Method and apparatus for separating and inserting objects into a material rod of the tobacco processing industry

Abstract

Method and apparatus for separating and inserting objects into at least one material rod of tobacco-processing industry. Method includes receiving objects from object supply volume into an annular groove on outer perimeter of accelerator wheel rotating around an axis of rotation, supplying annular groove with suction air to hold objects in annular groove, accelerating objects in a course of the rotation of accelerator wheel, conveying objects to a take-over device having discrete object receptacles for objects, receiving at least some of objects in a receiving section along a conveying path of objects in object receptacles of take-over device, conveying, downstream of receiving station, objects in object receptacles, and inserting objects into material rod through one of take-over device or an insertion device arranged downstream in conveying direction of objects. Excess objects are discharged after leaving the receiving section and returned to the object supply volume.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method for separating and inserting objects into at least one material rod of the tobacco-processing industry, comprising:
 receiving objects from an object supply volume into an annular groove on an outer perimeter of an accelerator wheel rotating around an axis of rotation;   supplying the annular groove with suction air, whereby the objects are held in the annular groove;   accelerating the objects in a course of the rotation of the accelerator wheel;   conveying the objects to a take-over device having discrete object receptacles for the objects;   receiving at least some of the objects in a receiving section along a conveying path of the objects in the object receptacles of the take-over device;   conveying, downstream of the receiving station, the objects in the object receptacles; and   inserting the objects into the material rod through one of the take-over device or an insertion device arranged downstream in the conveying direction of the objects,   wherein excess objects, which were not received in the receiving section in an object receptacle, are at least one of discharged after leaving the receiving section and returned to the object supply volume.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one material rod of the tobacco-processing industry is an endless filter rod. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the objects on the accelerator wheel are accelerated to a speed that exceeds a conveying speed of the take-over device. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein an excess of objects in relation to the receptacles is conveyed to the take-over device. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein at least some of the excess objects are returned to the object supply volume via a second accelerator wheel coupled to the take-over device, the second accelerator wheel having an annular groove supplied with suction air. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising switching off the suction air along a portion of the perimeter of the accelerator wheel. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the portion of the perimeter along which the suction air is switched off is arranged, in a direction of rotation, between a transfer point to the take-over device and a point where the annular groove penetrates into the object supply volume. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus for separating and inserting objects into at least one material rod of the tobacco-processing industry comprising:
 an object supply volume;   a take-over device comprising discrete object receptacles structured to receive the objects;   a receiving section arranged on the take-over device and along a conveying path of the objects received in the object receptacles;   at least one of the take-over device being structured and arrange to insert objects into the material rod or an insertion device is structured to insert objects into the material rod and arranged one of directly and indirectly in the conveying direction of the objects downstream from the take-over device;   a rotating or rotatable accelerator wheel being structured and arranged between the object supply volume and the take-over device, the accelerator wheel having an annular groove on a perimeter to which suction air is applied or applicable,   wherein a width of the annular groove corresponds to a diameter of the objects.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the at least one material rod of the tobacco-processing industry is an endless filter rod and the width of the annular groove is one of not greater than or only slightly greater than the diameter of the objects. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein a depth of the annular groove matches the diameter of the objects. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein a width of the object supply volume corresponds with the diameter of the objects. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , the object supply volume being defined in part by side walls arranged flush with side walls of the annular groove. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the take-over device comprises one of a take-over belt, an insertion belt, a take-over wheel or an insertion wheel. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , further comprising a second accelerator wheel is arranged downstream of the take-over device in the conveying direction of the objects, the second accelerator being structured and arranged to return excess objects to the object supply volume. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the accelerator wheel and the second accelerator wheel each comprise two disks arranged to form at least one of a gap, radially aligned channels or radially tilted channels for suction air, and the disks on their perimeters have a lateral portion of the annular groove, and the apparatus further comprises a fixed air control body engaging in the gap between the disks being structured and arranged for at least one of switching off the suction air and taking the objects out of the annular groove. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the accelerator wheel comprises two disks arranged to form at least one of a gap, radially aligned channels or radially tilted channels for suction air, and the disks on their perimeters have a lateral portion of the annular groove, and the apparatus further comprises a fixed air control body engaging in the gap between the disks being structured and arranged for at least one of switching off the suction air and taking the objects out of the annular groove. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the accelerator wheel has openings on one or both side surfaces, which are flush with a corresponding, fixed, annular-section-shaped suction air nozzle and are connected with the annular groove inside the accelerator wheel. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the accelerator wheel is arranged to extend into the object supply volume, and in a region of an exit of the accelerator wheel out of the object supply volume, a side wall of the object supply volume forms wedge-shaped sections for stripping off objects taken along outside of the annular groove,
 wherein the side wall on the side of the wedge-shaped section facing away from the accelerator wheel has a recess, by which the stripped objects are steered or are steerable back into the object supply volume, and   wherein the recess in its center has an island-like blocked area so that a bent channel for the objects is formed in the recess around the blocked area.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the accelerator wheel is arranged between the object supply volume and a transfer position to the take-over device in a housing that is arranged so tightly on the perimeter of the accelerator wheel that objects cannot leave the annular groove. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein a speed of the accelerator wheel is regulatable. 
     
     
         21 . A rod maker machine of the tobacco-processing industry comprising at least one apparatus according to  claim 8  for making at least one endless filter rod. 
     
     
         22 . A method of operating an accelerator wheel having a perimeter with an annular groove, the method comprising:
 supplying suction air to discrete receptacles in the annular groove to receive objects from an object supply volume;   accelerating the objects from the object supply volume; and   conveying more objects than the objects in the receptacles to a take-over device.