Vision system for bobbin stripping

Apparatus for assuring complete stripping of fibers from a bobbin in a bobbin stripping system comprising

• a. a bobbin stripping station including oscillating water jets,
• b. a viewer to view bobbins as they are being stripped at said stripping station and to generate signals representative of a bobbin being stripped,
• c. a water jet position sensor which generates a signal indicative that the position of said water jets is such that said viewer's view of the bobbin is unobscured,
• d. an indexing conveyor to move a fully stripped bobbin from said stripping station and to move an unstripped bobbin to said bobbin stripping station,
• e. a bobbin transport sensor which generates a signal as to whether said indexing conveyor is moving a bobbin to or from said bobbin stripping station, and
• f. computation means which, when the signals from said water jet position sensor indicate that said viewer's view of the bobbin is unobscured and when said bobbin transport sensor generates a signal that the indexing conveyor is not moving a bobbin:
• 1) selects pixels of the signals from the viewer,
• 2) counts a first number of pixels indicative of fibers and a second number of pixels indicative of bobbin,
• 3) compares the first and second numbers to preset values to determine the amount of fibers still unstripped from a bobbin,
• 4) generates a signal that the bobbin is fully stripped of fibers when the first number is less than a first preset and the second number exceeds a second preset, and
• 5) outputs a signal to said indexing conveyor when the bobbin is fully stripped to move the stripped bobbin from said stripping station and to move an unstripped bobbin to said bobbin stripping station.

A method of assuring complete stripping of fibers from a bobbin in a bobbin stripping system comprising

• stripping fibers from a bobbin at a stripping location,
• viewing a bobbin with a video camera as it is being stripped and generating signals representative of the bobbin being stripped,
• evaluating the signals to determine the amount of fibers still unstripped from a bobbin,
• generating a signal indicative that the bobbin is fully stripped of fibers, and
• transporting a fully stripped bobbin from the stripping location and transporting an unstripped bobbin into the bobbin stripping location in response to said step of generating a signal indicative of the bobbin being fully stripped.

A method for assuring complete stripping of fibers from a bobbin in a bobbin stripping system comprising.

• a. stripping fibers from a bobbin with an oscillating water jet,
• b. viewing the bobbins as they are being stripped and generating signals representative of a bobbin being stripped,
• c. sensing that the oscillating water jet does not observe the view of the bobbin,
• d. moving a fully stripped bobbin from the bobbin stripping location and moving an unstripped bobbin to the bobbin stripping location,
• e. sensing whether or not a bobbin is moving to or from the bobbin stripping location, and
• f. when the view of the bobbin is unobscured and a bobbin is not moving into or out of the bobbin stripping location:
• 1) selecting pixels from the signals from the viewer,
• 2) counting a first number of pixels indicative of fibers and a second number of pixels indicative of the bobbin,
• 3) comparing the first and second numbers to preset values to determine the amount of fibers still unstripped from a bobbin,
• 4) generating a signal that the bobbin is fully stripped of fibers when the first number is less than a first preset and the second number exceeds a second preset, and
• g. in response to said generating step, moving the stripped bobbin from the stripping location and moving an unstripped bobbin to the bobbin stripping location.

A vision system for automating a process which scatters vision-obscuring by-products comprising

• a bobbin stripper carrying out the process and scattering vision-obscuring by-products,
• a viewer directed at said bobbin stripper,
• control means operatively interposed between said viewer and said bobbin stripper to control said bobbin stripper in response to data received by said viewer about the process being carried out by said bobbin stripper, and
• a rotating transparent shield interposed between said bobbin stripper and said viewer to centrifugally throw off by-products scattered onto said shield to provide the viewer a clear, shielded view of said bobbin stripper.

A vision system for automating a bobbin stripping process comprising

• a bobbin stripper which scatters fibers and water as vision-obscuring by-products,
• a television camera with a line of sight directed at said bobbin stripper,
• control means operatively interposed between said camera and said bobbin stripper to control said bobbin stripper in response to data about the bobbin stripper received by said camera,
• a motor mounted to have a driven axis of rotation substantially parallel to said line of sight and a plexiglass disk mounted to said axis of said motor to form a rotating transparent shield interposed between said bobbin stripper and said camera to centrifugally throw off fibers and water scattered from said bobbin stripper to provide the camera a clear, shielded view of said bobbin stripper.

A method of automating a process of stripping fibers from bobbins with water jets which scatters vision-obscuring by-products comprising

• carrying out the bobbin stripping process and thereby scattering vision obscuring by-products,
• viewing the bobbin stripping process from a viewing location as it is carried out,
• controlling the bobbin stripping process in response to data about the bobbin stripping process received in said viewing step, and
• rotating a transparent shield between the bobbin stripping process and the viewing location to centrifugally throw off by-products onto the shield, to provide a clear, shielded view of the bobbin stripping process.

A method for stripping fibers from bobbins comprising

• stripping fibers from bobbins with water jets and thereby scattering fibers and water as vision-obscuring by-products,
• viewing the stripping process along a line of sight from a viewing location to generate data,
• rotating a transparent disk about an axis of rotation generally parallel to the line of sight to centrifugally throw off fibers and water scattered in said bobbin stripping step to provide a clear, shielded view of the bobbin stripping process, and
• controlling said bobbin stripping step in response to data about said bobbin stripping step generated in said viewing step.