GB2169269A

GB2169269A - Apparatus for removing filter rods from a hopper thereof

Info

Publication number: GB2169269A
Application number: GB08529613A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kurt Wamser
Original assignee: Hauni Werke Koerber and Co KG
Current assignee: Koerber AG
Priority date: 1984-12-01
Filing date: 1985-12-02
Publication date: 1986-07-09
Also published as: IT8522944A0; JPS61162162A; IT1186093B; GB8529613D0

Abstract

An apparatus for removing rod-like articles (2), e.g. tobacco filter rods transversely with respect to their axes from a magazine (1) comprises a removal conveyor (3) preferably constructed as a drum (6) provided with receiving grooves (7), which is surrounded over a removal angle, which corresponds approximately to the region between the 8 o'clock position and the 1 o'clock position, by a removal chamber (11) relieved of the main supply (12) of the magazine (1). A partial conveying stream (31a) forming in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation (27) of the removal conveyor (3), a vibrating removal chamber wall (16), a contrarotating roller (23) located in the removal chamber (11) as well as a deflector roller (24) ensure intended agitation in the removal chamber supply, which favours its loose structure and ensures that all the grooves (7) of the removal conveyor (3) are occupied without gaps. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Removal apparatus for articles of the tobaccoprocessing industry The invention relates to an apparatus for removing rod-like articles of the tobacco-processing industry, in particular filter rods, transversely with respect to their axes from a magazine by means of a removal conveyor comprising receiving grooves, which forms the lower boundary of a separate removal chamber connected to the magazine and relieved of the pressure of the main supply in the magazine.

The removal conveyor of such an apparatus is generally constructed as a removal drum, which comprises axis parallel receiving grooves on its periphery for the articles to be conveyed.

In order to ensure further processing of the articles free from gaps and without faults as far as possible, it is necessary that each holder of the removal drum is occupied by an article.

The applicants US Patent Specification 4 420 073 already discloses an apparatus for transferring filter rods from a supply into a removal drum, in which a removal chamber relieved of the main supply is provided in the magazine, from which removal chamber rod-like articles, in particular filter rods are removed by means of a rotating conveyor provided with receiving grooves.

However, in this case, this rotating conveyor is followed by a further conveyor in the form of a pair of belts, which engages the articles frictionally in a conveying stream having a single layer and supplies them to the rotating removal conveyor.

In this case, the rotating conveyor removing the articles from the removal chamber and the pair of belts travel at higher speeds than the subsequent removal conveyor, in order that the holders of the removal conveyor are reliably occupied without gaps.

This apparatus has proved successful with regard to reliable occupation of all the receiving grooves of the removal conveyor. Indeed for this purpose relatively high mechanical expenditure in the form of two additional conveyors and their drives is required.

It is therefore the object of the invention to find a solution which whilst avoiding this aforesaid increased mechanical expenditure, guarantees that the removal conveyor is equally occupied without gaps.

This is achieved according to the invention due to the fact that with respect to the magazine outlet, the removal conveyor comprises a chamber section extending in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the removal conveyor and a chamber section extending in the conveying direction, so that in the lateral section of the removal conveyor a stream of articles travelling in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the removal conveyor is formed and in the upper section of the removal conveyor a stream of articles travelling in the same direction is formed.

A favourable embodiment is to be seen according to the invention in that the removal chamber formed by the two chamber sections extends over a removal region from approximately the 8 o'clock position to approximately the 1 o'clock position or with an arrangement of the chamber as a mirror image and opposite conveying direction of the removal conveyor, from approximately the 11 o'clock position to approximately the 4 o'clock position around the removal conveyor.

A further feature of the invention consists in that the inclined walls of the magazine loaded by the main supply are also vibrating.

In this case, according to the invention, the vibration movements of the side wall of the removal chamber and of the inclined walls of the magazine are in the horizontal direction.

The invention is further characterised by the fact that the supply of articles located in the removal chamber is covered on the top by a flexible surface structure. According to the invention, the flexible surface structure is located on the upper boundary wall of the removal chamber.

According to the invention, a rotating roller is located in the removal chamber.

A further feature of the invention is to be seen in that a deflector roller is located at the end of the removal region in the conveying direction.

In this case, according to the invention, both the roller located in the removal chamber as well as the deflector roller have a direction of rotation which corresponds to the direction of rotation of the removal conveyor.

The features according to the invention are essentially intended to produce a desired agitation in the supply, in particular within the removal chamber, so that the supply of articles has a loosened structure and mutual jamming of the articles is avoided. The supply of articles present in the removal chamber can operate freely superficially under the flexible surface structure. In this way it is ensured that all receiving grooves of the removal conveyor are occupied with great reliability.

The invention will be described hereafter in detail with reference to one embodiment.

The drawing shows a filter magazine with a removal chamber and a removal conveyor, in simplified illustration.

A magazine 1 is filled with rod-like articles 2, in this case with filter rods, which are removed from the magazine 1 by means of a removal conveyor 3 and supplied to a further-processing station which is not shown.

In this case, the removal conveyor 3 is constructed as a drum 6 rotating about an axis 4, which drum is provided on the periphery with grooves 7 extending in the direction of the axis 4 for receiving the rod-like articles 2.

Below its inclined walls 8, 9, the magazine 1 comprises a removal chamber 11, whereof the supply of articles 2 is relieved of the pressure of the main supply 12 of the magazine 1. For supplying articles from the main supply 12, the removal chamber 11 is connected to the latter by way of a channel 13, which is formed by narrowing of the magazine 1 as a result of the inclined walls 8, 9 ta pering towards each other. The removal chamber 11 extends from approximately the 8 o'clock position to approximately the 1 o'clock position around the removal drum 6, which corresponds to a removal angle of approximately 150 and it is defined by an upper curved wall 14 and by a side wall 16 forming a compartment with the periphery of the removal drum.The upper wall 14 of the removal chamber 11 is rigidly connected to an angle member 17, which is attached to a rear wall of the housing which is not shown. The side wall 16 of the removal chamber 11 and the inclined walls 8, 9 of the magazine 1 are arranged to vibrate, in which case the vibration movements are in the horizontal direction and for which purpose corresponding sliding members 18, 19 are provided between the walls 8 and 16 and between the angle member 17 and the wall 9.

The supply of articles 2 located in the removal chamber 11 is covered at the top by a flexible surface structure 21, which can be constructed as a so-called chain sheet and is attached by its ends 21a, 21b to the inside of the curved wall 14.

Located approximately in the centre of the removal chamber 11 is a contrarotating roller 23 rotating about an axis 22 and provided at the end of the removal region between the wall 14 and the removal drum 6 is a so-called deflector roller 24, which rotates about an axis 26.

The removal conveyor 3 rotates in the direction of arrow 27 for removing articles 2. The contrarotating roller 23 or the deflector roller 24 aiso rotate in the same direction, corresponding to arrows 28, 29.

The stream of articles 31 passing from the main supply 12 of the magazine 1 through the channel 13 into the removal chamber 11 is divided on the basis of the afore-described construction and arrangement of the removal chamber 11 into a stream of articles 31a travelling in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the removal conveyor 3 and into a stream of articles 31 b travelling in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the removal conveyor 3.

The opposition of direction of the stream of articles 31a with respect to the direction of rotation of the removal conveyor 3, the contrarotating roller 23 provided with a preferably smooth surface, the deflector roller 24 having a ribbed surface and the vibration movements of the side wall 16 of the removal chamber cause the supply of articles relieved of the main supply 12 to be in desired agitation in the removal chamber 11, so that this supply below the flexible surface structure 21, which in this case ensures that the axis parallel position of the rod-like articles 2 is maintained, can function at the top and has a loose structure.

This guarantees that even in the case of direct removal from the supply, all the grooves 7 of the removal conveyor 3 are occupied.

Claims

1. Apparatus for removing rod-like articles of the tobacco processing industry, in particular filter rods, transversely with respect to their axes from a magazine by means of a removal conveyor comprising receiving grooves, which forms the lower boundary of a separate removal chamber connected to the magazine and relieved of the pressure of the main supply in the magazine, wherein, with respect to the magazine outlet, the removal chamber has a chamber section extending in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the removal conveyor and a chamber section extending in the conveying direction, so that in the lateral section of the removal chamber a stream of articles travelling in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the removal conveyor is formed and in the upper section of the removal chamber a stream of articles travelling in the same direction is formed.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the removal chamber formed by the two chamber sections extends over a removal region from approximately the 8 o'clock position to approximately the 1 o'clock position or in the case of a chamber arrangement having a mirror image and opposite conveying direction of the removal conveyor from approximately the 11 o'clock position to approximately the 4 o 'clock position around the removal conveyor.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wall limiting the removal chamber in the region of the stream of articles travelling in the opposite direction is vibrating.

4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inclined walls of the magazine loaded with the main supply are vibrating.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the vibrating movements of the side walls of the removal chamber and of the inclined walls of the magazine are in the horizontal direction.

6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the supply of articles located in the removal chamber is covered at the top by a flexible surface structure.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the flexible surface structure is located on the upper boundary wall of the removal chamber.

8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a rotating roller is located in the removal chamber.

9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a deflector roller is located at the end of the removal region in the conveying direction.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8 and 9, wherein the direction of rotation of the roller located in the removal chamber and of the deflector roller corresponds to the direction of rotation of the removal conveyor.

11. Apparatus for removing rod-like articles of the tobacco processing industry from a magazine, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.