Flavor inhalation article and filter segment for flavor inhalation article

Abstract

A flavor inhaling article according to one aspect of the present invention has: a flavor generating segment; and a filter section provided on a downstream side of the flavor generating section. The filter segment comprises: a filter material; and a wrap wrapped around an exterior of the filter material to form the filter segment into a rod. The filter material is formed from a sheet material that includes a perforated region that is partially perforated, and a non-perforated region that is not perforated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flavored inhalation article and a filter segment for a flavored inhalation article. Background Art

[0002] For example, a filter segment for a flavored inhalation article is formed to adjust the filtering performance, such as the amount of fluid filtered from a flavor generating segment through the filter segment to a user. In this case, the filter segment adjusts the amount of fluid filtered, etc., by means of an arrangement including a plurality of filter materials having different capabilities. For example, these filter materials are joined along the flow direction of the fluid.

[0003] Citation List

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] PTL 1: WO 2019 / 106625 A1

[0006] PTL 2: WO 2021 / 246310 A1 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical Problem

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a flavored inhalation article and a filter segment for a flavored inhalation article, which can adjust the amount of fluid filtered, etc., by means of regions having different capabilities formed from a single member.

[0009] Solution to the Problem

[0010] A flavored inhalation article according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a flavor generating segment; and a filter segment provided on the downstream side of the flavor generating segment. The filter segment includes: a filter material; and a wrapper that wraps the outer side of the filter material to form the filter segment into a rod. The filter material is formed from a sheet member including: a partially perforated perforated region and an unperforated non-perforated region. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic view showing a flavored inhalation article according to a first embodiment.

[0012] Figure 2 is a schematic view showing a part of a sheet material for forming a filter assembly (rod assembly) that forms Figure 1 the basis of the filter segment (rod segment) of the flavored inhalation article shown in

[0013] Figure 3 : Figure 3 The picture on the left hand side is from being used as, for exampleFigure 1 as seen from the side of the filter material non-porous area of the mouthpiece end (rear end face) of the mouthpiece section of the flavor inhalation article shown in Figure 3 The picture on the right hand side is seen from the side of the perforated area of the filter material that serves as the tip end face of the mouthpiece section for example.

[0014] Figure 4 is a schematic view showing a production apparatus for producing a filter assembly that forms the basis of the mouthpiece section of a flavor inhalation article according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 5A is a schematic view showing the state where a sheet material is disposed between the crimping rollers of the crimping unit (coiling unit) of the production apparatus shown in Figure 4

[0016] Figure 5B is a schematic view showing a state where the distance between the rotational axes of the crimping rollers of the crimping unit has been narrowed compared to the state shown in Figure 5A

[0017] Figure 6A is a schematic view showing Figure 4 a schematic perspective view of the upper and lower rollers of the stamping unit of the production apparatus shown in

[0018] Figure 6B is a schematic view showing a flexible sheet magnetically attached to Figure 6A the upper side roller of the stamping unit shown in

[0019] Figure 6C is a schematic cross-sectional view along line 6C - 6C shown in Figure 6B

[0020] Figure 7 is a schematic view showing Figure 4 a different example of the upper and lower rollers of the stamping unit of the production apparatus shown in Figure 6A

[0021] Figure 8 is Figure 4 a schematic block diagram of the optical inspection device of the production apparatus shown in

[0022] Figure 9 is a schematic view showing the state of the filter assembly when optical transmission has been inspected by the optical inspection device shown in Figure 8

[0023] Figure 10 is a schematic view showing a section of a sheet material for producing a flavor inhalation article according to a first variant example of the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 11 FIG. is a schematic view showing a section of a sheet material for producing a flavored inhalation article according to a second variant example of the first embodiment.

[0025] Figure 12 FIG. is a schematic view showing a flavored inhalation article according to a third variant example of the first embodiment.

[0026] Figure 13A FIG. is a schematic view showing a flavored inhalation article according to a fourth variant example of the first embodiment.

[0027] Figure 13B FIG. is a schematic view showing a flavored inhalation article according to a further variant example of the fourth variant example of the first embodiment.

[0028] Figure 14 FIG. is a schematic view showing a part of a sheet material for forming a filter segment of the flavored inhalation article shown in Figure 1 according to a fifth variant example of the first embodiment, the part being for forming a filter assembly having properties different from those of the sheet material shown in Figure 2

[0029] Figure 15A FIG. is a schematic view showing a flavored inhalation article according to the second embodiment.

[0030] Figure 15B FIG. is a schematic view showing a state in which a first additive (liquid) has been added (applied) to a predetermined area of a sheet material forming a filter segment of a flavored inhalation article according to the second embodiment.

[0031] Figure 16 FIG. is a schematic view showing a state in which a first additive (liquid) and / or a second additive (liquid) has been added (applied) to a predetermined area of a sheet material forming a filter segment of a flavored inhalation article according to the second embodiment.

[0032] Figure 17 FIG. is a schematic view showing a flavored inhalation article according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] (First Embodiment)

[0035] The first embodiment will be described with the aid of Figures 1 to 9

[0036] As Figure 1As shown in FIG. 0, the flavor inhalation article 10 includes: a flavor generating section (stem section) 12; a mouthpiece section (stem section) 14 disposed on the downstream side of the flavor generating section 12; and a tipping paper 16 that joins the flavor generating section 12 and the mouthpiece section 14.

[0037] The flavor generating section 12 and the mouthpiece section 14 are preferably each formed as a stem having a substantially cylindrical shape (substantially circular cross-section). That is, the flavor generating section 12 and the mouthpiece section 14 each constitute a stem or a stem section. It should be noted that the filter section 20, the tip plug 42, the flavor generating portion 44, etc., which will be described later, also constitute a stem or a stem section.

[0038] The flavor inhalation article 10 can be a heat-not-burn product that heats the aerosol generating section 12 without burning it, or can be a combustible product that burns the flavor generating section 12. In addition, the flavor inhalation article 10 can also be a non-heating and non-combustible product.

[0039] The flavor generating section 12 is formed as a cylindrical stem obtained by wrapping an appropriate filling material with a wrapper. Various types of filling materials can be used.

[0040] For example, shredded tobacco or tobacco sheet materials, etc., can be used as the filling material in the heat-not-burn flavor generating section 12. Specifically, the wrapper can be filled with shredded tobacco obtained by cutting dried tobacco leaves to a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm. In addition, the sheet material can be formed by grinding dried tobacco leaves to an average particle size of about 20 µm to 200 µm and then homogenizing the ground tobacco, and the wrapper can be filled with shredded pieces of the homogenized sheet having a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm. The wrapper can also be filled with sheet materials that have been pleated, folded, or rolled instead of shredded. The wrapper can also be filled with sheet materials that have been shredded into short strip shapes (shredded concentrically or such that the longitudinal direction of the short strips is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the stem of the flavor generating section 12). The flavor generating section 12 can generate an aerosol when it is heated. An aerosol source (such as glycerol, propylene glycol, or 1,3-butanediol) is preferably added as part of the filling material to facilitate aerosol generation. The amount of the added aerosol source is preferably 5 wt% to 50 wt%, and more preferably 10 wt% to 30 wt% relative to the dry weight of the filling material. The aerosol generating section 12 can further include a flavorant, such as menthol.

[0041] Filling materials similar to the heat-not-burn flavor generating section 12, such as shredded tobacco or tobacco sheet materials, etc., can be used as the filling materials for the combustible flavor generating section 12. Specifically, the wrapper can be filled with shredded tobacco obtained by cutting dry tobacco leaves to a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm. In addition, sheet materials can be formed by grinding dry tobacco leaves to an average particle size of about 20 µm to 200 µm and then homogenizing the ground tobacco, and the wrapper can be filled with shredded pieces of the homogenized sheet having a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm. The wrapper can also be filled with sheet materials that have been pleated, folded, or rolled rather than shredded. The wrapper can also be filled with sheet materials that have been shredded into short strip shapes (either concentrically or such that the longitudinal direction of the short strips is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tobacco rod).

[0042] The length of the rod of the flavor generating section 12 can be set as appropriate. For example, the length of the rod of the flavor generating section 12 is preferably 15 mm to 70 mm. The diameter of the rod of the flavor generating section 12 is substantially constant from the tip end face (the end face of the flavor generating section 12 on the side opposite to the mouthpiece end 14b) 12a to the rear end face 12b, and can be set as appropriate. For example, the diameter of the rod of the flavor generating section 12 is preferably 4 mm to 10 mm, and more preferably 6 mm to 8 mm.

[0043] In this embodiment, the mouthpiece section 14 includes a filter section (rod section) 20. For example, the sheet material 30 for the filter section 20 can be made of materials such as paper materials, non-woven fabrics, or resin materials, which are processed into a cylindrical shape in this embodiment. The filter section 20 has functions such as regulating the amount of air mixed when the user inhales an aerosol, etc., and also weakening the flavor and weakening nicotine and tar, etc. The filter section 20 does not need to have all of these functions. In addition, in the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 10 (which generates fewer flavor components and tends to have a lower filling rate of tobacco filling materials compared to the combustible flavor inhalation article 10), the filter section 20 can demonstrate the following functions: preventing the tobacco filling materials from falling out while controlling the filtering function.

[0044] It should be noted that the mouthpiece section 14 can have a cooling section 46 when formed as part of the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 10. This will be described later in the second variant example of the second embodiment (see Figure 17 )). That is, this embodiment describes the case where the mouthpiece section 14 and the filter section 20 constitute the same component.

[0045] For example, the length of the stem of the mouthpiece section 14 is preferably from 10 mm to 50 mm, and more preferably from about 25 mm to 30 mm. For example, the diameter of the stem of the mouthpiece section 14 is substantially constant from the tip end face 14a to the rear end face (mouthpiece end) 14b, and is preferably from 4 mm to 10 mm, and more preferably from 6 mm to 8 mm.

[0046] The flavor generating section 12 and the mouthpiece section 14 have the same diameter or substantially the same diameter, and in the case where the rear end face 12b of the flavor generating section 12 and the tip end face 14a of the mouthpiece section 14 are placed in contact with each other, the tipping paper 16 is wrapped around the outer circumference including the rear end face 12b of the flavor generating section 12 and the tip end face 14a of the mouthpiece section 14. Thus, the flavor inhalation article 10 is formed, in which the stem of the flavor generating section 12 and the stem of the mouthpiece section 14 are axially aligned.

[0047] The filter section 20 includes: a filter material 22; and a wrapper (tipping paper) 24 that wraps the outer side of the filter material 22 to form the filter section 20 into a stem.

[0048] The filter material 22 of the filter section 20 is formed by processing Figure 2 the sheet material 30 shown in FIG., which has a partially perforated perforated region (first section) 32 and an unperforated non-perforated region (second section) 34. The perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 are arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the sheet material 30. The filter material 22 of the filter section 20 is formed by processing a section S of the sheet material 30 that includes the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 (to be described later).

[0049] The filter section 20 is formed from a filter assembly (stem assembly) 18 by means of a stem production device 50 to be described later, and the filter assembly (stem assembly) is, for example, four or six times the length of the actually used filter section 20. Then, the filter section 20 is formed by cutting the filter assembly 18 to a predetermined length at a predetermined position. That is, for example, the filter section 20 is formed by two-stage cutting. The first stage constitutes the following steps: cutting the filter assembly 18 (which is obtained by curling the continuous sheet material 30 and wrapping the sheet material 30 with the wrapper 24) to four or six times the length of the filter section 20 that is actually used as a part of the flavor inhalation article 10. The second stage constitutes the following steps: cutting the filter section 20 that is four to six times the desired length to the length of the filter section 20 that is actually used as a part of the flavor inhalation article 10. Thus, four or six filter sections 20 can be formed from the filter assembly 18 by cutting the filter assembly 18 in the second stage. The cutting of the filter assembly 18 in the second stage can be performed by making incisions multiple times.

[0050] It should be noted that Figure 2 defines an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The direction along the X-axis is the axial direction of the sheet material 30 (the longitudinal direction before cutting), and is the conveying direction. The direction along the Y-axis is the width direction of the sheet material 30. The direction along the Z-axis is the thickness direction of the sheet material 30.

[0051] As described above, the filter material 22 is formed by processing Figure 2 the sheet material 30 shown in. For example, the filter material 22 is formed by processing a paper sheet material, a non-woven fabric sheet material, or a resin sheet material 30. This embodiment describes an example in which the filter material 22 is formed from a paper sheet material 30, that is, an example of a paper filter. For example, the paper sheet material 30 is paper obtained by papermaking with wood pulp. A paper filter is obtained by using the paper sheet material 30 as the filter material 22 and wrapping the outer side of the filter material 22 with a wrapper 24 so as to form a rod shape, thereby manufacturing a biodegradable filter excellent in biodegradability.

[0052] For example, the width of the sheet material 30 in the width direction is formed to an appropriate size, such as 150 mm to 250 mm. This width is adjusted according to the thickness of the sheet material 30 or the diameter of the filter segment 20 produced, etc. In addition, when a tobacco sheet material or a cooling sheet material is used as the sheet material 30, as will be described later, the material, the width in the width direction, and the thickness are adjusted according to its function.

[0053] As Figure 2 shown in, the perforated regions 32 and the non-perforated regions 34 are alternately (i.e., repeatedly) formed along the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30. The sheet material 30 is formed by repeating segments S, each of which constitutes a group including a perforated region 32 and a non-perforated region 34 adjacent to the perforated region 32. The longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30 is the direction along which the perforated regions 32 and the non-perforated regions 34 are arranged adjacent to each other. The width direction of the sheet material 30 is the direction intersecting the direction along which the perforated regions 32 and the non-perforated regions 34 are arranged adjacent to each other, and is preferably the direction orthogonal thereto. In addition, for example, the length of the rod of the filter segment 20 is formed as the length of one segment S of the sheet material 30 combining a perforated region 32 and a non-perforated region 34.

[0054] The non-perforated region 34 of the sheet material 30 is formed as a closed region (zone) in which there are no holes penetrating in the Z-axis direction at any position in the region defined by the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the sheet material 30.

[0055] A plurality of openings (opening edges) 33 penetrating in the Z-axis direction are formed in the perforated region 32 of the sheet material 30. A plurality of openings 33 having the same shape are formed at intervals in the width direction in each perforated region 32. In this embodiment, the plurality of openings 33 are formed at equal intervals in the width direction as substantially rectangular holes having the same shape and the same size. In addition to the substantially rectangular shape, the openings 33 are formed in appropriate shapes, such as substantially polygonal shapes, substantially circular shapes, or substantially elliptical shapes. Preferably, the edge portions of the plurality of openings 33 have no corners.

[0056] It should be noted that a part of the opening 33 may be formed at both ends of the sheet material 30 in the width direction, but the opening 33 is preferably not formed at both ends of the sheet material 30 in the width direction so as to prevent jamming on, for example, the bundling guide 74 of the rod production device 50 (see Figure 4 ).

[0057] The sheet material 30 can be perforated by the perforated region 32 within any perforation range (the region inside the opening 33). However, if there is excessive perforation, when the sheet material 30 is formed into the rod of the filter tip section 20, there is less filter material (solid part), and the hardness of the rod of the filter tip section 20 also decreases. When there is less filter material (solid part), the strength of the rod of the filter tip section 20 decreases, resulting in a possible reduction in production suitability during production.

[0058] The range in which the sheet material 30 is perforated by the perforated region 32 is suitably, for example, about 5% to 70% of the area of the region defined by the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the sheet material 30, and preferably about 10% to 50%. The lower limit of the range of the perforated region 32 (whether the perforated region 32 leaves a large area of solid part of the sheet material 30) can vary depending on how low the filtration property is required by the manufacturer of the filter tip section 20. The upper limit of the range of the perforated region 32 (whether the perforated region 32 leaves a small area of solid part of the sheet material 30) can vary depending on the hardness of the filter tip section 20 required by the manufacturer of the filter tip section 20 and also the production suitability.

[0059] The length ratio of the non-perforated region 34 and the perforated region 32 in the longitudinal direction of the rod of the filter tip section 20 is appropriately adjusted within the range of 1:5 to 5:1, or within the range of 2:3 to 3:2, etc. The non-perforated region 34 and the perforated region 32 may have a length ratio of 1:1, that is, they may have the same length. The length ratio of the non-perforated region 34 and the perforated region 32 can be appropriately set by the manufacturer of the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0060] Examples of a production apparatus 50 for producing the filter segment 20 and a production method using the production apparatus 50 will be described later.

[0061] A segment S of the sheet material 30 forms the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20. For example, a segment S of the sheet material 30 is pleated in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material such that the longitudinal direction of the rod of the filter segment 20 follows the direction along which the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 are arranged adjacent to each other, a wrinkling process (curling) (e.g., folding) is performed, and a cylindrical rod is formed from the filter material 22. That is, a large number of lines are formed along the X-axis direction, and these lines are formed as mountain folds and valley folds, whereby the width of a segment S of the sheet material 30 in the width direction is reduced while maintaining the longitudinal length of the segment S, and a cylindrical rod is formed from the filter material 22. Then, the outer circumference of the cylindrical filter material 22 is wrapped with a wrapper 24, and the filter segment 20 is thus formed as a cylindrical rod or a rod segment.

[0062] Figure 3 The picture on the left hand side shows an end face of the filter segment 20 as seen from the non-perforated region 34 side of the filter material 22, and Figure 3 the picture on the right hand side shows an end face of the filter segment 20 as seen from the perforated region 32 side of the filter material 20. In Figure 3 the end face on the non-perforated region 34 side of the filter material 22 shown in the picture on the left hand side has fewer "voids", i.e., fewer holes, than Figure 3 the end face on the perforated region 32 side of the filter material 22 shown in the picture on the right hand side. Accordingly, the perforated region 32 is formed as a region of low air flow resistance along the axial direction of the rod of the filter segment 20, in which the density of the filter material 22 is lower than that in the non-perforated region 34. In other words, the non-perforated region 34 is formed as a region of high air flow resistance along the axial direction of the rod of the filter segment 20, in which the density of the filter material 22 is higher than that in the perforated region 32. The perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 are thus arranged adjacent to each other along the axial direction of the rod of the filter segment 20, whereby a region of relatively low air flow resistance and a region of relatively high air flow resistance are formed from the filter material 22 of a segment S of one sheet material 30. Accordingly, the outer circumference of the sheet material 30 can be wrapped with a wrapper 24 so as to maintain the shape of the rod of the filter segment 20, while regions having various (e.g., two) different filtering capabilities and the like are formed along the axial direction of the rod of the filter segment 20 by means of one filter material 22. When forming the rod of the filter segment 20, it is thus possible to omit the operation of connecting a plurality (e.g., two) of filter segments wrapped with corresponding wrapper papers so as to form regions having different filtering capabilities, and it is also possible to omit the production operation of wrapping the outer circumferences of a plurality of filter segments with a wrapper (wrapper paper).

[0063] In this embodiment, the mouthpiece end 14b of the flavor inhalation article 10 is then preferably formed by the non-porous region 34 of the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 ( Figure 3 the picture on the left hand side). That is to say, the perforated region 32 is arranged on the upstream side (the flavor generating segment 12 side) of the non-porous region 34 along the axial direction of the filter segment (rod) 20. Therefore, the non-porous region 34 (i.e., the high filtration region) is arranged at the position including the mouthpiece end 14b of the filter segment 20, and the perforated region 32 is arranged at a position away from the mouthpiece end 14b toward the flavor generating segment 12 side. Therefore, it is possible to form fewer "voids" (i.e., holes) on the mouthpiece end 14b side of the filter segment 20, so that it is possible to improve the appearance when the user looks at the mouthpiece end 14b of the mouthpiece segment 14 of the flavor inhalation article 10. In addition, the air flow resistance at the position along the longitudinal direction of the filter segment 20 can be adjusted by a member (the filter material 22 of a segment S of the sheet material 30), and due to the presence of the perforated region 32, a region with low air flow resistance can be formed. Therefore, this embodiment makes it possible to provide a flavor inhalation article 10 equipped with such a filter segment 20.

[0064] The air flow resistance of the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 depends not only on the selection of the sheet material 30, but also on, for example, setting the crimping depth (see Figure 5A and Figure 5B ), which is provided by a pair of crimping rollers 64a, 64b of the crimping unit (curling unit) 64 of the production device 50 (see Figure 4 ) to be described later.

[0065] The air flow resistance difference per 1 mm rod of the filter segment 20 between the first segment (perforated region) 32 and the second segment (non-porous region) 34 is suitably 0.5 mmH2O / mm to 10 mmH2O / mm, and preferably 1 mmH2O / mm to 5 mmH2O / mm.

[0066] Any wrapper can be used for the wrapper 24. A wrapper with a larger basis weight (thick paper) can be used in order to maintain the appropriate hardness of the filter segment 20. The basis weight of the wrapper 24 is suitably 30 gsm or more, preferably 50 gsm, and more suitably 100 gsm or less. The tipping paper 16 can be thickened in order to maintain the hardness of the filter segment 20 of the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0067] The production device 50 for producing such a filter segment 20 will be described below with the aid of Figures 4 to 8 .

[0068] In Figure 4 in the same way as for Figure 2The XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is defined in the same manner as the sheet material 30 shown. Note that the X-axis direction is the direction along which the sheet material 30 is conveyed from a feeding unit 62, which will be described later, toward a cutting unit 58.

[0069] As Figure 4 As shown, a production apparatus 50 for producing a rod for a flavor inhalation article 10 includes: a supply unit 52 for supplying a sheet material 30, a processing unit 54 for processing the sheet material 30, a rod forming unit (rod winding unit) 56, a rod cutting unit 58, and a rod optical inspection device (inspection unit) 60. The supply unit 52, the processing unit 54, the rod forming unit 56, the rod cutting unit 58, and the optical inspection device 60 are controlled by a control unit (not depicted). Further, a control device for controlling the production apparatus 50 preferably performs appropriate control, such as feedback control of, for example, the supply unit 52, the processing unit 54, the rod forming unit 56, and the rod cutting unit 58, based on information from a control unit 60c (to be described later) of the optical inspection device 60. Further, the control device for controlling the production apparatus 50 also preferably controls at least one of the following based on information from the control unit 60c (to be described later) of the optical inspection device 60, such as: supply of the sheet material 30 by the supply unit 52, curling of the sheet material 30 by a wrinkling unit (curling unit) 64 (to be described later) of the processing unit 54, punching of the sheet material 30 by a punching unit 66 (to be described later), rod formation by the rod forming unit 56, and rod cutting by the rod cutting unit 58.

[0070] The supply unit 52 supplies a non-porous sheet material 30 or a sheet material 30 pre-formed with a perforated area 32 and a non-perforated area 34 for conveyance in a predetermined direction. The supply unit 52 includes a spool 52a, a tension regulator unit 52b, and an auxiliary roller 52c.

[0071] In this embodiment, for example, the non-porous sheet material 30 formed without a perforated area 32 (opening 33) is wound around the spool 52a about an axis 52a1 parallel to the Y-axis direction. The original length of the sheet material 30 (the length of the sheet material 30 wound around the spool 52a) is set to an appropriate length, such as 50 m to 100 m or a greater length. The sheet material 30 is fed out (to the tension regulator unit 52b) from the spool (base paper roll) 52a that rotates as the axis 52a1 rotates. For example, the sheet material 30 is fed out in the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30 while the longitudinal movement is controlled, such as controlling the sheet material 30 to a constant speed and a constant tension.

[0072] The tension regulator unit 52b is provided on the downstream side of the spool 52a of the supply unit 52 and on the upstream side of the feeding unit 62 (to be described later) of the processing unit 54. The tension regulator unit 52b regulates the sheet material 30 so as to reduce the tension variation of the sheet material 30 caused by, for example, the diameter change of the spool 52a and the feeding rate change of the sheet material 30. The tension regulator unit 52b includes a plurality of upper rollers 52b1 and a plurality of lower rollers 52b2. The sheet material 30 passes between the upper roller 52b1 and the lower roller 52b2 of the tension regulator unit 52b in a zigzag form.

[0073] The auxiliary roller 52c is provided on the downstream side of the tension regulator unit 52b. The auxiliary roller 52c changes the orientation of the sheet material 30 that has passed through the tension regulator unit 52b toward the feeding unit 62 to be described later.

[0074] The processing unit 54 performs preliminary operations to form the sheet material 30 into a rod, and also forms a region for changing the air flow resistance in one section S. The processing unit 54 along the flow of the sheet material 30 includes, for example, a feeding unit 62, a wrinkling unit 64, a stamping unit 66, an auxiliary roller 54a, and an adding unit 68.

[0075] The feeding unit 62 causes the sheet material 30 to move downstream while the sheet material 30 is kept under appropriate tension in the X-axis direction. For example, the feeding unit 62 includes a pair of feeding rollers 62a, 62b. The upper roller 62a of the feeding unit 62 is formed, for example, by two rubber rollers arranged side by side in the depth direction of the page in Figure 4 the left and right. For example, the lower roller 62b is formed by a metal roller having a flat surface. Threads are formed on the surfaces of the two rubber rollers of the upper roller 62a, and when the feeding rollers 62a, 62b rotate, the two lateral ends of the sheet material 30 are unfolded in the transverse direction (Y-axis direction) so as to move farther apart and prevent the formation of accidental creases at this time point.

[0076] The wrinkling unit (curling unit) 64 for subjecting the sheet material 30 to a wrinkling process is provided on the downstream side of the feeding unit 62. The wrinkling unit 64 curls the sheet material 30 conveyed from the supply unit 52. The wrinkling unit 64 includes the pair of wrinkling rollers 64a, 64b. The wrinkling rollers 64a, 64b are used to form longitudinal creases in the sheet material 30 along the X-axis direction, and these longitudinal creases make it easier to form the filter tip section 20 into a rod. That is, the wrinkling unit 64 forms linear wrinkles in the longitudinal direction so as to facilitate the folding of the sheet material 30 when the sheet material 30 is formed into a rod.

[0077] As Figure 5A and Figure 5BAs shown, the pair of wrinkling rollers 64a, 64b includes: rotating shafts 6411, 6421, which are parallel to each other in the Y-axis direction; and a plurality of protruding portions (disk-shaped members) 6412, 6422. It will be assumed that the upper rotating shaft 6411 is the first rotating shaft and the lower rotating shaft 6421 is the second rotating shaft. A plurality of first protruding portions 6412 are provided on the first rotating shaft 6411, and a plurality of second protruding portions 6422 are provided on the second rotating shaft 6421. The plurality of protruding portions 6412, 6422 are each suitably formed as disk-shaped members having the same diameter. It should be noted that, for example, adjacent protruding portions 6412, 6422 are spaced apart by a predetermined interval in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material 30.

[0078] The first rotating shaft 6411 and the second rotating shaft 6421 can move closer together and farther apart from each other while remaining parallel to each other in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material 30. The plurality of first protruding portions 6412 protrude from the first rotating shaft 6411 by substantially the same amount. The plurality of first protruding portions 6412 are spaced apart by a predetermined interval in the width direction. The plurality of second protruding portions 6422 protrude from the second rotating shaft 6421 by substantially the same amount. The plurality of second protruding portions 6422 are spaced apart by a predetermined interval in the width direction. When the first rotating shaft 6411 and the second rotating shaft 6421 move closer together, the first protruding portions 6412 and the second protruding portions 6422 are positioned to be separated from each other. It will be assumed that the distance ( Figure 5A the reference numeral D1 in Figure 5B and the reference numeral D2 in Figure 5A the figure) between the top portion 6412a of the first protruding portion 6412 and the top portion 6422a of the second protruding portion 6422 along the approaching and separating direction of the first rotating shaft 6411 and the second rotating shaft 6421 constitutes the mating amount. For example, the distances D1, D2 are suitably about 1 mm or less. By adjusting the mating amount (distances D1, D2) in the wrinkling unit 64, it is possible to adjust the wrinkling depth of the paper sheet material 30 when forming the rod of the filter tip section 20 in the rod forming unit 56 to be described later. The wrinkling depth is interchangeable with the distance between the tops 6412a, 6422a of the protruding portions 6412, 6422 of the pair of wrinkling rollers 64a, 64b in the Z-axis direction. Figure 5B A comparison of the distance D1 in Figure 5B the figure with the distance D2 in Figure 5A the figure shows that the distance D2 is larger. In this case, the wrinkling depth of the sheet material 30 is greater in the example shown in

[0079] the figure than in the example shown inFigure 5A and Figure 5B With respect to the positional relationship of the rotation axes 6411 and 6421 shown in Figure 5A , the fitting depth (distances D1 and D2) between the protrusions 6412 and 6422 is adjusted, and the depth of the longitudinal crease in the sheet material 30 along the X-axis direction or the degree of stretching of the sheet material 30 is changed. By adjusting the fitting depth between the protrusions 6412 and 6422, it then becomes possible to adjust the air flow resistance in a section S of the filter material 22.

[0080] It should be noted that the pair of wrinkling rollers 64a and 64b do not need to rotate around the rotation axes 6411 and 6421, as long as the sheet material 30 smoothly moves downstream between the top portion 6412a of the first protrusion 6412 and the top portion 6422a of the second protrusion 6422. Therefore, the pair of wrinkling rollers 64a and 64b of the wrinkling unit 64 should each be formed as a wrinkling device.

[0081] As Figure 4 shown, the punching unit 66 is provided on the downstream side of the wrinkling unit 64. The punching unit 66 punches a portion of the sheet material 30 conveyed (supplied) from the supply unit 52. The punching unit 66 punches these portions of the sheet material 30 to form the plurality of openings 33, thereby forming the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34. This embodiment describes the case where the punching unit 66 is provided on the downstream side of the wrinkling unit 64 along the conveying direction of the sheet material 30. It is also suitable that the punching unit 66 is provided on the upstream side of the wrinkling unit 64. The punching unit 66 and the wrinkling unit 64 can have a positional relationship such that either one is arranged on the upstream side or the downstream side, but the wrinkling unit 64 is preferably arranged on the upstream side and the punching unit 66 is preferably arranged on the downstream side. As the sheet material 30 passes through the wrinkling unit 64, the sheet material 30 is stretched. Therefore, by punching the sheet material 30 with the punching unit 66 after the sheet material 30 has been stretched, it is easy to control the punching position. On the other hand, if the punching unit 66 is provided on the upstream side of the wrinkling unit 64, sufficient tension is applied to the sheet material 30 during conveyance, and thus it is easy to punch out the openings 33.

[0082] The punching unit 66 includes, for example, an upper roller (first roller) 66a and a lower roller (second roller) 66b. When the sheet material 30 passes between the upper roller 66a and the lower roller 66b, the punching unit 66 forms the plurality of openings 33 having a predetermined shape and a predetermined size in the sheet material 30. That is, the sheet material 30 having the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 (see Figure 2 ) is formed by forming the plurality of openings 33 having a predetermined shape and a predetermined size in the non-perforated sheet material 30.

[0083] The upper roller 66a has blades for appropriately cutting the sheet material 30 (see Figure 6C ). For example, the lower roller 66b is formed as a metal roller without non-uniformities. For example, the sheet material 30 is conveyed between the upper roller 66a and the lower roller 66b, while the conveyance speed of the sheet material 30 is controlled by means of the feeding unit 62, and the sheet material 30 is punched while being pinched between the upper roller 66a and the lower roller 66b, so that a predetermined opening 33 is successively formed. That is to say, multiple sets (multiple segments S) of perforated regions 32 and non-perforated regions 34 are repeatedly formed in the sheet material 30.

[0084] These blades are formed to punch the sheet material 30 so that the punched paper fragments have no corners. That is to say, these blades are formed into a shape such that the opening 33 is punched into an annular shape without corners. Therefore, the blades of the punching unit 66 prevent the punched paper fragments from remaining connected to the sheet material 30.

[0085] Two examples of the punching unit 66 will be described here. Figure 6A The first example (method using the flexible die 66c) is shown. Figure 7 The second example (method using the rotary die) is shown.

[0086] Figure 6A The punching unit 66 shown in Figure 6B includes a metal upper roller (punching roller 66a) and a lower roller (anvil roller) 66b, and the flexible die 66c (see

[0087] As Figure 6C shown, the flexible die 66c includes a thin metal sheet of about 0.45 mm that is etched or machined, and cutting blades 66d formed in the shape of the opening 33 are provided on the surface of the metal sheet so as to punch out the opening 33. When punching out the opening 33 in the sheet material 30, the flexible die 66c is magnetically attached to the magnetic upper roller 66a. Two flexible dies 66c are generally attached to the upper roller 66a. For example, two flexible dies 66c are used adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction or the axial direction of the upper roller 66a. Then, the entire upper roller 66a is covered with the flexible die 66c. Here, the flexible die 66c should be set on the upper roller 66a in such a way that the perforated regions 32 and the non-perforated regions 34 are repeatedly formed in the same shape along the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30.

[0088] As Figure 6AAs shown, a number of holes 66e communicating with the suction unit (suction source) 67 are suitably formed in the lower roller (anvil roller) 66b as a stamping debris removal part for removing the stamping debris of the sheet material 30 that has been partially perforated by the stamping unit 66. That is to say, a number of holes (stamping debris removal part) 66e are provided in the stamping unit 66. These holes 66e are suitably provided to match the shape of the opening 33 to be stamped out. That is, when the lowermost surface area of the upper roller 66a and the uppermost surface area of the lower roller 66b face each other, the sheet material 30 is sandwiched between the cutting blade formed in the shape of the opening 33 of the flexible die 66c and the periphery of the holes 66e in the lower roller 66b, so that an opening 33 is formed in the sheet material 30, and the paper debris in the shape of the opening 33 that has been stamped out is suction - attached to the periphery of the holes 66e. Then, when the lower roller (anvil roller) 66b has moved downward, the suction - attachment to the paper debris is released, whereby the paper debris in the shape of the opening 33 that has been suction - attached to the periphery of the holes 66e drops from the lower roller 66b at a predetermined position and is collected in a tray (not depicted) etc. that serves as a stamping debris removal part.

[0089] When using Figure 6A the upper roller 66a and the flexible die 66c shown in Figure 7 compared with when using the upper roller 66a of the rotary die shown in Figure 6A the assembly can be formed more inexpensively. When using

[0090] In Figure 7 the example shown, the upper roller 66a is formed as a rotary die. For example, a predetermined cutting blade 66f for forming an opening 33 in the sheet material 30 is formed in the upper roller (rotary die) 66a by machining a metal roller. This generally enables the upper roller 66a to be used for relatively thick sheet materials 30. When the cutting blade 66f becomes less sharp, the cutting blade 66f can be reground so that the upper roller (rotary die) 66a can be reused.

[0091] In Figure 7In the example shown, holes 66g, the size of which is equivalent to or slightly smaller than the punched-out paper fragments, are formed as a punched fragment removal portion on the inner side of the cutting blade 66f of the upper roller (rotary die) 66a. These holes 66g communicate with the suction unit (suction source) 67. That is, when the lowermost surface area of the upper roller 66a and the uppermost surface area of the lower roller 66b face each other, the sheet material 30 is sandwiched between the cutting blade 66f formed in the shape of the opening 33 and the lower roller 66b, so that an opening 33 is formed in the sheet material 30, and the punched-out paper fragments in the shape of the opening 33 pass through the holes 66g and are collected inside the upper roller (rotary die) 66a. For example, after the upper roller 66a and the lower roller 66b have stopped rotating, the collected paper fragments are removed along the rotation axis of the upper roller 66a, for example. Alternatively, instead of the punched-out paper fragments being collected inside the upper roller (rotary die) 66a, a separation unit for separating the paper fragments from the air flow generated by suction can be similarly provided between the communication path of the holes 66g and the suction unit (suction source) 67. Alternatively, similar to the holes 66e formed in the lower roller (anvil roller) 66b shown in Figure 6A the holes 66e (punched fragment removal portion) communicating with the suction unit 67 can also be provided in the lower roller (anvil roller) 66b shown in Figure 7 the lower roller (anvil roller) 66b shown in. In this case, when the lower roller (anvil roller) 66b has moved downward, the suction adhesion to the paper fragments is released, whereby the paper fragments in the shape of the opening 33 suction-adhered to the periphery of the holes 66e fall from the lower roller 66b at a predetermined position and are collected in a tray (not depicted) etc. serving as a punched fragment removal portion.

[0092] Furthermore, the suction unit (suction source) 67 can be further installed as a punched fragment removal portion on the downstream side of the punching unit 66 in order to recover the paper fragments. In this way, the punched-out paper fragments adhering to the sheet material 30 can be removed more reliably. In this case, for example, pressurized air can be jetted from above the sheet material 30, and the paper fragments can be recovered by suction below the sheet material 30.

[0093] As Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, the addition unit 68 is installed on the downstream side of the stamping unit 66. In this embodiment, the addition unit 68 includes a liquid addition unit 68a and a particulate addition unit 68b. For example, when the filter rod material 22 undergoes a wrinkling process and is formed into a cylindrical rod, the addition unit 68 can add additives to the filter rod material 22 of the sheet material 30. Liquids can be added, particulates (solids) can be added, or both can be added as additives. It should be noted that the addition unit 68 is not used in this embodiment. Therefore, it will be assumed that the sheet material 30 continuously passes through the liquid addition unit 68a and the particulate addition unit 68b of the addition unit 68. The addition unit 68 will be described in the second embodiment (see Figures 15A to 16 B).

[0094] The rod forming unit 56 is provided on the downstream side of the addition unit 68. That is, the rod forming unit 56 is provided on the downstream side of the stamping unit 66 and the wrinkling unit 64. The rod forming unit 56 forms the sheet material 30 into a rod having a substantially circular cross-section, that is, a rod having a substantially cylindrical appearance, in which the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 are arranged alternately along the axial direction. The rod forming unit 56 includes a wrapper supply mechanism 72, a bundling guide 74, a wrapper glue gun 76, and a clamp 78.

[0095] Together with the sheet material 30, the wrapper supply mechanism 72 supplies the sheet-like member 24a supplied from the spool 72a to the bundling guide 74, and the sheet-like member 24a is wound around the spool. It should be noted that the sheet-like member 24a will form the wrapper 24, which will wrap around the filter rod material 22 when the filter rod section 20 is formed.

[0096] The bundling guide 74 is formed such that its passage becomes narrower from the upstream side towards the downstream side. When the sheet material 30 passes through the bundling guide 74, the bundling guide 74 forms the sheet material 30 into an approximately cylindrical rod. The sheet material 30 is accordingly deformed into a substantially bellows shape having longitudinal creases (linear wrinkles) formed by the wrinkling unit 64, while the width of the bundling guide 74 through which the sheet material 30 passes becomes narrower from the upstream side towards the downstream side. In this way, the sheet material 30 is narrowed in a regular manner, and the shape of the sheet material 30 approaches the shape of a cylindrical rod. When the sheet material 30 moves from the upstream side towards the downstream side, the bundling guide 74 wraps the outer circumference of the sheet material 30, which is approaching the shape of a rod, with the sheet-like member 24a. That is, the bundling guide 74 surrounds the outer circumference of the narrowed sheet material 30 (filter rod material 22), where the sheet-like member 24a forms the wrapper 24, and causes the sheet material 30 to approach the shape of a cylindrical rod.

[0097] Then, the transverse end face of the sheet-like member 24a that has passed through the bundling guide 74 is coated with glue from the wrapping glue gun 76.

[0098] The clamp 78 is then arranged on the downstream side of the wrapping glue gun 76. The clamp 78 joins the end faces of the sheet-like members 24a that form the wrapper 24. Thus, the shape of the filter tip assembly 18 that can be formed into the filter tip section 20 can be maintained by means of the clamp 78. That is to say, the rod forming unit 56 of the production apparatus 50 can wind the sheet material 30 into the form of a filter tip assembly (rod assembly), wherein the sheet-like member 24a forms the wrapper 24.

[0099] Then, the cutting unit 58 successively cuts the continuous rod wound by the clamp 78 to a predetermined length. At this time, the cutting unit 58 cuts the rod having at least one perforated area 32 and a non-perforated area 34 each. Thus, the production apparatus 50 can produce the filter tip assembly 18 having a predetermined length. It should be noted that, for example, this embodiment describes the following example: wherein the cutting unit 58 produces the filter tip assembly 18 having a predetermined length (for example, a length that is four times or six times the length of the filter tip section 20), but the filter tip section 20 can be directly produced from the continuous rod-shaped member wound by the clamp 78 without producing the filter tip assembly 18.

[0100] An optical inspection device 60 for optically inspecting the rod of the filter tip assembly 18 is arranged on the downstream side of the cutting unit 58.

[0101] As Figure 4 and Figure 8 shown, the optical inspection device 60 includes: a light emitting unit 60a; a light receiving unit 60b for receiving the light irradiated from the light emitting unit 60a and passing through the filter tip assembly (rod) 18; and a control unit 60c for controlling the light emitting unit 60a and the light receiving unit 60b.

[0102] For example, the light emitting unit 60a is a light source such as an LED light source. The light receiving unit 60b is an imaging element of a camera or a detector for detecting light (for example, a photodiode).

[0103] The control unit 60c is a computer which physically includes a memory (for example, a RAM or a ROM), a processor (arithmetic circuit) (for example, a CPU), a communication interface, and an information storage section (for example, a hard disk). Examples of the control unit 60c that can be cited include a personal computer, a cloud server, and a tablet terminal, etc. The control unit 60c functions by causing the processor to execute the program stored in the memory.

[0104] When the camera is used as the light receiving unit 60b, the control unit 60c outputs the pixel value (light intensity) of each pixel based on, for example, the optical information (received light information) received by the light receiving unit 60b. As Figure 9 shown, the filter assembly 18 contains different amounts of the sheet material 30 in the perforated area 32 where the sheet material 30 has been punched and in the non-perforated area 34 where the sheet material 30 has not been punched along the longitudinal direction, thus creating a difference in the transmitted light intensity. That is, each filter assembly 18 includes repeating first light transmission portions 18a and second light transmission portions 18b that have a lower light transmittance than the first light transmission portions 18a. The first light transmission portions 18a correspond to the perforated area 32, and the second light transmission portions 18b correspond to the non-perforated area 34. Therefore, the control unit 60c can identify the boundary between the perforated area 32 and the non-perforated area 34 of the filter material 22 in the filter assembly 18 based on the intensity of the light (received light information) received by the light receiving unit 60b from the light emitting unit 60a through the filter assembly 18. The filter assembly 18 can be inspected by the optical inspection device 60 that checks the transmitted light intensity in this way. Therefore, the control unit 60c can output the position and length of the first light transmission portion 18a (perforated area 32) and the position and length of the second light transmission portion 18b (non-perforated area 34) between one end and the other end of the filter assembly 18. The control unit 60c outputs whether each of the plurality of perforated areas 32 and the plurality of non-perforated areas 34 is set to a desired preset length. For example, if the control unit 60c detects that each of the plurality of perforated areas 32 and the plurality of non-perforated areas 34 has the desired preset length, the control device of the production equipment 50 performs control (feedback control) to maintain the control state of each device (supply unit 52, processing unit 54, rod forming unit 56, rod cutting unit 58, etc.) in the production equipment 50. On the other hand, if the control unit 60c detects that the plurality of perforated areas 32 and the plurality of non-perforated areas 34 deviate from the desired preset length, the control device of the production equipment 50 controls (feedback control) the control state of each device of the production equipment 50 so that each of the plurality of perforated areas 32 and the plurality of non-perforated areas 34 has the desired preset length. Therefore, based on the signal sent from the light receiving unit 60b to the control unit 60c, the control unit 60c controls the supply of the sheet material 30 by the supply unit 52 for supplying the sheet material 30 and the punching of the sheet material 30 by the punching unit 66.

[0105] In the perforated region 32 that passes through the sheet-like member 24a, the rod-shaped filter material 22, and the sheet-like member 24a (which are wrapped into a rod shape, where the sheet-like member 24a forms the wrapper 24), the transmittance of the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 60a and received by the light-receiving unit 60b in the first light-transmitting portion 18a (the perforated region 32) is higher than that in the second light-transmitting portion 18b (the non-perforated region 34). By comparing the light transmittances at multiple positions in the first light-transmitting portion 18a and the second light-transmitting portion 18b, the control unit 60c can not only identify the positions and lengths of the multiple perforated regions 32 and the multiple non-perforated regions 34 in the filter assembly 18, but also perform quality control on the filter material 22 (the sheet material 30) formed into a cylindrical shape. As long as the change in the light transmittance in the multiple first light-transmitting portions 18a (the perforated regions 32) remains within a predetermined threshold range, the control unit 60c can provide an output indicating that the substantially cylindrical filter material 22 in the filter assembly 18 is accommodated in the sheet-like member 24a forming the wrapper 24 with substantially constant quality. Similarly, as long as the change in the light transmittance in the multiple second light-transmitting portions 18b (the non-perforated regions 34) remains within a predetermined threshold range, the control unit 60c can provide an output indicating that the filter material 22 in the filter assembly 18 is accommodated in the sheet-like member 24a forming the wrapper 24 with substantially constant quality. Conversely, if the change in the light transmittance in the multiple first light-transmitting portions 18a and / or the multiple second light-transmitting portions 18b exceeds the predetermined threshold range, a change in the filtration performance may occur when the filter segment 20 is used. Therefore, the control unit 60c provides an output indicating that the filter material 22 in the filter assembly 18 is accommodated inside the sheet-like member 24a forming the wrapper 24 with insufficient quality.

[0106] In addition, the control unit 60c can compare the change in light intensity among multiple filter assemblies 18 based on the information of the light received by the light-receiving unit 60b from the light-emitting unit 60a (the light transmittance of the first light-transmitting portion 18a and / or the second light-transmitting portion 18b). At this time, the control unit 60c can compare the quality among multiple filter assemblies 18.

[0107] It should be noted that the measurement of the light emission by the light-emitting unit 60a and the light reception by the light-receiving unit 60b can be implemented by means of imaging (the imaging is periodically performed at appropriate time intervals by an imaging element of a camera, etc.) and then image processing, or by continuous measurement of the change in light intensity.

[0108] Therefore, the control unit 60c can output whether the filter tip assembly 18 is formed in a desired state based on the signal transmitted from the light receiving unit 60b. That is, the optical inspection device 60 can output whether the filter tip assembly 18 is formed in a desired state.

[0109] Based on this output from the control unit 60c, the devices (supply unit 52, processing unit 54, rod forming unit 56, rod cutting unit 58, etc.) in the production equipment 50 are feedback-controlled, so that stable quality can be maintained. Therefore, the production equipment 50 according to this embodiment can produce filter tip assemblies 18 with stable quality.

[0110] This embodiment describes the following example: where the optical inspection device 60 is provided on the downstream side of the rod cutting unit 58 and inspects the filter tip assembly 18 cut to a predetermined length (such as four or six times the length of the filter tip section 20). The optical inspection device 60 can equally be provided on the upstream side of the rod cutting unit 58. In this case, the above optical inspection can be carried out in a state where the filter tip material 22 formed by the clamp 78 is wrapped with the sheet-like member 24a of the wrapper 24.

[0111] Each filter tip assembly 18 is further cut to form a filter tip section 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10. Therefore, before the filter tip section 20 is joined to the flavor generating section 12 by the tipping paper 16, the filter tip assembly 18 is cut to form the filter tip section 20. Based on the result of the inspection performed by the optical inspection device 60, for example, the optical inspection device 60 can apply marks at the cutting positions on the circumferential outer surface of the sheet-like member 24a of the filter tip assembly 18, and these marks indicate the boundary between the perforated area 32 and the non-perforated area 34. In this case, the device for cutting the filter tip assembly 18 can easily identify the cutting position on the filter tip assembly 18, that is, can easily identify the position where the filter tip assembly 18 should be cut in order to obtain a plurality of filter tip sections 20. Therefore, using the result of the inspection by the optical inspection device 60 makes it possible to reduce the work of detecting the position for cutting the filter tip assembly 18 by the device for cutting the filter tip assembly 18.

[0112] Therefore, filter tip sections 20 each having at least one perforated area 32 and non-perforated area 34 can be obtained by appropriately cutting the filter tip assembly 18. Here, it is possible to form regions with various different capabilities using a single member (sheet material 30), and for example, a filter tip section 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10 that can adjust the filtration amount of the fluid is formed.

[0113] One end of the filter segment 20 is formed by the non-perforated area 34 as the mouth end 14b of the flavor inhalation article 10. The tip end face 14a of the filter segment 20 is placed against the rear end face 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 of the flavor inhalation article 10, and the area including the tip end face 14a of the filter segment 20 and the rear end face 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 is wrapped with tipping paper 16, thereby producing the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0114] Therefore, this embodiment makes it possible to provide a flavor inhalation article 10 and a filter segment 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which can adjust the amount of fluid filtration, etc. by means of regions (perforated region 32 and non-perforated region 34) with different capabilities formed by a single member (filter material 22).

[0115] This embodiment describes the following example: wherein the bobbin 52a is formed by winding a non-perforated sheet material 30, and the perforated region 32 is formed by means of the production equipment 50. The bobbin 52a can equally be formed by winding a sheet material 30 that has been previously formed with a perforated region 32 and a non-perforated region 34. The filter segment 20 can also be formed by using such a sheet material 30 that has been previously formed with a perforated region 32 and a non-perforated region 34. In this case, the stamping unit 66 does not need to be present in the production equipment 50, or the upper roller 66a and the lower roller 66b can be removed.

[0116] This embodiment describes the following example: wherein the filter assembly 18 including the filter segment 20 is produced by using the production equipment 50. In addition to the filter segment 20, the production equipment 50 can also produce a rod assembly or a rod segment for the flavor inhalation article 10. For example, when a tobacco sheet material is used as the sheet material 30, a tobacco rod is produced, which includes a perforated region 32 having an opening 33 and a non-perforated region 34. The tobacco sheet material is subjected to a wrinkling treatment in the same manner as the sheet material 30 described above, and the rod of the flavor generating segment 12 is formed by wrapping with tipping paper instead of the wrapper 24. When a tobacco sheet material that has been subjected to a wrinkling treatment in the same manner as the above-described sheet material 30 is used as the filling material for the rod of the flavor generating segment 12, an acetate tow filter can be used as the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20, instead of using the treated sheet material 30.

[0117] In addition, similar to the additives (to be described later) added by the adding unit 68 (see Figure 4 ) in the filter material 22, appropriate additives can be added to the tobacco sheet material used as the sheet material 30.

[0118] The cooling segment 46 can also be produced by using a cooling sheet material 30, but this will be described later in the third embodiment.

[0119] This embodiment makes it possible to provide: a production device 50 capable of producing rods (rod assembly 18 and rod segments 20 obtained by cutting the rod assembly 18) for a flavor inhalation article 10, the rod being capable of adjusting the state of a fluid flowing from upstream to downstream, for example, by means of regions with different capabilities formed by a single member; and also to provide a method for producing rods (rod assembly 18 and rod segments 20 obtained by cutting the rod assembly 18) for a flavor inhalation article 10.

[0120] In the example described, the openings 33 in the perforated region 32 are formed at equal intervals in the width direction. The openings 33 in the perforated region 32 can equally be formed randomly in the width direction. When the filter segment 20 is formed as a cylindrical rod segment, the arrangement of the openings 33 in the perforated region 32 should be suitably uniform and not overly unbalanced.

[0121] (First variant example)

[0122] Next, by means of Figure 10 An example in which a section S of the sheet material 30 for the filter segment 20 has one perforated region 32 and two non-perforated regions 34 will be described as the first variant example.

[0123] In this variant example, as Figure 10 shown, the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 has one perforated region 32 and two non-perforated regions 34 as a section S of the sheet material 30. In this case, both the tip end face 14a and the mouthpiece end 14b of the filter segment 20 can be formed as non-perforated regions 34.

[0124] A section S of the sheet material 30 for the filter segment 20 can also have two perforated regions 32 and one non-perforated region 34, although this is not depicted.

[0125] In the first embodiment described above, the length of the rod of the filter segment 20 is formed as the length of a section S of the sheet material 30 combining one perforated region 32 and one non-perforated region 34. The length of the rod of the filter segment 20 can be set as appropriate: it can be formed as the combined length of one perforated region 32 and two non-perforated regions 34 (as Figure 10 shown), or it can be formed as the combined length of two perforated regions 32 and two non-perforated regions 34, although this is not depicted. That is, the range defined as a section S of the sheet material 30 can be set as appropriate.

[0126] Therefore, the filter material 22 used as the rod of the filter segment 20 can have various arrangements, including the "non-perforated region 34 - perforated region 32 - non-perforated region 34" arrangement (see Figure 10), and an arrangement of "perforated region 32 - non-perforated region 34 - perforated region 32" (not depicted).

[0127] Thus, this variant example makes it possible to provide a flavor inhalation article 10 and a filter segment 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which can regulate the amount of fluid filtration, etc. by means of regions (perforated region 32 and non-perforated region 34) with different capabilities formed from a single member (sheet material 30). In addition, this variant example makes it possible to provide a production device 50 capable of producing a rod segment (rod) 20 for this flavor inhalation article 10, and a method for producing a rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0128] By adjusting the cutting position of the filter assembly (rod assembly) 18 formed by repeating a given segment S in the axial direction, filter segments 20 with different lengths and different properties can also be obtained from one filter assembly 18. That is, filter segments (rod segments) 20 having one perforated region 32 and one non-perforated region 34 as a set, filter segments (rod segments) 20 having one perforated region 32 and two non-perforated regions 34 as a set, and filter segments (rod segments) 20 having one perforated region 32 and one non-perforated region 34 as a set, etc. are formed.

[0129] By longitudinally cutting through each non-perforated region 34 of the filter assembly (rod assembly) 18, non-perforated regions 34 can be formed at both longitudinal ends of the filter segment (rod segment) 20. Therefore, by adjusting the cutting position of the filter assembly (rod assembly) 18 formed by repeating a specific segment S in the axial direction, filter segments 20 with different lengths and different properties can be obtained from one filter assembly 18.

[0130] (Second variant example)

[0131] Next, with the help of Figure 11 An example in which a segment S of the sheet material 30 for the filter segment 20 has two perforated regions 32, 36 (which are different perforated regions) and one non-perforated region 34 is described as the second variant example.

[0132] The above first embodiment describes an example in which the non-perforated region 34 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30 to be adjacent to the perforated region 32 both upstream and downstream.

[0133] As Figure 11As shown, a region (separate perforated region) 36 having a different amount of perforation (%) from the perforated region 32 can be formed, for example, on the upstream side along the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30. That is, a segment S of the sheet material 30 also suitably includes a perforated region 32, a non-perforated region 34, and a further separate perforated region 36.

[0134] Therefore, this variant example makes it possible to provide a flavor inhalation article 10 and a filter segment 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which can adjust the amount of fluid filtration, etc. by means of regions (perforated region 32 and non-perforated region 34) with different capabilities formed from a single member (sheet material 30). In addition, this variant example makes it possible to provide a production apparatus 50 for producing a rod segment (rod) 20 for this flavor inhalation article 10, and a method for producing a rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0135] It should be noted that this variant example describes an example in which a region of a segment S is formed as a non-perforated region 34. When a segment S is formed of two or more regions, a perforated region 36 having a relatively small amount of perforation compared to the perforated region 32 can also be provided in place of the non-perforated region 34. This makes it possible to obtain a filter segment 20 with a lower air flow resistance while maintaining the appearance of the mouthpiece end 14b.

[0136] (Third variant example)

[0137] Next, a third variant example related to the configuration of the filter segment 20 will be described with the aid of Figure 12 .

[0138] In Figure 12 the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 shown, the separate perforated region 36, the perforated region 32, and the non-perforated region 34 are arranged side by side in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side (mouthpiece end 14b side) of the filter segment 20, for example, as described in the above second variant example (see Figure 11 ). Along the axial direction of the filter segment 20, the separate perforated region 36 and the perforated region 32 are arranged adjacent to each other, and the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0139] In this variant example, a capsule (seamless capsule) 38 that is ruptured by a user's finger or teeth at a preferred timing of the user is implanted into the perforated area 32. For example, the perforation amount (surface area ratio with respect to the opening 33) of the perforated area 36 is assumed to be 30%, the perforation amount (surface area ratio with respect to the opening 33) of the perforated area 32 is assumed to be 70%, and the areas 36, 32 are continuous along the longitudinal direction of the rod of the filter segment 20. Here, for example, one capsule 38 can be placed in the perforated area 32, which has the largest perforation amount among the three areas 36, 32, 34.

[0140] For example, the capsule 38 is formed by means of a dropping method. For example, the diameter of the capsule 38 is suitably 3 mm to 6 mm. When the filter segment 20 is produced, the capsule 38 can be implanted.

[0141] The capsule 38 has a structure in which a content liquid containing a flavorant (which is an example of the content) is encapsulated in a membrane. For example, the capsule 38 is formed into a substantially spherical body. For example, the film-forming material includes starch and a gelling agent. For example, gellan gum or gelatin is used as the gelling agent. The film-forming material may further include a gelling aid. For example, calcium chloride is used as the gelling aid. The film-forming material may further include a plasticizer. Glycerol and / or sorbitol are used as the plasticizer. The film-forming material may further include a colorant. In addition, the capsule 38 may also include solid contents (such as particles) instead of the liquid, or include solid contents (such as particles) as well as the liquid.

[0142] Examples of flavorants that can be used in the content liquid of the capsule 38 include menthol and essential oils of plants, etc. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) can be used, for example, as a solvent for the flavorant contained in the content liquid. The content liquid may further contain other additives such as pigments, emulsifiers, and thickeners.

[0143] For example, when implanting the capsule 38 into the filter material 22 using the production equipment 50, at Figure 4The timing of measurement between the terminal of the bundling guide 74 shown in the figure and the position where the sheet-like member 24a forming the wrapper 24 is coated with glue from the wrapping glue gun 76 introduces the capsule 38 into the perforated area 32 of the filter material 22. For example, the optical inspection device 60 can be used to confirm whether the capsule 38 has been introduced at the desired position (i.e., into the perforated area 32 of the filter material 22). If the capsule 38 has not been introduced into the perforated area 32 of the filter material 22, the timing of introducing the capsule 38 into the perforated area 32 of the filter material 22 can be adjusted. Alternatively, whenever the filter assembly 18 is inspected using the optical inspection device 60, the timing of introducing the capsule 38 into the perforated area 32 of the filter material 22 can be adjusted by means of feedback control.

[0144] Therefore, the filter section 20 of the flavor inhalation article 10 can include the capsule 38.

[0145] Therefore, this variant example makes it possible to provide a flavor inhalation article 10 and a rod section (filter section) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which can adjust the amount of fluid filtration, etc. by means of regions (perforated regions 32, 36 and non-perforated region 34) with different capabilities formed by a single member (sheet material 30). In addition, this embodiment makes it possible to provide a production device 50 capable of producing the rod section (rod) 20 for this flavor inhalation article 10, and a method for producing the rod section (rod) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0146] This variant example describes an example in which the filter material 22 includes a perforated region 36, but the perforated region 36 is not necessarily required in the structure where the capsule 38 is implanted inside the filter material 22.

[0147] (Fourth variant example)

[0148] Next, with the help of Figure 13A and Figure 13B a fourth variant example related to the configuration of the filter section 20 will be described. This variant example is a further variant example of the third variant example.

[0149] As Figure 13AAs shown, separated from the filter segment 20 formed by the filter material 22, the capsule 38 is also suitably disposed inside the segment 26 (in this segment, the paper tube or acetate tow is wrapped with the wrapper 27), rather than the capsule 38 being implanted into the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20. That is to say, the segment 26 includes, in order from the inside towards the outside: the capsule 38, the intermediate member 26a (such as a paper tube or acetate tow), and the wrapper 26b. In this case, the segment 26 is suitably disposed on the side of the flavor generating segment 12, which is the side opposite to the mouthpiece end 14b. Therefore, the tip end face of the segment 26 constitutes the tip end face 14a of the mouthpiece segment 14, thus adjoining the rear end face 12b of the flavor generating segment 12. Then, the rear end face of the segment 26 is set to abut against the tip end face of the filter segment 20. In addition, the rear end face of the filter segment 20 constitutes the mouthpiece end 14b of the mouthpiece segment 14.

[0150] The segment 26 and the filter segment 20 are further wrapped with the wrapper 28, thereby forming the mouthpiece segment 14.

[0151] In a state where the rear end face 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 and the tip end face 14a of the mouthpiece segment 14 are placed abutting against each other, the outer circumference of the rear end face 12b of the flavor generating segment 12 and the tip end face 14a of the mouthpiece segment 14 is wrapped with the tipping paper 16. Thus, the flavor inhalation article 10 is formed.

[0152] Therefore, this variant example makes it possible to provide the flavor inhalation article 10 and the rod segment (filter segment) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which can adjust the filtration amount of the fluid, etc. by means of the regions (perforated region 32 and non-perforated region 34) with different capabilities formed by a single member (sheet material 30). In addition, this variant example makes it possible to provide a production apparatus 50 for producing the rod segment (rod) 20 for this flavor inhalation article 10, and a method for producing the rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0153] In addition, as Figure 13B shown, the segment 26 containing the capsule 38 is also suitably disposed on the mouthpiece end 14b side of the filter segment 20. In this case, the filter material 22 of the filter segment 20 is not visible to the user. Therefore, the positional relationship between the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 of the filter segment 20 is such that either one can be located on the side of the flavor generating segment 12.

[0154] Figure 13BThe filter segment 26 shown in [Fig. 0] can be used as a measure so that no "gap" is provided on the mouthpiece 14b side. Therefore, it is possible to form the mouthpiece segment 14 into a multi-segment filter by the following steps: further provide a separate segment 26 on the rear end side (mouthpiece end 14b side) of the filter segment 20, and wrap the segments 20 and 26 with a wrapper (forming paper) 28.

[0155] Also in Figure 13B the case of the example shown in [Fig. 1], the segment 20 forms regions with different properties along the longitudinal direction, and thus the general practice would be to wrap each segment with a specific property with a wrapper. In contrast, the segment 20 according to this variant example can simply form regions with different properties along the longitudinal direction by using a single wrapper 24. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of turns of the wrapper compared to the normal case. Therefore, even if the separate segment 26 is connected to the filter segment 20, it is possible to suppress the outer circumference of the mouthpiece segment 14 from thickening due to the wrapper 28.

[0156] According to this variant example, therefore, the separate segment 26 can be provided upstream or downstream of the filter segment 20 produced by using the sheet material 30 having the perforated region 32, and the mouthpiece segment 14 can be formed into a multi-segment filter.

[0157] (Fifth variant example)

[0158] Next, a fifth variant example related to, for example, the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 of the sheet material 30 for the filter segment 20 will be described with reference to Figure 14 In [Fig. 2], the perforated region 32 of the sheet material 30 is formed into a plurality of openings 33, which are circular holes at two levels along the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the sheet material 30. In the example described herein, the plurality of openings 33 as circular holes are at two levels along the longitudinal direction, but the openings 33 are also suitable for being at multiple levels, such as three or more levels, along the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30.

[0159] Figure 14 The upstream side (-X-axis direction side) openings 33 and the downstream side (+X-axis direction side) openings 33 having the same number and the same shape are arranged in rows along the width direction (Y-axis direction) in one perforated region 32 of this variant example. In addition, the plurality of upstream side (-X-axis direction side) openings 33 and the plurality of downstream side (+X-axis direction side) openings 33 are offset from each other along the width direction (Y-axis direction).

[0160] The sheet material 30 can be formed such that the punching unit 66 of the production apparatus 50 described above (see

[0161] Figure 4 Figure 4Form a plurality of such circular openings 33. Alternatively, a sheet material 30 having circular openings 33 as shown in Figure 14 may be wound around a spool 52a.

[0162] Accordingly, the position, size, shape, etc. of the perforated area 32 of the sheet material 30 can be appropriately set according to the filter segment 20 of the flavor inhalation article 10 to be produced.

[0163] Accordingly, this variant example makes it possible to provide a flavor inhalation article 10 and a rod segment (filter segment) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which flavor inhalation article and filter segment are capable of adjusting the amount of fluid filtered, etc. by means of regions (perforated area 32 and non-perforated area 34) having different capabilities formed from a single member (sheet material 30). In addition, this variant example makes it possible to provide a production apparatus 50 capable of producing a rod segment (rod) 20 for this flavor inhalation article 10, and a method for producing a rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0164] For the shape of the perforations in the perforated area 32 (i.e., the shape of the openings 33), any shape is permissible. As long as the openings 33 do not have corners, they may be chamfered, have a circular shape, or otherwise be circular or oval, etc. This facilitates stamping and removal by suction when stamping the sheet material 30. It should be noted that if the openings 33 have corners, although there is a possibility that the corners of the paper fragments punched out when the sheet material 30 has been stamped will remain connected to the sheet material 30, it is still possible to limit the occurrence of the punched-out paper fragments remaining connected to the sheet material 30 by chamfering the openings 33 or by using openings 33 having a circular shape instead of having corners.

[0165] (Second Embodiment)

[0166] The second embodiment will be described with the aid of Figures 15A to 15B This embodiment is a variant example of the first embodiment, and the same members or members having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment (including its variant examples) will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail again.

[0167] Figure 15A is a schematic view showing a flavor inhalation article 10 according to this embodiment. The upstream side and the downstream side in the structure of the filter segment 20 of the flavor inhalation article 10 are opposite to the upstream side and the downstream side of the structure of the filter segment 20 of the flavor inhalation article 10 shown in Figure 1

[0168] Figure 15B ​FIG. 0 is a schematic view of the liquid addition unit 68a and the sheet material 30 of the production apparatus 50 according to this embodiment as seen from above the liquid addition unit 68a and the sheet material 30.

[0169] As Figure 15B shown, for example, the liquid addition unit 68a includes a first nozzle 681.

[0170] A plurality of ejection portions of the first nozzle 681 continuously eject a first additive (e.g., a first liquid) L1 having an appropriate viscosity along a region R1 following the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30, and this region includes an opening 33 that has been punched out by a punching unit 66 (see Figure 4 ).

[0171] For example, the first additive L1 is a liquid at a temperature higher than the normal atmospheric temperature (e.g., 60°C or higher), and suitably has the property of solidifying or becoming stickier than when ejected from the first nozzle 681 when the temperature drops to the normal atmospheric temperature.

[0172] When the first additive L1 is continuously ejected from the first nozzle 681 while the sheet material 30 is being conveyed in the longitudinal direction, the first additive L1 passes through the inside of the opening 33 in the region R1 in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction), and thus the first additive L1 does not adhere to the inside of the opening 33. Therefore, at least some of the first additive L1 passes through the inside of the opening 33 in the perforated region 32. That is, according to this embodiment, the first additive L1 does not adhere to the inside of the opening 33 in the perforated region 32. In addition, the first additive L1 adheres to the opening edge of the opening 33 in the perforated region 32 at the boundary between the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34. At the same time, the non-perforated region 34 between adjacent openings 33 in the region R1 following the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30 is closed in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). Therefore, the first additive L1 adheres to the non-perforated region 34. Thus, the first additive L1 is added to the non-perforated region 34.

[0173] In this embodiment, therefore, the first additive L1 adheres to the non-perforated region 34 along the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30 and does not adhere to the perforated region 32. Thus, a region (non-perforated region 34) to which the first additive L1 has adhered and a region (perforated region 34) to which the first additive L1 has not adhered can be formed in a section S (filter material 22) of the sheet material 30 as shown in Figure 2 .

[0174] The method of adding the first additive L1 to the sheet material 30 (which is part of the method for producing the filter segment (rod segment) 20 in this embodiment) includes alternately supplying the first additive L1 to the perforated area 32 and the non-perforated area 34 of the sheet material 30 conveyed along the conveying direction, while the spraying position of the first additive L1 is fixed. Since the first additive L1 is allowed to pass through the inner side of the opening 33 in the perforated area 32, the first additive L1 can be caused to adhere to the non-perforated area 34 by only fixing the position of the nozzle 681 and continuously spraying the first additive L1 (e.g., downward) from the nozzle 681, without causing the first additive L1 to adhere to the inner side of the opening 33 in the perforated area 32. When the sheet material 30 added with the first additive L1 is wound together with the wrapper 24 (sheet-like member 24a) into a filter segment (rod segment) 20 by means of the production equipment 50, it is possible to form a filter segment (rod segment) 20 having regions with different properties along the longitudinal direction.

[0175] Therefore, when the filter material 22 is formed into the filter segment 20, in the Figure 15A filter segment 20 shown, the tip end face 14a side of the mouthpiece segment 14 can be formed as the non-perforated area 34 adhered with the first additive L1, and the rear end face (mouthpiece end) 14b side of the mouthpiece segment 14 can be formed as the perforated area 32 not adhered with the first additive L1. Therefore, when the user holds the mouthpiece end 14b of the flavor inhalation article 10 in their mouth and inhales, the user can appropriately experience the flavor of the first additive L1.

[0176] It should be noted that a part of the first additive L1 can also be added to the closed area between the openings 33, including the opening edges of the openings 33 formed at intervals in the perforated area 32 along the width direction of the sheet material 30.

[0177] As described in this embodiment, when the sheet material 30 including the liquid added from the liquid addition unit 68a is used as a paper filter, the segment containing only a small amount of the first additive (liquid) L1 should be arranged on the downstream side to suppress liquid leakage. Therefore, on the mouthpiece end 14b side of the filter segment 20, the perforated area 32 not adhered with the first additive L1 is suitably provided on the downstream side of the non-perforated area 34 adhered with the first additive L1.

[0178] In addition, when a liquid is used as the first additive L1, a liquid-resistant wrapper (wrapper paper) 24 is suitably used.

[0179] The first additive L1 should selectively exhibit a filtering performance with respect to a specified component. When the filter material 22 (sheet material 30) is made of paper, the first additive L1 should be a liquid capable of adsorbing phenol. For example, the following are used together with the paper filter material 22: polyols, polypropylene glycol, polypropylene glycol glycerol ether, polybutylene glycol, diglycerol, sorbitan fatty acid esters, glycerol fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, or polyethylene glycol, etc.

[0180] The liquid used as the first additive L1 preferably has a relatively high viscosity. The viscosity of the liquid is suitably from 1 cP to 20,000 cP, and more suitably from 1000 cP to 10,000 cP. When the liquid has a high viscosity, there is usually a time lag in the response of the first additive L1 to the on (open) / off (closed) of the injection part of the nozzle 681. That is, when the nozzle 681 has been turned on (opened), the first additive L1 still needs time to flow onto the sheet material 30, and when the nozzle 681 has been turned off (closed), there is a possibility that the liquid still flows onto the sheet material 30 within a reasonable time. Therefore, for example, even if the sheet material 30 is conveyed at a constant speed, it is difficult to create an area where the first additive L1 is to be added and an area where the first additive L1 will not be added.

[0181] In contrast, for example, by using the sheet material 30 according to this embodiment, it is possible to ensure that the first additive L1 adheres to the non-porous area 34 and the first additive L1 does not adhere to the perforated area 32, because when the liquid is continuously sprayed directly downward from the nozzle 681 as the sheet material 30 moves along the longitudinal direction, the liquid passes through the openings 33. This makes it possible to form the perforated area 32 as an area where the first additive L1 is not added and the non-porous area 34 as an area where the first additive L1 is added. Therefore, the manufacturer of the filter assembly 18 can use the perforated area 32 and the non-porous area 34 to adjust the addition or other aspects of the first additive L1.

[0182] For example, for one filter segment 20, the amount of the first additive (liquid) L1 added is suitably from 1 mg to 100 mg, and more suitably from 5 mg to 50 mg.

[0183] In addition, the liquid that has passed through the openings 33 is recovered by means of a tray 683 (see Figure 4 ) etc. directly below the nozzle 681, so that the liquid can be reused, such as being resupplied to the nozzle 681.

[0184] Accordingly, this embodiment makes it possible to provide a flavor inhalation article 10 and a filter segment 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which are capable of adjusting the amount of fluid filtration, etc. by means of regions (perforated region 32 and non-perforated region 34) having different capabilities formed from a single member (sheet material 30). In addition, this embodiment makes it possible to provide a production apparatus 50 for producing a rod segment (rod) 20 for this flavor inhalation article 10, and a method for producing a rod segment (rod) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10. In addition, this embodiment makes it possible to provide a rod segment 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, and a method for producing a rod segment 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which make it possible to form regions (perforated region 32 and non-perforated region 34) with different amounts of additive L1 added from a single member (sheet material 30).

[0185] It should be noted that this embodiment describes an example in which the first additive L1 adheres to the sheet material 30 while the nozzle 681 is fixed. The nozzle 681 does not necessarily have to be fixed, as long as the nozzle 681 moves relative to the sheet material 30 in a predetermined direction.

[0186] This embodiment describes the following example: in which the first additive L1 is added to a paper sheet material 30, but the first additive L1 can similarly be added to a non-woven fabric sheet material, a resin sheet material, or a tobacco sheet material having each of the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34. That is, the sheet material 30 applied to the first addition unit 68a of the production apparatus 50 is suitably selected from paper materials, non-woven fabric materials, resin materials, and tobacco sheet materials, etc.

[0187] In addition, Figure 4 the particle addition unit 68b shown in adds flavor particles, activated carbon, microcapsules, or other particles to the sheet material 30.

[0188] The particle addition unit 68b includes a travel guide 691 and a particle supply unit 692 provided directly above the travel guide 691. For example, the travel guide 691 conveys the sheet material 30 at a predetermined speed. For example, the particle supply unit 692 selectively adds particles to the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34. The above-mentioned activated carbon is added as particles.

[0189] The density of the activated carbon is appropriately set. Some of the activated carbon falls through the openings 33 (e.g., in the sheet material 30). The fallen activated carbon is collected in a tray or the like.

[0190] The activated carbon is used to absorb moisture and tar in the same manner as a so-called charcoal filter. The activated carbon is suitably formed at a higher density in the non-perforated region 34 than in the perforated region 32.

[0191] The microcapsules are formed to have a smaller particle size than the capsules 38 crushed by the user (see Figure 12 ). For example, the particle size of the microcapsules is suitably about 0.3 mm to 4 mm. For example, the microcapsules may contain a flavoring agent released by gradually melting the microcapsules from the outside by utilizing heat conduction.

[0192] In addition, when Figure 14 the sheet material 30 shown in is used to form the filter tip section 20, the first additive L1 can adhere to the perforated area 32, but the amount of adhesion can be kept lower than that in the non-perforated area 34. Therefore, the perforated area 32 with very little first additive L1 adhered thereto is suitably provided on the mouthpiece end 14b side of the filter tip section 20.

[0193] In the examples described herein, particles are added to the paper sheet material 30, but particles can be similarly added to a non-woven fabric sheet material, a resin sheet material, or a tobacco sheet material each having a perforated area 32 and a non-perforated area 34. That is, the sheet material 30 applied to the second adding unit 68b of the production apparatus 50 is suitably selected from a paper material, a non-woven fabric material, a resin material, a tobacco sheet material, and the like.

[0194] In the description of this embodiment, it is assumed that the first additive L1 is added after the openings 33 have been formed in the sheet material 30 along the process of the production apparatus 50. In order to intermittently add the first additive L1 in the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30, the first additive L1 can be added in the longitudinal direction of the non-perforated sheet material 30, and thereafter, the openings 33 can be formed by using the stamping unit 66 described above. As a result, such a production method also enables the first additive L1 to be intermittently added (adhered) in the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30.

[0195] (First variant example)

[0196] The first variant example of the second embodiment will be described with the aid of Figure 16 FIG. is a view of the sheet material 30 as seen from above. As shown in

[0197] Figure 16 , in addition to the first nozzle 681 described above, the liquid adding unit 68a includes, for example, a second nozzle 682. Figure 16 As shown in, the second nozzle 682 continuously sprays a second additive (for example, a second liquid) L2 having an appropriate viscosity along a region R2 following the longitudinal direction, which regions include the regions between the openings 33 punched out by the stamping unit 66. Therefore, the second additive L2 is added to the sheet material 30.

[0198] ​

[0199] For example, the second additive L2 is a liquid at a temperature higher than the normal atmospheric temperature (e.g., 60 °C or higher), and suitably has the property of solidifying or becoming stickier than when sprayed when the temperature drops to the normal atmospheric temperature. Further, the first additive (liquid) L1 suitably has a higher viscosity than the second additive (liquid) L2. In this case, the first additive L1 adhered to the edge portion of the opening 33 (the boundary between the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34) is less likely to fall off from the opening 33. Therefore, it is also possible to limit the dripping of the first additive L1 after the adding unit 68 and the adhesion to the production equipment 50 when conveying the sheet material 30 downstream. Further, even if the second additive L2 has a relatively low viscosity, it often adheres only to the enclosed region of the sheet material 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the second additive L2 from dripping from the sheet material 30 and adhering to the production equipment 50 after the adding unit 68.

[0200] When the second additive L2 is continuously sprayed from the second nozzle 682 while conveying the sheet material 30 in the longitudinal direction, the second additive L2 continuously adheres to the region R2 in the longitudinal direction of the region R2. That is, the second additive L2 continuously adheres in the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 30.

[0201] The method of adding the second additive L2 to the sheet material 30 (which is part of the method for producing the filter tip section (rod section) 20 in this variant example) includes alternately supplying the second additive L2 to the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 of the sheet material 30 conveyed in the conveying direction, while the supply position of the second additive L2 is fixed relative to the supply position of the first additive L1. That is, adding the second additive L2 to the sheet material 30 includes causing the second additive L2 to adhere to both the non-perforated region 34 and the region of the perforated region 32 remote from the opening 33 in the sheet material 30 conveyed in the conveying direction, while the supply position of the second additive L2 is fixed relative to the supply position of the first additive L1. By simply fixing the position of the nozzle 682 and continuously spraying the second additive L2 (e.g., downward) from the nozzle 682, it is possible to cause the second additive L2 to adhere to the region between the openings 33 in the perforated region 32, and it is also possible to cause the second additive L2 to adhere to the non-perforated region 34. When the sheet material 30 to which the second additive L2 has been added is wound together with the wrapper 24 (sheet-like member 24a) into the filter tip section (rod section) 20 by means of the production equipment 50, it is possible to form a filter tip section (rod section) 20 having the same region containing the additive L2 in the longitudinal direction.

[0202] Therefore, for example, when the sheet material 30 is wrinkled in the width direction and the filter material 22 is formed into the filter section 20, it is possible to form a region of the filter section 20 from the tip end face 14a side of the mouthpiece section 14 to the rear end face (mouthpiece end) 14b side as a region to which the second additive L2 adheres. Therefore, when the user holds the mouthpiece end 14b of the flavor inhalation article 10 in their mouth and inhales, the user can appropriately experience the flavor of the second additive L2. This makes the opportunity for the flavor generated by the flavor generating section 12 to come into contact with the flavor components from the second additive L2 longer.

[0203] It should be noted that the liquid addition unit 68a can also selectively eject the first additive L1 and the second additive L2 from the first nozzle 681 and the second nozzle 682 onto the sheet material 30. That is, the liquid addition unit 68a can eject the first additive L1 onto the sheet material 30 only from the first nozzle 681, or can eject the second additive L2 onto the sheet material 30 only from the second nozzle 682 without ejecting the first additive L1 from the first nozzle 681.

[0204] This variant example describes the following example: in which the first additive L1 and / or the second additive L2 are added to the paper sheet material 30, but the first additive L1 and / or the second additive L2 can similarly be added to a non-woven fabric sheet material, a resin sheet material, or a tobacco sheet material each having a perforated region 32 and a non-perforated region 34. That is, the sheet material 30 applied to the first addition unit 68a of the production apparatus 50 is suitably selected from paper materials, non-woven fabric materials, resin materials, tobacco sheet materials, and the like.

[0205] Therefore, this variant example makes it possible to provide a flavor inhalation article 10 and a filter section 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10 that can adjust the amount of fluid filtration, etc. by means of regions (perforated region 32 and non-perforated region 34) having different capabilities formed from a single member (sheet material 30). In addition, this variant example makes it possible to provide a rod section 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, and a method for producing the rod section 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which can form regions (perforated region 32 and non-perforated region 34) with different amounts of the additive L1 added from a single member (sheet material 30).

[0206] (Third Embodiment)

[0207] The third embodiment will be described with the help of Figure 17 This embodiment mainly describes an example of a heated but not burned inhalation article 10. Now, an example in which the tip plug 42 is formed into a rod section using the sheet material 30 described in the first embodiment will be described.

[0208] As Figure 17 shown in Figure 17 , the flavor generating section 12 according to this embodiment includes a tip plug 42 and a flavor generating portion 44.

[0209] For example, the flavor generating portion 44 of this embodiment is formed in the same manner as the flavor generating section 12 described in the first embodiment.

[0210] The tip plug 42 is provided on the upstream side of the flavor generating portion 44. For example, the tip plug 42 is for the purpose of preventing the tobacco material from falling out.

[0211] The tip plug 42 of this embodiment is formed in the same manner as the filter tip section 20 described in the first embodiment. That is, the tip plug 42 includes a cylindrical filter material 22 and a wrapper 24 covering the outer circumference of the filter material 22. In addition, the perforated region 32 and the non-perforated region 34 are arranged adjacent to each other in the tip plug 42. The region including the tip end face 12a is formed by the perforated region 32. The degree of perforation of the sheet material 30 forming the filter material 22 of this embodiment can be such that the area of the openings 33 in the perforated region 32 is larger or smaller than the area when the filter material 22 is used as the filter tip section 20. In addition, for example, liquid additives (the first liquid additive L1 and the second liquid additive L2) and particulate additives may or may not be added.

[0212] The region including the tip end face 12a of the tip plug 42 is formed by the perforated region 32. In this embodiment, the non-perforated region 34 and the flavor generating portion 44 are joined.

[0213] There is also a case where an aerosol source (such as propylene glycol or glycerol) is added to the tip plug 42 using the nozzles 681, 682 shown in Figures 15A to 16 . Figures 15A to 16 Figures 15A to 16

[0214] In addition, the mouthpiece section 14 is provided on the rear end side of the flavor generating portion 44. In this embodiment, the mouthpiece section 14 includes a cooling section 46 and a filter tip section 48.

[0215] For example, the filter tip section 48 according to this embodiment can adopt the filter tip section 20 described in the first embodiment, or can adopt a filter tip section in which acetate tow or the like has been formed into a rod shape and its outer circumference is wrapped with a wrapper 24.

[0216] When using the heat-not-burn flavor inhalation article 10, the mouthpiece section 14 suitably includes a cooling section 46 between the rear end face 12b of the flavor generating section 12 and the tip end face of the filter tip section 20. That is, the cooling section 46 is suitably positioned on the downstream side of the flavor generating section 12.

[0217] The heated and vaporized vapor from the aerosol matrix or flavor source is cooled when introduced into the cooling section 46 and thereby condensed (formed into an aerosol). The cooling section 46 preferably cools the vapor of the aerosol matrix or flavor source generated by the flavor generating section 12 without removing a large amount of the vapor. For example, there may also be a difference of 20 °C or more between the internal temperature of the section near the inlet of the cooling section 46 (near the rear end face 12b of the flavor generating section 12) and the internal temperature of the section near the outlet of the cooling section 46 (near the tip end face of the filter section 20) during inhalation.

[0218] According to one mode, the cooling section 46 is a hollow member in which external air introduction holes are formed in a paper tube processed into a cylindrical shape. According to another mode, the interior of the paper tube processed into a cylindrical shape is preferably also filled with a cooling sheet material. For example, the cooling sheet material used in the cooling section 46 suitably employs a sheet material that can be produced in substantially the same manner as the sheet material 30 used to produce the filter section 20 in the first embodiment. When the cooling section 46 is produced by the production device 50, the addition unit 68 described above may not be necessary.

[0219] In this case, one or more air circulation channels are provided along the flow direction of the cooling section 46, making it possible to achieve low-level filtration of the components while also providing cooling by means of the cooling sheet material. The air flow resistance of the cooling section 46 when filled with this cooling sheet material is preferably from 0 mmHg2O / mm to 30 mmHg2O / mm.

[0220] The total surface area of the cooling sheet material can be 300 mm 2 / mm to 1000 mm 2 / mm. This surface area is the surface area per length (mm) of the cooling sheet material along the air flow direction. The total surface area of the cooling sheet material is preferably 400 mm 2 / mm or more, and more preferably 450 mm 2 / mm or more, while preferably 600 mm 2 / mm or less, and more preferably 550 mm 2 / mm or less.

[0221] The cooling section 46 preferably has a suitably large surface area for contacting the aerosol. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the cooling sheet material can be formed of a sheet as a thin material, which is wrinkled and then grooved, pleated, and folded to form channels along the flow direction. The more wrinkles or grooves there are within a given volume of the element, the larger the total surface area of the cooling sheet material.

[0222] In one embodiment, for example, the thickness of the cooling sheet material can be from 5 µm to 500 µm, and can be from 10 µm to 250 µm.

[0223] The cooling sheet material is suitably formed of a material having a specific surface area of 10 mm 2 / mg to 100 mm 2 / mg. In one embodiment, the specific surface area of the constituent material can be approximately 35 mm 2 / mg.

[0224] The specific surface area can be determined by considering the material of the cooling sheet material having a known width and thickness. For example, the material of the cooling sheet material can be polylactic acid, which has an average thickness of 50 µm and a variation of ± 2 µm. For example, if it is already known that the material of the cooling sheet material has a width between 200 mm and 250 mm, the specific surface area and density can also be calculated.

[0225] Furthermore, from the perspective of reducing the environmental burden, it is also desirable to use paper as the material of the cooling sheet material. The paper used as the cooling sheet material preferably has a basis weight of 30 g / m 2 to 100 g / m 2 and a thickness of 20 µm to 100 µm. From the perspective of reducing the removal of flavor source components and aerosol matrix components in the cooling section 46, the paper used as the cooling sheet material preferably has low air permeability, and an air permeability of 10 Coresta units or less is preferred. The cooling effect can also be improved by the following steps: utilizing the heat absorption of the coating or the heat of dissolution associated with the phase change, and coating the paper used as the cooling sheet material with a polymer coating (such as polyvinyl alcohol) or a polysaccharide coating (such as pectin).

[0226] Therefore, this embodiment makes it possible to provide the flavor inhalation article 10 and the filter section 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10, which can adjust the filtration amount of the fluid, etc. by means of regions (perforated region 32 and non-perforated region 34) having different capabilities formed by a single member (sheet material 30). In addition, this embodiment makes it possible to provide a production apparatus 50 capable of producing the rod section (rod) 20 for this flavor inhalation article 10, and a method for producing the rod section (rod) 20 for the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0227] By subjecting the cooling sheet material to a wrinkling treatment using the production apparatus 50 described in the first embodiment and forming the cooling sheet material into a cylindrical rod shape, the cooling section (cooling rod section) 46 of the mouthpiece section 14 can be formed.

[0228] In addition, the production equipment 50 described in the first embodiment may be capable of rolling various types of sheet materials together with the sheet-like member 24a forming the wrapper 24 so as to form the sheet materials into a cylindrical rod segment, and these sheet materials are used for the cooling segment 46 described in this embodiment or for the flavor generating segment (tobacco sheet material) 12, etc.

[0229] Regarding the embodiments described above, the following can be stated.

[0230] [Supplement 1]

[0231] A flavor inhalation article, comprising:

[0232] A flavor generating segment, and

[0233] A filter segment, which is provided on the downstream side of the flavor generating segment,

[0234] wherein,

[0235] the filter segment includes:

[0236] Filter material, and

[0237] A wrapper, which wraps the outer side of the filter material to form the filter segment into a rod,

[0238] The filter material is formed of a sheet member, and the sheet member includes: a partially perforated perforated area and an unperforated non-perforated area.

[0239] [Supplement 2]

[0240] The flavor inhalation article as disclosed in Supplement 1, wherein the perforated area of the filter material of the filter segment is disposed on a side of the flavor inhalation article upstream of the non-perforated area along the axial direction of the rod.

[0241] [Supplement 3]

[0242] The flavor inhalation article as disclosed in Supplement 1 or 2, wherein the mouthpiece end of the filter segment is formed of the non-perforated area of the filter material.

[0243] [Supplement 4]

[0244] The flavor inhalation article as disclosed in any one of Supplements 1 to 3, wherein the perforated area of the sheet material for the filter material is perforated within 5% to 70% in the width direction, and in the extended state of the sheet material, the width direction intersects with the direction defined by the upstream side and the downstream side of the flavor inhalation article.

[0245] [Supplement 5]

[0246] A flavor inhalation article as disclosed in any one of Supplements 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of openings are formed in a perforated area of a sheet material, and

[0247] none of the edge portions of the plurality of openings have corners.

[0248] [Supplement 6]

[0249] A flavor inhalation article as disclosed in any one of Supplements 1 to 5, wherein a bladder is disposed in the perforated area.

[0250] [Supplement 7]

[0251] A flavor inhalation article as disclosed in any one of Supplements 1 to 6, wherein the basis weight of the wrapper is from 30 gsm to 100 gsm.

[0252] [Supplement 8]

[0253] A flavor inhalation article as disclosed in any one of Supplements 1 to 7, wherein the sheet material is formed of a paper material, a nonwoven fabric, or a resin material.

[0254] [Supplement 9]

[0255] A filter segment for a flavor inhalation article, the filter segment for a flavor inhalation article, the filter segment comprising:

[0256] Filter material, and

[0257] A wrapper that wraps the outer side of the filter material to form the filter segment into a rod,

[0258] wherein,

[0259] the filter segment is formed of a sheet material, the sheet material comprising:

[0260] A partially perforated perforated area, and

[0261] An unperforated non-perforated area.

[0262] [Supplement 10]

[0263] The filter segment as disclosed in Supplement 9 or 10, wherein the perforated area and the non-perforated area are arranged adjacent to each other along the axial direction of the filter segment.

[0264] [Supplement 11]

[0265] The filter segment as disclosed in Supplement 9, wherein the mouthpiece end of the filter segment is formed of the non-perforated area of the filter material.

[0266] [Supplement 12]

[0267] A filter segment as disclosed in any one of Supplements 9 to 11, wherein the perforated area of the sheet material for the filter material is perforated within 5% to 70% in the width direction, which intersects the direction along which the perforated area and the non-perforated area are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0268] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways at the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the embodiments can be implemented in a suitable combination, and in this case, the combined effect is achieved. The embodiments further include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted using combinations selected from the plurality of disclosed constituent requirements. For example, if a problem can still be solved and an effect can still be achieved when some of the constituent requirements are deleted from the constituent requirements disclosed as a whole in the embodiments, then the configuration from which those constituent requirements have been deleted can be extracted as an invention.

Claims

1. A flavored inhalation article, comprising: a flavor generating section, and a filter section disposed on the downstream side of the flavor generating section, wherein, the filter section comprises: filter material, and a wrapper that wraps the outer side of the filter material to form the filter section into a rod, the filter material is formed by a sheet member, and the sheet member comprises: a partially perforated perforated area and an unperforated non-perforated area.

2. The flavor inhalation article according to claim 1, wherein The perforated area of the filter material of the filter section is disposed on a side of the flavored inhalation article upstream of the non-perforated area along the axial direction of the rod.

3. The flavor inhalation article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The mouthpiece end of the filter section is formed by the non-perforated area of the filter material.

4. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The perforated area of the sheet material for the filter material is perforated within 5% to 70% in the width direction, and in the extended state of the sheet material, the width direction intersects the direction defined by the upstream side and the downstream side of the flavored inhalation article.

5. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, A plurality of openings are formed in the perforated area of the sheet material, and the edge portions of the plurality of openings have no corners.

6. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, A capsule is disposed in the perforated area.

7. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The basis weight of the wrapper is 30 gsm to 100 gsm.

8. The flavor inhalation product according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The sheet material is formed of a paper material, a non-woven fabric or a resin material.

9. A filter section for a flavored inhalation article, the filter section for a flavored inhalation article, the filter section comprising: filter material, and a wrapper that wraps the outer side of the filter material to form the filter section into a rod, wherein, the filter section is formed by a sheet material, and the sheet material comprises: a partially perforated perforated area, and an unperforated non-perforated area.

10. The filter segment according to claim 9, wherein, The perforated area and the non-perforated area are arranged adjacent to each other along the axial direction of the filter section.

11. The filter segment according to claim 9 or 10, wherein, The mouthpiece end of the filter section is formed by the non-perforated area of the filter material.

12. The filter segment according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein, The perforated area of the sheet material for the filter material is perforated within 5% to 70% in the width direction, and the width direction intersects the direction along which the perforated area and the non-perforated area are arranged adjacent to each other.

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