EP0370231B1 - Dispositif optique pour vérifier l'extrémité des cigarettes - Google Patents

Dispositif optique pour vérifier l'extrémité des cigarettes Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0370231B1
EP0370231B1 EP89119339A EP89119339A EP0370231B1 EP 0370231 B1 EP0370231 B1 EP 0370231B1 EP 89119339 A EP89119339 A EP 89119339A EP 89119339 A EP89119339 A EP 89119339A EP 0370231 B1 EP0370231 B1 EP 0370231B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
cigarette
scanning beam
sensor
measurement
tip
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP89119339A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP0370231A1 (fr
Inventor
Riccardo Senesi
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SASIB SpA
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SASIB SpA
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Publication date
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Publication of EP0370231A1 publication Critical patent/EP0370231A1/fr
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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/32—Separating, ordering, counting or examining cigarettes; Regulating the feeding of tobacco according to rod or cigarette condition
    • A24C5/34—Examining cigarettes or the rod, e.g. for regulating the feeding of tobacco; Removing defective cigarettes
    • A24C5/3412—Examining cigarettes or the rod, e.g. for regulating the feeding of tobacco; Removing defective cigarettes by means of light, radiation or electrostatic fields

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an optical device for checking the cigarette tips as described in the preamble of the claim 1.
  • a device of this kind is disclosed in GB A 2 141 229.
  • Said known device comprises conveyor means causing the cigarettes to pass after each other transversely to their longitudinal axes in front of a stationary measurement head for the fill-up degree of cigarette tips.
  • the measurement head is provided with means to generate a scanning beam directed against the frontal surface of the tip of cigarettes and with a sensor for detecting the scanning beam reflected by the frontal surface of the tip.
  • the sensor is sensitive to the intensity of the reflected scanning beam and is connected to a processing device capable of converting the measurement values of said sensor into "fill-up degree values" of the cigarette tip.
  • the scanning beam and the reflected one travel freely through air respectively from the scanning beam generating means to the frontal surface of the cigarette tip and from said frontal surface to the sensor.
  • a discarding device for the defective cigarettes is also provided, being under control of said processing device.
  • the scanning beam can consitute a solid cylinder having a cross-sectional area which exceeds the cross sectional area of the cigarette and which is oriented axially against one end face of the cigarette, so that the letter intercepts the central portion of the solid cylinder and permits a hollow cylindrical portion of radiation to propagate itself along the exterior of the cigarette.
  • the solid cylindrical beam may be splitted into several smaller beams.
  • the hollow cylindrical portion of the beam is used for monitoring the exterior defects along the longitudinal extension of the cigarettes.
  • the intercepted core or central region of the scanning beam is used for monitoring the cigarette tip, paricularly the presence or absence of a filter.
  • a sole sensor detectes at one time the radiation of the core of the cylindrical beam or of the corresponding smaller beam reflected from the frontal surface of the cigarette tip.
  • a device according to the preamble of claim 1 is also known from the document US-A-381 2349, in which the tips of the cigarettes are examinated with a laser scanning beam which is concentrated on a point of the frontal surface of the cigarette tip with a very small area relatively to said frontal surface.
  • the slit-shapened aperture is surrounded by a surface which contacts the ends of the cigarettes during testing of the respective ends to ensure that such cigarette ends are located at an optimum distance from the ends of the first and second bundles in the aperture.
  • the ends of the first and second bundles at the slit-shapened aperture are uniformly distributed so as to ensure that the radiation is directed against each portion of an end of cigarette advancing past the testing station and that reflected radiation is indicative of the characteristics of all portions of the tested end face of the cigarette advancing past the diaphragm.
  • the evaluating circuit integrates all this signals and the integrated signals are representative of the average conditions of the entire cross section of each tested cigarette end.
  • the object of the invention is to provide an optical device for checking the cigarette tips, of the type described in the preamble of claim 1 which has a simple, inexpensive and extremely efficent construction and provides quite reliable measurement values for discriminating the defective cigarettes from the normal ones avoiding the evaluation errors caused by the additional dependence of the measurement values from the distance of the cigarettes from the measurement head as well as from variations in the color of tobacco, this all without providing further measurements or position controlling elements expecially the ones which are at direct contact with the cigarettes.
  • the invention achieves the aforementioned object by means of an optical cecking device of the type described in the preamble of claim 1 which shows the combination of features of the characterizing part of claim 1.
  • the measurement values on the cigarette tips are mere distance-values of single points of the cecked frontal surface of the cigarette tips along the path of travel of the scanning beam, the intensity of the reflected scanning beam depending upon the distance between the point of incidence of the scanning beam on said surface and the measurement head.
  • the invention relates, additionally, to further characteristics which improve further said optical device for checking the cigarette tips, and which are the subject of the other sub-claims.
  • the device of Figure 1 comprises a measurement head indicated generally at 1, in front of which are passed the cigarettes 2 being transported transversely to their longitudinal axes by an associated conveyor device (not shown).
  • the conveyor device may be of any type and, particularly, it may be constituted by the drum of a device for the application of a filter-tip to the cigarettes.
  • the measurement head comprises a casing 3 which accommodates a source 4 which generates a scanning beam 5, and a sensor 6 for detecting the reflected scanning beam 5′.
  • the source 4 which generates the scanning beam 5 is oriented so that said beam 5 is aligned substantially parallelly to the longitudinal axis of a cigarette 2 and impinges against the face of the tip of the cigarette 2, that is directed towards the head, while said beam is focussed at the face of the tip of the cigarette 2 by means of a focussing lens 7.
  • the source 4 of the scanning beam may be any suitable source for generating a concentrated light beam, for example, a laser beam or a simple beam of light.
  • the invention uses a source generating a laser beam whose frequency is comprised in the infrared spectrum.
  • the sensor 6 is constituted by any type of photo-electric sensor suitable for the type of source being used and is so oriented as to detect a reflected scanning beam 5′ which is at an angle to the incident scanning beam 5, said reflected beam being focussed on the surface of the detecting sensor 6 by means of a lens 8.
  • the analog electric signal generated by the detecting sensor 6 is fed to an electronic processing circuit indicated generally at 9.
  • the processing device 9 is formed by a micro-processor 10.
  • the detecting sensor 6 is connected to an inlet 110 of the micro-processor 10 through an operational amplifier 11 and a successive analog/digital converter 12, while an additional inlet 210 of the micro-processor 10 has connected thereto a device for entering the gate-value 13, for example a device which is known as digit-switch.
  • the microprocessor 10 and the analog/digital converter 12 have connected thereto a device for synchronizing the inflow of the measured signals, indicated generally at 14.
  • This device comprises a tachometer generator 15 which is connected to the inlet of a voltage/frequency converter 16 through an operational amplifier 17.
  • the microprocessor 10 has connected to the outlet thereof a rejection circuit 18 which controls a solenoid valve 19 of the device for discarding the defective cigarettes (not shown in detail).
  • the scanning beam 5 When a cigarette 2 is passed in front of the measurement head 1, the scanning beam 5 impinges against the face of a cigarette tip and the reflected scanning beam 5′ is detected by the sensor 6 wherein it generates an electric analog signal.
  • This analog signal is transmitted through the operational amplifier 11 to the analog/digital converter 12 to be transmitted as a digital signal to the microprocessor 10.
  • the conversion of the analog signal into a digital signal through the analog/digital converter 12 is controlled by the inflow-synchronizing device 14 for the measured values.
  • the conversion of the analog signal is effected only when the voltage/frequency converter 16 emits an activating signal to the analog/digital converter.
  • the tachometer generator 15 which controls the voltage/frequency converter, the conversion frequency of the analog to digital signals, effected by the converter 12, and therefore the flow of measurement signals to the microprocessor 10, are rendered linearly dependent on the cigarette production rate and, therefore, on their speed of travel in front of the measurement head 1.
  • the number of measurement points i.e. the number of measurement values along the travel of the scanning beam 5 over the front face of a cigarette tip, are rendered constant and independent of the cigarette production rate.
  • the device 14 for synchronizing the flow of measurement values should be regulated, advantageously, so as to obtain, preferably, 60 to 80 and particularly 70, analogic/digital conversions (i.e. measurement points) each cigarette.
  • the microprocessor 10 will store in a programmable memory, for example, a R.A.M. (random access memory) or the like, the measurement signals which have been converted into digital signals. Thereafter, these stored signals will be processed, determining the maximum measurement value and subtracting from this maximum measurement value the values of the individual measurements.
  • a programmable memory for example, a R.A.M. (random access memory) or the like.
  • the measurement signals of the intensity of the reflected beam 5′ are converted into signals each of which indicates the degree of filling up of a cigarette with respect to the edge of the cigarette tip that is directed towards the measurement head, at the point of the tip's face of the cigarette filling up that is associated with said signal and with respect to a point of the cigarette tip's face having a maximum fill-up degree.
  • the measurement signals thus obtained are independent of the distance of each cigarette from the measurement head, so that the measurement values thus obtained for each cigarette may be compared by the microprocessor 10, with no possibility of errors, with the entered gate-value. If a series of measurement values concerning one cigarette exhibit more than four values which exceed the gate-value, the microprocessor will consider this cigarette as defective and emits a signal to activate the solenoid valve 19 of the discarding device, whereby said cigarette will be rejected.
  • the measurement values obtained by means of said device not only may be rendered independent of the distance of the cigarettes from the measurement head, but they are also independent of changes in the color-shades of tobacco, by virtue of the fact that the measurement is not referred to the brightness of said signal, but it is a distance measurement proper which can be carried out very rapidly, reducing the possibility of errors to negligible levels.
  • Figures 2 to 4 show graphical depictions of measurements concerning the filling up of the tips of three different cigarettes.
  • the ordinate A of each diagram indicates the value of the measurement signal
  • the abscissa B indicates the sequential number of the respective measurement along the path of travel of the scanning beam impinging the front face of the cigarette tip.
  • the depicted curve therefore, shows graphically the degree of fill-up at the various scanned spots.
  • the cigarette concerned in the measurements of Figures 2 and 3 are cigarettes with defective fill-up, shown by the valleys in the respective diagram at the regions indicated generally by the arrow R1 and by the arrows R2 and R2′, whilst the cigarette concerned in the measurement of Figure 4 is a normally filled up cigarette.
  • the source 4 of the scanning beam could generate a beam of micro-waves or ultrasonic waves to be focussed at the cigarette tip's face, in combination with a corresponding sensor to detect the reflected beam.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Toxicology (AREA)
  • Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)
  • Length Measuring Devices By Optical Means (AREA)

Claims (8)

  1. Un dispositif pour contrôler les bouts de cigarettes comprenant :
    a) une tête de mesure fixe (1) destinée à mesurer le degré de remplissage de bouts de cigarettes ;
    b) des moyens convoyeurs qui font passer les cigarettes (2) les unes après les autres devant la tête de mesure (1), transversalement à leurs axes longitudinaux, avec les bouts de cigarettes à contrôler faisant face à la tête (1);
    c) la tête de mesure (1) étant munie de moyens (4) destinés à produire un faisceau de balayage (5) dirigé contre la surface frontale du bout des cigarettes (2), et d'un capteur (6) pour détecter le faisceau de balayage (5') qui est réfléchi par la surface frontale du bout, ce capteur (6) étant sensible à l'intensité du faisceau de balayage réfléchi (5');
    d) un dispositif de traitement (9) connecté à la sortie du capteur (6) et capable de convertir les valeurs de mesure du capteur (6) en valeurs de niveau de remplissage du bout de cigarette ;
    e) un dispositif de rejet (18, 19) pour les cigarettes défectueuses, sous la commande du dispositif de traitement (9) ;
    f) le faisceau de balayage (5) et le faisceau de balayage réfléchi (5') se propageant librement dans l'air respectivement depuis les moyens de génération de faisceau de balayage (4) jusqu'à la surface frontale du bout de cigarette, et depuis la surface frontale du bout de cigarette jusqu'au capteur (6),
       caractérisé par
    g) le fait que des moyens sont incorporés pour concentrer le faisceau de balayage (5) sur un point de la surface frontale du bout de cigarette, avec une aire très petite par rapport à celle de la surface frontale, d'une manière telle que chaque valeur de mesure du capteur (6) concerne le niveau de remplissage avec du tabac à un point discret, et
    h) le fait que des moyens sont incorporés pour accomplir la mesure précitée à une succession de points le long du chemin de déplacement du faisceau de balayage (5) sur la surface frontale du bout de cigarette.
  2. Un dispositif selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que la sortie du capteur (6) est connectée au dispositif de traitement (9) par l'intermédiaire d'un dispositif de commande de cadence d'entrée (12) des signaux de mesure du capteur (6), qui est destiné à interrompre et à permettre alternativement la transmission des signaux de mesure du capteur (6) vers le dispositif de traitement (9), sous la commande d'un dispositif de synchronisation d'entrée (14) qui est destiné à synchroniser la cadence d'entrée des signaux de mesure avec la cadence de fabrication des cigarettes (2), c'est-à-dire avec leur vitesse de déplacement devant la tête de mesure (1).
  3. Un dispositif selon la revendication 2, caractérisé en ce que le dispositif de synchronisation d'entrée (14) comprend une génératrice tachymétrique (15) connectée par l'intermédiaire d'un amplificateur opérationnel (17) à un convertisseur tension/fréquence (16) qui attaque le dispositif de commande de cadence d'entrée (12).
  4. Un dispositif selon la revendication 2 ou 3, caractérisé en ce que le dispositif de commande de cadence d'entrée (12) est un convertisseur analogique/numérique dont l'entrée de commande de conversion est connectée à la sortie du dispositif de synchronisation d'entrée (14), tandis que son entrée de signal analogique est connectée au capteur (6) et sa sortie numérique, ainsi que la sortie du dispositif de synchronisation d'entrée (14), sont connectées aux entrées d'un processeur électronique (10) du dispositif de traitement (9).
  5. Un dispositif selon une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que la tête de mesure (1) comprend :
    - une source de lumière (4), de préférence une source de faisceau laser, en particulier avec une fréquence dans le spectre infrarouge, qui est orientée d'une manière telle que le faisceau de balayage (5) soit parallèle aux axes longitudinaux des cigarettes (2) ;
    - une lentille de focalisation convexe (7) disposée entre la source de lumière (4) et les bouts de cigarettes et perpendiculaire aux axes longitudinaux des cigarettes (2) ;
    - un capteur (6) de type photoélectrique, orienté de manière à être perpendiculaire à un faisceau de balayage (5') qui est réfléchi sous un certain angle par rapport à l'axe longitudinal de la cigarette (2) ;
    - une lentille de focalisation convexe (8) pour le faisceau de balayage réfléchi (5') sur le capteur (6), qui est perpendiculaire au faisceau de balayage réfléchi (5').
  6. Un dispositif selon une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce qu'un dispositif (13) pour l'entrée d'une valeur de seuil est connecté au dispositif de traitement (9), le dispositif de traitement (9) comparant avec la valeur de seuil la différence entre chaque valeur de mesure d'une succession de valeurs de mesure sur un bout de cigarette, et la valeur de mesure maximale correspondante de cette succession, et émettant un signal d'activation du dispositif de rejet (18, 19) lorsque la différence dépasse la valeur de seuil pour au moins quatre valeurs de mesure de la succession.
  7. Un dispositif selon une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que chaque succession de valeurs de mesure sur un bout de cigarette comprend environ 60 à 80, en particulier 70, valeurs de mesure successives le long du chemin de déplacement du faisceau de balayage (5) sur le bout de cigarette.
  8. Un dispositif selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que les moyens de génération (4) du faisceau de balayage (5) comprennent une source de micro-ondes ou une source d'ondes ultrasonores.
EP89119339A 1988-11-25 1989-10-18 Dispositif optique pour vérifier l'extrémité des cigarettes Expired - Lifetime EP0370231B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT8812591A IT1225366B (it) 1988-11-25 1988-11-25 Dispositivo ottico di controllo delle teste di sigarette
IT1259188 1988-11-25

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0370231A1 EP0370231A1 (fr) 1990-05-30
EP0370231B1 true EP0370231B1 (fr) 1995-03-01

Family

ID=11141962

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89119339A Expired - Lifetime EP0370231B1 (fr) 1988-11-25 1989-10-18 Dispositif optique pour vérifier l'extrémité des cigarettes

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0370231B1 (fr)
DE (1) DE68921425T2 (fr)
IT (1) IT1225366B (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1053942A1 (fr) 1999-05-12 2000-11-22 Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.) Procédé et appareil pour contrôler des bouts de cigarettes

Families Citing this family (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5235649A (en) * 1991-06-13 1993-08-10 Videk Corporation Cigarette inspection method
EP0553699A1 (fr) * 1992-01-30 1993-08-04 Hauni Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft Dispositif de test pour l'extrémité des cigarettes
IT1258140B (it) * 1992-09-03 1996-02-20 Gd Spa Dispositivo ottico per il controllo del riempimento di sigarette
IT1263446B (it) * 1993-06-28 1996-08-05 Gd Spa Metodo per il controllo ottico per il riempimento di sigarette.
IT1263459B (it) * 1993-07-13 1996-08-05 Gd Spa Metodo e dispositivo per il controllo ottico del riempimento di sigarette.
IT1288494B1 (it) * 1996-11-20 1998-09-22 Sasib Spa Metodo e dispositivo per il controllo senza contatto diretto delle teste delle sigarette, o simili.
ITBO20050602A1 (it) * 2005-10-07 2007-04-08 Gd Spa Macchina impacchettatrice,metodo e dispositivo per il controllo di punte di sigarette
DE102012203579B3 (de) * 2012-03-07 2013-06-06 Hauni Maschinenbau Ag Messvorrichtung und Messverfahren zur Bestimmung einer Messgröße an einem Ende eines stabförmigen Produkts der Tabak verarbeitenden Industrie
DE102012210031A1 (de) * 2012-06-14 2013-12-19 Hauni Maschinenbau Ag Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Bewertung einer Stirnfläche eines stabförmigen Produkts der Tabak verarbeitenden Industrie
DE102012210037A1 (de) * 2012-06-14 2013-12-19 Hauni Maschinenbau Ag Messvorrichtung und Verfahren zur optischen Prüfung einer Stirnfläche eines queraxial geförderten stabförmigen Produkts der Tabak verarbeitenden Industrie

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3812349A (en) * 1973-04-06 1974-05-21 Laser Sciences Inc Apparatus for inspecting cigarettes or the like
US4165939A (en) * 1975-01-22 1979-08-28 Tsn Company, Inc. Apparatus for inspection and dimensional measurement by sequential reading
JPH0628585B2 (ja) * 1983-06-03 1994-04-20 ケルベル・アクチエンゲゼルシヤフト たばこ加工産業における棒状物品の欠陥の有無を検出する方法および装置
IT1189535B (it) * 1985-06-11 1988-02-04 Hauni Werke Koerber & Co Kg Dispositivo,per controllare otticamente le estremita' di articoli di tabacco a forma di bastoncino

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1053942A1 (fr) 1999-05-12 2000-11-22 Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.) Procédé et appareil pour contrôler des bouts de cigarettes

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE68921425D1 (de) 1995-04-06
DE68921425T2 (de) 1995-09-14
IT8812591A0 (it) 1988-11-25
IT1225366B (it) 1990-11-13
EP0370231A1 (fr) 1990-05-30

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