GB2067968A - Varying angular position of article carriers in transport apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for transporting individual objects, for example cigar wrappers, from a stock to a processing station, for example for winding the wrapper around a filter, comprises one or more object carriers (1) which are advanced e.g. by a driving chain (4) on a closed path. Each carrier comprises a driven part (3) and a carrying part (3_) which is pivotable with respect to the driven part, guide (9) and follower member (8) being provided for setting the desired angular position of the carrying part relative to the driven part. Additional guides (11, 13, 15) and follower members (10, 12, 14) may be provided for varying the angular position and velocity of the carrying part at any position along the path, the driven part (3) being telescopic to enable such velocity changes. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Transport apparatus This invention relates to a device for transporting individual objects, for example for transporting cigar wrappers from a stock to a processing station, such as a station for winding the wrappers around a filter.

An object of the invention is to provide apparatus in which objects having a given orientation in the stock can be picked up at the station and can be orientated in the processing station in any other manner so that the objects can be treated in the optimum position.

The apparatus is characterised in that each carrier comprises a driven part and a carrying part which is pivotable with respect to the driven part, and means for setting the angular position between the two parts is provided.

Due to the two relatively pivotable parts of the carrier, the drive may be constructed in a comparatively simple manner, so that the object is moved into the correct position by the pivotable part.

The setting means preferably comprises a follower member which is movable along a first guide and is connected to the carrying part. The first guide may have any appropriate form so that the position of the pivotable part of the carrier at any point of the path is accurately determined.

In a further development of the device according to the invention the driven part of the carrier can also be turned with respect to the direction of travel so that a deceleration or an acceleration can be imparted to the part carrying the object with respect to the speed of travel. For this purpose the apparatus is constructed such that the driven part is moved by the driving means along a closed second guide and is provided with a follow-up member which passes along a third guide. The shape of the third guide with respect to the second guide determines the angular position of the driven part with respect to the direction of movement.

In order to permit adjustment of the angles of turn of the carrying part and the driven part, respectively, independently of each other, which depends upon the shapes of the guides, it is preferred to construct the driven part to be telescopic, the driven part then being provided with an additional follow-up member which passes along a fourth guide.

A particularly simple embodiment is obtained by constructing the driving means in the form of an endless, flexible element, for example a chain, which is driven by a fixed motor and to which the carriers are pivotally connected.

An embodiment of the invention wherein the apparatus is employed as a leaf carrier for a cigar winding machine will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier for cigar wrappers, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the carrier of Fig. 1 and a schematic illustration of guides along which the carrier is moved, Fig. 3 shows a detail of two specific positions of the carrier of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing, the carrier comprises a carrying part 1 formed by a suction box, the bottom of which can retain individual cigar wrappers by the subatmospheric pressure prevailing in the carrying part. For obtaining the subatmospheric pressure, the carrying part 1 communicates through a flexible hose 2 with a source of subatmospheric pressure.

The carrier also comprises a driven part 3 of telescopic structure, a part 3' of which is pulled by driving means 4 in the form of a linked chain (see Fig. 2, the chain is indicated in Fig. 1 by a broken line) and a part 3" of which is slidable with respect to the part 3, by means of two parallel sliding rods 5. The part 3" is pivotally connected to the suction box 1 so that the latter can turn about a line A-A with respect to the part 3". For this purpose the part 3" is provided with a bearing holding a bearing journal 6 rigidly connected at its lower end with the suction box 1 and at its upper end with an arm 7. A follower member 8 in the form of a freely rotatable roller is attached to the free end of the arm 7.The roller 8 passes along a first guide 9 which is formed,-for example, by a slot milled in a plate.

The part 3' is provided at its top and bottom with supporting wheels 10, which pass along respective second guides 11 , the position of the wheels 10 with respect to the part 3' being such that they lie on a line B-B passing through the points of engagement of the chain 4. At a distance from the line B-B, the part 3' is furthermore provided with a follower member 12, which passes along a third guide 13.

The part 3" is provided with a follower member 14, which passes along a fourth guide 1 5. The follower member 14 is located on the line A-A.

From Fig. 2 it will be apparent that by choosing the shape of the guides and the distance between them, any desired position and any instantaneous speed of the leaf-carrying part 1 can be obtained.

Fig. 2 illustrates, by way of example, a stock holder 20 where the suction box 1 picks up the wrappers. The stock holder may comprise a bobbin on which the wrappers are stored with a given relative pitch. The details of the stock do not lie within the scope of this invention. At 21 the wrapper can be wound around a cigar filler and in this winding station a winding nest moves in synchronism with the leaf carrier, which has to be in a given angular position relative to the winding nest. The detailed construction of the winding station also lies outside the scope of this invention.

The driving chain 4 passes around two sprockets, one of which is driven by a motor (not shown) in a direction indicated by an arrow P 1.

The driving speed may be of any suitable value, but it is preferably constant so that the follower member 10 of the driven part of the carrier has a constant speed equal to the circumferential speed of the sprockets. The other end of the driven part 3 of the carrier near the line A-A has a speed which may be decreased or increased with respect to the speed of motion of the chain 4, that speed being dependent upon the shape of the path 13.

As soon as the path 13 approaches the path 11 from the outside as illustrated at the right-hand top in Fig. 2, the end with the follower member 14 will be decelerated. When the path 13 approaches the path 11 from within, the member 14 is accelerated.

The angular position of the leaf carrier (suction box) 1 with respect to the direction of movement is determined by the distance between the guides 9 and 1 5. If the distance remains constant as is indicated in the upper run of the path in Fig. 2,-the suction box 1 maintains its parallel position. At the lower run, however, any desired position of the leaf carrier 1 can be obtained by a given shape of the path, which is particularly important at the winding station 21 (see the lower part of Fig. 2).

Fig. 3 illustrates in detail the possible curves of the paths with the resultant speeds and positions of the leaf carrier. The member 10 being pulled with a speed equal to the circumferential speed of the chain 4 in the direction of an arrow P 2, after a displacement c will give rise to a displacement d of the member 14 at the free end of the part 3.

This results from the path 13 along which the follower member 12 passes; its displacement designated by e. The leaf carrier 1 itself remains in parallel positions, since the paths 1 5 and 9 remain parallel to one another. It follows therefrom that a large displacement c of the part 3 results in only a small displacement dof the leaf carrier 1. With this arrangement it is even possible to stop the leaf carrier instantaneously whilst the pulling speed in the direction of the arrow P 2 is constant.

This can be ensured in a simple manner by moving the paths 1 5 and 9 further away from the paths 11 and 13 so that the member 14 on the telescopic arm of the part 3 moves further away from the wheel 10. The shape of the path 13 may be chosen so that the member 14 lies, for example, at a point F, which is the instantaneous centre of rotation of the system. On the other hand, the distance between the two cross-hatched leaf carriers 1 may be enlarged by moving the member 14 closer to the wheel 10. It will be obvious that the device is capable of picking up wrappers from the mobile bobbin in a very simple manner, where the wrappers are stored with a given relative pitch.By using a large number of carriers 3 on the chain 4, the instantaneous distance between two leaf carriers 1 indicated by the cross-hatched surfaces in Fig. 3 can be readily adjusted. That distance may correspond to the pitch of the wrappers on the bobbin. Then the bobbin need only be moved with a speed equal to the instantaneous speed of the member 14 in order to pick up the wrappers from the bobbin during its movement, after which the wrappers can be conveyed with any appropriate speed.

Fig. 1 also shows a glue roller 22, which suitably provides the wrapper on the underside of the suction box 1 with glue before the wrapper is wound at the station 21. The glue roller has a relief corresponding to the wrapper portion to be glued so that accurate positioning of the suction box 1 with respect to the surface of the roller 20 is required. This can be carried out in a simple manner by accurately setting the distance between the paths 9 and 15.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described in the foregoing for the transport of cigar wrappers. It is readily possible to design differently-shaped holders corresponding to the suction box 1 for conveying other objects.

Claims (8)

1. Apparatus for transporting individual objects, for example cigar wrappers, from a stock to a processing station, for example for winding a wrapper around a filter, the apparatus comprising one or more object carriers moved by driving means on a closed path along the stock and the station, each carrier comprising a driven part, and a carrying part which is pivotable with respect to the driven part, and means for setting the angular position between the two parts.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the setting means comprises a follower member which is connected with the carrying part and passes along a first guide.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the driven part is moved by the driving means along a second, closed, guide and is provided with a follower member which passes along a third guide.

4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the driven part has a telescopic structure and is provided with an additional follower member which moves along a fourth guide.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus is suitable for transporting wrappers; and wherein the carrying part is constructed in the form of a subatmospheric pressure box for retaining the wrappers.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5, including a stock holder comprising means to wind off a bobbin with constant speed.

7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the processing station comprises a sequence of winding nests.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.