GB2257954A

GB2257954A - Method and apparatus for combining/removing multi-layer article streams of rod-shaped articles.

Info

Publication number: GB2257954A
Application number: GB9211717A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Karl-Heinz Grieben; Nikolaus Hausler; Andreas Rinke
Original assignee: Koerber AG
Current assignee: Koerber AG
Priority date: 1991-06-04
Filing date: 1992-06-03
Publication date: 1993-01-27
Anticipated expiration: 2012-06-03
Also published as: ITMI921331A0; IT1260491B; GB9211717D0; ITMI921331A1; GB2257954B; DE4118267A1

Description

2 -1 3 7 Q -, f 1 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMBINING MULTI-LAYER ARTICLE

STREAMS OF ROD-SHAPED ARTICLES OF THE TOBACCO- PROCESSING INDUSTRY The invention relates to a process and to an arrangement for combining a first multi-layer article stream flowing out of a magazine with a second multi-layer article stream, conveyed in a predetermined direction, of rodshaped articles of the tobacco -processing industry.

The invention claims, moreover, independent protection for a process or an arrangement for removing rod-shaped articles of the tobaccoprocessing industry from a magazine.

The term "rod-shaped articles of the tobacco-proces sing industry" is understood to mean: cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos, with and without filter, and filter rods.

On conveying cigarettes in the multi-layer arrangement, i.e. in bulk stream, it is conventional to combine such bulk streams in certain coupled conveying systems. Combining in this way, especially in connection with a bulk stream removed from a magazine, raises problems which in the bulk stream connections which are conventional today between high-performance production and further-processing machines, such as packing machines. are increasingly reaching a critical level as far as the stress on the cigarettes is concerned.

The object of the invention is to provide better preconditions for higher conveying capacities and a more gentle treatment of the cigarettes.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that two part streams are formed from the first article stream removed from the magazine, and in that the part streams are each supplied in opposite conveying directions to a zone of combination with the common second article stream.

The guiding together or combining of the article streams is particularly favourable, according to a further development, if the part streams formed each halve the first article stream flowing out of the magazine.

Here, it is particularly advantageous if the part streams are each formed, from the centre of the magazine outlet to the sides thereof, into a multi-layer article stream, so that the part streams are 2 formed into their full multi-layer height before reaching the respective combination zone.

The process claiming independent protection, for removing rod-shaped articles of the tobacco-processing industry from a magazine, consists in the fact that two substantially equal article streams are formed in each case from a half of the magazine supply and are conveyed away in opposite conveying directions from the centre of the magazine to the sides of the magazine.

The arrangement for carrying out the process described at the outset is characterized in that there are associated with the magazine outlet two delivery means which convey in opposite directions and which each open by way of a controlled distributing guide into a zone of combination with the second article stream.

The conveying flow of the articles removed from the magazine can best be controlled, with the aim of bringing them together with the common secon article stream according to an embodiment, in that the delivery means are each arranged to deliver half of the first article stream.

Optimum preconditions for unimpeded conveying flow and gentle combining of the article streams are ensured, according to a further proposal, in that the delivery means are constructed as delivery belts which each convey in opposite directions from the centre to the sides of the magazine outlet.

Particularly advantageous use is made of the arrangement according to the invention in a proposed further development in which the second article stream forms a conveying stream which ensures a direct supply to a further-processing apparatus through a production apparatus and comprises rod-shaped tobacco articles transported in axially transverse manner, and, moreover, the first article stream is composed of rod-shaped tobacco articles removed from the second article stream and recycled by way of the magazine, according to a further proposal the magazine advantageously being part of a trestletype emptying station recycling cigarettes or filter cigarettes.

According to an additional proposal, a matching of the conveying means transporting the article streams which is particularly favourable from a control point of view is achieved in that the delivery belts have drive means which may be control-led in dependence 3 on the distributing guide position of the distributing guide delimiting the combination zone for the first half or for the part stream of the first article stream which is transported in the same conveying direction as the second article stream.

During operation, level discrepancies in the cigarette level in the magazine can arise in the emptying and in the charging phase of the magazine. This tendency can be countered by a special embodiment of the invention in that the drive means have separate drive units for the two part streams of the first article stream, which drive units may be controlled in overlaid manner in dependence on level discrepancies in the halves of the magazine associated with the respective delivery belts. In this manner, depending on the local factors in the two magazine halves, level discrepancies in the magazine can be compensated by setting the delivery belts at different conveying speeds.

In order, on bringing together the article streams in the two combination zones, to achieve equal conditions or to adjust the conveying flow again in the event of brief variations, it is provided according to a further embodiment that a conveying means transporting the second article stream may be controlled in dependence on the distributing guide position of the distributing guide delimiting the combination zone for the second half or for the part stream of the first article stream which is transported in the opposite direction to the second article stream.

The arrangement justifying independent protection, for removing rodshaped articles of the tobaccoprocessing industry from a magazine, is characterized in that there are arranged below the magazine two delivery means which each delimit substantially half of the magazine outlet and convey in opposite directions from the centre to the sides of the magazine outlet.

The advantage which is achieved by the invention consists in the fact that the cigarette flow from the magazine is eased in many respects in that with an unaltered height of the part bulk streams formed the removal speed of the cigarettes from the magazine and the critical conveying distance of the cigarettes below the removal shafts of the magazine are halved. Thus, with an unaltered number of outlet shafts of the magazine, the outlet height, which increases stepwise 4 towards the side walls of the magazine, between the shaft walls and the deliVery belts can be doubled. This results on the whole in a more gentle treatment of the cigarettes which, as a result of their higher-layer formation in the region of the outlet shafts, distribute the pressure from the - magazine supply acting from above and consequently are less deformed, and which are protected, by an easing of the so-called "rubbing zone" in the region of combination with the second bulk stream, from external damage and tobacco falling out.

Moreover, emptying the magazine in the manner according to the invention makes it possible to compensate the height of the cigarette level within the magazine, which is especially advantageous when charging the magazine from trestle-type means placed above.

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to the example embodiment illustrated in the attached drawing.

The figure shows the part which is essential to the invention of a conveying arrangement in the form of a flexible coupling between a production apparatus (not illustrated) and a packing machine which as a whole can be inferred for example from DE-OS 32 12 536 or from US-PS 4 507 040 of the Applicant.

The construction of the part which is essential to the invention of the conveying arrangement and of the associated control means is as follows:

The arrangement for combining multi-layer article streams formed from cigarettes conveyed in axially transverse manner involves a so-called trestle-type emptying station 1 with a magazine 2 for placing on and emptying cigarette-containing containers in the form of so-called trestletype means 3 in the direction of the arrow 4. The 2 is divided in conventional manner at the lower outlet into outlet shafts, of which in the example embodiment only four shafts are illustrated, in each case two being arranged on either side of a central shaft wall 6 dividing the magazine outlet into two halves. The shaft walls 7 on both sides of the central shaft wall 6 are height-adjustable in the direction of the doubleheaded arrow 8 relative to two delivery belts 9 and 11 respectively. To improve the conveying flow, there are arranged above the shafts rods 12 which may be moved to and fro in rotary or linear manner in the direction of the double-headed arrows 13 and 14.The delivery belts 9 and 11, which each extend below a half of the magazine 2 to the left and to the right of 'the shaft wall 6, may be driven by means of their upper conveying runs by separate drive motors 16 and 17 respectively in opposite directions In the direction of the arrows 18 and 19 respectively.

Located below the delivery belts 9. 11 Is a conveyor belt 21 which is associated with a main conveying section and which may be driven in the main conveying direction (arrow 2Z) by a drive motor 25. Continuing the main conveying section downstream there is provided a conveyor belt 24 which may be driven in the same conveying direction (arrow 22) by a drive motor 23 and which is connected to a magazine 26 of a packing machine 27 whereof the drive motor is designated 28. Upstream, there is associated with the conveyor belt 21 a conveyor belt 29 which may also be driven in the main conveying direction (arrow 22) and which, in accordance with DE05 32 12 536 already quoted, forms a rearward connection element to a production machine or to an intermediate trestle-type filling station at which the articles recycled by way of the trestle-type emptying station 1 are branched off from the main conveying section.

The conveyor belts 29, 21, 24 forming the niain conveying section may, in this order, each be driven at a higher conveying speed with respect to their conveying direction (arrow 22).

Associated with the ends of the delivery belts 9 and 11 on the discharge side are controlled distributing guides 31 and 32 respectively, each In the form of a flexible guide belt 33 and a probe 34 which is pivotal about a spindle 36 and on which there acts a tensionspring 37 in the direction of closure of the distributing guides 31 and 32 respectively. The probe 34 of the distributing guide 31 is provIded with a control flag 38 which cooperates with approach switches 39a, 39b, 39c which are linked for control to a voltage source 41 for jointly supplying the drive motorgs 16 and 17 for the delivery belts 9 and 11 respectively.

In overlaid manner, the drive motors 16, 17 are each provided with an additional voltage source 42 and 43 respectively which may each be controlled by level-monitoring sensore 44 and 46 respectively of the magazine which are located on the left-hand and on the right-hand side respectively and of which in each case a plurality are 6 conventionally arranged next to one another and above one another but which are not illustrated.

In the case of the distributing guide 32, the control flag 38 cooperates In a similar manner with approach switches 47a, 47b, 47c which are linked to a voltage source 48 for supplying the drive motor 25 for the conveyor belt 21.

The charge level of the magazine 26 Is monitored by a probe 49 which Is pivotal about a spindle 51 and has a control flag 52 which cooperates with approach switches 53a, 53b, 53c, of which the approach switches 53a and 53b are linked to a voltage source 54 for the drive motor 23 of the conveyor belt 24 and the approach switch 53c is linked to a voltage source 56 for switching off the drive motor 28 for the packing machine 27. Moreover, there is provided for the drive motor 25 of the conveyor belt 21 an additional votage source 57 which may be acted upon by the output signal of the voltage source 54.

For the saie of simplicity, in each caise only three approach switches for the probes 34 and 49 are illustrated, which in reality are provided in large numbers for proper operation, but this alters nothing In the function principle.

The procedure for combining 4rtiele stre ams in the region of the trestletype emptying station 1 is an follows:

Here, a description of all the operating states in the case of a prevailing output balance or output imbalances between the packing machine 27 and the production machine. alooL in conjunction with the operation of the trestle-type filler (not shown), is dispensed with. This can he inferred from the said DE-OS 32 12 536.

Essential to the invention and novel, particularly in this overall context, Is the manner of combining a first article rstream 58, flowing out of the magazine 2 of the trestle-type emptying station 1, and a second article stream 62 which is brought to the main conveying section by means of the conveyor belt 29, supplied by the conveyor belt 21 to two combination zones 59 and 61 and conveyed away by the conveyor belt 24 to the magazine 26 of the packing machine 27.

Bringing together the article streams 5,8 and 62 is explained by way of example with an approximate output balance between the further-processing side and the production side, with which the packing machine 27 packs as many articles per unit of time as are A 7 produced on the production side, a small surplus being constantly branched- off in known manner from the main conveying section upstream of the conveyor belt 29 and recycled by way of the trestletype emptying station 1 into the article stream 62.

Here, the probe 49 monitors the level in the magazine 26 of the packing machine 27 and controls, by means of its control flag 52, the approach switches 53a and 53b and, by means of the voltage source 54, the drive motor 23 of the conveyor belt 24 and, by way of the output signal of the voltage source 54 by means of the voltage source 57, the drive motor 25 of the conveyor belt 21 such that an approximately constant level is maintained in the magazine 26.

If, as assumed, there is an output balance between the packing machine and the production machine, the article stream conveyed away from the distributing guide 31 on the conveyor belt 24 is slightly larger than the article stream 62 conveyed to the distributing guide 31 on the conveyor belt 21. By way of the probe 34 of the distributing guide 31, the drive motors 16 and 17 and thus the delivery belts 9 and 11 are controlled by means of the control flag 38, the approach switches 39a, 39b, 39c and the voltage source 41 such that, corresponding to the difference between the article stream conveyed away from the distributing guide 31 and that conveyed to the distributing guide and the division of the article stream 58 flowing out of the magazine 2 into two part streams 58a and 58b, these part streams are supplied to the two distributing guides 31 and 32. In this manner, a continuous article exchange takes place in both distributing guides 31 and 32 in a manner which treats the articles more gently. Any discrepancies in the distributing guide positions of the two distributing guides 31 and 32 are automatically compensated in that the basic speed of the conveyor belt 7,1 is altered temporarily by the voltage source 48, in dependence on the respective position of the probe 34 of the distributing guide 32 and thus the control flag 38, activating the drive motor 25 by way of the approach switches 47a, 47b and 47c respectively for an appropriate length of time until the distributing guide positions have been brought into line with one another.

In addition to the eased rubbing zones at the distributing guides 31, 32, by halving the article stream 58 into the part streams 58a and 8 58b the spacing between the height-adjustable (double-headed arrow 8) shaft walls 7 and the delivery belts 9 and 11 respectively can be doubled, so that a doubled number of article layers relieves the articles of the pressure from the magazine.

Removal from both sides of the magazine enables the delivery speed and also the delivery distance to be halved, which in turn protects the individual articles from deformation and tobacco falling out.

The delivery belts 9 and 11, normally driven at the same speed, run at different speeds when the sensors 44 and 46 record variations in the height of the cigarette level in the magazine 2 and by way of the voltage sources 42 and 43 respectively control the drive motors 16 and 17 respectively in overlaid manner such that the level across the width of the magazine is levelled out.

9

Claims

A method of combining a first multi-layer article stream flowing out of a magazine with a second multi-layer article stream, conveyed in a predetermined direction, of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco-processing industry, characterized in that two part streams (58a, 58b) are formed from the first article stream (58) removed from the magazine (2), and in that the part streams are each supplied in opposite conveying directions (18 and 19 respectively) to a zone (59 and 61 respectively) of combination with the common second article stream (62).
A method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the part streams (58a, 58b) formed each halve the first article stream (58) flowing out of the magazine (2).
3. A method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the part streams (58a; 58b) are each formed, from the centre of the magazine outlet to the sides thereof, into a multi-layer article stream.
4. A method of removing rod-shaped articles of the tob acco-proces sing industry from a magazine, characterized in that two substantially equal article streams (58a, 58b) are formed in each case from a half of the magazine supply and are conveyed away in opposite conveying directions (18 and 19 respectively) from the centre of the magazine to the sides of the magazine.
5. Apparatus for combining a first multi-layer article stream flowing out of a magazine with a second multilayer article stream, conveyed in a predetermined direction, of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco-processing industry, characterized in that there are associated with the magazine outlet tw(? delivery means (9, 11) which convey in opposite directions and which each open by way of a controlled distributing guide (31 and 32 respectively) into a zone (59 and 61 respectively) of combination with the second article stream (62).
6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, characterized in that the delivery. means (9, 11) are each arranged to deliver half of the first article stream (58).
7. Apparatus according to Claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the delivery means (9, 11) are constructed as delivery belts which each convey in opposite directions from the centre to the sides of the magazine outlet.
8. Apparatus according to one of Claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the second article stream (62) forms a conveying stream which ensures a direct supply to a further-proces sing apparatus (27) through a production apparatus and comprises rod-shaped tobacco articles transported in axially transverse manner.
9. Apparatus Lccording to one of Claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the first article stream (58) is composed of rod-shaped tobacco articles removed from the second article stream (62) and recycled by way of the magazine (2).
10. Apparatus according to one of Claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the magazine (2) is part of a trestle-type emptying station (1) recycling cigarettes or filter cigarettes.
11. Apparatus according to one of Claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the delivery belts (9, 11) have drive means (16 and 17 respectively) which may be controlled in dependence on the distributing guide position of the distributing guide (31) delimiting the combination zone (31) for the first half or for the part stream (58a) of the first article stream (58) which is transported in the same conveying direction (arrow 22) as the second article stream (62).
12. Apparatus according to one of Claims 5 to 11, characterized in that the drive means (16, 17) have separate drive units for the two part streams (58a and 58b respectively) of the first article stream (58), which drive units may be controlled in overlaid manner in dependence on level discrepancies in the halves of the magazine (2) associated 8 11 with the respective delivery belts (9 and 11 respectively).
13. Apparatus according to one of Claims 5 to 12, characterized in that a conveying means (21) transporting the second article stream (62) may be controlled in dependence on the distributing guide position of the distributing guide (32) delimiting the combination zone (32) for the second half or for the part stream (58b) of the first article stream (58) which is transported in the opposite direction to the second article stream.
14. Apparatus for removing rod-shaped articles of the tobacco-processing industry from a magazine, characterized in that there are arranged below the magazine (2) two delivery means (9, 11) which each delimit substantially half of the magazine outlet and convey in opposite directions from the centre to the sides of the magazine outlet. '
15. A method of combining streams of articles of the tobacco processing industry, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
16. A method of removing rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry from a magazine, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
17. Apparatus for combining streams of articles of the tobacco processing industry, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.