Cigarette filling machine with casing feed mechanism

Abstract

A cigarette filling machine includes several novel features, including a first mechanism for delivering empty casings to a tobacco outlet, a second mechanism that drives tobacco cutting, spoon insertion, and a casing clamp using a single motor, a novel sprocket array for processing tobacco, and related components. The machine can be used to perform new methods for filling empty cigarette casings with tobacco.

1 . An apparatus for filling cigarette casings, comprising:
 a casing hopper for holding empty cigarette casings;   a dispensing chute coupled to the casing hopper and movable between a dispensing position and a non-dispensing position;   a first sensor positioned to sense a position of the dispensing chute;   a tobacco hopper coupled to the casing hopper, configured for directing loose tobacco to a tubular channel coupled to the tobacco hopper, wherein the tubular channel has receiving end configured for receiving tobacco coupled via a tube to an outlet outside the tobacco hopper oriented towards the dispensing chute;   a casing trolley positioned under the dispensing chute, moveable between a pickup position for receiving a casing from the dispensing chute and a drop-off position for placing an open end of the casing over an outlet of the dispensing tube; and   a circuit configured to activate motion of the casing trolley based on a signal from the first sensor.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the casing hopper comprises a oscillating member positioned at a floor thereof for ensuring movement of empty casings towards the dispensing chute. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the oscillating member comprises a pivoting plate coupled to a mechanical oscillator driven by a first motor. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the mechanical oscillator comprises a linear cam interposed between the oscillating member and a cam follower. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the cam follower is coupled to a reciprocating truck configured for back-and-forth motion driven by the motor. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the casing trolley is coupled to the reciprocating truck. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a second sensor positioned to sense presence of a cigarette casing on the outlet of the tubular channel. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the tubular channel comprises an electrically conductive material, and the second sensor comprises an electrically conductive pad coupled to an actuator configured for moving the pad from a clamped position in contact with the outlet of the tubular channel, and an unclamped position spaced apart from the tubular channel. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the circuit is further configured to coordinate action of the actuator with the casing trolley such that the second sensor moves to the clamped position immediately after the casing trolley moves to its drop-off position, and then moves to the unclamped position immediately after dispensing tobacco from the tubular channel is completed. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the circuit comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory holding instructions that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus, based on the signal from the first sensor, to activate motion of the casing trolley from the pickup position to the drop-off position if the dispensing chute is in the dispensing position and then to activate dispensing of tobacco from the outlet of the tubular channel, and if the dispensing chute is not in the dispensing position to wait for further input before activating the dispensing of tobacco from the outlet. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising a second sensor positioned to sense presence of a cigarette casing on the outlet of the tubular channel, wherein the memory holds further instructions, that when executed by the processor, prevents dispensing of tobacco from the outlet until the presence of a cigarette casing is detected by the second sensor. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the memory holds further instructions, that when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to wait for user input after the second sensor detects that no casing is present on the outlet tube, and after receiving the user input, dispensing tobacco from the outlet if the second sensor detects the presence of a cigarette casing on the outlet. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for filling cigarette casings, comprising:
 a tobacco hopper configured for directing loose tobacco to a tubular channel coupled to the tobacco hopper, wherein the tubular channel has a receiving end configured for receiving shredded tobacco coupled via a tube to an outlet outside the tobacco hopper;   a sprocket array mounted in a pass-through between the hopper and a compaction chamber below the tobacco hopper, wherein the sprocket array comprises a plurality of sprockets spaced apart along a shaft, wherein each of the sprockets is characterized by teeth each having an arcuate concave forward profile and a rearward profile beveled towards its distal tip;   a motor coupled to the sprocket array, wherein the activation of the motor causes the sprocket array to rotate; and   a controller for controlling operation of the motor.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising a slotted plate mounted around the sprocket array having slots aligned parallel and adjacent to one or more corresponding sprockets of the sprocket array for tobacco to pass through into the compression chamber. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the slots are in the range of 3.5 to 6 mm wide. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the controller causes the sprocket array to reverse its rotation once substantially one rotation after rotating forwards substantially four rotations, repeatedly. 
     
     
         17 . A method for operating an apparatus for filling cigarette casings, the method comprising:
 detecting, by at least one processor of the apparatus and at least one first sensor, whether a dispensing chute for empty casings is in a dispensing position;   if the dispensing chute is in the dispensing position, activating, by the at least one processor, a dispensing mechanism for an empty casing, wherein the dispensing mechanism is configured to position the empty casing over an outlet of a tobacco dispensing mechanism; and   if the dispensing chute is not in the dispensing position, preventing by the at least one processor operation of the dispensing mechanism while waiting for user input.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising detecting, by the at least one processor of the apparatus and at least one second sensor, whether the empty casing is positioned over the outlet of the tobacco dispensing mechanism;
 if the empty casing is not positioned over the outlet of the tobacco dispensing mechanism, preventing by the at least one processor operation of the dispensing mechanism until presence of the empty casing over the outlet is detected by the second sensor.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a casing hopper, and activating the dispensing mechanism comprises activating, by the at least one processor, a motor coupled to an oscillation mechanism configured for oscillating a member positioned at a floor of the casing hopper for ensuring movement of empty casings towards the dispensing chute. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus for filling cigarette casings, comprising:
 a tobacco hopper configured for directing loose tobacco to a tubular channel coupled to the tobacco hopper, wherein the tubular channel has a receiving end configured for receiving shredded tobacco coupled via a tube to an outlet;   coupled to the tubular channel, a mechanism configured for cutting the shredded tobacco by a sliding cutter after the tobacco is received in the tubular channel, inserting a tobacco carrying spoon through the tube and into a cigarette casing coupled to the outlet, and retracting the tobacco carrying spoon; and   a motor coupled to the mechanism, wherein activation of the motor causes the cutting, inserting, and retracting by the mechanism until the motor is deactivated.   
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the mechanism comprises a frame plate, a drive pin rotating around an input shaft driven by the motor on a first side of the frame plate, the drive pin contained in a linear slot along a first leg of an L-shaped link, a second leg of the L-shaped link coupled to a linear cam connected to the tobacco carrying spoon via a slot in the frame plate, wherein rotation of the drive pin causes reciprocating motion of the linear cam along a first axis of motion, and the motion of the linear cam actuates a pivoting actuator that drives a sliding cutter driver coupled to the cutter along a second axis transverse to the first axis driving the cutting in coordination with the inserting and retracting. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the sliding cutter driver is coupled to the cutter by a channeled coupler on a second side of the frame plate, the channeled coupler coupled to a link at a proximal portion thereof and to a rotating arm coupled to an axle causing the proximal portion of the link to rotate back-and-forth around the axle, whereby a distal portion of the link coupled to the cutter causes the cutter to slide back-and-forth in a channel. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the mechanism is further configured for clamping the cigarette casing to the outlet prior to the inserting of the tobacco carrying spoon and unclamping the cigarette casing after the retracting of the tobacco carrying spoon. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the mechanism is further configured for clamping the cigarette casing to the outlet prior to the inserting of the tobacco carrying spoon and unclamping the cigarette casing after the retracting of the tobacco carrying spoon, and the mechanism further comprises a second pivoting link acted upon by the linear cam to actuate the clamping and unclamping in coordination with the inserting and retracting.