GB1593875A - Distributor of a rod machine for producing smokable articles - Google Patents

Description

(54) DISTRIBUTOR OF A ROD MACHINE FOR PRODUCING SMOKABLE ARTICLES (71) We, HAUNI-WERKE KÖRBER & BR< Co KG., a German company of Kampchaussee 12-22, 2050 Hamburg 80, Germany (Fed. Rep.) do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The invention relates to a distributor of a rod machine for producing rod-like smoker's articles with a storage chute whose depth is narrow in relation to its width and vertical dimensions, a supply conveyor for supplying the storage chute with tobacco and a removal conveyor comprising entrainment means and associated with the outlet of the storage chute.

A distributor of a rod machine serves for preparing the tobacco, in that the latter is removed from a store and spread out to form a relatively thin fleece, from which ribs and other useless particles are removed, whereupon a tobacco shower which is as uniform as possible is formed, from which the tobacco rod subsequently wrapped in paper in the actual rod machine is showered. The quality of the distributor determines the quality of the smokable articles produced with the machine. Thus, considerable efforts are made to spread out the tobacco removed from this store as a tobacco fleece which is a homogeneous as possible. In this case, it has proved useful in the first instance to form a predetermined small tobacco store in a storage chute from the tobacco removed from the store and to form the fleece from the latter by discharge from the lower end of the storage chute.The formation of a homogeneous fleece thus depends on the uniform and troublefree discharge from the storage chute.

According to the present invention there is provided a distributor of a rod machine for producing rod-like smokers' articles, comprising a storage chute whose depth is narrow in relation to its width and vertical dimensions, a supply conveyor for supplying the storage chute with tobacco, a removal conveyor associated with the outlet of the storage chute and provided with entrainment means, and a bar oscillatable transversely of the path of the removal conveyor and located between the removal conveyor and a rear wall of the storage chute as seen in the feed direction of the removal conveyor.

Preferably, a side of the bar extending the rear wall of the storage chute is constructed to project into the storage chute and is provided with a profile for engaging the tobacco.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view of a distributor of a cigarette rod machine, with the side wall removed, Figure 2 shows a cutaway portion of the distributor according to Figure 1, to an enlarged scale, Figure 3 is a side view of a smoothing bar, Figure 4 is a plan view of a cutaway portion of the smoothing bar according to Figure 3, Figure 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the rod formation region of the cigarette rod machine.

According to figure 1, the distributor comprises a storage container 1 for a tobacco store 2, a wall 3 limiting the storage container 1 and an inclined conveyor 6 (removal conveyor) comprising entrainment means 4 being inclined towards each other such that sliding of the tobacco along the wall 3 towards the inclined conveyor 6 is ensured on the one hand and continuous turning of the tobacco store 2 is largely prevented on the other hand. Two light barriers 7 and 8 are provided for monitoring the tobacco store 2, whereof the lower light barrier 7 controls the rod machine and the upper light barrier 8 controls a lock 9 known per se of a pneumatic tobacco feed device. Provided below the wall 3 is a further wall 11 which together with the inclined conveyor 6 form the boundaries of a further container 12 for excess tobacco 14 returned on a conveyor in the form of a conveyor belt 13.A guide roller 16 limiting the discharge end of the conveyor belt 13 is located above the container 12 approximately centrally with respect to the width of the inclined conveyor 6.

A lower guide roller 17 of the inclined conveyor 6 is connected to a separate controllable drive (not shown). A paddle roller 21 provided with leather strips 19 is associated with the upwardly conveying side of the inclined conveyor 6, below an upper guide roller 18, which paddle roller is connected by a belt drive (not shown) to the guide roller 18 and removes excess tobacco from the entrainment means 4 of the inclined conveyor 6. Located below the guide roller 18 is a guide roller 22 which ensures vertical guidance of the side of the inclined conveyor 6 travelling downwards, above a storage chute 23.A guide wall 24 extending parallel to the said side, which wall, in the region of the guide roller 18, is adapted to the curvature of the latter, forms an extension of a front wall 26 of the storage chute 23 and serves for the troublefree guidance of the tobacco falling out of the entrainment means 4 of the inclined conveyor 6 into the storage chute 23. The guide wall 24 comprises a recess for a rotating magnetic roller 29.

The attachment of tobacco fibres on the upper end of a rear wall 27 of the storage chute 23 is prevented by a roller 28 able to be driven at a constant speed and located at this point.

A monitoring device 31 (several electrically interconnected reflection light barriers distributed over the width of the storage chute 23 at different heights, which only emit signals by way of delay members when they have been covered for a predetermined period of time) located on the rear wall 27 of the storage chute 23, control the afore-mentioned drive of the inclined conveyor 6.The storage chute 23 terminates above and at the 1 o'clock position in respect to a removal conveyor in the form of a studded roller 32, which can be driven in clockwise direction by the main drive motor of the rod machine by way of an infinitely controllable transmission (not shown), Uniform filling of the studded roller 32 with tobacco from the storage chute 23 is ensured by a bar 33 oscillating transversely of the path of the studded roller 32, able to be driven in synchronism with the latter and located between the latter and the rear wall 27, which bar comprises a lug 34 projecting into the storage chute 23 and is provided with a profile in the form of rounded grooves 36 engaging the tobacco (c.f. figures 3 and 4).

These grooves 36 are shaped such that no tobacco can remain in the latter.

At the 5 o'clock position, a beater roller 37 driven at constant speed in counterclockwise direction is associated with the studded roller 32, below which beater roller a spreading belt 41 guided around rollers 38 and 39 is located, which belt can be driven at a constant speed towards a separating device 42. On their periphery, the studded roller 32 and beater roller 37 are partly covered by a cover 43, which is extended down to the spreading belt 41.

The latter is firstly intended to prevent tobacco from falling out of the studded roller 32 before reaching the beater roller 37 and secondly it is intended to collect tobacco thrown by the beater roller 37 in the opposite direction to the feed direction of the spreading belt 41. The spreading belt 41 is provided with a profiled surface of rubber, which is intended to ensure that the tobacco is carried along and conveyed to the separating device 42 with as little slip as possible.

The separating device 42 comprises a compressed air chamber 44, from which a directed curtain of air escapes from a row of rectangular openings 46 located close to each other at right-angles to the trajectory of the tobacco leaving the spreading belt 41 at the guide roller 39. A collecting container 47 with a worm conveyor 48 on the base serves for collecting heavy pieces of tobacco (ribs) which are scarcely or only slightly deflected by the curtain of air. The position of a wall 49 between the guide roller 39 and collecting container 47 is vertically adjustable, so that the degree of separation of the separating device 42 can be influenced by the latter.The wall 49 is curved such that pieces of tobacco striking the latter slide along the latter and reach a studded roller 51 rotating in clockwise direction, which can be driven at a constant speed and together with a wall 52 forms a hopper for collecting the tobacco deflected from its original trajectory by the curtain of air. In its lower region, the studded roller 51 is surrounded by a wall 53 of a compressed air chamber 54, which in the region in which it passes tangentially into a wall 56 of a tobacco duct 57, comprises air channels 59 inclined in the feed direction of an airpermeable rod conveyor 58 defining the tobacco duct 57 at the top (details are given in the Applicant's British Patent Application No. 21777/77 (Serial No. 1578819). Pins 62 of metal or ceramic are provided as a support for the rod conveyor belt 58 opposite a vacuum chamber 61.

A wall 63 of the tobacco duct 57 located opposite the wall 56 covers the studded roller 51 at the top. If necessary it may comprise an air exhaust in the region of the studded roller 51. The wall 63 is also constructed as the base for the worm conveyor 48 and in the region adjacent the wall 49 comprises holes which form a screen 64.

A blower 66 is connected to the vacuum chamber 61 at the suction side and to the compressed air chambers 44 and 54 at the pressure side.

The diagrammatic illustration according to figure 5 shows the rod conveyor belt 58 guided rollers 67 and 68 (the vacuum chamber 61 shown in figures 2 and 1, in which the rollers 67 and 68 are mounted, is shown solely in dot-dash lines). The drawing also shows a rod formation region A, in which tobacco is conveyed in the direction of arrow 69 towards the underside of the rod conveyor belt 58, so that a tobacco rod 71 is formed on the latter (details are once more given in the Applicant's British Patent Application No. 21777/77 (Serial No.

1578819). A pneumatic subsequent separator 72 is located in front of the rod formation region A, which separator comprises a first outlet 73 above a container 74 for pieces of tobacco which are too heavy, a second outlet 76 on the rod conveyor belt 58, through which it is connected to the vacuum chamber 61 and an inlet 77 which connects the subsequent separator 72 to the worm conveyor 48.

An optical measured value receiver 78 (shown in dot-dash line) for measuring the height of the tobacco rod 71 is provided downstream of the rod formation region A.

Adjoining the receiver 78 in the feed direction of the rod conveyor belt 58 is an equalizer 79 for removing excess tobacco from the tobacco rod 71. This equalizer 79 is controlled in manner known per se by a rod density measuring device before the cutter device of the rod machine which is not shown in further detail. The respective position of the equlizer 79 is obtained as a measurement of the height of the tobacco rod 71 after the removal of the excess tobacco and calculated with the measurement signal of the measured value receiver 78.The infinitely controllable transmission of the studded roller 32 of the distributor is thus controlled with the value obtained and the quantity of tobacco supplied is controlled by changes in the speed of the studded roller 32 such that a tobacco rod 71 having a constant quantity of excess tobacco is showered in the rod formation region A (further details are given in the Applicant's British Patent No.

1 532 721).

In the region of its roller 68, the rod conveyor belt 58 is located above a shaper belt 81, which conveys a paper strip 82 with the tobacco rod 71 into a shaper device83 of the rod machine.

A conveyor belt 84 is located below the equalizer 79, which belt is guided along the distributor and terminates above the conveyor belt 15 extending at right-angles to the latter. The conveyor belts 13 and 84 may be driven separately, but are controlled in common with the main drive motor of the machine.

The sides of the inclined conveyor 6 and spreading belt 41 conveying tobacco are guided over stationary rails 86, 87, which are provided with grooves in the region of their edges, which grooves extend in an inclined manner in the feed direction of the sides.

The grooves are intended to prevent tobacco dust from being deposited between the sides and the rails.

The method of operation of the distributor according to figures 1 to 5 is as follows: the storage container 1 is supplied with tobacco in portions by the lock 9, when the level of the tobacco store 2 clears the light barrier 8. (the light barrier 7 stops the machine when an interruption in the feed occurs and the tobacco store 2 is used up). The inclined conveyor 6 removes tobacco continuously from the tobacco store 2, the entrainment means 4 each engaging small portions of tobacco. These portions of tobacco are made uniform ay the paddle roller 21, in that tobacco projecting beyond the entrainment means 4 is removed by the leather strips 19 of the paddle roller 21.Between the guide rollers 18 and 22, the tobacco falls out of the entrainment means 4 of the inclined conveyor 6, in which case the vertical guidance of the inclined conveyor in this region ensures that all the tobacco falls out.

The guide wall 24 guides tobacco thrown against the latter, centrally into the storage chute 23, in which case iron particles possibly contained in the tobacco are eliminated by the magnetic roller 29. The tobacco level in the storage chute 23 is monitored by the monitoring device 31 and the inclined conveyor 6 is controlled in order to keep the tobacco level constant (the drive of the inclined conveyor 6 is controlled stepwise as regards its speed according to the number of light barriers covered by tobacco).The studded roller 32 is filled with tobacco at the outlet of the storage chute 23, the oscillating smoothing bar 33 with its profiled lug 34 firstly ensuring uniform filling to the studded roller 32, in that it presses the tobacco between the pins of the studded roller 32 and secondly keeping the tobacco in constant movement in the lower region of the storage chute, so that it slides down in a troublefree manner. During conveyance to the beater roller 37, the cover 43 prevents tobacco from falling out of the studded roller 32, whereby if necessary, the cover 43 may pass into a comb known per se in the inlet region of the beater roller 37. The heater roller 37 removes tobacco from the pins of the studded roller 32 and throws the latter onto the spreading belt 41.Longer tobacco fibres are generally suspended from the pins of the beater roller 37 for somewhat longer so that the latter reach the spreading belt 41 before the smaller tobacco particles, which is an advantage for the subsequent separating process, as will be described hereafter. The cover 43 extended down to the spreading belt 41 collects tobacco fibres which have been thrown too far rearwards.

The tobacco fleece formed on the spreading belt 41 is thrown into the separating device 42 at a predetermined speed, the pieces of tobacco coming under the influence of the curtain of air blown through the openings 46. Relatively heavy pieces of tobacco (large pieces of rib) pass through the curtain of air and reach the collecting container 47.

It is advantageous for the separating process that longer tobacco fibres are located on the underside in the tobacco fleece, so that they do not hinder heavy pieces of tobacco located on the top, as they pass into the collecting container 47. All other pieces of tobacco are deflected to a greater or lesser extent from their trajectory by the jets of air emerging from the openings 46 and pass into the hopper formed by the walls 49 and 52, where they are engaged by the studded roller 51 and thrown into the tobacco duct 57. The wall 52 is constructed such that the jets of air from the openings 46 encounter the latter at an oblique angle and flow along the latter to the studded roller 51, so that they pass into the tobacco duct 57 with the tobacco without the formation of turbulence.

The heavy pieces of tobacco thrown into the collecting container 47 are conveyed by the rib worm 48 in the direction of the inlet 77 of the subsequent separator 72, in which case useful pieces of tobacco, for example short ribs known as "birds eyes" are able to fall through the part of the wall 63 constructed as a screen 64, to the studded roller 51.

On entering the tobacco duct 57, the tobacco is engaged by the air streams directed in the feed direction of the rod conveyor belt 58 and leaving the air channels 59, due to which the tobacco receives a feed component in the feed direction of the rod conveyor belt 58, so that when it encounters the rod conveyor belt 58 or the tobacco already adhering to the latter, it experiences virtually no acceleration in this direction.

The blowing air leaving the air channels 59 and the separating air flowing from the openings 46 and directed into the tobacco duct 57 are drawn off into the vacuum chamber 61 through the rod conveyor belt 58, this air also retaining the tobacco on the rod conveyor belt.

The heavy tobacco particles discharged by the worm screw 48 pass into the inlet 77 of the subsequent separator 72, through which air is likewise sucked into the vacuum chamber 61 through the rod conveyor belt 58. The air flowing towards the rod conveyor belt 58 through the subsequent separator 72 brings about subsequent separation of the tobacco down from the worm screw 48, so that in actual fact only pieces of tobacco which are unsuitable for the formation of a rod fall into the container 74. The pieces of tobacco obtained for the formation of a rod in the subsequent separator 72 are primarily so-called short tobacco, which as a result of the arrangement of the subsequent separator 72 in front of the actual rod formation region A, comes to lie at the side of the showered tobacco rod 71 remote from the equalizer 79.The equalizer 79 cuts excess tobacco from the tobacco rod 71, which tobacco is returned to the distributor, more accurately the container 12, by way of the conveyor belts 84 and 13. Because the conveyor belts 84 and 13 operate solely in conjunction with the rod machine, no large store of excess tobacco 14 can form in the container 12. On the contrary, the excess tobacco introduced centrally with respect to the inclined conveyor 6 into the container 12 is immediately discharged by the entrainment means, in which case it retains its central position with respect to the width of the distributor as it is conveyed through the entire distributor as far as the rod formation region A, i.e. it comes to lie in the centre of the showered tobacco rod 71, so that it is not once more cut off by the equalizer 79.The equalized tobacco rod 71 is transferred to the paper strip 82 and drawn through the shaper device 83 by means of the shaper belt 81, whereupon it is made in known manner into a cigarette rod, from which individual cigarettes are cut continuously.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A distributor of a rod machine for producing rod-like smokers' articles, comprising a storage chute whose depth is narrow in relation to its width and vertical dimensions, a supply conveyor for supplying the storage chute with tobacco, a removal conveyor associated with the outlet of the storage chute and provided with entrainment means, and a bar oscillatable transversely of the path of the removal conveyor and located between the removal conveyor and a rear wall of the storage chute as seen in the feed direction of the removal conveyor.

2. A distributor according to claim 1, wherein a side of the bar extending the rear wall of the storage chute is constructed to project into the storage chute and is provided with a profile for engaging the tobacco.

3. A distributor of a rod machine for producing rod-like smokers' articles, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (3)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. as will be described hereafter. The cover 43 extended down to the spreading belt 41 collects tobacco fibres which have been thrown too far rearwards. The tobacco fleece formed on the spreading belt 41 is thrown into the separating device 42 at a predetermined speed, the pieces of tobacco coming under the influence of the curtain of air blown through the openings 46. Relatively heavy pieces of tobacco (large pieces of rib) pass through the curtain of air and reach the collecting container 47. It is advantageous for the separating process that longer tobacco fibres are located on the underside in the tobacco fleece, so that they do not hinder heavy pieces of tobacco located on the top, as they pass into the collecting container 47. All other pieces of tobacco are deflected to a greater or lesser extent from their trajectory by the jets of air emerging from the openings 46 and pass into the hopper formed by the walls 49 and 52, where they are engaged by the studded roller 51 and thrown into the tobacco duct 57. The wall 52 is constructed such that the jets of air from the openings 46 encounter the latter at an oblique angle and flow along the latter to the studded roller 51, so that they pass into the tobacco duct 57 with the tobacco without the formation of turbulence. The heavy pieces of tobacco thrown into the collecting container 47 are conveyed by the rib worm 48 in the direction of the inlet 77 of the subsequent separator 72, in which case useful pieces of tobacco, for example short ribs known as "birds eyes" are able to fall through the part of the wall 63 constructed as a screen 64, to the studded roller 51. On entering the tobacco duct 57, the tobacco is engaged by the air streams directed in the feed direction of the rod conveyor belt 58 and leaving the air channels 59, due to which the tobacco receives a feed component in the feed direction of the rod conveyor belt 58, so that when it encounters the rod conveyor belt 58 or the tobacco already adhering to the latter, it experiences virtually no acceleration in this direction. The blowing air leaving the air channels 59 and the separating air flowing from the openings 46 and directed into the tobacco duct 57 are drawn off into the vacuum chamber 61 through the rod conveyor belt 58, this air also retaining the tobacco on the rod conveyor belt. The heavy tobacco particles discharged by the worm screw 48 pass into the inlet 77 of the subsequent separator 72, through which air is likewise sucked into the vacuum chamber 61 through the rod conveyor belt 58. The air flowing towards the rod conveyor belt 58 through the subsequent separator 72 brings about subsequent separation of the tobacco down from the worm screw 48, so that in actual fact only pieces of tobacco which are unsuitable for the formation of a rod fall into the container 74. The pieces of tobacco obtained for the formation of a rod in the subsequent separator 72 are primarily so-called short tobacco, which as a result of the arrangement of the subsequent separator 72 in front of the actual rod formation region A, comes to lie at the side of the showered tobacco rod 71 remote from the equalizer 79.The equalizer 79 cuts excess tobacco from the tobacco rod 71, which tobacco is returned to the distributor, more accurately the container 12, by way of the conveyor belts 84 and 13. Because the conveyor belts 84 and 13 operate solely in conjunction with the rod machine, no large store of excess tobacco 14 can form in the container 12. On the contrary, the excess tobacco introduced centrally with respect to the inclined conveyor 6 into the container 12 is immediately discharged by the entrainment means, in which case it retains its central position with respect to the width of the distributor as it is conveyed through the entire distributor as far as the rod formation region A, i.e. it comes to lie in the centre of the showered tobacco rod 71, so that it is not once more cut off by the equalizer 79.The equalized tobacco rod 71 is transferred to the paper strip 82 and drawn through the shaper device 83 by means of the shaper belt 81, whereupon it is made in known manner into a cigarette rod, from which individual cigarettes are cut continuously. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A distributor of a rod machine for producing rod-like smokers' articles, comprising a storage chute whose depth is narrow in relation to its width and vertical dimensions, a supply conveyor for supplying the storage chute with tobacco, a removal conveyor associated with the outlet of the storage chute and provided with entrainment means, and a bar oscillatable transversely of the path of the removal conveyor and located between the removal conveyor and a rear wall of the storage chute as seen in the feed direction of the removal conveyor.

2. A distributor according to claim 1, wherein a side of the bar extending the rear wall of the storage chute is constructed to project into the storage chute and is provided with a profile for engaging the tobacco.

3. A distributor of a rod machine for producing rod-like smokers' articles, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.