Proactive control of a process after the beginning of a destabilizing event

A method of controlling a process producing discrete units of absorbent article product for personal care use and wherein a destabilizing event of a particular type periodically destabilizes the process, resulting in a deviation from a target parameter in a number of units of the product, from unit number 1 to unit number n, the method comprising:

• (a) operating the process, including continuing to operate the process upon occurrence of such type destabilizing events, x times, x being greater than 1, and upon occurrence of such destabilizing events, collecting and recording product data for respective ones of the subsequent n units of product, and thereby obtaining product deviation information on multiple units of product, up to n units of product, for each of the x such destabilizing events, thus obtaining up to x samples for each of the n units of product;
• (b) for respective ones of the n units of product, computing a representative product deviation based on the samples obtained for the respective nth unit of product, from the x such destabilizing events, and thereby obtaining a product deviation profile representative of the product deviations of the respective units of product from a target parameter, and obtained from the x destabilizing events;
• (c) modifying the deviation profile, and thereby obtaining a product correction profile element for such type destabilizing event, the correction profile including a correction for each of the n units of product for which a product deviation indication was obtained, specific to historical deviations of that nth unit of product;
• (d) adding the so-obtained product correction profile to any pre-existing product correction profile used in collecting the sample, thus to obtain an up-dated product correction profile;
• and
• (e) applying the up-dated product correction profile to a subsequent occurrence of the respective type destabilizing event.

A method of controlling a process producing product in discrete product segments, the method comprising:

• (a) operating the process, including continuing to operate the process upon occurrence of a destabilizing event, and collecting and recording process performance data for respective ones of the subsequent n units of product, and thereby obtaining process performance deviation information on multiple units of product, up to n units of product, for such destabilizing event, thus obtaining samples of the performance data for up to the n units of product;
• (b) for respective ones of the n units of product, computing a representative performance deviation based on the sample obtained for the respective unit of product, and thereby obtaining a process performance deviation profile representative of the respective units of product which are produced proximate the destabilizing event;
• (c) modifying the deviation profile, and thereby obtaining a process performance correction profile element for the destabilizing event, including correction specifically directed to each of the n units of product for which a process performance deviation indication was obtained, specific to historical deviations of that nth unit of product based on vertical analysis;
• (d) incorporating the so-obtained performance correction profile element into any pre-existing correction profile used in collecting the samples and based on vertical analysis, thus to obtain an up-dated performance correction profile based on vertical analysis;
• and
• (e) applying the up-dated performance correction profile to a subsequent occurrence of respective type destabilizing event wherein each correction profile data point is based on the nth unit of product in a plurality of historical destabilizing events of the respective type.

Apparatus for controlling a process producing segments of product and wherein a destabilizing event of a particular type periodically destabilizes the process, resulting in a deviation from a target parameter in a number of segments of the product, from segment number 1 to segment number n, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) a manufacturing line comprising a plurality of machines manufacturing the product;
• (b) a computing controller effective, upon occurrence of the particular type of destabilizing event, to associate with respective ones of the n segments of product, deviation amounts corresponding to historical deviation amounts for the respective so-numbered segments of product of segment number 1 to segment number n, according to vertical analysis, in past occurrences of the particular type of destabilizing event, and to apply to respective nth ones of the n segments of product, correction factors derived from respective associated historical deviation amounts for the respective nth segments of product at least in part in accord with such vertical analysis;
• (c) one or more detection devices detecting one or more parameters with respect to the process or product being produced by the process;
• and
• (d) one or more actuation devices effecting adjustments to the machines in response to the correction factors developed from deviation amounts detected in one or more previous destabilizing events, thereby to make pro-active adjustments to respective ones of the n segments of product, upon occurrence of the destabilizing event, based on vertical analysis of the n segments of product.