EP2387890A1 - Device and method for feeding ground or cut tobacco material into a portioning device - Google Patents

Abstract

The device (1) comprises a supply unit, a homogenizer, and a portioning machine, where the homogenizer has a combination of a needle roller (20) and a beater roller (22). The needle roller is arranged downstream to the supply unit and receives the tobacco materials from the supply unit. An independent claim is also included for a method for supplying ground or shredded tobacco material for a tobacco processing industry.

Description

The invention relates to an apparatus of the tobacco processing industry for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, comprising a feed device, a homogenizing device and a portioning device. The invention further relates to a method for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, wherein tobacco material ground by means of a feed device is conveyed to a homogenizing device, and a use of a homogenizing device.

The invention thus relates to the field of processing and portioning of ground or cut tobacco material with a high moisture content. As a tobacco material ground or cut tobacco and possibly additives are eligible. The cut length is so short that the cut moist tobacco material has a similar consistency as ground moist tobacco material. Such a moist ground or cut tobacco material is offered, inter alia, as so-called SNUS tobacco or smokeless tobacco and is used orally, ie in the oral cavity. SNUS tobacco has a moisture content of about 35% to 50% or more and is a fine-grained, lumpy substance that is similar in consistency to wet coffee grounds.

For consumption, SNUS tobacco is in some cases flavored with, for example, menthol, sal ammoniac or other flavoring agents, and is packaged in portions of 0.5 to 2 grams in so-called SNUS bags. This is a porous paper, the so-called "pouch", which is completely sealed, but permeable to water and releases the ingredients of the "pouch" in the mouth and the mucous membranes of the mouth. The most common portion size is about one gram per serving. After consuming the "pouch" this is taken out of the mouth and disposed of.

Since a ground or, in particular, short, cut tobacco material with a moisture content of 35% or more as fine-grained bulk material is very lumpy, it is difficult to process. It is therefore known from the prior art to process the tobacco material with a lower moisture by not clumping, and to fill in the pouches in this state. In a subsequent processing step, the sachets are then moistened to bring the tobacco material to the desired humidity. Since in this wet treatment ingredients are washed out of the tobacco material, These penetrate into the also wet porous paper of these sachets and discolor them unevenly. To mask this, in some cases a black or dark paper is used in which the corresponding discoloration is less visible.

In alternative known methods, the ground or cut tobacco material is processed in the wet state. For this purpose, the bulk material is sieved. However, sifting a ground tobacco material having a moisture content of 35% or more is associated with building up of clumps of clumped material in the screen so that the screens and other components of the respective processing equipment must be thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis.

In the processing of wet, fine-grained bulk material, which tends to clump, homogenization, as achieved by sieving, is very important, since this is the only way to ensure that a reproducibly consistent amount of tobacco material is contained in each sachet. The requirements for the consistency of the portion bag contents are approximately 5%, which means that for a sachet with a content of about one gram, the accuracy of the filling content is about 0.05 grams. Slight clumping in wet ground or sliced tobacco material is likely to exceed these portioning tolerances, resulting in an undesirable rejection of the sachets due to overshoot or undershoot.

Devices for portioning and filling homogenized moist ground or cut tobacco material in sachets are known. A corresponding device, for example, under the name TS 1000 from MediSeal GmbH distributed. Therein, the tobacco material is filled into a pre-metering chamber and then filled into an open sachet, which is then sealed.

Based on this prior art, the present invention seeks to homogenize ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% in order to then fill it in sachets, with good homogenization with low maintenance and cleaning costs to be achieved ,

This object is achieved by an apparatus of the tobacco processing industry for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device comprising a feed device, a homogenizer device and a portioning device further developed by the homogenizer device being a combination comprising a needle roller and a racket roller, the needle roller being located downstream of the feed device and receiving tobacco material from the feed device, the rack roller being configured to knock tobacco material out of the needle roller towards the portioning device.

The invention is based on the idea that a combination of needle roller and racket roller is used for the homogenization and optionally metering of moist and lumpy ground or cut tobacco material. By means of the feed device, the wet ground or cut tobacco material is taken or accepted from an upstream unit or from a reservoir and conveyed to the homogenizing device. Therefore, the wet ground or cut Tobacco material its lumpy, reminiscent of wet coffee grounds consistency. In the homogenizer, the needle roller receives the tobacco material. The space between the needles on the surface of the needle roller is filled with the material up to the height of the needle of the needle roller. As a result, a controlled volume flow of the ground tobacco material is possible. At this point, the tobacco material also still has its lumpy consistency and is held and promoted by the needles of the needle roller.

It has surprisingly been found that a combination of a needle roller and a racket roller effectively homogenizes the ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% by the combination and eliminates the clumps between the grains or short fibers of the tobacco material , This was not to be expected, since the clumps could be resolved so far only by fine-mesh sieves, whereas the needles or other percussion instruments of the racquet roll far from match the fineness of the screens used so far. It was therefore unlikely that a racquet roll in conjunction with a needle roller would result in effective homogenization of the wet tobacco material.

The required homogenization thus takes place through the interaction of needle roller and racket roller. The racket roller rotates at a higher peripheral speed than the needle roller and in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the needle roller and combs with its own needles, rods, scrapers and the like, the tobacco material between the needles of the needle roller. Since this is done at a high speed, the bandage between the grains of fine-grained wet tobacco material dissolved so that individual grains or fibers of the tobacco material are thrown in the direction of the portioning device. Clumps are reliably dissolved in this case.

With this solution according to the invention, the problem occurring during sieving that lumps and bridges build up over the sieve is avoided, so that a cleaning of a sieve can be dispensed with for lack of sieves. The combination of needle roller and racket roller is highly self-cleaning, so that consuming and close-meshed cleaning and maintenance cycles can be omitted.

A particularly good homogenization and metering is possible if preferably a control device is provided, by means of which a speed of the needle roller and / or a speed of the racket roller is controllable. The speed of the needle roller regulates the flow rate, namely the volume flow of the ground or cut tobacco material, wherein the speed of the racket roller is related to the degree of homogenization. However, the homogenization and dosage is also related to the respective other speed.

In order to ensure efficient feeding of the homogenized tobacco material to the portioning device, it is preferably provided that below or downstream of the combination of a needle roller and a racket roller a collinear arranged to a needle roller axis vibrating conveyor is arranged, to which in particular further vibratory conveyor connect transversely thereto. A vibratory conveyor keeps the mutually dissolved ground or cut tobacco material grains or short fibers separated, prevents clumping and provides for efficient delivery of the homogenized tobacco material to the Entrance of the portioning device, which according to the invention may also comprise a plurality of portioning devices.

Advantageously, a return for unportioned ground or cut tobacco material is provided. The combination of needle roller and racket roller has due to the engagement of the impact elements of the racket roller in the needles of the needle roller a comparatively wide space area in which the tobacco material is knocked out. There may therefore be a portion of the tobacco material that does not enter a portioning device after being knocked out of the needle roller by the racket roller. This excess tobacco material may comprise up to 50% of the conveyed tobacco material, so that it is advantageous to provide a return, in particular to the feed device upstream of the homogenizer. This can be done by means of belt conveyors, chain conveyors or the like. A pneumatic delivery is possible in this context, it should be ensured that while the moisture of the recycled tobacco material is not or not greatly lowered. When returning the excess tobacco material, it is not important that it is still homogenized.

In a preferred development, it is provided that the needle roller has a plurality of needle roller segments, which are arranged on a common drive axis and / or the racket roller has a plurality of racket roller segments, which are arranged on a common drive axis, wherein the needle roller segments and / or the racket roller segments are arranged flush with receiving the portioning device. By means of the segments, the needle roller or the racket roller is divided along its longitudinal extension into individual subregions, each of which is an input of a multi-part portioning device or the inputs of several Portionierungsvorrichtungen and fill ground or cut tobacco material in a homogenized and dosed state in this. As a result, the otherwise resulting excess is significantly reduced.

If in this case advantageously the needle roller segments and / or racket roller segments are independently drivable, switchable and / or controllable, several production lines for sachets with SNUS tobacco can be controlled independently, so that over the entire width of the device according to the invention, the predetermined production tolerances and production parameters can be complied with. If, for example, due to geometric parameters, less tobacco material arrives at the edge of the portioning devices than in the center, then in this case a portioning device can be operated in the middle at a higher throughput and a higher frequency than in a portioning device at the edge. Nevertheless, all sachets will have a content within the specified tolerances. Also, the various segments can be controlled to compensate for variations across the width of the rolls.

One possible approach for the independent circuit is, for example, that individual needle roller segments are operated on a common axis, but are separately decoupled from this axis. You can also have their own drives or gear ratios with respect to a common drive axle.

An even more accurate metering is advantageously achieved when downstream of the combination of a needle roller and a Racket roller is arranged a further combination of a needle roller and a racket roller. In this case, the second combination of needle roller and racket roller by feeding already homogenized tobacco material of constant density causes a more accurate dosage of the tobacco material. This also makes it possible, by controlling the second combination of needle roller and racket roller possibly occurring fluctuations, which could not be absorbed by the first combination, compensate.

The object underlying the invention is also achieved by a method for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, wherein ground or cut tobacco material is conveyed to a homogenizing device by means of a feeder, which is developed thereby in that the tobacco material is homogenized in the homogenizing device by means of a combination of a needle roller and a racket roller, the needle roller with its needles receiving tobacco material from the feed device and advancing to the racket roller and the racket roller advancing the tobacco material from the needles of the needle roller towards a portioning device deflects.

The term "from the needles of the needle roller" in the context of the invention means that the tobacco material located between the needles of the needle roller in the coherent and possibly crumpled state, which is held by the needles, is knocked out. This method according to the invention is also based on the basic idea according to the invention that, surprisingly, the needles and deflection elements of the needle roller, which are more widely spaced in comparison with the particle size, and the club roller cause effective homogenization of the material.

With the selection of the delivery volume and the homogenization also a dosage of the ground or cut tobacco material high humidity is connected.

Preferably, a speed of the needle roller and / or a speed of the racket roller can be controlled by means of a control device. This makes it possible to adapt the homogenization and metering as well as the volume flow to fluctuations in the starting material.

Preferably, when the needle roller has a plurality of needle roller segments disposed on a common drive axis, and / or the racket roller has a plurality of rack roller segments arranged on a common drive axis, wherein tobacco material ground or cut by means of the needle roller segments and / or rack roller segments Recordings of the portioning device is knocked out, with low excess or rejects can be achieved over the width of the device customizable process control with consistent quality and filling within predetermined tolerances.

For this purpose, it is particularly preferred if the needle roller segments and / or the racket roller segments are driven, switched and / or controlled independently of each other.

If advantageously the ground or cut tobacco material homogenized by means of the combination of needle roller is metered by means of a further combination of a needle roller and a racket roller, a particularly accurate and constant one is Homogenization and dosage achieved.

Finally, the object of the invention is also achieved by the use of a homogenizing device with a combination of a needle roller and a racket roller for homogenizing, in particular in addition to dosing, of ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35%.

The features, advantages and properties described in relation to the abovementioned individual subjects of the invention, that is to say the device according to the invention, the method according to the invention and the use according to the invention, likewise apply to the respective other subject matter of the invention, even if these are described in each case only in connection with one of the subjects of the invention have been.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Seitenansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung,

Fig. 2

eine schematische Perspektivdarstellung der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung gemäß Figur 1,

Fig. 3

eine schematische Seitenansicht einer weiteren erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung,

Fig. 4

eine schematische Draufsicht auf die Vorrichtung gemäß Figur 3,

Fig. 5

eine schematische Perspektivdarstellung der Vorrichtung gemäß Figur 3.

The invention will be described below without limiting the general inventive idea by means of embodiments with reference to the drawings, reference being expressly made to the drawings with respect to all in the text unspecified details of the invention. Show it:

Fig. 1

a schematic side view of a device according to the invention,

Fig. 2

a schematic perspective view of the device according to the invention according to FIG. 1 .

Fig. 3

a schematic side view of another device according to the invention,

Fig. 4

a schematic plan view of the device according to FIG. 3 .

Fig. 5

a schematic perspective view of the device according to FIG. 3 ,

In the following figures, identical or similar elements or corresponding parts are provided with the same reference numerals, so that a corresponding renewed idea is dispensed with.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a device 1 or feeder 1 for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device in a side view. In a housing 10, a feed device with an axis 11 and conveying fingers 13, which protrude from the axis 11, is shown in the upper area. The axis 11 of the feed device is driven by a drive 12, which is shown partially hidden by the housing. The feeder is partially enclosed in a housing having a wall 16 and an opposite wall, this housing being partially open upwardly and downwardly. In addition, a slotted sliding plate 14 is arranged in the upper region, so that a funnel-shaped opening between the wall 16 and the slotted sliding plate 14 is formed. The direction of rotation of the feed device or its axis 11 extends in FIG. 1 in the counterclockwise direction.

About a guide plate 17 gets coherent and lumpy tobacco material that in FIG. 1 not shown, to the needle roller 20 having short and pointed needles along the circumference. The height of the needles and the width of the needle roller 20 and the rotational speed of the needle roller 20 determine the volume flow of ground or cut moist tobacco material conveyed by the needle roller 20. The direction of rotation of the needle roller 20 extends in FIG. 1 clockwise.

After a rotation of the needle roller 20 by about 110 ° after receiving from the feeder in the needles of the needle roller 20 tobacco material passes to a racket roller 22 having the Ausschlagelemente, namely spikes or the like, which at high speed counterclockwise in FIG. 1 rotates. For this purpose, the racket roller 22 comprises a drive, not shown. The rash elements engage between the needles of the needle roller 20 and knock out the tobacco material conveyed therefrom at high speed. Since the tobacco material is already very fine-grained, the tobacco material is not damaged by it. However, the high speed with which the rash elements strike the tobacco material results in that the relationship caused by the moisture of the grains or Kurfasern of the tobacco material is dissolved and the tobacco material is homogenized. The tobacco material is knocked down substantially tangentially to the surface of needle roller 20 and racket roller 22 at that location, through a channel defined by walls 22, 23 'of the homogenizer.

Not shown in FIG. 1 a portioning device, however, is a receptacle 24 for a portioning device in FIG. 1 shown.

In FIG. 2 is the device 1 according to FIG. 1 shown schematically in a perspective view. In addition to a drive 12 for the feed device and a drive 21 for the needle roller is shown. In the upper area, an opening can be seen in the wet ground or cut tobacco material is filled, and a slotted sliding plate 14 with slots 15, which is part of a funnel for filling the feeder. In the FIG. 1 illustrated conveying fingers 13 on the axis 11 of the feed device penetrate the sliding plate 14 in the slots 15. Tobacco material therefore can not fall through the slots 15 of the sliding plate 14. In the lower area, the wall 23 of the homogenization device can be seen. The area arranged below has a receptacle 24 for a portioning device, which in FIG. 2 not shown.

In FIG. 3 an alternative variant of a feeding device 2 according to the invention is shown schematically in a side view. This has in an upper, seen from the side L-shaped housing 30 has a horizontally oriented conveyor in the form of a conveyor belt 33 which runs on two conveyor rollers 31 and 32. The conveyor belt 33 has on its outer side at regular intervals webs 34, so that moist ground or cut tobacco material on the top of the conveyor belt 33 and supported by the webs 34 in the FIG. 3 is promoted from left to right. From the conveyor belt 33, the tobacco material passes on conveying blades 37 on the conveyor roller 36, which in FIG. 3 rotated counterclockwise.

Through an opening above a needle roller 48, the tobacco material passes from the conveying blades 37 into the needles of the needle roller 40, which in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3 is rotated and driven by a needle roller drive 44 via a drive belt 45. In a common housing or wall 48 of the homogenizing device, the needle roller 40 is together with a racket roller 46, which is also downstream of the point with respect to the conveying path of the tobacco material, where the needle roller 40 receives the tobacco material is disposed on the needle roller 40.

The racket roller 46 rotated by a drive, not shown, deflects the transported wet tobacco material from the needle roller 40 toward a portioning device 50, the tobacco material being thrown through a feed hopper 49. In this case, the tobacco material is homogenized and dosed.

In FIG. 4 is in a schematic plan view of the device 2 according to FIG. 3 recognizable that it is a device 2 segmented in the width of the device 2. The feed device is shown above and comprises a conveyor roller 32 with a conveyor belt 33 and webs 34, wherein the conveyor rollers are mounted in a journal bearing 35 in the housing 30, and a conveyor roller 36 with conveying blades 37 which are staggered to each other on the circumference of the conveyor roller 36 and lateral distances are arranged to each other.

Below the feed device is a segmented needle roller 40 with eight needle roller segments 41, which are arranged at the same distance next to each other. Each needle roller segment 41 has at its periphery needles 42 which serve for holding and transporting not yet homogenized moist ground or cut tobacco material. The needle roller 40 is supported on a needle roller shaft 43.

In the in FIG. 4 shown top view is slightly below and in front of the needle roller 40 a racket roller 46, which is also segmented. Of the segments of the racket roller is only of the in FIG. 4 left arranged segment shown that Whip roll spikes 47 are provided, which are aligned with the needles 42 of the corresponding needle roller segment 41. The other beater roller spikes 47 in the other segments are not shown for clarity. The racket roller 46 has an axis 46 'which is mounted in the housing 30. On the right in FIG. 4 can be provided on this axis 46 'a drive for the racket roller 46.

In the lower part of FIG. 4 a portioning device 50 is schematically illustrated, wherein each segment 41 of the needle roller 40 in the complete device is associated with a portioning device 50. The device 2 according to FIG. 4 Therefore, in the complete state has eight portioning devices 50, in particular similar portioning devices 50. With suitable controls, it is possible to control the segments 41 of the needle roller 40 separately from each other.

In FIG. 5 is the device 2 according to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 shown schematically in perspective. From the top right, ground or cut moist tobacco material, not shown, is conveyed on the conveyor belt 33 leftward to the conveying roller 36 with the conveying blades 37 and by means of the conveying blades 37 to the needle roller 40 below which has eight needle roller segments 41. For the sake of clarity, in the racket roller 46 arranged underneath it is shown only in the left-hand segment that this segment has racket roller sting 47. This also applies to the other segments whose bat roller spikes are not shown for the sake of clarity. Below this segment, the portioning device 50 is shown schematically in perspective.

All the features mentioned, including the drawings to be taken alone as well as individual features that are disclosed in combination with other features are considered alone and in combination as essential to the invention. Embodiments of the invention may be accomplished by individual features or a combination of several features.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1, 2

feeder

10

casing

11

Axle of the feeder

12

Drive of the feed device

13

feeding fingers

14

slotted sliding plate

15

slot

16

wall

17

guide plate

20

needle roller

21

Drive of the needle roller

22

Beater roller

23, 23 '

Wall of the homogenizer

24

Holder for a portioning device

30

casing

31, 32

conveyor roller

33

conveyor belt

34

web

35

Achslager

36

conveyor roller

37

impeller blade

38

Achslager

40

needle roller

41

Needle roller segment

42

needles

43

Needle roller axis

44

Needle roller drive

45

drive belts

46

Beater roller

46 '

axis

47

Bat rolling sting

48

Wall of the homogenizer

49

feed hopper

50

portioning

Claims (13)

Apparatus (1, 2) for the tobacco processing industry for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device (50), comprising a feed device (11-16, 31-37), a homogenizing device (20-23 , 23 ', 40-48) and a portioning device (50), characterized in that the homogenizing device (20-23, 23', 40-48) comprises a combination of a needle roller (20, 40) and a racket roller (22, 46 ), wherein the needle roller (20, 40) is located downstream of the feeder device (11-16, 31-37) and receives tobacco material from the feeder device (11-16, 31-37), the whipper roller (22, 46) being formed is to knock out tobacco material from the needle roller (20, 40) in the direction of the portioning device (50). Device (1, 2) according to claim 1, characterized in that a control device is provided, by means of which a speed of the needle roller (20, 40) and / or a rotational speed of the racket roller (22, 46) is controllable. Apparatus (1, 2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that arranged below or downstream of the combination of a needle roller (20, 40) and a racket roller (22, 46) a collinear arranged to a needle roller axis (20, 43) vibrating conveyor is, to which further vibrating conveyor connect across it. Device (1, 2) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a return is provided for non-portioned ground or cut tobacco material. Device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the needle roller (40) has a plurality of needle roller segments (41) which are arranged on a common drive axle (43), and / or the racket roller (46) A plurality of racquet roller segments, which are arranged on a common drive axle (46 '), wherein the needle roller segments (41) and / or racquet roller segments with receptacles of the portioning device (50) are arranged in alignment. Device (2) according to claim 5, characterized in that the needle roller segments (41) and / or racket roller segments are independently drivable, switchable and / or controllable. Device (1, 2) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that downstream of the combination of a needle roller (20, 40) and a racket roller (22, 46), a further combination of a needle roller and a racket roller is arranged. A method for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device (50), wherein ground or cut tobacco material by means of a feed device (11-16, 31-37) to a homogenization device (20-23, 23 ', 40-48), characterized in that the tobacco material in the homogenizing device (20-23, 23 ', 40-48) is homogenised by means of a combination of a needle roller (20, 40) and a racket roller (22, 46), wherein the needle roller (20, 40) with its needles (42) receives tobacco material from the feed device (11-16, 31-37) and advances to the racket roller (22, 46) and the racket roller (22, 46) from the tobacco material Needles (42) of the needle roller (20, 40) in the direction of a portioning device (50) back out. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that by means of a control device, a speed of the needle roller (40) and / or a rotational speed of the racket roller (22, 46) is controllable. A method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the needle roller (40) comprises a plurality of needle roller segments (41) which are arranged on a common drive axle (43) and / or the racket roller (46) comprises a plurality of rack roller segments, the one on one common drive axle are arranged, wherein by means of the needle roller segments (41) and / or racket roller segments ground or cut tobacco material in receptacles of the portioning device (50) is knocked out. Method according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the needle roller segments (41) and / or racket roller segments are independently driven, switched and / or controlled. Method according to one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the means of the combination of needle roller (20, 40) and racket roller (22, 46) homogenized milled or cut tobacco material is metered by means of a further combination of a needle roller and a racket roller. Use of a homogenizing device (20-23, 23 ', 40-48) comprising a combination of a needle roller (20, 40) and a whipping roller (22, 46) for homogenizing, in particular in addition to dosing, ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35%.

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