JP2024532919A - Recycling device for cigarette manufacturing machines and related cigarette manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The recycling device (14) is configured to: - grind raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, the ground tobacco including primary shredded tobacco and oversized tobacco particles; - produce cigarettes from the shredded tobacco; and - reject the oversized tobacco particles, and includes: - a cutting mechanism (20) including a receiving element for receiving the oversized tobacco particles, a cutter configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles into supplemental shredded tobacco, and a collector configured to collect the supplemental shredded tobacco; - an input mechanism (40) including an inlet configured to receive the supplemental shredded tobacco and a conveyor configured to convey a certain throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco to the cigarette making machine (12); and - a drive system (60) configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism (20) and the input mechanism (40). [Selected Figure]

Description

The present invention relates to a recycling device for a cigarette manufacturing machine.

The present invention also relates to a cigarette making machine and a cigarette making installation including such a recycling device.

Various types of smoking articles are known in the art, particularly articles for use in conventional cigarettes or non-combustion heated devices. In general, such articles include a container for containing smokable material, including, for example, a tobacco substrate. The container is designed to be burned, in the case of conventional cigarettes, or only heated, when used in an aerosol generating device. In this latter case, a heating system is formed at least in part within the aerosol generating device and includes one or more electrically actuated heating elements arranged to heat said container to generate an aerosol. The aerosol is released into a flow path extending between an inlet and an outlet of the article. The outlet may be arranged as a mouthpiece for delivering the aerosol.

In particular, smoking articles such as conventional cigarettes are produced from raw tobacco by cigarette making machines. The raw tobacco is generally in the form of tobacco leaves. Such tobacco leaves include stems, veins and blades. To produce cigarettes, the tobacco leaves are typically crushed in the cigarette making machines. Thus, the tobacco leaves are transformed into a mixture of finely shredded tobacco material and larger particles, such as whole or parts of tobacco stems that have survived the crushing. The finely shredded tobacco material is suitable for producing cigarettes of satisfactory quality. However, larger particles such as tobacco stems are usually too large in size for cigarette production.

U.S. Patent No. 6,877,516 discloses a recycling device configured to collect tobacco stems, cut the tobacco stems into segments, and re-feed the cut tobacco stems to a cigarette making machine.

However, such recycling devices are not entirely satisfactory as they provide only poor synergy between the recycling device and the cigarette making machine.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a recycling device for a cigarette making machine that allows for improved synergy between the recycling device and the cigarette making machine.

To this end, the present invention provides
- grinding raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, the ground tobacco comprising primary shredded tobacco and oversized tobacco particles;
- the production of cigarettes from shredded tobacco;
- rejecting oversized tobacco particles,
a cutting mechanism including a receiving element for receiving oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette making machine, a cutter configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles into supplemental shredded tobacco, and a collector configured to collect the supplemental shredded tobacco;
an input mechanism including an inlet configured to receive the supplemental shredded tobacco from the collector and a conveyor configured to transport a particular throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco to a cigarette making machine;
a drive system configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism and the feeding mechanism.

Advantageously, these features allow for a throughput of the cigarette making machine to be tailored to the needs of the cigarette making machine, thereby improving recycling of oversized tobacco particles and improving the quality of the tobacco produced by the cigarette making machine.

According to some embodiments, the receiving element of the cutting mechanism includes a hopper and at least one flap separating the hopper and the cutter.

By implementing these features, it is possible to control the flow of oversized tobacco particles entering the cutting mechanism.

According to some embodiments, the cutter includes at least one cutting wheel having a blade attached thereto.

These features allow oversized tobacco particles received by the cutting mechanism to be cut in a simple and efficient manner.

According to some embodiments, the cutter further includes at least a scraper configured to push the supplemental shredded tobacco towards the collector.

Implementing these features allows the scraper to reduce the amount of additional shredded tobacco that gets stuck in the cutter, thus improving recycling yields.

According to some embodiments, the collection section of the cutting mechanism includes a hopper connected to the inlet of the feeding mechanism by a conduit.

By implementing these features, efficient transfer of the supplemental shredded tobacco between the cutter and the feeding mechanism is achieved. Loss of the supplemental shredded tobacco during this transfer is reduced.

According to some embodiments, the dosing mechanism further includes a vacuum source, and the inlet of the dosing mechanism is connected to the vacuum source, and the supplemental shredded tobacco is drawn from the collection section into the inlet by the vacuum.

By implementing these features, the supplemental shredded tobacco is transferred from the cutter to the dosing mechanism in a simple manner. Indeed, a vacuum is easy to implement and efficient for transferring shredded material.

According to some embodiments, the inlet of the dosing mechanism is connected to the conveyor via a cyclone system.

By implementing these features, the supplemental shredded tobacco is easily and efficiently separated from the air drawn in by the vacuum.

According to some embodiments, the conveyor includes a screw conveyor.

According to some embodiments, the dosing mechanism further includes at least one actuator configured to actuate the screw conveyor.

Implementing these features provides accurate throughput of complementary shredded tobacco.

According to some embodiments, the at least one actuator includes at least one motor configured to power the screw conveyor, and the drive system is configured to drive the at least one motor at variable speeds.

By implementing these features, the recycling device makes it possible, for example, to adapt the throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco that is added back to the cigarette making machine according to the needs of the cigarette making machine.

According to some embodiments, the dosing mechanism further includes a reserve outlet configured to eject excess supplemental shredded tobacco.

By implementing these features, clogging of the dosing mechanism is avoided if too much supplemental shredded tobacco is added.

According to some embodiments, the drive system is configured to control operation of the cutting mechanism and the feeding mechanism according to the operating state of the cigarette making machine.

By implementing these features, the operation of the recycling device is synchronized with the operation of the cigarette making machine, thereby improving the ease of use of the recycling device and the synergy between the recycling device and the cigarette making machine.

According to some embodiments, the cutter of the cutting mechanism is configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles into complementary finely chopped tobacco particles having a length comprised between 1 mm and 2 mm.

By implementing these features, oversized tobacco particles that are too large for use in cigarette manufacturing are now cut into particles having an optimal size for cigarette manufacturing.

The present invention relates to a cigarette manufacturing facility including the aforementioned cigarette manufacturing machine and a recycling device, the cigarette manufacturing machine comprising:
- grinding raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, the ground tobacco comprising primary shredded tobacco and oversized tobacco particles;
- the production of cigarettes from shredded tobacco;
- rejecting oversized tobacco particles, the recycling device being configured to
- receiving oversized tobacco particles rejected by cigarette making machinery;
- cutting the oversized tobacco particles into complementary shredded tobacco;
- conveying a particular throughput of the complementary shredded tobacco to a cigarette making machine.

The invention and its advantages will be better understood on reading the following description, given purely as a non-limiting example and described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

1 is a schematic diagram of a cigarette making facility according to the present invention; 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a cutting mechanism of a recycling device of the cigarette making facility of FIG. 1. 2 is a perspective view of an input mechanism of a recycling device of the cigarette manufacturing facility of FIG. 1 .

Before describing the present invention, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction set forth in the following description. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

As used herein, the term "aerosol generating device" or "device" may include a vapor inhalation device for delivering an aerosol, including an aerosol for vapor inhalation, to a user by an aerosol generating unit (e.g., an aerosol generating element that generates vapor that condenses into an aerosol before being delivered to an outlet of the device, e.g., at a mouthpiece, for the user to inhale). The device may be portable. "Portable" may refer to a device that is held and used by a user. The device may be adapted to generate a variable amount of aerosol (as opposed to a fixed amount of aerosol), e.g., by activating a heater system for a variable amount of time, the generation of which may be controlled by a trigger. The trigger may be user-activated, such as a vapor inhalation button and/or an inhalation sensor. The inhalation sensor may be sensitive to inhalation strength and duration, allowing for the provision of a variable amount of vapor (to mimic the smoking effect of a conventional combustible smoking article, such as a cigarette, cigar, or pipe). The device may include a temperature regulation control to raise the temperature of the heater and/or the heated aerosol generating material (aerosol precursor) to a particular target temperature and then maintain that temperature at a target temperature that allows for efficient generation of the aerosol.

As used herein, the term "aerosol" may include a suspension of precursors as solid particles, liquid droplets, or gas. The suspension may be in a gaseous state, including air. Aerosol herein may generally refer to/include a vapor. The aerosol may include one or more components of the precursor.

As used herein, the term "smokable material" is used to denote any material that can be vaporized in air by burning or heating to form an aerosol and/or smoke. Vaporization is generally obtained by raising the temperature to the boiling point of the material to be vaporized, for example to a temperature of up to 400°C, preferably up to 350°C. The smokable material may comprise or consist of, for example, an aerosol-generating liquid, gel or wax, or the like, or an aerosol-generating solid, which may be in the form of a rod, which contains processed tobacco material, a crimped sheet or oriented strip or randomly dispersed strips of reconstituted tobacco (RTB), or any combination thereof. The smokable material may include one or more of nicotine, caffeine, or other active ingredients. The active ingredients may be carried by a carrier, which may be a liquid. The carrier may include propylene glycol or glycerin.

A schematic diagram of a cigarette making system 10 according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The cigarette making system 10 is configured to produce cigarettes (not shown) from raw tobacco leaves. The cigarettes include smokable material.

For example, the cigarettes, also called conventional cigarettes, produced by the cigarette manufacturing facility 10 are designed to operate independently of any external device by burning smokable material contained in a housing of the cigarette. According to another embodiment, the cigarettes are configured to operate with an aerosol generating device (not shown), in particular a non-combustion heating device called an HNB device. The aerosol generating device includes, for example, a cavity capable of receiving at least a portion of the cigarette, in particular the housing, and capable of heating the smokable material contained in the housing.

For example, a cigarette (for a conventional or HNB device) comprises a housing portion, a mouthpiece portion and, in some embodiments, a tubular support. The mouthpiece portion, the tubular support and the housing portion are arranged in sequence along the cigarette axis and advantageously wrapped by a wrapper to form the cigarette. For example, a cigarette is a stick or tobacco rod having a cylindrical shape and a circular or elliptical cross section. The stick may have a length comprised between 55 mm and 100 mm and a diameter comprised between 5 mm and 8 mm. In a variant, the cigarette may have a different shape. For example, the cigarette may present a flat shape and a rectangular cross section.

The cigarette housing is disposed at an end of the cigarette along the cigarette axis. The housing contains smokable material capable of generating smoke or aerosol during burning or heating.

If the cigarette is a conventional cigarette, its housing is designed to be burned.

The mouthpiece portion is designed to contact the user's mouth. The mouthpiece portion is disposed along the cigarette axis at the end of the cigarette opposite the housing portion. The mouthpiece portion includes a filter. The filter may include a single segment or several segments of a monoacetate segment, a center hole filter segment, a capsule filter segment, a charcoal filter segment, and combinations thereof. The filter may further include a tubular cavity, for example, at the mouth end or between two filter segments.

For example, the tubular support extends along the cigarette axis between the housing and the mouthpiece. The tubular support includes an outer wall defining an outer surface facing the exterior of the cigarette or in contact with the wrapper, and an inner surface facing the interior volume of the tubular support. The outer wall advantageously has a cylindrical configuration extending along the cigarette axis.

Returning again to FIG. 1, the cigarette making facility 10 includes a cigarette making machine 12 and a recycling device 14.

The cigarette making machine 12 is designed to be fed with raw tobacco leaves. For example, the cigarette making machine 12 includes a feed hopper (not shown) into which the tobacco leaves are fed. The tobacco leaves include stems, veins and blades. The cigarette making machine 12 is configured to grind the raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco. The ground tobacco includes shredded tobacco, particularly primary shredded tobacco, as opposed to the complementary shredded tobacco described later in this specification, and oversized tobacco particles. The primary shredded tobacco is considered suitable for producing cigarettes. In comparison, the oversized tobacco particles are considered an undesirable by-product and are considered waste. Generally, the veins and blades of the tobacco leaves are made of a soft material. By "soft" we mean that the veins and blades are soft enough that they can be easily ground into primary shredded tobacco by the cigarette making machine 12. Also, generally, the stems of the tobacco leaves are made of a harder material. By "harder" it is meant that the stems are too hard to be properly ground by the cigarette making machine 12. As a result, the stems are ground (or not ground) into oversized particles that are not suitable for cigarette production. In other words, oversized tobacco particles are, for example, oversized unground tobacco stems and/or oversized ground tobacco stems.

The cigarette making machine 12 is configured to produce cigarettes from the shredded tobacco and other supporting materials (such as paper, wrappers, filters, etc.). The cigarette making machine 12 is further configured to reject oversized tobacco particles. The shredded tobacco includes primary shredded tobacco ground by the cigarette making machine 12 and supplemental shredded tobacco cut by a recycling device 14, as described in more detail below. To do this, the cigarette making machine 12 advantageously includes a screen intended to be fed with the shredded tobacco and designed to separate the primary shredded tobacco from the oversized tobacco particles.

The cigarette making machine 12 advantageously includes a recycling inlet and a recycling outlet designed to communicate with the recycling device 14.

The recycling device 14 is configured to receive oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette making machine 12. The recycling device 14 is further configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles into supplemental shredded tobacco and convey a certain throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco to the cigarette making machine 12. Advantageously, the recycling device 14 is removably connectable to the recycling inlet and the recycling outlet of the cigarette making machine 12. Thus, the recycling device 14 can be easily connected to the cigarette making machine 12 when needed, or easily removed from the cigarette making machine 12 when not needed. The recycling device 14 can also be easily removed from the cigarette making machine 12 and then connected to another separate cigarette making machine 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recycling device 14 includes a cutting mechanism 20, an input mechanism 40, and a drive system 60.

The cutting mechanism 20 communicates with the cigarette making machine 12, and in particular with a recycling outlet of the cigarette making machine 12. The cutting mechanism 20 is configured to receive oversized tobacco particles from the cigarette making machine 12. The cutting mechanism 20 is advantageously configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles into supplemental shredded tobacco. The cutting mechanism 20 communicates with the input mechanism 40 so that the supplemental shredded tobacco can be transferred to the input mechanism 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting mechanism 20 includes a receiving element 22, a cutter 26, and a collector 32. Advantageously, the cutting mechanism 20 further includes an actuator 38.

The receiving element 22 is configured to receive oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette making machine 12. In particular, the receiving element 22 is connected to a recycle outlet of the cigarette making machine 12 and receives oversized tobacco particles via the recycle outlet. The receiving element 22 is further connected to a cutter 26. As shown in the example of FIG. 2, the receiving element 22 includes a hopper 24 and at least one flap 25 that separates the hopper 24 and the cutter 26. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the receiving element 22 includes two flaps 25. Alternatively, the receiving element 22 includes only one flap 25.

Advantageously, the hopper 24 of the receiving element 22 is designed to receive the oversized tobacco particles and guide them towards the cutter 26. For example, the hopper 24 is positioned below the recycle outlet of the cigarette making machine 12 so that the oversized tobacco particles can fall by gravity into the hopper 24 as they exit the recycle outlet.

At least one flap 25 of the receiving element 22 is movable between a closed position (shown in FIG. 2) that blocks oversized tobacco particles from flowing to the cutter 26 and an open position (not shown) that allows oversized tobacco particles to flow from the hopper 24 to the cutter 26. The at least one flap 25 allows for control of the flow of oversized tobacco particles through the cutter 26.

The cutter 26 is configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles into complementary finely chopped tobacco. For example, the cutter 26 is configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles into complementary finely chopped tobacco particles having a length comprised between 1 mm and 2 mm. Advantageously, the cutter 26 is located below the receiving element 22. For example, the cutter 26 comprises at least a cutting wheel 27 and at least a scraper 28. As shown in the example of FIG. 2, the cutter 26 comprises two cutting wheels 27 and two scrapers 28 forming two intermeshing gears.

Advantageously, at least one cutting wheel 27 of the cutter 26 is located below the hopper 24 and below at least one flap 25 of the receiving element 22. When the at least one flap 25 is in the open position, the oversized tobacco particles fall by gravity onto the at least one cutting wheel 27. The at least one cutting wheel 27 is advantageously mounted rotatably about the axis of rotation A-A' on a support of the recycling device 14. In particular, the at least one cutting wheel 27 is configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles when driven in rotation about the axis of rotation A-A'. In particular, a blade 29 is mounted on the at least one cutting wheel 27. During rotation of the at least one cutting wheel 27, the blade 29 impacts the oversized tobacco particles and cuts them into complementary shredded tobacco.

At least one scraper 28 of the cutter 26 is configured to push the supplemental shredded tobacco towards the collector 32. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the cutter 26 includes a scraper 28 for each cutting wheel 27. Each scraper 28 is designed to remove the supplemental shredded tobacco from the blades 29 of the associated wheel 27. Each scraper 28 is, for example, configured with a portion including a curved surface, and the blades 28 of the associated wheel 27 brush against said curved surface when said wheel 27 is driven in rotation.

The collector 32 is configured to collect the supplemental shredded tobacco. Advantageously, the collector 32 is connected to the cutter 26 and the dosing mechanism 40. As shown in the example of FIG. 2, the collector 32 includes a hopper 34 and a conduit 36.

The hopper 34 of the collection section 32 is located below the cutter 26. Supplementary shredded tobacco falls by gravity from the cutter 26 into the hopper 34. The hopper 34 is connected to a conduit 36 which in turn is connected to an inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40.

The conduit 36 connects the hopper 34 and the feeding mechanism 40, specifically the inlet 42 of the hopper 34 and the feeding mechanism 40.

The actuator 38 is configured to actuate the receiving element 22 and the cutter 26. In particular, the actuator 38 is configured to actuate at least one flap 25 of the receiving element 22 and at least one cutting wheel 27 of the cutter 26. For example, the actuator 38 includes at least one motor, preferably at least one three-phase motor for controlling the at least one flap 25 between its open and closed positions and for rotationally controlling the at least one cutting wheel 27.

The dosing mechanism 40 is in communication with the cutting mechanism 20 and the cigarette making machine 12, and in particular with the recycle inlet of the cigarette making machine 12. The dosing mechanism 40 is configured to supply supplemental shredded tobacco to the cigarette making machine 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the dosing mechanism 40 includes an inlet 42 and a conveyor 44. Advantageously, the dosing mechanism 40 further includes a vacuum source 46 for drawing the supplemental shredded tobacco from the collection section 32 of the cutting mechanism 20, a cyclone system 48, a reserve outlet 50, and at least an actuator 52.

The inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 is configured to receive supplemental shredded tobacco from the collection section 32 of the cutting mechanism 20. For example, the inlet 42 is connected to the conduit 36. Advantageously, the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 is connected to a vacuum source 46 and further connected to a conveyor 44 via a cyclone system 48.

The conveyor 44 is configured to convey a specific throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco to the cigarette making machine 12. For example, the specific throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco is comprised between 16.8 g/min and 36.6 g/min. This specific throughput can be adapted to the needs of the cigarette making machine 12. For example, the conveyor 44 comprises a screw conveyor 54. In particular, the screw conveyor 54 comprises a hollow tube extending along an axis. The screw conveyor 54 further comprises a rotating helical screw blade extending within said tube along an axis coinciding with the axis of the tube. The rotating helical screw blade is rotatable along its axis. When the rotating helical screw blade is driven in rotation about its axis, it displaces the supplemental shredded tobacco towards the cigarette making machine 12. In particular, the throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco depends on the rotation speed of the rotating helical screw blade of the screw conveyor 54.

The vacuum source 46 creates a vacuum to draw the supplemental shredded tobacco from the collection section 32 into the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40. In particular, the vacuum source 46 creates a vacuum in the conduit 36 of the cutting mechanism 20 and in the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40. For example, the vacuum source 46 includes at least an air pump (not shown).

A cyclone system 48 (also referred to as a "cyclone separator") connects the inlet 42 of the dosing mechanism 40 and the conveyor 44. The cyclone system 48 is configured to separate the supplemental shredded tobacco from the air pumped by the vacuum source 46. The cyclone system 48 is further configured to transfer the separated supplemental shredded tobacco to the conveyor 44.

The auxiliary outlet 50 is configured to discharge excess supplemental shredded tobacco. For example, the auxiliary outlet 50 includes a conduit 56 connected to the conveyor 44. When the conveyor becomes overflowed with supplemental shredded tobacco, the excess shredded tobacco falls into the conduit 56 and is discharged.

The at least one actuator 52 is configured to operate the conveyor 44, in particular the screw conveyor 54. For example, the at least one actuator 52 includes at least one motor 58, advantageously at least one three-phase motor 58, configured to power the screw conveyor 54. In particular, the at least one motor 58 is capable of driving a rotating helical screw blade of the screw conveyor 54 in rotation about its axis. In particular, the throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco depends on the power generated by the at least one motor 58 and transmitted to the screw conveyor 54.

For example, the dosing mechanism 40 includes a separate actuator including at least a motor configured to power the vacuum source 46. In particular, the actuator powers the vacuum source 46 independently of the drive system 60.

The drive system 60 is configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism 20 and the input mechanism 40. The drive system 60 is electronically connected to the cutting mechanism 20 and the input mechanism 40. In particular, the drive system 60 is further electronically connected to the cigarette making machine 12. In particular, the drive system 60 is electronically connected to the actuator 38 of the cutting mechanism 20 and the actuator 52 of the input mechanism 40. Advantageously, the drive system 60 receives information from the cigarette making machine 12 regarding the operating state of the cigarette making machine 12 (whether the cigarette making machine 12 is on or off), information regarding the amount of supplemental shredded tobacco required by the cigarette making machine 12, etc. For example, the drive system 60 is configured to drive at least one motor 58 of the actuator 52 of the input mechanism 40, at least one motor of the actuator 38 of the cutting mechanism 20, and at least one flap 25. Advantageously, the drive system 60 drives these elements based on information received from the cigarette making machine 12. For example, the drive system 60 is configured to drive said at least one motor 58 of the conveyor 44 at a variable speed. The drive system 60 thus controls the screw conveyor 54 to adapt the complementary shredded tobacco throughput by adapting the speed of the motor 58, and thus the rotational speed of the rotating helical screw blade of the screw conveyor 54, based on, for example, the needs of the cigarette making machine 12. Advantageously, the drive system 60 is further configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism 20 and the input mechanism 40 according to the operating state of the cigarette making machine 12. For example, when the cigarette making machine 12 is off, the drive system 60 turns off the cutting mechanism 20, in particular the cutter 26, and the input mechanism 40, in particular the conveyor 44. When the cigarette making machine 12 is on, the drive system 60 turns on the cutting mechanism 20, in particular the cutter 26, and the input mechanism 40, in particular the conveyor 44. To implement its different functions, the drive system 60 may include, for example, control circuitry and/or control logic programmed into a processor.

The use of the cigarette making equipment 10 is described below. The recycling device 14 is connected to the cigarette making machine 12.

First, raw tobacco leaves are provided to the cigarette making machine 12. The cigarette making machine 12 grinds the raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco that includes primary shredded tobacco and oversized tobacco particles. The cigarette making machine 12 produces cigarettes with the primary shredded tobacco and rejects the oversized tobacco particles.

The recycling device 14 receives the rejected oversized tobacco particles. The cutting mechanism 20 cuts the oversized tobacco particles into supplemental shredded tobacco. The dosing mechanism 40 then conveys a particular throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco to the cigarette making machine 12.

The cigarette making machine 12 then produces cigarettes with the supplemental shredded tobacco.

The throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco can be adapted throughout time based on the needs of the cigarette making machine 12. Thus, optimal quality of the produced cigarettes can be ensured. Indeed, such recycling optimizes the tobacco input of each cigarette.

Claims (14)

- grinding raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, the ground tobacco comprising primary shredded tobacco and oversized tobacco particles;
- the production of cigarettes from shredded tobacco;
- rejecting said oversized tobacco particles,
a cutting mechanism (20) including a receiving element (22) for receiving the oversized tobacco particles rejected by the cigarette making machine (12), a cutter (26) configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles into complementary shredded tobacco, and a collector (32) configured to collect the complementary shredded tobacco;
an input mechanism (40) including an inlet (42) configured to receive the supplemental shredded tobacco from the collection section (32) and a conveyor (44) configured to convey a particular throughput of the supplemental shredded tobacco to the cigarette making machine (12);
a recycling device (14) comprising a drive system (60) configured to control the operation of said cutting mechanism (20) and said input mechanism (40). The recycling device (14) of claim 1, wherein the receiving element (22) of the cutting mechanism (20) includes a hopper (24) and at least one flap (25) separating the hopper (24) and the cutter (26). The recycling device (14) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cutter (26) comprises at least one cutting wheel (27) having a blade (29) attached thereto. The recycling device (14) of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cutter (26) further comprises at least a scraper (28) configured to push the supplemental shredded tobacco towards the collector (32). The recycling device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the collection section (32) of the cutting mechanism (20) includes a hopper (34) connected to the inlet (42) of the input mechanism (40) by a conduit (36). The recycling device (14) of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the dosing mechanism (40) further comprises a vacuum source (46), the inlet (42) of the dosing mechanism (40) is connected to the vacuum source (46), and the supplemental shredded tobacco is drawn from the collection section (32) into the inlet (42) by vacuum. The recycling device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the inlet (42) of the input mechanism (40) is connected to the conveyor (44) via a cyclone system (48). The recycling device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the conveyor (44) includes a screw conveyor (54). The recycling device (14) of claim 8, wherein the input mechanism (40) further comprises at least one actuator (52) configured to actuate the screw conveyor (54). The recycling device (14) of claim 9, wherein the at least one actuator (52) includes at least one motor (58) configured to power the screw conveyor (54), and the drive system (60) is configured to drive the at least one motor (58) at a variable speed. The recycling device (14) of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the dosing mechanism (40) further comprises a reserve outlet (50) configured to discharge an excess amount of the supplemental shredded tobacco. The recycling device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the drive system (60) is configured to control the operation of the cutting mechanism (20) and the feeding mechanism (40) according to the operating state of the cigarette making machine (12). The recycling device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the cutter (26) of the cutting mechanism (20) is configured to cut the oversized tobacco particles into complementary finely chopped tobacco particles having a length comprised between 1 mm and 2 mm. - grinding raw tobacco leaves into ground tobacco, the ground tobacco comprising primary shredded tobacco and oversized tobacco particles;
- the production of cigarettes from shredded tobacco;
- rejecting said oversized tobacco particles, and the cigarette making facility further comprising a recycling device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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