Packaging material quality compensation
AssigneeLantech.com, LLC
InventorPatrick R. Lancaster, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, apparatus and program product may utilize packaging material quality compensation to sense changes in certain characteristics of a packaging material that can be associated with increased risks of film breaks, and automatically make certain changes in machine settings to mitigate the impact of those enhanced risks.
Claims54
A method of controlling a load wrapping apparatus of the type configured to wrap a load with packaging material dispensed from a packaging material dispenser through relative rotation between the packaging material dispenser and the load, the method comprising:
- sensing one or more indications of changes in packaging material characteristics during one or more wrap operations;
- and
- changing one or more wrap parameters used to wrap the load in response to sensing the one or more indications;
- wherein sensing the one or more indications of changes in packaging material characteristics is performed during a first wrap operation, and changing the one or more wrap parameters used to wrap the load in response to sensing the one or more indications is performed during a second wrap operation.
A method of controlling a load wrapping apparatus of the type configured to wrap a load with packaging material dispensed from a packaging material dispenser through relative rotation between the packaging material dispenser and the load, the method comprising:
- sensing one or more indications of changes in packaging material characteristics during one or more wrap operations;
- and
- changing one or more wrap parameters used to wrap the load in response to sensing the one or more indications;
- wherein the one or more wrap parameters includes a roping mechanism parameter that controls roping or rolling of an edge of the packaging material.
A method of controlling a load wrapping apparatus of the type configured to wrap a load with packaging material dispensed from a packaging material dispenser through relative rotation between the packaging material dispenser and the load, the method comprising:
- sensing one or more indications of changes in packaging material characteristics during one or more wrap operations;
- and
- changing one or more wrap parameters used to wrap the load in response to sensing the one or more indications;
- wherein sensing the one or more indications includes sensing a gel on the packaging material with an image sensor directed at a web of the packaging material.
A method of controlling a load wrapping apparatus of the type configured to wrap a load with packaging material dispensed from a packaging material dispenser through relative rotation between the packaging material dispenser and the load, the method comprising:
- sensing one or more indications of changes in packaging material characteristics during one or more wrap operations;
- and
- changing one or more wrap parameters used to wrap the load in response to sensing the one or more indications;
- wherein sensing the one or more indications includes sensing a hole in the packaging material with an ultrasonic sensor directed at a web of the packaging material.
A method of controlling a load wrapping apparatus of the type configured to wrap a load with packaging material dispensed from a packaging material dispenser through relative rotation between the packaging material dispenser and the load, the method comprising:
- sensing one or more indications of changes in packaging material characteristics during one or more wrap operations;
- and
- changing one or more wrap parameters used to wrap the load in response to sensing the one or more indications;
- wherein sensing the one or more indications includes sensing a visible packaging material roll surface with an image sensor.
A method of controlling a load wrapping apparatus of the type configured to wrap a load with packaging material dispensed from a packaging material dispenser through relative rotation between the packaging material dispenser and the load, the method comprising:
- sensing one or more indications of changes in packaging material characteristics during one or more wrap operations;
- changing one or more wrap parameters used to wrap the load in response to sensing the one or more indications;
- sensing a cessation of the one or more indications of changes in packaging material characteristics;
- and
- changing the one or more wrap parameters in response to sensing the cessation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.