Apparatus for testing cigarettes and separating out defective cigarettes

US4938237A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Focke & Co. · DE

Inventors

• Heinz Focke · Verden, DE
• Josef Schulte · Aschendorf, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 25, 1988
• Grant date: Jul 3, 1990
• Expiry date: Aug 25, 2008

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S131/908
• WIPO field: Handling
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

For the testing of cigarettes (11, 11a, 11b) within a cigarette magazine (10), there is a test unit (21) which is arranged at a distance above magazine shafts (17) or a cigarette store (14) for these. In the test unit (21), the cigarettes run in vertical cigarette rows (24) through a number of test shafts (22) arranged next to one another. Within these, individual cigarettes (11a) are fixed by clamping in the region of a clamping plane (37) temporarily, in particular at least for the duration of a test cycle. The cigarettes are tested in the region of a test plane (28) at a distance above the clamping plane (37). The cigarette row (24) is temporarily supported at the bottom, on the outlet side of the test unit (21) by carrying webs (39) or carring fingers (46). During the clamping of cigarettes (11a) in the region of the clamping plane (37), the test shafts (22) are opened at the bottom, so that the tested cigarettes can be fed to the cigarette store (14) as a result of their own weight.