US 6,166,366 A · System and method for monitoring and controlling the deposition of pattern and overall material coatings

Abstract

Utilizing optical and signal processing techniques a system permitting the continuous monitoring and quality control of pattern and overall coatings applied to web materials is disclosed. Rather than using manual feedback control means to accomplish a uniform and consistent application of pattern or overall material to roll web material, the disclosed system incorporates optical sensing means along with software methodologies that enable the web material to be sampled and characterized over a number of different points. This characterization of the manufacturing process can be used with the disclosed algorithms to implement a quality control feedback mechanism which in turn can automatically correct for changes in manufacturing conditions in realtime. This permits patterns and coatings to be applied consistently without the use of human intervention and with a great reduction in overall material waste and a corresponding increase in overall coating reliability.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method for monitoring and/or controlling the deposition of pattern and/or overall material coatings comprising the steps of:

(a) Illuminating a material coating with a radiation source to generate backscattered radiation;
(b) Acquiring an input RGB image from said backscattered radiation;
(c) Building a monochrome image from said input RGB image;
(d) Generating an enhanced image from said monochrome image;
(e) Generating a dilated image from said enhanced image;
(f) Generating a lowpass image from said dilated image;
(g) Generating a thresholded image from said lowpass image;
(h) Generating an inverted image from said thresholded image;
(i) Saving only coating voids in said inverted image;
(j) Superimposing said coating voids on said monochrome image.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for monitoring and controlling the deposition of pattern and overall material coatings

Life of this patent

System and method for monitoring and controlling the deposition of pattern and overall material coatings

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13