Conveyor system for rod-like articles

• US 4,865,179 A
• Filed: 04/19/1988
• Issued: 09/12/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Molins PLC
• Original Assignee: Molins PLC
• Inventors: Hierons, Kerry, Carter, David C. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Valenza, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US07/183,087
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 198/347, 198/358, 198/572, 198/573, 198/575, 198/577, 414/403, 414/404, 53/154, 53/493, 131/282, 131/283
• US Class Current: 198/347.2
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/35 Adaptations of conveying apparatus for transporting cigarettes from making machine to packaging machine

Abstract

Cigarettes in multi-layer stack formation are delivered from a maker (10) to a packer (12) on a path having a first junction (24) connected to a tray filling unit (30) and a second junction connected to a tray unloading unit (38). Control circuitry (54-72) is provided to control transfer of cigarettes at the first junction (24) according to the relative speeds of the maker and packer and/or the capacity of a reservoir (46) associated with the path. The control circuitry (54-72) prevents too frequent operation of a gate (32) associated with the first junction (24) and allows operation of the tray filling unit (30) at an optimum speed.

Claims

1. A conveyor system for rod-like articles, including a delivery device, a receiving device, conveyor means for conveying rod-like articles in multi-layer stack formation on a path between the delivery device and the receiving device, and a junction on said path for transferring articles between said path and a subsidiary path, including means for sensing the speed of the delivery device, means for sensing the speed of the receiving device, means for controlling transfer of articles between said path and said subsidiary path, said controlling means including circuit means connected to receive signals which are proportional to speed from said respective sensing means and for detecting the difference in said speeds on the basis of said signals, means for comparing the difference between said speeds with a predetermined value, means for generating first and second control signals associated with first and second operative conditions according to the relation of said predetermined value to the difference between said speeds and means for inhibiting transfer if the detected difference in said speeds differs by less than a predetermined amount from said predetermined value, a variable capacity reservoir associated with said path, means for sensing the capacity of said reservoir, and means for overriding said inhibiting means to allow transfer between said path and said subsidiary path when said capacity sensing means indicates that the capacity of said reservoir has attained a first critical value.

2. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, including subsidiary conveyor means associated with said subsidiary path, wherein said inhibiting means includes means for controlling said subsidiary conveyor means.

3. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inhibiting means includes physical blocking means at or adjacent said junction.

4. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, including means for reinstating said inhibiting means when said capacity sensing means indicates that the capacity of the reservoir has attained a second critical value.

5. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said subsidiary path is or connects said path to a store device for rod-like articles.

6. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said store device includes apparatus for loading articles into successive containers.

7. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said store device includes a variable capacity reservoir for rod-like articles in multilayer stack formation.

8. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 5, including a variable capacity reservoir associated with said path, said controlling means having at least two different operative conditions according to the capacity of said reservoir.

9. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said controlling means has a first operative condition in which transfer at said junction is initiated when the capacity of said reservoir has attained a critical value, said speed difference being less than a predetermined amount, and a second operative condition in which transfer at said junction is initiated when said speed difference exceeds said predetermined amount.

10. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controlling means is arranged to cause transfer of articles at said junction when said speed difference exceeds a predetermined amount.

25. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said circuit means includes a microprocessor connected to receive signals from said respective sensing means.

11. A conveyor system for rod-like articles, including a delivery device, a receiving device, conveyor means for conveying rod-like articles in multi-layer stack formation on a path between the delivery device and the receiving device, and a junction on said path for transferring articles between said path and a subsidiary path, means for conveying articles on said subsidiary path, means for sensing a speed associated with the operation of said delivery device, means for sensing a speed associated with the receiving device, a variable capacity reservoir associated with said path, means for sensing the capacity of said variable capacity reservoir, and control means for controlling transfer of articles between said path and said subsidiary path and between said path and said reservoir, said control means including first means for determining the difference between the speeds sensed by said respective speed sensing means, second means for comparing said difference with a predetermined range of differences, third means for intermittently transferring articles between said path and said subsidiary path at a rate which is not directly related to the difference between said sensed speeds, means for simultaneously transferring articles between said path and said reservoir in such a way as to compensate for the difference between said rate and said difference between said sensed speeds, fifth means for adjusting the flow of articles between said reservoir and said path to return the capacity of said reservoir to a predetermined level following transfer of articles between said path and said subsidiary path, sixth means for operating said third means and said fifth means alternately in sequence in accordance with the result of said comparison, and seventh means for alternately operating said fourth means and said fifth means in accordance with signals from said capacity sensing means.

12. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control means includes means for transferring articles between said path and said subsidiary path at a predetermined rate.

13. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control means includes means for transferring articles with predetermined minimum intervals between periods of operation.

14. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control means includes conveyor means for articles on said subsidiary path.

15. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control means includes physical blocking means at or adjacent said junction.

16. A conveyor system for rod-like articles, including an article producing machine, an article processing machine, conveyor means for conveying rod-like articles in multi-layer stack formation on a path between the article producing machine and the article processing machine, and a junction on said path for transferring articles between said path and a subsidiary path, means for conveying articles on said subsidiary path, means for sensing a speed of the article producing machine, means for sensing a speed of the article processing machine, means for determining the difference between the speeds sensed by said respective speed sensing means, and control means for controlling transfer of articles between said path and said subsidiary path, said control means including means for intermittently transferring articles at a rate which is not directly related to the difference between said speeds and means for temporarily adjusting the speed of the article producing machine or the article processing machine when articles are transferred between said path and said subsidary path to compensate for a difference between said rate and said difference between said speeds.

17. A conveyor system for rod-like articles, including a delivery device, a receiving device, conveyor means for conveying rod-like articles in multi-layer stack formation along a path between the delivery device and the receiving device, first and second junctions on said path at which articles may be transferred between first and second subsidiary paths and said path, respectively, a variable capacity reservoir associated with said path at a location spaced from said junctions, first means for sensing the capacity of said reservoir, second means for sensing articles at each of said junctions, first conveying means for conveying articles away from said first junction on said first subsidiary path, second conveying means for conveying articles towards said second junction on said second subsidiary path, and central control means connected directly to said first and second sensing means for controlling transfer of articles at said junctions by selectively controlling operation of said first and second conveying means according to signals received from said first and second sensing means to effect overall system control.

18. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the controlling means includes means for inhibiting transfer at said junction when said reservoir contains less than a predetermined quantity of articles.

19. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said controlling means includes means for selectively controlling operation of said first and second conveying means to control transfer of articles at said junctions in such a way as to prevent simultaneous operation of said first and second conveying means.

20. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 19, wherein said first and second conveying means respectively include means for delivering articles into successive containers and means for receiving articles from successive containers.

21. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 19, wherein said first junction is upstream of said second junction.

22. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said variable capacity reservoir is located such that transfer of articles to or from said path occurs at a location downstream of said first and second junctions.

23. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said variable capacity reservoir has first and second states of fill at which first and second signals are produced by said sensing means, said controlling means being arranged to respond to said first signal to initiate a transfer operation and to respond to said second signal to stop a transfer operation.

24. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said controlling means is arranged to transfer articles between said path and said subsidiary path at a predetermined minimum rate.

26. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said central control means comprises means for preventing simultaneous operation of said first and second conveying means.

27. A conveyor system for rod-like articles, including an article producing machine, an article processing machine, conveyor means for conveying rod-like articles in multi-layer stack formation on a path between the article producing machine and the article processing machine, a junction on said path for transferring articles between said path and a subsidiary path, means for sensing a speed of the article producing machine, means for sensing a speed of the article processing machine, means for determining the difference between the speeds sensed by the respective speed sensing means, and control means for controlling transfer of articles at said junction, said control means including means for controlling passage of articles on said path and means for adjusting the speed of at least one of the article producing machine and the article processing machine to reduce the difference in speed between said producing machine and said processing machine when there is no transfer of articles between said path and said subsidiary path.

28. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 27, including a variable capacity reservoir associated with said path, and means for sensing the capacity of said reservoir, said control means being connected to receive signals from said capacity sensing means.

29. A conveyor system for rod-like articles, including an article producing machine, an article processing machine, conveyor means for conveying rod-like articles in multilayer stack formation on a path between the article producing machine and the article processing machine, a variable capacity reservoir connected with said path, means for sensing the capacity of said reservoir, means for sensing a speed of the article producing machine, means for sensing a speed of the article processing machine, means for determining the difference between the speeds sensed by the respective speed sensing means, and control means connected to said capacity sensing means and said respective speed sensing means for controlling passage of articles on said path, said control means including means for directly adjusting the speed of the article producing machine or the article processing machine in response to said means for sensing the capacity of the reservoir and the difference between the speeds of said article producing machine and said article processing machine.