Patent ID: 7938124

Claim:
An apparatus having an application device for applying a flavoring material onto a cigarette wrapping paper and an applied flavoring-material inspecting device for inspecting an applying state of the flavoring material applied on the cigarette wrapping paper, comprising: a feeding path for feeding the cigarette wrapping paper, the application device being arranged along the feeding path, a light source for casting ultraviolet light onto a flavoring-material application surface of cigarette wrapping paper on which a flavoring material with a fluorescent substance added or containing a fluorescent substance is applied, a camera for obtaining an image of the flavoring-material application surface from fluorescence radiated due to the ultraviolet light, said camera and said application device being separated from each other by a distance corresponding to a predetermined time shorter than time taken for the flavoring material applied onto the cigarette wrapping paper to infiltrate into the cigarette wrapping paper, image processing means for obtaining information correlative to an applied state of the flavoring material applied on the cigarette wrapping paper, from fluorescence irradiation intensity distribution in the image, and determination means for determining the applying state of the flavoring material on the cigarette wrapping paper, on the basis of the information correlative to the applied state of the flavoring material, said determination means being adapted to determine an amount of the flavoring material applied onto the cigarette wrapping paper, wherein the application device is adapted to apply the flavoring material with the fluorescent substance added or containing the fluorescent substance as its constituent onto the wrapping paper, wherein the flavoring material is a liquid, and the cigarette wrapping paper allows the flavoring material to infiltrate therein, wherein the light source and the camera are individually arranged along the feeding path on a downstream side of the application device at a predetermined distance from the application device, and wherein the distance is determined such that the wrapping paper on which the liquid flavoring material is applied by the application device passes by the light source and the camera before the applied flavoring material infiltrates into the wrapping paper, wherein the light source includes an ultraviolet lamp for casting the ultraviolet light, a photo detector for detecting intensity of the ultraviolet light radiated from the ultraviolet lamp onto the flavoring material application surface, and a light controller operative in response to the intensity of the ultraviolet light detected by the photo detector to keep the intensity of the ultraviolet illumination on the flavoring material application surface constant.