Patent Description:
This invention concerns feeding of spherical or oval objects which are subsequently placed into filter material. For the sake of simplification, such objects will be hereinafter referred to as beads. A known product on the market are cigarettes the filters of which are provided with beads containing aromatic or odorous substances. The substances contained in the beads are released during smoking or yet before lighting up a cigarette by squeezing of the filter which results in crushing the bead.

In the production process, a problem which is difficult to solve and at the same time very significant is the feeding of individual beads to a machine forming filters at great speeds in a way which guarantees that the beads remain undamaged, the flow in the pockets holding the beads remains undisturbed and a high feeding efficiency is maintained, i.e. each manufactured filter actually contains a bead.

In known bead feeders, tubes for feeding the beads to the area from which they are transferred to a bead delivery wheel are used, whereas the function of the said wheel is to place the delivered beads into the filter material.

In the <CIT> a bead feeder is disclosed in which the bead feeding unit is provided with a plurality of tubes which are radially connected with a cylindrical bowl, whereas the tubes rotate together with the bowl, and the beads are picked up by a vacuum bead transfer wheel from pockets situated at the outlets of the tubes, and then transferred to a bead delivery wheel from which they are delivered to the filter material.

The document <CIT> discloses a bead feeder in which the bead feeding unit is provided with tubes rotating with the bowl, whereas the beads are fed to a bead delivery wheel after separating the lowermost bead from those situated above it using a stationary arched wedge-ended element. After passing through the passageway the beads are fed to the pockets of the bead delivery wheel which delivers them to the filter material.

The document <CIT> discloses a similar bead feeder, whereas the beads are fed to the bead delivery wheel using two discs having a plurality of openings and rotating relative to each other, and a bead is fed after aligning respective openings directly on top of each other and forming successive passageways to the pockets of the bead delivery wheel.

The <CIT> shows an apparatus for feeding beads through curved tubes from a bowl directly to the bead delivery wheel, where the tubes rotate together with the bead bowl, and the beads are picked up from the bowl by vacuum transfer.

The patent <CIT> shows an apparatus for feeding beads in individual streams from the bowl through channels to pockets situated on the receiving wheel, then the beads are transferred to the pockets situated on the delivery wheel from which they are delivered to the filter material.

The bead feeders presented above require that during the operation the bead feeding tubes and the bead holding pockets must be free of dirt in order to realize an undisturbed flow. The objective of the invention is to develop a bead feeding method and a bead feeder ensuring an undisturbed flow through the channels and the bead holding pockets.

The object of the invention is a bead feeding unit in a production machine in the tobacco industry, provided with a unit of supply channels feeding streams of beads from a store to holding pockets situated at the outlets of the supply channels, a transferring unit comprising at least one guiding disc and a movable feeding means adapted to direct the beads to receiving pockets of the transferring unit. The unit according to the invention is characterised in that the transferring unit has at least one cleaning element adapted to clean the holding pockets.

The unit according to the invention is further characterised in that the cleaning element is situated on the movable feeding means.

The unit according to the invention is further characterised in that the cleaning element is situated on the movable feeding means on a cam underneath a pushing segment.

The unit according to the invention is further characterised in that the cleaning element has the form of a scraper adapted to sink into a holding pocket or a nozzle blowing compressed air or a sucking mouthpiece using vacuum or a combination of the above means.

The unit according to the invention is further characterised in that the movable feeding means are situated between two guiding discs.

The unit according to the invention is further characterised in that the movable feeding means have channels supplying compressed air to the holding pockets to the cleaning element.

The unit according to the invention is further characterised in that the movable feeding means have channels supplying vacuum to the holding pockets to the cleaning element.

The unit according to the invention is further characterised in that the channels supplying the compressed air or vacuum are situated behind the cleaning element.

The unit according to the invention is further characterised in that the movable feeding means have at least one pushing edge, whereas the cleaning element is situated on the movable feeding means behind the pushing edge.

The object of the invention is also a method of feeding the beads in a bead feeding unit in the tobacco industry, the unit being provided with supply channels feeding streams of beads, comprising the steps in which: the beads are transferred along supply channels; the beads from individual supply channels are placed into first holding pockets. Then by means of movable means the beads are fed from the holding pockets to receiving pockets of the bead transferring unit. The beads are taken from the receiving pockets by means of at least one guiding disc, and the beads are transferred to removing pockets through guiding channels. The method according to the invention is characterised in that after transferring the beads from the holding pockets to the receiving pockets the holding pockets are cleaned by means of at least one cleaning element.

The method according to the invention is characterised in that the holding pockets are cleaned by inserting the cleaning element into such pockets.

The method according to the invention is characterised in that after inserting the cleaning element into the holding pockets compressed air is supplied in order to blow out the dirt from the holding pockets.

The method according to the invention is characterised in that after inserting the cleaning element into the holding pockets vacuum is supplied in order to suck the dirt from the holding pockets.

The object of the invention is further a method of feeding beads in a feeding unit in a tobacco industry machine, comprising the steps wherein: the beads are transferred along individual supply channels from a bead store to holding pockets of a bead feeding unit. Then the beads from individual supply channels are placed into first holding pockets. By means of a movable means the beads are fed from the holding pockets to receiving pockets of a bead transferring unit. The beads are taken from the receiving pockets by means of at least one guiding disc, and the beads are transferred to removing pockets through guiding channels. The method according to the invention is characterised in that before placing the beads in the holding pockets and before transferring the beads from the holding pockets to the receiving pockets the holding pockets are cleaned by means of at least one cleaning element.

The bead feeding unit according to the invention is provided with cleaning elements adapted to clean the bead holding pockets so that the number of machine stoppages resulting from dirty or blocked holding pockets was significantly reduced. Furthermore, such solution ensures that each manufactured filter will contain a bead.

The object of the invention was shown in detail in a preferred embodiment in a drawing in which:.

<FIG> shows a bead <NUM> feeding unit <NUM> provided with a store 2A for storing beads <NUM>, a bead stream feeding unit <NUM>, a unit <NUM> for transferring the beads to a delivery wheel <NUM> and the wheel <NUM> delivering the beads <NUM> to a continuous filter material conveyed along a funnel <NUM>. The filter material may also have the form of segments transported at intervals on the wrapper between which the beads are inserted. For the sake of simplification, the elements fastening individual units were not shown.

The bead <NUM> feeding unit <NUM> is provided with a plurality of stationary channels in the form of channels <NUM> to which beads <NUM> from the store 2A are supplied, whereas one bead <NUM> above the inlet of one of the channels was shown. At the outlets of the channels <NUM>, there are situated first holding pockets <NUM> (<FIG>) from which the beads are transferred to second receiving pockets <NUM> (<FIG>) which receive the beads <NUM>; the seconds pockets <NUM> are situated in the area between a first guiding disc <NUM> and a second guiding disc <NUM>, whereas the guiding discs <NUM> and <NUM> belong to the unit <NUM> for transferring the beads <NUM> to the delivery wheel <NUM>. After passing through a guiding channel <NUM> between the disc <NUM> and the disc <NUM>, the beads <NUM> are transferred further to receiving pockets <NUM>, and then placed into the pockets on the circumference of the delivery wheel <NUM> which places the beads <NUM> into a filter material conveyed in the funnel <NUM> (<FIG>). A thick broken line shows the distance covered by the bead in all embodiments described herein. Such bead <NUM> moves from the store 2A downwards in one of the channels <NUM> to the holding pocket <NUM>, in the drawing, this section of the distance is marked with X1. The next section of the distance from the holding pocket <NUM> via the receiving pocket <NUM> to the removing pocket <NUM> is marked with X2. In the next section of the distance X3 the bead is conveyed along an arc in the pocket <NUM> to a place at which the bead is transferred onto the delivery wheel <NUM>. In the section X4, the bead is further conveyed in the pocket on the wheel <NUM>. Then it is placed into the filter material within the funnel <NUM> and further moves along the last section of the distance X5.

<FIG> shows a fragment of the bead feeding unit <NUM> according to the invention in the first embodiment. In a top view, the bead feeding unit <NUM> and the unit <NUM> for transferring the beads <NUM> to the wheel <NUM> are shown. The bead feeding unit <NUM> is provided with a plurality of channels <NUM>, whereas all channels <NUM> are filled with the beads <NUM> (in view of proportionally small dimensions of the beads, in the drawing they are shown in the form of shaded small circles). For the sake of simplification, the elements fastening the channels <NUM> to the frame of the unit <NUM> and the drive elements are not shown. The bead feeding unit <NUM> is provided with a rotatable feeding means <NUM> in the form of a cam <NUM> comprising pushing segments <NUM> having pushing edges <NUM>, whereas the cam <NUM> rotates with a speed ω1 around the axis of rotation <NUM>, and the pushing segments <NUM> move along a circular path in the area of the outlets of the channels <NUM> being the area of the holding pockets <NUM>. In the embodiment shown, the guiding channels <NUM> together with the pockets <NUM> are situated in the disc <NUM> which rotates at the speed ω2 lower than the speed ω1. During the operation of the bead feeding unit, the motion of the segments <NUM> disposed on the rotating cam <NUM> and the motion of the pockets <NUM> are synchronized in order to enable inserting the beads <NUM>' into the pockets <NUM> situated at the beginning of the channels <NUM>, whereas the speeds ω1 and ω2 are selected in such a way that during the operation of the unit the pushing segments <NUM> cause inserting the beads into successive pockets <NUM> in the guiding channels <NUM>. It may be achieved when the guiding channel <NUM> is situated relative to the outlet of the channel <NUM> and the first holding pocket <NUM> in such a way that renders transferring of a bead <NUM>' possible, for example the pocket <NUM> receiving the bead may be situated substantially radially to the holding pocket <NUM>. The unit is shown in a situation where several beads <NUM> have already been placed into the guiding channels <NUM>, and some of the beads have been placed in the removing pockets <NUM> by centrifugal force.

<FIG> shows a sectional view of any channel <NUM> where for example in <FIG> the section was marked as A-A. The lowermost bead <NUM>' in the bead column is situated in the holding pocket <NUM> disposed at the outlet of the vertical channel <NUM>, limited from below by the disc <NUM>, and on the sides by the disc <NUM> and the circumferential edge <NUM> of the cam <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a sectional view of the channel <NUM> when a piece of a damaged bead <NUM> of the channel <NUM> gets into the pocket <NUM>, and the bead <NUM> feeding unit does not have a cleaning element <NUM>. The fragment of the damaged bead <NUM> lying at the bottom of the holding pocket <NUM> causes an improper arrangement of the bead <NUM>' in the pocket, which results in the bead being damaged when pushing it by the feeding means into the guiding channel <NUM>. In order to prevent it, the feeding means <NUM> is provided with the cleaning element <NUM> shown in the successive figures.

<FIG> shows a sectional view of the channel <NUM> in a situation where the pushing segment <NUM>, moving along a circular path in the area of the first holding pockets <NUM>, during the rotation of the cam <NUM> has passed a successive pocket <NUM> beneath a successive channel <NUM> and caused pushing of the bead <NUM>' out of the first pocket <NUM> to the second receiving pocket <NUM> in the area between the first guiding disc <NUM> and the second guiding disc <NUM>. After pushing the bead <NUM>' out of the holding pocket <NUM>, the cleaning element <NUM> is inserted into the pocket in order to clean the holding pocket <NUM> of the pieces of damaged beads <NUM> or other deposited impurities, which is successively shown in <FIG>, <FIG>. The method of feeding beads <NUM> in the bead feeding unit <NUM> in the tobacco industry, the unit being provided with supply channels <NUM> feeding streams of the beads <NUM>, consists in conveying the beads <NUM> along the supply channel <NUM> and then placing the bead <NUM>' from individual supply channels <NUM> in the first holding pockets <NUM>. After placing the beads <NUM>' in the pockets <NUM> by the means of movable means <NUM>, the beads <NUM>' are fed from the holding pockets <NUM> to the receiving pockets <NUM> of the bead <NUM> transferring unit. Then the beads <NUM>' are taken from the receiving pockets <NUM> by means of the guiding discs <NUM>, <NUM> and transferred to the removing pockets <NUM> through the guiding channels <NUM>. After transferring the beads <NUM>' from the holding pockets <NUM> to the receiving pockets <NUM>, the holding pockets <NUM> are cleaned by means of at least one cleaning element <NUM>. Since the beads used in the tobacco industry contain taste and aromatic substances, their damage may result in such substance getting into the holding pocket <NUM>, the channels <NUM> or the guiding channel <NUM>, thus enabling the pieces of damaged beads and other dirt to stick around. Therefore, an advantageous solution will be the cleaning element <NUM> in the form of a stable projection which sinks so deep into the pocket <NUM> that it may completely remove, grind or move a fragment of damaged bead so that it may be later more easily removed from the pocket. It is also possible that the cleaning element <NUM> takes the shape of rigid brushes or another elastic element which will sink into the pocket <NUM> and remove any impurities. The cleaning element <NUM> in this embodiment is fastened to the feeding means <NUM> in the form of the rotatable cam <NUM> in the area of the pushing segment <NUM>. An inclination of the guiding channel <NUM> which may be achieved by a conical shape of the discs <NUM> and <NUM> is also possible. Any fragmented pieces of the damaged bead <NUM> may be removed from the pocket <NUM> using the vacuum through the channel <NUM> situated in the disc <NUM> (<FIG>), blown by compressed air by means of a nozzle <NUM> out of the holding pocket <NUM> as shown in <FIG> or removed by vacuum through the channel <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) situated behind the cleaning element <NUM> in the cam <NUM> of the transferring unit <NUM>. It is also possible that the cleaning element takes the shape of the channel <NUM> situated in the disc <NUM> which could fulfil two functions: by supplying vacuum hold the bead <NUM>' in the pocket <NUM> until it is pushed by the cam <NUM>, and after transferring it to the channel <NUM>, by supplying for example compressed air, clean the pocket <NUM> before feeding the next bead to it. Then the bead <NUM>' is conveyed substantially horizontally in the guiding channel <NUM>, transferred to the receiving pocket <NUM> and further to the pocket on the delivery wheel <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

Claim 1:
A bead feeding unit (<NUM>) in a production machine in the tobacco industry, provided with a unit of vertical supply channels (<NUM>) feeding streams of beads (<NUM>) from a store (2A) to holding pockets (<NUM>) situated at the outlets of the supply channels (<NUM>) and limited from below by a disc (<NUM>), and on the sides by a disc (<NUM>) and the circumferential edge (<NUM>) of a cam (<NUM>)
a transferring unit (<NUM>) comprising at least one guiding disc (<NUM>, <NUM>) and a movable feeding means (<NUM>) adapted to direct the beads to receiving pockets (<NUM>) of the transferring unit (<NUM>),
characterised in that
the transferring unit (<NUM>) has at least one cleaning element (<NUM>) adapted to clean the holding pockets (<NUM>) situated at the outlets of the vertical supply channels (<NUM>) and limited from below by the disc (<NUM>), and on the sides by the disc (<NUM>) and the circumferential edge (<NUM>) of the cam (<NUM>).