EP2702880A1

EP2702880A1 - Tobacco starting material processing device

Info

Publication number: EP2702880A1
Application number: EP20120777680
Authority: EP
Inventors: Susumu Uchida; Akihiro Sugiyama; Shinobu MIYAMORI
Original assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc
Current assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc
Priority date: 2011-04-28
Filing date: 2012-04-26
Publication date: 2014-03-05
Also published as: CN103491809A; RU2536395C1; JPWO2012147867A1; CN103491809B; EP2702880A4; JP5548819B2; WO2012147867A1

Abstract

A tobacco raw material processing apparatus is provided with a cylindrical cylinder including a tobacco raw material, a jetting port through which a fog is jetted against the tobacco raw material, and a pair of movable plates provided near the jetting port, projecting in front of the jetting port to reduce the opening area of the jetting port, and retracted from the front of the jetting port to increase the opening area of the jetting port.

Description

Technical Field

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a tobacco raw material processing apparatus having a fog jetting port.

Background Art

In a process of manufacturing tobacco, there is a rotating cylinder type of tobacco raw material processing apparatus used for, for example, removal of bad habits of leaf tobacco and other tobacco raw materials, addition of flexibility, addition of perfume, improvement of physical property, and mixing of raw materials. This type of tobacco raw material processing apparatus is provided with, for example, a mounting, a cylindrical rotating cylinder rotatably provided on the mounting, a spray nozzle provided projecting inward the rotating cylinder, a belt having a plurality of holes having different sizes, and a roller making a belt slide relative to a nozzle surface of the spray nozzle.
In this tobacco raw material processing apparatus, steam and perfume are sprayed through a spray nozzle so that the steam and the perfume pass through the inside of the holes of the belt, whereby an opening area of the spray nozzle according to the spray amount is secured to maintain a jetting speed. Thus, when the spray amount is required to be changed during operation of the apparatus, the operation is temporarily stopped to shift the position of the belt, and, thus, to change the size of the hole. Then, after the apparatus is restarted, the spray amount is changed to secure a predetermined jetting speed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2-62226

Summary of Invention

Technical Problem

However, in the conventional tobacco raw material processing apparatus, when the spray amount is changed, the operation of the apparatus is required to be temporarily stopped as described above, so that the manufacturing efficiency is deteriorated.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tobacco raw material processing apparatus with enhanced manufacturing efficiency.

Solution to Problem

A tobacco raw material processing apparatus including: a cylindrical cylinder including a tobacco raw material, a jetting port through which fog is jetted against the tobacco raw material, and a pair of movable plates provided near the jetting port, projecting in front of the jetting port to reduce the opening area of the jetting port, and retracted from the front of the jetting port to increase the opening area of the jetting port.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a partial cutaway side view showing a tobacco raw material processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a movable mechanism of the tobacco raw material processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the movable mechanism of the tobacco raw material processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a first movable plate and a second movable plate of the movable mechanism of the tobacco raw material processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 are rotated upward.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the first movable plate and the second movable plate of the movable mechanism of the tobacco raw material processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 are rotated downward.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the first movable plate and the second movable plate are rotated in a direction in which an opening area of a jetting port of the tobacco raw material processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is reduced.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the first movable plate and the second movable plate of the movable mechanism of a variation of the tobacco raw material processing apparatus.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the first movable plate and the second movable plate of the movable mechanism shown in FIG. 7 are moved to a first position.
FIG. 9 is a graph showing a result of an experiment conducted under a first condition, using the tobacco raw material processing apparatus of the first embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a graph showing a result of an experiment conducted under a second condition, using the tobacco raw material processing apparatus of the first embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a graph showing a result of an experiment conducted under a third condition, using the tobacco raw material processing apparatus of the first embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a graph showing a result of an experiment conducted under a fourth condition, using the tobacco raw material processing apparatus of the first embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a graph showing a result of an experiment conducted under a fifth condition, using the tobacco raw material processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

Description of Embodiments

A first embodiment of a tobacco raw material processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. In this embodiment, there is described an example in which the present invention is applied to a rotating cylinder type tobacco raw material adjustment machine configured to adjust the moisture content of a tobacco raw material (tobacco leaves).
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11 is provided with a mounting 12, a cylindrical cylinder 13 rotatably provided on the mounting 12, a tobacco raw material 14 held in the cylinder 13, supports 15 and a side wall 16 rotatably supporting the cylinder 13, a protrusion 17 protruding in a flange shape from an outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 13, a drive mechanism 18 gripping the protrusion 17 and rotating and driving the cylinder 13, a supply port 21 provided in an upper portion of the side wall 16 to supply a tobacco raw material 14 into the cylinder 13, a jetting port 22 provided near a lower portion of the side wall 16 to jet a fog 19 (atomized liquid) such as steam against the tobacco raw material 14 in the cylinder 13, a movable mechanism 23 provided between the side wall 16 and the jetting port 22 and adjusting the opening area of the jetting port 22, a supply source 24 supplying steam and so on to the jetting port 22, a valve 25 interposed between the supply source 24 and the jetting port 22, a discharge portion 26 (belt conveyer) through which the tobacco raw material 14 having processed in the cylinder 13 is discharged from the inside of the cylinder 13, a sensor 27 provided near the discharge portion 26, a controller 28 controlling the overall operation of the tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11, and a drain mechanism configured to suck and remove droplets adhered to a first movable plate 31 and a second movable plate 32, which will be described later, of the movable mechanism 23. Here, the fog means, for example, an infinite number of minute droplets floating in a gas such as air, that is, an object like smoke.
The cylinder 13 has on its inner peripheral surface a plurality of pins projecting toward the central portion, and the tobacco raw material 14 in the cylinder 13 can be mixed through the pins. The side wall 16 has a disk shape, for example, to fit inside an end of the cylinder 13 and is fixed to the support 15. The jetting port 22 is connected to the lower portion of the side wall 16 through the movable mechanism 23. The jetting port 22 and the movable mechanism 23 are provided outside the cylinder 13.
In this embodiment, the sensor 27 is constituted of a thermocouple, for example and can detect the state, for example, the temperature of the tobacco raw material 14 discharged to the discharge portion 26. The type of the sensor 27 is not limited thereto, and other types of sensors such as an infrared temperature sensor may be used. The moisture content may be directly detected by a sensor such as a moisture meter. In this embodiment, although the sensor 27 is provided near the discharge portion 26, the installation position of the sensor 27 is not limited thereto, and the sensor 27 may be installed in the cylinder 13, for example, or may be installed in a pipe for feeding the tobacco raw material.
The controller 28 is constituted of a computer, for example. The controller 28 has a movable plate operating portion 28A which operates the positions of the first and second movable plates 31 and 32 and adjusts the opening area of the jetting port 22 and a valve opening and closing portion 28B which adjusts the opening degree of the valve 25 to regulate the amount of the fog (steam). The movable plate operating portion 28A and the valve opening and closing portion 28B are constituted of, for example, a software installed in the controller 28.
As shown in FIG. 2, the movable mechanism 23 has a square-shaped duct 33 interposed between the cylinder 13 and the jetting port 22, a first movable plate 31 and a second movable plate 32 rotatably provided in the duct 33 and near the jetting port 22, a first rotation shaft 34 to which the first movable plate 31 is attached, a second rotation shaft 35 to which the second movable plate 32 is attached, a first guide arm 36 fixed to the first rotation shaft 34 and at the same time rotating together with the first movable plate 31, a second guide arm 37 fixed to the second rotation shaft 35 and at the same time rotating together with the second movable plate 32, and an opening and closing angle regulating piece 38 having a pair of long holes 39 engaging with a pin 36A of the first guide arm 36 and a pin 37A of the second guide arm 37 and regulating the opening and closing angles of the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32, a first motor 41 rotating and driving the first rotation shaft 34, a second motor 42 rotating and driving the second rotation shaft 35, and a third motor 43 driving the movement of the opening and closing angle regulating piece 38.
The first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 are formed by bending a single plate at the central portion to form a V shape. The first movable plate 31 has one end 31A supported by the first rotation shaft 34 and the other end 31B opposite the end 31A. Similarly, the second movable plate 32 has one end 32A supported by the second rotation shaft 35 and the other end 32B opposite the end 32A. The first movable plate 31 is fixed to the first rotation shaft 34 by fixing means 44 such as a bolt and a nut. The second movable plate 32 is fixed to the second rotation shaft 35 by the fixing means 44 such as a bolt and a nut.
First to third motors 41, 42, and 43 are constituted of a servomotor, for example, and each rotation angle is controlled by the movable plate operating portion 28A of the controller 28 through a servoamplifier. The drive force of the third motor 43 is transmitted to the opening and closing angle regulating piece 38 through a pinion 45 and a rack 46 formed on one side of the opening and closing angle regulating piece 38, whereby the opening and closing angle regulating piece 38 can be substantially linearly moved along a vertical direction. Although the servomotor is used as a drive source used for moving the first movable plate 31, the second movable plate 32, and the opening and closing angle regulating piece 38, the drive source is not limited to the servomotor and may be other type of actuator such as a solenoid. The illustration of the pinion 45 and the rack 46 is omitted in FIGS. 3 to 6.
In this embodiment, since the rectangular duct 33 is used, a gap between the duct 33 and a pair of the movable plates 31 and 32 is small in comparison with a case of using a cylindrical duct, so that the amount of the fog leaking from the gap is reduced. Thus, the reactivity in the increase and reduction of the fog jetting speed is good, and when the positions of the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 are operated, the opening area of the jetting port 22 is adjusted, so that the fog jetting speed can be easily controlled (namely, the jetting speed can be kept constant).
Subsequently, processing of a tobacco raw material (adjustment of the moisture content of the tobacco raw material) using the tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6.
First, the tobacco raw material 14 is supplied into the cylinder 13 through the supply port 21 shown in FIG. 1. The tobacco raw material 14 supplied into the cylinder 13 is mixed in the cylinder 13 by the rotation of the cylinder 13. Then, the steam supplied from the supply source 24 via the valve 25 is jetted as a fog in the cylinder 13 through the jetting port 22. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 in the duct 33 are typically located at a second position P2 where the ends 31B and 32B are retracted from the front of the jetting port 22 and are in such a state that the jetting port 22 is opened. When the fog is jetted inward the cylinder 13, the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 rotate upward (the second movable plate 32 projects in front of the jetting port 22, and the first movable plate 31 is retracted from the front of the jetting port 22) at fixed time intervals, as shown in FIG. 4, and the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 rotate downward (the first movable plate 31 projects in front of the jetting port 22, and the second movable plate 32 is retracted from the front of the jetting port 22), as shown in FIG. 5, for example. At this time, the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 are vertically rotated by the drive of the third motor 43, for example, under the control of the movable plate operating portion 28A of the controller 28. The fog (steam) is uniformly jetted against the tobacco raw material 14 in the cylinder 13 by such rotation of the first and second movable plates 31 and 32 during fixed time intervals.
The tobacco raw material 14 whose moisture content is adjusted in the cylinder 13 is discharged to the discharge portion 26. The temperature or the moisture content of the tobacco raw material 14 is detected by the sensor 27 in the discharge portion 26. The temperature detected by the sensor 27 is sent as a signal to the controller 28. At this time, for example, when the detected temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, the controller 28 determines that the amount of the fog (steam) is large. The valve opening and closing portion 28B of the controller 28 then performs feedback control to reduce the amount of the fog (steam). At the same time, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, in order to reduce the opening area of the jetting port 22, the movable plate operating portion 28A of the controller 28 rotates the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 to a first position P1 where the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 are oblique relative to an axis line 22A of the jetting port 22 so that the ends 31B and 32B of the first and second movable plates 31 and 32 are located in front of the jetting port 22. Consequently, even when the jetting amount (flow rate) of the fog (steam) is reduced, the jetting speed of the fog (steam) is kept constant, so that the fog (steam) always reaches a certain distance in the horizontal direction (depth direction) in the cylinder 13. The fog (steam) jetted through the jetting port 22 provided in the lower portion of the side wall 16 is jetted so as to always reach a certain height in the height direction of the cylinder 13.
Meanwhile, when the temperature of the tobacco raw material 14 discharged to the discharge portion 26 is lower than a predetermined value, the controller 28 determines that the amount of the fog (steam) is small. Similarly to above, the valve opening and closing portion 28B of the controller 28 performs feedback control to increase the amount of the fog (steam). At the same time, as shown in FIG. 3, the movable plate operating portion 28A of the controller 28 rotates the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 in a direction (to a second position P2) in which the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 are retracted from the front of the jetting port 22 and increases the opening area of the jetting port 22. Consequently, the jetting speed of the fog (steam) is kept constant.
Subsequently, the experimental results utilizing the tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. FIGS. 9 to 13 show the respective experimental results corresponding to first to fifth conditions. The horizontal axis (X) corresponds to a distance in a horizontal direction from the jetting port 22 (that is, the depth direction of the cylinder 13). The vertical axis (Y) corresponds to a distance in a vertical direction from the jetting port 22 (that is, the height direction of the cylinder 13). Thus, the graphs of FIGS. 9 to 13 correspond to the graphs in which a temperature distribution inside the cylinder 13 is viewed from the horizontal direction.
In the first condition, the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam jetted through the jetting port 22 is 200 kg/h. In the first condition, a gap between the other end 31B of the first movable plate 31 and the other end 32B of the second movable plate 32 (height of an opening) is 80 mm. The experimental results are shown in FIG. 9. In the experimental results, since the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam is satisfactorily large, the fog 19 satisfactorily reaches the depth side (opposite the jetting port 22 and the right side in the paper of FIGS. 1 and 9) relative to the middle in the depth direction of the cylinder 13.
In the second condition, the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam jetted through the jetting port 22 is 100 kg/h. In the second condition, the gap between the other end 31B of the first movable plate 31 and the other end 32B of the second movable plate 32 (the opening height) is 80 mm. The experimental results are shown in FIG. 10. In the experimental results, since the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam becomes a half in comparison with the first condition, the flow velocity of the fog 19 is reduced, and the majority of the fog 19 is jetted in the middle in the depth direction of the cylinder 13.
In the third condition, the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam jetted through the jetting port 22 is 100 kg/h. In the third condition, the gap between the other end 31B of the first movable plate 31 and the other end 32B of the second movable plate 32 (the opening height) is 40 mm. The experimental results are shown in FIG. 11. In the experimental results, although the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam becomes a half in comparison with the first condition, the gap between the other end 31B of the first movable plate 31 and the other end 32B of the second movable plate 32 becomes a half, and therefore, the flow velocity of the fog 19 is maintained. Consequently, the fog 19 satisfactorily reaches the depth side (opposite the jetting port 22 and the right side in the paper of FIGS. 1 and 11) relative to the middle in the depth direction of the cylinder 13.
In the fourth condition, the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam jetted through the jetting port 22 is 50 kg/h. In the fourth condition, the gap between the other end 31B of the first movable plate 31 and the other end 32B of the second movable plate 32 (the opening height) is 80 mm. The experimental results are shown in FIG. 12. In the experimental results, since the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam is a quarter in comparison with the first condition, the flow velocity of the fog 19 is reduced, and the majority of the fog 19 is jetted on the near side (near the jetting port 22 and the left side in the paper of FIGS. 1 and 12) relative to the middle in the depth direction of the cylinder 13.
In the fifth condition, the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam jetted through the jetting port 22 is 50 kg/h. In the fifth condition, the gap between the other end 31B of the first movable plate 31 and the other end 32B of the second movable plate 32 (the opening height) is 20 mm. The experimental results are shown in FIG. 13. In the experimental results, although the flow rate of the fog 19 such as steam is a quarter in comparison with the first condition, the gap between the other end 31B of the first movable plate 31 and the other end 32B of the second movable plate 32 is a quarter, and therefore, the flow velocity of the fog 19 is maintained. Consequently, the fog 19 satisfactorily reaches the depth side (opposite the jetting port 22 and the right side in the paper of FIGS. 1 and 13) relative to the middle in the depth direction of the cylinder 13.
According to the present embodiment, the tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11 is provided with the cylindrical cylinder 13 including the tobacco raw material 14, the jetting port 22 jetting the fog against the tobacco raw material 14, and the pair of movable plates 31 and 32 provided near the jetting port 22, projecting in front of the jetting port 22 to reduce the opening area of the jetting port 22, and retracted from the front of the jetting port 22 to increase the opening area of the jetting port 22.
According to the above constitution, the opening area of the jetting port 22 can be increased and reduced by operating the pair of movable plates. Consequently, even when the fog jetting amount is increased or reduced, the fog jetting speed can be kept constant by operating the opening area, whereby the state of the jetted fog (sprayed region and sprayed position) can be kept constant before and after changing of the fog jetting amount. Thus, the fog is satisfactorily applied across the tobacco raw material 14 in the cylinder 13, so that the quality can be kept constant. According to the above constitution, the opening area of the jetting port 22 can be continuously operated while maintaining the operating state of the tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11 without stopping the operation of the tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11; therefore, the processing efficiency of the tobacco raw material 14 can be enhanced, and, at the same time, the opening area of the jetting port 22 can be delicately adjusted.
The tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11 is provided with a pair of the rotation shafts 34 and 35 provided to hold the jetting port 22 in between. The rotation shafts 34 and 35 respectively support the ends 31A and 32A of the movable plates 31 and 32, and the movable plates 31 and 32 can rotate around the rotation shafts 34 and 35 between the first position P1 where the movable plates 31 and 32 are oblique relative to an axis line 22A of the jetting port 22 so that the ends 31B and 32B opposite the ends 31A and 32A are located in front of the jetting port 22 and the second position P2 where the ends 31B and 32B are retracted from the front of the jetting port 22.
According to the above constitution, the fog jetting direction can be freely changed along the direction of the movable plate, and the fog can be uniformly jetted against the tobacco raw material in the cylinder. Moreover, according to the above constitution, even when the opening area of the jetting port 22 is reduced, the cross-sectional area of a flow path through which the fog passes can be gradually reduced, and therefore, a flow of the fog can be smoothed without being disturbed in a turbulent manner. Droplets adhered to the pair of the movable plates 31 and 32 when the fog is guided can be minimized.
The jetting port 22 and the pair of the movable plates 31 and 32 are provided outside the cylinder 13. For example, when a nozzle for jetting or the like is installed in the cylinder 13, the tobacco raw material 14 may be accumulated on the nozzle. When the tobacco raw material thus accumulated is discharged to the discharge portion later, the quality of the tobacco raw material 14 after processing varies. According to this constitution, the tobacco raw material 14 is not accumulated in the jetting port 22 and on the movable plate, and the tobacco raw material 14 having uniform quality can be obtained. When the jetting port 22 and the pair of movable plates are arranged outside the cylinder 13, the maintainabilities of them are enhanced.
Moreover, the tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11 is provided with the discharge portion 26 to which the tobacco raw material 14 is discharged from the cylinder 13, the sensor 27 provided near the discharge portion 26 and detecting the state of the tobacco raw material 14, and the controller 28 operating the pair of movable plates based on the signal from the sensor 27 and controlling the opening area of the jetting port 22. According to this constitution, the feedback control through the controller 28 can be allowed, and the moisture content of the tobacco raw material 14 can be more strictly managed. Consequently, the quality of the tobacco raw material 14 after processing can be further enhanced.
In the pair of movable plates, the other end of one of the movable plates projects in the front of the jetting port 22, and, at the same time, the other is retracted from the front of the jetting port 22, whereby the fog jetting direction can be changed to a direction along one of the movable plates. According to this constitution, the fog can be jetted in any direction in the cylinder 13, and the fog can be uniformly applied across the tobacco raw material 14 in the cylinder 13.
The tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11 of this invention is not limited to the example of the above-mentioned tobacco raw material adjustment machine adjusting the moisture content of the tobacco raw material. The tobacco raw material processing apparatus of this invention is naturally applicable to, for example, a perfume applicator which can add a perfume to a tobacco raw material by spraying the perfume or the like into a cylinder and a mixer which mixes different kinds of tobacco raw materials with each other and at the same time adjusting the moisture content. In the perfume applicator, the perfume or the like as the fog 19 (atomized liquid) is jetted against the tobacco raw material 14 through the jetting port 22.
In the tobacco raw material processing apparatus 11 to which the present invention is applied, the constitution of the movable mechanism 23 is not limited to the above constitution. The movable mechanism may have the structure shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for example.
More specifically, the movable mechanism 23 has the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 slidably provided near the jetting port 22 and a drive source such as servomotor, which drives the slide movement of the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32. In this variation, the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 are arranged along a direction intersecting with the direction of the axis line 22A of the jetting port 22 and can slide along the direction intersecting with the direction of the axis line 22A. The first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 are driven by a drive source to be moved so as to project in front of the jetting port 22 and, thus, to reduce the opening area of the jetting port 22 (the first position P1, see FIG. 8) or to be moved in the direction (an opening direction) in which the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 are retracted from the front of the jetting port 22 and, thus, to increase the opening area of the jetting port 22 (the second position P2, see FIG. 7). As described herein, if the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 each have a shutter-like structure, the fog (steam) jetting speed can be kept constant to some extent. Moreover, the structures of the first movable plate 31 and the second movable plate 32 can be simplified.
The present invention can be variously modified and practiced without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Reference Signs List

11... Tobacco raw material processing apparatus, 13... Cylinder, 14... Tobacco raw material, 19... Fog, 22... Jetting port, 23... Movable mechanism, 26... Discharge portion, 27... Sensor, 28... Controller, 31... First movable plate, 32... Second movable plate

Claims

A tobacco raw material processing apparatus comprising:
a cylindrical cylinder including a tobacco raw material;

a jetting port through which fog is jetted against the tobacco raw material; and

a pair of movable plates provided near the jetting port, projecting in front of the jetting port to reduce the opening area of the jetting port, and retracted from the front of the jetting port to increase the opening area of the jetting port.
The tobacco raw material processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of rotation shafts provided to hold the jetting port in between, wherein each of the rotation shafts supports one end of the movable plate, each of the movable plates can rotate around the rotation shaft between a first position where each of the movable plates is oblique relative to an axis line of the jetting port so that the other end opposite the one end is located in front of the jetting port and a second position where the other end is retracted from the front of the jetting port.
The tobacco raw material processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the jetting port, the pair of movable plates, and the pair of rotation shafts are provided outside the cylinder.
The tobacco raw material processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:
a discharge portion to which the tobacco raw material is discharged from the cylinder;

a sensor provided near the discharge portion and detecting a state of the tobacco raw material; and

a controller operating the pair of movable plates based on a signal from the sensor and controlling an opening area of the jetting port.
The tobacco raw material processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the pair of movable plates adjusts the opening area to keep a constant initial speed of the fog passing between the movable plates.
The tobacco raw material processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in the pair of movable plates projects, the other end of one of the movable plates projects in the front of the jetting port, and, at the same time, the other end of the other one is retracted from the front of the jetting port, whereby the fog jetting direction can be changed to a direction along one of the movable plates.
The tobacco raw material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of movable plates is provided on the both sides holding the jetting port in between and can slide along a direction intersecting with a direction of axis of the jetting port.