Hauni Maschinenbau Ag

Siegfried Hapke

Dierk Schroder

Dierk Schröder

Dirk Sacher

Peter Straube

Gunter Jurgens

Uwe Westphal

Hans-Henning Kock

Ingo Drews

The invention relates to a method of and to an apparatus for ascertaining the transverse dimensions, such as diameters, of one or more rod-shaped articles, for example, continuous or finite-length cigarette rods and/or other rod-shaped smokers' products. When the method and/or the apparatus is utilized to ascertain the transverse dimensions of a single rod-shaped article, such as a continuous cigarette rod-which is stationary, which turns about its longitudinal axis and/or which is moved lengthwise, the apparatus can employ at least one radiation source which emits a beam of radiation against the stationary or moving article whereby the article intercepts a first portion of the beam and permits the remaining portion to impinge upon a device which evaluates the non-intercepted portion of the beam and generates signals denoting the diameter of the article. The apparatus also employs an arrangement, such as a motor and a belt-and-pulley device, for selectively altering the orientation of the beam and the article relative to each other; this enables the evaluating device to furnish signals which can be processed to indicate whether or not the article is round or out of round.

Method of and apparatus for ascertaining the transverse dimensions of rod-shaped articles

The diameters of successive rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry are ascertained while the articles advance sideways at the periphery of a rotary drum-shaped conveyor and are rotated about their longitudinal axes as a result of frictional engagement with a rolling member which is adjacent the periphery of the conveyor. Successive articles which are being rotated by the rolling member are caused to interrupt a beam of radiation issuing from a laser, either once or more than once, and the amounts of intercepted radiation are indicative of the diameters of the respective articles. Such amounts of intercepted radiation are monitored by a video camera which generates electric signals, and the electric signals are processed into second signals denoting the diameters of discrete successively tested articles and/or the average diameters of series of two or more successively tested articles.

Method of and apparatus for measuring the diameters of rod-shaped

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Geesthacht, Germany

Siegfried Hapke