Tobacco feed and transport unit in a machine for manufacturing tobacco products

Abstract

Shredded tobacco is fed into and transported through a cigarette maker by a unit that includes at least one transport roller, driven in rotation about a longitudinal axis and equipped with a plurality of radial pins projecting radially from a peripheral surface, by which the flow of tobacco is taken up and directed along a predetermined feed path toward a unit that forms it ultimately into at least one continuous stream; the feed and transport unit is also equipped with at least one sensing device, offered to the peripheral surface of the roller and serving to detect any points where pins may be missing or damaged.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a tobacco feed and transport unit in a machine for manufacturing tobacco products. [0002] The prior art embraces cigarette makers equipped with a feeding and conveying unit that comprises an infeed chamber from which shredded tobacco is taken up by a carding unit and directed into a descending duct or chute. At the bottom end of the chute, the tobacco is taken up by a toothed outfeed assembly and deposited on a conveyor belt that carries it toward the bottom inlet end of an ascending duct or chimney. The top end of the chimney coincides with the outfeed end of the tobacco feed and transport unit, and is enclosed by a conveyor consisting in a looped air-permeable aspirating belt such as will attract the tobacco, rising through the chimney as a continuous flow of distinct particles, and cause it to form progressively into a continuous stream. [0003] The stream of tobacco forming thus externally of the chimney is direc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] The stated object is realized according to the present invention in a tobacco feed and transport unit forming part of a machine for manufacturing tobacco products, comprising at least one transport roller set in rotation about a longitudinal axis, presenting a plurality of pins positioned on a peripheral surface of revolution and oriented radially away from the longitudinal axis, by which tobacco is taken up and caused to advance along a predetermined path toward a unit where it is formed into at least one continuous stream. In the device disclosed, a sensing device associated with the at least one transport roller serves to verify the presence and / or the integrity of the pins.

Problems solved by technology

The interaction between the pins and the compact mass of tobacco can result in a partial breakage of the pins, or even in their complete detachment from the roller.

Moreover, the properties of tobacco transported by rollers with missing or damaged pins will be of a lower grade than those of tobacco transported by rollers with all pins intact, and this can affect the quality of the cigarettes ultimately.

It follows that the cigarette maker must necessarily remain idle for an extended period while the inspection is conducted, and that production will be lost as a result.

Images