Method and apparatus for transferring rod-shaped articles

Abstract

A method for transporting rod-shaped articles (11, 12), in particular rod-shaped articles (11, 12) for the tobacco industry, comprising the steps of: feeding an alternating row of first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12) along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12), the length of the first rod-shaped article (11) being different from the length of the second rod-shaped article (12); and picking up individual rod-shaped articles (11, 12) from the alternating row by respective movable working units (32) of a transport means (30) at a pick-up station (P), each working unit (32) being closed. a step of moving each of the operational units (32) carrying the individual rod-shaped articles (11, 12) from the pickup station (P) along a section of the feed path to a release station (R), and releasing the individual rod-shaped articles (11, 12) from each of the operational units (32) onto the forming beam (20) by axial movement of the rod-shaped articles (11), wherein each of the operational units (32) is movable along the feed path of the respective operational unit (32) and measures an average length (L) of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12). m ) and / or are positioned equidistant from one another by a selected distance (D).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for transporting rod-shaped articles, specifically (but not limited to the following), rod-shaped articles in the tobacco industry. More specifically, the present invention relates to the transfer of articles between a flow advancing laterally with respect to the article itself and a flow advancing axially.

Background Art

[0002] What is currently known in the tobacco industry is the use of certain rotating conveyors (known as "spiders") in the intersection area between a laterally advancing article flow and an axially advancing article flow. These rotating conveyors are provided with working units that pivot around their respective axes to receive articles coming in from the laterally moving article flow and supply the articles to the axially moving flow.

[0003] These conveyors are based on the idea of supplying each article by arranging it in the axial flow, particularly in the longitudinal groove of the forming beam, such that the article is aligned with the article previously supplied and advances along the beam.

[0004] In the case of very long constructs, the prior art also teaches splitting the construct into two parts. In such a case, a series of laterally advancing articles is defined by a series of first units and second units, each first unit and second unit being consecutive with each other and defining each construct (and thus one article) within the beam. Depending on the situation, such a "long" construct may not be divisible into two units of the same length, so a series of laterally advancing articles is defined by a series of first long units and second short units.

[0005] In such a situation, in order to match the order of each unit constituting the construct, a transfer device (spider) is required that alternately (long and short) continuously mounts an even number of working units.

[0006] Unfortunately, these transfer devices are complex and necessarily have an even number of working units. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In this regard, the basic technical objective of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for transferring rod-shaped articles in order to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.

[0008] More specifically, the present invention aims to provide a method and an apparatus for transferring rod-shaped articles, which provide a high level of adaptability for selecting the number of working units, especially in complex situations where a series of articles to be transferred are in an arrangement of long units and short units.

[0009] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for transferring rod-shaped articles, which are characterized in that the embodiments are very simple.

[0010] The indicated technical objective and the specified objectives are substantially achieved by a method and an apparatus for transferring rod-shaped articles, which include the technical features described in claim 1 and claim 6, and / or one or more of the claims of the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Further features and advantages of the present invention are more apparent in the exemplary but non-limiting description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of a method and an apparatus for transferring rod-shaped articles, as shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1

Figure 1A

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figures 4 - 6

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0012] Reference numeral 1 in the accompanying drawings indicates the entire device for transferring the rod-shaped article according to the present invention.

[0013] In the context of the present invention, a "rod-shaped article" is an article having an elongated cylindrical shape and preferably a circular cross-section, and in particular, may have different characteristics or may be of different types as required, and is defined by one or more segments. For example, the article according to the present invention may be a composition of a plurality of filter segments or a single filter segment or one or more series of segments of the following types. That is, it may be a composition of one or more series of segments of filter segments, tubular segments, tobacco segments, segments of heating materials, and other segments. However, the specific nature of the segments does not limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is characterized by the mode of operation and structure rather than the type of article being transferred. Therefore, for the same reason, the present invention is applicable to both machines in the tobacco industry, more generally, machines for manufacturing aerosol-generating articles, and more specifically, assembly machines, the structure of which is the assembly machine described below.

[0014] Device 1 essentially comprises a supply means 10 for supplying an alternating arrangement of first and second rod-shaped articles 11, 12 along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the articles 11, 12, a forming beam 20, and a rotary transfer means 30 disposed between the supply means 10 and the forming beam 20. The rotary transfer means 30 is a platform 31 rotatable about a horizontal axis X (or other means suitable for the purpose, such as a wheel, for example), and the platform 31 is provided with a plurality of working units 32 movable along a closed supply path passing through a pickup station P and a release station R. At the pickup station P, each working unit 32 picks up the corresponding articles 11, 12 from the supply means 10 by a lateral movement, and at the release station R, each working unit 32 releases the corresponding articles 11, 12 onto the forming beam 20 by an axial movement.

[0015] The general structure of the transfer means 30 is known and will not be described in detail. However, it should be noted that a specific feature of the transfer means 30 is that the working units 32 are moved along a closed supply path, preferably a circular supply path. Thus, between the pickup station P and the release station R, each working unit 32 follows a curved path, preferably a curved path corresponding to an arc. Further, the working units 32 are pivotable in a controlled manner about respective pivot axes parallel to the axis X of the platform 31 such that the working units maintain the same orientation. Since each working unit 32 has a sheet at its bottom for holding the respective articles 11, 12 by air suction, the orientation of the articles 11, 12 also remains the same along the supply path, particularly the horizontal supply path. In other words, each working unit 32 undergoes translational movement only along a curved path defined by the closed supply path.

[0016] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, for the sake of clarity in the drawing, the illustrated transfer means comprises only eight working units 32. However, depending on the requirements, there may be more working units (for example, up to 30 or more).

[0017] Upstream of the transfer means 30, there is a drum 40 with a steerable arm of known construction that forms part of the supply means 10 and defines the last drum of a series of drums for laterally supplying the articles 11, 12. The drum 40 with the steerable arm acts in cooperation with the transfer means 30 to transfer the articles 11, 12 to the contact area. Upstream of the drum 40 with the steerable arm, the supply means 10 also comprises a plurality of supply lines 51, 52, 53, 54 for supplying individual series of segments, and a conveying device 55 configured to receive and assemble the segments supplied by the supply lines 51, 52, 53, 54 to obtain an alternating arrangement of the articles 11, 12, and an assembly unit 50 (FIG. 3) of a type known per se. Preferably, the assembly unit 50 assembles and arranges the articles 11, 12 so that they are centered, as shown in FIG. 2. "Centered" means, in other words, that the plane dividing the individual articles 11, 12 into two equal parts coincides with the plane dividing the article 11, 12 before or after it into two equal parts.

[0018] In a particular application of the method and apparatus according to the invention, the articles 11, 12 supplied by the supply means 10 differ in length and more specifically can be defined by different combinations of segments (one of many possible embodiments is shown in FIG. 2).

[0019] In the illustrated embodiment, the first article 11 has a first length L1, the second article 12 has a length L2 different from L1, and is composed of segments in a different sequence.

[0020] FIGS. 4 to 6 show embodiments in which the articles can include a combination of segments and empty spaces.

[0021] More specifically, FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the first article 11 is defined by a series of rod-shaped segments and the second article 12 is defined by one rod-shaped segment having two empty spaces at both ends thereof. In this case, when the first and second articles 11, 12 are sequentially released onto the forming beam 20, the continuous rod to be formed is provided with empty spaces suitable, for example, for creating cavities for accommodating filling materials or for forming empty intervals.

[0022] In a particular embodiment of FIG. 4, in particular, the second article 12 has two spaces at both ends thereof and at least one central segment preferably centered on the center line of the article 12.

[0023] Referring to the embodiment of FIG. 5, the first article 11 corresponds to the first article 11 of FIG. 4 but has a space at one end corresponding to one of the two spaces of the article of FIG. 4, and the second article 12 has only one space adjacent to one rod-shaped segment (or a sequence of segments).

[0024] Referring to the embodiment of FIG. 6, the first article 11 corresponds to the first article 11 of FIG. 5 but has a space at the opposite end, i.e., at the reverse position of the space.

[0025] Advantageously, the working units 32 of the transfer means 30 are separated from each other by a linear distance D that is measured along the supply path of the working unit 32 (FIG. 1A) and that is adjusted and / or selected as a function of the average length L m of the first and second articles 11, 12. The distance D is the same for all pairs of consecutive working units 32, which means that they are equidistant around the axis X of the transfer means 30. In other words, the distance D is a function of the average length L m of the first and second articles 11, 12.

[0026] More specifically, the average length L m of the first and second articles 11, 12 can be calculated by the following formula.

[0027] TIFF0007698669000001.tif17160

[0028] Preferably, the distance D coincides with the average length L m therewith.

[0029] Optionally, based on the type of article, the average length L of the first and second articles 11, 12 calculated as above m may include adding a correction factor.

[0030] The distance D according to this criterion is measured in particular at the pivot axis of the individual work units 32 and makes it possible to set a uniform space between the work units 32, regardless of whether the work unit 32 receives a first article 11 or a second article 12 of different lengths. In practice, even in such a situation, the excess length of the longest article with respect to the average length L m compensates for the empty space left when short (preceding or subsequent) consecutive articles are released.

[0031] In one embodiment, this also makes it possible to have an odd number of work units 32. It is understood that this solution is also possible even if the number of work units 32 is even.

[0032] In use, the supply means 10 supplies the alternating arrangement of the first and second articles 11, 12 along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the articles 11, 12. The individual articles 11, 12 are picked up from the alternating arrangement by respective working units 32 of the transfer means 30 (specifically, by a drum 40 having a directionable arm) at the pickup station P as the articles 11, 12 advance with a lateral movement, and are released by the working units 32 onto the forming beam 20 at the release station R as the articles 11, 12 advance with a longitudinal movement to form a continuous rod 100. The rod 100 is then wrapped in a web, preferably a paper web, in a conventional manner, cut into individual products, and sent for further processing.

[0033] During the release step, each article 11, 12 is arranged behind the previously released articles 11, 12 on the beam 20, and thanks to a specific distance between the working units 32, each article 11, 12 is accurately end-to-end aligned with the preceding article or released by defining the corresponding space of the correct length (if provided) without interfering with or colliding with the preceding article.

Claims

1. A method for transporting rod-shaped articles (11, 12), comprising: supplying an alternating arrangement of first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12) along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12), wherein the length of the first rod-shaped article (11) is different from the length of the second rod-shaped article (12); picking up individual rod-shaped articles (11, 12) from the alternating arrangement by respective movable working units (32) of transfer means (30) at a pickup station (P), wherein each of the working units (32) is movable along a closed supply path; moving each of the working units (32) carrying the individual rod-shaped articles (11, 12) from the pickup station (P) along a section of the supply path to a release station (R); releasing the individual rod-shaped articles (11, 12) from each of the working units (32) onto a forming beam (20) by axial movement of the rod-shaped articles (11) at the release station (R). Each of the work units (32) is arranged equidistant from each other by a distance (D) that is adjusted and / or selected as a function of the average length (L ｍ ), measured along the supply path of each of the work units (32), of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12). Method.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rod-shaped articles (11, 12) are rod-shaped articles (11, 12) for the tobacco industry.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the working units (32) is moved between the pickup station (P) and the release station (R) along a curved path.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the curved path corresponds to an arc.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the transfer means (30) comprises a platform (31) that is rotatable and supports a plurality of working units (32) that are pivotable in a controlled manner about respective pivot axes parallel to the axis (X).

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the platform (31) is rotatable about a horizontal axis (X).

7. The distance (D) between each of the work units (32) is equal to the average length (L ｍ ) of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12). The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12) are centered in the alternating arrangement.

9. An apparatus for transporting rod-shaped articles, comprising: First and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12), wherein the length (L1) of the first rod-shaped article (11) is different from the length of the second rod-shaped article, and a supply means (10) for supplying an alternating arrangement of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12) along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12). A forming beam (20). Rotary transfer means (30) rotatable about a horizontal axis (X), comprising a plurality of peripheral working units (32) movable along a closed supply path passing through a pickup station (P) and a release station (R), each working unit (32) picking up a corresponding rod-shaped article (11, 12) from the supply means (10) with a lateral movement at the pickup station (P), and each working unit (32) releasing the corresponding rod-shaped article (11, 12) onto the forming beam (20) with an axial movement at the release station (R). The plurality of working units (32) are arranged at equal intervals from each other by a distance (D) that is adjusted and / or selected as a function of the average length (L ｍ ) measured along the supply path of the plurality of working units (32) and of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12).

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the rod-shaped article is a rod-shaped article for the tobacco industry.

11. The distance (D) between the plurality of working units (32) is the average length (L ｍ ) of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12), the apparatus according to claim 9 or 10.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the supply means (10) comprises an assembly unit (50) comprising a plurality of supply lines (51, 52, 53, 54) for supplying individual series of segments, and a conveying device (55) configured to receive the individual series of segments supplied by the plurality of supply lines (51, 52, 53, 54) and assemble an alternating arrangement of the first and second rod-shaped articles (11, 12).

13. An assembly machine for manufacturing a multi-segment article, comprising the transfer device (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 12.

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