WO2015181953A1

WO2015181953A1 - Conveyance device and conveyance method for oral tobacco

Info

Publication number: WO2015181953A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/064430
Authority: WO
Inventors: 友一渡辺; 哲也眞鍋; 恒義山本
Original assignee: 日本たばこ産業株式会社
Priority date: 2014-05-30
Filing date: 2014-05-30
Publication date: 2015-12-03

Abstract

Provided is technology that makes it possible to accurately count oral tobacco and discharge a collected group comprising a predetermined quantity of the oral tobacco on a conveyance device such as a conveyor. A conveyance device for oral tobacco is provided with: pockets that accommodate conveyed oral tobacco and that are slightly larger than the oral tobacco; a rotary body around which a plurality of the pockets are radially arranged; a sensor that detects the accommodation state of oral tobacco that is accommodated in a pocket; an air blowing unit that applies air to a piece of oral tobacco and causes said oral tobacco to be discharged from a pocket when the accommodation state of said oral tobacco is not normal; and a counter that is provided at a later stage than the air discharge means in the rotation direction of the rotary body and that counts the oral tobacco that is accommodated in the pockets.

Description

Tobacco transport device and transport method for oral cavity

The present invention relates to an oral tobacco transport device and a transport method.

In order to improve ease of handling and usability, snus (SNUS), which is a kind of oral tobacco that is included in the oral cavity as a pouch form in which tobacco powder is wrapped with a packaging material such as a nonwoven fabric, is attracting attention (for example, (See Patent Document 1). The user (user, consumer) sandwiches the snus put in the oral cavity between the upper lip and the gums, and absorbs the tobacco component extracted into the saliva from the gums into the body while enjoying the flavor.

In the manufacturing process of tobacco for oral cavity, a mixture containing tobacco particles is wrapped with a nonwoven fabric, and after moisture adjustment or the like is performed, a predetermined number is stored in a storage case. In order to efficiently store the pouch-shaped oral tobacco in the housing case, it is desirable that the oral tobacco is accurately counted, and a predetermined number of the collected oral tobacco groups can be discharged onto a transport device such as a conveyor. However, conventionally, there is no technique that can accurately count the assembled group of oral cigarettes.

In addition, there are technologies described in Patent Documents 2 to 4 as devices for aligning packaged foods or the like that are different from oral cigarettes. For example, in Patent Document 2, a rotary body having a pocket for receiving a package transported from the first conveyor is disposed in the paragraph transfer section of the first conveyor and the second conveyor, and the rotary body is 180 degrees. A technique is disclosed in which a package is discharged to a second conveyor at the time of rotation, and the package is reversed and aligned.

JP 2011-4 JP-A-6-305549 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-26325 Japanese Utility Model Publication No.2-1286

Conventionally, there is no technique that can accurately count while aligning a group of cigarettes for oral cavity. In addition, pouch-shaped oral cigarettes are indefinite and difficult to handle depending on the content, and in many cases, the moisture content of cigarettes contained in the pouch is about 20 to 50% and contains a relatively large amount of moisture. Therefore, there is a problem that the pouch-shaped oral cigarettes tend to stick to each other.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to accurately count the tobacco for oral cavity and discharge a predetermined number of collected oral tobacco groups onto a transport device such as a conveyor. Is to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention arranges a plurality of pockets that accommodate the transported oral tobacco radially in the rotating body, detects the storage state of the oral tobacco stored in the pocket, and the storage state is When it was not normal, air was applied to the oral tobacco, the oral tobacco was discharged from the pocket, and the oral tobacco contained in the pocket was counted.

More specifically, the present invention includes a pocket that is slightly larger than the oral cigarette that accommodates the transported oral tobacco, a rotating body in which a plurality of the pockets are radially arranged around the rotation axis, A sensor for detecting the accommodation state of the oral cigarette accommodated in the pocket, and if the accommodation state is not normal, an air blowing unit that applies air to the oral tobacco and discharges the oral tobacco from the pocket; and A cigarette transport device for oral cavity, comprising a counter for counting the cigarettes for oral cavity accommodated in the pockets, which is provided downstream of the air discharge means in the rotation direction of the rotating body.

A pocket that is slightly larger is a pocket that can accommodate oral cigarettes with a margin, a pocket that is large enough to create a space around the oral cigarettes, and a pocket that can accommodate up to two oral cigarettes, for example. It is. Oral cigarettes are amorphous. Therefore, if the pocket is the same size or slightly larger than the oral tobacco, there is a concern that the transported oral tobacco is difficult to be accommodated in the pocket. In the cigarette transport apparatus for oral cavity according to the present invention, the pocket-shaped cigarette can be efficiently accommodated in the pocket by making the pocket one size larger than the cigarette for oral cavity.

There is a concern that two oral cigarettes are accommodated in the pocket by making the pocket one size larger than the oral cigarette. In addition, since oral cigarettes tend to stick to each other as described above, if the pocket is slightly larger than the oral cigarette, the possibility that a plurality of oral cigarettes are accommodated in the pocket increases. If a plurality of oral cigarettes are accommodated in one pocket, the oral tobacco cannot be counted accurately. In the cigarette transport apparatus for oral cavity according to the present invention, the accommodation state of the oral tobacco is detected, and when the accommodation state is not normal, the oral cigarette is blown with air to discharge the oral tobacco, for example, in a pocket. There is no counting of oral cigarettes with two oral cigarettes contained. Therefore, oral tobacco can be accurately counted. Further, for example, by controlling the rotation and stop of the rotating body, a predetermined number of oral cigarettes can be bundled and sent to the next conveyor. In addition, in the detection of the accommodation state, as described above, detection of whether or not one oral cigarette is stored in one pocket, in other words, detection of whether or not there are a plurality of oral tobacco in the pocket, The detection of whether or not oral tobacco is contained in the pocket is exemplified.

Here, the cigarette transport device for oral cavity according to the present invention further includes a control unit that controls the rotating body, the sensor, the air blowing unit, and the counter, and the control unit has a predetermined count by the counter. When the number reaches, the rotation of the rotating body may be stopped and the rotation may be resumed after a predetermined time has elapsed.

As a result, when the counted oral cigarettes are bundled (oral cigarette group) and sent to a transport device such as a conveyor in the next process, the interval between the oral cigarette groups is more than the interval between the other oral cigarettes. Can be wide. As a result, a predetermined number of oral cigarettes can be accurately and efficiently accommodated in the packaging case, and work efficiency can be improved. The predetermined number can be determined according to the size of the packaging case, and can be, for example, 10, 15 or the like. The predetermined time can be appropriately determined in consideration of the rotational speed of the rotating body and the transport speed of a transport device such as a conveyor in the next process.

Further, the pocket may include an air guiding portion that is connected to the back side of the pocket and guides air from the air blowing portion to the oral tobacco stored in the pocket.

This makes it possible to efficiently discharge oral tobacco. The air may be applied to the oral tobacco from the outside of the rotating body, or may be applied to the oral tobacco through the inside of the rotating body. The pocket may be configured to have an inlet portion on the circumferential surface of the drum-shaped rotating body. In this case, the air guiding portion can be configured by a hole that continues to the back of the pocket. The pocket may have an inlet portion on the circumferential surface of the drum-shaped rotating body, and a part of the side surface may be open to the plane of the drum-shaped rotating body. In this case, it is preferable that the drum-shaped rotator is inclined on the plane of the rotator so that the oral tobacco housed in the pocket does not fall off. Further, in this case, the air guiding portion can be configured by a groove that continues to the back of the pocket.

In addition, the sensor includes a first sensor that detects whether or not a plurality of cigarettes for oral cavity are contained in the pocket, and the air blowing unit is detected that a plurality of cigarettes for oral cavity are contained in the pocket. In this case, it may include a first air blowing section that applies air to the oral tobacco and discharges the oral tobacco from the pocket. By providing these sensors and air blowing parts, it is possible to more accurately count tobacco for oral cavity. The air blowing part may include a second air blowing part that applies air to the oral tobacco that is not contained in the pocket and discharges the oral tobacco from the pocket. The sensor includes a sensor for detecting whether or not the oral cigarette is contained in the pocket, and the air blowing unit is configured to detect the oral cigarette when the oral tobacco is not contained in the pocket. You may make it include the 2nd air blowing part which applies air to and discharges the tobacco for said oral cavity from the said pocket.

After the counting by the counter, the oral tobacco transport device according to the present invention applies air to the oral tobacco accommodated in the pocket and discharges the oral tobacco from the pocket to the conveyor of the next process. You may make it further provide the 3rd air blowing part to send out. Although discharge | emission of the tobacco for oral cavity can be performed by gravity fall, the tobacco for oral cavity can be discharged more reliably by providing the 3rd air blowing part.

In the oral tobacco transport device according to the present invention, after counting by the counter, the oral tobacco accommodated in the pocket is sent out to the conveyor of the next process, and the oral tobacco remains in the pocket. A second sensor for detecting whether or not a fourth cigarette is discharged from the pocket by applying air to the oral cigarette when it is detected that the cigarette for the oral cavity remains in the pocket; You may make it further provide an air blowing part.

In this way, if the oral tobacco is not discharged, the oral tobacco that has not been discharged can be discharged from the pocket. In this case, the control unit may stop the rotating body and then discharge the oral tobacco. If the oral cigarette is not discharged, the oral cigarette sent to the conveyor of the next process does not satisfy the predetermined number, but can be supplemented during the stoppage.

In addition, the oral tobacco transport device according to the present invention is configured so that the oral tobacco accommodated in the pocket is easily sent out to the conveyor of the next process before counting by the counter, so that the oral tobacco accommodated in the pocket is stored. You may make it further provide the 5th air blowing part which applies the air to a tobacco and moves the tobacco for oral cavity to the entrance direction of the said pocket. Thereby, the cigarette for oral cavity accommodated in the pocket can be more reliably sent out on a transport device such as a conveyor in the next process.

In the cigarette transport device for oral cavity according to the present invention, when the transported cigarette for oral cavity is accommodated in the pocket, air is applied to the cigarette for oral cavity to move the oral cigarette in the depth direction of the pocket. The air blowing part may be further provided. Thereby, the conveyed tobacco for oral cavity can be accommodated in a pocket more reliably. In addition, the tobacco for oral cavity which could not be accommodated in the pocket can be collected and transported toward the rotating body again.

Here, the present invention can be specified as a method for transporting oral cigarettes. For example, according to the present invention, a plurality of pockets that are larger than the oral cigarette that accommodates the transported oral tobacco are arranged radially in the rotating body, and the storage state of the oral tobacco stored in the pocket is detected. And the step of discharging air from the pocket by applying air to the oral cigarette and the step of discharging, and the oral cavity accommodated in the pocket when the accommodation state is not normal. And counting tobacco.

The present invention can also be specified as an oral tobacco transport system including a first conveyor that transports oral tobacco to a rotating body and a second conveyor that transports oral tobacco sent from the rotating body. . Further, the oral tobacco transport system may further include a recovery unit that recovers the oral tobacco that could not be accommodated in the pocket and sends it to the first conveyor.

In addition, the means for solving the problems in the present invention can be employed in combination as much as possible.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique capable of accurately counting the tobacco for oral cavity and discharging the collected predetermined number of oral tobacco groups onto a conveying device such as a conveyor.

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a transport system for an oral tobacco (pouch) according to an embodiment. FIG. 2: shows the enlarged view of the rotary body of the conveying apparatus of the tobacco for oral cavity (pouch) which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 3A shows a diagram in which sensors are added in FIG. FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional view of the rotating drum. FIG. 4: shows the figure which looked at the conveying apparatus of the tobacco for oral cavity (pouch) which concerns on embodiment from the 1st conveyor side. FIG. 5: shows the perspective view which looked at the conveying apparatus of the tobacco for cigarettes (pouch) which concerns on embodiment from the 2nd conveyor side. FIG. 6: shows the system block diagram of the conveying apparatus of the tobacco for oral cavity (pouch) which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 7 shows the flow of processing in the oral tobacco (pouch) transport system according to the embodiment. FIG. 8A shows a state where the oral tobacco (pouch) is accommodated in the pocket of the rotating body. FIG. 8B shows a state where it is detected that the oral tobacco (pouch) is not contained in the pocket of the rotating body and is discharged from the pocket. FIG. 8C shows a state in which a plurality of oral cigarettes (pouches) are detected as being accommodated in the pocket of the rotating body and discharged from the pocket. FIG. 8D shows a state in which air is applied to the oral tobacco (pouch) accommodated in the pocket to move the oral tobacco toward the entrance of the pocket. FIG. 8E shows a state in which the oral cigarettes (pouches) stored in the pockets are counted. FIG. 8F shows a state in which air is applied to the oral cigarette (pouch) housed in the pocket and is sent to the second conveyor. FIG. 8G shows a state where it is detected whether or not the oral tobacco (pouch) remains in the pocket after the oral tobacco (pouch) is sent to the second conveyor. FIG. 8H shows a state in which air is applied to the oral tobacco (pouch) remaining in the pocket and the oral tobacco (pouch) is discharged from the pocket.

Hereinafter, an oral tobacco transport device and a transport method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Transport system>
FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of an oral tobacco transport system 100 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a transport system) including an oral tobacco transport device 5 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a transport device) according to an embodiment. . The conveyance system 100 conveys a pouch-shaped oral cigarette (hereinafter referred to as a pouch 1). Here, the pouch 1 will be briefly described. The pouch 1 is obtained by cutting or pulverizing a tobacco raw material and then processing it, for example, a particle having a particle size of several mm or less, that is, snus (SNUS), which is a tobacco powder, is wrapped with a packaging material such as a non-woven sheet. Is. The pouch 1 has a size of about 20 to 40 mm in length and about 10 to 20 mm in width, for example. However, the shape and size of the pouch 1 are not limited to specific ones, and various types can be adopted. The snus in the pouch 1 is adjusted to a water content of about 20 to 50%, for example. By transporting the pouch 1 with the moisture amount adjusted and the addition of the fragrance by the transport system 100 according to the embodiment, the pouch 1 is counted and collected into the number (for example, 10) stored in the storage case. . Thereafter, the collected pouch groups are accommodated in the accommodating cases. The pouch 1 is taken out from the storage case, placed in the user's oral cavity, and absorbed by the user through the mucous membrane. Specifically, the pouch 1 is sandwiched between the upper lip and the gums, and tobacco components extracted from snus into saliva are absorbed from the gums into the body.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport system 100 includes a conveyor 2, a feeder 3, a first conveyor 4, a transport device 5, a second conveyor 7, a return feeder 6, and an inclined plate 61.

The conveyor 2 conveys the pouch 1 in which the moisture amount is adjusted to the feeder 3. The feeder 3 aligns the pouches 1 conveyed by the conveyor 2. The feeder 3 can be constituted by various conveying feeders such as a so-called bowl feeder and component feeder. The first conveyor 4 conveys the pouch 1 aligned by the feeder 3 to the rotating drum 51 of the conveying device 5. The first conveyor 4 according to the embodiment includes a corner portion 41 that is bent at 90 degrees and is located in the vicinity of the feeder 3, and a linear portion 42 that continues to the corner portion 41. The conveyance surface of the corner portion 41 is horizontal. On the other hand, the conveyance surface of the linear portion 42 is gradually inclined from the horizontal. And as shown in FIG. 4, the conveyance surface of the linear part 42 finally corresponds with the bottom face of the pocket 511 of the rotating drum 51 which inclines.

The transport device 5 counts the pouch 1 transported by the first conveyor 4. Details of the transport device 5 will be described later. The second conveyor 7 conveys the pouch 1 counted by the conveying device 5 to a work place that accommodates it in the accommodation case. The return feeder 6 is arranged in parallel with the linear portion 42 of the first conveyor 4, and conveys the pouch 1 that is not accommodated in the pocket 511 of the rotating drum 51 to the feeder 3. The inclined plate 61 is provided so as to straddle the first conveyor 2 and the return feeder 6, and guides the pouch 1 that is not accommodated in the pocket 511 of the rotating drum 51 to the return feeder 6. The inclined plate 61 is inclined so that the return feeder 6 side is lower than the first conveyor 4 side, and the pouch 1 that is not accommodated in the pocket 511 of the rotating drum 51 slides down the inclined surface of the return feeder 6. Led to.

<Conveyor>
The transport device 5 includes a rotating drum 51, various air nozzles 52, various sensors 53, and a guide 54.

<Rotating drum>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the rotating drum 51 (corresponding to the rotating body of the present invention) has a circular front surface in which a part of the side portion of the pocket 511 is open, parallel to the front surface, and the same circle as the front surface. The rear surface and a circumferential surface covering the front and rear edges are cylindrical. In the rotating drum 51, pockets 511 for accommodating the pouch 1 are arranged radially. The rotating drum 51 includes a motor (not shown) and is rotatable. The rotation ON / OFF of the rotation drum 51 and the rotation speed are controlled by the electrically connected control device 8. In the present embodiment, twelve pockets 511 are arranged radially at equal intervals on the front side of the rotating drum 51. The pocket 511 is formed to be slightly larger than the pouch 1 and is large enough to accommodate the pouch 1. Specifically, the pocket 511 according to the embodiment is formed so that the depth length is smaller than the longitudinal length (vertical) of the pouch 1 so that the end (ear) of the pouch 1 is exposed, and the width is the pouch. The length is approximately the same as the length of 1 in the lateral direction (horizontal), and the thickness is such that two pouches 1 that overlap each other can be accommodated simultaneously. The entrance portion of the pocket 511 is a horizontally long rectangle, and opens to the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 51 and the front side of the rotating drum 51. In addition, the pocket 511 according to the present embodiment is configured such that a part of the side portion is open to the front surface of the rotary drum 51 so that the accommodation state of the pouch 1 can be easily confirmed from the outside. In addition, a groove 513 that is shallower than the pocket 511 is connected to the back of the pocket 511, and this groove 513 corresponds to a guide portion of the present invention that guides air.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the rotating drum 51 is installed at an angle so that the pouch 1 accommodated in the pocket 511 does not fall from the side (opening on the front side) of the pocket 511 of the rotating drum 51. . Specifically, the rotating drum 51 is tilted so that the front surface of the rotating drum 51 is on the rear side of the reference position with reference to the case where the front surface of the rotating drum 51 is vertical. The inclination angle of the bottom surface (top surface) of the pocket 511 is the same as the inclination angle of the linear portion 42 of the first conveyor 4.

<Various sensors>
The various sensors 53 include a first sensor 532, a counter sensor 533, and a second sensor 534. The various sensors 53 are electrically connected to the control device 8, and the acquired information is sent to the control device 8. As the various sensors 53, existing optical sensors and laser sensors can be used. The first sensor 532 is installed near 11:00 on the front surface side of the rotary drum 51 and detects whether or not a plurality of pouches 1 are contained in the pocket 511. The first sensor 532 according to the embodiment detects the number of ends (ears) of the pouch 1 exposed from the pocket 511. The first sensor 532 may detect whether the pouch 1 is in the pocket 511.

The counter sensor 533 is installed near 4 o'clock on the front side of the rotary drum 51 and counts the pouch 1 accommodated in the pocket 511. In other words, the counter sensor 533 detects whether or not the pouch 1 is accommodated in the pocket 511 that moves as the rotary drum 51 rotates. The detected information is sent to the control device 8 and added by the control device 8.

The second sensor 534 is installed near 5 o'clock on the front side of the rotating drum 51, and after counting, the pouch 1 accommodated in the pocket 511 is sent out to the second conveyor 7, and the pocket 511 (near 5 o'clock). It is detected whether the pouch 1 remains in the pocket 511). Similarly to the first sensor 532, the second sensor 534 can detect the end (ear) of the pouch 1 exposed from the pocket 511.

<Various air nozzles>
As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 5, etc., the various air nozzles 52 include a first air nozzle 525, a

second air nozzle

523, 524, a third air nozzle 527, a fourth air nozzle 528, and a fifth air nozzle. 526 and

sixth air nozzles

521 and 522 are included. The various air nozzles 52 are connected to a compressor (not shown) and are electrically connected to the control device 8. The control device 8 controls the timing of jetting air, the jetting strength, the jetting time, and the like.

The first air nozzle 525 is installed near 11:00 on the front side of the rotating drum 51, and when the first sensor 532 detects that a plurality of pouches 1 are in the pocket 511, the first air nozzle 525 applies air to the plurality of pouches 1. The plurality of pouches 1 are discharged from the pocket 511. The first air nozzle 525 is installed such that the tip of the nozzle points outward from the center of the rotating drum 51 and coincides with the direction of the groove 513 of the pocket 511 near 11:00. In addition, the first air nozzle 525 indicates the tip of the nozzle not on the front surface of the rotating drum 51 but on the rotating drum 51 side. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the air injected from the first air nozzle 525 enters the groove 513, is guided, enters the pocket 511 connected to the groove 513, and is accommodated in the pocket 511. A plurality of pouches 1 are discharged outward. The first air nozzle 525 can also discharge the pouch 1 that could not be discharged by the

second air nozzles

523 and 524 described later.

The

second air nozzles

523 and 524 are installed around 10:00 on the front side of the rotary drum 51 and discharge air. Of the pouches 1 in the pocket 511 located near 10 o'clock, when the pouch 1 protrudes greatly from the pocket 511, air hits the protruding region and the pouch 1 is discharged from the pocket 511. The

second air nozzles

523 and 524 may be configured by any one of the air nozzles.

The third air nozzle 527 is installed near 4 o'clock on the front side of the rotating drum 51, and after counting by the counter sensor 533, air is applied to the pouch 1 housed in the pocket 511 located near 4 o'clock, and the pocket The pouch 1 is discharged from 511 and sent to the second conveyor 7. In addition, since the bottom of the pocket 511 located near 4 o'clock is inevitably inclined, the accommodated pouch 1 slides down the bottom of the pocket 511 by its own weight, but the third air nozzle 527 injects air. Thus, the pouch 1 can be sent out more reliably. The tip of the third air nozzle 527 is designed in the same manner as the tip of the first air nozzle 525 described above. The air jetted from the third air nozzle 527 enters the groove 513, is guided, enters the pocket 511 connected to the groove 513, and discharges the pouch 1 accommodated in the pocket 511 outward.

The fourth air nozzle 528 is installed near 6 o'clock on the front side of the rotating drum 51, and when the second sensor 534 detects that the pouch 1 remains in the pocket 511 located near 5 o'clock, the pouch 1 The pouch 1 is discharged from the pocket 511 located near 6 o'clock by applying air to the. In addition, the pocket 511 located near 6 o'clock has an inlet portion directly below, and the stored pouch 1 falls due to its own weight, but by injecting air with the third air nozzle 527, more reliably, The pouch 1 can be discharged from the pocket 511. The tip of the fourth air nozzle 528 is designed in the same manner as the tip of the first air nozzle 525 described above. The air injected from the fourth air nozzle 528 enters the groove 513, is guided, enters the pocket 511 connected to the groove 513, and discharges the pouch 1 accommodated in the pocket 511 outward.

The fifth air nozzle 526 is installed near 3 o'clock on the front side of the rotary drum 51, and makes it easier to send the pouch 1 stored in the pocket 511 to the second conveyor 7 before counting by the counter sensor 533. Air is applied to the pouch 1 accommodated in the pocket 511 located near 3 o'clock to move the pouch 1 toward the entrance of the pocket 511. Further, by moving the pouch 1 in the direction of the entrance of the pocket 511, the main body of the pouch 1 is exposed, and the counter sensor 533 can detect the pouch 1 more accurately.

The

sixth air nozzles

521 and 522 are installed in the vicinity of the rotary drum 51 on the first conveyor 4, and when the pouch 1 conveyed by the first conveyor 4 is stored in the pocket 511, air is applied to the pouch 1. The pouch 1 is moved in the back direction of the pocket 511 located in the 9 o'clock direction. The

sixth air nozzles

521 and 522 are installed so that the tip of the nozzle points to the rotary drum 51, and the air jetted from the

sixth air nozzles

521 and 522 hits the pouch 1 on the first conveyor 4 and is The pushed pouch 1 is accommodated in a pocket 511 located near 9 o'clock. The pouch 1 conveyed by the first conveyor 4 can be accommodated in the pocket 511 even if there is no air injection from the

sixth air nozzles

521, 522, but by injecting air from the

sixth air nozzles

521, 522 The pouch 1 can be stored in the pocket 511 more reliably. Note that the

sixth air nozzles

521 and 522 may be configured by any one of the air nozzles.

<Guide>
The guide 54 is installed outside the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 51 so as to cover the circumferential surface with a predetermined distance from the circumferential surface. The guide 54 according to the embodiment is installed from around 12:00 to around 3 o'clock, and prevents the pouch 1 from dropping from a pocket 511 located near 12:00 to a pocket 511 located near 3 o'clock.

<Control device>
As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 8 includes an information processing device having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, an input device such as a keyboard, and a display device including a display. For example, the input device can set the number of pouches discharged in one cycle (setting the number of pouches constituting the pouch group), set the waiting time from the end of the cycle count to the cutout, set the transport speed of each conveyor, The setting of the rotational speed of the rotating drum 51, the setting of the time from when the rotating drum 51 stops until it rotates again, and the like are accepted. The CPU executes a control program for the transport system 100 or the transport device 5 stored in the memory, and based on information detected by the various sensors 53, ON / OFF of the rotating drum 51, adjustment of the rotational speed, and each conveyor And various air nozzles 52 are controlled.

<Processing flow in transport device>
FIG. 7 shows a flow of processing in the transport system according to the embodiment. The processing in the transport device 5 may be executed by a control program for each device, or all devices may be executed by one control program. The control program for the transport system 100 includes a control program for the conveyor 2, a control program for the feeder 3, a control program for the return feeder 6, a control program for the first conveyor, a control program for the rotating drum, a control program for the second conveyor, The control program of various air nozzles 52 is illustrated. The control device 8 drives the conveyor 2, the feeder 3, the return feeder 6, the first conveyor 4, the second conveyor 7, and the rotating drum 51 according to the set conditions according to various control programs, and starts detection by the various sensors 53. . In addition, the control device 8 ejects air from the

sixth air nozzles

521 and 522. Hereinafter, it demonstrates along conveyance of a pouch.

In step S01, the pouch 1 on which the moisture amount is adjusted and the fragrance is added is conveyed to the feeder 3 by the conveyor 2. The conveyor 2 conveys the pouch 1 at a preset conveyance speed.

In step S02, the feeder 3 conveys the pouch 1 conveyed by the conveyor 2 while being aligned. The feeder 3 also conveys the pouch 1 at a preset conveyance speed.

In step S03, the pouch 1 aligned by the feeder 3 is conveyed to the rotating drum 51 of the conveying device 5 by the first conveyor 4. The 1st conveyor 4 is continuously driven so that it may become the same conveyance speed as the conveyance speed of the feeder 3, for example. The conveyance speed of the first conveyor 4 is set to be faster than the rotation speed of the rotary drum 51.

In step S04, as shown in FIG. 8A, the pouch 1 is continuously supplied to the rotary drum 51, and the air injected from the

sixth air nozzles

521 and 522 is applied to the pouch 1 and pressed by the air. The pouch 1 is accommodated in a pocket 511 located near 9 o'clock of the rotary drum 51. The rotating drum 51 is intermittently operated so as to repeat the stop and start at 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, ... 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock.

In step S05, as shown in FIG. 8B, air is jetted from the

second air nozzles

523 and 524 installed around 10:00. When the pouch 1 protrudes greatly from the pocket 511, the air hits the protruding area and the pouch 1 is discharged from the pocket 511.

In step S06, as shown in FIG. 8C, whether or not a plurality of pouches 1 are contained in the pocket 511 is detected by the first sensor 532 installed near 11:00. The detected information is sent to the control device 8. Based on the detected information, the control device 8 determines whether or not there are a plurality of pouches 1 in the pocket 511, and if there are a plurality of pouches 1 in the pocket 511, the first air nozzle installed around 11:00 Air is injected from 525. The injected air hits the plurality of pouches 1 and the plurality of pouches 1 are discharged from the pockets 511.

In step S07, as shown in FIG. 8D, air is jetted by the fifth air nozzle 526 installed around 3 o'clock. This air jet is weaker than the air jetted from the first air nozzle 525 and the

second air nozzles

523 and 524, so that the pouch 1 accommodated in the pocket 511 is easily sent to the second conveyor 7, or This is performed in order to detect the pouch 1 more accurately by the counter sensor 533. Air hits the pouch 1 housed in the pocket 511 located near 3 o'clock, and the pouch 1 moves toward the entrance of the pocket 511.

In step S08, as shown in FIG. 8E, the pouch 1 accommodated in the pocket 511 is counted by the counter sensor installed at around 4 o'clock. The detected information (count) is sent to the control device 8. Based on the detected information, the control device 8 determines whether the number of pouches discharged in one cycle (for example, 10) has been reached. When the number of pouches discharged in one cycle is reached, the rotation of the rotating drum 51 is stopped for a predetermined time, and the rotation is restarted after the predetermined time has elapsed. While the rotating drum 51 is stopped, the pouch 1 is not sent out from the rotating drum 51 to the second conveyor 7. Therefore, when the rotation is resumed, the interval between the other pouches 1 between the last pouch 1 before the stop and the first pouch 1 after the rotation resumed is conveyed by the second conveyor 7. A wide interval is also formed. As a result, the number of pouches 1 discharged in one cycle set in advance can be transported as a group on the second conveyor 7.

In step S09, as shown in FIG. 8F, air is injected by the third air nozzle 527 installed at around 4 o'clock. The injected air is accommodated in a pocket 511 located near 4 o'clock, hits the pouch 1 that is about to slide down the bottom surface of the pocket 511, and the pouch 1 is discharged from the pocket 511. The discharged pouch 1 is conveyed by the second conveyor 7.

In step S10, as shown in FIG. 8G, the second sensor 534 installed around 5 o'clock detects whether the pouch 1 remains in the pocket 511 after counting. The detected information is sent to the control device 8. The control device 8 determines whether or not the pouch 1 remains in the pocket 511 based on the detected information.

In step S11, as shown in FIG. 8H, when the pouch 1 remains in the pocket 511, air is jetted by the fourth air nozzle installed around 6 o'clock. The injected air hits the pouch 1 that is about to fall from the pocket 511 located near 6 o'clock, and the pouch 1 is discharged from the pocket. The discharged pouch 1 can be collected and put into the feeder 3.
Thus, one cycle is completed. The control device 8 repeatedly executes the above processing until the predetermined number of cycles is reached or there is a stop command.

<Effect>
In the transport device 5 according to the embodiment, the pocket 511 of the rotary drum 51 is large enough to accommodate the pouch 1. Therefore, the pouch 1 which is indefinite and difficult to be accommodated can be efficiently accommodated in the pocket. Further, the

sixth air nozzles

521 and 522 are provided, and the pouch 1 can be accommodated in the pocket 511 more reliably by injecting air from the

sixth air nozzles

521 and 522.

Further, when the pocket 511 is enlarged, there is a concern that, for example, two pouches 1 are accommodated in the pocket 511 at the same time. In particular, the pouch 1 contains a relatively large amount of moisture, and the conveyed pouches 1 tend to stick to each other. Therefore, if the pocket 511 is large, the possibility that a plurality of pouches 1 are accommodated in the pocket 511 increases. If a plurality of pouches 1 are accommodated in one pocket 511, the pouches 1 cannot be accurately counted. In this regard, in the transport device 5 according to the embodiment, the first sensor 532 detects whether or not there are a plurality of pouches 1 in the pocket 511, and when the plurality of pouches 1 are in the pocket 511, the first air nozzle A plurality of pouches 1 can be discharged from the pocket 511 by the air injected from 525. Therefore, the pouch 1 can be accurately counted. Further, by controlling the rotation and stop of the rotary drum 51, the number of pouches 1 discharged in one cycle set in advance can be conveyed as a group. As a result, the working efficiency of housing the pouch 1 in the housing case is improved.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the oral tobacco transport device and transport method according to the present invention are not limited to these, and can include combinations of these as much as possible. Further, it goes without saying that various modifications can be added to the above-described embodiments within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the number of pockets 51 can be changed as appropriate. Accordingly, the installation positions of the various sensors 53 and the various air nozzles 52 can be changed. In the embodiment, the various sensors 53 and the various air nozzles 52 are installed outside the rotating drum 51, but the various sensors 53 and the various air nozzles 52 may be installed inside the rotating drum 51.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pouch 2 ... Conveyor 3 ... Feeder 4 ... 1st conveyor 5 ... Conveying device 51 ... Rotary drum 511 ... Pocket 52 ... Various air nozzles 53 ... Various sensors 54... Guide 6... Return feeder 7... Second conveyor 8.

Claims

A pocket that is larger than the oral cigarette for accommodating the transported oral tobacco;
A rotating body in which a plurality of the pockets are radially arranged around the rotation axis;
A sensor for detecting the accommodation state of the oral tobacco housed in the pocket;
When the accommodation state is not normal, an air blowing unit that applies air to the oral tobacco and discharges the oral tobacco from the pocket;
A counter that counts the tobacco for oral cavity that is provided at a later stage than the air discharging means in the rotation direction of the rotating body; and
Oral cigarette transport device comprising:
A control unit for controlling the rotating body, the sensor, the air blowing unit, and the counter;
2. The oral tobacco transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stops the rotation of the rotating body when the count by the counter reaches a predetermined number, and restarts the rotation after a predetermined time elapses.
2. The oral tobacco transport device according to claim 1, wherein the pocket includes an air guiding portion that is connected to a back side of the pocket and guides air from the air blowing portion to the oral tobacco accommodated in the pocket. .
The sensor includes a first sensor that detects whether or not the oral cigarette is contained in the pocket.
The air blowing section includes a first air blowing section that applies air to the oral tobacco and discharges the oral tobacco from the pocket when it is detected that a plurality of the oral tobacco are contained in the pocket. The cigarette transport apparatus for oral cavity according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
After the counting by the counter, further comprising a third air blowing unit that applies air to the oral tobacco accommodated in the pocket, discharges the oral tobacco from the pocket, and sends the tobacco to the next process conveyor. Item 5. The oral cigarette transport device according to any one of Items 1 to 4.
A second sensor for detecting whether or not the oral cigarette stored in the pocket is sent to a conveyor in the next process after the counting by the counter, and whether or not the oral tobacco remains in the pocket;
And a fourth air blowing section for applying air to the oral tobacco and discharging the oral tobacco from the pocket when it is detected that the oral tobacco remains in the pocket. Item 6. The oral cigarette transport device according to any one of Items 1 to 5.
Before counting by the counter, in order to make it easy to send the oral tobacco accommodated in the pocket to the conveyor of the next process, air is applied to the oral tobacco accommodated in the pocket to remove the oral tobacco in the pocket. The oral tobacco transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a fifth air blowing section that moves in the entrance direction.
When the transported oral cigarette is accommodated in the pocket, it further includes a sixth air blowing section that applies air to the oral cigarette and moves the oral cigarette in the depth direction of the pocket. The cigarette transport device for oral cavity according to any one of 7.
A plurality of pockets that are larger than the oral cigarette in a radial manner to accommodate the transported oral cigarette, and detecting a stowed state of the oral cigarette stored in the pocket; and
If the accommodation state is not normal, applying air to the oral cigarette and discharging the oral tobacco from the pocket; and
Performed after the discharging step, counting the tobacco for oral cavity accommodated in the pocket;
A method for transporting cigarettes for oral cavity comprising