JP2003310232A - Apparatus for examining cigarette paper - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for examining cigarette paper sheets, with which the defect in the coating state of a low fire spreading substance (sodium alginate) applied to a long cigarette paper sheet wound in a roll form is simply and surely detected. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus for examining the cigarette paper sheets is equipped with a pair of electrodes which are arranged in an examination route for examining the cigarette paper sheets while unwinding it and comprises measuring the electric resistance of the cigarette paper sheet nipped between a pair of the electrodes and discriminating the presence of the defect in the coating state of the low fire spreading substance applied to the cigarette paper sheets from the electric resistance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wrapping paper inspection device used for manufacturing cigarettes, and more particularly to a wrapping paper inspection device in which a solution diluted with sodium alginate as a low-spreading substance is applied in a striped pattern.

[0002]

2. Description of Related Art A cigarette is a predetermined type of cigarette that is continuously fed in a controlled amount and is continuously wound in a longitudinal direction with a long wrapping paper to form a rod-shaped cigarette. It is manufactured by cutting every length. The wrapping paper used for this cigarette is, for example, a long one having a width of about 27 mm, and is provided in a wound state as a roll. Then, the wrapping paper is rewound from the roll while traveling at a high speed through a predetermined conveying path and continuously supplied to the winding portion (rolling tube portion) of the cut tobacco of the cigarette manufacturing apparatus.

By the way, when a cigarette being smoked is dropped on a floor or a carpet, for example, it is desirable to extinguish the cigarette naturally. Therefore, it has been attempted to provide a portion of the wrapping paper with a low fire spread property. For example, a striped material having a thickness at substantially equal intervals with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wrapping paper, or a substance having low spreadability,
For example, a treatment in which a solution obtained by diluting sodium alginate is applied in a striped pattern at substantially equal intervals is performed.

As a method for inspecting such a wrapping paper, light emitted from a light source such as a tungsten lamp is applied to the wrapping paper, and a change in the amount of light reflected from the wrapping paper or the amount of light passing through the wrapping paper is detected by an optical sensor, 2. Description of the Related Art A wrapping paper inspection device that optically determines the quality of a wrapping paper is known.

[0005]

However, in the case of inspecting a wrapping paper coated with a solution in which sodium alginate is diluted in a striped pattern by the above-mentioned optical method, the amount of light reflected from the location where the solution is coated, No significant difference is seen in the amount of light reflected from the uncoated area. Also, regarding the amount of light transmitted through the wrapping paper, there is almost no difference between the portion where the solution is applied to the wrapping paper and the portion where the solution is not applied. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to reliably detect defects in the paper wrapper.

In addition, it is necessary to detect defects in the wrapping paper used in the manufacture of cigarettes in real time while the wrapping paper is traveling at a high speed according to the winding speed of the cut tobacco. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to easily remove defects of coating of a low-spreading substance on a long wrapping paper which is rewound from a roll and supplied to a cigarette manufacturing apparatus at a high speed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a wrapping paper inspection device that can be surely detected.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a wrapping paper inspection device according to the present invention is a wrapping paper inspection device for inspecting a wrapping paper of a cut tobacco coated with a striped low spread material. A pair of electrodes that are provided in a winding paper conveying path that rewinds and continuously conveys the paper, and that sandwiches the paper from both sides thereof; and an electric resistance measuring unit that measures the electric resistance value of the paper that is sandwiched between the pair of electrodes. And a wrapping paper inspection unit that determines whether there is a defect in the coating state of the low-spreading substance of the wrapping paper from the electric resistance value of the wrapping paper measured by the electric resistance measuring unit and outputs the judgment result. I am trying.

Further, as described in claim 2, at least one electrode of the pair of electrodes is a brush-shaped electrode which is in contact with the wrapping paper. Alternatively, at least one of the pair of electrodes is urged by an elastic member to contact the wrapping paper. Further, the wrapping paper conveyance path is composed of a line for continuously supplying the wrapping paper to the cigarette manufacturing apparatus.

Preferably, the electric resistance measuring unit grounds one of the pair of electrodes through a high resistance, and when a voltage is applied from the other electrode to flow a current, a voltage signal generated in the high resistance. Is configured to measure the electric resistance value. Further, the paper wrapper inspection unit includes an amplifier that amplifies a voltage signal generated in the high resistance, a waveform shaping unit that shapes the voltage signal amplified by the amplifier, and a signal waveform output from the waveform shaping unit. It is characterized in that it is provided with an inspection section for judging the presence or absence of a defect in the coating state of the low spreadable material of the wrapping paper.

More preferably, the waveform shaping section is provided with a high-pass filter for removing noise components mixed in the inspection signal.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A wrapping paper inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Particularly, here, an explanation will be given by taking an example of an inspection of a wrapping paper in which a solution in which sodium alginate is diluted as a low flame-retardant substance is applied in a striped pattern. The wrapping paper is formed from a mixture of pulp fibers and a particulate material containing a polyvalent metal cation (eg, calcium cations or magnesium cations), and the solution and the particulate material react with each other where the solution is applied. As a result, the polyvalent metal cations are dissociated to exhibit electrical conductivity, and the non-coated portion has electrical properties such as insulating property.

By the way, the wrapping paper inspection apparatus of the present invention, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 1, has a wrapping paper P in a conveying path of a wrapping paper P supplied to a cigarette manufacturing apparatus (not shown).
Is provided with a pair of electrodes 10 sandwiching the both sides. Then, the output voltage of the DC power supply 1 is applied to the pair of electrodes 10 that sandwich the wrapping paper P therebetween. At this time, since the current flowing through the wrapping paper P to the electrode 10 is detected as a voltage drop (back electromotive force), one of the electrodes 10b of the electrode 10 and the DC power supply 1 is detected.
A high-resistance resistor 11 is inserted in series between and.
And the voltage drop (back electromotive force) that occurs in this resistor 11
Is provided as a voltage signal. That is, the electric resistance value of the wrapping paper P is detected as a voltage drop (back electromotive force) generated in the resistor 11. In addition, it is preferable that at least one of the pair of electrodes 10 is configured as a brush-shaped electrode. Alternatively, as shown in the schematic configuration of the electrode part of another embodiment of FIG. 2, the pair of electrodes 10 are flat electrodes, and at least one of the electrodes, for example, the electrode 10a and the electrode bridged on the wrapping paper P are bridged. A holder 13 is provided to hold 10a so that it can move up and down. Then, the electrode 10a and the holder 13
An elastic member such as a spring 12 is provided between the electrode 1 and
The other electrode 1 that energizes 0a and faces this electrode 10a.
You may comprise so that the wrapping paper P may be pinched | interposed between 0b.

The wrapping paper detecting section 20 includes the resistor 11
An amplifier 21 for amplifying the voltage signal generated by the amplifier 21, a high-pass filter 22 for removing a noise component mixed in the voltage signal amplified by the amplifier 21, and a high-pass filter 22.
A waveform shaping circuit 23 for shaping the waveform of the voltage signal from which the noise component has been removed is provided. More specifically, the high-pass filter 22 has a function of removing a noise component mixed in the voltage signal amplified by the amplifier 21 and a function of picking up a conductive portion Pe formed of sodium alginate coated on the wrapping paper P in a striped pattern.

An inspection unit 24 is provided to judge whether or not there is a defect in the coating state of the sodium alginate coated on the wrapping paper P based on the voltage signal waveform-shaped by the high-pass filter 22 and the waveform shaping circuit 23. There is. The determination result of the inspection unit 24 is given to a cigarette manufacturing device (not shown). That is, when the wrapping paper P has a defect,
A signal is given to the cigarette making device to stop producing the cigarette.

If the paper wrapper is torn or has a pinhole or the like, the pair of electrodes 10a and 10b come into contact with each other and an excessive input (overvoltage) is applied to the input terminal of the amplifier 21 connected to the electrode 10b side. . From this overvoltage, the amplifier 2
In order to protect the input terminal of No. 1, an excessive input blocking diode 30 is provided at the input terminal of the amplifier 21. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 showing the main part of the wrapping paper detecting section, two diodes are attached to the input terminal of the amplifier 21 so as to have opposite polarities.

According to the wrapping paper inspection device thus constructed, the wrapping paper P is supplied to the cigarette manufacturing device at a high speed, and the wrapping paper P is applied with the conductive portion Pe formed by applying sodium alginate. The non-insulating portion Pi alternately passes between the pair of electrodes 10. On the other hand, the wrapping paper P itself is an insulator, but as described above, the sodium alginate applied to the wrapping paper P penetrates into the wrapping paper P and reacts with the particulate material contained in the wrapping paper P, so that the metal cations are ionized. As a result, the wrapping paper P becomes conductive between the front and back. Therefore, when the conductive portion Pe formed on the wrapping paper P reaches the electrode 10, a current flows from the DC power supply 1 to the high resistance resistor 11 via the electrode 10 and the conductive portion Pe of the wrapping paper P. On the other hand, when the non-coated area (insulating portion Pi) of sodium alginate of the wrapping paper P reaches the electrode 10, no current flows through the resistor 11.

Therefore, when this current flows through the resistor 11, a counter electromotive force is generated in the resistor 11.
That is, when the conductive portion Pe of the wrapping paper P arrives at the portion of the pair of electrodes 10 that sandwich the wrapping paper P from both sides thereof, the electrode 10
An electric current flows between them. Therefore, this current causes a counter electromotive force in the resistor 11. On the other hand, in the non-application area (insulating portion Pi) of the wrapping paper P, due to the insulating property of the wrapping paper P, no current flows between the electrodes 10 and no counter electromotive force is generated in the resistor 11. Therefore, by detecting the counter electromotive force generated in the resistor 11 as an electric signal, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a defect in the state in which the sodium alginate is applied to the wrapping paper P.

That is, the feature of the present invention is to pay attention to the conductive portion Pe formed by applying the sodium alginate to the wrapping paper P as described above, and the electric resistance value of the conductive portion Pe is sandwiched from both sides thereof. The state of the sodium alginate applied to the wrapping paper P is inspected by taking out as an electric signal of a voltage drop generated in the resistor 11 due to the current flowing through the electrodes 10a and 10b. For this reason,
It is possible to perform the inspection of the wrapping paper coated with sodium alginate, which has been difficult by the conventional optical inspection method, at a high speed without impairing the cigarette productivity.

More specifically, in the region (conductive portion Pe) where the solution of diluted sodium alginate is applied to the wrapping paper P, the electric resistance value between both surfaces of the wrapping paper P is 200 [MΩ] to 300 [M].
Ω], and the electric resistance value between both surfaces of the wrapping paper P is infinite in the non-application area (insulating portion Pi) of the solution. For example, if the resistance value of the resistor 11 attached to the electrode 10b is 10
If the output voltage of the DC power supply 1 is 0 [MΩ] and 30 [V], the conductive portion P formed by applying the solution to the wrapping paper P is formed.
The counter electromotive force generated in the resistor 11 by the current flowing through e is about 10 [V] to 7.5 [V], and is 0 [V] in the non-application area (insulating portion Pi).

Therefore, in order to detect the presence or absence of a defect in the sodium alginate applied to the wrapping paper P by using the electric signal (back electromotive force) generated in the resistor 11, the electric signal is provided in the wrapping paper detecting section 20. It is amplified by the amplifier 21. Then, the amplified electric signal is passed through the high-pass filter 22 to identify the portion where the sodium alginate is applied to the wrapping paper P in a striped pattern.

The electric signal passed through the high pass filter 22 is detected as a waveform as shown in FIG. 4 (a), for example. As shown in this figure, when the application area (conductive portion Pe) of sodium alginate applied to the wrapping paper P arrives at the pair of electrodes 10 and when the electrode 10 is separated from the application area (conductive portion Pe), it is remarkable. It can be observed as a waveform with a peak. When only the signal component of a predetermined threshold value or more is extracted from this electric signal, the waveform is further shaped by using the waveform shaping circuit 23 such as a flip-flop.
As shown in (b), the application area and the non-application area of the sodium alginate on the wrapping paper P can be detected.

That is, since the wrapping paper P is coated with sodium alginate in stripes at a predetermined interval, the conductive portions Pe and the insulating portions Pi are alternately formed as described above. Therefore, the signal generated by the waveform shaping circuit 23 becomes a pulsed signal with a constant cycle. By observing this pulsed signal with the inspection unit 24, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a defect in the coating state of the sodium alginate coated on the wrapping paper P. That is, this pulse-like signal is generated in synchronization with the speed of supply to the cigarette manufacturing apparatus, but the ratio between the pulse width Tw and the pulse period T is constant, so is this ratio within a predetermined range? It suffices to determine whether or not the detecting unit 24.

If at least one of the pair of electrodes 10 is a brush-shaped electrode, friction between the wrapping paper P and the electrode 10 can be reduced, and the wrapping paper P supplied to the cigarette manufacturing apparatus at high speed can be reduced. The wrapping paper P can be smoothly inspected without applying an extra burden (tension). Alternatively, as shown in another embodiment of FIG. 2, the pair of electrodes 10 may be configured as flat plate electrodes. In this case, the extension pressure of the spring 12 is adjusted so that the sandwiching pressure of the electrode 10 generated by the spring 12 does not become the traveling load of the wrapping paper P.

If the flat plate electrode as shown in this embodiment is used, the area where the electrode 10 contacts the wrapping paper P can be increased, and the signal-to-noise ratio (S / N ratio) can be increased. For this reason, it becomes possible to more reliably determine a defect in the application state of the low fire-spreading substance applied to the wrapping paper.
Thus, according to the wrapping paper inspection apparatus configured as described above, defective products can be reliably eliminated without sacrificing cigarette productivity due to high-speed winding, and the final cigarette manufacturing quality can be effectively improved. Is possible. Moreover, as the wrapping paper defect detection function, the conductivity of the wrapping paper generated by the sodium alginate impregnated into the wrapping paper is used as described above, so that it is possible to detect the wrapping paper defect using a processing circuit having a simple configuration. As it can be constructed, its practical advantages are great.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and for example, the wrapping paper inspection device of the present invention can be used alone for the inspection of only the wrapping paper, etc. within the scope of the invention. Various modifications can be implemented.

[0026]

As described above, according to the wrapping paper inspection apparatus of the present invention, the wrapping paper is sandwiched by the pair of electrodes from both sides in the supply path of the wrapping paper used for winding the cut tobacco.
By detecting the electric signal generated by the current flowing between the electrodes, it is determined whether there is a defect in the coating state of the low flame-spreading substance, and the determination result is output in connection with the winding operation of the cut tobacco by the wrapping paper. , It is possible to remove defective products without sacrificing cigarette productivity due to high-speed winding, and to effectively improve the final cigarette manufacturing quality. Sent.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a paper wrapper inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electrode unit of a paper wrapper inspection device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a main part of a wrapping paper detection unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of detection signals of the paper wrapper inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 electrodes 11 resistors 20 Wrapping paper detector 21 Amplifier 22 High-pass filter 23 Wave shaping circuit 24 Inspection Department 30 Excessive input blocking diode P wrapping paper

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A wrapping paper inspection device for inspecting a wrapping paper for a cut cigarette coated with a striped low spread material, wherein the wrapping paper is provided in a wrapping paper conveying path for rewinding and continuously conveying the wrapping paper. A pair of electrodes sandwiched between the pair of electrodes, an electrical resistance measuring unit that measures the electrical resistance value of the wrapping paper sandwiched between the pair of electrodes, and the electrical resistance value of the wrapping paper measured by the electrical resistance measuring unit. A wrapping paper inspection device comprising: a wrapping paper inspection unit that determines whether or not there is a defect in a coating state of a fire spread material and outputs the determination result. 2. The paper wrapper inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the pair of electrodes is a brush-shaped electrode that is in contact with the paper wrapper. 3. The wrapping paper inspection device according to claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the pair of electrodes is a flat plate-shaped electrode that is urged by an elastic member and is in contact with the wrapping paper. 4. The wrapping paper inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the wrapping paper conveyance path is a line that continuously supplies the wrapping paper to a cigarette manufacturing device. 5. The electrical resistance measuring unit grounds one of the pair of electrodes via a high resistance, applies a voltage from the other electrode to flow a current, and generates an electrical signal by a voltage signal generated in the high resistance. The wrapping paper inspection device according to claim 1, which measures a resistance value. 6. The paper wrapper inspection unit includes an amplifier for amplifying a voltage signal generated in the high resistance, a waveform shaping unit for waveform shaping the voltage signal amplified by the amplifier, and a signal output from the waveform shaping unit. The wrapping paper inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising: an inspection unit that determines whether or not there is a defect in a coating state of the low fire spread material of the wrapping paper from a waveform. 7. The paper wrapper inspection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the waveform shaping section includes a high-pass filter.