EP2655196B1 - Method and production system for producing and packaging cigarettes - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for packaging products, in particular cigarettes, in a production and / or packaging installation in which at least one production unit of the system is supplied with packaging units of a lower packaging stage, which packages the production unit in associated higher-level packaging units such that the packaging units each of the higher packaging stages comprises one or more lower packaging unit packaging units.

The possibility of comprehensive traceability of products (track and trace) is becoming increasingly important in the cigarette industry. In the future, for example, it may be required by law to be able to prove to a commercially available, particular cigarette pack on which machines, at what times, with which materials, etc., this cigarette pack was manufactured.

In addition, it may be necessary to be able to indicate in which specific packaging units of higher packaging level this cigarette pack was packed when leaving the production site. Thus, it is conceivable to have to prove in which cigarette rod (bundle pack) and / or in which box the pack was packaged and / or on what pallet it was delivered. For the purposes of the present application, the term "packaging" means any assignment of a lower-level packaging unit to a higher-level packaging unit. In this sense, for example, packaging units "boxes" can be packaged in a packaging unit "pallet" on which put the boxes become. The higher-level packaging unit therefore does not necessarily surround the lower-level packaging unit spatially, not even partially.

To achieve the aforementioned goal, the EP 1 459 988 A1 to apply to the packaging of the packaging units of the individual packaging levels codings, each carrying information about the content contained in the packaging units. In each case, these codings carry information about the smaller packaging units contained in the packaging units.

The encodings of the lower-level packaging units are read out in the manufacturing process for this purpose before the packaging units are fed to that production unit which packs this lower-level packaging unit into the higher-level packaging unit assigned to it. The encodings read are therefore used as information in the generation of encodings. which are then applied to the higher-level packaging units. This creates an association between the packaging units of different stages.

The disadvantage here is, inter alia, that at the high process speeds in the packaging industry, the readout of the codes and in particular the analysis or the processing of the read codes to be applied to the packaging units higher levels coding is very difficult to implement. In addition, the codes on the higher-level packaging units, which carry the information about the lower-level packaging units, must imperatively be applied to the packaging units during the ongoing production process. A prefabrication of, for example, bar blanks with already applied coding is not possible.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for packaging products of the type mentioned, with the simplest and most efficient way a tracking of in various packaging levels of packaged products is possible. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing and packaging system that operates according to such a method.

The object of the invention is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1 and a manufacturing system with the features of claim 18th

Thereafter, the method of the aforementioned type is characterized in that a camera images of the packaging of the respective manufacturing unit to be supplied or already supplied packaging units lower level and receives (usually additional, but possibly the same) camera images of the packaging of those packaging units higher level respectively associated with the lower level packaging units, ie, each of which comprises the lower level packaging units. The recorded images of the packaging of each associated packaging units are also each assigned to a common identifier. Preferably, the recorded images are then stored in a data memory, such as a hard disk of a computer device, together with the common identifier.

According to the invention, therefore, assignments are created between the individual packaging units of different stages by the common identifier, without these assignments necessarily having to result from codes of the next higher packaging stage arranged on the packaging units-as is necessary in the prior art. Neither is it necessary to read out the codes. Still, the codings - as in the prior art - must be compulsorily analyzed in the production process and used to generate other codings. The concept according to the invention of the pictorial detection of the packaging units of different levels and the linking of the images can be implemented even at the highest production speeds and requires only comparatively low computing powers.

In addition to this possibility of achieving the allocations of the individual packaging units of different packaging stages with comparatively low computing power, a further advantage of the invention is that the recorded images of the packaging units form an optimum documentation basis for the purpose of verification in the manufacturing process.

In order to be able to later identify the respective packaging unit on the respectively recorded image, a coding is expediently applied to each packaging of the respective packaging unit, which enables the identification of the specific packaging unit. This coding is preferably unique. The term "unique" in this context refers to the production of at least one batch of the relevant packaging unit. At least in this batch, preferably over many batches, the coding should be used only once.

In addition to a suitable feature which enables such identification of the relevant packaging unit, the coding can in principle also carry further information, such as information about the manufacturer of the respective packaging unit, about the production unit that produced the packaging unit, about the production date or the production time and much more. The images of the packages are then recorded in such a way that these codings located on the packages can be recognized in the images.

As far as the evaluation of the stored images is concerned, these are expediently analyzed by means of a suitable method. For example, the encodings of the packaging units can be read from the recorded images by automatically extracting the respective coding from the images and converting it into a usable data form, for example by means of a suitable OCR program, using suitable image recognition software. This analysis advantageously does not have to be done in the manufacturing process, but can be done downstream if necessary.

The captured images of the packaging units can be stored in an embodiment of the invention unprocessed in the data storage or archived. If, for example, the traceability of a specific higher-level packaging unit is then necessary at a later time, the corresponding image of this packaging unit can be retrieved from the data memory and, if necessary, analyzed. In any case, the common identifier assigned to the image then makes it possible to determine or recall from the data memory one or more of the lower-level packaging units associated with the common identifier.

If the production facility has more than two packaging stages and thus more than two production units, for example the images of the first packaging stage can be linked to the images of the second packaging stage via a first identifier, the images of the second packaging stage to the images of the third packaging stage via a second identifier Identifier, the images of the third packaging stage with the images of the fourth packaging stage via a third identifier, etc. Each manufacturing unit may use as common identifier a local, machine-internal identifier, preferably a counter number. This is preferably generated directly by the production unit or the control device thereof. The respective identifiers of the respective production units do not have to match or be linked with each other in any other way. By using the codings contained on the packaging of the individual packaging stages, with which at least one unambiguous identification of the respective packaging unit is possible, the individual packaging units can then be seamlessly traced back through the various packaging stages by suitable analysis of the stored images.

This embodiment with identifiers unlinked via the packaging stages has the advantage that the respective identifiers or information derived therefrom do not have to be forwarded from one production unit to the next. This embodiment enables particularly high production speeds.

Alternatively, however, it is also conceivable that one and the same common identifier or generally associated identifiers are used over all packaging stages. In that case, the images of the packaging units of all packaging stages would also be linked directly to one another. In order to be able to combine the identifiers, for example, the images of the packaging units of the respective lower packaging stage could be analyzed directly in the process and the respective codes of the packaging units read from them before or when they are packaged in the higher-level packaging units. On the basis of the respective packaging unit uniquely identifying codes then the corresponding identifier can be determined, which was assigned to this encoding in the previous packaging stage. The identifier thus determined or an identifier derived therefrom can then also be used for the current packaging stage.

As for the recorded images of the lower-level packaging units, a single image can be taken per packaging unit. In general, however, the packaging of several, d. H. a group of packaging units are taken together in an image. This is particularly useful when the packaging units, in particular cigarette packs, are arranged in groups in the production unit or in conveying processes between the production units in any case. This is the case, for example, when ten packs of cigarettes are usually grouped into a bundle pack, referred to below for short. Such an image of the cigarette pack group may be picked up, for example, when the pack group is located in the pocket of a revolver of the rod-making bar packer.

Preferably, the images of the packaging of the lower level packaging units are taken before or while those packaging units are in the manufacturing unit that packages these packaging units in the higher level packaging units.

As far as the images of the packaging of the higher-level packaging units are concerned, they are preferably likewise included, while the respectively assigned packaging unit or the respectively assigned lower-level packaging unit group is located in the abovementioned production unit.

For example, in the bar packer, a group of cigarette packs may already be partially wrapped in the package of the bar, namely in the correspondingly folded bar blank, with the packet sides of the cigarette packs provided with the codings still being accessible, i. H. not yet covered by the corresponding section of the bar blank. In this case, a camera assigned to the bar packer can capture these pack sides, for example their undersides, of the cigarette packs or take a corresponding image and the same camera or possibly another camera can take a picture of the pack of the bar, that is the bar cut with the bar cut thereon bar coding.

Alternatively, however, it is also conceivable that the image of the packaging of the higher-level packaging unit is taken after the higher-level packaging unit has been completed, ie preferably after the higher-level packaging unit has already left the production unit with its lower-level packaging unit / packaging unit group. In order to permit the assignment of the common identifier, both to the image of the lower-level packaging unit group and to the image of the associated higher-level packaging unit, the lower-level packaging unit or group is followed up during the packaging in the production unit, until the image of the higher-level packaging unit is picked up. The follow-up can be done, for example, by means of a sliding register associated with individual conveyor elements, in particular conveyor pockets or the like, of a conveyor to which the packaging unit or lower-level packing unit group is assigned during the manufacturing process and, if necessary, during subsequent conveyor operations.

As far as the respective common identifier is concerned, in a particular embodiment of the invention it is superimposed immediately before, during or immediately after the images of the packaging of the packaging units are taken into the respective current camera image, so that it is integrated directly into the recorded image. or it is subsequently inserted by means of suitable software in the already recorded image. The respectively recorded or generated images can then be stored together with the inserted or inserted identifier in the data memory. It is also conceivable to associate the identifier with the respective images in the usual database technology. Then the identifier would be written in a database in a field associated with the image or images associated with the identifier.

As far as the codes on the packages are concerned, they can already be arranged on the pre-produced blanks or alternatively they can be applied to the respective packaging during the production process by means of a suitable printing unit.

In a further embodiment of the invention, moreover, images of packaging units to be rejected out of the manufacturing process of the production and / or packaging installation as bad packaging units can be accommodated. Poor packaging units are units which, for whatever reason, are usually removed from the actual production process because of a lack of quality. The images of the bad packaging units are expediently also such that the codes located on the packages of the packaging units can be recognized on the respective images taken. The recorded images of the bad packaging units to be ejected are then preferably also stored in the data memory for documentation.

Alternatively, the codes on the bad packaging units can also be read out directly by means of suitable detection devices, in particular also cameras, and optionally stored in the data memory.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a hood sensor assigned to a protective hood supplies a signal as soon as the protective hood of the manufacturing unit monitored by the sensor is opened. Upon appearance of the hood signal, information representing the occurrence of the hood signal is associated with at least one of those images of packages taken at the time of the signal. Preferably, however, at least all of the packaging units currently located in the production unit are assigned such information. Background of this measure is that with open hood located in the manufacturing unit packaging units, for example, manipulative, could be replaced by external packaging units. The assignment of the aforementioned information to these packaging units marks these as potentially unsafe.

As far as the assignment is concerned, the information representing the occurrence of the hood signal can be stored, for example, together with its associated image in or in the aforementioned data memory.

Highest security against the aforementioned, manipulative replacement of packaging units is achieved when at least all of the present at the time of opening the hood in the manufacturing unit packing units are automatically discharged as bad packages when the hood signal.

In order to enable further protection against manipulation, the coding of the packaging units identifying the packaging units can be read out during the production process and compared with default values stored in a memory, for example target codes. The readout of the codes can be done by direct reading of the same in the manufacturing process by means of suitable readout. Alternatively, the codes can be read in the manner described above from the corresponding, recorded with a camera, stored in the data memory images of packaging of the packaging units.

Depending on the aforementioned comparison of the codes with the default values, the packaging units can then optionally be removed from the production process.

For example, the read-out codes can be compared with a set of desired codes interposed in the memory. In the event that the respectively read encoding is not included in the deposited amount of codes, the packaging unit associated with the read-out coding can be removed from the manufacturing process.

The comparison with default values can also consist of checking the structure of the read-out codes on the basis of the default values. If the structure does not match a given structure, the packaging units are recognized as "foreign".

By virtue of the above measures, foreign packaging units which have been manipulatively replaced and which have an unknown or foreign coding can therefore be recognized and, if appropriate, rejected.

Fig. 1

eine Draufsicht auf eine Fertigungs- und Verpackungsanlage zur Herstellung von Zigaretten, die nach dem erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren arbeitet,

Fig. 2

die Anwendung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens anhand einer der in Fig. 1 gezeigten Fertigungseinheiten der Fertigungs- und Verpackungsanlage, nämlich anhand eines Stangenpackers,

Fig. 3a

ein Bild einer Gruppe von Zigarettenpackungen in einem Stangenzuschnitt, und

Fig. 3b

ein Bild der Zigarettenpackungen aus Fig. 3a mit fertig gestellter Stangenpackung.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the appended dependent claims, from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and from the accompanying drawings. It shows:

Fig. 1

a top view of a manufacturing and packaging plant for the production of cigarettes, which operates according to the inventive method,

Fig. 2

the application of the method according to the invention with reference to one of in Fig. 1 shown production units of the manufacturing and packaging plant, namely on the basis of a rod packer,

Fig. 3a

an image of a group of cigarette packs in a rod blank, and

Fig. 3b

a picture of the cigarette packs Fig. 3a with finished rod packing.

The embodiment shown in the drawings relates to a manufacturing and packaging plant for the manufacture and packaging of cigarettes, namely a so-called line.

The plant comprises a number of production units, namely, for example, a cigarette maker 10 - maker - a subsequent packaging machine 11 - packer - a film wrapping machine 12 - cello -, a packaging machine 13 for producing containers or bars 14 from multiple cigarette packs 15 - rod packer -, a cartoner 16, which packs the packaging container 14 in shipping boxes 17 and a palletizing robot 18, which groups the cartons 17 on pallets 19.

The individual production units 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18 are connected to each other by suitable conveyors, such as conveyor belts, conveyor chains and the like in a conventional manner, so that the production is designed according to the principle of series production. The production units 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18 are therefore arranged one after the other in the direction of the production or production flow.

The manufacturing and packaging plant packages the cigarettes produced by the Maker 10 in several packaging stages. Packaging units related to the production flow in a lower packaging stage are manufactured, are packaged by the subsequent manufacturing unit in each case in packaging units higher packaging levels.

For example, the packaging units "cigarettes" produced by the maker 10 are packaged in the packer 11 in the packaging unit of the next higher packaging level, namely in the packaging unit "cigarette packs". As is known, several cigarettes are integrated in groups into one cigarette pack 15 each.

The packaging level next higher in the production process is represented by the film wrapping machine 12, in which the individual cigarette packs 15 are wound into a film wrapping in each case. Based on the cigarette packs 15 without foil wrapping, the wrapped packs form 15 higher-level packaging units.

The wrapped cigarette packs 15 are then subsequently fed to the packer 13 as lower-level pack units. In this bar packer 13, ten of the cigarette packs 15 are usually packed in the higher packaging unit, namely the bar 14, compared to the wrapped cigarette packs 15.

The rods 14 are in turn fed as lower-level packing units to the cartoner 16, which integrates a certain number of rods 14 in groups into the next higher-level packaging unit, namely the individual cartons 17.

The individual cartons 17 are finally fed to the palletizing robot 18, which places the finished cartons in groups on pallets 19 as packaging units of the next higher level.

In principle, the packaging unit of the next higher level comprises one or more packaging units of the next lower packaging stage. The terms "lower level packaging unit" or "Higher-level packaging" are not descriptions of absolute packaging levels, but only descriptions of a relative nature. In principle, it is also conceivable to already consider the packaging unit "cigarette" as a packaging stage in which the tobacco is integrated into the packaging unit "cigarette".

According to the invention, individual of the abovementioned production units 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18 of the production and packaging installation are assigned cameras 20a-20n.

These are sometimes needed to implement a control process that allows traceability of individual packaging units if needed. Thus, for example, it is conceivable that a manufacturer 38 of cigarettes must be able to prove in the future in which cigarette rod (bundle pack) 14 and in which carton 17 a particular pack 15 was packaged in the manufacturing process and / or on which pallet 19 they - together with the Rod 14 and the box 17, in which it was packed was delivered.

The camera 20a assigned to the packaging machine 11 detects prefabricated blanks 21 for the cigarette packs 15 produced in the packaging machine 11. In the present exemplary embodiment, the cigarette packs 15 are folding boxes. The blanks 21 each have at least one coding 46. The camera 20a is arranged in such a way that the recordings each made by the blanks 21 with the camera 20a each also show the coding 46. The prefabricated blanks 21 can already be provided with the codes 46 as part of the prefabrication. Alternatively, it is also conceivable to apply the codings 46 by means of a printing unit 22a only in the production process.

The further camera 20b assigned to the packaging machine 11 produces images of individual cigarette packages 15 which are already partially or completely finished in the packaging machine 11 and are discharged from the packaging process of the packaging machine 11 as bad packages, for example because they do not correspond to predetermined quality target values. The camera 20b is arranged along a discharge path along which the bad packages are discharged from the packaging machine 11. In the present case, the bad packages are fed via the discharge conveyor to a shredder 23a for destruction.

The camera 20c is arranged directly in front of the film wrapping machine 12 in relation to the production flow. It detects the incoming there, produced by the packaging machine 11 cigarette packs 15th

The camera 20e is arranged in the process direction downstream of the film wrapping machine 12, but in front of the following bar packer 13. It detects the cigarette packs 15 produced by the film wrapping machine 12, which are conveyed in the direction of the bar packer 13.

For packages 15 which the film wrapping machine 12 discharges as bad packages, the camera 20d is arranged along a corresponding delivery path of the packages 15 and can produce images of the bad packages supplied to a shredder 23b via the discharge line.

The rod packer 13, in addition to the camera 20e, the three other cameras 20f, g and h assigned. In later reference Fig. 2 Still further described, the cameras 20g and 20f produce images of the cigarette packs 15 and the partially finished stick 14. The camera 20h is disposed along a pay bar conveying line for detecting discharged sticks 14 before being fed to a shredder 23c.

The carton packer 16 is associated with three cameras 20i, 20j, 20k. The camera 20i detects the bars 14 during insertion into the carton packer 16. The camera 20j detects the finished cartons 17 as it exits the cartoner 16. The camera 20k is arranged along a corresponding discharge line for detecting those cartons which are discharged as bad cartons. The palletizing robot 18 is associated with the camera 201, which detects the individual pallets 19, on which the individual boxes 17 are arranged in groups.

All of the cameras 20a-20l are aligned in such a way that they can respectively detect the codes which are applied to the detected individual packaging units and / or blanks and identify the packaging units / blanks.

The cameras are part of an overall system that - as already mentioned - allows the individual packaging units of different packaging stages to be traced as required.

The course of the method according to the invention or of the system according to the invention is described with reference to FIG Fig. 2 illustrated in more detail bar packer 13 explained in more detail.

The rod packer 13 substantially corresponds to the device according to the DE 100 00 798 A1 , Thereafter, the bar packer 13 comprises two folding units, namely a first folding turret 25 and a second folding turret 26. These are each provided with pockets 27, 28 for receiving groups of packages 43 of two superimposed rows of usually five cigarette packs 15. The manufacturing process in the region of the upper, about a horizontal axis rotating folding turret 25 is initiated.

In a slide-in station 34, the package contents, namely the packing group 43, are held ready on a horizontal plate 29 and pushed by a slider 30 away from the platform 29 and into the prepared pocket 27. Transverse to the direction of insertion in each case a rod blank 24 is provided to form the packaging or outer wrapping of the rod 14. The rod blank 24 is detected in a conventional manner by the pack group 43 of packs 15 and inserted under U-shaped fold with in the pocket 27. The insertion process is facilitated by a formed from upper and lower fittings mouthpiece 32.

In the in Fig. 2 shown position of the packing group 43 within the pocket 27 are exposed to radially outwardly facing side surfaces of the individual packs 15, ie they are not covered by pocket walls of the pocket 27 and of the rod blank 24. In the present exemplary embodiment, these are the undersides of the packs 15.

On each of these subpages an encoding 39 is arranged. The codings 39 were previously applied in the production process by a printing unit 22b arranged between the packaging machine 11 and the film wrapping machine 12. In addition, the coding can still contain information about the date of manufacture and the production time of the cigarette packs 15, about the machine with which the packs 15 were manufactured and much more.

The bar blank 24 covers the upper side, the lower side and the radially inward side of the pack group 43. The camera 20g associated with the bar packer 13 is designed and positioned such that, in the illustrated position of the pack group 43, the outwardly facing sides of all the packs 15 the pack group 43 together with the codings 39 arranged on them can capture in an image 41.

In addition, detected in this position according to a variant of the invention, the further, the rod packer 13 associated camera 20f the upward facing side of the bar blank 24. The detection takes place in a region of the bar blank 24 in which a respective rod 14 identifying coding 40 is arranged , This coding 40 is already printed on the prefabricated rod blanks 24.

In the further course of production, the packing group 43 is rotated in the pocket 27 by rotation of the folding turret 25 by one clock in a conventional manner. In the Faltrevolver 25 find various known per se folding operations, which will not be discussed here. Subsequently, will the rod contents, that is, the packing group 43, together with the partially or already folded-end rod blank 24, are transferred to the second folding turret 26. This finally transports the rod 14 to a discharge station 33. Subsequently, the individual rods 14 are conveyed along a conveying path in the direction of the cardboard packer 16.

The images 41 of the pack group 43 of packs 15 taken by the camera 20g are in FIG Fig. 3a shown. The images 42 of the bar blank 24 taken by the camera 20f are shown in FIG Fig. 3b shown.

Corresponding pairs of images 41, 42 are received by each pack group 43 or each associated bar blank 24 inserted into the respective pocket 27 during the production process in the insertion station 34. When each image 41, 42 is taken, both the image 41 of the pack group 43 generated by the camera 20g and the image 42 of the pack of bars 43 enveloping rod blank 24 each have a unique identifier 35 assigned by the packer 13. In the present case, this is a count number.

The identifier 35 is the same in both images 41, 42, it is therefore a common identifier 35 with respect to the two images. The identifier 35 is thereby generated by the rod packer 13 and / or by the controller 36 of the rod packer 13.

The in the following machine cycle of the rod packer 13 in the insertion station 34 inserted into the corresponding pocket 27 of the folding turret 25, to be packaged next pack group 43, and the corresponding next bar blank 24, in which the next pack group 43 is wrapped, according to the invention receives an identifier 35, which differs from the previous or all preceding identifiers 35. Thus, in the two images 41, 42 of the next pack group 43 and the next, the pack group 43 associated bar blank 24 each have a different common identifier 35 is displayed.

In the simplest implementation of the invention, in which the identifier 35 is embodied as a count number, the identifier 35 of the next image pair 41, 42 can simply be increased by the value one relative to the identifier 35 of the preceding image pair 41, 42.

Naturally, any type of identifiers can be used as long as the respective identifiers are unique. The uniqueness preferably relates at least to the production of a batch of the product to be manufactured in the rod packer 13 or, if appropriate, in the production plant.

The machine controller 36 of the rod packer 13 ensures that the images generated by the camera 20g as well as by the camera 20f are fed to an external PC 37. This external PC 37 stores each image of each pack group 43 or each bar blank 24 picked up in the manner shown, in a corresponding data store, such as on a suitable hard disk.

The images 41, 42 recorded during the manufacturing process can be evaluated immediately or at a later time. For example, the cigarette manufacturer 38 can access the stored data as needed and - if required - transmit it to a higher-level authority 44.

The images 41, 42 are each still not evaluated in the stored form or not yet analyzed. In particular, the codings 39, 40 are not yet read out. For example, if the authority 44 requires the manufacturer 38 to prove which specific cigarette packs 15 are packaged in a particular bar 42, the images stored in the store or, if appropriate, in a suitable database can be analyzed. By means of suitable image recognition methods, the codings 39 of the cigarette packs or the codings 40 of the bars 14 as well as the identifiers 35 of the respective images can be extracted and read out of all recorded images 41, 42. On the basis of the identifiers 35 can then In each case, the packs 15 are determined, which were packaged in the context of manufacturing in a specific rod 14. For the respective packs 15 and the corresponding rod 14 are / is in each case the same, identical identifier 35 assigned.

As an alternative to the above-described recording of the image 42 of the rod 14 by the camera 20f in the region of the insertion station 34, the image of the image 42 of the rod blank 24 or of the rod 14 can also be taken after completion of the rod 14. Thus, for example, a camera 20m may be arranged along the conveying path, along which the rods 14 are conveyed to the cartoner 16 after completion. The camera 20m then generates images 42 of the rods 14 like the camera 20f in the embodiment described above.

The images capture at least the area of the bar codings 40. In order to be able to show the same identifier 35 in the respective image 42 in this case as in the image 41 of the pack group 43 previously recorded in the insertion station 34, it is necessary to determine the position of the corresponding pack group 43 continue to track during their passage through the rod packer 13. This can be done, for example, by means of a suitable shift register 45, which is assigned to the corresponding conveyor members or conveyor pockets, which further conveys the bar blank 24 together with the package group 43 or the partially and subsequently completely finished rod 14. At the position of the camera 20m, the controller 36 of the rod packer 13 is therefore aware of which packing group 43 a picture is currently being taken and which identifier 35 of this pack group 43 has been previously assigned by the camera 20g when it was detected in the plug-in station 34. The same identifier 35 is then displayed in the image 42 of the currently recorded rod 14.

In a modification of the aforementioned alternative, it is also possible to use prefabricated rod blanks 24 which do not yet have coding 40. In this case, this coding 40 may be, for example, shortly before Recording of the image 42 by the camera 20m by means of a printing unit 22c are applied to the rod 14.

The camera 20h detects rods 14 which, as predetermined quality standards, are discharged out of the manufacturing process before being fed to the shredder 23c. The camera 20h takes in each case the coding 40 of the rods 14 showing images of the corresponding rods 14. In the same way as described above in connection with the image recordings of the camera 20m, the same identifier 35, which has previously been superimposed on the image of the pack group 15 located in the rod 14, can also be superimposed on the images of these rods 14. But this does not have to be the case. The images produced are likewise transmitted to the PC 37 and can thus be analyzed or evaluated by the manufacturer 38. In particular, codings 40 must be extracted and read from the pictures.

Alternatively, it is conceivable, moreover, to read out and process the codings 40 of these bad bars directly as part of the discharge process, without first having to take pictures of the bad bars first.

Analogous to the manner described above for the rod packer 13, all packaging stages of the manufacturing and packaging system can be controlled. Thus, in principle, all of the production units 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18 can be supplied with lower-level packaging units and these can be integrated into a higher-level packaging unit, and the corresponding cameras can take pictures of the lower-level packaging units and images the associated higher-level packaging and these images are assigned by the one or more control means of a common identifier.

This achieves traceability of the packaging units over all or selected packaging stages. Naturally, it is conceivable to take one or more packaging stages out of consideration, such as when No traceability is desired or necessary for the respective packaging stage.

In the Fig. 2 Furthermore, a guard packer 49 protecting the rod packer 13 against unauthorized interference is shown. This protective hood 49 is associated with a sensor 50. This sensor 50 provides to the controller 36 of the rod packer 13 a signal as soon as the protective cover is opened. According to an alternative of the invention, it is provided that after opening the protective cover 49 for safety reasons, all finished or partially finished rods 14 are discharged within the rod packer 13 as bad rods. The background is the risk that after opening the protective hood 49 individual rods 14 could be manipulatively replaced.

Alternatively, if a hood signal appears, at least those images 41 and / or 42 of those bars 14 and / or cigarette packs 15 can each be assigned information representing the occurrence of the hood signal, which information is recorded at the time of the signal. Conveniently, however, all semi-finished and finished rods 14 and / or cigarette packs 15 are determined, which are located at the time of the signal within the rod packer 13 and corresponding to the images 41, 42 of all determined rods 14 and cigarette packs 15 each associated with the aforementioned information.

The assignment of the information can take place by storing in each case a corresponding additional identifier or a corresponding additional feature in the memory of the PC 37 for the individual images 41, 42. As a result, the rods 14 may be identified as potentially unsafe or potentially manipulated in the later analysis by the manufacturer 38.

Another, self-claimable special feature of the invention will be described below. Manufacturing and packaging equipment for cigarettes and / or individual production units of the same are assigned to controllable organs, such as test organs and / or lighting organs or like. These organs must or should often be adjusted differently depending on the blanks used in each case, such as pack blanks, banderoles, films or the like.

Blanks are illuminated, for example, during the manufacturing process of lighting institutions and the thus illuminated blanks are detected by means of optical Prüforgane, such as cameras. Depending on the cut used, it may be useful to irradiate the blank with light of different wavelengths. For example, if a region of a blank to be tested is colored red, the corresponding illuminator should irradiate the region to be detected with the camera with a light of a different light color than is the case with a blank in which the region to be examined is green, for example.

In order to control the respective controllable organs of a production unit as a function of the blanks used, it is provided to arrange a coding on the blanks which can be read in the production process. In accordance with or depending on the read encoding then at least one controllable organ is controlled, in particular a lighting and / or a Prüforgan. The code to be read is advantageously arranged at a position of the blank, which is no longer recognizable from the outside at the respective finished packaging unit.

In the in the Fig. 1-3 For example, the prefabricated cigarette pack blanks 21 are provided with a corresponding coding 46. The codes 46 are either already present on the prefabricated blanks 21 before the latter are introduced into the manufacturing process. In this case, the encodings 46 are read out from the camera 20a. Alternatively, the codings 46 are applied by the printing unit 22a. Depending on these codes 46 then appropriate organs of the manufacturing and packaging system can be controlled. For example, parameters of the cameras 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20g can be set, which can be used to cut the blanks 21 or capture the cigarette packs 15 produced from these record or take pictures of the same.

Similarly, illuminators 47 that illuminate the cigarette rods 14 while the camera 20m receives the images 42 of the bars 14 in the manner described above may be adjusted depending on encodings 48 applied to the bars 14. These codings 48 can be read, for example, by means of a camera 20n, which detects the individual bar blanks 24 in the region of the insertion station 34 of the bar packer 13, while the blanks 24 are fed to this insertion station 34. In accordance with the codings 48, the wavelength of the light is adjusted, with which the illumination organs 47 irradiate the rods 14. The codings 48 are arranged in a region of the rod blank 14 which is not recognizable from the outside in the finished rod 14, cf. Fig. 3b ,

Hereinafter, another, also independently claimable peculiarity of the invention will be described.

Thereafter, it is envisaged to introduce one or more test products, in particular test packaging units and / or test blanks, into the production process of a production unit or a production and / or packaging installation. The test products should have one or more defined defects, for example a wrong imprint, wrong dimensions or the like. They have a readable encoding that identifies them as test products.

The test products serve to test one or more test devices and / or test methods of the production unit or the system. With the help of such testing equipment, the manufactured products are checked for quality defects or the like in the manufacturing process.

In the manufacturing process downstream of the test device, which is to be tested by the test product, a readout unit is arranged, which can read the said coding of the test product.

If the test equipment is working faultlessly, the introduced test product will be detected by the test equipment due to the error matched to the test equipment. As may also be the case after the detection of a regular, faulty product, the testing device subsequently expels the test product from the manufacturing process if necessary.

However, if the test device does not operate faultlessly, the error of the test product may not be detected by the test device. The test product is not removed from the manufacturing process. In this case, the test product arrives at the downstream readout unit. This reads out the coding of the test product.

On the basis of the coding, the control of the production unit or of the production and / or packaging installation recognizes the test product as such and generates an error message. The error message finally points to the improperly or incorrectly operating test device.

If, for example, banderoles of cigarette packets are checked with a test device to be tested, a test cigarette packet could be introduced with a code that displays this as a test pack. The banderole of the test pack would have an error matched to the test device, for example a misalignment.

If the test device for checking the banderole, the defectiveness, so the skewing of the banderole recognize, the test cigarette package - as any banderole error having a package - automatically discharged from the manufacturing process.

However, if the test equipment works incorrectly, the error of the test pack is not recognized. The test pack therefore remains in the Manufacturing process. The coding identifying the test pack is then read out by means of a downstream reading unit, such as a camera.

Based on the coding recognizes the control of the manufacturing unit or the manufacturing and / or packaging system, that it is in the read out coding associated package is a test pack that is still in the manufacturing process, although it would have been discharged with error-free testing device already. Subsequently, the controller can generate an error message and the test facility can be maintained or repaired.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10 cigarette manufacturing 37 PC 11 packaging machine 38 Manufacturer 12 Film-wrapping machine 39 encoding 13 packaging machine 40 encoding 14 pole 41 image 15 cigarette pack 42 image 16 cartoner 43 pack group 17 shipping container 44 authority 18 palletizing 45 shift register 19 palette 46 encoding 20a-20n camera 47 lighting bodies 21 cut 48 encoding 22a-22c printing unit 49 guard 22b camera 50 sensor 23a shredder 23b shredder 23c shredder 24 bar cutting 25 folding turret 26 folding turret 27 bag 28 bag 29 plate 30 pusher 32 mouthpiece 33 Abförderstation 34 insertion station 35 ID 36 machine control

Claims (18)

1. A method for packaging products, in particular cigarettes, in a production system in which at least one production unit (13) of the system is fed packaging units from a lower packaging level (15), and the production unit (13) packages said packaging units in associated packaging units from a higher level (14), and therefore the packaging units from the higher packaging level (14) each comprise one or more packaging units from the lower packaging level (15), characterized in that a camera (20g) records images of the packs of the packaging units from the lower level (15) which are to be fed, or have already been fed, to the production unit, and a camera (20f, 20m) records images of the packs of the packaging units from the higher level (14) which are respectively assigned to the packaging units from the lower level (15), and in that the recorded images (41, 42) of the packs of the respectively associated packaging units (14, 15) are each assigned to a common identifier (35), preferably to a machine-internal counting number of the production unit (13).
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a single image is recorded for the pack of each of the packaging units from the lower level (15), or in that a joint image (41) is recorded for the packs of a group (43) of packaging units from the lower level (15).
3. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the images (41) of the packs of the packaging units from the lower level (15) are recorded before, or while, the packaging units from the lower level (15) are located in the production unit (13), in particular while they are located, preferably in groups, in a conveying device (27) of a conveying apparatus (25) of the production unit (13), preferably in a pocket (27) of a turret (25).
4. The method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the images (42) of the packs of the packaging units from the higher level (14) are likewise recorded while the respectively associated packaging unit, or the respectively associated packaging-unit group (43), from the lower level (15) is located in the production unit (13), preferably together with the pack of the packaging unit/packaging-unit group from the lower level (15).
5. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tracking of the packaging unit, or the packaging-unit group (43), from the lower level (15) continues during packaging thereof in the production unit (13), and in that the image (42) of the pack of the associated packaging unit from the higher level (14) is recorded following completion of the packaging unit from the higher level (14) with the packaging unit/packaging-unit group (43) which it comprises, preferably after the associated packaging unit from the higher level (14) has left the production unit (13).
6. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the recorded images (41, 42) of the packs of the packaging units from the higher and the lower packaging levels (14, 15) are each stored, with the respectively associated, common identifier (35), in a data memory, in particular in a data memory assigned to a computer.
7. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the common identifiers (35) assigned in each case to the images (41, 42) are each incorporated or inserted in the respective camera image (41, 42) immediately before, during, or immediately after, the operation of recording the images (41, 42) of the packs of the packaging units (14, 15), and in that the respectively recorded images (41, 42) are stored together with the incorporated or inserted identifier (35).
8. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the images (41, 42) of the packs of the packaging units (14, 15) are recorded such that it is possible to detect on the images (41, 42) codings (39, 40) which are located on the packs and identify the packaging units.
9. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the codings (39, 40) are applied to the respective pack, by means of a system-specific printing unit (22a, 22c), during operation of the production system.
10. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that images are recorded of the packaging units (14, 15) which are to be rejected as defective packs from the production process of the production system, in particular such that codings (39, 40) which are located on the packs of the packaging units (14, 15), and each identify the packaging units (14, 15), can be detected on the respectively recorded images, and that the recorded images of the defective packs which are to be rejected are stored in the data memory.
11. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data-memory-stored images (41, 42) of the packs of the packaging units (14, 15) are analyzed by means of a suitable method, in particular by virtue of the codings (39, 40) of the respective packaging units (14, 15), said codings being shown on the images (41, 42), being extracted from the images, and in particular read out, by means of a suitable text- and/or image-recognition method.
12. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a cover sensor (50) assigned to a protective cover (49) emits a signal as soon as the protective cover (49) of the production unit (13), said cover being monitored by the sensor (50), is opened, and in that, when the cover signal occurs, an item of information representing the occurrence of the cover signal is assigned at least to one of those images (41, 42) of packs which are recorded at the point in time when the signal occurs.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the item of information representing the occurrence of the cover signal is stored in the data memory together with the associated image (41, 42).
14. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a cover sensor (50) assigned to a protective cover (49) emits a signal as soon as the protective cover (49) of the production unit (13), said cover being monitored by the sensor (50), is opened, and in that, when a cover signal occurs, the packaging units (14, 15) located in the production unit (13) at the point in time when the cover (49) is opened are rejected automatically as defective packs.
15. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that codings (39, 40) of packaging units (14, 15), which identify packaging units (14, 15), are read out during the production process, and in that the read-out codings (39, 40) are compared with data-memory-stored preset values, in particular desired codings, and in that the packaging units (14, 15) are rejected, if appropriate, from the production process in dependence on this comparison.
16. The method as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the read-out codings (39, 40) are compared with a number of stored desired codings, and in that, for the case where the read-out coding (39, 40) is not contained in the stored number of codings (39, 40), the packaging unit (14, 15) assigned to the read-out coding (39, 40) is rejected from the production process.
17. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the packaging units from the lower level (15) are the cigarette packs (15) coming from the packaging machine (11) of a production system for packaging cigarettes, and the packaging units from the higher level are the sheet-material blanks fed to a sheet-wrapping machine (12) of the system or are the multipack blanks (24) which are fed to a multipacker (13) of the system and in which the cigarette packs (15) are wrapped in groups, or in that the packaging units from the lower level (14) are the cigarette multipacks (14) fed to a cartoner (16) of the system, and the packaging units from the higher level are carton blanks in which the cigarette multipacks (14) are packaged in groups, or in that the packaging units from the lower level are the cartons (17) fed to a palletizer (18), and the packaging units from the higher level are pallets (19) on which the cartons (17) are positioned in groups.
18. A production system for implementing the method as claimed in claim 1, having at least one production unit (13) which can be fed packaging units from a lower packaging level (15), which can be packaged, by the production unit (13), in associated packaging units (14) from a higher level such that the packaging units from the higher packaging level (14) comprise one or more packaging units (15) from the lower packaging level, which goes before in the packaging process, characterized by a camera (20g), which can record images (41) of the packs of the packaging units from the lower level (15) which are to be fed to the production unit (12), and by a camera (20f, 20m), which can record images (42) of the packs of the packaging units from the higher level (14) which are respectively assigned to the packaging units from the lower level (15), and by a control means (36), by way of which the recorded images (41, 42) of the packs of the respectively associated packaging units (14, 15) can each be assigned to a common identifier (35), preferably to a machine-internal counting number of the production unit (13).

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