FR2566238A1 - Device for automatically withdrawing rod-shaped articles from a stream of articles moving along a path substantially orthogonal to their principal axis - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for automatically withdrawing rod-shaped articles from a stream of articles moving along a path substantially orthogonal to their principal axis, comprising a tilting arm 1 equipped with a means 4 for grasping an article, a means 8 for detecting the presence of an article, a means for triggering the tilting of the arm and its rotation to a reception means 10, a means for releasing the article, a means for returning the said gripping means into pressureless contact with the stream of articles.

Description

 The present invention relates to an automatic device for removing articles in the form of rods from a stream of articles traveling along a trajectory substantially orthogonal to their main axis comprising an oscillating arm equipped with a gripping device.

 When manufacturing rod-shaped articles, in particular cigars or cigarettes or even filters, it is necessary to control the parameters in order in particular to adjust the machine.

 A device GB GB 1,589,770 has already proposed a device for removing articles from a mass of said moving articles. This device integrated in the transfer belt essentially comprises a cell wheel in which the articles are housed. Said wheel is rotated to evacuate the articles retained by suction. Such a device is permanently mounted on the machine and therefore does not allow its use on several pieces of equipment. In a patent DE 19 28 948, a device has also been proposed for removing traveling articles from a cellular carpet. Above this mat is arranged a drum with cells, the cells of which are placed on demand under vacuum. The movement of the drum is synchronized with the carpet.

 Finally, in a patent FR No. 2,474,283, an automatic sample control device has been proposed. Said device comprises a pick-up arm which picks up, in a low position, a product moving in a regular layer on the transfer belt. This rotary sampling arm is equipped with a gripping device forming a stop for the samples to be taken.

The latter held by suction on the device are driven in a rotational movement orthogonal to the axis of travel of the products to be checked towards a measuring station.

 These two devices can only work on moving products either at a regular rate and in synchronism with them, or on products moving on a strip on a single layer and having between them a sufficient interval so that the gripping head can be interposed .

 The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks.

It also aims to automatically randomly pick at least one article from a stream of articles without disturbing this stream and without it being necessarily of uniform level or reduced to a single layer.

The present invention is a device for automatically and randomly taking a sample of articles in the form of rods from a stream of said articles traveling in a direction substantially orthogonal to their main axis, comprising an arm oscillating around an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said articles and provided with a gripping head by suction of at least one article
Characterized in that it comprises in combination a means for releasing said arm in a picking position such that the gripping head is pressing without pressure on the articles to be checked, a means of detecting the presence of articles under the head of gripping, means for controlling the rotation of said picking arm from the picking position to the receiving position in the direction of movement of said articles, means for cutting the suction of the gripping head in the receiving position, means for returning said arm to the picking position and means for putting the suction of the gripping head back into service at a determined rate.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the description which follows of a particular embodiment given by way of nonlimiting example with regard to the figures which represent
- Figure 1 an elevational view of a sampling device mounted on a transfer belt of rod-shaped articles.

 - Figure 2 a top view of the same device.

 Figure 1 shows schematically an arm (1) oscillating around an axis (2) and substantially balanced around this axis by a counterweight (3) so that the gripping head (4) mounted opposite can enter in contact without pressure with the stream of articles (5) traveling in the direction (6) given by a transfer belt (7). This gripping head is connected by a flexible pipe (8) to a source of air in depression not shown. This equipment is fixed above the transfer belt (7) by a frame (9) schematically shown. This same frame can serve as a support for a sampling cup (10) in which the samples collected by the arm (1) and the head (4) are collected.

 In Figure 2, we see that the axis (2) connects the swing arm (1) via a clutch (12) to a motor (11). This axis also comprises pallets actuating the picking position detectors (13) for reception (14). A means (15) makes it possible to adjust the rate and the number of samples to be taken. The control box (16) also optionally includes the vacuum pump (18) and the vacuum detection means (17) allowing the clutch (12) to be controlled.

 The device operates as follows: When a sample has to be taken, the sample arm (1) is rotated along F around the axis (2) in the opposite direction of the movement of the articles by the motor (11) coupled by the clutch (12).

 When the detector (13) is actuated, it causes the clutch (12) to open. The arm (1) then comes into contact without pressure with the articles to be checked and oscillates freely around the axis (1). The arm is balanced so that it practically does not press on the articles, so as not to disturb their movement on the transfer belt and not to mark them. As soon as a cigarette is sucked in by the gripping head (4) whose shape is adapted to that of the product to be grasped and whose vacuum is sufficient to grasp on the fly the articles on which it is placed, the vacuum sensor ( 17) controls the reversal of the direction of rotation of the engine and the closing of the clutch (12). The arm (1) is rotated along F '.

 The detector (14) controls the stopping of the engine, due to the vacuum pump (18) which releases the seized article which falls into the cup (10).

 The device by its design allows a random sampling of the articles to be checked.

 It can be integrated into an automatic control chain for the samples thus taken without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (1)

REVENCICATION  1) - Device for automatic and random sampling of a sample of articles in the form of rods from a stream of said articles scrolling in a direction substantially orthogonal to their main axis comprising an arm oscillating around an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said articles and provided with a gripping head by suction of at least one article  Characterized in that it comprises in combination a means for releasing said arm in a picking position such that the gripping head is pressing without pressure on the articles to be checked, a means for detecting the presence of at least one article under the gripping head, a means for controlling the rotation of said gripping arm from the gripping position to the receiving position in the direction of movement of said articles, means for cutting the suction of the gripping head in the position receiving, means for returning said arm to the picking position and means for returning to use the suction of the gripping head at a determined rate.