Patent EP0492777A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4595027A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Rod weight control for a cigarette making machine
Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc
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Filing: 1984-05-08
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Granted: 1986-06-17
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Expires: 2004-05-08
Abstract
Abstract A control system for a cigarette making machine to provide improved cigarette rod weight control by continual adjustment of a servo-positioned ecreteur knife at the tobacco supply vacuum belt of the cigarette maker. The servo is positioned by a dual mode control system wherein one mode is based on long term feedback of cigarette rod density, measured by a β ray gauge and a second mode based on a high speed adaptive feed-forward control based on tobacco density on the supply vacuum belt measured by a pneumatic gauge.
Inventors
- 👤 Charles T. Higgins
- 👤 H. Neal Nunnally
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 02:16
CPC Classifications
A; A24; A24C; A24C5/00; A24C5/32; A24C5/34; A24C5/14; A24C5/18; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S131/00; Y10S131/905; Y10S131/906; Y10S131/908
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
164 words
A rod weight control system for a cigarette making machine having a positionable ecreteur knife to adjust the quantity of tobacco fed to the rod forming section of the machine comprising: a rod density gauge to provide a signal indicative of the density of the formed tobacco rod; a tobacco bed density gauge to provide a signal indicative of the density of the tobacco on the vacuum tobacco supply belt upstream of the ecreteur knife; control means adapted to provide a first, long term feedback control signal in response to the signal from said rod density gauge and a second, high speed feed-forward control signal in response to the signal from said tobacco bed density gauge; summing means adapted to sum said first control signal and said second control signal to provide a continuous servocontrol signal; and high-speed servo means, aldapted for movement in response to said servo-control signal for positioning the ecreteur knife to maintain the cigarette rod density at the desired value.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
164 words
A rod weight control system for a cigarette making machine having a positionable ecreteur knife to adjust the quantity of tobacco fed to the rod forming section of the machine comprising: a rod density gauge to provide a signal indicative of the density of the formed tobacco rod; a tobacco bed density gauge to provide a signal indicative of the density of the tobacco on the vacuum tobacco supply belt upstream of the ecreteur knife; control means adapted to provide a first, long term feedback control signal in response to the signal from said rod density gauge and a second, high speed feed-forward control signal in response to the signal from said tobacco bed density gauge; summing means adapted to sum said first control signal and said second control signal to provide a continuous servocontrol signal; and high-speed servo means, aldapted for movement in response to said servo-control signal for positioning the ecreteur knife to maintain the cigarette rod density at the desired value.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
A control system according to claim 1 wherein said rod density gauge is a β gauge and said tobacco bed density gauge is a pneumatic gauge.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
A control system according to claim 2 wherein said control means includes: means for forming the difference between a set signal indicative of the desired rod weight and the signal from said β gauge; and a proportional-plug-integral controller for processing said difference signal to produce said first, long term feedback control signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
84 words
A control system according to claim 2 wherein said control system includes: time delay means for processing the signal from said pneumatic gauge; a variance computation means adapted to process the signal from said β gauge. computation means adapted to process the signal from said time delay means and said variance computation means to provide a feed forward gain k; and multiplier means adapted to multiply the signal from said pneumatic gauge by said gain k to produce said second, high speed feed-forward signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
84 words
A control system according to claim 3 wherein said control system includes: time delay means for processing the signal from said pneumatic gauge; a variance computation means adapted to process the signal from said β gauge; computation means adapted to process the signal from said time delay means and said variance computation means to provide a feed forward gain k; and multiplier means adapted to multiply the signal from said pneumatic gauge by said gain k to produce said second, high speed feed-forward signal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-06-16 | 1989-12-16 | 1990-06-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-06-16 | 1993-12-16 | 1994-06-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-06-16 | 1997-12-16 | 1998-06-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |