A sensor apparatus may include a conduit structure including an inner surface defining a conduit extending through an interior of the conduit structure, an inlet structure coupled to an end of the conduit structure, and a plurality of sensor devices in hydrodynamic contact with the conduit. The inlet structure may couple with an outlet end of an external tobacco element to hold the outlet end of the external tobacco element in fluid communication with an inlet opening of the conduit structure, such that the conduit structure may receive a generated aerosol from the external tobacco element at the inlet opening, and draw an instance of aerosol through the conduit towards an outlet opening. The instance of aerosol may include at least a portion of the generated aerosol. Each sensor device may generate sensor data indicating a pressure of the instance of aerosol through a separate portion of the conduit.

A sensor apparatus may include a conduit structure including an inner surface defining a conduit extending through an interior of the conduit structure, an inlet structure coupled to an end of the conduit structure, and a plurality of sensor devices in hydrodynamic contact with the conduit. The inlet structure may couple with an outlet end of an external tobacco element to hold the outlet end of the external tobacco element in fluid communication with an inlet opening of the conduit structure, such that the conduit structure may receive a generated aerosol from the external tobacco element at the inlet opening, and draw an instance of aerosol through the conduit towards an outlet opening. The instance of aerosol may include at least a portion of the generated aerosol. Each sensor device may generate sensor data indicating a pressure of the instance of aerosol through a separate portion of the conduit.

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 present disclosure relates to systems, apparatuses, and methods for assembling cartridges for aerosol delivery devices. The cartridges may be assembled by transporting carriages between various substations at which parts are added to a base. In another assembly method, the base may be moved between a plurality of robots which direct the base downwardly into contact with components to couple the components therewith. An inspection system may inspect the cartridges at various stages of completion.

Apparatus for analysing a rod-shaped smoking article is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a source (10) of x-ray radiation arranged to irradiate an area of the article (30), one or more area image sensors (12) arranged to detect x-ray radiation from an area of the article and to produce two-dimensional image data therefrom, and a drive mechanism arranged to move the smoking article (30) or the sensor (12) in an axial direction. A processing unit (20) is arranged to process two-dimensional image data produced by the area image sensor (12) at a plurality of different axial positions and to produce an output in dependence thereon. The processing unit may be arranged to output a two-dimensional image to be displayed and/or to output processed dimensional or quality information.

An apparatus adapted to examine a paper web includes a rotatable first bobbin, a rotatable second bobbin, and a first testing device. The first bobbin has a paper we wound thereabout that has transverse bands spaced apart along a length thereof. The second bobbin is arranged to receive the paper web from the first bobbin with a paper web path defined between the first and second bobbins. The first testing device is disposed along the paper web path and is arranged to nondestructively measure a diffusivity of one of the transverse bands of the paper web.

A sensor apparatus may include a conduit structure including an inner surface defining a conduit extending through an interior of the conduit structure, an inlet structure coupled to an end of the conduit structure, and a plurality of sensor devices in hydrodynamic contact with the conduit. The inlet structure may couple with an outlet end of an external tobacco element to hold the outlet end of the external tobacco element in fluid communication with an inlet opening of the conduit structure, such that the conduit structure may receive a generated aerosol from the external tobacco element at the inlet opening, and draw an instance of aerosol through the conduit towards an outlet opening. The instance of aerosol may include at least a portion of the generated aerosol. Each sensor device may generate sensor data indicating a pressure of the instance of aerosol through a separate portion of the conduit.

A sensor apparatus may include a conduit structure including an inner surface defining a conduit extending through an interior of the conduit structure, an inlet structure coupled to an end of the conduit structure, and a plurality of sensor devices in hydrodynamic contact with the conduit. The inlet structure may couple with an outlet end of an external tobacco element to hold the outlet end of the external tobacco element in fluid communication with an inlet opening of the conduit structure, such that the conduit structure may receive a generated aerosol from the external tobacco element at the inlet opening, and draw an instance of aerosol through the conduit towards an outlet opening. The instance of aerosol may include at least a portion of the generated aerosol. Each sensor device may generate sensor data indicating a pressure of the instance of aerosol through a separate portion of the conduit.

A sensor apparatus may include a channel structure configured to couple with an external element and a fluid conduit, such that the channel structure may receive a fluid, at least partially drawn through the external element from an ambient environment, and direct the fluid through the fluid conduit. A sensor may generate sensor data indicating a flow rate of the fluid through the fluid conduit based on monitoring a variation in a pressure at a location in hydrodynamic contact with the fluid conduit and in relation to an ambient pressure of the ambient environment. The sensor apparatus may enable generation of improved topography information associated with flows of fluid drawn from the external element based on measuring a local pressure at the location in hydrodynamic contact with the fluid conduit and determining the ambient pressure based on monitoring the local pressure over time.

A cigarette injection machine may include: a cigarettes tubes chamber configured to store an empty cigarette tube; a tobacco chamber configured to store tobacco, wherein the cigarettes tubes chamber and the tobacco chamber are arranged in a horizontal direction; a tobacco feed nozzle disposed between the cigarettes tubes chamber and the tobacco chamber in the horizontal direction, to guide and feed the tobacco into the empty cigarette tube; a cigarette tube loader barrel configured to load the empty cigarette tube from the cigarettes tubes chamber, rotate to a position of the tobacco feed nozzle, and move in the horizontal direction to a requested cigarette size position; and a tobacco feeder spiral rod configured to push the tobacco into the tobacco feed nozzle until the empty cigarette tube is filled with the tobacco when the cigarette tube loader barrel is at the requested cigarette size position.