Measuring and testing – With fluid pressure – Porosity or permeability
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-14
2004-08-17
Larkin, Daniel S. (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
With fluid pressure
Porosity or permeability
Reexamination Certificate
active
06776027
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a cigarette inspection apparatus for detecting a quality defect in a filter cigarette.
BACKGROUND ART
The quality, especially the flavor and taste, of a cigarette is affected by a variety of factors, one of which is ventilation resistance of the cigarette. In the process of manufacturing cigarettes, therefore, in general, a predetermined number of cigarettes per lot are sampled, and the ventilation resistances of the sampled cigarettes are measured one by one by using, for example, a cigarette inspection apparatus (ventilation measuring apparatus) shown in FIG.
11
. The measured values of the ventilation resistances are used for quality control of cigarettes.
The ventilation measuring apparatus shown in
FIG. 11
comprises a container
1
having supporters
3
a
,
3
b
and
3
c
for supporting a cigarette C to be measured. Each supporter has a support ring and a support member made of a flexible material and disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the support ring. When negative pressure is applied to a suction chamber formed in the support ring, a cylindrical portion of the support member is pulled toward the support ring, so that a central hole is enlarged which is provided in a bulkhead of the support member formed integrally with the cylindrical portion. In this state, if a cigarette C is supplied into the container
1
from the upper end opening of the container
1
, the cigarette C freely falls while being guided by guides
5
and
6
, and passes through the central holes of the support members disposed in the supporters
3
c
,
3
b
and
3
a
sequentially, until the tip of the cigarette C is brought into contact with a stopper
7
located right under the supporter
3
a.
Next, the suction chamber is communicated with the atmosphere, so that diameters of the central holes of the support members are restored to their former sizes. This permits the three support members to airtightly hold the tip of a filter section F, boundary between the filter section F and a tobacco wrapping section T, and tip of the tobacco wrapping section T of the cigarette C, respectively. In the container
1
, three airtight chambers
2
a
,
2
b
, and
2
c
are defined by the supporters
3
a
,
3
b
, and
3
c
, a shutter
4
, and the cigarette C. Although not shown in the figure, the first airtight chamber
2
a
is connected to a decompressor through a flowmeter, whereas the first and second airtight chambers
2
b
and
2
c
are communicated with the atmosphere through flowmeters.
When the air in the first airtight chamber
2
a
is sucked out by the decompressor, the air in the second and third airtight chambers
2
b
and
2
c
flows into the cigarette C through the peripheral surfaces of the filter section F and the tobacco wrapping section T, flows through the cigarette C, and flows into the first airtight chamber
2
a
from the tip face of the filter section F. A flow rate Vc of the air discharged by suction from the first airtight chamber
2
a
and flow rates Vf and Vp of the air flowing into the cigarette C through the peripheral surfaces of the filter section F and the tobacco wrapping section T in the second and third airtight chambers
2
b
and
2
c
are measured by means of three respective flowmeters, and the ventilation resistances are determined based on the measured values Vc, Vf, and Vp. After the measurement, the stopper
7
retreats to a retreat position as shown in the figure, and the shutter
4
is opened. As a result, the cigarette C freely falls to be discharged from the container
1
. Then, the stopper
7
is moved forward to a cigarette-holding position, and the shutter
4
is closed to prepare for the subsequent measurement.
The above-mentioned ventilation measuring apparatus is constructed with the intention of measuring the ventilation resistances of the cigarettes one by one, which cigarette are sampled in the cigarette manufacturing process and thus limited in number. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to measure the ventilation resistances by means of the ventilation measuring apparatus with respect to all the cigarettes that are manufactured in large quantities through the cigarette manufacturing process.
That is, the ventilation resistance measurement using a ventilation container includes, as mentioned before, the first step of introducing the cigarette into the container
1
, the second step of discharging the air in the first airtight chamber by suction while measuring the flow rate of the air discharged from the first airtight chamber and the flow rates of the air flowing into the second and third airtight chambers, and the third step of ejecting the cigarette from the container
1
. Thus, it takes time to run the measurement. In actuality, therefore, it is impossible to carry out such ventilation resistance measurement with respect to all the cigarettes, especially on-line in succession. Furthermore, the on-line measurement requires a cigarette carrier system for carrying cigarettes from the cigarette manufacturing process to the ventilation measuring apparatus, and a cigarette inspection apparatus including such a carrier system has a large-scale structure.
By the way, a notable wrapping defect can occur in the cigarette, which may bring about a great air leakage. In case of such a cigarette, a large amount of air flows out of the cigarette or flows thereinto through the wrapping-defective part during the measurement of the ventilation resistance, resulting in such a notable error in the measured value as to stultify the ventilation measurement itself. The ventilation resistance measurement using the ventilation measuring apparatus has a drawback that it requires a long time for measurement with respect to a cigarette having a notable wrapping defect.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette inspection apparatus capable of easily detecting a notable quality defect in a cigarette.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette inspection apparatus capable of measuring ventilation resistance of a cigarette easily and accurately.
Further another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette inspection apparatus capable of measuring ventilation resistances with respect to all cigarettes manufactured in a cigarette manufacturing process.
In order to achieve the above objects, a cigarette inspection apparatus according to the present invention comprises air-introducing means for introducing air into a filter cigarette from a first end of the filter cigarette, which is on a non-filter side of the cigarette, a first pressure transducer for detecting an air pressure on a side close to the first end of the filter cigarette, and quality-judging means for judging quality of the filter cigarette, based on the air pressure detected by the first pressure transducer.
The cigarette inspection apparatus of the present invention has been invented with a recognition that a pressure drop in a filter cigarette at the time of introducing air into the cigarette through the first end of the non-filter side thereof indicates an amount of air leakage corresponding to a cigarette quality, especially a wrapping defect in the cigarette. Therefore, the cigarette inspection apparatus is capable of judging easily the cigarette quality, more particularly a quality defect in the cigarette, based on the air pressure on the first end side of the filter cigarette. In other words, the pressure drop in the filter cigarette can be determined based on the air pressure on the first end side before the air introduction into the cigarette and the air pressure on the first end side at the time of the air introduction. Based on this pressure drop, the cigarette quality, especially a notable quality defect in the cigarette can be easily judged. It is preferable that the air pressure is detected in a state where a peripheral surface of the filter cigarette is open to the atmosphere. The air introduction into the cigarette and the detection of the air pressure can be real
Kubo Fumio
Zentani Kenichi
Japan Tobacco Inc.
Larkin Daniel S.
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