DE1241744B - Process for forming a stream of tobacco for cigarette manufacture - Google Patents

Description

GERMAN VMTWl PATENT OFFICE

EDITORIAL

German class: 79 b -16

Number: 1241 744

File number: A 40583 DI / 79 b

1 241 744 filing date: June 30, 1962

Open date: June 1, 1967

The invention relates to a method for forming a stream of tobacco for the production of cigarettes Short tobacco and long-fiber tobacco distributed as evenly as possible by sorting the tobacco into a short tobacco stream and a long tobacco stream by means of an inclined vibrating screen and loosening of the long tobacco stream and subsequent merging of the two tobacco streams.

It is already known to remove the cut tobacco from the supply by means of a carding roller to separate the short tobacco and then to knock it out as a shower by means of a further chopping roller and to feed this shower to a vibrating screen. While the short tobacco falls through this vibrating sieve, the long-fiber tobacco and any matted tobacco lumps slide down on the sieve by themselves into a vertical storage shaft, not only as a result of the shaking movement, but also as a result of their own weight. There is a risk that the long-fiber tobacco or the tobacco lumps sliding down the vibrating screen will drag with them a considerable proportion of the short-fiber tobacco, which can impair the sorting effect. In addition, due to the steep incline of the vibrating screen, there is no loosening of the long-fiber tobacco or even the tobacco lumps. In order to prevent possible blockages of this storage shaft by the long-fiber tobacco or by lumps of tobacco, one wall of this storage shaft is also designed as a vibrating wall. It is understandable that this shaking transversely to the direction of movement of the tobacco causes the tobacco, in particular the tobacco lumps, to be compressed even further or even partially broken by this mechanical stress, which is highly undesirable for further processing. In order, as mentioned, to be able to process the tobacco still further compressed in the storage shaft, in particular the tobacco lumps, the storage shaft is followed as a further processing step by a conventional loosening device consisting of serrated rollers, behind which the tobacco is poured into the forming channel of the cigarette machine. The short tobacco removed from the vibrating screen is also combined with this shower. However, this short tobacco had to undergo a number of further processing steps behind the vibrating screen, namely it falls behind the vibrating screen on a moving conveying surface, is accumulated behind this to a small supply, from which the method for forming a tobacco stream for
the cigarette production

Applicant:

American Machine & Foundry Company ₅
New York, NY (V. St. A.)

Representative:

Dr.-Ing. W. Reichel, patent attorney,
Frankfurt / M., Parkstr. 13th

Named as inventor:

Arthur Kingsley Fisher ffoulkes, Geneva (Switzerland)

Claimed priority:

V. St. v. America July 3, 1961 (121703) - -

Short tobacco is again taken by a carding roller abas, pulled evenly by combing rollers and then knocked off from the carding roller by a chopping roller as the mentioned further shower .

From all of this it can be seen that in the known training not only the long-fiber tobacco, but also the short tobacco of a plurality of processing steps arranged one behind the other is subjected. There is a risk that the structure of the tobacco filling will not be as desired maintains a high degree of evenness. Another major disadvantage of this method is therein to see that the stream of long tobacco is first fed to a storage shaft and only afterwards is loosened up.

It is therefore the object of the invention to achieve a stream of tobacco for the production of cigarettes of as uniform a structure as possible with as few processing steps as possible and thus the lowest possible mechanical stress on both long-fiber and short-fiber tobacco. According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the loosening of the stream of long tobacco takes place simultaneously with the sorting. As a result, the long tobacco stream is subjected to the lowest possible mechanical stresses and the risk of the tobacco being broken is largely reduced. Furthermore, the invention

709 588/122

according to the process step achieved the formation of more uniform tobacco fillings.

According to a further feature of the invention, the stream of long tobacco is crushed and renewed Subject to sorting process. By shredding excessively long tobacco fibers and sorting them becomes a further improvement in the uniformity of the tobacco flow for cigarette manufacture achieved.

It is already known to let a stream of tobacco fall completely through a vibrating sieve. Although the tobacco is loosened up on this vibrating screen, it is not sorted into two streams of tobacco, and therefore the known vibrating screen is not designed as a vibrating conveyor. Therefore, when arriving at the to be screened tobacco stream about at intervals accumulations of short tobacco or long tobacco, these accumulations are completely dissolved by the Seven not so that they also behind the sieves in the tobacco stream when so maybe not in their original expression always still exist. As a result, however, there is still the risk that the tobacco flow for the subsequent cigarette production will have irregularities.

The invention will then be described in more detail with reference to the drawings of several exemplary embodiments explained. It shows

F i g. 1 schematically shows a cross-section through a device that corresponds to the sorting device according to the invention is upstream and in which the tobacco fibers are pretreated,

2 shows a schematic cross-sectional representation of the device according to the invention for sorting of tobacco in a short and long tobacco stream and to loosen up the long tobacco stream,

Fig. 3 is a further schematic cross-sectional representation of a modified embodiment for Pretreatment or separation and shortening of the long-fiber tobacco and

4 shows a schematic cross-sectional illustration of a further embodiment according to the invention for sorting the tobacco into a short and long tobacco stream and for loosening up the long tobacco stream.

The device according to the invention according to FIG. 2 for sorting the tobacco into a short and a long tobacco stream and for loosening up the long tobacco stream during sorting is the one shown in FIG. 1 device shown upstream. This has a vibrating screen 10 with passage openings that are larger than 10 sqmm. One end of the vibrating screen 10 is connected to a crank drive 12 via a drive joint 14. This drive 12 contains a motor which has two pairs of eccentric counterweights which are offset by 180. Each of these counterweights is connected to one edge of the vibrating screen, the direction of oscillation of which is controlled by the inclined drive joints 14. As a result of the vibrations of the vibrating screen, the tobacco fibers are conveyed upwards against a carding roller 16 which rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow. Since the tobacco fed to the vibrating screen is vibrated as it moves upward, the short tobacco, the tobacco fibers of the correct length and the tobacco stalks fall through the vibrating screen onto a vibrating conveyor 19. On the

Vibrating sieve 10 therefore only hold back the tobacco fibers that are too long. Due to the vibrations of the vibrating screen, these are finally introduced into the carding roller 16 , which is partially surrounded by a casing 18 .

Rotating, circular knives 20 reach through openings in the casing 18 and cut the tobacco fibers that are too long into short pieces that pass through the vibrating screen 10 . All the fibers that are not yet of the correct length migrate again and again against the carding roller and are there cut to the desired length by the knives 20. Instead of the rotating knives 20 , a toothed comb can also be used. The vibrating conveyor 19 is, as in FIG. 1, in communication with a conduit 24 connected to a source of induced draft. The short tobacco and the tobacco fibers with the correct length are sucked up in the pipe 24 , while the tobacco stalks fall into a waste container 26 due to their greater weight. However, it can also be modified from the one shown in FIG. 1, an air stream next to the discharge end of the vibrating conveyor 19 can be directed obliquely upward. As shown in FIG. 2, the short tobacco and tobacco fibers are fed with the correct length through the pipeline 24 to a second vibrating screen 27 , which is operated via a drive joint 28 by the same crank drive as the vibrating screen 10 or the vibrating conveyor 34 . In order to keep the vibrations of the device itself as small as possible, the two vibrating screens can be balanced against each other. The pipeline 24 ends in an enlarged section 30 which has a conventional air lock 32 . The vibrating screen 27 has openings which are approximately 10 square mm, so that the short tobacco can fall down onto the vibrating conveyor 34 , while the tobacco fibers of the desired size are retained on the vibrating screen 27 . The vibrations of the vibrating screen 27 move the tobacco fibers with the correct size towards the end of the screen. There they are taken over by a revolving carding roller 36 , which regulates the allocation of the tobacco fibers for further transport into the cigarette manufacturing machine. Through the vibrating screen 27 of cut tobacco is divided into a Kurztabak- and a long tobacco stream consequently, the long tobacco stream is loosened simultaneously with the sorting on the vibrating 27th

The arrangement is such that the vibrating screen 27 preferably performs about 1000 vibrations per minute with a total stroke of about 1.25 cm and that the vibrating conveyor 34 compensates for this movement with a phase shift of 180 °. The suspension joints that control the movement of the vibrating screen 27 or the vibrating conveyor 34 can be inclined at an angle of about 60 to 70 ° with respect to the surface of the vibrating screen or vibrating conveyor, which in turn are inclined upwards about 10 ° from the horizontal.

Further exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 using conveyor belts in place of the vibrating conveyor. As shown in FIG. 3, this exemplary embodiment has a container 40 . A conveyor belt 42 is provided in the upper part of the container and runs over a drive roller 46 and an idle roller 44.

The conveyor belt 42 can pick up a few pounds of tobacco and convey it in the direction indicated by the arrow.

A further conveyor belt 48, which runs over rollers 50 and 52, is arranged transversely opposite one end of the conveyor belt 42. Conventional teeth or drivers are arranged in an inclined position on the surface of the belt 48. This arrangement makes it easier to grasp and pick up the tobacco that is fed by the conveyor belt 42. As in FIG. 3, the ends of the conveyor belts 42 and 48 may be separated from each other. However, they should be at such a distance from one another that only a small part of the tobacco supply between the belts can fall down onto the vibrating screen 53. The conveyor belt 42 is driven at such a speed that it feeds in just as much tobacco as the conveyor belt 48 can convey further. This avoids tobacco accumulation at the end of the conveyor belt. The purpose of the conveyor belt 48 is to continuously accumulate a small supply of tobacco at the entrance end of the vibrating screen 53. In this embodiment according to the invention, the vibrating screen z. B. openings with a diameter of 1.25 cm.

At the other end and below the vibrating screen 53 , a rotating serrated roller 54 is arranged in a concave housing, which processes the tobacco fibers that are too long. The concave housing 56 is arranged slightly above the lower end of a suction air conduit 58 . The tobacco fibers present in the correct length are conveyed upwards from the delivery side of the endless conveyor belt 62, which is arranged directly below the vibrating screen 53 . The conveyor belt 62 is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow by a drive roller 64 and runs over an idle roller 66. A waste container 67, which is provided below the drive roller 64 and the end of the pipe 58 , receives the tobacco stalks which are too heavy. If necessary, a rotating leveling roller 60 can be mounted above the conveyor belt 62 in order to achieve a uniformly thick layer of tobacco.

The method of operation of the device described above is as follows: A certain amount of tobacco is applied to the conveyor belt 42 and passed on to the conveyor belt 48 . The teeth on the belt 48 pick up a certain amount of the cut tobacco and let it fall onto the vibrating end of the vibrating screen 53. To achieve good results, the conveyor belt 48 is driven synchronously with the vibration speed of the vibrating screen 53 (and thus with the speed at which the tobacco fibers are removed) so that a small amount of cut tobacco is always present at the end of the vibrating screen in the form of a pile 68 .

When the vibrating screen is vibrated, the short tobacco and the tobacco fibers fall through the vibrating screen with the correct length and reach the conveyor belt 62. The long tobacco migrates into the concave housing 56, where it is processed into short tobacco by the serrated roller 54 and onto the Conveyor belt 62 is applied. The tobacco fibers and the tobacco stalks on the conveyor belt 62 finally reach a point in the vicinity of the drive roller 64 at which the tobacco stalks fall into the container 67 due to their greater weight,

while the tobacco fibers are sucked up through the conduit 58 .

The cut tobacco sucked through the pipe 58 is fed to another device for further processing, e.g. B. one in the F i g. 2 or 4 shown device.

The F i g. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment according to the invention, which likewise sorts the cut tobacco into a stream of short tobacco and a stream of long tobacco, while at the same time the stream of long tobacco is loosened up during the sorting. This device has a pneumatic conveyor 70 or a conveyor 70 operating according to another principle with an enlarged end in which a rotating air lock 71 is provided. Provided below the air lock 71 is a vibrating screen 74 which can be made to vibrate by a crank drive 76. In this embodiment, the size of the sieve openings is preferably about 1 mm.

ao The aforementioned conveyor is operated so that a pile of cut tobacco 78 is maintained at the end of the vibrating screen near the crank drive 76. Provided below the vibrating screen 74 is an endless conveyor belt 80 which is driven by the drive roller 82 in the direction indicated by the arrow and runs over an idle roller 84 . At the end of the vibrating screen 74 and below the same, a carding roller 86 is arranged, which regulates the forwarding of the tobacco fibers with the correct length. A serrated roller 88 is provided above the carding roller 86 , which rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow and wipes off the excess of tobacco fibers on the carding roller 86. A tamping device 90, which can consist of a reciprocating plunger 90 , presses the tobacco fibers onto the carding roller 86 . A counterclockwise rotating chopping roller 92 knocks the tobacco out of the carding roller 86 , which arrives as a shower on the conveyor belt 87 , which feeds the cut tobacco to a device forming the cigarette shape.

The short tobacco which falls through the vibrating screen 74 is transported by the conveyor belt 80 into a container 94 , which serves as a receptacle between the vibrating screen and the point at which the short tobacco is mixed with the tobacco fibers in the correct amount. This container compensates for changes in the ratio of long tobacco to short tobacco in the original tobacco supply. As in FIG. 4, the container 94 is funnel-shaped and arranged below the conveyor belt 80 . The container 94 is also arranged above a small metering roller 98 which is provided with wings which form measuring pockets. From here the tobacco arrives on a collecting conveyor belt 91, which takes over the continuation of the tobacco flow.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, the container 94 and the metering roller 98 together form a limited tobacco supply space. A remnant of short tobacco is located in the container 94 and can be dispensed onto the collecting conveyor belt 91 . This tobacco supply ensures that, despite changes in the ratio between long tobacco and short tobacco in the original tobacco supply, a uniform stream of tobacco can be fed to the device forming the cigarette shape.

The in the F i g. 4 operates in the following way: The cut tobacco is from a

Claims (7)

Tobacco supply via a conveying device 70 or another in FIGS. 1 and 3 is supplied to the device shown and applied to the end of the vibrating screen 74 in a controlled amount. The cut tobacco is preferably fed in at such a speed that there is an excess of tobacco at this end. The tobacco is sorted on the vibrating sieve 74, the short tobacco falling through the vibrating sieve and reaching the conveyor belt 80, which introduces the short tobacco into the container 94, from where it is guided in a controlled amount onto the collecting conveyor belt 91. The long tobacco remaining on the vibrating screen 74 is made to vibrate and is conveyed against the roller arrangement 86, 88 and discharged in a controlled amount onto the collecting conveyor belt 91. In this way, the short tobacco and the long tobacco are mixed with one another in the desired ratio. By regulating the supply of short tobacco and long tobacco it is achieved that the tobacco stream which is fed to the part of the machine forming the cigarette shape has short and long tobacco in such a ratio that the cigarettes produced from them have the desired high strength and good smoking properties own. The device according to the invention can be built into or attached to cigarette making machines. The pneumatic line for separating the tobacco stalks from the tobacco stream can be used as a pneumatic conveyor for transporting the tobacco fibers over a relatively large distance. Claims: 35 1. Method for forming a tobacco stream for cigarette manufacture with as uniform as possible distributed short tobacco and long fiber tobacco by sorting the tobacco into a stream of short tobacco and a long tobacco stream by means of an inclined vibrating screen and loosening up the stream of long tobacco and then merging it of the two streams of tobacco, characterized in that the loosening of the stream of tobacco is simultaneous with sorting takes place. 2. The method according to claim \, characterized in that the stream of long tobacco is crushed and is subjected to a new sorting process. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that for weeding out the heavy Stalk particles or the like subjected the merged tobacco stream to a known air classification will. 4. Device for forming a tobacco stream for cigarette manufacture, for carrying out the A method according to claim 1, including an inclined vibrating screen for sorting the tobacco into one Short tobacco stream and a long tobacco stream and means for loosening up the long tobacco stream, characterized in that the vibrating screen is designed as a vibrating conveyor with an incline, which prevents the tobacco from slipping due to its own weight. 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the vibrating screen is 10 square mm in size has openings. 6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the vibrating screen extends obliquely upwards at an angle of about 10 ° to the horizontal. 7. Apparatus according to claim 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that the vibrating screen is approximately 1000 vibrations per minute with a working stroke of about 12.5 mm. Considered publications:
German patent specifications No. 506 807, 644 430,
i2 003, 683 555, 710 245. 1 sheet of drawings 709 588/122 5.67 © BundesdruckereiBerlin