Apparatus and method for automatically feeding smoking article casings

Abstract

A feeding apparatus and method for automatically feeding casings for smoking articles towards a transport member (211), the apparatus (10) comprising a feeding unit (12) arranged at a position above the transport member (211) and configured to temporarily support the casings before they are fed to the transport member (211) below, and a conveyor unit (13) interposed between the feeding unit (12) and the transport member (211) for selectively picking up the casings (100) from the feeding unit (12) and feeding them to the member (211).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a feeding apparatus and method for automatically feeding empty casings for smoking articles, such as cigarettes, from, for example, a feeding member onto which the casings can be placed both manually and by an automated member, preferably stacked into one or more stacks, towards a transport member of a machine configured to fill the casings and complete the manufacture of the smoking articles. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that in the automated production of smoking articles, e.g. cigarettes, using particularly high productivity machines, one of the important aspects to consider and technical problems to overcome is the supply of a containment material, usually in the form of a casing comprising very thin paper or other suitable material, possibly a filter, to one or more work stations, e.g. a filling station, where smoking material, e.g. loose material, e.g. tobacco, other smokable substances, or a combination thereof, is placed or inserted into the containment material. Packaging stations, distribution stations and possibly stations for packaging the smoking articles may also be associated with the filling station.

[0003] With regard to the technical problem of providing the containment material, it is known to pre-prepare a piece of paper onto which said loose material is placed, which is then rolled to form a single tubular casing containing the loose material, which is then cut according to the desired format to obtain the individual smoking articles.

[0004] However, this known technology does not allow the automatic packaging of some types of smoking articles, for example smoking articles that also contain leaf materials other than tobacco, which have various particularities linked, inter alia, to the chemical and physical properties of this material.

[0005] One example of a machine adapted to fill and seal hollow containers for smoking articles is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,782,644. In particular, these hollow containers are adapted to contain material in the form of particulates suitable for generating an aerosol and a combustible element that serves as a closure insert.

[0006] Therefore, the current state of the art requires a feeding apparatus and method for automatically feeding prepackaged casings for smoking articles for subsequent completion at other workstations of an automated machine, also aimed at high productivity, meaning, for example, the production of more than 7,000 smoking articles per hour.

[0007] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a feeding device and a feeding method for automatically feeding casings for smoking articles, which is simple and reliable and at the same time makes it possible to achieve a high level of productivity as indicated above, by solving the technical problems as mentioned above.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to complete a supplying device and method for automatically supplying casings of smoking articles, whereby gravity is utilized to transport each casing, possibly stacked together with other casings, to a transport member.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to complete a feeding apparatus and method for automatically feeding casings of smoking articles, the casings being capable of being fed both in series and in parallel and multiple casings being fed simultaneously to the same transport member.

[0010] Applicant has perfected, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to obtain these and other objects and advantages. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe further features of the invention or variants of the main inventive idea.

[0012] In accordance with the above objectives, in order to solve the technical problem in a new and original way and to obtain surprising results, a feeding device according to the invention is configured to automatically feed casings for forming smoking articles towards at least one transport member, the transport member having one or more first receiving parts, the receiving parts being aligned along a substantially horizontal transport axis and each configured to receive one of the casings, the casings being hollow and stackable so as to be partially inserted into one another to form a stack of casings.

[0013] According to one aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises at least a supply means arranged at a position above the aforementioned at least one transport member and configured in particular to temporarily support the stack of casings before they are transported downwardly into the one or more first storage sections of the at least one transport member, and a conveyor means interposed between the supply means and the at least one transport member and configured to selectively individually transport the casings from the supply means towards the one or more first storage sections of the at least one transport member.

[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, each of the stacks comprises a first casing located at the bottom end of each stack and into which at least a portion of the second casing is inserted from above; the conveyor means further comprises first stop means configured to move between an interference position and a non-interference position, the first stop means being capable of engaging with the first casing for each of the stacks in the interference position to temporarily stop the descent of the first casing, and releasing the first casing in the non-interference position and releasing the released first casing into one of the one or more first receiving sections. The first stop means is located at a first determined intermediate position between the supply means and the at least one transport member.

[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, the conveyor means also comprises a second stop means arranged between the supply means and the first stop means and adapted to move between an engaged position and a disengaged position, the second stop means engaging the second casing closest to the first casing for each of the stacks in order to temporarily stop the descent of the casings above the first casing for each of the stacks at least when the first stop means is in the disengaged position, and in the disengaged position releasing the second casing closest to the first casing only while the first stop means is in the interfering position to allow it to be lowered onto the first stop means. The second casing lowered by the second stop means becomes a new first casing when it reaches the first stop means. This configuration has the advantage that the first casing can be de-stacked from the second casing and the remaining casings of the same stack and fed individually to the respective receptacles under the transport member.

[0016] According to another aspect of the invention, the conveyor means also comprises first actuating means configured to selectively displace the first stop means between the interference position and the non-interference position, in which the first stop means prevents the descent of the stack of casings and in which the first stop means is in a retracted position outside the movement of the first casing towards the at least one transport member, and the conveyor means comprises second actuating means configured to selectively actuate the second stop means between the engagement position and the non-engagement position, in which the second casing closest to the first casing is selectively blocked in the engagement position to prevent the casing thereover from descending and in which the second casing is allowed to descend towards the first stop means.

[0017] According to another aspect of the invention, the conveyor means further comprises gripping means configured for each of the stacks to grip the first casing from the first stop means, bring the first gripped casing proximate to the transport member and release it into a corresponding one of the one or more first receptacles of the transport member.

[0018] According to another aspect of the invention, the first gripping means is movable along a first linear segment in a vertical plane between a first raised position and a second lowered position, moving to the first raised position when gripping the first casing and moving to the second lowered position when gripping and bringing the first casing closer to the at least one transport member.

[0019] According to another aspect of the invention, the gripping means is configured to grip the first casing in the first raised position when the first stop means is in the interference position, and to move to the second lowered position to bring the gripped first casing closer to the at least one transport member when the first stop means is in the non-interference position.

[0020] According to another aspect of the invention, the supply means comprises a rotating member rotatably mounted about a substantially vertical axis of rotation and having a plurality of second receptacles parallel to the axis of rotation and configured to each receive one of the stacks of casings; further, the rotating member is configured to rotate stepwise at respective constant angles to selectively bring a row of the plurality of second receptacles arranged along a radial segment of the rotating member into vertical alignment with the conveyor means, i.e. into vertical alignment with the one or more first receptacles of the at least one transport member.

[0021] According to another aspect of the invention, the second stop means and the gripping means each comprise at least one gripper having a pair of jaws configured to selectively open and close on the casing.

[0022] According to another aspect of the invention, the apparatus further comprises detection means arranged between a lower portion of the supply means and an upper portion of the conveyor means and configured to detect, in each stack, a possible shortage of at least one of the casings between the supply means and the conveyor means.

[0023] According to another aspect of the invention, the detection means is configured to detect a possible shortage of casings in each stack with respect to a determined pre-established number, and the apparatus further comprises an electronic control unit configured to control the second stop means in response to a signal emitted by the detection means, the electronic control unit configured to selectively hold the stacks having a number of casings less than the determined pre-established number and to prevent movement of the second stop means in the disengaged position at least until the electronic control unit receives a signal from the detection means corresponding to the detection of a number of casings at least equal to the determined pre-established number.

[0024] According to another aspect of the invention, the supply means comprises a closing disk configured to alternate between a closed position and an operative position to prevent or allow a stack of casings to descend from the supply means towards the conveyor means, in particular the closing disk is configured to selectively block the plurality of second receptacles and to open only those second receptacles located along the row arranged along the radial segment in vertical alignment with the conveyor means, such that only the stack of casings located in those second receptacles not blocked by the closing disk can descend.

[0025] According to another aspect of the invention, the rotating member comprises an upper disc and a lower disc arranged coaxially opposite each other with a plurality of tubular elements interposed therebetween, the plurality of tubular elements communicating with the plurality of second housing portions; the plurality of tubular elements being arranged parallel to the axis of rotation.

[0026] According to another aspect of the invention, the first stop means comprises a comb plate movable along a second linear segment lying in a horizontal plane when moving between the interference position and the non-interference position.

[0027] According to another aspect of the invention, the distance along the vertical axis between the first and second stop means remains fixed and is slightly greater than the length of the casing.

[0028] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for automatically feeding casings for forming smoking articles towards at least one transport member, said at least one transport member having one or more first receiving portions aligned along a substantially horizontal transport axis and each configured to receive one of said casings, said casings being hollow and stackable to be partially interdigitated with one another to form a stack of casings;

[0029] The method includes at least one supplying step in which a supplying means arranged at a position above the at least one transporting member supplies the stack of the casings to a conveyor means interposed between the supplying means and the at least one transporting member, and a transporting step in which the conveyor means selectively transports the casings individually towards the one or more first storage portions of the at least one transporting member.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present invention, the supply method provides that in the transporting step, a first stop means of the conveyor means arranged between the supply means and the at least one transport member moves between an interference position and a non-interference position, and at the interference position engages with the first casing for each of the stacks to temporarily stop the descent of the first casing, and at the non-interference position releases the first casing and releases the released first casing into one of the one or more first storage sections.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present invention, the supply method provides that in the transport step, a second stop means of the conveyor means, disposed between the supply means and the first stop means, is moved between an engagement position and a disengagement position, and in the engagement position, the second stop means engages with the second casing closest to the first casing for each of the stacks to temporarily stop the descent of a casing above the first casing for each of the stacks at least when the first stop means is in the disengagement position, and in the disengagement position, the second casing closest to the first casing is released only while the first stop means is in the interference position, so that the second casing lowered by the second stop means becomes a new first casing when it reaches the first stop means.

[0032] According to another aspect of the invention, the method of supplying provides that in the supplying step, the gripping means of the conveyor means grips, for each of the stacks, the first casing from the first stop means, brings the first gripped casing close to the transport member and releases it into a corresponding one of the one or more first receptacles of the transport member. In particular, the gripping means moves the gripped first casing from a first raised position away from the at least one transport member to a second lowered position close to the at least one transport member.

[0033] According to another aspect of the invention, when the gripping means grips the first casing, the first stop means is in the interference position, whereas, when the gripping means brings the gripped first casing into proximity with the at least one transport member, the first stop means is in the non-interference position.

[0034] According to another aspect of the invention, the supplying method provides that in the supplying step, a rotating member of the supplying means is rotatably mounted about a substantially vertical axis of rotation and has a plurality of second receptacles, the rotating member receiving one or more of the casings arranged to form the stack into one or more of the plurality of second receptacles, the rotating member rotating stepwise through respective constant angles to selectively bring rows of the plurality of second receptacles arranged along radial segments of the rotating member into vertical alignment with the conveyor means.

[0035] According to another aspect of the invention, the feeding method further comprises a control step in which detection means disposed between the feeding means and the conveyor means detects a possible shortage of one or more of the casings in each stack relative to a determined pre-established number, and an electronic control unit, in response to a signal emitted by the detection means, controls the second stop means to selectively hold those stacks having a number of casings less than the determined pre-established number and to prevent movement of the second stop means in the disengaged position at least until the electronic control unit receives a signal from the detection means corresponding to the detection of a number of casings at least equal to the determined pre-established number.

[0036] These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view showing, diagrammatically and exemplarily, a supplying device for supplying casings for smoking articles according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram of a machine that includes the apparatus of FIG. 1 or with which the apparatus of FIG. 1 can be associated. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a casing suitable for being fed by the apparatus of FIG. 1; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a stack of casings suitable for being fed by the apparatus of FIG. 1; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view, partially in section, of the device of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 2 is a schematic and simplified side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in any of its operating conditions; [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic and simplified plan view of components of the apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of components of the device of FIG. 1 according to an alternative embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of the functionality of an electronic control unit of the device of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] It must be made clear that the terms used in this specification and the claims, e.g. vertical, lower, upper, top and bottom, together with their deviations, have the sole function of better explaining the invention with reference to the drawings, and must not be used in any way to limit the scope of the invention itself or the field of protection defined by the appended claims.

[0039] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain sizes or features in the drawings may be enlarged, distorted, or shown in an unconventional or disproportionate manner in order to provide an easier to understand version of the invention. Where sizes or values ​​are specified in the following description, the sizes and values ​​are provided for illustrative purposes only, and they should not be construed as limiting the field of protection of the invention, unless such sizes and / or values ​​are present in the appended claims.

[0040] To facilitate understanding, the same reference numbers have been used wherever possible in the drawings to identify identical common elements, it being understood that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially combined or incorporated in other embodiments without further specification.

[0041] Referring to Figure 1, a supplying apparatus 10 for supplying casings 100 (Figure 3) for smoking articles according to the present invention is configured to be associated with or part of a machine 200 (Figure 2) for manufacturing smoking articles, such as cigarettes.

[0042] The machine 200 is shown diagrammatically in the block diagram of Fig. 2 and comprises a filling station 201 configured for example to fill the casings 100 with smoking products, e.g. loose material, such as tobacco, other smokable substances, or a combination thereof, a packaging station 202 configured for packaging the already filled casings 100, e.g. to properly close them, and a delivery station 203, possibly external to the machine 200, but not limited thereto, for example to send the smoking articles to a packing station 204. The machine 200 may also include a suitable transport device 205 configured for transporting the casings 100 and the finished smoking articles from the machine 10 at least towards the delivery station 203 in a suitable and coordinated manner.

[0043] At least the filling station 201, the packaging station 202, the delivery station 203, and the transport device 205 can be of any known type or of a type to be developed in the future, such as, for example, those described in related patent applications relating to industrial inventions filed by or assigned to the applicant of the present patent application.

[0044] For example, the transport device 205 comprises a transport member 211 (FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 8) having the shape and function of a shuttle and configured to slide, for example, along a horizontal transport axis X. In the example provided here, the transport member 211 comprises four hollow receiving portions 212, each having a truncated conical shape with a size matching the size of the casing 100, or at least the lower part thereof. It is clear that the number of receiving portions 212 may be other than four.

[0045] Each receptacle 212 is substantially symmetrical about a vertical axis Y and is configured to receive a casing 100 that can be inserted from top to bottom (FIGS. 8 and 9). By way of illustration, in the example provided here, the axes of the four receptacles 212 are designated Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4, respectively (FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0046] The distance D between two adjacent receptacles 212 is determined during the design phase of the device 10 and / or machine 200 and is suitable for managing multiple casings 100, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0047] Before describing the device 10 and its function in detail, an example of a casing 100 (FIG. 3) will be described.

[0048] Each casing 100 is made from a sheet material, such as very thin paper or other material suitable for manufacturing cigarettes or other smokable products, and is typically provided with a filter 102 of a known type.

[0049] The length L of the casing 100 can be changed depending on the smoking article to be obtained, and is, for example, about 50 mm to about 150 mm, preferably about 70 mm to about 120 mm.

[0050] Further, each casing 100 has a shape such that it can be easily stacked with other casings 100 to form a vertical stack 101. For example, each casing 100 can have a frusto-conical shape with a first end 103 that accommodates a filter 102 and a second open end 104 opposite the first end 103 into which another casing 100 can be inserted. Thus, the diameter of the first end 103 is smaller than the diameter of the second end 104.

[0051] In the example provided here, each stack 101 (FIG. 4) includes a defined number of casings 100, for example between 2 and 20.

[0052] For a better understanding of the apparatus 10 and its functioning as described below, the casing 100 located at the bottom of the stack 101 is defined herein as the first casing 100A, while the one inserted therein is defined as the second casing 100B, and so on until the last casing, which is therefore the topmost casing of the stack 101.

[0053] The apparatus 10 (FIGS. 5 and 8) comprises a support structure 11 arranged higher than the transport member 211 and on which is mounted a feed unit 12 configured to temporarily accommodate and support a plurality of stacks 101 in an orderly manner.

[0054] Between the supply unit 12 and the transport member 211 there is a conveyor unit 13 configured to transport one casing 100 at a time from each stack 101 in the supply unit 12 and automatically insert it into a corresponding receiving portion 212 of the support member 211, as will be described in more detail below.

[0055] The support structure 11 comprises a plate 15 which is substantially horizontal and disposed in a fixed position at a predetermined distance from the transport member 211 .

[0056] The supply unit 12 is mounted on a plate 15 and comprises a rotating member 16 in the form of a carousel having a substantially cylindrical bulk and rotatable in a rotational direction S, clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the plate 15, about a substantially vertical rotation axis Z.

[0057] The rotating member 16 comprises a central hub 17 coaxial with the axis of rotation Z, to which an upper disc 19 and a lower disc 20 are mounted perpendicularly and thus parallel to each other.

[0058] The upper disc 19 is provided with a first plurality of through holes 21 arranged radially aligned in rows having centers on four circumferences concentric with the axis of rotation Z and arranged along a number of radial segments. The distance between two adjacent circumferences on which the through holes 21 are located is equal to the distance D between two receiving parts 212 of the transport member 211. In this way, the through holes 21 are divided into groups of four, i.e. the same number as the number of receiving parts 212.

[0059] The angle between two groups of four adjacent through holes 21 (FIG. 1) is a submultiple of 360° and is 20° in the example shown here, since there are 18 groups of four through holes 21, but the invention is not limited thereto. Indeed, other embodiments of the invention, not shown in the drawings, can provide different arrangements and different numbers of through holes 21, since it is sufficient that their position and number correlate with the position and number of the receiving portions 212 of the transport member 211.

[0060] The lower disc 20 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is provided with a second plurality of through-holes 22 arranged in exact correspondence with the first plurality of through-holes 21.

[0061] Between the upper disc 19 and the lower disc 20, corresponding to the two sets of the multiple through holes 21, 22, a plurality of tubular elements 23 are attached, which are parallel to the axis of rotation Z and each are configured to receive a stack 101 of casings 100 and guide it towards the transport member 211 below, as will be described in detail below.

[0062] The supply unit 12 also comprises a closing disc 24 (FIGS. 5-8) configured to selectively separate the supply unit 12, and thus the rotating member 16, from the plate 15.

[0063] A closure disc 24 is associated with the rotating member 16 so as to be coaxial with the central hub 17 and disposed below the lower disc 20 .

[0064] The closing disk 24 is provided with a plurality of openings 25 (FIG. 7) which correspond in shape, size and number to the second plurality of through holes 22 in the lower disk 20 and, in some cases, have a size slightly larger than the through holes 22.

[0065] The supply unit 12 is provided with a control knob 58, for example protruding above the upper disc 19 and connected to the closure disc 24 by suitable mechanical connection means of a type known per se and not described in detail, the control knob 58 may for example comprise a shaft operatively connecting the control knob 58 to the closure disc 24 by one or more connecting members, also of a known type.

[0066] A control knob 58 configured to be manually rotated by an operator allows the closure disk 24 to be moved alternately into a closed position or into an operative position by rotation through a predetermined angle about the axis of rotation Z, for example an angle equal to approximately half the angle α.

[0067] In the closed position, the closing disc 24 prevents the stack 101 of casings 100 from descending from the tubular element 23 towards the conveyor unit 13 below, whereas in the operating position it allows said descent of the stack 101 of casings 100.

[0068] In the actuated position (shown in dashed lines in FIG. 7), the opening 25 is aligned with the second plurality of through holes 22, and thus with the tubular element 23, allowing the stack 101 of the casing 100 to pass through. Conversely, in the closed position (shown in solid lines in FIG. 7), the opening 25 is angularly offset with respect to the position of the through holes 22, preventing the stack 101 from descending.

[0069] When the casing 100 contained in the rotating element 16 is finished or when maintenance or cleaning operations have to be carried out, the presence of the closing disk 24 allows the rotating element 16 to be removed, for example, from the plate 15. The rotating element 16 can be replaced by another rotating element 16 of identical structure and function, whose tubular elements 23 are completely pre-filled with a number of stacks 101 of casings 100, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 8. This filling can be carried out manually by an operator in a filling station, not shown, or automatically or semi-automatically using one or more dedicated devices.

[0070] When it is necessary to replace the rotating member 16 with another rotating member, the operator places the closing discs 24 of both rotating members 16 in the closed position, which allows the rotating members 16 to be moved without the stack 101 of the casing 100 protruding downwards, beneath the tubular element 23.

[0071] The plate 15 is provided with four through holes 26 at predetermined angular positions, i.e. corresponding to the receiving portions 212 of the transport member 211, which are coaxial with the axes Y1 to Y4 of the receiving portions 212, so that the four stacks 101 of the casing 100 can pass freely through them, guided by the four corresponding first tubular guide elements 23.

[0072] Alternatively, instead of the four through holes 26 on the plate 15, a single slot can be made having a width equal to the diameter of one of the through holes 26 and a length suitable to allow four stacks 101 to pass through simultaneously.

[0073] The supply unit 12 also comprises a first electric motor 27 (Figure 5) of known type, which is located below the plate 15 and is connected to the rotating member 16 via a transmission belt 28 and two pulleys 29, 30, one of which is attached to the shaft of the electric motor 27 and the other of which is attached to the central hub 17. The first electric motor 27 is arranged to rotate the rotating member 16 in angular increments, i.e. stepwise, preferably equal to the above-mentioned angle α.

[0074] According to a variant, the first electric motor 27 can continuously rotate the rotating member 16 at a predetermined angular speed so as to bring each group of four through holes 21, 22 into correspondence with the four through holes 26 at the desired timing, however, considering that if the rotating member 16 rotates continuously beyond a certain speed, shearing of the casing 100 may occur during the loading step, rotating the rotating member 16 in angular increments is more advantageous and preferred.

[0075] According to the embodiment of the invention shown here, the conveyor unit 13 comprises four identical pick-up devices 31, each positioned below the through-hole 26, i.e. aligned with the axes Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4, and configured to receive the stack 101 of casings 100 and feed one casing 100 at a time vertically towards the transport member 211 below and insert it into one of the receptacles 212, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0076] Each pick-up device 31 comprises a first gripping member 33 and a second gripping member 35 vertically aligned with each other, each comprising a gripper having a pair of jaws 36, 37 configured to selectively open and close and controlled by corresponding actuators 38, 39 respectively, which may be of any known type and will not be described in detail here.

[0077] As will be clear from the detailed description of the function of the device 10, the first gripping member 33 is configured as a second stop means arranged to move between an engaged position and a disengaged position, in which it engages with the second casing 100B for each stack 101 to temporarily stop the descent of the first casing 100A upwards, and in which it is free to allow the second casing 100B to descend downwards. In the example described here, when the first gripping member 33 is in the engaged position, the pair of jaws 36 constituting the gripper forming the gripping member are in a closed position to hold the second casing 100B and the entire stack of casings 100 thereon, while when the first gripping member 33 is in the disengaged position, the pair of jaws 36 are in an open position.

[0078] In particular, all four first gripping members 33 (Figures 4, 8, and 9) are mounted on the first vertical plate 40 of the support structure 11 and positioned at a predetermined distance H1 from the fixed plate 15, which is preferably, but not limited to, greater than the length L of each casing 100, and remain in this position permanently.

[0079] Conversely, all four second gripping members 35 are configured to move integrally, as gripping means for the first casing 100A, in both directions, i.e. upwards and downwards, along the corresponding vertical axis Y1, Y2, Y3 or Y4, preferably using a single moving device 41, from an elevated position P1 to a lowered position P2, in which, in the elevated position P1, the relative jaws 37 are open and can be selectively closed to grip the casing 100, and in the lowered position P2, which is very close to the transport member 211, the associated jaws 37 are opened again to release the casing 100, so that the latter descends by gravity into the receiving section 212 below the transport member 211.

[0080] Advantageously, the distance H2 between the raised position P1 of the first gripping member 33 and the corresponding second gripping member 35 is approximately equal to or greater than the length L of each casing 100, while the amount of movement C between the raised position P1 and the lowered position P2 is greater than the length L of each casing 100.

[0081] Between each through hole 26 of the fixed plate 15 and each first gripping member 33, a second tubular guide element 42 is arranged, which is attached to the same fixed plate 15 and has the function of guiding the corresponding stack 101 while it descends from the rotating member 16 to the corresponding gripping member 33.

[0082] A sensor 43 (Figure 6) is associated with each second tubular guide element 42 close to the fixed plate 15 and serves as a detection means configured to detect a possible shortage of casings 100 with respect to the determined preset number of casings.

[0083] Furthermore, a third tubular guide element 44 is arranged between each first gripping member 33 and the corresponding second gripping member 35, the third tubular guide element 44 being supported by a horizontal plate 45 of the support structure 11 and having the function of guiding the stack 101 as it descends from the corresponding first gripping member 33 to the corresponding second gripping member 35.

[0084] The displacement device 41 comprises a slider 46 connected to the group of four second gripping members 35 and guided by and sliding vertically together with a second vertical plate 47 of the support structure 11 .

[0085] A second electric motor 49 of known type is mounted on the second vertical plate 47 and connected to the slider 46 by means of a transmission member of known type not shown in the drawings for selectively moving the slider 46 between a raised position corresponding to the raised position P1 and a lowered position corresponding to the lowered position P2, or vice versa.

[0086] The conveyor unit 13 also comprises a stopping element 50 (FIGS. 9 and 10) preferably disposed horizontally beneath the second gripping member 35 and configured to selectively stop the stack 101 of casings 100 .

[0087] As will become apparent from the following detailed description of the functioning of the device 10, the stop element 50 is configured as a first stop means for intervening to stop the descent of the first casing 100A and engages with the second stop means, i.e. the first gripping member 33, and intervenes in a manner that engages with the second stop means for intervening to stop the descent of the second casing 100B and the entire stack 101 of casings 100 thereon.

[0088] In particular, the stop element 50 consists of a plate having a comb shape with four teeth 51 arranged in precise correspondence with the vertical axes Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4.

[0089] The teeth 51 are relatively narrow and there is sufficient space between the teeth 51 to allow passage of the jaws 37 of the second gripping member 35 when the teeth 51 are open and the second gripping member 35 is raised from the lowered position P2 to the raised position P1.

[0090] In particular, the distance H3 (FIGS. 4 and 9) between the upper portion of the teeth 51 of the stop element 50 and the lower portion of the jaw 36 of the first gripping member 33 is slightly greater than the length L of each casing 100.

[0091] A stop element 50 (FIG. 5) is slidably mounted with respect to the support structure 11 between an interference position and a non-interference position, in which its teeth 51 are positioned corresponding to the vertical axes Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4 to stop the descent of the stack 101, and in which the same teeth 51 are retracted and out of the way of movement of the casing 100 towards the transport member 211. The selective movement of the stop element 50 is controlled by an actuator 52 of known type.

[0092] According to a variant embodiment shown in Fig. 11, each jaw 37 of the second gripping member 35 comprises a support arm 53 at the end of which a receiving element 54 is arranged. The receiving element 54 projects from the support arm 53 towards the other jaw 37. In a preferred embodiment, one receiving element 54 is arranged above the support arm 53 of a jaw 37 and the other receiving element 54 is arranged below the respective support arm 53 of the other jaw 37.

[0093] Each receiving element 54 comprises a shaped portion 55 which is, for example V-shaped and chamfered, at least partially mating with the shape of the casing 100 .

[0094] The shaped portions 55 of the two jaws 37 cooperate with each other to form a housing receptacle 56 for the casing 100. Preferably, corresponding to the housing receptacle 56 on each support arm 53, there is a substantially cylindrical or frustoconical niche 59 which fits with the outer surface of the casing 100 in a zone close to the first end 103. The arrangement of the receptacle elements 54 and the shape of their shaped portions 55 make it possible to limit possible lateral movements or undesired tilting of the casing 100 relative to the axis Y, which could prevent the jaws 37 from closing correctly to hold the first casing 100A, thereby giving a higher reliability to the second gripping member 35 without damaging the casing 100.

[0095] In another variant embodiment, the jaw 36 of the first gripping member 33 may also be similar to the jaw 37 described above according to the variant embodiment shown in FIG.

[0096] In another embodiment of the invention that does not provide for the use of the second gripping member 35, the stop element 50 can function as a first stop member or means by which the first casing 100A of the stack 101 stops, while each first gripping member 33 can selectively function as a second stop member or means for temporarily stopping at least the second casing 100B and the other casings 100 thereon for each of the stacks 101. In this case, the actuation of the stop element 50 causes the first casing 100A of the stack 101 to drop by gravity directly into the receiving part 212 below the transport member 211, while the corresponding first gripping member 33 is in the blocking position. The distance H3 (FIG. 4) between the top of the tooth 51 of the stop element 50 and the bottom of the jaw 36 of the first gripping member 33 is slightly greater than the length L of each casing 100.

[0097] The device 10 also comprises an electronic control unit 57 (FIG. 12), for example of a programmable type, configured to control the first electric motor 27, the second electric motor 49, and the actuators 38, 39 and 52. The sensor 43 is also electrically connected to the electronic control unit 57.

[0098] The functioning of the device 10 described so far, which corresponds to the method according to the invention, comprises the following steps:

[0099] In the initial or rest state, the supply unit 12 is stationary, the second gripping member 35 is in the raised position P1, the jaws 36 and 37 of the gripping members 33 and 35 are open and the stop element 50 is in the interference position, i.e. its teeth 51 interfere with the axes Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4.

[0100] Furthermore, the transport member 211 is in its loading position, its receiving portions 212 being exactly coaxial with the axes Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, ready to receive four casings 100 from the stack 101, respectively.

[0101] In a first step, a plurality of stacks 101 of casings 100 are loaded into the first tubular guide element 23 of the rotating member 16 through the first plurality of through holes 21 .

[0102] Every loaded stack 101 has its first casing 100A, i.e. the lowermost casing 100A, in contact with the lower closure disc 24, which is located in the closed position. This step can be performed manually or automatically, for example by a robot or an automatic machine, while the rotating member 16 is rotating. Alternatively, the rotating member 16 already loaded with the stack 101 can be attached to the plate 15 and replaced by another rotating member 16 when the casing 100 is completed, so that the stack 101 can be loaded in a filling station separate from the device 10.

[0103] At this point, the operator operates the control knob 58 to bring the closing disk 24 into the operative position and the stack 101 begins to descend towards the conveyor unit 13 .

[0104] A first electric motor 27 controlled by an electronic control unit 57 rotates the rotating member 16 stepwise, for example in a clockwise direction, by increments equal to the angle α, for example as indicated by arrow S in FIG.

[0105] The stacks 101 loaded into the same group of four through holes 21 aligned and disposed on the same radial segment fall by gravity into the second tubular guide element 42 below and from there into the third tubular guide element 44. The rotating member 16 aligns said group of four through holes 21 with the four through holes 26 of the fixed plate 15 (FIG. 6).

[0106] At this point, the electronic control unit 57 commands a pick-up cycle beginning with actuation of the actuators 38 and 39 (FIG. 1) associated with the gripping members 33 and 35 to close the jaws 36 and 37, possibly according to a termination sequence which may be staggered in time, thereby commanding the closure of the jaw 36 of the first gripping member 33 before closing the jaw 37 of the second gripping member 35.

[0107] In this way, the first gripping member 33 moves into an engagement position where it grips the second casing 100B (FIG. 4) of each stack 101 and temporarily stops the descent of the casings above the first casing 100A, thereby allowing only this one to descend by gravity against the teeth 51 of the stop element 50 arranged in the interference position. The second gripping member 35 grips this first casing 100A of each stack 101, for example, preferably corresponding to its filter 102.

[0108] The electronic control unit 57, after receiving an acknowledgement signal from the actuators 38 and 39, as the case may be, that the operation of closing the jaws 36 and 37 has been performed, first commands the actuator 52, which in turn causes the stop element 50 to move to a non-interference position, and then the second electric motor 49, which in turn commands the movement of the slider 46 and the second gripping member 35 connected thereto from the first raised position P1 to the second lowered position P2.

[0109] In this way, only the first casing 100A of each stack 101 is in the lowered position with its filter 102 very close to the corresponding receiving portion 212 of the transport member 201, while the second casing 100B of each stack 101, together with all other possible casings 100 of the same stack 101 above it, remains stationary, held by the first gripping member 33.

[0110] When the second gripping member 35 reaches the second lowered position P2, the electronic control unit 57 commands the actuator 39 to open the jaws 37 of the second gripping member 35, causing the first casing 100A of each stack 101 to descend by gravity into the storage section 212 below the transport member 211.

[0111] Furthermore, when all the first casings 100A of each descending stack 101 have passed the stop element 50, the electronic control unit 57 first commands the second electric motor 49 to raise the second gripping member 35, and then commands the actuator 52 to return the stop element 50 to its interference position.

[0112] When the stop element 50 again reaches its interference position, the electronic control unit 57 commands the actuator 38, which causes the jaws 36 of the first gripping member 33 to open, causing the second casing 100B to fall downwards until it comes to a stop against the stop element 50 itself, thus becoming the new first casing 100A, ready to be lifted by the second gripping member 35 and placed on the transport member in the next work cycle.

[0113] The above-described pick-up cycle is repeated so that four casings 100 at a time are inserted into the receiving portions 212 of different transport members 211 which are brought sequentially to the loading position in any suitable manner, the receiving portions 212 of which are exactly coaxial with the axes Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4.

[0114] When the electronic control unit 57 receives a signal from the sensor 43 indicating that there are no casings 100 of the four stacks 101 introduced into the second tubular guide element 42 in front of the sensor 43, it commands the first electric motor 27 to perform a new rotation by a further angle α.

[0115] At this point, the entire cycle described above is repeated until all casings 100 loaded into the supply unit 12 have been picked up and inserted into the receptacles 212 of the various transport members 211 .

[0116] From the above it is clear that the feeding of the stack 101 of casings 100 in the feeding unit 12 is independent of the pick-up cycle carried out by the conveyor unit 13, so that the apparatus 10 can also operate in a continuous cycle.

[0117] It should be noted that the presence of the four sensors 43 makes it possible to check the actual presence of the casing 100 in the second and third tubular guide elements 42 and 44, and thus allows the rotation of the rotating member 16 to be appropriately commanded by the electronic control unit 57 and / or other control means of the machine 200, thereby preventing the casing 100 itself from being accidentally sheared off.

[0118] Furthermore, the possibility of one or more casings 100 being missing on one or more of the second and third tubular guide elements 42 and 44 is managed by the electronic control unit 57, which by means of the four sensors 43 and the actuators 38 commands each first gripping member 33 to selectively hold one or more stacks 101 which are missing one or more casings 100 compared to a predefined number of casings 100, in order to obtain the leveling of the casings 100 in the second and third tubular guide elements 42 and 44. This feature makes it possible to obtain a continuous functioning of the feeding unit 12 even in the case of an uneven loading of the stacks 101, e.g. a possible number of casings 100 different from a predefined number determined by an operator and / or a robot or an automatic machine.

[0119] It will be apparent that modifications and / or additions of components or steps may be made to the feeding device 10 and feeding method for automatically feeding casings 100 for smoking articles described hereinabove without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

[0120] For example, in general, any movement provided by each of the electric motors cited above can be obtained by another type of actuation, for example pneumatic or hydrodynamic.

[0121] It is also clear that although the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, a person skilled in the art will certainly be able to realise many other equivalent configurations of the supplying device 10 and supplying method for automatically supplying smoking casings, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0122] In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in parentheses is for the purpose of readability; they shall not be considered as limiting elements with regard to the field of protection defined by the claims themselves.

Claims

1. A supply device (10) for automatically supplying a casing (100) for forming a smoking article towards at least one transport member (211), wherein the at least one transport member (211) is aligned along a substantially horizontal transport axis (X) and has one or more first receiving portions (212) each configured to receive one of the casings (100), the casing (100) is hollow and stackable so as to be partially inserted into each other to form a stack (101), the supply device (10) comprises supply means (12) arranged above the at least one transport member (211) and configured to temporarily support the stack (101) of the casings (100), conveyor means (13) interposed between the supply means (12) and the at least one transport member (211) and configured to selectively transport the casing (100) individually from the supply means (12) towards the one or more first receiving portions (212) of the at least one transport member (211), and each of the stacks (101) comprises a first casing (100A) located at the lower end of each stack (101) and into which at least a part of a second casing (100B) is inserted from above, the conveyor means (13) comprises first stopping means (50) configured to move between an interference position and a non-interference position, the first stopping means (50) being in the interference position, for each of the stacks (101), engaging with the first casing (100A) to temporarily stop the descent of the first casing (100A), in the non-interference position, releasing the first casing (100A) and being able to release the released first casing (100A) into one of the one or more first receiving portions (212), the supply device (10), the conveyor means (13) also comprises second stopping means (33) arranged between the supply means (12) and the first stopping means (50) and configured to move between an engaged position and a non-engaged position, the second stopping means (33) being At the engaging position, at least when the first stopping means (50) is in the non-interference position, for each of the stacks (101), in order to temporarily stop the descent of the casing above the first casing (100A), for each of the stacks (101), it engages with the second casing (100B) closest to the first casing (100A), At the non-engaging position, only while the first stopping means (50) is in the interference position, the second casing (100B) closest to the first casing (100A) is released and lowered onto the first stopping means (50), and the second casing (100B) lowered by the second stopping means (33) becomes a new first casing (100A) when it reaches the first stopping means (50). Supply device (10), characterized in that.

2. The conveyor means (13) further comprises gripping means (35) configured to grip the first casing (100A) from the first stopping means (50) and move the gripped first casing (100A) near the at least one transport member (211), and release it into one of the one or more first receiving portions (212). Supply device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. The first gripping means (35) is movable between a first raised position (P1) and a second lowered position (P2) along a first straight segment on a vertical plane, At the first raised position (P1), it moves when gripping the first casing (100A), At the second lowered position (P2), it moves when moving the gripped first casing (100A) near the at least one transport member (211). Supply device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that.

4. The gripping means (35) When the first stopping means (50) is in the interference position, grips the first casing (100A) at the first raised position (P1), When the first stopping means (50) is in the non-interference position, it is configured to move to the second lowered position (P2) and move the gripped first casing (100A) near the at least one transport member (211). Supply device (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that.

5. The supply means (12) A rotating member (16) that is rotatably attached around a substantially vertical rotation axis (Z) and has a plurality of second receiving portions (21) configured to receive one of the stacks (101) of the casing (100) in parallel with the rotation axis (Z). having the rotating member (16) is configured to rotate stepwise at respective constant angles (α), and selectively aligns a row of the plurality of second receiving portions (21) arranged along a radial segment of the rotating member (16) vertically with the conveyor means (13). The supply device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that.

6. The supply means (12) is a closing disk (24) that selectively closes the plurality of second receiving portions (21) and releases only the second receiving portions (21) located along the row arranged along the radial segment so as to be vertically aligned with the conveyor means (13), and the stack (101) of the casing (100) located in the second receiving portions (21) not blocked by the closing disk (24) is configured to be able to descend only. The closing disk (24) as described above The supply device (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises.

7. The rotating member (16) includes an upper disk (19) and a lower disk (20) arranged coaxially and facing each other with a plurality of tubular elements (23) interposed therebetween. the plurality of tubular elements (23) communicate with the plurality of second receiving portions (21). the plurality of tubular elements (23) are arranged parallel to the rotation axis (Z). The supply device (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that.

8. Each of the second stopping means (33) includes at least one gripper having a pair of jaws (36) configured to selectively open and close on the casing (100). The supply device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that.

9. Arranged between the supply means (12) and the conveyor means (13), and in each stack (101), the possibility of the casing (100) for a determined pre-established number detection means (43) configured to detect a possible shortage. An electronic control unit (57) configured to control the second stopping means (33) in response to a signal emitted by the detection means (43), the electronic control unit (57) selectively holding the stack (101) having a number of the casings (100) less than the determined pre-established number, and preventing movement of the second stopping means (33) at the disengaged position until at least the electronic control unit (57) receives a signal corresponding to detection of a number of casings (100) at least equal to the determined pre-established number from the detection means (43). The supply device (10) according to claim 1, further comprising

10. The first stopping means (50) comprises a comb-shaped plate movable along a second straight segment on a horizontal plane when moving between the interference position and the non-interference position The supply device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that

11. A distance (H3) along the vertical axis between the first stopping means (50) and the second stopping means (33) remains fixed and is slightly larger than the length (L) of the casing (100). The supply device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that

12. A supply method for automatically supplying a casing (100) for forming a smoking article towards at least one transport member (211), The at least one transport member (211) is aligned along a substantially horizontal transport axis (X) and has one or more first receiving portions (212) each configured to receive one of the casings (100). The casing (100) is hollow and stackable so as to be partially inserted into each other to form a stack (101). The method comprises At least one supply step in which supply means (12) arranged above the at least one transport member (211) supply the stack (101) of the casings (100) to conveyor means (13) interposed between the supply means (12) and the at least one transport member (211). A transport step in which the conveyor means (13) selectively transport the casings (100) individually towards the one or more first receiving portions (212) of the at least one transport member (211). Comprising Each of the stacks (101) includes a first casing (100A) located at the lower end of each stack (101) into which at least a part of the second casing (100B) is inserted from above. In the transporting step, a first stopping means (50) of the conveyor means (13) disposed between the supplying means (12) and the at least one transporting member (211) is moved between an interfering position and a non-interfering position. The first stopping means (50) In the interfering position, for each of the stacks (101), it engages with the first casing (100A) to temporarily stop the descent of the first casing (100A). In the non-interfering position, it releases the first casing (100A) and releases the released first casing (100A) into one of the one or more first accommodating portions (212). The method is as follows. A second stopping means (33) of the conveyor means (13) disposed between the supplying means (12) and the first stopping means (50) is moved between an engaging position and a non-engaging position. The second stopping means (33) In the engaging position, for each of the stacks (101), when at least the first stopping means (50) is in the non-interfering position, it engages with the second casing (100B) closest to the first casing (100A) for each of the stacks (101) to temporarily stop the descent of the casing above the first casing (100A). In the non-engaging position, only while the first stopping means (50) is in the interfering position, it releases the second casing (100B) closest to the first casing (100A) and allows it to descend onto the first stopping means (50). The second casing (100B) descended by the second stopping means (33) becomes a new first casing (100A) when it reaches the first stopping means (50). A supplying method characterized by the above.

13. In the supplying step, the gripping means (35) of the conveyor means (13) grips the first casing (100A) from the first stopping means (50), moves the gripped first casing (100A) near the at least one transporting member (211), and releases it into one of the one or more first accommodating portions (212). The supplying method according to claim 12, characterized by the above.

14. When the gripping means (35) grips the first casing (100A), the first stopping means (50) is in the interference position, When the gripping means (35) moves the first casing (100A) gripped near the at least one transport member (211), the first stopping means (50) is in the non-interference position The supply method according to claim 13, characterized in that.

15. In the supply step, the rotating member (16) of the supply means (12), which is rotatably attached around a substantially vertical rotation axis (Z) and has a plurality of second receiving portions (21), receives one or more of the casings (100) arranged to form the stack (101) in one or more of the plurality of second receiving portions (21), the rotating member (16) rotates stepwise at respective constant angles (α), and a row of the plurality of second receiving portions (21) arranged along a radial segment of the rotating member (16) is selectively moved so as to be aligned vertically with the conveyor means (13). The supply method according to claim 12, characterized in that.

16. A detection means (43) arranged between the supply means (12) and the conveyor means (13) detects a possible shortage of the casings (100) in each stack (101) with respect to a determined pre-established number, and an electronic control unit (57) controls the second stopping means (33) in response to a signal emitted by the detection means (43), selectively holds the stack (101) in which the number of the casings (100) is less than the determined pre-established number, and the electronic control unit (57) prevents movement of the second stopping means (33) in the non-engaged position until at least receiving a signal corresponding to detection of at least an equal number of the casings (100) to the determined pre-established number from the detection means (43), a control step The supply method according to claim 12, further comprising the above.

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