Abstract:
Filter cigarettes are turned out by a combination unit composed of a cigarette maker coinciding with a substantially horizontal first leg, also a filter tip attachment machine coinciding with a second leg, of which the downstream machine is equipped with an infeed roller turning on a horizontal axis lying transverse to the second leg. The first and second legs extend parallel one with another and are linked by a transfer unit rotatable about an essentially vertical center axis and incorporating a plurality of holders, each designed to take up two cigarette sticks from an outfeed end of the upstream machine and direct them through a semi-circular path to an infeed end of the downstream machine.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a combination unit for making tobacco products.  
         [0002]     Such combinations are composed of a first machine and a second machine linked one to the other by a transfer unit.  
         [0003]     The first and the second machine could consist respectively in a filter maker and a user machine, or alternatively, a cigarette maker capable of forming a single tobacco rod or multiple tobacco rods (two or three), and a filter tip attachment machine, which will combine to make up a cigarette manufacturing line.  
         [0004]     Reference is made in the present specification to this second type of combination, albeit implying no limitation.  
         [0005]     A typical filter cigarette manufacturing line includes a cigarette maker defining a substantially horizontal first leg, installed in series with at least one filter tip attachment machine comprising a plurality of rollers ordered in such a way as to establish a second leg substantially transverse to the first leg.  
         [0006]     The two machines are linked by a transfer unit such as will pick up cigarettes at the outfeed of the first leg and place them in aspirating grooves on the surface of revolution presented by an infeed roller at the start of the second leg.  
         [0007]     Manufacturing lines of this type are affected by the drawbacks of being bulky, and of having to rely on transfer units generally unable to handle the high operating speeds of modern cigarette making and filter tip attachment machines, inasmuch as the cigarettes are subjected to notable stresses during the passage from the first to the second machine.  
         [0008]     The object of the present invention is to provide a combination unit of compact dimensions, embodied in such a way that the stresses on the cigarettes during their transfer from the first machine to the second will be significantly reduced.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The stated object is realized according to the invention in a combination unit for manufacturing tobacco products typically of elongated cylindrical appearance, comprising a substantially horizontal first leg identifiable with a first machine, and a second leg identifiable with a second machine, including at least one infeed roller rotatable about an axis extending horizontally and transverse to the second leg.  
         [0010]     The first leg and second leg of the combination unit disclosed are arranged substantially parallel one with another and interconnected by a transfer unit rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and comprising a plurality of holder elements such as will carry at least one relative tobacco product from an outfeed end of the first machine along a given transfer path to an infeed end of the second machine. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a first embodiment of the combination unit according to the invention, viewed schematically and in perspective with certain parts omitted for clarity;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates a second embodiment of the combination unit according to the invention, viewed schematically and in perspective with certain parts omitted for clarity;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  shows a detail of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , viewed schematically in elevation and in section;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a schematic plan view of the detail in  FIG. 3 , shown with certain parts omitted;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a schematic plan view showing a train of gears utilized in the detail of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]     Referring to  FIG. 1  of the drawings,  1  denotes a combination unit, in its entirety, incorporating machines for the manufacture of tobacco products typified by an elongated cylindrical appearance, in particular filter cigarettes.  
         [0018]     The unit  1  includes a first machine consisting in a cigarette maker  2  equipped with two tobacco rod processing lines as disclosed in U.S. patent Ser. No. 4,418,705, to which reference may be made for a fuller description, and a second machine consisting in a filter tip attachment machine  3 .  
         [0019]     The cigarette maker  2  comprises a bed  4  carrying an outfeed beam  5  that coincides in practice with a substantially horizontal leg  6  of the unit  1 , along which two continuous cigarette rods  7  and  8  are caused to advance axially at substantially constant and identical rates of feed toward a rotary cutter head  9  of conventional type. The rods  7  and  8  are divided up by the cutter into respective sticks  10  and  11  each measuring twice the length of a single cigarette.  
         [0020]     As discernible from  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , the two rods  7  and  8  are made to advance at two different heights, at least along the final part of the beam, and more exactly, the rod  7  on the inboard side of the beam is elevated relative to the other rod  8 .  
         [0021]     The filter tip attachment machine  3  comprises a bed  12  surmounted by a vertical bulkhead  13  that extends parallel to the outfeed beam  5  and to the rear of the selfsame beam, as viewed in  FIG. 1 . The vertical bulkhead  13  carries a plurality of rollers denoted  14  in their entirety, mounted with axes disposed transversely to the bulkhead  13  and coinciding with a leg  15  of the unit  1  that extends in a direction substantially parallel to that of the leg  6  first mentioned.  
         [0022]      16  denotes a transfer unit interconnecting the cigarette maker  2  and the filter tip attachment machine  3 , of which the function is to direct the sticks  10  and  11  singly and in succession from the outfeed end of the one leg  6 , identifiable also as a take-up station denoted A, to an infeed end of the other leg  15 , identifiable also as a release station denoted B and coinciding with an infeed roller  17  of which the axis is denoted  18 . The periphery of the roller  17  in question presents a plurality of aspirating grooves  17   a,  familiar in embodiment, each able to accommodate a respective cigarette stick  10  or  11 .  
         [0023]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the transfer unit  16  comprises a cylindrical body  19  of which the axis  20  is vertically disposed. More exactly, it will be seen that the two legs  6  and  15  extend along a direction parallel to the “X” axis of a set of Cartesian coordinates (indicated in  FIG. 1 ), whilst the axis  18  of the infeed roller  17  and the axis  20  of the cylindrical body  19  of the transfer unit  16  extend in directions parallel respectively to the “Y” axis and to the “Z” axis.  
         [0024]     In particular, and as illustrated in  FIGS. 3, 4  and  5 , the transfer unit  16  incorporates a fixed vertical sleeve  21  centered on the axis  20  of the cylindrical body  19 , anchored at the bottom end to a mounting denoted  22  and accommodating a coaxially aligned shaft  23 .  
         [0025]     This same vertical shaft  23  is power driven from the bottom end by a further shaft  24 , disposed at right angles, to which it is coupled by way of a bevel gear pair  25 - 26 .  
         [0026]     Keyed onto the top end of the sleeve  21  is the fixed sun gear  27  of an epicyclic train, denoted  28  in its entirety ( FIG. 5 ), which also includes a planet carrier  29  concentric with the sun gear  27 , and a plurality of planet gears  30  mounted freely to the planet carrier  29  and coupled to the sun gear  27  by way of intermediate idle gears  31 .  
         [0027]     It will be seen in  FIG. 5  that the transmission ratio between the sun gear  27  and the single planet gears  30  is 1:1.  
         [0028]     The transfer unit  1  comprises a plurality of holder elements  32  each associated with a relative planet gear  30  and including a plate  33  of which the upwardly directed surface presents two parallel grooves  34  and  35  set at different heights, for reasons that will become apparent. The plate  33  is centered on a vertical axis  36  offset from the axis of rotation  37  of the planet gear  30 .  
         [0029]     More exactly, referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the planet gear  30  is keyed to a tubular portion  38  extending downward from a hollow block  39  that carries the holder element  32 .  
         [0030]     The tubular portion  38  houses a first shaft  40  centered on and rotatable about the planet axis  37 , of which a first top end carries a first gear  41  meshing by way of an idle gear  42  (see  FIG. 4 ) with a further gear  43  carried by the bottom end of a second shaft  44  coaxial with the axis  36  of the plate  33  and connected to the holder element  32  at its top end.  
         [0031]     The first shaft  40  is connected at the bottom end to a cam and rocker mechanism, denoted  45  in its entirety, comprising an element  46  with two arms  47  and  48  which occupy a common plane and are arranged substantially in a Vee formation with the vertex of the Vee keyed to the shaft  40 .  
         [0032]     The cam and rocker mechanism  45  further comprises respective following rollers denoted  49  and  50 , the one mounted underslung to the arm denoted  47 , the other mounted overslung to the arm denoted  48 .  
         [0033]     Finally, the mechanism  45  comprises cam means  51  that consist in a cylindrical body  52  associated rigidly with the sleeve  21 , presenting a lower first profile  53  positioned to interact with one following roller  49 , and an upper second profile  54  positioned to interact with the other following roller  50 .  
         [0034]     The two cam profiles  53  and  54  are offset one from another and from the axis  20  of the sun gear, their geometry and placement being such that the single holder elements  32  will be caused to pivot on the relative axes  36  as the planet carrier  29  rotates about the sun gear.  
         [0035]     Operationally, the cam and rocker mechanism  45  combines with the first and second shafts  40  and  44 , with the first gear  41 , and with the gears denoted  42  and  43 , establishing means by which to control the axial orientation of the cigarette sticks  10  and  11 .  
         [0036]     Referring finally to  FIG. 3 , the two grooves  34  and  35  presented by the plate  33  of the holder element  32  are embodied in conventional manner with suction holes arranged along the bottom surface and connected to a source of negative pressure likewise conventional in embodiment (not illustrated) by way of ducts  56  passing through portions of the second shaft  44  and of the hollow block  39 .  
         [0037]     In practical application, the transfer unit  16  will be positioned below the outfeed beam  5  of the cigarette maker  2  and the infeed roller  17  of the filter tip attachment machine  3 , with the infeed roller  17  rotating tangentially at its lowest point to the horizontal plane occupied by the beam  5 .  
         [0038]     The transfer unit  16  operates in such a manner as to direct the single holder elements  32  through a trajectory extending from a position at the take-up station A, below the outfeed beam  5 , to a position at the release station B beneath the roller  17 .  
         [0039]     To reiterate, the grooves  34  and  35  of the single holder elements  32  are set at different heights so that the two sticks  10  and  11  can be taken up at the two dissimilar elevations aforementioned, and transferred to two contiguous grooves  17   a  of the infeed roller  17  at different heights, coinciding with those of the grooves  34  and  35  presented by the plate  33 .  
         [0040]     As discernible from  FIG. 4 , and in accordance with standard practice, the cut cigarette sticks  10  and  11  are taken up from the beam  5  at the one station A advancing at a given pitch denoted p 1 , and released to the other station B spaced apart at a reduced pitch p 2 ; pitch p 1  might be 128 mm, for example, and pitch p 2  could be 38 mm, equivalent to the distance separating the two cigarette rods  7  and  8 .  
         [0041]     The transfer unit  16  is designed to bring about a corresponding reduction in speed of the sticks  10  and  11 , which are taken up from the first station A at a higher tangential velocity substantially equal to the linear velocity of the rods  7  and  8 , and then released to the second station B at a lower tangential velocity equal to the angular velocity at the periphery of the infeed roller  17  serving the filter tip attachment machine  3 . In effect, it will be seen from  FIG. 4  that the second shaft  44  supporting the holder element  32  is at a maximum distance D 1  from the axis  20  of the cylindrical body  19  when passing through the take-up station  4 , and at a minimum distance D 2  from this same axis  20  when passing through the release station B. It will be seen also from the schematic representation of  FIG. 5  that the positions of maximum and minimum distance, diametrically opposed on either side of the sun gear  27 , are assumed by the shaft  44  as a result of the relative planet gear  30  rotating 180° about its axis  37  when the planet carrier  29  is set in motion around the sun axis  20 .  
         [0042]     Observing  FIG. 4 , it will be seen that the trajectory followed by each of the second shafts  44  carrying a respective holder element  32  appears as a circumference denoted C, flattened slightly in the neighborhood of the release station B.  
         [0043]     Referring to the foregoing description of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 , where the two legs  6  and  15  are disposed substantially parallel with one another and in the same plane, the single holder elements  32  describe an arc  57  of 180° in passing from the take-up station A to the release station B.  
         [0044]     In the course of this same rotation, the means controlling the axial orientation of the sticks  10  and  11  will cause each pair of sticks to pass from a position at the take-up station A in which the two axes are parallel with the first leg  6 , to a position at the release station B in which the same two axes are rotated through 90° and parallel with the axis  18  of the infeed roller  17  of the filter tip attachment machine  3 , hence transverse to the second leg  15 .  
         [0045]     More exactly, as the planet carrier rotates about the sun axis  20 , the interaction of the following rollers  49  and  50  with the two cam profiles  53  and  54  will cause the element  46  with the two arms to rotate clockwise, as viewed in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0046]     This same angular movement is accompanied by a rotation of the first shaft  40  about the relative axis  37 , also of the first gear  41  and, by way of the corresponding idle gear  42  and intermediate gear  43 , of the second shaft  44  carrying the holder element  32 , likewise about the relative axis  36 .  
         [0047]     One of the advantages of the transfer unit  16  disclosed is that the reduction in pitch from p 1  to p 2  can be brought about along an arc of 180°, and therefore in a time substantially twice as long as the time taken by right angle units typical of the prior art.  
         [0048]     Accordingly, the deceleration of the advancing sticks  10  and  11  is brought about more gradually, and the stresses acting on the selfsame sticks are thus significantly reduced.  
         [0049]     Finally, it will be seen that the element  46  with two arms could be replaced by an element with just one arm and a relative following roller positioned to engage a relative single cam profile, albeit the solution shown in  FIG. 4  offers the advantage of greater precision in that it is a positive acting mechanism able to eliminate backlash.  
         [0050]     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , moreover, the filter tip attachment machine  3  might present a second leg, in this instance denoted  15   a,  extending in a direction opposite to that illustrated in  FIG. 1 .