A method and a device for detecting plastic foreign objects with low chromaticity difference in shredded tobacco through online pulse spectral imaging are provided. The method includes three steps: negative pressure thin-layer loading of shredded tobacco, pulse line-scanning identification of shredded tobacco, and positive pressure online elimination of foreign objects. Loose shredded tobacco is formed into a fixed and continuous thin layer on a surface of a conveying cylinder under the effect of a negative pressure adsorption force. The surface of the conveying cylinder is coded by areas. An LED linear array light source containing characteristic wavelengths of plastics with low chromaticity difference emits optical pulses, and a line-scanning camera is used to obtain characteristic signals of the plastic foreign objects with low chromaticity difference efficiently in real time.

A feeding apparatus for feeding a tobacco industry segment (C) comprising a hopper (12) for rods (10C) with a length being a multiple length of the segment (C), a cutting a conveying unit (13), situated underneath the hopper (12) for the rods (10C), for cutting the rods (10C) into individual segments (C), whereas from the rod (10C), after cutting the rod (10C), a group (G) of the segments (C) is formed, a transferring unit (15) situated underneath the cutting and conveying unit (13), adapted to receive the groups (G) of the segments (C) and to form of them a stream (SF) of the segments (C), whereas the gaps (U) between the groups (G) of the segments (C) in the stream (SF) are retained, and the transferring unit (15) is adapted to reduce the gaps (U) between the groups (G) so that at the outlet (23) of the transferring unit (15) the segments (C) are conveyed without gaps.

A method and device for examining rod-shaped products of the cigarette industry, having a cylindrical lateral surface and two end faces formed by two filter elements arranged at opposite ends, the product having smokable material between the two end faces, by: a) irradiating the lateral surface using examination light whereby the examination light penetrates through the lateral surface at least partially into the product and at least partially exits again through one end face, the beams of which are incident on the lateral surface at an angle of at least 30° in relation to the longitudinal extension of the product; b) acquiring the examination light exiting the end face of the product using an electro-optical receiver, the main viewing direction of which is directed onto the end face; and c) evaluating the brightness or light intensity of the examination light exiting the end face and acquired by the electro-optical receiver.

A device for off-line detection of circumferential appearance quality of cigarettes includes a mechanical system, a vision system and a control system, where the mechanical system includes a hopper, a feed roller, an auto-rotating roller, an upper chute and a lower chute. A method for off-line detection of circumferential appearance quality of cigarettes by using the above device is further provided. The present disclosure can achieve detection without omission to obtain accurate and quantifiable detection results, and has high processing efficiency.

Smoking article inspection systems configured to inspect smoking articles are provided. The systems may include imaging devices configured to capture images of an exterior of the smoking article and an analysis unit configured to analyze the images captured by the imaging devices. The analysis unit may execute an edge detection tool configured to determine a position of the smoking article based on an edge location of the smoking article and a defect detection tool configured to determine whether the smoking article is defective after the position of the smoking article is determined. The imaging devices may be configured to capture images of the smoking articles during the assembly thereof. Thereby, the analysis unit may determine any operations during assembly causing damage to the smoking article from analysis of the images of the smoking article captured during assembly. Related methods are also provided.

An inspection system and associated method are provided for inspecting a smoking article having a smokable rod and a filter element serially secured together by a tipping material circumscribing a longitudinal periphery of the filter element and a portion of a longitudinal periphery of the smokable rod adjacent to the filter element. A transport device is configured to transport individual as-formed smoking articles from a first to a second position such that the tipping material associated with each smoking article is accessible at least about the portion of the longitudinal periphery of the smoking article. An inspection device is configured to optically inspect each smoking article, at least about the portion of the longitudinal periphery of the smoking article having the tipping material, as the smoking article is transported between the first and second positions, and to automatically determine from the optical inspection whether the inspected smoking article is defective.

A method of detection of rotated segments in a non-wrapped string of segments conveyed one after another in a machine used in tobacco industry, the method comprising using a source of radiation for illuminating the segments and a receiver of the radiation reflected by the segments, the method further comprising generating a signal of an error by means of a controlling unit in case of detection of a rotated segment. The conveyed string of segments is illuminated by a laser beam so that on each segment its light profile is formed, an image of said light profile being registered by means of the radiation receiver, and in that the light profile formed on each segment is compared with a defined reference profile by means of an analyzing unit and the signal of an error is generated in each case where a difference between the registered light profile and said reference profile is detected. A device for implementing the method of the invention and a machine comprising such a device.

The object of the application is a measuring method for geometrical parameters of a tobacco industry's multi-segment rod-like article (1, 1′, 1″), by means of a beam of electromagnetic radiation (6A) directed at the article (1, 1′, 1″), characterised in that by means of a radiation receiving device (7) a radiation (7A) emitted by the tobacco industry's multi-segment article (1, 1′, 1″) under the influence of excitation induced by the radiation (6A) directed at the tobacco industry's multi-segment article (1, 1′, 1″) is received, and a signal (32) corresponding to the received radiation (7 A) is generated. Furthermore, in the radiation receiving device (7) or using processing means (33) in the control system (30) of such device the signal (32) corresponding to the radiation (7A) received by the radiation receiving device (7) is processed and on the basis thereof an image (P, P′, P″) corresponding to the view of the multi-segment article (1, 1′, 1″) is created. Then, with the use of the processing means (33), based on the difference in intensity of the radiation (7A) emitted by the tobacco industry's multi-segment article (1, 1′, 1″) visible in the created image (P, P′, P″), the geometrical parameters of the article (1, 1′, 1″) are determined. Furthermore, with the use of the processing means (33), based on the position of geometric elements of the article (1, 1′, 1″) in the image (P, P′, P″), the geometrical parameters of the multi-segment article (1, 1′, 1″) are measured.

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.

Testing systems and methods are provided for a smoking article to determine a characteristic of the smoking article, such as density of a material used therewith. The testing system may include a test fixture and an electromagnetic energy generating device The testing methods may be carried out by subjecting the material to the electromagnetic energy and determining the amount of energy absorbed by the material.