A tobacco strip rating method and system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tobacco leaf grading method, comprising the steps of: S1, taking a tobacco leaf sample and laying the tobacco leaf sample flat; S2, obtaining image data of the tobacco leaf sample after laying flat; S3, obtaining the area ratio of various basic colors and non-basic colors of the tobacco leaf sample in the image data; S4, grading the tobacco leaf sample according to the area ratio. The tobacco leaf grading method of the present invention uses the area ratio of tobacco leaf fragments of each basic color and non-basic color to replace the calculation of the weight ratio of tobacco leaf fragments of each color, which is easier to implement on an automated system, saves manpower and is more accurate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of tobacco leaf grading, and in particular relates to a tobacco leaf grading method and system. Background Art

[0002] There are many processes in the production of cigarette products. Various factors (such as labor, machine errors, materials, methods, etc.) will fluctuate during the production process. It is impossible to ensure that each process is always in a stable technical state, so there will inevitably be certain quality fluctuations. Therefore, tobacco leaf products must undergo strict quality inspections during storage and procurement, and unqualified materials must be removed and isolated. Unqualified materials and their intermediate products will not be transferred or released to prevent unqualified materials from being put into production.

[0003] Tobacco strips are the leaves of tobacco leaves after the stems are removed. They are the main raw material for the production of cigarette products. There is no unified standard for the quality rating of tobacco strips. It is mainly done by dedicated inspectors who rate various grade factors according to GB2635-92 and then entrust them to process into qualified tobacco strips. Or, refer to the initial flue-cured tobacco testing standards to compare tobacco strips with product requirements and order contracts to determine whether the product quality meets the specified requirements. In particular, the link of rating tobacco strips according to tobacco leaf color is the top priority of the rating standards.

[0004] The existing method of grading tobacco leaves is generally to grade the inspection indicators reflecting the grade of tobacco leaves according to their importance. After excluding the first-level indicators of odor and mildew, the moisture content, insect bites, non-tobacco substances and grade compliance of tobacco leaves are inspected. The standard color of tobacco leaves (such as lemon yellow, orange yellow, reddish brown, etc.) and the fragments that do not meet the standard color (except green and yellow tobacco) in the tobacco leaves are picked out, and weighed according to various color classifications. The weight ratio of each color is comprehensively calculated to obtain the color rating of this batch of tobacco leaves. Since tobacco leaves are generally small, the method of automatic computer recognition and clamping is difficult to achieve. The method of manually picking tobacco leaves of different colors is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and is greatly affected by the inspection personnel. Therefore, a labor-saving and more accurate tobacco leaf grading method is needed. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on the above-mentioned shortcomings and deficiencies in the prior art, one of the objects of the present invention is to at least solve one or more of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art. In other words, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a tobacco grading method and system that meets one or more of the above-mentioned needs.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the invention, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A method for grading tobacco strips comprises the following steps:

[0008] S1. Take a tobacco leaf sample and lay it flat;

[0009] S2, obtaining image data of the tobacco leaf sample after being laid flat;

[0010] S3, obtaining the area ratios of various basic colors and non-basic colors of the tobacco leaf sample in the image data;

[0011] S4. Grade the tobacco leaf samples according to their area ratio.

[0012] As a preferred solution, step S1 specifically includes:

[0013] S11, taking tobacco leaf samples;

[0014] S12, making the tobacco leaf sample into pieces;

[0015] S13, spreading the tobacco leaf fragments sample flat.

[0016] As a further preferred solution, step S4 specifically includes:

[0017] S41, calculating the weight ratio of various basic colors and non-basic colors according to the color and thickness of each tobacco leaf sample;

[0018] S42. Grade the tobacco leaf samples according to their weight ratio.

[0019] As a further preferred solution, in step S41, the thickness calculation method of each tobacco leaf sample is specifically as follows:

[0020] The thickness of each position of the original tobacco leaf sample is recorded, and the thickness of each position is recorded in the fragmented tobacco leaf sample made at that position.

[0021] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a tobacco strip rating system, which uses any of the above methods, including a sampling unit, an image acquisition unit, a calculation unit, a rating unit, and a storage unit;

[0022] The sampling unit is used to take tobacco leaf samples and lay them out; the image acquisition unit is used to acquire image data of the tobacco leaf samples after laying out; the calculation unit is used to calculate the area ratios of various basic colors and non-basic colors of the tobacco leaf samples in the image data; the rating unit is used to rate the tobacco leaf samples according to the results of the calculation unit, and store the rating results in the storage unit.

[0023] As a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises a breaking unit for breaking the tobacco leaves.

[0024] As a preferred solution, the calculation unit is also used to calculate the weight proportion of various basic colors and non-basic colors according to the color and thickness of each tobacco leaf sample.

[0025] As a further preferred solution, the calculation unit is also used to record the thickness of each position of the original tobacco leaf sample, and record the thickness of each position to the fragmented tobacco leaf sample produced at that position.

[0026] As a preferred solution, the grading unit includes an automatic grading unit and a manual verification unit. The automatic grading unit is used to automatically grade tobacco leaf samples, and the manual verification unit is used to manually correct the results of the automatic grading unit.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0028] The tobacco leaf grading method and system of the present invention uses the calculation of the area ratio of non-basic color tobacco leaf fragments to replace the conventional weighing of non-basic color tobacco leaf fragments. The area ratio can represent the weight ratio of tobacco leaf fragments of different grades.

[0029] It is easy to implement on an automated system, and the measurement process is not affected by subjective factors of personnel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 The present invention is a structural block diagram of a tobacco grading system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the specific implementation methods of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other accompanying drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without creative work.

[0032] Example:

[0033] A tobacco strip rating method of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0034] S1. Take a tobacco leaf sample and lay it flat. The tobacco leaf sample is generally in the form of fragments. The purpose of laying it flat is to accurately calculate the area ratio of various colors and avoid errors in the calculation of the area ratio due to the covering of some fragments.

[0035] S2. Obtain image data of the tobacco leaf sample after it is laid flat. Specifically, an image acquisition device may be used to capture image data of the tobacco leaf sample from the top of the laid tobacco leaf sample.

[0036] S3. Obtaining the area ratio of various basic colors and non-basic colors of the tobacco leaf sample in the image data. In the case of flat laying, the area ratio of various colors of the tobacco leaf can represent the weight ratio of various colors of the tobacco leaf, so there is no need to manually pick the tobacco leaves and weigh them separately after picking.

[0037] S4. rating the tobacco leaf samples according to the area ratio.

[0038] In the above method, the basic color of tobacco leaves is an industry term in this field, representing the colors that can appear in normal quality tobacco leaves, including lemon yellow, orange yellow, and reddish brown. Non-basic color patches are generally caused by quality problems such as mild wetting, steaming and partial ash hanging, whole leaf contamination, many green marks, severe roasting red, severe flushing, and damage by aphids. Each basic color has a color range. When the image data of tobacco leaf samples are recognized, tobacco leaves that meet a certain basic color range are classified into the basic color, and then graded according to the basic color.

[0039] The above method is particularly suitable for tobacco strips, because under normal circumstances, the color of tobacco stems is generally different from that of tobacco leaves, but tobacco strips are tobacco leaf fragments that are broken into pieces after the leaf stems are separated, so they have better accuracy in identifying color.

[0040] Regarding the grading of tobacco leaf samples, each tobacco leaf sample has an identification grade when it is stored or purchased. Tobacco leaves at a certain identification grade have a color corresponding to the grade. Therefore, the tobacco leaf fragments are divided into identification grades and non-identification grades according to the color of the identification grade, and the grade qualification rate of the tobacco leaf samples that meet the identification grade is calculated.

[0041] Under the premise that the present invention adopts area calculation instead of weight calculation, the grade qualification rate = marked grade area / total sample area×100%+purity tolerance can be selected.

[0042] The grade qualification rate is based on the purity tolerance, which is the percentage of tobacco samples that meet the quality requirements of a certain grade among the total tobacco samples; the purity tolerance refers to the allowable degree of mixed grades, which refers to the extent to which a certain grade is allowed to be mixed with the upper and lower grades, expressed as a percentage. The value for top-grade tobacco is 10%, for medium-grade tobacco is 15%, and for low-grade tobacco is 20%.

[0043] The above method converts the original picking and weighing of tobacco leaf fragments of different colors in the tobacco leaf grading process into an indirect calculation of the weight ratio through the area ratio of various colors, which solves the problem of huge manpower consumption and the difficulty of automatic execution of tobacco leaf fragment picking through computer systems, and eliminates the inaccuracy and instability of manual picking.

[0044] In addition, some cigarette pieces may have a larger area. In order to make the above method applicable to cigarette pieces with a larger area, as an improved solution, step S1 is subdivided into:

[0045] S11, taking tobacco leaf samples;

[0046] S12, making the tobacco leaf sample into pieces;

[0047] S13, spreading the tobacco leaf fragments sample flat.

[0048] The process of making the tobacco leaf sample into pieces in step S12 may be achieved by methods including but not limited to crushing, chopping, etc. By further making the tobacco leaf sample into smaller pieces, even large pieces of tobacco can be graded using the above method.

[0049] In addition, as a further improvement of the above method, since the thickness of tobacco leaf samples is generally uneven, there will be a large error in the calculation of the area ratio of each color. Therefore, the weight ratio of each standard color and non-standard color can be calculated in combination with the thickness of each tobacco leaf sample. Obviously, the thicker the tobacco leaf sample is, the higher the weight ratio is under the same area ratio. When using the area ratio to calculate the weight ratio, the grade qualification rate = marked grade weight / total sample weight × 100% + purity tolerance;

[0050] As a further refinement of the above method, the thickness of each position of the original tobacco leaf sample can be recorded. For example, the original tobacco leaf sample can be divided into various thickness areas according to the thin, thick, slightly thin, slightly thick, medium and other standards of the leaf identity. After the original tobacco leaf sample is made into fragments, the thickness of the area is recorded in the tobacco leaf sample made from the area. Specifically, a thickness weight can be set, with a thickness weight of 0.5 for the thin area, 2 for the thick area, 1 for the medium area, and so on. Then, a thickness weight is added to the area ratio of each standard color and non-standard color in each thickness area. For example, the lemon yellow ratio of the thick area is 0.75, and then it is multiplied by the thickness weight of 2 of the area to obtain the weight ratio that takes into account the thickness of the tobacco leaf sample. The final weight ratio is more accurate.

[0051] The thickness of different parts of the original tobacco leaf sample can also be measured, and a thickness weight compared to the reference thickness can be obtained. For example, the thickness weight of the upper tobacco leaf is measured to be 1.2 times the reference thickness, and the thickness weight of the lower tobacco leaf is measured to be 0.5 times the reference thickness, etc. Then, the thickness weight is added to the area ratio in the same way as above, so as to obtain a more accurate weight ratio than the above detailed description.

[0052] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a tobacco grading system using the above method, the structural block diagram of which is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, it includes a sampling unit, an image acquisition unit, a calculation unit, a rating unit and a storage unit.

[0053] In the above system, the sampling unit is used to take the tobacco leaf sample and then spread the tobacco leaf sample flat. The sampling can be done by mechanical grabbing or conveyor belt sampling. The tobacco leaf sample can be spread flat manually, or a mechanical device with a spreading function can be used to spread the tobacco leaf sample flat. For example, a conveyor belt with a pressure roller installed on it is used. The tobacco leaf sample is spread flat by the pressure roller during the movement of the conveyor belt, so that it is evenly spread on the conveyor belt. Alternatively, a tooth plate that can move horizontally above the tobacco leaf sample can be used. The tooth plate evenly spreads the tobacco leaf sample from the tooth gap when it moves horizontally.

[0054] The image acquisition unit can use image acquisition equipment such as a camera or a camcorder to photograph the tobacco leaf sample from directly above in an environment with sufficient lighting. The resulting image should be as clear and color-accurate as possible.

[0055] The image acquisition unit sends the image data to the calculation unit, which counts various basic colors and non-basic colors of the tobacco leaf sample in the image data and calculates the area ratio, which can be calculated by counting pixels that meet the specified color.

[0056] The result of the calculation unit is sent to the rating unit, and the rating unit rates the tobacco leaf sample according to the result. Specifically, the calculation process may be: according to the identification level of the current tobacco leaf sample during storage / purchase, each color is divided into colors that meet the identification level and colors that are not of the identification level, and the proportion of colors of the identification level and non-identification level is calculated, and then the above-mentioned rating method is used to rate the tobacco leaf sample, and the rating result is sent to the storage unit.

[0057] As an improvement, corresponding to the step of first making the tobacco flakes into smaller pieces in the above method, a breaking unit is added to the system, which has devices such as a crusher, a cutter, etc. that can make larger pieces of tobacco flakes into smaller pieces.

[0058] In addition, in order to realize the solution of calculating the weight ratio according to the color and thickness of each tobacco leaf sample in the above method, the calculation unit in the system is also used to calculate the weight ratio of various basic colors and non-basic colors according to the color and thickness of each tobacco leaf sample. It can also be used to record the thickness of the original tobacco leaf sample, and record the thickness to the fragmented tobacco leaf sample made of the grade of tobacco leaf. The measurement of the thickness of the original large tobacco leaf sample can be judged by the staff.

[0059] As a detailed solution, the grading unit may include an automatic grading unit and a manual verification unit. The automatic grading unit uses the above method to automatically grade tobacco leaf samples. The manual verification unit has staff on duty to verify the grading results of the automatic grading unit and correct its grading results when errors occur.

[0060] The manual verification unit may include a rating information card reader and several rating information cards, wherein the rating information is stored in the rating information card, and the rating information card reader is used to read the rating information in the rating information card. When the rating result of the automatic rating unit is wrong, the staff can attach the corresponding rating information card to the rating information card reader to read it, and the rating in the rating information card can be used to overwrite the rating result of the automatic rating unit.

[0061] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments and principles of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods based on the ideas provided by the present invention, and these changes should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for rating tobacco sheets, It is characterized in that Includes steps: S1. Take a tobacco leaf sample and lay it flat; S2, obtaining image data of the tobacco leaf sample after being laid flat; S3, obtaining the area ratios of various basic colors and non-basic colors of the tobacco leaf sample in the image data; S4. rating the tobacco leaf samples according to the area ratio; The step S4 specifically includes: S41, calculating the weight ratio of the various basic colors and non-basic colors according to the color and thickness of each tobacco leaf sample; S42, rating the tobacco leaf samples according to the weight ratio; In step S41, the thickness of each tobacco leaf sample is calculated as follows: Record the thickness of each position of the original tobacco leaf sample, and record the thickness of each position to the fragmented tobacco leaf sample made at that position; In step S41, the weight ratio of each basic color and non-basic color is calculated as follows: Dividing the tobacco leaf sample into a plurality of thickness regions according to the thickness of each position of the original tobacco leaf sample; Get the thickness weight of each thickness area; The thickness weight is added to the area ratio of each standard color and non-standard color in each thickness area to obtain the weight ratio of the tobacco leaf sample.

2. A method for grading tobacco sheets as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The step S1 specifically includes: S11, taking tobacco leaf samples; S12, making the tobacco leaf sample into pieces; S13, spreading the tobacco leaf fragments sample flat.

3. A tobacco leaf rating system, using the method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, It is characterized in that It includes a sampling unit, an image acquisition unit, a calculation unit, a rating unit, and a storage unit; The sampling unit is used to take tobacco leaf samples and lay out the tobacco leaf samples; the image acquisition unit is used to acquire image data of the tobacco leaf samples after laying out; the calculation unit is used to calculate the area ratios of various basic colors and non-basic colors of the tobacco leaf samples in the image data; the rating unit is used to rate the tobacco leaf samples according to the results of the calculation unit, and store the rating results in the storage unit.

4. A tobacco leaf rating system as claimed in claim 3, It is characterized in that The system further comprises a breaking unit for breaking the tobacco leaves.

5. A tobacco leaf rating system as claimed in claim 3, It is characterized in that The calculation unit is also used to calculate the weight ratio of the various basic colors and non-basic colors according to the color and thickness of each tobacco leaf sample.

6. A tobacco leaf rating system as claimed in claim 5, It is characterized in that The calculation unit is also used to record the thickness of each position of the original tobacco leaf sample, and record the thickness of each position to the fragmented tobacco leaf sample produced at the position.

7. A tobacco leaf rating system as claimed in claim 3, It is characterized in that The grading unit comprises an automatic grading unit and a manual verification unit. The automatic grading unit is used to automatically grade the tobacco leaf samples, and the manual verification unit is used to manually correct the results of the automatic grading unit.

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