A method and apparatus for loading rods into a loading station

Abstract

A method for loading rods (14) into a hopper (78), wherein an assembly (12) of rods (14) is formed in a container (10) having a U-shaped frame (16), and wherein the assembly (12) of rods (14) is extracted from the frame (16) and inserted into a hopper (78) of a feeding device.

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention generally refers to the handling of rods, and specifically concerns a method for loading rods into a loading station, for example, into a hopper.

[0002] According to another aspect, the invention concerns an apparatus for loading rods into a loading station.Background of the art

[0003] In some fields there is a need to collect rods into boxes at the outlet of a machine that produces such rods and, subsequently, to empty the boxes into a hopper of a feeding device that feeds the rods to a packaging machine.

[0004] For example, in the production of smoking articles, filter rods made of cylindrical rods of filter material, usually cellulose acetate, having a predetermined length are used. Filter rods are intended to be cut in a transverse direction to form filters that are applied to cigarettes.

[0005] The filter rods are produced in a machine having an outlet station in which the finished filter rods are arranged parallel to each other within cardboard boxes having an open front and upper side.

[0006] Full boxes are generally unloaded manually and are closed by applying a cardboard strip along the open upper edge and a cardboard cover on the open front face.

[0007] The closed boxes are then placed on pallets and transported to a warehouse to undergo a certain curing period, the duration of which depends on the type of filter, and which can vary from a few minutes to a few hours.

[0008] Once the curing period has elapsed, the boxes are taken from the warehouse and transported close to a loading area in which a feeder device is arranged with a hopper configured for receiving the filter rods.

[0009] Here the boxes are opened manually on two sides (upper side and front face) and are placed on a tipper, which overturns the boxes and pours the filter rods into the hopper of the feeding device.

[0010] Examples of this prior art are described in US 5106254, US6158194 and JP5095963.

[0011] WO2010143984A1 discloses a method and an apparatus according to the preamble of claims 1 and 9, wherein rod elements contained in a tray outflow through a tilt valve into a receiving channel after the tray is rotated around an axis perpendicular to its back plate.

[0012] In solutions according to the prior art, the filter rods are poured into the hopper of the feeding device by overturning the boxes and making the filter rods fall from above into the upper mouth of the hopper. In this step the filter rods may become askew and may cause jamming of the feeder device and machine downtimes.

[0013] Furthermore, solutions according to the prior art are often difficult to automate and involve a high use of manpower.Object and summary of the invention

[0014] The present invention aims to provide a method for loading rods into a loading station which solves the problems of the prior art.

[0015] According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a method having the characteristics forming the subject of claim 1.

[0016] According to another aspect, the invention concerns an apparatus for loading rods into a loading station having the characteristics of claim 9.

[0017] Preferred embodiments of the invention form the subject of the dependent claims.

[0018] The claims form an integral part of the disclosure provided here in relation to the invention.Brief description of the drawings

[0019] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, given purely by way of non-limiting example, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a partially open container filled with an assembly of rods, Figure 2 is a side view according to arrow II of Figure 1 illustrating the closing step of the open sides of the container of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side view illustrating the container in a closed configuration, Figure 4 is a detail on an enlarged scale of the part indicated by arrow IV in Figure 3, Figure 5 is a partial front view of the container of Figure 3, Figure 6 is a detail on an enlarged scale of the part indicated by arrow VI in Figure 5, Figures 7, 8 and 9 are schematic views illustrating the sequence of extracting the assembly of rods from the container, and Figures 10 and 11 are schematic views illustrating the insertion of the assembly of rods into a hopper.

[0020] It will be appreciated that the attached drawings are schematic and that - in certain figures - some components may not be shown to assist in understanding the Figures.

[0021] It will be appreciated that the various figures may also not be represented on the same scale.Detailed description

[0022] With reference to Figures 1-6, numeral 10 indicates a container configured to receive therein an assembly 12 formed by a plurality of rods 14. Figure 1 shows the container 10 in a partially open configuration, in which it is progressively filled with rods 14 coming from the section of a machine that produces them.

[0023] The container 10 comprises a U-shaped frame 16 including a bottom wall 18 and two side walls 20 parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bottom wall 18. The bottom wall 18 and the two side walls 20 are permanently fixed to each other.

[0024] The container 10 comprises a first and a second front cover 22, 24, connected in a releasable manner to the frame 16 and located on opposite sides of the frame 16 so as to close the two opposite front faces of the frame 16.

[0025] The container 10 also comprises an upper closing element 26 connected in a releasable manner to the upper ends of the side walls 20 of the frame 16.

[0026] The frame 16, the first and second front covers 22, 24 and the upper closing element 26 are preferably made of plastic material.

[0027] With reference to Figures 1 and 2, during the filling step, the container 10 has an open front face and an open upper side. With reference to Figure 2, when the container 10 is full of rods 14, the second front cover 24 and the upper closing element 26 are fixed to the frame 16 in the manner described below.

[0028] With reference to Figures 3 and 4, in a possible embodiment, the rods 14 have a length L greater than the width W of the side walls 20 of the frame 16 so that the ends of the rods 14 protrude from opposite parts of the side walls 20.

[0029] With reference to Figures 3 and 4, the first and second front covers 22, 24 may have respective edges 28 protruding from a respective flat wall. The edges 28 may be connected in a releasable manner to the frame 16 by magnets 30 or by snap engagement teeth. The ends of the rods 14 that protrude beyond the edges of the side walls 20 are received in the space between the flat walls and the edges 28 of the first and second front covers 22, 24.

[0030] With reference to Figure 5, the upper closing element 26 may be connected in a releasable manner to the upper ends of the side walls 20 by snap engagement means. The snap engagement means may comprise a toothed portion 34 formed on the inner surface of the upper end of each side wall 20 which cooperates with at least one tooth 36 located at each side end of the upper closing element 26. The teeth 36 located at the opposite ends of the upper closing element 26 snap into engagement with the respective toothed portions 34 of the side walls 20 following a movement from top to bottom of the upper closing element 26. In a possible embodiment, the upper closing element 26 may be connected in a releasable manner to the frame 16 by magnets.

[0031] The inner surface of the upper closing element 26 may have an elastic layer 38 which rests on the upper layer of the rods 14 and establishes a compression of the assembly 12, which avoids misalignments of the rods 14. The upper closing member 26 may comprise springs that compress in a vertical direction to apply an elastic compressive force to the assembly 12 of rods 14.

[0032] Once filled and closed, the containers 10 are transported to a warehouse. The transport of the containers 10 to the warehouse may be carried out by automatic guided vehicles (AGV) or by belt conveyors.

[0033] In Figures 7-10, numeral 40 indicates an apparatus for loading the rods 14 into a hopper of a feeding device.

[0034] The apparatus 40 comprises an emptying station 42 in which an assembly 12 of rods 14 is extracted from the respective container 10 in the way that will be described below.

[0035] The filled containers 10 may be transported to the apparatus 40 by a conveyor 44. The apparatus 40 includes a robot 46 which picks up the full containers 10 from the conveyor 44 and deposits them in a waiting station 48. The robot 46 may also pick up empty containers 10 from the waiting station 48 and deposit them on a conveyor that takes them to the rod production machine 14. In a possible embodiment, the conveyor 44 could be a pallet transported manually or by an automatic guided vehicle (AGV).

[0036] The apparatus 40 includes a blocking device 50 for locking a container 10 in the emptying station 42. The blocking device 50 may include two clamps 52 operated by respective actuators 54, which compress the bottom wall 18 of a container 10 from opposite sides.

[0037] The apparatus 40 includes a first manipulator device 56 configured to remove the front covers 22, 24 from the frame 16 of a full container 10 and to apply the front covers 22, 24 to the frame 16 of an empty container 10. The first manipulator device 56 includes two actuators 58 which move respective gripping members 60 in the horizontal directions indicated by the arrows 62 in Figure 7. The gripping members 60 may grip respective front covers 22, 24 by suction or by mechanical grippers. After having gripped the front covers 22, 24 by the respective gripping members 60, the actuators 58 move the gripping members 60 away from the container 10 and - in this way - remove the front covers 22, 24 from the frame 16. The first manipulator device 56 may also apply the front covers 22, 24 to the frame 16 after the removal of the assembly 12 of rods 14 from the frame 16, as will be described later.

[0038] The apparatus 40 comprises a second manipulator device 64 configured to remove the upper closing element 26 from the frame 16 of a full container 10, and to apply the upper closing element 26 to the frame 16 of an empty container. The second manipulator device 64 comprises an actuator 66 which moves a gripping member 68 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 70 in Figures 7 and 8. The gripping member 68 may grip the upper closing element 26 by suction or by mechanical grippers. After having gripped the upper closing element 26 by the gripping member 68, the actuator 66 moves the gripping member 68 away from the container 10 and - in this way - removes the upper closing element 26 from the frame 16. To facilitate removal of the upper closing element 26 from the frame 16, means can be provided to separate the upper ends of the side walls 20. The second manipulator device 64 may also apply the upper closing element 26 to the frame 16 after the removal of the assembly 12 of rods 14 from the frame 16, as will be described below.

[0039] The apparatus 40 comprises an extractor device 72 configured to grip the assembly 12 of rods 14 from the frame 16 of a filled container 10. The extractor device 72 comprises a gripping member 74 including two vertical plates 76 parallel to each other, movable in a horizontal direction between an open position and a closed position. The gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 is movable in the vertical direction and in a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction. The gripping member 74 may, for example, be carried by a Cartesian robot. The extractor device 72 may also grip a container 10 and may be used to transfer full containers 10 from the waiting station 48 to the emptying station 42, and empty containers 10 from the emptying station 42 to the waiting station 48.

[0040] The apparatus 40 previously described is configured to implement a method for loading an assembly 12 of rods 14, in particular rods 14 for producing smoking articles, comprising a step of gripping the assembly 12 by gripping means 76, and a release step of said assembly 12 in a loading station 78, wherein in said assembly 12 said rods 14 have respective longitudinal axes parallel to each other and parallel to a horizontal plane, wherein said gripping means 76 clamp said assembly 12 between two gripping planes parallel to each other, and carry said assembly 12 into the loading station 78 while maintaining the longitudinal axes of said rods 14 parallel to said horizontal plane.

[0041] Specifically, the operation of the apparatus 40 is as follows.

[0042] The full containers 10 are taken from the warehouse in which they have spent the prescribed curing period and are transported towards the apparatus 40 by the conveyor 44. When a container 10 is close to the apparatus 40, the robot 46 picks up the container 10 on the conveyor 44 and deposits it in the waiting station 48.

[0043] The extractor device 72 grabs the container 10 located in the waiting station 48 by means of the gripping member 74 and transfers it to the emptying station 42.

[0044] Then, the blocking device is activated which, by means of the clamps 52, locks the bottom wall 18 of the frame 16 in the emptying station 42.

[0045] At this point, the first manipulator device 56 is activated which, through the actuators 58, brings the gripping members 60 into contact with the respective front covers 22, 24. The gripping members 60 grip the front covers 22, 24 by suction or mechanical grippers and are then moved away from the frame 16 so as to detach the front covers 22, 24 from the frame 16.

[0046] After the front covers 22, 24 have been detached from the frame 16, the gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 is positioned in the emptying station 42 so that the two vertical plates 76 in the open position are located on opposite sides of the assembly 12 of rods 12. Then, the two vertical plates 76 are brought into the closed position so that the two vertical plates 76 abut in the horizontal direction against opposite ends of the assembly 12 of rods 12 as illustrated in Figure 8. The two vertical plates 76 in the closed position hold the assembly 12 of rods 14. The two vertical plates 76 may be provided with a protruding lower edge to form support surfaces for the ends of the rods 14 forming the lower layer of the assembly 12. Protruding edges may also be provided along the vertical sides of the vertical plates 76 to retain the vertical edges of the assembly 12 of rods 14.

[0047] While the assembly 12 of rods 14 is held between the two vertical plates 76, the second manipulator device 64 brings the gripping member 68 into engagement with the upper closing element 26 and removes the upper closing element 26 in the vertical direction from the frame 16. The gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 may be configured so as to leave a free space between the vertical plates 76, which allows the passage in the vertical direction of the upper closing element 26.

[0048] After having removed the upper closing element 26 from the frame 16, the gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 is moved in a vertical direction so as to extract the assembly 12 of rods 14 from the frame 16 in a vertical direction, which remains retained in the emptying station 42 by the blocking device 50.

[0049] Then, as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11, the extractor device 72 moves the gripping member 74 with the assembly 12 of rods 14 held between the two vertical plates 76 and inserts the two vertical plates 76 and the assembly 12 of rods 14 inside a loading station 78 formed, for example, by a hopper. The gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 can rotate by 90° between the extraction position of the assembly 12 and the insertion position of the assembly 12 into the hopper 78.

[0050] When the assembly 12 of rods 14 is inserted into the hopper 78, the two vertical plates 76 are spaced apart to make the rods 14 fall inside the hopper 78.

[0051] The assembly 12 of rods 14 is inserted into the hopper 78 until a lower side of the assembly 12 of rods 14 is brought into close proximity to the rods 14 already contained inside the hopper 78. In this way, the free fall distance of the rods is as short as possible. The free fall distance of the rods 14 into the hopper 78 can be reduced to substantially zero.

[0052] The fact that the rods 14 are released from the gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 when they are already inserted inside the hopper 78 substantially reduces the risks of jamming of the feeder device due to incorrect orientation of the rods 14 in the hopper 78.

[0053] A particularly relevant aspect of the solution according to the present invention is that the assembly 12 of rods 14 is always retained throughout the entire process. In fact, after the removal of the front covers 22, 24 from the frame 16, the assembly 12 continues to be held by the upper closing element 26 which holds the assembly 12 in the frame 16 by compression. Then, the two vertical plates 76 of the extractor device 72 grip the assembly 12 while this is still held in the frame 16 by the upper closing element 26. The upper closing element 26 is only removed after the assembly 12 has already been gripped by the two vertical plates 76 of the extractor device 72. Therefore, the assembly 12 is retained in a positive way until it is inserted into the hopper 78.

[0054] While the extractor device 72 unloads the assembly 12 of rods 14 into the hopper 78, the first manipulator device 56 can apply the front covers 22, 24 to the frame 16, and the second manipulator device 64 can apply the upper closing element 26 to the frame 16 as illustrated in Figure 11, so that an empty container 10 is assembled in the emptying station 42. Then, the extractor device 72 may grip the empty container 10 located in the emptying station 42 by means of the gripping member 74, and can transfer the empty container 10 to the waiting station 48. Then, the robot 46 may pick up the empty container 10 in the waiting station 48 and transfer it to an outlet conveyor and then load a full container 10 into the waiting station 48 for a new cycle.

[0055] In a possible embodiment, the robot 46 could pick up the empty container 10 directly in the emptying station 42 and transfer it to the outlet conveyor. The robot 46 could also transfer the full container 10 from the conveyor 44 to the emptying station 42 avoiding the passage through the waiting station 48.

[0056] Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments can be widely varied with respect to those described and illustrated, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims that follow.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0022]With reference to Figures 1-6, numeral 10 indicates a container configured to receive therein an assembly 12 formed by a plurality of rods 14. Figure 1 shows the container 10 in a partially open configuration, in which it is progressively filled with rods 14 coming from the section of a machine that produces them.

[0023]The container 10 comprises a U-shaped frame 16 including a bottom wall 18 and two side walls 20 parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bottom wall 18. The bottom wall 18 and the two side walls 20 are permanently fixed to each other.

[0024]The container 10 comprises a first and a second front cover 22, 24, connected in a releasable manner to the frame 16 and located on opposite sides of the frame 16 so as to close the two opposite front faces of the frame 16.

[0025]The container 10 also comprises an upper closing element 26 connected in a releasable manner to the upper ends of the side walls 20 of the frame 16.

[0026]The frame 16, the first and second front...

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention generally refers to the handling of rods, and specifically concerns a method for loading rods into a loading station, for example, into a hopper.

[0002] According to another aspect, the invention concerns an apparatus for loading rods into a loading station.Background of the art

[0003] In some fields there is a need to collect rods into boxes at the outlet of a machine that produces such rods and, subsequently, to empty the boxes into a hopper of a feeding device that feeds the rods to a packaging machine.

[0004] For example, in the production of smoking articles, filter rods made of cylindrical rods of filter material, usually cellulose acetate, having a predetermined length are used. Filter rods are intended to be cut in a transverse direction to form filters that are applied to cigarettes.

[0005] The filter rods are produced in a machine having an outlet station in which the finished filter rods are arranged parallel to each other within cardboard boxes having an open front and upper side.

[0006] Full boxes are generally unloaded manually and are closed by applying a cardboard strip along the open upper edge and a cardboard cover on the open front face.

[0007] The closed boxes are then placed on pallets and transported to a warehouse to undergo a certain curing period, the duration of which depends on the type of filter, and which can vary from a few minutes to a few hours.

[0008] Once the curing period has elapsed, the boxes are taken from the warehouse and transported close to a loading area in which a feeder device is arranged with a hopper configured for receiving the filter rods.

[0009] Here the boxes are opened manually on two sides (upper side and front face) and are placed on a tipper, which overturns the boxes and pours the filter rods into the hopper of the feeding device.

[0010] Examples of this prior art are described in US 5106254, US6158194 and JP5095963.

[0011] WO2010143984A1 discloses a method and an apparatus according to the preamble of claims 1 and 9, wherein rod elements contained in a tray outflow through a tilt valve into a receiving channel after the tray is rotated around an axis perpendicular to its back plate.

[0012] In solutions according to the prior art, the filter rods are poured into the hopper of the feeding device by overturning the boxes and making the filter rods fall from above into the upper mouth of the hopper. In this step the filter rods may become askew and may cause jamming of the feeder device and machine downtimes.

[0013] Furthermore, solutions according to the prior art are often difficult to automate and involve a high use of manpower.Object and summary of the invention

[0014] The present invention aims to provide a method for loading rods into a loading station which solves the problems of the prior art.

[0015] According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a method having the characteristics forming the subject of claim 1.

[0016] According to another aspect, the invention concerns an apparatus for loading rods into a loading station having the characteristics of claim 9.

[0017] Preferred embodiments of the invention form the subject of the dependent claims.

[0018] The claims form an integral part of the disclosure provided here in relation to the invention.Brief description of the drawings

[0019] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, given purely by way of non-limiting example, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a partially open container filled with an assembly of rods, Figure 2 is a side view according to arrow II of Figure 1 illustrating the closing step of the open sides of the container of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side view illustrating the container in a closed configuration, Figure 4 is a detail on an enlarged scale of the part indicated by arrow IV in Figure 3, Figure 5 is a partial front view of the container of Figure 3, Figure 6 is a detail on an enlarged scale of the part indicated by arrow VI in Figure 5, Figures 7, 8 and 9 are schematic views illustrating the sequence of extracting the assembly of rods from the container, and Figures 10 and 11 are schematic views illustrating the insertion of the assembly of rods into a hopper.

[0020] It will be appreciated that the attached drawings are schematic and that - in certain figures - some components may not be shown to assist in understanding the Figures.

[0021] It will be appreciated that the various figures may also not be represented on the same scale.Detailed description

[0022] With reference to Figures 1-6, numeral 10 indicates a container configured to receive therein an assembly 12 formed by a plurality of rods 14. Figure 1 shows the container 10 in a partially open configuration, in which it is progressively filled with rods 14 coming from the section of a machine that produces them.

[0023] The container 10 comprises a U-shaped frame 16 including a bottom wall 18 and two side walls 20 parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bottom wall 18. The bottom wall 18 and the two side walls 20 are permanently fixed to each other.

[0024] The container 10 comprises a first and a second front cover 22, 24, connected in a releasable manner to the frame 16 and located on opposite sides of the frame 16 so as to close the two opposite front faces of the frame 16.

[0025] The container 10 also comprises an upper closing element 26 connected in a releasable manner to the upper ends of the side walls 20 of the frame 16.

[0026] The frame 16, the first and second front covers 22, 24 and the upper closing element 26 are preferably made of plastic material.

[0027] With reference to Figures 1 and 2, during the filling step, the container 10 has an open front face and an open upper side. With reference to Figure 2, when the container 10 is full of rods 14, the second front cover 24 and the upper closing element 26 are fixed to the frame 16 in the manner described below.

[0028] With reference to Figures 3 and 4, in a possible embodiment, the rods 14 have a length L greater than the width W of the side walls 20 of the frame 16 so that the ends of the rods 14 protrude from opposite parts of the side walls 20.

[0029] With reference to Figures 3 and 4, the first and second front covers 22, 24 may have respective edges 28 protruding from a respective flat wall. The edges 28 may be connected in a releasable manner to the frame 16 by magnets 30 or by snap engagement teeth. The ends of the rods 14 that protrude beyond the edges of the side walls 20 are received in the space between the flat walls and the edges 28 of the first and second front covers 22, 24.

[0030] With reference to Figure 5, the upper closing element 26 may be connected in a releasable manner to the upper ends of the side walls 20 by snap engagement means. The snap engagement means may comprise a toothed portion 34 formed on the inner surface of the upper end of each side wall 20 which cooperates with at least one tooth 36 located at each side end of the upper closing element 26. The teeth 36 located at the opposite ends of the upper closing element 26 snap into engagement with the respective toothed portions 34 of the side walls 20 following a movement from top to bottom of the upper closing element 26. In a possible embodiment, the upper closing element 26 may be connected in a releasable manner to the frame 16 by magnets.

[0031] The inner surface of the upper closing element 26 may have an elastic layer 38 which rests on the upper layer of the rods 14 and establishes a compression of the assembly 12, which avoids misalignments of the rods 14. The upper closing member 26 may comprise springs that compress in a vertical direction to apply an elastic compressive force to the assembly 12 of rods 14.

[0032] Once filled and closed, the containers 10 are transported to a warehouse. The transport of the containers 10 to the warehouse may be carried out by automatic guided vehicles (AGV) or by belt conveyors.

[0033] In Figures 7-10, numeral 40 indicates an apparatus for loading the rods 14 into a hopper of a feeding device.

[0034] The apparatus 40 comprises an emptying station 42 in which an assembly 12 of rods 14 is extracted from the respective container 10 in the way that will be described below.

[0035] The filled containers 10 may be transported to the apparatus 40 by a conveyor 44. The apparatus 40 includes a robot 46 which picks up the full containers 10 from the conveyor 44 and deposits them in a waiting station 48. The robot 46 may also pick up empty containers 10 from the waiting station 48 and deposit them on a conveyor that takes them to the rod production machine 14. In a possible embodiment, the conveyor 44 could be a pallet transported manually or by an automatic guided vehicle (AGV).

[0036] The apparatus 40 includes a blocking device 50 for locking a container 10 in the emptying station 42. The blocking device 50 may include two clamps 52 operated by respective actuators 54, which compress the bottom wall 18 of a container 10 from opposite sides.

[0037] The apparatus 40 includes a first manipulator device 56 configured to remove the front covers 22, 24 from the frame 16 of a full container 10 and to apply the front covers 22, 24 to the frame 16 of an empty container 10. The first manipulator device 56 includes two actuators 58 which move respective gripping members 60 in the horizontal directions indicated by the arrows 62 in Figure 7. The gripping members 60 may grip respective front covers 22, 24 by suction or by mechanical grippers. After having gripped the front covers 22, 24 by the respective gripping members 60, the actuators 58 move the gripping members 60 away from the container 10 and - in this way - remove the front covers 22, 24 from the frame 16. The first manipulator device 56 may also apply the front covers 22, 24 to the frame 16 after the removal of the assembly 12 of rods 14 from the frame 16, as will be described later.

[0038] The apparatus 40 comprises a second manipulator device 64 configured to remove the upper closing element 26 from the frame 16 of a full container 10, and to apply the upper closing element 26 to the frame 16 of an empty container. The second manipulator device 64 comprises an actuator 66 which moves a gripping member 68 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow 70 in Figures 7 and 8. The gripping member 68 may grip the upper closing element 26 by suction or by mechanical grippers. After having gripped the upper closing element 26 by the gripping member 68, the actuator 66 moves the gripping member 68 away from the container 10 and - in this way - removes the upper closing element 26 from the frame 16. To facilitate removal of the upper closing element 26 from the frame 16, means can be provided to separate the upper ends of the side walls 20. The second manipulator device 64 may also apply the upper closing element 26 to the frame 16 after the removal of the assembly 12 of rods 14 from the frame 16, as will be described below.

[0039] The apparatus 40 comprises an extractor device 72 configured to grip the assembly 12 of rods 14 from the frame 16 of a filled container 10. The extractor device 72 comprises a gripping member 74 including two vertical plates 76 parallel to each other, movable in a horizontal direction between an open position and a closed position. The gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 is movable in the vertical direction and in a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction. The gripping member 74 may, for example, be carried by a Cartesian robot. The extractor device 72 may also grip a container 10 and may be used to transfer full containers 10 from the waiting station 48 to the emptying station 42, and empty containers 10 from the emptying station 42 to the waiting station 48.

[0040] The apparatus 40 previously described is configured to implement a method for loading an assembly 12 of rods 14, in particular rods 14 for producing smoking articles, comprising a step of gripping the assembly 12 by gripping means 76, and a release step of said assembly 12 in a loading station 78, wherein in said assembly 12 said rods 14 have respective longitudinal axes parallel to each other and parallel to a horizontal plane, wherein said gripping means 76 clamp said assembly 12 between two gripping planes parallel to each other, and carry said assembly 12 into the loading station 78 while maintaining the longitudinal axes of said rods 14 parallel to said horizontal plane.

[0041] Specifically, the operation of the apparatus 40 is as follows.

[0042] The full containers 10 are taken from the warehouse in which they have spent the prescribed curing period and are transported towards the apparatus 40 by the conveyor 44. When a container 10 is close to the apparatus 40, the robot 46 picks up the container 10 on the conveyor 44 and deposits it in the waiting station 48.

[0043] The extractor device 72 grabs the container 10 located in the waiting station 48 by means of the gripping member 74 and transfers it to the emptying station 42.

[0044] Then, the blocking device is activated which, by means of the clamps 52, locks the bottom wall 18 of the frame 16 in the emptying station 42.

[0045] At this point, the first manipulator device 56 is activated which, through the actuators 58, brings the gripping members 60 into contact with the respective front covers 22, 24. The gripping members 60 grip the front covers 22, 24 by suction or mechanical grippers and are then moved away from the frame 16 so as to detach the front covers 22, 24 from the frame 16.

[0046] After the front covers 22, 24 have been detached from the frame 16, the gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 is positioned in the emptying station 42 so that the two vertical plates 76 in the open position are located on opposite sides of the assembly 12 of rods 12. Then, the two vertical plates 76 are brought into the closed position so that the two vertical plates 76 abut in the horizontal direction against opposite ends of the assembly 12 of rods 12 as illustrated in Figure 8. The two vertical plates 76 in the closed position hold the assembly 12 of rods 14. The two vertical plates 76 may be provided with a protruding lower edge to form support surfaces for the ends of the rods 14 forming the lower layer of the assembly 12. Protruding edges may also be provided along the vertical sides of the vertical plates 76 to retain the vertical edges of the assembly 12 of rods 14.

[0047] While the assembly 12 of rods 14 is held between the two vertical plates 76, the second manipulator device 64 brings the gripping member 68 into engagement with the upper closing element 26 and removes the upper closing element 26 in the vertical direction from the frame 16. The gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 may be configured so as to leave a free space between the vertical plates 76, which allows the passage in the vertical direction of the upper closing element 26.

[0048] After having removed the upper closing element 26 from the frame 16, the gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 is moved in a vertical direction so as to extract the assembly 12 of rods 14 from the frame 16 in a vertical direction, which remains retained in the emptying station 42 by the blocking device 50.

[0049] Then, as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11, the extractor device 72 moves the gripping member 74 with the assembly 12 of rods 14 held between the two vertical plates 76 and inserts the two vertical plates 76 and the assembly 12 of rods 14 inside a loading station 78 formed, for example, by a hopper. The gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 can rotate by 90° between the extraction position of the assembly 12 and the insertion position of the assembly 12 into the hopper 78.

[0050] When the assembly 12 of rods 14 is inserted into the hopper 78, the two vertical plates 76 are spaced apart to make the rods 14 fall inside the hopper 78.

[0051] The assembly 12 of rods 14 is inserted into the hopper 78 until a lower side of the assembly 12 of rods 14 is brought into close proximity to the rods 14 already contained inside the hopper 78. In this way, the free fall distance of the rods is as short as possible. The free fall distance of the rods 14 into the hopper 78 can be reduced to substantially zero.

[0052] The fact that the rods 14 are released from the gripping member 74 of the extractor device 72 when they are already inserted inside the hopper 78 substantially reduces the risks of jamming of the feeder device due to incorrect orientation of the rods 14 in the hopper 78.

[0053] A particularly relevant aspect of the solution according to the present invention is that the assembly 12 of rods 14 is always retained throughout the entire process. In fact, after the removal of the front covers 22, 24 from the frame 16, the assembly 12 continues to be held by the upper closing element 26 which holds the assembly 12 in the frame 16 by compression. Then, the two vertical plates 76 of the extractor device 72 grip the assembly 12 while this is still held in the frame 16 by the upper closing element 26. The upper closing element 26 is only removed after the assembly 12 has already been gripped by the two vertical plates 76 of the extractor device 72. Therefore, the assembly 12 is retained in a positive way until it is inserted into the hopper 78.

[0054] While the extractor device 72 unloads the assembly 12 of rods 14 into the hopper 78, the first manipulator device 56 can apply the front covers 22, 24 to the frame 16, and the second manipulator device 64 can apply the upper closing element 26 to the frame 16 as illustrated in Figure 11, so that an empty container 10 is assembled in the emptying station 42. Then, the extractor device 72 may grip the empty container 10 located in the emptying station 42 by means of the gripping member 74, and can transfer the empty container 10 to the waiting station 48. Then, the robot 46 may pick up the empty container 10 in the waiting station 48 and transfer it to an outlet conveyor and then load a full container 10 into the waiting station 48 for a new cycle.

[0055] In a possible embodiment, the robot 46 could pick up the empty container 10 directly in the emptying station 42 and transfer it to the outlet conveyor. The robot 46 could also transfer the full container 10 from the conveyor 44 to the emptying station 42 avoiding the passage through the waiting station 48.

[0056] Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments can be widely varied with respect to those described and illustrated, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims that follow.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0022]With reference to Figures 1-6, numeral 10 indicates a container configured to receive therein an assembly 12 formed by a plurality of rods 14. Figure 1 shows the container 10 in a partially open configuration, in which it is progressively filled with rods 14 coming from the section of a machine that produces them.

[0023]The container 10 comprises a U-shaped frame 16 including a bottom wall 18 and two side walls 20 parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bottom wall 18. The bottom wall 18 and the two side walls 20 are permanently fixed to each other.

[0024]The container 10 comprises a first and a second front cover 22, 24, connected in a releasable manner to the frame 16 and located on opposite sides of the frame 16 so as to close the two opposite front faces of the frame 16.

[0025]The container 10 also comprises an upper closing element 26 connected in a releasable manner to the upper ends of the side walls 20 of the frame 16.

[0026]The frame 16, the first and second front...

Claims

1. A method for loading an assembly (12) of rods (14), in particular rods (14) for producing smoking articles, comprising a step of gripping the assembly (12) by gripping means (76) and a step of releasing said assembly (12) into a loading station (78), wherein in said assembly (12) said rods (14) have respective longitudinal axes parallel to each other and parallel to a horizontal plane, and wherein in said assembly (12) said rods (14) extend in a plurality of horizontal rows, wherein said gripping means (76) clamp said assembly (12) between two gripping planes parallel to each other, characterized in that said gripping means (76) bring said assembly (12) into the loading station (78) keeping the longitudinal axes of said rods (14) and said horizontal rows parallel to said horizontal plane.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said gripping planes are orthogonal to said horizontal plane.

3. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising: - providing a container (10) comprising a U-shaped frame (16) including a bottom wall (18) and two side walls (20), a first and a second front cover (22, 24) releasably connected to the frame (16) and an upper closing element (26) releasably connected to the upper ends of the side walls (20) of the frame (16), - arranging the container (10) in a partially open position in which the first front cover (22) is connected to the frame (16) and wherein the second front cover (24) and the upper closing element (26) are separated from the frame (16), and - arranging said rods (14) in the container (10) in said partially open position so as to form said assembly (12) of rods (14).

4. The method according to claim 3, comprising: - closing the container (10) filled with rods (14) by connecting the second front cover (24) and the upper closing element (26) to the frame (16), - transporting the closed container (10) to an emptying station (42), - removing the first and second front covers (22, 24) from the frame (16), - gripping the assembly (12) of rods (14) in the frame (16).

5. The method of claim 4, comprising removing the upper closing element (26) from the frame (16) after the step of gripping the assembly (12) of rods (14) in the frame (16).

6. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said rods (14) have a length (L) greater than a width (W) of said side walls (20).

7. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the assembly (12) of rods (14) located in the frame (16) is gripped by two vertical walls (76) movable relative to each other between an open position and a closed position.

8. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said upper closing element (26) compresses in the vertical direction the upper layer of rods (14) of the assembly (12).

9. An apparatus for loading an assembly (12) of rods (14), in particular rods (14) for producing smoking articles, in a loading station (78), wherein in said assembly (12) said rods (14) have respective longitudinal axes parallel to each other and parallel to a horizontal plane and wherein in said assembly (12) said rods (14) extend in a plurality of horizontal rows, wherein the apparatus comprises gripping means (76) configured to clamp said assembly (12) between two gripping planes parallel to each other, characterized in that said gripping means (76) are configured to carry said assembly (12) into the loading station (78) keeping the longitudinal axes of said rods (14) and said horizontal rows parallel to said horizontal plane.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, comprising: - at least one container (10) configured to contain an assembly (12) of rods (14), comprising a U-shaped frame (16) including a bottom wall (18) and two side walls (20), a first and a second front cover (22, 24) releasably connected to the frame (16) and an upper closing element (26) releasably connected to the upper ends of the side walls (20) of the frame (16), - an emptying station (42) configured to receive a closed container (10), - a first manipulator device (56) configured to remove the first and second front covers (22, 24) from the frame (16), - a second manipulator device (64) configured to remove the upper closing element (26) from the frame (16).

Images