Cigarette density profile measurement system

US5510616A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY · US

Inventors

• Sydney Keith Seymour · Clemmons, US
• Bain C. McConnell · Winston-Salem, US
• Philip A. Deal · Winston-Salem, US
• Wayne M. Furin · Clemmons, US
• Calvin W. Henderson · Winston-Salem, US
• William R. Jarvis · Winston-Salem, US
• Wallace R. Lassiter · Winston-Salem, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 25, 1994
• Grant date: Apr 23, 1996
• Expiry date: Apr 25, 2014

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N23/06
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A cigarette density profile measurement system which utilizes a hopper system for storing a large number of cigarette rods whose density is to be measured which hopper system is used to feed one cigarette rod at a time to a fixed cigarette holder which incorporates a beta gauge system which sequentially irradiates a slice of the cigarette rod with beta particles for measurement of the mass of tobacco contained in that slice of the cigarette rod. By measuring the number of beta particles which pass through each slice of the cigarette rod, the cigarette density profile measurement system is able to determine the density of the tobacco contained in the cigarette rod being measured. A programmed microcomputer is utilized to control the cigarette density profile measurement system and is also provided with additional software for analyzing the density data.