JP2022519209A - Automatic assembly device and automatic assembly method for suction devices and their parts - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for automatically assembling a consumable unit for use in an inhalation device from parts including a mouthpiece, a container defining a chamber for aerosolizable material, and a closing plate for the chamber is disclosed. The device assembles at least one assembly line, each having one or more assembly stations containing tools for performing the assembly work of the component, and these components to assemble at least a portion of the device from the component. Includes a transfer system that feeds the station and advances it through the assembly station in sequence. Also disclosed are methods for continuously manufacturing consumable units for use with inhalation devices.

Description

The present specification relates to an automatic assembly device and an automatic assembly method for an suction device and its parts.

The present patent specification discloses an apparatus and a manufacturing method of a consumable unit for delivering an inhalation device and its parts, particularly steam generated without burning in the inhalation device.

In the embodiments disclosed herein, the inhalation device is a working unit of a size and shape suitable for an adult consumer to hold by hand, and a removable attachment to the working unit to atomize consumables. The second consumable unit includes a first consumable unit including an atomizer cartridge and a second consumable unit including a mouthpiece assembly formed of a mouthpiece and a container, and the second consumable unit is detachably attached to the first consumable unit. Possible, the container is attached to the mouthpiece and contains a single dose of aerosolizable material. The container contains a closing plate that holds the aerosolizable material inside the container.

During use, the actuating unit energizes the consumable unit under consumer control as the consumer draws air through the device. The liquid in the first consumable unit is atomized to form an aerosol, and the aerosolizable material in the container of the second consumable unit is aerosolized while releasing a volatile flavor. Thus, the air sucked from the device supplies the consumer with the liquid aerosol atomized from the atomizer cartridge along with the vapor generated by heating the granules in the container of the mouthpiece assembly. The composition of aerosolizable materials and consumables may be selected to provide a wide range of combinations of flavors that appeal to the consumer.

The suction device of the present invention may be provided to the consumer as an assembly unit that includes a first and second consumable unit that is already attached to the actuating unit or that is packaged separately but with the actuating unit. .. Separately, the suction device is provided as a package of parts that optionally include one or more of the first and / or second consumable units together with the actuating unit, and the consumer includes these parts as the first and second consumables. The unit may be assembled into an actuable inhalation device by attaching it to the body. When the contents of the consumable unit are used up, the consumer may remove it from the body and replace it with a new unit.

If the volatile liquid in the atomizer cartridge is consumed more slowly than the granular material in the second consumable unit, it is desirable to pack the first and second consumable units separately from the operating unit. In one embodiment, depending on the quality of the consumables in each container and the amount of volatile material in the atomizer cartridge, one or more atomizer cartridges may be used for each atomizer cartridge with a plurality of, eg, 2, 3, 4 or more mouthpieces. It may be packed with an aggregate.

Accordingly, the present specification discloses a retail package containing parts for an inhalation device, which are each a first consumable unit and a first consumable unit containing an atomizer cartridge for atomizing consumables. A plurality of second consumable units or mouthpiece aggregates, each provided with a single dose of granular material that is intended for the product unit and can generate vapor for consumer suction when heated. The first and second consumable units are suitable for unpacking and assembling with the actuating unit to form an actuable device.

The present patent specification also discloses a method for continuously manufacturing a second consumable unit. In one embodiment, the consumable unit of the inhalation device is formed from parts including a mouthpiece, a container defining a chamber for granular aerosolizable material and a closing plate for the chamber, the method of which is:
Assembling work in which each of a series of containers is assembled with each mouthpiece in a work form for forming a series of mouthpiece aggregates,
Weighing and loading work in which each chamber of each container in which a measured amount of granular material is continuously supplied is filled.
It includes a sealing operation in which each of the continuously supplied closing plates is attached to each of the continuously supplied containers.

In the method of the present invention, the weighing loading operation may be performed before the sealing operation, and the assembling operation may be performed after the sealing operation.

Separately, the method of the present invention may be performed in an order such that the assembly operation is performed before the filling operation and the sealing operation is performed after the filling operation.

In one embodiment, a method of continuously manufacturing an inhalation device from a component including a mouthpiece, a container defining a chamber for a granular aerosolizable material, and a closing plate for the chamber is a mouthpiece at a first workstation. Assembling each of a series of containers with each mouse piece in a working mode for forming an aggregate, advancing the aggregate from the first workstation to the second workstation, and continuously at the second workstation. Each chamber of each supplied container is filled with a weighed amount of granular material, and the filled mouthpiece assembly is continuously advanced from the second assembly station to the third workstation, and the third. It involves sealing each of the mouthpiece assemblies continuously supplied at the workstation with a closing plate.

This specification is used to automatically assemble consumable units of the above types from parts including a mouthpiece, a container defining a chamber for granular aerosolizable material, a closure plate for the chamber and a source of granular material. Disclose the device of.

Generally, the apparatus of the present invention has at least one assembly line having one or more assembly stations, each containing a set of tools for performing the assembly work of the parts, and an assembly station for assembling consumable units from these parts. Includes a transportation system for supplying parts to and assembling the parts in sequence through the station.

In the assembled consumable unit, the mouthpiece is connected to the container, the container is filled with granules, and the closing plate is connected to the container to close the chamber.

In one embodiment, the transport system is configured to continuously supply the mouthpiece to the mouthpiece assembly station with a mouthpiece supply system and to continuously supply the container to the mouthpiece assembly station. Including a configured and arranged container supply system, the mouthpiece assembly station includes a set of tools configured and arranged to assemble the container and mouthpiece in their working form to form a mouthpiece assembly.

In one embodiment, the chamber within the vessel is formed at one end by a closure plate and separately from the vessel and is defined by a partition located at the other end. For the assembly of the mouthpiece assembly with such a container, the transport system includes a partition supply system configured and arranged to continuously supply the partition to the mouthpiece assembly station, the mouthpiece assembly station. Includes a set of tools configured and arranged to assemble containers, mouthpieces and dividers in their working mode to form a mouthpiece assembly.

The container supply system may supply the container empty for filling and sealing at a subsequent assembly station or some stations, or the container is prefilled and prefilled before being supplied to the mouthpiece assembly station. The container may be closed, and the container supplied thereby contains a measured amount of aerosolizable material held in the container by a closing plate.

When the container is supplied empty, the transport system weighs and dispenses an aerosolizable material with a transfer system configured and arranged to continuously transfer the mouthpiece assembly to the filling or weighing loading station. It may include a material supply system configured and arranged to supply the station, the metering input station to fill the corresponding chamber of each continuously supplied container with a metered amount of aerosol. Includes configured and arranged tools.

The transport system may further include a transport system that continuously transfers the filled mouthpiece assembly to the closure station and a closure plate supply system that is configured and arranged to continuously supply the closure plate to the closure station. Often, the closure station comprises a set of tools configured and arranged to attach and seal a closure plate to each of the continuously fed mouthpiece assemblies.

In another embodiment, where the container is filled and closed before it is assembled with the mouthpiece, the transport system is with a container supply system configured and arranged to continuously supply an empty container to the filling or weighing loading station. The weighing and charging station may include a material feeding system configured and arranged to supply aerosolizable material to the weighing and charging station, the weighing and charging station may include a metered quantity in the corresponding chamber of each continuously fed container. Includes a set of tools configured and arranged to fill the granules of.

This embodiment may further include a transfer system for continuously transferring the filled container to the closure station and a closure plate supply system configured and arranged to supply the closure plate continuously to the closure station. The closure station includes a set of tools configured and arranged to attach and seal a closure plate to each container of the mouthpiece assembly that is continuously supplied.

The transport system is configured to continuously supply the mouthpiece to the mouthpiece assembly station with a mouthpiece supply system and a filled and closed container to continuously supply the mouthpiece assembly station. Including a configured and arranged container transfer system, the mouthpiece assembly station is configured to assemble its filled and closed containers to form the mouthpiece assembly, respectively, with the mouthpiece and their working modalities. The arranged tools may be further included.

In any of the embodiments described so far, the apparatus of the present invention is assembled with an additional assembly station and an additional transfer system configured and arranged to transfer the assembled mouthpiece assembly to this additional assembly station. The station may include a component supply system for supplying additional components of the device, the assembly station being configured and arranged to combine the assembled device with one or more additional components.

For example, in one embodiment, the additional member may include a first consumable unit (atomizer cartridge) and a pre-assembled actuating unit for the suction device, and the additional assembly station may include a second consumable unit (mouthpiece assembly). ) May be configured and arranged to assemble a pre-assembled actuation unit and atomizer cartridge to form the final product.

Separately, additional components may include packaging for the device. Thus, in another embodiment, the additional station is a packing station, a transfer system for feeding the parts assembled in the packing station, and a packing material feeding system configured and arranged to feed the packing material to the packing station. And may be included, and the packing station is configured and arranged to pack the consumable unit with packing material.

If the volatile liquid in the cartridge unit is consumed more slowly than the material in the container of the mouthpiece assembly, one or more atomizer cartridges will be used depending on the quality of the consumables in each container and the amount of volatile material in the atomizer cartridge. It is desirable to pack with multiple, for example 2, 3, 4 or more mouthpiece assemblies for the atomizer cartridge. Therefore, in another embodiment, the additional station is configured and arranged to continuously supply the atomizer cartridge to the packing station with a packing station including a transfer system for feeding the mouthpiece assembly to the packing station. It may include a feeding system and a packing material feeding system configured and arranged to feed the packing material to the packing station, which packs the atomizer cartridge and mouthpiece assembly in the required numerical ratio. Includes a set of tools configured and arranged to pack the device assembled to form with packing material.

If the assembly speed of the device parts during assembly of the initial station of the line, eg the container and mouthpiece, is slower than the assembly speed of a later station, such as a packing station, then the work of subsequent stations needs to be delayed. Work may be done more efficiently by providing a device that includes multiple lines for assembling the container and mouthpiece and a common collection system for collecting devices assembled from these multiple lines. For example, a single common collection system may be deployed to collect sub-parts assembled from at least 2, 4, 6, 8 or more similar lines and combine them into a common additional for final assembly or packaging. It may be transferred to the assembly station.

In such devices, the common collection system has, for example, a trolley or tray suitable for holding two or more, eg, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 or more mouthpiece aggregates. Conveyors may be included, and each of the sub-assembly lines may include a transfer system configured and arranged to mount the assembled device on a trolley or tray.

The transfer system may include one or more conveyors. The conveyor may be of any suitable construction and may include roller conveyors, chain conveyors, belts, cables or slat conveyors and / or elevators, which may be configured in endless or shuttle structures. Multidirectional or rotational phase tables may be incorporated. The conveyor system may also be beltless and may consist of, for example, a linear synchronous motor or a linear induction drive.

Aerosolizable materials may include tobacco. Separately or in addition to this, materials that can be aerosolized include granular materials such as granular tobacco materials.

Embodiments of the apparatus, method, device, consumable unit and packaged product of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings only for the purpose of illustration.

It is a partial exploded view of one Embodiment of a portable inhalation device. It is a side view of one Embodiment of a portable inhalation device. It is a front view of one Embodiment of a portable inhalation device. 1A to 1C are axial sectional views of a consumable unit in the shape of an aggregate of mouthpieces forming one component of the device. It is an exploded perspective view of the mouthpiece assembly of FIG. 2A. The mouthpiece assembly of FIGS. 2A and 2B is schematically shown together with another first consumable unit in the form of an atomizer cartridge that forms another part of the inhalation device. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a packaged product including a consumable unit for the devices of FIGS. 1A-1C. FIG. 3A is an elevation view of the packaged product of FIG. 3A. 2A and 2B are schematic views of a first embodiment of an automatic assembly device for a mouthpiece assembly. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an assembly process performed by the apparatus described with reference to FIG. 2A and 2B are schematic views of a second embodiment of an apparatus for automatically assembling and packaging an assembly of mouthpieces with other parts for retail sale. It is a schematic diagram of the dolly used for the device of FIGS. 4 and 6. It is an axial sectional view of the mouthpiece assembly different from the thing shown in FIG.

Similar parts, systems or features have the same reference number in the figure for easy reference.

Inhalation Devices and Parts With reference to FIGS. 1A-C, 2A and 2B, the inhalation devices collectively shown by reference numeral 100 are by heating granular vegetable materials such as tobacco without burning, and even if they are tobacco-based. It is intended to deliver vapors generated by the volatilization of liquids that often contain one or more active ingredients, particularly flavoring agents, which may contain nicotine, together with the carrier. The device has three hollow sections made of molded plastic material, which are in the form of a body 1 containing the operating system and mechanism of the device and two consumable units, ie an atomizer cartridge 2 containing a volatile liquid flavoring agent. A first consumable unit and a second consumable unit in the form of a mouthpiece assembly containing a given volume of material that produces an aerosol when heated. These three sections are detachably connected to each other so that the atomizer cartridge 2 and the mouthpiece assembly 3 can be removed from each other and from the body 1 to fit any type of replacement consumable unit into the body. ..

The body 1 is axially long and has a flat, substantially cylindrical shape so that it can be easily held by an adult consumer. The body 1 is formed of two axially aligned hollow molded sections, an upper section 1a and a lower section 1b. The upper section of the body has an open upper end and a closed lower end wall 4, which define a recess for accommodating the atomizer cartridge 2. The lower section 1b of the main body is isolated from the upper section by the lower end wall 4 of the upper section 1a to provide a fire wall. The lower section of the body includes a battery, an electrical circuit board, a puff sensor and other actuating components that may be activated by the actuation button 6 on one side of the body 1 not shown here. The lightning housed in the opening of the main body 1 indicates the operating state of the device.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2C, the atomizer cartridge 2 is detachably connected to the main body 1 by a push-in connection into the recess of the upper section 1a, and is axially tapered away from the main body 1 toward the upper outlet 2a. There is. The cartridge 2 includes a storage unit 201 filled with a volatile liquid flavoring agent, and a heating element 202 for volatilizing the liquid whose electricity supply is controlled from the battery of the main body 1 by the operation button 6.

The mouthpiece assembly 3 is detachably connected into the upper outlet 2a of the atomizer cartridge 2 by a push-in type connection. The outer surface of the mouthpiece forms a skirt that follows the shape of the atomizer cartridge, which is axially tapered toward the steam outlet 5, and is shaped to be comfortably held in the consumer's mouth.

As best seen in FIGS. 2A and 2B, an axially extending end-opening container 10 of an elliptical cross section is mounted within the mouthpiece assembly 3. One end of the container 10 is located in the skirt in the mouthpiece and is terminated in the insertion portion 12 housed in the complementary shaped socket 14 formed on the inner surface of the mouthpiece upstream of the outlet 5. .. The mouthpiece may be connected to the container 10 by ultrasonic welding, induction welding or any other suitable method. In this embodiment, an internally perforated screen 16 molded integrally with the container extends in the radial direction of the container and defines a vapor permeable partition across the container 10 at a short distance upstream of the outlet 5. The other end of the container 10 protrudes from the skirt portion of the mouthpiece, and a closing plate 17 in the shape of a perforated screen is provided. The closing plate 17 is made of a molded product made of mesh or foil or plastic material and may be attached to the end wall of the container 10 by ultrasonic welding, induction welding or any other suitable method. The two screens 16 and 17 may define the end wall of the chamber 18 of the container 10 in which one batch of granular material 19 is held. The holes in the screen allow steam to pass axially downstream through the chamber towards the mouthpiece, and the size of the holes prevents the tobacco particles from falling out of the container 10 or are not inhaled with the inhaled vapor. It is selected in relation to the size of.

FIG. 8 shows a mouse located between the socket of the mouthpiece and the container 10 in which the perforated inner screen of the container of FIG. 2a is transformed into a perforated screen 16a extending across the inner end of the container 10. It illustrates another structure of the piece assembly 3.

During use, the consumer uses the actuation button 6 to switch on the device, inhale through the mouthpiece and inhale the vapor drawn from the device. Upon activation, the electronic system in the body 1 heats and sprays the air and the liquid in the atomizer cartridge 2 inside the device. The heated air volatilizes the flavoring agent from the granular material in the container and is accompanied by the sprayed liquid flavoring agent from the atomizer cartridge 2. The flavor mixture is thereby delivered to the consumer as an aerosol for inhalation.

Packaged Products The inhalation device 100 and the first and second consumable units 2, 3 may be packaged for sale to consumers in various ways. For example, the device 100 may be packaged as a complete assembly including a single body, a single atomizer cartridge 2 and a single mouthpiece assembly 3 as illustrated in FIG. 1C. Separately, the device may be packaged in combination with one or more replacement consumable units for sale, or the consumable units may be packaged separately from the body unit, eg, one or more mouthpiece assembly 3 or. It may be packed in a pack containing one or more atomizer cartridges 2.

In the embodiments exemplified in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the volatile liquid in the atomizer cartridge 2 is sufficient for a single atomizer cartridge 2 to be consumed by two or more mouthpiece aggregates 3, for example, three mouthpiece aggregates. It is consumed more slowly than the granular material in the second consumable unit so that it contains a liquid. As a result, the packaged product useful for retailing to consumers includes the atomizer cartridge 2 alone and the three mouthpiece assemblies 3. Examples of such packaged products are illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The packaged product includes a single atomizer cartridge 2 packed with aerosolizable material and a collection of three mouthpieces supporting each full of granular tobacco.

The article to be packed is placed in a blister pack 110 formed of two plastic sheets 101, 102 sealed with a peripheral seam 104. The upper sheet 101 may be transparent and the lower sheet 102 may be opaque. The top sheet is molded to provide a single pocket formed to accommodate one atomizer cartridge and three pockets each formed to accommodate one of the second mouthpiece assembly 3. ing. A printed sheet material containing instructions and product information may be enclosed between the upper and lower sheets in the package.

Assembling device and assembling method The automatic assembling of the second consumable unit 3 (mouthpiece assembly) depends on the embodiment of the device described below. Assembling the mouthpiece assembly 3 consists of three steps: (1) mounting the container 10 inside the mouthpiece, (2) filling the container with a given volume of tobacco, and (3) screening the container. It includes closing at 22, but it does not have to be done in this order. For example, the container 10 may be filled and closed before being mounted in the mouthpiece. Alternatively, an empty container may be assembled with the mouthpiece, then filled and closed.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a first embodiment of automatic assembly of the mouthpiece assembly 3 of the inhalation device 1. FIG. 5 is a process map illustrating the work sequence performed by the device.

The apparatus of the present invention includes an assembly line inclusively indicated by reference numeral 20, which has a group consisting of three assembly stations inclusively indicated by reference numerals 22, 24, 26, each of which is a mouthpiece assembly. Includes tools to perform part assembly work. The assembly line includes a fourth station, collectively indicated by reference numeral 29, where parts assembled for further processing via a further transfer system, such as the conveyor 37, are removed from the conveyor 28.

The assembly station continuously assembles the parts in the direction indicated by the arrow A to assemble the various transfer mechanisms and mouthpiece assembly 3 schematically indicated by the arrows in the figure that puts the parts in and out of the assembly station. Parts are supplied and connected to each other by a transfer system including a conveyor 28 that advances through. The conveyor 28 is laid out to define a closed loop path through the assembly station. It may incorporate linear guided drive technology or stand-alone mobile cart technology (known as XTS technology).

It is convenient to manufacture the aggregates together so that each assembly operation can be performed on a plurality of mouthpiece aggregates at the same time. For this reason, the conveyor may be configured to move through the assembly station by placing a group of aggregates in the industry as packs or trays, one of which is mounted on the trolley shown in FIG. The dolly 80 includes a plurality of compartments, in this case a frame 82 provided with 10 compartments, each compartment configured and fitted to accommodate a mouthpiece assembly. The optimum number of compartments per dolly depends on the characteristics of the subsequent assembly process. The compartments may be arranged in a row as shown, or depending on the transport system used, a row of compartments, eg, 3 rows of 3 rows (3x3 array), 2x4 array, 2x5. It may be arranged in two or more rows to provide an array.

The first assembly station or mouthpiece assembly station 22 includes a mouthpiece supply system 30 and a container supply system 32. The mouthpiece feeding system 30 is configured and arranged to transfer the mouthpiece from a source 31 such as a hopper or stack and sequentially feed the mouthpiece to the mouthpiece assembly tool group 34 in a desired orientation. There is. As shown in FIG. 5, the system may include unboxing operations 33 and / or sorting operations 35. The order and orientation of the aggregates may be changed, for example, by centrifugation or bowl feeding system. The feeding system is to feed the mouthpieces in multiple streams (eg, 2, 3 or 4 streams) so that the mouthpieces are fed for subsequent concurrency in a number suitable for the number of compartments of the trolley 80. It may be configured as.

Similarly, the container supply system 32 is configured and arranged to transfer the mouthpiece from a source 36 such as a hopper or stack and sequentially and continuously supply the container to the mouthpiece assembly tool group 34 in a desired orientation. There is. This step may include unboxing 33a and / or seeding 35a as shown in FIG. 5, which may also be altered by centrifugation or bowl feeding system. The supply system may also be configured to supply the container in multiple streams for simultaneous processing.

In the mouthpiece assembly tool group 34, each container 10 continuously supplied is aligned with the corresponding mouthpiece and these two parts in the axial direction, and the stopper 12 at the open end of the container 10 is inserted into the socket 14 in the mouthpiece. It is configured and arranged to be united and assembled by inserting into, for example, ultrasonic welding, friction welding or joining the two parts by any other suitable method.

If the mouthpiece has a configuration different from that described above and illustrated in FIG. 8, the mouthpiece assembly station additionally provides a supply system for the screen 16a that closes the end of the container 10 located within the mouthpiece. It may be included. This supply system (not shown) continuously transfers the screens from the source and sequentially feeds the screens to the assembly tool group 34 in the desired orientation, possibly in multiple streams. It is configured and arranged to supply the mouthpiece. For example, the screen may be in the form of a continuous piece of mesh or foil that is advanced into the assembly tool group on the mouthpiece socket, and the tool group may be the mouthpiece socket before inserting the container into the socket. The screen may be configured and arranged so that the screen 16 is captured between each mouthpiece and the associated container 10 when the container is inserted.

The transfer mechanism 38 of the first assembly station transfers the mouthpiece assembly 3 to the conveyor 28 that conveys the mouthpiece assembly 3 to the second assembly station 24.

The second assembly station or the weighing loading station 24 is a transfer mechanism configured and arranged to sequentially and continuously transfer the mouthpiece assembly 3 between the conveyor 28 of the weighing loading station and the tool group 44 in a desired orientation. Includes 48. The weighing loading station also includes a material supply system 40, which supplies granular aerosolizable material from a source 42 such as a hopper and supplies a measured amount of aerosolizable material to the tool group 44 of the weighing loading station. Including a material supply system 40 configured and arranged to feed, the tool group 44 is configured to fill the corresponding chambers of each continuously fed container 10 with a weighed or input amount of the aerosol. And placed. The weighing loading operation may be performed using suitable methods such as injection loading, cavity loading, use of vertical or horizontal cavity wheel loading or auger loading, measured in volume or weight depending on the nature of the granules. You may.

As shown in 43 and 43a of FIG. 5, the tool group station weighs the mouthpiece assembly 3 before and after filling the tobacco to ensure that they contain the desired filling amount of material. May include.

The transfer mechanism 48 is configured and arranged to transfer the mouthpiece assembly 3 having the filled container back to the conveyor 28, which advances the mouthpiece 3 onto the third assembly station 26.

The third assembly station or the closing plate station is a transfer mechanism configured and arranged to transfer the carriage 80 including the mouthpiece assembly 3 filled with the granular material between the conveyor 28 and the tool group 54 of the closing plate station. Includes 58. The closure plate station transfers the closure plate 22 from a source 52, such as a separate closure plate or a hopper containing a ribbon to support the closure plate, with the closure plate in a suitable orientation with respect to the container 10 and optionally more than one. Includes a closure plate supply system 50 configured and arranged to supply the tool group 54 of the closure plate station in a stream. This may also include unboxing operation 53 and / or sorting operation 55 as shown in FIG. The closure plate may be in the form of a wire mesh, in which case the order and orientation of the closure plates may be changed, for example by centrifugation or bowl feeding system. Separately, the closure plate may be in the form of a continuous strip or sheet of mesh or foil, which is transported from the reel to the tool group and fed onto the open end of the vessel of the trolley 80, which is the vessel. Is sealed in.

The closing plate station tool group 54 aligns the closing plate and the container so as to be aligned in the axial direction and the radial direction, and attaches the closing plate 22 to the open end of the container (shown by 54a in FIG. 5), ultrasonic welding, and friction. Each container 10 supplied continuously by joining these two parts by welding or any other suitable method that does not affect the quality of the granular material in the container is to be sealed with the corresponding closing plate 22. It is configured and arranged in.

The transfer mechanism 58 is configured and arranged to transfer and return the trolley 80, which includes the mouthpiece assembly 3 having the filled and sealed container 10, to the conveyor 28. Conveyor 28 advances the trolley to a fourth station, which moves away from conveyor 28 and for further processing in the direction of arrow B, for example to a quality control inspection station, as shown by 57 in FIG. Further includes a transfer mechanism 59 configured and arranged to transfer the carriage onto the conveyor 37. The end of the manufacturing process for the mouthpiece assembly 3 is shown by E in FIG.

A second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG. In this example, the device affects the automatic assembly of the mouthpiece assembly 3 and is configured and arranged to pack the device and other parts into a retail pack.

The working speed of the individual steps used in the assembly lines described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 is limited by the nature of the work used in the methods of the invention. These tasks, especially the sorting, alignment, welding and sealing of complex shaped parts, are relatively slow. For example, a single assembly line as described with reference to FIG. 4 may be capable of operating at a production rate of up to 600 mouthpiece assemblies 3 per minute. However, subsequent steps performed on the aggregate may be faster. In particular, devices for packing aggregates into retail units may be capable of operating at higher speeds, for example up to 2000 pieces per minute. The apparatus described with reference to FIG. 6 is configured to supply the mouthpiece assembly 3 by a packing device at a speed that matches the optimum operating speed of the high-speed device.

Referring to FIG. 6, the apparatus of the present invention includes four separate assembly lines of the mouthpiece assembly 3 collectively shown in 20A, 20B, 20C and 20D. Each of the assembly lines is configured and operates in a manner similar to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. Each line includes a group of three stations designated by reference numerals 22, 24 and 26 in the first assembly line 20A. (Reference numbers for the same parts of the other assembly lines 20B-20D are omitted for clarity.) The assembly stations for each line are the same individual mouthpiece parts as described with reference to FIG. Includes tools for assembling the container, that is, assembling the container and mouthpiece, weighing and charging the granular material into the container, and sealing the container. Each line also includes a unique conveyor 28 for advancing the members of the carriage 80 within these stations, and a transfer mechanism 59 configured and arranged to transfer the aggregates off the conveyor 28.

The four stations are located around a common transfer system provided by a conveyor that defines a closed loop between these four assembly lines. The conveyor may be configured using linear guided drive technology (XTS technology). The fully assembled and filled mouthpiece assembly 3 is fed to the conveyor by the corresponding transfer mechanism 59 of the four assembly lines within the trolley 80, each containing 10 units. The trolleys 80 from the four lines are fed by a conveyor 37 to a single packing station 60. Since the conveyor supplies many mouthpiece assembly 3s from each of the four assembly lines to the packing station, the supply speed of the mouthpiece assembly 3 to the packing station is the mouthpiece assembly 3 at each assembly line 20A to 20D. It is four times the production speed of 3.

The packing station 60 includes a transfer mechanism 61, a packing material supply system 62, and a first consumable unit or atomizer cartridge supply system 63. The transfer mechanism 61 removes the trolley 80 including the mouthpiece assembly 3 from the conveyor 37 and sends them to the packing tool group in an order and orientation suitable for packing with the packing material. The packing supply system 62 transfers the packing material from a supply source 64 such as a hopper, a stack, a reel, or a packing material manufacturing line, and supplies the packing material to the packing tool group 65 in an appropriate direction. Similarly, the supply system 63 of the atomizer cartridge 2 transfers the atomizer cartridge 2 from a storage unit 66 such as a hopper or another source which may be an assembly line of the atomizer cartridge, and orders the atomizer cartridges to the packing tool group 65 in a desired direction. Continuously supply to.

The packing tool group 65 is configured to wrap the continuously supplied atomizer cartridge 2 in the mouthpiece assembly 3 and the blister pack 110 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and seal the pack by heat sealing, for example. Has been done.

The packing station transfer system 67 removes the package from the packing station and transfers it to supply point 68 for further processing.

By providing a plurality of assembly lines for the mouthpiece assembly 3, the packing station may be supplied with parts for packing at a speed at which the packing station can operate at its optimum speed.

As used herein, the term "tobacco" or "granular tobacco material" means a material that includes tobacco, tobacco derivatives, swollen tobacco, recycled tobacco or tobacco substitutes. The granular material may also include non-tobacco material.

As a matter of course, the above-mentioned example of the consumable unit may be used for a device other than the inhalation device described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1C. For example, the inhalation device may be a device that releases a compound from a granular material without burning, such as a tobacco heated product. In one embodiment, the inhalation device is a heating device that heats a substrate, such as a granular material, without burning and releases the compound. The granules may be, for example, tobacco or other non-tobacco products that may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the inhalation device is a cigarette heating device.

In another embodiment, the tobacco industry product is a hybrid system that generates an aerosol by heating a substrate, eg, a combination of the contents of an atomizer cartridge and a granular material in a mouthpiece assembly, without burning. The substrate in the atomizer cartridge and the granules in the mouthpiece assembly may contain, for example, a solid, liquid or gel that may or may not contain nicotine. In one embodiment, the hybrid system may include a liquid or gel substrate and a solid substrate. The solid substrate may be, for example, tobacco or non-tobacco products containing or not containing tobacco or nicotine. In one embodiment, the hybrid system may include a liquid or gel substrate and a cigarette.

In order to address various problems and develop technology, the entire disclosure illustrates various embodiments, in which the claimed invention is practiced and consumed for use in an inhalation device. An excellent method and device for automatically assembling the product unit can be provided. The advantages and features of the present disclosure are merely exemplary embodiments of the embodiments and are neither inclusive nor exclusive. These are provided merely as an aid to the understanding and teaching of the claimed features. Of course, the advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects of the present disclosure limit the disclosure as set forth in the claims or are equivalent of the claims. It should not be considered to be limited to, but it should be considered that other embodiments may be used or modified without departing from the scope and / or ideas of the present disclosure. The various embodiments may appropriately include, be composed of, or are essentially composed of the disclosed components, components, features, parts, processes, means and other combinations. The disclosure also includes other inventions that are not currently claimed but may be claimed in the future.

Claims (16)

A device for automatically assembling a consumable unit for use in an inhalation device from parts including a mouthpiece, a container defining a chamber for aerosolizable material, and a closing plate for the chamber. At least one assembly line, each having one or more assembly stations containing tools for performing assembly work on the parts, and these parts to the assembly station to assemble at least a portion of the device from the parts. Equipment including a transport system to supply and advance through the assembly station in sequence. The transport system consists of a mouthpiece supply system configured and arranged to continuously supply the mouthpiece to the mouthpiece assembly station and a container configured and arranged to continuously supply the container to the mouthpiece assembly station. Including a feeding system, the mouthpiece assembly station is characterized by including a set of tools configured and arranged to assemble the container and mouthpiece in their working form to form an assembly of the container and mouthpiece. The device according to claim 1. The transport system consists of a transfer system configured and arranged to transfer the mouthpiece and container assembly to the weighing and loading station, and a material supply configured and arranged to supply the aerosolizable material to the weighing and loading station. A claim comprising a system and a weighing input station comprising a set of tools configured and arranged to fill the corresponding chamber of each continuously fed container with a weighed amount of aerosol. Item 1 or 2. The apparatus according to item 2. The transport system includes a transport system that continuously transfers an aggregate of filled containers and mouthpieces to a closed station, and a closed plate supply system that is configured and arranged to continuously supply the closed plate to the closed station. 3. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the closure station comprises a set of tools configured and arranged to attach a closure plate to each of a continuously supplied container and a collection of mouthpieces. An additional assembly station, a transfer system configured and arranged to transfer the assembled device from a common collection system to the additional assembly station, and a parts supply system for supplying additional parts of the device to the assembly station. The device of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the assembly station is configured and arranged to combine the assembled device with one or more additional components. 5. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the additional component comprises an actuating unit of an inhalation device and a consumable unit comprising a cartridge for atomizing consumables. The packing station is assembled, further including a packing station, a supply system that transfers the assembled consumable unit to the packing station, and a packing material supply system that is configured and arranged to transport the packing material to the packing station. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the device is configured and arranged so as to wrap the device in a packing material. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the assembly line includes a plurality of the assembly lines and a common collection system for collecting the assembled devices from the assembly lines. A common collection system includes a trolley suitable for holding two or more of the assembled devices, and each assembly line is characterized by including a transfer system configured and arranged to mount the assembled device on the trolley. 8. The device according to claim 8. A method of continuously manufacturing a consumable unit for use with an inhalation device made of parts including a mouthpiece, a container defining a chamber for aerosolizable material, and a closing plate for the chamber. Assembling work in which each of the series of containers is assembled with the mouthpiece in the work form for forming an aggregate of the container and the mouthpiece, and each of the containers in which a measured amount of granular material is continuously supplied. A method including a weighing loading operation in which each chamber is filled and a sealing operation in which each of the continuously supplied closing plates is attached to each continuously supplied container. 10. The method of claim 10, wherein the weighing loading operation is performed before the sealing operation and the assembling operation is performed after the sealing operation. 10. The method of claim 10, wherein the assembling operation is performed before the filling operation and the sealing operation is performed after the filling operation. In the first workstation, each of a series of containers is assembled with each mouthpiece in a working form for forming an assembly of the container and the mouthpiece, and the assembly of the container and the mouthpiece is assembled from the first workstation. Proceeding to 2 workstations, filling each chamber of each of the continuously supplied containers with a weighed amount of granular material, and assembling the filled container and mouthpiece. Consecutively proceeds from the second assembly station to the third workstation, and at the third workstation, each of the continuously supplied container and the assembly of the mouthpiece is sealed with a closing plate. 10. The method according to claim 10 or 12. Advance the assembly of the sealed container and mouthpiece from the third workstation to the fourth workstation, and one or more of the assembly of the container and mouthpiece sealed in the fourth workstation. 13. The method of claim 13, further comprising combining with additional components. Further including advancing the assembly of the sealed container and mouthpiece to the packing workstation and packing the assembled device with one or more parts of the inhalation device and packing material to form a retail unit. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that. At least one first consumable unit for a device containing a cartridge that atomizes the consumables that form the aerosol for inhalation by the consumer, and for each of the first consumable units, heated and heated. A retail package containing parts of an inhalation device, including a plurality of second consumable units, each provided with a single dose of granules capable of generating vapor for consumer inhalation, and consumables. The unit is a suitable package to be taken out of the package and assembled with the actuating unit to form an actuable device.

Images