Systems and methods for testing heat-not-burn tobacco products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10869496-B2
Application number	US-201816115387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2018
Priority date	Aug 28, 2018
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

Provided herein are systems and methods for testing a heat-not-burn tobacco product. A heater carrier may be movable with respect to a tobacco product placement region and configured to heat a first end of a tobacco product located in the tobacco product placement region. A puffing simulator is configured to fluidically couple to a second end of the tobacco product. The puffing simulator is configured to draw air through the tobacco product thereby simulating a puff of the tobacco product. A thermocouple placement right is configured to selectively position one or more thermocouples in or along the tobacco product. A drill is configured to selectively drill one or more holes at positions within the tobacco product. The thermocouple(s) are positioned on or within the tobacco product and generate data corresponding to detected temperatures of the tobacco product as the puffing simulator simulates one or more puffs.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A lightability and temperature profile testing system, comprising:
a system body defining a tobacco product placement region for testing a tobacco product;
a heater carrier movable with respect to the tobacco placement region and configured to heat a first end of a tobacco product;
a puffing simulator configured to fluidically couple to a second end of the tobacco product within the tobacco product placement region, the puffing simulator configured to draw air through the tobacco product thereby simulating a puff of the tobacco product;
a thermocouple placement rig configured to selectively position one or more thermocouples in or along the tobacco product located within the tobacco product placement region;
a drill configured extend into the system body and selectively drill one or more holes at positions within the tobacco product located within the tobacco product placement region; and
a controller communicably coupled to the heater carrier, the puffing simulator, the thermocouple placement rig and the drill, the controller executing instructions to:
identify, based on a configuration of the thermocouple placement rig, at least one position for drilling a hole in the tobacco product;
control the drill to drill the hole at the at least one position in the tobacco product;
position, via the thermocouple placement rig, the one or more thermocouples in or along the tobacco product;
control the puffing simulator to draw air through the tobacco product; and
while the puffing simulator draws air through the tobacco product, generate, based on temperature data from the thermocouples, a temperature profile for the tobacco product.

2. The lightability and temperature profile testing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a hopper configured to store one or more tobacco products to be tested including the tobacco product.

3. The lightability and temperature profile testing system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a motor configured to rotate an agitator located at a chute for the hopper, the agitator having tracks for receiving the one or more tobacco products stored in the hopper and dropping the one or more tobacco products from the tracks into a slot.

4. The lightability and temperature profile testing system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a pusher positioned beneath the hopper and configured to push the tobacco product positioned in the slot into the tobacco product placement region of the system body.

5. The lightability and temperature profile testing system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine, based on the temperature data, whether the heater adjacent to the first end of the tobacco product heats the tobacco product to produce vapors.

6. The lightability and temperature profile testing system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine, based on the temperature data, whether heat produced by the heater is below a tobacco burning threshold corresponding to burning tobacco positioned within the tobacco product.

7. The lightability and temperature profile testing system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine, based on the temperature data, whether heat produced by the heater is below a burn injury threshold.

8. The lightability and temperature profile testing system of claim 1 , wherein the puffing simulator comprises:
a puffing cylinder having an interior chamber; and
a piston positioned in the interior chamber of the puffing cylinder and configured to draw air into the interior chamber as the piston is retracted from the puffing cylinder.

9. The lightability and temperature profile testing system of claim 1 , wherein the thermocouple placement rig comprises:
a plurality of slots defining available positions of thermocouples on or within the tobacco product, wherein at least one of the plurality of slots corresponds to an available position of a thermocouple within the tobacco product, and at least one of the plurality of slots corresponds to an available position of a thermocouple along an outer surface of the tobacco product.

10. The lightability and temperature profile testing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the tobacco product.

11. A method of testing lightability for a heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco product, the method comprising:
transporting a tobacco product from a hopper to a tobacco product placement region adjacent to a thermocouple placement rig for testing;
positioning one or more thermocouples in or along an outer surface of the tobacco product in accordance with a configuration of the thermocouple placement rig;
positioning a heater carrier at a distance from a first end of the tobacco product;
controlling a puffer simulator to simulate, by drawing air through a second end of the tobacco product, a series of puffs separated by an interval while the heater carrier heats the first end of the tobacco product;
generating, based on data from the one or more thermocouples, a temperature profile for the tobacco product; and
determining, based on the temperature profile, whether the distance between the heater carrier and the first end of the tobacco product heats the tobacco product to produce vapors.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling the puffer simulator comprises:
controlling the puffer simulator to simulate, by drawing air through the second end of the tobacco product, at least three puffs of a first interval, each puff separated by a second interval smaller than the first interval while the heater carrier heats the first end of the tobacco product.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining whether the distance between the heater carrier and the first end of the tobacco product heats the tobacco product to produce vapors comprises: determining whether the one or more thermocouples detects an increase in temperature that exceeds a vapor producing threshold.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein a thermocouple of the one or more thermocouples is positioned adjacent to the first end of the tobacco product, and another thermocouple of the one or more thermocouples is positioned adjacent to the second end of the tobacco product.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising: determining, based on the temperature profile, whether data generated by the thermocouple positioned adjacent to the second end indicates a temperature at the second end that is less than a burn injury threshold.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining whether the distance between the heater carrier and the first end of the tobacco product heats the tobacco product to produce vapors comprises: determining, based on the temperature profile, whether the distance between the heater carrier and the first end of the tobacco product heats the tobacco product to a temperature between a vapor producing threshold and a tobacco burning threshold.

17. A method of simulating use of a heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco product, the method comprising:
positioning one or more thermocouples in or along an outer surface of a tobacco product in accordance with a configuration of a thermocouple placement rig;
positioning a heater carrier at a distance from a first end of the tobacco product;
controlling a puffer simulator to simulate, by drawing air through a second end of the tobacco product, a series of puffs separated by an interval while the heater carrier heats the first end of the tobacco product; and
generating, based on data from the one or more thermocouples, a temperature profile for the tobacco product; and
deter

Assignees

• Reynolds Tobacco Co R

Inventors

• Ademe Balager

Classifications

• A24F40/80

  Testing · CPC title

• A24C5/343

  by mechanical means, e.g. feelers · CPC title

• A24C5/3406 Primary

  Controlling cigarette combustion · CPC title

• A24C5/34 Primary

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

• A24B3/187 Primary

  by electrical treatment · CPC title