DE10247867A1 - Perforating rod-shaped articles of tobacco-processing industry, especially dual filter cigarettes, involves determining if desired opening to be introduced by assessing detected radiation from article - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves directing an laser beam (38) at the article (63) via deflection optics (40,42,44,52,50,54) to introduce a desired opening. Radiation (70,71) emanating from the article is detected via the deflection optics so that it can be determined whether the desired opening is to be introduced by comparing a property of the detected radiation with a desired value. AN Independent claim is also included for the following: (a) an arrangement for producing at least one zone of defined air transmissivity in an envelope material for rod-shaped tobacco articles.

Description

The invention relates to a device and a method of making at least one zone of desired Air permeability in a wrapping material rod-shaped Articles of the tobacco processing industry, especially cigarettes, by introducing individual openings into the wrapping material, wherein an energetic beam for introducing a desired opening in the wrapping material via a deflection optic is directed to the article.

Among rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing In the present context, industry should all Items to be understood in the course of their manufacture or after perforation during manufacture. these are primarily filter cigarettes, but other types can of cigarettes, other rod-shaped smoking articles or filter rods his. Are under wrapping material Wrapping strips of tobacco strands or filter strands, Understanding covering paper strips, covering paper sheets, etc. as material web, ready-to-use sections or casing of the rod-shaped objects can be perforated.

Through the perforation of the wrapping material of cigarettes and other stick-shaped ones Smoking articles create the zone of desired air permeability in their wrapping, through which the smoker draws in secondary air when smoking. This will the proportions of nicotine and condensate in the smoke affects what also has taste effects. For the perforation of the wrapping material a laser is preferably used, the radiation of which emits a optical beam guidance device or deflection optics is directed into the respective perforation zones and there the desired ones holes in the wrapping material brings.

The state of the art is based on the DE 19856413 A1 pointed out to the applicant, which shows a perforation device of the type mentioned at the outset, in which an energy-rich light beam is provided, with the aid of which the openings can be introduced into the article, with an active zone which can be produced by a tracking means for tracking the light beam and within which the light beam can be introduced of the openings acting on an article moving through the effective zone, roller means being provided for producing a self-rotating movement of the articles about their longitudinal axis while the articles are moving through the effective zone in order to expose the peripheral surface to the light beam for perforation thereof, furthermore a light refractive means is provided , through which the light beam is passed before reaching the effective zone, so that the light beam remains focused essentially everywhere within the effective zone during tracking.

However, since double filter cigarettes are first produced during production on modern cigarette production machines, which are only subsequently cut into single cigarettes, the covering paper strips connecting the individual tobacco rods with the filter section or the double filter cigarettes have to be perforated in two perforation zones, so that finally each single cigarette has its own perforations zone. So several high-energy rays have to be generated. If this is to be achieved with the aid of a single radiation source, the high-energy beam generated by the radiation source must be divided into partial beams with the aid of a beam splitting device. For this purpose, the high-energy beam is usually directed onto two mirrors of a deflecting optics deflecting the beam by 90 ° onto the double filter cigarettes, the first mirror of this deflecting optics being designed as a semi-transparent mirror in order to direct part of the beam directly onto the double filter cigarette and a further part of the To direct the beam onto the second deflecting mirror behind it. With regard to such beam splitter devices or deflecting optics, reference is made to the DE 195 30 216 A1 decayed by the applicant.

Object of the present invention is to improve a device of the type mentioned.

This object is achieved by the objects the independent Expectations solved.

The present invention concludes the finding one that has precise knowledge of the extent of the perforation and the Check the perforation for the cigarette industry in the future is of vital importance. Because there is a possibility that the legislature over one the previous indication of nicotine and condensate regarding the Specification of every single cigarette beyond accuracy will demand. Dependent depending on the accuracy of the specification to be specified, it is possible that already the lack of individual openings in the respective Cigarette could affect the specification. The knowledge possible on the basis of the invention about that, whether a single opening is introduced or not, therefore offers a decisive advantage the manufacture of cigarettes.

The already shows DE 198 52 302 A1 a method and a device in which deflection mirrors which are permeable to light radiation originating from a workpiece are used for deflecting a radiation processing the workpieces, the radiation reflected back from the workpiece being detectable by a detector. However, this prior art relates to a far-away technical field in which workpieces made of metal are welded or separated using high-energy radiation.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a property of the detected radiation is compared with a predetermined target value and, if present, a deviation is determined. The property can be, for example, the duration of a predetermined minimum intensity of the radiation being exceeded. If this duration exceeds, for example, a predefined target duration by a predefined tolerance value, then this mostly indicates that material or parts of the deflection optics that have accumulated in the machine are burning. This can then be signaled to an operator, for example, or the perforation can be interrupted. The property can also be the intensity of the radiation itself. If the determined intensity now exceeds or falls below a target value of the intensity, it can be reacted to with a corresponding adjustment of the energy of the high-energy beam if the deviation exceeds a predetermined tolerance value. If a corresponding evaluation unit also determines that the undershoot of the intensity is a permanent effect, ie an effect that can be determined for each perforation, it can be concluded that there is contamination or a fault in the deflection optics. This can also be corrected accordingly.

If the above is exceeded the target duration can about that In addition, different tolerance thresholds are specified so that it can also be differentiated whether the deflection optics themselves or whether Foreign material caught in the beam path of the high-energy beam of fire Has. The latter is characterized by a shorter burning time compared to one Burning of the deflection optics and a flame that is no longer as impulsive from how it is observed when inserting the opening itself.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, a spectral analysis of the detected radiation can also be carried out in order to infer the composition of the article, and in the case of cigarettes, for example, the composition of the tow, glue or paper used for the production of the filter. It is from the DE 197 08 462 A1 a method and a device for time-resolved optical spectral analysis of laser-induced microplasmas are known. However, this prior art relates to the far-away technical field of grain analysis.

Further preferred embodiments the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The following is a preferred one embodiment the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The Drawing shows:

1 a schematic representation of a filter attachment machine of the applicant;

2 is a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of a in the filter attachment machine 1 usable device according to the invention.

The filter attachment machine according to 1 is known per se and is briefly described below for general understanding of the invention with regard to its structure and mode of operation. In the filter attachment machine according to 1 passes an infeed drum 1 the cigarettes produced on a cigarette manufacturing machine on two relay drums 2 , which destack the staggered cigarettes and in rows of two pieces with a space between the cigarettes to an assembly drum 3 submit. The filter rods come from a magazine 4 on a cutting drum 6 , are by two circular knives 7 cut into filter plugs in double usable length, on a staggered drum 8th staggered, by a sliding drum 9 aligned to a row of plugs in a row and by an accelerator drum 11 into the spaces between the rows of cigarettes on the assembly drum 3 stored.

The cigarette-filter-cigarette groups formed in this way are pushed together so that they lie axially close together. Then they are transferred from a transfer drum 12 accepted. A topping paper strip 13 is from a topping paper bobbin 14 by means of a feed arrangement in the form of a take-off roller 16 deducted. The covering paper strip 13 around a sharp crusher 17 steered around by a gluing device 18 glued and on a covering roller 19 from a knife drum 21 cut. The cut topping sheets are attached to the cigarette filter groups on the transfer drum 12 pinned and on a roller drum 22 by means of a rolling hand 23 rolled around the cigarette filter groups.

The double filter cigarette groups thus produced and now finished are placed on a drying drum 24 a cutting drum 26 fed and assembled on this by cutting through the filter stopper into individual filter cigarettes, defective filter cigarettes being ejected at the same time. One with a transfer drum 27 and a collecting drum 28 interacting turning device 29 turns a row of filter cigarettes and simultaneously transfers them into the transfer drum 27 and the collecting drum 28 continuous unturned row of filter cigarettes. Via a test drum 31 the filter cigarettes reach an ejection drum 32 , on which the filter cigarettes are also scanned before the ejection process. One with a brake drum 33 interacting deposit drum 34 places the filter cigarettes on a deposit belt 36 , The filter attachment machine is a laser head 37 either in the area of the covering paper strip 13 or in the area of a cross conveyor, in the present case the drying drum 24 or the collecting drum 28 , assigned.

The laser head 37 is part of a device for producing a zone of desired air permeability, as described in 2 is shown in a preferred embodiment, and serves as a beam lenquelle for generating and delivering a laser beam 38 , The wavelength of the laser light used here is approximately 10 μm.

In the 2 The device shown also has four deflecting mirrors 40 . 42 . 44 and 52 for deflecting the laser beam 38 on. The deflecting mirror 40 . 42 and 52 are designed as full mirrors, ie they reflect almost 100% of the incident beam 38 , In contrast is the deflecting mirror 44 formed as a beam splitter, the laser beam 38 into a first partial beam 46 and a second sub-beam 48 Splits. In the exemplary embodiment shown there is the beam splitter 44 from a semitransparent mirror that the first partial beam 46 reflected and the second sub-beam 48 pass through. During the first beam 46 to a first radiation head 50 is directed, the second beam 48 on the deflecting mirror 52 directed the second sub-beam 48 towards a second radiation head 54 deflects so that the second sub-beam 48 at a distance and parallel to the first sub-beam 46 runs. The radiation heads 50 and 54 have appropriate optics to get out of the partial beams 46 and 48 converging (in the 2 rays) 56 and 58 to generate, each on on tipping paper sections 60 respectively. 61 intended perforation zones 62 respectively. 64 are focused. The illustrated paper sections 60 and 61 are either part of a covering paper strip 13 according to 1 or part of an envelope of a double filter cigarette which has already been produced 63 ,

As already mentioned, such double filter cigarettes are produced 63 during production, by inserting a double-length filter section between two axially aligned tobacco strands and connecting this group of tobacco rods and filter section with a glued covering sheet. If the perforations in the envelope of a double filter cigarette thus produced 63 The double filter cigarette is to be inserted 63 on a drum, in the case of in 1 shown filter attachment machine on the drying drum 24 or the collecting drum 28 , in the focus area of the two radiation heads 50 and 54 promoted. By means of an in 2 The double filter cigarettes, not shown, are then the double filter cigarettes 63 in the focus area of the radiation heads 50 and 54 rotated 360 ° backwards, with respect to the radiation heads 50 and 54 stand still. In this way, the double filter cigarettes 63 with the annular traces of perforation 62 . 64 or rows of holes 62 . 64 Mistake. A conveyor device that rotates the cigarettes in a stationary manner is, for example, from the DE 2754102 C2 the applicant EP 1018392 A2 known to the applicant in detail. Alternatively, it is possible to use the double filter cigarettes 63 to perforate even during a movement. This is, for example, the one already mentioned at the beginning DE 198 56 413 A1 to the applicant. The subject matter of these disclosures is referred to here in full terms and is made the subject of the present application.

The deflecting mirror 44 and 52 direct the incident rays 38 or 48 approximately 90 ° into the partial beams 46 and 48 from. Contrary to that with arrows 47 and 49 indicated direction of the partial beams 46 and 48 are the deflecting mirrors 44 and 52 in one by inserting a single opening 65 generated wavelength range of the double filter cigarette 63 outgoing radiation transparent. This wavelength range lies with a double filter cigarette typical today 63 at about 0.75 - 1.25 μm. For this purpose, the deflecting mirror 44 and 52 made of a suitable material, e.g. B. ZnSe. This with dashed lines 70 and 71 indicated radiation is from detectors 72 and 73 detects the corresponding detector signals via electrical lines 74 and 75 to an evaluation unit 76 pass on. The evaluation unit 76 can via a control line 77 the laser source 37 check. The resolution of the detectors 72 and 73 is such that every single opening 65 or when introduced by the radiation 56 or 58 emerging flashes of light can be recorded and temporally resolved. By providing one detector for each perforation zone 62 and 64 can also be clearly identified in which perforation zone 62 . 64 an opening 65 introduced or not introduced. Alternatively, only one common detector for both perforation zones can be used instead of the two detectors 62 . 64 be provided.

The illustrated embodiment works as follows:
The through the openings 65 by means of the rays 56 and 58 Light pulses are generated by the detectors 72 and 73 captured over the lines 74 and 75 to the evaluation circuit 76 passed on and evaluated by this. The evaluation circuit 76 receives over the line 77 from the laser 37 the information with which pulse frequency the light beam 38 is delivered. In addition, the evaluation circuit 76 a memory in which the typical amplitude and duration of a flash of light when inserting an opening 65 are saved. Provides the evaluation circuit 76 now found that for example the distance between two flashes of light when introducing the openings 65 that from the laser source 37 exceeds the specified period, the corresponding cigarette can be sorted out because it has too few openings 65 having. The evaluation unit can also 76 determine if that's for an opening 65 Typical duration of the flash of light, ie the burning time when opening the opening 65 is exceeded. In such a case, it can be, for example, the burning of foreign material in the beam path of the beam 38 or the partial beams 46 and 48 act. To assess this is in the evaluation unit 76 a first setpoint is still stored, so that when exceeded Ten of this setpoint is assumed from the burning of foreign material. If a second is also exceeded in the evaluation unit 76 stored setpoint, which is used to burn one of the deflection mirrors 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 or the optics 50 and 54 it is typical that such a burning can be deduced. In addition, the evaluation unit can then 76 if necessary via the line 77 the radiation of the laser light 38 through the laser 37 being stopped.

Contrary to the above, the intensity of the introduction of the openings should take place over many periods 65 resulting flash of light below one also in the evaluation unit 76 stored setpoint, the evaluation unit can 76 then for contamination or an error in the deflecting mirrors 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 or the optics 50 or 54 getting closed.

Furthermore, the evaluation unit 76 a unit for performing spectral analysis of those from the detectors 72 and 73 absorbed radiation. This allows the composition of the tow, the glue or the paper from which the filter or the wrapping papers of the double filter cigarette are made 63 are made, are closed, so that appropriate monitoring of this composition is possible.

Claims (15)

Method of making at least one zone ( 62 . 64 ) desired air permeability in a wrapping material ( 13 ) rod-shaped article of the tobacco processing industry, in particular of double filter cigarettes ( 63 ), by introducing individual openings ( 65 ) in the wrapping material ( 13 ), with the steps: an energetic beam ( 38 ) is used to create a desired opening ( 65 ) in the wrapping material ( 13 ) via a deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) on the article ( 63 ), characterized by the steps: from the article ( 63 ) outgoing radiation ( 70 . 71 ) is so via the deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) detects that it can be determined whether the desired opening ( 65 ) was introduced in which a property of the detected radiation ( 70 . 71 ) is compared with a setpoint. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of: with at least two zones ( 62 . 64 ) desired air permeability, the direction of the article ( 63 ) through the deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) passing radiation ( 70 . 71 ) for each zone ( 62 . 64 ) is evaluated separately. Method according to one of the preceding claims, with the steps: the deflecting optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) is used for the of the article ( 63 ) outgoing radiation in at least one by introducing an opening ( 65 ) generated wavelength range, preferably in the range of 0.75 μm to 1.25 μm, kept transparent. Method according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps: a property of the detected radiation ( 70 . 71 ) is compared with a predefined setpoint value and, if present, a deviation is determined, and if the deviation exceeds a predefined tolerance value, a measure for reducing the deviation and / or an interruption in production is initiated. Method according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps: a duration of exceeding a predetermined minimum intensity of the radiation ( 70 . 71 ) is given with a predetermined for the firing of the deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) typical target duration is compared, and if the duration exceeds the predetermined target duration, the firing of the deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) signals. Method according to one of the preceding claims, with the steps: an intensity of the detected radiation ( 70 . 71 ) is determined, and in the event of a deviation in the intensity exceeding a predetermined tolerance value, the intensity of the high-energy beam ( 38 ) adjusted to compensate for the deviation. Method according to one of the preceding claims, with the steps: the distance between two detected radiation pulses is determined, and in the event of a deviation exceeding a predetermined tolerance value, this deviation is signaled and / or essentially, preferably by influencing the high-energy beam ( 38 ), balanced. Method according to one of the preceding claims, with the steps: a duration of falling below a predetermined minimum intensity of the detected radiation ( 70 . 71 ) with a for the contamination of the deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) the typical target duration is compared, and if the duration exceeds the predetermined target duration, the contamination of the deflecting optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) signals and / or essentially, preferably by automatically exchanging the deflecting optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ), balanced. Method according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps: the spectral distribution of the detected radiation ( 70 . 71 ) is determined, and from the determined spectral distribution the composition of the energy-rich beam ( 38 ) determined evaporated material. Device for producing at least one zone ( 62 . 64 ) desired air permeability in a wrapping material ( 13 ) rod-shaped article of the tobacco processing industry, in particular of double filter cigarettes ( 63 ), by introducing individual openings ( 65 ) in the wrapping material ( 13 ), with a deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) to redirect a high-energy beam ( 38 ) on the article ( 63 ) to a desired opening ( 65 ) in the wrapping material ( 13 ), characterized by a detector ( 72 . 73 ) from the article ( 63 ) outgoing radiation ( 70 . 71 ) in this way via the deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ), so that with a detector ( 72 . 73 ) connected evaluation unit ( 76 ) to evaluate the data from the detector ( 72 . 73 ) detected radiation ( 70 . 71 ) it can be determined whether the desired opening ( 65 ) was introduced in which the evaluation unit ( 76 ) a property of the detected radiation ( 70 . 71 ) is comparable to a setpoint. Device according to the preceding claim, wherein the deflecting optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) for those of the article ( 63 ) outgoing radiation in at least one by introducing an opening ( 65 ) generated wavelength range, preferably in the range from 0.75 μm to 1.25 μm, is transparent. Device according to one of claims 10 or 11, wherein the detector ( 72 . 73 ) is arranged so that it is from the direction of the article ( 63 ) through the deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) passing radiation ( 70 . 71 ) can capture. Device according to one of claims 10 to 12, with at least two zones ( 62 . 64 ) desired air permeability, the evaluation unit ( 76 ) is designed so that it is from the direction of the article ( 63 ) through the deflection optics ( 40 . 42 . 44 . 52 . 50 . 54 ) passing radiation ( 70 . 71 ) for each zone ( 62 . 64 ) can evaluate separately. Device according to one of claims 8 to 13, with at least two zones ( 62 . 64 ) desired air permeability, with each zone ( 62 . 64 ) a detector ( 72 . 73 ) assigned. Device according to one of claims 8 to 14, wherein the detector ( 72 . 73 ) includes a photodiode.