EP1425979B1 - Multifunctional conveyor drum - Google Patents

Abstract

Conveying drum (10) for objects (15) of the tobacco-processing industry comprises a lifting device (17.1, 17.2) for changing the longitudinal axial distance between objects aligned in a longitudinally axial manner and conveyed in at least one row in a transversely axial manner to the conveying drum by a pre-determined longitudinal axial stroke. The stroke of the lifting device is adjustable. An Independent claim is also included for a machine used in the tobacco-processing industry comprising at least one conveying drum. Preferred Features: One lifting device is provided for each row of objects. The lifting device is formed by at least one swash plate.

Description

The invention relates to a conveyor drum for articles of tobacco processing industry with längsaxial slidable receptacles for the articles and a lifting means for the recordings for changing the longitudinal axial distance of longitudinal axially aligned and conveyed in at least one row queraxial the conveyor drums articles by a predetermined longitudinal axial stroke. Such a conveyor drum is known for example from EP-A-1138215. Furthermore, the invention relates to a machine of the tobacco processing industry.

Under articles of the tobacco processing industry in the present context, such objects, understood in single-layer or multi-ply series by means of suction on conveyors, such as on conveyor drums in filter or cigarette manufacturing machines held and promoted by these. Such articles are filter cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and filter rods, filter segments, etc. If in the following, for simplicity, only cigarettes or filters is spoken, then what has been said also applies correspondingly to other articles of the aforementioned type such as filter segments.

In cigarette machines, cigarettes are held with suction air transversely to their longitudinal axial alignment on conveyor drums, which are primarily drums of cigarette making machines or filter tying machines. On the conveyor drum, cigarettes can be juxtaposed in two substantially parallel rows and moved on the conveyor drum at right angles with respect to the cigarette axes. For example, To insert a double filter between two axially aligned cigarettes, cut double-length tobacco sticks are spread longitudinally on the conveyor drum and inserted a double-length filter rod.

During the spreading of the tobacco sticks on the conveyor drum, the tobacco sticks undergo a predetermined stroke, so that the tobacco sticks are longitudinally spaced apart.

In addition, sliding drums are known in which offset in parallel rows, mutually offset filter rods on the sliding drum to a series of filter rods arranged one behind the other are pushed together.

In the known Spreiztrommeln and sliding drums learn the article on these conveyor drums one predetermined longitudinal axial stroke. Due to the construction of the conveyor drums, the stroke or the longitudinal axial displacement is fixed. For example, from document DE-A-41 34 663 a device for axially displacing a row of cigarettes relative to a parallel, continuous row of cigarettes is described. The receptacles for the cigarette row to be displaced are arranged at the ends of cranked crank arms, which are mounted in a parallel disc drive. The axes of the parallel disc drive are inclined to the axes of a continuous row of cigarettes promotional drum.

Starting from this prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor drum which can be easily adapted to different length articles of the tobacco processing industry, e.g. after a production change, whereby other existing facilities of a machine of the tobacco processing industry continue to be used after the production change.

This object is achieved with a conveyor drum for articles of the tobacco processing industry with längsaxial displaceable recordings for the article and a lifting means for the recordings for changing the longitudinal axial distance of längsaxial aligned and conveyed in at least one row queraxial the conveyor drum articles by a predetermined longitudinal axial stroke, which is further developed in that the stroke of the lifting means is adjustable. The invention is based on the idea that the longitudinal axial stroke of an article on the conveyor drum according to the invention is variable, so that the machine of the tobacco processing industry is easily adapted to different production conditions for the article. This will be an advantageous Flexibility in terms of products or formats to be produced. By means of the adjustable or adjustable lifting means, the longitudinal axial stroke of the articles is adjusted individually on a spreading drum or a sliding drum. The infinitely variable stroke promotes a wide range of formats on the conveyor drum. The adjustability of the lifting means according to the invention relates both to the size of the stroke, ie the length and the end positions of the stroke. With simultaneous rotation of the conveyor drum, the reversal points of the executed longitudinal axial stroke movement are arbitrarily selectable or changeable. This makes it possible that with the same conveyor drum different lengths strokes are performed according to the article to be conveyed and / or added or delivered at different transfer points in the longitudinal direction of the article.

The applications of the conveyor drum are extended by the fact that a lifting means is provided for each supplied series of articles, in each case the lifting means is adjustable according to the invention. As a result, the articles of different rows are provided on the conveyor drum according to the requirements with a longitudinal axial displacement.

In a further development of the invention, the lifting means is formed by means of at least one swash plate. The swash plate is arranged to guide the article holders for the articles within the drum.

In order to change the stroke of the swash plate, the swash plate is advantageously displaceable.

It is particularly advantageous if the swashplate can be displaced longitudinally parallel to the articles.

The stroke or the longitudinal axial displacement of the article on the conveyor drum is adjustable when the angle between the axis of rotation of the swash plate and the axis of rotation of the conveyor drum is variable.

Individual axial displacements of parallel rows on the conveyor drum are realized if for each swash plate, the angle between the axis of rotation of the swash plate and the axis of rotation of the conveyor drum is variable.

In addition, a drive for at least one swash plate is provided for the movement of the conveyor drum or the swash plates in the conveyor drum. The drive shifts the swash plate on the control ring of the conveyor drum, so that the articles are transported on the conveyor drum from a feed drum to a discharge drum between different longitudinal axial stroke end positions at a constant stroke.

In particular, at least one adjusting means for the swash plate is provided, so that the longitudinal axial stroke or the longitudinal axial displacement is precisely determined.

To carry out a precisely adjusted stroke longitudinally axially movable receptacles are provided for the article on the conveyor drum.

In an alternative, at least two receptacles for the articles are arranged on a longitudinally axially movable carriage, so that a plurality of articles are simultaneously received in the receptacles of a carriage and on the Transport drum to be transported. In particular, the carriage has proven itself in sliding drums, as on the slide teeth or recesses are formed such that two slides form and function complementary can be pushed together so that two parallel rows with längsaxial staggered articles to a single row on the sliding drum with be pushed behind one another.

To carry out the stroke or the longitudinal axial displacement, the recordings or the slide are connected to a swash plate.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention it is proposed that the receptacles or the carriage are connected by means of a ball joint with the swash plate.

In addition, the conveyor drum is advantageously designed as a spreading drum. In an alternative, the conveyor drum is designed as a sliding drum.

The object of the invention is further achieved by a machine of the tobacco processing industry with at least one inventive conveying drum as described above. The use of the conveyor drum is particularly suitable in cigarette making machines or filter manufacturing machines, since in these machines preferably spreading drums and / or sliding drums are available.

Fig. 1

einen Querschnitt durch eine erfindungsgemäße Spreiztrommel;

Fig. 2

im Ausschnitt einen Querschnitt durch eine weitere Fördertrommel;

Fig. 3

eine Querschnittsansicht im Ausschnitt einer Spreiztrommel;

Fig. 4

eine Querschnittsansicht einer Schiebetrommel;

Fig. 5

eine Querschnittsansicht einer Schiebetrommel im Ausschnitt und

Fig. 6

eine schematisierte Darstellung der Förderung von Zigaretten auf einer erfindungsgemäßen Schiebetrommel.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and without limitation of the general inventive concept, wherein for all not described in detail in the text Details of the invention is expressly made to the drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a cross section through a spreading drum according to the invention;

Fig. 2

in section a cross section through a further conveyor drum;

Fig. 3

a cross-sectional view in the section of a spreading drum;

Fig. 4

a cross-sectional view of a sliding drum;

Fig. 5

a cross-sectional view of a sliding drum in the neck and

Fig. 6

a schematic representation of the promotion of cigarettes on a sliding drum according to the invention.

In the following drawings, the same elements are provided with the same reference numerals, so that apart from a new idea.

FIG. 1 shows a cross section through an expanding drum 10 according to the invention. The spreading drum 10 is arranged on a control flange 11. The control flange 11 is fixed on the machine side. The spreading drum 10 has on both sides of the drum 10 a drum cover 12.1, 12.2. On the peripheral surface of the spreading drum 10 längsaxial displaceable receptacles 13 are formed. The receptacles 13 convey the cigarettes 15 supplied by a feed drum from a feed drum (not shown here) to a (likewise not shown) discharge drum on. During transport from the feed drum to the take-off drum, the longitudinal axial distance between each pair of cigarettes can be increased. The control flange 11 is surrounded by a control ring 14 around which the drum 10 is rotated. The axis of rotation of the spreading drum 10 is provided with the reference numeral 16.

Inside the conveyor drum 10 13 Täumelscheiben 17.1, 17.2 are formed between the control ring 14 and the receptacles. The swash plates 17.1, 17.2 are pivotally mounted on ball bushings 18.1, 18.2, which are slidably mounted on the control ring 14. The ring-shaped ball bushings 18.1, 18.2 are along the outer surface of the control ring 14 slidably.

To connect the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 with the receptacles 13 are on the outside of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2. Ball joints 19.1, 19.2 formed in the bushing heads 21.1, 21.2 of the receptacles 13 engage.

Due to the spherical surface of the ball bushings 18.1, 18.2, the inclination of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 and thus their axes of rotation are adjusted to the axis of rotation 16 of the spreading drum 10 by a predetermined angle and / or changed. In the case shown (FIG. 1), the axes of rotation of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 are collinear with the axis of rotation 16 of the spreading drum 10, so that no spread of the supplied cigarettes 15 is carried out with the spreading drum 10. This is a special case in the application of the spreading drum 10, since the stroke has the length zero. In this setting of the drum 10, the drum 10 is used as a normal conveyor drum without spreading or moving the cigarettes.

To set a predetermined angle between the axis of rotation of the spreading drum 10 and the axes of rotation of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 adjusting means are formed in the interior of the spreading drum 10. The swash plate 17.1 is connected via a spindle 22.1 with a setting motor 23. The swash plate 17.2 is also connected to a setting motor 23 by means of a spindle 22.2. By turning the spindle 22.1, 22.2, which have an opposite slope, the inclination of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 is set.

To move the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 along the control ring 14 and the axis of rotation 16 of the spreading drum 10, it is necessary that at least three locations of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 adjusting means are present. These three points can, for example, be provided uniformly over the circumference of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2. By this type of "three-point suspension", a linear, longitudinal axial movement of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 along the axis of rotation 16 and the control ring 14 take place.

To drive the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 or the drum 10, a brake 24 is further formed in the interior, which causes by means of an engaging gear on the control ring 14, a rapid stopping of the rotation of the spreading drum 10.

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the cigarettes are held in or on the receptacles 13 via corresponding suction air ducts or openings.

In Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a spreading drum 10 is shown in fragmentary form. In this cross-sectional view is in particular a section through the Setting motor 23 is shown, which engage with the driven spindles 22.1, 22.2, which are in the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 and fastened there, causes the axes of rotation of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 inclined to the axis of rotation 16 of the spreading drum 10 are formed. By this setting, the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 are rotated about the spherical ball bushings 18.1, 18.2. In this case, the illustrated upper receptacles 13 on the spreading drum 10 move towards each other, so that a minimum longitudinal axial distance between the cigarettes 15 is achieved on the receptacles 13. This minimum longitudinal axial distance between the cigarettes 15 corresponds to the distance of the cigarettes they have, for example, on the feed drum during the delivery of the cigarettes from the feed drum to the spreading drum 10.

As a result of the rotation of the spreading drum 10, the cigarettes arranged parallel to each other are moved apart longitudinally and discharged in a transfer point to another drum. Due to the adjustable inclination of the swash plates to the horizontal axis of rotation 16, the reversal points or the end positions of the longitudinal axial stroke of the cigarettes are set on the spreading drum 10. Overall, this results in a fast format-flexible and format-dependent adaptation of the spreading drum 10 to the production process of cigarettes or filters. As shown in Fig. 2, the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 are arranged mirror-symmetrically to each other, since by means of the setting motor 23 both spindles are rotated simultaneously and symmetrically to each other.

In Fig. 3 in cross section another alternative embodiment of a spreading drum 10 is shown.

While the left swash plate 17.1 is set so that the recording associated with her no hub executes the right swash plate 17.2 is set so that the moving of this swash plate 17.2 cigarette 15 undergoes a longitudinal axial displacement, so that in the transfer point, the cigarettes 15 axially spaced are. To adjust the swash plate 17.2, a crank 25 is attached to the spindle 22.2, so that the inclination and position of the swash plate 17.2 is adjusted exactly. The manual adjustability of the swash plate 17.2 represents an alternative to the motorized adjustment of a swash plate. Of course, both measures can be combined.

The erfindungsgemäBen lifting means with an adjustable stroke and definable (longitudinal axial). Hubpositlonen in a conveyor drum can be used not only in a spreading drum (Fig. 1 to 3), but also in a sliding drum, as to be moved on a sliding drum, the article to be moved also a longitudinal axial displacement.

4, a cross section through a sliding drum 20 is shown. Functionally identical elements of the spreading drum 10 shown in Fig. 1 are provided in Fig. 4 with the same reference numerals. For accommodating articles, e.g. Cigarettes 15, 20 slides 26.1, 26.2 are provided in the sliding drum, which are arranged longitudinally displaceable on the outer circumference of Schleschleommel 20. The carriages 26.1, 26.2 have caught upper receptacles for the supplied articles 15.

To adjust the inclination of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 individually and independently and change so that the carriage 26.1, 26.2 different Hubumkehrpunkte and strokes have, the spindles 22.1, 22.2 each assigned an independent setting motor 28.1 and 28.2. In accordance with the article formats to be conveyed, the longitudinal axial displacement of the carriages 26.1, 26.2 on the control ring 14 can be adapted independently of one another via a corresponding control or regulation. Due to the vertical arrangement of the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 no sliding of the carriage 26.1, 26.2 on the sliding drum 20. This is also a special case in the application of the sliding drum, since the strokes each have the length zero.

In Fig. 5, a further spreading drum 20 is shown in cross-section, in which the carriages 26.1, 26: 2 are pushed together, i. have the lowest longitudinal axial distance from each other. For this purpose, the swash plates 17.1, 17.2 due to the stroke adjustment by means of adjusting motors 28.1, 28.2 arranged transversely to the control ring 14 and to the axis of rotation 16 of the sliding drum 20. In these cases, the axis of rotation of the Taumelseheiben 17.1 and 17.2 is formed inclined by a certain angle to the axis of rotation 16 of the sliding drum 20.

In Fig. 6, the collapse of cigarettes 15 is shown schematically, which are arranged parallel to each other in two rows and along the axial axis or offset. On a Zufahrtrommel 30, the cigarettes 15 are transported side by side and along the conveyor line FS. Subsequently, the cigarettes 15 are transferred from the feed drum 30 to the sliding drum 20, the cigarettes 15 being transferred to the carriages 26.1, 26.2 formed with three receptacles for the articles 15.

Subsequently, the carriage 26.1, 26.2 longitudinally moved toward each other, so that the parallel and staggered rows of cigarettes are pushed to a row. The carriages 26.1, 26.2 have finger-like receptacles for the cigarettes 15, which engage in one another when the carriages 26.1, 26.2 or the rows of cigarettes are pushed together. Subsequently, the pushed together cigarette row is transferred to a laxative drum. After transferring the row of cigarettes, the carriages 26.1, 26.2 are moved away from each other.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

spreading drum

11

control flange

12.1

drum lid

12.2

drum lid

13

Recordings

14

control ring

15

cigarettes

16

axis of rotation

17.1

swash plate

17.2

swash plate

16.1

ball socket

18-2

ball socket

19.1

ball joint

19.2

Ball gel enk

20

pushing drum

21.1

socket head

21.2

socket head

22.1

spindle

22.2

spindle

23

adjustment motor

24

brake

25

crank

26.1

carriage

26.2

carriage

28.1

adjustment motor

28.2

adjustment motor

30

feed drum

FS

conveyor line

Claims (16)

1. Conveying drum (10, 20) for articles of the tobacco-processing industry (15) having longitudinal-axially displaceable receptacles (13) for the articles (15) and a displacement means (17.1, 17.2) for the receptacles (13) for changing by a predetermined longitudinal-axial travel the longitudinal-axial spacing of articles (15) aligned longitudinal-axially with respect to one another and supplied transverse-axially in at least one row to the conveying drum (10, 20), characterised in that the travel of the displacement means (17.1, 17.2) is adjustable.
2. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to Claim 1, characterised in that a displacement means (17.1, 17.2) is provided for each supplied row of articles (15).
3. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the displacement means (17.1, 17.2) is formed by means of at least one swash plate (17.1, 17.2).
4. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to Claim 3, characterised in that the swash plate (17.1, 17.2) is displaceable.
5. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to Claim 4, characterised in that the swash plate (17.1, 17.2) is displaceable longitudinal-axially parallel to the articles (15).
6. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to one or more of Claims 3 to 6, characterised in that the angle between the axis of rotation (16) of the swash plate and the axis of rotation of the conveying drum (10, 20) is variable.
7. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to Claim 6, characterised in that, for each swash plate (17.1, 17.2), the angle between the axis of rotation of the swash plate and the axis of rotation (16) of the conveying drum (10, 20) is variable.
8. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to one or more of Claims 3 to 7, characterised in that a drive (24) is provided for at least one swash plate (17.1, 17.2).
9. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to one or more of Claims 3 to 8, characterised in that at least one adjusting means (23, 25, 28.1, 28.2) is provided for the swash plate (17.1, 17.2).
10. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to one or more of Claims 1 to 9, characterised in that longitudinal-axially movable receptacles (13) are provided for the articles (15).
11. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to one or more of Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that at least two receptacles (13) for articles (15) are arranged on a movable slide (26.1, 26.2).
12. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to Claim 10 or 11, characterised in that the receptacles (13) or the slide (26.1, 26.2) are connected to a swash plate (17.1, 17.2).
13. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to one of Claims 10 to 12, characterised in that the receptacles (13) or the slide (26.1, 26.2) are connected to the swash plate (17.1, 17.2) by means of a ball joint (19.1, 19.2).
14. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to one or more of Claims 1 to 13, characterised in that the conveying drum (10, 20) is designed as a spreading drum (10).
15. Conveying drum (10, 20) according to one or more of Claims 1 to 13, characterised in that the conveying drum (10, 20) is designed as a pushing drum (20).
16. Machine of the tobacco-processing industry having at least one conveying drum (10, 20) according to one or more of Claims 1 to 15.

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