JPH02295476A - Extracting apparatus for removing one cigarette from accumulated body of cigarette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To safely and surely remove a defective cigarette without using any pin by executing the removal through suction force due to the jet of compressed air. CONSTITUTION: Concerning an extracting device for taking the defective cigarette out of a lot of cigarettes laid on two parallel planes both the terminal parts of which are mutually parallel, piled up parallelly each other, this device is composed of a pipe 17 having an inlet terminal part facing the terminal part of a cigarette 2, nozzle 24 for jetting out the compressed air from near this inlet terminal part through the inside of the pipe 17 to the opposite side of the inlet terminal part, compressed air source 28 connected through a valve 30 to this nozzle 24, means for successively moving these instruments along the end face of the cigarette, means for detecting the propriety of the cigarette, and means for sucking and extracting the defective cigarette by generating inhalation at the inlet terminal part by opening the valve when that inlet terminal part arrives at the counter position of that defective cigarette while detecting the defect.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an extraction device for removing one cigarette from a plurality of cigarettes stacked parallel to each other and lying on two planes with both ends parallel to each other. Regarding.

[Conventional technology]

A typical use of the device is in machines that transfer cigarettes in batches from cigarette forming machines to the supply of packaging machines, where the cigarettes are stored in lots in special containers or on conveyor belts. It is in a continuous layer supported along the . When extruded from the supply channel, the cigarettes are collected into groups equal to the number that will be contained in the final pack, so each group of cigarettes is quality controlled to ensure that even one cigarette is not up to par. If it does, the group will be discarded.

In order to reduce the number of cigarettes discarded in this way and reduce manufacturing costs, for example, US Pat.
Quality control devices such as those disclosed in No. 2,470 have appeared. The device detects the condition of individual cigarettes while they are still in the feeder and detects and discards substandard cigarettes before they reach the grouping station.

In this device, substandard cigarettes are removed from the supply trough by a combination of pneumatic and mechanical means. More specifically, upon receiving a signal from the sensing means for ascertaining the integrity of the cigarette, a jet of air is blown by the nozzle onto the trailing end of the cigarette that caused the signal.

Under the action of the jet, the front end of the cigarette initially
It emerges through an opening in the supply trough and is pierced by a reciprocating needle element. The needle element then separates the cigarettes from the supply tube to complete the removal of the substandard cigarettes.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

This type of device suffers from several drawbacks due to its pneumatic and mechanical means.

First, since a jet of air is blown onto the end of the cigarette,
Easy to crush cigarette particles. The particles fall onto the underlying mechanical components and interfere with their normal operation.

Second, the needle or piercing element is dangerous to the operator, especially if the needle breaks.

Finally, because of the use of cooperating pneumatic and mechanical means as described above, this prior art device must be a thorn-based device since it is necessary to approach the cigarette from both ends. However, as mentioned above, since substandard cigarettes are removed from a stack contained in a special container or carried on a conveyor belt, the cigarettes can only be accessed from one end.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a substandard cigarette extraction device which eliminates the drawbacks of prior art devices as mentioned above.

[Means for Solving the Problems] According to the present invention, the above object is to obtain one cigarette from a plurality of cigarettes stacked parallel to each other and lying on two planes with both ends parallel to each other. an extraction device for removing cigarettes, operative in conjunction with sensing means for inferring the integrity of the cigarette, the extraction device being aligned with the cigarette to be removed, with the inlet end directed toward one end of the cigarette; a sensing means including a conduit and a source of compressed air for discharging air into the extraction conduit in a direction opposite the inlet end and a valve disposed between the source of compressed air and the nozzle; an interlocking nozzle, the sensing means directs the valve to open when a substandard cigarette is detected, thereby connecting the nozzle to a source of compressed air;
This is achieved by an extraction device characterized in that substandard cigarettes are removed by means of a negative pressure created at the inlet end of the extraction conduit.

An advantage of the present invention is that substandard cigarette removal is accomplished by using a vacuum instead of jets of air blown axially at the cigarette end, which can create debris and cigarette scattering particles. This was done by pulling the cigarette into the extraction conduit.

Another advantage of the present invention is that it does not use needles.

If such a needle is used and the needle breaks, it will cause injury to the operator operating the machine.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows a device for supporting a plurality of cigarettes with a conventional feed trough 1 by which loose cigarettes 2 having a filter tip 3 are fed to a packaging machine (not shown).

The supply gutter 1 is connected to a left side wall 4 provided on the side of the suction port 3 with a filter.
and a right side wall 5. The side walls are arranged upright and parallel to each other, forming a compartment having a width slightly longer than the length of one cigarette. This compartment is divided into a plurality of channels 6 by partition walls 7 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1) spaced slightly larger than the diameter of a single cigarette.
(only one of which is shown).

The lowest end of the channel 6 is a horizontal platform 8 on which rows of cigarettes 2 descending in each channel 6 are placed.

The cigarette is inserted into the end of the filter mouthpiece 3 through a horizontal slot 10 formed in each side wall 4, 5 near the platform 8. 11, an indexing element 9 arranged to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the side walls 4, 5;
are ejected in groups.

The height of the slots 10, II is approximately equal to the diameter of one cigarette.

The indexing element 9 moves between a rest position completely outside the supply canister 1 and an active position (FIG. 1) occupying the interior of the supply canister 1 to move the cigarettes 2 from the channel 6 to the container 12. (
(Only one of them is shown in the figure). The container 12 is then transferred onto an intermittent driven conveyor belt 13, which transports the group of cigarettes to a packaging station (not shown). The detailed structure of the feed channel 1, flow channel 6, indexing element 9 and conveyor belt 13 is disclosed in British Patent Nos. 1,298,785 and 2,023,994.

Reference numeral 14 indicates a detection means or control means by which the integrity of the cigarette 2 is verified.

In FIG. 1, the detection stage 14 is a conventional type of detection means (
optical. It is shown as mechanical, pneumatic) and is configured to detect any defects in the individual cigarettes through a horizontal hole 15 in the right side wall 5.

Reference numeral 16 designates an extraction device 16 located lower in the flow path than the detection stage 14, by means of which extraction device 16 removes substandard cigarettes from the supply.

The extraction device I6 comprises one extraction conduit I7 for each feed channel. The extraction conduit 917 is fixed to the left side wall 4 by a placent 18, and the inlet end l9 of the extraction conduit is connected to the left side wall itself at a location close to the filtered mouthpiece 3 of the cigarette 2 occupying the supply canal. It is inserted into an opening 2o formed in.

The extraction conduit 17 has a cylindrical hole 21 extending in the longitudinal direction and having a diameter not smaller than the diameter of the cigarette 2;
The axis of the hole 21 is arranged parallel to the axis of the cigarette 2 in the hole at a position lower than the axis of the detection means 14. More specifically, the axis of the hole 2l is spaced from the axis of the hole 15 of the detection means by a distance equal to the diameter of the cigarette 2 or several cigarettes.

The end of the cylindrical bore 21 near the inlet end 19 of the extraction conduit 17 coincides with the cylindrical inner surface 22 of the inner sleeve 23 of the cylindrical nozzle 24 . This cylindrical nozzle 24 comprises an annular chamber 25 surrounding the inner sleeve 23 and tapered towards the end of the extraction conduit 17 opposite the inlet end 19 . The inner diameter of the inner sleeve 23 is not smaller than the outer diameter of the cigarette 2, and the tapered end of the annular chamber 25 is connected to the middle part of the cylindrical hole 21 via an annular gap 26.

The cylindrical nozzle 24 connects the air circuit 2 with a compressed air source 28.
7 operating elements. The compressed air source 28 is connected to the annular chamber 25 via a line 29 and a preferably solenoid operated valve 30, which is opened by the sensing stage 14 via a conventional delay circuit 31. It will be done. The end of the cylindrical hole 21 opposite the inlet end 19 points towards a container 32 for collecting the cigarettes removed from the gutter 1.

During a pause in the staged cycle, and thus during the rest of the cigarette in the channel 6, each sensing stage 14 monitors the condition of the respective cigarette through a hole I5 in the sensing means.

When a cigarette that does not meet the standard is found, the detection stage 14 operates the valve 30 via the delay circuit 3l to remove the defective cigarette.

To explain in more detail, the delay caused by the circuit 31 (
(this delay is a function of the distance between the axis of the thousand sensing stages l4 and the axis of the cylindrical bore 21), the normally closed valve 30 receives a momentary "open" signal and the annular gap 26
radiates a relatively high velocity jet of air in the direction of the container 32 through.

The radiation of the high-velocity airflow through the annular gap 26 creates an impulsive and relatively large dynamic vacuum in the wake of the airflow. When such a dynamic vacuum is created, even if the amount of air passing through the annular gap 26 is relatively small, the artificial end 19 of the extraction conduit 17 will instantly pull the cigarette out of the channel 6. the cylindrical hole 2 toward the container 32
Sufficient negative pressure is created to propel the inside of 1.

The description of the device described above is not limited to this,
Various modifications may be made without prejudice to the basic principles of the invention and without departing from the scope of protection of the claims.

For example, sensing means 14 may be mounted on each side wall 4, 5 of the supply well to check the integrity of the ends of the cigarettes 2.

Although in the embodiment described above only one end of the cigarette 2 was monitored, the extraction conduit 17 and the sensing means 14 can be placed facing each other so that monitoring and removal of the cigarette 2 can take place during the same operating cycle. .

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the extraction device 16 extracts substandard cigarettes from a stack 33 of cigarettes (all the cigarettes 2 are stacked parallel and the ends lie in two mutually parallel planes). Configured to remove cigarettes 2.

The above-mentioned stack 33 is supplied from the cigarette forming machine 1.
The cigarettes are transported by conventional means, either in special containers containing a predetermined number of cigarettes, or by belts carrying the cigarettes in successive layers.

Whichever type of conveying means is used, said means is represented by a platform 34 supporting a stack 33 of cigarettes (FIG. 3).

Reference numeral 35 denotes a conventional detection means provided in the block 3G, and the extraction device 16 facing the stack 33 of cigarettes is attached to the block 36 mentioned above.

Reference numeral 37 denotes another block, which carries the upright bracket 1-38 and the current screw 39, and both ends of the guide rods 40 of the three lead screws are attached to both ends of the upright bracket 38.

Lead screw 39 and guide iron 40 are upright and both pass through first block 36 .

The lower part of the lead screw 39 is connected to a reversible motor 41 fixed to the second block 37, and the lead screw 39 meshes with a lead screw (not shown) provided on the first block 36. Thus, by rotating the lead screw 39 about its axis in one direction or the other, the first block 36 can be raised or lowered vertically.

Reference numerals 42 and 43 indicate a lead screw and a guide rod, respectively, which pass through the second block 37, and both are disposed horizontally and parallel to each other, and are supported by a bracket 44 fixed to a frame (not shown) of the packaging machine. has been done.

The horizontal lead screw 42 is connected to a lead screw (
) and is rotated around the axis of the leadscrew 42 by another reversible motor 45 provided on the bracket 44 to move the second block 37 laterally, depending on the direction of rotation of the motor 45. The first block 36 is moved left and right in the horizontal direction (FIG. 3).

In operation, the integrity of the cigarette 2, which is housed in a special container or carried along a belt, is checked by a detection stage 35 as disclosed in Italian Patent Application No. 3525 A/88.

The fact detection means 35 comprises an analyzer capable of receiving the image produced by the detection means and detecting and positioning a circle within the image corresponding to the end of the non-standard cigarette; A control circuit that is set relative to the images and activates the extraction device when the two images do not overlap can be connected to the cigarette packaging machine with a comparator that activates.

The reversible motors 41 and 45 move the detection means vertically and horizontally as shown in FIG. It is operated to cause

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a side view in section and partly in block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention used for dispensing cigarettes; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing details of FIG. 1; The cross-sectional view, FIG. 3, is a schematic representation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 used to extract individual cigarettes from a close stack of cigarettes. 2... Cigarette, l4... Detection means, 16... Extraction device, 17... Extraction conduit, l9... Inlet end, 24...
Nozzle, 2 days... Compressed air source, 30...
Bulb, 33... Collection of cigarettes, 34...
Base plate, 36...brosoku.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An extraction device for removing one cigarette from a plurality of cigarettes stacked parallel to each other and lying on two planes with both ends parallel to each other, the extraction device an extraction conduit (1) alignable with the cigarette to be removed, with the inlet end (19) directed toward one end of the cigarette (2);
7) a source of compressed air (28) and a valve (30) disposed between the source of compressed air and the nozzle for discharging air into the extraction conduit in a direction opposite the inlet end; and a nozzle (24) that interlocks the detection means (14), and when a substandard cigarette is found, the detection means guides the valve to open, thereby connecting the nozzle and the compressed air source. an extraction device, characterized in that it removes substandard cigarettes by means of a negative pressure created at the inlet end of the extraction conduit. 2. The extraction device of claim 1, wherein the portion of the extraction conduit through which the nozzle discharges air is provided with an unobstructed flow path having an internal cross-section no smaller than the cross-section of a cigarette. 3. The extraction device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said nozzle is cylindrical and corresponds to said part of the extraction conduit. 4. A base plate (34) supporting a stack of cigarettes (33).
), the mobile device cooperating with the extraction device (
16) and a drive device for positioning said block relative to said stack of cigarettes so as to align with detected substandard cigarettes. Extraction device. 5. The extraction device of claim 1, wherein the nozzle is disposed inside the extraction duct near the inlet end.