GB2156761A - Conveying device for conveying rod-shaped items crosswise in relation to their axes and for turning them round the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Each item eg cigarette (2) is housed inside a respective recess (27) carried on a conveyor (1) and extending crosswise in relation to the traveling direction of the same. While being fed along the said conveyor (1), each recess (27) is turned forward and then back round its own axis by means of a gear chain (25, 26) connected to the said recess (27) and controlled by at least one cam (33, 36, 55) extending along the conveyor (1). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Conveying device for conveying rod-shaped items cross-wise in relation to their axes and for turning them round the same The present invention relates to a device for conveying rod-shaped items crosswise in relation to their axes and for turning them round the same.

The present invention is particularly useful for manufacturing smoking commodities, especially cigarettes, to which the following description relates merely by way of a nonlimiting example.

Cigarette manufacturing machines are known to feed cigarettes crosswise in relation to their axes, on conveying devices, and through a number of operating stations at each of which the moving cigarettes are subjected to various operations.

The performance of a number of the said operations requires that the cigarettes be turned round their axes as they travel at rightangles to the same.

On known manufacturing machines, the said rotation of the cigarettes round their axes is usually performed by rolling, the latter usually being achieved by fixed surfaces set up along the route travelled by the cigarettes and designed to contact the same laterally and so cause them to roll inside their respective recesses, widened crosswise for this purpose, on the said conveying device. Unless performed with extreme accuracy, the said rolling operations, which are still considered indispensable on modern cigarette manufacturing machines, may result in a number of major drawbacks.

Any expert, in fact, knows that rolling a cigarette results in, if not immediate tobacco loss, at least in a drastic reduction in the cigarette's structural resistance and, therefore, also in the strength of the same to withstand safely any further handling.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a device for turning crosswise-moving cigarettes round their axes without subjecting them to rolling.

With this aim in view, the present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying rod-shaped items crosswise in relation to their axes and for turning them round the same, characterised by the fact that it comprises a conveyor, a number of mobile recesses carried on the said conveyor crosswise in relation to the travelling direction of the conveyor itself and each designed to receive a respective said item, a number of gear chains carried on the said conveyor and each connected to at least one respective said recess, and cam means designed to activate the said gear chains in succession, in such a manner as to turn the said recesses forward and then back by a given angle round their axes, as the said recesses travel over given sections of the said conveyor.

A non-limiting arrangement of the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a partial, schematic front view of a filter assembling machine fitted with a conveying device according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic cross section of a conveying device according to the present invention; Figure 3 shows a view in perspective of part of the Fig. 2 device, with parts removed for clarity.

Number 1 in Figs. 1 and 2 indicates a conveyor or feed roller for cigarettes 2, the said conveyor or feed roller 1 forming part of a machine indicated as a whole by 3 and comprising, in addition to roller 1, a feed roller 4 and unloading roller 5, the latter rollers 4 and 5 turning equally and being arranged tangent with two different points on the edge of roller 1.

Roller 1 forms part of a conveying device indicated as a whole by 6 and designed to convey cigarettes 2 crosswise in relation to their axes and, at the same time, turn them round the same.

As shown in Fig. 2, roller 1 is supported in rotary manner by a fixed shaft 7 projecting from a side wall 8 on machine 3 and having, on its free end, an outer flange 9 engaging, round its outer edge, with the inner ring of a first bearing 10 supporting roller 1. The latter comprises an essentially-cylindrical bell 11 arranged coaxial with shaft 7 and fitted on to the same with its concave side facing wall 8.

Bell 11 presents a bottom wall 12, having an axial centre hole 1 3 housing bearing 10, and an essentially-cylindrical side wall 1 4.

Side wall 14 on bell 11 comprises a smalldiameter portion 1 5 adjacent to flange 9, and a wider portion 1 6 arranged facing wall 8 and blended with portion 1 5 by means of annular shoulder 1 7. From the inner surface of wall 14, two annular flanges, 18, 19, extend radiaily inwards, the first arranged on shoulder 1 7 and the second on the free end of wall 14, facing wall 8, and defining a cylindrical hole 20 coaxial with shaft 7 and housing a second bearing 21 supporting roller 1 on shaft 7.

At flange 19, side wall 1 4 presents an external gear 22 meshing with a gear 23 supported in rotary manner by wall 8 and connected to a drive unit (not shown) for turning roller 1 round its own axis at a given constant speed and in the opposite direction to rollers 4 and 5.

Roller 1 houses a rotating device 24 designed to turn cigarettes 2 round their axes.

As shown in Fig. 3, device 24 comprises two sets of gear chains, 25, 26, to which correspond respectively alternative pairs of recesses 27 arranged axially round the outer edge of roller 1 and each designed to receive a respective cigarette 2. From the foregoing description, it follows that, when one of the said pairs of recesses 27 corresponds, for example, with a chain 25, the two pairs of adjacent recesses 27 correspond with a chain 26.

Each chain 25 comprises a rocker arm 28 comprising a hinge pin 29 having its axis parallel with that of bell 11. Pin 29 engages in rotary manner a through hole 30, formed through flange 18, and is connected integral, on its end facing wall 12, with a first arm 31 perpendicular with pin 29 itself and having connected, on its free end, tappet means comprising a roller 32 moving along cam 33.

The latter is integral with shaft 7 and has its working surface formed round the axis of shaft 7 itself. On its end facing wall 8, pin 29 is connected integral with a second arm consisting of a sector gear 34 extending in a plane perpendicular to the axis of shaft 7 and integral with tappet means comprising a roller 35 moving along cam 36. The latter is integral with shaft 7 and has its working surface formed round the axis of shaft 7 itself. Each sector gear 34 meshes with two gears 37, each fitted on to a respective shaft 38 parallel with shaft 7 and mounted in rotary manner, at one end, through a hole 39 formed in bell 11 at the shoulder 1 7 location and, at the other end, through a hole 40 formed in flange 19.

The end of each shaft 38 facing wall 1 2 comes out of bell 11 through respective hole 39 and is connected integral with an axial appendix 41 extending outwards of portion 15 on wall 14 and having an axial groove defining a respective recess 27. Along the latter runs an exhaust groove 42 communicating with a duct 43 extending along respective shaft 38 and, in turn, communicating, on the side facing wall 8, with an exhaust groove 44 communicating with an exhaust (not shown).

Groove 44 is formed on the front surface of an annular distribution plate 45 and extends round the axis of shaft 7 essentially between the points of tangency between rollers 4 and 5 and roller 1.

Distribution plate 45 is mounted in axiallysliding manner on a cylindrical bush 46, the latter being coaxial with shaft 7 and integral with wall 8, and is held in flexible contact with the ends of shafts 38 by means of a number of springs 47.

Each chain 26 comprises a rocker arm 48 comprising a hinge pin 49 mounted in rotary manner through a through hole 50 in flange 1 9. Rocker arms 48 are essentially identical with rocker arms 28 and each comprise a first arm 51 similar to arms 31 and having tappet means comprising a roller 52 and a sector gear 53 similar to sector gears 34 and having a tappet roller 54.

Each roller 54 is mounted contacting the working surface of cam 36, whereas each roller 52 is mounted contacting a further cam 55 integral with shaft 7 and having its working surface formed round the axis of shaft 7 itself. Each of sector gears 53 meshes with two gears 37 mounted on respective shafts 38 relative to a pair of recesses 27 located between two adjacent pairs of recesses 27 controlled by respective sector gears 34.

As shown in Fig. 3, cams 33 and 35, run along by rollers 32 and 52 respectively, are identical and each have a working surface consisting of a low section 56, a high section 57 and two sloping blend sections 58.

Cam 36, on the other hand, is run along by rollers 35 and 54, arranged alternately, and, like cams 33 and 55, has a working surface consisting of a low section 59, a high section 60 and two sloping blend sections 61.

When bell 11 is turned by drive gear 23, rollers 32 and 52 roll along the working surfaces of respective cams 33 and 55, whereas rollers 35 and 54 roll along the working surface of cam 36.

When a roller 32 leaves low section 56 on cam 33 and starts rolling along one of sloping sections 58, the relative roller 35 leaves the corresponding low section 59 on cam 36 and starts rolling along the corresponding sloping section 61 on the said cam 36.

As rollers 32 and 35 roll along the said respective sloping sections 58 and 61, the relative rocker arm 28 and, consequently, the relative sector gear 34 are turned gradually round the axis of relative pin 29 between two distinct, extreme angular positions, thus causing the relative two appendixes 41 to turn accordingly round their axes.

The drive ratio between each sector gear 34 and relative gears 37 is usually such that angular displacement of sector gear 34 between the said two extreme angular positions results in over 360 rotation of appendixes 41 round their axes.

Obviously, when the said rollers 32 and 35 travel along the other corresponding pair of sloping sections 58 and 61, appendixes 41 are turned back to the starting position in the opposite direction.

In the foregoing arrangement, the use of three cams, 33, 36 and 55, is due solely to specific construction requirements, seeing as, for example, one cam 36 with two grooves on its opposite side faces for providing positive two-way guidance of rollers 35 and 54 would be sufficient for providing angular control of sector gears 34 and 53, with no need for cams 33 and 55 or rollers 32 and 52.

Furthermore, provision of the two subassemblies 25 and 26 is due solely to the need to keep the diameter of roller 1 within given limits. In fact, by providing a much larger diameter on roller 1, and consequently also on the cams, all the rocker arms 28 and 48 could be arranged on the same side of cam 36.

The fact that each gear sector 34 and 53 is assigned two consecutive recesses 27 is also an arbitrary design choice, seeing as a rotating device on which each recess 27 is assigned its own sector gear, or on which each sector gear controls three or more recesses 27, is more than feasible.

Finally, though rotation device 24, in the arrangement described, is assigned to roller 1, the shape of cams 33, 36 and 55 may obviously be changed for adapting device 24 to a conveyor of any shape, e.g. an elongated loop.

Claims (7)

1. Conveying device for conveying rodshaped items crosswise in relation to their axes and for turning them round the same, characterised by the fact that it comprises a conveyor, a number of mobile recesses carried on the said conveyor crosswise in relation to the travelling direction of the conveyor itself and each designed to receive a respective said item, a number of gear chains carried on the said conveyor and each connected to at least one respective said recess, and cam means designed to activate the said gear chains in succession, in such a manner as to turn the said recesses forward and then back by a given angle round their axes, as the said recesses travel over given sections of the said conveyor.

2. Device according to Claim 1, characterised by the fact that each said gear chain comprises a rocker arm hinged on to the said conveyor and provided, at one end, with tappet means cooperating with the said cam means and, at the other end, with a sector gear connected to at least one said recess.

3. Device according to Claim 2, characterised by the fact that each said recess is connected integral with a respective gear coaxial with the said recess and connected to the said gear chain.

4. Device according to Claim 3, characterised by the fact that each said sector gear meshes with at least two said gears.

5. Device according to Claim 2, 3 or 4, characterised by the fact that further tappet means are carried on each said sector gear; further cam means being provided for cooperating with the said further tappet means.

6. Device according to any one of the foregoing Claims, characterised by the fact that the said conveyor consists of a roller mounted so as to turn round its own axis, the said gear chains being arranged round the axis of rotation of the said roller.

7. Conveying device for conveying rodshaped items crosswise in relation to their axes and for turning them round the same, essentially as described and illustrated with reference to the attached drawings.