MACHINE FOR FILLING CONTAINERS WITH ROD-SHAPED OBJECTS

Abstract: A machine for filling a container with cigarettes comprises a supply hopper (24) for holding the ciga­ rettes, a discharge section (46) and arranged in the lower portion of the supply hopper (24) through which the cigarettes are discharged into the container (118). The discharge section includes a plurality of partition walls (50) vertically arranged at intervals, thereby defining discharge passage (52), a plurality of stop rollers (56) each rotatably arranged directly under its corresponding partition wall (50) and an oblate in shape. When the stop rollers (56) are at a first rotational position, their paired flat surface (55) extending from both sides of their corresponding par­ tition walls (50) to fully open their corresponding discharge passages (52). When the stop rollers (56) are at second rotational position, their paired arc surfaces project into their corresponding discharge passages (52) to reduce the width of each of the discharge passages (52).

Description: The invention relates to a machine for filling a container with rod-shaped objects, comprising a supply hopper in which a plurality of the rod-shaped objects are horizontally stacked; a discharge section arranged under the supply hopper to discharge the rod-shaped objects from the supply hopper into receiving means, wherein the discharge section includes a plurality of partition walls arranged at intervalls, which define discharge passages through which the rod-shaped objects in the supply hopper are discharged one by one; guiding means for smoothly guiding the rod-shaped objects in the supply hopper into the discharge passages; a plurality of stopping means, each rotatably arranged directly under its corresponding partition wall and shaped such that when the stopping means are at a first rotational position, their corresponding discharge passages are fully opened at the lower ends thereof, while when the stopping means are at a second rotational position, the stopping means project themselves into their corresponding discharge passages at the lower ends to reduce the width of the discharge passages, so that the rod-shaped objects can be prevented from being discharged through the discharge passages; and control means for rotating the stopping means to either the first rotational position or the second rotational position. Such a machine is known from DE-C-528 448. As a filling machine of the type for supplying rod-shaped objects such as cigarettes from a supply hopper into a container, apparatus disclosed in US-A-4 487 001 and US-A-4 489 534 are well known. These apparatus comprise a supply hopper in which a plurality of cigarettes are horizontally stored, and two rows of rod members arranged in the lower portion of the supply hopper. The rod members in each row are located in the horizontal direction at intervals. The adjacent rod members in each row define a discharge passage for the cigarettes. The discharge passages defined in the upper row are vertically aligned with corresponding ones defined in the lower row. Therefore, the cigarettes in the supply hopper can be discharged downward, keeping their horizontal pose and passing through the upper and lower discharge passages. In the case of this filling machine, the container in which the cigarettes are to be filled is positioned right under the supply hopper. The cigarettes discharged through the supply hopper are successively piled in the container. Further, the container can be successively lowered according to the height of the cigarettes piled in the container. As is described above, if the container is successively lowered, the distance of the cigarettes falling in the container or on the cigarettes already piled in the container can be made as short as possible when the cigarettes are filled in the container. As the result, the cigarettes can be piled in the container, keeping reliably their horizontal pose as in the supply hopper. In the case of the above-described machines, however, the adjacent cigarettes in the supply hopper are apt to simultaneously enter a discharge passage in the upper row during the filling process. In this case, the discharge passage is closed by the cigarettes. Therefore, the filling of the cigarettes from the supply hopper into the container cannot be attained smoothly. When the discharge of the cigarette through the discharge passages of the upper row is not carried out smoothly like this, the cigarettes cannot be orderly piled in the container, thereby reducing the number of the cigarettes filled in the containers. When the container has been made full of the cigarettes, it is necessary to stop the supply of the cigarettes from through the supply hopper to the container, while the fully filled container must be exchanged with an empty one. In the case of the above-described machines, the rod members which form one of the upper and lower rows are shifted in the horizontal direction and then positioned on the axial lines of the corresponding discharge passages of the other row. The discharge passages of the other row are thus closed by the rod members shifted, thereby stopping the supply of the cigarettes the supply hopper to the container. When the rod members of one row are shifted in this manner, however, some of the cigarettes which intend to be discharged from the supply hopper are sometimes sandwiched between the rod members of the upper and lower rows, thereby damaging these cigarettes. A machine for filling a container with rod-shaped objects as specified above is known from DE-C-0 528 448 wherein discharge passages can be closed at the lower ends thereof by controlled closing flaps. These flaps are pivotally mounted by means of horizontal bolts, wherein each flap has a pin provided at one side thereof and extending into a respective slot in a control bar which can be moved to and fro in a horizontal direction. By means of this horizontal movement of the control bar, these flaps can be moved between a first position, opening the discharge passages, and a second position, closing the discharge passages. Above these flaps of the machine according to DE-C-0 528 448 presser means are provided comprising further flaps which are mounted for a pivotal movement around an axis wherein these additional flaps are permanently biased by means of springs which are wound around the axis. Each of the presser flaps has a protruding pin at one side which may rest against corresponding abutments on a control bar which can be moved to and fro in a horizontal direction. Therefore, a plurality of bearings and articulations are necessary in such a conventional machine in order to mount the respective flaps and the control elements thereof. Difficulties may arise in practice when such a machine is used in a fast-operating process. Also, the safe operation of the conventional machine depends on the proper function of the respective springs. Document US-A-4 489 534 relates to an apparatus for filling trays with cigarettes or similar rod-shaped objects. In order to achieve the object of uniformly filling trays with rod-shaped objects, upper wall members and lower wall members are provided which are formed by elongated rods extending in parallel to each other and in parallel to the rod-shaped objects which are supplied from a hopper. In this conventional apparatus, the upper wall members continuously perform swinging back-and-forth movements which are both sidewards and slightly up and down. The lower wall members are oscillating in repeated back-and-forth movements in a substantially horizontal plane. In another embodiment described in this document, the lower wall members are formed by downwardly extending tongue-like wall members which are swinging around corresponding shafts. In this manner, it is intended in the conventional apparatus to uniformly move the rod-shaped objects in order to obtain a compact filling of the container in question while avoiding any bridging effect. While the lower wall members form discharge passages between each other, no stopping means are provided which could stop further supply of objects from the corresponding supply hopper. The object underlying the present invention is to provide a machine for filling a container with rod-shaped objects which is capable of smoothly discharging rod-shaped objects into a container, piling them in perfect order in the container, and preventing the rod-shaped objects from being damaged when the discharging of the rod-shaped objects from the supply hopper is stopped, without requiring a complicated structure having spring-biased elements. The solution according to the invention is characterized in that the receiving means comprises a container provided with means for gradually lowering the container as it is filled more and more with the rod-shaped objects; in that the stopping means comprise a plurality of stop rollers each of which consists of a cylindrical rod member having an oblate shape in cross-section including a pair of parallel flat surfaces and a pair of opposite arc portions; in that in the first rotational position of the stop rollers the flat surfaces of the stop rollers form extended portions of their corresponding partition walls, while in the second rotational position of the stop rollers both arc portions of each stop roller project a little into their corresponding discharge passages to thereby stop the flow of rod-shaped objects passing through the discharge passages; and in that the control means comprise rotating means for rotating the stop rollers by angles of 90° in order to rotate them from the one rotational position to the other. The object indicated above is solved in an advantageous manner by the machine according to the invention which ensures a reliable operation without having the risk that the rod-shaped objects in question may be damaged by the stopping means. Due to the specific configuration of the stop rollers used in the machine of the invention, the stop rollers may promptly open and close, respectively, the corresponding discharge passages with a simple movement of rotation. However, no rod-shaped objects can be sandwiched between adjacent stop rollers so that any damages of the rod-shaped objects can be avoided. According to a further development of the machine according to the invention, each of the partition walls has a semi-circular groove on its lower surface end to conform to the arc surface of its corresponding stop roller. It is expedient in the machine according to the invention when the rotating means simultaneously rotate all of the stop rollers in a same direction, from the first rotational position to the second rotational position. In a specific embodiment according to the machine of the invention, the guiding means includes a plurality of agitator rollers each of which is rotatably arranged directly above its corresponding partition wall. In such an embodiment it is expedient that the agitator rollers are simultaneously rotated forward and backward, through a predetermined angle. According to a further development of the machine according to the invention, the machine further comprises means for adjusting the rod-shaped objects such that the objects are orderly stacked in the container when the rod-shaped objects are being supplied into the container. In a specific embodiment according to the machine of the invention, the adjusting means includes a plurality of aligning rods longer than the axial length of the rod-shaped objects and arranged under the stop rollers and in a horizontal direction at intervals, and means for simultaneously driving the aligning rods such that they reciprocate in the horizontal direction, at a certain stroke. A further development of the machine according to the invention is characterized in that the container is in a box shape, the container opening at the top and at that side thereof which faces one end face of each of the rod-shaped objects therein, and in that the adjusting means includes an arranging guide plate located to cover a part of the opened side of the container, and means for driving the arranging guide plate such that it reciprocates in the axial direction of the rod-shaped objects in the container, so as to arrange the ends of the rod-shaped objects along a same vertical plane in the container. The object described above can be achieved by a rod-shaped objects filling machine according to the present invention. The filling machine comprises a discharge means arranged at the lower portion of the supply hopper. The discharge means includes a plurality of partition walls which are arranged in the horizontal direction at intervals so as to define discharge passages between them. Each discharge passage extends in the vertical direction. The discharge means further includes a plurality of agitator rollers rotatably located at right above the upper surfaces of the partition walls in order to introduce the rod-shaped objects in the supply hopper into the discharge passages by their rotation, and a plurality of stop rollers rotatably located at right under the lower surface of the partition walls. Each of the stop rollers is made oblate and its circumference includes a pair of parallel flat surfaces. Each stop roller is positioned in such a way that its flat surfaces are continuous from both sides of its corresponding partition wall when the rod-shaped objects are supplied from the supply hopper. Therefore, the adjacent stop rollers define an extended portion of the corresponding discharge passage. When these stop rollers are rotated in a same direction by 90°, they project their paired arc surface into the discharge passages to narrow the discharge passages at the lower ends thereof, thereby preventing the cigarettes from being discharged through the discharge passages. When the above-described discharge means is provided, the rod-shaped objects in the supply hopper can be positively introduced into the discharge passages by the rotation of the agitator rollers and they can be thus smoothly discharged through the discharge passages. When a container is located under the above-described discharge means, therefore, the rod-shaped objects in the supply hopper can be discharged into the container, passing through the discharge passages and keeping their horizontal pose, and uniformly distributed and piled in perfect order in the container. The container is successively lowered, depending upon the amount of the rod-shaped objects filled, until it is made full of the rod-shaped objects. When the container is made full of the rod-shaped objects like this, the oblate stop rollers are rotated by 90° in a same direction. The discharge passages of the discharge means are thus closed by these stop rollers, as described above, so that the discharge of the rod-shaped objects through the discharge passages or from the supply hopper can be stopped. As described above, the stop rollers are rotated in the same direction to close the discharge passages in the discharge means and no rod-shaped object is therefore sandwiched between the adjacent stop rollers, thereby reliably preventing the rod-shaped objects from being damaged. According to the present invention, the filling machine can be provided with a plurality of aligning rods arranged under the stop rollers and in the horizontal direction at intervals. They can reciprocate in the horizontal direction at a certain stroke. The rod-shaped objects which are to be piled in the container are reliably made even every pile in the container by the reciprocation of the aligning rods, so that the rod-shaped objects can be successively piled and orderly filled in the container. The above-mentioned container is like a box opened both at the top and at the front side thereof. When this container is used, the filling machine of the present invention can be provided with a guide plate arranged to close a part of the opened front side of the container. This guide plate can reciprocate in the axial direction of the rod-shaped objects and serves to align ends of the rod-shaped objects, which have been piled in the container, along a same vertical plane. When this guide plate is employed, the piling or filling of the rod-shaped objects in the container can be made perfect both in the radial and axial directions of the rod-shaped objects. This invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows the whole of a system including an example of a cigarettes filling machine according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing a supply hopper and a discharge section; Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing both of the supply hopper and the discharge section; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of the discharge section; Fig. 5 is a sketch showing a lift mechanism at the platform; Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged sectional views showing how cigarettes are filled in a container; and Fig. 8 is a sketch showing how containers are conveyed in and out of the system. Fig. 1 shows roughly the whole of a system provided with an example of the filling machine according to the present invention to fill a container with cigarettes. The system is connected to the cigaret producing apparatus, from which cigarettes are supplied to the system. The system is therefore provided with a cigaret receiving section 10. The cigaret receiving section 10 has a pair of belt conveyers 12a and 12b opposed to each other with a certain distance in the vertical direction. Filtertip cigarettes F are supplied one by one between the conveyers 12a and 12b from the cigaret producing apparatus in such a manner that the cigarettes are arranged perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyers 12a and 12b. Cigarettes F are conveyed by the belt conveyers 12a and 12b. A reservoir 14 is arranged at the end of the belt conveyers 12a and 12b. The cigarettes F conveyed between conveyers 12a and 12b are thus stored in the reservoir 14 temporarily. The bottom of the reservoir 14 is formed by a part of an endless belt conveyer 16. The belt conveyer 16 includes a lower horizontal portion 16a which serves as the bottom of the reservoir 14, an elevator portion 16c continuous from the upper horizontal portion 16a via a curved portion 16b and extending upward in the vertical direction, and an upper horizontal portion 16e continuous from the elevator portion 16c via a curved portion 16d. An auxiliary conveyer 18 which is an endless sponge belt is arranged adjacent to the elevator portion 16c of the conveyer 16 and parallel to it with a certain distance. The elevator portion 16c and the auxiliary conveyer 18 form a passage between them through which cigarettes F are elevated. Further, a guide plate 20 is arranged between the reservoir 14 and the auxiliary conveyer 18, above the belt conveyer 16 with a certain distance, and another guide plate 22 is also arranged between the curved portion 16d and the end of the upper horizontal portion 16e, above upper horizontal portion 16e with a certain distance. When the system is provided with the belt conveyer 16 and the auxiliary conveyer 18, therefore, cigarettes F in the reservoir 14 are successively fed out of it by running of these conveyers 16 and 18. The cigarettes F thus fed from the reservoir 14 are then sandwiched and elevated between the elevator portion 16c of the conveyer 16 and the auxiliary conveyer 18 in order to come to the upper horizontal portion 16e of the conveyer 16. As roughly shown in Fig. 1, cigarettes F are fed in multi-layers (about 8 layers) from the reservoir 14. The reservoir 14 is provided with a detector (not shown) for detecting the amount of cigarettes stored in the reservoir 14, and the supply of cigarettes F from the cigaret producing apparatus to the reservoir 14 can be controlled by this detector. Those portions of the system which are shaded by oblique lines in Fig. 1 represent places where the cigarettes F are stored and the conveying passage through which cigarettes F are conveyed. Side guide plates by which the conveying passage is defined together with the guide plates 20, 22 and the like are not shown in Fig. 1 except a part thereof. Arranged below the upper horizontal portion 16e of the conveyer 16 is a supply hopper 24 which is shown in detail in Fig. 2. The supply hopper 24 includes a pair of side guide plates 26, 28 (when seen in Fig. 2), and back and front plates 30, 32 (see Fig. 3) for connecting the side guide plates 26 and 28. The side guide plates 26 and 28 are made narrower between them in the center thereof. In short, the supply hopper 24 has a neck 24a in the center thereof. The upper end of the side guide plate 28 positioned right in Fig. 2 is arranged close to the end of the upper horizontal portion 16e of the conveyer 16, as shown in Fig. 2, so that cigarettes F discharged through an opening between the upper horizontal portion 16e and the guide plate 22 can be introduced into the supply hopper 24. A sheet 34 is attached to the end of the guide plate 22 in order to control the dropping of cigarettes F . The sheet 34 is provided with a plurality of weights and usually hung downward or into the supply hopper 24 from the guide plate 22. A guide arm 36 for cigarettes F is arranged adjacent to the sheet 34 and freely swingably supported at the upper end thereof. Cigarettes F discharged through the opening between the upper horizontal portion 16e and the guide plate 22 can be thus smoothly introduced into the supply hopper 24 by the sheet 34 and the guide arm 36. More specifically, each of the cigarettes F can be dropped into the supply hopper 24 with its pose held horizontal. Freely swingably arranged at the upper portion of the supply hopper 24 is a detecting lever 38 in order to detect the amount of cigarettes F stored in the supply hopper 24. As the amount of cigarettes F is increased more and more in the supply hopper 24, the detecting lever 38 is swung upward together with the sheet 34 and the guide arm 36 by cigarettes F stored, taking its upper end as the center of its swinging movement. The position of the detecting lever 38 swung or the amount of cigarettes F in the supply hopper 24 is detected by a detecting switch (not shown). A discharge section 46 is arranged in the lower portion of the supply hopper 24. Before this discharge section 46 is described, the supply hopper 24 will be explained a little more about its inside. The supply hopper 24 includes a first separating guide 40 between the neck 24a and the discharge section 46, and a pair of second separating guides 42 positioned at right and left under sides of the first separating guide 40. Each of the separating guides 40 and 42 has a spindle shape in section, and the cigarettes F introduced into the supply hopper 24 are distributed by these first and second separating guides 40 and 42 while they are falling in the supply hopper 24. The discharge section 46 forms the bottom of the supply hopper 24 and the cigarettes F are thus uniformly piled on the discharge section 46. The discharge section 46 includes a plurality of center rollers 48 positioned below the second separating guides 42. These center rollers 48 are rotatably arranged at intervals in the width direction of the supply hopper 24 or in the horizontal direction. A plurality of vertical partition walls 50 are arranged under the center rollers 48 at intervals. Each of the partition walls 50 is made of a plate member extending in a direction perpendicular to the back guide 30 and adjacent partition walls 50 define discharge passage 52 through which cigarettes F are passed. The interval between adjacent partition walls 50 is set to have such a width that allows cigarettes F to pass through one by one. The top and bottom surfaces of each partition wall 50 are curved like an arc to form a groove extending in the direction perpendicular to the back guide 30 (see Fig. 4). An agitator roller 54 is rotatably arranged directly above the top surface of each partition wall 50. The interval between adjacent agitator rollers 54 is set substantially the same as that between adjacent partition walls 50. A stop roller 56 is rotatably arranged directly under the bottom surface of each partition wall 50. Different from the agitator rollers 54 each shaped like a true circle, each of the stop rollers 56 is made to have an oblate shape. More specifically, each of the stop rollers 56 is a cylinder having a little larger diameter than that of the agitator roller 54 and two parallel flat surfaces 55 on its circumference. When the stop rollers 56 are rotated to direct their paired flat surfaces 55 vertical, they form extended portions of their corresponding partition walls 50, as shown in Fig. 6. In short, adjacent stop rollers 56 define an extended portion of each discharge passage 52. When the stop rollers 56 are rotated by 90° in same direction, however, both arc portions of each stop roller 56 project a little into their corresponding discharge passages 52 to thereby stop the flow of cigarettes F passing through discharge passages 52, as shown in Fig. 7. The discharge section 46 further includes a plurality of aligning rods 58 positioned under the stop rollers 56. The adjacent aligning rods 58 are arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, as seen in the case of the stop rollers 56, and the aligning rods 58 can reciprocate in the horizontal direction at a certain stroke. In this embodiment, the aligning rods 58 are arranged every two stop rollers 56. Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, there will be described a mechanism for driving the above-mentioned rollers 48, 54, 56 and the aligning rods 58. Roller shafts 48a, 54a and 56a for these rollers 48, 54 and 56 extend parallel to one another in the forward direction of the supply hopper 24, as shown in Fig. 3. These roller shafts 48a, 54a and 56a are rotatably supported like a cantilever by a housing 60 for the driving mechanism. As apparent from Fig. 3, a pair of support rods 62 extend toward each of the partition walls 50, which is supported by the housing 60 through these support rods 62. Further, a guide plate 64 which constitutes the lower portion of the front plate 32 of the supply hopper 24 is supported by the housing 60 through a plurality of support rods 66. The guide plate 64 is provided with through-holes or cut-away portions 65 through which the roller shafts 48a, 54a and 56a are passed, as shown in Fig. 3. Pinions 68a, 70a and 72a are attached to the ends of the roller shafts 48a, 54a and 56a, respectively, and these pinions 68a, 70a and 72a are meshing with their corresponding racks 68b, 70b and 72b, which are slidably supported in the housing 60 and can move in a direction perpendicular to the axis of each of the roller shafts. The rack 70b is connected to a gear 76 through a crank arm 74, as shown in Fig. 4. This gear 76 is meshing with a driving gear 80 through an intermediate gear 78. A driving gear 80 is mounted to an output shaft 84 of a driving motor 82. When the motor 82 is driven, the rotation of the driving gear 80 is transmitted to the gear 76 via the intermediate gear 78, thereby causing the gear 76 to be rotated in one direction. The rotation of the gear 76 is converted into the reciprocation of the rack 70b by means of the crank arm 74, thereby causing the agitator rollers 54 to be rotated in the forward and reverse directions through the pinions 70a and the roller shafts 54a. Although shown by broken lines in Fig. 4, the rack 68b which is associated with the center rollers 48 is connected to gear 88 through crank arm 90. Gear 88 is meshed with a gear 76 via an intermediate gear 86. Therefore, the center rollers 48 are also rotated in the forward and reverse directions, as seen in the case of the agitator rollers 54. Directly meshing with the rack 72b which is associated with the stop rollers 56 is a driving pinion 94a, which is mounted to an output shaft of a forward- and reverse-rotatable rotary actuator 94. When the driving pinion 94a is rotated certain times by the rotary actuator 94, therefore, the stop rollers 56 are rotated by 90°, as described above, through the rack 72b, the pinions 72a and the roller shafts 56a. The aligning rods 58 are connected to a horizontal arm 92 positioned between the supply hopper 24 and the housing 60, as shown in Fig. 3. The horizontal arm 92 is supported to freely reciprocate in the same direction as in the case of the above-mentioned racks. A means for supporting horizontal arm 92 is not shown. One end of the horizontal arm 92 is pivoted on the upper end of a cam lever 92b, as shown in Fig. 4. The cam lever 92b extends downward and it is pivoted on a fixed bracket 96 at the lower end thereof. A cam follower 98 is rotatably mounted to the center of the cam lever 92b. A cam 100 is brought into contact with the cam follower 98. The cam 100 is mounted on the foremost end of the output shaft of the motor 82. One end of a return spring 102 is connected to the cam lever 92b while the other end is fixed to a fixed wall (not shown). The cam follower 98 is thus urged by the return spring 102 to usually contact with the cam 100. When the cam 100 is rotated by the driving motor 82, therefore, the cam lever 92b is swung by a certain angle, so that the horizontal arm 92 or the aligning rods 58 can be reciprocated by a certain stroke or only by the width of the partition wall 50, for example, as described above. As shown in Fig. 3, an ordering guide plate 104 is arranged under the guide plate 64. The ordering guide plate 104 constitutes a part of the front plate 32 for the supply hopper 24, similarly to the case of the guide plate 64, but it can be reciprocated in the axial direction of or forward and backward along the longitudinal direction of cigarettes F in the supply hopper 24, differently from the guide plate 64. The ordering guide plate 104 is supported by the housing 60 through a plurality of support rods 106. These support rods 106 slidably pass through the wall of the housing 60 and can be moved forward and backward in relation to the housing 60. As shown in Fig. 4, support rods 106 extend from the ordering guide plate 104 to the housing 60, passing under the horizontal arm 92, and they do not hinder the reciprocation of the horizontal arm 92, accordingly. The horizontal arm 92 is therefore supported on its support means via slide bearings 92a only at the both ends thereof. The ordering guide plate 104 is provided with cut-away portions or slits at the upper portion thereof so as not prevent the aligning rods 58 from reciprocating in the horizontal direction. A feed screw 108 is rotatably supported in the housing 60, as shown in Fig. 3. A pulley 110 is mounted to one end of the feed screw 108. A pulley 112 which is associated with the pulley 110 is mounted to the end of one roller shaft 54a for the agitator rollers 54, and a driving belt 114 is stretched between these pulleys 110 and 112. A carrier 116 whose rotation is stopped is screwed onto the feed screw 108 and connected to one end of the support rod 106 which is projected into the housing 60. When the agitator rollers 54 are rotated forward and backward, as described above, therefore, their forward and backward rotations are transmitted to the feed screw 108 through the pulleys 110, 112 and the driving belts 114, and then the feed screw 108 is rotated forward and backward accordingly. The carrier 116 is thus reciprocated on the feed screw 108, so that the ordering guide plate 104 can be reciprocated forward and backward by the support rods 106. A container 118 is positioned under the supply hopper 24. As roughly shown in Fig. 1, the container 118 is a box opened at the top and front side thereof. The container 118 shown in Fig. 2 is positioned so as to enclose the lower portion of the supply hopper 24 from the back of the hopper 24. In the case of the container 118 shown in Figs. 2 and 3, therefore, its inner bottom is located right under the aligning rods 58. On the other hand, the container 118 is held on a mother tray 120, and the mother tray 120 is put on a platform 122. The platform 122 can be elevated and it is positioned at the highest position when it is seen in Figs. 2 and 3. An elevator mechanism 214 for the platform 122 will be described referring to Fig. 5. The elevator mechanism 214 includes a forward- and reverse-rotatable rotary actuator 216 fixed to a base (not shown). A sprocket 218 is attached to the output shaft of the rotary actuator 216. In the case of an example shown in Fig. 5, another sprocket 220 which is associated with the sprocket 218 is arranged under the rotary actuator 216. A chain 222 is stretched between these sprockets 218 and 220. A star wheel 124 and a sprocket 126 are coaxially attached to the shaft of the sprocket 220. For the sake of simplicity, Fig. 5 shows the sprocket 220 separated from the star wheel 124 and the sprocket 126. The star wheel 124 has a plurality of teeth on its whole circumference. A pair of ratchets 128 and 130 are arranged above and below the star wheel 124, sandwiching the star wheel 124 between them. These ratchets 128 and 130 can be moved up and down synchronized with the action of an air cylinder 132. In Fig. 5, the ratchet 128 positioned at the upper side is engaged with the star wheel 124 to prevent the rotation of the latter. Numeral 134 represents return springs for the ratchets 128 and 130. A chain 136 is hung from the sprocket 126 which is coaxially attached together with the star wheel 124. One end of the chain 136 is connected to the platform 122 via a connecting bracket 138, while the other end thereof is connected to a weight 140 exerting a certain force. According to the elevator mechanism 214 having such an arrangement as described above, the ratchets 128 and 130 are alternately engaged with the star wheel 124 every certain time interval, depending upon the action of the air cylinder 132. During such a time period that begins when one of the ratchets is released from the star wheel 124 and ends when the other ratchet is engaged with the star wheel 124, therefore, the star wheel 124 can be left freely rotatable, so that the platform 122 can fall intermittently by a certain distance together with the mother tray 120 and the container 118 thanks to its own weight. In order to elevate the platform 122 to the highest position when the platform 122 has reached the lowest position, the air cylinder 132 is contracted at first to release the ratchet 130 from the star wheel 124. At the same time when the ratchet 130 is released, another air cylinder 131 fixed adjacent to the ratchet 128 is stretched and the piston rod of this air cylinder 131 is engaged with the ratchet 128, thereby preventing the ratchet 128 from being engaged with the star wheel 124 by a return spring 134. When the rotary actuator 216 is rotated in this state, the sprocket 126 is rotated together with the star wheel 124 in order to elevate the platform 122 through the chain 136. Numeral 123 in Fig. 5 represents guide rods for the guiding platform 122. The filling of cigarettes F from the supply hopper 24 into the container 118 will be described referring to Figs. 6 and 7. As shown in Fig. 6, an empty container 118 is positioned right under the supply hopper 24 or at its highest position. When the stop rollers 56 are directed to form extended portions of the partition walls 50 at this time, as shown in Fig. 6, cigarettes F in the supply hopper 24 fall downward onto the bottom of the container 118, passing through the discharge passages 52 defined between the partition walls 50. The center and agitator rollers 48 and 54 are being rotated forward and backward also at this time. Therefore, cigarettes F in the supply hopper 24 are dragged and introduced into the discharge passages 52 mainly by the rotating action of the agitator rollers 54. As a result, cigarettes F in the supply hopper 24 are uniformly discharged through the discharge passages 52, thereby enhancing the efficiency for filling the container 118 with cigarettes F every hour. Cigarettes F which have been discharged through the discharge passages 52 are successively piled in the container 118. The aligning rods 58 positioned under the stop rollers 56 are being reciprocated in the horizontal direction during this discharging process of cigarettes F into the container 118, as shown in Fig. 6. Therefore, cigarettes F which have been discharged into the container 118 are made even by the reciprocation of these aligning rods 58, thereby enabling cigarettes F to be orderly stacked in the container 118. On the other hand, the container 118 is successively and intermittently dropped by the above-described elevator mechanism 214, depending upon the amount of cigarettes F supplied into the container 118, and this enables cigarettes F to be piled in perfect order in the container 118 until the container 118 becomes full with the thus-piled cigarettes F . Further, while the container 118 is being intermittently dropped, the ordering guide plate 104 is also reciprocated forward and backward, following the center and agitator rollers 48 and 54 rotated forward and backward. Ends of cigarettes F in the container 118 can be thus ordered along a same vertical plane by the ordering guide plate 104. When the container 118 becomes full of cigarettes F , as shown in Fig. 7, the stop rollers 56 are rotated by 90° in the same direction. All of the discharge passages 52 are thus closed, as shown in Fig. 7, the supply of cigarettes F from the supply hopper 24 into the container 118 is stopped. The stop rollers 56 are synchronizingly rotated in the same direction. Therefore, none of the cigarettes F is sandwiched between a stop roller 56 and a partition wall 50, thereby preventing any of the cigarettes F from being damaged. The container 118 which has been filled with cigarettes F is conveyed from under the supply hopper 24 and put on a cart 142. An empty container 118 is then supplied from the cart 142 to the supply hopper 24 and located at its above-described highest position. The cigaret filling process is repeated thereafter, as described above. The movement of the container 118 between the cart 142 and the supply hopper 24 will be described in brief, referring to Figs. 5 and 8. As shown in Fig. 5, a carrier 144 for the container 118 is arranged above supply hopper 24 (which is not shown in Fig. 5). The carrier 144 can be reciprocated between the supply hopper 24 and the cart 142, using an endless chain 146 supported by the ceiling. The carrier 144 has a pair of chucks 148a and 148b which enable it to clasp the container 118. When the carrier 144 is moved above the cart 142, therefore, it can clasp one empty container 118 on the cart 142 by means of its chucks 148a and 148b. When the carrier 144 is then returned, an empty container 118 is guided on a rail plate 141 which extends from the cart 142 to the supply hopper 24, and held on the mother tray, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The mother tray 120 is then located at that position A which is behind the supply hopper 24, as shown in Fig. 8. The mother tray 120 is also put on an elevator table 170 at this time, which will be described later. An empty container 118 is then forwarded together with the mother tray 120 by a forward pusher 152, thereby causing the empty container 118 to be located at the highest position shown in Fig. 2, that is, at that position B which is shown in Fig. 8. A driving mechanism for the forward pusher 152 is shown in Fig. 8 and it comprises a pair of sprockets 154 separated from each other before and behind the pusher 152, an endless chain 156 connected to the forward pusher 152 and stretched between the sprockets 154, a sprocket 158 coaxially attached to one of the sprockets 154, a sprocket 160 positioned under the sprocket 158, an endless chain 162 stretched between the sprockets 158 and 160, and an air cylinder 164 connected to the chain 162. When the driving mechanism for the forward pusher 152 has such an arrangement as described above, the forward pusher 152 can be moved forward and backward via chains 162 and 156 by the action of the air cylinder 164. When an empty container 118 is to be pushed by the forward pusher 152, a pair of guide rails 166 shown in Fig. 5 is previously operated and positioned in front side of the mother tray 120 by means of air cylinders to thereby guide the mother tray 120. When an empty container 118 is moved from position A to position B , another empty container 118 will be located at position A . As described above, a container 118 located at position B is filled with cigarettes F and as it is filled with more and more cigarettes F , it is lowered together with the mother tray 120 from position B to position C , following the falling of the platform 122. When the container 118 which has become full of cigarettes F reaches position C , the supply of cigarettes F from the supply hopper 24 into the container 118 is stopped, as described above, and another empty container 118 located at position A is then moved to position B by the forward pusher 152 and held there by paired guide rails 166. The elevator table 170 is then lowered to that position which is shown by a solid line in Fig. 8. On the other hand, the container 118 which has become full of cigarettes F is moved together with the mother tray 120 by the backward pusher 168, which is driven by an air cylinder 174. The filled container 118 is thus put on the elevator table 170 and then located at position D . A pair of guide rails (not shown) similar to the rails 166 are used to guide the container 118 from position C to position D . The filled container 118 which has been located together with the mother tray 120 at position D is moved to position A in Fig. 8 by raising the elevator table 170. The platform 122 is lifted from its lowered position to its highest position at the same time, thereby causing an empty container 118 to be put on the platform 122 together with the mother tray 120. The mother tray 120 is released from the paired guide rails 166 at this time and the cigaret filling process is repeated relative to the empty container 118, as described above. The fully filled container 118 which has been located at position A is guided on the guide rail 141 and moved from the mother tray 120 onto the cart 142 by the carrier 144. When the fully filled container 118 has been returned onto the cart 142, this cart 142 is forwarded by such a distance that corresponds to one container so as to enable an empty container 118 thereon to be picked up on the guide rail 141. Thereafter, a new empty container 118 is similarly supplied form the cart 142 to position A and held there and then moved according to the above-described process.

Claims: A machine for filling a container with rod-shaped objects, comprising a supply hopper (24) in which a plurality of the rod-shaped objects (F) are horizontally stacked, a discharge section (46) arranged under the supply hopper (24) to discharge the rod-shaped objects (F) from the supply hopper (24) into receiving means (118), wherein the discharge section (46) includes a plurality of partition walls (50) arranged at intervals, which define discharge passages (52) through which the rod-shaped objects (F) in the supply hopper (24) are discharged one by one, guiding means (54) for smoothly guiding the rod-shaped objects (F) in the supply hopper (24) into the discharge passages (52), a plurality of stopping means (56), each rotatably arranged directly under its corresponding partition wall (50) and shaped such that when the stopping means (56) are at a first rotational position, their corresponding discharge passages (52) are fully opened at the lower ends thereof, while when the stopping means (56) are at a second rotational position, the stopping means (56) project themselves into their corresponding discharge passages (52) at the lower ends to reduce the width of the discharge passages (52), so that the rod-shaped objects (F) can be prevented from being discharged through the discharge passages (52), and control means (72a, 72b, 94) for rotating the stopping means (56) to either the first rotational position or the second rotational position, characterized in that the receiving means (118) comprises a container (118) provided with means for gradually lowering the container (118) as it is filled more and more with the rod-shaped objects (F), in that the stopping means (56) comprise a plurality of stop rollers (56) each of which consists of a cylindrical rod member having an oblate shape in cross-section including a pair of parallel flat surfaces (55) and a pair of opposite arc portions, in that in the first rotational position of the stop rollers (56) the flat surfaces (55) of the stop rollers (56) form extended portions of their corresponding partition walls (50), while in the second rotational position of the stop rollers (56) both arc portions of each stop roller (56) project a little into their corresponding discharge passages (52) to thereby stop the flow of rod-shaped objects (F) passing through the discharge passages (52), and in that the control means comprise rotating means (72a, 72b, 94) for rotating the stop rollers (56) by angles of 90° in order to rotate them from the one rotational position to the other. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the partition walls (50) has a semi-circular groove on its lower surface end to conform to the arc surface of its corresponding stop roller (56). The machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rotating means (72a, 72b, 94) simultaneously rotate all of the stop rollers (56) in a same direction, from the first rotational position to the second rotational position. The machine according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the guiding means includes a plurality of agitator rollers (54) each of which is rotatably arranged directly above its corresponding partition wall (50). The machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the agitator rollers (54) are simultaneously rotated forward and backward, through a predetermined angle. The machine according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the machine further comprises means (58) for adjusting the rod-shaped objects (F) such that the objects (F) are orderly stacked in the container (118) when the rod-shaped objects (F) are being supplied into the container (118). The machine according to claim 6, characterized in that the adjusting means (58, 92) includes a plurality of aligning rods (58) longer than the axial length of the rod-shaped objects (F) and arranged under the stop rollers (56) and in a horizontal direction at intervals, and means (92) for simultaneously driving the aligning rods (58) such that they reciprocate in the horizontal direction, at a certain stroke. The machine according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the container (118) is in a box shape, the container (118) opening at the top and at that side thereof which faces one end face of each of the rod-shaped objects (F) therein, and in that the adjusting means (104, 106, 108, 116) includes an arranging guide plate (104) located to cover a part of the opened side of the container (118), and means (108, 116) for driving the arranging guide plate (104) such that it reciprocates in the axial direction of the rod-shaped objects (F) in the container (118), so as to arrange the ends of the rod-shaped objects (F) along a same vertical plane in the container (118).

Inventors: HANADA, MIKIO, KOBAYASHI, HIDEKI MANSION-OOKUBO
Applicants: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B65B19
IPC codes: A24C5, B65B19