Patent GB-503132-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to tobacco feeding mechanism for cigar making machines
IPC: A24C1/02
Filed: 1937-07-28
Abstract: 503,132. Delivering material from hoppers. INTERNATIONAL CIGAR MACHINERY CO. July 28, 1937, No. 20872. Convention date, Aug. 27, 1936. [Class 78 (i)] [Also in Groups VI and XXXV] Tobacco is fed from a supply on to a surface to which rapid vibratory movements are imparted to feed the tobacco over the surface. The tobacco is delivered into a chamber and compressed by a plunger, and the amplitude of the vibratory movements is controlled in accordance with the extent of movement of the plunger. In the construction shown in Fig. 1, forwardly and downwardly inclined rods 16 limit the amount of tobacco supplied from a hopper 12 to an elongated feeding surface, which is resiliently supported by a leaf spring 14 and vibrated by an electromagnetic or mechanical vibrator 11. The vibrator 11 and the spring 14 are inclined to the plane of the feeding surface which may be arranged horizontally, or may be inclined upwardly or downwardly towards its discharge end. The tobacco discharged from the feeding surface falls down a shoot 17, and is retained at the bottom of a second shoot 18 by a pivoted shoot 19. When a cam-actuated rod 27 raises the cover 30 of a compression chamber 21, a lever 33 engages a pin 37 projecting from the shoot 19 to depress the shoot and permit the tobacco to fall into the chamber 21. During the return movement of the rod 27, the cover 30 closes and a spring 36 pulls the arm 33 back into contact with a stop 35, to allow a weight 20 to restore the shoot 19 to its closing position. After the cover 30 has been closed, a plunger 40, operated by a spring 41 mounted between the plunger and a bar 42, and advanced parallel to the chamber 21 by a cam-actuated lever 51 and links 46..49, compresses the tobacco, and after a charge-measuring chamber 74 has been filled, a vertical shaft 77 carrying a knife 80 is moved downwardly to sever the charge in the chamber 74. During further movement of the shaft 77 the chamber 74 is turned into a vertical position and the charge' ejected by a plunger 83 on to a rolling table 82. The operation of the vibrating device 11 is controlled by the quantity of tobacco present in the chamber 21, which determines the stroke of the plunger 40. When the plunger has a full stroke, a screw 55 engages a pivoted arm 56, which moves a trip member 63 to release a lever 64 to close contacts 68, 69 in the energizing circuit of the vibrating device 11. The feeding surface is then vibrated until a cam 73 raises the lever 64 into engagement with the trip member 63. If the plunger does not advance sufficiently to bring the screw 55 into engagement with the arm 56, the lever 64 is not released and the vibrating device will not be energized to feed tobacco to the shoot 17. The amplitude of the vibrating movement is controlled by a rheostat 129. The vibrating device may be formed by a laminated armature 132, Fig. 9 and a laminated core 130 surrounded by coils 131, the core and coils being 'pivoted on a shaft 134. In a modified construction, Fig. 4, the feeding surface delivers tobacco into a funnelshaped end of a pivotally-mounted compressing chamber 86 having a spring-pressed closure member 91 which is opened as the chamber is swung into a horizontal position opposite the plunger 40. As the cover is opened a wall 98 in the funnel-shaped end of the chamber 86 is moved into the position 98<1> to form a continuous rectangular passage 86<1>. In the construction shown in Fig. 5, the rods 16 are mounted on a bar 99 which is rocked about a stud 100a continuously or only when the tobacco is being fed across the surface and deposited on a trap 116 in a shoot 111 having a curved lower end. When the cover 30 of the compressing-chamber 21 is opened by the lever 27, links 122, 123 swing the shoot 111 about a pivot 113 to bring the lower curved wall into contact with the cover 30 and the trap 116 is opened to deposit the tobacco charge T<1> between the curved wall and the cover. As the cover is closed, the trap 116 is closed and the tobacco charge T<1> is deposited in the chamber 21 as the shoot 111 is moved into the position 111<1>. To remove any nails &c. present in the tobacco, the upper ends of the rods 16 are surrounded by coils which produce magnetic fields of opposite polarities at the free ends of adjacent rods. In the modification shown in Fig. 10 the vibrating device is formed by a magnetizable core 145 and an armature 147 carried by the hopper. During the forward stroke of the plunger 40, the screw 55 engages an arm 140 which moves the core 145 into full or partial registration with the armature 147, the extent of movement of the core being determined by the quantity of tobacco in the chamber. In the position of partial registration the lines of force pass partly through the armature 147 and partly through an armature 147a carried by a bracket and a reduced vibratory movement is imparted to the feeding surface. Specification 503,189, [Group VI], is referred to.