Smoking machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10477887-B2
Application number	US-201414890552-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2014
Priority date	Jun 24, 2013
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A modular smoking system is provided, including a substantially annular carousel that includes a plurality of smoking article ports configured to receive smoking articles and a plurality of analysis ports, the carousel having an inner surface and an outer surface radially spaced from the inner surface, in which a plurality of identically-dimensioned aerosol-flow channels are defined through the carousel, each aerosol-flow channel extending radially through the carousel between a smoking article port located at the inner surface of the carousel and a corresponding analysis port located at the outer surface of the carousel, and at least one aerosol analysis module located radially outwards from the outer surface of the carousel and configured to couple to the analysis port for analysis of an aerosol generated by a smoking article coupled to a smoking article port.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A modular smoking system, comprising-,
a carousel module comprising a substantially annular carousel, a plurality of smoking article ports configured to receive smoking articles, and a plurality of analysis ports,
the substantially annular carousel comprising at least one ring having an inner surface and an outer surface radially spaced from the inner surface, through which a plurality of identically-dimensioned aerosol-flow channels are defined through the substantially annular carousel, and
each aerosol-flow channel of the plurality of aerosol-flow channels extending radially through the at least one ring of the substantially annular carousel between a smoking article port of the plurality of smoking article ports located at the inner surface of the at least one ring and an analysis port of the plurality of analysis ports located at the outer surface of the at least one ring; and

at least one aerosol analysis module, located radially outwards from the outer surface of the at least one ring and configured to couple to the analysis port, configured to analyze an aerosol generated by a smoking article coupled to the smoking article port,
wherein the inner surface of the at least one ring is configured to rotate relative to the outer surface of the at least one ring.

2. The modular smoking system according to claim 1 , the at least one aerosol analysis module further comprising:
a first aerosol analysis module configured to couple to a first analysis port of the plurality of analysis ports, the first analysis port being associated with a first smoking article port of the plurality of smoking article ports via a first aerosol-flow channel of the plurality of aerosol-flow channels; and
a second aerosol analysis module configured to couple to a second analysis port of the plurality of analysis ports, the second analysis port being associated with a second smoking article port of the plurality of smoking article ports via a second aerosol-flow channel of the plurality of aerosol-flow channels,
in which an aerosol-flow-path between the first smoking article port and the first aerosol analysis module has a same length as another aerosol-flow-path between the second smoking article port and the second aerosol analysis module.

3. The modular smoking system according to claim 1 , the at least one aerosol analysis module further comprising a plurality of aerosol analysis modules, each of the plurality of aerosol analysis modules being configured to couple to a corresponding analysis port of the plurality of analysis ports, aerosol-flow-paths between said each of the plurality of aerosol analysis modules and a coupled corresponding analysis port being substantially identically dimensioned.

4. The modular smoking system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the system is configured to operate in either a linear smoking mode or a rotary smoking mode, and
wherein an aerosol-flow-path between the smoking article port of the plurality of smoking article ports and the analysis port of the plurality of analysis ports has an identical length when operated in a linear smoking mode as when operated in a rotary smoking mode.

5. The modular smoking system according to claim 1 , comprising at least two different types of aerosol analysis modules configured to carry out at least two different types of aerosol analysis.

6. The modular smoking system according to claim 1 , in which the inner surface of the substantially annular carousel is located within a first region that is sealed from the outer surface of the substantially annular carousel such that a secondary aerosol generated by smoking of the smoking article while coupled to the smoking article port of the plurality of smoking article ports is retained within the first region.

7. The modular smoking system according to claim 6 , the system being configured to transfer the secondary aerosol retained within the first region to a secondary aerosol analysis module to be analysed.

8. The modular smoking system according to claim 1 , in which the at least one ring of the substantially annular carousel comprises a first ring and a second ring,
the first ring defining the inner surface of the substantially annular carousel and having a plurality of channels extending radially through the first ring between the inner surface and an outer surface of the first ring, and
the second ring defining the outer surface of the substantially annular carousel and having another plurality of channels extending radially through the second ring between an inner surface of the second ring and the outer surface,
the plurality of channels defined through the first ring are configured to be disposed in an overlapping relationship with the another plurality of channels defined through the second ring to define the aerosol-flow channels.

9. The modular smoking system according to claim 8 , in which both the first ring and the second ring are configured such that each smoking article port of the plurality of smoking article ports located at the inner surface of the substantially annular carousel is associated with a corresponding analysis port of the plurality of analysis ports located at the outer surface of the substantially annular carousel.

10. The modular smoking system according to claim 8 , in which the first ring is configured to be rotatable relative to the second ring such that each smoking article port of the plurality of smoking article ports located at the inner surface of the substantially annular carousel is configured to be associated with any of the plurality of analysis ports located at the outer surface of the substantially annular carousel.

11. The modular smoking system according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one module selected from the list comprising: a transmission module, a magazine module, a product loader module, a product ignition module, a product ejector module, a waste collection module, a utility supply module, a side stream module, a configuration module, a database module, a data transfer module, an automation module, a GUI module, a machine safety module, a pick and place module, a device handling module, a pump module, and a dilution module.

12. A method of analysing an aerosol generated by a smoking article, comprising:
placing a mouthpiece end of the smoking article in a smoking article port located on an inner surface of at least one ring of an annular carousel in a modular smoking system having a plurality of smoking article ports and a plurality of analysis ports, such that the smoking article extends radially inwards from the inner surface of the at least one ring;
drawing the aerosol generated by the smoking article through a radially extending channel defined through the at least one ring of the annular carousel and into a first analysis module located on an outer surface of the at least one ring;
rotating the inner surface of the at least one ring relative to the outer surface of the at least one ring; and
drawing the aerosol generated by the smoking article through another radially extending channel defined through the at least one ring and into a second analysis module located on the outer surface of the at least one ring, the second analysis module performing a different analysis than the first analysis module.

13. The method according to claim 12 ,
wherein the method is performed on the modular smoking system in which the at least one ring of the annular carousel comprises a first ring and a second ring, the first ring being rotatable relative to the second ring such that each smoking article port of the plurality of smoking article ports located at the inner surface

Assignees

• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Verbeeck Jan
• Faulkner John

Classifications

• G01N33/0022

  using a number of analysing channels · CPC title

• G01N33/0098

  Plants or trees (wood G01N33/46) · CPC title

• A24C5/34 Primary

  Examining cigarettes or the rod, e.g. for regulating the feeding of tobacco; Removing defective cigarettes · CPC title

• A24C5/3406

  Controlling cigarette combustion · CPC title

• A24F40/80

  Testing · CPC title