Method and apparatus for the automatic inspection of cigarette rods for spots and stains
US5414270A · kind A · utility
26Cited by
3References
30Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 14, 1993 |
| Grant date | May 9, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 14, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA24C5/3412
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of and apparatus for automatically inspecting cigarette rods for spots and stains are disclosed in which a hopper assembly apparatus is utilized to present cigarette samples one at a time to a CCD camera which takes an image of a 36 degree slice of the surface of the outer wrapper of the cigarette. The image is digitized, analyzed and stored. The cigarette is then rotated through 360 degrees and an image of each 36 degree segment of its outer surface is obtained, analyzed and the data stored. The system then selects another cigarette and repeats the inspection and evaluation process.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.