CN109640709B

CN109640709B - Cleaning unit, tobacco industry machine and method for cleaning a row of rod-shaped elements

Info

Publication number: CN109640709B
Application number: CN201780049947.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 莱谢克·希科劳; 拉多斯洛·菲加尔斯基; 扬·穆希约夫斯基
Original assignee: International Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp zoo
Current assignee: International Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp zoo
Priority date: 2016-09-06
Filing date: 2017-09-02
Publication date: 2022-05-27
Anticipated expiration: 2037-09-02
Also published as: PL234036B1; PL418553A1; CN109640709A; US20190191758A1; BR112019001566A2; EP3509444A1; KR20190046790A; JP2019528687A; KR102398923B1; WO2018046410A1; RU2744263C2; EP3509444B1; PL3509444T3; RU2019102260A; RU2019102260A3

Abstract

A cleaning unit for a tobacco industry machine, wherein the tobacco industry machine is configured for processing a moving train (ST2) of rod-like elements (S1, S2) separated by spaces (105) and partially wrapped with a wrapper (101), wherein the spaces (105) are filled with a bulk material (102), forming Sections (SC) of the bulk material. The cleaning unit (104) comprises an outlet baffle (34) located at the outlet of the cleaning zone (Z2) for limiting uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the cleaning zone (Z2) to the decoration zone (Z3), the outlet baffle (34) being located above the column of rod-shaped elements (ST2) and having a passage (35) through which the covering element (10) passes.

Description

Cleaning unit, tobacco industry machine and method for cleaning a row of rod-shaped elements

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a cleaning unit for removing contaminants from a column of rod-shaped elements in a tobacco industry machine, a tobacco industry machine for producing multi-segment filter rods, and a method for cleaning a column of rod-shaped elements.

Background

Tobacco industry products (e.g., cigarettes) may include segmented filters having various filter materials, such as activated carbon in loose particulate form, located between adjacent segments of solid form. The segments with activated carbon may be formed by placing activated carbon between adjacent solid segments, typically in the form of rod-like elements with or without filtering properties, e.g. including aroma capsules. The manufacturer of filters comprising activated carbon or other particulate material aims to place this portion of loose material such that segments adjacent to the space for the particulate material and other segments in the column of segments are not contaminated by the material. Furthermore, manufacturers desire that particulate material not enter between the side edges of the glued wraps. In the case of activated carbon, the activated carbon particles entering between the wrapper and the segments or between the surface of the wrapper are easily visible in the final product. It is therefore necessary to remove the material particles located on the segments before wrapping the column of segments with the wrapper.

Various methods of removing contaminants are known.

US patent 3482488 discloses a device for removing contamination from a rod-shaped element by means of a rotating brush. The disadvantage of this solution is the low cleaning efficiency.

Removal of contaminants by means of suction pipes is known in particular from european patent EP2286681B 1. However, the solution proposed therein removes only a part of the contaminants and cannot prevent uncontrolled displacement of the contaminants.

PCT application WO2016139198 in the name of the applicant discloses suction ducts arranged on both sides of a segmented mobile train.

At high production speeds, particles of particulate material (more generally: bulk material) not placed in the spaces between the segments can rebound from the segments and the constituent elements of the machine and move over the moving train of the segments in a completely uncontrolled manner. None of the above documents discloses a solution that can eliminate or limit this phenomenon.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for producing multi-segment filter rods comprising loose material, wherein material particles which are not placed in the spaces between solid segments or which rise from the surface of the segments are prevented from shifting in the direction of movement of the column of segments, i.e. they are prevented from shifting between successive components of the apparatus or the area where the continuous operation of the filter rod production process takes place.

Disclosure of Invention

A cleaning unit for a tobacco industry machine is disclosed. The tobacco industry machine is configured for processing a moving train of rod-shaped elements separated by spaces and partially wrapped with wrappers, wherein the spaces are filled with loose material, forming segments of loose material. The cleaning unit is located in a cleaning zone in the tobacco industry machine, the cleaning zone being located between: a filling area for filling the space between the rod-shaped elements with loose material and a decoration area for forming the row of rod-shaped elements into a continuous filter rod. The cleaning unit is configured to remove contamination of the bulk material from the rod-shaped elements, the sections of the bulk material and the wrappings; the cleaning unit includes: at least one cleaning element positioned in the cleaning zone for removing contaminants of the bulk material from the rod-like elements; at least one suction element for removing contaminants of the bulk material from the rod-shaped element; a moving mechanism configured for moving the covering element to a position in which the covering element at least partially covers the bulk-filled space between the rod-shaped elements during the movement of the column in the vicinity of the suction tube. The covering element is at a part of its movement track configured for movement parallel to the direction of movement of the rod-shaped element. The cleaning unit further comprises an outlet baffle at the outlet of the cleaning zone for limiting uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the cleaning zone to the decor zone, the outlet baffle being located above the column of rod-like elements and having a passage through which the covering element passes.

The cleaning unit may comprise an inlet baffle at the inlet of the cleaning zone for limiting uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the filling zone to the cleaning zone.

The cleaning unit may comprise an end baffle located at the entrance of the decor area for limiting uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the cleaning area to the decor area, the end baffle being located above the rod-shaped element and having a recess through which the edge of the wrapper passes.

The cleaning unit may comprise a shielding diaphragm having a surface parallel to the direction of movement, located in front of the end diaphragm with respect to the direction of movement, and serving to limit uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the cleaning area onto the rod-like elements of the column.

The cleaning unit may further comprise an initial barrier at the outlet of the filling zone for limiting uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the filling zone to the cleaning zone.

At least one partition may be positioned transverse to the direction of motion.

At least one of the partitions may have the form of a flat plate.

At least one of the partitions may have the form of a dome plate.

At least one of the baffles may have a major surface that is oriented at an acute angle relative to the direction of motion.

The cover element may have a thin walled cover element.

The suction element may have the form of a suction tube with a longitudinal suction opening.

The cleaning element may be a scraping element in the form of a brush.

The cleaning element may be a scraping element in the form of a compressed air lance.

Also disclosed is a machine for the tobacco industry for producing multi-segment filter rods, comprising: a feeding unit for arranging the rod-like elements in a row in spaced relation on a wrap placed on the decoration band; a supply unit for supplying a loose material into the space between the rod-like elements; a cleaning unit for removing contaminants of the bulk material from the rod-like elements; a decorating unit for wrapping the wrapper around the rod-shaped element and the loose material to form a continuous filter rod; a cutting head for cutting the continuous rod into multi-segment filter rods. The cleaning unit may be a unit as described above.

Also disclosed is a method for cleaning a column of rod-shaped elements during the production of filter rods in a tobacco industry machine configured for processing a moving column of rod-shaped elements separated by spaces and partially wrapped with a wrapper, wherein the spaces are filled with a loose material, thereby forming segments of loose material. The method comprises removing contamination of the bulk material in the cleaning zone by moving the covering elements during the column movement in the vicinity of the cleaning elements to a position in which the covering elements at least partially cover the bulk material-filled spaces between the rod elements, wherein the covering elements are moved parallel to the direction of movement of the rod elements in a part of their movement trajectory. The method comprises limiting uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the cleaning zone by providing an outlet baffle over the column of rod-shaped elements at the outlet of the cleaning zone, said outlet baffle comprising a passage through which the covering element passes.

By using the method according to the invention, uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the cleaning zone is limited by applying an outlet baffle over the row of rod-shaped elements at the outlet of the cleaning zone, said outlet baffle comprising a channel through which the covering element passes.

The solution according to the invention achieves a very effective cleaning of the rod-like elements while maintaining a high filling of the space with loose material.

Drawings

The invention is illustrated by way of example embodiments in the drawings, in which:

fig. 1 and 2 show a segment of an example of a continuous multi-segment rod;

FIG. 3 shows an example of a multi-section rod;

figure 4 schematically shows a segment of a machine for producing multi-segment filter rods;

figure 5 shows a segment of the machine for producing multi-segment filter rods in a front view;

figure 6 shows a segment of a machine for producing multi-segment filter rods in a top view;

FIG. 7 shows a section A-A taken from FIG. 5 through the spacing with loose material in the column of rod-like elements;

figure 8 shows a section C-C taken from figure 5 through the rod-shaped element and the suction duct;

figure 9 shows a section B-B taken from figure 5 through a rod element in a column of rod elements;

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of a cleaning element in the form of two compressed air jets;

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of a compressed air nozzle passing through the suction duct;

figure 12 shows a section D-D taken from figure 5 through a rod element in a column of rod elements;

figure 13 shows a section of the machine for producing multi-segment filter rods in a top view.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 show a segment of an example of a continuous multi-segment rod CR1 and CR2 formed by a unit according to the invention, which continuous multi-segment rod CR1 and CR2 are formed by rows of rod-like elements (segments) S1, S2 and SC, respectively, prepared during production, which segments are wrapped in a wrapper 101. Sections S1 and S2 have a solid shape, generally cylindrical, while section SC is formed by bulk material 102 between sections S1 and S1 or sections S1 and S2. A given continuous rod is cut into multi-segment rods. Fig. 3 shows an example of a multi-segment rod R2 formed from a continuous multi-segment rod CR 2.

Figure 4 schematically shows a segment of a machine for producing multi-segment filter rods. The machine comprises a feeding unit 1, which feeding unit 1 is configured for arranging the rod-shaped elements S1 and S2 in a train ST1, wherein the rod-shaped elements S1 and S2 are conveyed in a substantially preset spaced relationship. The stick-like elements S1 and S2 are fed onto the decoration band 5. A wrapping (for example, wrapping paper) is fed onto the conveyor of the decorative tape 5, and the elements S1 and S2 are placed on the wrapping 101. Above the moving train ST1, a filling unit 103 for supplying a bulk material 102 (e.g. activated carbon) to form the segments SC is provided. The lifting edge of the wrapper 101 and the front surface of the elements S1 and S2 form a space 105, and the bulk material 102 is fed from the filling unit 103 into the space 105. The row ST2 of the rod-like elements S1, S2 and SC moving on the decoration band 5 is wrapped in the package 101 by the decoration unit 6, wherein the edge of the package 101 is lifted over a distance where the loose material is filled and cleaned. The decor strip 5 generally forms part of a decorative unit 6. A cleaning unit 104 is provided beside the filling unit 103 to remove contaminants of the bulk material, i.e. particles of the bulk material falling on the surfaces of the stick-shaped elements S1 and S2 in the previous step (i.e. when the bulk material is supplied from the filling unit 103), from the stick-shaped elements. The continuous rod CR formed is further conveyed and, after the decorating unit 6 has glued the wrap 101, it is cut into individual multi-segment rods R by the cutting head 8.

Figure 5 shows an enlarged view of a fragment of the machine for producing filter rods. The column ST1 of rod-shaped elements S1, S2 passes through the filling zone Z1 for feeding the loose material, and next the column ST2, which is a rod-shaped element also comprising loose material, passes through the cleaning zone Z2 and through the decoration zone Z3 to form a continuous filter rod.

Fig. 5 shows the successive steps of the process of feeding the bulk material 102 to the spacing 105 in the filling zone Z1, wherein the filling unit 103 for supplying the bulk material can be constructed in the manner disclosed in PCT application WO2016139198 (in the name of the applicant) or according to other prior art embodiments, such as the embodiments disclosed in US3545345, US3623404, DE1432720B2, EP0568278B 1. Fig. 5 shows only an example of a bag 103A of the filling unit 103.

The cleaning unit 104 is located beside the filling unit 103 and is provided with a covering element 10 mounted on a chain conveyor 15 (shown in fig. 6), which chain conveyor 15 is provided with two chain wheels 16. The covering element 10 may have the form of the element disclosed in PCT application WO2016139198 (in the name of the applicant). The covering element 10 is moved linearly over a section of its movement path parallel to a displacement direction T, which is the movement direction of the rows ST1, ST2 of rod-shaped elements, wherein in addition over a distance they are moved perpendicularly transversely to the displacement direction T in order to approach the space 105 filled with bulk material 102, which can be achieved by means of conventional linear bearings, without the mechanism for achieving this movement being shown in the figure. The downward movement is indicated by arrow F, the upward movement by arrow G and the movement along the column ST2 by arrow H. Fig. 7 shows a covering element 10 with a thin-walled covering part 10A, which covers the space 105.

Above the movement track of the train ST2, in the presented solution, there is provided a cleaning element, which in the presented embodiment has the form of at least one brush 11, 11' for scraping off contaminants in the form of loose material 102 away from the surface of the section S1, S2. Thus, the brushes 11, 11' are contaminant scraping elements. As shown in fig. 8, the cleaning portions 11A (bristles) of the brushes 11, 11' contact the side surfaces of the element S2 (in the given movement step of the cover element 10). The number of brushes 11, 11' in the cleaning zone Z2 can be provided as desired. Above the segmented row ST1, a suction duct 12 is provided, which suction duct 12 can have a plurality of openings or a longitudinal opening, which is arranged directly above the elements S1, S2 parallel to the row ST1, so that the cover part 10A of the cover element 10 can be moved under the duct 12 (as shown in fig. 9).

The cleaning elements may also have the form of compressed air jets which remove the contaminants by blowing them out of the side surfaces of the elements S1, S2. Fig. 10 shows two

compressed air jets

17 and 18 aligned with the recesses formed by the lateral surfaces of the rod-shaped elements S1 and S2 and the wrapper 101. The compressed-

air nozzles

17 and 18 can be directed perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the rod-shaped elements or can be angled with respect to this direction by an angle α as shown in fig. 5, wherein the angle α is preferably in the range from 30 ° to 60 °, for example equal to 45 °. Fig. 11 shows a further embodiment in which the compressed air lance 19 passes through the suction pipe 12. Similarly, the compressed air nozzle 19 is aimed at the recess between the elements S1, S2 and the wrapper 101. Positioning the outlet of the compressed air lance 19 within the inlet of the suction duct 12 (in principle within the inlet of the suction element) causes additional air turbulence which increases the lifting of the contaminants from the surface of the rod-like elements S1, S2.

The cleaning element may have the form of an element made of soft plastic which covers the edge to remove contaminants. The plastic cleaning elements may be fixed or rotatable.

The column ST2 leaving the cleaning zone Z2 is ready for the formation of a continuous filter rod CR from this column, which is effected in the trimming zone Z3. In the decoration zone Z3, there are glue jets 13 and guide elements (not shown in the figures for the sake of clarity, but known from the prior art) for bending the edges of the wrappings in order to join them and glue them to form a continuous filter rod.

Filling the cavity 105 with the loose material 102 from the bag 103A may result in not all of the loose material being transferred to the cavity 105. A portion of the particles with a certain velocity may bounce back from the rod-shaped elements S1, S2 or from the wrapper 101 and subsequently fall onto the surface of the elements S1, S2, wherein falling of the particles of the bulk material 102 may occur at any location, for example, just before gluing the edges of the wrapper.

Cleaning of the bulk material in the cleaning unit 104 by the cleaning elements 11, 11' and the suction duct 12 for contaminants can result in removal of a large portion of the contaminants. However, there is a risk that some contaminants are lifted above the elements S1, S2 but are not received by the draft tube 12. Therefore, there is a risk that: these contaminants fall further on the elements S1, S2 or between the edges of the wrap which will glue together with the contaminants between these surfaces. In order to eliminate the risk of uncontrolled displacement of contamination between the filling unit 103, the cleaning unit 104 and the decoration unit 6,

partitions

14, 124, 34, 44, 54 are provided and arranged above the segmented moving train. Due to the fact that the operating area of these units may be different from the area occupied by the units themselves, the problem of contamination displacement may be defined as an uncontrolled displacement of contaminants between the filling zone Z1, the cleaning zone Z2 and the decoration zone Z3 for forming the sticks.

In the solution presented, there is a significantly higher risk of contamination displacement between the cleaning zone Z2 and the decorative zone Z3, since not all the bulk material particles lifted by the cleaning elements can be received by the suction tube 12. These particles may again fall onto the rod-like elements S1, S2. The outlet baffle 34, which is located on the side of the decoration zone Z3 (at the outlet of the cleaning zone Z2), serves to limit uncontrolled displacement of the loose-material particles from the cleaning zone Z2 to the decoration zone Z3. The inlet baffle 24 is located on the filling zone Z1 side (at the inlet of the cleaning zone Z2) and serves to restrict uncontrolled displacement of material particles from the filling zone Z1 to the cleaning zone Z2. The outlet baffle 34 and the inlet baffle 24 may be similar to each other. The outlet baffle 34 and the inlet baffle 24 may be formed as a single-part or multi-part baffle. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary embodiment in which the inlet baffle 24 is a two-part baffle made up of

portions

24A and 24B. Between the

portions

24A and 24B there is a passage 25 through which the covering element 10 can pass. Likewise, fig. 8 shows an embodiment in which the outlet baffle 34 is also a two-part baffle and consists of

parts

34A and 34B. Between the

portions

34A and 34B a passage 35 is provided through which the covering element 10 can pass. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the inlet baffle 24 is located in front of the brush 11 and the outlet baffle 34 is located behind the brush 11'. In another embodiment, the brushes 11, 11' may be located in the

channels

25, 35. As a result, the

channels

25, 35 effectively narrow so that there is only space for the covering element 10 to pass through. The

partitions

24, 34 may have surfaces disposed obliquely (at an acute angle) with respect to the direction of movement T of the row ST2, so that contaminant particles may be rejected outside the trajectory of movement of the row of rod-shaped elements. The

baffles

24, 34 may be flat or arcuate. In fig. 13, the inlet baffle 24 'is flat and disposed diagonally, while the outlet baffle 34' is arched and disposed diagonally. The end baffle 44 is located at the entrance of the decor area, just in front of the glue spout 13 in the area where the edges of the wrapper 101 are bent towards each other before gluing. As shown in fig. 12, in the lower edge of the end baffle 44 is a recess 20 for receiving the edge of the wrapper 101. To prevent contamination from being displaced to the decorative zone Z3 for the formation of successive filter rods CR, a shielding baffle 54 (shown in broken lines in figure 6) is provided with its major surface parallel to the direction of movement of the column ST2, i.e. the horizontal direction. Just before starting the wrapping process of the wrapper 101, the shield 54 prevents the contaminants from being displaced to the sections S1, S2. The presented embodiment makes use of an initial barrier 14 between the filling zone Z2 and the cleaning zone Z2, at the outlet of the filling zone Z1, which initial barrier 14 serves to prevent displacement of contaminants outside the filling unit 103 in the direction of the cleaning unit 104.

Claims

1. A cleaning unit for a machine of the tobacco industry,

-wherein the tobacco industry machine is configured for processing a moving train (ST 2) of rod-shaped elements (S1, S2) separated by spaces (105) and partially wrapped with a wrapper (101), wherein the spaces (105) are filled with a loose material (102), forming Sections (SC) of loose material;

-wherein the cleaning unit (104) is located in a cleaning zone (Z2) in the tobacco industry machine, the cleaning zone (Z2) being located between:

-a filling zone (Z1) for filling the bulk material (102) into the spaces (105) between the rod-like elements (S1, S2); and

a decoration zone (Z3) for forming the moving train (ST 2) of rod-like elements (S1, S2) into a continuous filter rod (CR);

-wherein the cleaning unit (104) is configured for removing contaminants of the bulk material (102) from the rod-like elements (S1, S2), the section of bulk material (SC) and the wrapper (101);

-and wherein the cleaning unit (104) comprises:

-at least one cleaning element positioned in said cleaning zone (Z2) for removing contaminants of said loose material (102) from said rod-like elements (S1, S2);

-at least one suction element for removing contaminants of said loose material (102) from said rod-like elements (S1, S2);

-a movement mechanism (15) configured for moving the covering element (10) to a position in which the covering element (10) at least partially covers the space (105) between the rod-shaped elements (S1, S2) filled with the bulk material (102) during the movement of the moving train (ST 2) in the vicinity of the suction elements;

-and wherein the covering element (10) is configured at a portion of its trajectory of movement for moving parallel to the direction of movement of the rod-like element (S1, S2);

the cleaning unit is characterized in that it is provided with,

-the cleaning unit (104) further comprises:

-an outlet baffle (34) at the outlet of the cleaning zone (Z2) for limiting uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the cleaning zone (Z2) to the decoration zone (Z3), the outlet baffle (34) being located above the moving column (ST 2) of rod-like elements and having a passage (35) through which the covering element (10) passes.

2. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises an inlet baffle (24) arranged at the inlet of the cleaning zone (Z2) for limiting uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the filling zone (Z1) to the cleaning zone (Z2).

3. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an end baffle (44) located at the entrance of the decoration zone (Z3) for limiting uncontrolled migration of contaminants from the cleaning zone (Z2) to the decoration zone (Z3), this end baffle (44) being located above the rod-like elements and having a notch (20) through which the edge of the wrapper (101) passes.

4. The cleaning unit according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a shielding partition (54), which shielding partition (54) has a surface parallel to the direction of movement (T), is located in front of the end partition (44) with respect to the direction of movement (T), and serves to limit uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the cleaning zone (Z2) onto the rod-shaped elements (S1, S2) of the moving train (ST 2).

5. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises an initial partition (14) located at the outlet of the filling zone (Z1) for limiting uncontrolled displacement of contaminants from the filling zone (Z1) to the cleaning zone (Z2).

6. The cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that at least one partition is positioned transversely to the direction of movement (T).

7. The cleaning unit according to any of claims 1-5, characterized in that at least one partition has the form of a flat plate.

8. The cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one partition has the form of a dome plate.

9. The cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least one partition has a main surface directed at an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement (T).

10. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the covering element (10) has a thin-walled covering element (10A).

11. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction element has the form of a suction tube (12) with a longitudinal suction opening.

12. Cleaning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning element is a scraping element in the form of a brush (11, 11').

13. Cleaning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning element is a scraping element in the form of a compressed air lance (17, 18, 19).

14. A machine for the tobacco industry for producing multi-segment filter rods, the machine comprising:

-a feeding unit for arranging the rod-like elements (S1, S2) in a row (ST 1) in spaced relation on a wrapping (101) placed on the decor strip (5);

-a supply unit for supplying loose material into the spaces (105) between the rod-like elements (S1, S2);

-a cleaning unit (104) for removing contaminants of the bulk material (102) from the rod-like elements (S1, S2);

-a decorating unit (6) for wrapping said wrapping (101) on said rod-like elements (S1, S2) and on said loose material to form a continuous filter rod (CR);

-a cutting head (8) for cutting said continuous filter rod (CR) into multi-segment filter rods (R);

the machine is characterized in that it is provided with,

-the cleaning unit (104) is a unit according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A method for cleaning a moving train of rod-shaped elements (ST 2) during the production of filter rods in a machine of the tobacco industry,

-wherein the tobacco industry machine is configured for processing a moving train (ST 2) of rod-shaped elements (S1, S2) separated by spaces (105) and partially wrapped with a wrapper (101), wherein the spaces (105) are filled with a loose material (102), forming Sections (SC) of the loose material;

-the method comprises removing contamination of the bulk material (102) in a cleaning zone (Z2) by moving a covering element (10) during the movement of the moving column (ST 2) in the vicinity of the cleaning elements to a position in which the covering element at least partially covers the space (105) between the rod elements (S1, S2) filled with the bulk material (102), wherein the covering elements (10) are moved parallel to the direction of movement (T) of the rod elements (S1, S2) in a part of their movement trajectory,

the method is characterized in that:

-limiting the uncontrolled displacement of pollutants from the cleaning zone (Z2) by providing an outlet baffle (34) above the moving train of rod-like elements (ST 2) at the outlet of the cleaning zone (Z2), the outlet baffle (34) comprising a passage (35) through which the covering element (10) passes.