JP6289374B2 - Device for applying flavoring to a medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is an apparatus for applying a liquid flavor, in particular menthol, on a piece of material for an inner liner of a medium, in particular a cigarette packaging box, wherein the flavor is at least from a container (storage or processing). The device according to the superordinate concept of claim 1, which can be supplied to the coating device via a single conduit.

  From experience, it is known in various variants to supply menthol as a flavoring agent. Thus, menthol can be supplied, for example, when forming a tobacco continuum in liquid form. In that case, menthol is sprayed onto the tobacco continuum tobacco continuum using a nozzle. Correspondingly, the medium is in this case a tobacco continuum. However, experience has shown that menthol is applied on cigarette filters (edges) or on cigarette paper for wrapping tobacco continuum.

  Starting from this, the problem underlying the present invention is to further develop the device of the type mentioned at the beginning.

  An apparatus for solving this problem has the features of claim 1. Accordingly, it is intended that the applicator device be provided with a controllable valve for applying the flavoring agent to the medium so that the flavorant can be pressure controlled and supplied to the applicator device.

  In addition, at least some of the mechanisms of the apparatus for handling flavors can be heated, and a heating adjustment unit is provided for controlling and / or adjusting the heating of at least a few mechanisms, the mechanism comprising: Preferably, it may be configured to include a container, a conduit, a valve, and a coating device.

  One or any container is assigned a metering device, in particular a load cell, for identifying the amount of flavoring in the container, preferably a filling status indicator for the amount of flavoring in the container. Is provided.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mechanism of the device is configured to be connected to the machine controller via a conduit.

  The flavoring agent in the container is preferably stored under low pressure, in particular under a pressure of less than 0.5 bar, and can be supplied directly and / or indirectly to the applicator by the pressure in the container, The first uniqueness is that the pressure in the container can be controlled preferably using a valve, preferably using a proportional valve.

  An alternative may be configured such that the container is not under pressure and the flavoring is supplied to the applicator using a pump device.

  Application device in which the container is not under pressure, preferably the flavoring is fed from the non-pressure storage container to the higher processing container by means of a conveying device and from there to the lower position via a conduit An alternative variant may be configured such that the flavoring can be fed to the coating device using a transport device so that it can be fed to. In particular, in this case, in order to prevent the volatilization of the flavor, the transport section in the region of the transport device is configured to be encapsulated.

  Another unique feature is that there are a plurality of, in particular, two containers with flavorings, each of which alternates the supply of flavorings from one of the containers to the applicator via one conduit. A switching valve for controlling the motor. The advantage of this solution may be that while one container can be filled each time, the flavoring is removed from the other container. This guarantees continuous operation of the device.

  In another preferred development of the invention, in particular the device mechanisms are fixedly connected to one another via a conduit. In this way, there is no connection mechanism or the like that has been easily manufactured.

  The device according to the invention is suitable for the synchronous and continuous application of menthol on a piece of material for a cigarette packaging box, in particular the inner) liner, in a special way. The application is carried out on separate pieces of material or on a (continuous) long piece of material for the piece of material.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a first variant of an apparatus for applying a flavoring agent. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a second variant of the device for applying flavoring. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a third variant of the device for applying flavoring. It is the schematic of the 4th deformation | transformation of the apparatus for apply | coating a flavoring agent.

  A first variant of the device for applying the flavoring is shown schematically in FIG.

At that time, a flavoring agent is prepared in the two containers 10. A conduit 11 leads from any of the containers 10 to a valve 12. A separate conduit 13 from the valve 12 leads to the application device 14.
The applicator 14 is used to apply the flavoring agent 15 onto the medium 16.

  In order to distribute the flavoring agent 15 uniformly on the medium 16, a distribution mechanism 17 is provided adjacent to the coating device 14.

  The mechanism of the device described so far is heatable. In order to control and / or regulate the heating, a heating regulation unit 18 is used which connects to the above mechanism via a conduit 19.

Each container 10 is assigned a metering device 20, in particular in the form of a load cell.
Thereby, the filling state of the container 10 is measured. In order to display the filling state of the container 10, a filling state indicator 21 is connected to the weighing device 20 via a conduit 22.

  Both containers 10 are under a low pressure of less than 0.5 bar. The pressure is controlled by the switching valve 23 and the proportional valve 24.

  In order to control the device, a machine control device 25 is provided, which is connected via a conduit 26 with a coating device 14, a heating control unit 18, a valve 12, a switching valve 23, a proportional valve 24 and a filling status display. Connected to the vessel 21.

  The apparatus described so far basically operates as follows. The flavoring agent 15 is carried from the container 10 by overpressure and is controlled by the valve 12, from which the flavoring agent 15 reaches the applicator 14.

  The applicator 14 includes a controllable valve for applying the flavoring agent 15 onto the medium 16. The medium 16 is a piece of material for the inner liner of the cigarette box in the embodiment presented.

  The medium 16 moves along the application device 14 when the flavoring agent 15 is applied, and the valve is arranged at a short distance from the medium 15. The applied flavoring agent 15 is evenly distributed by a distribution mechanism 17, which may be configured as a smooth frame edge, for example. Alternatively, the applicator valve may substantially abut the media.

  The pressure in the container 10 is adjusted via a proportional valve 24 and a switching valve 23. The proportional valve 24 is used to adjust the pressure. Using the switching valve 23, pressure is supplied to the vessel 10 in operation.

  By using the weighing device 20, a low filling condition is preferably detected in one of the containers 10, and at the same time the container is replaced with a correspondingly full container 10 or the container 10 is in situ. Filled. The flavoring is preferably carried from the container 10 at each time. However, it is also conceivable that the flavorant 15 is carried from both containers 10 at the same time.

  In this case, the flavoring agent 15 is preferably menthol processed in a liquid form. However, it is also conceivable to use another flavoring substance or flavoring in another agglomerated state (Aggregatzustaenden).

  FIG. 2 shows a second variant of the device. From the pressureless container 10 for containing the flavoring agent 15 via the heatable conduit 11, the flavoring agent 15 is carried to the application device 14 by means of a pump device 27 arranged in this conduit 11, and It is applied onto the medium as described above. The pump device 27 may be a gear pump, for example.

  The heating control unit 18 is again connected to the device mechanism via a conduit 19. The machine control device 25 controls or adjusts the coating device 14, the heating device 18 and the pump device 27 via the conduit 26.

  The flavoring agent 15 is filled into the container 10 via the introduction hopper 28, liquefied by heating the container 10, pumped from the container 10 to the coating device 14 by the pump device 27, and applied onto the medium 16.

  Another variation of the device is shown in FIG. The flavorant 15 is supplied from the pressureless container 10 to the heatable container 10 which is arranged at a level via the conveying device 29. The flavoring agent 15 is supplied from the container 10 to the coating device 14 via the conduit 11.

  As in the previous embodiment, the heating control unit 18 has a corresponding conduit 19 and the machine controller 25 has a corresponding conduit 25.

  The conveying device 29 is in this case configured as a bucket bucket conveyor, which starts from the lower container 10 and is arranged in a casing 30 which is encapsulated or closed.

  When processing the menthol as the flavoring agent 15, the menthol crystals are conveyed to the heated container 10 at a high position using an elevator conveyor. In order to create a corresponding pressure for conveying melted or liquefied menthol there, the container 10 may be 3-4 m above the machine or the application device 14, for example.

  A fourth variant of the device for applying flavoring is shown schematically in FIG.

  At that time, the flavoring agent is prepared and held in the two containers 10 and 31. From the first container 31 used as a storage container, the conduit 11 leads through a valve 23 to a second container 10 used as a processing container. A conduit 13 leads from the second container 10 to the applicator 14.

In order to control and / or regulate the heating of the device described so far, the heating adjustment unit 18 connected to the previously mentioned mechanism via the conduit 19 is used.

  Both containers 10, 31 are each assigned a weighing device 20, in particular in the form of a load cell. The filling state of the containers 10 and 31 is measured by the load cell. In order to display the filling state of the containers 10, 31, a filling state indicator 21 is connected to the weighing device 20 via a conduit 22.

  Both containers 10, 31 are under excessive pressure. The left (storage) container 31 in FIG. 4 supplies liquid flavorant or menthol to the right (treatment) container 10 in FIG. 4 when necessary. The container 10 is under a low pressure of less than 0.5 bar. Control of the pressures of both containers 10 and 31 is performed by a proportional valve 24.

  A machine control device 25 is provided for controlling the device, and this machine control device is connected via a conduit 26 to the application device 14, the heating control unit 18, the valve 23, the proportional valve 24 and the filling status indicator 21. doing.

  It is preferred in all embodiments that the conduits 11 and 13 for guiding the menthol or flavoring 15 are fixedly connected to the mechanism of the device. For example, the use of a connecting member between the conduits 11 and 13 and the containers 10 and 31 and between the valve 23 and the coating device is conceivable as an alternative. In this case, for example, the container 31 can be used in different production lines to fill a plurality of containers 10 in FIG.

  The described apparatus is suitable for applying a flavoring 15 other than menthol. For example, it is also conceivable to apply the flavoring agent 15 on a medium other than a raw material piece or a long material made of a packaging material such as tobacco or a filter piece.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Container 11 Conduit 12 Valve 13 Conduit 14 Application | coating apparatus 15 Flavoring agent 16 Medium 17 Distribution 18 Heating adjustment unit 19 Conduit 20 Metering device 21 Filling state indicator 22 Conduit 23 Switching valve 24 Proportional valve 25 Machine controller 26 Conduit 27 Pump device 28 Introducing hopper 29 Conveying device 30 Casing 31 Container

Claims (6)

An apparatus for applying a liquid flavoring agent (15) on a medium (16),
The flavorant (15) can be fed from the container (10) via the at least one conduit (11) to the application device (14);
The applicator device (14) comprises a controllable valve for applying the flavoring agent (15) onto the medium (16), the flavoring agent (15) being pressure-controlled to the applicator device (14) and capable of being supplied And
The medium (16) is movable past the applicator (14) to apply the flavorant (15);
In a device in which the valve of the application device (14) is arranged at a short distance from or in contact with the medium (16):
a) A heating control unit (18) is provided for controlling the heating of at least a few mechanisms, these mechanisms including a container (10), a conduit (11) and a coating device (14). ,
b) the flavoring agent (15) applied on the medium (16) can be evenly distributed by a distribution mechanism (17) arranged adjacent to the application device (14);
c) The container (10) is not pressurized, and has the above three characteristics that the flavoring agent (15) can be supplied to the coating device (14) using the pump device (27). Features device. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanisms of the device, via a conduit (26), characterized in that it is connected to the machine control device (25). Device according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the mechanisms of the device are immovably connected to one another via a conduit ( 11 ). Apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that an elongated material for the inner liner of the box of the medium (16) cigarettes. 2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the dispensing device (17) is provided with a smooth frame edge. The apparatus of claim 1, the pump device (27) is characterized in that it is a gear pump.

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