CIGARETTE QUALITY CONTROL DEVICE

"Cigarette quality control device" The invention relates to the devices for any cigarette quality control to be effected at the hopper (1) for the cigarette feeding to a cigarette-packing machine. In its lower section, this hopper comprises a plurality of cigarette-guiding down channels (2) set side by side, which are adapted for containing each only one individual pile of cigarette (S) so as to allow them to slide downwards, and which are directed toward an underlying chamber within which a cigarette batch consisting of at least one layer of cigarettes set side by side will be formed. By a pusher member (7) or the like, this cigarette batch will be ejected therefrom at intervals, to be transferred to the cigarettepacking machine. Near each one of the said cigarette-guiding channels (2), cigarette-inspection sensor means are provided either on one or on both of the cigarette end sides, the said sensor means being responsive to the cigarette property to be checked and controlling cigarette ejection means which are adapted for ejecting and discarding any defective cigarette found out by the cigarette-inspection sensor means. In each one of the cigarette-guiding channels (2) there is provided, according to the invention, a rotary cigarettetransfer device (3) that separates the respective cigaretteguiding channel (2) into one upper section (12) and one lower section (22). The cigarette-inspection sensor means (18) are arranged in correspondence of the upper section (12) of the cigarette-guiding channels (2) and are associated with at least one cigarette position in this upper section (12) of said channels. Every rotary cigarette-transfer device is so constructed, and so operated by the respective cigarette inspection sensor or sensors (18), that it transfers every regular cigarette (S) from the upper section (12) to the lower section (22) of a cigarette-guiding channel (2), whereas it moves any defective cigarette (S1) into an intermediate position where the cigarette-ejection means are provided. TEXT OF THE SPECIFICATION The invention relates to the devices for any cigarette quality control to be effected at the hopper for the cigarette feeding to a cigarette-packing machine, the said hopper comprising in its lower section a set of cigaretteguiding down channels set side by side, which are adapted for containing each only one individual pile of cigarettes, so as to allow them to slide downward, and which are directed toward an underlying chamber within which