JP-7857220-B2 - Methods and devices for detecting and rejecting tagging

Inventors

• ベサント ミシェル
• ポンシコ アンナ カナル
• シャーラー クリストフ

Assignees

• フィリップ・モーリス・プロダクツ・ソシエテ・アノニム

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20201224

Priority Date

20200107

Claims (16)

1. A method for manufacturing components of an aerosol-generating article, including a tagant, wherein the method is performed on a production line, - The process of applying the tagant to the constituent elements, - A step of detecting the amount of tagant contained in the component by absorption spectroscopy, wherein the detection step is performed by a plurality of sensors, at least one sensor is positioned on the production line after the application and fixing of the chipping paper component to another component, and at least one sensor is positioned on the production line after the component has been wrapped, - A step of determining whether the detected amount of the tagant is less than a first predetermined amount, - A step of rejecting the component if the amount of the detected tagant is smaller than the first predetermined amount, Methods that include...
2. - A step of determining whether the detected amount of tagant is greater than a second predetermined amount, The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of rejecting a component if the amount of the detected tagant is greater than the second predetermined amount.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first predetermined amount of Tagant is a concentration of 5 milligrams of Tagant per square meter, or a concentration of 10 milligrams of Tagant per square meter, or a concentration of 20 milligrams of Tagant per square meter, or a concentration of 50 milligrams of Tagant per square meter, or a concentration of 100 milligrams of Tagant per square meter.
4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the second predetermined amount of Tagant is a concentration of 250 milligrams of Tagant per square meter, or a concentration of 300 milligrams of Tagant per square meter, or a concentration of 400 milligrams of Tagant per square meter, or a concentration of 450 milligrams of Tagant per square meter, or a concentration of 500 milligrams of Tagant per square meter.
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising the step of applying Tagant to a component, wherein the component is a filter, a wrapper, chipping paper, adhesive, chipping paper adhesive, filter plug wrap, or any combination of the aforementioned components.
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the step of applying the tagant to the joint surface between the tobacco rod component and the filter component.
7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the step of applying the tagant to the inner surface of the chipping paper component.
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising the step of applying the tagant substantially around the circumference of the component.
9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising the steps of detection and determination, and the step of rejecting if the detected amount of the tagant is less than a first predetermined amount.
10. The method according to claim 5 or 7, further comprising the step of detecting the amount of tagant contained in the component after the manufacturing step of applying and fixing the chipping paper component to another component.
11. Apparatus in a production line for manufacturing components of an aerosol-generating article, including a tagant, wherein the apparatus is - A dispenser configured to apply Tagant to its components, - A plurality of sensors configured to detect the amount of the tagant contained in the component by absorption spectroscopy, wherein at least one sensor is positioned in the production line after the application and fixing of the chipping paper component to another component, and at least one sensor is positioned in the production line after the component has been wrapped, - A controller configured to determine whether the detected amount of the tagant is less than a first predetermined amount, - A rejection system configured to reject a component if the detected amount of the tagant is less than the first predetermined amount, Equipment.
12. - The controller is configured to determine whether the detected amount of tagant is greater than a second predetermined amount. - The device according to claim 11, wherein the rejection system is configured to reject a component if the amount of the detected tagant is greater than a second predetermined amount.
13. The apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the component is an adhesive, the apparatus further comprises an adhesive dispenser for dispensing the adhesive, the adhesive dispenser comprises a glue application roller, and the glue application roller further comprises grooves.
14. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising a mask configured to protect the dispensed tagant from reaching undesirable areas.
15. It is a parts kit, - Multiple manufacturing equipment forming a manufacturing line suitable for manufacturing components of aerosol-generating articles, - A plurality of sensors configured to detect the amount of Tagant contained in a manufactured component by absorption spectroscopy, wherein at least one sensor is positioned on the production line after the application and fixing of the chipping paper component to another component, and at least one sensor is positioned on the production line after the component has been wrapped, - A controller for determining whether the amount of the tagant contained in the manufactured component is less than a first predetermined amount, - A rejection system configured to reject manufactured components having a tagant amount smaller than the first predetermined amount, Parts kit.
16. - The controller is for determining whether the amount of the tagant contained in the manufactured component is greater than a second predetermined amount. - The rejection system is configured to reject manufactured components having a tagant amount greater than the second predetermined amount, according to claim 15.

Description

This disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing components of an aerosol-generating article. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing components of an aerosol-generating article, including a tagant. This disclosure also relates to equipment for manufacturing components of an aerosol-generating article, including a tagant. This disclosure further relates to a component kit comprising several manufacturing equipment suitable for manufacturing components of an aerosol-generating article. Aerosol-generating articles and other consumables are designed for use with specific aerosol-generating products. For example, an externally heated tobacco product comprises a holder and a tobacco stick designed to be inserted into the holder. Genuine compatible products are typically rigorously tested to ensure optimal performance and user experience. Using non-genuine products may reduce overall performance and user experience. Furthermore, the use of non-genuine parts or components may cause problems such as damage to the holder device. It would be desirable to provide methods (or apparatus) for manufacturing components of aerosol-generating articles that improve quality assurance. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing components of an aerosol-generating article, including a tagant. The method includes the step of applying the tagant to the component. The method also includes the step of detecting the amount of tagant contained in the component. The method includes the step of determining whether the detected amount of tagant is less than a first predetermined amount. The method includes the step of rejecting the component if the detected amount of tagant is less than the first predetermined amount. The tagant may be, for example, a gel, slurry, powder, or foam. The tagant may include uniquely encoded materials. Therefore, the tagant acts as an internal signature for the component, applied to the component and used for product identification. The component's tagant can be used, by recognition, to determine whether the component of the aerosol-generating article, and consequently the aerosol-generating article itself, is a genuine product. This ensures favorable product performance and user experience. By having a first predetermined amount of tagant, if not met, the component is rejected. This ensures that all components have a suitable amount of tagant for component recognition, making it possible to identify genuine products. Since rejected components are removed from the manufacturing process before the completion of the final product, it is particularly advantageous to have a method that includes a step of rejecting a component if the amount of detected tagant is less than the first predetermined amount. The rejection system also ensures that all generated consumables provided to consumers contain the correct concentration of tagant, thereby ensuring that the aerosol generator can recognize the consumables. Providing a detection and rejection system also reduces waste material used in the product. In some embodiments, instead of detecting and quantifying the amount of tagant contained in a component, the method includes a step of detecting whether a component contains tagant. In some embodiments, the method includes a step of detecting whether a component contains tagant. In some embodiments, the method includes a step of detecting the presence of tagant. In some embodiments, the method includes a step of detecting the presence of tagant in a component. The method may further include a step of rejecting a component if no tagant is detected. This is advantageous because this step ensures that all components have the presence of tagant for component recognition, enabling the identification of genuine products. In some embodiments, the step of determining whether the detected amount of tagant is less than a first predetermined amount includes determining whether the detected amount of tagant is less than a non-zero amount. In this way, the method detects not only the presence of tagant but also whether an insufficient amount of tagant is present, and thus identifies defective components. These components can then be rejected. The non-zero amount may be a threshold amount, above which the component provides satisfactory product performance and user experience. In this way, by comparing the amount of tagant present with the threshold amount, it is possible to predict whether the correct components are in place during manufacturing. For example, in a particular component, the amount of tagant detected may be 15 milligrams per square meter, while the first predetermined amount is 20 milligrams per square meter. Because the detected amount is less than the first predetermined amount, components with less than 20 milligrams of tagant per square meter are determined to be defective, potentially lacking desirable product performance, and therefore rejected from the producti