US 7,116,750 B1Granted

Method for detecting and measuring a secondary material intermittently deposited to a moving substrate

AssigneeAutomation and Control Technology, Inc.

InventorsMichael Iaquinta, David Pond, John W. Pettit

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Abstract

A method for detecting and measuring regions of a secondary material deposited onto a moving substrate. The method employs an x-ray source for directing an x-ray beam at the moving substrate, and an x-ray detector to detect an amount of x-ray energy transmitted by the moving sheet of material. Areas of bare substrate will allow for different amounts of x-ray transmission than areas of the substrate containing the secondary material. These differences in transmission and/or absorption can be used to detect the location of a region of secondary material and to determine if it falls within an acceptable range. According to one particular embodiment of the present invention, the method can be used to analyze burn characteristic modifying bands of a secondary material intermittently and repeatedly deposited to a moving web of smoking article paper.

Claims40

Dependent claims

A method for detecting and measuring intermittent regions of a secondary material deposited to a moving substrate, said method comprising:

(a) providing an x-ray source;
(b) locating said x-ray source on one side of said moving substrate, said x-ray source oriented such that said x-ray source directs a beam of x-ray energy onto said moving substrate;
(c) providing an x-ray detector;
(d) locating said x-ray detector on a side of said moving substrate opposite from said side that faces said x-ray source, such that said x-ray detector receives an amount of x-ray energy from said x-ray source that is transmitted through said substrate;
(e) providing a control system in electronic communication with said x-ray source and said x-ray detector, said control system having a processor and associated software for receiving signals from said x-ray detector as said moving substrate passes thereby;
(f) receiving at least one signal from said x-ray detector representative of an amount of x-ray energy transmitted by an area of bare substrate adjacent to a region of secondary material;
(g) receiving at least one signal from said x-ray detector representative of an amount of x-ray energy transmitted by an area of said substrate containing said region of secondary material;
(h) comparing the value of said signal associated with said area of bare substrate to the value of said signal associated with said area of said substrate containing said secondary material;
(i) using said comparison of said signals to determine whether said region contains an acceptable amount of said secondary material;
and
(j) repeating steps (f)–(i) for subsequent regions of secondary material that pass by said x-ray detector.

8 more elements

A method for detecting and measuring regions of a burn-characteristic-modifying material deposited at intermittent intervals to a moving web of smoking article paper, comprising:

providing an x-ray source;
locating said x-ray source on one side of said moving web of smoking article paper, said x-ray source oriented such that said x-ray source directs a beam of x-ray energy onto said moving web of smoking article paper;
providing an x-ray detector;
locating said x-ray detector on a side of said moving web of smoking article paper opposite from said side that faces said x-ray source, such that said x-ray detector receives an amount of x-ray energy from said x-ray source that is transmitted through said moving web of smoking article paper;
(e) providing a control system in electronic communication with said x-ray source and said x-ray detector, said control system having a processor and associated software for receiving signals from said x-ray detector as said moving web of smoking article paper passes thereby;
(f) receiving at least one signal from said x-ray detector representative of an amount of x-ray energy transmitted by an area of bare smoking article paper adjacent to a region of said burn-characteristic-modifying material;
(g) receiving at least one signal from said x-ray detector representative of an amount of x-ray energy transmitted by an area of said smoking article paper containing said region of burn-characteristic-modifying material;
(h) comparing the value of said signal associated with said area of bare smoking article paper to the value of said signal associated with said area of smoking article paper containing said region of burn-characteristic-modifying material;
(i) using said comparison of signals to determine whether said region contains an acceptable amount of said burn-characteristic-modifying material;
and
(j) repeating steps (f)–(i) for subsequent regions of burn-characteristic-modifying material that pass by said x-ray detector.

8 more elements

A method for detecting and measuring deposits of a burn-characteristic-modifying material occurring at repetitive and substantially equally spaced intervals to a moving web of smoking article paper, comprising:

(a) providing an x-ray source;
(b) locating said x-ray source on one side of said moving web of smoking article paper, said x-ray source oriented such that said x-ray source directs a beam of x-ray energy onto said moving web of smoking article paper;
(c) providing an x-ray detector;
(d) locating said x-ray detector on a side of said moving web of smoking article paper opposite from said side that faces said x-ray source, such that said x-ray detector receives an amount of x-ray energy from said x-ray source that is transmitted both through a bare portion of said moving web of smoking article paper, and through a portion of said moving web of smoking article paper containing an amount of said burn-characteristic-modifying material;
(e) providing a control system in electronic communication with said x-ray source and said x-ray detector, said control system having a processor and associated software for receiving signals from said x-ray detector as said moving web of smoking article paper passes thereby;
(f) receiving signals from said detector representative of an amount of x-ray energy transmitted by an area of bare smoking article paper adjacent to a deposit of burn-characteristic-modifying material;
(g) receiving signals from said detector representative of an amount of x-ray energy transmitted by an area of said smoking article paper containing said deposit of burn-characteristic-modifying material;
(h) dividing said web of smoking article paper lengthwise into a plurality of consecutive linear sections;
(i) grouping together multiple signals from said detector, a group of signals corresponding to each of said consecutive linear sections of said moving web of smoking article paper;
(j) averaging together values associated with said signals within each group to produce a single data point having a value representative of an amount of x-ray energy transmitted by a corresponding section of said moving web of smoking article paper;
(k) saving said data points for off-line analysis;
(l) subsequently, collecting said saved data points in groups corresponding to some predetermined number of said consecutive linear sections of said moving web of smoking article paper, such that each group of data points equates to a particular length along said web of smoking article paper;
(m) analyzing a value associated with each data point in a group of data points to identify a consecutive number of data points having a value lower than the remainder of said data points in said group, said consecutive number of data points of lower value corresponding to an area of said smoking article paper containing said burn-characteristic-modifying material;
(n) comparing the value of said data points associated with said area of bare smoking article paper to the value of said data points associated with said area of said smoking article paper containing said burn-characteristic-modifying material;
(o) using said comparison of said data point values to determine whether a deposit contains an acceptable amount of said burn-characteristic-modifying material;
and
(p) repeating steps (m)–(o) for remaining groups of data points along the length of said web of smoking article paper.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.