Buccal product surface wetting device

Abstract

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

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of oral product production, and particularly relates to an oral product surface wetting device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Oral tobacco, including nicotine pouches, is a smokeless nicotine consumer product, usually in the form of small white pouches, mainly composed of cellulose, nicotine, flavoring agents and other additives. Nicotine oral dissolving film (ODF) is a thin film made of drugs and high molecular materials for delivering nicotine. Oral tobacco and oral dissolving film can quickly dissolve in the oral cavity to release nicotine to meet the user's demand for nicotine.

[0003] Oral tobacco and oral dissolving film, both of which are oral products, need to be surface-wetted by a wetting device during the production process. However, the existing wetting device is difficult to stably and uniformly wet the surface of the oral product, affecting the consistency and quality of the product. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide an oral product surface wetting device, which at least solves the problem that it is difficult to effectively and stably control humidity and wettability during the production process of the existing oral product.

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide an oral product surface wetting device, which comprises a water-permeable contact piece, a liquid feeding mechanism and a bracket. The water-permeable contact piece is arranged on the bracket and is used to contact the oral product to be wetted. The liquid feeding mechanism is connected with the water-permeable contact piece by a pipeline and is used to pump wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact piece to wet the surface of the oral product through the water-permeable contact piece.

[0006] In one embodiment, the water-permeable contact piece comprises at least two oppositely arranged water-absorbing pieces, each of which is used to contact two surfaces of the same oral product, and the gap between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing pieces is adapted to the oral product.

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

[0008] In one embodiment, the bracket comprises a base, a vertical plate and two mounting plates. The vertical plate is arranged on the base, and the two mounting plates are oppositely arranged on the vertical plate. One water-absorbing piece is arranged on the opposite side between the two mounting plates.

[0009] In one embodiment, at least one of the mounting plates is arranged on the vertical plate to slide along the clamping direction of the water-absorbing element to the oral product, and the mounting plate is provided with a first locking mechanism for locking the mounting plate on the vertical plate.

[0010] In one embodiment, the two mounting plates include a first mounting plate and a second mounting plate, the first mounting plate is fixedly arranged on the vertical plate, and the second mounting plate is arranged on the vertical plate to slide along the clamping direction of the water-absorbing element to the oral product, and the second mounting plate is provided with a second locking mechanism for locking the second mounting plate on the first mounting plate.

[0011] In one embodiment, the vertical plate is provided with a sliding groove extending along the clamping direction of the water-absorbing element to the oral product, and the second mounting plate is provided with a protrusion clamped in the sliding groove.

[0012] In one embodiment, the second locking mechanism is an adjusting screw.

[0013] In one embodiment, the liquid feeding mechanism includes a pumping system arranged on the base and at least two liquid storage tanks, each of the liquid storage tanks is connected to the pumping system through a pipeline.

[0014] In one embodiment, the water-absorbing element is a flexible element; and / or, the material of the water-permeable contact element is sponge, cotton or water-absorbing paper.

[0015] The present application discloses a surface wetting device for oral products. In the embodiment of the present application, the surface wetting device for oral products includes a water-permeable contact element, a liquid feeding mechanism and a support, the water-permeable contact element is arranged on the support, the water-permeable contact element is used to contact the oral product to be wetted, the liquid feeding mechanism is connected to the water-permeable contact element through a pipeline and is used to pump wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact element to wet the surface of the oral product through the water-permeable contact element; wherein the water-permeable contact element is introduced as a carrier of the wetting liquid, the wetting liquid is uniformly transmitted to the surface of the oral product through the water-permeable contact element, and then penetrates into the product, realizing accurate wetting effect, which can improve the problems of difficult control of spraying amount and uniformity in the traditional spraying method, and effectively improve the consistency and quality of the product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a structural schematic diagram of a surface wetting device for oral products according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of a surface wetting method for oral products according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 3A flow chart showing the operation of the oral piece surface wetting device provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0019] Reference signs:

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

[0021] In the specification and claims of the present application, the features of the terms "first", "second" can be explicitly or implicitly included one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims means at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / ", generally means that the front and rear associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0022] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the indicated device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0023] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting" should be broadly understood, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] Applicants find that in the production process of oral products, the humidity and wettability of the product surface are usually adjusted by spraying liquid after the oral products are finished bagging and packed into boxes. Although the above-mentioned spraying method can keep the product at an appropriate humidity after packaging to improve the taste and texture; however, since the spraying process depends on the setting of the nozzle and the spraying time, the control of the spraying amount of liquid is often inaccurate, which can easily lead to local over-wetting or over-drying, affecting the consistency and quality of the product, and also easily leading to liquid waste, increasing production costs, and possibly causing unnecessary burden on the environment; at the same time, since external factors (such as temperature and humidity, nozzle blockage, etc.) in the spraying process have a great influence on the liquid spraying amount and effect, the repeatability and stability of the process are poor, increasing the variability in the production process; in addition, the spraying method is difficult to ensure that each product surface is evenly covered with liquid, leading to some oral products that may be too wet, while others are not wet enough, affecting the overall experience of the product.

[0025] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a kind of oral product 40 surface wetting device 100, as shown in Figure 1 The device includes water-permeable contact piece 10, liquid feeding mechanism 20 and support 30;Water-permeable contact piece 10 is arranged on support 30, and the water-permeable contact piece 10 is used to contact the oral product 40 to be wetted;Liquid feeding mechanism 20 is connected with water-permeable contact piece 10 by pipeline, and is used to pump wetting liquid to water-permeable contact piece 10, so as to wet the surface of the oral product 40 through water-permeable contact piece 10.

[0026] The oral product 40 surface wetting device 100 provided by the embodiments of the present application is used to wet the surface of the oral product 40, which includes a dissolvable film or a chewing tobacco.

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

[0028] Among them, the water-permeable contact piece 10 is arranged on the support 30, which can fix the water-permeable contact piece 10, facilitate close contact with the oral product 40, and not affect the continuous movement of the oral product 40, so as to realize the wetting of the oral product 40 in the processing process of the oral product 40.

[0029] In the embodiments of the present application, the water-permeable contact member 10 is introduced as a carrier of the wetting liquid, and the water-permeable contact member 10 can uniformly deliver the wetting liquid to the surface of the oral product 40 through the penetration effect, and then penetrate into the product, so as to achieve the precise wetting effect, and improve the problems of difficult control of the spraying amount and uniformity of distribution in the traditional spraying method, and effectively improve the consistency and quality of the product.

[0030] In some embodiments, the water-permeable contact member 10 includes at least two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members 11, each water-absorbing member 11 is used to contact two surfaces of the same oral product 40, the water-absorbing member 11 is also a water-permeable structure, and the gap between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members 11 is adapted to the oral product 40, and the clamping direction of the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members 11 to the oral product 40 is perpendicular to the moving direction of the oral product 40. For example, if the oral product 40 is processed along the vertical direction, the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members 11 clamp and contact the side surface of the oral product 40 along the horizontal direction.

[0031] In the above-mentioned embodiments, the oral product 40 is arranged between the two water-absorbing members 11, and the oral product 40 contacts the two water-absorbing members 11, so that the surface of the oral product 40 can contact the plurality of water-absorbing members 11, increase the penetration contact area, not only can accelerate the wetting rate, but also can improve the uniformity of wetting; in addition, the water-absorbing member 11 can absorb the wetting liquid on the surface of the oral product 40, because the oral product 40 can move relative to the water-absorbing member 11, so that the oral product 40 can contact the water-absorbing member 11 during operation, and the wetting liquid can flow to the oral product 40 under the penetration pressure, so as to realize the effect of uniform wetting on the surface of the oral product 40 without affecting the processing.

[0032] In some embodiments, the water-absorbing member 11 is a flexible member, that is, the water-absorbing member 11 is made of a flexible material, so that the water-absorbing member 11 can flexibly contact the oral product 40, and can realize the contact wetting on the surface of the oral product 40, and avoid the contact pressure being too large to squeeze or grind the surface of the oral product 40 during the wetting process.

[0033] In the embodiments of the present application, the water-absorbing member 11 can be used once, and a new water-absorbing member 11 is replaced when different types of wetting liquid are used; the material of the water-absorbing member 11 is also a material convenient for cleaning, so as to realize repeated use.

[0034] In some embodiments, the water-permeable contact member 10 is made of sponge, cotton or absorbent paper, i.e., the water-absorbing member 11 is made of sponge, cotton or absorbent paper, which can allow the wetting liquid to permeate and wet the surface of the contactable oral product 40 and store the wetting liquid to ensure the uniformity of wetting, and the water-absorbing member 11 made of sponge, cotton or absorbent paper has good flexibility to achieve flexible contact with the surface of the oral product 40.

[0035] In the embodiments of the present application, the water-absorbing member 11 can be a cuboid or a cube, which is convenient to install and contact with the surface of the oral product 40.

[0036] In some embodiments, the distance between the two water-absorbing members 11 is less than the thickness of the oral product 40. Because the water-absorbing member 11 is flexible, the distance between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members 11 is less than the thickness of the oral product 40, which can clamp the oral product 40 between the water-absorbing members 11 without affecting the movement of the oral product 40, i.e., the oral product 40 is clamped between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members 11 to move and contact, thereby achieving better wetting effect.

[0037] In addition, in some embodiments, the width of the water-absorbing member 11 is greater than or equal to the width of the oral product 40. In the wetting device provided in the embodiments of the present application, the oral product 40 moves along its length direction between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members 11, and the width of the water-absorbing member 11 is greater than or equal to the width of the oral product 40, so that the water-absorbing member 11 can be in full contact with the surface of the oral product 40 by only moving the oral product 40 along its length direction, thereby achieving overall wetting of the surface of the oral product 40. Optionally, the width of the water-absorbing member 11 can be 5-50 mm, for example, one of 5 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 50 mm or a range value between any two of them.

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

[0039] In addition, in some embodiments, the area of the side of the water-absorbing member 11 that is in contact with the oral product 40 is greater than or equal to 1.1 times the area of one side of the oral product 40, which ensures that the surface of the oral product 40 can be fully contacted by the water-absorbing member 11 when the oral product 40 is moved or placed between the two water-absorbing members 11, thereby achieving a better wetting effect.

[0040] In some embodiments, the support 30 includes a base 31, a vertical plate 32, and two mounting plates 33. The vertical plate 32 is arranged on the base 31, and the two mounting plates 33 are arranged opposite to each other on the vertical plate 32. One water-absorbing member 11 is arranged on each of the opposite sides of the two mounting plates 33.

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

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

[0043] The two mounting plates 33 are arranged opposite to each other on the vertical plate 32, and one water-absorbing member 11 is arranged on each of the opposite sides of the two mounting plates 33. The water-absorbing members 11 arranged between the two mounting plates 33 are arranged opposite to each other and form a gap for the movement of the oral product 40. The oral product 40 can also be clamped between the two water-absorbing members 11 by the support of the mounting plates 33. Optionally, the water-absorbing members 11 can be fixed on the mounting plates 33 by means of adhesion or magnetic attraction, so as to facilitate quick disassembly and replacement.

[0044] In some embodiments, at least one of the mounting plates 33 is slidably arranged on the vertical plate 32 in the direction of clamping of the oral product 40 by the water-absorbing members 11, and a first locking mechanism (not shown) is arranged on the mounting plate 33. The first locking mechanism is used to lock the mounting plate 33 on the vertical plate 32. In this embodiment, the at least one mounting plate 33 can be moved on the vertical plate 32 in the direction of clamping of the oral product 40 by the water-absorbing members 11, and the locking mechanism is arranged on the movable mounting plate 33. By controlling the movement of the mounting plate 33 and using the locking action of the first locking mechanism, the clamping force between the water-absorbing members 11 can be adjusted to match oral products 40 of different thicknesses.

[0045] Optionally, in some embodiments, the upright plate 32 is provided with a sliding groove 34 extending along the clamping direction of the water absorbing elements 11 to the oral products 40, and at least one of the mounting plates 33 is provided with a protrusion 35 clamped in the sliding groove 34, so that the mounting plate 33 is slidably arranged on the upright plate 32 along the clamping direction of the water absorbing elements 11 to the oral products 40 by the cooperation of the protrusion 35 and the sliding groove 34. The clamping force between the water absorbing elements 11 can be adjusted to match oral products 40 of different thicknesses by controlling the movement of the mounting plate 33 along the sliding groove 34 and the locking effect of the first locking mechanism.

[0046] Optionally, in some embodiments, the upright plate 32 is provided with two sliding grooves 34 extending along the clamping direction of the water absorbing elements 11 to the oral products 40, and at least one of the mounting plates 33 is provided with two protrusions 35, so that the mounting plate 33 is slidably arranged on the upright plate 32 along the clamping direction of the water absorbing elements 11 to the oral products 40 by the cooperation of the two protrusions 35 and the sliding grooves 34.

[0047] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first locking mechanism can be an adjusting screw, and the upright plate 32 is provided with a matching hole or tooth pattern to lock the mounting plate 33 on the upright plate 32 by embedding the screw in the hole or tooth pattern.

[0048] In addition, in some embodiments, the two mounting plates 33 include a first mounting plate 331 and a second mounting plate 332, the first mounting plate 331 is fixedly arranged on the upright plate 32, the second mounting plate 332 is slidably arranged on the upright plate 32 along the clamping direction of the water absorbing elements 11 to the oral products 40, and the second mounting plate 332 is provided with a second locking mechanism 36 for locking the second mounting plate 332 on the first mounting plate 331. In this embodiment, the first mounting plate 331 is fixed on the upright plate 32, the second mounting plate 332 is movable on the upright plate 32 along the clamping direction of the water absorbing elements 11 to the oral products 40, and the locking mechanism is arranged on the movable second mounting plate 332. The clamping force between the water absorbing elements 11 can be adjusted to match oral products 40 of different thicknesses by controlling the movement of the second mounting plate 332 and the locking effect of the second locking mechanism 36 on the first mounting plate 331.

[0049] Optionally, in some embodiments, the upright plate 32 is provided with a sliding groove 34 extending along the clamping direction of the oral products 40 by the water absorbing members 11, and the second mounting plate 332 is provided with a protrusion 35 clamped in the sliding groove 34, so that the second mounting plate 332 is slidably arranged on the upright plate 32 along the clamping direction of the oral products 40 by the water absorbing members 11 by the cooperation of the protrusion 35 and the sliding groove 34. By controlling the movement of the second mounting plate 332 along the sliding groove 34 and the locking action of the second locking mechanism 36, the clamping force between the water absorbing members 11 can be adjusted to match oral products 40 of different thicknesses.

[0050] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second locking mechanism 36 is an adjusting screw, and the first mounting plate 331 is provided with a matching hole or a toothed groove to lock the mounting plate 33 on the first mounting plate 331 by embedding the screw in the hole or the toothed groove.

[0051] In the embodiments of the present application, the liquid delivery mechanism 20 includes a pumping system 21 arranged on the base 31 and at least two liquid storage tanks 22, each of which is connected with the pumping system 21 through a pipeline 50, that is, the liquid storage tank 22, the pumping system 21 and the water absorbing member 11 are sequentially connected through the pipeline 50, so that the pumping system 21 can extract the wetting liquid from the liquid storage tank 22 and pump it to the water permeable contact member 10, thereby penetrating the wetting liquid into the oral product 40 under the osmotic pressure.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present application, the liquid storage tank 22 stores wetting liquid for wetting the surface of the oral product 40, which can be a sodium hyaluronate solution, a sodium alginate, an ethanol solution or an aqueous solution of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, etc.

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

[0054] In some embodiments, the same wetting liquid is stored in each liquid storage tank 22 to facilitate the addition of raw materials during production.

[0055] In some embodiments, the pumping system 21 can be a water pump, a micro pump, etc.

[0056] In some embodiments, the water permeable contact member 10 includes two oppositely arranged water absorbing members 11, and the pumping system 21 is in pipeline communication with each water absorbing member 11 through a three-way valve 23, so that the wetting liquid can be accurately injected into each water absorbing member 11.

[0057] In some embodiments, the liquid feeding mechanism 20 further comprises a syringe 24, and each of the water absorbing members 11 is inserted with a syringe 24, i.e. the syringe 24 is arranged at the end of the pipeline, and the pumping system 21 communicates with the water absorbing member 11 through the pipeline and the syringe 24, so as to inject the wetting liquid into the water absorbing member 11.

[0058] In actual application, the device provided by the embodiments of the present application can be installed above the cutter 60 of the chewing product packaging machine, so as to realize wetting through continuous operation before the chewing product 40 is cut.

[0059] By using the device provided by the embodiments of the present application, the product surface wetting liquid adsorption stability can be effectively improved, and the product humidity consistency under various environmental conditions can be ensured by controlling the formula system. Meanwhile, by using the device provided by the embodiments of the present application to wet the surface of the chewing product 40, the production process can be simplified, the production cost can be reduced, and the production cycle can be shortened, so that large-scale production can be efficiently realized. In addition, because the distance between the two water absorbing members 11 can be adjusted, the device provided by the embodiments of the present application can wet the surface of the product with individualized shape and size, so that the product individualized customization capability is improved, more flexible product design is provided, and the needs of different consumers can be met.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 2 , which shows the flow chart of the chewing product surface wetting method provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the method comprises steps 102-103 by using the wetting device as described above:

[0061] Step 102: controlling the liquid feeding mechanism to inject the wetting liquid into the water permeable contact member.

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

[0063] Step 103: after the water permeable contact member is wetted, controlling the chewing product to be wetted to contact the water permeable contact member, so as to penetrate the wetting liquid on the water permeable contact member to the surface of the chewing product under the action of osmotic pressure.

[0064] In this step 103, after the water permeable contact member is wetted, the chewing product is controlled to contact the water permeable contact member, and at this time, the surface of the water permeable contact member is wetted, and the wetting liquid carried on the surface of the water permeable contact member can penetrate to the surface of the chewing product under the action of osmotic pressure, and then penetrate to the internal powder, so as to realize the effect of uniform surface wetting.

[0065] In the wetting method provided by the embodiments of the present application, a water-permeable contact member is introduced as a carrier of the wetting liquid, the wetting liquid is sent to the water-permeable contact member by using a liquid sending mechanism, and then the oral product is controlled to contact the water-permeable contact member, so that the wetting liquid is uniformly transmitted to the surface of the oral product by the penetration effect and then penetrates into the product, thereby achieving an accurate wetting effect and improving the problems of difficult control of the spraying amount and uniformity in the traditional spraying mode, and effectively improving the consistency and quality of the product.

[0066] In one embodiment, the water-permeable contact member comprises at least two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members, each water-absorbing member is used to contact two surfaces of the same oral product, and the gap between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members is adapted to the oral product.

[0067] The step of controlling the oral product to be wetted to contact the water-permeable contact member comprises steps 131-132:

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

[0069] In this step 131, the target weight gain is the wet weight that the oral product needs to achieve, the actual weight gain of the oral product after wetting is obtained by actual weighing test, and the actual weight gain is divided by the target weight gain to determine the actual wetting achievement rate generated by the clamping force of the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members on the oral product.

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

[0071] In this step 132, the gap between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members is adjusted according to the wetting achievement rate, so as to adjust the clamping force of the water-absorbing members on the oral product and achieve the adjustment of the wetting achievement rate. Optionally, considering that the greater the clamping pressure is, the higher the wetting achievement rate is under the condition that the liquid supply rate is unchanged, the gap between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members is reduced when the wetting achievement rate is lower than the threshold value, and the gap between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members is increased when the wetting achievement rate is higher than the threshold value.

[0072] In this embodiment, the gap between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing members is adjusted according to the actual wetting achievement rate of the oral product, so as to accurately and stably adjust the oral product to the wetting state corresponding to the target weight gain.

[0073] In one embodiment, before the liquid sending mechanism is controlled to inject the wetting liquid into the water-permeable contact member, the method further comprises step 101:

[0074] Step 101: setting the pumping parameters of the liquid sending mechanism, the pumping parameters comprising a first pumping flow rate, a target time length, and a second pumping flow rate.

[0075] Step 102 specifically comprises:

[0076] The liquid feeding mechanism injects the wetting liquid into the water-permeable contact member at the first pumping flow rate and for a target duration, and then controls the liquid feeding mechanism to inject the wetting liquid into the water-permeable contact member at the second pumping flow rate.

[0077] In step 101, before starting the wetting device, the pumping flow rate and duration for wetting the water-permeable contact member or for pumping the wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact member to an initial state are set as the first pumping flow rate and the target duration, and the pumping flow rate for continuously permeating the wetting liquid through the water-permeable contact member to the smokeless tobacco product is set as the second pumping flow rate.

[0078] In step 102, the liquid feeding mechanism injects the wetting liquid into the water-permeable contact member at the first pumping flow rate and for a target duration, thereby completing the initial wetting state of the water-permeable contact member, and then pumps the wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact member and permeates it to the surface of the smokeless tobacco product in contact with the water-permeable contact member, and further to the internal powder, thereby achieving the effect of uniform surface wetting.

[0079] In one embodiment, step 101 comprises steps 111-112:

[0080] In step 111, the first pumping flow rate is determined according to the total volume of the water-absorbing member, the saturated water absorption rate, and the target duration, and the first pumping flow rate can wet the water-absorbing member within the target duration.

[0081] In step 111, the saturated water absorption rate refers to the maximum liquid volume that can be absorbed by the water-absorbing member per unit volume, and the target duration is the duration for completely wetting the water-absorbing member; the total amount of wetting liquid that can be absorbed by the water-absorbing member is determined by the product of the total volume of each water-absorbing member and the saturated water absorption rate, and the amount of wetting liquid needed to be pumped to the water-permeable contact member per unit time is determined by dividing the total amount of weting liquid by the target duration, so that when the pumping system in the liquid feeding structure pumps the wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact member at the first pumping flow rate, the water-absorbing member can be completely wetted within the target duration.

[0082] In step 112, the second pumping flow rate is determined according to the production speed of the smokeless tobacco product, the target weight gain, the wetting efficiency, and the density of the wetting liquid, and the second pumping flow rate can wet the smokeless tobacco product by the target weight gain.

[0083] The production speed refers to the number of the oral products produced per unit of time (e.g., per minute), the target weight gain refers to the increased weight that each oral product needs to be wetted, and the wetting efficiency refers to the proportion of the wetting liquid pumped by the current wetting device for wetting. The total weight gain that needs to be wetted per unit of time can be determined by the product of the production speed of the oral products and the target weight gain. The amount of the wetting liquid that needs to be pumped by the liquid feeding mechanism per unit of time, i.e., the second pumping flow rate, can be determined by dividing the total weight gain by the wetting efficiency and the density of the wetting liquid, so that the wetting liquid pumped to the water-absorbing member can just wet the oral products to the target weight gain state.

[0084] In this embodiment, the first pumping flow rate at which each water-absorbing member in the water-permeable contact member can be wetted from the initial state to the fully wetted state within the target time length, and the second pumping flow rate at which the oral products can be wetted to the target weight gain are determined in advance. Then, the pumping parameter of the liquid feeding mechanism is set so that the liquid feeding mechanism injects the wetting liquid into the water-permeable contact member at the first pumping flow rate and for the target time length, thereby completing the wetting of the water-permeable contact member from the initial state to the fully wetted state. Then, the wetting liquid is pumped to the water-permeable contact member at the second pumping flow rate, which can match the production speed of the oral products and penetrate to the surface of the oral products in contact with the water-permeable contact member, and then penetrate to the internal powder, thereby achieving the effect of uniform surface wetting.

[0085] Please refer to Figure 3 , which shows the operation process of the oral product surface wetting device provided by the embodiments of the present application.

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

[0087] In step 202, the required surface wetting liquid and water-absorbing member are placed in the equipment for subsequent production.

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

[0089] In step 204, the surface wetting liquid is automatically premixed in the pumping system according to the formula design requirements. Alternatively, only one type of surface wetting liquid can be used for wetting. This function can be completed by the electric control operation of the pumping system.

[0090] In step 205, the pumping system is started, the surface wetting liquid is injected into the water-absorbing element through the pipeline, the water-absorbing element is in a fully wet state, and after the water-absorbing element absorbs the surface wetting liquid, it is in contact with the surface of the oral product, and the surface wetting is carried out.

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

[0092] In step 207, the continuous production mode is started, the oral product is conveyed between the water-absorbing elements through the production device, and under the action of the osmotic pressure, the surface wetting liquid in the water-absorbing element gradually penetrates into the surface non-woven fabric of the oral product and penetrates into the powder, and the surface wetting of the oral product is completed.

[0093] In step 208, after the target production batch of oral products is completed, the water-absorbing element, the pumping system and other components are cleaned to ensure that there is no cross contamination when different types of surface wetting agents are replaced, and the product quality of subsequent production is ensured.

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

[0095] In step 203, the water-absorbing element wetting flow rate calculation process is as follows:

[0096] (1) According to the volume and water absorption rate of the water-absorbing element, the liquid absorption amount is determined, which can be calculated according to the following formula (1):

[0097] (1)

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

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

[0100] (2)

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

[0102] For example, assuming that the size of the water-absorbing element is , the maximum water absorption rate is 30%, and the single water absorption part needs to complete wetting within 5 minutes, so the required flow rate F1 of the liquid injection is:

[0103]

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

[0105] (1) Calculate the liquid flow rate 2: The liquid flow rate is equal to the total liquid amount required (wetting each piece of smoke per minute):

[0106] (3)

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

[0108] g is the increased weight required for wetting of each smoke product (unit: g);

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

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

[0111] K2 is the wetting efficiency.

[0112] For example, assuming that 30 smoke products are produced per minute, each smoke product requires an increased weight of 0.05 g for wetting, the wetting efficiency is 60%, and the density of a 10% aqueous solution of sodium hyaluronate is ρ=1.05 g / ml, then substituting the above formula (3) is calculated as:

[0113] .

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

[0115] Table 1

[0116]

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

[0118] Example 1

[0119] The wetting device provided in the embodiments of the present application is used to wet the surface of 30 PCS smoke with a 10% aqueous solution of sodium hyaluronate;

[0120] The material of the water absorption member is sponge, the length is 100 mm, the width is 50 mm, the thickness is 10 mm, the saturated water absorption rate is 30%, and the density is 35 kg / m 3 The reference weight before wetting of the 30 PCS samples is 0.5 g / PCS, the target weight after wetting is 0.6 g / PCS, the wetting efficiency adjustment is 60%, the wetting time control is 5 min, the wetting flow rate of the water absorption member is 6 mL / min, and the flow rate of the wetting agent wetting the water absorption member is 4.76 mL / min.

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

[0122] Table 2

[0123]

[0124] Example 2

[0125] The wetting device provided in the embodiments of the present application is used to wet 30 PCS of the surface of the smoke with an ethanol solution of sodium alginate with a mass percentage of 6.25%;

[0126] The material of the water absorption member is sponge, the length is 100 mm, the width is 50 mm, the thickness is 10 mm, the saturated water absorption rate is 30%, and the density is 35 kg / m 3 The reference weight before wetting of the 30 PCS samples is 0.5 g / PCS, the target weight after wetting is 0.6 g / PCS, the wetting efficiency adjustment is 60%, the wetting time control is 5 min, the wetting flow rate of the water absorption member is 6 mL / min, and the flow rate of the wetting agent wetting the water absorption member is 4.85 mL / min.

[0127] The final wetting weight and the ethanol content of the 30 PCS samples are shown in Table 3.

[0128] Table 3

[0129]

[0130] Comparative Example 1

[0131] The conventional direct spraying method is used to wet 30 PCS of the surface of the smoke with a water solution of sodium alginate with a mass percentage of 10%.

[0132] The final wetting weight and the water content of the 30 PCS samples are shown in Table 4.

[0133] Table 4

[0134]

[0135] Comparative Example 2

[0136] The traditional direct spraying method is used to wet the surface of the 30PCS cigarette with 6.25% sodium alginate ethanol solution.

[0137] The final wet weight and water content of the 30PCS sample are shown in Table 5.

[0138] Table 5

[0139]

[0140] As shown in Table 2 and Table 4, compared with the traditional direct spraying surface treatment liquid process, the standard deviation of the final wet weight and water content of the sample is significantly reduced when the surface of the cigarette is wetted with the sodium alginate aqueous solution by using the wetting device provided in the present application, and the production is more stable.

[0141] As shown in Table 3 and Table 5, compared with the traditional direct spraying surface treatment liquid process, the standard deviation of the final wet weight and ethanol content of the sample is significantly reduced when the surface of the cigarette is wetted with the sodium alginate ethanol solution by using the wetting device provided in the present application, and the production is more stable.

[0142] The present application discloses a surface wetting device for a smokeless oral product. In the embodiment of the present application, the surface wetting device for the smokeless oral product comprises a water-permeable contact piece, a liquid feeding mechanism and a support. The water-permeable contact piece is arranged on the support and is used to contact the smokeless oral product to be wetted. The liquid feeding mechanism is connected to the water-permeable contact piece by a pipeline and is used to pump wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact piece to wet the surface of the smokeless oral product through the water-permeable contact piece. In the present application, the water-permeable contact piece is introduced as a carrier of the wetting liquid. The wetting liquid is uniformly transmitted to the surface of the smokeless oral product through the penetration of the water-permeable contact piece, and then penetrates into the product, thereby achieving accurate wetting effect and improving the problems of difficult control of spraying amount and uniformity of distribution in the traditional spraying method, and effectively improving the consistency and quality of the product.

[0143] In the description of the present application, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiment", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present application, the exemplary description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0144] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, replacements and variations can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and purposes of the present application, and the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device for wetting the surface of a smokeless tobacco product, comprising: The water-permeable contact piece, the liquid feeding mechanism and the support are included; the water-permeable contact piece is arranged on the support and used for contacting the oral product to be wetted; the liquid feeding mechanism is connected with the water-permeable contact piece by pipeline and used for pumping wetting liquid to the water-permeable contact piece to wet the surface of the oral product through the water-permeable contact piece.

2. The wetting device of claim 1, wherein, The water-permeable contact piece includes at least two oppositely arranged water-absorbing pieces, each of which is used for contacting two surfaces of the same oral product, and the gap between the two oppositely arranged water-absorbing pieces is adapted to the oral product.

3. The wetting device of claim 2, wherein, The distance between the two water-absorbing pieces is less than the thickness of the oral product; and / or, The width of the water-absorbing piece is greater than or equal to the width of the oral product; and / or, The side area of the water-absorbing piece in contact with the oral product is greater than the single side surface area of the oral product.

4. The wetting device of claim 2, wherein, The support includes a base, a vertical plate and two mounting plates, the vertical plate is arranged on the base, the two mounting plates are oppositely arranged on the vertical plate, and one water-absorbing piece is arranged on the opposite side between the two mounting plates.

5. The wetting device of claim 4, wherein, At least one of the mounting plates is arranged on the vertical plate in the clamping direction of the water-absorbing piece to the oral product, and a first locking mechanism is arranged on the mounting plate, which is used for locking the mounting plate on the vertical plate.

6. The wetting device of claim 4, wherein, The two mounting plates include a first mounting plate and a second mounting plate, the first mounting plate is fixedly arranged on the vertical plate, the second mounting plate is arranged on the vertical plate in the clamping direction of the water-absorbing piece to the oral product, and a second locking mechanism is arranged on the second mounting plate, which is used for locking the second mounting plate on the first mounting plate.

7. A wetting device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that The vertical plate is provided with a sliding groove extending in the clamping direction of the water-absorbing piece to the oral product, and the mounting plate is provided with a protrusion clamped in the sliding groove.

8. The wetting device of claim 6, wherein, The second locking mechanism is an adjusting screw.

9. The wetting device of claim 4, wherein, The liquid feeding mechanism includes a pumping system arranged on the base and at least two liquid storage tanks, each of which is connected with the pumping system by pipeline.

10. The wetting device of claim 2, wherein, The water-absorbing piece is a flexible piece; and / or, The material of the water-permeable contact piece is sponge, cotton or water-absorbing paper.

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