EP2982251B1 - Method and device for processing tobacco - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for processing tobacco having a tobacco conveying path, a tobacco inlet region and a tobacco outlet region, wherein the tobacco conveying path has a feed device which is designed such that the tobacco can be conveyed along the tobacco conveying path from the tobacco inlet region to the tobacco outlet region. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for processing tobacco with a device according to the present invention.

Such devices are known in the art. In general, these devices are used to transport the tobacco from one processing point to the next processing point. Thus, so-called cut tobacco is produced, for example, by cutting tobacco leaves. After cutting the tobacco leaves then present in the form of a tobacco mat tobacco usually passes through a drying plant with an outlet temperature of about 60 ° C to 85 ° C. In the subsequent cooling system, the tobacco is cooled to room temperature. In order to fix the filling volume to be achieved later and the outlet moisture of the tobacco, rapid cooling of the tobacco is advantageous in this case.

However, due to the nature of the process, uncut tobacco parts, so-called Winnower ribs, are always produced when cutting tobacco. These Winnower ribs, which are referred to below as undesired particles, are carried in small amounts in the subsequent processes, which can lead to considerable problems in the later processing process. Therefore, it is desirable that these particles are removed from the cut tobacco prior to processing in the cigarette machine. Of course, these particles should also be removed if the tobacco is intended as a tobacco product for the self-turning of cigarettes.

In previous solutions, the cut tobacco is separated from the unwanted particles by means of a pneumatic conveying by air direction. Alternatively, a solution is also known in which the cut tobacco is transported on a vibrating conveyor ring which has a perforated bottom segment. Through this perforated bottom segment, air is blown to separate light and heavy tobacco components. In this case, a separation of the unwanted particles is achieved.

A disadvantage of the methods mentioned is that the screening and discharge of unwanted particles is usually insufficient and during the process as well so-called short tobacco can be produced, so tobacco is too short to be processed further clean. This has an overall negative impact on the quality of the tobacco product. A device for processing tobacco is out GB 367,754 known. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for processing tobacco, so that the unwanted and uncut tobacco particles can be removed from the tobacco stream.

The object is achieved with a device according to claim 1 and a method for processing tobacco according to claim 11. Advantageous developments are described in the subclaims.

The device according to the invention is characterized in that the feed device has a rotatable first feed body with a jacket surface and driver devices that can be extended radially from the jacket surface. The tobacco introduced in the tobacco inlet area is thus transported along the tobacco conveying path by rotation of the first feed body. The extendable entrainment devices are in particular extended so that they act directly on the tobacco to be transported or the tobacco web to be transported. After they have acted on the tobacco or tobacco fleece, they are retracted again. This has the advantage that the lateral space requirement for the entrainment devices is saved so that the first advancement body can be positioned close to the tobacco inlet area or to the tobacco outlet area. This also has the advantage that the distance between the feed body and an adjacent component of the device can be chosen extremely low.

It is advantageous if the feed device has at least one rotatable second feed body, with the first feed body and the second feed body rotating at different rotational speeds. The different rotational speed has the advantage that the tobacco or the tobacco web to be transported can be compressed and / or stretched. Thus, the unwanted particles can be better removed from the tobacco stream, as they fall out of this by the action of force on the tobacco or tobacco fleece.

It is expedient if the second feed body is arranged closer to the tobacco outlet area than the first feed body, wherein the second feed body rotates at a higher rotational speed than the first feed body. This has the advantage of being too transporting tobacco or tobacco fleece is slowly pulled apart. This results in a particularly good separation of the unwanted particles.

In this case, it is advantageous if the second feed body has a lateral surface and entrainment devices that can be extended by the lateral surface. This results in principle the same advantage as it has already been described above with respect to the first feed body, namely that on the one hand, the lateral space requirement can be significantly reduced, and on the other hand, an optimal discharge of unwanted particles can be done. Furthermore, the feed body can also be arranged very close together, i. The distance between the feed bodies can be minimal.

It is advantageous if the driver devices are designed as driver pins, wherein the driver pins are preferably completely retractable in the feed body. Driving pins have the advantage that they have a uniform cross-section in the longitudinal extent, so that they complete in the retracted state, the lateral surface completely and no residual opening remains, as would be the case for example with tops or cones. The disadvantage of such openings, namely, that they could be clogged by tobacco particles and thus the overall processing process can be adversely affected.

It is advantageous if the first feed body and the second feed body are arranged substantially parallel to one another, wherein the distance between the first feed body and the second feed body is variable. As a result, the size of the ejected and unwanted particles can be adjusted. If particularly small particles are to be discharged, the distance between the advancing bodies is selected to be small, the distance being chosen to be correspondingly large if larger particles are to be discharged.

Appropriately, the first feed body and / or the second feed body are formed as rollers. Rolls have the advantage that they are rotationally symmetrical and therefore the distance between the rollers can be optimally adjusted. Of course, however, find another form for the feed body use according to the requirements, for example, cones or the like can be used.

It is advantageous if the device has a cooling device for cooling the tobacco. Thus, during the removal of the unwanted particles, it is optionally possible for the tobacco to be cooled to the output temperature, preferably at room temperature. This saves a step in the tobacco processing process.

Expediently, the device has a housing, wherein the tobacco conveyor section is arranged within the housing, and the cooling device has an inlet opening arranged below the tobacco conveyor on the housing for discharging air and an exhaust opening arranged above the tobacco conveyor section on the housing. This has the advantage that the air required for cooling is brought from below to the tobacco, flows past the advancing bodies, then expands and consequently cools the tobacco homogeneously. Subsequently, the air is removed from the device through the exhaust port and can be filtered, for example, to eliminate dust or the like.

It is advantageous if the device has a collecting and discharging device, wherein the collecting and discharging device is arranged below the tobacco conveyor track. Thus it can be ensured that the discharged by gravity unwanted particles land in the collecting and discharging device, and these can be fed to further processing or disposal.

1. a) Aufgeben von Tabak im Tabakeinlassbereich;
2. b) Ausverfahren der Mitnehmereinrichtungen bevor diese auf dem Tabak einwirken;
3. c) Einwirken der Mitnehmereinrichtungen auf dem Tabak, sodass dieser entlang der Tabakförderstrecke gefördert wird;
4. d) gleichzeitiges Ausschleusen von unerwünschten Partikeln im Tabak;
5. e) Einfahren der Mitnehmereinrichtungen nachdem diese auf dem Tabak eingewirkt haben;und
6. f) Ausgeben des Tabaks und Tabakauslassbereich.

The method accomplishes the object with a method for processing tobacco with a device described above, the method comprising the following steps:

1. a) giving up tobacco in the tobacco intake area;
2. b) unloading devices before they act on the tobacco;
3. c) acting on the tobacco on the tobacco, so that it is conveyed along the tobacco conveyor section;
4. d) simultaneous removal of unwanted particles in the tobacco;
5. e) retracting the entrainment devices after they have acted on the tobacco, and
6. f) dispensing the tobacco and tobacco outlet area.

In particular, it is advantageous if, when using two feed bodies, they are rotated at a different rotational speed. It is expedient if the second feed body is arranged closer to the tobacco outlet area and rotates at a greater rotational speed than the first feed body. This results in the already described advantage that the tobacco to be conveyed or the tobacco fleece is pulled apart. It is also conceivable that when using more than two feed elements, for example in three or four feed bodies, the rotational speed of the feed body from Tobacco inlet area to the tobacco outlet area is continuously increased, so that the tobacco to be conveyed or tobacco fleece is slowly pulled apart.

It is also advantageous if the distance between the first feed body and the second feed body is adjusted based on the size of the unwanted particles to be ejected. Thus, a targeted distance can be set, which is adapted to the size of the unwanted particles, so that only particles which are smaller than or equal to the desired size, be discharged.

Appropriately, the tobacco or the tobacco web is cooled during the promotion along the tobacco conveyor track. This has the advantage that the tobacco or tobacco fleece can be cooled directly to the desired output temperature, preferably at room temperature. Thus, a step in the tobacco processing process is saved, since the cooling and discharge of unwanted particles can be done in one step.

It is also advantageous in this case if the discontinued air is introduced at a selected flow rate through the supply air opening, wherein the air is guided along the feed body and the flow velocity below the tobacco is reduced, so that the air is distributed below the tobacco. This results in a homogeneous and uniform cooling of the tobacco, so that it is output at the desired output temperature, preferably at the level of room temperature.

Fig.1

eine schematische Übersicht über eine erfindungsgemäß Vorrichtung zur Bearbeitung von Tabak;

Fig.2

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer Vorschubeinrichtung mit drei Vorschubkörpern;

Fig.3

eine Seitenansicht der in Fig. 2 gezeigten Vorschubeinrichtung; und

Fig.4

eine Draufsicht auf die in Fig. 2 gezeigte Vorschubeinrichtung.

The invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. This show schematically

Fig.1

a schematic overview of an inventive apparatus for processing tobacco;

Fig.2

a perspective view of a feed device with three feed members;

Figure 3

a side view of in Fig. 2 shown feed device; and

Figure 4

a top view of the in Fig. 2 shown feed device.

In Fig. 1 is a schematic overview of a device 1 according to the invention for processing tobacco T. The device 1 has a tobacco conveyor section 2, a tobacco inlet region 3 and a tobacco outlet 4. The tobacco conveyor section 2 has a feed device 5, which in the in Fig. 1 shown exemplary embodiment of six feed bodies 6, 6a, 6b. The feed body 6, 6a, 6b are as rollers trained and can be rotated about a central axis X by a drive, not shown. It is irrelevant whether each roller 6, 6a, 6b has its own drive, or a single drive drives all rollers 6, 6a, 6b, for example with intermediate gears. However, the drive of the rollers 6, 6a, 6b is formed so that the rollers 6, 6a, 6b can rotate at different rotational speeds V.

The rollers 6, 6a, 6b are constructed identically. Each roller 6, 6a, 6b has a lateral surface 7 from which driver devices 8 can be extended in the radial direction. The driver devices 8 are preferably designed as driving pins (see. Fig. 2 to 4 ), which are completely retractable into the lateral surface 7. As in the Fig. 2 to 4 can be arranged in rows along the longitudinal axis A of the roller 6, 6a, 6b, the driver pins 8. It is also conceivable that the driving pins 8 have a different arrangement, for example in the form of a helix. The driving pins 8 are moved in the radial direction via a movement device, not shown, so that they either extend from the lateral surface 7, or are sunk within the lateral surface 7.

The rollers 6, 6a, 6b are arranged parallel to one another along the tobacco conveying path 2 at a variable distance D. Since the driving pins 8 are retractable and extendable, the minimum distance D between two rollers 6a, 6b is not defined by the radial extent of the driving pins 8. Rather, the rollers 6, 6a, 6b can be arranged so that the lateral surfaces 7 contact or have no contact with each other. As shown in the figures, the driving pins 8 are moved in just before they act on the tobacco T radially extended and after they acted on the tobacco T retracted again. For example, this retraction and extension movement of the driving pins 8 can be controlled by a camshaft arranged within the roller 6, 6a, 6b. As in particular in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 illustrated, the drive pins 8 are preferably about or extended in the upper third of the roller cross section, so that no contact between driving pins 8 adjacent rollers 6, 6a, 6b is formed.

The distance D between the rollers 6 is selected so that undesired particles P of a certain size by the gap defined by the distance D 9 between two rollers 6, 6a, 6b or between a roller 6, 6a, 6b and another component of the Device 1 can be discharged. In the Fig. 2 to 4 an embodiment of a feed device 5 with three rollers 6, 6a, 6b is shown.

Furthermore, the device 1 has a housing 10, a collecting and discharging device 11 and a cooling device 12. The tobacco conveyor section 2 is disposed within the housing 10, wherein the collecting and discharging device 11 is located below the tobacco conveyor section 2, so that the discharged unwanted particles P can be collected and transported for further processing, as will be described in more detail below.
As shown, the supply air opening 13 is in this embodiment below the tobacco conveyor section 2 and the exhaust opening 14 above the tobacco conveyor section 2. It is also conceivable that more than one inlet opening 13 or exhaust opening 14th are provided and these can also be arranged at other locations of the device 1 and the housing 10. Through the supply air opening 13 air L is charged at a selected flow rate S in order to cool the tobacco T to a desired temperature, in particular to room temperature can. This optional cooling process is described in more detail below.

Now, how the tobacco T is processed in the apparatus 1 will be described below. First, the tobacco T is placed in the tobacco inlet area 3 in the device 1. The abandoned tobacco T is abandoned in this embodiment in the form of a tobacco fleece T from cut tobacco leaves. Due to the upstream cutting of the tobacco T process uncircumcised and therefore undesirable particles P are included in the tobacco mat T, which are carried in the cut material further in the process. Since these unwanted particles P known as Winnower ribs can lead to disruptions and impaired quality in a cigarette machine or in manually produced cigarettes, it is advantageous to remove these unwanted particles P from the tobacco web T.

For this purpose, the tobacco mat T is conveyed along the tobacco conveyor section 2 by the feed device 5 and at the same time the uncut and unwanted particles P discharged. The tobacco web T is therefore pulled apart along the tobacco conveyor section 2. This is achieved in that the rollers 6, 6a, 6b rotate at different rotational speed V. Thus, the rotational speed V of the rollers 6, 6a, 6b is continuously increased from the tobacco inlet portion 3 to the tobacco outlet portion 4. In other words, the roller 6a closest to the tobacco inlet portion 3 rotates at the lowest rotational speed V, and the roller 6b closest to the tobacco outlet portion 4 rotates at the highest rotational speed V.

The distance D between the rollers 6, 6a, 6b is in this case selected so that at the respective point within the tobacco conveyor section 2, the unwanted particles P of a certain size are discharged by this gravity caused by the gap defined by the distance D between the rollers 6 9, and collected in the collecting and discharging device 11. From this, the unwanted particles P can be supplied for further processing or disposal, for example.

Optionally, the tobacco mat T can be cooled during the conveyance along the tobacco conveyor section 2. For this purpose, air L for cooling at a selected flow rate S through the supply air opening 13 is abandoned. The air L flows through the gap 9 between the rollers 6, 6a, 6b, wherein the flow velocity S of the air L decreases due to the Bernoulli effect when it exits through the gap 9 in the direction of the tobacco web T. As a result, the air L is distributed homogeneously below the tobacco web T and cools this to the desired output temperature, preferably at the level of the room temperature. The air L then exits through the exhaust port 14 and can be filtered, for example, to remove dust particles or the like from the air L.

In order to obtain an optimal processing result, it is advantageous if the gap 9 between the rollers 6, 6a, 6b is chosen so that the unwanted particles P are discharged and an optimal air distribution below the tobacco web T is achieved for cooling the same.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Device for processing tobacco

2

Tobacco conveyor connector

3

Tobacco inlet area

4

Tabakauslassbereich

5

feeder

6

Feed body / roller

6a

first feed body / roller

6b

second feed body / roller

7

lateral surface

8th

Carrier device / driving pin

9

gap

10

casing

11

Collection and discharge device

12

cooler

13

air intake opening

14

exhaust vent

A

longitudinal axis

D

distance

L

air

S

flow rate

T

Tobacco / tobacco fleece

V

rotation speed

P

unwanted particles

X

axis of rotation

Claims (15)

1. Apparatus (1) for processing tobacco (T) with a conveyor line (2), a tobacco inlet region (3) and a tobacco outlet region (4), wherein the tobacco conveyor line (2) includes a feed device (5), which is constructed so that the tobacco (T) is conveyable along the tobacco conveyor line (2) from the tobacco inlet region (3) to the tobacco outlet region (4), characterised in that the feed device (5) includes a rotatable, first feed body (6, 6a, 6b) with a peripheral surface (7) and drive devices (8), which are extendable radially from the peripheral surface (7).
2. Apparatus (1) as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the feed device (5) includes at least one rotatable, second feed body (66, 6b), wherein the first feed body (6a) and second feed body (6, 6b) rotate at different rotational speeds (V).
3. Apparatus (1) as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that the second feed body (6, 6b) is arranged closer to the tobacco outlet region (4) than the first feed body (6a), wherein the second feed body (6, 6b) rotates with a higher rotational speed (V) than the first feed body (6a).
4. Apparatus (1) as claimed in one of the preceding Claims 2 or 3, characterised in that the second feed body (6, 6b) includes a peripheral surface (7) and drive devices (8), which are extendable radially from the peripheral surface (7).
5. Apparatus (1) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the drive devices (8) are constructed in the form of drive pins, wherein the drive pins (8) may preferably be recessed completely within the feed body (6, 6a, 6b).
6. Apparatus (1) as claimed in one of the preceding Claims 2 to 5, characterised in that the first feed body (6a) and the second feed body (6, 6b) are arranged substantially parallel, wherein the spacing (D) between the first feed body (6a) and the second feed body (6, 6b) is alterable.
7. Apparatus (1) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first feed body (6a) and/or the second feed body (6, 6b) is or are constructed in the form of rollers.
8. Apparatus (1) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the apparatus (1) includes a cooling device (12) for cooling the tobacco (T).
9. Apparatus (1) as claimed in Claim 8, characterised in that the apparatus (1) includes a housing (10), wherein the tobacco conveyor line (2) is arranged within the housing (10) and the cooling device (12) includes an air supply opening (13), which is arranged on the housing below the tobacco conveyor line (2), for supplying air (L) and an air discharge opening (14) arranged on the housing (10) above the tobacco conveyor line (2).
10. Apparatus (1) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the apparatus (1) includes a collecting and discharge device (11), wherein the collecting and discharge device (11) is arranged below the tobacco conveyor line (2).
11. A method of processing tobacco (T) with an apparatus (1) as claimed in one of the preceding claims, including the following steps:

    a. placing tobacco (T) in the tobacco inlet region (3);

    b. extending the drive devices (8) before they act on the tobacco (T);

    c. acting of the drive devices (8) on the tobacco (T) so that it is conveyed along the tobacco conveyor line (2);

    d. simultaneously discharging undesired particles (P) in the tobacco (T);

    e. retracting the drive devices (8) after they have acted on the tobacco (T); and

    f. discharging the tobacco (T) at the tobacco outlet region (4).
12. A method as claimed in Claim 11, characterised in that a second feed body (6a, 6b) is arranged closer to the tobacco outlet region (4) than the first feed body (6a), wherein the second feed body (6, 6b) is rotated with a higher rotational speed (V) than the first feed body (6a), so that the tobacco conveyed along the tobacco conveyor line (2) is pulled apart.
13. A method as claimed in one of the preceding Claims 11 or 13, characterised in that the spacing (D) between the first feed body (6a) and the second feed body (6, 6b) is set with reference to the size of the undesired particles (P).
14. A method as claimed in one of the preceding Claims 11 to 13, characterised in that the tobacco (T) is cooled during the conveying along the tobacco conveyor line (2).
15. A method as claimed in Claim 14, characterised in that air (L) is supplied through the air supply opening (13) with a selected flow velocity (S), wherein the air (L) is guided along the feed bodies (6, 6a, 6b) and the flow velocity (S) decreases below the tobacco (T) so that the air (L) is distributed below the tobacco (T).

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