Apparatus, method and machine for producing an endless filter rod of the tobacco processing industry

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for producing an endless filter rod of the tobacco processing industry. An embodiment of the apparatus includes a transport nozzle loadable with compressed air, a guide tube, an elongated rod, which is arranged in the guide tube, having a rod projection, and an infeed roller, which is non-driven and freely rotatable, positioned immediately at an end of the transport nozzle and at a distance to the rod, and has a bearing surface that defines in sections a conveying path of a filter material web. The apparatus also includes a guide element positioned between the infeed roller and the rod by which a cross-section of the filter material web is reduced between the rod and the guide element in a region of the rod projection.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing an endless filter rod of the tobacco processing industry comprising: a transport nozzle loadable with compressed air; a guide tube; an elongated rod, which is arranged in the guide tube, having a rod projection; an infeed roller, which is non-driven and freely rotatable, being positioned immediately at an end of the transport nozzle and at a distance to the rod, and includes a bearing surface; and a guide element positioned below the rod projection and between the infeed roller and the rod to reduce a cross-section of the filter material web between the rod and the guide element in a region of the rod projection, wherein at least a part of a conveying path of a filter material web extends, in order, through the transport nozzle, along the bearing surface of the infeed roller, and past the guide element to in between the rod and the guide tube.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide element is structured and arranged as a freely rotatable, non-driven guide roller.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an axis of rotation of the guide roller is arranged parallel to an axis of rotation of the infeed roller and offset downward in direction of gravity.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide element is structured and arranged as a funnel, which opens into the guide tube.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the infeed roller and the guide roller has a bearing surface with a central peripheral ridge having a largest radius that is 10% to 100% greater than a smallest radius of the bearing surface.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the largest radius of the central peripheral ridge is 20% to 50% greater than the smallest radius of the bearing surface.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an air guide plate being arranged, in relation to a conveying direction, downstream of at least one of the transport nozzle and the infeed roller, upstream of the rod and above a conveying path of the endless filter rod.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a garniture tongue and an object inserter being arranged, in relation to a conveying direction, downstream of the guide tube, to provide an object transfer position.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rod projection, in relation to the conveying direction, extends upstream from the rod.

10. An endless filter rod machine of the tobacco processing industry comprising the apparatus according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention is further described in the detailed description which follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an object insertion apparatus according to the prior art;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective representation of a first embodiment according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective representation of a second embodiment according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective representation of a roller with a ridge;

(6) FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a third embodiment according to the invention;

(7) FIGS. 6a-6c schematically illustrate a guide channel according to the invention; and

(8) FIGS. 7a and 7b schematically illustrate a further guide channel according to the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(9) The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the present invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice.

(10) FIG. 1 shows, in an example, an endless rod forming apparatus with an object insertion apparatus 10 known from the document EP 2 502 510 A1 from the applicant. The rod conveying direction in FIG. 1 generally runs from right to left. A band of endless filter material, e.g. filter tow, not shown, is processed in the processing apparatus shown on the right (without reference number) and is conveyed via two delivery rollers 14a, 14b to a transport nozzle 12. In the transport nozzle 12, the band of filter material is compressed in cross-section and with a large quantity of compressed air is conveyed to a tow guide 18, which has a central rod 19, around which the filter tow in the tow guide 18 is wrapped, or respectively folded.

(11) The transport nozzle 12 doses the endless band of filter material, e.g. filter tow, from the pair of delivery rollers 14a, 14b initially to an infeed roller 16, which has a substantially U-shaped or V-shaped peripheral profile that bends and folds the filter material while it runs over the infeed roller 16. The infeed roller 16 feeds the filter material to the tow guide 18 and then to a garniture tongue 20 lying downstream, or respectively behind, in the endless rod conveying direction. After it leaves the garniture tongue 20, the filter material arrives through the remainder of the endless rod and rod forming unit (not shown).

(12) The tow guide 18 opens into a garniture tongue 20 having a reduced inner dimension, in which the endless filter rod is further narrowed and sealed. The split garniture tongue 20 has a slot-like recess on the top side thereof into which an inserter wheel 50 of an object insertion apparatus 10 engages in order to insert objects into the endless filter rod. Due to the combination of rod 19 and tow guide 18, the endless filter rod at this location has a U-shaped cross-section with an upward pointing fold that reaches up to the center of the endless filter rod so that the objects can be inserted easily into the fold of the endless filter rod. The objects are held in the fold in the endless filter rod. The object inserter 10 is arranged upstream in the conveying direction, or respectively in front of a conventional rod forming unit, not shown (on the right in FIG. 1).

(13) The endless filter rod is then divided using a rod cutting apparatus (not shown) into a plurality of rod portions in each of which at least one or more objects are located. The rod portions can be collected for further processing in a collection apparatus, or can be transported directly to a cigarette making machine.

(14) The object insertion apparatus 10 in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 comprises a storage apparatus 22, such as one or more hoppers, which store a plurality of objects to be inserted into the filter material. The objects are substantially spherical in shape for example, and may be referred to as capsules, however, other shapes and configurations are possible. For ease of representation, the objects in this document in the scope of the present apparatus will be referred to as capsules.

(15) The storage apparatus 22 feeds the capsules to one or more feed chambers 24, 26, which in turn feed the capsules to first and second metering wheels 28, 30. The feed chamber 24 and/or the feed chamber 26 comprise a single plane feed chamber that feeds only a single plane of capsules to the periphery of the respective metering wheels 28, 30. For example, the capsules passing through the single plane feed chamber are confined to an arrangement that is multiple capsules high, and multiple capsules deep, but only a single capsule wide.

(16) The apparatus 10 comprises further intermediate wheels 36, 38, which receive capsules that are transferred from the metering wheels 28, 30. An inserter wheel 50 receives capsules from the intermediate wheels 36, 38 and inserts them into the band of filter material, when it enters through the tongue 20. The arrangement of the metering wheels 28, 30, intermediate wheels 36, 38, and inserter wheels 50 described above helps to enable faster operation of the object inserter 10.

(17) FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective representation of a first embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention for producing an endless filter rod, wherein the transport nozzle 12 shown in FIG. 1 is omitted for reasons of clarity.

(18) At the location, at which the infeed roller 16 is arranged in FIG. 1, there is likewise in FIG. 2 an infeed roller 16, the bearing surface 17 of which, however, has a smaller diameter than the infeed roller 16 from FIG. 1.

(19) The infeed roller in FIG. 2 is arranged with respect to the transport nozzle 12, not shown, so that the loose, or respectively still loose, endless filter rod, upon exiting the transport nozzle 12 and the air outlet funnel 12a, which is a part of the transport nozzle 12, arrives on the bottom side of the bearing surface 17 of the infeed roller 16. The infeed roller 16 is mounted freely rotating and is not driven so that it co-rotates freely with the endless filter rod, thus clockwise in the perspective represented in FIG. 2. The endless filter rod, not shown, arrives from the bottom side of the bearing surface 17 of the infeed roller 16 to the top side of the bearing surface 61 of a guide roller 60, likewise mounted freely rotatable and not driven, which is arranged below the rod projection 19a, or respectively the beginning of the rod 19, which is arranged in the further progression within the guide tube 18. Thus, the guide roller 60 in the view according to FIG. 2 rotates in the counterclockwise direction.

(20) The rod 19 and the guide tube 18 as well as the downstream subsequent garniture tongue 20 are designed the same or similar to those known from the prior art according to FIG. 1. The rod projection 19a has the shape of a bent plow with a flat cutting edge and is also called a plow.

(21) The endless filter rod is guided through the intermediate space between the rod 19, or respectively the plow thereof on one side and the bearing surface 61 of the guide roller 60 on the other side, so that it contacts the top side of the bearing surface 61 of the guide roller 60 and is guided and shaped thereby. Using the bearing surface 61 of the guide roller 60, the cross-section available for the endless filter rod is reduced with respect to the arrangement from FIG. 1 and thereby the endless filter rod is both guided, which positively influences the smooth running, as well as restricted in cross-section which leads to a compaction of the filter material in the endless filter rod and to an increased pressure drop in the finished product.

(22) The path of the endless filter rod past the infeed roller 16 and the guide roller 60 is therefore the same as a baffle, wherein the endless filter rod is deflected and formed at both rollers 16, 60, in particular flattened.

(23) FIG. 3 shows an alternative second exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. As in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, an infeed roller 16 is arranged at the same location and with the same dimensions with regard to the guide tube 18, at the end of the transport nozzle 12, not shown. In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3, a funnel 70 is provided as a guide element that receives the loose endless filter rod downstream of the infeed roller 16 with a comparatively small opening angle and feeds it to the guide tube 18 and the rod 19 arranged therein, not shown, because it is covered in perspective. Thereby, the funnel 70 takes on the task of guiding, pre-forming and pre-compacting the loose endless filter rod, because the funnel 70 reduces the distance and the available cross-section to the rod 19 in a gentle manner.

(24) In order that the funnel 70 does not reduce the large quantity of compressed air from the transport nozzle 12, not shown, and with this disrupt the smooth running of the endless filter rod, an air guide plate 80 is provided which diverts a large portion of the compressed air away from the funnel 70 and the endless filter rod, not shown. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the air guide plate 80 has an upper section 82 and a lower section 84, wherein the lower section 84 is arranged offset downstream in the rod conveying direction with respect to the upper section 82. With this, the air guide plate 80 engages at the input of the funnel and downstream of the infeed roller 16, while the upper section 82 has a smaller spacing to the transport nozzle, not shown, and in this manner diverts air exiting from the transport nozzle away from the endless filter rod.

(25) FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective representation of a roller, in this case a roller that can be used as an infeed roller 16 or as a guide roller 60, the bearing surface 61 of which has a ridge 63. The ridge 63 is arranged centrally on the bearing surface 61 between two edge limiting sections with increased radius, and has a largest radius 64 which is significantly larger than the smallest radius 62 of the bearing surface 61 on both sides of the ridge 63. The endless filter rod is led centrally over the ridge 63 and thus, is preformed and compacted, which leads to an increase in the pressure drop of the finished filter. With the ratio of the largest radius 64, or respectively greatest diameter, to the smallest radius 62, or respectively smallest diameter, there is a compromise to be attained between the thusly achievable degree of pre-shaping and pre-compacting and the smooth running of the endless filter rod, namely the danger that the endless filter rod slips off from the ridge 63 and arrives on the left or right in a region of the bearing surface 61 with smaller radius 62. Both depend on the condition of the filter material web, or respectively the loose endless filter rod, at the end of the transport nozzle.

(26) FIG. 5 shows a third exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention according to the invention, which connects together the elements of the exemplary embodiments from FIGS. 2 and 3. The side view shows, again with omission of the transport nozzle 12, the arrangement of similar infeed roller 16 and guide roller 60, wherein the guide roller 60 is arranged behind and below the infeed roller 16. In the conveying direction, the infeed roller 16 is arranged directly at the end of the transport nozzle 12 and the guide roller 60 is arranged below the beginning of the rod 19.

(27) FIG. 5 clearly shows that the rod 19 has an elongated cylindrical part and at its beginning, that is in the endless rod conveying direction, that part which first encounters the endless filter rod, has a rounded off edge at the rod projection 19a thereof which serves the guidance of the endless filter rod to the rod 19 and the creation of a fold in the endless filter rod.

(28) The guide roller 60 is arranged below the rod projection 19a, or respectively the plow, in order to define together with the leading part of the rod 19, or respectively the rod projection 19a, a cross-section that is somewhat narrower than the cross-section of the arriving endless filter rod. Thereby, the loose endless filter rod is compressed and guided and pre-formed in order to subsequently wrap around the rod 19 within the guide tube 18 and thus to obtain the characteristic U-shaped cross-section thereof. In this respect, the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 5 corresponds to that of FIG. 2.

(29) In addition, in this exemplary embodiment, as in that of FIG. 3, an air guide plate 80 having an upper section 82 and a lower section 84 offset downstream in the conveying direction is also provided, that is, arranged above the infeed roller 16, and diverts a large portion of the compressed air directed upwards from the transport nozzle, not shown, away from the endless filter rod.

(30) The remaining parts, not provided with reference numbers, of the design at which the rollers 16, 60 and the air guide plate 80 are arranged, serve for adjusting the positioning of the rollers 16, 60 and the air guide plate 80 with respect to the downstream arranged components.

(31) FIG. 6a) shows schematically a side view of an arrangement of transport nozzle 12, guide channel 100 according to the invention and forming element 110. An endless filter rod, or respectively filter material web, not shown, is conveyed through the transport nozzle 12, under feeding of compressed air, and is compressed to an endless rod. At the outlet of the transport nozzle, a guide channel 100 according to the invention is attached which covers the outlet that is not shown in FIG. 6a). The abutting edge, at which the guide channel 100 abuts the transport nozzle 12 is sealed substantially or completely airtight with a transition seal 102 such that the transport air exiting out of the transport nozzle 12 substantially or completely enters through the guide channel 100.

(32) The guide channel 100 at the upstream end thereof is adapted to the peripheral contour of the transport nozzle 12 in the region of the transition seal 102. With the outlet 104, on the output side, the transport nozzle 100 is substantially rectangular, wherein a tapering has occurred in the vertical direction, while in the horizontal direction the cross-section has either not tapered or only minimally tapered, or is enlarged. The exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 6, as in FIG. 6b), has a constant horizontal cross-section.

(33) On the top side of the guide channel 100, a holder 118 is attached to which a lever arm 116 with a forming element 110 is arranged and fastened in an articulated manner. The articulated fastening allows a pivoting of the lever arm 116 with the forming element 110, as is represented by the double arrow in FIG. 6a). The forming element 110 is designed as a forming body 112 which at the lower side thereof has a surface 114 curved in the conveying direction and crosswise to the conveying direction. In the course of the endless rod production, this curved surface 114 of the forming body 112 contacts the top side of the endless filter rod which exits from the opening 104 of the guide channel 100 and confers a concave curvature to this top side of the endless filter rod. The thusly pre-curved endless filter rod, as described with the FIGS. 1 to 5, is initially curved in a U-shape. Then, capsules are inserted and the endless filter rod is closed around the capsules.

(34) FIG. 6c) shows a perspective schematic representation of a corresponding forming element 110. This forming element 110 is preferably fastened to the holder 118 in an articulated manner using spring force so that the spring force presses the curved surface 114 of the forming body 112 into the top surface, or respectively top side, of the endless filter rod.

(35) FIG. 7a) shows an alternative exemplary embodiment that can however also be combined with the forming body 112 according to FIG. 6, FIG. 7a) schematically shows a front view, whereas FIG. 7b) shows a cross sectional representation in the longitudinal direction.

(36) FIG. 7a) schematically shows that a guide channel 100 attaches onto the transport nozzle 12. The top side and the bottom side (without reference numbers) of the guide channel 100 and the outlet 104, which is designed as a guide element 120, can be seen. This outlet 104 is substantially rectangular, wherein the horizontal dimension is larger than the vertical dimension. Typical widths for this are approximately 3 cm, whereas the vertical dimension, depending on the format of the article to be produced, can vary between 0.5 cm and 2 cm. Exact dimensioning is set based on the conditions of the filter material, the desired format and the upstream and downstream components of the machine.

(37) The forming element 120 has a curved edge 122 as an essential component which can be an extension of the top side of the guide channel 110, and the end edge of which is rounded off so that the form opening 124 which is also the outlet opening of the guide channel has a corresponding shape in which the top side is curved inwards.

(38) FIG. 7b) shows a section along the line A-A from FIG. 7a). Here, the outer hull of the transport nozzle 12 is shown which transitions into the guide channel 100 that is connected airtight or substantially airtight with a transition seal 112. In cross-section it can also be seen that the topside at the outlet 104 of the guide channel 100 transitions in the curved edge 122 so that only a slit remains of the form opening 124. This is the smallest opening because it runs through the center, or respectively the middle, of the guide channel 100. Preferably there is a continuous transition with respect to the step-like transition shown in FIG. 7b).

(39) The guide channels and/or the forming elements can be made of a suitable material. Possibilities are metal or metal alloys including aluminum, steel or other commonly used materials. However, they can also be composed of plastics, which in particular are abrasion resistant with respect to the filter material.

(40) The exemplary embodiments of guide channels 100, 100 and forming elements 110, 120 shown in the FIGS. 6 and 7 can also be used with the further guide elements according to the invention which are arranged between the infeed roller and the rod, and by which a cross-section of the filter material web is reduced between the rod and the further guide element in the region of a rod projection of the rod. This increases the smooth running so that due to the increased smooth running and the pre-forming a particularly reliable process and reproducible insertion positions of the capsules to be inserted are attained.

(41) All named characteristics, including those taken from the drawings alone, and individual characteristics, which are disclosed in combination with other characteristics, are considered individually and in combination as essential to the invention. Embodiments according to the invention can be fulfilled through individual characteristics or a combination of several characteristics.

(42) It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.

REFERENCE LIST

(43) 10 object insertion apparatus 12 transport nozzle 12a air outlet funnel 14a, 14b delivery rollers 16 infeed roller 17 bearing surface 18 tow guide 19 rod 19a rod projection 20 tongue 21 slot 22 storage apparatus 24, 26 feed chamber 28, 30 first/second metering wheel 36, 38 intermediate wheels 50 inserter wheel 60 guide roller 61 bearing surface 62 smallest radius of the bearing surface 63 ridge 64 largest radius of the bearing surface 70 funnel 80 air guide plate 82 upper section 84 lower section 100, 100 guide channel 102 transition seal 104 outlet 110 forming element 112 forming body 114 curved surface 116 lever arm 118 holder 120 forming element 122 bent edge 124 form opening