Method and system for identifying smoking articles
AssigneeJT International SA
InventorPatrick Debergh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for authenticating an aerosol-generating article includes the steps of imaging and processing at least one consumable section of the aerosol-generating article, correlating a current digitalized image with a reference image registered during production of the article, and determining, based on correlation results and a predetermined correlation criterium, if the article is a genuine product. An aerosol-generating system includes an aerosol-generating device having a 2D and/or 3D imager that includes image processing and image correlation means for imaging and analysing the stochastic arrangement of the individual substrate parts of the aerosol-generating article. A machine for producing aerosol-generating articles includes an in-line imaging system.
Claims16
A method for authenticating an aerosol-generating article, said aerosol-generating article comprising a consumable substrate formed of individual substrate parts arranged in a stochastic arrangement in at least one consumable section of said aerosol-generating article,
- wherein the method comprises the steps of:
- providing an imager comprising image processing means and image correlation means,
- imaging the consumable substrate in said at least one consumable section of the aerosol-generating article to form a base 2D and/or 3D image of the consumable substrate therein by said imager,
- processing, by said image processing means, said base 2D and/or 3D image to form a digitalized 2D and/or 3D image representative of the stochastic arrangement of the individual substrate parts of said consumable substrate, said digitalized image comprising characteristic optical information of the stochastic arrangement of the individual substrate parts at said at least one consumable section,
- correlating, by said image correlation means, said digitalized image with a reference image of the consumable substrate in said at least one consumable section registered during production thereof, said reference image also comprising characteristic optical information of the stochastic arrangement of the individual substrate parts at said at least one consumable section, and
- determining, based on a result of the step of correlating and a predetermined correlation criterium, if the aerosol generating article is a genuine product.
An aerosol-generating system, comprising an aerosol-generating device comprising a 2D and/or 3D imager and an aerosol-generating article comprising a consumable substrate formed of individual substrate parts arranged in a stochastic arrangement in at least one consumable section of said aerosol-generating article, said aerosol-generating article having a proximal end and a distal end,
- wherein
- said imager comprises image processing means and image correlation means and is configured to:
- form a 2D and/or 3D image of the stochastic arrangement of the individual substrate parts in the consumable substrate at said distal end therein by said imager,
- process said 2D and/or 3D image to form a digitalized 2D and/or 3D image representative of the stochastic arrangement of the individual substrate parts of said consumable substrate, said digitalized image comprising characteristic optical information of the stochastic arrangement of the individual substrate parts at said at least one consumable section,
- correlate said digitalized image with a reference image of the consumable substrate in said at least one consumable section registered during production thereof, said reference image also comprising characteristic optical information of the stochastic arrangement of the individual substrate parts at said at least one consumable section, and
- determine, based on correlation results of the digitalized image with the reference image and a predetermined correlation criterium, if the aerosol generating article is a genuine product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.