Abstract: A system for controlling the lamina size, in a material treatment process for tobacco leaves. The system comprises measuring means for measuring the production ratio of the lamina larger than a given size in the raw material treatment process in which the tobacco leaves which have been provided with a water content and temperature by a humidity controller are stripped into laminae and ribs by means of rib removing machines capable of changing a mechanical impact force applied upon the tobacco leaves by changing the rotational speed of grid or threshing gear and are then separated by means of separating machines; and operational control means for receiving measurement signals from said measuring means as a feedback signal for searching a rotational speed of grid or threshing gear which provides an optimum lamina size by a hill-climb method using the rotational speed of grid or threshing gear of the rib removing machines as manipulation factor.

Abstract: A product supply system for an accumulation packaging machine which may permit a high speed operation of a product discharge section and smoothly supply a product to the accumulation packaging device with a row arrangement of the product retained. The product supply system comprises a push conveyance line provided between the product discharge section and the accumulation packaging machine through an acceleration feeding device, and a product separating device and a product retaining device each provided in the push conveyance line and adapted to be interlocked with the accumulation packaging machine, wherein a product feed velocity of the acceleration feeding device is higher than that of the product discharge section.

Abstract: A cigarette filter as well as a method and apparatus for making it is disclosed. The cigarette filter is rolled in first and second plug paper and then in tip paper. The first plug paper is comparatively thin and has a smooth surface. While the second plug paper is comparatively thick and has a plurality of holes or grooves preliminarily punched on its surface. By adequately rolling the filter in the first and second plug paper, a plurality of air channels are defined on the periphery of the filter so that smoke is inhaled by a smoker as if it is enclosed by air. The smoker can enjoy its light taste without jeopardizing a sense of smoking. The filter is made by a method comprising forming a continuous filter rod by rolling filter material in the first plug paper, rolling the filter rod in the second plug paper having a plurality of holes preliminarily punched and cutting the rod in a predetermined length so that a plurality of channels reaching the suction end are formed on the second plug paper.

Abstract: A system for controlling the water content and temperature of tobacco leaves in a humidity controller is provided.

Abstract: Cutting edges, for cutting a continuous cigarette rod at right angles to the longitudinal direction thereof, protrude from a rotating head which is tilted with respect to the travelling direction of the continuous cigarette rod. A pair of fixed guide members face each other in cutting positions for the continuous cigarette rod. The guide members are spaced so that the cutting edge may pass between them without oscillation. As the rotating head rotates, the cutting edge cuts the continuous cigarette rod.

Abstract: Cutting edges, for cutting a continuous cigarette rod at right angles to the longitudinal direction thereof, protrude from a rotating head which is tilted with respect to the travelling direction of the continuous cigarette rod. A fixed guide member, is provided in a cutting position to the continuous cigarette rod, so that the guide member is located on the upper-course side of the cutting edge with respect to the travelling direction of the continuous cigarette rod. An inner surface is provided at the guide member for the guidance of the cutting edges, so that the cutting edges slide on the surface without vibration. As the rotating head rotates, the cutting edge cuts the continuous cigarette rod.

Abstract: A control apparatus including an operating panel means having illuminable switches which produce operation data upon operation by an operator and which display by illumination the status of operation of a machine equipment to be controlled, and an external control means which controls the machine equipment in a sequential manner according to a predetermined program on the operation data provided from the operating panel means and detection signals provided from the machine equipment and which illuminates the illuminable of the operating panel means. The operation panel means has an operating panel composed of a large number of such illuminable switches arranged in a matrix form. A specific operation data is produced by operation of a predetermined illuminable switch in the operating panel and the status of operation of the machine equipment is displayed by illumination of the operated illuminable switch.

Abstract: A control method of operation of a collective packing machine, which packing machine is composed of a main packing machine and an auxiliary packing machine. The main packing machine is in continuous operation while the auxiliary packing machine is in stop waiting operation wherein the auxiliary packing machine is operated in matching and synchronization with the main packing machine. When the auxiliary packing machine is at the stop waiting state, the revolution speed of a main shaft of the main packing machine and the revolution speed of an input shaft of a clutch of the auxiliary packing machine are controlled by comparing and matching therebetween. When an output shaft of the clutch is stopped and operation of the auxiliary packing machine is started, operation starting time of the auxiliary packing machine is made earlier than the normal operation starting time by time t.sub.s. The time t.sub.

Abstract: A process for controlling the temperature of a drying apparatus including a cylindrical rotor having a plurality of heating means which are independent of each other and arrayed in an advance direction of raw material, the process comprises controlling the heating means in response to measurements of the flow rate and moisture content of the raw material charged into the rotor and measurements of temperatures of respective sections of the rotor, each section corresponding to each heating means so that the temperature of each section is changed in accordance with a flow rate characteristics curve of each section and controlling the heating means so that a bias temperature for compensating for a lag in thermal response dead time of each heating means is applied prior to changing the temperature of each section in accordance with a flow rate characteristics curve by a feed back controlling at least a final heating means in response to the measurement of the moisture content of the dried raw material discharged f

Abstract: A method and apparatus for releasing cut tobacco from cigarettes are disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing dispersing fans at its periphery in a radial manner within a releasing barrel, scattering the cigarettes by the dispersing fans, circulating the scattered cigarettes along several releasing plates adjacently arranged to form a circle around the outer periphery of the dispersing disc, and releasing part of cut tobacco from the cigarettes by colliding it against knobs which are arranged at the inner peripheral surface of each of the releasing plates during circulation. Such rotary dispersing discs as mentioned above are formed in several steps in the vertical direction within the releasing barrel. The partly released cigarettes are dropped on to the lower step of the rotary dispersing disc through openings defined between adjacent releasing plates.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for threshing ribs from tobacco leaves and the like. The method comprises a basket having a grid in which a threshing gear formed with a rotary drum including teeth on its periphery is accommodated in such a manner that the outside portion of the gear is disposed spacedly adjacent to it, supplying raw material to the space between the threshing gear and the basket from one side of the axial direction by an air flow at a predetermined speed corresponding to the peripheral speed of the gear, rotating the gear and basket at different peripheral speeds and discharging raw material toward the crossing direction of the axis. The apparatus comprises a casing, a threshing gear formed with a rotary drum having teeth, a basket having a grid and surrounding the gear, the gear and basket being rotated at different peripheral speeds, a material supply port, a feed duct and a discharge opening.

Abstract: A knife feed system in a rotary drum cutter having a rotary drum disposed in proximity to a raw material shredding port and a plurality of knives arranged at predetermined intervals on the rotary drum, in which the knives are each ejected by a predetermined length to keep constant the spacing between the knife edge and the shredding port. The knife feed system includes a knife feed mechanism provided for each of the knives, a drive unit for driving the knife feed mechanism, the driven unit being provided separately from the rotary drum a transmission mechanism disposed between the knife feed mechanism and the drive unit to transmit power from the latter to the former, and a control unit connected to the drive unit to control the latter, the control unit having a function capable of setting and changing the number of times of operation per unit time of the drive unit. The feed of knife can be set appropriately according to the kind of raw material to be shredded.

Abstract: A method of forming a row of filter-tip cigarettes at a high speed with a simple device.

Abstract: A tobacco filter tip attaching apparatus including a filter tip attaching portion for rolling and pasting a tip paper onto both one end portion of a cigarette and a filter tip disposed adjacent thereto, a filter tip feed portion disposed in the vicinity of the filter tip attaching portion for feeding filter tips to the filter tip attaching portion, a tip paper feed portion disposed in the vicinity of the filter tip attaching portion for feeding a tip paper from a tip paper roll to the filter tip attaching portion, a filter tip sensor for detecting that the feed of filter tip from the filter tip feed portion to the filter tip attaching portion is discontinued, a tip paper cutting sensor for detecting a cutting accident of the tip paper during feed from the tip paper feed portion to the filter tip attaching portion, and a roll diameter sensor for detecting that the diameter of the tip paper roll in the tip paper feed portion has become smaller than a predetermined value. The whole of the apparatus is covered.

Abstract: A package forming apparatus comprises a pushing member which is capable of being inserted into a core member to form the bottom of a package by folding an end portion of the sheet material wound on the core member is driven by a driving mechanism. The driving mechanism comprises a slidable shaft provided on a rotary drum for movement in axial direction thereof, an arm member having one end secured to one end of the sliding shaft, a socket member having an intermediate portion rotatably supported at the other end of the arm member, a crank arm having one end secured to one end of the socket, the other end of the extension shaft being secured to the other end of the socket member and coupling member for snap coupling together the arm member and crank arm at a predetermined rotational position. Thus, the pushing member may be movable between the position where it faces with the core member and the position where it does not face the same.

Abstract: Stereoisomers having no cigarette beetle's sex pheromone activity contained in synthesized 4,6-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-nonan-3-one which is an equilibrium mixture of eight stereoisomers may be converted into stereoisomer having said sex pheromone activity by repeating column chromatographic fractionation, epimerization with an acidic or a basic catalyzer and/or racemization with a basic catalyzer in relation to said 3-one compound.

Abstract: A driving device for reciprocating a shaft along an axial direction thereof, comprises a reciprocating shaft drum for slidably supporting the reciprocating shaft along the axial direction thereof, a guide groove drum rotated relative to the reciprocating shaft drum and having an annular guide groove with an intersection on the circumferential surface thereof, and a driven member fixed to the reciprocating shaft and engaged with the guide groove. The driven member includes a cam follower and a boat-shaped member rotatable about a shaft extending from the driven member to the guide groove, the boat-shaped member has a cam roller rotatable about another shaft extending from the driven member to the guide groove, and the guide groove has a cam follower guide path engaged with the cam follower, a cam roller guide path engaged with the cam roller and a boat-shaped member guide path engaged with the boat-shaped member at the intersection thereof.

Abstract: A method of controlling the temperature of a drying machine by controlling the heat medium supply thereto in response to a signal representative of the temperature generated by a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the drying machine comprising the steps of: supplying the heat medium to the drying machine for a period of time which is determined in accordance with an error signal between a reference signal corresponding to a preset target temperature range and said temperature signal and stopping the heat medium supply for a predetermined period of time after the lapse of the heat supplying period of time if said detected temperature does not reach at said predetermined target temperature range and change in temperature per unit time obtained from said temperature signal is equal to or lower than a predetermined value; stopping the heat medium supply if the detected signal does not reach at said target temperature range and said change in temperature per unit time is higher than said predete

Abstract: A paper pressing device has a pair of presser plates being positioned opposite the lateral faces of an arbor. The opening and closing operation of the presser plates is conducted by a lever which is engaged with an oscillator by a spring. The oscillator adjusts the length of the spring so that the pressing force of the presser plates is constant irrespective of the force of inertia.

Abstract: A tobacco drying machine of rotary cylindrical type having a steam pipe at the wall thereof and a heated air source at the lower side of a material supply inlet, comprises means for detecting the flow of tobacco raw material at a pretreatment process line of the drying machine; a water spraying nozzle at the raw material supply inlet into which pressurized air is supplied as a carrier; and a control circuit for providing a signal to the water spraying nozzle when a predetermined period of time has passed since said circuit received a signal representative of the passage of the front or rear end of the tobacco raw material through the detector.