EP4378327A1

EP4378327A1 - Apparatus for manufacturing multi-segment articles

Info

Publication number: EP4378327A1
Application number: EP22210654.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Andrzej Lisowski; Przemyslaw CIESLAKOWSKI; Bartosz Cieslikowski; Michal DEKA; Jacek Slowik; Marcin MAMERSKI
Original assignee: International Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp zoo
Current assignee: International Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp zoo
Priority date: 2022-11-30
Filing date: 2022-11-30
Publication date: 2024-06-05
Also published as: WO2024116026A1

Abstract

An assembling apparatus (1) provided with a number of feeding modules (20, 70) adapted to feed at least one of a number of segments (A, B, C, D, E), for manufacture of multi-segment articles containing the segments (A, B, C, D, E), and corresponding assembling drums (31, 31', 31", 31‴ 31"") and conveying drums (32, 32', 32", 32‴, 32""), a number of wrapping modules (40, 80), and at least one cutting unit (50), characterised in that the modules (20, 40, 70, 80) of the apparatus (1) are adapted to be arranged in any order in groups of modules while maintaining the order within the group: the feeding module (20), the wrapping module (40), looking in the direction (T) of the flow of the assembled segments, whereas the feeding modules (20, 20', 20", 20"') can furthermore be grouped together in any order to form an assembling apparatus (10) performing the functions of a multiple feeding module, the assembling drums (31, 31', 31", 31‴) being adapted to assemble the segments (A, B, C, D, E) with gaps (H).

Description

The object of this application is an apparatus for manufacturing multi-segment articles.
At present, the tobacco industry manufactures rod-like articles comprising a variety of elements, namely tobacco elements containing tobacco or material containing processed tobacco, filter elements, elements containing aromatic substances, distance elements used for example to cool tobacco smoke. In this application, such various elements will be referred to as segments, and articles containing such segments as multi-segment articles or multi-segment rods. In the state of the art, an apparatus for putting together groups of filter segments disclosed in the document GB2267021A is known. A group of segments manufactured on such an apparatus is formed in such a way that successive delivered segments are axially pushed to previously delivered segments. As a result, there is formed a group wherein all segments in the group are pushed to one another so that they are in contact with one other, i.e. a group without gaps among segments is formed.
Frequent changes in the specification of multi-segment articles consisting in varying the dimensions of individual segments or the type of individual segments, or by varying the arrangement of individual segments within a multi-segment article, require from machine builders to solve the problem of varying the configuration of the production line as quickly as possible.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus that gives the possibility of extensively varying the configuration of the manufactured multi-segment article, while keeping the design of the apparatus itself as simple as possible.
The object of the invention is an assembling apparatus provided with a number of feeding modules adapted to feed at least one of a number of segments, for the manufacture of multi-segment articles containing segments, together with corresponding assembling drums and conveying drums, a number of wrapping modules, and at least one cutting unit. The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the modules of the apparatus are adapted to be arranged in any order in groups of modules while maintaining the order within the group: the feeding module, the wrapping module, considering the direction of the flow of the assembled segments, whereas the feeding modules can furthermore be grouped together in any order to form an assembling apparatus performing the functions of a multiple feeding module, the assembling drums being adapted to assemble the segments with gaps.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the wrapping module comprises a feeding unit for feeding a wrapping material, a cutting unit for cutting the wrapping material into sections, a rolling unit comprising a rolling drum and a rolling set, and a conveying and pushing together drum with a pushing together mechanism, the conveying and pushing together drum being adapted to convey a group of the segments pushed together, along with a section of a first wrapping material.
An advantage of using a wrapping module provided with a pushing together mechanism is that for any configuration of feeding modules, the quality of the manufactured products is maintained, as the segments are pushed together by means of a single mechanism regardless of the sequence in which the segments are put together, The same pushing together mechanism can be used regardless of the order in which the feeding modules are put together to form a group of segments.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the pushing together mechanism is a cam mechanism situated on the conveying and pushing together drum, the cam mechanism being provided with supporting elements for holding and transferring the segments in a direction parallel to the axis of the segments.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the supporting elements are provided with rollers moving in grooves being drum cams, the grooves being formed in a cylinder situated on the conveying and pushing together drum.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the supporting elements are provided with rollers moving in grooves being drum cams, the grooves being formed on the circumferential surface of the conveying and pushing together drum.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised by further comprising a reorienting module.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the feeding module for feeding segments in the form of rod-like articles comprises a hopper for storing the rods, a receiving drum for receiving the rods from the hopper, a conveying drum, a cutting head, situated at the conveying drum, for cutting the rods into individual segments, a shifting drum for varying the mutual position of the segments, an aligning drum for forming at least one stream of the segments.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the feeding module is provided with feeding channels extending from the hopper to the receiving drum, and a filling sensor generating an empty flute signal when the flute of the receiving drum remains empty in the measuring area of the filling sensor, in addition, the feeding module is adapted to feed the rod into the empty flute of the receiving drum by means of a feeding apparatus arranged downstream of the filling sensor in response to the signal of empty flute of the receiving drum.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the feeding channel is provided with a blockage sensor and the empty flute signal is generated by the filling sensor of the flute of the receiving drum or the blockage sensor of the feeding channel.
The use of filling sensors, blockage sensors and feeding apparatuses in the individual feeding modules ensures that the productivity of the machine is increased, as the number of stops caused by unfilled flutes is reduced. A process effected in this way reduces to a minimum not only the instances of machine stoppages, but also situations in which the failure to feed a segment would result in forming an incomplete group for wrapping and the need to reject a single rod with a missing segment.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the walls of the feeding channels are formed by belts forcing the rods to move towards the receiving drum.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the feeding apparatus is adapted to continuous feeding with the rods in order to replace the continuous feeding with the rods effected by any of the feeding channels.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the feeding module is adapted so that the rotational movement of the conveying drum is synchronised with the movement of the receiving drum so that the rod is transferred from the flute of the receiving drum to the flute of the conveying drum, moreover, the feeding module comprises a filling sensor for checking the presence of the rod in the flute of the receiving drum, whereas the receiving drum is adapted to make a rotational movement at an increased speed so that when an unfilled flute is detected on the receiving drum, the receiving drum moves at the increased speed so that at the point of transfer of the rod into the flute of the conveying drum there is another filled flute of the receiving drum and another empty flute of the conveying drum.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the synchronisation takes place at the point of transfer of the rod into the flute of the conveying drum or when approaching this point.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the feeding apparatus is provided with a quality control sensor for the rod.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the feeding apparatus is provided with a rejector adapted to reject the rods.
An advantage of the apparatus is gaining the possibility to produce many various configurations of multi-segment articles using largely standard modules and subassemblies. In addition, an advantage of the apparatus is the possibility of optimising the production process due to the possibility of reorganising the production process within the scope of individual specification of a multi-segment article, e.g. by varying the order in which the segments are arranged, while retaining the desired spatial configuration of the multi-segment article.
The object of the invention is described in more detail based on embodiments presented in the drawing in which:

Fig. 1: shows an apparatus for manufacturing multi-segment articles in the first embodiment,,
Fig. 1a: shows an example of forming a stream of segments in a feeding module,
Fig. 1b: shows an example of forming two streams of segments in the feeding module,
Fig. 1c: shows an assembling unit with the segment streams from the feeding modules,
Fig. 1d: shows the segment streams in the assembling unit,
Fig. 1e: shows the apparatus for manufacturing the multi-segment articles in the second embodiment,
Fig. 1f: shows the apparatus for manufacturing the multi-segment articles in the third embodiment,
Fig. 1g: shows the apparatus for manufacturing the multi-segment articles in a further embodiment,
Fig. 2a: shows, in simplified terms, process stages for manufacturing the multi-segment articles in the first embodiment,
Fig. 2b: shows, in simplified terms, the process stages for manufacturing the multi-segment articles in the second embodiment,
Figs. 3, 4: a pushing mechanism of a wrapping module in the first embodiment,
Fig. 5: the pushing mechanism of the wrapping module in the second embodiment,
Fig. 6: the pushing mechanism of the wrapping module in the third embodiment,
Fig. 7: the pushing mechanism of the wrapping module in the fourth embodiment.
Fig. 8: shows the feeding module in the first embodiment,
Fig. 9: shows the feeding module in the second embodiment,
Fig. 10: shows the feeding module in the third embodiment,
Fig. 11: shows the feeding module in the fourth embodiment,
Fig. 12: shows the feeding module in the fifth embodiment,
Fig. 13: shows the phases of momentary acceleration of a receiving drum.

An apparatus 1 for manufacturing multi-segment articles comprises an assembling apparatus 10, a first wrapping module 40, a cutting unit 50, a reorienting unit 60, an additional feeding unit 70 and a second wrapping module 80 (Fig. 1).
The assembling apparatus 10 comprises at least two feeding modules 20 and an assembling unit 30, in the embodiment shown, the assembling apparatus 10 comprises four feeding modules 20, 20', 20", 20‴. The feeding module 20, 20', 20", 20" is adapted to cut a rod of at least one type and to feed segments of at least one type. Feeding modules which are adapted to cut rods of two types and to feed segments of two types are known.
The feeding module 20 comprises a hopper 21 for rods MA, a receiving drum 22 provided with circumferentially arranged flutes in which the rods MA from the hopper 21 are situated, and drums for forming a stream of segments A formed by cutting the rods MA. The receiving drum 22 receives the rods MA from the hopper 21 and transfers the rods to a conveying drum 23. At the conveying drum 23, there is situated a cutting head 24 which is provided with one or more circular knives for cutting the rods MA. The feeding module 20 comprises at least one shifting drum 25 and at least one aligning drum 26. The shifting drum 25 may also be referred to as a cascading drum, where successive segments are arranged in successive flutes of this drum. On the aligning drum 26, the segments A are arranged to move along a single track of movement, in the view of the lateral surface of the drum along a single line. The feeding module 20 supplies the segments A in the form of at least one stream. In the embodiment shown, in the feeding modules 20, 20', 20", 20''', the rod MA, MB, MC, MD is cut into segments A, B, C, D respectively, whereas the segments are fed in the form of streams to the assembling unit 30. An example of the stream of segments B formed as a result of cutting of the rod MB is shown in Fig. 1a, whereas the drums are not shown, and only the rods MB and the segments B situated successively on the receiving drum 22, on the conveying drum 23, on the shifting drum 25 and on the aligning drum 26 are represented. Fig. 1b shows the forming of two streams of the segments D resulting from the cutting of the rods MD.
The feeding module 20 is provided with feeding channels supplying the rods MA from the hopper 21 to the flutes 28 of the receiving drum 22. In the first embodiment of the module shown in Fig. 8, the feeding module is provided with two feeding channels 110, the feeding channels being gravity channels, at the end of the feeding channel 110 there is situated a filling apparatus 111 which comprises a rotating filling element 112 having two cavities 113, the rod MA is placed in the cavity 113. The rotational movement of the filling element 112 is synchronised with the rotational movement of the receiving drum 22 so that the cavity 113 meets the flute 28 to transfer the rod MA. The movement of the filling apparatuses 111 and 111' is synchronised so that they feed the rods MA alternately into successive flutes 28. The feeding module may be provided with any number of feeding channels 110, then successive flutes are cyclically filled by successive filling apparatuses 110. The feeding module 20 is provided with a filling sensor 115 for checking the presence of the rod MA in the flute 28 of the receiving drum 22, the filling sensor 115 being situated at the lateral surface of the receiving drum 22, the measuring area of the filling sensor covers at least one flute 28 of the receiving drum 22. In addition, the feeding module 20 is provided with a feeding apparatus 118 which comprises a filling apparatus 119 situated at the end of the channel 120 departing from the hopper 121. The feeding apparatus 118 is situated downstream of the filling sensor considering the direction of conveying of the rods MA in the flutes 28 of the receiving drum 22. When the absence of the rod MA in the flute 28 is detected by the filling sensor 115, the feeding apparatus 118 is actuated so that the filling apparatus 119 makes a rotation to transfer the rod MA to the flute 28 of the receiving drum 22 when the empty flute 28 is within the operating area of the filling apparatus. A repeated absence of the rod MA will indicate that one of the feeding channels 110 is blocked.
Any number of feeding channels 110 may be applied, Fig. 4 shows the second embodiment of the feeding module provided with four feeding channels 110, the total feed capacity through the feeding channels 110 being equal to the required capacity of the receiving drum 22 which is dependent on the capacity of the downstream equipment in the production process. Each of the feeding channels 110 is provided with a blockage sensor 114 which checks whether the flow of the rods through the feeding channel 110 is taking place correctly. If a blockage in the feeding channel 110 is detected, a controller S receives a blockage detection signal. As in the previous embodiment, the feeding module 20 is provided with the filling sensor 115, whereas the filling sensor 115 checks the presence of the rod MA in the flute 28 of the receiving drum 22. The feeding module 20 may be provided with either the blockage sensor 114 or the filling sensor 115, or may be provided with both such sensor. The controller S receives information that some feeing channel 110 is not working properly and not all flutes 28 of the receiving drum 22 are filled based on the signal from the filling sensor 115 or based on the signal from the blockage sensor 114, these signals may be collectively referred to as an empty flute signal, i.e. the controller receives information that an empty flute has already occurred or will occur. A blockage of one of the channels can be seen in Fig. 4, namely every fourth flute 28 on the receiving drum 22 is unfilled. The feeding apparatus 118 is adapted to fill the single flutes 28 that have remained unfilled due to a momentary disturbance in the operation of the feeding channels 110. Furthermore, the feeding apparatus 118 is adapted to replace the feeding of any of the feeding channels 110, i.e. it is adapted to continuously feed the rods MA in order to replace the continuous feeding of the rods MA effected by any of the feeding channels. For example, in case a blockage occurs in one of the feeding channels 110, the feeding apparatus 118 temporarily takes over the operation of such feeding channel 110 which has been blocked, until it is unblocked, so that the supply module 20 can operate continuously. Thus, it is possible to temporarily disable one of the feeding channels 110 when the feeding channel 110 itself is damaged and for the feeding apparatus 118 to take over the operation of such feeding channel 110 while the damaged feeding channel 110 is being repaired.
In the third embodiment of the feeding module shown in Fig. 10, the feeding module 20 is provided with five feeding channels 110. Similar to the previous embodiment, the feeding apparatus can both take over the operation of the feeding channel and fill up individual missing rods MA. The feeding module in the fourth embodiment shown in Fig. 11 is provided with three feeding channels 116, the feeding channel 116 in this embodiment having walls formed by belts 117. It is possible to embody a feeding module with a greater number of feeding channels. Similar to the above-discussed embodiments, the filling elements 112 of the individual feeding channels 116 are synchronised with one another and with the receiving drum 22. The functions of the feeding apparatus 118 are similar.
The occurrence of an empty flute of the receiving drum may be a consequence of a process activity, e.g. quality control and rejection of defective rods, in which case it can be solved alternatively or complementarily as presented in a further embodiment of the feeding module shown in Fig. 12 wherein the introduced feeding apparatus 130 constituting a part of the feeding module 20 comprises a filling sensor 131 for checking the presence of the rod MA in the flute 28 of the receiving drum 22. Furthermore, the feeding apparatus 130 comprises a quality control sensor 132 for checking the quality of the conveyed rods MA.
The feeding apparatus 130 comprises a rod rejector 133 for rejecting defective rods MA. The rejector 133 comprises a pressure vessel 134 and a valve 135 on a feeding channel 136 through which compressed air is supplied. The rejection of the rod MA is achieved by momentarily supplying compressed air to the rejection channel 137. The rejection force acting on the rod MA is greater than the force holding the rod MA in the flute 28. In Fig. 12, the rejected defective rod is designated as MA'.
In this embodiment of the feeding module, the receiving drum 22 is adapted to operate at a variable and adjustable rotational speed, preferably with position control, for example by coupling the receiving drum 22 to a digitally controlled servo drive which is provided with a position encoder. The rotational speed ω1 of the receiving drum 22 is synchronised with the rotational speed ω2 of the conveying drum 23, the synchronisation of the receiving drum 22 and the conveying drum 23 being maintained when all the flutes 28 of the receiving drum 22 are filled. During the operation of the feeding apparatus 30, individual flutes 28 may be unfilled. The occurrence of an unfilled flute 28' may be caused by a momentary ineffective receiving of the rod MA from the hopper 21. An unfilled flute 28' will also occur when a defective rod MA' is detected by the quality control sensor 132 and the rejector 133 is activated. When a low-quality rod MA' is detected by the sensor 132, the rejector 133 rejects such a defective rod. In Fig. 12, the flute 28' is denoted as the flute from which the defective rod MA' was rejected after activation of the rejector 133. Hereinafter, the flute 28' will denote both a flute from which a defective rod was rejected and a flute that was not filled by the rod MA from the hopper 21.
The feeding apparatus 130 is adapted to transfer the rod MA at the point of transfer X from the flute 28 of the receiving drum 22 to the flute 29 of the conveying drum 23, the receiving drum 22 rotating at a speed ω1 and the conveying drum 23 rotating at a speed ω2 adjusted to the speed ω1 so that the linear speeds of the receiving drum 22 and the conveying drum 23 are equal. The feeding apparatus 130 is adapted to momentarily accelerate the receiving drum 22 before the unfilled flute 28' of the receiving drum 22 reaches the point of transfer X. Namely, the receiving drum 22 is adapted to make a rotational movement with an increased speed ω1' so that when an unfilled flute 28' of the receiving drum 22 is detected, the receiving drum 22 moves with the increased speed ω1' so that at the point of transfer X of the rod MA to the flute 29 of the conveying drum 23 there is another filled flute 28" of the receiving drum 22 and another empty flute 29' of the conveying drum 23. An effect of the acceleration of the receiving drum 22 is that all flutes 29 on the conveying drum 23 are filled, i.e. the "unfilling" of the flute 28' is not transferred to the conveying drum 23.
Fig. 4 shows the successive phases of movement of the receiving drum 22 to be carried out in order to eliminate the "unfilling", the shown phases of movement include the acceleration of the receiving drum 22, the figure also shows the phases of movement of the conveying drum 23 related to the movement of the receiving drum 22. In the phase a, the rod MA is transferred to the flute 29 and the receiving drum 22 moves at the nominal rotational speed ω1 adjusted to the rotational speed ω2 of the conveying drum 23. On the conveying drum, the next flute to be filled is designated 29', the flute 28' which approaches the point of transfer X being unfilled. Just after transferring the rod MA to the flute 29 of the conveying drum 23, the receiving drum 22 starts to move at the increased speed ω1', as shown in the phase b, where the flute 28' moves faster than the flute 29' to be filled with the next rod MA. In the phase c, the receiving drum 22 continues to rotate at the increased speed ω1' and the conveying drum 23 rotates at the nominal speed ω2. In the phase d, the filled flute 28" of the receiving drum 22 and the empty flute 29' of the conveying drum 23 are positioned opposite each other, i.e. their movements are synchronised so that the rod MA can be transferred between the flutes, whereas the receiving drum 22 reduces its speed to the nominal rotational speed ω1 and the conveying drum 23 rotates at the nominal rotational speed ω2. The receiving drum 22 and the conveying drum 23 continue to rotate synchronously with the speeds ω1 and ω2, respectively, enabling the transfer of the successive rods MA.
Proceeding further in the process carried out by the apparatus 1 according to the invention, the segments reach the assembling unit 30 comprising the assembling drums 31 and the conveying drums 32 which are provided with flutes in which segments A, B, C, D are received and conveyed. The assembling drum 31, 31', 31", 31‴ is adapted to receive and to convey a stream of the segments A, B, C, D respectively. The first assembling drum 31 is adapted to receive only the segments A, while the assembling drum 31' is adapted to receive the stream of segments A from the feeding module 20 via the conveying drum 32 and to receive the stream of segments B from the feeding module 20', the streams of the segments A and B being assembled on the assembling drum 31'. Similarly, on the assembling drum 31' the streams of segments A, B are received together, and the stream of segments C is received from the feeding module 20". On the assembling drum 31", the streams of segments A, B, C are received together, and from the feeding module 20" the stream of segments D is received. The above described feeding of the assembling unit 30 with the segments A, B, C, D is shown in simplified terms in Fig. 1c, while Fig. 1d shows the process of assembling of these segments in the direction T showing how the segments are added on successive assembling drums 31 to form a segment group G1. The figure shows the paths of movement TA, TB, TC, TD of the segments A, B, C, D respectively, with the paths of movement TA, TB, TC, TD running parallel to one another. In the assembling unit 30, the streams of segments A, B, C, D are arranged and conveyed such that adjacent segments in the flutes maintain a gap H, whereas the gap H may have a similar value between the individual segments. It is possible to embody a process wherein the gap H has a different value for different adjacent segments. The assembling unit 30 is adapted to feeding to the first wrapping module 40 for wrapping the group G1 comprising the segments A, B, C, D between which the gaps H are maintained. By adapting the assembling unit 30 to form a group of segments with the gaps H, the segments A, B, C, D may be fed in any order, the examples of forming processes being described below in this description. It is possible to embody a process wherein on the assembling drums 31 or the conveying drums 32 the segments A, B, C, D are moved axially in the flutes so that at least some adjacent segments are in contact with one another. Such embodiment is possible by adding pushing together mechanisms on the assembling drums 31 and/or the conveying drums 32.
A further module in the apparatus according to the invention is a first wrapping module 40 which comprises a feeding unit 41 for feeding a first wrapping material MW1, a cutting unit 42 for cutting the strand of the first wrapping material MW1 into sections of the first wrapping material W1, and a rolling unit 43 for wrapping the group of segments. The first wrapping module 40 comprises a conveying and pushing together drum 44 which is adapted to receive the group G1 of segments with gaps, whereas the first wrapping module 40 is provided with a mechanism for pushing the group G1 of segments together so that the segments in the group are in contact when pushed together. Fig. 3 representing an enlarged fragment of the first wrapping module 40 shows the pushing together mechanism 45 comprising stationary arched pushing elements 45A, 45B which press on two sides against the outermost segments of the segment group G1 as shown in Fig. 4. The pushing elements 45A, 45B push the segments A, B, C, D together from the moment when the segment group G1 is placed in the flute 44A of the drum 44 (step d, the steps of the manufacturing process are described below in the description) until the segment group G2 is formed (stage e) when all segments have been pushed together and the gaps have been eliminated. The pushing elements 45A, 45B are shown in a developed view in Fig. 4, this is a view like that of the lateral surface of the drum 44. Just after pushing the segments together, a section of the first wrapping material W1 is fed (stage f). In another embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the pushing together mechanism 46 comprises pushing elements in the form of rotational pressure rings 46A, 46B rotating together with the drum conveyor 44, whereas they may also be in the form of movable elements moving in a reciprocating motion parallel to the axis of the segments. The rolling module 43 is provided with a rolling drum 43A which is adapted to convey the group G2 of segments A, B, C, D that have been pushed together, along with a section of the first wrapping material W1. The rolling module 43 is also provided with a rolling unit 43B which is adapted to wrap a section of the first wrapping material W1 around the group G2 on the rolling drum 43A. The rod thus formed is designated as R (stage g).
In another embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the pushing together mechanism 47 comprises two sets of pushing rollers 47A which press against the outermost segments in the group G1. In the fourth embodiment shown in Fig. 7, the pushing together mechanism 48 in the cross-section A-A marked in Fig. 1 comprises supporting elements 48A provided with rollers 48B moving in grooves 49 being drum cams for the rollers 48B, the grooves 49 being formed in a cylinder 49A situated on the conveying and pushing together drum 44, the grooves 49 may be formed on the circumferential surface of the conveying and pushing together drum 44. In this embodiment, the supporting element 48A has a cylindrical cavity 48C which may contain a segment, whereas the supporting element 48A for a single segment moves independently of the other supporting elements for the other segments. The segments A, B, C, D with the gaps H are conveyed so that they move from the stage d to the stage e where they come into contact with one another, whereas successive crosssections in Fig. 7 show the pushing together mechanism 48 as the conveying and pushing together drum 44 rotates and moves to the stage e.
The next module in the apparatus according to the invention is a cutting unit 50 situated downstream of the first wrapping module 40 in the direction T of the process flow in the manufacture of multi-segment articles, provided with a circular knife 51 for cutting the multi-segment rod R into two halves, i.e. into two half multi-segment rods designated as R1 and R2 (stage h in Figs. 2a and 2b). The cutting is effected so that the segment B of the multi-segment rod R is cut into two halves.
A further module is a reorienting module 60 which is adapted to vary the orientation of the half multi-segment rods R1 and R2 to each other, i.e. to vary the mutual position of the rods R1 and R2 when they are conveyed. The reorienting module 60 may be provided with reorienting drums known in the tobacco industry which, in addition to circumferential conveying, reorient the conveyed rod-like articles axially and/or transversely to the axes of such articles. The reorienting module 60 may be provided with rotating drums known in the tobacco industry which, in addition to circumferential conveying, rotate the conveyed rod-like articles around axes substantially perpendicular to the circumferential surface. The reorienting module 60 is adapted to vary the initial coaxial positioning of the rods R1 and R2 to such in which the axes of the rods R1 and R2 are coaxially and inversely oriented to each other, with a gap between the rods R1 and R2 being maintained. As a result of the operation of the reorienting module 60, the rods R1 and R2 are reoriented so that the segments D being the ends of the rods R1 and R2, initially oriented away from each other, are oriented towards each other, while the half segments B, located opposite to the segments D in the rods R1 and R2, initially oriented towards each other, are oriented away from each other. The reorienting module can be positioned at other locations of the apparatus when viewed along the process flow, as will be described below with reference to Fig. 1e.
The additional feeding module 70 comprises a hopper 71, a receiving drum 72 provided with circumferentially arranged flutes in which the rods ME from the hopper 71 are placed. The rods ME are transferred to the conveying drum 73. At the conveying drum 73, there is situated a cutting head 74 which is provided with one or more circular knives for cutting the rods. The additional feeding module 70 comprises at least one shifting drum 75 and at least one aligning drum 76. The additional feeding module 70 is adapted to feed a stream of additional segments E to the assembling drum 31ʺʺ. The half multi-segment rods R1, R2 are conveyed on the conveying drum 32"", and then are transferred to the assembling drum 31ʺʺ. After feeding the additional segment E and the half multi-segment rods R1, R2, on the assembling drum a group S1 comprising the half multi-segment rod R1, the segment E and the half multi-segment rod R2 with gaps is formed. The conveying drum 32"" can adopt the functionality of reorienting module 60.
The second wrapping module 80 comprises a feeding unit 81 for feeding the second wrapping material MW2, a cutting unit 82 for cutting the second wrapping material MW2 into sections of the second wrapping material W2, and a rolling unit 83. The second wrapping module 80 comprises a conveying and pushing together drum 84 which is adapted to receive a group S1 which comprises a half multi-segment rod R1, a segment E and a second half multi-segment rod R2, with gaps between the rods R1, R2 and the segment E being maintained, whereas the conveying and pushing together drum 84 is provided with a mechanism for pushing the elements of the group S1 together so that the rods R1, R2 and the additional segment E are in contact after pushing together. The group of elements R1, E, R2 without gaps is designated as S2. The conveying and pushing together drum 84 is adapted to convey the group S2 of elements R1, E, R2 that have been pushed together, along with a section of the second wrapping material W2. The rolling unit 83 is adapted to wrap a section of the second wrapping material W2 around the group S2 on the rolling drum 83A. The rod thus formed is designated as P. In other embodiments, the segments may be pushed together gradually with intermediate steps wherein, for example, an additional quality control process takes place. In other not shown embodiments, only selected segments are pushed together, and the group of segments that have been pushed together maintains at least one gap between the segments.
The apparatus for manufacturing multi-segment articles in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1e is configured so that the additional feeding module 70 is situated downstream of the cutting unit 50 adapted to cut the rod R into two half multi-segment rods R1, R2, with the conveying drum 32"" receiving the spaced half multi-segment rods R1, R2. The additional feeding module 70 supplies a stream of the additional segments E to the assembling drum 31"" between the spaced half multi-segment rods. The assembling drum 31"" receives the spaced half multi-segment rods R1, R2 and the additional segments E. On the assembling drum 31ʺʺ, a group S1 comprising the rod R1, the segment E and the rod R2 is prepared. The reorienting module 60 is adapted to vary the initial position of the rods R1 and R2, which are positioned coaxially to each other and to the segment E, to such where each of the rods R1 and R2 is positioned coaxially to the segment E and the second rod R1, R2, while being inversely oriented to the segment E, and a gap will be maintained between the rods R1, R2 and the segment E. As a result of the operation of the reorienting module 60, the rods R1, R2 are reoriented so that the outermost segment D of the rod R1, R2, initially oriented away from the segment R1, R2, are oriented towards the segment E, while the half segments B, located opposite to the segments D in the rod R1, R2, initially oriented towards the segment E, are oriented away from the segment E.
The apparatus for manufacturing multi-segmented articles in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1f is configured as the apparatus shown in Fig. 1e, whereas the additional feeding module 70 comprises the hopper 71 which is provided with at least two feeding channels supplying the rods ME to the flutes of the receiving drum 72. The application of the hopper 71 with feeding channels may be necessary for rods whose friction coefficient of the outer surface of the rods relative to the surface of other rods is high and impairs the smooth feeding of the rods.
The apparatus for manufacturing multi-segment articles in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1g is configured as the apparatus shown in Fig. 1e, whereas each of the feeding modules 20, 20', 20", 20‴ comprises the hopper 21 provided with at least two feeding channels supplying the rods MA, MB, MC, MD and the additional feeding module 70 comprises the hopper 71 which is provided with at least two feeding channels supplying the rods ME to the flutes of the receiving drum 72. The application of the hopper 21, 71 with the feeding channels may be necessary in the case described above as well as in the case of delicate rods that are easily deformed.
In the process of manufacturing the multi-segment rod shown in simplified terms in Fig. 2a, the feeding module 20 cuts the rods MA into the segments A and feeds two segments A to the assembling unit 30 (stage a), the feeding module 20' cuts the rods MB and feeds the segment B (stage b), the feeding module 20" cuts the rods MC and feeds two segments C (stage c), the feeding module 20'" cuts the rods MD and feeds two segments D (stage d). The segments A, B, C, D are conveyed in the assembling unit 30 with gaps. The assembling unit 30 delivers a group G1 comprising the segments A, B, C, D with gaps to the first wrapping module 40. Within the wrapping module 40, the segments A, B, C, D are pushed together, then the segments A, B, C D form a group G2 in which there are no gaps between the segments (stage e). In the wrapping module 40, sections of the first wrapping material MW1 are cut from the strand of the first wrapping material W1 and are wrapped around the group G2 (stage f), after wrapping on the rolling drum 43A by means of the rolling unit 43B the R is formed (stage g). The rod R is cut by the cutting unit 50 into two half multi-segment rods R1 and R2 (stage h), with the rods R1 and R2 being adjacent to each other with the half segments B and being coaxially positioned. The rods R1 and R2 are reoriented in the reorienting unit 60 (stages i, j, k, l, m, n) so that, after reorienting, they are again positioned coaxially, with a gap, with opposite ends than initially, namely the half segments B are oriented away from each other, while the segments D are oriented towards each other. In the process of reorienting the rods R1 and R2 shown in Fig. 2a, the reorientation is carried out by rotating the rods R1 and R2 shown in the stage k, the stages j and I represent the movement of the rods before and after rotation, whereas these stages may be omitted. The additional feeding module 70 cuts the rods ME into the segments E and feeds the segments E between the rods R1 and R2, after pushing the segment E together, there is formed a group S1 comprising the rod R1, the segment E and the rod R2 (stage o), with gaps between the rods R1, the rods R2 and the segment E being maintained. After pushing the rods R1, R2 and the segment E together, there is formed a group S2 with no gaps between the rods R1, R2 and the segment E (stage p). In the second wrapping module 80, sections of the second wrapping material W2 are cut from the strand of the second wrapping material MW2 and are wrapped around the group S2 (stage r), after wrapping on the rolling drum 83A by means of the rolling unit 83, a rod P is formed (stage s).
In the process of manufacturing the multi-segment rod in the second embodiment shown in simplified terms in Fig. 2b, the feeding module 20 cuts the rods MB into segments B and feeds the segment B to the assembling unit 30 (stage a in Fig. 2), the feeding module 20' cuts the rods MA and feeds two segments A (stage b), the feeding module 20" cuts the rods MD and feeds two segments D (stage c), the feeding module 20‴ cuts the rods MC and feeds two segments C (stage d). The process stages e to h take place as described for the first embodiment. At the stages i, j the half multi-segment rods R1 and R2 are displaced transversely to the axis of the rods R1, R2, at the stages k, l, m the rods R1, R2 are reoriented so that after the axial displacement of the rods R1, R2 the half segments B are oriented away from each other, while the segments D are oriented towards each other. At the stages m and n, the rods R1 and R2 are displaced transversely to their axes so that the rods R1 and R2 are coaxially positioned. The further process takes place as in the first embodiment.
The description of embodiments of the invention concerning the apparatus also discloses a method of manufacturing multi-segment articles comprising steps wherein, in the first feeding modules 20, the rods MA, MB, MC, MD are fed from the hopper 21 for storing the rods MA, MB, MC, MD by means of the receiving drum 22 for receiving the rods MA, MB, MC, MD from the hopper 21, the rods MA, MB, MC, MD are cut into segments A, B, C, D by means of the cutting head 24, situated at the conveying drum 23, for cutting the rods MA, MB, MC, MD into individual segments A, B, C, D. Subsequently, the segments A, B, C, D are fed to the assembling unit 30 via the shifting drum 25 for varying the mutual position of the segments A, B, C, D and the aligning drum 26 for forming at least one stream of the segments A, B, C, D. In the assembling unit 30 provided with the assembling drums 31 and the conveying drums 32 for receiving the segments A, B, C, D from the feeding modules 20, the segment groups G1 are formed. Subsequently, in the wrapping module 40, a section of the first wrapping material W1 is fed and the segment group G1 supplied from the assembling unit 30 is wrapped whereby the multi-segment rod R is formed. Furthermore, in the first wrapping module 40, by means of the conveying and pushing together drum 44, the groups G1 of segments A, B, C, D with gaps are received and then by means of the pushing together mechanism 45, 46, 47, 48 the groups G1 of segments A, B, C, D are pushed together so that the segments A, B, C, D in the group G1 are in contact with one another after pushing together. Subsequently, groups G2 of the segments A, B, C, D that have been pushed together, along with a section of the first wrapping material W1, are conveyed by means of the conveying and pushing together drum 44, and then the groups G2 of the segments A, B, C, D that have been pushed together are wrapped with the section of the first wrapping material W1.
Furthermore, in the method according to the invention, the wrapped segment groups G2 are cut into half multi-segment rods R1, R2, and then additional rods ME are fed in the additional feeding module 70, the additional rods ME are cut and additional segments E obtained by cutting the rods ME are fed between the half multi-segment rods R1, R2.
In the second wrapping module 80 there may also take place further steps of the method wherein sections of the second wrapping material W2 are fed and two half multi-segment rods R1, R2 and the additional segments E are wrapped.

Claims

An assembling apparatus (1) provided with
a number of feeding modules (20, 70) adapted to feed at least one of a number of segments (A, B, C, D, E), for manufacture of multi-segment articles containing segments (A, B, C, D, E), and corresponding assembling drums (31, 31', 31", 31", 31"") and conveying drums (32, 32', 32", 32ʺʺ),

a number of wrapping modules (40, 80),

at least one cutting unit (50),
characterised in that
the modules (20, 40, 70, 80) of the apparatus (1) are adapted to be arranged in any order in groups of modules while maintaining the order within the group: the feeding module (20), the wrapping module (40), considering the direction (T) of the flow of the assembled segments, whereas the feeding modules (20, 20', 20", 20‴) can furthermore be grouped together in any order to form an assembling apparatus (10) performing the functions of a multiple feeding module, the assembling drums (31, 31", 31‴, 31ʺʺ) being adapted to assemble the segments (A, B, C, D, E) with gaps (H).
The apparatus as in claim 1, characterised in that the wrapping module comprises a feeding unit (41) for feeding a wrapping material (MW1, MW2), a cutting unit (42) for cutting the wrapping material into sections (W1, W2), a rolling unit (43) comprising a rolling drum (43A) and a rolling set (43B), and a conveying and pushing together drum (44) with a pushing together mechanism (45), the conveying and pushing together drum (44) being adapted to convey a group (G2) of the segments (A, B, C, D) pushed together, along with a section of a first wrapping material (W1).
The apparatus as in claim 2, characterised in that the pushing together mechanism (45) is a cam mechanism (48) situated on the conveying and pushing together drum (44), the cam mechanism (48) being provided with supporting elements (48A) for holding and transferring the segments (A, B, C, D) in a direction parallel to the axis of the segments (A, B, C, D).
The apparatus as in claim 2, characterised in that the supporting elements (48A) are provided with rollers (48A) moving in grooves (49) being drum cams, the grooves (49) being formed in a cylinder (49A) situated on the conveying and pushing together drum (44).
The apparatus as in claim 2, characterised in that the supporting elements (48A) are provided with rollers (48A) moving in grooves (49) being drum cams, the grooves (49) being formed on the circumferential surface of the conveying and pushing together drum (44).
The apparatus as in any of claims 1 to 5, characterised by further comprising a reorienting module (60).
The apparatus as in any of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the feeding module (20, 70) for feeding segments in the form of rod-like articles comprises a hopper (21, 71) for storing the rods (MA), a receiving drum (22, 72) for receiving the rods (MA) from the hopper (21, 71), a conveying drum (23, 73), a cutting head (24, 74), situated at the conveying drum (23, 73), for cutting the rod (MA) into individual segments (A), a shifting drum (25, 75) for varying mutual position of the segments (A), an aligning drum (26, 76) for forming at least one stream of the segments (A).
The apparatus as in any of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the feeding module (20, 70) is provided with feeding channels (110, 116) extending from the hopper (21, 71) to the receiving drum (22, 72), and a filling sensor (115) generating an empty flute (28) signal when the flute (28) of the receiving drum (22, 72) remains empty in the measuring area of the filling sensor (115), moreover, the feeding module (20, 70) is adapted to feed the rod (MA, ME) into the empty flute (28) of the receiving drum (22, 72) by means of a feeding apparatus (118) arranged downstream of the filling sensor (115) in response to the signal of an empty flute (28) of the receiving drum (22, 72).
The apparatus as in claim 8, characterised in that the feeding channel (110, 116) is provided with a blockage sensor (114) and the empty flute signal is generated by the filling sensor (115) of the flute (28) of the receiving drum (22, 72) or blockage sensor (114) of the feeding channel (110, 116).
The apparatus as in any of claims 7 to 9, characterised in that the walls of the feeding channels (116) are formed by belts (117) forcing the rods (MA, ME) to move towards the receiving drum (22, 72).
The apparatus as in any of claims 4 to 8, characterised in that the feeding apparatus (118) is adapted to continuous feeding with the rods (MA, ME) in order to replace the continuous feeding with the rods (MA, ME) effected by any of the feeding channels (110, 116).
The apparatus as in any of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the feeding module (20, 70) is adapted so that the rotational movement of the conveying drum (23) is synchronised with the movement of the receiving drum (22) so that the rod (MA) is transferred from the flute (28) of the receiving drum (22) to the flute (29) of the conveying drum (23), moreover, the feeding module (20, 70) comprises a filling sensor (31) for checking the presence of the rod (MA) in the flute (28) of the receiving drum (22), whereas the receiving drum (22) is adapted to make a rotational movement at an increased speed (ω1') so that when an unfilled flute (28') is detected on the receiving drum (22), the receiving drum (22) moves at the increased speed (ω1') so so that at the point of transfer (X) of the rod (MA) into the flute (29) of the conveying drum (23) there is another filled flute (28") of the receiving drum (22) and another empty flute (29') of the conveying drum (23).
The apparatus as in claim 10, characterised in that the synchronisation takes place at the point of transfer (X) of the rod (MA) into the flute (29) of the conveying drum (23) or while approaching this point.
The apparatus as in claim 10 or 11, characterised in that the feeding apparatus (30, 40) is provided with a quality control sensor (32) for the rod (MA).
The apparatus as in any of claims 10 to 12, characterised in that the feeding apparatus (30, 40) is provided with a rejector (33) adapted to reject the rods (MA).