Smoking Article Package Inspection System and Associated Method

• US 20150264319A1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R J Reynolds Tobacco Company (R. J. Reynolds Tobacco)
• Original Assignee: R J Reynolds Tobacco Company (R. J. Reynolds Tobacco)
• Inventors: Wood, Gary Lee, Campbell, Chris, Phan, Hung, Gates, Hugh, Belk, Jim, Francis, Zach, Thomas, Reginald, Hutchens, Luke
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 19/20 into boxes with hinged lids
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 19/30 responsive to presence of faulty articles, e.g. incorrectly filled cigarettes
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/025 for applying, e.g. printing, code or date marks on material prior to packaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/95 characterised by the material or shape of the object to be examined G01N21/89 - G01N21/91, G01N21/94 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/952 Inspecting the exterior surface of cylindrical bodies or wires G01N21/956 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30144 Printing quality
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A smoking article package inspection system configured to inspect a smoking article package is provided. The system includes imaging devices configured to capture images of the smoking article package and an analysis unit configured to analyze the images captured by the imaging devices and determine whether the smoking article package is defective. The imaging devices may be positioned and configured to capture images of the smoking article package at least one of: before and after enclosing a plurality of smoking articles in the smoking article package, before and after printing an identifier on the smoking article package, and before and after wrapping the smoking article package with an outer wrapper. A related method is also provided.

Claims

1. A smoking article package inspection system configured to inspect a smoking article package, the smoking article package inspection system comprising:

a plurality of imaging devices configured to capture a plurality of images of the smoking article package before and after one or more operations are performed thereon, the operations including;

enclosing a plurality of smoking articles in the smoking article package,

printing an identifier on the smoking article package, and

wrapping the smoking article package with an outer wrapper; and

an analysis unit configured to analyze the images captured by the imaging devices, to determine whether the smoking article package is defective from the images thereof, and, if the smoking article package is determined to be defective, to determine one of the operations causing damage to the smoking article package from analysis of the images of the smoking article package captured before and after each of the operations.

2. The smoking article package inspection system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the imaging devices is positioned at or downstream of a packing unit configured to pack the smoking articles in the smoking article package, the analysis unit being configured to analyze the images captured by the at least one of the imaging devices at or downstream of the packing unit.

3. The smoking article package inspection system of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the imaging devices is positioned at the packing unit and the analysis unit is configured to determine, at the packing unit, at least one of:

whether the smoking article package is missing an inner frame;

whether the inner frame is misaligned;

whether the smoking article package is missing an insert;

whether the insert is misaligned; and

whether an inner wrapper surrounding the smoking articles is damaged.

4. The smoking article package inspection system of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the imaging devices is positioned downstream of the packing unit and the analysis unit is configured to determine, downstream of the packing unit, at least one of:

whether a flap of the smoking article package is open;

whether a lid of the smoking article package is open;

whether an ear of the smoking article package is open;

whether the identifier is illegible;

whether the identifier is missing print;

whether the identifier is misaligned;

whether the identifier is of poor quality;

whether the identifier includes incorrect information;

whether the smoking article package is damaged;

whether the smoking article package is contaminated; and

whether the smoking article package is improperly positioned.

5. The smoking article package inspection system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the imaging devices is positioned at or downstream of a printing unit configured to print the identifier, the analysis unit being configured to analyze the images captured at or downstream of the printing unit.

6. The smoking article package inspection system of claim 5, wherein the analysis unit is configured to determine at least one of:

whether the identifier is illegible;

whether the identifier is missing print;

whether the identifier is misaligned;

whether the identifier is of poor quality; and

whether the identifier includes incorrect information.

7. The smoking article package inspection system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the imaging devices is positioned at or downstream of a wrapping unit configured to wrap the smoking article package with an outer wrapper, the analysis unit being configured to analyze the images captured at or downstream of the wrapping unit.

8. The smoking article package inspection system of claim 7, wherein the analysis unit is configured to determine at least one of:

whether the outer wrapper is wrinkled;

whether the smoking article package is damaged;

whether the smoking article package is contaminated; and

whether the smoking article package is open.

9. The smoking article inspection system of claim 1, further comprising one or more strobe lights, the strobe lights being configured to illuminate the smoking article package at the imaging devices.

10. The smoking article inspection system of claim 1, in combination with a smoking article packaging system configured to package a plurality of smoking articles, wherein the smoking article packaging system is configured to stop packaging the smoking articles when the analysis unit detects a predefined consecutive number of defective smoking article packages.

11. The smoking article inspection system of claim 1, further comprising one or more rejecting units configured to reject the smoking article package if the analysis unit determines that the smoking article package is defective.

12. The smoking article inspection system of claim 11, wherein the rejecting units include:

a rejecting unit positioned at or downstream of a packing unit configured to pack the smoking articles in the smoking article package and upstream of a printing unit configured to print the identifier;

a rejecting unit positioned at or downstream of the printing unit and upstream of a wrapping unit configured to wrap the smoking article package with the outer wrapper; and

a rejecting unit positioned at or downstream of the wrapping unit.

13. The smoking article inspection system of claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is configured to compare the images captured by the imaging devices to one of a plurality of stored images of defective smoking article packages and a plurality of stored images of non-defective smoking article packages to determine whether the smoking article package is defective.

14. A method for inspecting a smoking article package, the method comprising:

capturing a plurality of images of the smoking article package before and after one or more operations are performed thereon, the operations including;

enclosing a plurality of smoking articles in the smoking article package,

printing an identifier on the smoking article package, and

wrapping the smoking article package with an outer wrapper;

analyzing the images to determine whether the smoking article package is defective; and

determining one of the operations causing damage to the smoking article package from analysis of the images of the smoking article package captured before and after each of the operations, if the smoking article package is determined to be defective.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein capturing the images of the smoking article package comprises capturing the images of the smoking article package at or downstream of a packing unit configured to pack a plurality of smoking articles in the smoking article package.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein capturing the images of the smoking article package comprises capturing the images of the smoking article package at the packing unit, and wherein analyzing the images comprises determining, at the packing unit, at least one of:

whether the smoking article package is missing an inner frame;

whether the inner frame is misaligned;

whether the smoking article package is missing an insert;

whether the insert is misaligned; and

whether an inner wrapper surrounding the smoking articles is damaged.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein capturing the images of the smoking article package comprises capturing the images of the smoking article package downstream of the packing unit, and wherein analyzing the images comprises determining, downstream of the packing unit, at least one of:

whether a flap of the smoking article package is open;

whether a lid of the smoking article package is open;

whether an ear of the smoking article package is open;

whether the identifier is illegible;

whether the identifier is missing print;

whether the identifier is misaligned;

whether the identifier is of poor quality;

whether the identifier includes incorrect information;

whether the smoking article package is damaged;

whether the smoking article package is contaminated; and

whether the smoking article package is improperly positioned.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein capturing the images of the smoking article package comprises capturing the images of the smoking article package at or downstream of a printing unit configured to print the identifier.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein analyzing the images comprises determining at least one of:

whether the identifier is illegible;

whether the identifier is missing print;

whether the identifier is misaligned;

whether the identifier is of poor quality; and

whether the identifier includes incorrect information.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein capturing the images of the smoking article package comprises capturing the images of the smoking article package at or downstream of a wrapping unit configured to wrap the smoking article package with an outer wrapper.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein analyzing the images comprises determining at least one of:

whether the outer wrapper is wrinkled;

whether the smoking article package is damaged;

whether the smoking article package is contaminated; and

whether the smoking article package is open.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising illuminating the smoking article package while capturing the images of the smoking article package.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising packaging a plurality of smoking articles with a smoking article packaging system, the smoking article packaging system being configured to stop packaging the smoking articles when a predefined consecutive number of defective smoking article packages are detected.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising rejecting the smoking article package when the smoking article package is determined to be defective.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein rejecting the smoking article package when the smoking article package is determined to be defective comprises:

rejecting the smoking article package upstream of a printing unit configured to print the identifier when the smoking article package is determined to be defective upstream of the printing unit;

rejecting the smoking article package upstream of a wrapping unit configured to wrap the smoking article package with the outer wrapper when the smoking article package is determined to be defective upstream of the wrapping unit; and

rejecting the smoking article package downstream of the wrapping unit when the smoking article package is determined to be defective at or downstream of the wrapping unit.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing the images to determine whether the smoking article package is defective comprises comparing the images captured by the imaging devices to one of a plurality of stored images of defective smoking article packages and a plurality of stored images of non-defective smoking article packages.