US3039588A

US3039588A - Devices for feeding rod-like articles

Info

Publication number: US3039588A
Application number: US859381A
Authority: US
Inventors: Werner W R Harnack
Original assignee: Hauni Werke Koerber and Co KG
Current assignee: Koerber AG
Priority date: 1955-04-29
Filing date: 1959-12-14
Publication date: 1962-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 1979-06-19
Also published as: US3036733A; GB902984A; DE1112001B; DE1099424B; GB783236A; DE1002676B; GB839427A

Description

June 19, 19 2 w. w. R. HARNACK DEVICES FOR FEEDING ROD-LIKE ARTICLES Filed Dec. 14, 1959 Fig.1

DEVICES FOR FEEDING KGB-LIKE ARTTCLES Werner W. R. Harnack, Hamburg, Germany, assignor to Hauni=Werke Kiirher 8. Co. KG Hamburg-=Bergedorf, Germany Filed Dec. 14, 1959, er. No. 859,381 Claims priority, application Germany Dec. 23, 1958 3 Claims. (Cl. 198-26) The present invention relates to devices for feeding rodlike articles, for example filter rods, cigarettes, cigarillos, or the like into axial grooves provided on the circumference of a rotary drum of a cigarette making machine.

In the copending application Serial No. 777,109, filed on November 28, 1958, inventors Bernhard Schubert and Willy Rudszinat, is described a device provided with a rotary cam roller having such a diameter that the peripheral length at the pitch circle is a simple multiple of the pitch of the grooves in the feed device, and this multiple is a number divisible by any of the numbers representing the spacing, calculated as a multiple of the groove pitch, of the spaced grooves which may be required to be filled by successive articles.

Such a device may be fitted to a magazine containing filter plug rods which are fed into the grooves of a feed device, for example a grooved drum of a filter cigarette machine on which the rods are cut into filter plugs of twice the final length. In such a case a stop is provided at the end of a feed channel facing the grooved drum which holds back the lowermost filter rod before the same is delivered to the groove of the drum by means of a projection on the periphery of the cam roller.

When producing filter cigarettes, the filter mouthpieces cannot, in general, be handled as individual plugs owing to their short length, and, therefore, filter rods are generally supplied of, for example, six times the final length, and are fed to the grooved drum of a filter cigarette machine, and are severed on this drum into three filter plugs of twice the final length by means of two circular cutters. The filter plugs so obtained from each filter rod are axially aligned and must now be rearranged in rows before delivery to a further grooved drum in which each plug is placed between two cigarettes axially aligned with the plug.

If the former grooved drum is utilized to partake in the re-arrangement, the filter rods must be fed to mutually spaced grooves, since the intervening grooves are occupied by filter plugs which have not yet been transferred off the drum. Thus, for example in the case of filter rods of twice the final length, every second groove of the grooved drum, and in the case of filter plugs of three times the final double length, every third groove of the drum must be supplied with the filter rods.

The mentioned copending application also provides for handling filter rods of various lengths for which purpose the cam roller is made exchangeably, the different rollers used having different numbers of projections and the arrangement is characterized in that the peripheral length of the cam roller is divisible by the desired multiple of the double final length of thefilter plugs, and the number of projections is uniformly distributed on its periphery and rotating in the region of the stop corresponds to the quotient of the peripheral length and the particular multiple concerned whereby the peripheral length is given as the dividend from the minimum number by which all multiples are divisible.

The peripheral surface of the cam roller must obviously be suitably spaced from the peripheral surface of the grooved drum in the region of the intervening still occupied grooves in order that filter plugs still present in such grooves can pass freely beneath the feed roll.

This, however, involves the danger that the rods withdrawn by the projections on the cam roller may move onward in advance and reach the drum prematurely and without proper control. Moreover, the form of stop shown in the aforesaid specification at the end of the feed channel through which the filter rods pass, may hinder the removal of the rods from the channel.

These disadvantages are eliminated according to the invention by the fact that the peripheral surface of the cam roller employs in front of the projection a surface rising in the direction of rotation of the cam roller to provide a groove-like holder for the filter rod, and a stop is provided for regulating the entry of the filter rods into these groove-like holders, said stop being pivotally mounted and controlled in such a way that it opens the lower end of the vertical feed channel when the groove to be filled passes beneath it, and closes this lower end when the intervening grooves move past it.

in a preferred contructional form according to the invention the control means for the rocking movement of the stop is so arranged that the latter deposits the filter rod into the groove-like holders of the cam roller without contact between the filter rods and the bottoms of the grooves before the rod presses against the projection on the cam roller.

This arrangement assures a correctly timed withdrawal of the filter rods from the magazine, and a satisfactory transfer of the filter rods to the receiving grooves of the rotary grooved drum. Moreover, the withdrawal section itself is improved by the avoidance of any rolling movement between the peripheral surface of the cam roller and the filter .rods to be withdrawn.

The step may be spring loaded or it may itself be formed of a spring, and its movement may be controlled by means of an annular groove provided in the periphery of the cam roller, which annular groove engages the stop, and the bottom thereof is arranged as a control cam.

One constructional example of the invention is shown diagrammatically in the FIGURE 1 of the accompanying drawing which shows a view of part of the filter cigarette making machine. FIGURE 2 shows a plan view of a detail.

The device shown is fitted to the base of a magazine 1 having a somewhat inclined reciprocating bottom plate 1a and a vertically arranged feed channel 3. A drum 2 rotating clockwise in the feed direction passes with its circumference through slots in the bottom plate 1a and also extends into the feed channel 3. A further rotary roll 4 is arranged on the opposite side of the channel 3 and rotates clockwise and opposite to the withdrawal direction of the filter rods and engages the magazine 1 from the opposite side and holds back the pile of filter rods or other articles in the magazine 1. The channel 3 is formed by the parallel

vertical side Walls

5 and 6.

The lower end of the channel 3 is provided with a stop for engaging the lowermost filter rod. In this case the stop is formed by a pivoted plate member 107, one end of which is pivotally supported about a pivot shaft while the other end of the substantially horizontally arranged plate member 107 rests loosely upon the bottom llda of the grooves 111 in a cam roller 16 8. The cam roller 10% is arranged beneath the channel 3 and is provided with one or more projections 9 serving as feed members which pass through slots 10 in the lower end of the vertical wall 6. The cam roller 108 is exchangeable and may have, for example, either two or three projections 9. The projections 9 have on one side groove-shaped depressions 109 which receive the filter rods. These depressions 109 being flanked on the other side by a raised part formed by an inclined face which rises progressively in the contrary direction of rotation of the roller 108. The filter rods =3 are safely held and reliably held without danger of slip in said groove-shaped depressions 109.

As already stated, the cam roller 103 is provided on its periphery with annular grooves 111 which are engaged by projecting fingers provided at one end of the stop plate 107. The filter rods are held in position by a curved guide rail 12 extending concentrically about the cam roller 108 so that between this guide rail 12 and the peripheral surface 10811 of the cam roller 108 a curved channel 3a is formed which constitutes a continuation of the channel 3. The bottoms 111:: of the annular grooves 111 are formed as cam surfaces against which the fingers of the stop plate 107 are pressed by means of a spring 118 acting on the stop plate. If desired, the fingers may have small rollers attached rotatably to the tips thereof in order that the frictional resistance between the fingers and the groove bottoms 11112 is reduced. The filter rods are to be fed to a grooved rotary drum 14 arranged beneath the cam roller 103. Every third groove M of the drum 14 is intended for receiving a filter rod, while the intervening grooves M1 and M2 are being supplied with filter rod sections during the two following rotations of the grooved drum 14.

The filter rods are fed progressively from the magazine 1 into the feed channel 3 up to the pivotal stop plate 107. During the passage of a projection 9 through the region of the stop plate 107, the latter is allowed to pivotally move downwardly by the shape of the cam surface 111a and the action of the tension spring 118 so that the lowermost filter rod F drops into a groove-shaped depression 109 formed between the lug 9 and the surface 100a of the cam roller 108. The drawing shows this filter rod F after it has passed the lower end of the vertical channel 3 and has just entered the curved channel 3a. Preferably the stop plate 107 is so timed that it allows the filter rod to drop into the groove only when the filter rod itself is already in contact with the leading end face of the lug 9.

Thereafter, the stop plate 107 is again moved upwardly and thereby closes the feed channel 3 so that the following filter rod F is prevented from coming into contact with the peripheral surface 108:: of the cam roller 108, or from passing into the guide channel 3a. The stop plate 107 holds the feed channel 3 closed until the next lug 9 of the cam roller 108 moves into the region of the lower end of the channel 3. Then it moves downwardly again, and the previously described operation is repeated.

The axially grooved drum 14 can be constructed in various ways. For example, an axially grooved drum can be used as described in the copending applications Serial No. 812,924, filed May 13, 1959, inventor Karl- Helmut Miiller, or Serial No. 840,153, filed September 15, 1959, inventor Erwin Rieke.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for feeding fragile rod-shaped articles, such as filter plugs, cigarettes, or cigarillos, in timed succession from a substantially vertical gravity feed channel into the grooves of a grooved conveyor means, a rotary feed roller mounted between the discharge end of said feed channel and said conveyor means, a front wall in said feed channel extending parallel with the axis of said feed roller, a rear wall in said feed channel extending parallel with said front wall and spaced therefrom a distance somewhat greater than the diameter of said articles, a longitudinal groove in said feed roller, a lower extension of said front wall curved around said feed roller so as to form between the bottom of said longitudinal groove in said feed roller and said extension a guide channel sufficiently wide for one of said articles, said extension extending to the proximity of said conveyor means, a projection on the circumference of said feed roller rearwardly of said longitudinal groove and extending a substantial distance into said guide channel, a movably mounted stop member at the bottom edge of said rear wall and movable into said feed channel at such a level as to prevent the lowermost article from escaping into said guide channel between said stop member and the bottom edge of said front wall, a circumferential groove in said feed roller, the bottom of said circumferential groove forming a cam surface, and resilient means connected with said stop member and adapted to maintain said stop member in engagement with said cam surface, said cam surface being of such a shape as to permit said stop member to leave the position, in which it obstructs the entrance to said guide channel, under the action of said resilient means when said projection on the feed roller is in position to engage the lowermost article in said feed channel, and to be returned by said cam surface to support the next article in said feed channel.

2. In a device for feeding fragile rod-shaped articles, such as filter plugs, cigarettes or cigarillos, in timed succession from a substantially vertical gravity feed channel into the grooves of a grooved conveyor means, a rotary feed roller mounted between the discharge end of said feed channel and saidconveyor means, a front Wall in said feed channel extending parallel with the axis of said feed roller, a rear wall in said feed channel extending parallel with said front wall and spaced therefrom a distance somewhat greater than the diameter of said articles, a longitudinal groove in said feed roller, a lower extension of said front wall curved around said feed roller so as to form between the bottom of said longitudinal groove in said feed roller and said extension a guide channel suificiently wide for one of said articles, said extension extending to the proximity of said conveyor means, a projection on the circumference of said feed roller rearwardly of said longitudinal groove and extending a substantial distance into said guide channel, stop means movably mounted at the bottom edge of said rear wall, and means for moving said stop means between a first position in which it supports the lowermost article in said feed channel and prevents entry of said lowermost article into said guide channel, and a second position in which it permits such entry when said lowermost article is engaged by said projection on the circumference of said feed roller.

3. The device as set forth in claim 2, in which said stop means comprises a pivotally mounted lever and said means for moving said stop means includes a circumferential groove in said feed roller, the bottom of said groove forming a cam surface, and resilient means for maintaining said lever in engagement with said cam surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 531,616 Black Dec. 25, 1894 1,707,329 Stephens Apr. 2, 1929 1,770,530 Oslund July 15, 1930 2,918,197 Ritscher Dec. 22, 1959