Apparatus for filling of a downstream apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for filling a downstream apparatus with rod-shaped articles, in particular a packing machine, comprising a filler head having a feed element for transporting a mass flow made up of articles, wherein the feed element runs into a shaft in the region of an opening, and having a store which is constructed to be variable for compensating for the difference between the inflow and outflow of the mass flow inside the filler head, which apparatus is characterized by a store which is arranged at least in part ahead of the opening in the transport direction T of the mass flow.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority of German Patent Application No. 10 2004 062 638.3 filed Dec. 21, 2004, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. The disclosure of all U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications mentioned below are also incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an apparatus for filling a downstream apparatus, in particular a packing machine, with rod-shaped articles, comprising a filler head having a feed element for transporting a mass flow made up of articles, wherein in the region of an opening the feed element runs into a shaft, as well as a store which is of variable construction for compensating the difference between the inflow and outflow of the mass flow inside the filler head.

Such apparatuses are used in particular in the tobacco-processing industry. These apparatuses serve, for example, for supplying a packing machine with rod-shaped products, such as, for example, cigarettes, tobacco strands, filters or the like. By means of the feed device a usually multi-layered mass flow of a particular height is transported into the filler head. The articles or the mass flow formed therefrom are conveyed by means of the feed device into the region of an opening. The articles are fed to the packing machine via a shaft adjoining the feed device. In other words a column of articles builds up in the shaft.

In the event, for example, that the downstream packing machine can accept fewer articles than are fed to it the “excess” articles can be accommodated up to a certain volume by the store. In known devices of said type the store is disposed in the area of the shaft, that is behind the opening in the transport direction T of the mass flow. Such devices have the disadvantage that the weight of the articles located in the store acts completely on the shaft. In other words a change of volume in the store acts on the shaft as a result of which, on the one hand, the packing machine or a packer magazine associated with the packing machine becomes loaded. On the other hand, a change in volume results in a load on the articles located in the shaft due to the weight of the articles stacked thereover. In addition to the weight, the restoring force of the store limits triggered by the limits on the volume of the store also acts on the articles.

From U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,094 an apparatus is known with the features of the preamble of claim 1. With this apparatus, an actuator is required to alter the volume of the store.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a simple apparatus which ensures relief of the load on the articles located in the shaft.

This task is solved by an apparatus of the type identified at the outset in that the store is arranged at least in part ahead of the opening in the transport direction T of the mass flow, whereby the store is bounded by a belt, whose length, which is in contact with the mass flow, is variable to alter the volume of the store by means of conveying pressure of the mass flow against a predeterminable tensile force introduced into the belt. Due to this construction according to the invention, on the one hand, it is achieved that at least a major part of the weight of the articles in the store is taken up by the feed element. As a result, both the packing machine or the packer magazine thereof together with the articles located in the shaft have the load on them considerably relieved and hence are handled gently. On the other hand, by means of the embodiment according to the invention an alteration of the volume of the store can be brought about by the mass flow itself, in particular without the use of additional drive means, actuators or the like.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the store is arranged completely outside the shaft as a result of which the loading already described is reduced still further.

Advantageously, the store is bounded or formed by a belt which is constructed to be of variable height for varying the volume of the store. By this means a volume change which is particularly protective of the article is achievable in the store. Put in a different way, to change the volume of the store only a small force need be exerted on the articles.

A particularly preferred embodiment is characterized in that at least one section of the belt located ahead of the opening into the shaft and above the lower conveying means is of deflectable construction. By means of this design it is, on the hand, ensured that in the event of fewer articles being taken off by the packing machine than are supplied the weight of the articles flowing behind is moved upwards. On the other hand, it is advantageous that due to the deflectable belt or the deflectable section of the belt the mass flow flowing thereunder is covered. This means that the mass flow exhibits no open surfaces so that shifting or alignment of the articles relative to one another is prevented. As a general rule the articles are conveyed in the transport direction T transverse to their longitudinal extension. Articles which, due to external influences, lack of guidance or the like, come out of this original transport position so that, for example, their longitudinal extension points in the transport direction, are also referred to as “non-aligned articles”. Such “non-aligned articles” are prevented by the covering provided by the belt.

Preferably, the belt is an endless conveyor. Due to this dynamic construction of the store it is ensured that the flow of the stream of articles is permanently supported and there are no regions inside the store in which it is possible for articles to linger. In other words, inside the store all articles are always in motion so that permanent replacement of articles is ensured. By this means the quality of the articles is always preserved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantageous and preferred characteristics and embodiments emerge from the subsidiary claims and the description. Particularly preferred embodiments are explained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. The drawings show:

FIG. 1 a side-view of a schematic illustration of a first embodiment of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 a side-view of a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the apparatus; and

FIG. 3 a side-view of a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The apparatuses illustrated serve for filling what are known as packers with rod-shaped products.

FIG. 1 shows a filler head 10 as an apparatus for filling a packing machine (which is not illustrated). The filler head 10 substantially comprises a feed element 11 for transporting a mass flow made up of a large number of articles in the transport direction T. The mass flow is built up of multiple layers. The feed element 11 possesses an opening 12. The opening 12 is the point of transition from the feed element 11 to a shaft 13. The shaft 13 is a space for accommodating a certain number of articles. The shaft 13 is of almost vertical construction so that the articles fall or flow solely due to gravity in the direction of the packing machine. The filler head 10 further comprises a store 15. The store 15 is constructed to be variable. This means that the store 15 is suitable for accommodating varying mass flows and enlarges or diminishes according to the size of the mass flow. The volume of the store 15 varies as a function of the difference between the inflow and the outflow of the mass flow within the filler head 10.

In the transport direction T of the mass flow the store 15 is disposed at least in part ahead of the opening 12. In the embodiment shown the store 15 is arranged completely outside the shaft 13 in the region of the feed element 11. In fact the store 15 itself can even be regarded as a component of the feed element 11. Details of this are described further below.

The feed element 11 runs substantially transverse to the shaft 13 and is formed by a lower conveyor 16 and an upper conveyor 17. The lower conveyor 16 is divided and possesses at least two lower belts 18 and 19. The belts 18, 19 are each of endless construction and disposed one behind the other in the transport direction T. The conveying surfaces of the belts 18, 19 form a uniform support surface F for the articles or the mass flow formed therefrom to be transported. One of the belts 18 or 19 is driven directly by a motor 20. The other belt 19 or 18 can be driven along with the first through a coupling 21. Preferably, each belt 18, 19 has its own drive, wherein the drives should be controllable independently of one another. In the embodiment shown the belt 18 of the opening 12 or forming the opening 12 is disposed behind the belt 19 in the transport direction T. The upper conveyor 17 comprises at least one upper belt 22 which like the belts 18, 19 is also of endless construction. The upper conveyor 17 extends only over a part of the lower conveyor 16. More precisely, the belt 22 is arranged above the belt 19 and also extends in the transport direction T only over a part of the belt 19.

The vertical spacing between the belts 18, 19, on the one hand, and the belt 22, on the other hand, depends on the desired or required height of the mass flow. The store 15 is constructed as an extension of the upper belt 22. The store 15 is bounded or formed by a belt 23. The belt 23 is constructed to be of variable height for varying the volume of the store 15. In other words the store 15 is formed by the deflectability of the belt 23. A section 24 of the belt 23 is deflectable in the embodiment shown. This section 24 is ahead of the opening 12 or together with the belt 18 forms the latter and is arranged above the lower belts 18, 19. In the state when the store 15 is empty (illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 by solid lines) the section 24 is arranged as an extension of the upper belt 22 and flush with the latter and runs essentially parallel to the lower belts 18, 19. Accordingly, when not exercising a storage function the section 24 is as it were a component of the feed element 11.

The deflectable section 24 is “fixed” at two points. More precisely, the section is fastened at one end, that is to say a free end of the belt 23, directly behind the upper belt 23 in the transport direction T. The other end of the section 24 is guided in the region of the opening 12 by means of a pulley 25. The belt 23 is led as an extension of the section 24 around another pulley 26. At the free end of the belt 23 means for tensioning the belt 23 are provided. In one embodiment the means take the form of a weight 27. Other customary means for tensioning may also be employed. By means of the arrangement described the section 24 is variable in length. This means that the “active” length of the section 24, that is the length which can come into contact with the mass flow, is variable.

Another embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is comparable in essential aspects with the previously described filler head 10 so that there is no need for a fresh description and the same reference numerals are used for the same parts. The filler head 10 according to FIG. 2, however, shows a store 15 differing in that the belt 23 or the deflectable section 24 is fixed at one end, that is to say a free end of the belt 23, in the region of the opening 12. The other end of the section 24 is guided in the region of a pulley 28 arranged in the transport direction T directly behind the upper belt 22. The belt 23 as an extension of the section 24 is led around further pulleys 29, 30. In turn, means for tensioning the belt 23 are provided at the free end of the belt 23. The means may take the form of a weight 31 or alternatively, for example, be constructed as a motor 32 having an adjustable torque. The embodiment with the motor 32 shows the advantage that the torque levels can readily be altered by means of a control system. By this means the load acting through the belt 23 or the section 24 on the mass flow is variable at little cost and adaptable to the prevailing requirements.

The embodiment according to FIG. 3 is of similar construction to the filler head 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2. In contrast, however, with the stores 15 in FIGS. 1 and 2 in which the store 15 or the belt 23 has to be referred to as static due to the fastening at one end, the store is of dynamic construction. Namely, the belt 23 is an endless conveyor which is led around a plurality of pulleys 33, 34, 35. One pulley 33 is arranged in the region of the opening 12 and one pulley 34 is arranged directly behind the upper belt 22 in the transport direction T. Between these two pulleys 33, 34 is constructed the section 24 whose “active” length is variable by deflection. The belt 23 is driven preferably by an electric motor and in the same direction as the belts 18, 19 and 22 and led via further pulleys 35. The means for tensioning the belt 23 is, by way of example, a combination of a tension regulator arm and spring. For this purpose, a tension regulator arm 36, having a pulley 37 on its free end around which the belt 23 is led, and a spring 38 are functionally connected. Alternatively, a motor-winch combination may also be employed.

Of course, all of the filler heads 10 and embodiments may also be employed for feeding any other products to downstream apparatuses, devices or the like. All of the embodiments may additionally have a store bounding device 14. In FIG. 3 a mechanical bounding device is illustrated by way of example. This mechanical bounding device, which may be constructed by way of example as a sheet metal plate or the like, is fastened in stationary manner to the housing, support, frame or by other means and prevents the deflectable section 24 from colliding with components located thereabove such as, for example, pulleys 35, 36, 37 or the passive section of the belt 23. The store bounding device 14 preferably covers the entire region of the store 15.

The principle of operation of the apparatus 10 is explained in more detail below. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1 the packing machine or the like is supplied by a mass flow in that the mass flow is transported by means of the feed element 11 through the opening 12 into the shaft 13. If the mass flow transported into the shaft 13 is greater than can be taken up by the packing machine the belt 23 or the section 24 is deflected upwardly (see dotted lines). In this case, the crosshatched area identifies the storage volume. At the same time the weight 27 moves upwards. As it does so the belt 23 or the section 24 executes a relative movement counter to the transport direction T. At all times the section 24 covers the mass flow from above so that displacement of the articles from a transport position, in which the articles are located with their longitudinal extension transverse to the transport direction, into a position in which the articles lie in the transport direction T is prevented. If more articles are now taken up than are supplied, the volume of the store 15 reduces, and the weight 27 again moves downwards. The active length of the section 24 diminishes. In order to carry out the change in volume of the store 15 almost no force need be exerted on the articles. The weight 27 has to be chosen accordingly.

The principle of operation of the filler head 10 according to FIG. 2 is basically similar to that just described. On deflecting the section 24, however, a relative movement in the transport direction T is obtained.

In the filler head 10 according to FIG. 3 the transport of the mass flow is supported by the all-round belt 23.

In the event that an apparatus upstream of the feed element 11 is out of operation, i.e. it supplies no further articles, the packing machine can continue to be supplied with articles for a short transition period by controlling the belt 18. This is of importance particularly for what are known as “lagging packers” which still require a certain number of products for running the machine down.

It is common to all of the embodiments that the volume of the store 15 can be determined through the position of the weights 27, 31, e.g. by means of excursion or spacing measurement or measurement of the movement of the pulleys by means of rotation transmitters. This information can be fed to a control system controlling the filling level of the filler heads 10.

The invention has been described in detail with respect to preferred embodiments, and it will now be apparent from the foregoing to those skilled in the art, that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and the invention, therefore, as defined in the appended claims, is intended to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. Apparatus for filling a downstream apparatus with rod-shaped articles, in particular a packing machine, comprising a filler head having a feed element for transporting a mass flow made up of articles, wherein the feed element runs into a shaft in the region of an opening, and having a store which is constructed to be variable for compensating for the difference between the inflow and outflow of the mass flow inside the filler head, characterized in that the store is arranged at least in part ahead of the opening in the transport direction T of the mass flow, whereby the store is bounded by a belt, whose length, which is in contact with the mass flow, is variable to alter the volume of the store by means of conveying pressure of the mass flow against a predeterminable tensile force introduced into the belt.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the store is arranged completely outside the region of the shaft.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the feed element runs essentially horizontally and is made up of a lower conveyor and an upper conveyor, wherein the upper conveyor extends over only a part of the lower conveyor.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the lower conveyor consists of at least two lower belts arranged one behind the other in the transport direction T of the articles or the mass flow and the upper conveyor consists of at least one upper belt, wherein the belt of the upper conveyor is arranged above the front belt in the transport direction T of the articles in the lower conveyor.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the belt is constructed to be variable in height for altering the volume of the store.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one section of the belt located ahead of the opening into the shaft and above the lower conveyor is of deflectable construction.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that in the state when the store is empty the deflectable section of the belt as an extension of the upper belt is arranged flush with the latter and runs essentially parallel to the lower belts.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the deflectable section is fastened at one end directly behind the upper belt in the transport direction T and at the other end is guided in the region of the opening by means of a pulley.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the belt as an extension of the deflectable section is led around at least one other pulley and is provided at its free end with means for tensioning the belt.

10. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the deflectable section is fastened at one end in the region of the opening and at the other end is guided by means of a pulley directly behind the upper belt in the transport direction T.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the belt as an extension of the deflectable section is led around at least two further pulleys and at its free end is provided with means for tensioning the belt.

12. Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the means for tensioning are a weight, a motor having an adjustable torque or the like.

13. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the belt is an endless conveyor.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the belt is guided by means of a plurality of rollers of which for forming the deflectable section one pulley is arranged directly behind the upper belt in the transport direction T and one pulley is arranged in the region of the opening.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the belt is driven.

16. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the belt is associated with means for tensioning.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that the means are a combination of a tension regulator arm and spring, a motor-winch combination or the like.

18. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the volume of the store is determinable by means of suitable measurement means.