Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B19/00—Packaging rod-shaped or tubular articles susceptible to damage by abrasion or pressure, e.g. cigarettes, cigars, macaroni, spaghetti, drinking straws or welding electrodes
  • B65B19/28—Control devices for cigarette or cigar packaging machines
  • B65B19/30—Control devices for cigarette or cigar packaging machines responsive to presence of faulty articles, e.g. incorrectly filled cigarettes
• • 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 a method for testing cigarette heads, wherein light radiates in at least two different directions streak-like sections onto the end face of a cigarette head and light reflected from the end face is received and evaluated by a detector.
• the invention further relates to a device for testing cigarette heads with at least two light sources for illuminating in each case a strip-like section of an end face of a cigarette head from different directions and a detector for receiving light reflected from the end face.
• Test methods and test devices for contactless testing of cigarette heads are known, in which one or more straight lines are blasted onto the tobacco-side cigarette head. If the cigarette is not properly filled with tobacco, the line - when viewed from a different angle - no longer appears as a straight line, but as a serpentine line or as a broken serpentine line. This image is captured by a sensor. Finally, the pixels that lie inside and outside a narrow area around an imaginary, theoretical straight line are counted and put in a relationship to one another. If this ratio exceeds a limit, this is to indicate that a cigarette is not properly filled.
• This type of testing has the disadvantage that it is inaccurate and does not allow exact statements about the condition of a cigarette.
• the invention is therefore based on the problem of improving the testing of cigarettes and of providing more precise information about the condition of a cigarette.
• the method according to the invention is characterized in that during evaluation a distance between two lines resulting from a signal generated by the detector and corresponding to the strip-shaped sections is determined in order to determine the position of the area of the cigarette head irradiated by the sections. Furthermore, the problem is solved by a device according to the invention, which is characterized by an evaluation device for evaluating a signal generated by the detector, which is designed to determine a distance between two lines resulting from the signal and corresponding to the strip-shaped sections in order to determine the Determine the position of the area of the cigarette head irradiated by the sections.
• the invention makes use of the knowledge that two light strips converging towards one another and striking a measurement object, namely a cigarette head, provide information about the distance of the measurement object from the measurement arrangement or another fixed point or generally about the position of the measurement object. The distance between the two light strips striking the measurement object provides the desired information about the position of the measurement object.
• This type of contactless testing of cigarette heads is particularly suitable for recess filter cigarettes or papyrossi cigarettes, the light strips also being used in these cigarettes at least partially strike the front of the cigarette tube or the mouthpiece tube and the light also reflected from these areas is received and evaluated by the detector.
• These point-like light spots provide an orientation point for the end of the cigarette or mouthpiece.
• the light strips striking the tobacco or filter lie behind the end of the mouthpiece. The depth of the mouthpiece sleeve can therefore be determined from a distance between the images of these point-like light spots or light strips on the detector.
• the result of the test can be used to generate an error signal if a cigarette does not meet predetermined limit values.
• Such an error signal leads to the ejection of a cigarette in the cigarette manufacturing or packaging process.
• a formation of several layers of cigarettes is preferably checked at the same time and the entire formation is ejected if a defective cigarette occurs.
• the test device 10 has two light sources 13 and 14, each of which preferably comprises a laser, but can also consist of another bright light source, for example an arrangement of bright LEDs.
• the light emitted is therefore monochromatic and coherent or monochromatic and non-coherent or non-monochromatic and non-coherent.
• the light sources 13, 14 are either switched on permanently. However, they can also be operated in a pulsed manner so that they produce short flashes of light.
• the light beams 15, 16 emanating from the light sources 13, 14 each arrive at an optical system or a lens-aperture system 17, 18 or a hologram, which each of the light beams 15, 16 in three light bands 19, 20, 21 and 22, 23, 24. These light strips 19 to 24 fall on cigarette heads 25 of the cigarettes 12. There, the light strips 19 to 24 have the shape of strip-like sections 26 to 31, as shown in FIG. 2.
• the end faces of the cigarette heads 25 from FIG. 1 are shown in FIG. 2.
• the cigarette formation 11 consists of three layers, the two outer layers consisting of seven and the middle layer consisting of six cigarettes. Depending on the position, two strip-like sections 26 and 27 or 28 and 29 or 30 and 31 hit the end faces.
• the respective upper strip-like sections 26, 28, 30 originate from the light source 13 shown at the top in FIG. 1.
• the lower strip-like sections 27, 29, 31 accordingly originate from the lower light source 14.
• Each strip-like section 26 to 31 covers a wide area of the end face of the respective cigarette heads 25 and in each case somewhat less than half the end face of a cigarette head. Two strip-like sections therefore essentially provide an entire covering of the cigarette end face. This has the advantage that an evaluation of almost the entire end face is possible.
• the 1 also shows a detector 32 which receives light 33 reflected from the end faces.
• the detector 32 has optics 34 which serve to focus the reflected light 33 onto a sensor.
• This sensor contained in the detector 32 has a CCD chip which has a multiplicity of two-dimensionally arranged CCD elements. This makes it possible to generate the images of the strip-shaped sections 26 to 31 on the end faces of the cigarette heads on the CCD chip.
• the individual CCD elements each emit a signal that flows to an evaluation device.
• the test device 10 described is preferably located on the cigarette turret of a cigarette packaging machine. However, it can also be arranged in a similar form on the cigarette magazine and there pre-sort or eject individual cigarettes by means of an ejector arranged on the magazine, as described in German published patent application DE 36 20 735 A1.
• the detection of a faulty cigarette leads to the ejection of the entire cigarette formation 11.
• an error signal is generated by the test device that causes the ejector to eject.
• FIG. 3 shows a section along the line III-III from FIG. 2, that is to say a longitudinal section through a cigarette head 25.
• This cigarette head 25 has a filter piece 35, which lies behind the end of the mouthpiece sleeve 36.
• the incident light strips 20, 23 irradiate the strip-shaped sections 28, 30 at the end of the filter piece 35.
• irradiate the light strips 20, 23 also the end face of the mouthpiece sleeve 36 at end sections 37, 38.
• These sections 28, 29, 37, 38 illustrate the illuminated sections in a recess filter cigarette.
• a similar picture would result in a papyrosicigarette, but the filter piece 35 is then replaced by tobacco.
• the sections 28 and 29 are at a certain distance from one another, as are the distances 37, 38 and the distances of the sections 28 to 37 and 38 and 29 to 38 and 37, respectively Errors of the cigarette heads are closed. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, these sections 28, 29, 37, 38 move away from the formation when a cigarette is too long. The section 28 thus shifts to the dashed line 28 'and 29 to the dashed line 29', just like the end sections 37 and 38 to dashed lines 37 'and 38'.
• FIG. 4a shows a longitudinal section through a cigarette head 41 of a filterless cigarette with an end face 42.
• FIG. 4b shows the image obtained on the detector 32 when the end face 42 is illuminated with two light strips which strike the end face 42 as strip-like sections ,
• Two images 43, 44 of strip-like sections meet on the end face 42 and illuminate a multiplicity of pixels 45 represented as points.
• the circular line 46 shown as a double solid line is an imaginary representation of the cigarette paper 47 surrounding the cigarette head 41.
• the illustrations 43, 44 have a central section 48 and 49, respectively, which corresponds to the tobacco-side end face areas illuminated by the respective strip-like sections ,
• These middle sections 48, 49 are each delimited by two point-like end sections 50 to 53.
• These point-like end sections 50 to 53 correspond to bright light spots at the points at which the light strips hit the filter paper.
• FIG. 4c shows the image generated or calculated by an evaluation device. This picture does not necessarily have to be shown. It is sufficient that the data on which this image is based are calculated in order to carry out the invention.
• a center of gravity line 54, 55 is determined in each case from the middle sections 48, 49. The center of gravity lines 54, 55 are advantageously calculated such that they lie parallel to one another.
• the end sections 50 to 53 are combined to form a focal point 56 to 59.
• FIG. 5a shows a cigarette that is too short compared to the cigarette shown in FIG. 4a.
• the cigarette shown in FIG. 5a is shorter by a distance A than that shown in FIG. 4a.
• the central sections 48, 49 shown in FIG. 5b are closer together than those shown in FIG. 4b.
• 6a again shows the cigarette head 41 of a filterless cigarette, in which, however, a piece of the tobacco filling is missing. This leads to a hole 60.
• an irregularity can therefore be seen in the upper middle section 48 in FIG. 6b.
• the middle section 48 of Figure 43 is namely not essentially aligned horizontally, but falls off obliquely to the side.
• 6c shows the center of gravity lines 54, 55 calculated therefrom.
• the center of gravity line 54 shown in FIG. 6c is shifted towards the center of the cigarette in relation to the center of gravity line 54 shown in FIG. 4c.
• FIG. 7a shows the cigarette head 61 of a recess filter cigarette with a filter piece 62 and a hollow mouthpiece 63.
• the light strips striking the cigarette head 61 as strip-like sections are shown as images 64, 65 on the detector 32 according to FIG. 7b.
• middle sections 66, 67 are displaced toward the cigarette axis.
• the end sections 50 to 53 are in the same position as in FIG. 5b for a completely filled cigarette.
• FIG. 7c shows calculated center of gravity lines 68, 69 which, with a proper recess filter cigarette, are at a smaller distance than the distance C shown in FIG. 4c.
• the center of gravity 56 to 59 in FIG. 7c are in a different horizontal position than the center of gravity lines 68, 69. This is due to the fact that the light bands or strip-shaped sections striking the cigarette head 61 shift towards the cigarette axis, since these sections are set back in the axial direction, ie are at a greater distance from the test device.
• FIG. 8a again shows a cigarette head 61 of a recess filter cigarette, but the filter 62 is incorrectly designed because it was cut off at an angle.
• the middle sections 66, 67 of the illustrations 64, 65 are at a different position in FIG. 8b compared to FIG. 7b.
• end portions 50 through 53 of Figures 64, 65 are in the same position as in Figure 7b.
• 8b shows that from the illustrations Center of gravity 68, 69 formed in accordance with FIG. 8b, as well as the centers of gravity 56 to 59.
• the centers of gravity 56 to 59 are not shifted with respect to FIG. 7c, while the center of gravity lines 68 and 69 in FIG. 8b are shifted upwards with respect to FIG. They are also closer together.
• focal lines 54, 55 to 68, 69 and focal points 56 to 59 allows one or four reference points to be determined on the edge of the cigarette tube or mouthpiece tube.
• statements about past filters or holes in tobacco are even possible in a quantitative manner, i.e. that information about the distances between the end of the cigarette and any holes or the depth of a mouthpiece sleeve for recess filter cigarettes or papyrossi cigarettes can be made. For example, it can be measured whether a mouthpiece sleeve which has a setpoint depth of 5 mm is within tolerance limits of +/- 1 mm.
• the test method described and the test device described allow a very high measuring accuracy. Furthermore, a snapshot of a cigarette head or the cigarette heads of a cigarette formation is sufficient to check the length of a cigarette, the depth of a mouthpiece sleeve, the shape of a cigarette head and the filling with tobacco or filter. This allows a cigarette head to be measured in one movement. As a result, in contrast to other known test methods in which, for example, a plunger is pressed onto a cigarette head, a cigarette packaging or production machine can be operated at high speed by this contactless method. The invention therefore opens up a multitude of possibilities when testing cigarette heads.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Toxicology (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)
• Length Measuring Devices By Optical Means (AREA)
• Investigating Materials By The Use Of Optical Means Adapted For Particular Applications (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=7907730

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (24)

Family Cites Families (12)

• 1999
  • 1999-05-12 DE DE19921725A patent/DE19921725A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2000
  • 2000-04-14 EP EP00108232A patent/EP1057727B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-04-14 DE DE50005848T patent/DE50005848D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-05-09 US US09/567,017 patent/US6437317B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-05-10 JP JP2000137123A patent/JP2000350569A/ja active Pending
  • 2000-05-11 BR BR0002416-3A patent/BR0002416A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-05-12 CN CNB001083430A patent/CN1135072C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related

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