GB2140379A

GB2140379A - Conveying device for transporting filter rods

Info

Publication number: GB2140379A
Application number: GB08413473A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bob Heitmann
Original assignee: Hauni Werke Koerber and Co KG
Current assignee: Koerber AG
Priority date: 1983-05-25
Filing date: 1984-05-25
Publication date: 1984-11-28
Also published as: GB8413473D0; GB2140379B

Abstract

A conveying device for transporting filter rods has a pneumatic conveying line 2 which interconnects a transmitting station 1 with a receiving station 3 and in which the filter rods 6 are conveyed in the direction of their longitudinal axes. A conveying means 9 is provided at the receiving station for moving the filter rods transversely of their axes into a store of the receiving station. The conveying line is associated with a holding means 37 acting on the long sides of the filter rods when a fault occurs in the receiving station. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Conveying device for transporting filter rods The invention relates to a conveying device for transporting filter rods, having a pneumatic conveying line which connects a transmitting station with a receiving station and in which the filter rods are conveyed in the direction of their longitudinal axes, and having conveying means at the receiving station for moving the filter rods in a direction transversely of their axes into a store of the receiving station.

conveying devices of the kind described above it is normal, when a fault occurs in the region of the receiving station, to open the receiving station for the purpose of correcting the fault, whereby, although release of the filter rods at the transmitting station is prevented, the conveying air is not turned off because of the risk that this may cause further faults. In this way a relatively large quantity of filter rods may be wasted since the fault can only be corrected after the conveying line, which may be several hundred metres in length, has been completely emptied.

The object of the invention is to reduce the wastage of filter rods to a minimum when faults occur in the receiving station.

This object is achieved in accordance with the invention in that the conveying line is associated with holding means actuated when there is a fault in the receiving station and movable into the conveying line to contact the filter rods on their long sides.

According to an advantageous embodiment, a holding means which is particularly protective towards the filter rods and does not depend upon gaps between the successive filter rods is a strip shaped brake shoe extending along a longitudinal slot of the conveying line.

As is known per se, the conveying line is provided before entry into the receiving station with a curved guide section and the holding means is preferably associated with the conveying line upstream of the curved guide section. Accordingly, it is only necessary to wait for this relatively short curved guide section to be emptied before dealing with the fault, i.e, the filter rod wastage is very small.

In an arrangement which is also known per se, wherein the conveying line is provided before entry into the receiving station with a separating means for the filter rods, it is additionally proposed to arrange the holding means upstream of the separating means.

The separating means comprises in a manner known per se, braking means and accelerating means made of rollers or bands which are arranged one behind the other in the direction of conveyance of the filter rods, whereby, in accordance with a further proposal, the holding means is arranged upstream of the braking means.

The advantage achieved by the invention is that by trapping a filter rod in the conveying line, before entry into the receiving station all the successive filter rods are carefully retained in the conveying line and can be released again after removal of the fault so that the production of a larger quantity of waste filter rods is prevented. Furthermore, a fault can be tackled immediately after its occurrence since the conveying line does not have to be previously emptied as the filter rods remain therein.

The invention will now be described, by reference to the embodiment shown in the drawing.

The drawings show: Figure 1 a conveying device for the transport of filter rods having a transmitting station and a receiving station shown in section, Figure 2 an enlarged section II of the conveying line according to Figure 1 and, Figure 3 a cross section of the conveying line on line Ill-Ill according to Figure 2.

The conveying device according to Figure 1 comprises essentially a transmitting station 1, a pneumatic conveying line 2 and a receiving station 3 as well as separating means 4 arranged outside and in front of the receiving station 3 for separately feeding the filter rods 6 to the receiving station 3. The devices produced by the applicant under the name "FILTROMAT" can for example be used as the transmitting and receiving stations.

The receiving station 3 is arranged on a store 7 for the filter rods and comprises essentially two removing rollers 9, of which only the rear one and not the one lying perpendicularly in front of the plane of the drawing, is visible, arranged over the end of a filter rod inlet 8. Such details which are known per se, can for example, be gathered from the applicant's British Patent Specificationl 410 473. Both the removing rollers 9 are kinematically connected with each other by gear wheels 11, whereby in this case also the rear and not the front gear wheel is illustrated.Connected to the gear wheel 11 is a belt pulley 1 2 which can be driven via a belt 1 3 by an electric motor which is not further illustrated, whereby the removing rollers 9 can be rotated in opposition to each other with an upwardly directed conveying component as considered in relation to a conveying gap formed thereby. The removing rollers 9 are arranged in such a way that the spacing therebetween is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the filter rods 6 such that these can be gripped by the removing rollers 9. The removing rollers 9 are separated from the filter rods 6 in the store 7 by a housing 1 4 which is constructed above the removing rollers 9 in a manner not further illustrated as a conveying shaft for the filter rods 6.The filter rod inlet 8 leads into the housing 14 centrally below the removing rollers 9 and is so inclined relative to the removing rollers 9 that a filter rod 6 leaving the filter rod inlet 8 is ennaged at its leading end by the rear ends of the removing rollers 9 and transported into said conveying shaft. The filter rod inlet 8 is thus upwardly open in the region of the removing rollers 9.

Arranged in front of the receiving station 3 and the separating means 4 is a very curved guide section in the form of a stationary channel 1 6 to which are fed the filter rods 6 from the pneumatic conveying line 2. The upwardly open channel can for example be of V-shape or round to correspond to the shape of the filter rods. The separating means 4 comprise braking means 1 7 and accelerating means 1 8. The braking means 1 7 comprise two rollers 19 and 21 which are kinematically interconnected by gear wheels 22 and 23.

The accelerating means 1 8 also comprise two rollers 24 and 26 which are kinematically interconnected by gear wheels 27 and 28.

The gear wheel 23 associated with the roller 21 is connected to a twin belt pulley 29 which on the one hand can be driven through a belt 31 by an electric motor 33 provided with a belt pulley 32 and on the other hand is connected through a belt 34 with a belt pulley 36 associated with the gear wheel 28 of the roller 26. The twin belt pulley 29 and the belt pulley 36 are so dimensioned in their relative diameters that the roller pair 24, 26, is driven more quickly by the electric motor 33 than the roller pair 19, 21. The rollers 19 and 21 as well as the rollers 24 and 26 are so arranged that the spacing therebetween is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the filter rods 6 in order that these may be engaged by the roller pairs 19, 21 or 24, 26.

Upstream of the curved channel 16, the conveying line 2 is fitted with a holding means 37, for the filter rods 6 comprising a brake shoe 39 which can be moved into the conveying line 2 through a longitudinal slot 38 therein for striking the filter rods 6 on their long sides. The brake shoe 39 is normally held in the retracted position shown in dotted line in Fig. 2 and in this case the full cross section of the conveying line 2 is clear.

When a fault occurs in the receiving station 3 the electromagnet 41 is actuated, for example, automatically on opening the receiving station, so that the brake shoe 39 is moved into the workig position illustrated in full line by insertion into the conveying line 2 to such an extent that between the brake shoe 39 and the opposite wall of the conveying line 2 there is produced a gap which is reduced relative to the filter rod diameter by about 1.5 to 2 mm and in which the respective filter rod is carefully clamped on its long side and retained so that all the following filter rods can dam-up against this filter rod.

Only the filter rod 6 in the curved channel 1 6 need to be removed as waste from the conveying line 2 before the fault is rectified.

After the fault has been rectified the filter rod 6, which has only been slightly deformed by the brake shoe 39, is released and can be advanced for further processing without difficulty. Thus all the filter rods 6 retained in the conveying line 2 and the following ones from the transmitting station 1 are fed to the removing rollers 9 by entering the curved channel 1 6 from the pneumatic conveying line 2 and there being deflected and sliding to the roller pair 19, 21.In the curved cha nel 16 increased friction causes a speed reduction of the filter rods 6 so that the filter rods 6 which are normally conveyed in the pneumatic conveying line 2 with mutual spacing are pushed together in the curved channel 1 6. The respective leading filter rod 6 is engaged by the roller pair 19, 21 and fed to the roller pair 24, 26 at a predetermined speed. As a result of the different diameters of the twin belt pulley 29 and the belt pulley 36, the filter rod 6, when it is engaged by the roller pair 24, 26 is transported at an increased conveying speed away from the following filter rod supplied by the roller pair 19, 21 and fed to the removing rollers 9 of the receiving station 3 through the filter rod inlet 8. Because of the described arrangement of the roller pairs 19, 21 and 24, 26, the directly succeeding filter rods 6 supplied from the channel 1 6 to the roller pair 19, 21 are fed with predetermined mutual spacing to the receiving station 3. In the receiving station 3, the filter rod 6 is engaged by the removing rollers 9 and transported in the conveying shaft formed by the housing 14. With each filter rod 6 taken from the filter rod inlet 8, the filter rods 6 in the conveying shaft move further upwards by a filter rod diameter and are finally moved into the store 7.

Claims

1. Conveying device for transporting filter rods having a pneumatic conveying line which interconnects a transmitting station with a receiving station and in which the filter rods are conveyed in the direction of their longitudinal axes, and a conveying means at the receiving station for moving the filter rods transversely of their axes into a store of the receiving station, wherein the conveying line is associated with a holding means acting on the long sides of the filter rods when a fault occurs in the receiving station.

2. Conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the holding means is constructed as a strip shaped brake shoe extending along a longitudinal slot of the conveying line.

3. Conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conveying line before entry into the receiving station is provided with a curved guide section, and the holding means is associated with the conveying line upstream of the cured guide section.

4. Conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein there is associated with the conveying line before entry into the receiving station a separating means for the filter rods upstream of which the holding means is arranged.

5. Conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the separating means comprises braking means and accelerating means constructed as rollers or bands and arranged one behind the other in the conveying direction of the filter rods, the holding means being arranged upstream of the braking means.

6. Conveying device for transporting filter rods substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.