Buccal product surface wetting device and buccal product surface wetting method

Abstract

The invention discloses a buccal product surface wetting device and a buccal product surface wetting method, and belongs to the technical field of buccal product production. In the embodiment of the invention, the buccal product surface wetting device comprises a water-permeable contact piece, a liquid feeding mechanism and a support, the water-permeable contact piece is arranged on the support, the water-permeable contact piece is used for making contact with a to-be-wetted buccal product, and the liquid feeding mechanism is connected with the water-permeable contact piece through a pipeline and used for pumping wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact piece; the surface of the buccal product is wetted through the water-permeable contact piece; wherein the water-permeable contact piece is introduced as a carrier of the wetting liquid, and the wetting liquid can be uniformly transferred to the surface of the buccal product by the water-permeable contact piece through a permeation effect and then permeates into the product, so that an accurate wetting effect is realized, and the problem that the spraying amount and the distribution uniformity are difficult to control in a traditional spraying mode can be solved; and the consistency and the quality of products are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of oral product production, and specifically relates to an oral product surface wetting device and an oral product surface wetting method. Background Art

[0002] Snus, including nicotine pouches, is a smokeless nicotine consumer product, usually a small white bag, mainly composed of cellulose, nicotine, flavorings and other additives. Nicotine Oral Dissolving Film (ODF) is a film made of drugs and polymer materials for delivering nicotine. Snus and oral dissolving film can dissolve quickly in the mouth and release nicotine to meet the user's demand for nicotine.

[0003] During the production process, the two types of oral products, buccal cigarettes and orodissolving films, need to be moistened on the surface by a wetting device. However, the existing wetting devices are difficult to stably and evenly moisten the surface of the oral products, which affects the consistency and quality of the products. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a surface wetting device and a surface wetting method for oral products, at least to solve the problem that it is difficult to effectively and stably control the humidity and wettability during the production process of existing oral products.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a device for wetting the surface of an oral product, comprising a water permeable contact piece, a liquid delivery mechanism and a bracket; the water permeable contact piece is arranged on the bracket, and the water permeable contact piece is used to contact the oral product to be wetted; the liquid delivery mechanism is connected to the water permeable contact piece pipeline, and is used to pump wetting liquid to the water permeable contact piece to wet the surface of the oral product through the water permeable contact piece.

[0006] In one embodiment, the water-permeable contact member includes at least two oppositely disposed water-absorbing members, each of which is used to contact two surfaces of the same oral product, and there is a gap between the two oppositely disposed water-absorbing members that is adapted to the oral product.

[0007] In one embodiment, the distance between the two water-absorbing parts is smaller than the thickness of the oral product; and / or the width of the water-absorbing parts is greater than or equal to the width of the oral product; and / or the side area of ​​the water-absorbing parts in contact with the oral product is greater than the single-side surface area of ​​the oral product.

[0008] In one embodiment, the bracket includes a base, a vertical plate and two mounting plates, the vertical plate is arranged on the base, the two mounting plates are arranged opposite to each other on the vertical plate, and one of the water absorbing components is arranged on the opposite sides between the two mounting plates.

[0009] In one embodiment, at least one of the mounting plates is slidably disposed on the vertical plate along the clamping direction of the absorbent component on the oral product, and a first locking mechanism is disposed on the mounting plate, and the first locking mechanism is used to lock the mounting plate on the vertical plate.

[0010] In one embodiment, the two mounting plates include a first mounting plate and a second mounting plate, the first mounting plate is fixedly disposed on the vertical plate, the second mounting plate is slidably disposed on the vertical plate along the clamping direction of the absorbent component on the oral product, and a second locking mechanism is disposed on the second mounting plate, the second locking mechanism is used to lock the second vertical plate to the first mounting plate.

[0011] In one embodiment, the vertical plate is provided with a slide groove extending along the clamping direction of the water absorbent component on the oral product, and the second mounting plate is provided with a protrusion clamped in the slide groove.

[0012] In one embodiment, the liquid delivery mechanism includes a pumping system and at least two liquid storage tanks disposed on the base, and each of the liquid storage tanks is connected to the pumping system via a pipeline.

[0013] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for wetting the surface of an oral product, using a wetting device as described above, the method comprising: controlling a liquid delivery mechanism to inject a wetting liquid into a water-permeable contact piece; after the water-permeable contact piece is wetting, controlling the oral product to be wetted to contact the water-permeable contact piece, so that under the action of osmotic pressure, the wetting liquid on the water-permeable contact piece penetrates into the surface of the oral product.

[0014] In one embodiment, the water permeable contact member includes at least two relatively arranged water absorbent members, each of the water absorbent members is used to contact two surfaces of the same oral product, and there is a gap between the two relatively arranged water absorbent members that is adapted to the oral product; controlling the oral product to be wetted to contact the water permeable contact member includes: determining a wetting achievement rate based on the actual weight gain and target weight gain of the oral product; and adjusting the distance between the two relatively arranged water absorbent members based on the wetting achievement rate.

[0015] The present application discloses a device for wetting the surface of an oral product and a method for wetting the surface of an oral product. In an embodiment of the present application, the device for wetting the surface of an oral product includes a water-permeable contact piece, a liquid delivery mechanism and a bracket. The water-permeable contact piece is arranged on the bracket. The water-permeable contact piece is used to contact the oral product to be wetted. The liquid delivery mechanism is connected to the water-permeable contact piece pipeline and is used to pump wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact piece to wet the surface of the oral product through the water-permeable contact piece. The water-permeable contact piece is introduced as a carrier of the wetting liquid. The water-permeable contact piece can evenly transfer the wetting liquid to the surface of the oral product through osmosis, and then penetrate into the interior of the product to achieve a precise wetting effect, which can improve the problem of difficulty in controlling the spraying amount and distribution uniformity in the traditional spraying method, and effectively improve the consistency and quality of the product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a device for wetting the surface of an oral product provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a process of a method for wetting the surface of an oral product provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 3 The present invention is a flowchart showing the operation of the device for wetting the surface of oral products provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Reference numerals:

[0020] 100: oral product surface wetting device; 10: water-permeable contact member; 11: water absorbing member; 20: liquid delivery mechanism; 21: pumping system; 22: liquid storage tank; 23: three-way valve; 24: syringe; 30: bracket; 31: base; 32: vertical plate; 33: mounting plate; 331: first mounting plate; 332: second mounting plate; 34: slide; 35: protrusion; 36: second locking mechanism; 40: oral product; 50: pipeline; 60: cutter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The term "first" or "second" in the specification and claims of this application may include one or more of the features explicitly or implicitly. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims means at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally means that the objects connected before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0022] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0023] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0024] The applicant found that in the production process of oral products, generally after the oral products are bagged and packed into boxes, the humidity and wettability of the product surface are adjusted by spraying liquid. Although the above-mentioned spraying method can keep the product at an appropriate humidity after packaging to improve the taste and texture; however, since the spraying process depends on the setting of the nozzle and the spraying time, the control of the spraying amount of the liquid is often imprecise, which can easily lead to local over-wetting or over-drying, which not only affects the consistency and quality of the product, but also easily leads to liquid waste, increases production costs, and may cause unnecessary burdens on the environment; at the same time, due to the large influence of external factors (such as temperature and humidity, nozzle clogging, etc.) on the amount and effect of liquid spraying during the spraying process, the repeatability and stability of the process are poor, which increases the variability in the production process; in addition, the spraying method is difficult to ensure that each product surface is evenly covered with liquid, resulting in some oral products The humidity may be too high, while other parts are insufficiently humid, affecting the overall experience of the product.

[0025] In view of the above problems, the present application provides a surface wetting device 100 for an oral product 40, such as Figure 1 As shown, the device includes a water-permeable contact piece 10, a liquid delivery mechanism 20 and a bracket 30; the water-permeable contact piece 10 is arranged on the bracket 30, and the water-permeable contact piece 10 is used to contact with the oral product 40 to be moistened; the liquid delivery mechanism 20 is connected to the water-permeable contact piece 10 by a pipeline, and is used to pump wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact piece 10, so as to moisten the surface of the oral product 40 through the water-permeable contact piece 10.

[0026] The device 100 for wetting the surface of the oral product 40 provided in the embodiment of the present application is used to wet the surface of the oral product 40 , and the oral product 40 includes an orodispersible film or oral cigarette.

[0027] Among them, the water-permeable contact piece 10 is used to contact the oral product 40 to be wetted, and it can allow water or other liquids to pass through while maintaining contact with the oral product 40; the liquid delivery mechanism 20 is connected to the water-permeable contact piece 10 by a pipeline, and can pump wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact piece 10, and the surface of the oral product 40 is a water-permeable bag (oral cigarette) made of non-woven fabric, etc., or the oral product 40 itself is a thin film (oral dissolving film), so the wetting liquid pumped to the water-permeable contact piece 10 by the liquid delivery mechanism 20 can pass through the water-permeable contact piece 10 and penetrate into the interior of the oral product 40 under the action of osmotic pressure, thereby achieving a wetting effect, and the wetting degree and wetting uniformity can be adjusted by adjusting the contact time, contact area, liquid delivery intensity, wetting liquid concentration, etc.

[0028] The water-permeable contact member 10 is disposed on the bracket 30 , and the water-permeable contact member 10 can be fixed to facilitate close contact with the oral product 40 , and does not affect the continuous movement of the oral product 40 , so as to achieve wetting of the oral product 40 during its processing.

[0029] In the embodiment of the present application, by introducing a water-permeable contact member 10 as a carrier of the wetting liquid, the water-permeable contact member 10 can evenly transfer the wetting liquid to the surface of the oral product 40 through osmosis, and then penetrate into the interior of the product to achieve a precise wetting effect. This can improve the problem of difficulty in controlling the spraying amount and distribution uniformity in traditional spraying methods, and effectively improve the consistency and quality of the product.

[0030] In some embodiments, the water-permeable contact member 10 includes at least two water-absorbing members 11 disposed opposite to each other, each water-absorbing member 11 is used to contact two surfaces of the same oral product 40, the water-absorbing member 11 is also a water-permeable structure, and there is a gap between the two water-absorbing members 11 disposed opposite to each other to match the oral product 40, and the clamping direction of the two water-absorbing members 11 disposed opposite to each other to the oral product 40 is perpendicular to the moving direction of the oral product 40. For example, if the oral product 40 is processed and manufactured in the vertical direction, the two water-absorbing members 11 disposed opposite to each other are clamped and contacted with the side of the oral product 40 in the horizontal direction.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the oral product 40 is arranged between two water-absorbing members 11, and the oral product 40 is in contact with both water-absorbing members 11, so that the surface of the oral product 40 can contact with multiple water-absorbing members 11, increasing its penetration contact area, which can not only accelerate the wetting rate but also improve the wetting uniformity; in addition, the above-mentioned water-absorbing members 11 can absorb the wetting liquid on the surface of the oral product 40, because the oral product 40 can move relative to the water-absorbing members 11, so that the oral product 40 can contact with the water-absorbing members 11 during operation, and under the action of osmotic pressure, the wetting liquid flows into the oral product 40 for penetration, which can achieve the effect of uniformly wetting the surface of the oral product 40 without affecting the processing.

[0032] In some embodiments, the water absorbent member 11 is a flexible member, that is, the water absorbent member 11 is made of a flexible material, so that the water absorbent member 11 can be in flexible contact with the oral product 40, and can achieve contact wetting of the surface of the oral product 40 to avoid squeezing or abrasion of the surface of the oral product 40 due to excessive contact pressure during the wetting process.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present application, the water absorbing member 11 can be used once, and a new water absorbing member 11 is correspondingly replaced when a different type of wetting liquid is replaced; the material of the water absorbing member 11 is also a material that is easy to clean, so that it can be reused.

[0034] In some embodiments, the water-permeable contact member 10 is made of sponge, cotton or absorbent paper, that is, the water-absorbent member 11 is made of sponge, cotton or absorbent paper, which can not only allow the wetting liquid to penetrate and moisten the surface of the oral product 40 in contact with it, but also store the wetting liquid to ensure the uniformity of wetting. In addition, the water-absorbent member 11 made of sponge, cotton or absorbent paper also has good flexibility and can achieve flexible contact with the surface of the oral product 40.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present application, the water absorbing member 11 may be in a rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, or the like, which is convenient for installation and fixation and for contacting with the surface of the oral product 40 .

[0036] In some embodiments, the distance between the two water-absorbing members 11 is smaller than the thickness of the oral product 40. Because the water-absorbing member 11 is a flexible member, the distance between the two relatively disposed water-absorbing members 11 is smaller than the thickness of the oral product 40, and the oral product 40 can be clamped between the water-absorbing members 11 without affecting the movement of the oral product 40, that is, the oral product 40 is clamped between the two relatively disposed water-absorbing members 11 for moving contact, thereby achieving a better wetting effect.

[0037] In addition, in some embodiments, the width of the water absorbent member 11 is greater than or equal to the width of the oral product 40. In the wetting device provided in the embodiment of the present application, the oral product 40 moves between two oppositely arranged water absorbent members 11 along its length direction, and the width of the water absorbent member 11 is set to be greater than or equal to the width of the oral product 40. The oral product 40 only needs to continue to move along its length direction to make the water absorbent member 11 completely contact the surface of the oral product 40, thereby achieving overall wetting of the surface of the oral product 40. Optionally, the width of the water absorbent member 11 can be 5 to 50 mm, for example, it can be one of 5 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 50 mm, or any range value between two of them.

[0038] In addition, in some embodiments, the side area of ​​the water-absorbing member 11 in contact with the oral product 40 is larger than the single-side surface area of ​​the oral product 40. In the embodiment of the present application, when the surface of the oral product 40 is moistened, the oral product 40 is sandwiched between two water-absorbing members 11 in a side contact manner, and the side area of ​​the water-absorbing member 11 in contact with the oral product 40 is set to be larger than the single-side surface area of ​​the oral product 40, so that the water-absorbing member 11 can be in full contact with the surface of the oral product 40, thereby achieving a more complete moistening effect.

[0039] In addition, in some embodiments, the side area of ​​the above-mentioned water-absorbent member 11 in contact with the oral product 40 is greater than or equal to 1.1 times the single-side surface area of ​​the oral product 40, which can ensure that when the oral product 40 is moved or stationary between the two water-absorbent members 11, the surface of the oral product 40 can be completely contacted by the water-absorbent member 11, thereby achieving a better wetting effect.

[0040] In some embodiments, the bracket 30 includes a base 31, a vertical plate 32 and two mounting plates 33. The vertical plate 32 is disposed on the base 31. The two mounting plates 33 are disposed oppositely on the vertical plate 32. A water absorbing member 11 is disposed on opposite sides between the two mounting plates 33.

[0041] The upper base 31 is used to support the entire device, provide stability, and prevent the device from tipping over or moving during operation; the base 31 can be a bottom plate, that is, a flat plate structure, which can provide better bottom support.

[0042] The vertical plate 32 is disposed on the base 31 . The vertical plate 32 can be directly fixed on the base 31 , or can be detachably disposed on the base 31 through a vertical rod 34 , so as to facilitate overall disassembly and replacement.

[0043] Among them, the two mounting plates 33 are relatively arranged on the vertical plate 32, and a water absorbent member 11 is arranged on the opposite sides between the two mounting plates 33, so that the water absorbent members 11 between the two mounting plates 33 are relatively arranged and form a gap for the oral product 40 to move. The oral product 40 can also be clamped between the two water absorbent members 11 by utilizing the supporting function of the mounting plates 33; optionally, the water absorbent member 11 can be fixed to the above-mentioned mounting plates 33 by means of gluing or Velcro adsorption, so as to facilitate quick disassembly and replacement.

[0044] In some embodiments, at least one of the above-mentioned mounting plates 33 is slidably disposed on the vertical plate 32 along the direction in which the absorbent member 11 clamps the oral product 40, and a first locking mechanism (not shown) is disposed on the mounting plate 33, and the first locking mechanism is used to lock the mounting plate 33 on the vertical plate 32. In this embodiment, at least one of the above-mentioned mounting plates 33 is disposed to be movable on the vertical plate 32 along the mounting plate 33 in the direction in which the absorbent member 11 clamps the oral product 40, and a locking mechanism is disposed on the movable mounting plate 33, and the clamping force between the absorbent member 11 can be adjusted by controlling the movement of the mounting plate 33 and utilizing the locking effect of the first locking mechanism to match oral products 40 of different thicknesses.

[0045] Optionally, in some embodiments, the vertical plate 32 is provided with a slide groove 34 extending along the clamping direction of the water-absorbent component 11 for the oral product 40, and at least one of the mounting plates 33 is provided with a protrusion 35 clamped in the slide groove 34, so that the mounting plate 33 is slidably set on the vertical plate 32 along the clamping direction of the water-absorbent component 11 for the oral product 40 by utilizing the cooperation between the protrusion 35 and the slide groove 34, and the clamping force between the water-absorbent components 11 can be adjusted by controlling the movement of the mounting plate 33 along the slide groove 34 and utilizing the locking action of the first locking mechanism to match oral products 40 of different thicknesses.

[0046] Optionally, in some embodiments, the vertical plate 32 is provided with two of the above-mentioned slide grooves 34 parallel to the clamping direction of the water-absorbent part 11 for the oral product 40. Correspondingly, at least one of the above-mentioned mounting plates 33 is provided with two of the above-mentioned protrusions 35, so that the mounting plate 33 is firmly slid onto the vertical plate 32 along the clamping direction of the water-absorbent part 11 for the oral product 40 by utilizing the cooperation of the two protrusions 35 and the slide grooves 34.

[0047] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first locking mechanism may be an adjusting screw, and the vertical plate 32 may be provided with matching holes or teeth, so that the mounting plate 33 may be locked on the vertical plate 32 by embedding the screw in the direction of the hole or the teeth.

[0048] In addition, in some embodiments, the two mounting plates 33 include a first mounting plate 331 and a second mounting plate 332, wherein the first mounting plate 331 is fixedly mounted on the vertical plate 32, and the second mounting plate 332 is slidably mounted on the vertical plate 32 along the clamping direction of the water absorbent member 11 to the oral product 40, and the second mounting plate 332 is provided with a second locking mechanism 36, and the second locking mechanism 36 is used to lock the second vertical plate 32 on the vertical plate 32. In this embodiment, the first mounting plate 331 is fixed on the vertical plate 32, and the second mounting plate 332 is movable on the vertical plate 32 along the mounting plate 33 along the direction in which the water absorbent member 11 clamps the oral product 40, and a locking mechanism is provided on the movable second mounting plate 332, and the clamping force between the water absorbent member 11 can be adjusted by controlling the movement of the second mounting plate 332 and using the second locking mechanism 36 to lock it with the first mounting plate 331, so as to match oral products 40 of different thicknesses.

[0049] Optionally, in some embodiments, the vertical plate 32 is provided with a slide groove 34 extending along the clamping direction of the water absorbent component 11 for the oral product 40, and the second mounting plate 332 is provided with a protrusion 35 clamped in the slide groove 34, so that the second mounting plate 332 is slidably set on the vertical plate 32 along the clamping direction of the water absorbent component 11 for the oral product 40 by utilizing the cooperation between the protrusion 35 and the slide groove 34, and the clamping force between the water absorbent components 11 can be adjusted by controlling the second mounting plate 332 to move along the slide groove 34 and utilizing the locking effect of the second locking mechanism 36 to match oral products 40 of different thicknesses.

[0050] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second locking mechanism 36 is an adjusting screw, and the first mounting plate 331 is provided with matching holes or teeth, so that the mounting plate 33 can be locked on the first mounting plate 331 by embedding the screw into the direction of the hole or the tooth.

[0051] In the embodiment of the present application, the liquid delivery mechanism 20 includes a pumping system 21 and at least two liquid storage tanks 22 arranged on the base 31, and each liquid storage tank 22 is respectively connected to the pumping system 21 through a pipe 50, that is, the liquid storage tank 22, the pumping system 21 and the water absorbent member 11 are connected in sequence through the pipe 50, and the pumping system 21 can be used to extract the wetting liquid from the liquid storage tank 22 and pump the wetting liquid to the water permeable contact member 10, so that the wetting liquid penetrates into the oral product 40 under the action of osmotic pressure.

[0052] In the embodiment of the present application, the liquid storage tank 22 stores a wetting liquid for wetting the surface of the oral product 40 , and the wetting liquid may be a sodium hyaluronate solution, sodium alginate, an ethanol solution or an aqueous solution of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, or the like.

[0053] In some embodiments, different wetting liquids are stored in each liquid storage tank 22 , and can be automatically compounded in the pumping system 21 and then injected into the water absorbing member 11 through a pipeline.

[0054] In some embodiments, each liquid storage tank 22 stores the same wetting liquid to facilitate adding raw materials during production.

[0055] In some embodiments, the pumping system 21 may be a water pump, a micro pump, or the like.

[0056] In some embodiments, the water permeable contact member 10 includes two oppositely disposed water absorbing members 11 , and the pumping system 21 is connected to the pipelines of the water absorbing members 11 through three-way valves 23 , so as to accurately inject the wetting liquid into each water absorbing member 11 .

[0057] In some embodiments, the liquid delivery mechanism 20 further includes a syringe 24, and each of the water-absorbing parts 11 is inserted with a syringe 24, that is, a syringe 24 is arranged at the end of the pipeline, and the pumping system 21 is connected to the water-absorbing part 11 through the syringe 24 via the pipeline, so as to inject the wetting liquid into the water-absorbing part 11.

[0058] In practical applications, the device provided in the embodiment of the present application can be installed above the cutter 60 of the oral product packaging machine to facilitate moistening of the oral product 40 through continuous operation before the oral product 40 is cut.

[0059] By using the device provided in the embodiment of the present application, the adsorption stability of the wetting liquid on the product surface can be effectively improved, and by controlling the formula system, the humidity consistency of the product under various environmental conditions can be ensured; at the same time, by using the device provided in the embodiment of the present application to wet the surface of the oral product 40, the production process can be simplified, the production cost can be reduced, and the production cycle can be shortened, thereby efficiently carrying out large-scale production; in addition, because the distance between the two relative absorbent parts 11 is adjustable, the device provided in the embodiment of the present application can wet the surface of products with personalized shapes and sizes, thereby improving the product customization capability, providing more flexible product design, and meeting the needs of different consumers.

[0060] See also Figure 2 , shows a flow chart of a method for wetting the surface of an oral product provided in an embodiment of the present application, using the wetting device as described above, the method includes steps 102 to 103:

[0061] Step 102: Control the liquid delivery mechanism to inject the wetting liquid into the water-permeable contact member.

[0062] In step 102, the wetting liquid is injected into the water-permeable contact member by starting the feeding mechanism, so that the surface of the water-permeable contact member is wetted, that is, the wetting liquid can be carried.

[0063] Step 103: After the water permeable contact piece is wetted, the oral product to be wetted is controlled to contact the water permeable contact piece, so that the wetting liquid on the water permeable contact piece penetrates into the surface of the oral product under the action of osmotic pressure.

[0064] In step 103, after the water permeable contact piece is moistened, the oral product is controlled to contact the water permeable contact piece. At this time, the surface of the water permeable contact piece is moistened, and the wetting liquid carried on the surface can penetrate into the surface of the oral product under the action of osmotic pressure, and then penetrate into the powder inside, thereby achieving the effect of uniform surface moistening.

[0065] In the wetting method provided in the embodiment of the present application, a water-permeable contact piece is introduced as a carrier of the wetting liquid, and the wetting liquid is delivered to the water-permeable contact piece by a liquid delivery mechanism. Then, the oral product is controlled to contact the water-permeable contact piece. The wetting liquid can be evenly transferred to the surface of the oral product through osmosis, and then penetrate into the interior of the product, thereby achieving a precise wetting effect. This can improve the problem of difficulty in controlling the spraying amount and distribution uniformity in traditional spraying methods, and effectively improve the consistency and quality of the product.

[0066] In one embodiment, the water-permeable contact member includes at least two water-absorbing members disposed opposite to each other, each water-absorbing member is used to contact two surfaces of the same oral product, and a gap adapted to the oral product is provided between the two water-absorbing members disposed opposite to each other;

[0067] Controlling the oral product to be wetted to contact with the water-permeable contact member includes steps 131 to 132:

[0068] Step 131: Determine the wettability achievement rate according to the actual weight gain and the target weight gain of the oral product.

[0069] In step 131, the target weight gain is the wet weight that the oral product needs to achieve. The actual weight gain of the oral product after wetting is obtained through actual weighing test, and the actual weight gain is divided by the target weight gain to determine the actual wetting rate produced by the clamping force of the two absorbent parts currently set relatively to each other on the oral product.

[0070] Step 132: adjusting the distance between two oppositely disposed water absorbing members according to the wetting achievement rate.

[0071] In the step 132, the distance between the two relatively disposed water-absorbing parts is adjusted according to the wetting achievement rate, thereby adjusting the clamping force of the water-absorbing parts on the oral product to achieve the adjustment of the wetting achievement rate; optionally, considering that when the liquid supply rate remains unchanged, the greater the clamping pressure, the higher the wetting achievement rate; then when the wetting achievement rate is lower than the achievement rate threshold, the distance between the two relatively disposed water-absorbing parts is reduced; and when the wetting achievement rate is higher than the achievement rate threshold, the distance between the two relatively disposed water-absorbing parts is increased.

[0072] In this embodiment, the distance between the two relatively arranged water-absorbing members is adjusted according to the actual wetting achievement rate of the oral product, so that the oral product can be accurately and stably adjusted to a wetting state corresponding to the target weight gain.

[0073] In one embodiment, before controlling the liquid delivery mechanism to inject the wetting liquid into the water-permeable contact member, the method further includes step 101:

[0074] Step 101, setting pumping parameters of a liquid delivery mechanism, wherein the pumping parameters include a first pumping flow rate, a target duration, and a second pumping flow rate;

[0075] Step 102 specifically includes:

[0076] The liquid delivery mechanism is controlled to inject the wetting liquid into the water permeable contact member at the first pumping flow rate for a target period of time, and then the liquid delivery mechanism is controlled to inject the wetting liquid into the water permeable contact member at the second pumping flow rate.

[0077] In the above step 101, before starting the wetting device, the pumping flow rate and duration of the water-permeable contact piece for wetting the water-permeable contact piece or pumping the wetting liquid to the initial state are pre-set as the above-mentioned first pumping flow rate and target duration, and the pumping flow rate for continuously penetrating the wetting liquid through the water-permeable contact piece into the oral product is set as the above-mentioned second pumping flow rate.

[0078] In the above step 102, the liquid delivery mechanism is controlled to inject the wetting liquid into the water permeable contact piece at the above first pumping flow rate and continue for the target time, thereby completing the initial wetting state of the water permeable contact piece, and then the wetting liquid is pumped to the water permeable contact piece at the second pumping flow rate and penetrates into the surface of the oral product in contact with the water permeable contact piece, and then penetrates into the powder inside it, achieving the effect of uniform surface wetting.

[0079] In one embodiment, the above step 101 includes steps 111 to 112:

[0080] Step 111: Determine the first pumping flow rate according to the total volume, saturated water absorption rate and target time of the water absorbent, wherein the first pumping flow rate can wet the water absorbent within the target time.

[0081] In step 111, the saturated water absorption rate refers to the maximum liquid volume that the absorbent member can absorb per unit volume, and the target time is the time required to completely wet the absorbent member. The total amount of wetting liquid that the absorbent member can absorb is determined by multiplying the total volume of each absorbent member by the saturated water absorption rate, and the amount of wetting liquid that needs to be pumped to the water-permeable contact member per unit time can be determined by dividing the total amount of wetting liquid by the target time, so that when the pumping system in the liquid delivery structure pumps the wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact member at the first pumping flow rate, each absorbent member can be completely wetted within the target time.

[0082] Step 112, determining the second pumping flow rate according to the production speed of the oral product, the target weight gain, the wetting efficiency and the density of the wetting liquid, wherein the second pumping flow rate can wet the oral product according to the target weight gain.

[0083] In step 112, the production speed refers to the number of oral products produced per unit time (for example, per minute), the target weight gain refers to the increased weight of each oral product that needs to be moistened, and the wetting efficiency refers to the proportion of the wetting liquid pumped out by the current wetting device used for wetting; the total weight gain that needs to be moistened per unit time can be determined by multiplying the production speed of the oral products by the target weight gain, and the amount of wetting liquid that needs to be pumped out by the liquid delivery mechanism per unit time can be determined by dividing the total weight gain by the wetting efficiency and the density of the wetting liquid, that is, the above-mentioned second pumping flow rate, so that the wetting liquid pumped to the water-absorbing component can just moisten the oral product to the target weight gain state.

[0084] In this embodiment, a first pumping flow rate that can wet each water-absorbing member in the water-permeable contact member from an initial state to complete wetting within a target time length, and a second pumping flow rate that can wet the oral product according to a target weight gain are predetermined, and then the pumping parameters of the liquid delivery mechanism are set so that the liquid delivery mechanism is controlled to inject the wetting liquid into the water-permeable contact member at the above-mentioned first pumping flow rate for a target time length, thereby completing the wetting of the water-permeable contact member from an initialization state to a complete wetting state, and then the wetting liquid is pumped to the water-permeable contact member at the second pumping flow rate, which can match the production speed of the oral product and penetrate into the surface of the oral product in contact with the water-permeable contact member, and then penetrate into the powder inside it, to achieve the effect of uniform surface wetting.

[0085] See also Figure 3 , showing the operating process of the oral product surface wetting device provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0086] like Figure 3 As shown, in step 201, the device is started and the status of the device is checked to ensure that all components are in normal working condition;

[0087] In step 202, the required surface wetting liquid and water absorbent are placed in the device for subsequent production use;

[0088] In step 203, according to production requirements, the parameters of the pumping system are set to ensure that the absorbent can be fully wetted in the initial state and to maintain stable production wetting and liquid injection. The main parameters include the absorbent wetting flow rate (first pumping flow rate), the absorbent wetting time (target duration), and the surface wetting liquid supply flow rate (second pumping flow rate) during the production process.

[0089] In step 204, according to the formulation design requirements, the surface wetting liquid is automatically premixed in the pumping system, or a single surface wetting liquid can be used for wetting. This function can be electronically controlled by the pumping system.

[0090] In step 205, the pumping system is started to inject the surface wetting liquid into the absorbent through the pipeline, so that the absorbent is in a completely wet state, and after the absorbent absorbs the surface wetting liquid, it is brought into contact with the surface of the oral product to wet the surface.

[0091] In step 206, the pressure of the water absorbent is adjusted to control the wetting rate, so as to ensure that the oral product is clamped by the water absorbent and maintain a constant liquid supply rate; wherein, the greater the clamping pressure of the water absorbent on the oral product, the higher the wetting rate, and the wetting rate can be determined by the ratio of the actual weight gain measured on site to the target weight gain;

[0092] In step 207, the continuous production mode is started, and the oral product is transferred between the water-absorbing parts through the production device. Under the action of osmotic pressure, the surface wetting liquid in the water-absorbing parts gradually penetrates into the surface non-woven fabric of the oral product and penetrates into the powder, thereby completing the surface wetting of the oral product.

[0093] In step 208, after the target production batch of oral products is wetted, the absorbent parts, pumping system and other components are cleaned to ensure that there is no cross contamination when changing different types of surface wetting agents, thereby ensuring the quality of subsequent products;

[0094] In step 209, after the entire production process is completed, the device is turned off, the production parameters and data records are saved, and the operation process ends.

[0095] In the above step 203, the calculation process of the wetting flow rate of the water absorbing member is as follows:

[0096] (1) The amount of liquid absorbed is determined based on the volume and water absorption rate of the absorbent, which can be calculated using the following formula (1):

[0097]

[0098] Wherein, Q is the total liquid absorption capacity of the absorbent, V is the volume of the absorbent (mL), and K1 is the saturated water absorption rate of the absorbent (%).

[0099] (2) According to the wetting time of the water-absorbing member and the above-mentioned amount of liquid absorbed, the required injection flow rate F1 is determined, which can be specifically calculated according to the following formula (2):

[0100]

[0101] Where F1 is the required injection flow rate (mL / min), Q is the required liquid volume (mL), and N is the time required for wetting (min).

[0102] For example, assuming that the size of the absorbent is 100 mm×50 mm×10 mm, the maximum water absorption rate is 30%, and a single absorbent needs to be completely wetted within 5 minutes, the flow rate F1 required for injection is:

[0103]

[0104] In the above step 203, the calculation process of the liquid supply flow rate F2 for surface wetting during the production process is as follows:

[0105] (1) Calculate the liquid flow rate □2: The liquid flow rate is equal to the total amount of liquid required (to wet □ snus per minute):

[0106]

[0107] Where n is the production speed (PCS / min), that is, the number of oral products produced per minute;

[0108] g is the additional weight of each oral product that needs to be wetted (unit: g);

[0109] ρ is the density of the surface wetting fluid (unit: g / ml);

[0110] F2 is the liquid flow rate (unit: ml / min);

[0111] K2 is the wetting efficiency.

[0112] For example, assuming that 30 oral products are produced per minute, each oral product needs to be moistened to increase the weight by 0.05 g, the moistening efficiency is 60%, and the density of a 10% sodium hyaluronate aqueous solution is ρ=1.05 g / ml, then substitute into the above formula (3) to calculate:

[0113]

[0114] For example, in the embodiments of the present application, the configuration and flow rate of the wetting liquid are shown in Table 1.

[0115] Table 1

[0116]

[0117] The present application is described in detail below through examples.

[0118] Example 1

[0119] The wetting device provided in the embodiment of the present application is used to wet the surface of 30 PCS of snus with an aqueous solution of sodium hyaluronate having a mass percentage of 10%;

[0120] The absorbent is made of sponge, with a length of 100 mm, a width of 50 mm, a thickness of 10 mm, a saturated water absorption rate of 30%, and a density of 35 kg / m 3 The base weight of the oral tobacco before wetting is 0.5 g / PCS, the target weight after wetting is 0.6 g / PCS, the wetting efficiency is adjusted to 60%, the wetting time is controlled to 5 min, the wetting flow rate of the absorbent is 6 mL / min, and the flow rate of the wetting agent wetting the absorbent is 4.76 mL / min.

[0121] The final wet weight and moisture content of the 30 PCS samples are shown in Table 2.

[0122] Table 2

[0123]

[0124]

[0125] Example 2

[0126] The wetting device provided in the embodiment of the present application is used to wet the surface of 30 PCS of snus with an ethanol solution of sodium alginate having a mass percentage of 6.25%;

[0127] The absorbent is made of sponge, with a length of 100 mm, a width of 50 mm, a thickness of 10 mm, a saturated water absorption rate of 30%, and a density of 35 kg / m 3 The base weight of the oral tobacco before wetting is 0.5 g / PCS, the target weight after wetting is 0.6 g / PCS, the wetting efficiency is adjusted to 60%, the wetting time is controlled to 5 min, the wetting flow rate of the absorbent is 6 mL / min, and the flow rate of the wetting agent wetting the absorbent is 4.85 mL / min.

[0128] The final wet weight and ethanol content of the 30 PCS sample are shown in Table 3.

[0129] Table 3

[0130]

[0131]

[0132] Comparative Example 1

[0133] The conventional direct spraying method was used to wet the surface of 30 PCS of snus with a 10% by mass aqueous solution of sodium hyaluronate.

[0134] The final wet weight and moisture content of the 30 PCS samples are shown in Table 4.

[0135] Table 4

[0136]

[0137]

[0138] Comparative Example 2

[0139] The conventional direct spraying method was used to wet the surface of 30 PCS of snus with an ethanol solution of sodium alginate with a mass percentage of 6.25%.

[0140] The final wet weight and moisture content of the 30 PCS samples are shown in Table 5.

[0141] Table 5

[0142]

[0143]

[0144] Comparing Table 2 with Table 4, it can be seen that when the wetting device provided in the present application is used to wet the surface of the oral cigarette with the sodium hyaluronate aqueous solution, the standard deviation of the final wetting weight and moisture content of the sample is significantly reduced compared with the traditional direct spraying surface treatment liquid process, and the production is more stable.

[0145] Comparing Table 3 with Table 5, it can be seen that when the wetting device provided in the present application is used to wet the surface of the oral cigarette with the sodium alginate ethanol solution, the standard deviation of the final wetting weight and ethanol content of the sample is significantly reduced compared with the traditional direct spraying surface treatment liquid process, and the production is more stable.

[0146] The present application discloses a device for wetting the surface of an oral product and a method for wetting the surface of an oral product. In an embodiment of the present application, the device for wetting the surface of an oral product includes a water-permeable contact piece, a liquid delivery mechanism and a bracket. The water-permeable contact piece is arranged on the bracket. The water-permeable contact piece is used to contact the oral product to be wetted. The liquid delivery mechanism is connected to the water-permeable contact piece pipeline and is used to pump wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact piece to wet the surface of the oral product through the water-permeable contact piece. The water-permeable contact piece is introduced as a carrier of the wetting liquid. The water-permeable contact piece can evenly transfer the wetting liquid to the surface of the oral product through osmosis, and then penetrate into the interior of the product to achieve a precise wetting effect, which can improve the problem of difficulty in controlling the spraying amount and distribution uniformity in the traditional spraying method, and effectively improve the consistency and quality of the product.

[0147] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0148] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present application, and that the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device for wetting the surface of an oral product, characterized in that: It includes a water-permeable contact piece, a liquid delivery mechanism and a bracket; the water-permeable contact piece is arranged on the bracket, and the water-permeable contact piece is used to contact the oral product to be moistened; the liquid delivery mechanism is connected to the water-permeable contact piece pipeline, and is used to pump wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact piece to moisten the surface of the oral product through the water-permeable contact piece.

2. The wetting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water-permeable contact member includes at least two water-absorbing members arranged opposite to each other, each of the water-absorbing members is used to contact two surfaces of the same oral product, and there is a gap between the two water-absorbing members arranged opposite to each other that is adapted to the oral product.

3. The wetting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The distance between the two water-absorbing members is smaller than the thickness of the oral product; and / or, The width of the absorbent member is greater than or equal to the width of the oral product; and / or, The side area of ​​the absorbent member in contact with the oral product is larger than the single-side surface area of ​​the oral product.

4. The wetting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bracket comprises a base, a vertical plate and two mounting plates, the vertical plate is arranged on the base, the two mounting plates are arranged oppositely on the vertical plate, and one water absorbing member is arranged on the opposite side surfaces between the two mounting plates.

5. The wetting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: At least one of the mounting plates is slidably arranged on the vertical plate along the clamping direction of the absorbent component for the oral product, and a first locking mechanism is arranged on the mounting plate, and the first locking mechanism is used to lock the mounting plate on the vertical plate.

6. The wetting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The two mounting plates include a first mounting plate and a second mounting plate, the first mounting plate is fixedly arranged on the vertical plate, the second mounting plate is slidably arranged on the vertical plate along the clamping direction of the water absorbent component on the oral product, and a second locking mechanism is arranged on the second mounting plate, and the second locking mechanism is used to lock the second vertical plate on the first mounting plate.

7. The wetting device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The vertical plate is provided with a slide groove extending along the clamping direction of the water absorbent member on the oral product, and the mounting plate is provided with a protrusion clamped in the slide groove.

8. The wetting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The liquid delivery mechanism comprises a pumping system and at least two liquid storage tanks arranged on the base, and each of the liquid storage tanks is connected to the pumping system through a pipeline.

9. A method for wetting the surface of an oral product, characterized in that: Using the wetting device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the method comprises: Controlling the liquid delivery mechanism to inject the wetting liquid into the water-permeable contact member; After the water-permeable contact member is wetted, the oral product to be wetted is controlled to contact the water-permeable contact member, so that the wetting liquid on the water-permeable contact member penetrates into the surface of the oral product under the action of osmotic pressure.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The water-permeable contact member includes at least two water-absorbing members arranged opposite to each other, each of the water-absorbing members is used to contact two surfaces of the same oral product, and there is a gap between the two water-absorbing members arranged opposite to each other that is adapted to the oral product; Controlling the oral product to be wetted to contact with the water-permeable contact member comprises: Determining a wetting achievement rate according to the actual weight gain and the target weight gain of the oral product; According to the wetting achievement rate, the distance between the two water absorbing members arranged opposite to each other is adjusted.

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