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
  • A24C5/35—Adaptations of conveying apparatus for transporting cigarettes from making machine to packaging machine
  • A24C5/352—Adaptations of conveying apparatus for transporting cigarettes from making machine to packaging machine using containers, i.e. boats
  • A24C5/358—Boat constructions
• • 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
  • A24C5/35—Adaptations of conveying apparatus for transporting cigarettes from making machine to packaging machine
  • A24C5/352—Adaptations of conveying apparatus for transporting cigarettes from making machine to packaging machine using containers, i.e. boats
  • A24C5/354—Filling the boats at the making machine

Definitions

• Container Container, device and method for transporting rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry
• the invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 1, a device according to the preamble of claim 13 and a container according to the preamble of claim 23.
• “Rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry” are understood here in particular to mean cigarettes, filter cigarettes and filter rods. For the sake of simplicity, we will only speak of cigarettes in the following.
• the cigarettes for transport from the production machines to the packaging machines are packed in containers, which are referred to in the prior art as slants.
• Special filling devices have been developed for this purpose.
• the bevels are usually filled from the side, the cuboid bevels being open to the side.
• the cigarettes are either in single layers in single layers pushed the slants or inserted in several previously formed partial stocks.
• a device or a method of the type mentioned is known from DE-OS 21 45 1 33. Since the bevels for emptying are also open towards the top, they can also be filled from above, as described, for example, in DE 31 03 836.
• the bevels can then be stored temporarily or fed directly to appropriate packaging machines for packing the cigarettes.
• the cigarettes are prevented from falling out of the inclines by gravity and the resulting mutual friction between the cigarettes.
• falling out is made more difficult by slightly tilting the bevels during transport.
• special devices are required to transport the inclined slants.
• tray emptiers tilt the slopes by 180 ° and empty the cigarettes through the upper opening of the slopes into the magazine of the packaging machine.
• Such a device, which has a tilting tilt mechanism is known, for example, from its own DE 1 6 32 204.
• the object of the present invention is to provide methods, devices and containers of the type mentioned at the outset which enable a more efficient and flexible filling of containers for transporting the cigarettes compared to the prior art.
• a method according to claim 1, a device according to claim 13 and a container according to claim 23 is achieved by a method according to claim 1, a device according to claim 13 and a container according to claim 23.
• the advantages of the invention are, in particular, that due to the filling of the containers located in a preferably gap-free row of containers from a continuous, i.e. in the same direction, preferably continuous, i.e. uninterrupted, mass flow a significantly more efficient filling of containers with cigarettes can be achieved. Because of the gapless row of containers, it is possible to fill the cigarettes from the mass flow into the containers with almost no gaps.
• the invention includes the knowledge that, in particular due to the converging mass flow of cigarettes and uninterrupted container flow at an acute angle, a particularly gentle, fast and almost perfect arrangement of cigarettes in the containers enables filling of the containers. It has been found that the direction of movement of the container flow with the direction of movement of the mass flow of cigarettes should include an acute angle of less than 40 °, more preferably less than 30 °, in order to maximize the performance of such a method.
• the invention further includes the finding that due to the movable Bottom of the container or the continuous lowering of the container bottom while passing through a filling section - with the aid of a corresponding lowering device for the bottom arranged on a filling section - the cigarettes can be filled gently and continuously and above all from a mass flow into the individual containers.
• the continuous transition of the mass flow of the cigarettes into the actual filling process and finally into the container itself makes a change of direction of the cigarettes superfluous. This also achieves a considerable increase in the speed of such devices.
• the method according to the invention can be carried out reversibly by simply lifting the bottom of the container with the same, but backwards-running device, and thus emptying the container. Therefore, according to the invention, only one device is required to carry out both the filling and the emptying of the containers.
• the bottom of the container is lowered in such a way that there is a constant distance between the bottom and the limitation of the mass flow facing away from the bottom during the stay of the footpath. This prevents the mass flow from being compressed during the filling process on the filling section.
• the articles should generally be supplied to the containers and filled into them transversely to the longitudinal axis of the containers, in order to be able to guide the mass flow of cigarettes to the filling route in the manner known from the cigarette industry and to sink them into the containers.
• the means for filling the container with the cigarettes from a continuous mass flow preferably have means for lowering a bottom of the container remaining in the container relative to the container.
• These means for lowering are preferably provided in the area of the footpath and more preferably have a positive guidance for the bottom of the container in the area of the footpath.
• This positive guidance can, for example, have guides for guiding the bottom of the container, which guides are arranged on the side of the footing path, in which guides corresponding lugs or rollers, which are movable parallel to the end faces of the container, can engage. These lugs or rollers are then connected to the bottom of the container. In this way, the device according to the invention can be implemented particularly easily.
• the positive guidance is preferably designed such that it is arranged in the feed device parallel to a boundary for the cigarettes facing away from the feed path. In this way, the mass flow is not compressed in the device during the filling process on the filling section.
• means are also provided for forming a row of containers without gaps, at least in the area of the footpath, which means preferably an additional means provided in addition to a conveyor belt for the containers to and from the footpath, which forcibly guides the containers at least in the area of the footpath second conveyor belt, which more preferably runs at a lower speed than the infeed and outfeed conveyor belt.
• the first conveyor belt which thus runs at a higher speed than the second conveyor belt, which conveys the containers in a positive guidance, presses the containers together in the region of the filling path, so that a gapless row of containers is created.
• the forced tour ends after leaving the footpath.
• the faster-running first conveyor belt can fill the filled containers from the filling section or from the one behind in the conveying direction Accelerate the container lying down.
• the spacing between the two containers necessary for the further processing and, if necessary, separation of the containers can be established.
• the bottom of the container is constructed from links arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal extent of the bottom, which are connected to one another in pairs.
• adjacent links are connected to one another by mounting in pairs on a common axis, which axis preferably protrudes outwards at the same time through corresponding slots in the side walls of the container, which slots run parallel to the end faces of the containers and can thus come into engagement with the positive guidance for the floor.
• the axles can also carry small rollers that run in the positive guidance.
• the addressed members of the base are mounted with play on the common axis.
• the axles are provided with extensive openings. At least the sections of the addressed axes lying in the openings are smaller than the width of the openings to enable play.
• the axes can be dog-bone-shaped in cross-section, which increases the rotatability of the members mounted in this way about these axes, but avoids vertical slagging.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 shows a detail of the device according to FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 shows the device according to FIG. 1 in a representation without a container, but with drives for the device;
• FIG. 4 shows one of the containers used in the device according to FIG. 1 in a perspective view
• FIG. 5 the container according to FIG. 4 with partially opened side walls
• FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of a container according to the invention
• Fig. 7 is a perspective and enlarged detail view of the limbs of
• FIG. 8 shows the view of FIG. 7 with partially detached from the axes
• FIG. 9 shows a side view of the illustration according to FIG. 8, but the respective axes for clarifying the function are shown in each link.
• 1 shows a perspective view of a device 1 according to the invention.
• the device is used to fill containers 2 with cigarettes, not shown.
• the device 1 can, however, also be used to fill the containers 2 with other articles of the tobacco processing industry.
• the device 1 shown schematically in FIG. 1 has a mounting plate 4 to which the components of the device 1 described below are fastened with conventional fastening means, not shown, however. Furthermore, the device 1 has a filling section 6 for filling the containers 2, a feed device for feeding the containers 2 to the filling section 6, a feed device 10 for feeding the cigarettes to the filling section 6, and means 1 2 for filling the containers 2 with them Feed device 10 fed cigarettes from a continuous (not shown) mass flow of cigarettes.
• the aforementioned components of the device 1 are described in more detail below.
• the containers 2 used are described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9.
• the feed device 8 for feeding the containers 2 to the feed section has a first feed and discharge belt 14.
• the infeed and outfeed conveyor belt 14 consists of several sections arranged in series, of which only one section is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.
• the infeed and outfeed conveyor belt 14 (see above all FIG. 3) has a horizontally running endless belt 16 serving as the actual conveyor belt and rollers 18 and 20 around which the endless belt 16 rotates.
• the second roller 20 is driven by an electric motor 26 via a belt 22 and a gear 24.
• the function of the conveyor belt 14 is as follows:
• the endless belt 16 To feed and remove the container 2, these are placed on the endless belt 16 and by frictional engagement of the bottom of the container 2 with the surface of the Endless belt 1 6 entrained by the endless belt 1 6, as is shown schematically in FIG. 1 with the aid of four containers 2 located one behind the other on the infeed and outfeed belt 14.
• the infeed and outfeed conveyor belt 14 conveys the containers 2 for filling them (see FIGS. 1 to 3) from right to left through the filling section 6.
• the feed device 10 for feeding the cigarettes to the feed section 6 forms an i.w. vertically above the feed and discharge belt 14. parallel to the infeed and outfeed conveyor belt 14, but constantly on this incoming mass flow conveyor for the cigarettes.
• the mass flow conveyor 10 has a lower limit 28 and an upper limit 30.
• the mass flow of cigarettes also moves from right to left, i.e. lower limit 28 and upper limit 30 in Figs. from the start 32 shown on the right of the feed device 10 to the confluence of the mass flow between ends 34 and 36 of the lower and upper limits 28 and 30 of the feed device 10 into the feed section 6.
• Both the lower boundary 28 and the upper boundary 30 are formed by the surfaces of short belts 38, which are spaced apart from one another by four rollers 40. 1 and 2, four bands 38 are arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart. In the gaps 42 formed by the spacing further belts 38 'are guided, which are arranged offset to one another in such a way that they only comprise the outer pair of rollers 44 of the four rollers 40, while at the same time the pair of rollers 46 lying next to the outer pair 44 of the next comprise four rollers 40 '. In this way, there is an alternating surface of the upper boundary 30 formed by seven, then four, then again seven, then three, then again 7, then again four, etc., arranged in parallel. The lower boundary 28 is constructed accordingly.
• FIG. 3 shows the electric motor 48, which has been omitted from FIG. 1, for driving the lower boundary 28 and the electric motor 50 for driving the upper boundary 30 of the feed device 10.
• the electric motor 48 drives directly via a gear 52 via a connection, not shown of the rollers 40 of the lower limit 28.
• the electric motor 50 drives a belt 56 via a gear 54, which is guided over a plurality of deflection rollers 58 and drives several of the rollers 40 of the upper limit 30.
• the spacing of the lower boundary 28 and the upper boundary 30 in the area 60 adjacent to the footpath 6 (see FIG. 1) of the device 1 is constantly parallel, so that there is no compression of the mass flow of cigarettes in this area.
• the elasticity of the bands 38 is also such that there is no loading of the cigarettes touching the lower 28 or upper limit 30 in the mass flow.
• the mode of operation of the feed device 10 is otherwise the same as in known mass flow conveyors.
• FIG. 2 shows that the lower limit 28 ending at the beginning 62 of the feed section 6 is provided at its end 34 with wedge-shaped extensions 64 in order to ensure a continuous transition of the mass flow from the feed device 10 and in particular from the lower limit 28 to the one shown in FIG 2 to allow the floor 66 of the container 2 located at this point to be raised.
• a deflecting roller 68 located at the end 34 is correspondingly reduced in diameter for the bands 38 'forming the end 34, so that the bands 38' can be brought to the greatest possible extent almost up to the tips 70 of the wedges 64, to be a burden here Avoid cigarettes through an uneven transition into container 2.
• the means 1 2 for filling the container 2 with the cigarettes from the continuous mass flow comprise the continuous transition just described, generated by the wedges 64 and by the rollers 68 with reduced diameter, of the lower limit 28 of the mass flow into the start 62 of the filling section 6.
• the means 1 2 further comprise lowering means 72 for lowering a bottom 66 of the container 2 remaining in the individual container 2 relative to this container 2.
• the lowering means 72 are provided in the area of the footpath 6 and form a forced guide in the area of the footpath 6 Bottoms 66 of the containers 2 remaining in the containers 2.
• the lowering means 72 comprise a positive guide 74.
• the positive guide 74 consists of a U-profile 76 with its open side facing the containers 2.
• the profile 76 is in its course according to FIG.
• the functioning of the means 1 2 is as follows:
• the container for the purpose of positive guidance by the positive guidance 74 has, in particular, arranged in the side walls 82 of the container 2 in parallel to the end faces 81 slot-like openings that run from the upper end 80 of the container 2 to the lower end 86 of the container 2.
• the containers 2 shown in FIG. 1 have six such slot-like openings 84; however, any other number is also conceivable. In these slots 84, outwardly projecting extensions of the container bottom 66, which are formed here by rollers 88, can move up and down.
• the rollers 88 of the container bottom 66 of the containers 2 enter the open end 90 of the positive guide 74.
• the positive guide 74 can rollers 88 of the container bottom located in the U-shaped profile 76 of the positive guide 74 press down continuously and thus also move the container bottom 66 downward in accordance with the course of the forced guide 74.
• the positive guide 74 is arranged parallel to the upper boundary 30 of the feed device 10 in such a way that there is no compression or flow apart of the mass flow of cigarettes lying between the container bottom 66 and the upper boundary 30.
• the means 1 2 for filling the containers 2 also include merging means 92.
• the merging means 92 which can be clearly seen in FIG. the containers 2 in the area of the feed section 6, the second, horizontally running conveyor belt 94, which leads positively.
• the second conveyor belt 94 runs at a lower conveying speed than the infeed and outfeed conveyor belt 14.
• the second conveyor belt 94 consists essentially of a belt 96, and of guide pins 98 arranged on the belt 96 transversely axially and spaced apart in the longitudinal extension of the belt 96.
• the second conveyor belt 94 can alternatively also be designed as a chain.
• the belt 94 runs as an endless belt over two deflection rollers 100 and 102 at the beginning 62 and at the end 78 of the feed section 6.
• the pulley 102 is driven via a drive shaft 104, a belt 106 driving this drive shaft 104 and an electric motor 110 driving the belt 106 via a transmission 108.
• the containers 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are intended to transfer the slower conveying speed of the second conveyor belt 94 to the containers 2 standing on the first conveyor belt 14.
• the containers 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 on the underside 86 in the side walls 82 of the container 2 provided recesses 1 1 2.
• the containers 2 also have recesses 1 14 in the end faces 81, also at the lower end 86 thereof, in which the belt 96 of the second conveyor belt 94 comes to rest when the containers 2 stand on the flat belt 1 6 of the first conveyor belt 14.
• the function of the merging means 92 is as follows:
• the containers 2 are conveyed from the infeed and outfeed conveyor belt 14 on the flat belt 1 6 at a certain speed in the direction of the filling section 6.
• the recess 114 of each container 2 receives the belt 96 of the second conveyor belt 94.
• the belt 96 moves with respect to the flat belt 16 at a lower conveying speed. This means that after a certain period of time a container 2 is moved relative to the belt 96 until a guide pin 98 comes to rest in its recess 1 1 2. At this moment, the container 2 is braked by the guide pin 98 in the recess 1 1 2 to the slower conveying speed of the belt 96.
• FIGS. 4 and 5 show one of the containers 2 from FIG. 1 in a perspective individual illustration. It is the container 2 standing at the beginning of the filling section 6. In this case, a front section 11 6 of the base 66 is already partially lowered by the positive guide 74 (not shown in FIG. 4) according to FIGS. 1 to 3.
• the bottom 66 forms a stepless surface for the cigarettes to be picked up.
• the bottom 66 is formed in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the bottom 66 from one another arranged links 118.
• the links 1 1 8 are mounted on their ends facing the ends 81 of the container 2 on axes 1 20. Two adjacent links 1 1 8 are always mounted in pairs on an axis 1 20.
• the links 1 1 8 themselves in turn consist of four link elements 1 22 arranged side by side, parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another.
• FIG. 5 shows the container 2 according to FIG. 4 in a view in which the side walls 82 and one of the end faces 81 are partially cut open in order to be able to make the bottom 66, which has been completely lowered onto the lower end 86 of the container 2, visible.
• FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of a container 2 according to the invention, in which projections 1 24 at the upper end 80 and at the lower end 86 on the corresponding ends of the side walls 82 run perpendicular to the end faces 81 of the container.
• FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 to 6 show the links 1 18 used in the containers 2 according to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 to 6 in different detailed views.
• Fig. 7 shows two links 1 18 each with four parallel rod-shaped link elements 1 22 arranged.
• the link elements 1 22 are on the axes 1 20 with play stored.
• the link elements 122 have openings 126 at their ends 126.
• the axes 120 are mounted in these openings, the diameter of the sections 1 30 of the axes 1 20 lying in the openings 1 28 being smaller than the width of the openings 1 28. Otherwise, the diameter of the axes 1 20 is chosen such that along the axes 1 20 between the link elements 1 22 result in as few steps as possible.
• the rollers 88 are attached.
• the rollers 88 are connected via a profile 134 to the ends 132 of the axes 120 in order to prevent the axes 1 20 from tilting in the slots 84 of the containers 2.
• FIG. 8 shows the two links 1 18 according to FIG. 7 in a state in which in each case the third link element 1 22 has been omitted from the right and the fourth link element 1 22 seen from the right of at least one axis
• FIG. 9 shows the links 118 of FIG. 8 in a side view.
• the dog bone shape of the sections of the axes 1 20 lying in the openings 1 28 is shown in cross section.
• the Noses 1 38 with their surfaces 140 are always at a 90 ° angle to the side walls 81 of the containers.
• the lugs 1 38 fit into grooves 1 60 provided parallel to the side walls 82 of the container 2 on the inner sides of the end walls 81. In this way, the gaps between the lugs 1 38 are closed by the projections 162 between the grooves 160. In this way, it is successfully prevented that cigarettes are jammed in the container 2 between the inside 142 of the end walls 81 and the links 118 adjacent to the end walls 81 when the bottom 66 is moved up and down.
• Containers 2 are fed to the feed section 6 with the aid of the feed device 14. At the same time, cigarettes are conveyed in a mass flow between the lower boundary 28 and the upper boundary 30 of the feed device 10 of the feed section.
• guide pins 98 of a second, slower-running second conveyor belt 94 serving as a merging means 92 snap into corresponding recesses 112 on the underside 86 of the containers 2 and thus brake the containers 2 against the subsequent containers 2. In this way, a gapless row of containers is formed in the area of the filling section 6.
• the cigarettes in the mass flow of the feed device 10, which move essentially in the same direction as the containers 2, can be filled into the containers 2 almost perfectly layered like a honeycomb without the formation of gaps, since the bottoms 66 of the containers 2 pass through the footpath 6 with the aid of a positive guide 74 for the bottoms 66, are continuously lowered in accordance with the quantity of cigarettes to be absorbed from the mass flow until the containers 2 are completely filled.

Landscapes

• Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)
• Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)
• Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=7660299

Family Applications (1)

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Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (14)

• 2000
  • 2000-10-18 DE DE10051790A patent/DE10051790A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2001
  • 2001-10-06 AT AT01982404T patent/ATE368394T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-10-06 PL PL360819A patent/PL204461B1/pl not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-10-06 WO PCT/EP2001/011552 patent/WO2002032237A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2001-10-06 DE DE50112801T patent/DE50112801D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-10-06 EP EP01982404A patent/EP1328170B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-10-06 AU AU2002213998A patent/AU2002213998A1/en not_active Abandoned

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