Pouch registration monitoring and control system

A method of monitoring and controlling registration on a pouch separation knife machine, of a longitudinally extending bandolier of content containing pouches spaced apart by transverse seal seams moving along a feed path, each pouch having a measurement reference, the separation knife machine, comprising:

• a knife mechanism comprising a major knife hub, mounted along the feed path and having a plurality of spaced apart blades having an outer edge, a minor knife hub having at least one blade, said minor knife hub cooperating with said major knife hub at a cutting location to sever individual pouches from the bandolier at the seal seams, and a drive mechanism, driving said major knife hub and minor knife hub in a synchronous manner;
• a friction drag mechanism, to engage the bandolier along the feed path and maintain driving engagement between the major knife hub and the bandolier;
• a friction drag adjustment mechanism to adjust the longitudinal position of the bandolier relative to the major knife hub;
• a position recognition mechanism to actuate the optical image sensor to capture an image of said measurement reference of pouches moving along the feed path when said blades are at said position of synchronous cooperation;
• an optical image sensor having an internal reference scale indicative of the location of synchronous cooperation between said blades of said major knife hub and minor knife hub;
• said optical image sensor, operative to superimpose each captured image upon said internal reference scale and acquire an image of said measurement reference relative to said internal reference scale and to generate variable numeric output signals indicative of a position relative to the internal reference scale of the measurement references of pouches moving along the feed path;
• and
• and a controller;
• said method comprising:
• maintaining driving engagement between the major knife hub and the bandolier along the feed path;
• store a target value for the numeric output signal indicative of a desired cutting location within a pouch seal seam;
• store an operating range for the target value;
• receive said numeric output signals from the optical image sensor;
• determine a position of the measurement reference relative to the internal reference scale based upon the numeric output signal of said optical image sensor;
• determine an alignment input based upon the position of the measurement reference relative to the internal reference scale;
• determine an alignment difference between the target value and the alignment input;
• and
• generating an adjustment command to the friction drag adjustment mechanism to adjust a position of the bandolier along the feed path after the alignment difference exceeds the operating range for the target position.