System and method for monitoring and controlling the width of a product
AssigneeUnion Camp Corporation
InventorSteven L. Collins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for monitoring and controlling the width of a product such as a sheet, film or tube includes, in the preferred embodiment, a line scan camera having a one-dimensional array of charge-coupled devices ("CCD's") for monitoring the width of the product. The CCD's develop an analog charge value which is proportional to the intensity of any light falling thereon; the analog nature of the CCD's allows subelement interpolation based on the voltage charge of two adjacent elements. This permits product width to be measured more accurately than was heretofore possible with electromechanical or photoelectric type systems.
Claims13
A lay flat width control system for monitoring and controlling the width of an extruded polymeric product, comprising:
- an extrusion die for forming a polymeric substance supplied to said extrusion die under pressure into a tubular product defining an interior space;
- pressure control means associated with said extrusion die for controlling gas pressure within the interior space, thereby controlling expansion of the tubular product after the tubular product is formed by said extrusion die;
- a roller for flattening the tubular product into a lay flat product having a width defined by first and second edges of said lay flat product, and
- means for monitoring and controlling the width of said lay flat product, said monitoring and controlling means comprising:
- a sensor for monitoring the width of said lay flat product, said sensor comprising a plurality of sensing elements of a type which can measure an analog value of a property that can be associated with a presence or an absence of said lay flat product;
- and
- a controller in communication with said sensor for adjusting the interior space of the tubular product in response to information which is provided to said controller from said sensor;
- thereby permitting said system to control the width of the lay flat product to a higher degree of accuracy with a given number of sensing elements than was heretofore possible.
A method for monitoring and controlling the width of a product such as a sheet, film or tube during a manufacturing process, comprising:
- (a) sensing a property which can be associated with a presence or an absence of the product at spaced intervals along a path where the product is expected to be, said sensing being of an analog value of the detected property;
- (b) calculating the width of the product based on said sensed analog value and
- (c) adjusting the manufactured width of the product in response to said width that is calculated in step (b).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.