Patent GB-1352941-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for supervising the functions of tobacco manipulating machines
IPC: A24C5/31
Filed: 1971-04-19
Abstract: 1352941 Cigarette making-machines HAUNIWERKE KORBER & CO KG 19 April 1971 [19 March 1970] 21996/71 Heading A2C [Also in Divisions A4 B8 G1 and G4]  Various operations of tobacco-handling machines are monitored by respective sensing devices, each device being connected to a respective counter for registering the number of faults occurring, and to a timer for summing the durations of stoppages due to the faults, the timer and counter providing input signals to a recording indicator. In a cigarette rod machine ZM, a photo-electric sensor IZ 1  monitors the feed of cut tobacco to a distributor behind a spiked feed roll 1 (Fig. 3) which passes the tobacco under a bladed drum 2 and a spiked comb-off roll 3 to a beater roll 7 which throws tobacco fibres on to a winnower 'roll 8. A light-sensitive element 6 senses the size of a tobacco build-up 4 at the roll 3 and controls the spacing between roll 1 and drum 2 to maintain this build-up constant. The winnower roll 8 throws tobacco fibres on to a belt 9 which discharges on to a belt 16. A forming wheel 19 (Fig. 2), having suction holes in a peripheral groove, draws the tobacco stream from the belt 16 and, with a trimmer 21, forms a tobacco rod 22 which passes between a tongue 23 and a suction conveyer 24 and on to a cigarette paper strip 26 on a forming belt 29. A feeler IZ 2  monitors the continuity of the paper strip 26. A forming device 31 wraps the paper 26 round the tobacco rod 22, one edge of the paper being gummed at 32 and stuck down at 33. A photo-electric sensor IZ 3  monitors continuity of the cigarette rod 34. A cutter 36 cuts off individual cigarettes which pass to a delivery drum 38 for a filter attachment machine FA (Fig. 4). A photo-electric sensor IZ 4 /IF 1  having a pulsed monitor input (Fig. 10, not shown) checks for the presence of a cigarette in each successive slot in the delivery drum 38. In a filter attachment machine FA. cigarettes are delivered in aligned pairs with a gap between the members of the pair on to an assembly drum 53. Filter rods from a magazine 54 pass a photo-electric sensor IF 4  and are cut to filter plugs of twice the final length on a cutter drum 56, formed into a single line by shifter drums 58, 59, and laid between the cigarettes on drum 53, the cigarette-filtercigarette groups then passing to a transfer drum 63. A strip 65 of tipping paper is gummed at 68 and cut into sheets on a drum 69, each sheet being attached to a group on the transfer drum 63, and rolled around the cigarettefilter group on a rolling drum 72 by a rolling block 73. A feeler IF 2  monitors the continuity of the paper strip 65 and a sensor IF 3  monitors the gum level in the gumming device 68 (Fig. 11, not shown). A feeler IF 5  checks for the pile-up of cigarette-filter groups at roller block 73. A photo-electric sensor IF 6  having a pulsed monitor input checks for the presence of a complete cigarette-filter group in each successive slot in the drum 72. A sensor IF 7  controls the ejection of faulty cigarettes. The groups are cut at 76 into individual filter cigarettes and one row inverted on a drum 77 so that a single row of similarly oriented cigarettes leaves the machine.