JP6924140B2 - Tobacco rod making machine with tobacco return - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to devices and methods for producing tobacco rods for cigarettes or other smoking articles.

In the manufacture of smoking articles such as cigarettes, it is common practice in the industry to increase the tobacco density at the tip of the tobacco rod in order to provide a so-called "high density end". This helps prevent the tobacco from falling off the end of the cigarette tube. In the case of filtered cigarettes, the increased tobacco density at the filter end of the tobacco rod further helps ensure that the tobacco rod is well attached to the filter.

In the conventional process, the density increase at the tip of the tobacco rod is obtained by increasing the amount of cut filler provided at the end of the tobacco rod.

British Patent No. GB2072 The tobacco is held in contact with the conveyor belt by a slightly reduced pressure on the other side of the belt. The tobacco flow is conveyed through a trimming device consisting of two trimmer disks arranged opposite to each other in the same manner as the trimmer shown in FIG. Under the trimmer disc, a rotating brush extracts and removes excess tobacco. This trimmer disc has so-called pockets on its outer circumference. The depth of the pocket corresponds to the different cutting heights of the trimmer device, so that the resulting tobacco flow has regions where the depth increases at regular intervals along the tobacco flow. Cigarette Density increases in areas of increased depth as tobacco paper is rolled around the tobacco stream to form tobacco rods. The resulting contiguous tobacco rod is cut in the middle of the increased density region so that the resulting individual tobacco rod has an increased density region at each end.

U.S. Pat. No. US500396A discloses another method for forming cigarettes with high density edges. A continuous stream of tobacco is carried over the endless adsorption band. The tobacco material is conveyed through a trimmer device that cuts the tobacco material at the desired height in order to obtain a tobacco rod with a uniform depth distribution. The rotary cam is provided upstream of the trimming disc to compress a continuous stream of tobacco at regular intervals. The spacing is such that the increased density and compressed portion is finally placed at the tip of the tobacco rod. Immediately after the cutting device, the compressed tobacco re-expands to obtain a continuous stream of tobacco with increased depth at regular intervals.

In particular, but not only then, when a tobacco rod with a "high density end" is manufactured, it is desirable to recover the trimmed tobacco from the tobacco flow on the belt. It is also beneficial to reuse the recovered tobacco.

According to the present invention, a device for providing a flow of tobacco forming a wound tobacco rod is provided, which is a chamber for a cut tobacco filler, a conveyor for receiving the cut tobacco filler from the chamber, and removing the tobacco from the conveyor. Trimmer to receive the trimmed cut tobacco filler from the tobacco on the conveyor, the receiver adjacent to the trimmer, receive the cut tobacco filler from it, and connect the received cut tobacco filler to the receiver to separate it into the reusable part and the waste part. A return path from the separator for reintroducing the separated separator and reusable parts into the conveyor, from the receiver through the separator so that the cut tobacco filler removed by the trimmer is transferred in the airflow and drawn into the separator. Equipped with an airflow generator that generates airflow, the separator allows small tobacco particles to enter the interior of the separator drum, which is connected to the airflow generator so that the airflow is drawn from the receiver through the separator drum. A rotatable perforated separator drum that does not contain larger tobacco fragments, and a larger cut tobacco filler as the separator drum rotates, blocking airflow over a portion of the cylindrical surface of the separator drum. Provided is a means capable of leaving the surface of the separator drum and entering the return path. The separator drum has a perforated cylindrical surface, i.e., at least part of the cylindrical surface has holes. In some preferred embodiments, this surface is provided by a mesh or sieve. The mesh or sieve preferably has holes with a diameter of 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm, more preferably 0.315 mm to 0.5 mm in diameter. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the conveyor is a continuous belt. In some preferred embodiments, the belt is permeable and can draw a partial vacuum to one side of the belt and hold the cut tobacco filler on the other side. In some preferred embodiments, the reusable portion is returned to the chamber.

In some preferred embodiments, the separator receives excess tobacco from the receiver and allows the upper chamber, lower chamber and reusable cut tobacco filler containing the minimum top of the separator drum to pass from the upper chamber to the lower chamber. However, it further comprises an airlock between the upper and lower chambers that substantially prevents airflow from passing through the lower chamber. In some embodiments, the air lock comprises a rotatable air lock cylinder that is located substantially below the separator drum in the lower chamber in parallel with the separator drum, axially in contact with the cylindrical surface of the separator drum during use. The blades having elastic blades extending in the circumferential direction and separated in the circumferential direction have at least one blade in contact with the separator drum during the rotation of the air lock cylinder.

In a preferred embodiment, the components of the device of the invention that come into contact with tobacco are made from food grade materials such as stainless steel.

Also according to the present invention is to provide a flow of cut tobacco filler on the conveyor, to trim tobacco from that flow, and to separate the trimmed tobacco from this flow into a reusable part and a waste part. , And methods of providing a flow of tobacco that forms a rolled tobacco rod, including returning the reusable portion to the flow. In a preferred embodiment, the reusable portion of the cut tobacco filler is returned to the cut tobacco filler chamber, the separation step is accomplished by using a rotating perforated separator drum, and the accumulated tobacco is compressed air. It is regularly removed from the surface of the separator drum.

It will be appreciated that any one of the preferred features can be used with any one or more of the other preferred features.

The present invention will be further described as an example with reference to the following drawings.

It is a partial schematic view of the tobacco rod making machine which incorporated this invention. It is a figure which shows the more detailed part of a part of the apparatus shown in FIG.

The device shown in FIG. 1 provides a flow of tobacco used to make a wound tobacco rod. The device comprises a tobacco chamber 100 passing through the rollers 104 and under the continuous belt 102 and can drive one of the rollers to move the belt in the direction indicated by the arrow A. The belt 102 is air permeable. The downward travel of the belt 102 closes the bottom of the vacuum chamber 106, whereby air can be drawn through the belt. The trimmer knife 108 is provided just below the belt running downward. The trimmer knife may be a circular blade that rotates about a vertical axis. The height of the trimming knife blade is adjustable, and as mentioned above, the cutting height is variable when manufacturing tobacco rods with "high density ends". A second continuous belt 110 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) that passes through the rollers 112 is provided below the downstream end of the transmissive belt 102. One of the rollers 112 is driven so that the belt can move in the direction indicated by the arrow B.

Below the trimmer knife 108 is a trimmed tobacco receiver 114. This receiver is connected to the separator 118 by channel 116. The separator 118 has a waste outlet 120 and a tobacco recirculation outlet 122. The disposal outlet 120 communicates with the fan 124. Below the tobacco recirculation outlet 122 of the separator 118 is a third continuous belt 126 that runs on the rollers 128, and one of the rollers 128 is driven so that the belt can be driven in the direction indicated by the arrow C. The end of the third belt 126 distal to the separator 118 is above the inlet 130 to the tobacco chamber 100.

During use of the device of FIG. 1, the cut tobacco filler 132 is fed to the tobacco chamber 100 (means not shown). The tobacco flow 134 is blown out of the chamber 100 through the flow path 136 toward the upstream end of the transparent continuous belt 102 (means not shown). A partial vacuum is drawn in the vacuum chamber 106 above the downward travel of the permeable belt 102, thereby attracting the tobacco flow 134 to the lower surface of the downward travel of the permeable belt. When the permeable belt conveys the tobacco flow 134 downstream, the tobacco flow hits the trimming knife 108. As a result, the surplus tobacco 138 is cut from the flow 134. The vertical position of the trimming knife 108 is adjustable so that this stream has the proper tobacco density (ie, the proper tobacco weight / unit length). If the manufactured tobacco rod has a "high density end", the height of the knife is adjusted from time to time so that the density of the flow downstream of the trimmer knife varies along its length. Provides a "high density edge". When the tobacco flow 134 passes through the downstream end of the vacuum chamber 106, it is released from the permeable belt 102 and falls upward on the second continuous belt 110. This is a continuous wrapping of the tobacco stream into a garniture downstream of the device shown in FIG. 1 which can be wrapped with wrapping paper, cut and further processed into cigarettes or other smoking articles. Transport to form a tobacco rod.

The surplus tobacco 138 cut from the tobacco stream 134 by the trimming knife 108 contains tobacco fragments that are within the reusable size range. This surplus tobacco also includes what is commonly known as tobacco dust, which is too short to be reused. These shorts are due to the act of trimming the tobacco flow 134 and the procedure by which the tobacco is attached upstream of the trimming knife 108, such as being blown from the tobacco chamber towards the permeable belt 102 along the flow path 136. Will be generated. Excess tobacco falls from the permeable belt 102 to the receiver 114 and is entrained in the air drawn in through the receiver by the fan 124. Excess tobacco is drawn into the separator 118 along the channel 116. The separator and its operation will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The separator 118 contains, firstly, a reusable flow 140 that exits the separator via the tobacco recirculation outlet 122 and secondly, tobacco dust that exits the separator via the waste outlet 120. Separate into a waste stream. The reusable tobacco stream 140 consists of a piece of cut filler long enough to be incorporated into a rolled tobacco rod made from the tobacco stream, with the discarded tobacco being a smaller fragment. The reusable tobacco flow 140 travels upward on a third continuous belt that transports the tobacco flow from the tobacco recirculation outlet 122 of the separator 118 to the inlet 130 of the tobacco chamber 100 for reincorporation into the tobacco flow 134. Fall into. In some embodiments, the reusable tobacco can be directed from the separator to the flow path 136 between the tobacco chamber 100 and the permeable belt 102, or directly to the flow of tobacco on the permeable belt.

Disposal flow tobacco can be used for other purposes, such as the manufacture of reconstituted tobacco sheets.

The separator 118 is shown in detail with reference to FIG. Separator 118 comprises an outer housing 200, shown transparently in FIG. 2, for clarity, anterior wall 202, rear wall 204, two side walls 206 and an upper portion of the anterior wall that curves to join the upper part of the posterior wall. It has an upper wall formed by the region. The bottom of the housing 200 is open to provide a tobacco recirculation outlet 122 (FIG. 1). This housing has an inlet pipe 210 in the upper region of the rear wall 204. The inlet pipe 210 is connected to a channel 116 between the receiver 114 and the separator. The housing is divided into an upper chamber 212 and a lower chamber 214 by a rotatable separator drum 216 extending over the width of the housing with a horizontal spindle. The end of the separator drum is rotatably attached to the side wall 206 of the separator housing 200. The two baffle plates 218 extend over the width of the housing 200 on both sides of the separator drum. The baffle plate 218 extends diagonally upward from the lower region of the separator drum 216 to the confluence with the front wall 202 and the rear wall 204 of the housing 200. The low edge of the baffle plate 218 is separated from the cylindrical surface of the separator drum 216 by a gap sufficient to allow fragments of the cut filler to pass between the cylindrical surface of the separator drum 216 and the baffle plate. There is. The cylindrical surface of the separator drum 216 is a perforated sieve with holes of 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.315 mm to 0.5 mm. At the lower part inside the separator drum 216, a stator (not shown in FIG. 2) extends close to the cylindrical surface along the length of the drum through an arc of about 45 degrees on each side of the vertical. ing. This stator is effective in emptying holes in the sieve surface of the drum. The inside of the separator drum 216 communicates with a branch discharge path 220 extending from the end of the separator cylinder 216 to the outside of the separator housing 200 beyond the side wall 208 and the rear wall 204 of the housing via the end of the drum. .. The waste outlet 120 of the separator extends from the center of the discharge path portion extending across the rear wall 204 of the housing.

An airlock is provided under the separator drum 216 in the form of a horizontally rotatable airlock cylinder 222, the end of which is rotatably attached to the side wall 206 of the separator housing 200. The cylindrical surface of the airlock cylinder 222 includes, for example, six equally spaced, axially extending elastic blades 224 made of polyurethane, along its length. At least their tops are in contact with the lower region of the cylindrical surface of the separator drum 216 so that the upper chamber 212 is substantially separated from the lower chamber 214. The blades that come into contact with the surface of the separator drum move away from the surface as the airlock cylinder rotates, and another blade comes into contact to maintain chamber separation. The blade 224 is immediately removable from the airlock cylinder 222 so that the worn blade can be replaced. The blades can be closer than the lower opening of the separator, eliminating the need to disassemble the separator and replace the blades.

During use, excess tobacco is removed through the upper chamber of the separator 118 through the inlet 210 by the companion air drawn by the fan 124 (FIG. 1) through the receiver 114 and the channel 116 between the receiver and the separator (FIG. 1). It is drawn to 212. The accompanying air is drawn into the separator drum through the sieve surface of the separator drum 216, and is drawn out to the discharge path 220 and the disposal outlet 120 of the separator through the end portion of the separator drum. Small tobacco particles that are too small to be used to make a tobacco rod are drawn in by the companion air, pass through the sieving surface of the separator cylinder, and proceed along the discharge path 220 to the separator disposal outlet 120. Larger tobacco fragments cannot pass through the sieving surface and are attracted to the sieving surface by the accompanying air. As the separator drum rotates, the tobacco fragments on its surface pass through one low edge of the baffle plate 218 and fall, and the stator inside the separator drum conveys the tobacco fragments to the tobacco chamber 100. For this purpose, a hole in the sieving surface is made so as to fall from the separator drum 216 to the lower chamber 214 of the separator housing 200 and from the bottom of the opening of the housing to the third endless belt 126. Does any tobacco fragment that falls from the companion air in the upper chamber 212 of the separator housing fall onto the baffle plate 218 and travel directly through the gap between the baffle plate and the separator drum to the lower chamber 214? , Or picked up on the surface of the separator drum, transported until past the low edge of the other baffle plate 218, and discharged into the lower chamber.

Tobacco is supplied from the separator and can be reused at a rate of 20 kg / hour.

The separator drum 216 may be prepared for cleaning. When the tobacco rod making machine is stopped, the rotation of the separator drum is decelerated, and compressed air is blown from the inside to the outside through the cylindrical wall of the separator drum to remove the tobacco from the outer surface of the drum. Compressed air may be blown, for example, for 4 seconds.

The apparatus of the present invention makes it possible to separate the reusable surplus tobacco cut of the flow of the cut tobacco filler from the waste surplus tobacco and reuse it for the production of the tobacco rod. The tobacco disposal unit can be used for other purposes such as the production of reconstituted tobacco sheets. The separator is in a form that can be easily attached to and removed from existing tobacco rod manufacturing equipment. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve a reduction in the use of tobacco in the production of cigarettes and other smoking articles, and a reduction of 0.6% or more can be achieved.

Claims (11)

A chamber for cut tobacco filler and
A conveyor for receiving the cut tobacco filler from the chamber,
A trimmer for removing tobacco from the conveyor,
A receiver adjacent to the trimmer for receiving trimmed cut tobacco filler from tobacco on the conveyor, and
A separator connected to the receiver for receiving the cut tobacco filler from the receiver and for separating the received cut tobacco filler into a reusable part and a waste part.
A return path from the separator for reintroducing the reusable portion into the conveyor,
A wound tobacco rod is formed with an airflow generator that generates airflow from the receiver through the separator so as to transfer the cut tobacco filler removed by the trimmer in the airflow and draw it into the separator. A device that provides a flow of tobacco
The separator
A rotatable perforated separator drum that allows small tobacco particles to enter the interior of the separator drum, but not larger tobacco fragments , and the interior of the separator drum is airflow. wherein connected to the flow generator to be drawn from the receiver through a separator drum, and the separator drum,
As can be fragments of the larger cut tobacco filler enters the return path away from the surface of the separator drum, as it rotates, means for blocking the air flow over a portion of the cylindrical surface of the separator drum A device with and. The device of claim 1, wherein the return path from the separator for reintroducing the reusable portion into the conveyor comprises the chamber for a cut tobacco filler. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conveyor is a continuous belt. The device of claim 3, wherein the belt is permeable and can draw a vacuum to one side of the belt to hold a cut tobacco filler on the other side. The separator
An upper chamber containing the upper part of the rotating separator drum that receives excess tobacco from the receiver, and
With a lower chamber,
The means for blocking the airflow allow the reusable cut tobacco filler to pass from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, but substantially prevents the airflow from passing through the lower chamber. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is an airlock between the lower chamber and the lower chamber. A shaft in which the air lock comprises a rotatable air lock cylinder that is located substantially below the separator drum in the lower chamber in parallel with the separator drum and is in use and is in contact with the cylindrical surface of the rotating separator drum. Claim that the vanes have elastic vanes extending in the direction and are spaced apart in the circumferential direction so that at least one vane comes into contact with the separator drum during rotation of the airlock cylinder. 5. The apparatus according to 5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising supplying compressed air to the inside of the rotating separator drum, which can be operated to remove tobacco from the cylindrical surface of the rotating separator drum. Any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the return path from the separator for reintroducing the reusable portion of the cut tobacco filler into the conveyor is provided from the separator to the chamber for the cut tobacco filler. The device described in Crab. Steps to provide the flow of cut tobacco filler on the conveyor,
The step of trimming the excess cut tobacco filler from the cut tobacco filler on the conveyor, and
A step of separating the excess cut tobacco filler trimmed from the flow into a reusable part and a waste part, and
A method of providing a flow of tobacco that forms a wound tobacco rod, comprising the step of returning the reusable portion to the conveyor.
A method in which the separation step is accomplished using a rotating perforated separator drum , further comprising a step of periodically removing the accumulated cut tobacco filler from the surface of the separator drum with compressed air. 9. The method of claim 9, wherein the reusable portion of the cut tobacco filler is returned to the conveyor. 10. The method of claim 10, wherein the reusable portion of the cut tobacco filler is returned to the chamber for the cut tobacco filler before being returned to the conveyor.

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