Japan Tobacco Inc.

The Japan Tobacco Salt Public Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Japan Tobacco Co.

Japan Tobacco Inc., Machine Technology

Yutaka Okumoto

Mikio Komori

Takao Furukawa

Hideki Kobayashi

Hisao Suzuki

Toyomi Arakawa

Yoshinobu Ishikawa

Shuichi Sato

Takatomo Izume

Kaoru Watanabe

Yasuharu Ujiie

Shigemitsu Inomata

Toshiyuki Ozaki

Makoto Kakiuchi

Koji Taira

Makoto Kasahara

Kenji Koshiba

Kazuhiro Tokitsu

Kiyoe Imai

Susumu Simada

Koichi Yumita

Tadashi Munaakata

Akira Sawakata

Akiyoshi Natsume

Kanjo Shiote

Mamoru Katoh

A belt-type compression molding apparatus for a tobacco stream includes a compression belt integral with a tobacco band for forming the tobacco stream, and the compression belt extends from the tobacco band toward a wrapping section of a cigarette manufacturing machine. The compression belt defines a compression molding passage for the tobacco stream in cooperation with a molding groove of a molding bed for guiding wrapping paper. The compression belt travels at the same speed as the tobacco band and serves as a movable ceiling wall of the compression molding passage.

Belt-type compression molding apparatus for a tobacco stream

A device for executing an inspection method of a filter rod for cigarettes includes an inspection drum ( ), and the inspection drum ( ) has plural pickup grooves ( ) for receiving one filter rod (F) each in its outer periphery. The filter rod (F) in each pickup groove ( ) is provided with rolling force by a rolling guide ( ), and passes through an illuminated region (B) of light while the inspection drum ( ) rotates. At this time, when the filter rod (F) rolls, the shielded portion of the illuminated region (B) due to the filter rod (F) varies. This variation means that the filter rod (F) is normal, and is hence used for determination of the inspection.

Device and method for inspecting filter rod for cigarette

A load measuring method and a load measuring apparatus employ two piezoelectric elements having the same characteristic. When a load is applied to a first piezoelectric element, a voltage applied to the first piezoelectric element is feedback-controlled so as to cause the output from a first strain gauge affixed to the first piezoelectric element to be reduced to zero, whereby deformation of the first piezoelectric element applied with the load is suppressed to zero. The load applied to the first piezoelectric element is measured from a deformation amount of a second strain gauge affixed to the second piezoelectric element to which is applied the same voltage as the voltage applied to the first piezoelectric element and which is deformed in amount accurately corresponding to that of deformation to be naturally generated in the first piezoelectric element.

Load measuring method and an apparatus therefor

A density inspection apparatus and method. The apparatus is disposed downstream of a wrapping section of a cigarette manufacturing machine. In accordance with pulse output signals generated by a rotary encoder in synchronism with the travel of a cigarette rod, a zone of the rod is subjected to density inspection. An actual density signal indicating the tobacco shred filling density in the inspected zone is intermittently supplied from a density detector, and a group of reference density signals indicative of a change in density of a low-density portion of a dummy cigarette is supplied from a storage device. A difference between each actual density signal and a corresponding reference density signal is calculated, and the square sum of the signal differences in respect of all the density signals is calculated to determine a nonconformity degree between the actual and reference density signals. If the nonconformity degree of any one of the zones of the cigarette rod portion is small, this rod portion is determined as having a high possibility of including a local low-density portion.

Method and apparatus for inspecting cigarette density

In a cigarette manufacturing machine, a device for compressive molding a stream of filler comprises a forming mold having a tongue and a shoe being integrally formed with each other, and a forming surface formed at a lower surface of the tongue, and a compression molding passage for the stream is defined between the forming surface and paper. The forming surface of the tongue has a movable surface formed of a part of an endless belt, and the movable surface moves in the same direction as a flow of the stream.

Device for compressive molding stream of filler for tobacco rod

A device for trimming a shredded tobacco layer in a cigarette manufacturing machine is provided with a pair of trimming disks rotatably arranged, and a peeling disk rotatably arranged under the trimming disks. The peeling disk has a peeling blade formed at the peripheral edge of the peeling disk for scraping surplus shredded tobacco off the shredded tobacco layer in cooperation with the trimming disks, and a flat end face for guiding the surplus shredded tobacco scraped off by the peeling blade.

Device for trimming shredded tobacco layer formed in cigarette

A compression molding apparatus for a cut tobacco layer in a cigarette manufacturing machine comprises a shoe for separating the cut tobacco layer from a suction belt and feeding the cut tobacco layer onto paper and a tongue coupled integrally to the shoe. The respective lower surfaces of the shoe and the tongue are smoothly continuous with each other, and, in conjunction with a molding groove in a wrapping section, defines a compression molding passage for molding the cut tobacco layer into a rod.

Compression molding apparatus for a cut tobacco layer in a cigarette

A device for trimming a shredded tobacco layer in a cigarette manufacturing machine comprises a pair of trimming disks rotatably arranged, a peeler wheel rotatably arranged under the trimming disks, the peeler wheel having a peeling blade formed at the peripheral edge thereof to scrape surplus shredded tobacco off the shredded tobacco layer in cooperation with the trimming disks, and an air nozzle for ejecting compressed air to the scraped-off surplus shredded tobacco, thereby deflecting and separating the surplus shredded tobacco.

An apparatus for determining a tobacco shred filling quality includes a rotational position detector for detecting the rotational position of a driving drum of a cigarette manufacturing apparatus, a density detector for continuously detecting a tobacco shred filling density of a continuous cigarette rod, and a controller which receives the outputs of both detectors. The controller samples a density signal from the density detector every time it receives a pulse signal from the rotational position detector during a period corresponding to a distance from the beginning of the rear end portion of each double cigarette rod to the end of the front end portion of a succeeding double cigarette rod, and integrates the sampled density signal over a period corresponding to each end portion of each double cigarette rod. When the integration result falls below an allowable lower limit, the controller determines that tobacco shreds are likely to fall from the ends of the double cigarette rod during the manufacturing process, and eliminates this double cigarette rod when it reaches a filter attachment section.

Method and apparatus for determining the tobacco shred filling quality

A work mounting apparatus comprises a nozzle head which repeatedly makes cycloid motion as a drum rotates while being held in a fixed orientation, a suction nozzle projecting downward from the nozzle head for receiving and mounting a work, and a liquid damper-type balancer for the nozzle head. The balancer contains a movable weight which relatively vibrates so as to cancel out vibration of the nozzle head.

Work mounting apparatus

A cigarette is manufactured by executing a cigarette manufacturing process. In a cut tobacco supply process of the manufacturing process, tobacco shreds are attracted by suction onto a first tobacco band to form a cut tobacco layer. The cut tobacco layer delivered from the first tobacco band is folded into layer portions within a limited space, thereby forming a cut tobacco train. During formation of the cut tobacco train, the tobacco shreds are arranged so that their leaf surfaces cross at right angles to the direction of delivery of the cut tobacco layer. Then, the cut tobacco train is attracted by suction onto a second tobacco band, and is delivered at a speed later than a speed of delivery of the cut tobacco layer. The cut tobacco layer is permitted to be folded in the cut tobacco train because there is a difference in a delivery speed between the cut tobacco layer and the cut tobacco train. Further, the cut tobacco train is wrapped in a paper web to form a cigarette rod, and the formed cigarette rod is cut into individual cigarettes with a predetermined length. In the cigarette, the tobacco shreds are arranged so that their leaf surfaces cross at right angles to the axis of the cigarette. Therefore, the cigarette becomes harder, so that ability to maintain the appearance of the cigarette can be improved.

Cigarette

A cigarette. manufacturing machine has a first tobacco band for forming a cut tobacco layer by attracting cut tobacco, a folding stack for folding the cut tobacco layer from the first tobacco band into layer portions and piling the layer portions on one another in the direction of delivery of the cut tobacco layer to form a cut tobacco train, a second tobacco band for receiving the formed cut tobacco train by suction from the folding stack and transporting the received cut tobacco train, a wrapping section for forming a cigarette rod in a manner such that the cut tobacco train is wrapped in a paper web, and a cutting section for cutting the formed cigarette rod into individual cigarettes. The method of forming the cigarette using this apparatus is also described.

System and a method for manufacturing cigarettes

A work mounting apparatus according to the present invention comprises a rotating drum composed of separate upper and lower drums, a head unit arranged on the lower drum, a circular work head attached to the head unit and movable in the radial direction of the rotating drum, and a suction nozzle protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the work head toward a workbench. While the lower drum is rotating, the suction nozzle of the work head repeats cycloid motion along the workbench with its posture kept fixed with respect to the workbench. While repeating the cycloid motion, the nozzle receives a work from a work feeder of the workbench by suction, and mounts the work on a printed board on the workbench. The work mounting position on the printed board is determined by the cycle of the cycloid motion and by the distance of movement of the work head in the radial direction of the rotating drum.

A method and an apparatus for workpiece installation capable of carrying out workpiece installation operation without a stopping of a rotational motion of a rotatable table member. In the apparatus, rotatable drum is continuously rotated while workpiece carrier member, provided along a circumference of the rotatable drum, for carrying a workpiece from a workpiece supply station to a workpiece installation station, which is capable of spinning on the circumference while carrying the workpiece, is controlled such that the workpiece carrier member spins while the rotatable drum rotates so as to move along a prescribed trajectory which is preferably a cycloidal or quasi-cycloidal trajectory, and that the workpiece is picked up by the workpiece carrier member at a prescribed pick-up position on the workpiece supply station and released at a prescribed installation position on the workpiece installation station.

Method and apparatus for workpiece installation

A continuously emitted convergent laser beam is deflected by means of a rotating polygon mirror, to be directed to a reflector mirror having a pair of reflective surfaces, which adjoin each other at the vertex portion thereof. As the reflective surfaces of the reflector mirror are scanned with the laser beam, the beam is split and alternately directed to one mirror pair and the other mirror pair. The laser beam directed to each mirror pair is further divided into segment beams, which are reflected in opposite directions and condensed on a tipping paper sheet by means of condensing lenses. Thus, two alternate pairs of rows of perforations, four rows in total, are bored through the sheet.

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Tokyo, Japan

Yutaka Okumoto