Apparatus for automatically grading leaf tobacco

Apparatus for separating and distributing a heterogeneous mass of tobacco leaf on an endless belt conveyor, said conveyor continuously moving in a linear direction in a given plane, comprising means located above said conveyor for directing a stream of said heterogeneous mass of tobacco in a vertical direction toward said conveyor and slide means comprising at least two stationary slide surfaces interposed between the means for directing the stream and conveyor, one of said slide surfaces fanning out from the other at an oblique angle, each of said slide surfaces intersecting a major portion of said vertical stream and extending in a plane oblique to the vertical direction of the stream of tobacco, the plane of the conveyor and the direction of travel to deflect respective portions of said mass of tobacco leaf at different times relative to each other and to cause said leaf to move sequentially onto different portions of said conveyor in paths oblique to the plane of said conveyor and transverse to its direction of movement.

Apparatus for depositing tobacco leaf in a grid-like pattern on a horizontal belt conveyor moving in a linear direction, comprising a housing located at the rear end of said conveyor and having a pair of parallel vertical side walls and front and rear walls arranged above said conveyor, supply means for supplying stream of tobacco to said housing to fall vertically within said walls, and a plurality of stationary inclined slides arranged between said front and rear walls, each of said slides being secured to one of said walls and extending beneath the falling stream of tobacco downwardly toward said conveyor in planes set at different angles to the vertical, and obliquely to the plane of said conveyor and to its direction of movement, the lower end of said slides being spaced from said conveyor, the angle of each of said slides relative to the vertical increasing respectively from said front to rear walls, said slides deflecting portions of said leaves at different times to cause said falling tobacco to move sequentially onto different areas of said conveyor.

Apparatus for separating wherein adjacent areas receive tobacco leaf pneumatically propelled over at least one of said areas, comprising a vertical wall having a upper edge extending between said areas, a curved plate having a smooth upper surface, balanced on the upper edge of said wall to pivot to either side thereof, the center of gravity of said plate being located below the upper edge of said wall to prevent said plate from falling off said edge due to impact of a leaf.

The system for grading tobacco leaf wherein said leaf is carried on a conveyor past a sensing station, sensing said leaf and pneumatically ejecting certain leaf responsive to said sensing from said conveyor into one of two receiving areas arranged adjacent each other in line with the direction of movement of said conveyor, said areas being separated by a wall having an edge extending the length of said areas and a tipple plate pivotably mounted on said edge having an axis containing the center of gravity thereof extending parallel to said edge and spaced below said edge coplanar with said wall.

In a system for grading tobacco leaf wherein said leaves are carried on a continuously movable horizontally endless belt past a sensing station, the method of delivering said leaves from a source to said belt comprising the steps of feeding said leaves in a random stream, separating said leaves from said stream and depositing said separating leaves by way of a defined path in a predefined pattern on said belt, covering said conveyor with a shield to form a continuous chamber for said leaves and selecting the speed by said belt and arranging the height of said shield to cooperate with said belt in providing a concurrent flow of air above said leaves to maintain said leaves on said belt in its predetermined pattern during the entire run of said conveyor.

Apparatus for conveying leaf tobacco comprising a substantially endless horizontal belt having a leaf-supporting run to which leaves are supplied, means for driving said conveyor to propel said leaf therealong, a shield arranged in spaced parallel relationship to said belt run to form a longitudinal passage open at its ends and in which an air pressure is formed above and below said leaves on movement of said conveyor, the air pressure above said leaf being greater than the air pressure between said leaves and said belt to force said leaves in contact with said belt.