Industries:
The present invention includes a central control system and method for fine-tuning a cigarette manufacturing process.
A measurement device captures measurements of particular cigarette properties. The measurement data is sent to and stored in a central database.
Once sufficient measurement data has been stored, the data is loaded into an optimization program that outputs optimized controlled parameters that may be used by individual control systems to better control the properties of the cigarette during manufacture. The central control system and method may be used with both off-line and in-line measurement devices, and can communicate and control such devices regardless of the manufacturer thereof.
U.S. Patent 6,728,594. Assigned to Automation and Control Technology, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, USA.