Transferring apparatus for transferring and method for transferring of rod-like articles of tobacco industry, and apparatus for conversion of configuration of a stream of such articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11213065-B2
Application number	US-201816609452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2018
Priority date	May 29, 2017
Publication date	Jan 4, 2022
Grant date	Jan 4, 2022

Abstract

The object of the application is a transferring apparatus (1) for transferring of a stream of rod-like articles (40) from an apparatus (100) feeding rod-like articles to an apparatus (200) receiving the rod-like articles in the machines of the tobacco industry, whereas in the feeding apparatus (100) the rod-like articles (40) are conveyed in a first stream (S1) of rod-like articles in which the rod-like articles are arranged in a first configuration, and in the receiving apparatus (200) the rod-like articles (40) are conveyed in a second stream (S2) of rod-like articles in which the rod-like articles (40) are arranged in a second configuration, comprising: a transferring wheel (30); non-slidable lugs (33) situated on the circumference of the transferring wheel (30); a guiding surface (34) to guide the rod-like article, the rod-like articles being conveyed axially, tangentially to the guiding surface (34); characterised by having a slidable lug (22) being slidable relative to the circumference of the transferring wheel (30) by means of a drive mechanism (10) so that the said slidable lug (22) varies its position relative to an adjacent non-slidable lug (33).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transferring apparatus ( 1 ) for transferring of a stream of rod-like articles ( 40 ) from an apparatus ( 100 ) feeding rod-like articles to an apparatus ( 200 ) receiving the rod-like articles in the machines of the tobacco industry, whereas in the feeding apparatus ( 100 ) the rod-like articles ( 40 ) are conveyed in a first stream (S 1 ) of rod-like articles in which the rod-like articles are arranged in a first configuration, and in the receiving apparatus ( 200 ) the rod-like articles ( 40 ) are conveyed in a second stream (S 2 ) of rod-like articles in which the rod-like articles ( 40 ) are arranged in a second configuration, comprising:
a transferring wheel ( 30 );
non-slidable lugs ( 33 ) situated on the circumference of the transferring wheel ( 30 );
a guiding surface ( 34 ) to guide the rod-like article, the rod-like articles being conveyed axially, tangentially to the guiding surface ( 34 );

characterised in that
the apparatus has a slidable lug ( 22 ) being slidable relative to the circumference of the transferring wheel ( 30 ) by means of a drive mechanism ( 10 ) so that the said slidable lug ( 22 ) varies its position relative to an adjacent non-slidable lug ( 33 ).

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 characterised in that the slidable lug ( 22 ) is attached to an arm ( 20 ) being rotatably attached on the axis of rotation ( 31 ) of the transferring wheel ( 30 ).

3. The apparatus as in claim 1 characterised in that the slidable lug ( 22 ) is attached to an arm ( 20 ) being attached rotatably eccentrically relative to the axis of rotation ( 31 ) of the transferring wheel ( 30 ).

4. The apparatus as in claim 1 characterised in that the rotary drive mechanism ( 10 ) is rotatably or slidably coupled with the arm ( 20 ) of the lug ( 22 ) at a coupling point (K), whereas the distance of the coupling point (K) from the axis of rotation ( 11 ) of the drive mechanism ( 10 ) cyclically varies during rotation of the drive mechanism ( 10 ).

5. The apparatus as in claim 4 characterised in that the drive mechanism ( 10 ) is provided with a drive disc ( 13 ) having a guiding groove ( 12 ) engaged with a coupling mandrel ( 23 ) attached to the arm ( 20 ).

6. The apparatus as in claim 5 characterised in that the drive disc ( 13 ) is attached eccentrically relative to the axis of rotation ( 31 ) of the transferring wheel ( 30 ).

7. The apparatus of claim 1 characterised by having at least two slidable lugs ( 22 ) and at least two non-slidable lugs ( 33 ) arranged alternately.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 characterised in that the guiding surface ( 34 ) is the circumferential surface of the transferring wheel ( 30 ).

9. The apparatus of claim 1 characterised in that the guiding surface ( 34 ) is a cylindrical surface situated above the circumferential surface of the transferring wheel ( 30 ).

10. The apparatus for the conversion of configuration of a stream of rod-like articles in the machines of the tobacco industry comprising:
an apparatus ( 100 ) feeding rod-like articles in which a first stream (S 1 ) of rod-like articles is conveyed and from which the rod-like articles ( 40 ) are fed to a transferring apparatus ( 1 ), whereas the rod-like articles ( 40 ) in the first stream (S 1 ) are arranged in a first configuration;
a transferring apparatus ( 1 ) for transferring of the rod-like articles according to claim 1 , whereas the rod-like articles are transferred to a receiving apparatus ( 200 ); and
a receiving apparatus ( 200 ) for receiving rod-like articles in which a second stream (S 2 ) of rod-like articles is conveyed, whereas the rod-like articles ( 40 ) in the second stream (S 2 ) are arranged in a second configuration.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 characterised in that the feeding apparatus ( 100 ) is provided with a separating cam ( 111 ) designed to feed the rod-like articles and situated in a plane perpendicular to the transferring plane.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 characterised in that the feeding apparatus ( 100 ) has a feeding wheel designed to feed the rod-like articles and situated in a plane perpendicular to the transferring plane.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 characterised in that the feeding apparatus ( 200 ) is a belt conveyor.

14. A method for transferring of a rod-like article from an apparatus ( 100 ) feeding the rod-like article to an apparatus ( 200 ) receiving the rod-like article by means of a transferring apparatus ( 1 ) provided with a transferring wheel ( 30 ) and with lugs ( 22 , 33 ) wherein
the rod-like articles are fed from the feeding apparatus to the transferring apparatus,
the rod-like articles are conveyed in the transferring apparatus, setting input distances between the rod-like articles in the transferring apparatus,
the rod-like articles are transferred from the transferring apparatus to the receiving apparatus keeping the input distances of the transferring apparatus between the successive rod-like articles,

characterised in that
during conveying of the rod-like articles in the transferring apparatus the rod-like articles are shifted relative to one another so that the input distances between the rod-like articles are varied to the output distances by changing the relative position of a slidable lug relative to an adjacent non-slidable lug in the conveying apparatus.

15. The method of claim 14 characterised in that the input distances are uniform, and the output distances are alternately uniform.

Assignees

• Int Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp Zoo

Inventors

• Lisowski Andrzej
• Cieślikowski Bartosz

Classifications

• A24C5/327

  Construction details of the cigarette transport drum · CPC title

• A24D3/0287 Primary

  for composite filters · CPC title

• B65G29/02

  for inclined or vertical transit · CPC title

• A24D3/02

  Manufacture of tobacco smoke filters · CPC title

• A24C5/478 Primary

  Transport means for filter- or cigarette-rods in view of their assembling · CPC title