Patent GB-1253617-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for handling rod-like articles
Inventor: RUDSZINAT WILLY
IPC: A24C5/31
Filed: 1969-03-20
Abstract: 1,253,617. Cigarette making - machines. HAUNI-WERKE KORBER & CO. K.G. 20 March, 1969 [4 April, 1968], No. 14648/69. Heading A2C. In an apparatus for the correctly timed manipulation of tobacco articles which are cut from a continuous rod and which are then fed by movement in the axial direction from the cutting point to a deflection point at which their movement is converted into a transverse direction, a control signal is produced dependantly on the operation of the machine, such as after a break in the tobacco rod, to stop the rod, whereby all articles located on the feed path between the cutting point and the deflection point are automatically removed from the said feed path. In one embodiment, Fig. 1, cigarettes 4, cut off from a continuous cigarette rod 11 by a cutter 8, and fed along a prismatic channel 3 formed in a guide means 2, are accelerated into consecutive grooves 14 of a rotating collecting drum 6 by compressed air fed to a pressure chamber 17. The channel 3 is divided into two parts 3a, 3b, 3b, the part 3b being pivoted about spindles 15, 20 to the other, rigidly mounted, part 3b and is held in the position shown by compression springs 26, 27. The contact 29, of a normal speed signal device 30 driven by a shaft of the cigarette rod machine, closes when the speed of the machine falls below a preset speed and energises electromagnets 21, 22. This causes the part 3a to pivot in the direction of the arrow 28 to allow the cigarettes 4 to fall from the channel 3 into a container below (not shown). In other embodiments, described below, parts corresponding with those illustrated in Fig. 1 bear the same reference numerals increased in steps of 100 for each further embodiment. In a second embodiment (Fig. 3, not shown) a one piece prismatic channel (103) is pivoted at its end remote from the collecting drum (106) and pivots downwardly under the action of a pneumatically actuated piston rod (142) when the signal device (130) closes the contact (129). In a third embodiment (Figs. 4, 5 not shown) the prismatic channel (203) is formed in a cylinder (270) rotatably supported horizontally along its length. One end of the cylinder (270) is provided with teeth (263) for engaging with a gear wheel (267) of a reversible electric motor (266). Rotation of the cylinder (270) through about 90‹ causes the cigarettes (204) to fall out of the channel (203). In a fourth embodiment (Fig. 6 not shown) the prismatic channel (303) is provided with blower nozzles (381) which are connected to a compressed air supply to eject the cigarettes (304) when the contact (330) closes.  In a fifth embodiment (Fig. 7 not shown) similar to the Fig. 3 embodiment, the speed signal device (130) with its contact (129) is replaced by a relay (491) energised by the same energising current as is supplied to a starter switch (493) that supplies power to the rodmaking machine driving motor. In a sixth embodiment (Fig. 8 not shown) the speed signal device 30 of Fig. 1 is replaced by a control element comprising a light source (601) and a photo diode (602) which are both mounted above the prismatic channel (503) between the collecting drum (506) and the pressure chamber (517). Outputs from the diode (602) are connected via an amplifier (603) to a frequency checking device (604) which, through a relay (606) controls the energisation of the electromagnets (521, 522). The energisation is effected when the feed rate of the cigarettes (504) or the gaps between them falls below a definite value.