Fork Winding Mechanism for Consistent Cigarette Filter Sheet Wrapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cigarette filter paper sheets are small and difficult to handle, leading to complex and error-prone construction of self-made cigarettes, with potential sealing failures.
Innovation Solution
A winding device with a fork-shaped end and notches that facilitate easy handling and wrapping of filter sheets, featuring a winding chamber, ejection opening, and alignment means to ensure consistent and reproducible wrapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard-sized filter paper sheets are used, then the quality and consistency of the filter are improved, but the sheets are small and difficult to handle for wrapping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a winding device as an intermediary tool between the filter paper sheet and the user's manual operation. The device includes a winding chamber, fork-shaped winding organ, and alignment notches that work together to automatically guide and wrap the small filter sheet around the tobacco, eliminating the need for direct manual manipulation of the difficult-to-handle sheet while ensuring consistent wrapping quality
Solution Approach 2:
The winding device enables the filter sheet to wrap itself around the tobacco through the mechanical action of the rotating fork-shaped organ. The sheet is fed into the device and the rotating forks automatically perform the wrapping action, making the sheet 'serve itself' in the wrapping process without requiring skilled manual dexterity from the user
2Device complexity
If manual wrapping of filter sheets is performed, then the construction process is simple, but wrapping accuracy is low leading to sealing failures
Solution Approach 1:
The winding device acts as a mechanical intermediary that provides precise geometric constraints through its fixed notches and rotating forks. These features ensure that the filter sheet is positioned and wrapped with high accuracy, eliminating the variability and imprecision of manual wrapping while maintaining an relatively simple overall device structure
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs preliminary alignment and positioning actions through its fixed notches and guide features before the actual wrapping occurs. The first notch aligns the sheet edge, and the rotating forks pre-position the sheet correctly around the tobacco, ensuring that the subsequent wrapping and sealing operations can proceed with high accuracy
3Productivity
If the filter sheet is not correctly wrapped, then the cigarette construction is completed, but sealing fails or generates discarded cigarettes
Solution Approach 1:
The winding device incorporates feedback through its mechanical constraints and alignment features. The fixed notches and rotating forks provide continuous geometric feedback that ensures the sheet is correctly positioned and wrapped throughout the process, preventing incorrect wrapping before it can lead to sealing failure or discarded cigarettes
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs preliminary verification of correct wrapping through its mechanical guide features and alignment notches before the cigarette proceeds to the sealing stage. This preliminary action ensures that only correctly wrapped cigarettes are produced, preventing sealing failures and reducing discarded cigarettes while maintaining production throughput
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
The present invention concerns a winding device for cigarette filters sheets, comprising: - a main body (5) comprising a winding chamber (35) having a longitudinal development along an axis X, within which a fork-shaped winding member (10) is rolling movable; - the winding chamber (35) comprising a first longitudinal ejection opening (31) through which said fork (20) comes out at least partially and goes in by sliding along the axis X, and vice versa, defining a winding position and an ejection position of a standard cigarette filter sheet; - a first notch (40) passing through the main radial body and parallel to that axis X; - a second notch (50) in the main body arranged in the winding chamber parallel to and facing said first notch (40), .