WO2023041686A1 - Recycling device for a cigarette-making machine and associated cigarette-making installation - Google Patents

Recycling device for a cigarette-making machine and associated cigarette-making installation Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2023041686A1
WO2023041686A1 PCT/EP2022/075731 EP2022075731W WO2023041686A1 WO 2023041686 A1 WO2023041686 A1 WO 2023041686A1 EP 2022075731 W EP2022075731 W EP 2022075731W WO 2023041686 A1 WO2023041686 A1 WO 2023041686A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
tobacco
finely divided
cigarette
recycling device
supplementary
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2022/075731
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Naing TUN
Ye Tun MIN
Original Assignee
Jt International S.A.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Jt International S.A. filed Critical Jt International S.A.
Publication of WO2023041686A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023041686A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/39—Tobacco feeding devices
    • A24C5/396—Tobacco feeding devices with separating means, e.g. winnowing, removing impurities
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
    • A24B7/00—Cutting tobacco
    • A24B7/14—Feeding or control devices for tobacco-cutting apparatus
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/39—Tobacco feeding devices
    • A24C5/397—Tobacco feeding devices with means for regulating the tobacco quantity

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a recycling device for a cigarette-making machine.
  • the present invention also concerns a cigarette-making installation comprising a cigarette-making machine and such a recycling device.
  • Such articles comprise a storage portion for storing a smokable material comprising for example a tobacco substrate.
  • This storage portion is designed to be burnt in case of a conventional cigarette or only be heated when it is used with an aerosol generating device.
  • a heating system is formed at least partially inside the aerosol generating device and comprises one or more electrically activated heating elements arranged to heat said storage portion to generate aerosol.
  • the aerosol is released into a flow path extending between an inlet and outlet of the article.
  • the outlet may be arranged as a mouthpiece for delivery of the aerosol.
  • Smoking articles are produced by cigarettemaking machines from raw tobacco.
  • Said raw tobacco is generally in the form of tobacco leaves.
  • Such tobacco leaves comprise stems, veins and lamina.
  • T o produce cigarettes, said tobacco leaves are typically crushed in cigarette-making machines.
  • Tobacco leaves are thus transformed into a mix of finely divided tobacco material and larger particles, such as entire tobacco stems or parts of tobacco stems which resisted the crushing.
  • the finely divided tobacco material is suitable for producing cigarettes of satisfactory quality.
  • larger particles like the tobacco stems have usually too high dimensions so that they are not fit for cigarette production.
  • US 6 877 516 discloses a recycling device configured for gathering the tobacco stems, cutting the tobacco stems into pieces and feeding the cut tobacco stems back to the cigarette-making machine.
  • One of the aim of the invention is to provide a recycling device for a cigarette-making machine allowing an improved synergy between the recycling device and the cigarettemaking machine.
  • the invention relates to a recycling device for a cigarette-making machine configured for:
  • ground tobacco comprising primary finely divided tobacco and oversized tobacco particles
  • the recycling device comprising:
  • a cutting mechanism comprising a receiving element for receiving the oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette-making machine, a cutter configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco and a collector configured for collecting the supplementary finely divided tobacco;
  • a dosing mechanism comprising an inlet configured to receive the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the collector and a conveyor configured to convey a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarette-making machine;
  • a drive system configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism and the dosing mechanism.
  • the receiving element of the cutting mechanism comprises a hopper and at least one flap separating the hopper and the cutter.
  • the cutter comprises at least one cutting wheel mounted with blades.
  • the oversized tobacco particles received by the cutting mechanism are cut in an easy and efficient way.
  • the cutter further comprises at least a scraper configured to push the supplementary finely divided tobacco towards the collector.
  • the recycling yield is improved since the scraper makes it possible to reduce the amount of supplementary finely divided tobacco that would be stuck in the cutter.
  • the collector of the cutting mechanism comprises a hopper connected to the inlet of the dosing mechanism by a conduit.
  • the dosing mechanism further comprises a vacuum source, the inlet of the dosing mechanism being connected to the vacuum source, the supplementary finely divided tobacco being drawn from the collector to the inlet by the vacuum.
  • the supplementary finely divided tobacco is transferred in a simple manner from the cutter to the dosing mechanism. Vacuum is indeed easy to implement and is efficient regarding the transfer of finely divided materials.
  • the inlet of the dosing mechanism is connected to the conveyor via a cyclone system.
  • the conveyor comprises a screw conveyor.
  • the dosing mechanism further comprises at least one actuator configured to actuate the screw conveyor.
  • the at least one actuator comprises at least one motor configured to power the screw conveyor, the drive system being configured to drive said at least one motor with variable speeds.
  • the recycling device enables adapting the throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco that is added back into the cigarette-making machine, for example depending on the need of the cigarette-making machine.
  • the dosing mechanism further comprises an auxiliary outlet configured to evacuate excessive quantities of the supplementary finely divided tobacco.
  • the drive system is configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism and the dosing mechanism according to an operational state of the cigarette-making machine.
  • the operation of the recycling device is synchronized with the operation of the cigarette-making machine. This improves ease of use of the recycling device and the synergy between the recycling device and the cigarette-making machine.
  • the cutter of the cutting mechanism is configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles in supplementary finely divided tobacco particles of length comprised between 1 mm and 2 mm.
  • the invention also relates to a cigarette-making installation comprising a cigarettemaking machine and a recycling device as previously described, the cigarette-making machine being configured for:
  • ground tobacco comprising primary finely divided tobacco and oversized tobacco particles
  • the recycling device being configured for:
  • FIG. 3 is perspective view of a dosing mechanism of a recycling device of the cigarette-making installation of Figure 1 .
  • the term “aerosol generating device” or “device” may include a vaping device to deliver an aerosol to a user, including an aerosol for vaping, by means of aerosol generating unit (e.g. an aerosol generating element which generates vapor which condenses into an aerosol before delivery to an outlet of the device at, for example, a mouthpiece, for inhalation by a user).
  • the device may be portable. “Portable” may refer to the device being for use when held by a user.
  • the device may be adapted to generate a variable amount of aerosol, e.g. by activating a heater system for a variable amount of time (as opposed to a metered dose of aerosol), which can be controlled by a trigger.
  • the trigger may be user activated, such as a vaping button and/or inhalation sensor.
  • the inhalation sensor may be sensitive to the strength of inhalation as well as the duration of inhalation to enable a variable amount of vapor to be provided (so as to mimic the effect of smoking a conventional combustible smoking device such as a cigarette, cigar or pipe, etc.).
  • the device may include a temperature regulation control to drive the temperature of the heater and/or the heated aerosol generating substance (aerosol pre-cursor) to a specified target temperature and thereafter to maintain the temperature at the target temperature that enables efficient generation of aerosol.
  • the term “aerosol” may include a suspension of precursor as one or more of: solid particles; liquid droplets; gas. Said suspension may be in a gas including air. Aerosol herein may generally refer to/include a vapor. Aerosol may include one or more components of the precursor.
  • the term “smokable material” is used to designate any material that is vaporizable in air by burning or heating to form aerosol and/or smoke. Vaporization is generally obtained by a temperature increase up to the boiling point of the vaporization material, such as at a temperature up to 400°C, preferably up to 350°C.
  • the smokable material may, for example, comprise or consist of an aerosol-generating liquid, gel, or wax or the like or an aerosol -generating solid that may be in the form of a rod, which contains processed tobacco material, a crimped sheet or oriented strips or randomly dispersed shreds of reconstituted tobacco (RTB), or any combination of these.
  • the smokable material may comprise one or more of: nicotine; caffeine or other active components.
  • the active component may be carried with a carrier, which may be a liquid.
  • the carrier may include propylene glycol or glycerin.
  • FIG. 1 A schematic illustration of a cigarette-making installation 10 according to the invention is shown on Figure 1.
  • the cigarette-making installation 10 is configured for producing cigarettes (not shown) from raw tobacco leaves.
  • the cigarettes contain a smokable material.
  • a cigarette, also called conventional cigarette, produced by the cigarettemaking installation 10 is designed to be operated independently from any external device by burning a smokable material contained in a storage portion of the cigarette.
  • the cigarette is configured to operate with an aerosol generating device (not shown on the Figures), notably with a heat-not burn device, called HNB device.
  • the aerosol generating device comprises for example a cavity able to receive at least a part, notably the storage portion, of the cigarette, and heat the smokable material contained in the storage portion.
  • the cigarette (conventional or for an HNB device) comprises the storage portion, a mouthpiece portion and in some embodiments, a tubular support.
  • the mouthpiece portion, the tubular support and the storage portion are arranged sequentially along an axis of the cigarette and are advantageously wrapped by a wrapper to form the cigarette.
  • the cigarette is a stick or a tobacco rod having a cylindrical shape and a circular or elliptical cross-section.
  • the stick may have a length comprised between 55 mm and 100 mm and a diameter comprised between 5 mm and 8 mm.
  • the cigarette may have a different shape.
  • the cigarette can present a flat-shape and a rectangular cross-section.
  • the storage portion of the cigarette is arranged at an end of the cigarette along the cigarette axis.
  • the storage portion stores a smokable material able to generate smoke or aerosol during burning or heating.
  • the cigarette When the cigarette is a conventional cigarette, its storage portion is designed to be burnt.
  • the mouthpiece portion is designed to be in contact with the user’s mouth.
  • the mouthpiece portion is arranged at the end of the cigarette along the cigarette axis, opposite to the storage portion.
  • the mouthpiece portion comprises a filter.
  • the filter may comprise a single segment or several segments amongst a monoacetate segment, a centre hole filter segment, a capsule filter segment, charcoal filter segment and combinations thereof.
  • the filter may further comprise a tubular cavity, e.g. at the mouth end or between two filter segments.
  • the tubular support extends along the cigarette axis between the storage portion and the mouthpiece portion.
  • the tubular support comprises an outer wall defining an outer surface facing the outside of the cigarette or being in contact with the wrapper, and an inner surface facing the inner volume of the tubular support.
  • the outer wall presents advantageously a cylindrical form, extending along the cigarette axis.
  • the cigarette-making installation 10 comprises a cigarettemaking machine 12 and a recycling device 14.
  • the cigarette-making machine 12 is designed to be fed with raw tobacco leaves.
  • the cigarette-making machine 12 comprises a feed hopper (not shown) in which the tobacco leaves are to be put.
  • Said tobacco leaves comprise stems, veins and lamina.
  • the cigarette-making machine 12 is configured for grinding the raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco.
  • Said ground tobacco comprises finely divided tobacco, in particular primary finely divided tobacco in comparison to supplementary finely divided tobacco that will be introduced later in the description, and oversized tobacco particles.
  • the primary finely divided tobacco is considered as suitable to produce cigarettes with.
  • oversized tobacco particles are considered as undesired side-products and are considered as waste.
  • veins and lamina of the tobacco leaves are made up of soft material.
  • the stems of the tobacco leaves are made up of harder material.
  • hard it is meant the stems are excessively hard to the point that it cannot be correctly ground by the cigarette-making machine 12. Consequently, the stems are ground (or not) into oversized particles that are not fit for cigarette production.
  • the oversized tobacco particles are oversized non-ground tobacco stems and/or oversized ground tobacco stems, for example.
  • the cigarette-making machine 12 is configured for producing cigarettes from finely divided tobacco and other supporting materials (like paper, wrapper, filter, etc.).
  • the cigarette-making machine 12 is further configured for rejecting the oversized tobacco particles.
  • the finely divided tobacco comprises primary finely divided tobacco ground by the cigarette-making machine 12 and supplementary finely divided tobacco cut by the recycling device 14 as it will be described in more detail below.
  • the cigarette-machine machine 12 advantageously comprises a sieve intended to be fed with the ground tobacco, and designed to separate the primary finely divided tobacco and the oversized tobacco particles.
  • the cigarette-making machine 12 advantageously comprises a recycling inlet and a recycling outlet that are designed to be in communication with the recycling device 14.
  • the recycling device 14 is configured for receiving the oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the recycling device 14 is further configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco and for conveying a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarettemaking machine 12.
  • the recycling device 14 is removably connectable to the recycling inlet and the recycling outlet of the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the recycling device 14 can easily be connected to the cigarette-making machine 12 when it is needed or easily be disconnected from the cigarette-making machine 12 when it is not needed.
  • the recycling device 14 can also be easily disconnected from a cigarette-making machine 12 and subsequently connected to another separate cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the recycling device 14 comprises a cutting mechanism 20, a dosing mechanism 40 and a drive system 60.
  • the cutting mechanism 20 communicates with the cigarette-making machine 12, notably with the recycling outlet of the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the cutting mechanism 20 is configured to receive the oversized tobacco particles from the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the cutting mechanism 20 is advantageously configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco.
  • the cutting mechanism 20 communicates with the dosing mechanism 40 so that the supplementary finely divided tobacco can be transferred to the dosing mechanism 40.
  • the cutting mechanism 20 comprises a receiving element 22, a cutter 26 and a collector 32.
  • the cutting mechanism 20 further comprises an actuator 38.
  • the receiving element 22 is configured for receiving the oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette-making machine 12. Notably, it is connected to the recycling outlet of the cigarette-making machine 12 and receives the oversized tobacco particles via the recycling outlet.
  • the receiving element 22 is further connected to the cutter 26.
  • the receiving element 22 comprises a hopper 24 and at least one flap 25 separating the hopper 24 and the cutter 26.
  • Figure 2 illustrates an example in which the receiving element 22 comprises two flaps 25. Alternatively, the receiving element 22 comprises one and only flap 25.
  • the hopper 24 of the receiving element 22 is designed to receive the oversized tobacco particles and to guide them towards the cutter 26.
  • the hopper 24 is placed below the recycling outlet of the cigarette-making machine 12 so that the oversized tobacco particles can fall down into the hopper 24 by gravity when they exit the recycling outlet.
  • the at least one flap 25 of the receiving element 22 is movable between a closed position (shown on Figure 2) in which it prevents the oversized tobacco particles from flowing to the cutter 26 and an open position (not shown) in which it allows the oversized tobacco particles to flow from the hopper 24 to the cutter 26.
  • the at least one flap 25 enables controlling the flow of oversized tobacco particles flowing through the cutter 26.
  • the cutter 26 is configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco.
  • the cutter 26 is configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles in supplementary finely divided tobacco particles of length comprises between 1 mm and 2 mm.
  • the cutter 26 is located below the receiving element 22.
  • the cutter 26 comprises at least a cutting wheel 27 and at least a scraper 28.
  • the cutter 26 comprises two cutting wheels 27 forming two intermeshing gears and two scrapers 28.
  • the at least one cutting wheel 27 of the cutter 26 is located below the hopper 24 and below the at least one flap 25 of the receiving element 22. When the at least one flap 25 is in the open position, the oversized tobacco particles fall down onto the at least one cutting wheel 27 by gravity.
  • the at least one cutting wheel 27 is advantageously rotatably mounted on a support of the recycling device 14 around a rotation axis A-A’.
  • the at least one cutting wheel 27 is configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles when it is driven in rotation around the rotation axis A-A’.
  • the at least one cutting wheel 27 is mounted with blades 29. During rotation of the at least one cutting wheel 27, the blades 29 collide with the oversized tobacco particles and cut them into supplementary finely divided tobacco.
  • the at least one scraper 28 of the cutter 26 is configured to push the supplementary finely divided tobacco towards the collector 32.
  • the cutter 26 comprises a scraper 28 for each cutting wheel 27.
  • Each scraper 28 is designed to detach the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the blades 29 of the associated wheel 27.
  • Each scraper 28 is for example made up of a part comprising a curved surface, the blades 28 of the associated wheel 27 brushing said curved surface when said wheel 27 is driven in rotation.
  • the collector 32 is configured for collecting the supplementary finely divided tobacco.
  • the collector 32 is connected to the cutter 26 and to the dosing mechanism 40.
  • the collector 32 comprises a hopper 34 and a conduit 36.
  • the hopper 34 of the collector 32 is located below the cutter 26.
  • the supplementary finely divided tobacco fall down from the cutter 26 into the hopper 34 by gravity.
  • the hopper 34 is connected to the conduit 36, and is connected to an inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 by the conduit 36.
  • the conduit 36 connects the hopper 34 and the dosing mechanism 40, notably the hopper 34 and the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40.
  • the actuator 38 is configured for actuating the receiving element 22 and the cutter 26.
  • the actuator 38 is configured for actuating the at least one flap 25 of the receiving element 22 and the at least one cutting wheel 27 of the cutter 26.
  • the actuator 38 comprises at least one motor, advantageously at least one three phase motor, for controlling the at least one flap 25 between its open and closed positions and for controlling the at least one cutting wheel 27 in rotation.
  • the dosing mechanism 40 communicates with the cutting mechanism 20 and the cigarette-making machine 12, notably with the recycling inlet of the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the dosing mechanism 40 is configured to feed the cigarette-making machine 12 with the supplementary finely divided tobacco.
  • the dosing mechanism 40 comprises the inlet 42 and a conveyor 44.
  • the dosing mechanism 40 further comprises a vacuum source 46 for drawing the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the collector 32 of the cutting mechanism 20, a cyclone system 48, an auxiliary outlet 50 and at least an actuator 52.
  • the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 is configured to receive the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the collector 32 of the cutting mechanism 20.
  • the inlet 42 is connected to the conduit 36.
  • the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 is connected to the vacuum source 46 and is further connected to the conveyor 44 via the cyclone system 48.
  • the conveyor 44 is configured to convey a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the specific throughput of supplementary divided tobacco is comprised between 16.8 g/min and 36.6 g/min.
  • This specific throughput can be adapted according to the needs of the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the conveyor 44 comprises a screw conveyor 54.
  • the screw conveyor 54 comprises a hollow tube extending along an axis.
  • the screw conveyor 54 further comprises a rotating helical screw blade extending within said tube along an axis coinciding with the tube’s axis.
  • the rotating helical screw blade is rotatable along its axis.
  • the vacuum source 46 creates vacuum for drawing the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the collector 32 to the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40.
  • the vacuum source 46 creates vacuum in the conduit 36 of the cutting mechanism 20 and in the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40.
  • the vacuum source 46 comprises at least an air pump (not shown).
  • the cyclone system 48 (also called “cyclone separator”) connects the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 and the conveyor 44.
  • the cyclone system 48 is configured for separating the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the air pumped by the vacuum source 46.
  • the cyclone system 48 is further configured to transfer the separated supplementary finely divided tobacco to the conveyor 44.
  • the auxiliary outlet 50 is configured to evacuate excessive quantities of the supplementary finely divided tobacco.
  • the auxiliary outlet 50 comprises a conduit 56 connected to the conveyor 44. When the conveyor overflows with supplementary finely divided tobacco, the excess divided tobacco falls down into the conduit 56 and is evacuated.
  • the at least one actuator 52 is configured to actuate the conveyor 44, in particular to actuate the screw conveyor 54.
  • the at least one actuator 52 comprises at least one motor 58, advantageously at least one three phase motor 58, configured to power the screw conveyor 54.
  • the at least one motor 58 is able to drive the rotating helical screw blade of the screw conveyor 54 in rotation about its axis.
  • the throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco depends on the power generated by the at least one motor 58 and transmitted to the screw conveyor 54.
  • the dosing mechanism 40 comprises another actuator comprising at least a motor configured to power the vacuum source 46.
  • said actuator powers the vacuum source 46 independently from the drive system 60.
  • the drive system 60 is configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism 20 and the dosing mechanism 40.
  • the drive system 60 is electronically connected to the cutting mechanism 20 and the dosing mechanism 40.
  • the drive system 60 is further electronically connected to the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the drive system 60 is electronically connected to the actuator 38 of the cutting mechanism 20, to the actuator 52 of the dosing mechanism 40.
  • the drive system 60 receives from the cigarette-making machine 12 information related to its operational state (the cigarettemaking machine 12 is on or off), information related to the amount of supplementary finely divided tobacco it needs, etc.
  • the drive system 60 is configured to drive the at least one motor 58 of the actuator 52 of the dosing mechanism 40, the at least one motor of the actuator 38 of the cutting mechanism 20, the at least one flap 25.
  • the drive system 60 drives these elements based on the information it receives from the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the drive system 60 is configured to drive said at least one motor 58 of the conveyor 44 with variable speeds.
  • the drive system 60 thus controls the screw conveyor 54 and adapts the throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco by adapting the speed of the motor 58, and thus the rotational speed of the rotating helical screw blade of the screw conveyor 54, for example based on the needs of the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the drive system 60 is further configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism 20 and the dosing mechanism 40 according to the operational state of the cigarette-making machine 12. For instance, when the cigarette-making machine 12 is off, the drive system 60 turns off the cutting mechanism 20, notably the cutter 26, and the dosing mechanism 40, notably the conveyor 44. When the cigarette-making machine 12 is on, the drive system 60 turns on the cutting mechanism 20, notably the cutter 26, and the dosing mechanism 40, notably the conveyor 44.
  • the drive system 60 can comprise a control logic programmed for example in a control circuit and/or a in processor.
  • the recycling device 14 is connected to the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the cigarette-making machine 12 is fed with raw tobacco leaves.
  • the cigarettemaking machine 12 grinds the raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco comprising primary finely divided tobacco and oversized tobacco particles.
  • the cigarette-making machine 12 produces cigarettes with the primary finely divided tobacco and rejects the oversized tobacco particles.
  • the recycling device 14 receives the rejected oversized tobacco particles.
  • the cutting mechanism 20 cuts the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco.
  • the dosing mechanism 40 then conveys a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarette-making machine 12.
  • the cigarette-making machine 12 then produces cigarettes with the supplementary finely divided tobacco.
  • the throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco can be adapted through time based on the needs of the cigarette-making machine 12. An optimal quality of produced cigarettes can then be ensured. Indeed, with such a recycling, the tobacco dosing of each cigarette is optimal.

Landscapes

  • Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)

Abstract

The recycling device (14) is configured for: - grinding raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, said ground tobacco comprising primary finely divided tobacco and oversized tobacco particles; - producing cigarettes from finely divided tobacco; and - rejecting the oversized tobacco particles; and comprises: - a cutting mechanism (20) comprising a receiving element for receiving the oversized tobacco particles, a cutter configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco and a collector configured for collecting the supplementary finely divided tobacco; - a dosing mechanism (40) comprising an inlet configured to receive the supplementary finely divided tobacco and a conveyor configured to convey a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarette-making machine (12); and - a drive system (60) configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism (20) and the dosing mechanism (40).

Description

Recycling device for a cigarette-making machine and associated cigarette-making installation
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a recycling device for a cigarette-making machine.
The present invention also concerns a cigarette-making installation comprising a cigarette-making machine and such a recycling device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Different types of smoking articles, as notably conventional cigarettes or articles for using with heat-not-burn devices, are known in the art. Generally, such articles comprise a storage portion for storing a smokable material comprising for example a tobacco substrate. This storage portion is designed to be burnt in case of a conventional cigarette or only be heated when it is used with an aerosol generating device. In this last case, a heating system is formed at least partially inside the aerosol generating device and comprises one or more electrically activated heating elements arranged to heat said storage portion to generate aerosol. The aerosol is released into a flow path extending between an inlet and outlet of the article. The outlet may be arranged as a mouthpiece for delivery of the aerosol.
Smoking articles, as notably conventional cigarettes, are produced by cigarettemaking machines from raw tobacco. Said raw tobacco is generally in the form of tobacco leaves. Such tobacco leaves comprise stems, veins and lamina. T o produce cigarettes, said tobacco leaves are typically crushed in cigarette-making machines. Tobacco leaves are thus transformed into a mix of finely divided tobacco material and larger particles, such as entire tobacco stems or parts of tobacco stems which resisted the crushing. The finely divided tobacco material is suitable for producing cigarettes of satisfactory quality. However, larger particles like the tobacco stems have usually too high dimensions so that they are not fit for cigarette production. US 6 877 516 discloses a recycling device configured for gathering the tobacco stems, cutting the tobacco stems into pieces and feeding the cut tobacco stems back to the cigarette-making machine.
However, such a recycling device is not entirely satisfactory since it only provides a poor synergy between the recycling device and the cigarette-making machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of the aim of the invention is to provide a recycling device for a cigarette-making machine allowing an improved synergy between the recycling device and the cigarettemaking machine.
For this purpose, the invention relates to a recycling device for a cigarette-making machine configured for:
- grinding raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, said ground tobacco comprising primary finely divided tobacco and oversized tobacco particles;
- producing cigarettes from finely divided tobacco; and
- rejecting the oversized tobacco particles; the recycling device comprising:
- a cutting mechanism comprising a receiving element for receiving the oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette-making machine, a cutter configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco and a collector configured for collecting the supplementary finely divided tobacco;
- a dosing mechanism comprising an inlet configured to receive the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the collector and a conveyor configured to convey a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarette-making machine; and
- a drive system configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism and the dosing mechanism.
Advantageously, thanks to these features, a throughput that is adapted to the cigarette-making machine can be achieved depending on the needs of the cigarette-making machine. This improves the recycling of the oversized tobacco particles and improves the quality of the cigarettes produced by the cigarette-making machine. According to some embodiment, the receiving element of the cutting mechanism comprises a hopper and at least one flap separating the hopper and the cutter.
By implementing these features, it is possible to control the flow of oversized tobacco particles that enter the cutting mechanism.
According to some embodiment, the cutter comprises at least one cutting wheel mounted with blades.
Thanks to these features, the oversized tobacco particles received by the cutting mechanism are cut in an easy and efficient way.
According to some embodiment, the cutter further comprises at least a scraper configured to push the supplementary finely divided tobacco towards the collector.
By implementing these features, the recycling yield is improved since the scraper makes it possible to reduce the amount of supplementary finely divided tobacco that would be stuck in the cutter.
According to some embodiment, the collector of the cutting mechanism comprises a hopper connected to the inlet of the dosing mechanism by a conduit.
By implementing these features, an efficient transfer of the supplementary finely divided tobacco between the cutter and the dosing mechanism is carried out. Loss of supplementary finely divided tobacco during this transfer is reduced.
According to some embodiment, the dosing mechanism further comprises a vacuum source, the inlet of the dosing mechanism being connected to the vacuum source, the supplementary finely divided tobacco being drawn from the collector to the inlet by the vacuum.
By implementing these features, the supplementary finely divided tobacco is transferred in a simple manner from the cutter to the dosing mechanism. Vacuum is indeed easy to implement and is efficient regarding the transfer of finely divided materials. According to some embodiment, the inlet of the dosing mechanism is connected to the conveyor via a cyclone system.
By implementing these features, the supplementary finely divided tobacco is easily and efficiently separated from the air that is drawn by the vacuum.
According to some embodiment, the conveyor comprises a screw conveyor.
According to some embodiment, the dosing mechanism further comprises at least one actuator configured to actuate the screw conveyor.
By implementing these features, a precise throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco is provided.
According to some embodiment, the at least one actuator comprises at least one motor configured to power the screw conveyor, the drive system being configured to drive said at least one motor with variable speeds.
By implementing these features, the recycling device enables adapting the throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco that is added back into the cigarette-making machine, for example depending on the need of the cigarette-making machine.
According to some embodiment, the dosing mechanism further comprises an auxiliary outlet configured to evacuate excessive quantities of the supplementary finely divided tobacco.
By implementing these features, clogging of the dosing mechanism is avoided in case of excessive input of supplementary finely divided tobacco.
According to some embodiment, the drive system is configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism and the dosing mechanism according to an operational state of the cigarette-making machine.
By implementing these features, the operation of the recycling device is synchronized with the operation of the cigarette-making machine. This improves ease of use of the recycling device and the synergy between the recycling device and the cigarette-making machine.
According to some embodiment, the cutter of the cutting mechanism is configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles in supplementary finely divided tobacco particles of length comprised between 1 mm and 2 mm.
By implementing these features, the oversized tobacco particles that were too large to be used for cigarette-making are now cut into particles that have an optimal size for cigarette-making.
The invention also relates to a cigarette-making installation comprising a cigarettemaking machine and a recycling device as previously described, the cigarette-making machine being configured for:
- grinding raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, said ground tobacco comprising primary finely divided tobacco and oversized tobacco particles;
- producing cigarettes from finely divided tobacco; and
- rejecting the oversized tobacco particles; the recycling device being configured for:
- receiving the oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette-making machine;
- cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco; and
- conveying a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarette-making machine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention and its advantages will be better understood upon reading the following description, which is given solely by way of non-limiting example and which is made with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a cigarette-making installation according to the invention; - Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a cutting mechanism of a recycling device of the cigarette-making installation of Figure 1 ; and
- Figure 3 is perspective view of a dosing mechanism of a recycling device of the cigarette-making installation of Figure 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Before describing the invention, it is to be understood that it is not limited to the details of construction set forth in the following description. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways.
As used herein, the term “aerosol generating device” or “device” may include a vaping device to deliver an aerosol to a user, including an aerosol for vaping, by means of aerosol generating unit (e.g. an aerosol generating element which generates vapor which condenses into an aerosol before delivery to an outlet of the device at, for example, a mouthpiece, for inhalation by a user). The device may be portable. “Portable” may refer to the device being for use when held by a user. The device may be adapted to generate a variable amount of aerosol, e.g. by activating a heater system for a variable amount of time (as opposed to a metered dose of aerosol), which can be controlled by a trigger. The trigger may be user activated, such as a vaping button and/or inhalation sensor. The inhalation sensor may be sensitive to the strength of inhalation as well as the duration of inhalation to enable a variable amount of vapor to be provided (so as to mimic the effect of smoking a conventional combustible smoking device such as a cigarette, cigar or pipe, etc.). The device may include a temperature regulation control to drive the temperature of the heater and/or the heated aerosol generating substance (aerosol pre-cursor) to a specified target temperature and thereafter to maintain the temperature at the target temperature that enables efficient generation of aerosol.
As used herein, the term “aerosol” may include a suspension of precursor as one or more of: solid particles; liquid droplets; gas. Said suspension may be in a gas including air. Aerosol herein may generally refer to/include a vapor. Aerosol may include one or more components of the precursor. As used herein, the term “smokable material” is used to designate any material that is vaporizable in air by burning or heating to form aerosol and/or smoke. Vaporization is generally obtained by a temperature increase up to the boiling point of the vaporization material, such as at a temperature up to 400°C, preferably up to 350°C. The smokable material may, for example, comprise or consist of an aerosol-generating liquid, gel, or wax or the like or an aerosol -generating solid that may be in the form of a rod, which contains processed tobacco material, a crimped sheet or oriented strips or randomly dispersed shreds of reconstituted tobacco (RTB), or any combination of these. The smokable material may comprise one or more of: nicotine; caffeine or other active components. The active component may be carried with a carrier, which may be a liquid. The carrier may include propylene glycol or glycerin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
A schematic illustration of a cigarette-making installation 10 according to the invention is shown on Figure 1. The cigarette-making installation 10 is configured for producing cigarettes (not shown) from raw tobacco leaves. The cigarettes contain a smokable material.
For example, a cigarette, also called conventional cigarette, produced by the cigarettemaking installation 10 is designed to be operated independently from any external device by burning a smokable material contained in a storage portion of the cigarette. According to another embodiment, the cigarette is configured to operate with an aerosol generating device (not shown on the Figures), notably with a heat-not burn device, called HNB device. The aerosol generating device comprises for example a cavity able to receive at least a part, notably the storage portion, of the cigarette, and heat the smokable material contained in the storage portion.
For example, the cigarette (conventional or for an HNB device) comprises the storage portion, a mouthpiece portion and in some embodiments, a tubular support. The mouthpiece portion, the tubular support and the storage portion are arranged sequentially along an axis of the cigarette and are advantageously wrapped by a wrapper to form the cigarette. For example, the cigarette is a stick or a tobacco rod having a cylindrical shape and a circular or elliptical cross-section. The stick may have a length comprised between 55 mm and 100 mm and a diameter comprised between 5 mm and 8 mm. As a variant, the cigarette may have a different shape. For example, the cigarette can present a flat-shape and a rectangular cross-section.
The storage portion of the cigarette is arranged at an end of the cigarette along the cigarette axis. The storage portion stores a smokable material able to generate smoke or aerosol during burning or heating.
When the cigarette is a conventional cigarette, its storage portion is designed to be burnt.
The mouthpiece portion is designed to be in contact with the user’s mouth. The mouthpiece portion is arranged at the end of the cigarette along the cigarette axis, opposite to the storage portion. The mouthpiece portion comprises a filter. The filter may comprise a single segment or several segments amongst a monoacetate segment, a centre hole filter segment, a capsule filter segment, charcoal filter segment and combinations thereof. The filter may further comprise a tubular cavity, e.g. at the mouth end or between two filter segments.
For example, the tubular support extends along the cigarette axis between the storage portion and the mouthpiece portion. The tubular support comprises an outer wall defining an outer surface facing the outside of the cigarette or being in contact with the wrapper, and an inner surface facing the inner volume of the tubular support. The outer wall presents advantageously a cylindrical form, extending along the cigarette axis.
Turning back to Figure 1 , the cigarette-making installation 10 comprises a cigarettemaking machine 12 and a recycling device 14.
The cigarette-making machine 12 is designed to be fed with raw tobacco leaves. For example, the cigarette-making machine 12 comprises a feed hopper (not shown) in which the tobacco leaves are to be put. Said tobacco leaves comprise stems, veins and lamina. The cigarette-making machine 12 is configured for grinding the raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco. Said ground tobacco comprises finely divided tobacco, in particular primary finely divided tobacco in comparison to supplementary finely divided tobacco that will be introduced later in the description, and oversized tobacco particles. The primary finely divided tobacco is considered as suitable to produce cigarettes with. In comparison, oversized tobacco particles are considered as undesired side-products and are considered as waste. Generally, veins and lamina of the tobacco leaves are made up of soft material. By “soft”, it is meant that the veins and lamina are soft enough to be easily ground by the cigarette-making machine 12 into primary finely divided tobacco. Also, generally, the stems of the tobacco leaves are made up of harder material. By “harder”, it is meant the stems are excessively hard to the point that it cannot be correctly ground by the cigarette-making machine 12. Consequently, the stems are ground (or not) into oversized particles that are not fit for cigarette production. In other words, the oversized tobacco particles are oversized non-ground tobacco stems and/or oversized ground tobacco stems, for example.
The cigarette-making machine 12 is configured for producing cigarettes from finely divided tobacco and other supporting materials (like paper, wrapper, filter, etc.). The cigarette-making machine 12 is further configured for rejecting the oversized tobacco particles. The finely divided tobacco comprises primary finely divided tobacco ground by the cigarette-making machine 12 and supplementary finely divided tobacco cut by the recycling device 14 as it will be described in more detail below. To do so, the cigarette-machine machine 12 advantageously comprises a sieve intended to be fed with the ground tobacco, and designed to separate the primary finely divided tobacco and the oversized tobacco particles.
The cigarette-making machine 12 advantageously comprises a recycling inlet and a recycling outlet that are designed to be in communication with the recycling device 14.
The recycling device 14 is configured for receiving the oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette-making machine 12. The recycling device 14 is further configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco and for conveying a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarettemaking machine 12. Advantageously, the recycling device 14 is removably connectable to the recycling inlet and the recycling outlet of the cigarette-making machine 12. Thus, the recycling device 14 can easily be connected to the cigarette-making machine 12 when it is needed or easily be disconnected from the cigarette-making machine 12 when it is not needed. The recycling device 14 can also be easily disconnected from a cigarette-making machine 12 and subsequently connected to another separate cigarette-making machine 12.
As shown on Figure 1 , the recycling device 14 comprises a cutting mechanism 20, a dosing mechanism 40 and a drive system 60. The cutting mechanism 20 communicates with the cigarette-making machine 12, notably with the recycling outlet of the cigarette-making machine 12. The cutting mechanism 20 is configured to receive the oversized tobacco particles from the cigarette-making machine 12. The cutting mechanism 20 is advantageously configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco. The cutting mechanism 20 communicates with the dosing mechanism 40 so that the supplementary finely divided tobacco can be transferred to the dosing mechanism 40. As shown on Figure 2, the cutting mechanism 20 comprises a receiving element 22, a cutter 26 and a collector 32. Advantageously, the cutting mechanism 20 further comprises an actuator 38.
The receiving element 22 is configured for receiving the oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette-making machine 12. Notably, it is connected to the recycling outlet of the cigarette-making machine 12 and receives the oversized tobacco particles via the recycling outlet. The receiving element 22 is further connected to the cutter 26. As shown on the example of Figure 2, the receiving element 22 comprises a hopper 24 and at least one flap 25 separating the hopper 24 and the cutter 26. Figure 2 illustrates an example in which the receiving element 22 comprises two flaps 25. Alternatively, the receiving element 22 comprises one and only flap 25.
Advantageously, the hopper 24 of the receiving element 22 is designed to receive the oversized tobacco particles and to guide them towards the cutter 26. For example, the hopper 24 is placed below the recycling outlet of the cigarette-making machine 12 so that the oversized tobacco particles can fall down into the hopper 24 by gravity when they exit the recycling outlet.
The at least one flap 25 of the receiving element 22 is movable between a closed position (shown on Figure 2) in which it prevents the oversized tobacco particles from flowing to the cutter 26 and an open position (not shown) in which it allows the oversized tobacco particles to flow from the hopper 24 to the cutter 26. The at least one flap 25 enables controlling the flow of oversized tobacco particles flowing through the cutter 26.
The cutter 26 is configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco. For example, the cutter 26 is configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles in supplementary finely divided tobacco particles of length comprises between 1 mm and 2 mm. Advantageously, the cutter 26 is located below the receiving element 22. For example, the cutter 26 comprises at least a cutting wheel 27 and at least a scraper 28. As shown on the example of Figure 2, the cutter 26 comprises two cutting wheels 27 forming two intermeshing gears and two scrapers 28.
Advantageously, the at least one cutting wheel 27 of the cutter 26 is located below the hopper 24 and below the at least one flap 25 of the receiving element 22. When the at least one flap 25 is in the open position, the oversized tobacco particles fall down onto the at least one cutting wheel 27 by gravity. The at least one cutting wheel 27 is advantageously rotatably mounted on a support of the recycling device 14 around a rotation axis A-A’. In particular, the at least one cutting wheel 27 is configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles when it is driven in rotation around the rotation axis A-A’. Notably, the at least one cutting wheel 27 is mounted with blades 29. During rotation of the at least one cutting wheel 27, the blades 29 collide with the oversized tobacco particles and cut them into supplementary finely divided tobacco.
The at least one scraper 28 of the cutter 26 is configured to push the supplementary finely divided tobacco towards the collector 32. For example, as shown on Figure 2, the cutter 26 comprises a scraper 28 for each cutting wheel 27. Each scraper 28 is designed to detach the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the blades 29 of the associated wheel 27. Each scraper 28 is for example made up of a part comprising a curved surface, the blades 28 of the associated wheel 27 brushing said curved surface when said wheel 27 is driven in rotation.
The collector 32 is configured for collecting the supplementary finely divided tobacco. Advantageously, the collector 32 is connected to the cutter 26 and to the dosing mechanism 40. As shown on the example of Figure 2, the collector 32 comprises a hopper 34 and a conduit 36.
The hopper 34 of the collector 32 is located below the cutter 26. The supplementary finely divided tobacco fall down from the cutter 26 into the hopper 34 by gravity. The hopper 34 is connected to the conduit 36, and is connected to an inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 by the conduit 36.
The conduit 36 connects the hopper 34 and the dosing mechanism 40, notably the hopper 34 and the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40. The actuator 38 is configured for actuating the receiving element 22 and the cutter 26. Notably, the actuator 38 is configured for actuating the at least one flap 25 of the receiving element 22 and the at least one cutting wheel 27 of the cutter 26. For example, the actuator 38 comprises at least one motor, advantageously at least one three phase motor, for controlling the at least one flap 25 between its open and closed positions and for controlling the at least one cutting wheel 27 in rotation.
The dosing mechanism 40 communicates with the cutting mechanism 20 and the cigarette-making machine 12, notably with the recycling inlet of the cigarette-making machine 12. The dosing mechanism 40 is configured to feed the cigarette-making machine 12 with the supplementary finely divided tobacco. As shown on Figure 3, the dosing mechanism 40 comprises the inlet 42 and a conveyor 44. Advantageously, the dosing mechanism 40 further comprises a vacuum source 46 for drawing the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the collector 32 of the cutting mechanism 20, a cyclone system 48, an auxiliary outlet 50 and at least an actuator 52.
The inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 is configured to receive the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the collector 32 of the cutting mechanism 20. For instance, the inlet 42 is connected to the conduit 36. Advantageously, the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 is connected to the vacuum source 46 and is further connected to the conveyor 44 via the cyclone system 48.
The conveyor 44 is configured to convey a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarette-making machine 12. For example, the specific throughput of supplementary divided tobacco is comprised between 16.8 g/min and 36.6 g/min. This specific throughput can be adapted according to the needs of the cigarette-making machine 12. For instance, the conveyor 44 comprises a screw conveyor 54. Notably, the screw conveyor 54 comprises a hollow tube extending along an axis. The screw conveyor 54 further comprises a rotating helical screw blade extending within said tube along an axis coinciding with the tube’s axis. The rotating helical screw blade is rotatable along its axis. When it is driven in rotation around its axis, the rotating helical screw blade displaces the supplementary finely divided tobacco towards the cigarette-making machine 12. In particular, the throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco depends on the rotational speed of the rotating helical screw blade of the screw conveyor 54. The vacuum source 46 creates vacuum for drawing the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the collector 32 to the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40. In particular, the vacuum source 46 creates vacuum in the conduit 36 of the cutting mechanism 20 and in the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40. For example, the vacuum source 46 comprises at least an air pump (not shown).
The cyclone system 48 (also called “cyclone separator”) connects the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 and the conveyor 44. The cyclone system 48 is configured for separating the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the air pumped by the vacuum source 46. The cyclone system 48 is further configured to transfer the separated supplementary finely divided tobacco to the conveyor 44.
The auxiliary outlet 50 is configured to evacuate excessive quantities of the supplementary finely divided tobacco. For example, the auxiliary outlet 50 comprises a conduit 56 connected to the conveyor 44. When the conveyor overflows with supplementary finely divided tobacco, the excess divided tobacco falls down into the conduit 56 and is evacuated.
The at least one actuator 52 is configured to actuate the conveyor 44, in particular to actuate the screw conveyor 54. For example, the at least one actuator 52 comprises at least one motor 58, advantageously at least one three phase motor 58, configured to power the screw conveyor 54. In particular, the at least one motor 58 is able to drive the rotating helical screw blade of the screw conveyor 54 in rotation about its axis. Notably, the throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco depends on the power generated by the at least one motor 58 and transmitted to the screw conveyor 54.
For example, the dosing mechanism 40 comprises another actuator comprising at least a motor configured to power the vacuum source 46. In particular, said actuator powers the vacuum source 46 independently from the drive system 60.
The drive system 60 is configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism 20 and the dosing mechanism 40. The drive system 60 is electronically connected to the cutting mechanism 20 and the dosing mechanism 40. Notably, the drive system 60 is further electronically connected to the cigarette-making machine 12. In particular, the drive system 60 is electronically connected to the actuator 38 of the cutting mechanism 20, to the actuator 52 of the dosing mechanism 40. Advantageously, the drive system 60 receives from the cigarette-making machine 12 information related to its operational state (the cigarettemaking machine 12 is on or off), information related to the amount of supplementary finely divided tobacco it needs, etc. For example, the drive system 60 is configured to drive the at least one motor 58 of the actuator 52 of the dosing mechanism 40, the at least one motor of the actuator 38 of the cutting mechanism 20, the at least one flap 25. Advantageously, the drive system 60 drives these elements based on the information it receives from the cigarette-making machine 12. For example, the drive system 60 is configured to drive said at least one motor 58 of the conveyor 44 with variable speeds. The drive system 60 thus controls the screw conveyor 54 and adapts the throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco by adapting the speed of the motor 58, and thus the rotational speed of the rotating helical screw blade of the screw conveyor 54, for example based on the needs of the cigarette-making machine 12. Advantageously, the drive system 60 is further configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism 20 and the dosing mechanism 40 according to the operational state of the cigarette-making machine 12. For instance, when the cigarette-making machine 12 is off, the drive system 60 turns off the cutting mechanism 20, notably the cutter 26, and the dosing mechanism 40, notably the conveyor 44. When the cigarette-making machine 12 is on, the drive system 60 turns on the cutting mechanism 20, notably the cutter 26, and the dosing mechanism 40, notably the conveyor 44. To perform its different functionalities, the drive system 60 can comprise a control logic programmed for example in a control circuit and/or a in processor.
In the following, the use of the cigarette-making installation 10 is described. The recycling device 14 is connected to the cigarette-making machine 12.
First, the cigarette-making machine 12 is fed with raw tobacco leaves. The cigarettemaking machine 12 grinds the raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco comprising primary finely divided tobacco and oversized tobacco particles. The cigarette-making machine 12 produces cigarettes with the primary finely divided tobacco and rejects the oversized tobacco particles.
The recycling device 14 receives the rejected oversized tobacco particles. The cutting mechanism 20 cuts the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco. The dosing mechanism 40 then conveys a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarette-making machine 12. The cigarette-making machine 12 then produces cigarettes with the supplementary finely divided tobacco.
The throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco can be adapted through time based on the needs of the cigarette-making machine 12. An optimal quality of produced cigarettes can then be ensured. Indeed, with such a recycling, the tobacco dosing of each cigarette is optimal.

Claims

1 . A recycling device (14) for a cigarette-making machine (12) configured for:
- grinding raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, said ground tobacco comprising primary finely divided tobacco and oversized tobacco particles;
- producing cigarettes from finely divided tobacco; and
- rejecting the oversized tobacco particles; the recycling device (14) comprising:
- a cutting mechanism (20) comprising a receiving element (22) for receiving the oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette-making machine (12), a cutter (26) configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles into supplementary finely divided tobacco and a collector (32) configured for collecting the supplementary finely divided tobacco;
- a dosing mechanism (40) comprising an inlet (42) configured to receive the supplementary finely divided tobacco from the collector (32) and a conveyor (44) configured to convey a specific throughput of supplementary finely divided tobacco to the cigarettemaking machine (12); and
- a drive system (60) configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism (20) and the dosing mechanism (40).
2. The recycling device (14) according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving element (22) of the cutting mechanism (20) comprises a hopper (24) and at least one flap (25) separating the hopper (24) and the cutter (26).
3. The recycling device (14) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cutter (26) comprises at least one cutting wheel (27) mounted with blades (29).
4. The recycling device (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cutter (26) further comprises at least a scraper (28) configured to push the supplementary finely divided tobacco towards the collector (32).
5. The recycling device (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collector (32) of the cutting mechanism (20) comprises a hopper (34) connected to the inlet (42) of the dosing mechanism (40) by a conduit (36).
6. The recycling device (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dosing mechanism (40) further comprises a vacuum source (46), the inlet (42) of the dosing mechanism (40) being connected to the vacuum source (46), the supplementary finely divided tobacco being drawn from the collector (32) to the inlet (42) by the vacuum.
7. The recycling device (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inlet (42) of the dosing mechanism (40) is connected to the conveyor (44) via a cyclone system (48).
8. The recycling device (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conveyor (44) comprises a screw conveyor (54).
9. The recycling device (14) according to claim 8, wherein the dosing mechanism (40) further comprises at least one actuator (52) configured to actuate the screw conveyor (54).
10. The recycling device (14) according to claims 9, wherein the at least one actuator (52) comprises at least one motor (58) configured to power the screw conveyor (54), the drive system (60) being configured to drive said at least one motor (58) with variable speeds.
11 . The recycling device (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dosing mechanism (40) further comprises an auxiliary outlet (50) configured to evacuate excessive quantities of the supplementary finely divided tobacco.
12. The recycling device (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive system (60) is configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism (20) and the dosing mechanism (40) according to an operational state of the cigarette-making machine (12).
13. The recycling device (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cutter (26) of the cutting mechanism (20) is configured for cutting the oversized tobacco particles in supplementary finely divided tobacco particles of length comprised between 1 mm and 2 mm.
14. A cigarette-making installation comprising a cigarette-making machine (12) configured for: 18
- grinding raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, said ground tobacco comprising primary finely divided tobacco and oversized tobacco particles;
- producing cigarettes from finely divided tobacco; and
- rejecting the oversized tobacco particles; the cigarette-making installation further comprising a recycling device according to any one of the preceding claims.
PCT/EP2022/075731 2021-09-17 2022-09-16 Recycling device for a cigarette-making machine and associated cigarette-making installation WO2023041686A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP21197489.4 2021-09-17
EP21197489 2021-09-17

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2023041686A1 true WO2023041686A1 (en) 2023-03-23

Family

ID=77821687

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2022/075731 WO2023041686A1 (en) 2021-09-17 2022-09-16 Recycling device for a cigarette-making machine and associated cigarette-making installation

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2023041686A1 (en)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0118981A2 (en) * 1983-02-08 1984-09-19 Amf Incorporated A process for the production of a smoking material from cigarette maker winnowings and apparatus therefor
US4607645A (en) * 1982-12-07 1986-08-26 Japan Tobacco Inc. Shredded tobacco supplying device for cigarette making machine
EP0967897A1 (en) * 1996-12-17 2000-01-05 Imperial Tobacco Limited Method and apparatus for processing tobacco
US6877516B2 (en) 2002-10-07 2005-04-12 Johnny K. Cagigas Apparatus and method for processing winnowers at a cigarette maker

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4607645A (en) * 1982-12-07 1986-08-26 Japan Tobacco Inc. Shredded tobacco supplying device for cigarette making machine
EP0118981A2 (en) * 1983-02-08 1984-09-19 Amf Incorporated A process for the production of a smoking material from cigarette maker winnowings and apparatus therefor
EP0967897A1 (en) * 1996-12-17 2000-01-05 Imperial Tobacco Limited Method and apparatus for processing tobacco
US6877516B2 (en) 2002-10-07 2005-04-12 Johnny K. Cagigas Apparatus and method for processing winnowers at a cigarette maker

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
JP6272280B2 (en) Method for producing aerosol generating product comprising reconstituted tobacco material, aerosol generating product comprising reconstituted tobacco material, and use of aerosol generating product comprising reconstituted tobacco material
JP6971860B2 (en) How to make a tobacco product
CN111093401B (en) Device and method for manufacturing reconstituted tobacco shreds
KR20210057772A (en) Aerosol-generating system with venturi element
CA3119368A1 (en) Two-part aerosol generation of flavourants
JP2024053115A (en) Heated tobacco products
WO2023041686A1 (en) Recycling device for a cigarette-making machine and associated cigarette-making installation
US20220295862A1 (en) Beaded substrates for aerosol delivery devices
US4693262A (en) Apparatus for forming batches of tobacco and the like
US4703764A (en) Method and apparatus for making rod-like fillers from several types of fibrous material
JP2023541645A (en) Method for processing tobacco granules into discontinuous tobacco material
US4883077A (en) Apparatus for transporting and treating particles of tobacco and the like
EP4260730A1 (en) Heat not burn device for grinding and vaporizing a smokable substance
US4774969A (en) Method and apparatus for accumulating particles of tobacco into batches and for forming a composite stream containing several types of tobacco
US20220295863A1 (en) Extruded substrates for aerosol delivery devices
EP4201230A1 (en) Tobacco rod, aerosol-generating article comprising same, and aerosol-generating device used with same
JP2023552301A (en) Aerosol generating materials
WO2023118857A2 (en) Apparatus for manufacturing a rod of aerosol generating material, methods of manufacturing a rod of aerosol generating material and methods of manufacturing an article for an aerosol provision system
CN116419684A (en) Aerosol-generating article with non-homogenized tobacco matrix
CN116709938A (en) Aerosol generating system with low resistance to draw and improved flavor delivery

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 22790269

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 2022790269

Country of ref document: EP

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

ENP Entry into the national phase

Ref document number: 2022790269

Country of ref document: EP

Effective date: 20240417