EP4686660A2

EP4686660A2 - Packer machine for producing a wrap by folding a wrapping sheet around a group of smoking articles

Info

Publication number: EP4686660A2
Application number: EP25191169.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giulio Barbieri; Mattia MECCAGNI
Original assignee: GD SpA
Current assignee: GD SpA
Priority date: 2024-07-29
Filing date: 2025-07-23
Publication date: 2026-02-04

Abstract

A packer machine (9) for producing a wrap (3) by folding a wrapping sheet (7) around a group (5) of smoking articles. The packer machine (9) has a transport unit (22), which is interposed between a folding conveyor (13) and a transfer conveyor (19) and is configured to receive the wrap (3) from the folding conveyor (13) and to transfer the wrap (3) to the transfer conveyor (19). The transport unit (22) has: a drawer (25) provided with a frame (26), in which one pocket (27) is defined, which is configured to house the wrap (3) and is delimited, on one side, by a containing wall (30), which, in use, comes into contact with the wrap (3); and a conveyor device (32) configured to move the drawer (25) along a transfer path (P4). The containing wall (30) is mounted on the frame (26) in a movable manner so as to move between a loading and unloading position, in which it gives the pocket (27) a first dimension (D1), and a transport position, in which it gives the pocket (27) a second dimension (D2), which is smaller than the first dimension (D1). The transport unit (22) has an actuator device (40), which can be operated to move the containing wall (30) between the loading and unloading position and the transport position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102024000017623 filed on July 29, 2024 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a packer machine for producing a wrap by folding a wrapping sheet around a group of smoking articles.
This invention finds advantageous application in the production of a wrap for a rigid cigarette pack with a hinged lid by means of folding a wrapping sheet made of metallised paper around a group of cigarettes, to which the following discussion will make explicit reference without any loss of generality thereby.

PRIOR ART

Rigid cigarette packs with hinged lids are currently the most popular cigarette packs on the market as they are easy to produce, easy and practical to use, and protect the cigarettes contained therein well.
A rigid cigarette pack with a hinged lid comprises a wrap consisting of a group of cigarettes wrapped in a wrapping sheet of metallised paper and a rigid outer casing housing the wrap. The outer casing consists of a cup-shaped container housing the group of cigarettes and has an open top end and a lid, which is also cup-shaped and hinged to the container to rotate, in relation to the container itself, between an open and a closed position of the open end.
Patent application EP3725691A1 describes a packer machine for producing a rigid cigarette pack that has: a wrap formed by folding a wrapping sheet of metallised paper around a group of cigarettes, and an outer container formed by folding a blank and a collar around the wrap. The following are provided: a forming conveyor that advances multiple first pockets along a forming path; a hopper which is arranged in front of the forming conveyor and along the forming path and is provided with at least one output mouth from which the cigarette group can be extracted; a wrapping conveyor that is arranged downstream of the forming conveyor and is designed to advance the cigarette group and the wrapping sheet along a first straight and horizontal wrapping path; a first wrapping wheel that is arranged downstream of the wrapping conveyor, supports at least one second pocket designed to contain the wrap and the collar, and is rotatably mounted about a first horizontal rotation axis parallel to the first wrapping path to advance the second pocket along a second circular wrapping path; a second wrapping wheel that is arranged downstream of the first wrapping wheel, supports at least one third pocket designed to contain the wrap, the collar and the blank, and is rotatably mounted about a second horizontal rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis to advance the third pocket along a third circular wrapping path; and a transfer conveyor that is arranged between the wrapping conveyor and the first wrapping wheel and transfers the wrap from the wrapping conveyor to the first wrapping wheel along a transfer path perpendicular to the first wrapping path and perpendicular to the first rotation axis.
In the packer machine described above, it is necessary to transport the wraps being formed from the wrapping conveyor to the transfer conveyor without damaging the wraps due to excessive compression of the wraps and, at the same time, without leaving the wraps excessively loose in order to avoid unwanted and uncontrolled deformation of the wraps (which are not provided with glue and therefore tend to lose their shape if not properly contained).
The patent application EP4458696A1 describes a packer machine for producing a wrap by folding a wrapping sheet around a group of smoking articles. The packer machine has a transport unit, which is arranged between a folding conveyor and a transfer conveyor and is configured to receive the wrap from the folding conveyor and to transfer the wrap to the transfer conveyor. The transport unit has: a drawer provided with a frame, in which one pocket is defined, which is configured to house the product and is delimited, on one side, by a containing wall, which, in use, comes into contact with the product; and a conveyor device configured to move the drawer along the folding path. The containing wall is mounted on the frame in a movable manner so as to move between a loading and unloading position, in which it gives the pocket a first dimension, and a transport position, in which it gives the pocket a second dimension, which is smaller than the first dimension.
The solution described in patent application EP4458696A1 involves using a pneumatic actuator device that can be operated to push the containing wall towards the transport position and comprises a flexible wall that is elastically deformable and delimits an actuation chamber arranged alongside the containing wall and can be connected to a source of a pressurised fluid. However, the flexible wall is subject to relatively rapid wear, having to perform 4-500 cycles per minute (that is, being deformed 4-500 times per minute); as a result, it is necessary to replace the flexible wall relatively frequently, thus reducing the average productivity of the packer machine in the long term.
The patent application EP3197780B1 describes a packer machine for producing a wrap by folding a wrapping sheet 4 around a group 2 of cigarettes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this invention is to provide a packer machine for producing a wrap by folding a wrapping sheet around a group of smoking articles that allows the wrap to be transported safely even while operating at a high production speed and, at the same time, requires low maintenance.
According to this invention, a packer machine for producing a wrap by folding a wrapping sheet around a group of smoking articles is provided, as claimed in the appended claims.
The claims describe embodiments of the present invention forming an integral part of the present specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting embodiment thereof, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view in a closed configuration of a rigid cigarette pack;
Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the cigarette pack in Figure 1 in a closed configuration;
Figure 3 is a front perspective view of the cigarette pack of Figure 1 in an open configuration;
Figure 4 is a front perspective view of a wrap of the pack in Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a cigarette group contained in the wrap in Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a plan view of a wrapping sheet used to produce the wrap in Figure 4;
Figure 7 is a plan view of a collar for the cigarette pack in Figure 1;
Figure 8 is a plan view of a blank used to form an outer container with a hinged lid for the cigarette pack in Figure 1;
Figure 9 is a perspective, schematic view with some parts removed for clarity of a packer machine that produces the cigarette pack in Figure 1 and is produced in accordance with this invention;
Figure 10 is a schematic perspective view, with parts removed for the sake of clarity, of a detail of the packer machine in Figure 9;
Figures 11 and 12 are two different perspective views with parts removed for clarity of a transport unit of the packer machine in Figure 9;
Figures 13 and 14 are, respectively, a perspective view and a front view of a detail of the transport unit in Figures 11 and 12;
Figures 15, 16 and 17 are, respectively, a perspective view, a cross-section view, and an exploded perspective view of a part of the detail in Figures 13 and 14;
Figures 18 and 19 are, respectively, a perspective view and a side view of a variant of the detail in Figures 15, 16, and 17; and
Figure 20 is a perspective view of a part of the detail in Figures 18 and 19.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In Figures 1, 2 and 3, reference number 1 globally denotes a rigid cigarette pack. The cigarette pack 1 comprises an outer container 2 consisting of rigid cardboard or card and shaped like a cup and a wrap 3 (better illustrated in Figure 4) housed inside the container 2.
The outer container 2 has an open top end and is provided with a lid 4, which is shaped like a cup and hinged to the outer container 2 along a hinge (illustrated in Figure 2) to rotate, in relation to the outer container 2, between an open position (illustrated in Figure 3) and a closed position (illustrated in Figures 1 and 2) of the open top end.
The wrap 3 encloses a parallelepiped-shaped group 5 of cigarettes (illustrated in Figure 5) and has a removable portion on the top and front that is separated from the rest of the wrap 3 by a pre-weakened tear line.
As illustrated in Figures 3 and 7, the cigarette pack 1 comprises, in addition, a rigid collar 6, which is connected (by means of gluing), folded in a "U" shape, to the inside of the outer container 2 so that it projects partially outside of the open top end of the outer container 2 and engages a corresponding inner surface of the lid 4 when the lid 4 is arranged in the closed position.
As illustrated in Figure 6, the wrap 3 is created by folding a wrapping sheet 7 around the cigarette group 5, the sheet being provided, on one side, with the tear line that delimits the removable portion.
According to a preferred (but not limiting) embodiment, the final shape of the wrapping sheet 7 around the cigarette group 5 is not stabilised in any way (that is, no glue is applied to the wrapping sheet 7 and no welds are made on the wrapping sheet 7); consequently, the final shape of the wrapping sheet 7 around the cigarette group 5 is only maintained by the containing action of the outer container 2.
As illustrated in Figure 8, the outer container 2 and the lid 4 are made by folding a conventional blank 8.
In Figure 9, reference number 9 globally denotes a packer machine that is designed to produce the cigarette pack 1 described above and functions with intermittent motion (that is, a motion that involves a cyclical alternating of motion phases and rest phases).
The packer machine 9 comprises a forming unit A in which groups 5 of cigarettes are formed in succession; a wrapping unit B, in which, around each group 5 of cigarettes, a corresponding wrapping sheet 7 is wrapped to create a wrap 3; and a wrapping unit C, in which, around each inner wrap 3, a collar 6 is wrapped and a blank 8 for creating an outer container 2 provided with a lid 4.
As illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, the forming unit A of the cigarette groups 5 comprises a hopper 10 provided with three outlet mouths for simultaneously feeding three cigarette groups 5 to three corresponding pockets 11 of a forming conveyor 12 that supports multiple pockets 11 and moves in step to cyclically move the pockets 11 along a forming path P1. The forming path P1 extends between one input station S1 in which each cigarette group 5 is extracted from an outlet mouth of the hopper 10 and enters a corresponding pocket 11 of the forming conveyor 12 and a transfer station S2 in which each cigarette group 5 is extracted from the corresponding pocket 11 of the forming conveyor 12.
According to what is illustrated in Figure 10, the wrapping unit B comprises a folding conveyor 13 designed to feed each cigarette group 5 along a straight, horizontal folding path P2. In particular, the folding path P2 extends from the transfer station S2 in which the folding conveyor 13 extracts each cigarette group 5 from the corresponding pocket 11 of the forming conveyor 12, through a feeding station S3 in which each cigarette group 5 couples to a corresponding wrapping sheet 7 that is folded in a "U" shape around the cigarette group 5, and ends up at a transfer station S4 in which each wrap 3 (formed from a wrapping sheet 7 at least partially folded around a cigarette group 5) leaves the folding conveyor 13.
Along the folding path P2 (at the folding conveyor 13), there is the feeding station S3 in which each wrapping sheet 7 is arranged to be intercepted by a corresponding cigarette group 5 around which the wrapping sheet 7 itself is folded in a "U" shape; in other words, each cigarette group 5 advancing along the folding path P2 intercepts a corresponding wrapping sheet 7 arranged in the feeding station S3 determining the "U"-shaped folding of the wrapping sheet 7.
The packer machine 9 comprises a feeding device 14 that cyclically feeds the wrapping sheets 7 into the feeding station S3, that is, arranges each wrapping sheet 7 in the feeding station S3 so that the wrapping sheet 7 is intercepted by a corresponding cigarette group 5 that advances along the folding path P2. As illustrated in Figure 9, the feeding device 14 comprises an unwinding station in which a strip 15 of wrapping material is unwound from a reel 16 and is advanced (passing by the hopper 10) towards a cutting component 17 of a known type that is arranged above the feeding station S3 and cyclically performs a transverse cut of the strip 15 of wrapping material to separate individual wrapping sheets 7 from the strip 15 of wrapping material.
As illustrated in Figure 10, the wrapping unit B comprises a folding device 18 that is arranged along the folding path P2 at the folding conveyor 13 and is designed to fold two open side ends of each wrapping sheet 7 folded in a "U" around a corresponding cigarette group 5 to form a tubular wrap that has an open rear end. The folding device 18 preferably only comprises folding profiles (that is, folding helices) that are fixed (that is, without any moving parts) and are arranged on opposite sides of the folding path P2.
The folding path P2 begins in the transfer station S2 (where the cigarette groups 5 enter the folding conveyor 13) and ends in the transfer station S4 (where the wraps 3 leave the folding conveyor 13). As illustrated in Figure 10, the packer machine 9 comprises a transfer conveyor 19 that receives the wraps 3 at a transfer station S5 and advances the wraps 3 along a transfer path P3 that is straight and perpendicular to the folding path P2. The transfer conveyor 19 comprises a ring-shaped conveyor belt, which is wrapped around two end pulleys (one of which is motorised), supports a number of pockets 20 each of which is designed to house a corresponding wrap 3, and moves at the right pace to cyclically move the pockets 20 along the transfer path P3.
As illustrated in Figure 10, the wrapping unit B comprises a folding device 21 that is arranged downstream of the folding device 18 and is designed to complete the folding of each wrapping sheet 7 around the corresponding cigarette group 5 (and, thus, complete the production of the wrap 3) to close the open rear end (that is, previously left open by the folding device 18). The folding device 21 can be coupled to the folding conveyor 13, can be coupled to the transfer conveyor 19, or can be arranged between the folding conveyor 13 and the transfer conveyor 19.
Arranged between the folding conveyor 13 and the transfer conveyor 19 is a transport unit 22 that is configured to transfer the wraps 3 from the transfer station S4 (that is, from the outlet of the folding conveyor 13) to the transfer station S5 (that is, to the entrance of the transfer conveyor 19) along a transfer path P4 that is an extension of the folding path P2 (that is, the transfer path P4 is parallel to the folding path P2 and continues the folding path P2 beyond the folding path P2). In other words, the transport unit 22 is arranged between the folding conveyor 13 and the transfer conveyor 19 and is configured to receive the wraps 3 from the folding conveyor 13 and to transfer the wraps 3 to the transfer conveyor 19.
According to what is illustrated in Figure 10, the feeding device 14 comprises two folding mandrels 23 that are supported by a movement conveyor 24 that cyclically moves each folding mandrel 23 between a receiving station S6 wherein each wrapping sheet 7 is coupled to the folding mandrel 23 and the feeding station S3 at the folding path P2 and wherein the wrapping sheet 7 is coupled to a cigarette group 5 that, advancing along the folding path P2, intercepts the wrapping sheet 7 that folds in a "U" shape around the cigarette group 5.
For further details on the packer machine 9, please refer to patent application EP3725691A1 .
In the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying figures, the folding conveyor 13 has a single wrapping line along which a single wrap 3 being formed is advanced at a time; according to other embodiments not illustrated (as for example described in patent applications EP3925896A1 and EP4257496A1 ), the folding conveyor 13 has two side-by-side wrapping lines (that is, a double wrapping line) along which two wraps 3 being formed are advanced side by side at a time.
As mentioned above, the transport unit 22 is configured to transport each wrap 3 along the folding path P2 (that is, along an extension of the folding path P2) from the transfer station S4 (that is, from the outlet of the folding conveyor 13) to the transfer station S5 (that is, to the entrance of the transfer conveyor 19). According to what is illustrated in Figures 13 and 14, the transport unit 22 comprises a drawer 25 provided with a frame 26 in which two pockets 27 are defined side by side and each of which has a parallelepiped shape and is configured to house a wrap 3; in particular, each pocket 27 has a tubular shape (that is, is open at the two opposite ends) and therefore has two opposite openings through which a wrap 3 enters (in the transfer station S4) the pocket 27 and subsequently exits (in the transfer station S5) the pocket 27.
In the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the drawer 25 of the transport unit 22 has two pockets 27 side by side and is preferably used when the folding conveyor 13 has two lines; alternatively, the drawer 25 of the transport unit 22 may have a single pocket 27 to preferably be used when the folding conveyor 13 only has one line.
Each pocket 27 is parallelepiped-shaped and is delimited by a base wall 28 that is integral with the frame 26 (that is, in use it does not perform any type of movement with respect to the frame 26), by two side walls 29 that are integral with the frame 26 (that is, in use they do not perform any type of movement with respect to the frame 26) and are arranged perpendicularly to the base wall 28 and by a containing wall 30 that is parallel and opposite to the base wall 28 and is movably mounted on the frame 26 to move relative to the frame 26 by approaching or moving away from the base wall 28. That is, each containing wall 30 is movable relative to the frame 26 to move along a gripping direction DP (illustrated in Figure 14) that is perpendicular to the base wall 28 and the containing wall 30 and, therefore, parallel to the side walls 29. In each pocket 27, the containing wall 30 and the base wall 28 preferably have an area greater than an area of the two side walls 29, that is the containing wall 30 and the base wall 28 are larger than the two side walls 29.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the base wall 28 of each pocket 27 has a through-slot 31 at the centre through which an accompanying member preceding a wrap 3 at the transfer station S4 (wherein a wrap 3 enters the pocket 27) and/or a pusher pushing a wrap 3 at the transfer station S5 (wherein a wrap 3 exits the pocket 27) may be inserted.
The containing wall 30 is movably mounted on the frame 26 to move between a loading and unloading position (illustrated on the left in Figure 14) wherein it gives the pocket 27 a dimension D1 (measured along the gripping direction DP) and a transport position (illustrated on the right in Figure 14) in which it gives the pocket 27 a dimension D2 (measured along the gripping direction DP) less than the dimension D1.
All the walls 28, 29 and 30 of each pocket 27 in use come into contact with a wrap 3 when the wrap 3 enters the transfer station S4 in the pocket 27. At the transfer station S4 (wherein a wrap 3 enters the pocket 27) and at the transfer station S5 (wherein a wrap 3 exits the pocket 27), the pocket 27 is arranged in the loading and unloading position (illustrated on the left in Figure 14) to facilitate the sliding of the wrap 3 with respect to the walls 28, 29 and 30 of the pocket 27 (that is, to prevent the wrap 3 from being pressed against the walls 28, 29 and 30 of the pocket 27 thereby increasing friction against the walls 28, 29 and 30 of the pocket 27). On the other hand, between the transfer station S4 (wherein a wrap 3 enters each pocket 27) and the transfer station S5 (wherein a wrap 3 exits each pocket 27), that is, during the movement of each pocket 27 along the transport path P4, the pocket 27 is arranged and maintained in the transport position (illustrated to the right in Figure 14) to compress the wrap 3 housed in the pocket 27 and thus prevent the wrap 3 from deforming uncontrollably (the wrap 3 is glue-free and thus tends to lose its shape if not properly contained) due to the accelerations and decelerations to which the pocket 27 is subjected during movement.
As illustrated in Figures 11 and 12, the transport unit 22 comprises a conveyor device 32 that is configured to move the drawer 25 along the transport path P4. In the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the transport path P4 is linear and therefore the conveyor device 32 moves the drawer 25 in a straight line back and forth between the transfer stations S4 and S5; according to a different embodiment not illustrated, the transfer path P4 could be circular and therefore the conveyor device 32 (which has a rotatably mounted drum) moves the drawer 25 along a circle passing successively through the transfer stations S4 and S5 (in this embodiment, the conveyor device 32 could support a number of drawers 25).
The conveyor device 32 comprises two guides 33 arranged parallel to the transfer path P4, two slides 34 that are mounted so they slide on the guides 33 and are integral to opposite ends of the frame 26 (that is, supporting the frame 26), and an electric motor 35 configured to alternately push the slides 34 (supporting the frame 26) back and forth along the guides 33. In addition, the conveyor device 32 comprises a drive body 36 that is "U"-shaped and rotatably mounted about a rotation axis 37 perpendicular to the transfer path P4; in particular, the drive body 36 has a lower base that is hinged to a frame of the packer machine 9 to rotate about the rotation axis 37 and two tines that are parallel and opposite to each other and that are raised at opposite ends of the lower base. Two connecting arms 38 are provided, each having one end hinged to a tine of the drive body 36 and an opposite end hinged to a slide 34; there is also a connecting arm 39 that has one end hinged to a tine of the drive body 36 and an opposite end hinged eccentrically to a shaft of the electric motor 35. In use, the rotation of the motor shaft of the electric motor 35 moves the connecting arm 39 back and forth along the transport path P4, which transmits this alternating movement to the drive body 36 that in turn transmits this movement to the slides 34 via the two connecting arms 38.
As illustrated in Figures 15, 16 and 17, the transport unit 22 comprises an actuator device 40 for each pocket 27 that can be operated to move the containing wall 30 of the pocket 27 between the transport position (illustrated on the right in Figure 14) and the loading and unloading position (illustrated on the left in Figure 14). In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 15, 16 and 17, each actuator device 40 is pneumatic, that is, it utilises the thrust generated by a pressurised fluid (for example, air).
As illustrated in Figure 16, each actuator device 40 comprises an actuation chamber 41 that is arranged alongside the containing wall 30, can be connected via at least one solenoid valve 42 (illustrated in Figure 14) to a source 43 (illustrated in Figure 14) of a pressurised fluid (for example, compressed air), and is configured to press against the containing wall 30 when it is in overpressure.
According to a possible embodiment illustrated in Figure 14, two solenoid valves 42 are provided, each of which is configured to connect and disconnect the two actuation chambers 41 of the two pockets 27 to the pressurised fluid source 43; a control unit 44 is configured to alternately use the two solenoid valves 42 such that, in one cycle, one solenoid valve 42 is activated to connect the two actuation chambers 41 of the two pockets 27 to the pressurised fluid source 43 while, in the next cycle, the other solenoid valve 42 is activated to connect the two actuation chambers 41 of the two pockets 27 to the pressurised fluid source 43. In this way, the operating frequency of each solenoid valve 42 is halved, so that lower-performance solenoid valves 42 can be used, which are therefore less expensive and less prone to wear.
According to what is better illustrated in Figures 16 and 17, in each actuator device 40, the actuation chamber 41 is delimited by a hollow cylinder 45 integral with the containing wall 30 and by a hollow cylinder 45 that is coupled to the hollow cylinder 45 so that it slides and is integral with the frame 26; the two hollow cylinders 45 and 46 sliding one inside the other allow the volume of the actuation chamber 41 to be varied. In particular, each actuator device 40 comprises an elastic element 47 that pushes the containing wall 30 towards the loading and unloading position and elastically deforms when the actuator device 40 moves the containing wall 30 towards the transport position. According to a different embodiment not illustrated, each elastic element 47 pushes the containing wall 30 towards the transport position (instead of the loading and unloading position) and elastically deforms when the actuator device 40 moves the containing wall 30 towards the loading and unloading position.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 15, 16 and 17, each elastic element 47 is a leaf spring that is centrally connected to the frame 26 and is connected at the two opposite ends to the containing wall 30; in particular, each actuator device 40 comprises two crossbars 48, each of which is centrally supported at one end of the elastic element 47, and four columns 49, each of which has one end integral with a respective crossbar 48 and an opposite end integral with the containing wall 30. In each actuator device 40, the two hollow cylinders 45 and 46 that delimit the actuation chamber 41 are arranged in the middle of the four columns 49. Each actuator device 40 preferably comprises a containing body 50 that is integral with the frame 26, directly supports the hollow cylinder 46 defining part of the actuation chamber 41 and in an upper portion thereof houses a central part of the elastic element 47.
According to a preferred embodiment, each actuator device 40 comprises a mechanical limit stop, which limits the movement of the containing wall 30 from the loading position towards the transport position by establishing a minimum value of the dimension D2.
According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 15, 16 and 17, each containing wall 30 has an extension 51 extending beyond the pocket 27 towards the folding conveyor 13 and is inclined to form a raiser towards the pocket 27; in this way, the entry of a wrap 3 into the pocket 27 is facilitated as the contact of the wrap with the containing wall 30 occurs progressively through a sort of "funnel".
It is important to note that the compression that is applied to a wrap 3 that is located inside a pocket 27 is determined by the thrust of pneumatic origin exerted by the containing wall 30 on the wrap 3 and therefore depends on the pressure of the fluid that is fed inside the actuation chamber 41; in this way, the compression that is applied to each wrap 3 is always constant regardless of the actual size of the wrap 3 (that is, regardless of the fact that the wrap 3 may be a little thicker or a little less thick due to unavoidable manufacturing tolerances) and the compression that is applied to each wrap 3 is easily adjustable by varying the pressure of the fluid that is fed inside the actuation chamber 41.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 11 to 17, the actuator device 40 (which can be operated to move the containing wall 30 between the loading and unloading position and the transport position) is pneumatic; however, in the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 18, 19 and 20, the actuator device 40 (which can be operated to move the containing wall 30 between the loading and unloading position and the transport position) is mechanical.
As illustrated in Figure 18, the actuator device 40 comprises a motor 52, in particular a rotary electric motor 52, and a transmission 53 connecting the motor 52, in particular a shaft 54 of the rotary electric motor 52, to the containing wall 30 of each pocket 27. The transmission 53 comprises a double track 55 that is displaced by the motor 52 and is connected to the containing wall 30 of each pocket 27; that is, the track 55 comprises two tines that are parallel to each other and side by side and each of which is connected to the containing wall 30 of a respective pocket 27.
As illustrated in Figures 18, 19 and 20, for each pocket 27, the transmission 53 comprises a rocker arm 56 that is mounted on the frame 26 to rotate about a rotation axis 57; in particular, for each pocket 27, there is a support column 58 that, at a lower end, is integral with the frame 26 and, at an upper end, rotatably supports the rocker arm 56. Each rocker arm 56 has one end supporting an idle roller 59 arranged in contact with a respective tine of the track 55 and an opposite end connected to the containing wall 30. The end of each rocker arm 56 is preferably connected to the containing wall 30 by means of a connecting arm 60 hinged on one side to the end of the rocker arm 56 and hinged on the opposite side to the containing wall 30 (in particular, it is hinged to a rod 61 that is integral with the containing wall 30 and projects from the containing wall 30).
The rod 61 of each containing wall 30 is preferably coupled so as to slide to two rings 62 that are integral with the frame 26 and help guide the linear movement of the rod 61 and thus of the containing wall 30.
The track 55 is "Z"-shaped with a final horizontal segment 63 connected to the containing walls 30 and an initial horizontal segment 64 that is connected to the motor 52 and is vertically offset from the horizontal segment 63. The transmission 53 comprises two cranks 65, each of which is hinged to the track 55 to form an articulated quadrilateral in which the track 55 forms a connecting rod; the electric motor 52 is configured to rotate a crank 65 (that is, the shaft 54 of the electric motor 52 is angularly integral with a crank 65) such that the rotation of the shaft 54 of the electric motor 52 deforms the articulated quadrilateral shifting the final segment 63 of the track 55 up or down and thereby forcing the rocker arms 56 to rotate in one direction or the opposite direction.
It is important to note that the final segment 63 of the track 55 is oriented parallel to the transport path P4 and its length (extension) is at least equal to the length (extension) of the transport path P4; thus, the idle rollers 59 of the two rocker arms 56 remain in contact with the track 55 during the entire movement of the drawer 25 along the transport path P4.
Each actuator device 40 comprises an elastic element 66 (schematically illustrated in Figure 20) that pushes the containing wall 30 towards the transport position and elastically deforms when the actuator device 40 moves the containing wall 30 towards the loading and unloading position (alternatively, the elastic element 66 pushes the containing wall 30 towards the loading and unloading position and elastically deforms when the actuator device 40 moves the containing wall 30 towards the transport position). According to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 20, each elastic element 66 is compressed between the frame 26 and containing wall 30 (that is, between an element integral with the frame 26 and another element integral with the containing wall 30).
In this embodiment too, each actuator device 40 comprises a mechanical limit stop, which limits the movement of the containing wall 30 from the loading position towards the transport position by establishing a minimum value of the dimension D2.
It is important to note that the compression that is applied to a wrap 3 that is located inside a pocket 27 is determined by the thrust of elastic origin exerted by the elastic element 66 (when the elastic element 66 pushes the containing wall 30 towards the transport position) and therefore depends on the characteristics of the elastic element 66; in this way, the compression that is applied to each wrap 3 is essentially always constant regardless of the actual size of the wrap 3 (that is, regardless of the fact that the wrap 3 may be a little thicker or a little less thick due to unavoidable manufacturing tolerances) and the compression that is applied to each wrap 3 is easily adjustable by calibrating the elastic element 66.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 10, the conveyor 13 is designed to advance a single group 5 of cigarettes at a time along the straight folding path P2 and thereby form a single wrap at the same time; in this embodiment, the transport unit 22 is configured to receive a single wrap 3 at a time from the folding conveyor 13 and transfer a single wrap 3 at a time to the transfer conveyor 19 and thus the transport unit 22 preferably comprises only one pocket 27 (that is, compared to what is illustrated in Figures 11-20, it only has one of the two pockets 27 while the rest remains completely unaffected).
According to a different and equivalent embodiment, the conveyor 13 is designed to advance two groups 5 of cigarettes side by side and two respective wrapping sheets 7 along the straight folding path P2 to simultaneously fold each wrapping sheet 7 around the respective group 5 of cigarettes and thus form two wrapping sheets 3 side by side at the same time; in this embodiment, the transport unit 22 is configured to receive two wraps 3 side by side from the folding conveyor 13 and transfer two wraps 3 side by side to the transfer conveyor 19 and thus preferably the transport unit 22 comprises two side-by-side drawers 25 that are moved together from the conveyor device 32, the drawer 25 along the transfer path P4 (as illustrated in Figures 11-20).
In the embodiment described above, the transport unit 22 is used to move the wraps 3 each containing a group 5 of cigarettes; in other embodiments not illustrated, the transport unit 22 may be used to move other types of products from both the smoking articles processing industry and other industries (for example foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, or cosmetics). In particular, the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures refers to the manufacture of a cigarette pack, but this invention is also applicable, without substantial modification, to the production of any other type of pack of smoking articles (for example, a cigar pack, a pack for electronic cigarettes of the liquid vaporisation type, a pack of new generation cigarettes without tobacco combustion, etc.).
The embodiments described herein may be combined with one another without departing from the scope of protection of this invention.
Numerous advantages are achieved with the packer machine 9 described above.
Firstly, the transport unit 22 of the packer machine 9 described above allows safe transport of the products (in particular, the wraps 3) even when operating at high production speeds. That is, the transport unit 22 is capable of transporting the products (particularly, the wraps 3) without damaging the products due to excessive compression of the products and, at the same time, without leaving the products excessively loose in order to avoid undesirable, uncontrolled deformation of the products (the wraps 3 are not provided with glue and therefore tend to lose their shape if not properly contained).
Furthermore, the transport unit 22 of the packer machine 9 described above requires little maintenance as it has no parts subject to high wear and tear.
Finally, the transport unit 22 of the packer machine 9 described above is particularly compact and can therefore easily be made with two pockets 27 to be used when the folding conveyor 13 has two lines.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS IN THE FIGURES

1: cigarette pack
2: outer container
3: wrap
4: lid
5: group of cigarettes
6: collar
7: wrapping sheet
8: blank
9: packer machine
10: hopper
11: pockets
12: forming conveyor
13: wrapping conveyor
14: feeding device
15: strip
16: reel
17: cutting component
18: folding device
19: transfer conveyor
20: pockets
21: folding device
22: transport unit
23: folding mandrel
24: movement conveyor
25: drawer
26: frame
27: pocket
28: base wall
29: side walls
30: containing wall
31: slit
32: conveyor device
33: guides
34: slides
35: electric motor
36: drive body
37: rotation axis
38: connecting arm
39: connecting arm
40: actuator device
41: actuator chamber
42: solenoid valve
43: pressurised fluid source
44: control unit
45: cylinder
46: cylinder
47: elastic element
48: crossbars
49: columns
50: containment body
51: extension
52: electric motor
53: transmission
54: shaft
55: track
56: rocker arm
57: rotation axis
58: support column
59: idle roller
60: connecting arm
61: rod
62: rings
63: segment
64: segment
65: cranks
66: elastic element
P1: forming path
P2: wrapping path
P3: transfer path
S1: input station
S2: transfer station
S3: feeding station
S4: transfer station
S5: transfer station
S6: receiving station
A: forming unit
B: wrapping unit
C: wrapping unit
DP: gripping direction
D1: dimension
D2: dimension

Claims

A packer machine (9) for producing a wrap (3) by folding a wrapping sheet (7) around a group (5) of smoking articles; the packer machine (9) comprises:
a forming conveyor (12), which moves a plurality of first pockets (11) along a forming path (P1);

a hopper (10), which is arranged in front of the forming conveyor (12) and along the forming path (P1) and is provided with at least one output mouth, from which the group (5) of smoking articles can be extracted;

a folding conveyor (13), which is arranged downstream of the forming conveyor (12) and is designed to move the group (5) of smoking articles and the wrapping sheet (7) along a straight folding path (P2) so as to fold the wrapping sheet (7) around the group (5) of smoking articles and, hence, form the wrap (3);

a transfer conveyor (19), which receives the wrap (3) from the folding conveyor (13) and moves along a transfer path (P3); and

a transport unit (22), which is interposed between the folding conveyor (13) and the transfer conveyor (19) and is configured to receive the wrap (3) from the folding conveyor (13) and to transfer the wrap (3) to the transfer conveyor (19);

wherein the transport unit (22) comprises: a drawer (25) provided with a frame (26), in which at least one pocket (27) is defined, which is configured to house the wrap (3) and is delimited, on one side, by a containing wall (30), which, in use, comes into contact with the wrap (3); and a conveyor device (32) configured to move the drawer (25) along a transfer path (P4);

wherein the containing wall (30) is mounted on the frame (26) in a movable manner so as to move between a loading and unloading position, in which it gives the pocket (27) a first dimension (D1), and a transport position, in which it gives the pocket (27) a second dimension (D2), which is smaller than the first dimension (D1); and

wherein the transport unit (22) comprises a mechanical actuator device (40), which can be operated to move the containing wall (30) between the loading and unloading position and the transport position;

the packer machine (9) is characterised in that the actuator device (40) comprises a motor (52), in particular a rotary electric motor (52), which is completely independent of the conveyor device (32), does not move along the transfer path (P4) with the pocket (27), and can be independently operated by the conveyor device (32); and a transmission (53), which connects the motor (52), in particular a shaft (54) of the rotary electric motor (52), to the containing wall (30).
The packer machine (9) according to claim 1, wherein the transmission (53) comprises a track (55), which is moved by the motor (52) and is connected to the containing wall (30).
The packer machine (9) according to claim 2, wherein the transmission (53) comprises a rocker arm (56), which is mounted on the frame (26) so as to rotate around a rotation axis (57) and has an end that supports an idle roller (59) arranged in contact with the track (55) and an opposite end connected to the containing wall (30).
The packer machine (9) according to claim 3, wherein the end of the rocker arm (56) is connected to the containing wall (30) by means of a connecting arm (60) hinged, on one side, to the end of the rocker arm (56) and hinged, on the opposite side, to the containing wall (30).
The packer machine (9) according to claim 4, wherein the actuator device (40) comprises:
a rod (61), which is integral to the containing wall (30), projects from the containing wall (30) and is hinged to the connecting arm (60); and

at least one ring (62), which is integral to the frame (26) and is arranged around the rod (61) to guide the movement of the rod (61).
The packer machine (9) according to one of the claims from 2 to 5, wherein the track (55) has the shape of a "Z" having a first horizontal segment (63) that is connected to the containing wall (30) and is at least as long as the transport path (P4) and a second horizontal segment (64), which is connected to the motor (52) and is vertically staggered relative to the first horizontal segment (63).
The packer machine (9) according to one of the claims from 2 to 6, wherein:
the transmission (53) comprises two cranks (65), each hinged to the track (55) to form an articulated quadrilateral, wherein the track (55) constitutes a connecting rod; and

the motor (52) is configured to cause a crank (65) to rotate.
The packer machine (9) according to one of the claims from 1 to 7, wherein the actuator device (40) comprises an elastic element (66), which pushes the containing wall (30) towards the loading and unloading position or towards the transport position and elastically deforms when the actuator device (40) moves the containing wall (30) towards the transport position or towards the loading an unloading position.
The packer machine (9) according to claim 8, wherein the elastic element (66) is compressed between the frame (26) and the containing wall (30).
The packer machine (9) according to one of the claims from 1 to 9, wherein the actuator device (40) comprises a mechanical limit stop, which limits the movement of the containing wall (30) from the loading position and towards the transport position by establishing a minimum value of the second dimension (D2).
The packer machine (9) according to one of the claims from 1 to 10, wherein the containing wall (30) has an extension (51), which extends beyond the pocket (27) towards the folding conveyor (13) and is inclined to constitute a raiser towards the pocket (27).
The packer machine (9) according to one of the claims from 1 to 11, wherein:
the conveyor (13) is designed to move two groups (5) of smoking articles side by side and two respective wrapping sheets (7) along the straight folding path (P2) so as to fold each wrapping sheet (7) around the respective group (5) of smoking articles and, at the same time, form two wraps (3) side by side;

the transport unit (22) is configured to receive two wraps (3) side by side from the folding conveyor (13) and to release two wraps (3) side by side to the transfer conveyor (19); and

the transport unit (22) comprises two pockets (27) side by side, which are moved together by the conveyor device (32), the drawer (25) along the transfer path (P4).
The packer machine (9) according to one of the claims from 1 to 12, wherein the conveyor device (32) comprises:
two guides (33) arranged parallel to the transfer path (P4);

two slides (34), which are mounted on the guides (33) in a sliding manner and are integral to opposite ends of the frame (26); and

an electric motor (35) configured to alternately push the slides (34) back and forth along the guides (33).
The packer machine (9) according to claim 13, wherein the conveyor device (32) comprises:
a "U"-shaped drive body (36) mounted so as to rotate around a rotation axis (37), which is perpendicular to the transfer path (P4);

two first connecting arms (38), each having an end hinged to a tine of the drive body (36) and an opposite end hinged to a slide (34); and

a second connecting arm (39) having an end hinged to a tine of the drive body (36) and an opposite end hinged eccentric to a shaft of the electric motor (35).
The packer machine (9) according to one of the claims from 1 to 14, wherein:
the pocket has a parallelepiped shape and is delimited by the containing wall (30) and by a base wall (28), which are parallel to and opposite one another, and by two side walls (29), which are parallel to and opposite one another; and

the containing wall (30) and the base wall (28) have a larger area than an area of the two side walls (29).
The packer machine (9) according to one of the claims from 1 to 15, wherein:
the transfer path (P3) is perpendicular to the folding path (P2); and

the transfer path (P4) is parallel to the folding path (P2) and constitutes an extension of the folding path (P2).