Method of manufacturing rod-like articles for tobacco industry, apparatus for manufacturing rod-like articles and system for manufacturing rod-like articles

Abstract

A method for producing rod-like articles of the tobacco industry is provided, including: performing a first cutting in which a continuous rod is cut into a train of double rod-like articles; changing a direction of conveying the double rod-like articles from a first direction along an axis of the articles to a second transverse direction, each time two double rod-like articles are transferred into grooves of a drum conveyor, and two input streams of the double rod-like articles are formed; transforming the input streams into one intermediate stream by moving a double rod-like article from one of the streams between two double rod-like articles of the other stream, geometric centers of the double rod-like articles in the intermediate stream being disposed in a plane parallel to the second direction; and performing a second cutting in which the double rod-like articles conveyed in the intermediate stream are cut into two single rod-like articles.

1 .- 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method for producing rod-like articles of the tobacco industry, comprising:
 performing a first cutting in which a continuous rod is cut by means of a first cutting unit into a train of double rod-like articles;   changing a direction of conveying the double rod-like articles from a first direction along an axis of the rod-like articles to a second direction transverse to the axis of the rod-like articles, at least each time two double rod-like articles are transferred into grooves of a drum conveyor, and at least two input streams of the double rod-like articles are formed;   transforming the at least two input streams of the double rod-like articles into one intermediate stream of double rod-like articles by moving a double rod-like article from one of the streams between two double rod-like articles of the other of the streams, geometric centers of the double rod-like articles in the intermediate stream being disposed in a plane parallel to the second direction; and   performing a second cutting in which the double rod-like articles conveyed in the intermediate stream of the double rod-like articles are cut into two single rod-like articles by means of a second cutting unit to form two output streams of single rod-like articles.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the transforming of the at least two streams of the double rod-like articles comprises a rotation during which a double rod-like article of one of the at least two streams of the double rod-like articles is rotated by 180 degrees. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the transforming of the at least two streams of the double rod-like articles comprises moving a double rod-like article from one of the at least two streams transversely to the axis of the double rod-like article and moving the double rod-like article between double rod-like articles of a second stream of the at least two streams. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the double rod-like articles are centered after moving the double rod-like article to the intermediate stream. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein the two output streams of the single rod-like articles are spaced apart after the second cutting, and   wherein the two output streams of the single rod-like articles continue to move in the two output streams of the single rod-like articles.   
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein an additional rod-like element is placed between the spaced apart single rod-like articles. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the spaced apart single rod-like articles and the additional rod-like element are joined with a wrapping material. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein a movement speed of the at least two input streams is lower than a movement speed of the two output streams. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the continuous rod and the rod-like articles comprise multiple elements. 
     
     
         25 . An apparatus for manufacturing rod-like articles of the tobacco industry from a continuous rod, the apparatus comprising:
 a transport unit configured to move the continuous rod in a direction along an axis of the continuous rod;   a first cutting unit configured to cut the continuous rod into a train of double rod-like articles;   a transfer mechanism configured to transfer each time at least two double rod-like articles from the transport unit by moving the at least two double rod-like articles in a first direction along an axis of the double rod-like articles and feeding the at least two double rod-like articles into grooves on a drum conveyor to move the at least two double rod-like articles in a second direction transversely to the axis of the at least two double rod-like articles;   a drum conveyor unit configured to convey a first input stream and a second input stream of the at least two double rod-like articles;   a displacing unit configured to form an intermediate stream of the at least two double rod-like articles by displacing a double rod-like article from one of the first and the second input streams and placing said double rod-like article between double rod-like articles of the second stream;   a centering means for positioning the at least two double rod-like articles so that the geometric centers of the at least two double rod-like articles in the intermediate stream are disposed in a plane parallel to the second direction;   a transport unit configured to convey the intermediate stream formed by combining the first input stream and the second input stream of the at least two double rod-like articles; and   a second cutting unit configured to cut the at least two double rod-like articles into two single rod-like articles.   
     
     
         26 . The apparatus according to  claim 25 , by further comprising a spacing unit configured to space the two single rod-like articles. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus according to  claim 26 , further comprising a positioning unit configured to place an additional rod-like element between the spaced two single rod-like articles. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus according to  claim 27 , further comprising a unit configured to join the spaced two single rod-like articles and the additional rod-like element with a wrapping material. 
     
     
         29 . A system for manufacturing rod-like articles, the system comprising:
 feeding units configured to feed rod-like elements, wherein a multi-element rod-like article is provided with the rod-like elements or parts of the rod-like elements;   a transport unit configured to convey the rod-like elements;   a feed unit configured to feed a wrapping material;   a transfer device configured to transfer the rod-like elements from the transport unit onto a strand of the wrapping material;   a forming unit configured to form a continuous multi-element rod formed by the rod-like elements wrapped in the wrapping material; and   an apparatus for manufacturing the rod-like articles according to  claim 25 .   
     
     
         30 . The system according to  claim 29 , wherein the two single rod-like articles comprise at least two different rod-like elements.