Device for handling rod-like products of the cigarette industry

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for handling rod-like products (11) of the cigarette industry, comprising a hopper (12), to which the products (11) can be supplied via a supply opening (22), which is preferably above, and to which shafts (14) are connected, which are preferably underneath, to which shafts the products (11) can be transferred from the hopper (12), wherein the products (11) are conveyed inside the hopper (12) as a mass flow (10), at least in part by gravity, from the supply opening (22), which is preferably above, to the connected shafts (14), which are preferably underneath, along a transport path (29) in a conveying direction (30), and wherein one or more guide elements (20) are arranged in the transport path (29). According to the invention, the at least one guide element (20) is mounted on the hopper (12) so as to swing about a centre point of rotation (25), and the guide element (20) is mounted magnetically on the hopper (12) for flexible positioning of the corresponding guide element (20) in the hopper (12).

Description

[0001] Device for handling rod-like products of the cigarette industry

[0002] Description

[0003] The present invention relates to a device for handling rod-like products of the cigarette industry according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0004] For the purposes of the application, products of the cigarette industry are understood to include tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigarillos and the like, but also novel tobacco products such as heat-not-burn products or liquid carriers for e-cigarettes.

[0005] The known prior art on which the invention is based relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1. Such devices are known in practice in numerous embodiments, for example as cigarette magazines - also called hoppers.

[0006] A problem with the known devices can be that the guide elements cannot react flexibly to disturbances or changes in the mass flow.

[0007] Based on this, the invention is based on the object of further developing devices of the type mentioned at the outset, in particular with a view to improving the function of the guide elements in the event of changes in the mass flow.

[0008] A device for solving this problem has the features of claim 1.

[0009] It is therefore provided that at least one guide element is mounted on the magazine so as to swing around a pivot point.

[0010] Freely swinging guide elements ensure that they can pivot and adapt to the current mass flow conditions. This allows for reaction to pressure changes in the mass flow. These changes occur during normal operation due to the inhomogeneous product distribution in the mass flow, but can also occur due to disturbances caused by products lying sideways.

[0011] Furthermore, it can preferably be provided that the bearing of the guide element on the magazine is magnetic for flexible positioning of the respective guide element in the magazine.

[0012] Furthermore, it can preferably be provided that the magazine is delimited by walls, namely on the one hand by opposite side walls and on the other hand by a rear wall and a front wall opposite the rear wall as end walls, which are directed transversely to the side walls, wherein the guide element is magnetically arranged on the rear wall of the magazine.

[0013] Furthermore, it can be provided that the magnetic holding force is dimensioned such that the guide element can be displaced starting from a predeterminable force with which the mass flow acts on the guide element.

[0014] This solution can have the advantage that possible damage to the products due to excessive pressure can be counteracted by the ability of the guide elements to be moved.

[0015] Furthermore, it can be provided that the displacement of the guide element can be predetermined via a guide assigned to the guide element.

[0016] In this way, a possible displacement of the guide element can be specified or limited with regard to the direction and size of the displacement.

[0017] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, it can be provided that the guide is designed as a guide rail or guide groove.

[0018] Furthermore, it can be provided that the guide element is mounted so as to swing around a pivot point which is arranged at a short distance from the upstream end of the guide element with respect to the conveying direction of the objects, in particular at a short distance from an upper side of the guide element.

[0019] The reason for this design is the lever arm that arises above the pivot point when the guide element rotates. The larger this lever arm is, the greater the risk that surrounding products, which already have little freedom of movement due to the increased pressure of the mass flow, will be deformed or damaged by the rotating guide element. A pivot point as high as possible and a small lever arm above it prevent this.

[0020] Furthermore, it can be provided that the guide element has a diamond-shaped or circular shape or a combination of the two shapes, in particular partially diamond-shaped in an upper part and partially circular in a lower part.

[0021] Furthermore, it can be provided that a magnet for supporting a guide element is arranged in a receptacle.

[0022] Furthermore, it can be provided that the magnet is arranged at a free end of the receptacle.

[0023] Furthermore, it can be provided that the upper side of the holder forms the pivot point for the guide element.

[0024] Furthermore, it can preferably be provided that a web is arranged on the receptacle, the free end of which forms the pivot point for the guide element.

[0025] Furthermore, it can be provided that the receptacle is displaceable along a guide, in particular in the form of a groove, which extends in the rear wall of the magazine, preferably in the vertical direction.

[0026] Furthermore, it can preferably be provided that an outer side of the guide element is at least partially covered with a friction-reducing material. This can prevent cigarettes from rolling on the outer side. Furthermore, it can preferably be provided that the material is at least partially embedded in the outer side of the guide element.

[0027] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing that merely illustrates exemplary embodiments. The drawing shows:

[0028] Fig. 1 is a schematic spatial representation of part of a packaging machine for products of the cigarette industry with a magazine and shafts,

[0029] Fig. 2 a side view of the magazine and the adjoining shafts,

[0030] Fig. 3 a magazine with a mass flow that has a local compression,

[0031] Fig. 4 the magazine according to Fig. 3 after dissolving the mass flow by pivoting the guide elements,

[0032] Fig. 5 a stationary design of a guide element,

[0033] Fig. 6 a pendulum version of the guide element,

[0034] Fig. 7 two further pendulum versions,

[0035] Fig. 8 a guide element with guide and

[0036] Fig. 9 shows a horizontal section through the guide element according to Fig. 8 along section line VIII - VIII.

[0037] The invention relates to the targeted steering of a mass flow 10 of rod-shaped products 11 of the cigarette industry within a magazine 12 for such products 11.

[0038] For the purposes of the application, products 11 of the cigarette industry are understood to mean rod-shaped tobacco products 11 such as cigarettes, cigarillos and the like, but also novel tobacco products 11 such as heat-not-burn products 11 or liquid carriers for e-cigarettes.

[0039] Fig. 1 schematically shows part of a packaging machine for the aforementioned products 11, wherein the products 11 are fed to a magazine 12 and transferred from there to (three) groups 13 of shafts 14. The magazine

[0040] 12 has opposing side walls 15 as well as a rear wall 16 and a front wall as end walls. The products 11 are all arranged in the magazine 12 with a consistent relative position, namely such that their longitudinal extent extends transversely to the front and rear walls 16 and lies next to and on top of one another. The front wall of the magazine 12 is preferably made of a transparent material so that the operator can monitor the transport of the products 11 and intervene in the event of any misalignments or jams. Within the magazine 12, the products 11 are moved downward by gravity as a mass flow 10.

[0041] At the bottom of the groups 13 of shafts 14 is one of the number of groups

[0042] 13 of shafts 14, a corresponding number of reciprocating pushers 17 are provided, with which several products 11, for example a layer of a cigarette group 13, are pushed out of the shafts 14 of a group 13 and inserted into pockets 18 of a pocket chain conveyor 19. Also indicated is a drive 33 for the pushers.

[0043] Thematically, the invention specifically deals with the construction of known guide elements 20, which can be arranged at various positions in the magazine 12. One task of these guide elements 20 is to direct the mass flow 10 of the products 11 and, in particular, to provide relief in the area where the products 11 are transferred to the shafts 14 in order to prevent damage to the products 11 due to excessive pressure from the incoming products 11. Two different types of guide elements 20 are described below: pivotable guide elements 20 on the one hand and non-pivotable guide elements 20 on the other.

[0044] Figure 2 shows that the products 11 are first fed to the magazine 12 via a horizontal conveyor belt 21 and then introduced into the magazine via a feed opening 22. Due to the effect of gravity, the mass flow 10 of products 11 then migrates toward the shafts 14 located at the lower end of the magazine 12. Here, the guide elements 20 are responsible for directing the mass flow 10 downstream in the magazine 12 for separation or feeding to the shafts 14. Furthermore, their support surface reduces the pressure of the mass flow 10 on the shafts 14 located below.

[0045] Figure 2 also shows an exemplary positioning of three guide elements 20 in the magazine 12. The special feature here is the magnetic attachment of the guide elements 20, which allows the machine operator to flexibly position them in the magazine 12. The guide elements 20 can be designed in a wide variety of shapes and variants, which accordingly have a direct influence on the deflection of the mass flow 10.

[0046] Figures 3 and 4 show a typical embodiment 23 for the arrangement of the guide elements 20 in the magazine 12, corresponding to the illustration in Figures 1 and 2. A guide element 20a is arranged centrally in the middle of the magazine 12. It is designed to be stationary and non-pivotable. Pivotable guide elements 20b are provided on both sides of the central guide element 20a.

[0047] Figure 3 shows the magazine 12 with the pivotable guide elements 20b in the normal position. Within the mass flow 10, there are two regions with an increased product density 24 that are just before contact with the pivotable guide elements 20b. After these compacted regions impact the guide elements 20b, they pivot outward (see Fig. 4), resulting in a redistribution of the mass flow 10. Since more space is now available for the compacted regions, the distance between the individual products 11 increases accordingly, and the mass flow 10 once again has a balanced density ratio, which simplifies the entry of the products 11 into the shafts 14.

[0048] Furthermore, it should be noted that the pivoting of the guide elements 20b between the side walls 15 and the side walls of the guide element 20b facing the side walls 15 results in a diverging course of the walls, or a space that widens in a funnel shape in the conveying direction 30. This reduces the pressure and the (flow) velocity of the mass flow 10.

[0049] Figures 5 to 7 show four exemplary embodiments of a guide element 20, whereby only in the three variants according to Figures 6 and 7 is the guide element 20b equipped with a pendulum function. This pendulum function enables the guide elements 20b to rotate or pivot about a pivot point 25. A possible deflected or pivoted position is indicated by dashed lines. Figure 5 shows a guide element 20a that is not pivotable, rotatable, or the like.

[0050] In all embodiments, the guide elements 20 are attached by one or more magnets 26. This suspension can also serve as a rotation point, as shown in Figure 6. Alternatively, it is possible, as shown in Figure 7, to use the pivot point

[0051] 25 is to be moved as far as possible into the upper area of ​​the guide element 20b via a web 27. This is due to the lever arm that arises during the rotation of the guide element 20b above the pivot point 25. The larger this lever arm is, the greater the risk that surrounding products 11, which already have little freedom of movement due to the increased pressure of the mass flow 10, will be deformed or damaged by the rotating guide element 20b. A pivot point 25 that is as high as possible and a small lever arm reduce this risk.

[0052] The respective magnets 26 are arranged in the region of a front end of a receptacle 32, on which the respective guide element 20 is mounted.

[0053] 26, the guide element 20 is held on the rear wall 16 of the magazine 12. For this purpose, the rear wall 16 can be made at least partially of a magnetizable 26 material such as steel.

[0054] In the stationary version according to Figures 5a and b, two receptacles 32 are used, each arranged in the inner corners of the diamond-shaped guide element 20a. In the pivotable guide elements 20b according to Figures 6 and 7, only one receptacle 32 with a magnet 26 is used. In Figure 6, the pivot point 25 is located directly on the upper side of the receptacle. In Figure 7, the pivot point 25 is located on the upper side of the web 27. The rotational movement of the guide elements 20b is limited by the magnetic suspension as a boundary. In the event of rotation due to changes in the forces in the mass flow 10, one side of the guide element 20b consequently has a raised contact surface. This has the effect of increasing the forces exerted by the mass flow 10 on the guide element 20b.

[0055] Tests have shown that the forces acting on the guide element 20 due to the mass flow 10 can exceed the force of the magnetic connection. The guide element 20 is no longer held against the rear wall 16 of the magazine 12 and is pushed toward the shafts 14 by the mass flow 10. This can result in the guide element 20 blocking several shafts 14 and causing disruptions in the further course of the process. One way to prevent this is to use guide rails or grooves in the rear wall 16 as a guide 23, in which the guide element 20 is guided.

[0056] As shown in Figure 8, a groove is provided in the rear wall 16 and extends vertically, so that the guide element 20 can only move vertically along this predetermined groove. This prevents the guide elements 20 from sliding down to the shafts 14.

[0057] Figure 9 also shows that the surface of the guide elements 20 can be at least partially coated with a friction-reducing material 28 to prevent the products 11 from rolling over them. The material 28 can be bonded, for example, to a housing 35 of the guide element 20 via adhesive 34.

[0058] *****

[0059] List of reference symbols

[0060] 10 Mass flow 33 Drive

[0061] 11 Product 34 Adhesive

[0062] 12 magazine 35 housing

[0063] 13 Group

[0064] 14 shaft

[0065] 15 side walls

[0066] 16 Rear wall

[0067] 17 tappets

[0068] 18 bag

[0069] 19 pocket chain conveyors

[0070] 20 Guide element

[0071] 20a Guide element

[0072] 20b Guide element

[0073] 21 Conveyor belt

[0074] 22 Feed opening

[0075] 23 Guide

[0076] 24 increased product density

[0077] 25 Pivot point

[0078] 26 Magnet

[0079] 27 jetty

[0080] 28 Materials

[0081] 29 Transport route

[0082] 30 Conveying direction

[0083] 32 recordings

Claims

Patent claims 1. A device for handling rod-like products (11) of the cigarette industry, comprising a magazine (12) to which the products (11) can be fed via a preferably upper feed opening (22) and to which shafts (14) are preferably connected below, to which shafts the products (11) can be transferred from the magazine (12), wherein the products (11) are conveyed as a mass flow (10) at least partially by gravity within the magazine (12) from the preferably upper feed opening (22) to the shafts (14) preferably connected below along a transport path (29) in a conveying direction (30), and wherein one or more guide elements (20) are arranged in the transport path (29) for guiding the products (11) or the mass flow (10) in the transport path (29), characterized in that the at least one guide element (20b) is mounted on the magazine (12) so as to swing around a pivot point (25).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mounting of the guide element (20) on the magazine (12) is magnetic for flexible positioning of the respective guide element (20) in the magazine (12).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the magazine (12) is delimited by walls, namely on the one hand by opposite side walls (15) and on the other hand by a rear wall (16) and a front wall opposite the rear wall (16) as end walls, which are directed transversely to the side walls (15), wherein the guide element (20) is magnetically arranged on the rear wall (16) of the magazine (12).

4. Device according to claim 2 or one of the other preceding claims, characterized in that the magnetic holding force is dimensioned such that the guide element (20) is displaceable starting from a predeterminable force with which the mass flow (10) acts on the guide element (20).

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the displacement of the guide element (20) can be predetermined via a guide (23) assigned to the guide element (20).

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide (23) is designed as a guide rail or guide groove.

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide element (20b) is mounted so as to swing around a pivot point (25) which is arranged at a short distance from the upstream end of the guide element (20b) with respect to the conveying direction (30) of the objects (11), in particular at a short distance from an upper side (28) of the guide element (20b).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide element (20) has a diamond-shaped or circular shape or a combination of the two shapes, in particular partially diamond-shaped in an upper part and partially circular in a lower part.

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a magnet (26) for supporting a guide element (20) is arranged in a receptacle (32).

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the magnet (26) is arranged at a free end of the receptacle (32).

11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an upper side of the receptacle (32) forms the pivot point (25) for the guide element (20).

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a web (27) is arranged on the receptacle (32), the free end of which forms the pivot point (25) for the guide element (20).

13. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receptacle (32) is guided along a guide (23), in particular in is displaceable in the form of a groove which extends in the rear wall (16) of the magazine (12), preferably in the vertical direction.

14. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an outer side of the guide element (20) is at least partially provided with a friction-reducing material (28).

15. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material (28) is at least partially embedded in the outer side of the guide element (20). *****

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