Conveying device for rod-shaped products and method for operating the same

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveying device (1) for taking out rod-shaped products (2) from a product storage device (3), comprising at least one shaft (4) for guiding the rod-shaped products (2) in a single row and in a transverse direction, wherein a rotatable transfer element (5) having a groove (6) for the rod-shaped products (2) is arranged downstream of the shaft (4) with respect to the conveying direction of the rod-shaped products (2), and the transfer element places the rod-shaped products (2) into a cavity (7) of a central roller (8) for transversely axially transferring the rod-shaped products (2) to the central roller (8). The invention relates to a method for transporting rod-shaped products (2) to the ground, wherein a rotatable insertion wheel (9) is arranged between a downstream opening of a shaft (4) and a transfer element (5), the insertion wheel being designed to transfer rod-shaped products (2) to the transfer element (5) in a separated and transversely axial manner, wherein a groove (6) of the transfer element (5) is designed to receive the rod-shaped products (2) delivered by the insertion wheel (9) and can be loaded with negative pressure, wherein the rod-shaped products (2) delivered by the insertion wheel (9) can be held in the groove by means of the negative pressure. The invention also relates to a corresponding method for operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a conveyor device for removing rod-shaped products from a product store having the features of the preamble of claim 1 and to a method for operating a conveyor device having the features of the preamble of claim 8 . Background Art

[0002] The rod-shaped product can be, for example, a rod-shaped smoking product, such as a cigarette, a cigarillo, a heat-not-burn product (HNB product) or a similar product, which is provided for inhalation by a consumer. In addition to or instead of tobacco, a pleasant-smelling or medicinal substance for inhalation can also be provided. The rod-shaped product can also refer to a primary product of a smoking product, such as a filter rod, a tobacco rod with a tobacco material that is stabilized in shape by a wrapping strip, a section of a HNB product, such as a tubular cooling section, a section that influences taste, etc., which are then connected with other primary products to form a finished rod-shaped smoking product.

[0003] The rod-shaped product is carried in a conveying device with a very large conveying speed and is manufactured and further processed with a very large amount. Here, in different positions of the production process, the rod-shaped product is carried from a very large reservoir with a very large flow rate.

[0004] The rod-shaped products are stored in a storage device in the form of a stack with longitudinal axes oriented parallel to one another, wherein the rod-shaped products are preferably oriented such that their end sides respectively form planes oriented parallel to one another and the stack therefore has a thickness corresponding to the length of the rod-shaped products in the storage device.

[0005] The rod-shaped products are transferred from the storage to the cavity of the central drum and transported away transversely to its longitudinal axis. In order to achieve a high transport capacity, the removal drum has a relatively large diameter and has a plurality of cavities arranged in the outer circumference, which are arranged at very small intervals, i.e., at very small divisions. In addition, in order to achieve process-reliable reception of the rod-shaped products from the storage, the central drum is driven at a relatively low rotational speed and a low peripheral speed of the cavity. In addition, the central drum has a particularly deep cavity or a cavity with a wall that is enlarged on one side, so that the rod-shaped products can be removed from the storage in a process-reliable manner.

[0006] The conveying of the rod-shaped products from the storage device to the central drum is facilitated by gravity in that the storage device is arranged above the central drum and has an opening facing the central drum, through which the rod-shaped products are discharged in the direction of the central drum.

[0007] For example, a conveying device is known from the publication EP 2 999 361 B1. Summary of the invention

[0008] Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide a conveying device and a method which provide for an improved conveying of rod-shaped products from a product store.

[0009] In order to achieve this object, a conveyor device is proposed having the features of claim 1 and a method for operating a conveyor device having the features of claim 8. Further preferred embodiments can be gathered from the dependent claims, the drawings and the associated description.

[0010] According to the basic concept of the present invention, according to claim 1, a conveying device for taking out rod-shaped products from a product storage device is provided with at least one shaft for guiding rod-shaped products in a single row and in a transverse axial direction. A rotatable transfer element having a groove for rod-shaped products is arranged downstream of the shaft with respect to the conveying direction of the rod-shaped products, and the transfer element places the rod-shaped products into the concave cavity of the central roller for transverse axial transportation. A rotatable insertion wheel is arranged between the downstream opening of the shaft and the transfer element, and the insertion wheel is configured to transfer the rod-shaped products separately and in a transverse axial direction to the transfer element. The groove of the transfer element is configured to receive the rod-shaped products delivered by the insertion wheel and can be loaded with negative pressure. The rod-shaped products delivered by the insertion wheel can be kept in the groove by means of negative pressure.

[0011] The proposed solution makes it possible to remove the rod-shaped products from the product storage and convey them to the central drum in a particularly protective manner, by first effectively preventing the clamping or squeezing of the laterally conveyed rod-shaped products during separation by means of a rotatable insertion wheel. In this case, the insertion wheel also temporarily assumes the blocking function for those rod-shaped products that are positioned upstream of the separated laterally conveyed rod-shaped products in the product flow. In addition, the transfer element that can be loaded with negative pressure can also be used to transport the rod-shaped products in a very protective and especially process-reliable manner, because the process of transferring to the central drum can be carried out very accurately in a controlled and controlled manner. When the transfer element, which can also be called a removal cam, is transported by negative pressure, the rod-shaped products will not experience any sliding process on the product surface, thereby minimizing the load on the rod-shaped products. Because the rod-shaped products do not slide on the machine parts, it is simultaneously achieved that the service life of the machine parts will not be reduced due to sliding marks or grinding (Einschliff) and corresponding downtime. This measure is particularly effective in the area of ​​the transfer element, since when the rod-shaped products are conveyed onto the central drum they must be accelerated to the speed of the central drum, which can result in high relative speeds with strong friction effects.

[0012] According to an advantageous development, it is proposed that the insertion wheel is designed as an insertion wheel pair. This advantageous embodiment has two cooperating insertion wheels between which the rod-shaped products are fed out transversely and axially and separately. The embodiment of the insertion wheel as an insertion wheel pair further reduces the risk of clamping or squeezing the rod-shaped products to be transported, since a rigid wall for supporting the rod-shaped products relative to a single insertion wheel pair can be omitted. This also reduces the load on the rod-shaped products and reduces undesirable sliding processes on the conveying device.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the conveying device, a rotating pin and / or a vibrating pin are arranged at the upper end of the at least one shaft. The rotating pin and / or the vibrating pin are preferably arranged in the transition area between the product storage for storing rod-shaped products and the shaft for single-row, transverse axial delivery to the transfer element, in order to improve the transition from the multi-row or multi-layer arrangement in the product storage to the single-row arrangement in the shaft. The transition to the single-row arrangement in the shaft can be mainly achieved by the funnel-shaped structure of the product storage toward the shaft. The rotating pin and / or the vibrating pin are advantageously arranged at the end of this funnel-shaped structure to further improve the protective delivery of the rod-shaped products. The rotating pin is preferably actively driven. In an alternative embodiment, a passive rotating pin is also possible, which rotates according to the applied product pressure. The vibrating pin is actively operated and preferably vibrates at a frequency of 0.1 Hz to 100 Hz, further preferably 20 Hz to 40 Hz. In a preferred embodiment, the vibration is performed around the longitudinal axis of the vibration pin, that is, the axis around which the vibration pin vibrates is parallel to the main axis of the rod-shaped product being conveyed.

[0014] According to an improvement, it is proposed that the transfer element is servo-driven. By driving the transfer element with the aid of a servo motor, a precise and differentiated motion control of the transfer element can be achieved, so that, for example, the rod-shaped product can be removed at a significantly reduced rotational speed. In addition, in a possible advantageous improvement, the removal process can be carried out in the stationary position of the transfer element, that is, at a rotational speed of zero. In a preferred embodiment, the transfer to the central roller is carried out synchronously with the speed of the central roller at the transfer point.

[0015] The conveying device preferably has a plurality of shafts arranged side by side, which have respectively assigned insertion wheels and transfer elements for taking out the rod-shaped products from the product storage and conveying them to the central roller. In this way, the rod-shaped products can be transferred to the central roller in a parallel manner by means of the plurality of transfer elements, thereby increasing the speed of the central roller and / or reducing the load on the rod-shaped products when conveying them to the central roller. When transferring to the central roller in a parallel manner, it can be provided, for example, depending on the number n of shafts and assigned transfer elements, that the rod-shaped products are transferred by the transfer elements only to every n-th cavity of the central roller.

[0016] In an advantageous embodiment, the conveying device has at least two shafts, which are supplied with rod-shaped products from the same product storage. Two insertion wheel pairs, each with two insertion wheels, are arranged below the two shafts or also downstream in the conveying direction, which transfer the separated, transversely conveyed rod-shaped products to three transfer elements. The two transfer elements preferably have two different transfer positions on the central drum, wherein in this embodiment, the individual transfer elements transfer the rod-shaped products only to every second cavity of the central drum.

[0017] According to one improvement, the distance between the receiving point on the corresponding transfer element downstream of the corresponding insertion wheel and the corresponding transfer point for insertion into the cavity of the central drum is greater than the distance between the rotation points of adjacent transfer elements. As a result, a greater number of transfer elements for conveying to the central drum can be used on the conveying device, thereby allowing a lower conveying frequency for the transfer elements, which has a lower product load and a higher process stability.

[0018] In a possible advantageous embodiment, the groove of the transfer element for inserting the rod-shaped product into the cavity of the central drum can be loaded with an overpressure. This allows for improved control of the transfer from the transfer element to the central drum, since the holding of the rod-shaped product by means of negative pressure loading can be completed in a shorter period of time. Furthermore, the movement of the rod-shaped product from the transfer element to the central drum can be accelerated by loading with overpressure.

[0019] According to the basic idea of ​​the present invention, according to claim 8, a method for operating a conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is proposed, the method comprising the following steps:

[0020] - orienting the groove of the transfer element in such a way as to face the downstream opening of the wellbore;

[0021] - The rod-shaped products are separately sent out from the shaft by the rotation of the insertion wheel;

[0022] - receiving the rod-shaped product on the groove of the transfer element and applying negative pressure to the groove of the transfer element;

[0023] - rotating the transfer element and accelerating the rod-shaped product held by the negative pressure;

[0024] The negative pressure acting on the grooves is switched off and transferred to the cavity of the continuously rotating central drum.

[0025] The method allows the rod-shaped products to be removed from the shaft in a protective manner for the rod-shaped products while achieving a high level of process reliability. The conveying device advantageously operates in a collision-free manner.

[0026] In addition, it is proposed that the rotatable transfer element completely rotates. This means that the transfer element completes a complete circular movement with each transfer process of the rod-shaped product.

[0027] As an alternative, it is proposed that the rotatable transfer element swings. This means that the transfer element completes two changes of direction with each transfer process and does not complete a complete circular motion. The transfer element moves on the same motion trajectory from receiving the rod-shaped product until the rod-shaped product is transferred to the central roller and after the transfer to the central roller, it returns to the receiving position with an orientation toward the downstream opening of the shaft. Complete rotation is avoided, thereby making it possible to accurately control the movement with the help of a servo drive and to make it particularly easy to produce pipelines in the grooves of the transfer element for applying negative pressure, and if necessary negative pressure and overpressure. In addition, in this case, the spacing between the individual shafts of the conveying device can be reduced because the range of motion of the transfer element is smaller.

[0028] In an advantageous embodiment, all transfer elements below a plurality of shafts are operated at the same delivery frequency. The delivery frequency can correspond, for example, to the rotational speed of the transfer element. According to an advantageous improvement, it is proposed that the transfer elements are operated at the same delivery frequency with operating cycles shifted relative to one another.

[0029] In addition, it is proposed that the transfer element has a minimum rotation speed when the groove of the transfer element is positioned in an orientation toward the downstream opening of the shaft for receiving and has a maximum rotation speed when transferring to the central drum. Accordingly, it is possible to change between the two positions when the rod-shaped products are transported at a minimum relative speed, which improves process reliability. Correspondingly, in this advantageous embodiment, the transfer element does not rotate at a constant speed. In an advantageous embodiment, the minimum speed for removing the rod-shaped products is zero. In another advantageous embodiment, the transfer element accelerates after receiving the rod-shaped products until the rod-shaped products are transferred. In a preferred embodiment, the rotation speed of the transfer element is adapted to the rotation speed of the central drum when transferring to the central drum, so that the circumferential speed in the groove and in the cavity is the same at the transfer point. When the transfer element is returned after being transferred to the central drum, it can temporarily drive at a rotation speed greater than the maximum rotation speed during transfer, because in this case there is no rod-shaped product that must be maintained.

[0030] According to a further development, it is provided that after the negative pressure application to the groove has been switched off, the groove is acted upon with an overpressure in order to be transferred to the cavity of the central drum. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The present invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings using preferred embodiments.

[0032] Figure 1 A conveying device with three shafts for rod-shaped products is shown;

[0033] Figure 2 Three shafts of a conveyor with a central drum are shown;

[0034] Figure 3 , 4 5 shows instantaneous photographs of the transfer element in different positions; and

[0035] Figure 6 A conveying device with a central roller for rod-shaped products is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] exist Figure 1, an embodiment of a conveying device 1 for rod-shaped products 2 from a product storage 3 is shown. The rod-shaped products 2 are stored in the product storage 3 in a stack with longitudinal axes oriented parallel to one another, wherein the rod-shaped products 2 are preferably oriented in such a way that their end sides each form a plane oriented parallel to one another, and the stack therefore has a thickness corresponding to the length of the rod-shaped products 2 in the product storage 3. The rod-shaped products 2 are each shown only at their end sides in the figures. In the present embodiment, the product storage 3 has three funnel-shaped inlets 12, which merge at the upper ends of three shafts 4, which are used to guide the rod-shaped products 2 in a single row and transversely axially. These shafts 4 are in principle adjacent to each other below the product storage 3, so that a product flow into the shafts 4 is generated according to gravity.

[0037] In this advantageous embodiment, a rotating pin 11 is provided in the transition region of the funnel-shaped inlet 12 to the shaft 4, which prevents the rod-shaped products 2 from getting stuck during the transition to the single-row stack and correspondingly facilitates the protective transport of the rod-shaped products 2. In an alternative embodiment, a vibrating pin 11 can also be provided instead of the rotating pin or in combination with the rotating pin 11, which has a similar improvement in the protective transport.

[0038] Protective conveying allows improved production, since even relatively sensitive rod-shaped products 2, such as tobacco material and / or filter material which are dimensionally stabilized by wrapping rods, can be conveyed without damage, which reduces malfunctions and improves the quality of the product.

[0039] In the shaft 4, the rod-shaped products 2 are transported downstream in a single row and transversely, that is, perpendicular to their longitudinal axis or main axis. Insertion wheels 9 are arranged at the downstream openings of the three shafts 4 respectively. The insertion wheels 9 can also be called cavity rollers and have recesses for the rod-shaped products 2 that are closely arranged to each other over the entire circumference. In the present embodiment, the insertion wheels 9 below the shaft 4 are made into an insertion wheel pair 10. The insertion wheel pair 10 includes two insertion wheels 9, which rotate synchronously and in opposite directions so that the rod-shaped products 2 can be transported separately between the pair of insertion wheels 9. For the insertion wheel pair 10, no counterpressure is required compared to the surface that does not move relative to the transported rod-shaped products 2, so that a particularly protective separation can be achieved with a small friction on the rod-shaped products 2. In addition, product extrusion and defective separation are avoided by means of the insertion wheels 9.

[0040] The insertion wheel set 10 delivers the separated rod-shaped products 2 transversely and axially to the transfer element 5, which is arranged downstream with respect to the product flow. Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the transfer element 5 is arranged below the shaft 4, wherein the shaft 4 extends in a straight line.

[0041] In an alternative embodiment, the shaft 4 may also be curved, so that the transfer element 5 is different from Figure 1 A downstream arrangement can be advantageous.

[0042] The transfer element 5 arranged downstream of the opening of the shaft 4 has a groove 6 which can be loaded with negative pressure. Therefore, the surface of the groove 6 of the transfer element 5 has a permeable area, through which a suction mechanism or suction air is connected, so that the rod-shaped product 2 can be held in the groove 6 by means of the negative pressure between the groove 6 and the rod-shaped product 2.

[0043] In order to receive the rod-shaped products 2, the transfer element 5 is rotated into a position facing the insertion wheel set 10 or into a receiving position. Therefore, the groove 6 is oriented opposite to the conveying direction or the product flow so as to be able to receive the rod-shaped products 2 that are separately sent out by the insertion wheel set 10. The rod-shaped products 2 released by the two insertion wheels 9 of the insertion wheel set 10 fall into the groove 6 of the transfer element 5, wherein the groove 6 is subjected to negative pressure in order to hold the rod-shaped products 2 in the groove 6.

[0044] The transfer element 5 then places the rod-shaped product 2 into the cavity 7 of the continuously rotating central drum 7, which is Figure 1 Not shown in the illustration.

[0045] Figure 2 The downstream region of the conveying device 1 with the central drum 7 is shown, wherein the product storage 3 is not shown for the sake of simplicity. Figure 2 In the illustration of , three shafts 4 arranged next to one another are likewise provided, each of which has an associated insertion wheel set 10 of the conveying device 1 and a transfer element 5 .

[0046] In an alternative embodiment, only one shaft 4 with a correspondingly assigned insertion wheel set 10 and transfer element 5 can be provided. The use of a plurality of shafts 4 allows the conveying capacity of the conveying device 1 to be adapted to the product flow conveyed by the central drum 7 and thus also to the production volume of the production machine for rod-shaped products.

[0047] exist Figure 2 The illustration of shows a photograph of a moment in operation with three transfer elements 5 in different stages or orientations. The left transfer element 5 has already assumed an orientation toward the upstream insertion wheel set 10. The insertion wheels 9 of the insertion wheel set 10 have already separated the rod-shaped products 2, but have not yet been turned to such an extent that the rod-shaped products 2 can be handed over.

[0048] The delivery of the rod-shaped product 2 can be seen at the right transfer element 5, the working cycle of which is slightly advanced in time. The right insertion wheel set 10 has continued to rotate relative to the left insertion wheel set 10, thereby releasing or delivering the rod-shaped product 2. According to the arrangement, the rod-shaped product comes out of the insertion wheel set 10 and falls into the groove 6 of the transfer element 5, and the rod-shaped product 2 is sucked in the groove.

[0049] Figure 2 The middle transfer element 5 in the sequence has already moved forward further. While the transfer element 5 has been rotating clockwise, the rod-shaped product 2 is held in the groove 6 loaded with negative pressure. The rod-shaped product 2 is accordingly driven and accelerated. During the rotational movement of the transfer element 5, due to the negative pressure caused in the groove 6 by the negative pressure connection and the resulting holding force on the rod-shaped product 2, a counter-support for holding the rod-shaped product 2 in the groove 6 is not required. Therefore, there is also no frictional contact with a possible counter-support, which facilitates the protective transportation and removal of the rod-shaped product 2 from the product storage 3.

[0050] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 The cutout of the conveying device 1 in FIG. 1 is at a time after about half a working cycle of the transfer element 5. In this instantaneous photograph, the transfer element 5 on the left and on the right is respectively kept Figure 2 The rod-shaped product 2 in the center drum 8 is rotated toward the cavity 7 of the continuously rotating center drum 8. The right transfer element 5 is just before the transfer time and also before the transfer point to the cavity 7 of the center drum 8. The transfer to the center drum 8 is carried out synchronously, that is, the groove 6 of the transfer element 5 and the cavity 7 of the center drum 8 have a minimum distance at the transfer place or transfer point and their speed is adjusted for the transfer time, so that a process-reliable transfer of the rod-shaped product 2 can be carried out. The negative pressure loading in the groove 6 is correspondingly canceled, thereby releasing the rod-shaped product 2 and transferring it to the cavity 7 of the center drum 8, which transports the rod-shaped product 2 transversely and axially on the center drum 8 for further processing.

[0051] Figure 4 Another snapshot of a cutout of the device 1 is shown, in which the Figure 2By comparison, approximately one working cycle of the transfer element 5 has elapsed. The middle transfer element 5 transfers the rod-shaped product 2 to the cavity 7, which is therefore already behind the transfer point on the rotating central roller 8 and is transported transversely and axially on this central roller. The other transfer elements 5 on the left and right are in a position facing the corresponding insertion wheel set 10 in this instantaneous photo. The insertion wheel set 10 on the left has just released the rod-shaped product 2, so that it falls into the groove 6. The transfer element 5 on the right has already received the rod-shaped product 2 and held it by means of negative pressure.

[0052] In this advantageous embodiment, when the transfer element 5 is oriented or positioned relative to the insertion wheel set 10 for receiving the rod-shaped product 2, the transfer element has a minimum rotational speed during this working cycle. When transferring the rod-shaped product 2 into the cavity 7, the rotational speed reaches its maximum value. As soon as the rod-shaped product 2 is received in the groove 6, the transfer element 5 is accelerated and decelerated again after the transfer. This can also be achieved in the case of Figure 2 and 4 It can be seen from the overview that they show approximately the same moments in time with respect to the operating cycle, wherein all transfer elements 5 of the conveying device 1 preferably have the same operating cycle duration. The left and right transfer elements 5 face the opening of the shaft 4 and have only a small angle change between two snapshots. The middle transfer element 5, on the other hand, performs approximately a quarter of a revolution between two snapshots, because it is accelerated for transfer to the central drum 8.

[0053] exist Figure 6 In the instantaneous photograph of , it can be seen on the left and right transfer elements 5 that the transfer elements 5 continue to rotate in the same direction after transferring the rod-shaped products 2 until they reach the upper opening toward the shaft 4 again. Therefore, the transfer element 5 in this embodiment performs a complete rotation in one working cycle, wherein there is no uniform rotation speed during the rotation. In this case, the complete rotation prevents the transfer element 5 from colliding with the rod-shaped products 2 transferred upstream by another transfer element 5 to the central drum 8 in a simple manner.

[0054] Figure 6 Shows Figure 1 The embodiment with a central drum 8, to which the rod-shaped products 2 are transported transversely and axially by the transport device 1. The transfer element 5 places the rod-shaped products 2 only in every n-th cavity 7 on the central drum 8 according to the number n of shafts 4.

[0055] The rod-shaped product 2 transported transversely and axially on the central roller 8 can be transported to various further processing steps. The rod-shaped product 2 can be cut, for example, on the central roller 8, for example in the cutting area 13. The cut sections can then be graded by satellite rollers 14, wherein sections of the rod-shaped product 2 can also be displaced, which can be done by compressed air or by curve-controlled recesses. After placement on a subsequent roller or also on a feed roller 15, further processing steps can then follow.

Claims

1. A conveying device (1) for removing rod-shaped products (2) from a product storage container (3), - having at least one shaft (4) for guiding the rod-shaped products (2) in a single row and transversely and axially, wherein: - a rotatable transfer element (5) having a groove (6) for the rod-shaped product (2) is arranged downstream of the shaft (4) with respect to the conveying direction of the rod-shaped product (2), said transfer element placing the rod-shaped product (2) into the cavity (7) of the central drum (8) for transverse-axial conveyance, It is characterized in that - a rotatable insertion wheel (9) is arranged between the downstream opening of the shaft (4) and the transfer element (5), the insertion wheel being designed to transfer the rod-shaped products (2) to the transfer element (5) in a separated and transversely axial manner, wherein: The groove (6) of the transfer element (5) is designed to receive the rod-shaped product (2) handed over by the insertion wheel (9) and can be loaded with negative pressure, and the rod-shaped product (2) handed over by the insertion wheel (9) can be held in the groove by means of the negative pressure, wherein: - the transfer element (5) is servo-driven, and The conveying device (1) has a plurality of shafts (4) arranged side by side, each shaft having a respectively assigned insertion wheel (9) and transfer element (5) for taking out the rod-shaped products (2) from the product storage device (3) and conveying them to the central roller (8).

2. The conveying device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The insertion wheel (9) is manufactured as an insertion wheel pair (10).

3. The conveying device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that A rotating pin and / or a vibrating pin (11) is arranged at the upper end of the at least one shaft (4).

4. The conveying device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The distance between the receiving point received on the corresponding transfer element (5) located downstream of the corresponding insertion wheel (9) and the corresponding transfer point for insertion into the cavity (7) of the central drum (8) is greater than the distance between the rotation points of adjacent transfer elements (5).

5. The conveying device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The groove (6) of the transfer element (5) can be loaded with an overpressure in order to place the rod-shaped product (2) into the cavity (7) of the central roller (8).

6. A method for operating a conveying device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized by the following steps: - positioning the groove (6) of the transfer element (5) in an orientation facing the downstream opening of the shaft (4); - The rod-shaped products (2) are separately sent out from the shaft (4) by the rotation of the insertion wheel (9); - receiving the rod-shaped product (2) on the groove (6) of the transfer element (5) and applying negative pressure to the groove (6) of the transfer element (5); - rotating the transfer element (5) and accelerating the rod-shaped product (2) held by the negative pressure; The negative pressure acting on the groove (6) is switched off and transferred to the cavity (7) of the continuously rotating central drum (8).

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The rotatable transfer element (5) rotates completely.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The rotatable transfer element (5) oscillates.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that All transfer elements (5) below a plurality of shafts (4) are operated at the same delivery frequency.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that The transfer element (5) has a minimum rotational speed when the groove (6) of the transfer element (5) is positioned in an orientation toward the downstream opening of the shaft (4) and has a maximum rotational speed when transferring to the central drum (8).

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that After the negative pressure applied to the groove (6) is switched off, an overpressure is applied to the groove (6) for transfer into the cavity (7) of the central drum (8).

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