Feeding apparatus for feeding a tobacco industry segment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11470874-B2
Application number	US-202016948913-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2020
Priority date	Oct 21, 2019
Publication date	Oct 18, 2022
Grant date	Oct 18, 2022

Abstract

A feeding apparatus for feeding a tobacco industry segment (C) comprising a hopper ( 12 ) for rods ( 10 C) with a length being a multiple length of the segment (C), a cutting a conveying unit ( 13 ), situated underneath the hopper ( 12 ) for the rods ( 10 C), for cutting the rods ( 10 C) into individual segments (C), whereas from the rod ( 10 C), after cutting the rod ( 10 C), a group (G) of the segments (C) is formed, a transferring unit ( 15 ) situated underneath the cutting and conveying unit ( 13 ), adapted to receive the groups (G) of the segments (C) and to form of them a stream (SF) of the segments (C), whereas the gaps (U) between the groups (G) of the segments (C) in the stream (SF) are retained, and the transferring unit ( 15 ) is adapted to reduce the gaps (U) between the groups (G) so that at the outlet ( 23 ) of the transferring unit ( 15 ) the segments (C) are conveyed without gaps.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A feeding apparatus for feeding a tobacco industry segment (C) comprising
a hopper ( 12 ) for rods ( 10 C) with a length being a multiple length of the segment (C),
a cutting and conveying unit ( 13 ), situated underneath the hopper ( 12 ) for the rods ( 10 C), for cutting the rods ( 10 C) into individual segments (C), whereas from the rod ( 10 C), after cutting the rod ( 10 C), a group (G) of the segments (C) is formed,
a transferring unit ( 15 ), situated underneath the cutting and conveying unit ( 13 ), adapted to receive the groups (G) of the segments (C) and to form of them a stream (SF) of the segments (C), whereas gaps (U) between the groups (G) of the segments (C) in the stream (SF) are retained, and the transferring unit ( 15 ) is adapted to reduce the gaps (U) between the groups (G) so that at an outlet ( 23 ) of the transferring unit ( 15 ) the segments (C) are conveyed without gaps,
characterized in that
the feeding apparatus is provided with a sensor ( 26 ) situated in the area of the outlet ( 23 ) of the transferring unit ( 15 ), whereas the sensor ( 26 ) is adapted to check at least one of segment (C) parameters of a group of parameters comprising: presence of an object ( 11 ) in the segment (C), quality of the object ( 11 ) situated in the segment (C), position of the object ( 11 ) in the segment (C), and quality of the segment (C),
further characterized in that the transferring unit ( 15 ) is provided with a transferring drum ( 20 ), adapted to reduce the gaps (U) between the groups (G), provided with a spiral element ( 21 ) on its lateral surface ( 22 ), whereas the distance (S) between adjacent coils of the spiral element ( 21 ) in the direction parallel to an axis (t) of the transferring drum ( 20 ) decreases in the direction towards the outlet ( 23 ) of the transferring unit ( 15 ).

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 , characterized in that the sensor ( 26 ) is a microwave sensor.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1 , characterized in that the sensor ( 26 ) is an optical sensor.

4. The apparatus as in claim 1 , characterized in that the sensor ( 26 ) is an x-ray sensor.

5. The apparatus as in claim 1 , characterized by being provided with a separating unit ( 24 ) for separating an individual segment (C) from the stream (SF) of the segments (C), comprising a rotatable cam ( 28 ) for pushing the segment (C) out of the stream (SF).

6. The apparatus as in claim 5 , characterized by being provided with a positioning unit ( 25 ) for placing the segment (C) onto a conveyor ( 5 ) adapted to convey a train of segments (A, B, C), whereas the positioning unit ( 25 ) comprises a positioning disc ( 27 ).

Assignees

• Int Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp Zoo

Inventors

• Cieslikowski Bartosz

Classifications

• A24C5/3412 Primary

  by means of light, radiation or electrostatic fields (A24C5/3406 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A24C5/12

  Cutting the ends of filled and rolled cigarettes · CPC title

• A24D3/0216

  the additive being in the form of capsules, beads or the like · CPC title

• A24D3/0295

  Process control means · CPC title

• A24C5/327 Primary

  Construction details of the cigarette transport drum · CPC title