METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING FRAGRANCE CAPSULE OF TOBACCO

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a fragrance capsule of tobacco according to an embodiment of this disclosure may comprise: a membrane manufacturing step for manufacturing a membrane of a fragrance capsule by a membrane manufacturing part which manufactures a membrane; a capsule manufacturing step for manufacturing the fragrance capsule using an apparatus for manufacturing a capsule with the membrane manufactured during the membrane manufacturing step and a fragrance liquid to be held in the membrane; and a hardening step for hardening the fragrance capsule.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a fragrance capsule of a cigarette, the method comprising: manufacturing a membrane of the fragrance capsule by a membrane manufacturer configured to manufacture a membrane; manufacturing the fragrance capsule by an apparatus for manufacturing the fragrance capsule, using the manufactured membrane and a fragrant liquid to be contained in the membrane; and hardening the fragrance capsule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing of the membrane comprises: weighing an amount of each substance included in the membrane; and forming the membrane by dissolving the substances included in the membrane.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the substances included in the membrane and to be weighed include agar, pectin, glycerin, and sodium alginate, wherein a weight percentage of the agar is 1.5% to 3.0%, a weight percentage of the pectin is 1% to 3%, a weight percentage of the glycerin is 2.0% to 10.0%, and a weight percentage of the sodium alginate is 0.2% to 0.7%.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the forming of the membrane, the agar is injected into hot water and dissolved therein, the glycerin is dissolved therein, the pectin is dissolved therein, and then the sodium alginate is dissolved therein.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the manufacturing of the membrane further comprises measuring a viscosity of the formed membrane to check whether the viscosity of the formed membrane is within a set range of 500 to 650 centipoise (cps).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the apparatus for manufacturing the fragrance capsule comprises: a membrane tank in which the membrane is stored, a fragrant liquid tank in which the fragrant liquid is stored, and a coolant tank in which a coolant is stored; a membrane supply line connected to the membrane tank, a fragrant liquid supply line connected to the fragrant liquid tank, and a coolant supply line connected to the coolant tank; a nozzle connected to the membrane supply line and the fragrant liquid supply line, and configured to form an initial form of the fragrance capsule by discharging the membrane and the fragrant liquid such that the membrane wraps the fragrant liquid; and a fragrance capsule transfer line connected to the nozzle to transfer the fragrance capsule discharged from the nozzle by each unit, and connected to the coolant supply line to allow the fragrance capsule to be transferred by the coolant supplied by the coolant supply line, wherein the manufacturing of the fragrance capsule comprises: supplying the membrane, the fragrant liquid, and the coolant through the supply lines; forming the fragrance capsule by allowing the fragrant liquid to be wrapped by the membrane by the nozzle; and transferring the fragrance capsule to a capsule storage using a flow of the coolant formed along the fragrance capsule transfer line.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the forming of the fragrance capsule further comprises: defoaming air bubbles from the manufactured membrane before the supplying, wherein, in the supplying, a steady velocity of the fragrant liquid, the membrane, and the coolant is changed in an order of the fragrant liquid, the membrane, and the coolant, starting from the fragrant liquid.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardening comprises: hardening the fragrance capsule by mixing the formed fragrance capsule with a prepared ethanol (EtOH) solution, wherein the prepared EtOH solution includes 70 to 100% ethanol and the mixing is performed by mixing the fragrance capsule and the prepared EtOH solution at a ratio of one to one (1:1) to one to two (1:2).

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: drying the fragrance capsule using a dryer after the hardening; and additionally hardening the fragrance capsule to prevent moisture absorption after the drying.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: cleaning, by a stirring cleaner, the additionally hardened fragrance capsule; sorting, by a size sorter, the cleaned fragrance capsule; and packing the sorted fragrance capsule.

11.-13. (canceled)

14. An apparatus for manufacturing a fragrance capsule of a cigarette, the apparatus comprising: a membrane tank configured to store a membrane; a fragrant liquid tank configured to store a fragrant liquid; a coolant tank configured to store a coolant; a nozzle connected to the membrane tank and the fragrant liquid tank through respective supply lines, and configured to form the fragrance capsule by discharging the membrane transferred from the membrane tank and the fragrant liquid transferred from the fragrant liquid tank such that the membrane wraps the fragrant liquid; a fragrance capsule transfer line connected to the nozzle to transfer the fragrance capsule discharged from the nozzle by each unit, and connected to a coolant supply line configured to supply the coolant to allow the fragrance capsule to be transferred by the coolant supplied by the coolant supply line; and a capsule storage configured to store the fragrance capsule transferred, while being cooled, from the fragrance capsule transfer line.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: a capsule separator provided between the capsule storage and the fragrance capsule transfer line to transfer, to the capsule storage, the fragrance capsule transferred from the fragrance capsule transfer line, and configured to temporarily store the coolant.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the capsule separator comprises: a coolant storage tank configured to temporarily store the coolant; and a separation plate slantly disposed in an upper end portion of the coolant storage tank, and configured to transfer the fragrance capsule to the capsule storage and allow the coolant to permeate the coolant storage tank, wherein the coolant tank and the capsule separator are connected through a connection line, and the coolant is transferred from the capsule separator to the coolant tank to form a circulation structure, wherein the coolant is a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) solution, and the coolant tank includes a cooler to cool the MCT solution.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the membrane tank and the nozzle are connected through a membrane supply line, a viscosity of the membrane at a time of manufacturing the membrane is 300 to 700 centipoises (cps), a temperature of the membrane tank is 55 to 75? C., and a temperature of the membrane supply line and the nozzle is 55 to 75? C., and a viscosity of the membrane discharged from a tank of a membrane manufacturer configured to manufacture the membrane is 400 to 550 cps.

18. A nozzle provided in a dual discharge structure and configured to discharge a membrane supplied by a membrane tank and a fragrant liquid supplied by a fragrant liquid tank such that the membrane wraps the fragrant liquid to form an initial form of a fragrance capsule, the nozzle comprising: a nozzle body; a fragrant liquid discharge line formed along a center of the nozzle body and configured to form a path to discharge the fragrant liquid; and a membrane discharge line formed in an outer side of the fragrant liquid discharge line in the nozzle body and configured to form a path to discharge the membrane.

19. The nozzle of claim 18, wherein the membrane discharge line is provided as a plurality of membrane discharge lines disposed at equidistant intervals along a circumferential direction of the nozzle body in the outer side of the fragrant liquid discharge line; and the fragrant liquid discharge line and the membrane discharge line in the nozzle body respectively include jets, and respective diameters of the fragrant liquid discharge line and the membrane discharge line decrease toward the jets.

20. The nozzle of claim 18, wherein an inner diameter and an outer diameter of the fragrant liquid discharge line in the nozzle body are determined based on a size of the fragrance capsule, and wherein: the inner diameter is 0.5 to 2.0 millimeters (mm) and the outer diameter is 2.0 to 5.0 mm, the inner diameter is 20% to 40% of a diameter of the fragrance capsule, a ratio of the inner diameter to the outer diameter is two and one half to five (2.5:5), and the diameter of the fragrance capsule is 2.1 to 4.7 mm, and a thickness of the membrane wrapping the fragrant liquid in the fragrance capsule is 0.50 to 0.80 mm immediately after the fragrance capsule is formed.

21. The method of claim 4, wherein, in the forming of the membrane, the agar is dissolved in the hot water at a temperature of 85? C. to 100? C., the glycerin is dissolved in the hot water in which the agar is dissolved at a temperature of 80? C. to 85? C., the pectin is dissolved in the hot water in which the agar and the glycerin are dissolved at a temperature of 80? C. to 85? C., and the sodium alginate is dissolved in the hot water in which the agar, the glycerin, and the pectin are dissolved at a temperature of 75? C. to 80? C.

22. The method of claim 2, wherein the manufacturing of the membrane further comprises transferring the formed membrane to a membrane tank of the apparatus for manufacturing the fragrance capsule.

23. The method of claim 9, wherein, in the additional hardening of the fragrance capsule, an EtOH solution is prepared by mixing ethanol and distilled water at a ratio of four to six (4:6) to seven to three (7:3), and the distilled water includes 0.1% to 5.0% calcium chloride.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a cigarette according to an example embodiment.

[0044] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of manufacturing a fragrance capsule of a cigarette according to an example embodiment.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed example of the method of manufacturing a fragrance capsule of a cigarette of FIG. 2.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a fragrance capsule of a cigarette according to an example embodiment.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a nozzle of FIG. 4 cut in a vertical direction.

[0048] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the nozzle of FIG. 4 cut in a horizontal direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Hereinafter, example embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The following description relates to one aspect among various aspects of the present disclosure, and it constitutes a portion of the detailed description of the present disclosure.

[0050] In the description of the example embodiments, detailed description of well-known related structures or functions will be omitted when it is deemed that such description will cause ambiguous interpretation of the present disclosure.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a cigarette according to an example embodiment.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 1, a cigarette 1 of a general type includes a cut tobacco leaf portion 10, a filter portion 20 connected to a rear end of the cut tobacco leaf portion 10, a cigarette paper 11 wrapping the cut tobacco leaf portion 10, and a filter wrapping paper 21 wrapping the rear end of the cut tobacco leaf portion 10 and the filter portion 20. In addition, a fragrance capsule 30 is accommodated or contained in the filter portion 20.

[0053] Through such a configuration described in the foregoing, a user may smell a fragrant liquid contained in the fragrance capsule 30 by having the fragrance capsule 30 be torn when the user smokes the cigarette 1.

[0054] For example, in a case of the cigarette 1 in which the fragrance capsule 30 including a fragrant liquid of menthol is embedded in the filter portion 20, the user may smoke the cigarette 1 while smelling a scent of menthol by having the fragrance capsule 30 be torn when the user uses the cigarette 1.

[0055] The fragrance capsule 30 may need to be torn or burst well based on the strength of an external force applied when tearing or bursting the fragrance capsule 30, and needs to not be randomly torn or burst when the external force is not applied. The fragrance capsule 30 includes a fragrant liquid and a membrane wrapping the fragrant liquid, and the strength of the membrane wrapping the fragrant liquid may also be important to prevent such an unintentional tearing or a burst. Hereinafter, a method and apparatus for manufacturing a fragrance capsule will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of manufacturing a fragrance capsule of a cigarette according to an example embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed example of the method of manufacturing a fragrance capsule of a cigarette of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a fragrance capsule of a cigarette according to an example embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a nozzle of FIG. 4 cut in a vertical direction, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the nozzle of FIG. 4 cut in a horizontal direction.

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, a method of manufacturing a fragrance capsule of a cigarette, hereinafter simply referred to as a fragrance capsule manufacturing method, includes a membrane manufacturing step S100 of manufacturing a membrane 111 by a membrane manufacturer (not shown) configured to manufacture a membrane, a capsule manufacturing step S200 of manufacturing a fragrance capsule 101 using the membrane 111 and a fragrant liquid 121 to be contained in the membrane 111 by an apparatus for manufacturing a fragrance capsule, hereinafter simply referred to as a fragrance capsule manufacturing apparatus 100, a hardening step S300 of first hardening the fragrance capsule 101, a drying step S400 of drying the hardened fragrance capsule 101, an additional hardening step S500 of additionally hardening the dried fragrance capsule 101, a cleaning step S600, and a packing step S700.

[0058] Through such a configuration described in the foregoing, a reliable fragrance capsule may be manufactured, and also efficiency in a manufacturing process may be improved.

[0059] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the membrane manufacturing step S100 is performed to manufacture a membrane material wrapping the fragrant liquid 121, and includes a weighing step S110 of weighing an amount of each substance included in the membrane 111, a membrane forming step S120 of forming the membrane 111 by dissolving the substances included in the membrane 111, a viscosity measuring step S130 of measuring a viscosity of the formed membrane 111, and a membrane transferring step S140 of transferring the membrane 111 to a membrane tank 110.

[0060] In the weighing step S110, a precise weighing system configured to precisely weigh the amount of each of the substances may be used.

[0061] In the membrane forming step S120, the membrane 111 may be formed by the membrane manufacturer. Although not illustrated, the membrane manufacturer may include a membrane manufacturing container, a hot water boiler connected to the membrane manufacturing container through a connection line and configured to provide hot water to the membrane manufacturing container by heating up water, and a paddle configured to evenly mix the hot water and the substances in the membrane manufacturing container.

[0062] The substances included in the membrane 111 to be weighed in the weighing step S110 may include agar, pectin, sodium alginate, and glycerin as a plasticizer.

[0063] In a combination of the substances, the agar may play a role in hardening based on a temperature such that an initial form or shape of the fragrance capsule 101 is formed at an initial stage of forming or molding. The pectin may act as an intermediate modifier between the agar and the sodium alginate and act on a degree of the hardening of the agar and on a calcium ion bonding of the sodium alginate, such that the initial form of the fragrance capsule 101 is formed, and contribute to improving stability and moisture absorption or hygroscopicity and to forming the membrane 111.

[0064] The sodium alginate may be hardened by a calcium ion, and adjust strength of the fragrance capsule 101 and form the membrane 111, and also improve hygroscopic stability by such an ionic hardening.

[0065] The glycerin may function as a plasticizer, improve formability or moldability of the fragrance capsule 101, and provide elasticity to the fragrance capsule 101. As an amount of the glycerin increases, the hygroscopic stability may deteriorate in a long term because the glycerin itself is highly hygroscopic, although the elasticity of the fragrance capsule 101 increases. Conversely, as an amount of the glycerin decreases, the elasticity of the fragrance capsule 101 may be reduced, and thus the fragrance capsule 101 may be readily broken by an external factor. Therefore, an appropriate amount of the glycerin may need to be mixed.

[0066] Table 1 below illustrates weight percentages of the substances described in the foregoing.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Injec- Weight tion Mixing percentage Weight time time (%) (kg) (min.) (min.) Remarks Agar 1.5%-3.0% 3.75-7.5 3-7 15-25 Start at 85? C. to 90? C. Glyc- 2.0%-10.0% 5-25 1-2 1-2 erin Pectin 1.0%-3.0% 2.5-7.5 3-7 5-15 Sodium 0.2%-0.7% 0.5-1.75 3-7 5-15 alginate Blue (0.6 g/kg) (150 g) 3-7 5-15 No. 1 Red (0.12 g/kg) (30 g) No. 40 Dis- 33.3%-95.3% 208.25-238.25 tilled water Sum 100%

[0067] In a case in which distilled water has a weight percentage of 90% (5% corrected), a weight percentage of the agar may be 1.5% to 3.5%, a weight percentage of the glycerin may be 2.0% to 10.0%, a weight percentage of the pectin may be 1% to 3%, and a weight percentage of the sodium alginate may be 0.2% to 0.7%.

[0068] In the membrane forming step S120, hot water heated to be 85? C. to 100? C., or more desirably 88? C., by the hot water boiler that may be supplied to the membrane manufacturing container, and then the agar may be injected to be dissolved in the hot water. Here, the agar may need to be injected gradually or slowly because the agar tends to be massed or lumped and not to be untangled or released when being injected all at once, and a mixer may be used to untangle the agar in the hot water. When the agar is injected, the paddle disposed in the membrane manufacturing container may operate at, for example, 90 revolutions per minute (rpm), and a temperature of the membrane manufacturing container may be monitored when the paddle operates.

[0069] For example, when the temperature of the membrane manufacturing container decreases to, for example, 85? C., the glycerin may be injected into the hot water in which the agar is dissolved. When the temperature of the membrane manufacturing container decreases to 83? C., the pectin may then be injected into the hot water to be dissolved therein. When the temperature of the membrane manufacturing container decreases to, for example, 78? C., after a predetermined period of time, for example, 10 minutes, elapses after the pectin is injected, the sodium alginate may be injected into the hot water and dissolved therein. As illustrated in Table 1 above, colorings such as the Blue No. 1 or the Red No. 40 may be injected into the hot water to manufacture the membrane 111.

[0070] Additionally, there are numerous factors that may cause a change in the viscosity of the membrane 111.

[0071] For example, when weighting the membrane 111, the viscosity may increase in response to an increase in a content of a substance included in the membrane 111 or decrease in response to a decrease in the content of the substance. In addition, there is a titrated dissolution temperature for a substance included in the membrane 111. Thus, when the substance is dissolved at a temperature lower than the titrated dissolution temperature, the substance may not be completely dissolved. Conversely, when the substance is dissolved at a temperature greater than the titrated dissolution temperature, a polymer structure may be broken and the viscosity may decrease, and thus the hygroscopic stability may not be desirable. In addition, when a temperature of the membrane manufacturing container is not maintained to be constant, the viscosity may change.

[0072] In a case of the membrane 111 with a low viscosity, a pulsation may be generated in a pump or stability of the fragrance capsule 101 may deteriorate due to such factors described in the foregoing. Conversely, in a case of the membrane 111 with a high viscosity, the viscosity may change relatively severely with time, and thus formability and productivity may deteriorate. Thus, when the viscosity of the membrane 111 is out of the set range, it may be necessary to dispose of the whole quantity and newly manufacture the membrane 111 that satisfies a viscosity standard, and thus weighing an amount of a substance included in the membrane 111 and adjusting a titrated temperature when dissolving the substance may need to be precisely controlled.

[0073] The membrane transferring step S140 is performed to transfer the membrane 111 of which the viscosity is measured to the membrane tank 110 provided in the fragrance capsule manufacturing apparatus 100.

[0074] When the membrane 111, manufactured in the membrane manufacturing step S100, is transferred to the membrane tank 110 of the fragrance capsule manufacturing apparatus 100, the fragrance capsule 101 may be manufactured in the fragrance capsule manufacturing apparatus 100. Hereinafter, the fragrance capsule manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described first in detail, and the capsule manufacturing step S200 will then be described in detail.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 4, the fragrance capsule manufacturing apparatus 100 includes the membrane tank 110 configured to store the membrane 111, a fragrant liquid tank 120 configured to store the fragrant liquid 121, a coolant tank or a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) tank 130 configured to store a coolant, for example, an MCT solution 131 as illustrated, a nozzle 140 connected to the membrane tank 110 and the fragrant liquid tank 120 through a membrane supply line 117 and a fragrant liquid supply line 127, respectively, and configured to form the fragrance capsule 101, or an initial form of the fragrance capsule 101, by discharging the membrane 111 transferred from the membrane tank 110 and the fragrant liquid 121 transferred from the fragrant liquid tank 120 such that the membrane 111 wraps the fragrant liquid 121, a fragrance capsule transfer line 190 connected to the nozzle 140 to transfer the fragrance capsule 101 discharged from the nozzle 140 by each unit and, more particularly, connected to an MCT supply line 137 configured to supply the MCT solution 131 to allow the fragrance capsule 101 to be transferred by the MCT solution 131 supplied by the MCT supply line 137, and a capsule storage 180 configured to store the fragrance capsule 101 transferred, while being cooled, by the fragrance capsule transfer line 190.

[0076] The membrane tank 110 stores the membrane 111 manufactured in the membrane manufacturing step S100, and includes a rotating paddle 115 to maintain a dissolved and uniform state of the membrane 111. The membrane tank 110 is connected to the nozzle 140 through the membrane supply line 117, and thus the membrane 111 in the membrane tank 110 may be supplied to the nozzle 140. In the membrane supply line 117, a gear pump 118 is provided to supply the membrane 111 and opens the membrane tank 110 to smoothly transfer the membrane 111.

[0077] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the fragrant liquid tank 120 stores the fragrant liquid 121. The fragrant liquid tank 120 is connected to the nozzle 140 through the fragrant liquid supply line 127 that includes a gear pump 128 to supply the fragrant liquid 121, and thus the fragrant liquid 121 may be smoothly transferred from the fragrant liquid thank 120 to the nozzle 140.

[0078] The nozzle 140 forms the initial form of the fragrance capsule 101, and discharges the membrane 111 flowing in the nozzle 140 to wrap the fragrant liquid 121 to form the initial form of the fragrance capsule 101.

[0079] As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the nozzle 140 is provided in a dual discharge structure, and thus the nozzle 140 may discharge the initial form of the fragrance capsule 101 by allowing the fragrant liquid 121 and the membrane 111 that flow in the nozzle 140 to interact with each other.

[0080] The nozzle 140 includes a nozzle body 141 forming a basic appearance thereof, a fragrant liquid discharge line 143 formed along a center of the nozzle body 141 and configured to form a path through which the fragrant liquid 121 is to be discharged, and a membrane discharge line 145 formed in the nozzle body 141 to be disposed in an outer side of the fragrant liquid discharge line 143 and configured to form a path through which the membrane 111 is to be discharged.

[0081] The nozzle body 141 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and a lower end portion thereof may become smaller, in diameter, downwards. However, a shape of the nozzle body 141 is not limited to the example shape described in the foregoing.

[0082] As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fragrant liquid discharge line 143 is formed along a center in a longitudinal direction of the nozzle body 141. The fragrant liquid discharge line 143 is connected to the fragrant liquid thank 120 through the fragrant liquid supply line 127, and thus supplies the fragrant liquid 121 in a direction, for example, an A direction as illustrated, in which the fragrant liquid discharge line 143 is formed. A lower end portion of the fragrant liquid discharge line 143 becomes smaller in diameter downwards, compared to an upper end portion and a central portion. In the lower end portion of the fragrant liquid discharge line 143, a jet 142 is formed to discharge the fragrant liquid 121 therethrough.

[0083] Also, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the membrane discharge line 145 is provided as a plurality of membrane discharge lines in a circumferential direction of the nozzle body 141 in the outer side of the fragrant liquid discharge line 143. The membrane discharge line 145 is connected to the membrane tank 110 through the membrane supply line 117 to supply the membrane 111 in a direction, for example, a B direction as illustrated, in which the membrane discharge line 145 is formed. The membrane 111 passing through the membrane discharge line 145 wraps an outer surface of the fragrant liquid 121 while passing through a jet formed in a lower end portion of the membrane discharge line 145.

[0084] Thus, the fragrant liquid 121 and the membrane 111 are discharged simultaneously through the jet 142 of the fragrant liquid discharge line 143 and the jet of the membrane discharge line 145, respectively. Here, the membrane 111 wraps the outer surface of the fragrant liquid 121 in an area of the jet 142, thereby forming the initial form of the fragrance capsule 101 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Although not illustrated, the initial form may be a long oval shape, which may change to a circular shape by being affected by the coolant while passing through the fragrance capsule transfer line 190.

[0085] In addition, the nozzle 140 may be designed based on a size of the fragrance capsule 101.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Difference Inner Outer between Membrane diameter/ diameter/ inner and thickness Capsule Outer Inner outer immediately after Classification Diameter diameter diameter diameters forming First type 2.1 mm-2.3 mm 0.5 mm 2.0 mm 1.5 mm 0.58 mm-0.62 mm Second type 2.8 mm-3.0 mm 0.8 mm 3.0 mm 2.2 mm 0.68 mm-0.70 mm Third type 3.2 mm-3.4 mm 0.8 mm 3.4 mm 2.6 mm 0.70 mm-0.74 mm Fourth type 4.5 mm-4.7 mm 1.8 mm 4.7 mm 2.9 mm 0.74 mm-0.86 mm

[0086] As illustrated in Table 2 above, a size of the fragrance capsule 101 and a structure of the nozzle 140 may change based on a type of the cigarette 1. That is, an inner diameter and an outer diameter of the nozzle body 141 forming the fragrant liquid discharge line 143 may be determined based on the size of the fragrance capsule 101. As illustrated in Table 2, in a case in which a diameter of the fragrance capsule 101 is 2.1 mm to 4.7 mm, the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the nozzle body 141 may be 0.5 mm to 1.8 mm and 2.0 mm to 4.7 mm, respectively. It may be desirable that the inner diameter is 20% to 40% of the diameter of the fragrance capsule 101, and a ratio of the inner diameter to the outer diameter may be two and one half to five (2.5:5). In addition, a thickness of the membrane 111 may be 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm.

[0087] For example, as illustrated, in a case in which the cigarette 1 is of a first type, for example, a super-slim type, the diameter of the fragrance capsule 101 may be 2.8 mm to 3.0 mm, and the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the nozzle 140 may be 3.0 mm and 0.8 mm, respectively. In addition, a thickness of the membrane 111 immediately after the forming may be 0.68 mm to 0.72 mm.

[0088] As described, the nozzle 140 may be designed to have an outer diameter and an inner diameter that are optimized based on a size of the fragrance capsule 101, and a size of the membrane discharge line 145 may also be designed such that the membrane 111 has an optimized thickness.

[0089] The initial form of the fragrance capsule 101 that is discharged by the nozzle 140 is transferred along the fragrance capsule transfer line 190. Here, the MCT solution 131 flows along the fragrance capsule transfer line 190, and thus the fragrance capsule 101 is transferred toward the capsule storage 180 while being cooled along the flow of the MCT solution 131. That is, the MCT solution 131 forms such a flow, and the fragrance capsule 101 is transferred along the formed flow.

[0090] As described above, the MCT solution 131 is supplied by the MCT tank 130. The MCT tank 130 and an upper end portion of the fragrance capsule transfer line 190, which is adjacent to the nozzle 140, are connected through the MCT supply line 137 such that the MCT solution 131 is supplied to an inlet portion of the fragrance capsule transfer line 190, which is a portion to which the fragrance capsule 101 is discharged from the nozzle 140. Through such a structure, the MCT solution 131, or the coolant, may directly affect the fragrance capsule 101 that is discharged from the nozzle 140, and thus the fragrance capsule 101 may be cooled. Thus, surface bonding of the membrane 111 to the fragrant liquid 121 may be more firmly performed.

[0091] In addition, the fragrance capsule 101 and the MCT solution 131 that are transferred through the fragrance capsule transfer line 190 are separated by a capsule separator 170, instead of being transferred immediately to the capsule storage 180, and thus the fragrance capsule 101 is then transferred to the capsule storage 180 and the MCT solution 131 is transferred back to the MCT tank 130.

[0092] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the capsule separator 170 includes an MCT storage tank 171 in which the MCT solution 131 is temporarily stored, and a separation plate 173 slantly disposed in an upper end portion of the MCT storage tank 171 and configured to transfer the fragrance capsule 101 to the capsule storage 180 and allow the MCT solution 131 to permeate the MCT storage tank 171.

[0093] The separation plate 173 is tilted downwards in a direction of the capsule storage 180 such that the fragrance capsule 101 transferred through the fragrance capsule transfer line 190 is dropped into the capsule storage 180. Here, the MCT solution 131 transferring the fragrance capsule 101 may also be dropped together with the fragrance capsule 101. However, according to an example embodiment, due to the separation plate 173 being provided so as to have permeability, the MCT solution 131 may be dropped into the MCT storage tank 171.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 4, the MCT storage tank 171 is connected to the MCT tank 130 through a connection line 175, and thus the MCT solution 131 that is temporarily stored in the MCT storage tank 171 is transferred again to the MCT tank 130. Thus, the MCT solution 131 may be reusable through such a circulation structure that may be effective in terms of cost reduction. The MCT tank 130 includes a cooler 133 to cool the MCT solution 131 stored in the MCT tank 130, and thus the cooled MCT solution 131 may be supplied to the fragrance capsule transfer line 190.

[0095] Hereinafter, the capsule manufacturing step S200 to be performed by the fragrance capsule manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described in detail.

[0096] Referring back to FIG. 3, the capsule manufacturing step S200 includes a defoaming step S210 of defoaming air bubbles from the membrane 111 manufactured in the membrane manufacturing step S100, a supplying step S220 of supplying the membrane 111, the fragrant liquid 121, and the MCT solution 131 through the respective supply lines, a capsule forming step S230 of forming the fragrance capsule 101 by wrapping the fragrant liquid 121 with the membrane 111 by the nozzle 140, and a capsule transferring step S240 of transferring the fragrance capsule 101 to the capsule storage 180 using the flow of the MCT solution 131 that is formed along the fragrance capsule transfer line 190.

[0097] In the defoaming step S210, the membrane 111 manufactured in the membrane manufacturing step S100 is injected into a defoaming tank and air bubbles are defoamed from the membrane 111 by a defoamer. The defoaming step S210 may be performed in a vacuum for approximately 40 minutes. Here, it is obvious that the defoaming may be performed on the fragrant liquid 121 stored in the fragrant liquid tank 120.

[0098] In the supplying step S220, the fragrant liquid 121, the membrane 111, and the MCT solution 131 are supplied. Here, a steady velocity may change in an order of the fragrant liquid 121, the membrane 111, and the MCT solution 131, starting from the fragrant liquid 121. Using the respective pumps 118, 128, and 138, a supply speed of each of the membrane 111, the fragrant liquid 121, and the MCT solution 131 may be set to be high, and then the membrane 111, the fragrant liquid 121, and the MCT solution 131 may be supplied in the sequential order described in the foregoing. The supplying may be performed in the sequential order to prevent generation of air bubbles.

[0099] In the capsule forming step S230, the fragrant liquid 121 supplied from the fragrant liquid tank 120 by the nozzle 140 is wrapped with the membrane 111 supplied from the membrane tank 110, and thus the fragrance capsule 101 of the initial form is discharged from the nozzle 140.

[0100] That is, the fragrant liquid 121 is wrapped with the membrane 111 when the fragrant liquid 121 and the membrane 111 are discharged through jet portions after passing through respective paths of the nozzle 140, and thus the fragrance capsule 101 of the initial form may be discharged.

[0101] In the capsule transferring step S240, the fragrance capsule 101 discharged from the nozzle 140 is transferred toward the capsule storage 180 using the flow of the MCT solution 131 that is formed along the fragrance capsule transfer line 190. Here, the MCT solution 131 cools the fragrance capsule 101 such that the membrane 111 is more firmly bound to the fragrant liquid 121.

[0102] Subsequently, the fragrance capsule 101 and the MCT solution 131 are separated from each other by the capsule separator 170 as described above, and the separated fragrance capsule 101 is transferred to the capsule storage 180 and stored therein temporarily.

[0103] In the hardening step S300, the fragrance capsule 101 manufactured in the capsule manufacturing step S200 is first hardened. Here, the hardening is performed using a prepared ethanol (EtOH) solution. The prepared EtOH solution may be 70% to 100%, and a ratio of the prepared EtOH solution to the fragrance capsule 101 may be one to one (1:1) to one to two (1:2), or more desirably, one to one and one half (1:1.5). However, the ratio is not limited to the example ratio described in the foregoing.

[0104] In the drying step S400, the hardened fragrance capsule 101 is dried by a dryer. The drying of the fragrance capsule 101 is performed at a set temperature, humidity, air flow, or rotation speed.

[0105] In the additional hardening step S500, the fragrance capsule 101 is additionally hardened to prevent moisture absorption of the dried fragrance capsule 101. A prepared EtOH solution used in this step as a hardening agent may be prepared by mixing ethanol and distilled water at a ratio of four to six (4:6) to seven to three (7:3). The distilled water may include 0.5% to 1.5% calcium chloride. For example, based on such a mixing ratio, a solution prepared by mixing 10 to 14 kilograms (kg) of ethanol, 7.92 kg of distilled water, and 0.08 kg of calcium chloride (or 1% calcium chloride) may be used for 10 kg of the fragrance capsule 101 to be additionally hardened. Such an additional hardening may be performed to prevent the fragrance capsule 101 from absorbing moisture.

[0106] In the cleaning step S600, the additionally hardened fragrance capsule 101 is cleaned by a stirring cleaner. Here, 90% to 98% ethanol may be used as a cleaning solution, but a concentration of the ethanol is not limited thereto.

[0107] The fragrance capsule 101 cleaned in the cleaning step S600 is dried by a dryer such as an electric dryer for a set period of time, transferred to a drying chamber with a temperature of 22? C. and humidity of 45%?5%, and then balanced and stored in a drying plate.

[0108] In addition, in a sorting step, among the fragrance capsule 101, a fragrance capsule that satisfies a standard is first sorted by a size sorter, and then a faulty fragrance capsule is sorted out by a naked-eye sorter.

[0109] In the packing step S700 after the sorting is completed, the fragrance capsule 101 that is normal is packed.

[0110] Hereinafter, a viscosity and a temperature of the membrane 111 will be described in greater detail.

[0111] As described above, the viscosity of the membrane 111 may be important when manufacturing the fragrance capsule 101 by wrapping the fragrant liquid 121 with the membrane 111. Thus, it is required to maintain a viscosity of the membrane 111 at a time of manufacturing the membrane 111, a temperature of the membrane tank 110, and a temperature of the membrane supply line 117 to maintain an appropriate viscosity of the membrane 111. In addition, it is also required that the coolant, for example, the MCT solution 131 as described herein, needs to be maintained in a set range.

[0112] Although not illustrated, the membrane 111 is manufactured by a membrane manufacturer. Here, the viscosity of the membrane 111 is maintained to be 300 cps to 700 cps, the temperature of the membrane tank 110 is maintained to be 55? C. to 75? C., the temperature of the membrane supply line 117 and the nozzle 140 is maintained to be 55? C. to 75? C., and the temperature of the MCT solution 131 is maintained to be 12? C. to 18? C. Thus, the viscosity of the membrane 111 may be maintained.

[0113] The viscosity of the membrane 111 at a time of manufacturing the membrane 111 is more desirably 500 cps to 650 cps, and a viscosity of the membrane 111 discharged from a tank of the membrane manufacturer is 400 cps to 550 cps. Here, the temperature of the membrane tank 110 is maintained to be 60? C. to 65? C., and the temperature of the membrane supply line 117 and the nozzle 140 is maintained to be 60? C. to 70? C.

[0114] As described above, the membrane 111 and the fragrance capsule 101 are manufactured through a series of processes, and thus efficiency in the process of manufacturing the fragrance capsule 101 may be improved. In addition, the fragrance capsule 101 may be manufactured with the membrane 111 being appropriately bound to the fragrant liquid 121, and thus a tearing or a burst of the fragrance capsule 101 may be prevented to achieve stability. In addition, the fragrance capsule 101 may well be torn by an external force applied by a user, and thus provide the user with reliability.

[0115] In addition, a dual discharge structure in which the fragrant liquid 121 and the membrane 111 are discharged through respective discharge paths may be provided, and thus an initial form of the fragrance capsule 101 may be obtained when the fragrant liquid 121 and the membrane 111 are discharged through the respective discharge paths. Thus, the efficiency in the method of manufacturing the fragrance capsule 101 may be improved.

[0116] In addition, in a process of manufacturing and transferring the membrane 111, a viscosity and a temperature of the membrane 111 may be maintained, and thus production stability and formability of the fragrance capsule 101 may be secured.

[0117] Further, the membrane discharge line may be provided as a plurality of membrane discharge lines disposed on the outer side of the fragrant liquid discharge line, but not limited thereto. The membrane discharge lines may be provided to have a cross section of a circular band shape in the outer side of the fragrant liquid discharge line, to discharge the membrane.

[0118] Although a few example embodiments have been shown and described, the present disclosure is not limited to the described example embodiments. Instead, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these example embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.