Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
  • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
  • A24C5/32—Separating, ordering, counting or examining cigarettes; Regulating the feeding of tobacco according to rod or cigarette condition
  • A24C5/34—Examining cigarettes or the rod, e.g. for regulating the feeding of tobacco; Removing defective cigarettes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
  • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
  • A24C5/14—Machines of the continuous-rod type
  • A24C5/18—Forming the rod
  • A24C5/1871—Devices for regulating the tobacco quantity

Definitions

• This invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting a conveyor belt of the tobacco industry.
• this invention is intended for making an apparatus for monitoring and inspecting the degree of wear of a conveyor belt so as to allow an assessment of whether or not it meets one or more integrity criteria, on the basis of which it is possible to determine when it is appropriate to substitute the belt.
• conveyor belts which allow them to be conveyed, in particular through the individual operating stations or between adjacent stations.
• Prior art machines for the production of continuous rods of tobacco usually use a substantially vertical flue fed at the bottom by a continuous flow of tobacco particles, at the top end of which a suction belt is positioned, on which a continuous mass of tobacco forms.
• That suction belt is suitable for feeding the continuous mass of tobacco along a predetermined path at least partly defined by the suction belt itself, to a preforming device which creates a continuous ribbon and then to a forming channel for a continuous rod of tobacco in which a wrapping web, for example made of paper, is forced to wrap around the continuous ribbon of tobacco so as to form a continuous cylinder or rod of the tobacco industry, such as a cigarette rod, which will subsequently be divided into pieces by a suitable cutting device.
• suction belts are a particular type of conveyor belt and have a porous surface, preferably with a grid structure, to allow the passage of a suction air flow, but not of the semi-finished product which they are designed to hold.
• conveyor belts of the suction type over time tend to grow slacker, stretching due to yielding and wearing, until they deteriorate to the point that they need to be substituted. That occurs quite often, even more than once during the same work shift. Therefore, in prior art machines and apparatuses, to prevent the suction belt from breaking, lengthy machine down times are required in order to remove/substitute the belt, and because of the unpredictable effects that the belt breaking could have on the production chain, preventive substitution is usually carried out at regular intervals.
• That problem even if potentially with a reduced time incidence, may also occur in other processes and with other types of belts used in the tobacco sector.
• the technical purpose which forms the basis of this invention is to propose an apparatus for inspecting a conveyor belt of the tobacco industry which overcomes at least some of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.
• this invention shows an apparatus for inspecting a belt of the tobacco industry which comprises a conveyor configured to convey a product, be it a finished or semi-finished product, of the tobacco industry along a conveying path and a detecting device.
• the conveyor comprises at least one conveyor belt provided with at least one operating section which is used to convey the product, and one return section which is not used to convey the product.
• the detecting device located near the conveyor belt, defines a detection zone configured to slidably receive the conveyor belt and is configured to detect at least one property of the conveyor belt when the latter is in transit through the detection zone and to generate a control signal representing that at least one property.
• the apparatus according to this invention allows an assessment of the structural integrity of the conveyor belt so as to precisely assess the moment when it is effectively necessary to substitute the belt.
• This invention also relates to a method for checking the quality of a conveyor belt of the tobacco industry, comprising the following steps:
• Figure 2 is cross-section of a further possible embodiment of this invention.
• Figure 3 shows a view of the device in the embodiment of Figure 2.
• the reference number 100 is used to indicate an apparatus for inspecting a conveyor belt of the tobacco industry.
• the apparatus 100 described herein comprises in particular a conveyor 10 and a detecting device 20.
• the conveyor 10 is configured to convey a product, be it a finished or semi-finished product, for the tobacco industry along a conveying path.
• a product be it a finished or semi-finished product
• the term finished product means any article of the tobacco industry whose production process has ended and which is therefore potentially ready for use.
• semi-finished product“S” means any material used in the tobacco industry for making, in particular for filling, a finished product, for example: a mass of tobacco fibre, a ribbon of filter material, a ribbon of pieces of filter, even heterogeneous, or a crimped tobacco ribbon.
• the conveyor 10 comprises at least one conveyor belt 1 1 which has at least one operating section 11 a which is used to convey the product and one return section 1 1 b which is not used to convey the product.
• the conveyor belt 1 1 defines a closed path substantially divided into two portions: a first portion for conveying and transporting the product from one processing station to the next, or through a processing station, and a second portion substantially for closing the path followed by the conveyor belt 1 1 in which it does not convey or transport any product.
• the conveyor belt 11 is usually subjected to tension so that it can be pulled by a motor-driven pulley 12 of the conveyor 10.
• the conveyor belt 1 1 is stretched, which over time reduces its effective degree of tensioning, which therefore deviates from the desired and optimal degree of tensioning.
• the conveyor 10 comprises a tensioning pulley 13 which is movable in such a way as to allow suitable lengthening of the path which is followed by the conveyor belt 1 1 , with the aim of guaranteeing constant application of the desired degree of tensioning.
• the tensioning pulley 13 may be associated with a suitable tensioning device 13a, for example a pneumatic cylinder or an equivalent thrust unit, movable according to a thrust motion suitable for applying to the conveyor belt 1 1 a force having an intensity and direction which are suitable for countering the stretching of the conveyor belt 1 1 over time, thereby keeping it taut.
• a suitable tensioning device 13a for example a pneumatic cylinder or an equivalent thrust unit, movable according to a thrust motion suitable for applying to the conveyor belt 1 1 a force having an intensity and direction which are suitable for countering the stretching of the conveyor belt 1 1 over time, thereby keeping it taut.
• the detecting device 20 defines a detection zone“Z”, through which the conveyor belt 1 1 slides, and which is configured to detect at least one property of the conveyor belt 1 1 when the latter is in transit through the detection zone“Z”.
• the detecting device 20 is further configured to generate a control signal representing that at least one property detected.
• the term property means any characteristic of the conveyor belt 1 1 capable of supplying indications about its state of wear, such as but not limited to: thickness, length, density per unit of length.
• the detecting device 20 is preferably located at the return section 11 b of the conveyor belt 11 , in such a way as to ensure that only the conveyor belt 1 1 passes through the detection zone“Z” and that it is not possible for the product moved by the conveyor belt 11 to accidentally also pass through that zone.
• the detecting device 20 is configured to monitor the conveyor belt 1 1 as the latter slides through the detection zone“Z”, in such a way as to allow a real-time analysis of it, so that it is possible to determine its state of deterioration over time and, if necessary, to determine whether it needs to be substituted.
• the apparatus 100 comprises, or is associated with, a control unit“C”, which is configured to receive and process the control signal and to determine whether the at least one property measured, represented by the control signal, meets one or more predetermined integrity criteria.
• control unit“C” is configured to store a reference control signal generated during a first complete turn of the conveyor belt 1 1 relative to the detection zone“Z”.
• the control unit“C” is further configured to compare the reference control signal with the control signals generated during each subsequent turn of the conveyor belt 1 1 , in order to determine whether the at least one property monitored meets the predetermined integrity criteria.
• control unit“C” is further configured to emit an alarm signal when the at least one property does not meet one or more of the predetermined integrity criteria.
• That alarm may be any type of audible or visual signal capable of alerting an operator to the need to interrupt the activity in progress at the conveyor 10 and to proceed with substitution of the conveyor belt 1 1.
• control unit “C” comprises a readable storage medium configured to store the predetermined integrity criteria and preferably also the reference control signal and the control signal to allow them to be subsequently analysed, if necessary.
• control unit “C” contains in the readable storage medium the reference parameters and the reference control signal on the basis of which the state of integrity of the conveyor belt 1 1 is assessed and can further store, archiving them, the various control signals generated by the detecting device 20, both relative to the same conveyor belt 1 1 , throughout its useful life, and relative to successive conveyor belts 1 1 .
• That device allows the acquisition of statistical information about the behaviour of conveyor belts 1 1 over time, in such a way as to allow an analysis of them intended for studying various forms of wear which may occur, in order to be able to devise any mechanisms for preventing them, thereby extending the useful life of the individual conveyor belts 1 1.
• the detecting device 20 comprises an encoder 21 configured to generate a position signal representing a position of each portion of the conveyor belt 1 1 relative to the detecting device 20.
• the encoder makes it possible to determine which portion of the conveyor belt 11 is inspected at a given moment by the detecting device 20.
• the detecting device 20 comprises an electromagnetic sensor 22a, preferably operating in the microwave range, which defines a detecting channel configured to slidably receive the conveyor belt, according to that embodiment the detecting channel defining the detection zone“Z”.
• the detecting device 20 comprises an optical sensor 22b, preferably a photocell or a video camera.
• the electromagnetic sensor 22a or the optical sensor 22b may also have the function of zeroing the encoder 32.
• the senor 22a, 22b may communicate to the encoder 32, preferably by means of the control unit “C”, that a predetermined distinctive element is again passing through the detection zone “Z”, therefore indicating that the conveyor belt 1 1 itself has performed a full turn relative to the encoder 21 which must therefore be zeroed.
• the conveyor 10 is a suction belt conveyor for conveying a semi-finished product in the form of tobacco fibre and comprises at least one guide channel for guiding the tobacco fibre, delimited laterally by two side walls and, transversely to those side walls, by the conveyor belt 11.
• the conveyor 10 is configured to hold and convey the semi-finished product along a conveying path and comprises at least one guide channel, delimited at the sides by two side walls and at the top by a conveyor belt 1 1 .
• the conveyor belt 11 is permeable to air so that a sucked air flow generated inside the apparatus 100 can pass through the belt from the bottom upwards. That air flow creates a vacuum on the lower surface of the conveyor belt 1 1 .
• the conveyor belt slides inside suitable guides which engage with a peripheral portion of it so as to aid its correct tensioning during use of the conveyor 10.
• the conveyor 10 comprises a plurality of guide channels, preferably as shown in Figure 3, two guide channels, each of which is couplable to respective detecting devices 20 according to the various embodiments indicated above.
• This invention also relates to a method for checking the quality of a conveyor belt of the tobacco industry.
• the method according to this invention comprises causing a conveyor belt 1 1 to pass through a detection zone“Z” of a detecting device 20.
• the detecting device 20 to detect detecting at least one property of the conveyor belt 1 1 in transit through the detection zone“Z” and to generate a control signal identifying that property detected.
• control signal is then processed in order to determine whether the at least one property measured meets a predetermined acceptability criterion.
• the method disclosed also comprises a step of activating an alarm if the at least one property measured does not meet the predetermined acceptability criterion.
• the method comprises performing an inspection of the conveyor belt 1 1 as soon as it has been installed on the conveyor, in such a way as to have a reference relative to its initial conditions and on the basis of which its state of structural integrity can be assessed.
• the method comprises, before the step of detecting at least one property of the belt, causing the conveyor belt 1 1 to slide in the detection zone“Z” and making the conveyor belt perform a full turn, that is to say, making each portion of the conveyor belt 1 1 pass through the detection zone“Z” once.
• the method therefore comprises processing the control signal, comparing it with the reference control signal.
• the method comprises performing a measurement of the conveyor belt 1 1 as soon as it has been installed on the conveyor 10 so as to obtain a reference signal which will be compared with all of the control signals subsequently generated during use of the conveyor belts 11.
• the belt will be able to continue operating normally, but as soon as that condition is no longer met, a suitable signal will alert an operator to the need to substitute the conveyor belt 1 1.
• the method further comprises storing the control signal to allow it to be subsequently analysed, if necessary.
• this invention achieves the preset aims, overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art by providing the user with an apparatus for inspecting a belt of the tobacco industry which allows use of the belt to be optimised.

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• Control Of Conveyors (AREA)
• Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=64607110

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2019
  • 2019-09-19 PL PL19786870.6T patent/PL3852558T3/pl unknown
  • 2019-09-19 WO PCT/IB2019/057910 patent/WO2020058899A1/en unknown
  • 2019-09-19 EP EP19786870.6A patent/EP3852558B1/de active Active

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