Patent GB-1303721-A (GB)
IPC: A24C5/31
Filed: 1970-01-06
Abstract: 1303721 Controlling cigarette-making machines HAUNI-WERK KORBER & CO KG 6 Jan 1970 [8 Jan 1969] 653/70 Heading A2C [Also in Division G4] A machine for producing cigarettes or other rod-like tobacco articles, or a machine for performing operations on such articles, e.g. a filter attachment machine, or a combination of such machines, in which the articles traverse in sequence a plurality of treatment stations, the latter are controlled during starting and stopping of the machine or machines by signals from corresponding stages of a shift register through which pulses are caused to pass in synchronism with the passage of the articles through the machine or machines. In addition, means may be provided whereby any fault pulse produced by article-checking means moves through the register in step with the article which produced the pulse to a take-off point corresponding to a rejection station for faulty articles. In the control circuit described the shift register 300 uses integrated-circuit "flip-flop" devices and has 120 stages, S1 ... S120, corresponding to the number of cigarettes contained in a rodforming and filter attachment machine. Pulses generated by a machine-driven rotor 332 and fed simultaneously to an input 333 of each register stage cause step-by-step transmission through the register of any signal applied to an input I ... XII, and signals thus traversing the register appear at output points D . . . T for exercising control over starting and stopping of the machine. The machine is started at slow speed by operation of a switch 418 which also causes a pulse-shaper or trigger 518 to deliver a pulse through an OR-gate 618 to the input XII of the register. This pulse also passes to a cancelling input a of a store 330 so that no signal B appears at the output d thereof, to an input a of a store 609, and to an input b of a store 320 to result in the appearance of an output signal A. This signal A passes to one input of each of a number of AND-gates 703b, 703a, 704, 706 &c. The pulse injected into the register at XII appears at the output D and, together with the signal A, causes the AND- gate 703b to deliver a signal to an input b of a store 603 resulting in an output through an amplifier 503 to an electromagnetic valve 403 which produces an air blast to clear the rod-cutting station of the machine. After five pulses from the device 332 the starting pulse appears at the output E of the register and, through the AND-gate 703a and store 603, cancels the signal to the amplifier 503. The pulse supplied to the input a of the store 609 results in an output from the store to an amplifier 509 which causes operation of a rod deflector 409 so that imperfectly formed cigarette rod produced during starting of the machine is rejected. Arrival of the starting pulse at F brings into operation a seam-gumming device 404, and its arrival at G brings into operation a heater 406 for the seam and energises a photo-electronic device 407 which, if the seam has not been closed, feeds a signal to an AND-gate 960. If, when the starting pulse reaches the output J of the register, the seam remains unclosed the two inputs to the AND- gate 960 result in an output which, through OR-gates 530 and 608, operate a switch 408 to stop the machine. The output from the OR- gate 530 also goes to an OR-gate 720 whence a signal cancels the store 607, and to the OR-gate 340 to produce an output B from the store 330 to cancel the stores 604, 606. If, however, the seam is closed when the starting pulse reaches the output J, the absence of output from the AND-gate 960, resulting in an output from an inverter gate 950, causes a signal to pass from an AND-gate 940 to the register input VIII. This signal now takes over control from the starting signal and passes through the shift register, supervising the operation of further machine functions, including switching to fast speed, and causing shut-down in the event of incorrect functioning. The final stage of the starting sequence is initiated by the arrival of the pulse at the output S of the register, resulting in the bringing into operation of a gumming device 417 for paper for securing the filter tips to the tobacco sections, and the passing of the pulse through the OR- gate 720 to cancel the signal A and stores 607, 610. The machine now functions normally, no further pulses passing through the shift register unless a fault pulse is generated. If, for example, there is a cessation in the passage of cut tobacco sections past a light control 413 situated in advance of the filter attachment section of the machine, a signal is fed to AND- gates 620, 640. Since, during normal operation, the signal A is not present, a signal from an inverter gate 630 fed to the AND-gate 620 results in a signal passing to the input b of the store 330 to produce a signal B, and to an OR-gate 522 to cause a pulse to be inserted at VII into the shift register. The machine is then stopped in a sequence that allows the delivery of satisfactory cigarettes that are still in the machine. The machine may also be stopped by a manual switch 422. Various faults in the cigarettes are detected by devices 319, 323, 326, 327, 328, 329 which feed fault pulses to inputs X, VI, V, IV, III, II, I of the register so that when a faulty cigarette reaches a stage in the machine corresponding to the stage S120 of the shift register, it is deflected from its normal path by a blow-out device 331 energised by an amplifier 531.