Process and device for supplying an operation station with a succession of guided articles

A process and device are provided for supplying an operation station with a uccession of articles guided along a given path from a feeding station, whereby an acceleration is imparted to each article by a pushing lug for example, and then the article is braked by a retainer lug for example.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates first of all to a process for supplying an 
operation station with a succession of articles guided along a defined 
path and for removing said articles from said operation station along a 
similar path, in which, in a first phase, an acceleration is communicated 
to each article. 
It also relates to a device for implementing this process. 
This invention may be used in all industries in which it is required to 
control rapidly a batch of articles of small dimensions, in particular 
fragile articles, in which an operation station allows at least one 
characteristic of each article for example to be identified or measured 
for rapid sorting thereof, for example. 
It has a great interest in the industry for manufacturing smokers articles, 
mainly for measuring the characteristics of filters, rolls of tobacco, 
cigarettes, cigars. 
In this kind of industry, difficulties are met with in handling the 
articles at high speed without losing the required accuracy for checking 
the weight for example. It often happens that it is desirable to use the 
same apparatus for measuring the characteristics of articles of the same 
general shape but having important variations in their geometrical 
characteristics. In particular, in the tobbaco industry, the length of the 
articles may be modified considerably. 
One of the aims of the invention is to provide a device for supplying an 
operation station for example for identifying or measuring at least one 
characteristic of a batch of similar articles following a defined path, 
for example substantially rectilinear and for removing said articles from 
said station following a similar path, at a very high rate and with the 
minimum of shocks during handling. 
Another aim of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device 
capable of being adapted or automatically adapting itself to an 
appreciable variation in the dimension of the article in the direction in 
which this article travels through the device. 
Another aim of the invention is to be able to rapidly or automatically 
modify the positioning of the article in the measuring or identification 
station depending on the characteristics of the article, for example its 
length, the distribution of its mass. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
For this, the invention provides first of all a process for supplying an 
operation station with a succession of articles guided along a defined 
path and for removing said articles from said operation station along a 
similar path, in which, in a first phase, an acceleration is communicated 
to each article, and, in a second phase, said article is braked so that it 
stops in said operation station, while removing the preceding article from 
said operation station. 
Thus the acceleration communicated in the first phase may be considerable 
in order to increase the feed rate of the operation station without the 
article being damaged on arriving in the operation station. The invention 
also provides a device for implementing this process, comprising an 
article feeding station, an operation station and a discharge station, 
guide means disposed between the feeding station and the operation 
station, and first means movable in translation along said guide means for 
pushing each article, which device further comprises second means movable 
in translation along said guide means for retaining each article to cause 
it to stop in the operation station, after it has been pushed by the first 
means and for discharging the preceding article from said operation 
station. 
The contacts between each article and the first and second means are thus 
very much reduced and fragile articles are not damaged. 
Advantageously, the first and second means are lugs fixed to two endless 
belts, adapted so that one lug, after pushing an article, retains the 
following article so that each lug alternately fulfils the function of 
said first and second means. 
Thus, the feed rate of the operation station may be further increased.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
In FIG. 1 a hopper 1 can be seen which is intended to receive a reserve of 
articles to be measured, for example cigarettes and which has an opening 2 
at its lower end for successively delivering said articles one by one in a 
way known per se. 
These articles positioned by bottom 3 of the hopper are presented to the 
feeding station 4. The device may comprise a means 8 for detecting the 
length and/or the exact position of article 7 to be transferred, for 
example a set of cells which may inform in a way known per se the 
schematically represented microprocessor 9 which drives the device. 
This station 4 comprises as guide means 5 a V which extends as far as the 
operation station 6. This device may be further equipped with a means 
allowing the microprocessor to modify the position of the article in the 
measuring station. In this particular non limitative example, the 
characteristics of distribution of the masses will be indicated manually 
to the processor provided with a program constructed in a way known per se 
so as to determine the center of gravity of the article to be weighed and 
to transfer it to a position in the operation station for weighing under 
optimum conditions of accuracy. 
The device further comprises two assemblies of means having at least one 
lug, respectively 10 and 11, of a shape adapted to the article to be 
transferred, said lug being fixed to a belt or band respectively 12 and 13 
moving at least between the feeding and discharge stations along a 
substantially rectangular path. In a preferred embodiment of the 
invention, this endless belt is placed in a preferably horizontal plane 
and is driven by a stepper motor, respectively 14 and 15, itself 
controlled by the microprocessor according to a programmed law of movement 
as a function of the positions of the lug along the path, as explained 
further on. 
The operation station 6 is in the example described an electronic weighing 
machine in which the pan of the mobile assembly is tangent to the path of 
the articles. 
A detection means 18, respectively 19, signals to the processor 9 the 
initial position of lugs 10, respectively 11. 
The discharge station 16, is in this case, a belt driven at a speed higher 
than the speed at which the articles are discharged from the weighing 
machine. 
For the sake of simplicity of the drawings in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, motors 14 
and 15 have been shown in another position than that shown in FIG. 1. 
FIG. 2 shows phase I of operation of the device. An article 7 is fed by the 
hopper 1 (not shown) to the feeding station 4. The processor 9 (not shown) 
depending on the information supplied by detectors 8 and 18, controls 
motor 14 so as to bring lug 10 into pressureless contact with the article. 
At the end of the preceding cycle or at latest at the same time depending 
on the indication supplied by detectors 8 and 19, it controls motor 15 so 
as to bring lug 11 in pressureless contact with article 7. The direction 
of movement of lugs 10 and 11 is symbolized respectively by arrows F and 
F' in each FIG. 2 to 5. 
FIG. 3 shows phase II of movement from the feeding station to the measuring 
station. 
During this phase, the processor 9 controls motors 14 and 15 in synchronism 
according to a law of movement determined by the program so as to reduce 
the transfer time as much as possible without excessive harshness for the 
article transported. For example, the article is accelerated for a part of 
the travel, over another part it travels at a steady speed, then is 
decelerated so as to arrive in the measuring station at a very low speed 
compatible with the fragility of the article transported. 
FIG. 4 shows phase III of movement. Lug 11 which served as a stop for the 
transported article becomes a pusher for the preceding article which it 
discharges then to the next station. 
FIG. 5 shows measuring phase IV. Lugs 10 and 11 assume respectively the 
initial positions but reversed of phase I. During this time, since the 
article is released in the measuring station, it may be weighed all the 
more rapidly since the transport took place without shocks. 
Still within the scope of the invention, the belts may be equipped with a 
larger number of lugs so as to limit the initialization travel distances, 
each lug then becoming successively an active lug (pusher or stop). 
Still within the scope of the invention, this device may be integrated with 
a device for sorting out articles as a function of the characteristics 
measured in the operation station 6, in this case a measuring station, 
replacing the discharge station 16 by a sorting station.