An apparatus for aligning rod-shaped articles including a reference element is provided, the apparatus including: a conveyor configured to accommodate and to transport a rod-shaped article including a reference element; a holder configured to hold the article in the conveyor, the holder allowing temporary rotation of the article; a detection device configured to detect a rotational position of the article by detecting a position of the reference element; a mechanical positioner configured to rotate the article held by the holder around a longitudinal axis of the article; and a controller configured to submit information on the rotational position of the reference element of the article provided by the detection device to an actuator of the mechanical positioner, the actuator being configured to activate the mechanical positioner such that the article is rotated around the longitudinal axis from a detected position to a defined position by the mechanical positioner.

A method is proposed for inspecting cylinder-shaped elongated elements for smoking articles that provides projecting from a first half-space a first stripe of light onto an external face of a first elongated element and projecting from a second half-space onto the first elongated element a second stripe of light. The method reconstructs, by means of a first identified curved line and a second identified curved line respectively in a first acquired view and in a second acquired view of the first elongated element, a first closed curved section profile of the first elongated element and identifies possible deformations of the reconstructed first closed curved profile with respect to an ideal section profile. The method further includes the step of arranging an ideal elongated element alongside the first elongated element, respectively in a reference position and in a first position, inspecting simultaneously the first elongated element and the ideal elongated element by the first stripe of light and the second stripe of light; reconstructing, by a first identified curved line and a second identified curved line respectively in the first view and in the second view a first closed curved section profile of the ideal elongated element; monitoring the reconstructed closed curved profile of the ideal elongated element generating a warning if the reconstructed closed curved profile of the ideal elongated element is different from an ideal section profile, for example circular.

An inspection group is proposed for inspecting cylinder-shaped elongated elements for smoking articles, in which a working plane is selected passing through a longitudinal axis of a first elongated element and there are considered a first half space and a second half space arranged on opposite parts with respect to the working plane. The inspecting group includes: a projecting device adapted to project a first stripe of light from the first half space onto an inspection portion of an external surface of the first elongated element and to obtain a first three-dimensional light trace, and also adapted to project a second stripe of light from the second half space onto the inspection portion to obtain a second three-dimensional light trace; an optical assembly adapted to frame the first elongated element and to process a first view and a second view; a processing device adapted to reconstruct a first closed curved section profile of the first elongated element processing an identified first curved light line in the first view and a second identified curved light line in the second view and comparing the first reconstructed closed curved profile with an ideal section profile to identify possible deformations of the reconstructed first closed curved profile with respect to the ideal section profile. The projecting device includes a single projector of a single stripe of light; a shield, arranged between the single projector and the first elongated element, adapted to split the single stripe of light into a first part of a stripe of light and into a second part of a stripe of light; first deflectors of the first part of a stripe of light arranged in the first half space and second deflectors of the second part of the stripe of light arranged in the second half space to obtain respectively the first stripe of light projected from the first half space and the second stripe of light projected from the second half space by a single stripe of light.

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.

Apparatus for determination of the position of an insert in rod-like articles (1) used in the tobacco industry, provided with a conveyor (2) for rod-like articles (1) adapted for transporting rod-like articles (1) in a direction of transporting (T) perpendicular to the lengthwise axis (Z) of the rod-like article (1) in a predetermined plane of transporting (A), a radiation source (6), and at least one detector (7, 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E, 7F), characterised in that the apparatus is provided with a set of at least two sections (F1, F2) of a detector (7, 7A, 7B, 14) and/or two detectors (7C, 7D, 7E, 7F), where the sections (F1, F2) of the detector (7, 7A, 7B, 14) or two detectors (7C, 7D, 7E, 7F) are placed one behind the other in the direction of transporting (T) on the conveyor (2) of rod-like articles (1) in a predetermined spatial orientation in which the radiation (R) hitting on the sections (F1, F2) of the detector (7, 7A, 7B, 14) or the detectors (7C, 7D, 7E, 7F) passes through the rod-like article (1) at different angles (1, 2); the apparatus is further provided with a controller (20) adapted to receive from the sections (F1, F2) of the detector (7, 7A, 7B) and/or the detectors (7C, 7D, 7E, 7F) a sequence of signals (S), where each sequence of signals (S) corresponds to the same rod-like article (1) transported on the conveyor (2), and moreover the controller (20) is adapted so that it determines the position of the insert (1E) in the rod-like article (1) on the basis of the sequence of signals (S) and the parameters of the predetermined spatial orientation of placement of the detectors (7, 7A, 7B, 14, 7C, 7D, 7E, 7F).

Smoking-related article inspection systems and associated methods are disclosed herein. In some aspects, the systems include an x-ray imaging device configured to capture at least one image of the smoking-related articles, a smoking-related article transporting device configured to sequentially introduce the smoking-related articles into the imaging zone; and an analysis unit in communication with the x-ray imaging device and configured to analyze the at least one image captured by the x-ray imaging device for each of the smoking-related articles, the analysis unit being configured to execute: an inspection tool to determine values for one or more parameters of each of the smoking-related articles based on the analysis of the at least one image; and a comparison tool to determine an acceptability of the smoking-related articles for further processing based on comparing the determined values for the one or more parameters to ideal values for the one or more parameters.

The object of the invention is an apparatus for filling transport containers (1) with rod-like articles of the tobacco industry, provided with an area (2) receiving the rod-like articles in the form of a mass flow, a rod-like article storage area (3) comprising at least two sidewalls, a filling unit (4) constituting the bottom wall of the storage area for transferring the rod-like articles from the storage area to the transport container, a lowering conveyor (5) working together with the filling unit (4), adapted to lower the transport container while filling with the rod-like articles. The apparatus is characterised by being further provided with a counting module (6) designed to count the rod-like articles in the transport containers, adapted so that the individual rod-like articles being in the transport container are counted.

A sensing module for monitoring dosage delivery of a vaporized material, and a portable vaporization unit including the sensing module, include a light sensor that detects disruptions in a light path across a vapor channel, the disruptions caused by the vaporized material flowing through the vapor channel. The light sensor includes a UV light source, which may emit 370 nm wavelength light, and a UV light detector that converts intensity of incident light in the light path into a signal. A microprocessor of the sensing module compares the signal to a baseline measurement to determine the concentration of a medicament in the vapor; then, using the flow rate and activation time of the device, the microprocessor determines the dosage and can perform monitoring and reporting actions based on the dosage. A measuring circuit measures fluctuations in resistance/impedance of a vaporization element to further determine flow rate and/or dosage.

A method for determining the conformity of a type of filter being processed in a machine of the tobacco industry, in particular a combining or filter tip attachment machine, the method comprising the step of transversely feeding a filter segment through the inspection module. The inspection module comprises a detector arranged and/or configured in such a way that, while the filter segment is being fed, the detector faces a frontal surface of the filter segment. The method further comprises a step of detecting the frontal surface of the filter via the detector and a step of generating, via the detector, a signal representative of the structure and/or composition of at least one frontal portion of the filter segment. The method further comprises a step of processing the representative signal to obtain an information identifying the conformity of the type of filter.

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.