A device manufactures multi-segment rod-like articles of tobacco industry from a continuous rod. The device has a transporting unit, a first cutting unit, a transferring mechanism, a set of drum conveyors, and a measuring system that measures parameters of a first multi-segment rod-like article. The measuring system has a transport device, at least one illuminating device, a registering device, and a processing unit. A second cutting unit of the device cuts the first multi-segment rod-like article into two second multi-segment rod-like articles.

An inspection station for detecting oil or lubricant contamination in a manufactured product, the inspection station having (a) a conveyor for advancing manufactured product, and (b) an infrared detection apparatus, including (i) a high intensity infrared light source for directing at the manufactured product, and (ii) a high speed NIR spectrometer sensor tuned to detect an emitted signal from a taggant disposed in the oil or lubricant.

Suction belt conveyor of a rod-forming machine of the tobacco processing industry for conveying materials, in particular tobacco, a rod-forming machine of the tobacco processing industry and use of the rod-forming machine and a method for measuring material properties of a material rod of the tobacco processing industry. The suction belt conveyor includes at least one rod guiding channel, which is open at the bottom and which is delimited by two lateral channel sides and a suction belt along a conveying path. At least one electromagnetic measuring device is integrated in the channel sides of the suction belt conveyor at at least one position along the conveying path in order to determine properties of the conveyed material.

A method for assessing the acceptability of product filter rods, filters or filter elements which include a longitudinally extending core of filtering material including a longitudinal channel extending from an end of the core.

A method for manufacturing rod-like articles, comprising a machine for manufacturing the rod-like articles or a feeding device for delivering the rod-like articles, a first measuring unit for measuring at least one quality parameter of the manufactured rod-like articles, a device for dividing a stream of the rod-like articles into a first stream and into a second stream, a first transferring device, which receives the first stream of the rod-like articles and transfers this stream as an output stream of the rod-like articles manufacturing system, a second transferring device which transfers inspected rod-like article to the output stream of the rod-like articles on the first transferring device.

A process for detecting oil or lubricant contamination in a manufactured product, the process comprising adding a fluorescent taggant to oils or lubricants contained in processing machinery for said product, conveying said product past an infrared detection apparatus, irradiating said product with infrared radiation from said detection apparatus as it passes the detection apparatus, and detecting infrared radiation emitted from said irradiated product.

Assembly and quality of an electronic vaping device (e-vaping device) may be tested and verified using imaging techniques. Infrared (IR) imaging may identify whether a temperature is uniform in an vaping device during usage. Potential burning locations may be identified through the imaging by identifying locations whose temperature is unusually high or non-uniform. This temperature information may be used to calibrate the power of the e-vaping device.

A system for manufacturing rod-like articles, comprising a machine for manufacturing the rod-like articles or a feeding device for delivering the rod-like articles, a first measuring unit for measuring at least one quality parameter of the manufactured rod-like articles, a device for dividing a stream of the rod-like articles into a first stream and into a second stream, a first transferring device, which receives the first stream of the rod-like articles and transfers this stream as an output stream of the rod-like articles manufacturing system, a second transferring device which transfers inspected rod-like article to the output stream of the rod-like articles on the first transferring device.

An image of the filter end faces of a bundle of cigarettes arranged side by side with axes thereof paralleled is acquired as an inspection image, and the diameters of the individual cigarettes of the bundle in the inspection image are obtained and compared with normal diameters associated with the respective cigarettes in the inspection image, to determine axial displacement of cigarettes from the bundle (first determination section). Also, the centers of gravity of the end faces of the individual cigarettes are obtained, and based on the difference between an inter-center-of-gravity distance which is the distance between an outermost cigarette in the bundle and its adjacent cigarette, and an inter-center-of-gravity distance which is the distance between adjacent cigarettes located in the central part of the bundle and belonging to the same tier as the outermost cigarette, axial displacement of the outermost cigarettes is determined (second determination section).

There is provided a testing apparatus for analysing an aerosol generated by an aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-forming substrate and a mouthpiece. The testing apparatus comprises an airflow channel that extends from a first channel opening that is configured to receive a mouthpiece of an aerosol-generating system. The testing apparatus further comprises a sensing assembly comprising an emitter configured to emit electromagnetic radiation into the airflow channel and a receiver configured to receive at least some of the electromagnetic radiation from the airflow channel. The testing apparatus further comprises a pump assembly that, in a first configuration of the testing apparatus, is configured to draw air through the airflow channel in a first direction such that an aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating system in use is drawn from the mouthpiece received in the first channel opening and through the airflow channel; and a controller configured to determine at least one characteristic of the aerosol drawn through the airflow channel based on signals received from the sensing assembly. There is also provided a method of analysing an aerosol using the testing apparatus and a method detecting a defect in an aerosol-generating system.