Method of detecting and rejecting faulty cigarettes

Abstract

A method relates to a production line where cigarettes are arranged in horizontal layers within approximately vertical channel (3) of packing machine feeding system, the width of which is slightly bigger then the cigarette diameter. The cigarettes are moved gravitationally toward the bottom plate (6) tram which they are transferred to the packing machine, whereas faulty cigarettes are detected with sensors (9, 11) defining their defects, and the faulty cigarettes are rejected by a rejecting device (14). According to the present invention, when the cigarette layer is stopped in the channels, which takes place between consecutive cycles of transferring cigarettes tram the bottom plate to the packing machine, the cigarettes are inspected in all channels of the feeding system with use of movable sensors (9, 11) moving with reciprocating movement along a determined trajectory (7), whereas the movable sensors are coupled with the rejecting device (14) and detection and rejection of faulty cigarettes take place along the same trajectory along which the movable sensors are movable.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.