Automatic multichannel apparatus for assessing hot coal fallout propensity of burning cigarettes and assessing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11796394-B2
Application number	US-201816959095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2018
Priority date	Dec 29, 2017
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure has provided an automatic multichannel apparatus for assessing hot coal fallout propensity of burning cigarettes and an assessing method thereof. The apparatus comprises a multichannel rotary plate unit, an automatic supplying unit for cigarette samples, an automatic ignition and burning line detection unit for cigarette samples, a cigarette holding and force applying unit, an automatic hot coal fallout detection and removal unit, a smoke collecting unit during suction, a suction unit, a gas exhaust unit arranged in a main frame, and an electric circuit and air path control unit for controlling actions and processes of the above units. The apparatus operates based on certain steps and performs automatic ignition and burning line detection on cigarette samples inserted into a rotary plate in sequence. A controllable external force is applied to the cigarettes during burning and suction, and hot coal fallout propensity of this kind of cigarette is detected by hot coal fallout occurrence of multiple cigarettes. The apparatus according to the present disclosure can improve test repeatability and working efficiency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic multichannel apparatus for assessing hot coal fallout propensity of burning cigarettes, comprising: a main frame, a control unit, and a multichannel rotary plate unit, an automatic supplying unit for cigarette samples, an automatic ignition and burning line detection unit for cigarette samples, a suction unit, a cigarette holding and force applying unit and an automatic hot coal fallout detection and removal unit, which are disposed inside the main frame and connected with the control unit respectively, wherein:
the multichannel rotary plate unit has a plurality of sample insertion holes for holding cigarettes;
the automatic supplying unit for cigarette samples is connected with the multichannel rotary plate unit and disposed on an enter side of the plurality of sample insertion holes so as to load a cigarette to one of the plurality of sample insertion holes;
the automatic ignition and burning line detection unit for cigarette samples is disposed on an exit side of the plurality of sample insertion holes and located closer to the plurality of sample insertion holes, to ignite the cigarette samples each held in relative one of the plurality of sample insertion holes and detect the burning line of the cigarette samples;
the suction unit is connected with one of the plurality of sample insertion holes to simulate a cigarette smoking action after igniting the cigarette;
the cigarette holding and force applying unit is disposed closer to the enter side of the plurality of sample insertion holes to simulate cigarette holding and flicking actions; and
the automatic hot coal fallout detection and removal unit is disposed closer to one of the plurality of sample insertion holes to detect whether the cigarette has hot coal fallout and remove the cigarette from a channel.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the multichannel rotary plate unit comprises:
a transmission seat base disposed inside the main frame;
a transmission seat vertically disposed on the transmission seat base and connected with a rotation driving device;
a rotary plate disposed on a rotary surface of the transmission seat and including the plurality of sample insertion holes;
a securing plate disposed on a securing surface of the transmission seat, and a sealing device being provided between the securing plate and the rotary plate; and
a first pneumatic joint disposed on the securing plate and connected with the suction unit, and the first pneumatic joint being capable of be in communication with one of the plurality of sample insertion holes so as to suck the cigarette held in the one of the plurality of sample insertion holes to perform suction.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the rotary surface of the transmission seat is provided with a rotary plate flange that is mounted on the rotary plate flange by pressing a knob.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the rotary plate is sealed with the securing plate by a Variseal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of sample insertion holes comprises:
a labyrinth ring connection seat, the sealing device between the rotary plate and the securing plate being disposed at one end of the labyrinth ring connection seat closer to the securing plate;
a labyrinth ring sleeve disposed at another end of the labyrinth ring connection seat away from the securing plate via the sealing device; and
a plurality of labyrinth rings disposed inside the labyrinth ring sleeve to hold cigarette samples.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of labyrinth rings include four labyrinth rings.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein at least two handles are disposed on one side of the rotary plate facing away from the securing plate.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the automatic supplying unit for cigarette samples comprises a cigarette supplying module and a cigarette pushing module connected to the cigarette supplying module by a cigarette sliding slot, and the cigarette supplying module and the cigarette pushing module are both mounted on the main body by a cigarette loading base, wherein the cigarette supplying module is configured to supply a cigarette into the cigarette sliding slot, and the cigarette pushing module pushes the cigarette within the cigarette sliding slot into one of the plurality of sample insertion holes.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the cigarette supplying module comprises:
a cigarette collection box mounted on the cigarette loading base by a cigarette collection box bracket to contain the cigarette; and
a roller disposed at an exit end of the cigarette collection box and connected with the cigarette sliding slot, so as to supply the cigarette within the cigarette collection box into the cigarette sliding slot under drive of a roller driving device.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the cigarette supplying module further comprises a cigarette supplying guide plate disposed on a lower side of the roller and overlapped with the cigarette sliding slot, so as to guide the cigarette to roll from the roller to the cigarette sliding slot.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the cigarette supplying module further comprises correlation photoelectric switches, the correlation photoelectric switches are disposed opposite to each other in a direction perpendicular to a length direction of the cigarette sliding slot to detect whether the cigarette is located in the cigarette sliding slot.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the cigarette supplying module further comprises:
a roller photoelectric switch disposed on the cigarette collecting box bracket to determine an initial position of the roller.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the cigarette supplying module further comprises a coding plate of a cigarette loading roller and a roller coupler, wherein one end of the roller coupler is connected with the roller driving device and another end thereof is connected to the roller by the coding plate for the cigarette loading roller.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the cigarette pushing module comprises:
a sample bracket disposed at one end of the cigarette sliding slot closer to one of the plurality of sample insertion holes;
a pushing rod disposed above the cigarette sliding slot to push the cigarette within the cigarette sliding slot to the sample bracket under action of a pushing rod driving device; and
a cigarette loading claw disposed above the sample bracket and connected with a claw driving device, to clamp the cigarette sample on the sample bracket under drive of the claw driving device and transmit the cigarette sample to one of the plurality of sample insertion holes.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the cigarette pushing driving device comprises:
a cigarette pushing motor;
a cigarette pushing lead screw platform connected with the cigarette pushing motor by a coupler; and
a cigarette pushing baffle installed on the cigarette pushing lead screw platform and connected with one end of the pushing rod.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the cigarette pushing module further comprises a cigarette pushing photoelectric switch disposed on a cigarette pushing lead screw platform installation seat to determine an initial position of the pushing rod.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the claw driving device comprises:
a transverse cylinder disposed in parallel with the cigarette pu

Assignees

• Zhengzhou Tobacco Res Inst Cntc
• Hefei Inst Physical Sci Cas
• China Tobacco Jiangxi Ind Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Bin
• Zhang Yi
• Liu Yong
• Zhang Mingjian
• Zhang Long
• Sang Yaoshuo
• Hong Liu
• Li Zhigang
• Ji Min
• Xu Zhenyu
• Liu Xiaoping
• Wang Bing

Classifications

• G01N33/0078

  Testing material properties on manufactured objects · CPC title

• G01J5/0014 Primary

  for sensing the radiation from gases, flames · CPC title

• A24C5/3406 Primary

  Controlling cigarette combustion · CPC title

• G01K13/12

  combined with sampling devices for measuring temperatures of samples of materials · CPC title

• G01N1/2205

  with filters · CPC title