Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or... – By loading or unloading section at selected one of a...
Reexamination Certificate
2003-12-19
2004-10-26
Valenza, Joseph (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or...
By loading or unloading section at selected one of a...
C198S370120, C198S471100, C131S907000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06808059
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a removing apparatus for removing defective rod-like articles from a transport path while rod-like articles are being transported along the transport path, particularly to a removing apparatus suited for a filter cigarette manufacturing machine.
BACKGROUND ART
A filter cigarette manufacturing machine has a transport drum train comprising rotatable transport drums. The transport drums are adjacent to each other and form a transport path for rod-like articles such as cigarette rods and filter plugs which are used in manufacturing filter cigarettes. While cigarette rods and filter plugs are transported along the transport path, various steps for forming filter cigarettes from the cigarette rods and filter plugs are carried out sequentially.
Specifically, while the cigarette rods are transported, each cigarette rod is cut into two equal cigarettes, and then a filter plug is supplied to between those two cigarettes. The cigarettes and filter plug are connected by a tip-paper piece to form a double filter cigarette, and then the double filter cigarette is cut into two equal filter cigarettes.
Among the transport drums in the transport drum train, at least one transport drum functions as a removing drum. When rod-like articles, namely, cigarettes, double filter cigarettes or filter cigarettes pass across the removing drum, the removing drum removes them from the transport path. This is performed in order to sample rod-like articles or prevent defective rod-like articles from being transported in the downstream side of the removing drum.
Like the other transport drums in the transport drum train, the removing drum has many transport grooves on its outer circumferential face. As the removing drum rotates, rod-shaped articles are transported, being held in the transport grooves by suction pressure. More specifically, the removing drum has a suction supply region which extends in the circumferential direction thereof, and each transport groove has a plurality of suction holes for receiving suction pressure from the suction supply region. Hence, each transport groove can receive suction pressure through its suction holes while the transport groove is passing through the suction supply region extending in the circumferential direction of the removing drum.
In the suction supply region, a suction holding region is so arranged that the suction holding region severs the suction supply region. While the suction holding region can normally supply the transport grooves with suction pressure enough to suck and thereby hold rod-like articles in the transport grooves, it can selectively receive compressed air from a compressed air ejecting means.
Specifically, when a rod-like article which should be sampled or removed passes through the suction holding region, being held in a transport groove, compressed air is supplied to the suction holding region from the compressed air ejecting means. The compressed air negates the suction pressure and removes the rod-like article from the transport groove.
In order to improve the production capacity of the filter cigarette manufacturing machine, the speed at which rod-like articles are transported along the transport path, accordingly, the speed at which the removing drum rotates tends to be more increased. In this case, since each transport groove passes through the suction holding region in a shorter time, the compressed air ejecting means for selectively supplying compressed air to the suction holding region, more specifically, a removing valve thereof needs to be switched over more quickly.
However, even if the removing valve itself can be switched over at a high speed, it is impossible to generate a desired compressed-air pressure, or a desired removing pressure in the suction holding region immediately after the removing valve is switched over, because of the compressibility of air. Response delay in generating the removing pressure is unavoidable.
In order to deal with this response delay, it is thinkable to broaden the suction holding region in the removing-drum circumferential direction to make the time in which the removing pressure is supplied longer. In this case, however, when a transport groove holding a rod-like article to be sampled or removed is still in the suction holding region, the subsequent transport groove comes in the suction holding region. Thus, the removing pressure supplied to the suction holding region removes also a rod-like article in the subsequent transport groove at the same time.
Further, when a transport groove not holding a rod-like article comes in the suction holding region, the pressure in the suction holding region increases to the atmospheric pressure through the suction holes of this empty transport groove. In this case, the transport grooves immediately before and after the empty transport groove cannot receive enough suction pressure from the suction holding region, so that rod-like articles fall off these transport grooves.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a removing apparatus which allows high-speed rotation of the removing drum, ensuring that rod-like articles are removed only from intended transport grooves.
In order to attain the above object, a removing apparatus for rod-like articles according to the invention comprises a rotatable removing drum forming part of a transport path for rod-like articles, a suction means, a suction holding region, and a compressed air ejecting means.
The removing drum has a plurality of transport grooves for each receiving a rod-like article. The transport grooves are arranged at an outer circumferential surface of the removing drum with equal spaces between them in the circumferential direction thereof, and each have a suction hole, where each of the transport grooves has its suction hole at a different axial position of the transport groove than a transport groove adjacent to the transport groove in the circumferential direction of the removing drum has, so that the transport grooves are classified into a plurality of transport-groove types according to the position of the suction hole.
The suction means includes a suction supply region extending in the circumferential direction of the removing drum. The suction means is so provided as to supply suction pressure to the transport grooves through their suction holes while the transport grooves are passing through the suction supply region when the removing drum is rotating, to hold rod-like articles in the transport grooves by suction.
The suction holding region severs the suction supply region. The suction holding region has a plurality of independent holding passages each associated with one of the transport-groove types. The holding passages are arranged in parallel and each extend longer in the removing-drum circumferential direction than the distance between the transport grooves. The holding passages are so provided that the holding passages are each connected to the suction holes of transport grooves of their associated transport-groove type while the transport grooves are passing through the suction holding region, to thereby supply predetermined holding pressure to the transport grooves of their associated transport-groove type through the suction holes to hold suction of the rod-like articles in the transport grooves.
The compressed air ejecting means is provided for selectively removing rod-like articles from the transport grooves by compressed air while the transport grooves are passing through the suction holding region. The compressed air ejecting means comprises a plurality of independent supply passages each associated with one of the transport-groove types. The supply passages are so provided as to supply compressed air to the transport grooves while the transport grooves are passing through the suction holding region, to thereby negate suction of rod-like articles in the transport grooves. The supply passages are opened and closed by solenoid-operated valves.
Specifically, the removing drum includes a stationary sleeve member having th
Irikura Takayuki
Nagai Junichi
Japan Tobacco Inc.
Valenza Joseph
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