Cigarette ash performance testing equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses a device for measuring the ash performance of cigarettes. The design concept of the present invention is to construct a complete automatic measuring device through a frame. Specifically, the measuring device includes a combustion chamber and a control chamber located inside the frame body and divided into upper and lower parts by a middle partition. The combustion chamber is used to place and ignite the cigarette to be tested, and the multi-angle collection of cigarette images can be performed through the control panel on the frame body, and the analysis and output are performed by the control panel; the control room is mainly used to perform suction operations on the cigarette to be tested, and is provided with a corresponding main control module, a main power supply and a lower smoke exhaust device. The present invention automates the links of lighting cigarettes, image collection, smoke exhaust, suction, control display, etc. through mature automatic control technology and image processing technology, and can effectively eliminate human subjective interference factors, greatly improve the measurement accuracy, and with the cooperation of the light source and the rotating device, the test results can be obtained more clearly and comprehensively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of cigarette industry, and in particular to a device for measuring cigarette ash performance. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the research on cigarette ash performance has gradually increased both at home and abroad, mainly focusing on the detection, evaluation and analysis of various indicators of cigarette ash performance and the factors affecting cigarette ash performance.

[0003] However, the current focus in this field on hardware equipment for measuring cigarette ash performance is not great, and the focus is still on constructing simple measuring equipment. Although the cost of simple testing hardware is relatively low, there are disadvantages that affect the accuracy of evaluation and the effect of analysis. For example, only the crack rate on one side of the cigarette can be measured, resulting in a limited test range. It cannot fully and accurately reflect the crack condition of a cigarette after burning, nor can it clearly reflect the differences between different cigarettes. In addition, because the equipment is too simple and there is a lot of manual participation in the testing process, the test results are greatly affected by subjective factors and the measurement repeatability is also poor. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette ash performance measuring device, which can realize comprehensive and accurate automatic detection of cigarette ash indicators by constructing a complete and reliable measuring device.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A cigarette ash performance testing device, comprising:

[0007] A frame body, and a combustion chamber and a control chamber located inside the frame body and divided by a middle partition, wherein the combustion chamber is located above the control chamber;

[0008] A control panel is provided on the outer wall of the frame body;

[0009] The combustion chamber is provided with a light source, a camera and a chamber for accommodating the cigarette to be tested;

[0010] The cigarette accommodating chamber to be tested specifically comprises: a plurality of cigarette holders, an automatic cigarette lighter, a rotating device and an upper smoke exhaust device for exhausting smoke when the cigarette to be tested is burned, and the cigarette holder is arranged on the rotating device;

[0011] The control room is provided with a suction device, a main power supply, a main control module and a lower smoke exhaust device for exhausting smoke when the tested cigarette is sucked;

[0012] The suction device is respectively connected to the bottom of the cigarette holder and the lower smoke exhaust device;

[0013] The control panel is respectively connected to the camera and the main control module by electrical signals, and the main control module is respectively connected to the light source, the automatic cigarette lighter, the rotating device, the upper smoke exhaust device, the suction device and the lower smoke exhaust device by electrical signals;

[0014] The main power supply is used to supply power to various electrical components in the measuring device.

[0015] In at least one possible implementation manner, the light source adopts a ring layout structure.

[0016] In at least one possible implementation manner, the light source further includes a voltage stabilizer, and the main power supply supplies power to the light source through the voltage stabilizer.

[0017] In at least one possible implementation, a track is further provided in the combustion chamber, the track is mounted on the middle partition, and the camera is movably connected to the track via an electrically controlled sliding mechanism;

[0018] And the electric control sliding mechanism is connected with the main control module via electrical signals.

[0019] In at least one possible implementation, the tested cigarette accommodating chamber further includes an openable and closable transparent cover shell connected to the frame body.

[0020] In at least one possible implementation manner, the tested cigarette accommodating chamber is further provided with a cigarette lighter slot, and the cigarette lighter slot is used to place the automatic cigarette lighter in a non-working state.

[0021] In at least one possible implementation, the upper smoke exhaust device includes: a first exhaust fan, a smoke exhaust duct, and a flow stabilizing component;

[0022] The first exhaust fan is connected to the main control module by electrical signals;

[0023] The smoke exhaust duct is in communication with an external pipeline;

[0024] The flow stabilizing component is arranged at the lower end of the upper smoke exhaust device and is used to stabilize the smoke exhaust flow.

[0025] In at least one possible implementation, the suction device includes: a motor, a moving screw, a piston cylinder and a solenoid valve;

[0026] The motor drives the piston cylinder to work through the moving screw rod;

[0027] The solenoid valve is respectively connected to the piston cylinder, the cigarette holder and the gas path of the lower smoke exhaust device.

[0028] In at least one possible implementation, the lower smoke exhaust device includes a second exhaust fan disposed on a side wall of the rack body, and the position of the second exhaust fan corresponds to the control room;

[0029] The second exhaust fan is connected to the solenoid valve gas circuit and is connected to the main control module by electrical signals.

[0030] In at least one possible implementation manner, the lower smoke exhaust device further includes an air bag whose air path is connected between the second exhaust fan and the solenoid valve.

[0031] The design concept of the present invention is to construct a complete automatic measuring device through the frame body. Specifically, the measuring device includes a combustion chamber and a control chamber located inside the frame body and divided by the middle partition, wherein the combustion chamber is used to place and ignite the cigarette to be tested, and the multi-angle acquisition of the cigarette image can be performed through the control panel on the frame body, and the control panel is used to analyze and output; wherein the control chamber is mainly used to perform the suction operation on the cigarette to be tested, and is provided with a corresponding main control module, a main power supply and a lower smoke exhaust device. The present invention combines image technology to convert the burning state of the cigarette into a digital image, and automates the links of lighting, image acquisition, smoke exhaust, suction, control display, etc. through a mature automatic control method, thereby realizing a stable analysis of the ash packaging performance. Compared with the traditional scheme, the present invention is more intelligent, fast and stable, can effectively eliminate the interference factors of human subjectivity, greatly improve the measurement accuracy, and by the cooperation of the light source and the rotating device, it can at least measure the burning conditions of the front and back sides of the cigarette, so that the test results can be obtained more clearly and comprehensively. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a cigarette ash performance measuring device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a suction device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be interpreted as limiting the present invention.

[0036] Before describing the scheme of the present invention, several dimensions of the characterization indexes of the appearance of cigarette ash packaging are introduced: (1) Crack rate, which characterizes the ash packaging ability of cigarettes. It is expressed as the area ratio (%) of the cigarette paper ash and the cracks on the ash after the cigarette is burned vertically (statically burned or smoked). The smaller the value, the stronger the ash packaging ability; (2) Ash shrinkage rate (tightness), which characterizes the tightness of the cigarette ash packaging, and is expressed as the ratio of the diameter of the cigarette before and after burning (%). The smaller the value, the tighter the ash packaging; (3) Whiteness, which characterizes the whiteness of the ash packaging color, and is expressed as the average grayscale of the paper ash after burning. The larger the value, the whiter the gray and the higher the quality; (4) Carbon Line width, which represents the thickness of the carbon line, is expressed by the width of the carbonized line at the smoldering part of the cigarette paper. The smaller the value, the thinner the carbon line and the higher the quality. (5) Carbon line uniformity, which represents the uniformity of the carbon line in the upper and lower directions, is expressed by the difference in the width of the carbonized line at the smoldering part of the cigarette paper. The smaller the value, the more uniform the carbon line. (6) Burning rate, which represents the burning speed of the cigarette, is expressed by the moving speed of the carbon line on the cigarette paper during the burning process (mm / min). The larger the value, the faster the burning.

[0037] In order to comprehensively and accurately determine the above index parameters, the present invention constructs the following Figure 1 The embodiment of the cigarette ash performance measuring device shown in the figure may specifically include: a frame body 100, and a combustion chamber 102 and a control chamber 103 which are located inside the frame body 100 and divided by a middle partition 101, wherein the combustion chamber 102 is located above the control chamber 103. Specifically, a control panel (not shown in the figure) for personnel to operate outside the measuring device is provided on the outer wall of the frame body 100; a light source 21, a camera 22 and a chamber for accommodating the cigarette to be measured are provided in the combustion chamber 102, wherein the chamber for accommodating the cigarette to be measured specifically includes: a plurality of cigarette holders 23, an automatic cigarette lighter 24, a rotating device 25 and an upper smoke exhaust device 26 for exhausting smoke when the cigarette to be measured is burned, and the cigarette holder 23 is provided on the rotating device 25 so that the cigarette to be measured can be rotated to achieve full-angle shooting.

[0038] The control room 103 is provided with a suction device 31, a main power supply 32, a main control module 33 and a lower smoke exhaust device 34 for exhausting smoke when the tested cigarette is sucked, wherein the suction device 31 is connected to the bottom of the cigarette holder 23 and the lower smoke exhaust device 34 respectively, and is used to realize a smoking simulation operation on the tested cigarette in the combustion chamber 102, specifically in the cigarette holder 23 located in the tested cigarette accommodating cavity, and exhaust the sucked smoke out of the measuring equipment.

[0039] The electrical connection can be referred to as follows: the control panel is electrically connected to the camera 22 and the main control module 33, and the main control module 33 is electrically connected to the light source 21, the automatic cigarette lighter 24, the rotating device 25, the upper smoke exhaust device 26, the suction device 31, and the lower smoke exhaust device 34; and the main power supply 32 is used to supply power to each electrical component in the measuring device. Of course, it can also be considered that the control panel is responsible for the control of the light source 21, the camera 22, the automatic cigarette lighter 24, the rotating device 25, and the upper smoke exhaust device 26 in the combustion chamber 102, while the main control module 33 is mainly used to control the suction device 31 and the lower smoke exhaust device 34. The specific electrical control method can be based on the existing mature technology, and the present invention is not limited.

[0040] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, further, the light source 21 can be but not limited to adopting a ring layout structure to achieve a uniform light effect without silhouette, and in order to ensure that the light environment is not disturbed, it can be considered to use shading treatment on part or all of the rack body 100.

[0041] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, further, the light source 21 may further include a voltage stabilizer 27, and the main power supply 32 supplies power to the light source 21 through the voltage stabilizer 27 to achieve brightness stability of the light environment.

[0042] On the basis of the aforementioned embodiment, further, a track 28 may be provided in the combustion chamber 102, and the track 28 may be installed on the aforementioned middle partition 101. The camera 22 is movably connected to the track 28 via an electrically controlled sliding mechanism (not shown in the figure, which belongs to mature technology) connected to the electrical signal of the main control module, thereby enabling the camera 22 to collect a complete and comprehensive image of the tested cigarette in a mobile manner.

[0043] On the basis of the foregoing embodiment, further, the tested cigarette accommodating chamber may also include a transparent cover shell 29 connected to the frame body 100 and capable of being opened and closed automatically or manually, so as to facilitate personnel to observe the state of the tested cigarette from the outside of the measuring device, and in order to ensure that the smoke generated when the cigarette is burned will not leak out, it may be considered to use a sealing device at the connection between the transparent cover shell 29 and the frame body 100.

[0044] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, further, the tested cigarette accommodating chamber may be provided with a cigarette lighter slot 30, and the cigarette lighter slot 30 is used to store the automatic cigarette lighter 24 in a non-working state.

[0045] On the basis of the aforementioned embodiment, further, the upper smoke exhaust device 26 comprises: a first exhaust fan (not shown in the figure), a smoke exhaust pipe 261 and a flow stabilizing component (not shown in the figure), wherein the first exhaust fan is electrically connected to the main control module by signal, and is used to discharge the smoke emitted from the burning end of the measured cigarette from the upper part of the measuring equipment to the external pipeline via the smoke exhaust pipe 261. In particular, the flow stabilizing component is arranged at the lower end of the upper smoke exhaust device, and is used to stabilize the smoke exhaust airflow, that is, to prevent the first exhaust fan from directly extracting the smoke emitted from the burning end of the cigarette and interfering with the burning state of the cigarette. In specific implementation, various forms such as gas guide plates, mesh plates, and variable diameter pipes can be considered, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0046] Based on the above embodiments, further, Figure 2 As shown, the suction device 31 may specifically include: a motor 310, a moving screw rod 311, a piston cylinder 312 and a solenoid valve 313. Specifically, the motor 310 drives the piston cylinder 312 to work through the moving screw rod 311, and the solenoid valve 313 is respectively connected to the piston cylinder 312, the cigarette holder 23 and the lower smoke exhaust device 34. The working method can be referred to as follows: the main control module 33 sends instructions to the control unit of the motor 310 itself, and the motor 310 rotates to drive the moving screw rod 311 to reciprocate, thereby driving the piston cylinder 312 to generate suction force, and the piston cylinder 312 is connected to the cigarette holder 23 through the solenoid valve 313. The corresponding port of the solenoid valve 313 can be opened (it can also be independently controlled by the main control module 33 through the corresponding circuit board, which belongs to the existing mature technology) to form a smoking simulation operation, and then the solenoid valve 313 is connected to the lower smoke exhaust device 34, and the smoke inhaled during the smoking simulation operation is discharged through the lower smoke exhaust device 34. In actual operation, the lower smoke exhaust device 34 may include a second exhaust fan arranged on the side wall of the frame body 100, and the position of the second exhaust fan corresponds to the control room 103. The second exhaust fan here can be connected to the electromagnetic valve 313 gas path and connected to the main control module electrical signal, that is, when the corresponding channel of the electromagnetic valve 313 is opened, the smoke is discharged outside; of course, it can be considered that the lower smoke exhaust device 34 also includes an air bag connected between the second exhaust fan and the electromagnetic valve 313, and the air bag is used to collect a certain amount of smoke, and then the second exhaust fan discharges the smoke in the air bag. In addition to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can also use other similar methods to simulate the suction of the tested cigarette and discharge the sucked smoke out of the measuring device.

[0047] The design concept of the present invention is to construct a complete automatic measuring device through the frame body. Specifically, the measuring device includes a combustion chamber and a control chamber located inside the frame body and divided by the middle partition, wherein the combustion chamber is used to place and ignite the cigarette to be tested, and the multi-angle acquisition of the cigarette image can be performed through the control panel on the frame body, and the control panel is used to analyze and output; wherein the control chamber is mainly used to perform the suction operation on the cigarette to be tested, and is provided with a corresponding main control module, a main power supply and a lower smoke exhaust device. The present invention combines image technology to convert the burning state of the cigarette into a digital image, and automates the links of lighting, image acquisition, smoke exhaust, suction, control display, etc. through a mature automatic control method, thereby realizing a stable analysis of the ash packaging performance. Compared with the traditional scheme, the present invention is more intelligent, fast and stable, can effectively eliminate the interference factors of human subjectivity, greatly improve the measurement accuracy, and by the cooperation of the light source and the rotating device, it can at least measure the burning conditions of the front and back sides of the cigarette, so that the test results can be obtained more clearly and comprehensively.

[0048] Finally, it can be supplemented that the camera 22 and the main control module 33 mentioned above can have multiple options in actual operation. Here is an example for reference. Those skilled in the art can expand on this basis. The camera 22 can adopt a 5-megapixel color industrial camera (CCD) and cooperate with a variable focus lens with a focal length of 16-32mm. Its field of view is about 150mm wide and the working distance is about 400mm, which can meet the needs of the application scenario of the present invention; the main control module 33 can adopt STM32F103RBT6, that is, a 32-bit microcontroller with an ARM Cortex-M3 core, and cooperate with FM24CL64 non-volatile ferroelectric memory, THB6128 motor driver chip, ADM2483 isolated RS485 driver chip, etc. to realize the above-mentioned control function, and the specific control method and communication method can refer to the existing mature technology, which is not elaborated or limited by the present invention.

[0049] The above describes in detail the structure, features and effects of the present invention based on the embodiments shown in the drawings, but the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that the technical features involved in the above embodiments and their preferred methods can be reasonably combined and matched into a variety of equivalent schemes by those skilled in the art without departing from or changing the design ideas and technical effects of the present invention; therefore, the present invention is not limited to the scope of implementation shown in the drawings, and all changes made in accordance with the concept of the present invention, or modifications to equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, which still do not exceed the spirit covered by the specification and drawings, should be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cigarette ash performance measuring device, characterized in that: include: A frame body, and a combustion chamber and a control chamber located inside the frame body and divided by a middle partition, wherein the combustion chamber is located above the control chamber; A control panel is provided on the outer wall of the frame body, and part or all of the frame body is light-shielded; The combustion chamber is provided with a light source, a camera and a chamber for accommodating the cigarette to be tested; The cigarette accommodating chamber to be tested specifically comprises: a plurality of cigarette holders, an automatic cigarette lighter, a rotating device and an upper smoke exhaust device for exhausting smoke when the cigarette to be tested is burned, and the cigarette holder is arranged on the rotating device; The control room is provided with a suction device, a main power supply, a main control module and a lower smoke exhaust device for exhausting smoke when the tested cigarette is sucked; The suction device is respectively connected to the bottom of the cigarette holder and the lower smoke exhaust device; The control panel is respectively connected to the camera and the main control module by electrical signals, and the main control module is respectively connected to the light source, the automatic cigarette lighter, the rotating device, the upper smoke exhaust device, the suction device and the lower smoke exhaust device by electrical signals; The main power supply is used to supply power to various electrical components in the measuring device; The lower smoke exhaust device includes a second exhaust fan arranged on the side wall of the frame body, and the position of the second exhaust fan corresponds to the control room, and the second exhaust fan is connected to the solenoid valve gas path of the suction device and is connected to the main control module by electrical signals; The lower smoke exhaust device includes an air bag for collecting smoke, and the air path of the air bag is connected between the second exhaust fan and the solenoid valve of the suction device, and is used to collect a fixed amount of smoke, and then the second exhaust fan discharges the smoke in the air bag; The tested cigarette accommodating chamber is also provided with a cigarette lighter slot, and the cigarette lighter slot is used to place the automatic cigarette lighter in a non-working state, and the tested cigarette accommodating chamber also includes an openable and closable transparent cover shell connected to the frame body.

2. The cigarette ash performance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light source adopts a ring layout structure.

3. The cigarette ash performance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light source further includes a voltage stabilizer, and the main power supply supplies power to the light source through the voltage stabilizer.

4. The cigarette ash performance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A track is also provided in the combustion chamber, the track is mounted on the middle partition, and the camera is movably connected to the track through an electrically controlled sliding mechanism; And the electric control sliding mechanism is connected with the main control module via electrical signals.

5. The cigarette ash properties measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The upper smoke exhaust device comprises: a first exhaust fan, a smoke exhaust pipe and a flow stabilizing component; The first exhaust fan is connected to the main control module by electrical signals; The smoke exhaust duct is in communication with an external pipeline; The flow stabilizing component is arranged at the lower end of the upper smoke exhaust device and is used to stabilize the smoke exhaust flow.

6. The cigarette ash properties measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suction device comprises: a motor, a moving screw rod, a piston cylinder and a solenoid valve; The motor drives the piston cylinder to work through the moving screw rod; The solenoid valve is respectively connected to the piston cylinder, the cigarette holder and the gas path of the lower smoke exhaust device.

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