CN1993061B - equipment for transferring rod-shaped objects - Google Patents

Abstract

Filters (2) dispensed from a hopper (6) are taken up by aspirating flutes (13) on the periphery of a rotating drum (11) and transferred to a pneumatic feed duct (5) along which each one is propelled in turn toward a filter tip attachment machine (4). A transfer station (27) located beneath the drum (11) is occupied by a body (14) of which a first portion functions as a concave sealing block (19) capable of movement between a first position of contact with the cylindrical face of the drum (11), and a second position distanced from the drum (11) ; the feed duct (5) includes a channel (29) incorporated into a second portion (20) of the body (14), and therefore integral with the sealing block (19), so that with the block distanced from the drum (11), the channel (29) assumes a position in which the opposite ends are exposed and accessible, allowing an operator to clean the duct or remove a blockage.

Description

equipment for transferring rod-shaped objects

technical field

The present invention relates to apparatus for transferring rod-shaped objects such as cigarette filters. In particular, it relates to a product of equipment for transferring filters from an in-line storage unit located in the outer feed section of a filter maker to the inlet of a pneumatic feed conduit connected to the feed hopper forming part of a filter tip attachment.

Background technique

The prior art includes, for example, apparatus disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,827,757, which includes a hopper filled with a large number of filter tips stacked horizontally side by side with each other; The propulsion is transferred one by one to the inlet of the pneumatic feed duct.

The above-mentioned transfer of the filters from the bottom end of the hopper to the inlet of the conduit is usually effected by means comprising a drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and arranged parallel to the axis of each filter and fed to a drum extending parallel to the axis of rotation. Peripheral suction slots, each capable of holding a single filter.

The filters drop from the hopper into the grooves of the drum due to gravity and, after a peripheral turn of 180° or so, enter a transfer table individually and continuously where each filter in turn is surrounded by a stream of compressed air , and is thus directed along the pneumatic conduit towards the filter tip attachment.

The apparatus disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,827,757 also includes a sealing block connected to the bottom of the drum and presenting a cylindrical concave surface cooperating with the cylindrical surface of the same drum.

The seal block is vertically movable between a raised first position and a lowered second position, in which the seal block is in substantial contact with the cylindrical surface of the drum, enclosing the groove of the drum when the apparatus is in operation , in this second position, the sealing block is away from the drum, thereby enabling regular cleaning or other service operations, such as clearing clogs that can occur when the filter is tightly secured in a groove of the drum or in the inlet of the pneumatic conduit.

It has been found, however, that for certain types of clogging, especially when the filter is completely or almost completely inserted into the mouth of the catheter, it is very difficult to clear the filter, even when the sealing block is away from the transfer station.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device for transferring rod-shaped objects, generally filters for cigarettes, which device does not suffer from the disadvantages mentioned and has a simple and straightforward embodiment.

Contents of the invention

In order to achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for transferring rod-shaped objects, comprising: a device through which objects are distributed; a pneumatic feed conduit through which said objects are transferred to a user machine; a drum, rotatable about a respective axis, and provided with a plurality of suction axial slots, through which said objects are taken out of the dispensing device and transferred via a transfer table to said pneumatic feed conduit at which said groove is axially aligned with the inlet of said pneumatic feed conduit; and a sealing block having a cylindrical concave surface facing the and cooperating with the cylindrical surface of the drum, the seal block is movable between a first position and a second position in which the seal block substantially contacts the cylinder of the drum at the transfer station On the surface, in the second position, the sealing block is away from the drum, characterized in that the pneumatic feed conduit comprises a movable part, which is implemented in one piece with the sealing block and serves as an inlet part through which, when said sealing block occupies said first position, a connection is established between a groove of said drum and a fixed part of said same conduit.

Description of drawings

The invention will now be described in detail by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 schematically shows a device for transferring filters according to the invention in a first operating position in a partial cutaway front view;

Figures 2 and 3 show the apparatus of Figure 1 in two other different operating positions;

Figure 4 shows schematically and in perspective a detail of Figure 1 in an exploded view;

Figure 5 schematically and three-dimensionally shows the device of Figure 1 seen from the direction of the letter F, and omits some parts to better show other parts;

6 and 7 schematically show a detail of FIG. 4 in plan view and in two operating positions corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2 .

Detailed ways

Referring to Figures 1 and 5 of the accompanying drawings, the reference number 1 denotes in its entirety the apparatus by which a rod-shaped object 2 comprising a filter for a cigarette is transferred from a dispensing device 3 to a user's machine schematically represented by a box 4, And the user machine comprises a filter tip attachment as pneumatic feed conduit 5 .

Said dispensing device 3 comprises a funnel 6 having a front wall and a rear wall denoted by reference numerals 7 and 8 respectively and connected by two side walls 9 and 10 . The filters 2 are stacked transversely to the side walls 7 and 8 of a funnel 6 which is sealed at the bottom by a drum 11 which is arranged to rotate about an axis 12 extending transversely to the side walls 7 and 8 and which The periphery provides a plurality of suction axial slots 13, each able to accommodate a single filter 2.

As also shown in FIG. 4 , the device 1 also comprises a body 14 of elongate appearance, positioned below the drum 11 diametrically opposite the funnel 6 and aligned on an axis A parallel to the axis of rotation 12, The bottom of the body 14 presents a flat horizontal plane 15, its sides present two vertical planes 16 parallel to the axis A, while the two opposite ends present a vertical rear indicated by reference numeral 17 and represented by reference numeral 18 represents a vertical front.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 , in a direction following the pneumatic feed duct 5 , the body 14 presents a first portion or sealing block 19 located directly below the drum 11 , and a second portion extending beyond the right end face 21 of the drum 11 20.

The above-mentioned sealing block 19 is delimited uppermost by a cylindrical concave surface 22 facing and cooperating with the cylindrical surface of the drum 11 so as to act as a radial closure element covering all the grooves 13 , surrounded by an arc denoted by reference numeral 23 (see FIG. 4).

The second portion 20 is uppermost delimited by a flat horizontal surface 24 and adjoins the concave surface 22 at the end provided to the drum 11 by a vertical surface 25; observing Figures 1 and 4, this surface 25 is substantially facing and in contact The lower part 26 of the right end face 21 presented by the drum 11 .

In particular, the concave surface 22 provides an element by which to close and seal the lower part of the drum 11 in the transfer table 27 into which the individual filters 2 are guided, preferably by rotational displacement. , and when the corresponding slot 13 occupies the table 27, each filter tip 2 is pneumatically discharged from the transfer table 27 by means of an inlet portion 28 in the form of a groove 29 that is integrated into the second part 20 and aligned axially with the slot 13 into the feed conduit 5.

In particular, the groove 29 provided by the second part 20 of the body 14 conforms to the movable part of the pneumatic feed conduit 5 and acts as a channel connecting the groove 13 of the drum 11 and the pneumatic feed conduit 5 in the operating position of FIG. 1 . An inlet portion 28 of the fixed portion 5a.

As shown in Figures 4, 6 and 7, the body 14 is mounted, together with an insertion slide, generally indicated by 30, on a support, generally indicated by 31, and is therefore capable of reciprocating movement parallel to axis A, the support The device can then be moved vertically between two defined positions as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 .

In particular, the sliding device 30 comprises a slider 32 fixed to the underside of the body 14 and two sliding rails 33 extending parallel to the axis A of the same body and at opposite ends Fixed to the support device 31 .

The slide 32 presents a substantially rectangular shape with a predominant dimension extending parallel to the axis A of the body 14 and presents two transverse blocks 34a and 34b each providing a pair of sand outlet holes 35 to accommodate the track 33. The two blocks 34a and 34b are connected to each other by a web 36 .

The supporting means 31 comprises a framework 37 of substantially elongated rectangular appearance, which mainly comprises two longitudinal bars 38 extending parallel to the axis A and connected by two transverse bars 39a and 39b, Each transverse bar is at one end to which two slide rails 33 are anchored at opposite ends.

The support means 31 also comprise a vertical shaft 40 capable of being reciprocated by the actuating means schematically represented by the block 41, which is inserted through the slot 42 of the web 36 of the slider 32, and Its top end is secured to the middle transverse bar 43 of the frame 37 .

The central transverse bar 43 extends outwardly beyond the longitudinal bar 38 to form two lugs 44 which provide corresponding bushings 45 to slidably receive two vertical guide bars parallel to the vertical axis 40 46 (see Figures 5, 6 and 7).

With the arrangement described above, the actuating means 41 are able to translate the body 14 in the vertical direction towards and away from the drum 11 (see FIGS. 1 and 3 respectively), while the body 14 itself remains free to slide parallel to the axis A.

As shown in Figures 4, 6 and 7, located between the left transverse bar 39a and the corresponding block 34a of the slider is a spring device 47 implemented as a compression coil spring 48 which surrounds the slide rail 33, and thus can exert a pushing force on the slider 32 and thus on the body 14, guided from left to right as shown in FIG. 1 .

Likewise, the forming part of the device is a coupling part 49, arranged just downstream of the above-mentioned second part 20, and provides a movable groove in the second part 20 of the body 14 as long as the groove 29 occupies the position of Fig. 1 A pneumatic connection is established between 29 and the fixed part 5a of the conduit 5, the groove 29 serving as the inlet part of the feed conduit 5 in the position of FIG.

The coupling part 49 is embodied axially movable along the axis A of the body 14 and is notably slidable on a tubular element 50 incorporating the inlet of the fixed part 5 a and inserted into the same coupling part 49 .

The above-mentioned axial movement is caused by corresponding actuating means 51 shown in blocks, and takes place between two defined positions, one of which is that of the coupling part 49 and the body 14 as shown in FIG. The position of airtight contact between the transverse fronts 18 assumed by the second portion 20 ; in another position shown in FIG. 2 , the coupling portion 49 is remote from the transverse fronts 18 , thus breaking the aerodynamic continuity of the feed duct 5 .

Looking at Figures 2 and 7, it can be seen that separation of the coupling portion 49 from the transverse front 18 occurs when the slider 32 loaded against the spring 48 is aligned against a stop element 52 which is separated from the frame A corresponding bar 39b of 37 protrudes towards block 34b.

In operation, the filter tips 2 descending from the funnel 6 due to gravity are housed in the grooves 13 of the drum 11, as shown in FIG. In this transfer station 27 , each filter 2 is stopped in alignment with the outlet 53 of a duct 54 connected to a source 55 of compressed air.

Referring to Fig. 1, and assume that in normal operation of the transfer device 1, a single filter tip 2 is pneumatically propelled from the tank 13 along the feed conduit 52, through the groove 29, the coupling portion 49 and the fixed portion 5a of the conduit 5, thus towards Filter tip attachment4.

In the event of clogging, for example due to the filter 2 being completely or partially stuck at the inlet of the feed duct 5 and thus inside the groove 29, the operator will be able to remove the filter from the device 1 thanks to the construction described above by carrying out the following successive steps. Remove obstacles.

Starting from the normally functioning state shown in FIG. 1 , whereby the movable part and the groove 13 of the drum 11 are connected to each other, the coupling part 49 is caused by the actuating means 51 to move away from the drum 11 by sliding on the tubular element 50 .

During this first phase of sliding, the body 14 moves under the pressure of the spring means 47 and the coupling portion 49 which initially remains in contact with the transverse front face 18 follows, causing the surface 25 of the second part 20 to separate from the corresponding end face 21 of the drum 11 .

Since the surface 25 of the second part 20 is remote from the end face 21 of the drum 11 , the movable part is separated from the groove 13 of the drum 11 , thereby breaking the aerodynamic continuity of the feed duct 5 .

In the second phase of sliding, the lateral front 18 of the body 14 separates from the coupling portion 49 as shown in FIG.

In this state, the body 14 is implemented free of constraints and can be brought into the position of FIG. 3 by corresponding actuating means 41 .

The position now occupied by the groove 29 is such that both ends are free and accessible, allowing the operator to carry out any necessary maintenance work, for example by means of pneumatic or mechanical tools.

Importantly, this same step of moving the body 14 away from the transfer station 27 facilitates the removal of filters that may become lodged between the movable groove 29 and the inlet of the coupling portion 49 .

Claims (10)

1. An apparatus for transferring rod-shaped objects, comprising: a device (3) through which the object (2) is dispensed; a pneumatic feed conduit (5) through which said object (2) is transferred to a user machine (4); a drum (11), rotatable about a respective axis (12), and provided with a plurality of suction axial slots (13), through which said objects (2) are removed from the dispensing device (3) and transferred to the pneumatic feed conduit (5) through a transfer table (27), where the tank (13) and the pneumatic feed conduit (5) ) inlets are axially aligned; and A sealing block (19) having a cylindrical concave surface (22) facing and cooperating with the cylindrical surface of the drum (11), the sealing block (19) can be movement between a position in which the sealing block (19) substantially contacts the cylindrical surface of the drum (11) at the transfer station (27) and a second position in which , the sealing block (19) is away from the drum (11), It is characterized in that, Said pneumatic feed conduit (5) comprises a movable part implemented integrally with said sealing block (19) and serving as an inlet part (28), when said sealing block (19) occupies In said first position, a connection is established between a groove (13) of said drum (11) and a fixed portion (5a) of said same duct (5) through the inlet portion (28). 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pneumatic feed conduit (5) further comprises a coupling portion (49), which is arranged between the inlet portion (28) and the between said fixed parts (5a) and can also be caused by corresponding actuating means (51) in an operating position in contact with said inlet part (28) of said pneumatic feed conduit (5) and in a position remote from said between the operating positions of the same inlet section (28) described above. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said sealing blocks (19) are mounted on corresponding support means (31) which can be transverse to said drum (11) The axis of rotation (12) is moved so as to alternate between said first position substantially in contact with said drum and said second position remote from said drum, and said apparatus further comprises sliding means (30) which slide The device (30) is arranged between the support device (31) and the sealing block (19), through which the sliding device (30) makes the sealing block (19) and the pneumatic feeding conduit (5) Said movable part is slidable in a direction parallel to said axis of rotation (12) of said drum (11). 4. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said sealing blocks (19) are mounted on respective support means (31) capable of being transverse to said drum (11) The axis of rotation (12) is moved so as to alternate between said first position substantially in contact with said drum and said second position remote from said drum, and said apparatus further comprises sliding means (30) which slide The device (30) is arranged between the support device (31) and the sealing block (19), through which the sliding device (30) makes the sealing block (19) and the pneumatic feeding conduit (5) Said movable part is slidable in a direction parallel to said axis of rotation (12) of said drum (11). 5. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that said sealing block (19) and the movable part of said pneumatic feed duct (5) can slide between a first operating position and a second position, In the first operating position, the movable part is connected to a groove (13) of the drum (11), in the second position the movable part leaves the groove (13) of the drum (11). 13) and thus breaks the pneumatic continuity of said feed conduit (5). 6. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that said sealing block (19) and the movable part of said pneumatic feed duct (5) can slide between a first operating position and a second position, In the first operating position, the movable part is connected to a groove (13) of the drum (11), in the second position the movable part leaves the groove (13) of the drum (11). 13) and thus disrupt the aerodynamic continuity of the feed duct (5). 7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that said coupling portion (49) is in contact with said inlet portion (28) of said pneumatic feed conduit (5) due to said actuating means (51 ). ) to move between a position in contact with and a position away from said same inlet portion (28), so the said movable portion is connected or separated from said groove (13) of said drum (11) respectively. first position and second position. 8. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a body (14) consisting of a first part and a second part (20), the first part constituting the sealing block (19) , the second part (20) incorporates a groove (29) constituting said movable part of said pneumatic feed conduit (5). 9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said second portion (20) of said body (14) has a vertical surface (25) adjoining said concave into the surface (22) and provide a lower portion (26) of one face (21) of the drum (11) so that when the second portion (20) occupies the first working position, the vertical surface (25) is aligned in contact with the lower portion (26), and when the second portion (20) occupies the second operating position, the vertical surface (25) and the The lower part (26) is separated. 10. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it is used for transferring the filters (2) of cigarettes.

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