Device for removing stems in a cigarette making process and a method for removing the stems

A stem removal device for a cigarette making process, comprising a feeding unit (N1), a flexible air sorting unit (N2), a pure tobacco collection unit (N3), a tobacco conveying unit (N4), a coarse stem removal unit (N5) and a fine stem removal unit (N6), wherein:

• the tobacco feeding unit (N1) is in a center of the stem removal device, the flexible air sorting unit (N2) is on a first side of the stem removal device, the coarse stem removal unit (N5) is on a second side of the stem removal device, the fine stem removal unit (N6) is on a third side is of the stem removal device, and a tobacco-and-stem feed port of the tobacco conveying unit (N4) is on a fourth side of the stem removal device;
• the flexible air sorting unit (N2) comprises a rectangular box, the pure tobacco collection unit (N3) is below the rectangular box, and the tobacco conveying unit (N4) includes a tobacco blanking device (32) below or at a lower side of the rectangular box;
• and
• raw tobacco enters the tobacco feeding unit (N1), the flexible air sorting unit (N2), then pure tobacco is collected in the pure tobacco collection unit (N3);
• remaining tobacco with stems goes into the tobacco conveying unit (N4), then into the coarse stem removal unit (N5) and the fine stem removal unit (N6), then into the flexible air sorting unit (N2) and into the pure tobacco collection unit (N3), wherein:
• the feeding unit (N1) comprises a vibrating conveying feeding device (20) and a funnel feeding device (21) above the vibrating conveying feeding device;
• the vibrating conveying feeding device (20) extends obliquely to a flexible air separator (22);
• the tobacco feeding unit (N1) and the flexible air separator (22) have a connecting port (221) beside the flexible air sorting unit (N2);
• the flexible air sorting unit (N2) comprises the flexible air separator (22), a baffle (23), a dust removal device (24) and a vibrating conveying discharge device (27), wherein the baffle (23) is on a top wall in a middle of the flexible air separator (22) and above and to a side of the connection port (221);
• the dust removal device (24) is above the flexible air separator (22), and an exhaust air outlet (26) is in the flexible air separator (22) through an exhaust air pipe (25);
• the vibrating conveying discharge device (27) is between the pure tobacco collection unit (N3) and the tobacco conveying unit (N4), and is diagonally tilted, and has a first end adjacent to a pure tobacco discharge pipe (28) and a second end adjacent to the tobacco blanking device (32), and the pure tobacco collection unit (N3) is connected through a pure tobacco discharge air lock (29);
• the pure tobacco collection unit (N3) comprises a pure tobacco collection device (30), and the pure tobacco collection device (30) is connected to the pure tobacco discharge pipe (28) through the pure tobacco discharge gas lock (29);
• the tobacco conveying unit (N4) comprises a horizontal tobacco-and-stem conveying pipe (34);
• the tobacco-and-stem conveying pipe (34) is tubular, with an upper wall connected at one end with the tobacco blanking device (32) through a tobacco blanking air lock (33), and a port connected with a positive pressure air generating device for a pneumatic conveying inlet (31);
• the coarse stem removal unit (N5) comprises a vertically-configured air sorting device (4), a lifting tube (5) and a coarse stem collecting cylinder (3);
• the lifting tube (5) is hornshaped;
• the air sorting device (4) is cylindrical, and has an upper port which is connected with an opening of the lifting tube (5), and a lower port which is connected with the coarse stem collecting cylinder (3);
• the coarse stem collecting cylinder (3) is connected with the coarse stem collecting pipe (1) through the coarse stem collecting gas lock (2);
• the tobacco-and-stem conveying pipe (34) has a 90° upward bend, and a port which is connected to a side wall of the air sorting device (4);
• the fine stem removal unit (N6) comprises a horizontal pneumatic conveying square pipe (6), an image recognition system (7), a fine stem removal system (10), a fine stem collecting cylinder (14) and a cyclone separator (17);
• the horizontal pneumatic conveying square pipe (6) comprises a horizontally-configured transparent square tube;
• the image recognition system (7) comprises an image acquisition camera (8) and a light source (9);
• the fine stem removal system (10) comprises a compressed air spray pipe (11), a high-speed solenoid valve (12) and a detection and identification signal servo controller (13);
• the image recognition system (7) is upstream of the fine stem removal system (10), and the image recognition system (7) and the fine stem removal system (10) are above the horizontal pneumatic conveying square pipe (6);
• the fine stem collecting cylinder (14) is below the horizontal pneumatic conveying square pipe (6), and has an upper end which is connected with the horizontal pneumatic conveying square pipe (6) and a lower end which is successively connected with a fine stem discharge air lock (15) and a fine stem discharge pipe (16);
• the fine stem removal system (10) is opposite to an upper end of the fine stem collecting cylinder (14);
• the cyclone separator (17) is vertically configured, and has a lower port which is connected with the vibrating conveying feeding device (20) through a purified tobacco discharge gas lock (19) and an upper port which is connected with an exhaust pipe (18);
• the exhaust pipe (18) has a 180° bend, is connected to a wall between the connection port (221) and the tobacco blanking device (32), and has an outlet (181) facing upwardly;
• the horizontal pneumatic conveying square pipe (6) has a first port is connected with an upper port of the lifting tube (5), and a second port connected with a wall of the cyclone separator (17).