A cigarette smoke test device and processing flow method

Abstract

The application discloses a cigarette smoke test device and processing flow method, and relates to the technical field of cigarette smoke test.The protective box protects the electronic nose assembly from environmental interference, the whole device forms a closed loop air flow path through the air inlet pipe and the air outlet pipe, the stability and repeatability of the smoke test are ensured, the three-way valve is used for switching the gas flow path, the MFC mass flow controller accurately adjusts the smoke flow, and the sensor chamber is internally provided with multiple gas sensors to detect the smoke components;the electronic nose system provides a convenient analysis means for the discrimination analysis of various gases in the processes of air quality monitoring, disease diagnosis, bedside monitoring, intelligent identification of traditional Chinese medicine, discrimination of the grades of wine and tea, food quality supervision, production automatic control and the like;the electronic nose system is internally provided with an automatic calibration algorithm module, the sensor drift problem that currently plagues the electronic nose is solved, and high-precision gas detection and identification are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cigarette smoke testing technology, specifically to a cigarette smoke testing device and processing method. Background Technology

[0002] Cigarette smoke refers to a highly concentrated and constantly changing aerosol system produced by the complex combustion process of tobacco in a lit cigarette.

[0003] Existing cigarette smoke testing equipment can only test cigarettes. During the testing process, it cannot evaluate the differences in aroma and composition released by each cigarette sample in each puff, which is not conducive to a deeper understanding of the sensory characteristics and quality differences of cigarettes. Therefore, we propose a cigarette smoke testing device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a cigarette smoke testing device to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention specifically adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A cigarette smoke testing device includes: an air pump, the input side of which is connected to a smoking device via an air inlet pipe, and the output side of which is connected to a sample bottle via an air outlet pipe; and an electronic nose system, the electronic nose system including a protective box, a three-way valve provided on the front of the protective box, an MFC mass flow controller provided on the input side of the three-way valve, and a sensor chamber provided inside the protective box.

[0007] Furthermore, the upper end of the air pump is detachably connected to a handle via connecting bolts.

[0008] Furthermore, the electronic nose system integrates pattern recognition and odor measurement algorithms.

[0009] Furthermore, the sensor chamber is equipped with an odor sensing array, a gas injection unit, a detection unit, a control unit, a pre-concentration unit, and a software upgrade interface.

[0010] Furthermore, the electronic nose system is also equipped with an AD data acquisition card, a microcontroller, and a computer.

[0011] Furthermore, the electronic nose system also incorporates an automatic calibration algorithm module.

[0012] A method for operating a cigarette smoke testing device includes the following steps:

[0013] S1. Take out the cigarette from the cigarette pack and insert it into the smoking device to heat it, ensuring that the cigarette is in a heated and burning state;

[0014] S2. Connect the cigarette filter to the air pump inlet through the air inlet pipe, and the air pump outlet to the sample bottle through the air outlet pipe.

[0015] S3. The cigarette is heated by the smoking device. After heating is completed, the air pump is started. The process of a smoker inhaling smoke is simulated by continuously turning the air pump on and off at different time periods.

[0016] S4. Collect the flue gas through the sample bottle and let it stand for 3 minutes before connecting it to the universal electronic nose system for detection.

[0017] S5. Connect to the electronic nose system to detect and analyze the smoke, in order to obtain information on the smell and composition of the smoke;

[0018] S6. Data processing and analysis: t-SNE, PCA and LDA were used to reduce the dimensionality of the original flavor / mint flavor data respectively. Among them, the t-SNE and PCA dimensionality reduction methods distinguished the first smoke. During the cigarette heating process, the first smoke collection was not fully heated, which distinguished it from the subsequent collection data.

[0019] S7. Establish an SQC statistical quality control model based on the LDA method. Train the model using the data features after dimensionality reduction in S6. Set quality control limits by calculating the discriminant score distribution between samples and monitor the variability and stability of flue gas components in real time. When the newly collected flue gas sample data exceeds the control limits, the system will automatically alarm to indicate that there is an abnormality in the heating or collection process, ensuring the reliability of experimental results and the consistency of product quality.

[0020] S8. Use the Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the correlation between different flue gas samples. The higher the correlation, the smaller the difference; the lower the correlation, the greater the difference.

[0021] Furthermore, in S1, two types of cigarettes, original flavor and menthol flavor, were selected, with 8 cigarettes of each type collected and 5 sets of data collected for each cigarette, for a total of 80 sets of data.

[0022] Furthermore, in S4, the smoke from each cigarette is collected during five time periods: 0:20-0:22, 1:00-1:02, 1:40-1:42, 2:20-2:22, and 3:00-3:02 during the heating and combustion process.

[0023] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0024] 1. The protective box of this invention protects the electronic nose component from environmental interference. The entire device forms a closed-loop airflow path through the air inlet and outlet pipes to ensure the stability and repeatability of the flue gas test. The three-way valve is used to switch the gas flow path. The MFC mass flow controller accurately adjusts the flue gas flow. The sensor chamber houses multiple gas sensors to detect the flue gas composition. The AD data acquisition card converts the sensor signals into digital data. The microcontroller performs preliminary data processing. The computer receives and analyzes the data to generate a report.

[0025] 2. The electronic nose system of this invention provides a convenient analytical means for the discrimination and analysis of various gases in processes such as air quality monitoring, disease diagnosis, bedside monitoring, intelligent identification of traditional Chinese medicine, grade discrimination of tobacco, alcohol and tea, food quality supervision, and automatic production control. The electronic nose system also has a built-in automatic calibration algorithm module, which solves the sensor drift problem that currently plagues electronic noses and achieves high-precision gas detection and identification. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a front view of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is an internal structural diagram of the electronic nose system in this invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a graph showing the flue gas detection response curve in this invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is the original / mint flavor t-SNE dimension reduction visualization diagram of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a PCA dimensionality reduction visualization diagram of the original / menthol flavored cigarettes in this invention;

[0031] Figure 6 This is an LDA dimensionality reduction visualization diagram of original / menthol flavored cigarettes in this invention;

[0032] Figure 7 This invention relates to the LDA-based quality control model for original / mint flavors. Figure 1 ;

[0033] Figure 8 This invention relates to the LDA-based quality control model for original / mint flavors. Figure 2 ;

[0034] Figure 9 This is the original flavor correlation heatmap in this invention;

[0035] Figure 10 This is a heatmap showing the correlation between mint flavor and other factors in this invention.

[0036] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of the process of the present invention.

[0037] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0038] 10. Air pump; 20. Air inlet pipe; 30. Air outlet pipe; 40. Smoking device; 50. Sample bottle; 60. Handle; 70. Electronic nose system; 71. Protective case; 72. Three-way valve; 73. MFC mass flow controller; 74. Sensor chamber; 75. AD data acquisition card; 76. Microcontroller; 77. Computer. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Please see Figure 1 - Figure 10 This invention provides a cigarette smoke testing device, comprising: an air pump 10, with an air inlet pipe 20 connecting the input side of the air pump 10 to a smoking device 40, and an air outlet pipe 30 connecting the output side of the air pump 10 to a sample bottle 50. The cooperation of the air pump 10, the air inlet pipe 20, the air outlet pipe 30, the smoking device 40, and the sample bottle 50 enables the extraction of cigarette smoke. An electronic nose system 70 includes a protective housing 71, with a three-way valve 72 on the front of the protective housing 71. An MFC mass flow controller 73 is equipped on the input side of the three-way valve 72, and a sensor chamber 74 is located inside the protective housing 71. The protective enclosure 71 protects the internal three-way valve 72, MFC mass flow controller 73, and sensor chamber 74. The protective enclosure 71 protects the electronic nose assembly from environmental interference. The entire device forms a closed-loop airflow path through the inlet pipe 20 and outlet pipe 30 to ensure the stability and repeatability of the flue gas test. The three-way valve 72 is used to switch the gas flow path. The MFC mass flow controller 73 precisely regulates the flue gas flow. The sensor chamber 74 has multiple built-in gas sensors to detect the flue gas composition. The AD data acquisition card 75 converts the sensor signals into digital data. The microcontroller 76 performs preliminary data processing. The computer 77 receives and analyzes the data to generate a report.

[0041] In this embodiment, preferably, the upper end of the air pump 10 is detachably connected to a handle 60 via a connecting bolt. The handle 60 is made of non-slip rubber with raised textures on the surface to enhance grip stability; this design facilitates safe movement of the air pump 10 by the operator, and the connecting bolt is a standard M6 stainless steel bolt, which can be quickly disassembled for cleaning or maintenance.

[0042] In this embodiment, preferably, the electronic nose system 70 integrates pattern recognition and odor measurement algorithms. These include intelligent algorithms such as PCA, LDA, BP artificial neural networks, support vector machines (SVM), KNN, decision trees, transfer learning, and reinforcement learning. These algorithms provide convenient analytical methods for discriminating and analyzing various gases during processes such as air quality monitoring, disease diagnosis, bedside monitoring, intelligent identification of traditional Chinese medicine, grade determination of tobacco, alcohol, and tea, food quality supervision, and automated production control.

[0043] In this embodiment, preferably, the sensor chamber 74 houses an odor sensing array, a gas sampling unit, a detection unit, a control unit, a pre-concentration unit, and a software upgrade interface. The odor sensing array employs a combination of multiple sensor types, including metal oxide sensors, electrochemical sensors, and optical sensors, to achieve a broad-spectrum response to different volatile organic compounds. The gas sampling unit is equipped with a precision solenoid valve and flow regulator to ensure stable and controllable introduction of gas samples. The detection unit integrates a signal amplification circuit and a high-precision ADC module to convert and process sensor signals in real time. The control unit, based on an embedded microprocessor, coordinates the workflow of each unit and supports automatic calibration and fault diagnosis. The pre-concentration unit uses adsorption-desorption technology to enrich low-concentration flue gas samples, improving detection sensitivity. The software upgrade interface is a USB-C or wireless module, facilitating remote updates of the algorithm library and firmware, ensuring long-term system compatibility and performance optimization.

[0044] In this embodiment, preferably, the electronic nose system 70 is further equipped with an AD data acquisition card 75, a microcontroller 76, and a computer 77. The AD data acquisition card 75 is responsible for receiving and digitizing the signal output from the detection unit, achieving high-precision data conversion. The microcontroller 76 acts as the main controller, managing the sampling timing and data processing flow of the AD data acquisition card 75, supporting real-time algorithm execution and inter-unit communication. The computer 77 is equipped with dedicated analysis software, providing data visualization, storage, and remote access functions, facilitating in-depth analysis of flue gas components and system monitoring by users.

[0045] In this embodiment, preferably, the electronic nose system 70 also incorporates an automatic calibration algorithm module. This solves the sensor drift problem currently plaguing electronic noses, achieving high-precision gas detection and recognition.

[0046] Please see Figure 11 The present invention also provides a method for operating a cigarette smoke testing device, comprising the following steps:

[0047] Step 1: Remove the cigarette from the cigarette pack and insert it into the smoking device 40 for heating, ensuring that the cigarette is in a heated and burning state; use the built-in temperature control system of the smoking device 40 to precisely adjust the heating temperature to the preset range of 180-220°C to simulate a real smoking environment, while monitoring the burning rate and temperature distribution of the cigarette in real time to ensure that the smoke generation is stable and meets the test standards.

[0048] Step 2: Connect the cigarette filter tip to the air inlet of the air pump 10 through the air inlet pipe 20, and the air outlet of the air pump 10 is connected to the sample bottle 50 through the air outlet pipe 30; this ensures that the smoke is extracted and collected in an orderly manner.

[0049] Step 3: The cigarette is heated using the smoking device 40. After heating, the air pump 10 is started. By continuously turning the air pump 10 on and off at different time intervals, the process of a smoker inhaling smoke puff by puff is simulated. The start and stop of the air pump 10 are precisely controlled by the microcontroller 76 according to the preset smoking program (including the duration of inhalation, the interval time, and the number of inhalations). Each time the air pump 10 is turned on, the smoke generated in the smoking device 40 is drawn in under negative pressure, enters the air pump 10 through the air inlet pipe 20, and is then transported to the sample bottle 50 for capture through the air outlet pipe 30. This intermittent inhalation mode accurately reproduces the characteristics of smoke generated puff by puff in actual smoking behavior, ensuring that the collected smoke samples are representative and consistent, laying a reliable foundation for the subsequent accurate analysis of the electronic nose system 70.

[0050] Step 4: Collect the flue gas through sample vial 50 and let it stand for 3 minutes before connecting it to the universal electronic nose system 70 for detection; to ensure that the sample is fully stable.

[0051] Step 5: Connect the electronic nose system 70 to detect and analyze the smoke to obtain odor and component information. Specifically, the sample bottle 50 is connected to the electronic nose system 70 via a standard interface. After the system is started, its built-in sensor array (such as a metal oxide semiconductor or electrochemical sensor) captures volatile organic compounds in the smoke in real time, generating a high-resolution odor fingerprint spectrum. Simultaneously, the system uses pattern recognition algorithms (such as principal component analysis or artificial neural networks) to process the spectral data, quantifying key odor characteristics (such as caramel sweetness, woody aroma, or irritation) and component concentrations (such as nicotine, tar, and aldehydes). The analysis results are transmitted to a computer terminal through the data output port, generating a detailed test report, including odor intensity, component distribution, and quality score, providing a scientific basis for subsequent optimization and quality control of cigarette products.

[0052] Step 6: Data processing and analysis. Dimensionality reduction was performed on the original / mint flavor data using t-SNE, PCA, and LDA, respectively. For example... Figure 4-6As shown, the data points are colored yellow, red, green, blue, and black, representing data collected sequentially in five separate sessions. The t-SNE and PCA dimensionality reduction methods distinguish the first puff of smoke. During the cigarette heating process, the first sampled smoke (yellow data points) is not fully heated, thus differentiating it from subsequent data collections. Figure 6 The LDA dimensionality reduction visualization shows that the data from the five tests of the original flavor cigarettes are more dispersed and have greater differences; while the data points from the last three tests of the menthol flavor cigarettes are more concentrated, indicating that the differences between these cigarettes are not significant and they are quite similar.

[0053] Step 7: Establish an SQC statistical quality control model based on the LDA method. Train the model using the data features after dimensionality reduction in Step 6. Set quality control limits by calculating the discriminant score distribution between samples. Monitor the variability and stability of flue gas components in real time. When the newly collected flue gas sample data exceeds the control limits, the system will automatically alarm to indicate that there is an abnormality in the heating or collection process, ensuring the reliability of experimental results and the consistency of product quality. Figure 7 In the diagram, the horizontal axis represents 40 analysis groups. Connecting the five data points for each cigarette allows observation of fluctuations. A standard confidence interval (green area) is established based on the fourth test data; data points falling outside the confidence interval indicate significant differences. To facilitate data pattern analysis, the data are connected according to the same nozzle of eight cigarettes, resulting in... Figure 8 Based on the results, we can conclude that in the five detection data, all data points from the first detection fell outside the confidence interval. This indicates that the flavor smoke collected in the first test was significantly different from the other smokes, especially the mint flavor smoke, which showed this pattern more clearly. Figure 7 , Figure 8 In the mint flavor data, the five puffs of smoke exhibited a U-shaped pattern in the original flavor data. Figure 7 , Figure 8 The original data (i.e., the first and fifth puffs of smoke data are outside the confidence interval, while the second, third, and fourth puffs of smoke data are relatively stable within the confidence interval)

[0054] Step 8: Use the Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the correlation between different flue gas samples. A higher correlation indicates a smaller difference; a lower correlation indicates a larger difference. For example... Figure 9 The original flavor correlation heatmap shows that the first puff of smoke is negatively correlated with the other four puffs, exhibiting strong differences, especially with the fourth puff, where the difference is greatest (correlation coefficient -1). The second and third puffs have a correlation coefficient of 0.95, showing strong similarity, while the second and fifth puffs show significant differences (correlation coefficient -0.1). There is a correlation between the third and fourth puffs (correlation coefficient 0.78); similarly, there is a correlation between the fourth and fifth puffs (correlation coefficient 0.78), but the correlation between the third and fifth puffs is weaker (correlation coefficient 0.22). Figure 10 In the heatmap of mint flavor correlation, we observed that the overall performance showed a significant difference between the first puff and other puffs, while the correlation between the next three puffs was high and the differences were small.

[0055] In this embodiment, preferably, in step 1, two types of cigarettes, original flavor and mint flavor, are selected, with 8 cigarettes of each type collected, and 5 sets of data collected for each cigarette, for a total of 80 sets of data.

[0056] In this embodiment, preferably, in step 4, the smoke from each cigarette is collected during five time periods: 0:20-0:22, 1:00-1:02, 1:40-1:42, 2:20-2:22, and 3:00-3:02 during the heating and combustion process.

[0057] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A cigarette smoke testing device, comprising: An air pump, characterized in that the input side of the air pump is connected to a smoking device via an air inlet pipe, and the output side of the air pump is connected to a sample bottle via an air outlet pipe; and an electronic nose system, the electronic nose system including a protective box, a three-way valve provided on the front of the protective box, an MFC mass flow controller provided on the input side of the three-way valve, and a sensor chamber provided inside the protective box.

2. The cigarette smoke testing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the air pump is detachably connected to a handle via connecting bolts.

3. The cigarette smoke testing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic nose system integrates pattern recognition and odor measurement algorithms.

4. The cigarette smoke testing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor chamber contains an odor sensing array, a gas injection unit, a detection unit, a control unit, a pre-concentration unit, and a software upgrade interface.

5. The cigarette smoke testing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic nose system is also equipped with an AD data acquisition card, a microcontroller, and a computer.

6. The cigarette smoke testing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic nose system also has a built-in automatic calibration algorithm module.

7. The operating method of the cigarette smoke testing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Take out the cigarette from the cigarette pack and insert it into the smoking device to heat it, ensuring that the cigarette is in a heated and burning state; S2. Connect the cigarette filter to the air pump inlet through the air inlet pipe, and the air pump outlet to the sample bottle through the air outlet pipe. S3. The cigarette is heated by the smoking device. After heating is completed, the air pump is started. The process of a smoker inhaling smoke is simulated by continuously turning the air pump on and off at different time periods. S4. Collect the flue gas through the sample bottle and let it stand for 3 minutes before connecting it to the universal electronic nose system for detection. S5. Connect to the electronic nose system to detect and analyze the smoke, in order to obtain information on the smell and composition of the smoke; S6. Data processing and analysis: t-SNE, PCA and LDA were used to reduce the dimensionality of the original flavor / mint flavor data respectively. Among them, the t-SNE and PCA dimensionality reduction methods distinguished the first smoke. During the cigarette heating process, the first smoke collection was not fully heated, which distinguished it from the subsequent collection data. S7. Establish an SQC statistical quality control model based on the LDA method. Train the model using the data features after dimensionality reduction in step S6. Set quality control limits by calculating the discriminant score distribution between samples and monitor the variability and stability of flue gas components in real time. When the newly collected flue gas sample data exceeds the control limits, the system will automatically alarm to indicate that there is an abnormality in the heating or collection process, ensuring the reliability of experimental results and the consistency of product quality. S8. Use the Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the correlation between different flue gas samples. The higher the correlation, the smaller the difference; the lower the correlation, the greater the difference.

8. The operating method of the cigarette smoke testing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, In step S1, two types of cigarettes, original flavor and menthol flavor, are selected. Eight cigarettes of each type are collected, and five sets of data are collected for each cigarette, for a total of 80 sets of data.

9. The operating method of the cigarette smoke testing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, In step S4, the smoke from each cigarette is collected during five time periods: 0:20-0:22, 1:00-1:02, 1:40-1:42, 2:20-2:22, and 3:00-3:02 during the heating and combustion process.

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