Web guiding system and method

A web guiding system suitable for use in connection with a continuous production line producing a composite web from two or more web components on a feed system supplying said web components to said continuous production line the system comprising:

• a communication network;
• a vision inspection system capturing an image of the composite web and detecting in the captured image a relative placement of a first web component of the composite web to a second web component of the composite web, said vision inspection system providing to the communication network an inspection parameter indicative of said detected relative placement;
• an information exchange system obtaining via the communication network a plurality of inspection parameters, each associated with one of a plurality of composite webs, said information exchange system determining a mathematical characteristic of the obtained plurality of inspection parameters and providing the mathematical characteristic via the communication network;
• and
• a drive system for adjusting the feed system to adjust the relative placement of the first web component of the composite web to the second web component of the composite web, said drive system obtaining the provided mathematical characteristic and comparing said mathematical characteristic to a target, said drive system selectively adjusting the position of the feed system as a function of a predictive information correlated to the mathematical characteristic and the target.

A system suitable for use in connection with a continuous production line producing a composite web from two or more web components on a feed system supplying said web components to said continuous production line, the system comprising:

• a communication network;
• a vision inspection system capturing an image of the composite web and detecting in the captured image a relative placement of a first web component of the composite web to a second web component of the composite web, said vision inspection system providing to the communication network an inspection parameter indicative of said detected relative placement;
• an information exchange system obtaining via the communication network a plurality of inspection parameters, each associated with one of a plurality of composite webs, said information exchange system determining a mathematical characteristic of the obtained plurality of inspection parameters and providing the mathematical characteristic via the communication network;
• and
• a drive system for adjusting the production line relative to the feed system to adjust the relative placement of the first web component of the composite web to the second web component of the composite web, said drive system obtaining the provided mathematical characteristic and comparing said mathematical characteristic to a target, said drive system selectively adjusting the production line as a function of a difference between the mathematical characteristic and the target.

A web guiding system suitable for use in connection with a continuous production line producing a composite web formed from two or more web components on a feed system supplying said web components to said continuous production line the system comprising:

• a communication network;
• a vision inspection system capturing an image of the composite web formed from first and second web components and detecting in the captured image a relative placement of the first web component to the second web component, said vision inspection system providing to the communication network an inspection parameter indicative of said detected relative placement;
• an information exchange system obtaining via the communication network a plurality of inspection parameters, each associated with one of a plurality of composite webs, said information exchange system determining a mathematical characteristic of the obtained plurality of inspection parameters and determining an amount to adjust the feed system as a function of said determined mathematical characteristic, said information exchange system providing an adjustment parameter corresponding to the determined amount to adjust the feed system;
• and
• a drive system responsive to the adjustment parameter for selectively adjusting the feed system to adjust the relative placement of the first web component of the composite web to the second web component of the composite web.

A system suitable for use in connection with a continuous production line producing a composite web formed from two or more web components on a feed system supplying said web components to said continuous production line, the system comprising:

• a communication network;
• a vision inspection system capturing an image of the composite web formed from first and second web components and detecting in the captured image a relative placement of the first web component to the second web component, said vision inspection system providing to the communication network an inspection parameter indicative of said detected relative placement;
• an information exchange system obtaining via the communication network a plurality of inspection parameters, each associated with one of a plurality of composite webs, said information exchange system determining a mathematical characteristic of the obtained plurality of inspection parameters and determining an amount to adjust the feed system as a function of said determined mathematical characteristic, said information exchange system providing an adjustment parameter corresponding to the determined amount to adjust the feed system;
• and
• a drive system responsive to the adjustment parameter for selectively adjusting the production line relative to the feed system to adjust the relative placementof the first web component of the composite web to the second web component of the composite web.

A web guiding method, suitable for use in connection with a production line producing a composite product from a first web component combined with a second web component, the method comprising:

• capturing an image of the first and second components after combining said first and second web components;
• detecting in the captured image a placement of the first web component relative to the second web component;
• providing an inspection parameter indicative of the placement of the first web component relative to the second web component;
• obtaining a plurality of inspection parameters, each associated with one of a plurality of composite products;
• determining a mathematical characteristic of the obtained plurality of inspection parameters;
• comparing the mathematical characteristic to a target;
• and
• selectively adjusting a drive set point associated with providing the first web component prior to combination with the second web component as a function of a difference between the mathematical characteristic and the target.

A web guiding method, suitable for use in connection with a production line producing a composite product from a first web component combined with a second web component, the method comprising:

• capturing a first image of the first and second components after combining said first and second web components;
• detecting in the first captured image a first placement of the first web component relative to the second web component;
• capturing a second image of the first and second components after combining said first and second web components;
• detecting in the second captured image a second placement of the first web component relative to the second web component;
• comparing the first placement to the second placement to identify an amount indicative of a relative placement of the first and second web components;
• providing an inspection parameter indicative of the indicative amount between the first and second web components;
• obtaining a plurality of inspection parameters, each associated with one of a plurality of composite products;
• determining a mathematical characteristic of the obtained plurality of inspection parameters;
• comparing the mathematical characteristic to a target;
• and selectively adjusting a drive set point associated with providing the first web component prior to combination with the second web component as a function of a difference between the mathematical characteristic and the target.

A method, suitable for use in connection with a production line producing a composite product from a first web component combined with a second web component, said fist and second web components supplied by a feed system, the method comprising:

• capturing an image of the first and second components after combining said first and second web components;
• detecting in the captured image a placement of the first web component relative to the second web component;
• providing an inspection parameter indicative of the placement of the first web component relative to the second web component;
• obtaining a plurality of inspection parameters, each associated with one of a plurality of composite products;
• determining a mathematical characteristic of the obtained plurality of inspection parameters;
• comparing the mathematical characteristic to a target;
• and
• selectively adjusting a parameter of the production line prior to combination of the first web component with the second web component as a function of a difference between the mathematical characteristic and the target to adjust the relative placement of the first web component to the second web component.

A web guiding method suitable for use in connection with a continuous production line producing a composite web from two or more web components on a feed system supplying said web components to said continuous production line, the method comprising:

• capturing an image of the composite web;
• detecting in the captured image a relative placement of a first web component of the composite web to a second web component of the composite web;
• providing to a communication network an inspection parameter indicative of said detected relative placement;
• obtaining via the communication network a plurality of inspection parameters, each associated with one of a plurality of composite webs;
• determining a mathematical characteristic of the obtained plurality of inspection parameters;
• providing the mathematical characteristic via the communication network;
• adjusting a position of the feed system;
• obtaining the provided mathematical characteristic;
• comparing said mathematical characteristic to a target;
• and
• selectively adjusting the feed system as a function of a predictive information correlated to the mathematical characteristic and the target to adjust the relative placement of the first web component of the composite web to the second web component of the composite web.