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US 7,079,912 B2Granted
System and method for high speed control and rejection
AssigneePhilip Morris USA Inc.
InventorsJames Stack, Herbert C. Longest, Jr., Nathaniel Frampton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a system and method for high speed control and rejection of out-of-specification products, such as cigarettes, in a manufacturing process. Sensors are placed at strategic locations along a production line, with the signals from the sensors being directed to a high speed processor, with multiple sensor inputs and controlled by software algorithms to process the sensor signals and to direct control signals to the production line equipment. Control signals can both eject non-conforming products and also modify machine settings to produce a product in closer compliance with specifications.
Claims26
A method for controlling the manufacture of a product, comprising the steps of:
- sensing at least one condition associated with a quality of a product being manufactured on a manufacturing device;
- transmitting a sensor signal representative of the sensed condition to a central processor;
- comparing, at the central processor, the transmitted sensor signal against a standard associated with the sensed condition, wherein the step of comparing includes selecting an algorithm on the central processor based on the sensor signal transmitted to the central processor;
- transmitting a control signal to a controller on the manufacturing device should the comparison against the standard indicate an out-of-standard condition;
- and
- displaying a tracking array on a graphical user interface as representative of the product moving through the manufacturing device.
3 more elements
A method for controlling the manufacture of a product, comprising the steps of:
- sensing at least one condition associated with a quality of a product being manufactured on a manufacturing device;
- transmitting a sensor signal representative of the sensed condition to a central processor;
- comparing, at the central processor, the transmitted sensor signal against a standard associated with the sensed condition;
- transmitting a control signal to a controller on the manufacturing device should the comparison against the standard indicate an out-of-standard condition;
- displaying a tracking array on a graphical user interface as representative of the product moving through the manufacturing device;
- generating timing signals on the manufacturing device;
- transmitting the timing signals to the central processor;
- mapping, by the central processor, the transmitted sensor signal to the tracking array based on the transmitted timing signals;
- and
- changing the appearance of the displayed array elements representative of the product as the product is ejected at a rejection port on the manufacturing device.
7 more elements
An integrated method for providing reactive equipment control, whereby product processing on a manufacturing device is controlled by a one or more algorithms operating on a single processor, comprising the steps of:
- tracking the processing of a product on a manufacturing device;
- displaying a tracking array on a graphical user interface as representative of the product moving through the manufacturing device;
- ejecting non-conforming products from the manufacturing device;
- controlling processing steps on the manufacturing device, wherein the ejecting and controlling steps are based on sensor signals initiated during the tracking step and wherein the tracking, ejecting, and controlling steps are implemented on a single processor;
- and
- transmitting the sensor signals from the manufacturing device to the single processor, wherein algorithms are selected to operate on the processor based on the sensor signals received by the processor.
3 more elements
A data structure for displaying the processing of a product through a manufacturing device, comprising:
- a tracking array, wherein each element of the tracking array is mapped through manufacturing device timing signals to segments of a product moving through a production line on a manufacturing device, and wherein the tracking array is displayed on a graphical user interface as representative of the product moving through the manufacturing device;
- pointers to locations in the tracking array representative of ports on the manufacturing device;
- and
- appearance elements which change the displayed appearance of tracking array elements as the product segments represented by the tracking array elements pass rejection ports on the manufacturing device where the product is ejected from the production line.
1 more element
A cigarette manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
- a machine adapted to manufacture cigarettes;
- a plurality of sensors for measuring a plurality of conditions associated with the operation of the machine, wherein the sensors are adapted to inspect cigarettes being manufactured by the machine and for transmitting measurement signals;
- a processor configured to receive the measurement signals transmitted from each of the inspection sensors;
- a plurality of controllers configured to modify a cigarette manufacturing process on the machine, wherein the processor evaluates the received measurement signals against one or more standards and transmits control signals to one or more of the plurality of controllers to maintain the cigarette manufacturing process within performance standards, the apparatus including a computer readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions to provide reactive equipment control, wherein the cigarette manufacturing processing is controlled by one or more algorithms operating on a single processor, including tracking the manufacturing processing of individual cigarettes on the machine;
- ejecting non-conforming cigarettes from the machine;
- and controlling the manufacturing processing on the machine, wherein the ejecting and controlling processes are based on sensor signals initiated during the tracking of the processing of the cigarettes and wherein the tracking, ejecting, and controlling processes are implemented on a single computer, the one or more measured conditions including at least one of out-of-weight tobacco, metal detected in tobacco, paper splice of cigarette wrapper, loose end filter, missing filter, and air leaks.
3 more elements
A method for controlling the manufacture of a product, comprising the steps of:
- sensing at least one condition associated with a quality of a product being manufactured on a manufacturing device;
- transmitting a sensor signal representative of the sensed condition to a central processor;
- comparing, at the central processor, the transmitted sensor signal against a standard associated with the sensed condition;
- transmitting a control signal to a controller on the manufacturing device should the comparison against the standard indicate an out-of-standard condition;
- generating timing signals on the manufacturing device;
- transmitting the timing signals to the central processor;
- mapping, by the central processor, the transmitted sensor signal to a tracking array based on the transmitted timing signals;
- displaying the tracking array on a graphical user interface as representative of the product moving through the manufacturing device;
- and
- changing the appearance of the displayed array elements representative of the product as the product is ejected at a rejection port on the manufacturing device.
7 more elements
A method for controlling the manufacture of products comprising the steps of:
- generating a tracking array representing the position of a plurality of products on a machine during manufacture and displaying the tracking array on a graphical user interface as representative of the products moving through the manufacturing device;
- receiving timing signals representative of a change of position of the plurality of products on the machine;
- incrementing a position of a first pointer relative to the position of the plurality of products in the tracking array based on the receipt of the timing signals, wherein the first pointer represents a sensor of the machine;
- and
- writing a value to the position of one of the plurality of products in the tracking array when the first pointer has the same position as the one of the plurality of products in the tracking array.
2 more elements
A method of controlling the manufacture of products comprising the steps of:
- generating a value indicative of the conformity of each product responsive to output of a sensor at a first location along a machine;
- and
- controlling a machine operation at a second location along said machine, said second location a predetermined distance from said first location;
- said controlling step comprising the steps of:
- generating a timing signal indicative of movement of products through the machine;
- accessing a tracking array having positions representing a sequence of products moving through said machine and displaying the tracking array on a graphical user interface as representative of the products moving through the machine;
- repetitively moving a writing pointer to first positions along said tracking array in correlation with movement of the products through said first location along the machine;
- repetitively moving a reading pointer to second positions along said tracking array in correlation with movement of the products through said second location along the machine;
- writing the generated value onto the respective first position along the tracking array with said writing pointer;
- reading the written generated value at the respective second position along the tracking array with said reading pointer;
- and
- executing said machine operation based on said read generated value.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.