GB1597005A

GB1597005A - Method of dividing articles in sheet form to produce portions of predetermined shape

Info

Publication number: GB1597005A
Application number: GB5057577A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Arenco PMB NV
Current assignee: Arenco PMB NV
Priority date: 1976-12-07
Filing date: 1977-12-05
Publication date: 1981-09-03
Also published as: DK528677A; NL7613613A; FR2373240A1; DE2753525C2; DE2753525A1; FR2373240B1; DK148618B; ES464778A1; DK148618C; CH626543A5

Abstract

Pieces of a flat starting material, for example tobacco leaves, are arranged on a carrier (1), the surface of these pieces is scanned by a beam (3) of electromagnetic rays and the electromagnetic rays reflected or transmitted by the material are received by a sensor element (4). The sensor element (4) generates, in dependence on the intensity of the received radiation, an output signal which permits the edges of the material pieces and any faults, such as holes, in these pieces to be recognised and serves to control the cutting out of the parts in such a manner that the latter are cut out only within the edges of the material pieces and have a minimum of faults. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) METHOD OF DIVIDING ARTICLES IN SHEET FORM TO PRODUCE PORTIONS OF PREDETERMINED SHAPE (71) We, BV ARENCO P.M.B., a company incorporated in accordance with the: laws of the The Netherlands, of 5, Kanaaldijk, Best, The Netherlands, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The invention relates to a method of dividing an article in sheet form into portions.

In many processes articles in sheet form have to be inspected for contour or surface conditions. for instance in order to reject products which do not conform with requirements or to carve out defective areas of the surface. For example in cutting tobacco leaves into portions to form wrappers it is necessary to check the shape of the leaf and the presence of holes, cracks or other defects before establishing a cutting pattern.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method of dividing articles in sheet form to produce portions of predetermined shape, in which the articles are placed on a carrier, and illuminated with a beam of electromagnetic radiation, variations in intensity of the radiation received by a sensing means are detected to determine the outlines of the articles and the presence of defects and the output of the sensing means is used to control the subdivision of the articles such that the required portions are taken from areas within the outlines of the articles and having a minimum of defects.

In the application of this method to the cutting l tobacco leaf, the leaves may be mounted en a carrier and exposed to the beam and the signal from the sensing means may serve to detect gaps or openings, that is to say the presence or absence of tobacco leaf at each point on the carrier, and control the division of the leaf so that the divided portions do not include such gaps or openings.

Preferably the pattern represented by the signal from the sensing means is compared with a set of reference patterns and the reference pattern which matches most closely is used to control the division of the article.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an example illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the single figure shows schematically a method in accordance with the invention for dividing tobacco leaves into portions.

Reference numeral 1 designates the leaf carrier on which two halves of a tobacco leaf are deposited in the stretched state. The manner in which this deposition is performed, lies outside the scope of this invention. The leaf halves may be of the same tobacco leaf, but they may as well originate from different leaves. On the left-hand side of the carrier the upper leaf half is damaged by a hole.

The leaf carrier is moved into a second position by moving it to a detecting station or by moving the detecting station over the leaf carrier.

The detecting station comprises a device 2 for emitting an electromagnetic beam 3, which is captured subsequent to reflection from the leaf carrier 1' or from the tobacco leaf lying thereon in a sensing means 4. The beam can be reciprocated by the device 2 along scanning lines across the leaf carrier, but any appropriate shape of the beam and any mode of scanning lies within the scope of the present method. As soon as a change of the beam intensity occurs as a result of the crossing of the edge of the tobacco leaf on the carrier 1, a signal is generated by the sensor 4, which signal is applied to the circuit controlling a separation device 5.

In the embodiment shown the circuit includes a comparator 6. During scanning of the tobacco leaf on the carrier 1' the signals generated by the sensor 4 can be composed to form a given pattern which is representative of the shape of the tobacco leaf and of any defects thereof, such as holes, cracks and so on. This representative pattern is compared in the comparator 6 with a number of reference patterns shown in the Figure in the form of a series of potential patterns on a belt which can be scanned. The comparator 6 selects the reference pattern which matches most closely the representative pattern that is to say which fits the areas in the representative pattern in which there is no gap or opening. The comparator then produces a signal to actuate the cutting or separation device 5 in accordance with the slected pattern.

As a matter of course, the signals may be applied in a digital form from the sensor to the comparator, whilst the reference patterns may be stored in the digital form in the memory of a computer.

The separation device 5 is a tool capable of cutting each tobacco leaf at a high rate.

Apart from the known cutting heads, in which a knife projects from the surface of a suction head, a laser beam may be used for heat severing or cutting a leaf.

Cutting is performed in the position 1" of the carrier 1, where in addition means may be provided for taking up the cut portions which can then be directed to a wrapping machine or to a storing bobbin.

Within the scope of the invention other dispositions of the tobacco leaves on the carrier 1 are possible. The drawing shows two halves, but as a matter of cource more than two halves or complete leaves and even a multiple thereof may be worked up simultaneously. Scanning may take place by electro magnetic waves in the visible spectrum, but as well by infrared or X-ray beams.

Detection may be ensured by reflection or transmission the emitter 2' being arranged on the lower side of the carrier 1' in the latter case. In accordance with the scanning mode the leaf carrier is made reflecting or transparent to the beam.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A method of dividing articles in sheet form to produce portions of predetermined shape, in which the articles are placed on a carrier, and illuminated with a beam of electromagnetic radiation, variations in intensity of the radiation received by a sensing means are detected to determine the outlines of the articles and the presence of defects and the output of the sensing means is used to control the division of the articles such that the required portions are taken from areas within the outlines of the articles and having a minimum f defects.

2. A method as claimed in claim I applied to the division of tobacco leaves or parts thereof into portions for use as wrappers.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the signal from the sensing means serves to detect gaps or openings in the article and the division of the article is controlled so that the divided portions do not include such gaps or openings.

4. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 in which the pattern represented by the signal from the sensing means is compared with a set of reference patterns and the reference pattern which matches most closely is used to control the division of the articles.

5. A method of dividing an article into portions substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. generated by the sensor 4 can be composed to form a given pattern which is representative of the shape of the tobacco leaf and of any defects thereof, such as holes, cracks and so on. This representative pattern is compared in the comparator 6 with a number of reference patterns shown in the Figure in the form of a series of potential patterns on a belt which can be scanned. The comparator 6 selects the reference pattern which matches most closely the representative pattern that is to say which fits the areas in the representative pattern in which there is no gap or opening. The comparator then produces a signal to actuate the cutting or separation device 5 in accordance with the slected pattern. As a matter of course, the signals may be applied in a digital form from the sensor to the comparator, whilst the reference patterns may be stored in the digital form in the memory of a computer. The separation device 5 is a tool capable of cutting each tobacco leaf at a high rate. Apart from the known cutting heads, in which a knife projects from the surface of a suction head, a laser beam may be used for heat severing or cutting a leaf. Cutting is performed in the position 1" of the carrier 1, where in addition means may be provided for taking up the cut portions which can then be directed to a wrapping machine or to a storing bobbin. Within the scope of the invention other dispositions of the tobacco leaves on the carrier 1 are possible. The drawing shows two halves, but as a matter of cource more than two halves or complete leaves and even a multiple thereof may be worked up simultaneously. Scanning may take place by electro magnetic waves in the visible spectrum, but as well by infrared or X-ray beams. Detection may be ensured by reflection or transmission the emitter 2' being arranged on the lower side of the carrier 1' in the latter case. In accordance with the scanning mode the leaf carrier is made reflecting or transparent to the beam. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A method of dividing articles in sheet form to produce portions of predetermined shape, in which the articles are placed on a carrier, and illuminated with a beam of electromagnetic radiation, variations in intensity of the radiation received by a sensing means are detected to determine the outlines of the articles and the presence of defects and the output of the sensing means is used to control the division of the articles such that the required portions are taken from areas within the outlines of the articles and having a minimum f defects.