Bar like article supplying apparatus in hopper

Abstract: The present invention provides a supplying apparatus for supplying bar-like articles (B) to a hopper (1), and more specifically to an apparatus for supplying bar-like articles such as cigarettes or filter plugs to the hopper, wherein a bottom lid, preventing fall of the articles into the hopper, comprises a plurality of small bottom lids (a), these small bottom lids being rotatable in a radial direction of the bar-like articles to make the moving stroke of the bottom lid small to miniaturize the entire apparatus and bar-like articles are supplied preferentially from a depressed portion in the upper surface of the bar-like articles within the hopper, thus eliminating a disturbance of the bar-like articles.

Description: This invention relates to an apparatus for supplying bar-like articles, more specifically bar-like articles such as cigarettes, filter plugs, etc, to a hopper. In the past for example as shown in the prior art cited in European Patent Application No. EP-A-0160280, in the case where filter plugs are supplied to a plurality of cigarette producing machines, a plurality of plug supplying apparatus are provided below a hopper in which filter plugs are arranged in one direction and received in an accumulated fashion, and each of the plug supplying apparatus is connected to the cigarette producing machines. Filter plugs should desirably be received within the hopper so that the upper surfaces of the mass of plugs should be flat. However, the rate of consumption of the filter plugs by respective supplying apparatus is different or varied in dependence upon the producing speed or operating rate of respective cigarette producing machines, and therefore, the rate of consumption of filter plugs is not even throughout the mass so that the upper surface thereof becomes rugged and uneven. Filter plugs are normally supplied in quantity to the hopper in a generally rectangular parallelepiped box and they are arranged in parallel mass; the filter plugs are supplied into the hopper from the box by means of a supplying device constructed as described hereinafter. The supplying device is composed of a mounting frame that is reversible between up and down positions and on which said box is mounted, and there is a bottom lid that may be opened and closed to close the otherwise open bottom surface of the box. First, the box is mounted on the mounting frame when in the down position so that the open bottom surface of the box is directed upward, the open bottom surface of the box being closed by a bottom lid of the supplying device. Next the box is reversed to move the said bottom lid adjacent the upper surface of the hopper, and then the bottom lid is pulled out and/or opened whereby the filter plugs fall from the box into the hopper. The aforesaid bottom lid is composed of a single plate, which is pulled out horizontally and therefore the stroke thereof becomes extremely great and the entire apparatus becomes large-scaled. Invariably, when the filter plugs are so supplied, the upper surface of the mass of filter plugs within the hopper is rugged and uneven due to the difference in consumption speeds as explained herein, some of the filter plugs falling from the box wall rolled slantwise from a raised portion of said surface toward a depressed portion which can cause a loss of attitude, thus posing inconveniences such that the filter plugs disturbed in attitude tend to foul the supply of the bar-like articles causing a loss of efficiency. The present invention seeks to overcome the above-described drawbacks as noted above, and an object of the invention is to provide a supplying apparatus which reduces the loss of attitude of bar-like articles to a minimum. According to the invention there is provided a supplying apparatus for supplying bar like articles to a hopper, comprising means for receiving a box containing said bar like articles so that the box with its bottom open can be located above the hopper, a bottom means closing said open bottom of the box preventing said bar like articles from falling from the box into the hopper, characterised in that said bottom means includes rotational shafts secured to a plurality of bottom lids rotatably supported on a bottom plate in a predetermined spaced relation, and movable between a closed position in which the bottom lids prevent the bar like articles from passing from the box to the hopper, and an open position in which the bar like articles can pass between the bottom lids, the apparatus further comprising means adapted and arranged to move the bottom lids back and forth whilst in the open position to assist the passage of the bar like articles from the box to the hopper. French Patent No. FR-A-1395382 shows an arrangement wherein filter plugs are arranged to fall through a base plate which is made up of small rotatable plates, but in this arrangement the plates are not adapted to be moved back and forth when in the open position. According to the preferred supplying apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of small bottom lids obtained by division of the bottom lid are respectively rotated about axes parallel to the bar-like articles to supply the bar-like articles through the openings left by rotating the small bottom lids. Therefore, the moving stroke to pivot the small bottom lids becomes extremely small as compared with prior art in which the bottom lid in the form of a single plate is moved in a horizontal direction of bar-like articles and is pulled out. The invention enables a miniaturization of the entire apparatus, and as bar-like articles will fall directly onto the depressed portion of the upper surface of the mass of bar-like articles within the hopper, whereby the upper surface of mass of bar-like articles within the hopper is maintained approximately flat, with the result that bar-like articles are not rolled slantwise from the raised portion toward the depressed portion of said surface and disturbance of attitude and the bar-like articles is avoided. Furthermore, in addition to the aforementioned effect, the invention provides an arrangement wherein each of the small bottom lids is oscillated when in the open position to distribute the bar-like articles within the box evenly, and therefore, bar-like articles may be supplied very quickly and orderly from the box toward the hopper so that there is enough time to insert the succeeding box and no delay in work occurs. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:- Fig. 1 is a front view of a bar-like article supplying apparatus as shown in European Patent Application No. 87104599.3 from which the present application is divided out, and is useful for explaining the embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the apparatus of Fig.1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view in an enlarged scale of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a front view showing a bottom lid of the embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 6 is a view of the bottom lid of Fig. 5, when in the open condition. Referring to Figs. 1 to 6. In Fig. 1, a hopper is indicated at 1, a supplying device at 2, a controller at 3 and a supplying device at 10. The hopper 1 comprises, as shown in Fig. 3, two plates 1a disposed parallel to each other and spaced apart approximately equal to the length of filter plugs B in a lateral direction, and bottom plates 1b defining a V shape disposed therebelow, a plurality of supplying devices 2 being juxtaposed below the bottom plates 1b. Partition plates serve to define cavities leading to the respective supplying devices 2. Each bottom plate 1b consists of two small bottom plates which are superimposed, and where only two supplying apparatuses 2 are used, the small bottom plates may be extended to block off the apparatuses 2 as shown by the broken lines. Each supplying apparatus 2 consists, as shown in section in Fig. 3, of two cylindrical bodies 2a, in the form of gears, which are movable up and down. The filter plugs B are engaged one by one in the tooth-groves 2b of the cylindrical bodies 2 and eventually the filter plugs are moved out one by one from a hole 2c provided at the bottom of the supplying apparatus 2. Each supplying apparatus is connected to a respective cigarette producing machine not shown. Pivotal arms 11 are respectively provided on the opposite sides of the hopper 1, as shown in Figs 1 and 2, and said arms can be pivoted up and down, and a supplying apparatus 10 extends over the front end of the pivotal arms 11. The pivotal arms 11 are operated such that when the pivotal arms 11 are in an upper portion, the supplying apparatus 10 assumes a position above the hopper 1 as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2, whereas when the pivotal arms are in a lower position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 the supplying apparatus 10 assumes a position frontwardly of the hopper 1. The supplying apparatus 10 principally comprises a bottom plate 12, a bottom lid A, a mounting plate 13, a mounting frame 14, an air cylinder 15 and an anchor plate 16, as shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. The bottom plate 12 is designed so that as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, an elongated plate 12b in the form of a gate in section extends over side plates 12a which are pivotally mounted on the pivotal arms 11. Rotational shafts 17 are juxtaposed at predetermined intervals on the elongated plate 12b and on one projecting end of each shaft 17 is a small bottom lid, all of the small bottom lids thereby constituting a bottom lid A. Operating arms 18 are respectively connected to the rotational shafts 17, respectively as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and engaging rollers 19 are provided respectively on the ends of the operating arms 18. The engaging plate 16 comprises engaging pieces 16c which are parallel to each other and are spaced at predetermined intervals on a horizontal plate 16a. Plate 16a is parallel to and below the bottom plate 12, the horizontal plate 16a having one end connected to an air cylinder 15 provided on the end of the bottom plate 12. The air cylinder 15 is designed so that when it is at one end of its stroke, corresponding to an OFF position, it is extended and each engaging piece 16c urges each engaging roller 19 to keep arm 18 in a position in which each small bottom lid closes the space between its neighbours (Fig. 5) and when the piston is at the other end of its stroke, the ON position, it is withdrawn to so that each small bottom lid moves to an open position (Fig. 6). A mounting plate 13 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 stands upright on the bottom plate 12, and a mounting frame 14 extends over the mounting plate 13. The mounting frame 14 is composed of a front plate portion 14a, a side plate portion 14b and an upper plate portion 14c so that a box C filled with filter plugs can be placed on the mounting frame 14 as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 2 and maintained so as to be reversed into the position as indicated by the solid lines. The apparatus described operates as follows: First the consumption of the mass of filter plugs B within the hopper 1 to such an extent that the hopper needs to be replenished is detected by means of a detector or visually. Subsequently, the box C filled with filter plugs is fitted on mounting frame 14 as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 2 and is inverted as indicated by the solid lines. At that time, the air cylinder 15 is in the OFF condition as shown in Fig. 5, and the bottom lid A is closed preventing the filter plugs from falling from the bottom of box C which is otherwise open. Then, the level of the box C is adjusted to the upper surface of the filter plugs B within the hopper 1, and the air cylinder 15 is turned ON. Where the surface of the mass of filter plugs B is such that there is a space between any of the small bottom lids A and the surface of the plugs B, such small bottom lid is opened and the filter plugs B fall through such spaces. Whilst in the embodiment described in European Patent Application No. 87104599.3 from which the present application is divided out and of which Fig. 1 is identical to Fig. 1 hereof, the apparatus is designed so that each of the small bottom lids a is opened by its own weight, the present invention provides an alternative arrangement. The embodiment of the invention is now described in more detail with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. In this embodiment U-shaped engaging pieces 16c are provided in place of the inverted L- shaped engaging pieces 16b as shown in Fig.1, and each of the small bottom lids a is in the form of a projection so that when the ends are opened as shown in Fig. 8, the upper ends a' front or project into the box C. In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, the controller 3 periodically turns on and off the air cylinder 15 during the time the small bottom lids a are opened and the lids a can be pivotally moved back and forth continuously or from time to time with stroke of S in Fig. 6. With the embodiment of the invention, when the filter plugs B are being supplied through open small bottom lids a, the air cylinder 15 is periodically turned on and off by the controller 3 and the small bottom lids a are pivotally moved with the stroke S. Since the upper surface of the filter plugs B within the hopper 1 is partitioned by the small bottom lids a, the filter plugs B are preferentially supplied to the depressed portion of the surface of the mass of plugs in the hopper. The portion where the filter plugs B are preferentially supplied within the box C corresponds to the said depressed portion, but the small bottom lids a are pivotally moved whereby the filter plugs B within the box C are forcibly distributed in the box C and the upper surface of the filter plugs B in the hopper becomes flat. Namely, periodically turning on and off of the air cylinder 15 causes pivotal movement of the small bottom lids a to vibrate the filter plugs B. With this, the filter plugs B are never rolled to be slanted within the box C, and a very smooth supply of plugs from the box C to the hopper 1 is carried out.

Claims: A supplying apparatus for supplying bar like articles (B) to a hopper (1), comprising means for receiving a box (C) containing said bar like articles so that the box (C) with its bottom open can be located above the hopper (1), a bottom means (A) closing said open bottom of the box (C) preventing said bar like articles from falling from the box (C) into the hopper (1), characterised in that said bottom means (A) includes rotational shafts (17) secured to a plurality of bottom lids (a) rotatably supported on a bottom plate (12) in a predetermined spaced relation, and movable between a closed position in which the bottom lids prevent the bar like articles (B) from passing from the box (C) to the hopper, (1) and an open position in which the bar like articles can pass between the bottom lids (a), the apparatus further comprising means adapted and arranged to move the bottom lids back and forth whilst in the open position to assist the passage of the bar like articles from the box(C) to the hopper (1). A supplying apparatus as in Claim 1 characterised by the bottom means (A) having operating pieces (18) which project from rotational shafts (17) and which engage with plates (16C) affixed to a reciprocating engaging member (16). An apparatus as set forth in Claim 1 and 2, characterised in that said engaging plates (16C) affixed to the reciprocating member (16) are U-shaped and the operating pieces engage therein. An apparatus as set forth in Claim 2 or 3, characterised in that said bottom lids (a) are moved back and forth by means of an air cylinder (15) connected to one end of the reciprocating member (16).

Inventors: ENDO ISAO, KUMATA KATSUHIKO, NISHIMOTO TARO, ENDO, ISAO, KUMATA, KATSUHIKO, NISHIMOTO, TARO, Endo, Isao, c/o Tokyo Automatic Machinery, Kumata, Katsuhiko, c/o Tokyo Automatic Machinery, Nishimoto, Taro, c/o Tokyo Automatic Machinery
Applicants: JAPAN TOBACCO INC, TOKYO AUTOMATIC MACH WORKS, JAPAN TOBACCO INC., TOKYO AUTOMATIC MACHINERY WORKS LIMITED
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A24C5
IPC codes: A24C5