Rod manufacturing method and device

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for manufacturing of rods of a continuous material strand.SOLUTION: An apparatus for manufacturing of rods of a continuous material strand comprises feeding means for feeding a material strand 2, guiding means 6 for guiding the material strand 2, compressing means 7 for compressing the strand and forming a continuous rod of the strand, and object feeding means 8 for feeding an object to the compressing means. The apparatus is characterized in that the object feeding means is provided with cutting means 5 for lengthwise cutting of the material strand 2 into at least two partial strands, whereas the partial strands are fed through the guiding means 6 to the compressing means. In the apparatus, the object feeding means is further provided with a system for adjusting the position of at least one cutting element in the cutting means so as to adjust the widths of the partial strands thus determining the point of insertion of the object being inserted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The subject of the present invention is a method and apparatus for producing a continuous material strand rod.

[0002] The solution relates to a machine for producing rods of continuous strands of material used in the tobacco industry, where, during the formation of the continuous rod, objects with special properties - for example beads containing five aromatic substances - are placed between the fibers of the strand. Such objects must be placed in specific positions both relative to the rod axis and the rod ends, otherwise the rod will be classified as defective and rejected, resulting in production losses. [Background technology]

[0003] Devices for inserting individual objects into a continuous strand of material are known in the prior art. US Pat. No. 5,623,999 discloses a machine for producing acetate strand rods, in which beads are inserted into the acetate strand by a feed wheel whose edges are inserted with the beads between the compressed fibers of the strand.

[0004] A similar solution is also disclosed in Patent Document 2. In both of the solutions disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, grooves are made in a partially compressed material strand, and beads are inserted into them. However, when making the grooves, some of the fibers are crushed and other fibers are pushed aside. A drawback of these solutions is that the force from the crushed fibers in the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the beads (upward in this case) is greater than in other directions, and the crushed fibers may cause the beads to change position after decompression.

[0005] Rod-shaped products in the tobacco industry are often provided with beads, plates or other objects that are inserted inside the continuous rod and perform a technical function in the finished tobacco product.

[0006] Patent Document 3 discloses an apparatus for forming a continuous rod using two independent strands of material compressed around a centrally inserted metal tape, in which the strands are compressed around the metal tape using a forming funnel of known construction. US Patent No. 5,949,693 discloses a rod forming device with a cutting head that cuts the upper strands of filler material so as not to affect the position of objects inserted centrally within the filter rod.

[0007] In the prior art, controlling the position of a bead or other object inserted within a strand of material forming a continuous rod has been identified as a problem, and a typical solution is to adjust the position of a feed wheel depending on the intended location of the inserted bead.

[0008] Currently known methods for forming continuous rods containing objects do not allow for in-situ adjustment during manufacturing. A solution is needed that allows for repeatable adjustments across the axis, particularly in the vertical and horizontal directions, without shutting down the machine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011024105A1 [Patent Document 2] European Patent Publication No. 2636322B1 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20200107571 [Patent Document 4] Special Publication No. 2015-509374 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to be able to adjust the position of objects (beads, plates) during the manufacturing process without stopping the machine and at the same time to ensure the reproducibility of the object's position within the fiber strand both vertically and horizontally. According to the present invention, the device and method for adjusting the position of the beads are based on adjusting the elements surrounding the beads within the material bundle being formed and within the continuous rod formed by means of adaptively forming the bundle strand so as to adjust the position of the pocket where the object is inserted within the continuous rod, and on the positioning of the object within such continuous rod. A new method for adjusting the position of the object is introduced, replacing or complementing the known method consisting of adjusting the position of the inserted loop.

[0011] The subject of the present invention is an apparatus for producing a rod of a continuous strand of material. The apparatus comprises a supply means for supplying the strand of material, a guide means for guiding the strand of material, a compression means for compressing the strand to form a continuous rod of the strand of material, and an object supply means for supplying an object to the compression means. The apparatus also comprises a cutting section for cutting the strand of material lengthwise into at least two partial strands, the partial strands being supplied to the compression means via the guide means. The apparatus further comprises an adjustment system for adjusting the position of at least one cutting section in the cutting means so as to adjust the width of the partial strands and thereby determine the insertion position of the object during insertion.

[0012] Preferably, the device is characterized in that said feeding means are adapted to insert said objects radially of said formed continuous rod between said partial strands.

[0013] Preferably, the device is characterized in that at least one separator is provided in the compression means over at least part of the length of the compression means, separating at least two partial strands.

[0014] Preferably, the device is characterized in that at least one separator is provided in the guide means separating at least two partial strands.

[0015] Preferably, the device is characterized in that the separating parts of the guiding means and / or the compression means are mounted so as to be angularly or linearly adjustable.

[0016] Preferably the device is characterized in that the separating part is attached by a spring-like member.

[0017] Preferably, the device is characterized in that said object feeding means are adapted to feed individual objects into the area of ​​said compacting means by means of a feeding wheel provided with pockets for said objects.

[0018] Preferably, the device is characterized in that the object supply means is adapted to supply the continuous object to the area of ​​the compression means by means of the supply wheel which is provided with a guide groove.

[0019] Preferably, the device is characterized in that the cutting portion comprises at least one pair of knives.

[0020] Preferably, the device comprises at least one sensor for ascertaining the position of the object placed inside the continuous rod transversely to the axis of the continuous rod, while the system for adjusting the position of at least one knife in the cutting section is adapted to adjust the width of the partial strands depending on the signal from the at least one sensor so as to obtain the position of the object closest to the axis of the continuous rod.

[0021] Preferably, the device is characterized in that the sensor is adapted to ascertain the position of the object in a cross section of the continuous rod in a vertical or horizontal direction.

[0022] Preferably, the device is characterized by comprising cutting means with a cutting section for cutting the strand of material lengthwise into at least three partial strands so as to determine the position of the object during insertion.

[0023] Preferably the device is characterised in that the cutting means is adapted to adjust the position of the cutting portion independently of the other portions.

[0024] Preferably, the device is characterized in that said supply means designed to supply said strand of material are adapted to supply a material selected from the group comprising acetate fibre, pressed paper, pressed tobacco foil.

[0025] The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a rod of a continuous strand of material, comprising the steps of: providing the strand of material; cutting the strand of material lengthwise into at least two partial strands; gathering the cut partial strands together; preparing the gathered partial strands for compression; compressing the partial strands to form a continuous rod of the strand of material; and inserting an object into the continuous rod between the partial strands. The method is characterized in that the position of the object to be inserted into the continuous rod transversely to the axis of the continuous rod is determined, and the position of at least one cutting portion in the cutting means is adjusted to adjust the width of the partial strands.

[0026] Preferably, the method is characterized in that the position of the object is ascertained by a sensor and the position of at least one cutting portion in the cutting means is adjusted in response to a signal from the sensor.

[0027] The proposed solution ensures an increase in the efficiency of the production machine. It offers the possibility of forming a separation line between the partial material strands, along which the continuous rod is formed. Due to the balance between the forces acting on the inserted object and the forces exerted by the surrounding strands, the central position of the object is achieved with greater reproducibility.

[0028] The advantage of this solution is that the position of the insertion point of the object within the continuous rod can be adjusted without changing the position of the insertion part, and since the shape of the strands that are joined together to form the continuous rod can be used to determine the insertion point in space, the width of the partial strands can be appropriately selected even while the strand of material is being cut into individual partial strands.

[0029] A further advantage of this solution is that the force acting on the object being inserted is limited, since the object is inserted at the separation line of the strand or at the junction of the strands forming the continuous rod. This limits the generation of the force pushing the object, which occurs in the prior art when using a plow to separate connected fibers, such as compressed acetate strands or crimped paper strands. This is because the disclosed invention, unlike known solutions in the prior art, does not require the creation / opening of gaps in the interconnected fibers of the strands forming the continuous rod, but it does require the maintenance of boundaries between the unconnected strands into which the object is inserted. The separation of the partial strands facilitates the insertion of the object and protects it from uncontrolled movement.

[0030] A further advantage of the invention is that it allows for the correction of the position of objects inside a product that, despite having a planned position inside the product, are not located in the designed position as a result of the influence of technical factors. The proposed invention provides a flexible possibility to determine the position of the inserted object using measurement and heuristic techniques. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] The subject matter of the invention is shown in detail in a preferred embodiment in the drawings. [Figure 1] A cross section through a filter rod R containing four beads is shown. [Figure 2]1 shows an apparatus for producing a rod of a continuous strand of material in a first embodiment; [Figure 3] 1 shows a top view of a strand of reduced material being cut into partial strands by a cutter. [Figure 4] 1 shows a top view of a strand of reduced material being cut into partial strands by a cutter. [Figure 5] 3 shows an enlarged view of the feed wheel of FIG. 2; [Figure 6] 3 shows a view of the inlet to the guide means in the first embodiment; [Figure 7] 10 shows a view of the inlet to the guide means in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 shows a view of the inlet to the guide means in the third embodiment. [Figure 9] 6 shows a cross section at CC in FIG. 5 through the feed wheel and guide. [Figure 10a] 1 shows a schematic representation of the position of an object at the center of a cross section of a continuous rod. [Figure 10b] 1 shows a schematic diagram of cutting a strand of material into three partial strands. [Figure 11a] 10 shows a schematic representation of the position of an object within a cross section of a continuous rod displaced in the Y direction relative to a central position. [Figure 11b] 10A and 10B show schematic diagrams of cutting a strand of material into unequal partial strands. [Figure 12a] 1 shows a schematic representation of the position of an object within a cross section of a continuous rod displaced in the X and Y directions relative to a central position. [Figure 12b] 10A and 10B show schematic diagrams of cutting a strand of material into unequal partial strands. [Figure 13] 1 shows an apparatus for producing a rod of a continuous strand of material in a second embodiment. [Figure 14] 14 shows a cross section at DD in FIG. 13 through the feed wheel and guide. [Figure 15a] 1 shows a schematic representation of the position of an object at the center of a cross section of a continuous rod. [Figure 15b] 1 shows a schematic diagram of cutting a strand of material into three partial strands. [Figure 16a] 10 shows a schematic representation of the position of an object within a cross section of a continuous rod displaced in the Y direction relative to a central position. [Figure 16b] 10A and 10B show schematic diagrams of cutting a strand of material into unequal partial strands. [Figure 17a] 1 shows a schematic representation of the position of an object within a cross section of a continuous rod displaced in the X and Y directions relative to a central position. [Figure 17b] 10A and 10B show schematic diagrams of cutting a strand of material into unequal partial strands. [Figure 18] 10 shows a view of the inlet to the guide means in the fourth embodiment; [Figure 19a] 1 shows a schematic representation of the location of the center of an object within the cross section of a continuous rod. [Figure 19b] 10A and 10B illustrate schematic representations of non-central locations of objects within a cross section of a continuous rod. [Figure 20] 10 shows a view of the inlet to the guide means in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 21] 1 shows a sensor for detecting the position of an object. [Figure 22] 10 shows an apparatus for producing a rod of continuous material strand in a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] The exemplary filter rod R shown in cross section in Figure 1 includes four objects in the form of beads 2 located within fibers F of filter material. The beads 2 are positioned along and centered on the axis k of the filter rod R.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows an apparatus 1 for producing a rod R from a continuous strand of material 2 in a first embodiment. The strand of material 2 includes acetate fibers. Alternatively, the strand of material may include tobacco, cellulose foil, paper, or fibers with filtering properties, both smooth and crimped. During the production process, objects such as beads, tubes, or tape sections are disposed within the strand of material 2 after forming a continuous rod CR, and then cut into individual rods R. The apparatus 1 includes a feeding means 3 for feeding the strand of material 2, a crimping means 4 for crimping the strand of material 2 lengthwise, a cutting means 5 for cutting the strand of material 2 lengthwise into at least two partial strands, preferably three partial strands a, b, and c, a guiding means 6 for guiding the cut partial strands a, b, and c and feeding them for compression, and a compression means 7 for compressing the strand and forming a continuous rod CR of the lengthwise cut partial strands a, b, and c. A means (not shown) for changing the flat configuration of the material strand into a wavy configuration—i.e., a configuration in which the material strand or partial strands have a wavy shape in cross section—is located before the cutting means 5 or before the guiding means 6. The wavy shape of the partial strands facilitates material compression. The apparatus 1 further comprises a supplying means 8 for feeding an object 9, which is inserted into the continuous rod CR to be formed. The formed continuous rod CR is then wrapped with a strip of packaging material P provided by a supplying means 10 for providing packaging material P. The apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 comprises a sensor 11 located adjacent to the path of travel of the continuous rod CR and designed to determine the position of the object 9 within the continuous rod CR transversely to the axis k of such continuous rod, both in the vertical and horizontal axes of the cross section of the continuous rod CR thus formed. The sensor 11 is a sensor operating on electromagnetic radiation in the visible light, invisible light, X-ray, or microwave ranges. The apparatus 1 comprises a forming means 12 for final shaping and longitudinal sealing of the continuous rod CR.The guiding means 6, the compression means 7 and the shaping means 12 constitute a shaping device for shaping the continuous rod CR. The device 1 is equipped with a rotary cutting head 13 for cutting the continuous rod CR into individual rods R.

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a top view A of a strand of crimped material 2 being cut lengthwise into partial strands a, b, and c by a cutting means 5. The cutting means 5 comprises at least one pair 14 of rotatably mounted circular knives 15, 16. The pair 14 of knives is composed of an upper circular knife 15 located above the strand of material (in front of the drawing surface) and a lower circular knife 16 mounted below the strand of material (behind the drawing surface). The knives 15 are mounted on a shaft 17 equipped with bearings and driven by a motor 18. The shaft 17 and the motor 18 constitute elements of a mechanism 19 for rotary movement of the knives. The mechanism 19 for rotary movement of the knives is slidably mounted in the direction of the rotation axis m of the circular knives and is moved by a linear movement mechanism 20 equipped with a motor 21. For example, the position 5 of the mechanism 19 for rotary movement of the circular knives 15, 16 can be changed using a mechanism consisting of a guide screw rotated by the motor. Many linear motion mechanisms are known and may be fixedly mounted, while the shaft on which the circular knife is mounted may be slidably mounted. A strand of material 2 having a width d is cut into three partial strands a, b, and c, each having a width da, db, and dc. The purpose of changing the position of the pair of circular knives 14, 16 is to change the widths da, 10, db, and dc of the partial strands, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the strand of material 2 is cut into partial strands a, b, and c from which a continuous rod CR is formed, but separate supply means may also be used to supply the separate partial strands.

[0035] Preferably, the device comprises a system for adjusting the position of at least one cutting portion 15, 16, 35, 36 in the cutting device 5 so as to adjust the width of the partial strand and thereby determine the insertion point of the object 9, 50, 75 being inserted.

[0036] Knives with a scissors-like configuration may be used to cut the strand of material. Figure 4 shows a pair of knives 34, 34' with cutting edges 35, 35' and 36, 36', respectively. Furthermore, the cutting means 5 includes at least one pair of knives 34 15. The cutting edges may be straight, with the cutting edges 35, 35' positioned above the strand of material 2, while the cutting edges 36, 36' positioned below the strand of material 2. By applying appropriate tension to the strand of material, it is possible to cut the material with a single cutting edge. The positions of the pair of knives 34, 34' are adjusted by linear motion mechanisms 30, 30' with motors 31, 31'. Laser cutting means may also be used to cut the strand of material. Preferably, the positions 20 of a pair of circular knives, a single cutting knife, or generally the cutting portion of the cutting means may be adjusted independently of each other.

[0037] In a first embodiment of the device 1 shown in FIG. 2, the supply means 8 for supplying objects 9, e.g., beads, takes the form of a supply wheel 23 (shown enlarged in FIG. 5) with pockets 25 for the objects 9 arranged on its periphery 24. The aforementioned crimped partial strands a, b, c are oscillated 25 transversely to the direction of movement by a known device into the guide means 6 and the compaction means 7, while the objects 9 are inserted into the compaction means 7 by the supply wheel 23 with pockets 25 for the individual objects 9. Adjacent partial strands a, b, c change from a wavy planar configuration to a wavy circular configuration. FIG. 6 shows view B of the inlet 6A of the guide means 6. The body of the guide means 6 has a funnel-like shape 30. Inside the ring 40, in the converging channel 41, separators 27, 28, 29 are arranged, and along the length of the guide means 6, at least one separator 27, 28, 29 is arranged, designed to separate at least two partial strands a, b, c. The upper separator 27 runs from the inlet 6A to the outlet 6B inside the compression means 7 and has the shape of an oval plate with converging ends 27A and 27B. The lower separators 28 and 29 have a similar shape 35 to the upper separator, i.e., oval with converging edges. As shown in FIG. 6, the separators may be fixed. FIG. 7 shows separators 28' and 29' mounted so that their positions can be adjusted, although the adjustment mechanism is not shown. Separator 28' is slidably mounted in guide 42, while separator 29' is slidably mounted in guide 43. The positions of separators 28' and 29' are adjusted angularly or linearly, as indicated by the arrows. The separators may be held and stabilized by elastic members, preferably five springs 44 and 45, which may compensate for the pressure exerted by the moving partial strands a, b, and c. Preferably, the compression means 7 has arranged, at least on a part of the compression means 7, at least one separating portion 27, 28, 29 designed to separate at least two partial strands a, b, c.Alternatively or additionally, at least one separating portion 27, 28, 29 is arranged in the guide means 6, which is designed to separate at least two partial strands a, b, c.

[0038] The separating parts 27, 28, 29 of the guiding means 6 and / or the compressing means 7 are mounted so as to be angularly or linearly adjustable.

[0039] Figure 8 shows an example of the attachment of the separators 27, 28, 29 using a centrally located element 26, e.g., a cylindrical rod. Such attachment of the separators has a predetermined adjustment system that operates transversely to the direction of movement of the partial strands a, b, c. This adjustment makes it possible to change the channel cross-section for each of the partial strands a, b, c. The adjustment system is provided with elastic elements, which ensure dynamic adaptation of the separator position to momentary variations in the stress of the supplied partial strands.

[0040] In cross section CC (FIG. 9) through the channels 46, 47 of the feed wheel 23 and the guide 20, through which the partial strands a, b, and c are moved, the ends 28E and 29E of the separators 28 and 29 are visible. The object 9 is inserted between the partial strands a and c, pushed close to the partial strand b, and is centered between the partial strands a, b, and c in the final stage of compression. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper separator 27 reaches the feed wheel 23, while the lower separators 28 and 29 are longer. As a result, at the moment when the object 9 reaches its lowest position, its position is determined by the separators 28 and 29 and the wheel 23. During further movement, the feed wheel 23 loses contact with the object held between the partial strands a and c, while the space above the object previously occupied by the feed wheel 23 is occupied by the partial strands a and c.

[0041] When changing from flat to circular, the middle partial strand b is positioned within the continuous rod 30 formed at the bottom, while partial strands a and c are lifted and wound to form a circular-cross-section continuous rod CR. Figure 10a shows the position of object 9' during insertion between partial strands a and c held by feed wheel 23, and the position of object 9 in the center of the cross-section of the continuous rod after insertion to the appropriate depth—i.e., along the axis k of the continuous rod CR. Packaging material P is not shown in the drawing. During insertion, object 9 moves in a moving coordinate system connected to the axis of the continuous rod CR—i.e., along axis Y—radially. Figure 10b shows a simplified diagram of cutting a strand of material 2 into three equal partial strands. Assuming that partial strands a, b, and c each have the same density, the central position of five objects 9 is achieved, as shown in Figure 10a. Because each partial strand is compressed in the same way, the forces acting on the object are offset from one another, and the object remains centered. During production, even if the circular knives 15, 16 are correctly set, the equal widths da, db, and dc may not be maintained. In this case, the position of the object 9 differs from the central position, as shown, for example, in Figure 11a. Such a position of the object 9 lowered vertically (direction Y) results from the unequal widths of the partial strands 10, i.e., partial strands a and c are wider than partial strand b, i.e., da > db and dc > db (Figure 11b). Such a non-central position can also be the result of the inhomogeneity of the materials used, for example, due to the fact that the density of material w of partial strand b is lower than that of material w of strands a and c. Such a non-central position of the object transverse to the axis k of the continuous rod CR is detected by sensors 11, 15, and a signal indicating the non-central position of the object is sent to the controller S (Figure 2). The controller S then controls the linear motion means 20, 20' to change the position of the knives 15, 16 to the right and the position of the knives 15', 16' to the left. The controller S and linear motion means 20, 20' form a system for adjusting the knives for cutting the strands of material.Figure 12a shows a situation where the object 9 is displaced in both directions X and Y, which is due to the width da of the partial strands b and c being too small relative to the widths db and dc of the partial strands b and c, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 12b.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the means 8 for supplying the objects 9 are adapted to insert the objects 9 radially into the continuous rod CR formed between the partial strands a, b, c of the strand of material 2.

[0043] Inserting an object radially means inserting an object from the outer periphery of the continuous rod that is being formed, with a motion having a radial component in a coordinate system connected to the continuous rod that is being formed. In the coordinate system connected to the continuous rod that is being formed, the object inserted into the compression region moves in a direction determined by the radius of the continuous rod, or moves with a radial component.

[0044] Preferably, the insertion of the object is carried out by a feed wheel arranged to insert the object between the partial strands of material. Such a construction ensures that the object is inserted without encountering the occurrence of restoring forces caused by the insertion wheel acting on the entangled fibers inside the strand, as in prior art solutions, for example, when beads are inserted into compressed acetate strands. Radial insertion is also sometimes called lateral insertion from the end, referring to the direction of insertion, or slot insertion, referring to the construction of a continuous rod made up of separate partial strands that maintain slots with each other during compression and gradually close in the compressed area.

[0045] Radial insertion is sometimes called lateral insertion from the end, referring to the direction of insertion, and sometimes called slot insertion, referring to the construction of a continuous rod made up of separate partial strands that maintain slots with each other during compression and gradually close in the compressed region.

[0046] According to the invention, the object is safely inserted between layers of compressed five partial strands of material up to the target point of the configuration according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, which consists of three compressed strands located at the center of the continuous rod to be formed. The absence of pushing forces and the symmetrical settling of the object's position by the three partial strands allows the object's central position to be maintained in the further stages of the compression process until the continuous rod is formed.

[0047] In a second embodiment, an apparatus 1' for producing a rod of a continuous material strand, as shown in FIG. 13, is adapted to insert a continuous object 50 into the interior of a continuous rod CR. The apparatus 1' comprises a supply means 51 designed to supply the continuous object 50 in the form of a tape, for example a metal tape. The supply means 51 comprises a supply wheel 52 having a circumferential groove 53 designed to feed the tape 50 from the supply means 51. FIG. 14 shows a cross section D-D15 through the supply wheel 52 and the guide 47 of FIG. 5 in the second embodiment. The partial strands a, b, and c move through the guide 47. In FIG. 14, the ends 28E and 29E of the separators 28 and 29 are visible.

[0048] FIG. 15a shows, in simplified form, the correct position of object 50 in a cross section through continuous rod CR, while FIG. 15b illustrates the cutting of material strand 2 into equal parts. FIG. 16a illustrates an incorrect position of object 50 due to excessive density or excessive material volume in partial strand b, resulting in displacement of object 50 in direction Y. FIG. 16b illustrates the cutting of material strand 2 into unequal partial strands a, b, and c, where da = dc, db > da, and db > dc, respectively. In FIG. 17a, object 50 is displaced in both directions X and Y. FIG. 17b illustrates diagrammatically the cutting of material strand 2 into unequal partial strands a, b, and c, where db > da and dc > da.

[0049] Figure 18 shows the inlet of the guide means into which parts e and f of the material strand 2 are inserted. Parts e and f are separated from each other by two separators 27 and 28 constructed similarly to the first embodiment. Figure 19a shows in a simplified manner the correct position of the object 9, while Figure 19b shows an incorrect position of the object 9 in the vertical direction.

[0050] 20 shows the inlet of the guiding means, but without dividing the material strand 2 into partial strands. The guiding means 7 and the compression means comprise one separating section 27 which is used to separate the lateral edges of the material strand 2 from each other.

[0051] 21 shows a sensor 11 for determining the position of an object 9 in a continuous rod CR. The sensor 11 comprises a radiation source 60 and a receiver 61 designed to determine the position of an object in the vertical direction, i.e., in direction Y. The receiver 61 comprises an element 64 for receiving a radiation beam, in the drawing of which the object 9 is shown displaced downward from the axis in direction Y, a section 65 of the element 64 receiving the radiation modified by the presence of the object 9, and a signal containing information from the element 64 is transmitted to a control device which gives a signal to correct the position of the knife in the cutting means 5. The sensor 11 further comprises a radiation source 62 and a receiver 63 designed to determine the position of an object in the vertical direction, i.e., in direction X. The receiver 63 comprises an element 66 for receiving a radiation beam, in the drawing of which the object 9 is shown displaced in direction X, a section 67 of the element 66 receiving the radiation 10 modified by the presence of the object 9, and a signal containing information from the element 66 is transmitted to the control device, but this signal does not result in a correction of the position of the knife in the cutting means 5. The sensor 11 may be adapted to ascertain the position of an object in only one direction.

[0052] In a third embodiment, an apparatus 1" for producing rods of a continuous material strand, shown at 15 in Fig. 22, is adapted to insert tubular objects 75 into the interior of a continuous rod CR. The apparatus 1" comprises supply means 70 consisting of a storage container 71 for rods 72 to be cut into tubes by cutting means 73, and further comprises a transport system 74 consisting of a spiral drum 76 with pockets 78 and a feed wheel 77. The individual objects 75 are placed between the partial strands a, b, c in the compression means 7 as described in the previous embodiment, i.e. by means 20 of the feed wheel 77 with pockets 78 for the objects 75.

[0053] The above-described embodiment of the device for producing a rod of a continuous material strand also discloses a method for producing a rod of a continuous material strand, in which a material strand 2 is provided, the material strand 2 is cut longitudinally into at least two partial strands—preferably three partial strands a, b, c—the cut partial strands a, b, c are joined together, the joined partial strands a, b, c are prepared for compression, and the partial strands a, b, c are then compressed by forming a continuous rod CR of the longitudinally cut partial strands a, b, c, after which objects 9, 50, 75 are embedded within the continuous rod CR between the partial strands a, b, c. In this method, the position of the objects 9, 50, 75 disposed within the continuous rod CR transversely to the axis of the continuous rod CR is determined, and the position of at least one cutting portion 15, 16, 35, 36 within the cutting means 5 is adjusted to change the width of the partial strands a, b, c.

[0054] In the method according to the invention, the position of the object 9, 50, 75 is preferably ascertained by means of a sensor 11 and the position of the at least one cutting portion 15, 16, 35, 36 in the cutting means 5 is adjusted in response to a signal from the sensor 11.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for producing a rod of a continuous strand of material, comprising: a supply means for supplying a strand of material; a guide means for guiding the strand of material; compression means for compressing said strands to form a continuous rod of said strand of material; an object supply means for supplying objects to the compression means from above; cutting means for cutting the strand of material lengthwise into at least two partial strands; an adjustment system for adjusting the position of at least one cutting portion in said cutting means so as to adjust the width of said partial strands and thereby determine the insertion position of said object during insertion; Equipped with The partial strands are fed to the compressing means via the guiding means. characterized in that Device.

2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the compression means includes at least one separator separating at least two partial strands over at least a portion of the length of the compression means.

3. 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the guide means there is provided at least one separation section separating at least two partial strands.

4. 4. Device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the separating parts of the guiding means and / or the compression means are mounted so as to be angularly or linearly adjustable.

5. A device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the separating part is attached by a spring-like member.

6. 6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the object supply means are adapted to supply the objects to the area of ​​the compression means by means of a supply wheel provided with pockets for the objects.

7. 6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the object supply means are adapted to supply the objects to the area of ​​the compression means by means of a supply wheel provided with a guide groove.

8. 8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cutting section comprises at least one pair of knives.

9. 9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising at least one sensor for ascertaining the position of the object placed inside the continuous rod transversely to the axis of the continuous rod, characterized in that the system for adjusting the position of at least one knife in the cutting section is adapted to adjust the width of the partial strands depending on the signal from the at least one sensor so as to obtain the position of the object closest to the axis of the continuous rod.

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sensor is adapted to ascertain the position of the object in a cross section of the continuous rod in a vertical or horizontal direction.

11. 11. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the cutting means is adapted to determine the position of the object during insertion by cutting the strand of material longitudinally into at least three partial strands.

12. 12. Apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the cutting means is adapted to adjust the position of the cutting portion independently of the other portions.

13. 13. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the supply means designed to supply the strand of material are adapted to supply a material selected from the group comprising acetate fibre, pressed paper, pressed tobacco foil.

14. 1. A method for manufacturing a rod of continuous strand of material, comprising: The strand of material is provided; the strand of material is cut lengthwise into at least two partial strands; the severed partial strands are gathered together, and the gathered partial strands are prepared for compression; the partial strands are compressed to form a continuous rod of the strand of material; an object is inserted from above into the interior of the continuous rod between the partial strands; a position of the object inserted into the continuous rod transverse to the axis of the continuous rod is determined; The position of at least one cutting portion in the cutting means is adjusted to determine the insertion position of the object during insertion by adjusting the width of the partial strand. A method characterized by:

15. 15. The method of claim 14, the location of the object is ascertained by a sensor; the position of at least one cutting portion within said cutting means is adjusted in response to a signal from said sensor; A method characterized by:

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