EP0875159A1 - Kontrollierte vorrichtung zur Öffnung von Tabak - Google Patents

Kontrollierte vorrichtung zur Öffnung von Tabak Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0875159A1
EP0875159A1 EP98303333A EP98303333A EP0875159A1 EP 0875159 A1 EP0875159 A1 EP 0875159A1 EP 98303333 A EP98303333 A EP 98303333A EP 98303333 A EP98303333 A EP 98303333A EP 0875159 A1 EP0875159 A1 EP 0875159A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
rolls
tobacco
pair
roll
tangled
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP98303333A
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English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Richard John Forsyth
Victor Albert Montgomery White
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
GBE International PLC
Original Assignee
GBE International PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by GBE International PLC filed Critical GBE International PLC
Publication of EP0875159A1 publication Critical patent/EP0875159A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/39—Tobacco feeding devices

Definitions

  • Tobacco leaf comprises a mid-rib or stem and thinner section of leaf known as lamina. From the mid-rib, smaller stem and veins run through the lamina section. In processing the tobacco leaf a threshing process is used to remove as much as is practicable of the stem and vein. However some stem and vein will remain with threshed lamina. and hence exist with that threshed lamina as residual stem.
  • stem residual in threshed tobacco lamina ranges from about 1 to 4 % with the target level being set by the user of the threshed tobacco lamina.
  • the lower the target figure of residual stem the more aggressively the leaf must be threshed.
  • This aggressive threshing results in a product in which there is an unacceptably high percentage of threshed lamina which is of small particle size which reduces the yield of the usable product. Hence there is more waste and the tobacco is of lower final filling power.
  • the tobacco After threshing, the tobacco is cut.
  • the residual stem remaining in the threshed lamina will be cut with the lamina and become entangled within the cut lamina. Some of these larger particles can be removed by a winnower. However the smaller pieces remain as needles or slithers, which, as well as reducing the filling power of the lamina are objectionable to the smoker, and can cause holes or tears in the cigarette paper thus reducing cigarette making efficiency.
  • the cut lamina Before being passed to the cigarette maker, the cut lamina is combined with cut tobacco in a number of different processes. When combining the tobaccos, further residual objectionable tobaccos may become entangled in the strands of cut lamina.
  • Pneumatic separation such as that in EP-A-91902269.9 and 88910091.3 and GB-A-2157411, is achieved by lifting and removing good product and permitting objectionable product to drop out to a reject location.
  • a pneumatic separator consists of a chamber in which there is an air stream directed vertically upwards and that product to be separated is introduced into a chamber in a substantially horizontal direction part way up the vertical chamber.
  • the terminal velocity of a particle is dependent on its mass, shape, size and orientation to the air stream. The greater the difference in terminal velocity between the product to be accepted (good product) and to be rejected (objectionable) the easier it is to pneumatically separate the particles.
  • Tobacco is normally transported in compressed bales and hence the tobacco is tangled. in order to create the situation where objectionable stem can be separated we must first untangle/open the tobacco.
  • each particle and strand of tobacco exists as a separate item. In this form the air stream in the separator has access to, and can act upon each individual particle.
  • the untangllng is preferably achieved by conveying a mass of tangled product in such a way that the leading portion of the mass is advanced at a higher rate than the trailing portion. In this way the distance between the leading and trailing portions is increased in the desired direction.
  • An apparatus for stretching the mass of tobacco in this way may consist of sequentially adjacent surfaces spaced in the direction of travel. Each surface has a plurality of teeth for engaging the tangled strands of cut lamina.
  • the downstream surface conveys the cut iamina at a greater rate than the upstream surface, the distance between the surfaces being such that the downstream surface engages the product before it leaves the upstream surface.
  • the surfaces have a plurality of teeth, these teeth mesh in the gap between the surfaces, whereby in use, a leading portion of the mass of tobacco in contact with a set of teeth on the first surface is moved into the gap between the surfaces and comes into contact with a set of teeth on the second surface.
  • the relative speeds of the sequentially adjacent surfaces stretch and loosen the mass of strands until a trailing portion of the tangled mass is advanced out of engagement with the teeth on its first surface.
  • These surfaces advantageously comprise the circumferential surfaces of a sequence of rolls, with the speed of rotation progressively higher in the direction of travel.
  • the stretching of the tangled bunch is sufficient to sever excessively long strands of cut lamina so that only strands having a length below a predetermined upper limit are fed to the subsequent device.
  • the present application provides apparatus whereby both flow regulation and opening occur simultaneously.
  • the present invention provides apparatus for opening tangled tobacco comprising one pair of rotating rolls positioned across a flow path for tobacco, means to drive a downstream roll of the pair to convey the tobacco at a greater rate than the upstream roll, and the speed of the rolls being variable so as to regulate flow of the tobacco through the apparatus, a further pair of rotating rolls, means to drive a downstream roll of the further pair to convey the tobacco at a greater rate than the upstream roll to thereby open the tangled tobacco, the arrangement being such that, in use, said tobacco passes from one pair of rolls to the other pair of rolls.
  • said one pair of rolls is disposed upstream of said further pair of rolls, and said one pair of rolls, in addition to regulating flow, at least partially opens the tangled tobacco.
  • Figure 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section of a tobacco opener according to a first embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 2 is a diagrammatic vertical section of a tobacco opener according to a second embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 3 is a diagrammatic vertical section of a tobacco opener according to a third embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 4 is a diagrammatic vertical section of a tobacco opener according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.
  • the tobacco opener of the present invention controls the flow and provides a directional discharge of the tobacco.
  • an opening apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a rectangular tube 10 which is mounted in a vertical or near vertical direction, the top 11 of which is open for the receipt of a tangled mass of tobacco fed from a transporter device such as a conveyor (not shown). Situated in the tube 10 are two sets of opposed, rolls (12, 13 and 14, 15) positioned across a flow path for the tobacco. In figure 1, rolls 12, 13, 14, 15 all rotate in a clockwise direction, whereas in Figure 3, rolls 12 and 13 are counter rotating, roll 12 rotating clockwise and roll 13 anticlockwise, and similarly rolls 14, 15 are also counter rotating with roll 14 rotating clockwise and roll 15 rotating anticlockwise.
  • the upper roll set (12, 13) is for regulation of the flow of material through the apparatus whilst performing moderate opening.
  • Tne second lower set of rolls (14, 15) fully open the tobacco whilst imparting a desired directional path to the product leaving the apparatus. All of the rolls are driven in the directions indicated by arrows in the Figure, downstream roll 13 at higher speed than upstream roll 12 and downstream roll 14 at a higher speed than upstream roll 15.
  • the regulatory rolls (12, 13) are located a distance below the top of the tube (10) thus allowing guidance of the tobacco by a curved guide 16 onto the leading roll (12).
  • Tne circumferential surface of all rolls (12, 13, 14, 15) are covered in a plurality of pins (not shown). These pins can be normal to the surface though more preferably can be inclined, ideally forwards relative to the direction of the rotation. The exact arrangement of pins depends on the product to be processed.
  • the leading roll (12) advances the tangled product towards the second roll (13) in the pair.
  • the second roll has a plurality of pins arranged on its surface, although the density and pattern will differ from roll (12).
  • the arrangement of the rolls (12, 13) is such that the distance between the rolls is adjustable, depending on the material and the extent of aggressive processing required. At the closest adjustment, the pins of the adjacent rollers will mesh.
  • the motor means (not shown) which rotates the rolls (12, 13) is a variable speed motor means and control of the speed of the rolls (in which a drive means such as suitable gears arranges that the second roll 13 or, at least, its relevant peripheral surface, always rotates faster than the leading roll 12), will regulate the flow of tobacco through these rolls (12, 13), whilst maintaining their objective to partially open the product.
  • the partially opened tobacco passes down from rolls (12, 13) to the region between the two roll sets.
  • two limit detectors are located in the tube 10 at a position providing the uppermost desired level of tobacco. The detectors act to maintain a near constant level of tobacco above rolls (14, 15) by adjustment of the speed of rolls (12, 13) and the conveyor to the top of the tube. Therefore it can e seen that the speed of rolls (14, 15) are required to be a function of the speed of the rolls (12, 13) above.
  • the motor means (not shown) which drives the rolls (14, 15) include a drive means such as gears which arranges that the second roll (15), or, at least, its relevant peripheral surface, always rotates faster than the roll (14). These second rolls (14, 15) have the effect of fully opening the tobacco whilst feeding the tobacco vertically down to a subsequent apparatus.
  • Figures 2 and 4 are similar.
  • the arrangement of the upper rolls 12, 13 and guide 16 in Figures 2 and 4 are similar to Figures 1 and 3 respectively (although oppositely disposed in the drawings) but the lower rolls 14, 15 and guide 17 are arranged to discharge the material to one side rather than vertically downwards.
  • the roll 15 is disposed above the roll 14 rather than to one side as in Figures 1 and 3.
  • the speed control of the rolls in either case can be by electronic control or by fixed mechanical means (i.e. belt and pulley), with the latter being generally preferred when the product is of predictable quality and characteristics.
  • the spacing between the rolls is monitored at either end of the rolls such that the parallel alignment of the rolls can be maintained.
  • the guides 16, 17 (such as those illustrated but not fixed by the figures used) in the tobacco stream to ensure the tobacco is fed into the rolls without undue residence or degradation in the apparatus.
  • So-called "cleaning" combs or rolls may be provided to prevent the return of product into the apparatus via the discharge rolls. Also, in the arrangement of Figure 2 and 4, air may be passed up the tube 10.

Landscapes

  • Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)
EP98303333A 1997-04-29 1998-04-29 Kontrollierte vorrichtung zur Öffnung von Tabak Withdrawn EP0875159A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9708717.5A GB9708717D0 (en) 1997-04-29 1997-04-29 Regulatory opening device
GB9708717 1997-04-29

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0875159A1 true EP0875159A1 (de) 1998-11-04

Family

ID=10811560

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP98303333A Withdrawn EP0875159A1 (de) 1997-04-29 1998-04-29 Kontrollierte vorrichtung zur Öffnung von Tabak

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0875159A1 (de)
GB (2) GB9708717D0 (de)

Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1755081A (en) * 1926-01-29 1930-04-15 Messrs Neuerburg Sche Verwaltu Means for loosening and spreading cut tobacco
US3903901A (en) * 1968-08-23 1975-09-09 Hauni Werke Koerber & Co Kg Method and apparatus for manipulating tobacco
US4121596A (en) * 1975-08-26 1978-10-24 Molins Limited Cigarette making machines
FR2492635A1 (fr) * 1980-10-23 1982-04-30 Rothmans Of Pall Mall Procede et distributeur pour former un boudin d'un flux de brins de tabac dans la fabrication de cigarettes
GB2157411A (en) 1984-04-14 1985-10-23 Hambro Machinery Ltd Elutriator
EP0307070A2 (de) * 1987-05-22 1989-03-15 Companhia Souza Cruz Industria E Comercio Tabakzufuhr
WO1989004802A2 (en) 1987-11-26 1989-06-01 Hambro Machinery Limited Conveying apparatus and separation apparatus
WO1991010611A1 (en) 1990-01-19 1991-07-25 Christopher Philip Morris Improvements relating to conveying and separation apparatus
GB2246502A (en) * 1988-02-10 1992-02-05 Molins Plc Separating particles of stranded material
WO1996031134A1 (en) 1995-04-05 1996-10-10 Gbe International Plc Tobacco processing method and apparatus

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB784594A (de) * 1900-01-01
GB1047982A (en) * 1962-02-22 1966-11-09 Molins Organisation Ltd Apparatus for feeding cut tobacco to form a continuous tobacco filler

Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1755081A (en) * 1926-01-29 1930-04-15 Messrs Neuerburg Sche Verwaltu Means for loosening and spreading cut tobacco
US3903901A (en) * 1968-08-23 1975-09-09 Hauni Werke Koerber & Co Kg Method and apparatus for manipulating tobacco
US4121596A (en) * 1975-08-26 1978-10-24 Molins Limited Cigarette making machines
FR2492635A1 (fr) * 1980-10-23 1982-04-30 Rothmans Of Pall Mall Procede et distributeur pour former un boudin d'un flux de brins de tabac dans la fabrication de cigarettes
GB2157411A (en) 1984-04-14 1985-10-23 Hambro Machinery Ltd Elutriator
EP0307070A2 (de) * 1987-05-22 1989-03-15 Companhia Souza Cruz Industria E Comercio Tabakzufuhr
WO1989004802A2 (en) 1987-11-26 1989-06-01 Hambro Machinery Limited Conveying apparatus and separation apparatus
GB2246502A (en) * 1988-02-10 1992-02-05 Molins Plc Separating particles of stranded material
WO1991010611A1 (en) 1990-01-19 1991-07-25 Christopher Philip Morris Improvements relating to conveying and separation apparatus
WO1996031134A1 (en) 1995-04-05 1996-10-10 Gbe International Plc Tobacco processing method and apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9809189D0 (en) 1998-07-01
GB2324702A (en) 1998-11-04
GB9708717D0 (en) 1997-06-18

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