A cigarette detection method

Abstract

The application discloses a cigarette detection method, and can realize automatic detection of weight, empty head and contact, especially detection of the empty head and the contact. Through eight distance measurements in the circumferential direction of each cigarette end face, the hollow section ratio of the cigarette and the contact depth are obtained, and the measurement is more accurate. When it is determined that the sample detection exists unqualified products, the application performs step-by-step tracking on the production line according to the detection time period of the cigarette within the detection time period, can effectively reduce the number of discarded cigarettes, and reduce the production waste phenomenon.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for detecting cigarettes. Background Technology

[0002] Sampling inspection is required before cigarette packaging to reduce the probability of defective cigarettes. Cigarette inspection mainly includes appearance, weight, hollow ends, and contacts. Appearance inspection involves comparing the cigarette's appearance to national standards; this can be done using an industrial camera during the tobacco rolling process. Weight, hollow ends, and contacts are currently primarily inspected manually. Hollow ends and contacts are measured using standard graduated measuring rods. Our factory's standards for hollow ends and contacts are: Hollow ends: Hollow depth at the cigarette end face ≥ 1.0mm, hollow cross-section ratio > 1 / 3. Contacts: Contact depth at the cigarette end face > 1 / 4 circumference and contact depth > 1.0mm. Manual inspection is labor-intensive and has low automation. Furthermore, when quality defects are found in the sampling inspection (in this application, quality defects refer to weight, hollow ends, and contacts not meeting standards), all cigarettes in the same batch must be discarded, resulting in production waste. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides a method for detecting cigarettes in order to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] The technical solutions adopted in this invention are as follows: A method for detecting cigarettes includes the following steps: 1) Manual random sampling According to the set testing time period, one or more packs of cigarettes of the same brand are randomly grabbed by hand from the conveyor belt that is continuously conveying in the production line. Then, cigarettes with obvious appearance defects are manually removed, and only 100 cigarettes are kept as test samples for the next process. The excess cigarettes are put into the recycling bin. 2) Cigarette testing One hundred cigarettes were divided into five groups as test samples. The filter rods of 20 cigarettes in each group were inserted into a standard weight support. Each support had two rows of equally spaced insertion holes of equal diameter for inserting cigarettes. The cigarettes in the five groups of support were automatically tested, and the cigarette testing of each group was carried out in the order of weight test, contact test and empty head test. The weight detection process is as follows: Five electronic balances are simultaneously zeroed. Each material holder is placed on each electronic balance and weighed using a cylinder-claw robotic arm. The total weight of each group of 20 cigarettes is checked to see if it is within the standard weight range. If the total weight of two groups of cigarettes is not within the standard weight range, the production batch of cigarettes containing this sample is recorded as unqualified, and the process is traced step by step on the production line according to the inspection time period during which the cigarettes were acquired. If the total weight of at least four groups of cigarettes is qualified, contact and empty head inspections are performed. The process of detecting the contact and the empty contact is as follows: A cylinder-operated gripper handles the material supports on the electronic balance and places five supports on five positioning references on a horizontal worktable. A laser rangefinder is placed above each support at a positioning reference position. The laser rangefinder first moves around the center of the outermost insertion hole in the material support base, and then moves at equal angles eight times along the circumference of this center. Each time it moves, it measures the distance to the end face of the cigarette in the insertion hole. After completing eight distance measurements of the end face of the cigarette in one insertion hole, the laser rangefinder moves to the center of the next insertion hole in the material support base and performs eight distance measurements of the end face of the cigarette in the second insertion hole, until all the distance measurements of the end faces of the cigarette in all the insertion holes in the material support base are completed. This completes the detection of the cigarette's contact and empty end. If more than 5 cigarettes out of all cigarettes in the five cigarette holders have a contact point or a void, the production batch of cigarettes containing this sample is recorded as unqualified, and the process is traced step by step on the production line according to the inspection time period during which the cigarettes were obtained.

[0005] Furthermore, the process of investigating cigarettes that fail inspection and tracing them step-by-step along the production line according to the inspection time period during the cigarette acquisition and testing period is as follows: 1) During the continuous conveying process on the production line, take one or more handfuls of cigarettes of the same brand by hand in a 10-minute or 15-minute testing period, and select 100 cigarettes to be divided into five groups as the test samples for that testing period. 2) When a sample is found to be unqualified, the testing time period in which the sample is located is divided into at least five testing time periods. Then, in chronological order from back to front, 100 cigarettes are selected again for testing in each testing time period. If unqualified results are also found in that testing time period, all cigarettes produced in that testing time period are discarded.

[0006] Furthermore, the remaining cigarette is defined as follows: the length of the cigarette is less than the standard design value of 5.0 mm, or the broken part is ≥5.0 mm, or the puncture is ≥5.0 mm, or the edge is curled up and protruding from the filter rod, or the filter has fallen off; The defects such as broken or damaged parts, punctures, curled edges exposing the mouthpiece, or detached filter tip are determined by direct visual observation. The method for comparing cigarette length is as follows: a comparison measuring rod with a cigarette length less than the standard design value of 5.0 mm is set according to the cigarette brand. The comparison measuring rod is placed together with all the cigarettes randomly grabbed by hand and placed vertically on the same horizontal plane. The presence of cigarettes with a height less than the comparison measuring rod is observed by the naked eye.

[0007] Furthermore, the material support is a rectangular block supported by metal material, and 20 insertion holes are provided on the upper surface of the material support, which are arranged in two rows.

[0008] Furthermore, the horizontal workbench is provided with five sets of positioning references, each set of positioning references consists of four angle steels, and each material support is placed between the four angle steels.

[0009] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1) This invention can achieve automated detection of weight, hollow ends and contacts, especially the detection of hollow ends and contacts. By performing eight circumferential distance measurements on the end face of each cigarette, the hollow cross-sectional ratio of the cigarette and the contact depth are obtained, making the measurement more accurate.

[0010] 2) When a sample test determines that there is a non-compliance, the present invention conducts a step-by-step investigation on the production line according to the inspection time period during which the cigarettes are obtained, which can effectively reduce the number of scrapped cigarettes and reduce production waste. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the positioning of the material support on the horizontal worktable.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a laser rangefinder performing eight equal-angle measurements in the circumferential direction, with the center of a socket in the material holder as the center of motion. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] This invention discloses a method for detecting cigarettes, comprising the following steps: 1) Manual random sampling According to the set testing time period, one or more packs of cigarettes of the same brand are randomly grabbed by hand from the continuously conveying conveyor belt in the production line. Then, cigarettes with obvious appearance defects are manually removed, and only 100 cigarettes are kept as test samples for the next process. The excess cigarettes are put into the recycling bin.

[0015] A damaged cigarette is defined as one whose length is less than 5.0 mm of the standard design value, or whose broken or damaged portion is ≥ 5.0 mm, or whose puncture is ≥ 5.0 mm, or whose edge is curled up and protruding from the filter rod, or whose filter has fallen off. The defects such as broken or damaged parts, punctures, curled edges exposing the mouthpiece, or detached filter tip are determined by direct visual observation. The method for comparing cigarette length is as follows: a comparison measuring rod with a cigarette length less than the standard design value of 5.0 mm is set according to the cigarette brand. The comparison measuring rod is placed together with all the cigarettes randomly grabbed by hand and placed vertically on the same horizontal plane. The presence of cigarettes with a height less than the comparison measuring rod is observed by the naked eye.

[0016] 2) Cigarette testing One hundred cigarettes were divided into five groups as test samples, with the filter rods of 20 cigarettes in each group inserted into a standard weight holder. Each holder had two rows of equally spaced insertion holes of equal diameter for inserting cigarettes. The cigarettes in the five groups of holders were automatically tested, and the cigarette testing for each group was carried out in the order of weight test, contact test, and empty head test.

[0017] The weight detection process is as follows: Five electronic balances are simultaneously zeroed. Each material holder is placed on each electronic balance and weighed using a cylinder-claw robotic arm. The total weight of each group of 20 cigarettes is checked to see if it is within the standard weight range. If the total weight of two groups of cigarettes is not within the standard weight range, the production batch of cigarettes containing this sample is recorded as unqualified, and the process is traced step by step on the production line according to the inspection time period during which the cigarettes were acquired. If the total weight of at least four groups of cigarettes is qualified, contact and empty head inspections are performed. The process of detecting the contact and the empty contact is as follows: A pneumatic gripper robot handles the material supports on the electronic balance and places five supports on five positioning references on a horizontal worktable. A laser rangefinder is positioned above each support at a reference point. The laser rangefinder's motion center is initially set to the center of the outermost insertion hole on each support. Figure 1 First, using the center of circle A1 as the center of motion, then move eight times at equal angles along the circumference of A1, such as... Figure 2 Each time the movement occurs, the distance to the end face of the cigarette stick inside the insertion hole is measured once.

[0018] After completing eight distance measurements of the cigarette end face within one insertion hole, the laser rangefinder moves to the center of the next insertion hole in the material holder, i.e., A2. Eight more distance measurements are then performed on the cigarette end face within the second insertion hole, until all cigarette end face distance measurements are completed in all insertion holes of the material holder. This completes the detection of the cigarette's contact and empty end.

[0019] If more than 5 cigarettes out of all cigarettes in the five cigarette holders have a contact point or a void, the production batch of cigarettes containing this sample is recorded as unqualified, and the process is traced step by step on the production line according to the inspection time period during which the cigarettes were obtained.

[0020] The process described in this invention of tracing cigarettes step-by-step along the production line according to the inspection time period is as follows: 1) During the continuous conveying process on the production line, take one or more handfuls of cigarettes of the same brand by hand in a 10-minute or 15-minute testing period, and select 100 cigarettes to be divided into five groups as the test samples for that testing period. For example, if a sample is taken at 8:00 and then at 8:10, then the period between 8:00 and 8:10 is considered a testing time period.

[0021] 2) When a sample is found to be unqualified, the testing time period in which the sample is located is divided into at least five testing time periods. Then, in chronological order from back to front, 100 cigarettes are selected again for testing in each testing time period. If unqualified results are also found in that testing time period, all cigarettes produced in that testing time period are discarded.

[0022] For example, if a sample fails the test between 8:00 and 8:10, the 8:00-8:10 period will be divided into 5 testing time slots. Specifically, the testing periods are 8:00-8:02, 8:02-8:04, 8:04-8:06, 8:06-8:08, and 8:08-8:10. Then, within the 8:08-8:10 period, another 100 cigarettes are selected for weight, contact, and empty-head checks. If these cigarettes also fail the tests during this period, all cigarettes within that period are discarded. If they pass, another 100 cigarettes are selected for testing during the next period. The more testing periods divided into these segments, the fewer cigarettes will be discarded.

[0023] The material support in this invention is a rectangular block supported by metal. Twenty insertion holes are provided on the upper surface of the material support, arranged in two rows. Five sets of positioning references are provided on the horizontal worktable, each set consisting of four angle steels, and each material support is placed between the four angle steels.

[0024] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for detecting cigarettes, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: 1) Manual random sampling According to the set testing time period, one or more packs of cigarettes of the same brand are randomly grabbed by hand from the conveyor belt that is continuously conveying in the production line. Then, cigarettes with obvious appearance defects are manually removed, and only 100 cigarettes are kept as test samples for the next process. The excess cigarettes are put into the recycling bin. 2) Cigarette testing One hundred cigarettes were divided into five groups as test samples. The filter rods of 20 cigarettes in each group were inserted into a standard weight support. Each support had two rows of equally spaced insertion holes of equal diameter for inserting cigarettes. The cigarettes in the five groups of support were automatically tested, and the cigarette testing of each group was carried out in the order of weight test, contact test and empty head test. The weight detection process is as follows: Five electronic balances are simultaneously zeroed. Each material holder is placed on each electronic balance and weighed using a cylinder-claw robotic arm. The total weight of each group of 20 cigarettes is checked to see if it is within the standard weight range. If the total weight of two groups of cigarettes is not within the standard weight range, the production batch of cigarettes containing this sample is recorded as unqualified, and the process is traced step by step on the production line according to the inspection time period during which the cigarettes were acquired. If the total weight of at least four groups of cigarettes is qualified, contact and empty head inspections are performed. The process of detecting the contact and the empty contact is as follows: A cylinder-operated gripper handles the material supports on the electronic balance and places five supports on five positioning references on a horizontal worktable. A laser rangefinder is placed above each support at a positioning reference position. The laser rangefinder first moves around the center of the outermost insertion hole in the material support base, and then moves at equal angles eight times along the circumference of this center. Each time it moves, it measures the distance to the end face of the cigarette in the insertion hole. After completing eight distance measurements of the end face of the cigarette in one insertion hole, the laser rangefinder moves to the center of the next insertion hole in the material support base and performs eight distance measurements of the end face of the cigarette in the second insertion hole, until all the distance measurements of the end faces of the cigarette in all the insertion holes in the material support base are completed. This completes the detection of the cigarette's contact and empty end. If more than 5 cigarettes out of all cigarettes in the five cigarette holders have a contact or a blank, then the production batch of cigarettes containing this sample is recorded as unqualified, and the process will be traced step by step on the production line according to the inspection time period during which the cigarettes were obtained. The process of tracing cigarettes that fail inspection and conducting a step-by-step investigation along the production line within the inspection period of the cigarettes' acquisition is as follows: 1) During the continuous conveying process on the production line, take one or more handfuls of cigarettes of the same brand by hand in a 10-minute or 15-minute testing period, and select 100 cigarettes to be divided into five groups as the test samples for that testing period. 2) When a sample is found to be unqualified, the testing time period in which the sample is located is divided into at least five testing time periods. Then, in chronological order from back to front, 100 cigarettes are selected again in each testing time period for testing. If unqualified results are also found in that testing time period, all cigarettes produced in that testing time period are discarded. The term "residual cigarette" refers to cigarettes that are less than 5.0 mm in length according to the standard design value, or that are broken or damaged by ≥5.0 mm, or that are punctured by ≥5.0 mm, or that have their edges curled up and protruding from the filter rod, or that have fallen off the filter. The defects such as broken or damaged parts, punctures, curled edges exposing the mouthpiece, or detached filter tip are determined by direct visual observation. The method for comparing cigarette length is as follows: a comparison measuring rod with a cigarette length less than the standard design value of 5.0 mm is set according to the cigarette brand. The comparison measuring rod is placed together with all the cigarettes randomly grabbed by hand and placed vertically on the same horizontal plane. The presence of cigarettes with a height less than the comparison measuring rod is observed by the naked eye. The material support is a rectangular block supported by metal material, and 20 insertion holes are provided on the upper surface of the material support, which are arranged in two rows. The horizontal workbench is equipped with five sets of positioning references, each set of positioning references consists of four angle steels, and each material support is placed between the four angle steels.

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