EP1431184B1 - Cigarettes packaging apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for packaging ordered groups of rod-shaped objects, namely cigarette groups with cigarettes, which can be removed from a cigarette magazine by pushing out of at least one shaft unit of substantially upright cigarette trays, above the shaft unit aligned a cigarette supply adjacent and superimposed cigarettes is formed, and wherein at a distance above the cigarette trays in the region of the cigarette supply, a transversely extending control unit is formed of a series of substantially upright inspection shafts and wherein the passage of individual, successive cigarettes through the control shafts are monitored by sensors which generate a signal when the flow of cigarettes is interrupted in the area of at least one inspection slot.

The rod-shaped objects are cigarettes, from which cigarette groups are formed as contents of a cigarette pack. The (cigarette)) magazine is a common part of a cigarette packaging machine. The cigarettes produced elsewhere are supplied to the magazine continuously or batchwise and filled into an upper storage container or hopper. On the underside of which are usually arranged a plurality of units or groups of upright manholes, each manhole being bounded by upright manhole walls, such that in each case an aligned series of superposed cigarettes is accommodated in a manhole. At the bottom of the shaft groups, the cigarettes are pushed out by slides or plungers to form the groups of cigarettes.

One problem is that in the area of the stock of cigarettes malpositions of individual cigarettes may occur. These lead to a fault, mainly with the result of a machine shutdown.

The detection of such disturbances by means of sensors arranged in the shafts is already known from the prior art US 4,174,780 known. The sensors are arranged transversely to the flow direction of the cigarettes in the shafts.

The invention has for its object to form the aforementioned device or the (cigarette) magazine so that any disturbances due to malposition of cigarettes can be better detected.

To solve this problem, the device according to the invention is characterized by the features of claim 1.

The cigarettes inside the store are in a constant downward movement to the shafts due to the removal of groups of cigarettes. According to the invention, a control unit acting as a filter is formed within the supply, allowing only properly aligned cigarettes to pass through. An approximately across lying or otherwise incorrectly positioned cigarette remains at the top of the control unit, namely the control wells and causes the further flow is interrupted locally. This error is detected immediately and automatically by the sensors, triggering an error message. The incorrectly positioned cigarette can then be eliminated by a machine operator.

Importantly, during defecation of the cigarette and until its disposal, the passage of cigarettes through the "filter" continues outside the area of the failed cigarette, so that the supply of the cigarettes to the wells is not interrupted. Further features of the invention relate to the design of the inspection wells and measures related to the removal of bad cigarettes.

Fig. 1

eine Verpackungsmaschine für Zigaretten in vereinfachter Seitenansicht,

Fig. 2

ein (Zigaretten-)Magazin als Teil der Verpackungsmaschine in Ansicht bzw. in einem Vertikalschnitt der Schnittebene II-II in Fig. 1, bei vergrößertem Maßstab,

Fig. 3

einen Ausschnitt III des Magazins gemäß Fig. 2 in nochmals vergrößertem Maßstab,

Fig. 4

die Einzelheit gemäß Fig. 3 nach Entnahme einer fehlgestellten Zigarette,

Fig. 5

die Einzelheit gemäß Fig. 3 bei fehlerfreier Betriebsweise,

Fig. 6

die Einzelheit gemäß Fig. 3 in einem Querschnitt der Schnittebene VI-VI in Fig. 3,

Fig. 7

die Einzelheit gemäß Fig. 6 bei Beseitigung einer fehlgestellten Zigarette,

Fig. 8

die Einzelheit gemäß Fig. 6 während störungsfreier Betriebsweise, entsprechend Fig. 5,

Fig. 9

eine Darstellung analog zu Fig. 3 eines anderen Ausführungsbeispiels eines Zigaretten-Magazins,

Fig. 10

eine Darstellung analog Fig. 4, nämlich die Einzelheit gemäß Fig. 9 nach Entnahme einer fehlgestellten Zigarette,

Fig. 11

die Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 9 bei ordnungsgemäßer Betriebsweise,

Fig. 12

die Einzelheit gemäß Fig. 9 in einem Vertikalschnitt entsprechend Schnittebene XII-XII in Fig. 9,

Fig. 13

ein Vertikalschnitt entsprechend Fig. 12 zu der Einzelheit gemäß Fig. 10,

Fig. 14

eine Betätigungsvorrichtung für ein Absperrorgan eines Kontrollschachts.

Further details of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment of a cigarette magazine. It shows:

Fig. 1

a packaging machine for cigarettes in a simplified side view,

Fig. 2

a (cigarette) magazine as part of the packaging machine in view or in a vertical section of the sectional plane II-II in Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale,

Fig. 3

a section III of the magazine of FIG. 2 on a further enlarged scale,

Fig. 4

the detail according to FIG. 3 after removal of a faulty cigarette,

Fig. 5

the detail of FIG. 3 in error-free operation,

Fig. 6

the detail according to FIG. 3 in a cross section of the sectional plane VI-VI in FIG. 3,

Fig. 7

the detail according to FIG. 6 when removing a faulty cigarette,

Fig. 8

the detail according to FIG. 6 during trouble-free operation, corresponding to FIG. 5,

Fig. 9

a representation analogous to FIG. 3 of another embodiment of a cigarette magazine,

Fig. 10

4 shows an illustration analogous to FIG. 4, namely the detail according to FIG. 9 after removal of a faulty cigarette,

Fig. 11

the device according to FIG. 9 under proper operation,

Fig. 12

the detail according to FIG. 9 in a vertical section corresponding to sectional plane XII-XII in FIG. 9, FIG.

Fig. 13

a vertical section corresponding to FIG. 12 to the detail of FIG. 10,

Fig. 14

an actuator for a shut-off device of a control shaft.

Fig. 1 shows an application example of a packaging machine for cigarettes 10. Specifically, it is about the production of cigarette packs of the type folding box. A cigarette magazine 11 is an indispensable part of a packaging machine for cigarettes 10. In the area of this cigarette magazine 11, the cigarettes 10 produced elsewhere are introduced into the packaging process.

The cigarette magazine 11 is formed in the upper part as a storage container 12 for cigarettes 10. Down close to the reservoir 12 cigarette bins 13. These are narrow, substantially upright channels in which the cigarettes 10 are conveyed downwards in upright rows, each one above the other. The cigarette trays 13 are bounded by shaft walls 14, which have a wedge-shaped decreasing wall thickness down.

In each case a plurality of cigarette shafts 13 form a shaft group or a shaft unit 15. From each of these shaft units 15 at the bottom of a cigarette group 16 is ejected in the longitudinal direction of the cigarette. The cigarette groups 16 are inserted in a cigarette conveyor directly adjacent to the shaft units 15, in the present example in a pocket of a cigarette turret 17. The cigarette magazine 11 shown in FIG. 1 is designed such that four shaft units 15 are provided four cigarette groups 16 are simultaneously ejected.

The cigarette trays 13 are open at the top, that is, on the inlet side facing the storage container 12 for cigarettes 10. In the storage container 12, a cigarette supply 18 is constantly maintained by supplying cigarettes into the open-topped storage container 12. In the area of this cigarette stock 18, the cigarettes 10 are aligned next to each other, but without the formation of a specific formation. Under dead weight, the cigarettes 10 gradually reach the area of the cigarette shafts 13 and enter each one of the cigarette shafts 13 one by one. In order to facilitate the introduction of the cigarettes 10 in the cigarette trays 13, distribution organs are mounted at the upper ends of the shaft walls 14, namely profiled vibrating bars 19 rotating about their own longitudinal axis.

The storage container 12 is bounded by side walls 20 which converge downwards in the direction of the shaft units 15, ie in a funnel shape. The shaft units 15 and outer walls 21 thereof are arranged in continuation of the side walls 20.

Within the cigarette stock 18 may lead to misalignments of cigarettes 10, in particular to transverse positions. In the drawings, by way of example, a transverse cigarette is shown, hereinafter referred to as a false cigarette 22. Alternatively, parts of cigarettes, for example filters 23, may cause a disturbance.

When the cigarette supply 18 with a defective cigarette 22, a (single) filter 23 or the like is conveyed down to the entrance side of the cigarette ducts 13, it follows that a number of cigarette ducts 13 are not supplied because of the transverse defective cigarette 22. This then results in that no or incomplete cigarette groups 16 are formed in this area. To avoid this, a control unit 24 is installed at a distance above the cigarette shafts 13 in the region of the cigarette supply 18. This preferably extends over the entire width of the storage container 12, that is, over the full width of the cigarette supply 18. The control unit 24 forms a plurality of upright inspection shafts 25 through which correctly aligned cigarettes 10 can pass during the downward movement. A transverse bad cigarette 22, a filter 23 or about an upright misalignment cigarette 22 can not pass through the inspection box 25, so remain before or above the control unit 24. From this situation, an error signal is derived, and as a result, the bad cigarette 22 and the filter 23 are eliminated. During the action of the defective cigarette 22 or the filter 23, the cigarettes 10 in the reservoir 12 can continue to be moved downwardly outside the area of the false cigarette 22 or the filter 23, respectively. A sub-store 26 formed below the control unit 24 is accordingly filled up unchanged and is available over the full width of the cigarette magazine 11 to the cigarette shafts 13. Accordingly, despite a fault situation, the cigarette bays 13 are still completely supplied with cigarettes 10.

The control unit 24 consists of a series of parallel guide webs 27. These are equally spaced from each other and juxtaposed and extend across the cigarette magazine 11 and through the reservoir 12 in the longitudinal direction of the cigarette 10. The cigarette magazine 11 is bounded transversely to the cigarettes 10 by a front wall 28 and a rear wall 29. The distance between the front wall 28 and the rear wall 29 is slightly larger than the length of a cigarette 10. The guide webs 27 of the control unit 24 are completely attached to the rear wall 29.

The guide webs 27 delimit the substantially upright inspection shafts 25 whose width or free passage cross-section is slightly larger than the diameter of a cigarette 10. The aligned cigarettes 10 can therefore individually, successively slide through a control shaft 25 for partial stock 26. A cigarette 10 in Deformation, for example, a transverse bad cigarette 22 or a single filter 23, however, can not pass a control shaft 25, but is above the control unit 24 retained by this (Fig. 2, Fig. 3). The guide webs 27 are angled or arc-shaped, so that due to the parallel arrangement of the guide webs 27 curved inspection bays 25 arise. The height of the inspection shafts 25 or the guide webs 27 is limited, namely chosen such that in each case about three to ten cigarettes 10 are received in a control shaft 25, in the embodiment according to FIGS. 3 to 5 three and a half cigarettes 10.

A special feature is the monitoring of the inspection shafts 25. If a number of inspection shafts 25 - or at least a single inspection shaft 25 - does not permit cigarette flow due to a bad cigarette 22, the vacancy of the inspection shaft 25 is detected and a signal derived therefrom. For this purpose, each inspection pit 25 is equipped with at least one sensor 31. This is arranged laterally, namely on the rear wall 29. The sensor 31, in particular a reflection light barrier, each observes a control shaft 25 along its (horizontal) longitudinal extent.

In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 3 to 5, the sensors 31 are arranged in the upper region of the inspection shafts 25. If the sensor 31 or the light barrier is free - because of missing cigarettes 10 - an information signal is derived from this. In the illustrated embodiment, the miss cigarette 22 and / or the filter 23 is manually removed. For this purpose, the front wall 28 of the cigarette magazine 11 has a flap 32 which is located in the region of the control unit and allows manual access to the wrong cigarette 22 - immediately above the control unit 24. After removing the Fehlzigarette 22 and closing the flap 32, the unhindered outflow of the cigarettes 10 in the area of the inspection wells 25 continue to run.

According to FIGS. 3 to 5, the sensors 31 are arranged eccentrically within the inspection shafts 25, namely at the edge of a control shaft 25 or directly at a guide web 27 delimiting the inspection shaft 25. The sensors 31 are thus in the region of lateral, wedge-shaped gaps 33 between successive cigarettes 10 within the control shaft 25. As a result, the sensors 31 are cyclically acted upon by the cigarettes 10 passed by or the photocell temporarily released, namely, when a gap 33 is formed in the region of the light barrier. This will record a dynamic image of the cigarettes 10 being moved past in the correct position. In case of permanent interruption of the light barrier or cover of the sensors 31 and / or permanently exposed sensor 31 a malposition is detected.

In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 9 to 11, control shafts 25 are formed, which have a greater height due to a corresponding configuration of the guide webs 27, so that approximately six to seven cigarettes 10 are received in a control shaft 25. The guide webs 27 consist of two at an obtuse angle to each other directed web legs 36, 37 of different lengths. The upper, shorter web leg 36 forms by chamfer 38 a broadened, funnel-like entry region for the cigarettes 10. Form and arrangement of the guide webs 27 also causes in this embodiment, that only correctly aligned cigarettes 10 can flow through the inspection shafts 25 (Fig. 11). An incorrectly positioned, for example, false cigarette 22 is fixed in the entry region of a control shaft 25 (FIG. 9).

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 9 to 11 (and FIGS. 12, 13), the sensors 31 are positioned approximately in the middle of the inspection shafts 25, for example in the region of the rounded transition from the upper web leg 36 to the lower web leg 37.

Another special feature is that the inspection shafts 25 are shut off at their lower outlet end, by a movable closure member in the form of a rod or a closure plunger 34. Each inspection shaft 25 is associated with such a closure plunger 34. Upon detection of an error, the affected inspection slot 25 or the affected inspection slots 25 are shut off (FIGS. 3, 4, 9, 10).

The shutter plungers 34 remain in this position until the error is cleared and the affected control shafts 25 are released. The correctly positioned cigarettes 10 enter the free control shafts 25 and initially rest on the shutter plungers 34 (FIGS. 4, 10) until they are in position the starting position (Fig. 8, Fig. 11) are moved back. Now, the cigarettes 10 can flow freely, namely to fill a funnel-shaped free space 35 below the affected by the Fehlzigarette 22 inspection wells 25th

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 3 to 8, the closing plungers 34 (individually, individually) are movable in the longitudinal direction, by mechanical or pneumatic actuation. The closure plunger 34 are inserted via the rear wall 29 of the cigarette magazine 11 in the respective inspection slot 25. The rear wall 29 is provided with openings for the passage of the shutter plunger 34.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 9 to 13, the closing plungers 34 are movable transversely to the cigarettes 10. In the starting position, each closing plunger 34 lies below the associated guide web 27 (FIG. 11). By transverse movement of the shutter plunger 34 reaches into the region of the associated inspection slot 25 (Fig. 9, Fig. 10).

For transverse movement of each shutter plunger 34 is attached to a pivot web 39. This is moved along a pivot angle 39, whereby a corresponding transverse movement of the shutter plunger 34 (along a circular arc) is formed. The pivoting web 39 is mounted on a pivot pin 40, which in turn is rotatable by an actuator, in the present case by a transversely directed finger 41, acting on the free end of an actuator, namely a (pneumatic) plunger 42. This causes the Pivoting movement of the finger 41 by extension movement and thus the transverse movement of the shutter plunger 34. The opposite movement, namely the return to the starting position, is carried out here by an elastic return member, namely by a tension spring 43rd

The actuator with pivot web 39, pivot 40, finger 41, push rod 42 and tension spring 43 is attached to a bracket 44 which is fixed to the rear wall 29 of the cigarette magazine 11.

Above the guide webs 27 each distributor bodies are arranged, namely about a longitudinal axis rotatable, in this case hexagonal Rüttelstäbe 30. These ensure an orderly introduction of the cigarettes 10 in one of the inspection bays 25. The Rüttelstäbe 30 are each arranged at a small distance exactly above a guide web 27 ,

Claims (9)

1. Apparatus for the packaging of ordered groups of stick-shaped articles, to be precise of cigarette groups (16) with cigarettes (10), which can be extracted from a cigarette magazine (11) by being pushed out from at least one shaft unit (15) of essentially vertical cigarette shafts (13), there being formed above the shaft unit (15) a cigarette stock (18) consisting of cigarettes (10) lying in alignment next to and above one another, and there being formed at a distance above the cigarette shafts (13), in the region of the cigarette stock (18), a transversely extending check unit (24) consisting of a series of essentially vertical check shafts (25), and the passage of individual successive cigarettes (10) through the check shafts (25) being monitored by sensors (31) which generate a signal when the throughflow of cigarettes (10) is interrupted in the region of at least one check shaft (25), characterized by the following features:

   a) each check shaft (25) is assigned a sensor (31) of a reflection light barrier, acting in the longitudinal direction of the cigarettes (10) for detecting the contents of the check shaft (25),

   b) the sensors (31) are arranged on a rear wall (29) of the cigarette magazine (11),

   c) the check shafts (25) are designed arcuately or in angled form by the corresponding shaping of guide webs (27) delimiting the check shafts (25), in such a way that a passage of vertical cigarettes (10) or filters (23) through a check shaft (25) is ruled out on account of the geometric shape of the latter,

   d) the guide webs (27) consist of two web legs (36, 37) directed at an obtuse angle to one another, the sensors (31) being positioned approximately in the middle of the check shafts (25), to be precise at the transition from the upper web leg (36) to the lower web leg (37).
2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the height of the check shafts (25) corresponds to a diameter of three to ten successive cigarettes (10).
3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the check shafts (25) form a funnel-like upper entry region for the cigarettes (10), in particular by bevelling (38) on the guide webs (27).
4. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the sensor (31) or the light barrier is positioned eccentrically within a check shaft (25), in such a way that the sensor (31) or its test beam is active in the region of marginal gaps (33) formed between successive cigarettes (10), a fault signal being generated by a sensor (31) when the test beam is not interrupted by cigarettes for a lengthy defined period of time.
5. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or one of the further claims, characterized in that, in the absence of a throughflow of successive cigarettes (10) positioned in an ordered manner through a check shaft (25), the latter can be shut off in the region of a lower exit issue, in particular by means of a movable closing pushrod (34) for each check shaft (25), the shut-off of the check shaft (25) being capable of being cancelled when, after the elimination of a fault, cigarettes (10) lie ready in an ordered position within the respective check shaft (25).
6. Apparatus according to Claim 5 or one of the further claims, characterized in that, the closing pushrods (34) are movable in their longitudinal direction or in the longitudinal direction of the cigarettes (10) out of a position outside a check shaft (25) into a shut-off position within the respective check shaft (25).
7. Apparatus according to Claim 6 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the closing pushrods (34), in their initial position, are arranged beneath an assigned guide web (27), so as to point in the longitudinal direction of the latter, and can be moved by transverse movement into the region of the respective check shaft (25).
8. Apparatus according to Claim 7 or one of the further claims, characterized in that each closing pushrod (34) is arranged on a pivoting web (39) and can be moved transversely by means of pivoting movement of the pivoting web (39).
9. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or one of the further claims, characterized in that a vertical wall of the cigarette magazine (11), in particular a front wall (28), has in the region of the check unit (24) a flap (32) which, in the event of a fault signal, can be actuated in order to eliminate faulty cigarettes (22) or individual filters (23).

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