Patent GB-1202085-A (GB)
Title: Method of and apparatus for collecting cigarettes or other rod-like articles
IPC: A24C5/354
Filed: 1967-10-09
Abstract: 1,202,085. Packaging cigarettes; feeding cigarettes; pneumatic conveyers. HAUNIWERKE KORBER & CO. K.G. 9 Oct., 1967 [13 Oct., 1966], No. 46110/67. Headings B8C, B8A and B8S. In apparatus for collecting together cigarettes or similar articles, the mouth ends of a number of pneumatic feed tubes are located together in order to form a row of articles in a storage device. Distribution device.-Fig. 3 shows a development of the surfaces of three drums 102, 101, 103, shown in section in Fig. 4. Cigarettes 105 arrive successively in the direction 108 on a conveyer belt 109, pass through a nozzle 119 on stationary transfer drum 102, and travel into grooves 104 on a synchronized rotating collection drum 101. The cigarettes may be driven by compressed air impulses, and are braked by a stream of compressed air from a duct 112 of stationary receiving drum 103 and/or by suction at slots 106 in the bases of the grooves 104. The drum 102 also has ducts 120 connected to a compressed air supply by a pipe 125. An apertured ring 123 rotating with the drum 104 controls the supply of compressed air to the ducts 120, causing the cigarettes 105 to be blown through grooves 114 in drum 103 and into feed tubes 118. Alternatively, a valve controlled by an electric or pneumatic counting device operated by internal projections (126) beneath each groove 104, .Fig. 5 (not shown), may regulate the flow of air to the ducts. In a modification, Figs. 6-7 (not shown), the cigarettes arrive transversely on a conveyer belt (136) and are collected by a suction head (137). They are then displaced into grooves in a plate (146) by a reciprocating stripping member (139) and blown by compressed air into tubes 118. In a further modification, Fig. 8, cigarettes are delivered successively in an axial direction by a conveyer 109 to an inlet tube 150 in which are located pneumatic switches 151b ... 15 It corresponding to feed tubes 118 branching off tube 150. The switches 151b . . . 151t operate according to the wall adherence principle and each has two control nozzles 152, 153 controlled by fluidic elements 155b . . . 155t, Figs. 9a, 9b (not shown), or by electro-pneumatic elements (187), Fig. 11 (not shown). By this system, the first cigarette to arrive in tube 150 passes all the branch duets and arrives in feed tube 118a, and succeeding cigarettes are directed into tubes 118b . . . 118t, the last cigarette causing resetting of the switches 151b . . . 151t. In a still further modification, Fig. 12 (not shown), cigarettes travel directly from conveyer belts 109 on a cigarette-producing machine into feed tubes 118, being propelled by compressed air directed through slots (154) in the tube sides adjacent-their entrance. Container or hopper filling device.-Cigarettes fed through tubes 118 are delivered into a storage tray 190, Fig. 13, carried by a support 191 attached to endless chains 192. A control pulse to motor 194 causes tray 190 to be moved downwards by a distance equal to a cigarette layer after delivery of each row of cigarettes, and filled trays are removed by conveyer belt 195. The pulse to motor 194 is also sent to a flip-flop 198 which controls a displacing magnet 199 and a reset magnet 200, which are arranged to move feed tubes 118 laterally by a distance equal to a cigarette radius in alternate directions after the delivery of each layer. In a modification, Figs. 14-16 (not shown), the cigarettes are delivered into a hopper (210), wherein the level of cigarettes is detected by photoelectric devices or other means which cause the mouths of tubes 118 to be correspondingly raised or lowered by a rack and pinion device.