WO2002014755A1

WO2002014755A1 - Equipment for filling and closing a drying filter of a refrigeration system

Info

Publication number: WO2002014755A1
Application number: PCT/BR2001/000097
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paulo Fontana Fuganti; José Carlos BARAÚNA; Sérgio Ricardo REBELO; Luiz Gonzaga Moreira; Vadis Bellini; Ilson Da Silva; Eriberto Nelson De Souza; Maurício BACHTOLD; Norival Rodrigues De Souza; José Antonio DOS SANTOS; Rildomar Silveira; Alírio ZOZ; José Wianey ADAMI
Original assignee: Multibrás. S.A. Electrodomésticos
Priority date: 2000-08-17
Filing date: 2001-08-09
Publication date: 2002-02-21
Also published as: AU2001276201A1; AR030352A1; BR0007387A

Abstract

An equipment for filling and closing a drying filter of a refrigeration system, said drying filter being of the type comprising a tubular shell incorporating inlet and outlet gas openings at the opposite ends thereof, a screen internal and adjacent to the gas outlet opening, a perforated ring internal and adjacent to the gas inlet opening, and a load of particulate filtering material contained between the screen and the perforated ring. The equipment comprises: - a transportation tray (10) - a thrust device (20) - a metering-feeding device (30) - a ring positioning device (40) - a seaming device (50) - a releasing device (60).

Description

EQUIPMENT FOR FILLING AND CLOSING A DRYING FILTER OF A REFRIGERATION SYSTEM Field of the Invention

The present invention refers to an equipment for the automation of the operations of filling particulate filtering material and closing the drying filter used in refrigeration systems of refrigerators, freezers, water fountains, refrigerated counters and other refrigeration appliances. Background of the Invention

As is known in the state of the art, the drying filter of the type considered herein comprises a tubular shell, which is generally cylindrical, incorporating openings for the inlet and outlet of refrigerant gas at the opposite ends thereof and, internally, a screen adjacent to the gas outlet opening, and a perforated ring, usually of coppered steel, adjacent to the gas inlet opening, between the screen and the perforated ring being contained a load of particulate filtering material, having an adequate granulometry as a function of the desired operation and with a grain size larger than the mesh provided by said screen. The manufacturing process of these drying filters comprises the steps of manufacturing a portion with a determined length of the tube that defines the shell, inside which is attached, by any adequate process, said screen, which is located upstream an adjacent gas outlet end opening, generally obtained by drawing deformation of the respective end portion of the tubular shell.

In the presently known manuf cturing processes, a determined number of shells already incorporating the internal screen are positioned on a special tray, with the gas outlet opening and the screen facing down and with the opposite end facing up, in order to receive, in the interior thereof, a determined load of particulate filtering material, which is manually applied and also manually previously metered. After filling these shells with the particulate filtering material, they are led to a seaming machine, so that each shell receives the respective perforated ring, so as to enclose the other end of the load of particulate filtering material . After enclosing the load by seaming the perforated ring, the shells are subjected to a final end deformation, in order to define the gas inlet opening.

These manual operations, which have been used for forming the drying filters, cause a series of problems, among which can be mentioned: - difficulty in obtaining a regular and reliable load of particulate filtering material; low productivity resulting from the long manual operations ; - difficulty in maintaining a determined pattern of homogeneous quality; large number of accidents during the seaming operation of the perforated ring, due to the fact that this ring is manually positioned on the open end of the tubular shell and subsequently seamed by the manual activation of a seaming puncture; occurrence of a high level of breaks of the particles of the particulate filtering material, allowing it to pass through the mesh of the screen and into the refrigeration circuit, capillary tube included, with serious consequences to its operation; and possibility to pass to the load of particulate filtering material receives contaminating agents, which may be present on the operator's hands during metering and filling of the loads of particulate filtering material into the tubular shells. Objective of the Invention

Thus, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an equipment, which allows the automatic filling and closing of drying filters of the type considered herein, in order to guarantee safe and regular operations of filling and closing these filters, maintaining a regular metering and a high level of reliability in the quality of the final product obtained.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide an equipment as mentioned above, which eliminates the possibility of breaks of the particulate filtering material to be loaded into the drying filters. Summary of the Invention

The objectives mentioned above are achieved by providing an equipment for filling and closing a drying filter of a re rigeration system for refrigerators, freezers and other refrigeration appliances, said drying filter being of the type that comprises a tubular shell incorporating gas inlet and outlet openings at the opposite ends thereof, a screen internal and adjacent to the gas outlet opening, a perforated ring internal and adjacent to the gas inlet opening and a load of particulate filtering material contained between the screen and the perforated ring. According to the present invention, the equipment comprises, mounted on a supporting structure:

- a transportation tray provided with an alignment of equally spaced housings, each housing vertically receiving from a loading station a tubular shell incorporating the screen and with the gas outlet opening facing down; - a thrust device for displacing the transportation tray towards the alignment of housings and in consecutive displacements with an extension corresponding to the distance between the centers of two adjacent housings; a ring positioning device for positioning a perforated ring in a seaming station; a metering-feeding device for feeding a metered amount of particulate filtering material to the tubular shells contained inside the housings which are consecutively positioned in a feeding station, as a function of the displacement of the transportation tray; a seaming device for seaming each previously positioned perforated ring inside the tubular shell, which is already filled with particulate filtering material and displaced to the seaming station; and

- a releasing device placed under the transportation tray and which discharges, outwardly thereof, each filled and seamed drying filter, which is displaced by at least one travel of the transportation tray out from the seaming station.

In one mode of carrying out the invention, the transportation tray may be defined as a disc driven by angular displacements around its vertical axis and provided with housings located according to a circular alignment, said transportation tray being driven in order to position, in each workstation, a housing containing in its interior a respective shell, which will receive the final operations of filling and closing by the seaming of the perforated ring. In another possible mode of carrying out the invention, which is preferred because it further increases the level of automation obtained in the production of these drying filters, the subject equipment may be further provided with a metering- feeding device, in order to sequentially feed, to each housing of the transportation tray, a respective tubular shell already containing the internal screen. In this case, the metering-feeding device is provided with a shell positioning device, in order to withdraw from the supplier one tubular shell at a time, placing it on the housing of the transportation tray to be positioned at a loading station close to the metering- feeding device.

With the above generally defined constructive arrangement, it is possible to obtain the operations of metering and feeding the load of particulate filter material into the shells already containing the screen, as well as the operations of positioning and seaming the perforated ring exclusively through machine movements, without demanding any ability from the operator and without requiring the latter to manually participate in any of these steps. Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described below with reference being made to the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shell of a drying filter incorporating, in its interior, a screen and a perforated ring to contain therebetween a load of particulate filtering material;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the subject equipment ; Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the subject equipment when taken from the right side of figure 2; Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the subject equipment when taken from the left side of figure 2 ; Figures 5 and 6 are, respectively, enlarged top and elevational views of the portion of the equipment to which is mounted the transportation tray; Figures 7 and 8 are, respectively, enlarged top and elevational views of the portion of the equipment comprising the transportation tray, the metering- feeding device, the shell positioning device, and the ring-positioning device;

Figure 9 is an enlarged elevational view of the portion of the equipment comprising part of the transportation tray and the metering-feeding device operatively coupled to a particulate filtering material feeding hopper.

Figures 10 and 11 are, respectively, enlarged front and lateral elevational views of the portion of the equipment comprising the seaming device; Figures 12 and 13 are, respectively, enlarged front and lateral elevational views of the portion of the equipment that comprises a storing and feeding device of perforated rings to the ring-positioning device; and Figure 14 shows the pneumatic scheme of the subject equipment.

Description of the Illustrated Embodiment As illustrated in Figure 1, the drying filter to be filled and closed by the subject equipment comprises a tubular shell 1 of metallic material and incorporates, internally, a screen 2 and a perforated ring 3, which are axially spaced apart and adjacent to respective drawn ends of the shell 1, said ends respectively defining a gas outlet opening 4 and a gas inlet opening 5. Inside the tubular shell 1, between the screen 2 and the perforated ring 3, is provided a load of particulate filtering material MF, which, in the present case, is defined by molecular seizes. It should be observed that the drying filter illustrated in figure 1 is the one whose production was finalized, i.e., the drying filter which, after being introduced into the subject equipment in the form of a tubular shell 1 having in its interior only the screen 2 properly secured and having the gas outlet opening 4 suitably shaped, has been submitted to the automated operations of: metering and loading of the particulate filtering material MF through the upper end, opened and not yet deformed, of said tubular shell 1; and seaming, by interference, the perforated ring 3 inside the tubular shell 1. It should be noted that the perforated ring 3 is preferably obtained from copper- covered steel, such construction making easier its positioning immediately before its seaming inside the tubular shell 1. Referring to Figures 2 to 14, the equipment of the present invention comprises a machine structure E, to which is mounted a transportation tray 10, which, in the illustrated embodiment, takes the form of a disc provided to be turned around a vertical axis, said transportation tray 10 being provided with a circular alignment of upper housings 11 equally spaced from each other and each dimensioned to contain, in the vertical position, a tubular shell 1 with the gas outlet opening 4 facing down, said tubular shell 1 already incorporating, properly secured in its interior, the screen 2 located upstream from the gas outlet opening 4. The transportation tray 10 is peripherally provided with a plurality of teeth 12, which are provided in order to be contacted by the end of the rod of a thrust device 20 in the form of a piston located in such a way that, when activated, makes the transportation tray 10 slide, by engaging the respective tooth 12 thereof, by a certain angular displacement corresponding to the angular distance between each two adjacent housings 11. This construction allows the thrust device to drive the transportation tray 10 in consecutive displacements having a length corresponding to the distance between the centers of two adjacent housings 11, thus allowing each housing to be progressively displaced, by steps, towards a subsequent position, in order to be able to subject the tubular shell 1 contained therein to an operation to be performed in the equipment. As it can be observed, the thrust device 20 is preferably defined by a pneumatic piston with its operation being controlled as described later. In order to assure the correct positioning of the transportation tray 10 in each operational position, a locking device 25 is further provided, usually also in the form of a pneumatic piston, located so that the end 25a of its movable rod is pressed against a return spring and against the peripheral surface of the transportation tray 10 in an operative position, locking it against displacements from each operative position achieved by the respective operation of the thrust device 20. With the retreat of the thrust device 20 (figure 14) , the locking device 25 is returned to its inoperative position.

At this point, it should be noted that the transportation tray 10 may take different configurations such as, for example, in the form of an endless belt with linear displacement and also provided with a rectilinear alignment of housings 11 to contain, on the upper part of the belt, the tubular shells 1 of the drying filters to be produced. The subject equipment further comprises a metering- feeding device 30 to feed a certain metered amount of the particulate filtering material MF to the tubular shells 1 contained in the housings 11, which are being sequentially positioned in a feeding station, as a function of the displacement of the transportation tray 10. As it can be observed in figures 2, 3 and 4, the metering-feeding device 30 is operatively associated to a hopper 36 located somewhat elevated in order to contain a load of particulate filtering material, said hopper being inferiorly provided with an element to sense the minimum level of load 36a, in order to indicate to the operator that the load of particulate filtering material inside this hopper 36 is ending. The bottom of the hopper 36 receives the end of a feeding pipe 37, whose lower end opens to the inside of a metering silo 31 secured to the structure of the machine, and inside which is promoted the metering of the load of the particulate filtering material to be unloaded inside a respective tubular shell 1. The metering silo 31 has its interior opened to a vertical chute, inside which a metering cup 32 is displaced, driven by an also pneumatic metering piston 33. Upon being driven by the metering piston 33, the metering cup 32 is displaced upwardly, inside a guide produced in the metering silo, filled with a previously metered load of particulate filtering material. However, when said metering cup 32 reaches the end of its displacement, it has a portion of its open lateral wall communicating with a lateral window of the metering silo, said lateral window being kept open to a feeding chute 34, whose lower end is opened to a feeding funnel 35 positioned vertically above a stop position of the housings 11 of the transportation tray 10. Thus, every time the transportation tray 10 is displaced by one travel, it will position one of its housings 11 under the feeding funnel 35, when the metering piston 33 promotes the rise of the metering cup 32 and the discharge of its contents inside the tubular shell 1 through the feeding chute 34. After receiving a load of the particulate filtering material MF, the tubular shell 1 is displaced forwardly, towards a seaming station, to be discussed below. The subject equipment also comprises a ring- positioning device 40 in order to position a perforated ring 3 above each tubular shell 1 already filled with particulate filtering material and displaced to the seaming station. The ring-positioning device 40 comprises a pneumatic piston, which is provided so that the free end of its rod may push, towards the vertical alignment of the seaming station, a perforated ring 3 caught on the outlet end of a ring-feeding device 45, which comprises a ring reservoir, whose tapered bottom presents an opening located immediately above an endless belt 46 driven by a motor unit 47, in order to lead the perforated rings 3 towards a ring chute 48, whose lower end is located close and opened to a discharge position in which the perforated ring 3, positioned therein, is caught by the end of the rod of the pneumatic piston that defines the ring-positioning device 40, to be then taken to a position in which it is magnetically attracted to the end of the seaming rod 50. When the ring-positioning device 40 leads a perforated ring 3 towards the alignment with a seaming station, the seaming device 50, in the form of a vertical piston with the end of its magnetized lower movable rod, is drawn towards the latter, allowing the ring- positioning device to return to its inoperative condition, in order to receive and lead, in the next cycle, a new perforated ring 3 to the same seaming station. The seaming device 50 is then activated so that the perforated ring magnetically seated on the end of its movable rod is introduced and seamed, by interference, inside the respective tubular shell 1 of the drying filter, properly retaining the load of the particulate filtering material MF therein. For the automatic operation of the equipment, the thrust device 20, ring-positioning device 40, metering-feeding device 30 and seaming device 50 comprise respective pneumatic pistons, whose to and fro operational positions are detected by respective first and second SI, S2, third and fourth S3, S4 , fifth and sixth S5, S6 and seventh and eight sensors S7, S8, which are operatively associated to a control device (not illustrated) , the first sensor SI being operatively associated to a start button (not illustrated) . The actuation of the start button causes the displacement of the thrust device 20 from the retreated position to the forwarded position, only if the seventh S7, a twelfth S12 and the fifth or sixth S5 or S6 sensors are indicating the retreated position of the ring-positioning device 40, metering-feeding device 30 and seaming device 50.

The displacement of the thrust device 20 to the

^"forwarded position detected by the third sensor S3 causes the displacement of the ring-positioning device 40 from the retreated position to the forwarded position if a tenth S10 and a twelfth S12 sensors indicate the retreated position of the metering- feeding device 30 and seaming device 50. The displacement of the metering-feeding device 30 out from the retreated position detected by the tenth sensor S10 causes the displacement of the ring- positioning device 40 and thrust device 20 from the forwarded position to the retreated position. The displacement of the metering-feeding device 30 to the forwarded position detected by a eleventh sensor Sll causes the displacement of the seaming device 50 from the retreated position to the forwarded position detected by the thirteenth sensor S13.

The subject equipment further comprises an adjustable timer, which starts time counting when' the thirteenth sensor S13 detects the presence of the seaming device 50 in the forwarded position of seaming of the perforated ring 3, thus causing: the retreat of the seaming device 50 to the retreated position, which is detected by the twelfth sensor S12 when the adjusted time for feeding has elapsed; and the counting of a finished filter.

The retreat of the seaming device 50 to the retreated position detected by the twelfth sensor S12 causes a new displacement of the thrust device 20 from the retreated position to the forwarded position, initiating a new operational displacement of the transportation tray 10. It is further provided a ninth sensor S9, which is provided in order to detect the presence of a perforated ring 3 at the seaming station, instructing the control device to block the ring positioning device 40 at the retreated position, if the presence of a perforated ring 3 is detected, and to block the seaming device 50 at the retreated position, if the presence of a perforated ring 3 at the seaming station is not detected.

A fourteenth sensor S14 for detecting the level of particulate filtering material fed into a tubular shell 1 is operatively associated to the control device, in order to block the displacement of the thrust device 20 to the forwarded position when a load level lower than a predetermined setting is detected. A fifteenth sensor S15 for detecting the presence of a perforated ring is provided at the ring feeding device 45, 48, operatively associated to the control device in order to block the displacement of the thrust device 20 to the forwarded position, when the absence of a perforated ring 3 is detected. The subject equipment further comprises a seventeenth sensor S17 for detecting the level of the particulate filtering material in the metering-feeding device 30, operatively associated to the control device, in order to block the displacement of the thrust device 20 to the forwarded position when an insufficient level of particulate filtering material in the metering-feeding device 30 is detected.

In the illustrated construction, the transportation tray 10 has its housings 11 defined by axial through holes, said transportation tray being located over a lower flat plate 15, so that the tubular shells 1 have their lower ends displaced over this lower plate during the turn of the transportation tray 10. In order to allow the tubular shells 1 already filled and seamed to be removed from the transportation tray 10, there is provided a releasing device 60, which in the illustrated embodiment is in the form of a window provided on said lower flat plate 15, in order to allow, when each housing reaches a position vertically aligned to this window, the tubular shell contained therein to fall by gravity towards any type of collecting device located next to the machine in a lower level . It should be understood at this point that the window provided in the lower plate 15 is located in a position to be reached by the housings 11 after the same have been displaced forward from the seaming station. Although the tubular shells may be manually fed to the housings 11 during the operation of the machine, preferably this feeding is made automatically from a supply-feeding device 60, which may take the form of a magazine located on an inclined plane dimensioned to contain a plurality of tubular shells 1 horizontally arranged side by side. In order to allow a safe and precise feeding of each tubular shell 1 of the supply- feeding device 60 into each housing 11, as said tubular shells 1 pass in their circular trajectory in front of said supply-feeding device 60, a housing ejecting means 65, in the form of a pneumatic piston, is provided to withdraw, one by one, the tubular shells 1 from the magazine and deliver the same to a shell positioning device 70 located between the supply-feeding device 60 and the transportation tray 10. The retreated and forwarded operational positions of the housing ejecting means 65 are detected by respective second S2 and fourth S4 sensors, which are operatively associated to the control device. In the illustrated embodiment, the shell positioning device 70 takes the form of a small pneumatic piston, whose movable rod is provided in order to promote the displacement of each first tubular shell 1 ejected by the housing ejecting means 65 to a vertical position which allows the displacement by gravity into the housing 11 aligned with the load station in this respective position.

It is also possible to provide the supply-feeding device 60 with the seventeenth sensor S17 located next thereto, in order to detect the presence of tubular shells 1 in the magazine and to block the displacement of the thrust device 20 to the forwarded position, when the absence of a tubular shell 1 in a region of the magazine of the supply- feeding device 60 is detected. In order to help the release of the already filled and closed tubular shells 1, it may be further provided an extracting piston 80, which is pneumatically driven together with the ring seaming device 50, in order to guarantee the extraction of each finished tubular shell 1 from the transportation tray 10 when displaced from a retreated position to a forwarded position.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An equipment for filling and closing a drying filter of a refrigeration system of refrigerators, freezers and other refrigeration appliances, said drying filter being of the type comprising a tubular shell incorporating inlet and outlet gas openings at the opposite ends thereof, a screen internal and adjacent to the gas outlet opening, a perforated ring internal and adjacent to the gas inlet opening, and a load of particulate filtering material contained between the screen and the perforated ring, said device being characterized in that it comprises, mounted on a support structure (E) : a transportation tray (10) provided with an alignment of equally spaced housings (11) , each housing vertically receiving, from a loading station, a tubular shell (1) incorporating the screen (2) and with the gas outlet opening facing down; a thrust device (20) for displacing the transportation tray (10) towards the alignment of housings (11) and in consecutive displacements having an extension corresponding to the distance between the center of two adjacent housings; a ring positioning device (40) for receiving a perforated ring (3) from a ring feeding device (45, 48) and for positioning the same in a seaming station;

- a metering-feeding device (30) for feeding a metered amount of particulate filtering material (MF) to the tubular shell (1) contained in the housings (11) and which are consecutively positioned at a feeding station, as a function of the displacement of the transportation tray (10) ;

- a seaming device (50) for seaming each perforated ring (3) previously positioned therein inside the tubular shell (1) already filled with particulate filtering material and displaced to a releasing device (60) located under the transportation tray (10) and which unloads, outwardly thereof, each filled and seamed drying filter, which is displaced by at least one travel of the transportation tray (10) out from the seaming station.

2. Equipment, according to claim 1, characterized in that the transportation tray (10) is in the form of a disc, which rotates around a vertical axis, provided with a circular alignment of housings (11) .

3. Equipment, according to claim 2, characterized in that the transportation tray (10) is turned over a lower flat plate (15) , the housings (11) being in the form of axial through holes.

4. Equipment, according to claim 3, characterized in that the releasing device (60) is defined by a window provided on said lower flat plate (15) in order to be vertically aligned with each housing (11) that reaches a drying filter unloading position.

5. Equipment, according to claim 2, characterized in that the transportation tray (10) is peripherally provided with a plurality of teeth (12), each being connected by the thrust device (20) at each travel of angular displacement of the transportation tray (10) .

6. Equipment, according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a locking device (25) , which actuates against the transportation tray (10), in order to lock it in each operational position obtained by the actuation of the thrust device (20) .

7. Equipment, according to claim 6, characterized in that the locking device (25) is in the form of a pneumatic piston, with the end (25a) of its movable rod being pressed against the peripheral surface of the transportation tray (10) when the thrust device (20) finishes its actuation on the transportation tray (10), on each angular displacement thereof.

8. Equipment, according to claim 1, characterized in that the metering-feeding device (30) comprises a hopper (36) containing a load of particulate filtering material and inferiorly connected, through a feeding pipe (37) , to a metering silo (31) , which is inferiorly opened to a vertical chute housing a metering cup (32), which is axially displaced between a filling position, in which it is filled with the particulate filtering material contained in the metering silo (31) , and a discharge position, in which it has its load released by gravity into a tubular shell (1) positioned at the feeding station.

9. Equipment, according to claim 1, characterized in that the seaming device (50) has a vertical rod vertically displaceable between a retreated position, in which its magnetized free end receives and retains a ring supplied by the ring positioning device (40) , and a forwarded position, in which it seams said ring by interference inside the tubular shell (1) positioned at the seaming station.

10. Equipment, according to claim 1, characterized in that the thrust device (20) , ring positioning device (40), metering-feeding device (30) and seaming device (50) comprise respective pneumatic pistons, whose retreated and forwarded operational positions are detected by respective first and second (SI, S2), third and fourth (S3, S4), fifth and sixth (S5, S6) and seventh and eight sensors (S7, S8) , which are operatively associated to a control device, the first sensor SI being operatively associated to a start button.

11. Equipment, according to claim 10, characterized in that the actuation of the start button causes the displacement of the thrust device (20) from the retreated position to the forwarded position, only if a twelfth sensor (S12) , the fifth or sixth (S5 or S6) sensors and the seventh or a tenth sensors (S7, S10) are indicating the retreated position of the ring- positioning device (40) , metering-feeding device (30) and seaming device (50) .

12. Equipment, according to claim 11, characterized in that the displacement of the thrust device (20) to the forwarded position detected by the third sensor (S3) causes the displacement of the ring-positioning device (40) from the retreated position to the forwarded position, if the tenth (S10) and a twelfth (S12) sensors are indicating the retreated position of the metering-feeding device (30) and seaming device (50) .

13. Equipment, according to claim 12, characterized in that the displacement of the metering-feeding device

(30) out from the retreated position detected by the tenth sensor (S10) causes the displacement of the ring-positioning device (40) and thrust device (20) from the forwarded position to the retreated position.

14. Equipment, according to claim 13, characterized in that the displacement of the metering- feeding device (30) to the forwarded position detected by a eleventh sensor (Sll) causes the displacement of the seaming device (50) from the retreated position to the forwarded position detected by the thirteenth sensor (S13) .

15. Equipment, according to claim 14, characterized in that it further comprises an adjustable timer, which starts time counting when the thirteenth sensor (S13) detects the presence of the seaming device (50) in the forwarded position of seaming the perforated ring (3), thus causing: the retreat of the seaming device (50) to the retreated position, which is detected by the twelfth sensor (S12) when the adjusted time for feeding has elapsed; and the counting of a finished filter.

16. Equipment, according to claim 15, characterized in that the retreat of the seaming device (50) to the retreated position detected by the twelfth sensor

(S12) causes a new displacement of the thrust device

(20) from the retreated position to the forwarded position, initiating a new operational displacement of the transportation tray (10) .

17. Equipment, according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises an eighteenth sensor (S18) located in order to detect the presence of a perforated ring (3) at the seaming station, instructing the control device to block the ring positioning device (40) at the retreated position, if the presence of a perforated ring (3) is detected, and to block the seaming device (50) at the retreated position, if the presence of a perforated ring (3) at the seaming station is not detected.

18. Equipment, according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises a fourteenth sensor (S14) , for detecting the level of particulate filtering material fed into a tubular shell (1) , operatively associated to the control device, in order to block the displacement of the thrust device (20) to the forwarded position when, a level of load lower than a predetermined setting is detected.

19. Equipment, according to claim 10, characterized in „ that it further comprises a fifteenth sensor (S15) , for detecting the presence of perforated ring at the ring feeding device (45, 48), operatively associated to the control device, in order to block the displacement of the thrust device (20) to the forwarded position, when the absence of a perforated ring (3) is detected.

20. Equipment, according to claim 10, characterized in that the subject equipment further comprises a seventeenth sensor (S17) , for detecting the level of particulate filtering material in the metering-feeding device (30), operatively associated to the control device, in order to block the displacement of the thrust device (20) to the forwarded position when an insufficient level of particulate filtering material in the metering-feeding device (30) is detected.

21. Equipment, according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises a supply-feeding device (60) for storing and supplying a tubular shell (1) to the transportation tray (10) at each housing (11) positioned at a loading station, said supply-feeding device (60) comprising a housing ejecting means (65) in the form of a pneumatic piston for withdrawing, one by one, the tubular shells (1) from the magazine and releasing the same towards the transportation tray

(10) .

22. Equipment, according to claim 21, characterized in that the housing ejecting means (65) has its retreated and forwarded operational positions detected by the respective second (S2) and fourth (S4) sensors, operatively associated to the control device.

23. Equipment, according to claim 22, characterized in that the displacement of the seaming device (50) to the retreated position detected by the twelfth sensor (S12) causes the displacement of the housing ejecting means (65) from the retreated position to the forwarded position detected by the fourth sensor (S4) , the retreat of the housing ejecting means (65) being effected upon the return of the thrust device (20) to the retreated position.

24. Equipment, according to claim 23, characterized in that it comprises a shell positioning device (70) in the form of a small pneumatic piston, which moves from a retreated position to a forwarded position, said positions being detected by respective fifth, sixth and eighth sensors (S5 or S6 and S8) , in order to position a tubular shell (1), ejected by the housing ejecting means (65), inside the housing (11) of the transportation tray (10) positioned at the loading station, said shell positioning device (70) operating together with the ring positioning device (40) and blocking the displacement of the metering-feeding device (30) while the advance of the shell positioning device (70) is not detected by the eighth sensor (S8) .

25. Equipment, according to claim 23, characterized in that it comprises a sixteenth sensor (S16) , provided next to the supply-feeding device (60) , in order to detect the presence of tubular shells (1) in the magazine and to block the displacement of the thrust device (20) to the forwarded position of turn of the transportation tray (10) when the absence of tubular shells (1) is detected in a region of the magazine of the supply-feeding device (60) .