GB385946A - Improvements in or relating to tobacco-feeding machines - Google Patents

Abstract

385,946. Cigarette-making machines. EBCO MACHINE CORPORATION, 345, West 40th Street, New York, U.S.A.- (Assignees of Grupe, W. F. ; 460, Page Avenue, Lyndhurst, New Jersey, and Karich, R. R. ; 8519, 80th Street, Jamaica, Long Island, New York, both in U.S.A.) March 31, 1931, No. 9782. Convention date, April 1, 1930. Void [Published under Sect. 91 of the Acts]. [Class 130.] A measuring-device which responds to the thickness of the tobacco stream on the surface of a carded drum controls the supply of tobacco so as to maintain a uniform thickness of the stream. Tobacco is fed by a belt 20, Fig. 1, to a carding-drum 14 and after passing a brushing- drum 16 and a comb 27 is discharged by a picker roller 25 into a shoot 30 either from the surface of a series of conveyer drums 91, 92, or as described in Specifications 322,803, 322,820, 322,821, 324,930, and 328,637, [all in Class 130, Tobacco]. The carding-mechanism and shoot are sealed to the atmosphere as described in Specification 324,640, [Class 130, Tobacco]. The comb 27 co-operates through a control device to effect a change in the peripheral speed of the carding-drum when the thickness of the tobacco stream changes. The carding- drum 14 is driven through gear 89, 88; 87, 85 from a cone pulley 41, which, with a cone pulley 35 and a belt 42 and a belt shifter 43, form a change-speed gearing driven from the main shaft 36 of the cigarettemaking machine, which shaft also drives a shaft 52, Figs. 3 and 4, in the control device 46. The shaft 52 and gear wheels 54 actuate gear wheels 55 provided with eccentric pins 56 which reciprocate bellcrank levers 57 mounted on a shaft 59. The shaft 59 is operated by the movement of the comb 27, which bears against the tobacco stream, and which is connected to the control device 46 by a weighted arm 62 and a weighted cable 64 on the arm 62. The cable 64 is wrapped around and secured by a screw to a spool 65 on the shaft 59. Flanges 66, 67 on the spool act as cams for controlling pawls 60, 61, cooperating with ratchet wheels 80, 81 on the shaft 59. The shaft 59, a gear wheel 72, and a rack operate an arm 75 connected to the belt shifter 43. When a normal thickness of tobacco stream passes over the carded drum 14, the spool 65 is maintained in a neutral position in which both pawls 60, 61 are held out of engagement with their respective ratchet wheels 80, 81. If the thickness of the tobacco stream on the carded drum 14 decreases, the comb 27 is displaced counterclockwise, the spool 65 and its cam flanges 66, 67 move counterclockwise, thus causing the pawl 60 to engage the ratchet 80 and rotate the gear 72 to move the belt shifter 43 to increase the speed of the carded drum 14. If the thickness of the tobacco stream increases, the spool 65 is displaced clockwise causing engagement of the pawl 61 and ratchet wheel 81 and thus a movement of the belt shifter 43 to decrease the speed of the drum. An indicator showing the variations in thickness of the tobacco stream is provided. The control device may vary the rate of operation of the feeding-device as a whole. Laminated spring leaves connected to a common bar 63 may replace the comb 27. In modified constructions the levers may be replaced by hydraulic or pneumatic devices. One or a plurality of hydraulic capsules 110, Fig. 7, are connected by extensions 111 to the combs 27. The capsules 110 communicate with a common fluid supply reservoir 114 and are connected through a pipe 115 to a capsule 116 which is connected through a bell-crank lever 118, 120 to the control device. A filling reservoir 122 is provided. In the modification shown in Fig. 8, instead of employing the comb 130 as the measuring-means, a plurality of rollers 132 mounted on a stud 133 control the operation of hydraulic capsules 110 as in Fig. 7.