Movable Wall Element for Tobacco Rod Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatuses for storing and transporting rod-like tobacco articles, such as cigarettes and cigars, face challenges with deformable mechanisms that are not rigid enough for efficient vertical transport, leading to inefficiencies in feeding these articles into production machines.
Innovation Solution
An intermediate store with movable wall elements and supporting plates that can move between slots and outside them, allowing for rotational and linear motion, connected by tie bars and a linear drive, to support and transfer rod-like articles within vertical channels, ensuring stable and efficient vertical transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If narrow slots are used in known apparatuses for vertical transport of rod-like articles, then the mechanism can be simpler, but the mechanism becomes not rigid enough and easily deformable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the partition walls movable rather than fixed. The partition walls can move between a first position where they extend into the slot to guide the supporting plate, and a second position where they are retracted. This dynamic configuration allows the mechanism to provide rigid guidance when needed while maintaining operational flexibility, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and rigidity.
2Strength
If movable wall elements are added to provide rigidity, then the mechanism becomes more rigid, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The partition walls serve multiple functions: they act as guides for the supporting plate during vertical movement, provide structural rigidity to the intermediate store, and can be retracted to allow plate insertion and removal. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving the desired rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable partition walls are designed to transition between extended and retracted positions, providing rigidity only when needed for guidance. This dynamic approach ensures that the additional complexity is minimized by activating the rigid structure only during the critical phase of plate movement, rather than maintaining it in all positions.
Data Source
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AI summary
The object of the invention is an intermediate store (30) in an apparatus (1) of the tobacco industry for the vertical transport of rod-like articles (R), comprising sidewalls (31, 32), a back wall (33), and a plurality of partitions (34) dividing the intermediate store (30) into vertical channels (36) which are adapted to receive the rod-like articles (R) from above, the axes of the rod-like articles being situated parallel to the sidewalls (31, 32). The intermediate store (30) is provided with a movable transferring element (37) being slidable relative to the partitions (34) of the intermediate store (30), in addition, the transferring element (37) comprising supporting plates (36A) which support the mass flow of the rod-like articles (R) in the vertical channels (36) of the intermediate store (30) above the supporting plates (36A). The supporting plates (36A) are adapted to move downwards (A) within the vertical channels (36) and to move upwards (C) outside of the vertical channels (36). The back wall (33) is provided with at least one slot (39) along which the supporting plate (36A) moves, in addition, the supporting plates (36A) are adapted to being put into the channels (36) in the inlet area (36C) of the channels and to be pulled out of the vertical channels (36) in the outlet area (36E) of the channels. The store according to the invention is characterised by being provided with at least one movable wall element (61, 62, 81, 91, 92) being slidable so that it may take at least two positions, whereas one position of the movable wall element (61, 62, 81, 91, 92) is located in the slot (39), and another position of the movable wall element is located outside of the slot (39).