Method and apparatus for filling containers with rod-shaped articles

Abstract

In a method and an apparatus for filling containers with rod-shaped articles a hopper for feeding the articles includes at least two mouths for dispensing the articles through respective lower ends, a conveyor device located in the vicinity of the at least two dispensing mouths The conveyor device includes two conveyors placed side by side and designed to operate independently on the containers supported by the conveyor device, and respective motors mechanisms are associated with the two conveyors so that one of the two conveyors moves towards the hopper the empty containers carried on the conveyor device from the dispensing apparatus, and the other of the two conveyors moves away from the hopper the containers full of rod-shaped articles.

1 . A method for filling containers with rod-shaped articles, which can be used in an apparatus comprising a hopper for feeding the articles, having at least two mouths for dispensing the articles through respective lower ends, conveyor means located in the vicinity of the at least two dispensing mouths and supporting a plurality of containers designed to receive inside the superposed layers of articles, extractor means for removing the articles from an unloading zone of each dispensing mouth and inserting them inside containers carried by the conveyor means, and an apparatus for dispensing containers designed to feed containers to be filled towards the conveyor means, characterized in that the conveyor means comprise two conveyors placed side by side and designed to operate independently on the containers supported by the conveyor means, and in that respective motor means are associated with the two conveyors for activating them independently so that one of the two conveyors moves towards the hopper the empty containers carried on the conveyor means from the dispensing apparatus, and the other of the two conveyors moves away from the hopper the containers full of rod-shaped articles and feeds them towards a further handling station. 
     
     
         2 . The method for filling containers with rod-shaped articles according to  claim 1 , wherein the two conveyors alternate with each other in the operations for moving towards the hopper the empty containers carried on the conveyor means from the dispensing apparatus and for moving away from the hopper the containers full of articles with a rod shape. 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus for filling containers with rod-shaped articles, comprising a hopper for feeding the articles, having at least two mouths for dispensing the articles through respective lower ends, conveyor means located in the vicinity of the at least two dispensing mouths and supporting a plurality of containers designed to receive inside the superposed layers of articles, extractor means for removing the articles from an unloading zone of each dispensing mouth and inserting them inside containers carried by the conveyor means, and an apparatus for dispensing containers designed to feed containers to be filled towards the conveyor means, characterized in that the conveyor means comprise two conveyors placed side by side and designed to operate independently on the containers supported by the conveyor means, and in that respective motor means are associated, respectively, with the two conveyors for activating them independently, for moving, respectively, towards the hopper the empty containers)-carried on the conveyor means from the dispensing apparatus, and for moving away from the hopper the containers full of rod-shaped articles for feeding them towards a further handling station. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the conveyors comprise two belt conveyors, to the transport surfaces of which are integrated a plurality of accompanying elements designed to run alongside respective portions of the conveyors; the accompanying elements of each conveyor being subdivided into groups of consecutive accompanying elements, and these groups being separated from each other by portions of the conveyors without the accompanying elements. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein along each conveyor stretches of predetermined length in which the accompanying elements are present to form a sequence comprising a number equal to the number of mouths of the hopper alternate with stretches of equal length in which there are no accompanying elements. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the stretches provided with accompanying elements of each of the conveyors are positioned side by side with stretches of the other conveyor without the accompanying elements. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein each accompanying element is associated with a positioning element, comprising a projection positioned downstream of the accompanying element with reference to the direction of feed of the conveyors, at a distance from the accompanying element which is slightly greater than the dimension of the containers measured according to the direction of feed each positioning element acting in conjunction with an accompanying element associated with it for better defining the position of the containers carried by the conveyors. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein, in use, the two conveyors alternate with each other in the operations for moving towards the hopper the empty containers carried on the conveyor means from the dispensing apparatus and for moving away from the hopper the containers full of articles with a rod shape.