Cigarette production equipment

Abstract

A production facility (7) for producing cigarettes (2), each cigarette (2) comprising at least one aromatic element (3) having a cylindrical shape and at least one filtration element (4) also having a cylindrical shape, the production facility (7) comprising a manufacturing machine (8) configured to produce the aromatic element (3) and an assembly machine (9), the assembly machine (9) configured to produce cigarettes (2) and having an input connected to the output of the manufacturing machine (8) to receive the aromatic element (3) from the manufacturing machine (8), the assembly machine (9) being aligned with and perpendicular to the manufacturing machine (8) and together defining an "L" shape in a plane.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This patent application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102022000017007, filed August 9, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a production facility for the manufacture of multi-component cigarettes, each of the cigarettes comprising a plurality of elements arranged next to one another, at least one of which comprises a filtration element and at least one other of which comprises an aromatic element, preferably a tobacco aromatic element. [Background technology]

[0003] A production facility for producing multi-component cigarettes includes a manufacturing machine configured to produce cylindrically shaped tobacco aromatic elements, and an assembly machine configured to produce cigarettes and having an input connected to an output of the manufacturing machine for receiving the aromatic elements from the manufacturing machine.

[0004] In production facilities for producing multi-component cigarettes, solutions are known in which the manufacturing machine is directly connected to the assembly machine by a conveying device. This configuration requires that the two machines always operate at exactly the same speed (i.e., the temporarily faster machine must always slow down to match the speed of the other temporarily slower machine).

[0005] Some examples of cigarette manufacturing and packing equipment are disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 5,623,299; 5,723,3 ...

[0006] Patent documents 14-16 disclose production equipment for the manufacture of cigarettes, each of which comprises at least a cylindrical aromatic element and at least one cylindrical filtering element, the production equipment preferably including cigarettes and configured to produce the aromatic element, and an assembly machine configured to produce cigarettes and having an input connected to an output of the manufacturing machine and receiving the aromatic element from the manufacturing machine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 1587380 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 03074361 [Patent Document 3] European Patent Application Publication No. 1041006 [Patent Document 4] German Patent No. 3519580 [Patent Document 5] European Patent Application Publication No. 1346651 [Patent Document 6] US Patent Application Publication No. 2008 / 0289642 [Patent Document 7] European Patent Application Publication No. 0882411 [Patent Document 8] European Patent Application Publication No. 2121449 [Patent Document 9] European Patent Application Publication No. 1273541 [Patent Document 10] U.S. Patent No. 5,209,247 [Patent Document 11] European Patent Application Publication No. 2004530 [Patent Document 12] European Patent Application Publication No. 0261508 [Patent Document 13] European Patent Application Publication No. 0347586 [Patent Document 14] German Patent Application Publication No. 102007030275 [Patent Document 15] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006201523 [Patent Document 16] British Patent No. 1442751 Summary of the Invention

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide cigarette production equipment that has reduced overall dimensions, maximizes long-term productivity (e.g., average number of cigarettes produced in an 8-hour shift), and at the same time is easy and inexpensive to produce.

[0009] According to the present invention there is provided a cigarette production facility as set out in the accompanying claims. The claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention and form an integral part of this specification. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show some non-limiting embodiments thereof. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-component cigarette contained in a rigid tobacco pack. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective and schematic diagram of a production facility for the manufacture of multi-component cigarettes made in accordance with the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view, partially modified for clarity, of some of the manufacturing and assembly machines of the production facility in FIG. 2, which are connected to one another by a connection system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an orientation device at the end of a manufacturing machine. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the assembly machine of the production facility in FIG. [Figure 6-7] 6 and 7 are front and rear views, respectively, of a manufacturing machine connected to the connection system shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view of the connection system shown in FIG. 3 between the manufacturing machine and the assembly machine. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a front view of a manufacturing machine coupled to different embodiments of a connection system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In FIG. 1, the numeral 1 indicates generally a hard tobacco pack containing a group 2 of cigarettes.

[0012] The cigarettes 2 are multi-component cigarettes, and therefore each cigarette 2 comprises a plurality of elements 3 and 4 arranged alongside one another, in particular one tobacco aromatic element 3 and four different filtration elements 4 (for example, the filtration elements 4 may comprise a PLA filtration element 4, a cellulose acetate filtration element 4, an activated carbon filtration element 4, and a tubular filtration element 4). Each element 3 and 4 is surrounded and held together by two wrapping sheets 5 and 6 superimposed on one another. According to other embodiments not shown, the number, function, and arrangement of the elements 3 and 4 and wrapping sheets 5 and 6 may be different.

[0013] In Figure 2, the reference numeral 7 generally designates a production (processing) facility for producing multi-component cigarettes 2. The production facility 7 comprises, from upstream to downstream, a manufacturing machine 8 for producing the tobacco aromatic element 3, and an assembly machine 9. The manufacturing machine 8 is the start of the production line and produces the aromatic element 3, while the assembly machine 9 receives the aromatic element 3 from the manufacturing machine 8 and combines it with the filtering element 4 to produce the multi-component cigarettes 2. That is, the output of the manufacturing machine 8 is connected to the input of the assembly machine 9 and supplies the aromatic element 3 to the assembly machine 9.

[0014] As shown in Figure 3, the manufacturing machine 8 is configured to crimp or cut the tobacco batches longitudinally into strips and then impart a cylindrical shape to the crimped or cut tobacco batches, which are stabilized by wrapping a wrapping sheet around the tobacco batches. In particular, the manufacturing machine 8 comprises (at least) one shaping beam 10 configured to wrap a wrapping sheet around the tobacco batches to form a longitudinally fed continuous rod, and a cutting head 11 configured to cut the continuous rod transversely to separate the longitudinally fed aromatic elements 3 from the continuous rod. Furthermore, the manufacturing machine 8 comprises a directing device 12 (located downstream of the cutting head 11 and shown in Figure 4) that receives the longitudinally fed cigarettes 2 and releases the transversely fed cigarettes 2 at the output of the manufacturing machine 8, so that at the output of the manufacturing machine 8 the cigarettes 2 are fed transversely. By way of example, the manufacturing machine 8 can produce as described in EP 3473111 A1 or EP 3469923 A1.

[0015] As shown in Figure 5, the assembly machine 9 is configured to produce a group of elements 3 and 4 consisting of an aromatic element 3 and a filtering element 4 (according to other embodiments not shown, at least one non-filtering element may also be added), and to wrap packaging sheets 5 and 6 around the group of elements 3 and 4. By way of example, the assembly machine 9 can be produced as described in WO 2014 / 064655 A2.

[0016] As shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8, the production facility 7 comprises a compensation storage device 13 arranged between the output of the manufacturing machine 8 and the input of the assembly machine 9, which temporarily compensates for the difference in speed of the machines 8 and 9. The compensation storage device 13 has the function of "decoupling" the two machines 8 and 9, i.e., allowing the two machines 8 and 9 to operate (obviously for a relatively short time) at different operating speeds (understood as the number of products processed per unit of time). The compensation storage device 13 is arranged above the height of the machines 8 and 9 (i.e., above the machines 8 and 9), and in particular, the compensation storage device 13 is arranged above the manufacturing machine 8 (but alternatively, it is arranged above the assembly machine 9, or partly above the manufacturing machine 8 and partly above the assembly machine 9).

[0017] As shown in Figure 3, the compensation storage device 13 is connected to the output of the manufacturing machine 8 by a vertical upper conveying device 14 and to the input of the assembly machine 9 by a vertical lower conveying device 15, and in particular the assembly machine 9 comprises a hopper 16 configured to accommodate the masses of aromatic elements 3 and to receive the aromatic elements 3 from the manufacturing machine 8, and therefore the vertical lower conveying device 15 ends up in the hopper 16 of the assembly machine 9.

[0018] By way of example, the compensation storage device 13 interposed between the production machine 8 and the assembly machine 9 can be of the type described in EP 3514086 A1. In the compensation storage device 13 interposed between the production machine 8 and the assembly machine 9, the aromatic elements 3 are fed in chunks, i.e., they are grouped together to form chunks of aromatic elements 3 consisting of several layers of aromatic elements 3 superimposed on one another (an example of a chunk of aromatic elements 3 is shown in FIG. 4). Since the aromatic elements 3 enter the hopper 16 of the assembly machine 9 in chunks, whereas the aromatic elements 3 leave the production machine 8 individually (i.e., one at a time), between the output of the production machine 8 and the input of the compensation storage device 13, the aromatic elements 3 must be grouped to form chunks (consisting of multiple layers of aromatic elements 3 superimposed on one another) that can be fed to the compensation storage device 13. In particular, in the embodiments shown in Figures 3-4 and 6-8, the conversion from a single flow of aromatic elements 3 to a mass flow of aromatic elements 3 takes place at the output of the directing device 12, i.e., at the directing device 12, the aromatic elements 3 are fed individually (as shown in Figure 4), while downstream of the directing device 12 the aromatic elements 3 are grouped together (as shown in Figure 4). On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the conversion from a single flow of aromatic elements 3 to a mass flow takes place further downstream of the directing device 12 and at the end of the row of conveying drums 17 which rotate about corresponding horizontal rotation axes 18 and which receive the aromatic elements 3 fed in a single flow from the directing devices 12 at the output of the production machine 8. In other words, at the output of the manufacturing machine 8 there is a directing device 12 which receives the longitudinally fed cigarettes 2 and releases the transversely fed cigarettes 2, the transversely fed cigarettes 2 leaving the directing device 12 being fed by a row of conveying drums 17 towards a compensation storage device 13.

[0019] In other words, the compensation storage device 13 (located higher than machines 8 and 9 and above the manufacturing machine 8) is interposed between the output of the manufacturing machine 8 and the input of the assembly machine 9, so that the single flow of aromatic elements 3 leaving the manufacturing machine 8 is directed upwards and converted into a mass flow (so that the aromatic elements 3 become masses when entering the compensation storage device 13, when leaving the compensation storage device 13, and when entering the hopper 16 of the assembly machine 9).

[0020] As mentioned above, the production machine 8 comprises an operating element (which carries out the actual processing of the materials to obtain the final product, i.e., the aromatic element 3) and a base resting on the floor and supporting the operating element. The base of the production machine 8 has a vertical front wall or face and a vertical rear wall or face, and the operating element of the production machine 8 is attached only to the front wall of the base (i.e., the front wall of the production machine 8). In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the output of the production machine 8 is located in the area of ​​the front wall of the base (i.e., the front wall of the production machine 8), while in the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 6-8, the output of the production machine 8 is located in the area of ​​the rear wall of the base (i.e., the rear wall of the production machine 8).

[0021] In other words, a conveying device is arranged above the machines 8 and 9, starting from the output of the manufacturing machine 8 and ending at the input of the assembly machine 9, the conveying device having a vertical upper branch (including a vertical upper conveying device 14) connected (directly or indirectly) to the output of the manufacturing machine 8, a vertical lower branch (including a vertical lower conveying device 15) connected to the input of the assembly machine 9 (i.e. to the hopper 16 of the assembly machine 9), and a (substantially) horizontal branch interposed between the two vertical branches, the conveying device also comprising a compensation storage device 13. According to the embodiment shown in Figure 9, (at least) the first section of the vertical upper branch consists of a row (series) of conveying drums 17 rotating around a corresponding horizontal axis of rotation 18.

[0022] According to a variant (not shown), the production machine 8 is connected directly to the assembly machine 9 without the compensating storage device 13, and the assembly machine 9 does not have a hopper 16. In this case, the row of conveying drums 17 described above can directly and continuously supply drums at the input of the assembly machine 9. That is to say, in this embodiment, the aromatic elements 3 always remain in a single flow, thus leaving the production machine 8 individually and entering the assembly machine 9 individually (the latter no longer comprising a hopper 16 designed to accommodate the aromatic elements 3 chunks).

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the directing device 12 comprises an end drum 19 which receives the aromatic elements 3 fed longitudinally from the cutting head 11 at an input station S1 (i.e., they advance parallel to their longitudinal axis) and releases the transversely fed aromatic elements 3 at an output station S2 (i.e., they advance perpendicular to their longitudinal axis). The end drum 19 rotates in stages about a rotation axis 20 (perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 4 and parallel to the longitudinal feed direction of the aromatic elements 3) and has a series of peripheral seats 21 each suitable for receiving and holding a corresponding aromatic element 3 by suction, such that in use each aromatic element 3 longitudinally enters a respective peripheral seat 21 of the end drum 19 in the input station S1 and transversely exits a respective peripheral seat 21 in the output station S2.

[0024] According to a possible embodiment (not shown), the directing device 12 also comprises a rotating drum, which is arranged downstream of the end drum 19 (i.e., receives the aromatic elements 3 from the end drum 19) and is configured to impart a 90° rotation to the aromatic elements 3; in particular, the rotating drum is "conical" shaped and has an outer surface (from which the peripheral sheet is obtained) inclined at 45° to its axis of rotation. In other words, the rotating drum is configured to receive the transversely fed aromatic elements 3 from the end drum 19, impart a 90° rotation to the transversely fed aromatic elements 3, and release the transversely fed aromatic elements 3 rotated by 90° (compared to the way they exit the end drum 19).

[0025] After a rotation of 90°, the rotating drum releases the aromatic elements 3 onto a series of conveying drums 17 which rotate about a corresponding horizontal axis of rotation. In this way, the aromatic elements 3 fed downstream of the cutting head 11 in the direction of their longitudinal axis are fed downstream of the directing device 12 along the series of conveying drums 17 transversely and vertically compared to the way they enter the directing device 12.

[0026] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the directing device 12 does not have a rotating drum and therefore only has an end drum 19, and downstream of the directing device 12 there is a horizontal conveying device 22 which receives the single aromatic elements 3 at the output station S2 and arranges the single aromatic elements 3 into a mass of aromatic elements 3 formed by several superimposed layers of the single aromatic elements 3.

[0027] In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 6-8, the output of the manufacturing machine 8 and the input of the assembly machine 9 are connected via the interposition of a compensation storage device 13 (made, for example, as described in EP 3514086 A1). In this embodiment, the conveying drum 17 is absent and the directing device 12 lacks a rotating drum (i.e., made as shown in Figure 4). The directing device 12 releases the masses of aromatic elements 3 to a horizontal conveying device 22 (shown in Figures 6 and 7) and releases the masses of aromatic elements 3 to a vertical conveying device 23 (arranged behind the manufacturing machine 8), which feeds the masses of aromatic elements 3 upward and defines a vertical upward conveying device 14. Also provided are a (substantially) horizontal conveying device 24 that connects the output of the conveying device 23 to the input of the compensation storage device 13, and a (substantially) horizontal conveying device 25 that connects the output of the compensation storage device 13 to the input of the assembly machine 9 (i.e., the hopper 16 of the assembly machine 9).

[0028] The conveying devices 24 and 25 are substantially horizontal and have a moderate inclination (of the order of 10°-15° relative to the horizontal) along (at least) part of their length to match the vertical positions of the input and output parts of the compensation storage device 13, respectively.

[0029] According to a preferred embodiment, the directing device 12 does not have a rotating drum (i.e., does not impart a 90° rotation to the aromatic element 3), and the conveying devices 24, 25 have, as a whole, 90° bends and, as a whole, impart a 90° rotation to the aromatic element 3 (each 90° bend of the conveying devices 24, 25 imparts a 90° rotation to the aromatic element 3). In particular, the conveying device 24 has three 90° bends and the conveying device 25 has two 90° bends. According to an alternative embodiment not shown, the directing device 12 comprises a rotating drum (i.e., imparts a 90° rotation to the aromatic element 3), and therefore the conveying devices 24 and 25 have an even number of 90° bends that, as a whole, do not impart a 90° rotation to the aromatic element 3.

[0030] In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 6-8, the vertical conveying device 23 is a vertical upper conveying device 14, and the vertical lower conveying device 15 is (substantially) located at the end of the horizontal conveying device 25, which terminates in the hopper 16 of the assembly machine 9.

[0031] In all embodiments, the manufacturing machine 8 is arranged vertically alongside the assembly machine 9, together defining an "L" shaped plane, i.e. the two machines 8 and 9 have an "L" shape in a plane as a whole, as the two machines 8 and 9 are arranged vertically relative to each other. That is, the vertical front wall or front face of the manufacturing machine 8 is perpendicular to the front wall or front face of the assembly machine 9.

[0032] The embodiments described herein can be combined with each other without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] The production facility 7 described above has many advantages. Firstly, the production facility 7 described above allows assembly or maintenance interventions to be carried out faster and more efficiently (ie without the intervention of a human operator).

[0034] Furthermore, the particular configuration of the manufacturing machine 8 and the assembly machine 9 allows for increased production efficiency and at the same time allows for a significantly reduced overall size. Finally, the production facility 7 described above is particularly compact due to optimal accessibility to all of its parts.

[0035] (Explanation of Reference Symbols) 1 pack of cigarettes 2. Cigarettes 3 Aromatic Elements 4 filtration elements 5 Packaging sheet 6 Packaging Sheet 7 Production Facilities 8 Manufacturing machinery 9 Assembly Machinery 10 Shaped beam 11 Cutting head 12 Orientation device 13 Compensation storage device 14 Vertical upward transport device 15 Vertical downward conveying device 16 Hopper 17 Transport drum 18 Rotation axis 19 End drum 20 Rotation axis 21 Peripheral Sheet 22 Conveyor equipment 23 Conveyor equipment 24 Conveyor equipment 25 Transport equipment 26 Autonomous Vehicles S1 Input Station S2 Output Station

Claims

1. A production facility (7) for producing cigarettes (2), comprising: Each cigarette (2) comprises at least one aromatic element (3) having a cylindrical shape and at least one filtering element (4) having a cylindrical shape; The production facility (7) comprises a manufacturing machine (8) configured to produce the aromatic element (3), preferably comprising cigarettes, and an assembly machine (9) configured to produce the cigarettes (2) and having an input connected to an output of the manufacturing machine (8) to receive the aromatic element (3) from the manufacturing machine (8), The production facility (7) is characterized in that the manufacturing machine (8) is arranged alongside and perpendicular to the assembly machine (9), together defining an "L" shape in a plane.

2. 2. The production installation (7) according to claim 1, wherein the manufacturing machine (8) comprises an orientation device (12) configured to receive the aromatic element (3) fed longitudinally and to feed the aromatic element (3) fed transversely to the output of the manufacturing machine (8).

3. 3. The production installation (7) according to claim 2, wherein the orienting device (12) comprises an end drum (19) having a plurality of peripheral seats (21) configured to receive the longitudinally supplied aromatic elements (3) and to release the transversely supplied aromatic elements (3) rotating about a longitudinally oriented rotation axis (20).

4. 4. The production installation (7) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the directing device (12) comprises a rotating drum configured to receive the aromatic elements (3) fed in a transverse direction, to impart a rotation of 90° to the aromatic elements (3) fed in a transverse direction, and to release the aromatic elements (3) fed in a transverse direction rotated by 90°.

5. The manufacturing machine (8) is provided with an operating member for producing the aromatic element (3), and the manufacturing machine (8) has a front wall on which the operating member is arranged and a rear wall opposite the front wall, The production installation (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the output of the manufacturing machine (8) is arranged in the area of ​​the rear wall.

6. 6. A production installation (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a train of conveying drums (17) connecting the output of the manufacturing machine (8) directly to the input of the assembly machine (9), preferably without any intervening compensation storage device (13).

7. 7. A production facility (7) according to claim 6, wherein the aromatic element (3) is always supplied singly between the output of the manufacturing machine (8) and the input of the assembly machine (9).

8. The production facility (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a compensation storage device (13) interposed between the output of the manufacturing machine (8) and the input of the assembly machine (9).

9. 9. The production facility (7) according to claim 8, wherein the compensation storage device (13) is arranged at a higher position than the manufacturing and assembly machines (8, 9).

10. Between the output of the manufacturing machine (8) and the input of the assembly machine (9), the aromatic element (3) is always supplied in bulk; a first conveying device (24) is provided, which is configured to receive the aromatic element (3) from the output of the production machine (8) and to terminate at the input of the compensation storage device (13); 10. A production installation (7) according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a second conveying device (25) which connects an output of the compensation storage device (13) to the input of the assembly machine (9).

11. The production facility (7) according to claim 10, wherein the first conveying device (24, 2) as a whole has an odd number of 90° bends and imparts a 90° rotation to the aromatic element (3).

12. 12. A production installation (7) according to claim 10 or 11, comprising a third conveying device (23) which is vertically oriented and lifts the aromatic elements (3) to the inlet of the first conveying device (24), preferably arranged behind the manufacturing machine (8).

13. 13. The production installation (7) according to claim 12, further comprising a fourth horizontal conveying device (22) which connects the output of the manufacturing machine (8) to the input of the third conveying device (23).

14. A production facility (7) according to any one of claims 1-5 or 8-9, wherein the aromatic element (3) is supplied in bulk between the output of the manufacturing machine (8) and the input of the assembly machine (9).

15. A production facility (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the assembly machine (9) comprises a hopper (16) adapted to accommodate a mass of aromatic elements (3) and to receive the aromatic elements (3) from the manufacturing machine (8).

16. a conveying device that starts at the exit of the manufacturing machine (8) and ends at the entrance of the assembly machine (9); The conveying device is a vertical upward branch connected to the output of the manufacturing machine (8); a vertical downward branch connected to the input of the assembly machine (9); The production facility (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising at least one horizontal branch interposed between the vertical upward branch and the vertical downward branch (14, 15) and positioned above the manufacturing machine and the assembly machine (8, 9).

17. 17. A production installation (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the assembly machine (9) is configured to manufacture a group of elements (3, 4) consisting of an aromatic element (3), a filtering element (4) and at least one further element (4) and to wrap at least one packaging sheet (5, 6) around the group of elements (3, 4).

18. 18. A production installation (7) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the manufacturing machine (8) is configured to crimp or cut the tobacco batches into strips and subsequently impart a cylindrical shape to the crimped or cut tobacco batches.

19. A production installation (7) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at the output of the manufacturing machine (8) the cigarettes (2) are fed transversely.

20. The manufacturing machine (8) a forming beam (10) configured to wrap the wrapping sheet around a group of cigarettes to form a longitudinally fed continuous rod; a cutting head (11) configured to cut the continuous rod transversely to separate the longitudinally fed cigarettes (2) from the continuous rod; 20. A production installation (7) as claimed in claim 19, comprising an orienting device (12) for receiving the cigarettes (2) fed longitudinally and for releasing the cigarettes (2) fed transversely to the output of the manufacturing machine (8).

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