WO2012092937A1

WO2012092937A1 - Feeding ground or cut tobacco material to a portioning device

Info

Publication number: WO2012092937A1
Application number: PCT/EP2011/000040
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lutz Günter
Original assignee: Hauni Maschinenbau Ag
Priority date: 2011-01-07
Filing date: 2011-01-07
Publication date: 2012-07-12
Also published as: PL2661183T3; EP2661183B1; EP2661183A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a homogenizing module (11) for a homogenizing device (1) of a device of the tobacco processing industry for feeding ground or cut tobacco material with a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device. The invention further relates to a corresponding homogenizing device (1), to a corresponding device for the tobacco processing industry, to a method for feeding ground or cut tobacco material with a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, and to a use. The homogenizing module (11) according to the invention has a combination of a needle roller (40) and a beater roller (50). The needle roller (40) is disposed downstream of the conveying device in order to receive tobacco material from the conveying device and in order to convey tobacco material to the beater roller (50), said beater roller (50) being designed to extract tobacco material from the needle roller (40) in the direction of the portioning device.

Description

Feeding ground or cut tobacco material to a portioning device

description

The invention relates to a homogenization module for a homogenizing device of a device of the tobacco processing industry for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device. The invention further relates to a corresponding homogenizing device, to a corresponding device of the tobacco processing industry, to a method for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device and to a use.

The invention thus relates to the field of processing and portioning of ground or cut tobacco material having a high moisture content. As a tobacco material ground or cut tobacco and possibly additives are eligible. The cut length is so short that the cut wet layer bakmaterial has a similar consistency as ground moist tobacco material. Such a moist ground or cut tobacco material is offered, inter alia, as so-called SNUS tobacco or smokeless tobacco and is used orally, ie in the oral cavity. SNUS tobacco has a moisture content of about 35% to 50% or more and is a fine-grained, lumpy substance that is similar in consistency to wet coffee grounds.

For consumption, SNUS tobacco is in some cases flavored with, for example, menthol, sal ammoniac or other flavoring agents, and is packaged in portions of 0.5 to 2 g in so-called SNUS bags. This is a porous paper, the so-called "pouch", which is completely sealed, but permeable to water and releases the ingredients of the "pouch" in the mouth and the mucous membranes of the mouth. The most common portion size is about 1 g per serving. After consuming the "pouch" this is taken out of the mouth and disposed of.

Devices for portioning and filling homogenized moist ground or cut tobacco material in sachets are known. A corresponding device is sold, for example, under the name TS 1000 of the company MediSeal GmbH. In it, the tobacco material is filled into a pre-metering chamber and then filled into an open sachet, which is then sealed.

Since a ground or, in particular, short, cut tobacco material with a moisture content of 35% or more as fine-grained bulk material is very lumpy, it is difficult to process. It is therefore known from the prior art to supply the tobacco material with a lower humidity, at which it does not clump In a subsequent processing step, the sachets are then moistened to bring the tobacco material to the desired moisture level The similarly wet porous paper of these sachets and discolor these unevenly.To conceal this, in some cases, a black or dark paper is used, in which the corresponding discoloration is less visible.

In alternative known methods, the ground or cut tobacco material is processed in the wet state. For this purpose, the bulk material is sieved. However, sifting a ground tobacco material having a moisture content of 35% or more is associated with building up of clumps of clumped material in the screen so that the screens and other components of the respective processing equipment must be thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis.

In the processing of wet, fine-grained bulk material, which tends to clump, homogenization, as achieved by sieving, is very important, since this is the only way to ensure that a reproducibly consistent amount of tobacco material is contained in each sachet. The requirements for the consistency of the portion bag contents are approximately 5%, which means that for a portion bag with a content of approx. 1 g, the accuracy of the filling contents is approx. 0.05 g. Slight clumping in wet ground or sliced tobacco material is likely to exceed these portioning tolerances, resulting in undesirable rejection of the sachets due to overshoot or undershoot. A generic device of the Applicant is known from the patent application DE 10 2010 029 243.5, whose disclosure content is to be incorporated in full in the present patent application. The device comprises a feed device, a homogenizing device and a portioning device, wherein the homogenizing device has a combination of a needle roller and a racket roller. The needle roller is disposed downstream of the feeder and receives tobacco material from the feeder. The racket roller is adapted to knock out tobacco material from the needle roller in the direction of the portioning device. Homogenized tobacco material is introduced into a plurality of portioning devices operated in parallel and positioned side by side by means of this homogenizing device.

Thus, a combination of needle roller and racket roller is used to homogenize wet and lumpy ground or cut tobacco material. By means of the feed device, the wet ground or cut tobacco material is taken or accepted from an upstream unit or from a reservoir and conveyed to the homogenizing device. Here, the wet ground or cut tobacco has its lumpy, reminiscent of wet coffee grounds consistency.

In the homogenizer, the needle roller receives the tobacco material. In this case, the space between the needles on the surface of the needle roller is filled with the material, up to the height of the needles of the needle roller. As a result, a controlled volume flow of the ground tobacco material is possible. At this point, the tobacco material also has its lumpy consistency. tenz and is held and conveyed by the needles of the needle roller.

The combination of a needle roller and a racket roller effectively homogenizes the ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% and eliminates the clumps between the grains or short fibers of the tobacco material. The racket roller rotates at a peripheral speed many times higher than the needle roller and in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the needle roller and combs with its own needles, rods, scrapers and the like, the tobacco material between the needles of the needle roller. Since this is done at a high rate, the dressing is dissolved between the grains of the fine-grained wet tobacco material so that individual grains or fibers of the tobacco material are thrown toward the portioning device. Clumps are reliably dissolved in this case.

This solution avoids the problem of sieving that lumps and bridges build up over the sieve, so cleaning of a sieve can be dispensed with for lack of sieves. The combination of needle roller and racket roller is highly self-cleaning, so that cleaning of the rollers and the device must be done only comparatively rarely.

Based on this prior art, the present invention has the object to perform the feeding of ground or cut tobacco material to a portioning device in a homogenizing more efficient and with less downtime connected, than was previously possible. This object is achieved by a homogenizing module for a homogenizing device of a tobacco processing apparatus for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, said homogenizing module comprising a combination of a needle roller and a racket roller, said needle roller downstream of the feed device is arranged to receive tobacco material from the feed device and convey it to the racket roller, wherein the racket roller is adapted to knock out tobacco material from the needle roller in the direction of the portioning device.

The homogenization module is designed according to the invention for feeding tobacco material to a single porting unit for a single portion. Multiple homogenization modules may be assembled into a homogenizer to facilitate parallel processing of tobacco material and thus increase the production rate of a tobacco processing machine. A single homogenization module has the advantage that it is removable and can be inserted independently of other homogenization modules. The cleaning of a Homogenisierungsmoduls thus does not lead to complete stoppage of production. A removed homogenization module can also be replaced by an already cleaned fresh homogenization module, so that even in the production line, which relates to the affected homogenization module, production is only interrupted for a short time. In this way, production efficiency is maximized and downtime of the entire device is minimized.

Preferably, a, in particular pivotable, tobacco outlet provided, the outlet position is variably fixable. A tobacco outlet with a variably fixable outlet position makes it possible to adapt the geometry of a homogenizing device having a plurality of homogenizing modules to the geometry of a downstream portioning device having a plurality of portioning units, which may be at a distance from one another, which is independent of the distance between the homogenizing modules. This distance may be greater than, less than or equal to the distance between the homogenization modules in a homogenizer comprising multiple homogenization modules.

Preferably, one or two separate connection couplings for motor drives are provided for the needle roller and for the racket roller. As drives are in particular electric motors, which are individually controlled, or other drive means used. The needle roller and the racket roller preferably rotate at a significantly different rotational speed. The needle roller, which receives tobacco from a tobacco inlet, determines the volume flow that is to be processed and can rotate relatively slowly. The racket roller serves to singulate the tobacco material by knocking out of the needles of the needle roller and rotates at a much higher speed. Typical values are, for example, two to four revolutions of the needle roller per minute, in particular three revolutions per minute, and 200 to 300 revolutions of the sticking roller per minute, in particular about 250 revolutions per minute in normal production operation.

For efficient cleaning, it is preferably provided that a housing with at least one removable side wall is provided. The removable side wall is particularly preferred detachably connected by a Hakehkonstruktion with the remaining housing of the homogenization module, without screwing. In this way, the side wall can be removed within seconds and the needle roller and the racket roller, which are preferably also detachable from their axes, can be removed and cleaned.

Since little space is available in the homogenization module, a drive mechanism for the needle roller and the racket roller with bevel gear drives and / or drive shafts and / or belt transmission is advantageously provided. These drive and translation mechanisms require little space.

A racket roller preferably has a milled racket structure, racket pins, bat spikes or racket knobs. In particular, a milled racket structure can be produced simply and quickly by milling deep grooves in a block, which extend, for example, in the circumferential direction and transversely thereto. The club milled from a material has a high resistance. The corresponding structures engage between the needles of the needle roller, preferably, without touching them.

The needle roller preferably has side walls, between which needles are arranged. The side walls serve as a lateral guide for the tobacco material flow and prevent the sticking of tobacco material to the stationary housing structures of the homogenization module. This ensures efficient and trouble-free material handling.

For improved cleaning, the needle roller and the racket roller are preferably detachably mounted on axles. Advantageously, the homogenization module comprises a contamination or cleaning sensor. For example, such a fouling or cleaning sensor may optically inspect the interior of a homogenization module, or measure the force needed to drive the needle roller and racket roller, increasing the required drive force at a higher level of fouling, or acoustically.

The object underlying the invention is also achieved by a homogenizing device of a device of the tobacco processing industry for supplying ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, comprising a plurality of homogenization modules according to the invention, especially described above, in particular are arranged side by side. Preferably, the homogenization modules are independently removable from the homogenization device and can be used in the homogenization device. Thus, a homogenizing device for a plurality of tobacco material streams is provided, which supplies a plurality of production lines of portioning devices and portioning units with tobacco material and which can be cleaned without having to stop the production flow completely.

Preferably, the needle rollers and the racket rollers of the homogenization modules are each driven separately. For the Homogenisierungsmodule each own electric motors are preferably provided or one or more electric motors provided which drive one or more common shafts or a common belt drive, wherein the Homogenisierungsmodule respectively to the shaft or waves or to the Rie menantrieb are coupled and disconnected. The common wave or common waves are therefore outside the Homogenisierungsmodule. Thus, by means of a single or a small number of powerful drives and corresponding switchable couplings to the shaft or shafts or the belt drive, efficient control of the needle rollers and the racket rollers of the individual homogenization modules is possible.

Preferably, four or more homogenization modules, in particular six to eight homogenization modules, can be used or used side by side in the homogenization apparatus.

The homogenization device preferably also has an interface for a homogenization module, which transmits the signals of a filling level sensor of a dosing unit to the homogenization module and / or transmits to motors or couplings that drive the homogenization module. In particular, the homogenization device has slots with corresponding connections for the homogenization modules, so that individual homogenization modules can be removed during operation and either cleaned again inserted in order to continue their work, or be replaced by fresh Homogenisierungsmodule perform the same function.

The object underlying the invention is also achieved by a device of the tobacco processing industry for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, comprising a feed device, a homogenizing device according to the invention described above and a portioning device. Furthermore, the object underlying the invention is achieved by a method for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, wherein tobacco material ground or cut by means of a feed device to a homogenizing device according to the invention described above having a plurality of inventive, homogenizing the tobacco material in the homogenization modules by means of a combination of one needle roller and one racket roller, wherein the needle roller picks up tobacco material from the feed device with its needles and further advances to the racket roller and the racket roller removes the tobacco material from the needles the needle roller in the direction of a subsequent metering unit of the portioning out back.

Also, this method allows continuous homogenization and promotion of tobacco material, even if one of the Homogenisierungsmodule must be cleaned.

The delivery of tobacco material in the homogenization modules is preferably controlled independently of one another, in particular as a function of a fill level of a predosing chamber of a dosing unit of the portioning device adjoining the respective homogenization module. The dosing units have in some cases a predosing chamber, which has a level sensor whose signal is used to signal when falling below the minimum level of the associated upstream homogenization module to homogenize further tobacco material and to promote in the predosing until a higher, especially maximum, Level is reached in the pre-metering chamber. The method according to the invention is preferably developed further by removing one or more homogenization modules requiring cleaning from the homogenization device for cleaning, in which case in particular a removed homogenization module is replaced by a clean homogenization module. The cleaning can be initiated at certain maintenance intervals or in response to a signal from a cleaning sensor within the homogenization module, which detects a degree of soiling of the homogenization module or individual components thereof and whose signal due to a high degree of contamination, the homogenization module is removed and cleaned.

Preferably, the removal takes place during operation of the device, wherein the portioning is interrupted in a dosing unit connected to the removed homogenization module, in particular, until a clean homogenization module has been used instead of the removed homogenization module. The homogenization module used can also be the same, now cleaned, previously removed homogenization module.

Finally, the object of the invention is also based on the use of a homogenizing device according to the invention described above with a plurality of homogenizing modules according to the invention for homogenizing ground or cut tobacco material with a moisture content of at least 35% and for feeding to a plurality of parallel operated metering units a multi-lane portioning device solved.

To the invention described above, ie the homogenization module according to the invention, the homogenizing device according to the invention, the apparatus according to the invention of the tobacco processing industry, the method according to the invention and the use according to the invention, mentioned properties, features and advantages are without limitation also for the respective other subjects of the invention. These subjects of the invention are related to each other.

The invention will be described below without limiting the general inventive idea by means of embodiments with reference to the drawings, reference being expressly made to the drawings with respect to all in the text unspecified details of the invention. Show it:

1 is a schematic perspective view of a homogenizing device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a further schematic perspective view of the homogenizing device according to the invention according to FIG. 1, FIG.

3 is a schematic perspective detail view of a Homogenisierungsmoduls invention,

Fig. 4 is a further schematic perspective view of

Homogenization module according to FIG. 3,

5 is a schematic sectional view through the homogenization module according to FIG. 3 and FIG

Fig. 6 is a further schematic sectional view through the

Homogenization module according to FIG. 3. In the following figures, identical or similar elements or corresponding parts are provided with the same reference numerals, so that a corresponding renewed idea is dispensed with.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective illustration of a homogenizing device 1 according to the invention. It is a homogenization device 1 with eight juxtaposed Homogenisierungsmodulen 1 1 according to the invention. The identical mutually identical homogenizing devices 1 1 are attached to a common support frame 2 and each have a housing 12 which has a removable side wall 13 for ease of cleaning. This homogenization module 1 1 has on its upper side a tobacco inlet 14, through which the homogenization module 11 is supplied with moist tobacco material. At the bottom there is in each case a pivotable tobacco outlet 16, which is connected via a permeable for tobacco material pivot joint 17 with the housing 12 of the corresponding homogenization module 1 1.

At the front, each homogenization module 1 1 also has a handle 15 with which the corresponding module 1 1 can be removed from the homogenizing device 1.

Each of the homogenization modules 1 1 can be removed individually from the homogenization device 1 and can be cleaned individually.

In the homogenization module 1 1 shown on the right in FIG. 1, an axle journal 18 of a needle roller and an axle bearing 19 of a racket roller are respectively provided in the detachable side wall 13 shown.

The pivotable tobacco outlet 16 of the homogenization modules 1 1 are shown in a pivoted position, in which the metering units of a downstream portioning device, not shown, are closer together than the homogenization modules 11 in the homogenizing device 1 shown. A larger distance is also adjustable.

A corresponding portioning device is offered for example by MediSeal GmbH under the name T1000 with six to eight lanes. The entire device 1 has, for example, a width of 600 mm. By means of the pivotable or variable tobacco outlets 16, the distance of the tobacco outlets 16 is adapted to the distances of the product format at the portioning device and can be adjusted from module to module between, for example, 60 mm and 100 mm. The difference in height of the tobacco outlets 16 due to the pivoting is compensated by an adjustable variable height of the receptors of the dosing units, not shown.

FIG. 2 shows a further schematic perspective view of the homogenizing device 1 according to the invention according to FIG. 1 from a rear view. It can be seen on the rear side of the holding frame 2 that each homogenization module 1 1 has an upper retaining bolt 20 and a lower retaining bolt 21, which serve to secure the respective homogenization module 1 1 to the retaining edge 2. For this purpose, the retaining bolts 20, 21 fastening elements, which are not shown for clarity, on, in particular quick-release devices, spring-biased locking devices, bayonet locks or the like. To the homogenization module 1 1 also two electric motors 22 are shown, each driving a needle roller or a racket roller. A quick coupling connects the electric motors 22 with the mechanisms that drive the needle roller and the racket roller of the respective homogenization module 1 1. In particular, a contact switch is preferably provided, which switches off the electric motors 22 at the latest at the moment in which a homogenization module 11 is removed. The electric motors 22 can also be switched off beforehand. The switches are used in particular as a breaker, so that the electric motors 22 can not work, as long as in their place no homogenization module 1 1 is used.

The drive concept shown in FIG. 2 by means of separate electric motors 22 can also be replaced by the drive of one shaft or two shafts, or several, in particular segmented, shafts to which the mechanisms for driving the needle rollers and racket rollers are connected by means of clutches.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective detailed view of a homogenization module 11 according to the invention. Here, some side walls and solid bodies are not shown to get a clear view of the moving parts of the Homogenisierungsmoduls 1 1. At the rear of the housing 12 are an upper guide pin 20 and a lower guide pin 21, as described above. In addition, connection couplings 23 and 24 are arranged for a needle roller 40 and a racket roller 50, to which, for example, the electric motors 22 of FIG. 2 can be plugged.

From the connection coupling 23, a drive shaft 25 leads to a Bevel gear 26, which rolls on a conical drive surface 44 of the needle roller 40 and thus drives them. The needle roller 40 also has needles 41 on its circumferential surface, which are trimmed on both sides by side walls 42, 43.

The needle roller 40 is removably mounted on an axis 45. It receives from above moist tobacco material that is not yet homogenized. This settles between the needles 41 of the needle roller 40 and is transported at a relatively slow speed in Fig. 3 in a clockwise direction towards the racket roller 50 back.

The whipper roll 50 has a milled racquet structure having a plurality of longitudinal grooves and transverse grooves that are machined such that the structures engage between the needles 41 of the needle roller 40 and propel tobacco material driven at high speed out of the needles 41 of the needle roller 40, thus homogenizing the moist tobacco material becomes. Instead of the milled structure also needles, nubs etc. can be used.

The racket roller 50 is driven by an electric motor 22, which drives a long drive shaft 27 directly via a connection coupling 24. The rotation of the long drive shaft 27 is transmitted via a toothed belt 29 to a deflection roller 28 and from there to a short drive shaft 33. The toothed belt 29 also runs on a combination of a clamping element 31 and a rotor roll 30, which ensure that the toothed belt is always under a constant voltage, so that the rotational movement of the long drive shaft 27 is always reliably transmitted to the short drive shaft 33. The short drive shaft 33 terminates in a bevel gear 34, which rolls on a conical drive surface 52 of the racket roller 50 and drives them at high speed. The racket roller 50 is removably mounted on an axle 53. The mechanism of long drive shaft 27, pulleys 28 and 33 and short drive shaft 33 for the racket roller 50 is laterally offset from the circumference of the racket roller 50 and the needle roller 40 so far that knocked-out tobacco material has room to ejected from the homogenization module 1 1 to become. The corresponding baffles or solid bodies which form an outlet channel and a tobacco inlet channel are not shown in FIG.

It can also be seen in FIG. 3 that the removable side wall 13, which is shown at the rear in FIG. 3, has hooks 13a for easy detachable fastening to the housing 12.

On the right side in Fig. 3 is also shown that a part of the drive mechanism for the club drum 50 is housed in a gear box 35, of which a side wall is shown on the front surface, which is followed by the handle 1 5.

In Fig. 4 the homogenization module 1 1 of FIG. 3 is shown in perspective from the other sides, but this time with _ baffles and solid bodies, the drive mechanism is hidden except for the connection couplings 23, 24. On the left side joins the handle 15 of the closed gearbox 35 shown. In the housing 12 of the homogenization module 1 1, the racket roller 50 and the needle roller 40 are shown attached to their respective axis 53, 45 plugged. Above the needle roller 40 is a tobacco inlet 14 in the form of a tobacco inlet channel 61, which is partially formed by a solid body of the housing 12 and on the other side by a cover plate 63. On the underside there is a tobacco outlet channel 62 delimited between the needle roller 40 and the racket roller 50 and by two baffles or solid bodies, which differs from those in FIGS. 1 and 2 shown tobacco outlets 16 leads.

The solid bodies are parts of a single contoured, milled or cast solid body.

At the top and the bottom of the housing 13 are respectively receiving openings 13b for hook 13a of a removable sides 13, as shown in Fig. 3.

FIGS. 5 and 6 each show schematic sectional views through the homogenization module 11 according to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, respectively, along section lines V-V and Vl-Vl, which are shown in FIG. 4 at the top side of the housing 12. The section V-V shown in Fig. 5 passes through the tobacco inlet channel 61 and the rollers 40, 50, while the section Vl-Vl in Fig. 6 parallel to it passes through the drive mechanism, which is also shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 5, in the gear box 35 on the left side of the toothed belt 29 with pulleys 28 and 30 can be seen and the rotor roll 32, which serves to tension the toothed belt 29.

In the housing 12, two parts of a milled or cast solid body 64 are shown. These form between them a tobacco inlet channel 61 and a Tabakauslasskanai 62 and therebetween a conveying channel 68, in the tobacco material, which has passed through the tobacco inlet channel 61 on the surface of the needle roller 40 between the needles 41, is conveyed to the racquet roller 50, which is the tobacco material between the needles 41 of the needle roller 40 in the direction of the Tabakauslasskanal 62 ausschlägt. In this case, the tobacco material, not shown, is homogenized. The racket roller 50 rotates clockwise in the illustration in FIG. gersinn, the needle roller 40 in the counterclockwise direction. The parts of the solid 64 also define a needle roller space 66 which is substantially circular and receives the needle roller 40, and a rack roller space 67 which is also substantially round in cross-section and receives the racket roller 50.

In Fig. 6 from the opposite perspective, the section VI-VI of FIG. 4 is shown in cross section. In the lower part of the connecting coupling 24 and the long drive shaft 27 of the drive for the whipper roll 50 are shown. In the gearbox 35, the long drive shaft 27 terminates in a deflection roller 28, over which a toothed belt 29 runs. Also shown are a pulley 30 and a rotor roll 32 in the gearbox 35. The pulley 30 drives a short shaft 33 for the whipper roll 50 at. This ends in a bevel gear 34 shown in cross section, which rolls on a conical drive surface 52 of the racket roller 50. The reference numeral 54, an axle for the club roller 50 is shown.

A connection coupling 23 on the rear side of the housing 12 drives a drive shaft 25 for the needle roller 40. The drive shaft 25 terminates in a bevel gear 26 which runs on a conical drive surface 44 of the needle roller 40 and drives them. This is included in an axle 46.

It is also shown that in this area the housing 12 is a solid body 64, in which the corresponding structures, such as the axle receivers 46, 54, and the structures shown in Fig. 5 tobacco inlet channel 61, tobacco outlet channel 62, needle roller chamber 66, racket roller chamber 67 and conveyor channel 68 milled or by pouring in a correspondingly shaped mold have been generated.

This is a simple and very robust solution which, due to the small number of moving parts, is also easy and quick to clean, which has an efficiency-increasing effect.

All these features, including the drawings alone to be taken as well as individual features that are disclosed in combination with other features are considered alone and in combination as essential to the invention. Embodiments of the invention may be accomplished by individual features or a combination of several features.

LIST OF REFERENCES

1 homogenizing device

2 holding frames

11 homogenization module

12 housing

13 removable side wall

13a hook

13b receiving opening for hooks

14 tobacco intake

15 handle

16 pivotable tobacco outlet

17 swivel joint

18 axle bearing of the needle roller

19 axle bearing of the racket roller

20 upper guide pin

21 lower guide pin

22 electric motor

23, 24 Connection coupling

25 Drive shaft for needle roller

26 bevel gear

27 long drive shaft for racquet roller

28 pulley

29 toothed belt

30 pulley

31 clamping element

32 runner role

33 short drive shaft for racket roller

34 bevel gear

35 gear box

40 needle roller

41 needles Side wall

conical drive surface

axis

axle mount

Beater roller

milled club structure cone-shaped drive surface

axis

axle mount

Tobacco intake port

Tabakauslasskanal

cover

full body

Needle roller chamber

Bat roller chamber

delivery channel

Claims

Feeding ground or cut tobacco material to a portioning device. Claims

1 . Homogenization module (1 1) for a homogenizing device (1) of a device of the tobacco processing industry for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, wherein the homogenization module (1 1) comprises a combination of a needle roller (40) and a racket roller (50), the needle roller (40) being located downstream of the feed device for receiving tobacco material from the feed device and conveying it to the racket roller (50), the racket roller (50) being formed with tobacco material from the needle roller (40) in the direction of the portioning device.

2. homogenization module (1 1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a, in particular pivotable, Taba- kauslass is provided, whose outlet position variably fi- is xable.

Homogenization module (1 1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that for the needle roller (40) and for the racket roller (50) a common or two separate connection couplings (23, 24) are provided for motor drives.

Homogenization module (1 1) according to one of claims 1 to

3, characterized in that a drive mechanism for the needle roller (40) and the racket roller (50) with bevel gear (26, 34, 44, 52) and / or drive shafts (25, 27, 33) and / or belt transmission (28 - 32 ) is provided.

Homogenization module (1 1) according to one of claims 1 to

4, characterized in that the racket roller (50) has a milled racket structure (51), racket needles, bat thorns or racket knobs.

Homogenization module (1 1) according to one of claims 1 to

5, characterized in that the needle roller (40) has side walls (42, 43), between which needles (41) are arranged.

Homogenization module (1 1) according to one of claims 1 to

6, characterized in that the needle roller (40) and the racket roller (50) on the axes (45, 53) are removably attached.

A homogenizing device (1) of a tobacco processing industry device for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of, in particular juxtaposed, Homogenisierungsmodulen (1 1), in particular according to one of claims 1 to 7, comprises.

9. Homogenization device (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the plurality of Homogenisierungsmo- (11) independently of each other from the homogenization device (1) can be removed and inserted into the homogenization device (1).

10. An apparatus of the tobacco processing industry for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning device comprising a feed device, a

Homogenizing device (1) according to claim 8 or 9 and a portioning device.

1 1. A method for feeding ground or cut tobacco material having a moisture content of at least 35% to a portioning, wherein by means of a feed device ground or cut tobacco material to a homogenizer (1) according to claim 8 or 9 with a plurality of Homogenisierungsmodulen (11) one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the tobacco material in the homogenization modules (11) is homogenized by means of a combination of one needle roller (40) and one racket roller (50), the needle roller (40) with its needles (41). Tobacco material from the feed device receives and further to the racket roller (50) and the racket roller (50) the tobacco material from the needles (41) of the needle roller (40) in the direction of a adjoining subsequent dosing unit of the portioning out.

12. The method according to claim 1 1, characterized in that the promotion of tobacco material in the homogenization modules (1) is controlled independently, in particular depending on a level of a pre-metering chamber of the respective homogenization module (11) subsequent metering unit of the portioning device.

13. The method of claim 1 1 or 12, characterized in that for cleaning one or more homogenization modules (1) requiring cleaning are removed from the homogenization device, wherein in particular a withdrawn homogenization module (11) is replaced by a clean homogenization module.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the removal takes place during operation of the device, wherein the portioning in a the homogenization module (1 1) connected dosing is interrupted, in particular, until a clean Homogenisierungsmodul (11) in place of taken Homogenisierungsmoduls (11) has been used.

15. Use of a homogenizing device (1) according to claim 8 or 9 with a plurality of homogenization modules according to one of claims 1 to 7 for homogenizing ground or cut tobacco material with a moisture content of at least 35% and for supplying to a plurality of parallel operated metering units of a multi-lane portioning device.