Philip Morris Inc.

Philip Morris USA Inc.

H Cary Longest

Barry Scott Smith

Travis Martin Garthaffner

Gregory Y Amos

Robert L Kikkert

James David Evans

Christopher J Hession

Carl Gregory Miller

Marc D Belcastro

Gary E Grollimund

Thomas A Fletcher

Donald H Jones

Robert H Moffitt

W Randolph Sweeney

James L Lynch

Ryan J Sousa

Package

Substantially circular objects such as the ends of the filters of filter tipped cigarettes are inspected for acceptable appearance utilizing a blob analysis which includes imaging a peripheral region so as to provide resolution along the edge of the circular object.

Methods and apparatus for inspecting the appearance of substantially

The entire cylindrical surface of a cylindrical object such as a cigarette is optically inspected by first inspecting at least 180.degree. of the circumference of a first side of the surface, and then inspecting at least 180.degree. of the circumference of the other side. Each of the inspection stations illuminates more than 180.degree. of the circumference and images the surface from two angularly spaced directions to ensure that at least 180.degree. of the circumference is seen at each station. Any object having a defective image is automatically rejected from the apparatus, and the images and other statistical information regarding the performance of the system are displayed by the system. The images are formed in such a way as to greatly increase the speed at which the inspection system operates so that it can keep up with the very high rates at which objects such as cigarettes are made in modern machinery (e.g., approximately 10,000 cigarettes per minute). The images are analyzed using techniques which make possible the detection of very small defects and also compensate for possible nonuniform illumination of the objects in the circumferential direction.

Systems for optically inspecting cylindrical surfaces

Substantially circular objects such as the ends of the filters of filter tipped cigarettes are inspected to make sure they have an acceptable appearance. The object surface to be inspected is preferably cantilevered out from the object supporting structure, and any surface of the supporting structure which faces in the same direction as the object surface is preferably made visually contrasting with the object surface. The object surface is preferably illuminated obliquely and at an angle to the axis along which an image of the object is formed. The image is subjected to 'blob' analysis to determine whether it has an acceptable appearance. Objects which do not have an acceptable appearance are rejected. A sophisticated user interface provides substantial information to an operator of the system.

The perforation of tipping paper on a high-speed perforation line is monitored and controlled by an electro-optic detection and data processing system which produces a signal related in value to an expected pressure drop through the paper based on calculations relating the inverse square of average perforation area to pressure drop. In one embodiment, a strobe light and camera are arranged on opposite sides of the tipping paper strip and provide an image signal to a vision processor. In another embodiment, a CCD line sensor located across the width of the strip is scanned to provide a signal related to a profile of light transmitted through the tipping paper.

Method and apparatus for inspecting and controlling tipping paper

A modular system and method using the system for the high speed high resolution inspection of printed webs are provided. Each module inspects one lane of a printed web for print defects. Each gray scale or bipolar gray scale gradient pixel value of a digitally converted input image is compared to the minimum and maximum threshold values of the image template by a real-time digital signal processor. The image template is created in a secondary non-real-time processor by producing a statistical representation of a number of input images. The image template is desensitized to longitudinal and transverse jitter of the printed web so that jitter is not identified by the system as a print defect. The user is signaled if actual print defects exist and the lanes in which the defects exist are identified.

High speed, high resolution web inspection system

An apparatus and method for selectively removing articles, such as cigarettes, from a transfer conveyor system in which the transfer of the selected articles to a receiver conveyor from a transfer conveyor is rejected within a transfer zone. Vacuum suction retaining articles on the transfer conveyor is blocked in the transfer zone as articles pass to the receiver conveyor. Transfer of selected articles is rejected by application of an air pulse responsive to a reject signal. The selected articles are returned to the transfer conveyor, from which they are removed.

Article transfer rejection apparatus and method

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Midlothian, VA, United States of America

H Cary Longest