Cigar tobacco tissue thickness measuring method and cutting device

Abstract

The invention discloses a cigar tobacco tissue thickness measuring method and a cutting device, and relates to the technical field of tobacco tissue thickness measurement, and the method comprises the following steps: S1, carrying out screening treatment before cigar tobacco and rootstock cutting; s2, device cutting module selection and parameter setting work; s3, tobacco plant rhizome and leaf tissue structure slices are cut; s4, tissue slice electron microscope scanning and image selection work; and S5, carrying out tissue slice image part identification and division and average thickness calculation. The method solves the problems that in the prior art, in thickness measurement of different tissue structures of tobacco leaf sections, most methods or leaf surface image analysis systems are used for estimating and reading scale scales, and due to the fact that thickness distribution of tissue parts of leaves is not uniform and consistent, a traditional scale measurement method is large in error due to different selected measurement point positions, and the measurement accuracy is poor. And the average thickness of each part cannot be quickly and accurately measured.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of tobacco leaf thickness measurement, in particular to a method for measuring the thickness of cigar tobacco leaf and a cutting device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, the domestic tobacco market has developed smoothly, among which the scale of cigar products in the medium and low-end market has shown an increasing trend year by year. Cigar is mainly composed of three parts: jacket, wrapper and core. The jacket tobacco leaf plays a protective role for the cigar, and is also a direct manifestation of the appearance quality of the cigar. The wrapper tobacco leaf plays a supporting and shaping role for the cigar. The core tobacco leaf is the main source of smoke and provides flavor for the cigar. Therefore, different uses of cigar tobacco leaves have different requirements for tobacco leaf specifications and quality. Compared with high-quality tobacco leaf production areas abroad, the richness of the core tobacco leaf is lacking, and the jacket tobacco leaf has problems such as rough leaves and excessive thickness. This leads to the difficulty of domestic cigar products in attacking the high-end market. Research shows that appropriate tobacco leaf thickness is beneficial to the accumulation of rich inclusions and the sensory quality of tobacco leaf. Thin tobacco leaf is beneficial to improving the flexibility, flatness and appearance quality of tobacco leaf, thereby improving the industrial usability of tobacco leaf. At present, in the field of cigar tobacco quality research, there is a problem of ambiguity in the measurement method of tobacco leaf thickness.

[0003] A patent with publication number CN119594871A is disclosed in the prior art, which includes: determining original data points based on the center points of each laser stripe on the laser stripe formed when a line laser is projected onto the target tobacco leaf to be measured, and determining a candidate straight line slope sample data set based on the coordinate values of any two data points in the original data points on a preset coordinate axis; determining the initial value of the slope sample centroid corresponding to all slope candidate data in the candidate straight line slope sample data set, and determining the target straight line slope based on the initial value and a preset straight line slope determination algorithm; the preset straight line slope determination algorithm is a mean shift algorithm determined based on a Gaussian kernel function; a fitting straight line is determined using the target straight line slope and a preset minimum distance square sum rule, so as to determine the thickness of the target tobacco leaf to be measured based on the fitting straight line. The straight line fitting method constructed based on the preset straight line slope determination algorithm can improve the accuracy of measuring the tobacco leaf to be measured.

[0004] With the use of existing devices and methods, the deficiencies of the technology have also gradually been exposed, mainly in the following aspects: First, in the field of cigar tobacco thickness measurement research, the related methods and devices are mostly for clamping or applying a fixed pressure to the tobacco leaf, and the thickness of the tobacco leaf is obtained by measuring the distance, which cannot measure different parts of the tobacco leaf separately.

[0005] Secondly, existing methods or leaf image analysis systems for measuring the thickness of different tissue structures in tobacco leaf profiles mostly rely on scale readings for estimation. Since the thickness distribution of different tissue parts of the leaf is not uniform, the traditional scale measurement method has a large error due to the different selection of measurement points, and cannot quickly and accurately measure the average thickness of each part.

[0006] In conclusion, the existing technology obviously has inconveniences and defects in practical use, so it is necessary to improve it. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention solves the problem that traditional methods for measuring the thickness of different tissue structures in tobacco leaf cross-sections often rely on scale readings for estimation. Since the thickness distribution of different tissue parts of the leaf is not uniform, the traditional scale measurement method has a large error due to the different selection of measurement points, and cannot quickly and accurately measure the average thickness of each part.

[0009] To address the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A method for measuring the thickness of cigar tobacco leaf tissue includes the following steps: S1: Screening and processing of cigar tobacco leaves and stems before cutting; according to the requirements of the experiment, select fresh cigar tobacco leaf tissues from different parts that are free of mucus; S2: Selection and parameter setting of the cutting module; select different functional modules of the device according to the properties of the sample; after selecting different cutting functional modules, the cutting parameters need to be set. S3: Sectioning and cutting of tobacco root, stem and leaf tissue structures; based on the different cutting modules and parameter settings selected in the previous step, the device automatically cuts and slices the sample; S4: Electron microscopy scanning and image selection of tissue sections; After the tissue sections are cut, the experimenter places the sections under the microscope and adjusts the focus and magnification by adjusting the knobs on the microscope. The images are then transmitted to the monitor in real time.

[0010] S5: Tissue section image location identification and average thickness calculation; after acquiring electron microscopic images of tissue structures, each tissue structure is divided according to the cell morphology characteristics of different tissue structures; after completing the tissue structure division, different tissue structures are selected by bounding box, and the system calculates the number of pixels for each.

[0011] As an optimized solution, in step S1, if leaf cutting is required, select several flat, undamaged, uniform tobacco leaves, remove the main vein of the tobacco leaves, select tobacco leaf tissues from different parts of the leaf tip, leaf edge, leaf center and leaf base, and peel off the branch veins. If stem cutting is required, select the vertical, non-deformable part of the stem and cut it into several short sections; If root trimming is required, cut off the lateral roots attached to the main root, and stretch the fibrous roots that need to be trimmed in the lateral roots into a straight state and then shape them. If air-dried or fermented cigar tobacco leaves are selected, a moisture balancing treatment is required before cutting. The leaves should be equilibrated at 22-24℃ and 70% relative humidity for 48 hours before the treatment. After the cutting tissue selection and treatment are completed, paraffin fixation can be selectively performed depending on the needs of the experiment.

[0012] As an optimized solution, in step S2, if the selected leaf is an irregular leaf after removing the veins, the leaf is placed on the main cutting table, and the leaf can be clamped by a stretching and flattening device, and the leaf can be pressed onto the main cutting table by a cutting and flattening device. If round tobacco leaves are selected, place the round leaves in the round leaf cutting slots of the corresponding diameter and enter the serial number of the round leaf cutting slots into the device; If the sample is a columnar rhizome, place the sample on the stem cutting table and secure both ends of the sample with cable ties. If the selected device is an irregular tuber or paraffin, place the sample on the tuber cutting table, use a table vise to clamp the sample tightly, and adjust the edge of the area to be cut to the corresponding position of the blade.

[0013] As an optimized solution, in step S2, if single-blade continuous cutting is required, the adjustable-distance cutting blade or guillotine blade can be turned on in the control panel to adjust the number of blades and set the cutting thickness for each cut; if multiple blades are required to cut simultaneously, the cutting module with the corresponding blade spacing can be selected to select multi-blade continuous or equal-interval cutting.

[0014] As an optimized solution, in step S3, if a main cutting table is selected, the camera next to the main cutting table is turned on to scan the sample on the top of the main cutting table and display it on the monitor. The experimenter can directly set the cutting position and the direction of continuous cutting based on the coordinates on the image, or select the position for each cutting and directly control the cutting robot arm. If a circular cutting groove and a stem cutting table are selected, the device will continuously cut the sample according to the cutting settings in the cutting groove on the cutting table, based on the coordinate position of the sample, until the cutting reaches the limiting groove each time. If tuber cutting is selected, the device moves according to the cutting thickness each time, gradually moving the fixed sample under the gate blade. After each cutting, the slice slides into the collection tank.

[0015] As an optimized approach, in step S4, after the image is clear, the display area is moved using the buttons on the microscope until all the various tissue structures whose thickness needs to be measured appear in the center of the display. At this point, the viewing angle is adjusted along the shape of the tissue structure, and the sample slice is scanned until an area without damage or deformation, and where all tissue structures are relatively clear, is selected as the tissue structure for imaging.

[0016] As an optimized approach, in step S5, cells with a single layer of tightly packed, colorless thin-walled cells covering a waxy stratum corneum are selected as the outer edge of the tissue structure. An approximately parallelogram-shaped cross-sectional area of ​​the tissue structure is selected, and the inner edge of the single layer of cells of the upper and lower epidermis is selected based on these cell characteristics to separate the epidermal tissue. In the remaining structures, the palisade cells are long and columnar, arranged perpendicular to the leaf surface, while the spongy cells are irregularly shaped and loosely arranged. Based on these characteristics, the palisade cells and spongy cells are separated. At this point, the tobacco leaf tissue structure is divided into four parts: upper epidermis, palisade tissue, spongy tissue, and lower epidermis. The tissue division of other parts such as rhizomes, tubers, flowers, and fruits is similar, based on the cellular structure characteristics of different tissues. Based on the scaling factor at this time, the number of pixels of the current scale length is obtained, such as the pixel length occupied by 100μm unit; at this time, based on the cropped area of ​​cell tissue in the image, the pixel length is measured along the distribution direction of the tissue structure, which is taken as the length of the tissue structure within the cropped area. Because: Height of parallelogram = Area of ​​parallelogram / Length of base of parallelogram; At this point, we can obtain: the average thickness of the tobacco leaf tissue in the sampled area = (Number of pixels in the area of ​​tissue cutout * scale unit) / (Number of pixels in the scale length * length of the tissue cutout).

[0017] The present invention also discloses a cigar tobacco leaf tissue cutting device, including a device table, wherein the device table is provided with a main cutting table, a circular slice and stem cutting table, a cutting functional area, a tuber cutting table, and a thin slice image scanning area; The main cutting table includes a backlit cutting table, and sample extension clips arranged in an arc shape are slidably provided on opposite sides of the backlit cutting table. Spring clips are connected to both ends of the sample extension clips. A scanning camera is installed on one side of the backlit cutting table. The circular cutting table and the stem cutting table are provided with stem cutting rails and circular cutting rails arranged side by side, and there are several circular cutting rails arranged side by side; The cutting functional area includes a sliding cutting robotic arm, and one side of the cutting robotic arm is provided with a thin sheet cutting head, a stem cutting head, a modular cutting head, and a cutting module.

[0018] As an optimized solution, the tuber cutting table includes a tuber fixing table that slides longitudinally, and a plurality of table-shaped vises that slide laterally are arranged side by side on the tuber fixing table. A cutting gate is raised and lowered on one side of the tuber fixing table.

[0019] As an optimized solution, the thin-slide image scanning area includes an electron microscope, and a slide stage is mounted on the base of the electron microscope.

[0020] As an optimized solution, the backlight cutting table has a sample stretching clip moving track for each sample stretching clip, and a sample stretching clip stretching device is slidably arranged in the sample stretching clip moving track, and the sample stretching clip is fixed on the sample stretching clip stretching device.

[0021] As an optimized solution, stem fixing straps are respectively provided on both sides of the stem cutting track on the circular cutting table and the stem cutting table; the circular cutting table is provided with circular cutting grooves of different diameters corresponding to each circular cutting track.

[0022] As an optimized solution, a cutting blade cleaning device is also provided on one side of the cutting robotic arm.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. Compared with other methods in the current research field of plant tissue section thickness measurement, this method first uses the area pixel count method of the section image to calculate the thickness, which can fundamentally eliminate the measurement error caused by different human selection of measurement points and uneven distribution of sample tissue. Moreover, this method can directly calculate the average thickness of plant tissue without the need for repeated human measurement and calculation. 2. Compared with other methods in the current research field of plant tissue section cutting, this method is applicable to the cutting of plant leaves, thin sections, plant rhizomes and irregular tubers. This method is also adapted to cutting parameters for different sample parts with different morphological characteristics. It is the first to propose a fixation device suitable for irregular tissues, paraffin and tubers. Moreover, compared with the traditional single-blade slice cutting, this method has a variety of different cutting methods and is more practical for experiments. 3. Compared with other methods in the current research field of plant tissue section cutting, this method introduces computer programming control and electrical automation devices. The system uses a precise coordinate system to control the cutting position and direction, and the cutting parameters can be adjusted manually according to the characteristics of the sample. It has a high degree of operational freedom and has the advantages of high cutting accuracy and good section quality. 4. Compared with other devices for cutting and scanning plant tissue sections using electron microscopy, this device integrates the cutting function with high automation and combines tissue section cutting and electron microscopy into one system for control. It also includes sample preparation, preservation, and cleaning and maintenance components for the cutting parts, giving it the advantages of high efficiency, easy adjustment, and low sample loss. 5. Compared with other patents on plant tissue thin section cutting and tissue structure analysis, the method and supporting device of this invention are more integrated, and use a brand-new analysis method and efficient supporting device. It has the advantages of wide applicability, simple operation, high accuracy and small error. Moreover, the device has a simple structure, is easy to implement, and has high promotion value. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. In all the drawings, similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals. In the drawings, the elements or parts are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a top view of the structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main cutting table of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the circular disc and the stem cutting table of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cutting functional area of ​​the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the tuber cutting table of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electron microscope of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the steps of an example of the effects of the present invention; Figure 9 The data graph shows an example of the effect of the present invention.

[0026] In the diagram: 1-Main cutting table; 11-Backlit cutting table; 12-Sample fixing clamp; 13-Sample extension clamp; 14-Sample extension clamp stretching device; 15-Sample extension clamp moving track; 16-Scanning camera; 17-Cutter limiter; 2-Round sheet and stem cutting table; 21-Steel cutting track; 22-Steel fixing strap; 23-Round sheet cutting track; 24-Round sheet fixing slot; 3-Cutting functional area; 31-Cutting robotic arm; 32-Robotic arm moving track; 33-Sheet cutting blade; 34-Steel cutting blade. 35- Modular cutter head; 36- Cutting module; 37- Cutting cleaning device; 38- Air pump; 4- Tuber cutting table; 41- Tuber cutting table surface; 42- Tuber fixing table; 43- Tuber fixing table moving track; 44- Bench vise; 45- Bench vise moving track; 46- Cutting gate; 47- Thin slice collection slot; 5- Thin slice image scanning area; 51- Electron microscope; 52- Slide placement stage; 53- Slide sample storage box; 6- Device table surface; 61- Main structure of the device; 62- Display. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The embodiments of the technical solution of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical solution of the present invention and are therefore intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] like Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the cigar tobacco leaf tissue cutting device and the cigar tobacco leaf tissue thickness measurement method include the following steps: S1: Screening and processing of cigar tobacco leaves and stems before cutting; according to the requirements of the experiment, select fresh cigar tobacco leaf tissues from different parts that are free of mucus; S2: Selection and parameter setting of the cutting module; select different functional modules of the device according to the properties of the sample; after selecting different cutting functional modules, the cutting parameters need to be set. S3: Sectioning and cutting of tobacco root, stem and leaf tissue structures; based on the different cutting modules and parameter settings selected in the previous step, the device automatically cuts and slices the sample; S4: Electron microscopy scanning and image selection of tissue sections; After the tissue sections are cut, the experimenter places the sections under the microscope and adjusts the focus and magnification by adjusting the knobs on the microscope. The images are then transmitted to the monitor 62 in real time.

[0029] S5: Tissue section image location identification and average thickness calculation; after acquiring electron microscopic images of tissue structures, each tissue structure is divided according to the cell morphology characteristics of different tissue structures; after completing the tissue structure division, different tissue structures are selected by bounding box, and the system calculates the number of pixels for each.

[0030] In step S1, if leaf cutting is required, select several flat, undamaged, uniform tobacco leaves, remove the main vein of the tobacco leaves, select tobacco leaf tissues from different parts of the leaf tip, leaf edge, leaf center and leaf base, and peel off the branch veins. If stem cutting is required, select the vertical, non-deformable part of the stem and cut it into several short sections; If root trimming is required, cut off the lateral roots attached to the main root, and stretch the fibrous roots that need to be trimmed in the lateral roots into a straight state and then shape them. If air-dried or fermented cigar tobacco leaves are selected, a moisture balancing treatment is required before cutting. The leaves should be equilibrated at 22-24℃ and 70% relative humidity for 48 hours before the treatment. After the cutting tissue selection and treatment are completed, paraffin fixation can be selectively performed depending on the needs of the experiment.

[0031] In step S2, if an irregular leaf after removing veins is selected, the leaf is placed on the main cutting table 1. The leaf can be clamped by a stretching and flattening device and pressed onto the main cutting table 1 by a cutting and flattening device. If round tobacco leaves are selected, place the round leaves in the round leaf cutting slots of the corresponding diameter and enter the serial number of the round leaf cutting slots into the device; If the sample is a columnar rhizome, place the sample on the stem cutting table and secure both ends of the sample with cable ties. If the selected device is an irregular tuber or paraffin, place the sample on the tuber cutting table 4, use the table vise 44 to clamp the sample tightly, and adjust the edge of the area to be cut to the corresponding position of the blade of the guillotine.

[0032] In step S2, if single-blade continuous cutting is required, the adjustable-distance cutting blade or guillotine blade can be turned on at the control panel to adjust the number of blades and set the cutting thickness for each cut; if multiple blades are required to cut simultaneously, the cutting module with the corresponding blade spacing can be selected to select multi-blade continuous or equal-interval cutting.

[0033] In step S3, if the main cutting table 1 is selected, the camera next to the main cutting table 1 will be turned on to scan the sample on the top of the main cutting table 1 and display it on the display 62. The experimenter can directly set the cutting position and the direction of continuous cutting based on the coordinates on the image, or select the position for each cutting and directly control the cutting robot arm. If a circular cutting groove and a stem cutting table are selected, the device will continuously cut the sample according to the cutting settings in the cutting groove on the cutting table, based on the coordinate position of the sample, until the cutting reaches the limiting groove each time. If tuber cutting is selected, the device moves according to the cutting thickness each time, gradually moving the fixed sample under the gate blade. After each cutting, the slice slides into the collection tank.

[0034] In step S4, after the image is clear, use the button on the microscope to move the display area until the various tissue structures that need to be measured appear in the center of the display 62. At this time, adjust the viewing angle along the shape of the tissue structure and scan the sample slice until an area without damage or deformation and where all tissue structures are relatively clear is selected. Select this area as the tissue structure for imaging.

[0035] In step S5, cells with a single layer of tightly packed, colorless thin-walled cells covering a waxy stratum corneum are selected as the outer edge of the tissue structure. An approximately parallelogram-shaped cross-sectional area of ​​the tissue structure is selected, and the inner edge of the single layer of cells of the upper and lower epidermis is selected based on these cell characteristics to separate the epidermal tissue. In the remaining structures, the palisade cells are long and columnar, arranged perpendicular to the leaf surface, while the spongy cells are irregularly shaped and loosely arranged. Based on these characteristics, the palisade cells and spongy cells are separated. At this point, the tobacco leaf tissue structure is divided into four parts: upper epidermis, palisade tissue, spongy tissue, and lower epidermis. The tissue division of other parts such as rhizomes, tubers, flowers, and fruits is similar, based on the cellular structure characteristics of different tissues. Based on the scaling factor at this time, the number of pixels of the current scale length is obtained, such as the pixel length occupied by 100μm unit; at this time, based on the cropped area of ​​cell tissue in the image, the pixel length is measured along the distribution direction of the tissue structure, which is taken as the length of the tissue structure within the cropped area. Because: Height of parallelogram = Area of ​​parallelogram / Length of base of parallelogram; At this point, we can obtain: the average thickness of the tobacco leaf tissue in the sampled area = (Number of pixels in the area of ​​tissue cutout * scale unit) / (Number of pixels in the scale length * length of the tissue cutout).

[0036] The present invention also discloses a cigar tobacco leaf tissue cutting device, including a device platform 6, on which a main cutting table 1, a circular slice and stem cutting table 2, a cutting functional area 3, a tuber cutting table 4, and a thin slice image scanning area 5 are provided; The main cutting table 1 includes a backlit cutting table 11. The backlit cutting table 11 has sample extension clips 13 arranged in an arc shape that are slidably provided on opposite sides. The two ends of the sample extension clips 13 are respectively connected to spring clips. A scanning camera 16 is installed on one side of the backlit cutting table 11. The circular cutting table 2 is provided with a stem cutting track 21 and a circular cutting track 23 arranged side by side, and a plurality of circular cutting tracks 23 are arranged side by side; The cutting functional area 3 includes a slidably arranged cutting robotic arm 31, and one side of the cutting robotic arm 31 is provided with a thin sheet cutting head 33, a stem cutting head 34, a modular cutting head 35, and a cutting module 36.

[0037] The tuber cutting table 4 includes a tuber fixing table 42 that slides longitudinally. Several table-shaped vises 44 that slide laterally are arranged side by side on the tuber fixing table 42. A cutting gate 46 is raised and lowered on one side of the tuber fixing table 42.

[0038] The thin-slide image scanning area 5 includes an electron microscope 51, and a slide stage is mounted on the base of the electron microscope 51.

[0039] The backlight cutting table 11 has a sample stretching clip moving track 15 corresponding to each sample stretching clip 13. A sample stretching clip stretching device 14 is slidably arranged in the sample stretching clip moving track 15, and the sample stretching clip 13 is fixed on the sample stretching clip stretching device 14.

[0040] The circular cutting table 2 is provided with stem fixing straps 22 on both sides of the stem cutting track 21; the circular cutting table 2 is provided with circular cutting grooves 24 of different diameters corresponding to each circular cutting track 23.

[0041] The cutting robotic arm 31 is also equipped with a cutting blade cleaning device on one side.

[0042] The backlit cutting table 11 is made of translucent phenolic resin, which is hard and equipped with an L54 light source. It can illuminate a rectangular area with uniform intensity, projecting light onto the leaf tissue so that the camera can capture lesions and damage inside the leaf. Sample clamps 12 are installed at the four corners of the backlit cutting table 11, four in total. These clamps are made of metal bolts and secured with metal spring clips, allowing rotation. Lifting the spring clips releases the clamps, which then press against the top surface of the backlit cutting table 11, covering its entire top surface. At the midpoint of each pair of opposite sample clamps 12, a sample extension clamp moving track 15 is installed. Each track has a rectangular slot and contains a sample extension clamp stretching device 14, which is a metal hydraulic telescopic rod. One end of the telescopic rod is installed on the inner wall of the sample extension clamp moving track 15, and the other end is connected to the sample... On the outside of the sample extension clamp 14, the reciprocating motion of the sample extension clamp 14 along the sample extension clamp moving track 16 can be controlled by adjusting the length of the telescopic rod; the sample extension clamp 13 has an arc-shaped structure and is made of elastic metal fins. The tension can be adjusted by adjusting the deformation. At each end of the arc-shaped structure, a rubber spring clamp is installed to prevent slipping and to avoid damaging the tobacco leaf structure; a scanning camera 16 is installed on one side of the backlit cutting table 11. It is a fixed-focus wide-angle camera with infrared function, which can measure distances during image capture and scan the part features and flatness distribution of the sample; a cutting blade limiter 17 is installed between the backlit cutting table 11 and the scanning camera 16. It is a 1 / 4 semi-circular protrusion with an arc slope facing the backlit cutting table 11 and is made of solid core phenolic resin board.

[0043] Both the stem cutting track 21 and the disc cutting track 23 are strip-shaped recesses made of phenolic resin with a width of 5mm, enabling single-cell slices with a certain spacing to be cut in one go. The stem cutting track 21 is a single track with stem fixing straps 22 installed on both sides. The structure is a soft polypropylene gear strap that passes through the bottom platform and tightens in one direction after being pulled to fix the cylindrical stem samples on both sides of the track. There are 4 disc cutting tracks 23, each equipped with disc fixing grooves 24 with different annular diameters of 10mm, 15mm, 20mm and 25mm. The disc fixing grooves 24 are two semi-cylindrical metal protrusions that can stack disc tissues of the corresponding diameter to fix the position of the disc tissues during cutting.

[0044] The cutting robotic arm 31 consists of three metal mechanical arms connected by joints. A cutting blade fixing module is mounted on top, with a slot-like structure. The slot has a magnetic power supply and data transmission interface at its center, and two threaded channels for bolt fixing on both sides. The bottom of the robotic arm is mounted on a rotating base equipped with a stepper motor, enabling precise angle rotation based on coordinate control. The rotating base is mounted on top of a movable base, which is installed inside the robotic arm's moving track 32. The robotic arm's moving track 32 has a mechanical transmission structure connected to the cutting robotic arm 31's moving base via a chain, driving the cutting robotic arm 31 to perform precise position-controlled reciprocating motion within the track. A cutting module placement area is mounted on the side of one end of the robotic arm's moving track 32. This area contains a thin-film cutting blade head 33, a stem cutting blade head 34, a modular blade head 35, and a cutting blade module 36. The shape and material of the cutting blades are described above. The cutting blade module 36 has different blade slots and five basic settings, which can be adjusted by inserting and removing blades: 1. Maximum number of single cells with a thickness of 10μm. 1. Cutting up to 8 consecutive slices; 2. Cutting up to 8 consecutive slices of single-cell material with a thickness of 20μm; 3. Cutting up to 8 consecutive slices of multi-cell material with a thickness of 100μm; 4. Cutting up to 4 slices simultaneously with a single-cell spacing of 500μm with a thickness of 20μm; 5. Cutting up to 4 slices simultaneously with a single-cell spacing of 1mm with a thickness of 20μm; A cutter cleaning device 37 is installed on the other side of the same end of the robotic arm moving track 32. The device consists of two adjacent rectangular recesses, one of which contains two air ducts for both exhaust and exhaust. One of the air ducts is equipped with a metal electric heating element. One air duct can deliver hot air to dry the cutting module, and another air duct has an air outlet adjustment function to adjust the air pressure to clean the sample fragments adhering to the cutting module. Another recess has a built-in ultrasonic cleaning device, which can clean the small fragments and mucus adhering to the cutting module after adding water. After cleaning, it can be dried by the air duct. The cleaning process between multiple sample cutting is automatically completed by the robotic arm. An air pump 38 is installed on the empty side of the cutting knife cleaning device 37, and the built-in pipe is connected to the cutting knife cleaning device 37 to realize the basic exhaust and air supply functions.

[0045] The tuber cutting table 41 has a right-angled trapezoidal protrusion and is made of epoxy resin. It has an internal power supply control circuit connected to the built-in computer. A tuber fixing table moving track 43 is located on the top surface of the tuber cutting table 41, with an internal bolt drive mechanism connected to the tuber fixing table 42. Through a high gear ratio and slow rotation of the bolts, the tuber cutting table 42 can move slowly and precisely at the micrometer level. The tuber fixing table 42 is a rectangular plate structure made of epoxy resin. It has a center line on the top with graduations for calibration during sample placement. On both sides of the center line are three opposing rectangular recessed platform-type vise moving tracks 45. Each platform-type vise moving track 45 has a force sensor and a drive mechanism connected to a platform-type vise 42. 4. The vise 44 can be driven to reciprocate along the track and the clamping force can be adjusted. The vise 44 has four adjustable semi-circular grippers covered with wear-resistant soft rubber. After being subjected to force, it automatically changes direction to clamp irregular objects without damaging the sample surface. A cutting guillotine 46 is installed at the extension of the center line of the tuber fixing platform 42 and is connected to the top edge of the inclined side of the tuber cutting platform 41. The structure is a vertically moving arched guillotine with a sliding groove. It is hydraulically driven to move and cuts the sample at the same time as the tuber fixing platform 42 moves. There is a thin slice collection groove 47 under the arch of the cutting guillotine 46. The two are connected by a smooth inclined surface and are connected to the rectangular raised collection box of the thin slice collection groove 47. After cutting, the sample thin slices slide down the slope to the collection box one by one.

[0046] The electron microscope 51 is a conventional tabletop microscope with an adjustable magnification fixed focal length lens. The lens is connected to a 4 / 3-inch photosensitive chip, which transmits images to the built-in computer in real time and projects them onto the display 62. A slide stage 52 is installed on the base of the electron microscope 51, and a metal spring is installed on each side as a slide clamping and fixing device. The slide can be moved on the stage to the range of the electron microscope 51 for fixing. A slide sample storage box 53 is installed on one side of the electron microscope 51, which has multiple slide placement compartments.

[0047] The device platform includes the main structure 61, which is rectangular in shape and made of epoxy resin. All functional components are installed and connected to the top of the main structure 61. The main structure 61 has a built-in power supply assembly and control circuit, which are connected to the built-in computer. The built-in computer is installed inside the main structure. In this patent, for the classification of tissue cell characteristics in different parts, if the configuration of the built-in computer is sufficient, convolutional neural network model training can be performed, and machine vision can be used to automatically identify and classify cells in different tissue parts.

[0048] This method selects field-grown cigar tobacco leaves as the experimental sample, and the experimental design follows the example described above. This method is only one detailed illustration of the method. Differences in measurement methods due to variations in species, variety, leaf condition, growth stage, and experimental requirements are within the scope of this invention. Furthermore, academic achievements inspired by this method by those skilled in the art should also be within the scope of this invention. It is worth noting that this embodiment is only one example; this invention is also applicable to various parts of other plants, as well as irregular tubers or tissues, which must be described in the claims.

[0049] 1. Screening and processing of cigar tobacco leaves before cutting Before cutting, based on the sample treatment number for this measurement, tobacco leaves with large areas of damage and deformation were removed. Ten mid-leaf leaves and ten upper second-section tobacco leaves were selected as representative of this treatment group. The tobacco leaves were laid flat and placed in a constant temperature and humidity environment of 24℃ and 70% relative humidity for 48 hours to equilibrate. The tobacco leaves were removed when they were soft and did not crumble when pressed. The main vein of the tobacco leaf was peeled off, and the remaining half of the tobacco leaf was cut into 3*33m pieces from the leaf tip, leaf edge, leaf center, and leaf base. The attached branch veins on the tobacco pieces were removed.

[0050] 2. Selection and parameter setting of the cutting module for the device Turn on the device power and open the operating system on the display 62. Select the thin sheet cutting head 33 and install it on the top of the cutting robot arm 31. Set the cutting function in the operating system to the free cutting mode of the main cutting table 1. Place the tobacco sheet in sequence on the top of the backlit cutting table 11. Hold the four corners of the tobacco sheet with the four grippers of the two sample stretching clamps 13. Start stretching and flattening the tobacco sheet on the display 62. The sample stretching clamp stretching device 14 retracts, driving the sample stretching clamp 13 to move along the sample stretching clamp moving track 15 to stretch and flatten the sample. Stop when the tension changes suddenly to prevent large-area breakage of the sample. At this time, rotate the sample fixing clamps 12 around the perimeter to flatten the four corners of the tobacco sheet and press the flattened tobacco sheet tightly onto the top surface of the backlit cutting table 11 (for other sample fixing methods, please refer to the instruction manual above). Set the cutting width to 20μm on the display 62. The spiral spacing adjustment device on both sides of the thin sheet cutting head 33 will adjust the blade spacing.

[0051] 3. Cutting of tobacco leaf tissue slices The cutting preview is activated in the system. At this time, the scanning camera 16 is turned on, the backlight of the backlit cutting table 11 is turned on, and the display 62 shows the shape and depth information of the tobacco sheet. The cutting point and cutting direction are selected, and the cutting robot arm 31 moves along the robot arm moving track 32 to the corresponding position. The direction is adjusted to the cutting direction, and the joints of the cutting robot arm 31 retract. When the thin sheet cutting head 33 is transported to the cutting point coordinates, the joints extend to press and cut the backlit cutting table 11 until it reaches the cutting blade limiter 17. If the tissue sheet is stuck between the two cutting blades of the thin sheet cutting head 13, the cutting distance can be increased to remove the sheet; if the tissue sheet remains on the top of the backlit cutting table 11, it can be removed directly with tweezers. After completing one cut, the same product can be cut multiple times in different directions and widths, and different cutting heads can be replaced to achieve different cutting functions. After completing one cut, the cutting robot arm 31 moves to the cutting blade cleaning device 37 to perform ultrasonic cleaning and drying of the thin sheet cutting blade head 33, so that the next set of sample cutting work can be carried out.

[0052] 4. Electron microscopy scanning and image acquisition of leaf tissue sections After obtaining the tissue sections, take the slide and coverslip from stage 52. Place the smoked slide in the center of the slide, add an appropriate amount of physiological saline, and press it down with the coverslip until no air bubbles remain. Place the smoked slide on the stage of electron microscope 61, turn on the electron microscope scanning on monitor 62, and after the scanning image appears, adjust the slide position until the sample appears in the center of the image. At this time, adjust the clamps on the stage of electron microscope 61 to press the sample firmly onto the stage. Set the focus on monitor 62 and adjust the magnification until the tissue cells of all parts of the leaf are clear and the leaf cross-section is completely visible in the scanning image. Scan along the direction of the tissue section until the outlines of the tissue cells of all parts of the image are clear, the tissue is uniform, and there are no major damages, bulges, or depressions. Capture the image at this point.

[0053] 5. Tissue section image region identification and average thickness calculation. Based on the zoom level, insert a ruler, and the system displays the number of pixels per 100µm length at this zoom level. Select the outer edge of the tissue structure in the image, forming a parallelogram region. Record the pixels in this selected region; this represents the total number of pixels for all tissues. Based on the tissue edges, select adjacent single-cell epidermal tissues, separating the upper and lower epidermis into individual regions. Based on cell morphology, select longitudinally arranged, neatly aligned cells; these are the palisade tissues. Check the remaining irregular mesophyll cells for sponge cell characteristics; if correct, select them separately. This yields four separate tissue regions: upper epidermis, palisade tissue, sponge tissue, and lower epidermis. If the leaf tissue has cilia, spurs, or other protruding tissues on its outer contour, select them separately and exclude them from the epidermal region. Based on the tissue orientation, measure the number of pixels occupied by the length of the tissue within the image cropping area. The system then displays the pixel count for each region, and the average thickness of each part can be calculated as follows: Upper skin = (number of pixels on the upper skin * 100μm) / (number of pixels in 100μm * number of pixels in the cropped length) Fence organization = (Number of fence organization pixels * 100μm) / (Number of pixels in 100μm * Number of pixels in the cut length) Sponge tissue = (Number of sponge tissue pixels * 100μm) / (Number of pixels in 100μm * Number of pixels in the cropped length) Lower skin = (Number of pixels in lower skin * 100μm) / (Number of pixels in 100μm * Number of pixels in the crop length) Total average thickness = (total number of pixels in all parts and protrusions * 100μm) / (number of pixels in 100μm * number of pixels in the cut length).

[0054] Example of results Depend on Figure 8 Therefore, a section with clear cell outlines, uniform tissue, and no damage was selected and cropped into a cross-sectional electron microscopy image (8-1). The outer contour of the leaf cross-section in the image was selected, and the epidermal protrusions, upper epidermis, lower epidermis, palisade tissue, and spongy tissue were divided according to cell characteristics and selected as different regions. The system showed that 100μm was 310 pixels at this zoom level (8-2). Parallel lines were drawn along the tissue direction of the image cropping range, and the tissue cropping length was measured to be 1578 pixels (8-3). At this point, calculating the pixels of each part yields (8-4): Lower epidermal tissue pixel count: 67528 Sponge tissue pixel count: 626935 Fence organization pixel count: 304855 Upper epidermal tissue pixel count: 61782 Number of pixels for surface protrusions: 34725 Total pixels across all areas: 1,095,825 Substituting into calculation formula (8-5), we can obtain the counting formulas for the average thickness of each tissue part as follows: Average thickness of lower epidermal tissue: (67528*100μm) / (310*1578) Average thickness of sponge tissue: (626935*100μm) / (310*1578) Average thickness of the fence structure: (304855*100μm) / (310*1578) Average thickness of upper epidermal tissue: (61782*100μm) / (310*1578) Total average thickness of all parts: (1095825*100μm) / (310*1578).

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims and specification of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for measuring the thickness of cigar tobacco leaf tissue, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1: Screening and processing of cigar tobacco leaves and stems before cutting; According to the requirements of the experiment, fresh cigar tobacco leaf tissues from different parts that were free of mucus were selected; S2: Selection and parameter setting of the cutting module; select different functional modules of the device according to the properties of the sample; after selecting different cutting functional modules, the cutting parameters need to be set. S3: Sectioning and cutting of tobacco root, stem and leaf tissue structures; based on the different cutting modules and parameter settings selected in the previous step, the device automatically cuts and slices the sample; S4: Electron microscopy scanning and image selection of tissue sections; After the tissue sections are cut, the experimenter places the sections under the microscope and adjusts the focus and magnification by adjusting the knobs on the microscope. The images are transmitted to the monitor in real time. S5: Tissue section image location identification and average thickness calculation; After obtaining electron microscopic images of the tissue structures, the tissue structures were divided according to the cell morphology characteristics of different tissue structures; After completing the organizational structure division, the different organizational structures are selected by the system, and the number of pixels for each structure is calculated.

2. The method for measuring the thickness of cigar tobacco leaf tissue according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S1, if leaf cutting is required, select several flat, undamaged, uniform tobacco leaves, remove the main vein of the tobacco leaves, select tobacco leaf tissues from different parts of the leaf tip, leaf edge, leaf center and leaf base, and peel off the branch veins. If stem cutting is required, select the vertical, non-deformable part of the stem and cut it into several short sections; If root trimming is required, cut off the lateral roots attached to the main root, and stretch the fibrous roots that need to be trimmed in the lateral roots into a straight state and then shape them. If air-dried or fermented cigar tobacco leaves are selected, a moisture balancing treatment is required before cutting. The leaves should be equilibrated at 22-24℃ and 70% relative humidity for 48 hours before the treatment. After the cutting tissue selection and treatment are completed, paraffin fixation can be selectively performed depending on the needs of the experiment.

3. The method for measuring the thickness of cigar tobacco leaf tissue according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, if an irregular leaf after removing the veins is selected, the leaf is placed on the main cutting table. The leaf can be clamped by a stretching and flattening device and pressed onto the main cutting table by a cutting and flattening device. If round tobacco leaves are selected, place the round leaves in the round leaf cutting slots of the corresponding diameter and enter the serial number of the round leaf cutting slots into the device; If the sample is a columnar rhizome, place the sample on the stem cutting table and secure both ends of the sample with cable ties. If the selected device is an irregular tuber or paraffin, place the sample on the tuber cutting table, use a table vise to clamp the sample tightly, and adjust the edge of the area to be cut to the corresponding position of the blade.

4. The method for measuring the thickness of cigar tobacco leaf tissue according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, if single-blade continuous cutting is required, the adjustable-distance cutting blade or guillotine blade can be turned on at the control panel to adjust the number of blades and set the cutting thickness for each cut; if multiple blades are required to cut simultaneously, the cutting module with the corresponding blade spacing can be selected to select multi-blade continuous or equal-interval cutting.

5. The method for measuring the thickness of cigar tobacco leaf tissue according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S3, if the main cutting table is selected, the camera next to the main cutting table will be turned on to scan the sample on the top of the main cutting table and display it on the monitor. The experimenter can directly set the cutting position and the direction of continuous cutting based on the coordinates on the image, or select the position for each cutting and directly control the cutting robot arm. If a circular cutting groove and a stem cutting table are selected, the device will continuously cut the sample according to the cutting settings in the cutting groove on the cutting table, based on the coordinate position of the sample, until the cutting reaches the limiting groove each time. If tuber cutting is selected, the device moves according to the cutting thickness each time, gradually moving the fixed sample under the gate blade. After each cutting, the slice slides into the collection tank.

6. The method for measuring the thickness of cigar tobacco leaf tissue according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S4, after the image is clear, use the button on the microscope to move the display area until all the tissue structures that need to be measured appear in the center of the display. At this time, adjust the viewing angle along the shape of the tissue structure and scan the sample slice until an area without damage or deformation and where all tissue structures are clear is selected. Select this area as the tissue structure for imaging.

7. The method for measuring the thickness of cigar tobacco leaf tissue according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S5, cells with a single layer of tightly packed, colorless thin-walled cells covering a waxy stratum corneum are selected as the outer edge of the tissue structure. An approximately parallelogram-shaped cross-sectional area of ​​the tissue structure is selected, and the inner edge of the single layer of cells of the upper and lower epidermis is selected based on these cell characteristics to separate the epidermal tissue. In the remaining structures, the palisade cells are long and columnar, arranged perpendicular to the leaf surface, while the spongy cells are irregularly shaped and loosely arranged. Based on these characteristics, the palisade cells and spongy cells are separated. At this point, the tobacco leaf tissue structure is divided into four parts: upper epidermis, palisade tissue, spongy tissue, and lower epidermis. The tissue division of other parts such as rhizomes, tubers, flowers, and fruits is similar, based on the cellular structure characteristics of different tissues. Based on the scaling factor at this time, the number of pixels of the current scale length is obtained, such as the pixel length occupied by 100μm unit; at this time, based on the cropped area of ​​cell tissue in the image, the pixel length is measured along the distribution direction of the tissue structure, which is taken as the length of the tissue structure within the cropped area. Because: Height of parallelogram = Area of ​​parallelogram / Length of base of parallelogram; At this point, we can obtain: the average thickness of the tobacco leaf tissue in the sampled area = (Number of pixels in the area of ​​tissue cutout * scale unit) / (Number of pixels in the scale length * length of the tissue cutout).

8. A cigar tobacco leaf cutting device, characterized in that: The device includes a tabletop (6), on which a main cutting table (1), a round slice and stem cutting table (2), a cutting function area (3), a tuber cutting table (4), and a thin slice image scanning area (5) are provided. The main cutting table (1) includes a backlight cutting table (11). The backlight cutting table (11) has sample extension clips (13) arranged in an arc shape slidingly on opposite sides. The two ends of the sample extension clips (13) are connected to spring clips. A scanning camera (16) is installed on one side of the backlight cutting table (11). The circular cutting table (2) and the stem cutting table (2) are provided side by side with stem cutting track (21) and circular cutting track (23), and there are several circular cutting tracks (23) arranged side by side; The cutting functional area (3) includes a sliding cutting robotic arm (31), and one side of the cutting robotic arm (31) is provided with a thin sheet cutting head (33), a stem cutting head (34), a modular cutting head (35), and a cutting module (36).

9. The cigar tobacco leaf cutting device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The tuber cutting table (4) includes a tuber fixing table (42) that slides longitudinally. Several cross-shaped vises (44) that slide laterally are arranged side by side on the tuber fixing table (42). A cutting guillotine (46) is raised and lowered on one side of the tuber fixing table (42).

10. The cigar tobacco leaf cutting device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The thin-slide image scanning area (5) includes an electron microscope (51), on which a slide stage is mounted.

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