EP0213081A1 - Cigarette filter unit - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to obtain, during the smoking of a cigarette, each time the smoker draws, an amount of condensate which is more constant or is even less than heretofore, there is provided a cigarette filter unit having at least one membrane in the form of a screen positioned across the smoke-gas flow paths, the unit acting, while the cigarette is being smoked, as an internal bypass element. To this end, the spatial distribution of the openings in the membrane, and the cross sectional areas thereof, are accurately determined as to the size and shape. The thickness of the membrane is between 10 and 150 mu m, the number of openings therein is between 500 and 25,000, and the cross sectional area of the openings is between 80 and 3,000 mu m2. Furthermore, an additional element providing at least one flow aperture whose cross section is at least 10 times larger than that of the largest opening in the membrane and/or the ventilating openings, is provided after the membrane, as seen in the direction of flow, extending between the interior and the exterior of the filter unit.

Description

The invention relates to a cigarette filter unit.

When smoking a cigarette provided without a cigarette filter, with or without ventilation, and / or with a conventional cigarette filter, the condensate content during the smoking thereof increases relatively strongly in the smoke flowing into the mouth of the smoker through the suction-side cigarette end, which is undesirable.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette filter unit which, in combination with a tobacco part attached to it, does not have these disadvantages or only has them to a much lesser extent when the latter is smoked, i.e. with the aid of which a more constant or even decreasing amount of condensate per train of the smoker the filter cigarette is reached.

To achieve this object, the cigarette filter unit is designed according to the invention in such a way that it has at least one sieve-shaped membrane arranged in a smoke gas flow cross-section, the spatial distribution of the membrane openings and their cross-sectional areas in size and shape being precisely determined so that the thickness of the membrane in one Range of 10 to 150 µm, the number of openings provided in the membrane in a range of 500 to 25,000, and the cross-sectional area of these openings in a range of 80 to 3000 pm ² , and that a further flue gas flow cross-section with at least at least one through-flow opening (6), the cross-section of which is at least 10 times larger than the cross-section of the largest membrane opening, and / or seen in the through-flow direction after the membrane, ventilation openings extending between the inside and the outside of the filter unit.

It is expedient if the thickness of the membrane is in the range from 30 to 100 μm and the cross-sectional area of the individual sieve-like openings of the membrane is in a range from 100 to 2500 μm ² , preferably in a range from 100 to 1800 μm ² .

Since the materials from which the membrane can be produced must comply with the laws applicable to the tobacco industry, it is advantageous if the membrane consists of natural textile and / or synthetic fibers, or of a perforated film.

To achieve the highest possible amount of condensate per train of the smoker, it is expedient if the ventilation openings are provided in such a number and with such a cross-section that an initial dilution with ventilation air is in a range from 30 to 70%, preferably in a range from 45 to 55%.

In order to achieve smoking properties that are pleasant for the smoker of a cigarette provided with the cigarette filter unit according to the invention, it is also advantageous if the number of passage openings provided in the membrane and the cross-sectional areas thereof are coordinated with one another in such a way that when extracting an air volume of 17.5 ml / s from the suction-side end of the filter unit, the latter causes a pressure drop in the range from 25 to 150 mm WS.

In order to avoid excessive variations in the filtering characteristic values, it is expedient if the distance between individual openings of the membrane and the size of the cross-sectional areas of these openings deviate less than 10% from the specified value.

In order to achieve special filter characteristics, it can be advantageous if the membrane has passage openings of different cross-sectional areas with a precisely defined size after a precisely predetermined distribution.

It may be expedient that the inner cross section of the filter unit is provided at the location of the membrane with the exception of the latter with a partition and carrier intermediate wall connected to the latter and consisting of at least approximately gas-impermeable material.

To achieve a bypass flow, it is expedient if the partition and support wall and / or the membrane are provided with one or more overflow openings, the individual cross-sectional areas of which are larger than lo4pm2.

It can also be advantageous if the membrane is arranged in the flow cross-section of a tube consisting of at least approximately gas-impermeable material and the remaining cross-section between the outside of the tube and the outside of the filter unit is filled with tobacco smoke filtering material over at least part of the tube length. It is expedient if the tube used to form two separate flow channels is filled with granular and / or fibrous filter material at least over part of its length.

It can also be expedient if, viewed in the flow direction, a filter element which changes the composition of the tobacco smoke is arranged in the flow cross-section of the filter unit before and / or after the membrane.

• Fig.l schematisch im Längsschnitt eine erste beispielsweise Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemässen, an einem Tabakteil befestigten Zigarettenfiltereinheit;
• Fig.2 schematisch im Längsschnitt eine zweite beispielsweise Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemässen, an einem Tabakteil befestigten Zigarettenfiltereinheit;
• Fig.3 schematisch im Längsschnitt eine dritte beispielsweise Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemässen, an einem Tabakteil befestigten Zigarettenfiltereinheit;
• Fig.4 schematisch im Längsschnitt eine vierte beispielsweise Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemässen, an einem Tabakteil befestigten Zigarettenfiltereinheit;
• Fig.5 schematisch im Längsschnitt eine fünfte beispielsweise Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemässen, an einem Tabakteil befestigten Zigarettenfiltereinheit;
• Fig.6 schematisch im Längsschnitt eine weitere beispielsweise Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemässen, an einem Tabakteil befestigten Zigarettenfiltereinheit;
• Fig.7 anhand eines Diagramms die Kondensatmenge C pro Zug B bei einer Anordnung gemäss Fig. 1;
• Fig.8 anhand eines Diagramms den dem in Fig.7 dargestellten Diagramm zugeordneten Druckabfall P in mm WS; und
• Fig.9 und 10 mögliche Verläufe der Kondensatmenge C pro Zug B bei Verwendung von weiteren möglichen Ausführungsformen von erfindungsgemässen Zigarettenfiltereinheiten; und
• Fig.11,12 und 13 verschiedene mögliche Membranstrukturen.

The invention is explained below with reference to the drawing, for example. It shows

• Fig.l schematically in longitudinal section a first example embodiment of an inventive cigarette filter unit attached to a tobacco part;
• 2 shows schematically in longitudinal section a second exemplary embodiment of an inventive cigarette filter unit fastened to a tobacco part;
• 3 schematically, in longitudinal section, a third exemplary embodiment of an inventive cigarette filter unit fastened to a tobacco part;
• 4 schematically, in longitudinal section, a fourth exemplary embodiment of an inventive cigarette filter unit fastened to a tobacco part;
• 5 shows schematically in longitudinal section a fifth exemplary embodiment of an inventive cigarette filter unit fastened to a tobacco part;
• 6 shows schematically in longitudinal section a further exemplary embodiment of an inventive cigarette filter unit fastened to a tobacco part;
• 7 is a diagram of the amount of condensate C per train B in an arrangement according to FIG. 1;
• 8 shows, using a diagram, the pressure drop P in mm WS associated with the diagram shown in FIG. 7; and
• 9 and 10 possible courses of the amount of condensate C per train B when using further possible embodiments of cigarette filter units according to the invention; and
• Fig. 11, 12 and 13 different possible membrane structures.

In all the exemplary embodiments described below, parts that are analogous to one another are provided with the same reference symbols, so that a multiple description of the same parts is unnecessary.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the cigarette filter unit 2, which is shown very schematically there and is attached in the usual way to a tobacco part 1 by means of a so-called tipping paper, has a sieve-shaped membrane 3 arranged in its flue gas flow cross section. In the case of this membrane 3, the spatial distribution of the membrane openings over the entire membrane surface and the cross-sectional areas of the membrane openings in size and shape are precisely known in order to achieve precisely reproducible usage behavior, and it consists of one made of synthetic fibers, e.g. Polymer fibers, manufactured fabrics.

The membrane 3 arranged in the filter unit 2 is not intended to filter aerosols out of a flue gas stream flowing through them. The filtering capacity of the membrane 3 for the particular phase of the flue gas stream flowing through is measurable, but in practice it is very small and negligible.

The membrane 3 is therefore not intended to serve as a filter element, but rather as a switching element. For this purpose, the thickness of the membrane 3 must be very small, so that the latter causes a relatively small initial flow resistance. The effect of the membrane 3 in the filter unit 2 is such that when a flue gas aerosol flows through the membrane 3, a very small proportion of the aerosol particles adhere to the membrane 3, but this proportion is sufficiently large to reduce the free cross sections of the membrane openings and thereby cause a sharp increase in the flow resistance caused by the membrane 3 loaded in this way. For this purpose, the thickness of the membrane 3 is in a range from 30 to 100 pm, the number of membrane openings in a range from 500 to 25,000, and the cross section of the individual membrane openings in a range from 100 to 2500 pm2.

In order to be sure that in the large-scale production of such cigarette filter units 2, exactly reproducible characteristic values of the latter are achieved, the membrane 3 must not consist of a material in which the spatial distribution of the flue gas through openings as well as their cross sections and cross-sectional shapes is random.

For this purpose, it has proven expedient if the distance between the individual openings of the membrane 3 and the size of the cross-sectional areas of these openings deviate less than 10% from the specified value.

As can also be seen from FIG. 1, ventilation openings 4 extending between the inside and the outside of the filter unit 2 are provided after the membrane 3 as seen in the flow direction through the filter unit 2. The latter are in such a number and with such Cross sections provided that, for example, an initial dilution of the tobacco smoke extracted from the tobacco part 1 of 50% is achieved.

The inner cross section of the filter unit 2 is provided at the location of the membrane 3 except for the latter with a partition and support intermediate wall 5 connected to it and made of at least approximately gas-impermeable material.

If a cigarette provided with such a cigarette end piece 2 as shown in FIG. 1 is smoked, then the tobacco smoke stream flows through the latter with a relatively small initial pressure drop of, for example, 30 mm WS caused by the membrane 3 when the smoker first pulls this ignited cigarette , wherein tobacco smoke aerosol particles adhere to the membrane 3 and increasingly reduce the free cross-section of the individual membrane openings with every train on the suction side of the filter unit 2 and thus increase the pressure drop caused by the membrane 3, so that over the period of smoking of the tobacco part 1 seen with increasing blockage of the membrane 3 by smoke aerosol particles, more and more air is added to the smoke sucked in by the smoker via the ventilation openings 4. It is thereby achieved that the increasing concentration of the tobacco smoke flowing into the filter unit 2 increases after the membrane 3 in the filter unit 2 is again increasingly diluted with air, and thus the concentration of the smoke sucked in during the successive puffs of the smoker in contrast to earlier can be kept constant within relatively narrow limits, and the aroma of the tobacco smoke sucked in by the smoker remains practically unchanged over the entire smoking time of the tobacco part 1.

FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of an inventive cigarette filter unit 2 'which is attached to a tobacco part 1.

In this exemplary embodiment, in contrast to FIG. 1, the partition and support partition 5 is provided with a plurality of overflow openings 6 in order to achieve flue gas diversion, the cross sections of which are, however, much larger than those of the membrane openings, for example at least ten times larger. Such a design allows the flow of flue gas to be maintained even when the membrane 3 is almost or completely blocked, and limits the maximum possible suction resistance in use to a relatively precisely predeterminable value.

Otherwise, the mode of operation of the filter unit 2 ′ shown in FIG. 2 with respect to the dilution of the tobacco smoke flowing through is analogous to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, in contrast to the example shown in FIG. 2, the overflow openings are provided in the latter instead of in the partition and support wall 5 holding the membrane 3 by additional perforation 6 ′ in the latter.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, to achieve two separate internal flow channels 10 and 11, the membrane 3 is arranged in the flow cross-section of a tube 7 made of practically gas-impermeable material and the remaining cross-section forming the second flow channel 11 between the outside of the tube 7 and the inside of the outer casing the filter unit (2 "') with the filter material 9 filtering through tobacco smoke.

In this embodiment, the tobacco smoke initially passes unfiltered through the first flow channel 10 and through the membrane 3 into the smoker's mouth.

With increasing smoke time, the flow resistance of the membrane 3 increases, as already described above, and the increasingly concentrated tobacco smoke flowing out of the tobacco part 1 is thereby increasingly conducted via the second flow channel 11 through the filter material 9 filtering through the tobacco smoke, so that also by means of a such design of the filter unit 2 ″, the concentration of the various smoke gas components and thus the smell felt by the smoker can be kept relatively constant over the entire smoking period of the tobacco part 1 without the suction resistance determined by the smoker during smoking changing significantly or in an unpleasant manner.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, in contrast to the example shown in FIG. 4, the interior of the tube 7 forming the first flow channel 10 is filled with a granular filter material 12, which can also be loaded with an aroma, and on the outside of the tube 7, arranged in the second flow channel 11 in the chamber filter 9 ', in which an annular chamber 16 for receiving a free-flowing filter and / or aromatic carrier material is formed between an annular cellulose and an annular acetate plug.

The with increasing smoking of the tobacco part 1 by the Diaphragm 3 causes increasing flow diversion through the second flow channel 11 is analogous to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.

With such a filter unit, it is possible to filter the tobacco smoke flowing through in a very differentiated manner over the entire smoking period and / or to enrich it with aroma, since tobacco smoke flows through practically only the first flow channel 10 and then increasingly the second flow channel 11.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6, in contrast to the example shown in FIG. 1, a cellulose or an acetate filter plug 13 or 14 is arranged in front of and after the membrane 3 in the flow cross section of the filter unit 2 "" analogous to a conventional dual filter.

With increasing smoking of the tobacco part 1 and increasing increase in the flow resistance caused by the increasingly clogging membrane 3, the smoker increasingly draws in the ventilation air diluting the sucked tobacco smoke via the ventilation openings 4, which passes through channels 15 into the smoker's mouth.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the amount of condensate C per train B of a smoker (FIG. 7) and the associated pressure drop P when smoking a filter cigarette according to FIG. 1. The membrane 3 used had 990 openings, the cross section of the individual membrane openings was 1680 pm ² , and the initial degree of dilution of the unlit cigarette was 50%.

As can be seen from FIG. 7, the amount of condensate sucked in by the smoker per train on the suction side of the filter unit 2 fluctuates from the first to the last train within only relatively narrow limits, and also the change in the pressure drop determined by the smoker (see FIG .8) is relatively modest.

As can be seen from FIGS. 9 and 10, in complete contrast to the cigarettes previously on the market, it is also possible to produce such a cigarette end piece according to the invention, with the aid of which a smoking characteristic can be achieved, according to which after an initial increase in the condensate content / draft it decreases with increasing smoking of the cigarette (Fig. 9) or decreases and then remains approximately constant (Fig. 10).

In principle, different membrane sieves are shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13.

In the membrane sieve shown in FIG. 11, the geometric distribution of the passage openings and their cross sections are completely uniform.

In the membrane sieves shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the geometric distribution of the passage openings and their cross sections varies, but not by chance, but according to a precisely predetermined distribution arrangement.

Of course, other designs of mesh screens are also conceivable.

Claims (12)

1. cigarette filter unit, characterized in that it has at least one sieve-shaped membrane (3) arranged in a flue gas flow cross-section, the spatial distribution of the membrane openings and their cross-sectional areas in size and shape being precisely determined so that the thickness of the membrane (3) in one Range from 10 to 150 pm, the number of openings provided in the membrane (3) in a range from 500 to 25,000, and the cross-sectional area of these openings in a range from 80 to 3000 µm ² each, and that a further flue gas flow cross section with at least one flow opening (6), the cross section of which is at least 10 times larger than the cross section of the largest membrane opening and / or seen in the flow direction after the membrane, ventilation openings (4) extending between the inside and the outside of the filter unit. 2. Filter unit according to claim 1, characterized in that _' the thickness of the membrane (3) in the range of 30 to 100 microns and the cross-sectional area of the individual, sieve openings of the membrane provided in a manner in a range from 100 to 2500 pm ² , preferably in a range from 100 to 1800 pm ² . 3. Filter unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the membrane (3) consists of natural textile and / or synthetic fibers, preferably in the form of a fabric, or of a perforated film. 4. Filter unit according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the ventilation openings (4) are provided in such a number and with such a cross section that an initial dilution with ventilation air in a range of 30 to 70%, preferably in a range of 45 to 55%. 5. Filter unit according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the number of passage openings provided in the membrane (3) and the cross-sectional areas thereof are coordinated with one another in such a way that when an air quantity of 17.5 ml / s is drawn off from the suction-side end the latter causes a pressure drop in the range of 25 to 150 mm WS. 6. Filter unit according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the distance between individual openings of the membrane (3) and the size of the cross-sectional areas of these openings deviates less than 10% from the predetermined value. 7. Filter unit according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the membrane (3) has, after a precisely predetermined distribution, passage openings of different cross-sectional areas precisely defined in size. 8. Filter unit according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that its internal cross-section at the location of the membrane (3) is provided except for the latter with an associated with this, consisting of at least approximately gas-impermeable material partition and support partition (5) . 9. Filter unit according to claim 8, characterized in that the partition and support wall (5) and / or the membrane (3) is provided with one or more overflow openings (6), the individual cross-sectional areas are larger than 10 ⁴ pm ² . 10. Filter unit according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the membrane (3) in the flow cross-section of a tube consisting of at least approximately gas-impermeable material (7) and the remaining cross-section between the outside of the tube (7) and the outside ( 8) the filter unit (2 "') is filled with tobacco smoke filtering material (9) over at least part of the tube length. 11. Filter unit according to claim 10, characterized in that the tube (7) serving to form two separate flow channels (10, 11) is provided with at least part of its length inside granular and / or fibrous filter material (12) is filled. 12. Filter unit according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that seen in the flow direction before and / or after the membrane (3) in the flow cross-section of the filter unit (2 "") a filter element (13, 14) changing the composition of tobacco smoke. is arranged.

Images