# US 2017/0284844 A1 · System and method for monitoring liquid adhesive flow > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0284844 A1 - Document ID: US20170284844A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/475,442 - Filed: 2017-03-31 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-04 - Assignees: Nordson Corporation - Applicants: Nordson Corporation - Inventors: Wesley C. Fort; Ronald Ramspeck; Enes Ramosevac - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170284844A1 ## CPC - G01F 1/56: by using electric or magnetic effects (G01F1/66 takes precedence) - B05B 12/00: Arrangements for controlling delivery; Arrangements for controlling the spray area - B05C 11/1007: {responsive to condition of liquid or other fluent material (B05C11/1005 takes precedence)} - B05C 11/1013: {responsive to flow or pressure of liquid or other fluent material (B05C11/101 takes precedence; control of flow in general G05D7/00; control of fluid pressure in general G05D16/00)} - B05C 11/1021: {responsive to presence or shape of target (B05C11/1018 takes precedence)} - B05C 11/1042: {provided with means for heating or cooling the liquid or other fluent material in the supplying means upstream of the applying apparatus} - C09J 5/00: Adhesive processes in general; Adhesive processes not provided for elsewhere, e.g. relating to primers - G01F 3/10: Geared or lobed impeller meters - G01F 15/185: {Connecting means, e.g. bypass conduits} - B05C 5/02: {the liquid or other fluent material being discharged through an outlet orifice by pressure, e.g.} from an outlet device in contact or almost in contact, with the work - B05C 5/027: {Coating heads with several outlets, e.g. aligned transversally to the moving direction of a web to be coated (B05C5/0254 takes precedence)} - B05C 11/1044: {Apparatus or installations for supplying liquid or other fluent material to several applying apparatus or several dispensing outlets, e.g. to several extrusion nozzles} - G05D 16/06: the sensing element being a flexible membrane, yielding to pressure, e.g. diaphragm, bellows, capsule - G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME - B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D) - B05C: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (spraying apparatus, atomising apparatus, nozzles B05B; plant for applying liquids or other fluent materials to objects by electrostatic spraying B05B5/08) - C09J: ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES (preparation of glue or gelatine C09H) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract A hot melt adhesive system includes an adhesive supply for receiving solid or semi-solid hot melt adhesive, and a heater associated with the adhesive supply for melting the solid or semi-solid hot melt adhesive into liquid hot melt adhesive. An adhesive tracking system monitors an output of the liquid hot melt adhesive, and includes a flow meter having a flow inlet and a flow outlet. The flow meter measures an amount of the adhesive flowing out of the flow outlet. A product detector may be used to sense a presence of a product to which the adhesive is applied. A controller then determines the total amount of the liquid adhesive dispensed and the average amount of liquid adhesive dispensed per product. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An adhesive tracking system for monitoring an output of hot melt adhesive, the adhesive tracking system comprising: a flow meter comprising a flow inlet and a flow outlet, the flow meter being configured to measure an amount of the adhesive flowing out of the flow outlet; a manifold configured to output adhesive, the manifold being in fluid communication with the flow meter; at least one product detector configured to sense a presence of a product to which the adhesive is applied; and a controller in communication with the flow meter and the at least one product detector, the controller having a processor configured to: determine a start time and an end time for application of the adhesive to the product, receive the amount of the adhesive flowing out of the flow outlet of the flow meter from the start time to the end time, and associate the amount of the adhesive with the product. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: the flow meter further comprises a housing having the flow inlet and the flow outlet, and the manifold comprises an input port in fluid communication with the flow inlet of the flow meter and at least one output port in fluid communication with the flow outlet of the flow meter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the input port of the manifold is configured to be coupled to a heated adhesive supply configured to melt adhesive pellets. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the flow meter is removably attached to the manifold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the flow meter is integral with the manifold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the flow outlet of the flow meter is configured to be coupled to a hose. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the flow meter further comprises at least one rotatable drive gear. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the flow meter further comprises at least one sensor for measuring rotation of the at least one rotatable drive gear. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one product detector is a photoelectric switch. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a weight of the adhesive flowing out of the flow outlet of the flow meter based on the received amount of adhesive. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a volume of the adhesive flowing out of the flow outlet of the flow meter based on the received amount of adhesive. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a second start time and a second end time for the application of the adhesive to two or more products; receive the amount of the adhesive flowing out of the flow outlet of the flow meter from the second start time to the second end time; calculate an average amount of adhesive applied to the two or more products between the second start time to the second end time; and associate the amount of the adhesive with each of the two or more products. ### Claim 13 A method for monitoring hot melt adhesive flow, comprising: detecting a presence of a product to which the adhesive is applied by using at least one product detector; determining a start time and an end time for applying the adhesive to the product; determining an amount of the adhesive applied to the product from the start time to the end time by measuring an amount of the adhesive dispensed from a manifold using a flow meter in fluid communication with the manifold; and associating the amount of the adhesive with the product. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: determining a second start time and a second end time for the application of the adhesive to two or more products; measuring the amount of the adhesive flowing out of the manifold from the second start time to the second end time by using the flow meter; calculating an average amount of adhesive applied to the two or more products between the second start time to the second end time; and associating the amount of the adhesive with each of the two or more products. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: triggering an alarm when the average amount of adhesive applied to the two or more products is outside a predetermined alarm threshold parameter. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the alarm is an audible or visible signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the number of consecutive products having the average amount of adhesive that is outside the predetermined threshold parameter, wherein triggering the alarm comprises triggering the alarm when the consecutive number of products exceeds a predetermined alarm delay parameter. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the alarm delay parameter is user adjustable. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the alarm threshold parameter based on the average amount of adhesive applied to the two or more products during a learning process. ### Claim 20 A flow meter for use in a hot melt adhesive system including an adhesive supply, a manifold, a heater, and at least one hose connected to a dispensing applicator, the flow meter comprising: a housing body having a hollow central recess, a flow inlet passage configured to receive hot melt adhesive from the manifold, and a flow outlet passage configured to discharge hot melt adhesive back into the manifold; a housing cover removably attached to the housing body and having a flat inner surface proximal to the hollow central recess of the housing body; a pair of rotatable gears provided in the hollow central recess and rotatably secured between the housing body and the housing cover; and at least one sensor configured to measure an amount of hot melt adhesive flowing through the flow meter. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The flow meter of claim 20, wherein the housing body is removably connected to the manifold. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The flow meter of claim 20, wherein the housing body is integral with the manifold. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The flow meter of claim 20, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a pair of sensors configured to provide a quadrature output. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The flow meter of claim 23, wherein the pair of sensors are magnetic pick-up sensors. ### Claim 25 (depends on 20) The flow meter of claim 20, wherein the flow outlet passage is connected directly to the at least one hose. ### Claim 26 (depends on 20) The flow meter of claim 20, further comprising an elastomeric seal within the housing body. ### Claim 27 (depends on 20) The flow meter of claim 20, wherein the gears are linear series of intermeshing spur gears that are each configured to rotate about respective pins provided in corresponding bushings in the housing body. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The flow meter of claim 27, wherein the spur gears are substantially coplanar and positioned so that teeth of each spur gear intermesh with each other. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The flow meter of claim 28, wherein each gear is configured to rotate in an opposite direction relative to one another to create a positive displacement of hot melt adhesive through the flow meter. ### Claim 30 (depends on 27) The flow meter of claim 27, further comprising a pair of support shafts provided in the housing cover configured to retain the respective spur gears within the recess of the housing body. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The flow meter of claim 30, further comprising a thin membrane provided underneath the at least one sensor on the flat inner surface of the housing cover, such that the thin membrane is disposed between the at least one sensor and the gears. ### Claim 32 A hot melt adhesive system, comprising: an adhesive supply holding solid or semi-solid hot melt adhesive; a heater associated with the adhesive supply for melting the solid or semi-solid hot melt adhesive into a liquid hot melt adhesive; a first manifold in fluid communication with the adhesive supply; a pump for pumping the liquid hot melt adhesive from the heater into the first manifold; an air pressure regulator for regulating the flow of air into the pump from an air supply; at least one adhesive applicator configured to apply the liquid hot melt adhesive to a substrate; and an adhesive tracking system for monitoring an output of the liquid hot melt adhesive. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The hot melt adhesive system of claim 32, wherein the air pressure regulator is a diaphragm style regulator. ### Claim 34 (depends on 32) The hot melt adhesive system of claim 32, wherein the adhesive tracking system further comprises: an auxiliary manifold in fluid communication with the first manifold; a flow meter comprising a flow inlet and a flow outlet, the flow meter being configured to measure an amount of the adhesive flowing out of the flow outlet and being in fluid communication with the auxiliary manifold; a product detector configured to sense a presence of a product to which the adhesive is applied; and a controller in communication with the flow meter and the product detector, the controller having a processor configured to determine the total amount of the liquid adhesive dispensed and the average amount of liquid adhesive dispensed per product. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The hot melt adhesive system of claim 34, wherein the auxiliary manifold is directly mounted to the first manifold. ### Claim 36 (depends on 34) The hot melt adhesive system of claim 34, wherein the auxiliary manifold is remotely mounted to the first manifold. ### Claim 37 (depends on 34) The hot melt adhesive system of claim 34, further comprising at least one hose in fluid communication with the auxiliary manifold and the at least one adhesive applicator for transporting the liquid hot melt adhesive from the auxiliary manifold to the at least one adhesive applicator. ### Claim 38 (depends on 37) The hot melt adhesive system of claim 37, wherein the flow meter is fitted to the end of the at least one hose at a location proximal the at least one adhesive applicator.