Filter, flavor attracting article including the filter, and manufacturing apparatus and method for the filter

Abstract

A filter (6) used in a flavor inhalation article (1), wherein: the filter (6) comprises a sheet filling part (16) in which sheets (24) comprising a web material are gathered in a width direction Y intersecting the longitudinal direction X of the sheets (24) and are reduced in size to or below the diameter of the filter (6), and a rolled paper (18) in which the sheet filling part (16) is wrapped; and the sheets (24) have first crinkle regions (26) in which a prescribed number of crinkle parts (30) are formed by implementing a crinkle treatment on a partial region extending over the entire longitudinal direction X.

Description

FILTER, FLAVOR INHALED ARTICLE COMPRISING THE FILTER, AND APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE FILTER

[0001] The present invention relates to a filter, a flavor inhalation article including the filter, and an apparatus and method for manufacturing the filter.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a variable-pressure web material. The method includes the steps of supplying a continuous web material, pressing a first region of the web material at a first pressure value, and pressing a second region of the web material adjacent to the first region at a second pressure value. The web material is pressed using a pair of rollers. Each roller has a corrugated portion formed across its width, i.e., along the axis of each roller.

[0003] The corrugated portions are formed along the periphery of each roller, i.e., in the circumferential direction of each roller. The corrugated portions are alternately arranged with one another in the axial direction of each roller to compress the web material. Specifically, the valleys of the corrugated portions formed along the outer peripheral surface of each roller compress the web material at a first compression value, and the peaks of the corrugated portions formed along the outer peripheral surface of each roller compress the web material at a second compression value.

[0004] This allows a laminated web material having regions of different compression values ​​along the length of the web material to be formed in a single operation, i.e., in Patent Document 1, regions of different compression values ​​are formed in the web material by changing the engagement depth of the corrugated portions of each roller, as shown in Figure 2 of Patent Document 1.

[0005] The corrugated portions are ridges and grooves formed around the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of each roller, and the ridges and grooves are formed at a predetermined pitch in the axial direction of each roller. Therefore, the number of interlocking portions where the ridges and grooves interlock is constant. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3 of Patent Document 1, in an airflow directing element formed from a crimped web material, in other words, a filter, a large number of uniformly crimped, undulating portions are formed at predetermined intervals in the web material throughout the entire longitudinal direction of the web material, although the crimping value varies due to the interlocking depths of the ridges and grooves being different.

[0006] Patent No. 6553038

[0007] When the web material of Patent Document 1 is used as a filter material for a flavor inhalation article (hereinafter simply referred to as the article), a large number of uniformly shaped crimped portions are formed in the web material, which reduces the porosity of the filter and increases the airflow resistance of the filter. This increases the suction force required when a user inhales the article, which reduces the amount of flavor component that the user can inhale from the article 1 per puff, potentially reducing the so-called draw response of the article and impairing the smoking taste.

[0008] Furthermore, since the crimped portions must have a uniform convex or concave shape, it is not possible to form a wide variety of filters. Furthermore, forming a large number of uniformly shaped crimped portions in a web material reduces the rigidity of the filter, which may lead to breakage of the filter. Furthermore, forming a large number of uniformly shaped crimped portions in a web material generates a large amount of material powder (paper powder in the case of a paper web) during the crimping process of the web material. The large amount of material powder significantly soils the equipment, increasing the burden of equipment cleaning work and reducing filter productivity.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a filter, a flavor inhalation article including such a filter, and a manufacturing apparatus and method for such a filter, which can improve the quality of the filter and flavor inhalation article by reducing air resistance and increasing rigidity, and can realize various variations that improve the productivity of the filter and flavor inhalation article.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the filter is a filter for use in a flavor inhalation article, and comprises a sheet filling section in which a sheet made of a web material is gathered in a width direction intersecting with its longitudinal direction and reduced in diameter to less than the diameter of the filter, and a wrapper paper wrapped around the sheet filling section, and the sheet has a first crimped region in a partial area extending in the longitudinal direction, in which a predetermined number of crimped sections are formed by applying a crimping treatment.

[0011] A flavor inhalation article according to one embodiment includes the above-described filter. A filter manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment is an apparatus for manufacturing filters used in flavor inhalation articles, and includes a sheet processing section that processes a sheet made of a continuous web material while transporting it on a transport path, a gathering section that gathers the sheet processed in the sheet processing section in a width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the sheet during the sheet transport on the transport path to form a sheet-filled rod having a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the filter, a wrapping section that wraps the sheet-filled rod formed in the gathering section with a wrapper paper to form a filter rod, and a cutting section that cuts the filter rod formed in the wrapping section into filters. The sheet processing section includes a roller set that sandwiches and transports a sheet between a first roller and a second roller on a transport path, the first roller having a protruding convex portion formed over a portion of the circumference of its outer circumferential surface, and the second roller having a recessed portion formed over a portion of the circumference of its outer circumferential surface that engages with the convex portion, the roller set forming meshing portions where the convex portion and the recessed portion mesh with each other via the sheet when sandwiching and transporting the sheet, and having a first meshing region in which a predetermined number of meshing portions are formed in a portion of the circumference of each outer circumferential surface, the first meshing region forming a first crimped region having a predetermined number of crimped portions corresponding to the number of meshing portions by applying a crimping treatment to a portion of the longitudinal region of the sheet.

[0012] One embodiment of a filter manufacturing method is a method for manufacturing a filter used in a flavor inhalation article, and includes a sheet processing step in which a sheet made of a continuous web material is processed while being transported; a gathering step in which, during the sheet transport process, the sheet processed in the sheet processing step is gathered in a width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the sheet to form a sheet-filled rod with a diameter reduced to less than the diameter of the filter; a wrapping step in which the sheet-filled rod formed in the gathering step is wrapped with wrapping paper to form a filter rod; and a cutting step in which the filter rod formed in the wrapping step is cut into filters.In the sheet processing step, during the sheet transport process, a crimping process is performed in which a partial region across the longitudinal direction of the sheet is crimped to form a first crimped region having a predetermined number of crimped portions.

[0013] By reducing the air resistance of the filter and increasing the rigidity of the filter, the quality of the filter can be improved, and the productivity of the filter can be improved. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a filter and a flavor inhalation article including the filter, as well as an apparatus and method for manufacturing the filter, which are capable of realizing a variety of variations.

[0014] 17. A cross-sectional view of a flavor inhalation article. A perspective view of a sheet before treatment. A perspective view of a sheet that has been subjected to a crimping treatment. A longitudinal sectional view of a filter in a first loading section. A longitudinal sectional view of a filter in a second loading section. A schematic view of a filter manufacturing apparatus. A flowchart explaining a filter manufacturing method. A perspective view of a roller set holding a sheet. A schematic view of the outer circumferential surfaces of first and second rollers. A sectional view showing an enlarged meshing portion of the first meshing region. A perspective view of a roller set when the sheet is further unwound from the state of FIG. 8. A sectional view showing an enlarged meshing portion of the second meshing region. A perspective view of a sheet having a non-crimped region. A schematic view of the outer circumferential surfaces of first and second rollers that form the sheet of FIG. 13. A sectional view showing an enlarged non-meshing region formed in the roller set of FIG. 14. A perspective view of a sheet when the crimped portion of the second crimped region forms a rectangular recess. A schematic view of the outer circumferential surfaces of first and second rollers that form the sheet of FIG. 16. A sectional view showing an enlarged meshing portion of the second meshing region formed in the roller set of FIG. 17. 20. A perspective view of a sheet in which the crimped portions of the second crimped region form triangular convex portions. A schematic view of the outer peripheral surfaces of first and second rollers that form the sheet of FIG. 19. A cross-sectional view showing an enlarged meshing portion of the second meshing region formed in the roller set of FIG. 20. A perspective view of a sheet in which the crimped portions of the second crimped region form horizontal concave stripes. A schematic view of the outer peripheral surfaces of first and second rollers that form the sheet of FIG. 22. A cross-sectional view showing an enlarged meshing portion of the second meshing region formed in the roller set of FIG. 23. A schematic view showing an example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article. A schematic view showing another example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article. A schematic view showing another example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article. A schematic view showing another example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article. A schematic view showing another example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article. A schematic view showing another example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article. A schematic view showing another example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article. A schematic view showing another example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article. A schematic view showing another example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a combustion heating type flavor inhalation article;Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a combustion heating type flavor inhalation article;Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a combustion heating type flavor inhalation article;Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a combustion heating type flavor inhalation article;Fig.

[0015] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the article). The article 1 is composed of, for example, a flavor element 2, a tubular element 4, and a filter 6. The flavor element 2, the tubular element 4, and the filter 6 are arranged in this order in an axial direction X, butted together, and wrapped with tipping paper 8 to form the article 1. The flavor element 2 is formed by wrapping a flavor raw material 10 with wrapping paper 12.

[0016] When the product 1 is in use, the flavor elements 2 are heated by a heater in a device (flavor inhaler) (not shown), which causes the flavor components of the flavor raw material 10 to volatilize. Note that conductive materials such as metal plates or metal particles may be mixed into the flavor raw material 10. In this case, the presence of the conductive materials causes the device to generate a magnetic field, and the flavor elements 2 are heated by the induced current of the magnetic field.

[0017] The flavor raw material 10 may be, for example, shredded tobacco, shredded tobacco sheets, or gathered tobacco sheets. The flavor raw material 10 may also be a sheet made from tobacco-free pulp to which a flavoring agent has been added, a shredded sheet made from a non-tobacco plant, or any of these sheets folded into a corrugated shape.

[0018] The tubular element 4 is a cylindrical, e.g., paper tube, formed from a single or double paper web, and forms an airflow path in the article 1. A plurality of air vents 14 are formed on the circumferential surface of the tubular element 4 for taking air into the article 1 when the article 1 is inhaled. The air taken into the article 1 from the outside through each air vent 14 cools the flavor components volatilized from the flavor element 2, turning them into aerosols, which are then inhaled by the user of the article 1.

[0019] The filter 6 is a filter body formed by wrapping a sheet filling section 16 with wrapping paper 18. The sheet filling section 16 is integrally formed from a first filling section 20 and a second filling section 22. The first filling section 20 is located downstream of the airflow path in the filter 6 and has a mouth end 6a of the filter 6. The second filling section 22 is located upstream of the airflow path in the filter 6 and is adjacent to the first filling section 20 in the axial direction X of the filter 6.

[0020] 2 is a perspective view of a filter material sheet 24 before processing. The filter material of the filter 6 is a single sheet 24 made of a paper web (web material). The sheet 24 has, for example, a rectangular shape in a plan view. The conveyance direction of the sheet 24 in the manufacturing process described below is defined as the longitudinal direction X of the sheet 24 (the same direction as the axial direction X of the filter 6), and the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction X is defined as the width direction Y of the sheet 24.

[0021] The sheet 24 has a first crimped region 26 in a partial region across the longitudinal direction X, and a second crimped region 28 in a region of the sheet 24 adjacent to the first crimped region 26 in the longitudinal direction X. The area A1 of the first crimped region 26 is equal to or smaller than the area A2 of the second crimped region 28. The sheet filling section 16 shown in Figure 1 is formed by crimping the sheet 24, then gathering it in the width direction Y, in other words, bundling it together, and reducing its diameter to equal to or smaller than the diameter of the filter 6. Therefore, the length of the first filling section 20 in the axial direction X is equal to or shorter than the length of the second filling section 22.

[0022] 3 shows a perspective view of the sheet 24 after being subjected to a crimping treatment. A predetermined number of crimps 30 are formed in the first crimp region 26 by performing the crimping treatment. The crimping treatment is a creping process that creates uneven patterns in the sheet 24 at intervals. The crimps 30 are small, uneven wrinkles formed in the sheet 24, and by forming the crimps 30 in the sheet 24, stretchable crepe paper is formed. The crimps 30 are defined as depressions of various shapes that are recessed from the flat surface of the sheet 24, or as protrusions of various shapes that protrude from the flat surface of the sheet 24.

[0023] In the case shown in Figure 3, the crimped portions 30 in the first crimped region 26 are vertical grooves 30a extending in the longitudinal direction X of the sheet 24. In the first crimped region 26, for example, seven vertical grooves 30a are formed at intervals in the width direction Y of the sheet 24. In the second crimped region 28, a smaller number of crimped portions 30 than in the first crimped region 26 is formed by performing a crimping process. In the case shown in Figure 3, the crimped portions 30 in the second crimped region 28 are vertical grooves 30a of the same shape as in the first crimped region 26. In the second crimped region 28, for example, two vertical grooves 30a are formed at intervals in the width direction Y of the sheet 24.

[0024] Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal cross-section of the first stuffing section 20 of the filter 6, and Fig. 5 shows a longitudinal cross-section of the second stuffing section 22 of the filter 6. The first stuffing section 20 is formed by gathering the first crimped region 26 having the crimped portions 30 shown in Fig. 3 in the width direction Y. The second stuffing section 22 is formed by gathering the second crimped region 28 having the crimped portions 30 shown in Fig. 3 in the width direction Y.

[0025] The first filling section 20 is formed by gathering a first crimped region 26, which has a larger number of crimped portions 30 than the second filling section 22. Therefore, the first filling section 20 has a lower void ratio and a higher airflow resistance than the second filling section 22. On the other hand, the second filling section 22 is formed by gathering a second crimped region 28, which has a smaller number of crimped portions 30 than the first filling section 20. Therefore, the second filling section 22 has a higher void ratio and a lower airflow resistance than the first filling section 20.

[0026] Specifically, the airflow resistance per unit length in the axial direction X of the sheet filling section 16 is preferably 1.5 times or more for the first filling section 20 than for the second filling section 22. Here, the filter 6 used in the non-combustion heating type product 1 tends to have a relatively small airflow resistance. Therefore, if the airflow resistances of both the first and second filling sections 20, 22 are relatively small, it becomes difficult to measure the airflow resistance.

[0027] In this case, a plurality of first filling sections 20 are prepared by cutting from the sheet filling section 16, and each first filling section 20 is connected in the axial direction X to form a continuum, and the airflow resistance of this continuum is measured. The airflow resistance per unit length of the first filling section 22 is then calculated from the measured values. A similar continuum is also formed for the second filling section 22, and the airflow resistance per unit length of the second filling section 22 is calculated from the airflow resistance of this continuum. This makes it possible to confirm that the airflow resistance of the first filling section 20 is 1.5 times or more the airflow resistance of the second filling section 22, even if the measured values ​​of the airflow resistance of the first and second filling sections 20, 22 are too small to make a comparison.

[0028] Fig. 6 shows an outline of a manufacturing apparatus 40 for the filter 6, and Fig. 7 shows a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing method for the filter 6. The manufacturing apparatus 40 includes a sheet supply section 42, a sheet processing section 44, a gathering section 46, a wrapping section 48, a cutting section 50, an inspection section 52, and the like.

[0029] When the production of the filter 6 starts, the sheet supply section 42 supplies a series of sheets 24 made of a paper web to the conveying path 54 (S1: sheet supply step). Next, the sheet processing section 44 processes the sheets 24 while transporting them along the conveying path 54 (S2: sheet processing step). The sheet processing section 44 includes a roller set 56 and a control unit 58.

[0030] The roller set 56 is composed of a first roller 60 and a second roller 62, and the first and second rollers 60, 62 sandwich and transport the sheet 24 along the transport path 54. The rotation shaft of at least one of the first and second rollers 60, 62 is connected to a drive shaft of a motor (not shown) and is driven to rotate by the motor. The motor is electrically connected to the control unit 58. The rotation speeds of the first and second rollers 60, 62 are controlled via the motor based on signals from the control unit 58.

[0031] Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the roller set 56 sandwiching the sheet 24. The first roller 60 has a protruding ridge (protruding portion) 64 formed on a portion of its outer circumferential surface in the circumferential direction Z. The second roller 62 has a recess (recess) 66 formed on a portion of its outer circumferential surface in the circumferential direction Z that engages with the protruding ridge 64. When the roller set 56 sandwiches and conveys the sheet 24, the first and second rollers 60, 62 rotate in the directions of the arrows shown in Figure 8, and the protruding ridge 64 and the recess 66 engage with each other via the sheet 24, forming an engagement portion 68 in the roller set 56.

[0032] 9 is a schematic diagram of the outer circumferential surfaces of the first and second rollers 60, 62. The roller set 56 has a first meshing region 70 in which a predetermined number of meshing portions 68 are formed in a partial region of the outer circumferential surface of each of the first and second rollers 60, 62 in the circumferential direction Z. The first meshing region 70 applies a crimping treatment to a partial region of the sheet 24 in the longitudinal direction X by each meshing portion 68. The roller set 56 also has second meshing regions 72 in a region of the outer circumferential surface of each of the first and second rollers 60, 62 adjacent to the first meshing region 70 in the circumferential direction Z.

[0033] Figure 10 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the interlocking portions 68 of the first interlocking region 70, and Figure 11 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the interlocking portions 68 of the second interlocking region 72. The second interlocking region 72 has fewer interlocking portions 68 than the first interlocking region 70, and as shown in Figure 8, the crimping process is performed on the region adjacent to the first crimped region 26 of the sheet 24 in the longitudinal direction X, i.e., the second crimped region 28. For example, two interlocking portions 68 are formed in the second interlocking region 72, and two vertical grooves 30a are formed as crimped portions 30 corresponding to the number of interlocking portions 68 in the second crimped region 28 of the sheet 24, as shown in Figure 3.

[0034] Figure 12 is a perspective view of roller set 56 when sheet 24 is further unwound from the state shown in Figure 8. For example, seven intermeshing portions 68 are formed in first intermeshing region 70, and seven vertical grooves 30a are formed as crimps 30 corresponding to the number of intermeshing portions 68 in first crimp region 26 of sheet 24, as also shown in Figure 3. As a result, in sheet processing step S2, first crimp region 26 having a predetermined number of crimps 30 corresponding to the number of intermeshing portions 68 is formed in sheet 24 (P1: crimping process).

[0035] In the crimping process P1, a second crimp region 28 having a smaller number of crimped portions 30 than in the first crimp region 26 is also formed in the sheet 24. The area A3 (see FIG. 9) of each first meshing region 70 of the first and second rollers 60, 62 is equal to or smaller than the area A4 (see FIG. 9) of each second meshing region 72 of the first and second rollers 60, 62. As a result, as described above, the area A1 of the first crimp region 26 is equal to or smaller than the area A2 of the second crimp region 28; in other words, the length of the first filling section 20 in the axial direction X is equal to or smaller than the length of the second filling section 22.

[0036] 6 and 7 , the gathering section 46 gathers the series of sheets 24 processed in the sheet processing section 44 in the width direction Y during the conveyance of the sheets 24 in the conveyance path 54 to form a sheet filling rod 74 having a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the filter 6 (S3: gathering step). When the sheet filling rod 74 is formed into a filter rod 76 in a later step and then cut into the filter 6, it forms the sheet filling section 16 in which the first filling section 20 and the second filling section 22 are integrated.

[0037] Specifically, the gathering section 46 includes, in order from upstream in the conveying direction of the conveying path 54, a liquid addition booth 78, a granule addition unit 80, a trumpet guide 82, and tongs 84. The liquid addition booth 78 sprays a liquid additive onto the sheet 24 before gathering (P2: liquid addition process). The additive is a liquid containing, for example, a plasticizer or a fragrance. The granule addition unit 80 includes a hopper 80a and a spray roller 80b.

[0038] Granules are stored in the hopper 80a, and the spreading roller 80b spreads the granules supplied from the hopper 80a onto the sheet 24 before gathering. The granules are particulate additives, including activated carbon and fragrance particles, for example. The trumpet guide 82 and the tongs 84 are both cylindrical. The diameter of the inner circumferential surface of the trumpet guide 82 gradually decreases from the upstream side of the conveying path 54.

[0039] The trumpet guide 82 randomly gathers the sheet 24 conveyed along the conveying path 54, reducing the diameter of the sheet 24 into a rod-like shape, and discharges the sheet 24 toward the tongs 84. As the gathered rod-shaped sheet 24 passes through the tongs 84, the diameter of the rod-shaped sheet 24 is further reduced to the diameter of the filter 6 or less, and the sheet is formed into a sheet-packed rod 74.

[0040] Next, the wrapping section 48 wraps the sheet-filled rod 74 with the supplied wrapper paper 18 to form a filter rod 76 (S4: wrapping step). Next, the cutting section 50 cuts the filter rod 76 into filters 6 of a predetermined length (S5: cutting step) to form the filters 6. Next, the inspection section 52 inspects the ratio R of the lengths of the first and second filled portions 20 and 22 in the sheet-filled section 16 of the filter 6 in the axial direction X (S6: inspection step).

[0041] In the cutting step S5, the filter rod 76 is cut to form a large number of filters 6 each having the same length in the axial direction X. Since each filter 6 has the same length, in the inspection step S6, the ratio R of the lengths of the first and second filling portions 20, 22 constituting the filter 6 is inspected. This inspection is performed, for example, by irradiating the peripheral surface of the filter 6 with inspection light such as transmitted infrared light and recognizing the captured image. Note that instead of the ratio R, the lengths of the first and second filling portions 20, 22 may be inspected directly.

[0042] Next, the inspection section 52 determines whether the inspected ratio R is equal to a predetermined first threshold value T1 (S7: determination step). The first threshold value T1 is set to a predetermined value according to the specifications of the filter 6 or to a predetermined allowable range. If the determination result is true (Yes) and R = T1 is established, it is determined that the length of the first filling portion 20 and the second filling portion 22 in the axial direction X is the desired appropriate value.

[0043] In other words, it is determined that the lengths of the first crimped region 26 and the second crimped region 28 of the sheet 24 constituting the sheet filling portion 16 in the longitudinal direction X are the desired appropriate value, and the inspection and production of the filter 6 is completed. On the other hand, if the determination result is false (No) and R = T1 is not established, it is determined that the length of at least one of the first filling portion 20 and the second filling portion 22 in the axial direction X is too long or too short.

[0044] In other words, it is determined that the lengths in the longitudinal direction X of the first crimp region 26 and the second crimp region 28 of the sheet 24 constituting the sheet filling section 16 are inappropriate. In this case, the quality of the filter 6 cannot be ensured, and therefore correction of the crimping treatment in the crimping process P1 is necessary. The inspection section 52 is electrically connected to the control unit 58 of the sheet processing section 44.

[0045] When it is determined in step S7 that the ratio R is not equal to the first threshold value T1, the inspection section 52 transmits the difference between the ratio R and the first threshold value T1 to the control unit 58. The control unit 58 controls the rotation speed Vr of at least one of the first roller 60 and the second roller 62 based on the difference between the ratio R and the first threshold value T1 (S8: control step). As a result, in the sheet processing section 44, the crimping process P1 is performed in the first and second crimping regions 26, 28 of the sheet 24 to correct the ratio R to the first threshold value T1.

[0046] As described above, the filter 6 of this embodiment includes the sheet filling section 16 and the wrapping paper 18 wrapped around the sheet filling section 16. The sheet filling section 16 is formed by gathering a sheet 24 made of a paper web in the width direction Y and reducing the diameter thereof to equal to or less than the diameter of the filter 6. The sheet 24 constituting the sheet filling section 16 has a first crimp region 26 in a partial region extending across the longitudinal direction X, where a predetermined number of crimps 30 are formed by crimping the sheet 24.

[0047] That is, the sheet filling portion 16 is formed by gathering the first crimp region 26 having each crimped portion 30 only in a partial region across the longitudinal direction X of the sheet 24. This makes it possible to form a different number of crimped portions 30 than the first crimp region 26 in the region of the sheet 24 adjacent to the first crimp region 26, to form crimped portions 30 with a different shape than the first crimp region 26, or to form no crimped portions 30 at all.

[0048] By providing the above-described degree of freedom in the crimping treatment of the sheet 24, it becomes possible to optimize the porosity and airflow resistance of the filter 6, thereby improving the smoking taste of the article 1. Furthermore, by changing the number and shape of the crimped portions 30 formed in the sheet 24, it is possible to form a variety of filters 6 at once and improve the rigidity of the filter 6.

[0049] Furthermore, by reducing the number of crimped portions 30 formed on the sheet 24 and reducing the amount of paper dust generated by forming the crimped portions 30, the burden of cleaning the equipment can be reduced, improving the productivity of the filter 6. Furthermore, because the sheet filling portions 16 having different crimp patterns can be formed in one batch from a continuous sheet 24, it is not necessary to combine separate filter elements having different crimp patterns to form the filter 6. Therefore, the productivity of the filter 6 is further improved.

[0050] Furthermore, when performing the above-described combining, if the length of each filter element in the axial direction X is short, the filter elements may roll during transport, and combining rolled filter elements may result in a defective filter 6. However, since the sheet filling section 16 having different crimp patterns can be formed in one go from the continuous sheet 24, and the combining itself is no longer necessary, the productivity of the filter 6 can be further improved while ensuring the quality of the filter 6.

[0051] More specifically, the sheet 24 has a second crimped region 28 in a region adjacent to the first crimped region 26 of the sheet 24 in the longitudinal direction X, and the second crimped region 28 has a smaller number of crimps 30 formed therein than the first crimped region 26. This makes it possible to reduce the airflow resistance of the filter 6, improve rigidity, and increase productivity, compared to when the same number of crimps 30 as the first crimped region 26 are formed across the entire area of ​​the sheet 24.

[0052] Specifically, by reducing the airflow resistance of the filter 6, the suction force required when the user inhales the article 1 is reduced, thereby increasing the amount of flavor component that the user can inhale from the article 1 per puff, improving the inhalation response of the article 1 and ultimately improving the smoking taste of the article 1. Furthermore, if the porosity of the filter 6 is increased, there is a risk that the flavor raw material 10 of the flavor element 2 will pass through the pores in the filter 6 and enter the user's mouth when inhaling the article 1.

[0053] However, the formation of the first filling section 20 in the filter 6, which has a large number of crimped sections 30, reduces the risk of the flavor material 10 entering the mouth, improving the quality of the article 1. Furthermore, the formation of the second filling section 22, which has a relatively small number of crimped sections 30, improves the rigidity of the filter 6, particularly the radial strength of the filter 6, thereby reducing the risk of the filter 6 breaking due to bending in the middle when the article 1 is attached to a device, improving the quality of the article 1.

[0054] Furthermore, by giving the user the impression that the filter 6 in the article 1 is highly rigid, in other words, that the filter 6 is hard, it is possible to appeal to the user the texture and therefore the luxurious feel of the article 1. Furthermore, the area A1 of the first crimped region 26 is equal to or less than the area A2 of the region of the sheet 24 adjacent to the first crimped region 26 in the longitudinal direction X, i.e., the second crimped region 28 in this embodiment. As a result, the length of the first filling section 20 formed from the first crimped region 26 is equal to or less than the length of the second filling section 22 formed from the second crimped region 28.

[0055] Here, by making the length of the first stuffing section 20, which has a greater number of crimped sections 30, equal to or shorter than the length of the second stuffing section 22, which has a fewer number of crimped sections 30, it is possible to reduce the amount of flavor components filtered through the filter 6. In particular, the non-combustion heating type product 1 volatilizes a smaller amount of flavor components in the flavor elements 2 than the combustion heating type product 1. For this reason, it is preferable to reduce the amount of flavor components filtered through the filter 6 as much as possible.

[0056] Therefore, when a filter 6 is used in a non-combustion heating type article 1, the length of the first filling section 20 is made equal to or less than the length of the second filling section 22, in other words, the area A1 of the first crimped region 26 is made equal to or less than the area A2 of the second crimped region 28, thereby increasing the amount of flavor components that the user can inhale from the article 1, improving the smoking response of the article 1 and ultimately improving the smoking taste of the article 1.

[0057] Furthermore, the airflow resistance per unit length in the axial direction X of the sheet filling portion 16 for the first filling portion 20 is 1.5 times or more that of the second filling portion 22. This allows a certain degree of difference in airflow resistance between the first filling portion 20 and the second filling portion 22, and therefore by changing the lengths of the first filling portion 20 and the second filling portion 22, it becomes possible to easily optimize the airflow resistance of the entire filter 6.

[0058] The first stuffing section 20 is located downstream of the second stuffing section 22 in the airflow path, and has the mouth end 6a of the filter 6. This allows the article 1 to have a clean end face of the first stuffing section 20, which has a large number of crimped sections 30, is densely crimped, and has uniform and small voids, exposed as the mouth end 6a. This improves the appearance of the article 1 compared to when the end face of the second stuffing section 22, which has coarse and large voids, is exposed.

[0059] Furthermore, by positioning the first filling section 20 downstream of the second filling section 22 in the airflow path, the first filling section 20 is disposed at a position separated from the flavor element 2 via the second filling section 22. In other words, the first filling section 20, which has higher filtering performance than the second filling section 22, is not adjacent to the flavor element 2. This prevents flavor components that have just volatilized in the flavor element 2 and have not yet been aerosolized before cooling from passing through the first filling section 20, which has higher filtering performance, and being excessively filtered.

[0060] As mentioned above, particularly in the case of non-combustion heating type articles 1, the amount of flavor components volatilized by the flavor elements 2 is relatively small, so by positioning the first filling section 20 downstream of the airflow path relative to the second filling section 22, the amount of flavor components that the user can inhale from article 1 is increased, improving the smoking experience of article 1 and ultimately improving the smoking taste of article 1.

[0061] The sheet processing section 44 of the manufacturing apparatus 40 also includes a roller set 56 having first and second rollers 60, 62. When the roller set 56 conveys the sheet 24 sandwiched between them, the convex ridges 64 of the first roller 60 and the concave ridges 66 of the second roller 62 mesh with each other via the sheet 24, thereby forming meshing portions 68 in the roller set 56. The roller set 56 has a first meshing region 70 in which a predetermined number of meshing portions 68 are formed in a partial region of the outer circumferential surface in the circumferential direction Z.

[0062] The first meshing region 70 forms the first crimp region 26 in the sheet 24 during the crimping process P1 in the sheet processing step S2. The roller set 56 also has a second meshing region 72, which has a smaller number of meshing portions 68 than the first meshing region 70, in an area of ​​the outer peripheral surface adjacent to the first meshing region 70 in the circumferential direction Z. The second meshing region 72 forms the second crimp region 28 in the sheet 24 during the crimping process P1 in the sheet processing step S2.

[0063] This allows the first and second crimp regions 26, 28 to be easily formed in the sheet 24 during the conveyance of the sheet 24, and therefore the first and second filled sections 20, 22 to be easily formed in the sheet filled section 16 of the filter 6. Furthermore, the area A3 of the first meshing region 70 is equal to or smaller than the area A4 of the region adjacent to the first meshing region 70 on the outer circumferential surface of the roller set 56, i.e., the second meshing region 72 in this embodiment. This allows the area A1 of the first crimp region 26 to be equal to or smaller than the area A2 of the second crimp region 28.

[0064] In addition, in an inspection step S6, the inspection section 52 of the manufacturing apparatus 40 inspects the ratio R of the lengths of the first filling portion 20 and the second filling portion 22 of the sheet filling portion 16 of the filter 6 in the axial direction X, and in a determination step S7, determines whether the ratio R is equal to a first threshold value T1. If it is determined in the determination step S7 that the ratio R is not equal to the first threshold value T1, in a control step S8, the rotation speed Vr of at least one of the first roller 60 and the second roller 62 is controlled based on the difference between the ratio R and the first threshold value T1.

[0065] During the crimping process P1, the sheet 24 may stretch slightly, and this stretching amount accumulates over a long period of time, which may result in defects in the article 1, such as the length in the axial direction X of at least one of the first filling section 20 and the second filling section 22 being too long or too short. By performing the above-mentioned steps S6 to S8, defects caused by stretching the sheet 24 can be corrected, and the quality of the article 1 can be improved.

[0066] This concludes the description of the embodiment, but the above embodiment is not limiting and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the crimp pattern in the first and second crimped regions 26, 28, the shape of the crimped portion 30, and the areas A1, A2 of the first and second crimped regions 26, 28 are not limited to the above-described embodiment and various modifications are permitted. This further increases the degree of freedom in the crimping process of the sheet 24, making it possible to more effectively optimize the airflow resistance of the filter 6, diversify the filter 6, improve the rigidity of the filter 6, and improve the productivity of the filter 6.

[0067] Specifically, as shown in Figure 13, the sheet 24 may have a non-crimped region 86, where no crimped portion 30 exists, in a region adjacent to the first crimped region 26 of the sheet 24 in the longitudinal direction X. In this case, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, the roller set 56 has a non-meshing region 88, which does not have a meshing portion 68, in a region adjacent to the first meshing region 70 on the outer circumferential surface in the circumferential direction Z. The non-meshing region 88 forms the non-crimped region 86 in the sheet 24 in the sheet processing step S2.

[0068] Furthermore, the sheet 24 may have a second crimped region 28 in a region adjacent to the first crimped region 26 of the sheet 24 in the longitudinal direction X, in which a crimped portion 30 having a smaller recessed area than that of the first crimped region 26 is formed by crimping. For example, as shown in Figure 16, the crimped portion 30 formed in the second crimped region 28 is a dot-shaped recessed portion in a plan view of the sheet 24, specifically a rectangular recessed portion 30b having a rectangular cross section.

[0069] 17 , a plurality of rectangular convex portions 90 are formed in the second meshing region 72 of the first roller 60. A plurality of rectangular concave portions 92 that mesh with the convex portions 90 are formed in the second meshing region 72 of the second roller 62. When the roller set 56 conveys the sheet 24 sandwiched between them, the first and second rollers 60, 62 rotate, and the convex portions 90 and the concave portions 92 mesh with the sheet 24 interposed therebetween, forming meshing portions 68 in the roller set 56.

[0070] 18, the meshing portion 68 formed in the second meshing region 72 of the roller set 56 has a smaller meshing area than the first meshing region 70 (see FIG. 10). The second meshing region 72 forms a second crimp region 28 in the sheet 24 during the crimping process P1 in the sheet processing step S2. The second crimp region 28 has a plurality of rectangular recesses 30b with a smaller recessed area than the first crimp region 26. The second crimp region 28 is gathered to form the second filled portion 22.

[0071] 19, the crimps 30 formed in the second crimp region 28 are convex dots in a plan view of the sheet 24, specifically triangular convex portions 30c with a triangular cross section. As shown in FIG. 20, a plurality of rectangular recesses 94 are formed in the second meshing region 72 of the first roller 60. A plurality of rectangular protrusions 96 that mesh with the recesses 94 are formed in the second meshing region 72 of the second roller 62. When the roller set 56 conveys the sheet 24 between the rollers, the first and second rollers 60, 62 rotate, and the recesses 94 and protrusions 96 mesh with the sheet 24 between them, forming meshing portions 68 in the roller set 56.

[0072] As shown in Figure 21, the meshing portion 68 formed in the second meshing region 72 of the roller set 56 has a smaller meshing area than the first meshing region 70 (see Figure 10). In the crimping process P1 of the sheet processing step S2, the second meshing region 72 forms a second crimp region 28 in the sheet 24, which has multiple triangular protrusions 30c with a smaller convex area than the first crimp region 260. The second crimp region 28 is gathered to form the second filling portion 22. Note that it is also possible to change the triangular protrusions 30c to triangular recesses by changing the recesses 94 to protrusions and the protrusions 96 to recesses.

[0073] 22, the crimped portions 30 formed in the second crimped region 28 of the sheet 24 are horizontal concave ridges 30d that extend across the width direction Y of the sheet 24. As shown in FIG. 23, the first meshing region 70 of the first roller 60 has, for example, two convex ridges 98 formed therein that extend in the width direction Y. The second meshing region 72 of the second roller 62 has, for example, two concave ridges 100 formed therein that engage with the convex ridges 98. When the roller set 56 conveys the sheet 24 while sandwiching it, the first and second rollers 60, 62 rotate, and the concave ridges 98 and the convex ridges 100 engage with each other via the sheet 24, forming a meshing portion 68 in the roller set 56.

[0074] As shown in Figure 24, the meshing portion 68 formed in the second meshing region 72 of the roller set 56 has a smaller meshing area than the first meshing region 70 (see Figure 10). The second meshing region 72 forms a second crimped region 28 in the sheet 24 during the crimping process P1 of the sheet processing step S2. The second crimped region 28 has, for example, two horizontal recessed ridges 30d, which results in a smaller recessed area than the first crimped region 26. The second crimped region 28 is gathered to form the second filled portion 22.

[0075] Furthermore, the type and configuration of the article 1 including the filter 6, and the number, positions, and lengths in the axial direction X of the first and second filling sections 20, 22 in the filter 6 are not limited to those of the described embodiment. Figures 25 to 31 schematically show examples of non-combustion heating type articles 1 different from that shown in Figure 1, and these articles 1 include flavor elements 2 that are heated without combustion. In the case shown in Figure 25, the length of the second filling section 22 that constitutes the filter 6 is about two to three times the length of the first filling section 20.

[0076] In the case shown in Fig. 26, the article 1 does not include the tubular element 4, and the length of the second filling section 22 is approximately seven times the length of the first filling section 20. In the case shown in Fig. 27, the article 1 further includes a second filter 104 containing activated carbon 102 between the tubular element 4 and the filter 6. The particles of activated carbon 102 are wrapped in a filter material such as acetate tow in the second filter 104. In the case shown in Fig. 28, the article 1 further includes a third filter 108 having a capsule 106 disposed downstream of the filter 6 in the airflow path. An additive such as a flavor liquid is encapsulated in the capsule 106, and the capsule 106 is wrapped in a filter material such as acetate tow in the third filter 108.

[0077] In the case shown in Fig. 29, the sheet filling section 16 is formed by arranging multiple sets, for example, two sets of second filling sections 22 and first filling sections 20 alternately in this order from the upstream side of the airflow path in its axial direction X. In the case shown in Fig. 30, the article 1 does not include a tubular element 4, and the sheet filling section 16 has the second filling section 22 between two first filling sections 20. The length of the second filling section 22 is about four times the length of the first filling section 20.

[0078] 31 , the article 1 includes two filters 6, with second filling sections 22 located on the left and right outer sides in the axial direction X, sandwiching the tubular element 4, and first filling sections 20 located on the left and right outer sides in the axial direction X of each second filling section 22. A second filling section 22 with a smaller number of crimped sections 30 or a smaller recessed area increases the radial strength of the filter 6. On the other hand, a first filling section 20 with a larger number of crimped sections 30 or a larger recessed area increases the buckling strength of the filter 6 in the axial direction X. Therefore, depending on the configuration of the article 1, the first filling section 20 may be positioned upstream of the second filling section 22 in the airflow path.

[0079] On the other hand, the filter 6 of the embodiment can also be applied to a combustion heating type product 1. Figures 32 to 35 schematically show examples of a combustion heating type product 1, and these products 1 include flavor elements 2 that are burned and heated by ignition, but do not include tubular elements 4. In the case shown in Figure 32, the length of the second stuffing section 22 is about four times the length of the first stuffing section 20.

[0080] In the case shown in Fig. 33, the length of the first filling section 20 is longer than the second filling section 22. In the case shown in Fig. 34, the article 1 further includes a second filter 104 containing particles of activated carbon 102 between the flavor element 2 and the filter 6. The length of the first filling section 20 is approximately twice the length of the second filling section 22. In the case shown in Fig. 35, the article 1 further includes a third filter 108 in which a capsule 106 is disposed downstream of the filter 6. The length of the first filling section 20 is longer than the length of the second filling section 22.

[0081] In the combustion heating type product 1, a larger amount of flavor components are volatilized by the flavor element 2 than in the non-combustion heating type product 1. Therefore, there is less need to reduce the amount of flavor components filtered by the filter 6. Therefore, particularly when the filter 6 is used in the combustion heating type product 1, the length of the first stuffing section 20 may be made longer than the length of the second stuffing section 22, as shown in Figures 33 to 35, depending on the filtering performance of the filter 6 required for the product 1. In other words, the area A1 of the first crimped region 26 may be made larger than the area A2 of the second crimped region 28.

[0082] Furthermore, a plurality of roller sets 56 may be provided in the sheet processing section 44, three or more crimp regions may be formed in the sheet 24, and three or more filled portions of the sheet 24 may be formed in the sheet filling portion 16. Furthermore, the sheet 24 may be formed from a web material other than a paper web.

[0083] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 flavor suction article 2 flavor element 4 tubular element 6 filter 16 sheet filling section 18 wrapper paper 20 first filling section 22 second filling section 24 sheet 26 first crimped region 28 second crimped region 30 crimped section 30a vertical concave stripe (crimped section) 30b rectangular concave section (dot-shaped concave section, crimped section) 30c triangular convex section (dot-shaped convex section, crimped section) 30d horizontal concave stripe (crimped section) 40 manufacturing apparatus 44 sheet processing section 46 gathering section 48 wrapping section 50 cutting section 54 conveying path 56 roller set 60 first roller 62 second roller 64 convex stripe (convex section) of first roller 66 concave stripe (concave section) of second roller 74 Sheet filling rod 76 Filter rod 86 Non-crimped region 90 Convex portion of first roller 92 Concave portion of second roller 94 Concave portion of first roller 96 Convex portion of second roller 98 Convex ridge (convex portion) of first roller 100 Concave ridge (concave) of second roller 102 Activated carbon 104 Second filter 106 Capsule 108 Third filter A1 Area of ​​first crimped region A2 Area of ​​region adjacent to first crimped region of sheet (second crimped region or non-crimped region) A3 Area of ​​first intermeshing region A4 Area of ​​region adjacent to first intermeshing region of outer circumferential surface of first roller and second roller (second intermeshing region or non-intermeshing region) P1 Crimping process R Ratio S2 Sheet processing step S3 Gathering step S4 Wrapping step S5 Cutting step S6 Inspection step S7 Judgment step S8 Control step T1 First threshold value X Longitudinal direction of the sheet, axial direction of the filter, conveying direction of the sheet, sheet filling rod and filter Y Width direction of the sheet Z Circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surfaces of the first roller and the second roller

Claims

1. A filter for use in a flavor inhalation article, comprising: a sheet-filling section in which a sheet made of a web material is gathered in a width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction thereof to reduce the diameter of the filter or less; and a wrapper paper wrapped around the sheet-filling section, wherein the sheet has a first crimped region in which a predetermined number of crimped portions are formed by crimping a portion of the longitudinal direction of the sheet.

2. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the sheet has a second crimped region in an area adjacent to the first crimped region of the sheet in the longitudinal direction, the second crimped region having a smaller number of crimps than the first crimped region, formed by crimping the area.

3. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the sheet has a non-crimped region in which no crimped portion is present in an area adjacent to the first crimped region of the sheet in the longitudinal direction.

4. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the sheet has a second crimped region in an area adjacent to the first crimped region of the sheet in the longitudinal direction, the second crimped region being formed by crimping the crimped portion to have a smaller concave area than that of the first crimped region.

5. A filter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the area of ​​the first crimped region is equal to or less than the area of ​​a region of the sheet adjacent to the first crimped region in the longitudinal direction.

6. A filter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first crimped region forms a first filling section in the sheet filling section, an area of ​​the sheet adjacent to the first crimped region in the longitudinal direction forms a second filling section adjacent to the first filling section in the sheet filling section, and the axial length of the first filling section is less than or equal to the axial length of the second filling section.

7. A filter as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first crimped region forms a first filling section in the sheet filling section, and an area of ​​the sheet adjacent to the first crimped region in the longitudinal direction forms a second filling section adjacent to the first filling section in the sheet filling section, and the air flow resistance per unit length in the axial direction of the sheet filling section of the first filling section is 1.5 times or more that of the second filling section.

8. A filter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first crimped region forms a first filling section in the sheet filling section, and a region of the sheet adjacent to the first crimped region in the longitudinal direction forms a second filling section adjacent to the first filling section in the sheet filling section, and the sheet filling section has multiple sets of the first filling sections and the second filling sections in its axial direction.

9. A filter according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least some of the crimped portions are vertical grooves extending in the longitudinal direction of the sheet.

10. A filter according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein at least a portion of the crimped portions are concave or convex portions that form dots when the sheet is viewed in plan.

11. A filter according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein at least a portion of the crimped portions are horizontal concave stripes extending across the width of the sheet.

12. A filter according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the web material is a paper web.

13. A flavor inhalation article comprising the filter according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The flavor inhalation article of claim 13, further comprising a tubular element.

15. The flavor inhalation article according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising a second filter containing activated carbon.

16. A flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 13 to 15, further comprising a third filter in which a capsule containing an additive is disposed.

17. A flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 13 to 16, comprising a flavor element that is heated without combustion.

18. A flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 13 to 17, comprising a flavor element that is heated by combustion.

19. A manufacturing device for a filter used in a flavor inhalation article, comprising: a sheet processing section for processing a sheet made of a continuous web material while transporting it on a transport path; a gathering section for gathering the sheet processed in the sheet processing section in a width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction during the sheet transport process on the transport path, to form a sheet-filled rod having a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the filter; a wrapping section for wrapping the sheet-filled rod formed in the gathering section with wrapping paper to form a filter rod; and a cutting section for cutting the filter rod formed in the wrapping section into the filter; wherein the sheet processing section comprises a roller set for sandwiching and transporting the sheet on the transport path between a first roller and a second roller; the first roller is formed with a protruding convex portion along a portion of its outer circumferential surface in the circumferential direction; and the second roller is formed with a concave portion along a portion of its outer circumferential surface in the circumferential direction, the concave portion engaging with the convex portion. The roller set has a first interlocking region in which a predetermined number of interlocking portions are formed in a partial area of ​​the circumferential direction of each outer surface when the roller set sandwiches and transports the sheet, and the roller set has a first interlocking region in which a predetermined number of interlocking portions are formed in a partial area of ​​the longitudinal direction of the sheet by performing a crimping process on the first interlocking region, the first interlocking region having a predetermined number of crimped portions corresponding to the number of interlocking portions.

20. A filter manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 19, wherein the roller set has a second meshing region in a region of the outer peripheral surface adjacent to the first meshing region in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface, the number of meshing portions being less than in the first meshing region, and the second meshing region is formed by applying a crimping process to a region of the sheet adjacent to the first crimped region in the longitudinal direction, thereby forming a second crimped region having a smaller number of crimped portions than in the first crimped region.

21. A filter manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 19, wherein the roller set has a non-meshing region that does not have the meshing portion in a region of the outer peripheral surface adjacent to the first meshing region of the outer peripheral surface in the circumferential direction, and the non-meshing region forms a non-crimped region that does not have the crimped portion in a region of the sheet adjacent to the first crimped region in the longitudinal direction.

22. A filter manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 19, wherein the roller set has a second meshing region in a region of the outer peripheral surface adjacent to the first meshing region in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface, the meshing area of ​​the meshing portion being smaller than that of the first meshing region, and the second meshing region is formed by performing a crimping process in a region of the sheet adjacent to the first crimped region in the longitudinal direction, thereby forming a second crimped region having the crimped portion with a smaller concave area than that of the first crimped region.

23. A filter manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the area of ​​the first meshing region is equal to or smaller than the area of ​​the region of the outer circumferential surface adjacent to the first meshing region.

24. A method for manufacturing a filter for use in a flavor inhalation article, comprising: a sheet processing step in which a sheet made of a continuous web material is processed while being transported; a gathering step in which, during the sheet transport process, the sheet processed in the sheet processing step is gathered in a width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the sheet to form a sheet-filled rod having a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the filter; a wrapping step in which the sheet-filled rod formed in the gathering step is wrapped with wrapping paper to form a filter rod; and a cutting step in which the filter rod formed in the wrapping step is cut into the filter, wherein in the sheet processing step, during the sheet transport process, a crimping process is carried out to form a first crimped region having a predetermined number of crimped portions by applying a crimping treatment to a partial region of the sheet across the longitudinal direction.

25. A method for manufacturing a filter as described in claim 24, wherein the crimping process involves crimping an area of ​​the sheet adjacent to the first crimped area in the longitudinal direction to form a second crimped area having a smaller number of crimps than the first crimped area.

26. A method for manufacturing a filter as described in claim 24, wherein the crimping process involves crimping an area of ​​the sheet adjacent to the first crimped area in the longitudinal direction to form a second crimped area having a crimped portion with a smaller concave area than that of the first crimped area.

27. A method for manufacturing a filter according to any one of claims 24 to 26, further comprising: in the sheet processing step, the crimping process is carried out using a roller set that sandwiches the sheet between a first roller and a second roller and transports it in a transport path; the filter formed in the cutting step has a sheet filling section formed by cutting the sheet filling rod; the first crimped region forms a first filling section in the sheet filling section; an area of ​​the sheet adjacent to the first crimped region in the longitudinal direction forms a second filling section adjacent to the first filling section in the sheet filling section; an inspection step for inspecting the ratio of the axial lengths of the first filling section and the second filling section; a determination step for determining whether the ratio inspected in the inspection step is a predetermined first threshold value; and, when it is determined in the determination step that the ratio is not the first threshold value, a control step for controlling the rotational speed of at least one of the first roller and the second roller in the crimping process based on the difference between the ratio and the first threshold value.

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