DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING PORTION PACKETS OF A SMOKELESS TOBACCO PRODUCT OR NON-TOBACCO SNUFF PRODUCT

Abstract

The invention concerns a device (1) for producing portion packets (2) of a smokeless tobacco product or non-tobacco snuff product, comprising a forming arrangement (3) configured to form portion packets of the product from a supply of product material, a packaging arrangement (4) configured to fold and seal a packaging material (5) around the portion packets and comprising a unit for transversal sealing (11), a sensor member (12, 13) configured to generate information useful for identifying defect portion packets during operation of the device, a rejection system (7) configured to reject selected portion packets during operation of the device, and a control system (8) configured to receive the information generated by the sensor member and to control the rejection system. The sensor member is capable of generating data of at least a part of an individual portion packet during operation of the device, and the control system is configured to i) carry out a comparison between a) the data received from the sensor member and b) reference data and to ii) control the rejection system depending on a result of the comparison. The sensor member is arranged in association with the unit for transversal sealing, such as to be capable of generating data of portion packets that have been folded into the longitudinally folded strip of packaging material. The control system is provided with information on where on the strip of packaging material transversal seals (9) generated by the transversal sealing unit will be or have been placed. The invention also concerns a method for producing portion packets of a smokeless tobacco product or non-tobacco snuff product.

Claims

1. A device for producing portion packets of a smokeless tobacco product or non-tobacco snuff product, said device comprising: a forming arrangement configured to form portions of the product from a supply of product material on to a longitudinally extending strip of a packaging material; a packaging arrangement located downstream of the forming arrangement, the packing arrangement configured to fold and seal the packaging material around the portions, the packaging arrangement comprising a transversal sealing unit configured to form a transverse seal in between the portions to form portion packets; a sensor located upstream or downstream of the unit for transversal sealing, the sensor configured to generate information useful for identifying defective portion packets during operation of the device, wherein the information comprises data indicative of a property of at least a part of a portion packet; a rejection system configured to reject selected portion packets during operation of the device; and a control system configured to receive the information generated by the sensor and to control the rejection system, the control system configured to compare the data received from the sensor to reference data and to control the rejection system depending on a result of said comparison.

2-20. (canceled)

21. The device according to claim 1, wherein the property of at least a part of a portion packet comprises one or more properties selected from the group consisting of: a length of the portion packet, a width of the portion packet, a position of the portion packet in relation to an existing or intended position of the transverse seal, a length of the transversal seal, an appearance of a longitudinal seal, an appearance of the packaging material, and an appearance of the product material placed on an outside of the packaging material.

22. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to classify a first individual portion packet defective if the data received by the control system from the sensor differs from the reference data by at least a certain threshold value.

23. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a vision sensor and wherein the data indicative of a property of at least a part of an individual portion packet comprises image data.

24. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a radiation emitter located on a side of an intended feeding path for said strip of packaging material that is opposite of the sensor.

25. The device according to claim 24, further comprising an additional sensor configured to detect reflected radiation.

26. The device according to claim 25, wherein one of the sensors is positioned upstream of the transversal sealing unit and the other one of the sensor is positioned downstream of the transversal sealing unit.

27. The device according to claim 1, wherein the packaging arrangement comprises a unit for longitudinal sealing of said strip of said packaging material, said unit for longitudinal sealing being positioned upstream of the unit for transversal sealing.

28. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a cutter for transversally cutting a strip of said packaging material.

29. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises at least one product outlet for non-rejected portion packets, wherein the rejection system is configured to direct selected portion packets to at least one other outlet that is separate from the product outlet.

30. The device according to claim 29, wherein the rejection system comprises at least one channel configured to lead pressurized gas towards an intended feeding path of the portion packets in a position corresponding to at least one of said outlet(s).

31. The device according to claim 30, wherein the at least one channel is integrated in a supporting member comprising a perforated periphery and capable of holding a vacuum or low pressure applied inside of the supporting member for holding a strip of the packaging material and the portion packets in place when transported in the feeding path along the supporting member.

32. The device according to claim 31, wherein said supporting member is provided with transversally arranged flanges at its periphery for transversal sealing of said packaging material around the portion packets.

33. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to identify whether there is product material properly positioned in relation to an intended position or an existing position of the transversal seal.

34. The device according to claim 33, wherein the control system is configured to use information about whether there is product material properly positioned in relation to an intended position or an existing position of the transversal seal to adjust said forming arrangement as regards to how or where a portion packet is placed on said packaging material in relation to an intended position of a transverse seal.

35. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is located upstream of the unit for transversal sealing and the data indicative of a property of at least a part of an individual portion packet is data indicative of a location of product material in relation to an intended location of a transverse seal.

36. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is located downstream of the unit for transversal sealing and the data indicative of a property of at least a part of an individual portion packet is data indicative of a location of a transverse seal.

37. The device of claim 1, wherein a first sensor is located upstream of the unit for transversal sealing and a second sensor is located downstream of the unit for transversal sealing, wherein the first and second sensors are capable of generating data indicative of portion packets that have been folded into the longitudinally folded strip of packaging material and wherein said control system is adapted to be provided with information on where on the strip of packaging material transversal seals generated by the transversal sealing unit will be or have been placed.

38. A method for producing portion packets of a smokeless tobacco product or non-tobacco snuff product, using the device of claim 1, said method comprising: forming portion packets of said product; placing the portion packets in a row on a strip of packaging material; folding and sealing the strip of packaging material longitudinally around the portion packets; transversally sealing the strip of packaging material between the portion packets; generating information useful for identifying defective portion packets; and rejecting selected portion packets, wherein generating information includes generating data indicative of a physical property of at least a part of an individual portion packet using the sensor and comparing the data generated by the sensor to reference data, and the rejecting selected portions packets is based on a result of said comparison.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the sensor is arranged in association with the unit for transversal sealing such as to be capable of generating data of portion packets that have been folded into the longitudinally folded strip of packaging material, said data comprising information on where on the strip of packaging material transversal seals generated by the transversal sealing unit will be or have been placed.

40. The method according to claim 38, wherein comparing comprises comparing data indicative of one or several portion packet properties, said properties selected from the group consisting of: a length of portion packet, a width of portion packet, a position of portion packet in relation to an existing or intended position of the transversal seal of the packaging material, a length of the transversal seal, an appearance of a longitudinal seal of the packaging material, and an appearance of product material placed on an outside of the packaging material.

41. The method according to claim 38, further comprising providing individual portion packets packaged in the packaging material.

42. The method according to claim 38, wherein rejecting selected portion packets comprises guiding pressurized gas towards a feeding path of the portion packets in a position corresponding to an outlet that is separated from a product outlet intended for non-rejected portion packets.

43. The method according to claim 38, wherein data indicative of a physical property of at least a part of an individual portion packet includes data indicative of the position of a transverse seal, and the method further comprises using the data to adjust the placing of the product material on the packaging material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0078] In the description of the invention given below reference is made to the following figure, in which:

[0079] FIG. 1 shows, in a perspective view, an embodiment of the inventive device;

[0080] FIG. 2 shows, in a perspective view, a part of the embodiment according to FIG. 1;

[0081] FIG. 3 shows, in another perspective view, the part according to FIG. 2;

[0082] FIG. 4 shows the part of FIGS. 2 and 3 during operation of the device; and

[0083] FIG. 5 shows, in a side view, the part of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0084] The device 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is intended for producing portion packets 2 of a smokeless tobacco product or non-tobacco snuff product, including producing individual portion packets 2 of a smokeless tobacco product or non-tobacco snuff product, enclosing the individual portion packets 2 in a packaging material 5, sealing the package material 5 and identifying and rejecting defect packaged portion packets 2.

[0085] FIG. 1 shows the device 1 comprising a forming arrangement 3 in the form of a funnel-shaped feeder container 24 to which prepared smokeless tobacco product or non-tobacco snuff product is supplied in any conventional manner, such as through vertically disposed tubes the upper ends of which communicate with a snuff preparatory reactor, not shown, and the lower ends of which are in communication with the feeder container 24. The forming arrangement 3 further comprises a rotary portioning wheel 25 for portioning the product into portion packets 2. Preparation of product portion packets 2 is known from e.g. EP0921978.

[0086] The portioning wheel 25 expels the portion packets 2 in a row onto a packaging material 5 in the form of a strip which may be made from a material that is permeable to saliva and heat sealable, e.g. from viscose fibres bonded by a thermoplastic bonding agent. The flat strip is being advanced in synchrony with the portions packets 2 from a reel 26 by means of an endless, perforated vacuum suction belt 27 which is rotated, by means of a motor, not shown, around a low pressure chamber.

[0087] The device 1 further comprises a packaging arrangement 4 at which the strip of packaging material 5, being advanced along a feeding path by the suction belt 27, is folded around the row of expelled portion packets 2. The strip of packaging material 5 is further provided with a longitudinal seal 10 such that a tube of packaging material 5 enclosing portion packets 2 is formed.

[0088] The packaging arrangement 4 further comprises a unit for transversal sealing 11 that generates transversal seals 9 to the strip of packaging material in between the portion packets 2. In the example described here the transversal sealing unit 11 comprises a rotary welding wheel 28 interacting with a rotary supporting wheel 18. The rotary welding wheel 28 is at its periphery provided with heated transversally arranged protruding formations 23 that presses onto/towards similar transversally arranged flanges 21 at the periphery of the supporting wheel 18 such as to clamp and transversally seal the strip of packaging material when placed between the protruding formations 23 and flanges 21.

[0089] A cutting member 22, for transversally cutting the strip of packaging material 5, is arranged downstream of the packaging arrangement 4. The cutting member 22 is in this case a cutting wheel provided with transversally arranged cutting blades arranged to interact with the flanges 21 of the supporting wheel 18 and cut the strip of packaging material 5 in transversal direction along the transversal seal 9 such as to separate the packaged portion packets 2.

[0090] As best seen in FIG. 2-5, the transversal seal 9 is formed by interaction of the protruding formations 23 provided to the rotary welding wheel 28 and the transversally arranged flanges 21 at the periphery of the supporting wheel 18. During operation, the rotary welding wheel 28 and the supporting wheel 18 turn at the feeding speed such that the protruding formations 23 and the flanges 21 coincide at a position along the strip of packaging material 5 corresponding to that of the intended transversal seal 9. A transversal seal 9 is thereby formed.

[0091] The supporting wheel 18 is also arranged to transport the packaging material 5 and its enclosed portion packets 2 along a portion of its feeding path. A perforated vacuum band 19 is applied at the periphery of the supporting wheel 18. The supporting wheel 18 supports the folded and sealed strip of packaging material 5 enclosing portion packets such that it, during operation, is being advanced along its feeding path while sucked into close contact with the peripheral surface of the supporting wheel 18 retaining the portion packets 2 by suction. Thus, the portion packets 2 follow the periphery of the turning supporting wheel 18 until the individual packaged portion packets 2 are released from the perforated vacuum band 19 by a rejection system 7 integrated in the supporting wheel 18.

[0092] The device 1 is further provided with a first sensor member in the form of a first vision sensor 12 arranged upstream of the unit for transversal sealing 11 and downstream of the packaging arrangement 4, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The first vision sensor 12 is placed above, and directed towards, the feeding path of the folded and sealed strip of packaging material 5 such that it captures images and generates data relating to the tube of packaging material 5 and the row of portion packets 2. A light emitting member 8, symbolically indicated with a bulb, is located below the feeding path, i.e. on an opposite side thereof, and directed towards the first vision sensor 12 to provide contrast, such that the images captured by the first vision sensor 12 clearly show how the product material is positioned in the packaging material, in particular when using a thin, perforated white packaging material and a dark tobacco product. For example, the information generated may relate to the longitudinal alignment of each portion packet 2 in relation to the strip of packaging material 5. If two adjacent portion packets 2 have been placed too close to each other onto the material strip this will likely lead to an incorrect transversal seal 9 in between the two and thus lead to defect portion packets 2. Such too close positioned portion packets 2 can be identified by the first vision sensor 12 and thereby be sorted out and rejected by the rejection system 7 during operation of the device 1 before being placed in the can.

[0093] The sensor member forms part of, or is connected to, a control system, not shown comprising a computer, electronic connections, computer programs, actuators etc. Such a control system is known as such and is not described in detail here. In short, the sensor member sends image data to the control system that has access to the reference data and compares the image data with the reference data and provides a result. The control system also carries information relating to the operation of the downstream units, such as where the transversal seals 9 will be placed on the strip of packaging material 5 by the unit for transversal sealing 11. The control system also controls the operation of, e.g. the downstream rejection system. Hence; if the first vision sensor 12 detects the presence of product material at the intended position of the transversal seal, which is likely to lead to two defect portion packets, the control system can classify the two adjacent portion packets 2 as defect already at this stage and instruct the rejection system to reject these two portion packets when they arrive at the rejection system.

[0094] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the device 1 also comprises a second vision sensor 13 arranged to capture image data of the transversally sealed portion packets 2 downstream of the unit for transversal sealing 11 and upstream of the cutting member 22. The second vision sensor 13 is capable of detecting, for example, appearance of the longitudinal seal 10 and/or the transversal seal 9 and if there is product material present outside of the packaging material. The captured image data is compared by the control system against stored reference data as described above. Any defect packaged portion packets, also called pouches, are then removed by means of the rejection system 7.

[0095] The control system is configured to control the rejection system 7 such that if, using the results of the comparison for classification, a portion pack 2 is deemed faulty the control system executes the rejection system 7 to eject the faulty portion packet 2 into a first outlet 15 other than a product outlet 16, used for proper portion packets, during operation. In this example proper portion packets 2, classified as non-rejected, are, by means of control by the control system, ejected by the rejection system 7 into the product outlet 16 during operation of the device 1.

[0096] FIG. 5 shows that the rejection system in this example forms an integrated part of the supporting wheel 18, the rejection system comprising channels 20 arranged in directions towards entrance ends of the first outlet 15, the product outlet 16 and a further rejection outlet 17 respectively. The entrance ends, i.e. the inlets, of the outlets 15, 16, 17 mouth the perforated vacuum band 19 at different positions in relation to the feed direction so that portion packets 2 passes the first outlet 15 before reaching the product outlet 16 and only after that they reach the further rejection outlet 17. The channels are arranged to lead pressurized air, fed from an air source, not shown, towards the perforated vacuum band 19. In this example, one channel 20 leads towards the first outlet, two channels 20 lead to the product outlet 16 to allow for a higher flow of portion packets and one channel 20 leads towards the further rejection outlet 17.

[0097] During operation of the device 1 the portion packets 2 reach the rejection system and become blown away and removed from the perforated vacuum band 19, by supplying pressurized air into the respective channels 20, into their respective outlet 15 or 16 depending on their classification, i.e. defect or correct. Thus, selected portion packets 2 can be rejected.

[0098] In an operative situation where no defect portion packets 2 are identified by the first and second vision sensor 12, 13, pressurized air is provided only to the two channels leading air in the direction towards the product outlet 16, as illustrated in FIG. 5. In case of the identification of a defect portion packet 2, the control system instructs the rejection system 7 to supply air into the channel 20 directed towards the first outlet 15 at the time the defect portion packet 2 arrives in front of the corresponding channel 20 during its feeding path at the periphery of the wheel 18.

[0099] The second outlet 17 is a spare outlet that, for instance, can be used if the product outlet 16 becomes clogged.

[0100] The invention is not limited by the embodiments described above but can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. For instance, the device may comprise only one or more than two sensor members. The embodiment described above comprises vision sensors. If the inventive device is provided with only one vision sensor it is preferably arranged downstream of the packaging arrangement such as to allow quality control of e.g. both the longitudinal seal and the transversal seals at the same time.

[0101] The order of the outlets may be varied, e.g. the product outlet may be arranged upstream of the outlet for faulty portion packets. The number of channels leading pressurized air towards each outlet may be different than in the shown embodiment. Also the shape, length, etc. of the channels may be varied as also the general position of the channels. They need not to be integrated in another structure, and in particular they need not to be integrated in a supporting wheel or suction wheel.

[0102] As an alternative to the supporting wheel a straight/flat/planar transportation structure can be used. Transversal sealing and cutting can be carried out also when the material strip moves along such a structure. To remove selected packaged portion packets from the feeding path of such a transportation structure, one may e.g. feed pressurized air from underneath the feeding path, similar to the embodiment described above, or from a side of the feeding path.

[0103] Generally, the rejection system may be structured in different ways. A main function is to allow separation of proper products from defect products.