5 in the receiving area 6. After the commencement of the movement by the rod-like article 5 in the part 21A of the path 21 the velocity of that article increases. The transferring velocity, i.e. the velocity required in the transferring area 7, may be achieved only in a certain fragment of the part 21A. Then, after being fed, the rod-like article 5 initially increases its velocity to the maximum velocity required in the receiving apparatus 4, and then moves further witch such velocity up to the transferring area 7. The increase of the velocity of the rod-like article 5 to the transferring velocity may take place in the entire part 21A. Then, after being fed, the rod-like article 5 increases its velocity at a uniform rate on the entire way from the receiving area 6 to the transferring area 7. The double-arm lever 13 is attached rotatably relative to the disc 11. In order to increase the speed of the lug 15, the cam 19 forces a clockwise rotation of the lever 13 relative to the disc 11. Once the lug 15 has passed through the transferring area 7, the lug 15 moves in the part 21B, whereas at the end of the part 21B the speed of the lug 15 must be reduced to the minimum. The cam 19 may be designed so that the speed of the lug 15 is reduced continuously. The drive mechanism 20 may be additionally adapted to increase the speed of the lug 15, at least in the part 21B of the path 21, between the area 7 for transferring the rod-like article 4 to the receiving apparatus 4 and the area 6 for receiving the rod-like article 5 from the feeding apparatus 2, i.e. the cam 19 may be also designed so that initially the speed of the lug 15 increases in the part 21B, and then decreases to the minimum in the receiving area 6. In order to reduce the speed of thee lug 15, the cam 19 forces an anticlockwise rotation of the lever 13 relative to the disc 11.
In the third embodiment of the conveying apparatus 1″ shown in
Another embodiment of an individual lug 15′″ was shown in
The object of the invention is also a method for conveying the rod-like articles 5, 5′ from the rod-like article feeding apparatus 2, 2′ through the rod-like article transferring apparatus 3, 3′, 3″ to the receiving apparatus 4. In the embodiment of the method according to the invention the rod-like article is fed from the feeding apparatus 2, 2′ to the transferring apparatus 3, 3′, 3″, the rod-like article is transferred on a circular path of movement by means of the transferring apparatus 3, 3′, 3″ provided with the lugs 15. Then the rod-like article is transferred from the transferring apparatus 3, 3′, 3″ to the receiving apparatus 4 adapted to convey the rod-like articles one after another. While conveying the rod-like article in the transferring apparatus 3, 3′, 3″ the speed of the rod-like article is increased between the area 6 for receiving the rod-like article from the feeding apparatus 2, 2′ and the area 7 for transferring the rod-like article to the receiving apparatus 4.
In one of the embodiments of the method according to the invention the rod-like article is fed to the transferring disc transversely to the axis of the rod-like article. Alternatively, the rod-like article is fed to the transferring disc tangentially to the axis of the rod-like article. Regardless of the above, in the preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention the rod-like articles are conveyed at equal distances on the receiving apparatus 4.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18165763.6 | Apr 2018 | EP | regional |
