Apparatus for transporting sections of filter rods

摘要

Apparatus for conveying filter rod sections from storage or from a maker to a reservoir or to a filter tipping machine for cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry has a first conveyor which advances the filter rod sections lengthwise, a second conveyor which advances the sections sideways, and a unit which transfers successive sections of a series of sections delivered by the first conveyor to the second conveyor. The advancement of sections by the first conveyor is interrupted if the spacing between successive sections in the first conveyor is less than required for disturbance-free transfer of sections from the first conveyor into the second conveyor. One or more sensors are provided to minitor the movements of sections at the transfer unit and to generate signals which are utilized to remove sections from the transfer unit when the pattern of movement of sections from the first conveyor to the second conveyor departs from a desired pattern.