Remote feeding system

Abstract

A feed system configured to deliver a material to a tape applicator, the feed system comprising: a flexible conduit coupled between a spool unloading device and the tape applicator, wherein the flexible conduit receives the material from a source; and a fluid amplifier coupled to the flexible conduit to facilitate movement of the material therein by creating a vacuum effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an automated apparatus for applying adhesive tape to a substrate. Background Technology

[0002] Adhesive tape is typically applied to the body surfaces, interior and exterior cladding and panels (such as trim pieces, molded parts, covers, trays, panels, doors, and hatches) of vehicles (such as cars, aircraft, or boats), or structures (such as buildings, HVAC units). For example, adhesive tape applied around the perimeter of cladding on vehicle components provides a seal, which helps control water intrusion, reduces cabin noise caused by wind during vehicle movement, and controls dust intrusion into the cabin and engine parts. Such tape can be applied manually, but this process is slow, labor-intensive, and prone to human error. Furthermore, the application process can be inconsistent, unpredictable, or non-repeatable.

[0003] Several methods have been proposed for applying adhesive tape to substrates, such as those employing robotic end effectors or stationary applicators. However, these methods face several challenges, including inaccurate placement of the adhesive tape, continuous cycle interruptions due to blockages within the equipment, tape breakage due to insufficient tension control, and unavoidable downtime due to roll changes during production cycles. Furthermore, the industry adoption of automated applicator equipment has been slow for various reasons, such as limitations in coating geometry (i.e., large rolls mounted on the applicator head), coating speed and volume (due to limited roll size), and limitations in cell design. Additionally, existing equipment typically only holds / dispenses tape rolls shorter than 40 meters, thus failing to meet production demands. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In one aspect, a feed system configured to convey material to a tape applicator is provided, the feed system comprising:

[0005] A flexible conduit connecting the roll unloading device and the tape applicator, wherein the flexible conduit receives the material from a source; and

[0006] A fluid amplifier is coupled to the flexible conduit to facilitate the movement of the material therein by generating a vacuum effect.

[0007] Advantageously, the feeding system is useful in exemplary robotic tape coating systems, allowing for faster coating speeds and improved efficiency; accurate and consistent tape coating; reduced labor costs and increased flexibility by allowing longer coating times and coating the tape on the substrate in more complex paths. Furthermore, the robotic tape coating minimizes human intervention and error during operation. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1a shows a perspective view of an exemplary robotic adhesive tape coating system;

[0009] Figure 1b shows an exemplary tape;

[0010] Figure 1c shows another exemplary tape;

[0011] Figure 1d shows an exemplary roll of tape;

[0012] Figure 1e shows an exemplary multi-roll tape;

[0013] Figures 2a to 2c show perspective views of an exemplary roll dispatching device;

[0014] Figure 3 A perspective view of an exemplary applicator head is shown;

[0015] Figure 4 A view of an exemplary coating end is shown;

[0016] Figures 5a-c illustrate flowcharts outlining exemplary steps for a method of applying adhesive tape to a substrate or surface; and

[0017] Figure 6 An exemplary computing system is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Various embodiments of this disclosure are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is merely for illustrative purposes. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same parts.

[0019] The detailed description provided below, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended to describe this example and not to represent the only form in which this example can be constructed or used. However, the same or equivalent functionality and sequences can be implemented through different examples.

[0020] Referring to Figures 1a-e, an exemplary embodiment illustrates a robotic tape applicator system for attaching tape to a receiving surface or substrate, generally identified by the numeral 10. Figures 1b and 1c show a tape 11, such as adhesive tape or double-sided tape, comprising material 12 and a tape backing 13, while Figures 1d and 1e show a roll or reel of adhesive backing tape 11, respectively. System 10 includes a dispensing device 14 that feeds the adhesive tape 11 into a flexible conduit 15, which terminates at an adhesive tape applicator head 18 mounted on a robotic arm 19 of an industrial robot 20 having various axis configurations. For example, the industrial robot may include six axes or six degrees of freedom, allowing for greater flexibility. Thus, the flexible conduit 15 bends as needed based on the movement of the robotic arm 19. The flexible conduit 15 includes a feed conduit 16 through which adhesive tape 11 is conveyed from the dispensing device 14 to the coater head 18, and next to the flexible feed conduit 16 is a flexible discharge conduit 21 that conveys a pad 13, which is removed from the material 12 and dispensed during the coating process.

[0021] Referring now to Figures 2a-c, the dispensing device 14 includes a dispensing spool 30 rotatably attached to the mounting frame 32, and the dispensing spool 30 or spindle 30 receives a dispensing spool 34 of the adhesive tape 11. Examples of resilient adhesive backing tape 11 include, but are not limited to, pulverized ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM); neoprene closed-cell rubber; expanded polyvinyl chloride (PVC); polyethylene; acrylic foam tape (e.g., very high tack (VHB) tape); welded tape, sealing tape, circuit tape, and heat-activated tape. Depending on the application, material 11 may include a range of widths, thicknesses, and lengths. In one example, material 11 includes widths ranging from 1.5 mm to 25 mm or thicknesses ranging from 0.05 mm to 20 mm. In other embodiments, the adhesive tape 11 may be fed from any type of tape dispensing device or tape supply device, such as a conveyor platform. The dispatching device 14 also includes a system controller 40, which exchanges signals with associated components such as sensors, motors, actuators, and communicates with the robot arm 19, the applicator head 18, and other components to deliver tape 11 on demand according to the requirements of the applicator head 18 in a relatively fast, accurate, and consistent manner. A human-machine interface 42 is communicatively coupled to the system controller 40 for inputting program instructions and configuring system 10 settings, as well as outputting alarms, warnings, notifications, and displaying system 10 settings. The system controller 40 includes board logic or programmable circuitry or a processor.

[0022] More specifically, the dispensing drum 34 of the conveyor belt 11 is unwound by switching the drum brake 44 on and off, and the conveyor belt 11 is fed through a series of lower pulleys 46 and upper pulleys 48 of the conveyor belt material accumulator 50. Alternatively, the drum motor is controllable to start and stop the rotation of the dispensing drum shaft 30, or to adjust the rotational speed of the dispensing drum shaft 30. The pulleys 46, 48 accumulate the conveyor belt 11 to facilitate drum changes during operation and to resolve any feed discrepancies, which will be explained later. The lower pulley 46 is mounted on the lower pulley arm 52, and the upper pulley is mounted on the upper pulley arm 54. The lower pulley arm 52 slides vertically such that its position determines the length of the conveyor belt 11 stored in the accumulator 50. As the conveyor belt 11 is dispensed, the lower pulley arm 52 rises, and the amount of conveyor belt 11 stored decreases. As an example, at the uppermost position of the lower pulley arm 52, there may be a 2-meter-long tape 11 in the accumulator 50, while at the lowermost position of the lower pulley arm 52, depending on the number of pulleys 46, 48 and the winding of the tape 11, there may be a tape 11 up to 20 meters long.

[0023] An accumulator position sensor 60 is mounted on the frame 32 of the accumulator 50 to detect the position of the movable sliding pulley arm 52, and a roll level sensor 68 detects the amount of tape 11 on the dispensing roll 34. The accumulator position sensor 60 includes multiple setpoints, such as a lower limit and an upper limit. For example, when the sliding pulley arm 52 passes the upper limit setpoint, the roll brake 44 is released to allow new tape 11 to be fed into the accumulator 50. As the sliding pulley arm 52 falls under gravity, the roll 34 unwinds and the accumulator 50 fills with tape 11. When the sliding pulley arm 52 passes the lower limit setpoint, the brake 44 is reapplied to stop the unwinding of the roll 34. Next, the tape 11 leaves the accumulator 50 and enters the dispensing drive mechanism 70, which, when requested by the applicator head 18, guides the adhesive tape 11 to the robotic arm 19 via the flexible feed conduit 16 at a controlled metering rate. The drive mechanism 70 may include a servo motor or stepper motor, pulleys, to control the advance of the tape 11 toward the applicator head 18. When the roll level sensor 68 indicates that the roll 34 is empty or nearly fully depleted, the dispatching device 14 switches to a roll-changing mode, which will be described later. Alternatively, the accumulator 50 is associated with at least one accumulator position sensor 60, which determines the digital position of the tape 11 in the accumulator 50, ranging from a predefined low threshold to a predefined high threshold. When the tape 11 in the accumulator 50 reaches the low threshold, the dispatch roll 34 of the tape 11 is unwound by switching off the roll brake 44 or actuating the roll motor to rotate the dispatch roll shaft 30, and the tape 11 is fed through a series of lower pulleys 46 and upper pulleys 48 of the tape material accumulator 50. In another embodiment, the accumulator position sensor 60 includes multiple sensors located at different positions associated with a lower limit and an upper limit.

[0024] The dispensing drive mechanism 70 includes a fluid amplifier 72 that generates a vacuum effect within itself to effectively reduce the friction between the tape 11 and the inner wall of the flexible conduit 16 as the tape 11 is fed along the flexible conduit 16 toward the applicator head 18. The vacuum is activated only when the dispensing drive mechanism 70 is feeding a new tape 11.

[0025] See Figure 3 and Figure 4 The tape 11 exits the flexible tube 16 at the robot applicator head 18 and is wound around the material buffer 80 via the buffer refill mechanism 82. Typically, the material buffer 80 is a loop or reserve of variable-sized tape 11 that accommodates the feed difference between the dispatch drive mechanism 70 and the head drive mechanism 90, and facilitates applying consistent tension to the tape 11, or controls the tension associated with the tape 11. In one embodiment, the buffer refill mechanism includes an elastic device and a sliding mechanism such that when the material buffer 80 contracts, the sensor 92 detects the level of the compressed buffer loop 101 and commands the dispatch drive mechanism 70 to send more tape 11, causing the material buffer 80 to expand again.

[0026] Material buffer 80 is associated with buffer sensor 92, which determines the digital position of material buffer 80, ranging from a predefined low threshold to a predefined high threshold. When material buffer 80 reaches the low threshold, dispatch drive mechanism 70 is instructed to feed additional adhesive tape 11 to refill material buffer 80. When the buffer reaches the high threshold, dispatch drive mechanism 70 shuts down. The digital data measured by position sensor 92 can predict blockage and breakage of adhesive tape 11 and shut down system 10, thereby minimizing any possible further damage or equipment failure.

[0027] Next, the head drive mechanism 90 is actuated, feeding the adhesive tape 11 from the material buffer 80 toward the coating end 100. Similar to the drive mechanism 70, the head drive mechanism 90 may include a servo motor or a stepper motor to control the advance of the tape 11 toward the coating end 100. For example, as... Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the head drive mechanism 90 includes a set of rollers or gears coupled to an electric motor and configured to pull the tape 11 around the coating end 100. By means of the geometry of the coating end 100, including a circular member 102, material 12 is peeled from the pad 13, or vice versa, thereby exposing the adhesive layer. Before starting to coat the material 12 onto the substrate, the material 12 is advanced to the coating end 100, and the buffer 101 includes a loop of tape 11 that takes into account the feed difference between the dispatch drive mechanism 70 and the head drive mechanism 90, and ensures consistent tension is applied to the tape 11, and aids in peeling the pad 13 and feeding the tape 11. Thus, following program instructions executable by the system controller 40, the robotic arm 19 moves to a starting position on the substrate, and the coater head 18 begins to coat material 12 along a predefined coating path, while simultaneously sending feed commands to actuate the head drive mechanism 90, thereby guiding more tape 11 as needed. The predefined path can be linear, non-linear, three-dimensional, etc. In some cases, dedicated hardware associated with the robotic arm 19 determines the speed at which the robotic arm 19 moves and transmits this speed to the system controller 40, and the speed of the head drive mechanism 90 is automatically adjusted to match the speed of the robotic arm 19. In other cases, the speed can be calculated in the program and adjusted manually. With the aid of an encoder or other tracking device, the system controller 40 can determine the amount of tape 11 passing under the coating end 100, including the precise location where the tape 11 will be coated.

[0028] When material 12 is applied, a wetting roller 104 associated with the applicator head 18 follows the path of the applied material 12 and applies pressure to the material 12 to enhance adhesion; or activates an adhesion promoter on the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 11. In some embodiments, an adhesion promoter is applied to the substrate using additional tools, such as along a predefined application path, before applying material 12. A vision system can be used to detect the presence of adhesion promoter on the substrate and automatically apply material 12 to the sensed location on the substrate. When the applicator head 18 reaches the end of its pre-programmed application path, it sends a command to the system controller 40. Next, a cutting sequence begins, requiring a command to actuate the blade actuator 95 and cause the straight blade 106 to cut the tape 11. The straight blade 106 performs a precise, light-touch cut by cutting the material 12 without cutting the pad 13 beneath it. Therefore, the speed and depth at which the straight blade 106 enters the material 12 are precisely calibrated and stored in calibration parameters in a memory device associated with the system controller 40, and may depend on the thickness of the material 12 and the pad 13. Alternatively, the speed and depth at which the straight blade 106 enters the material 11 are precisely calibrated by mechanical means. For example, the positioning means includes one of a thread adjuster, an eccentric lug, and a stop that can be modified to accommodate a predetermined thickness for performing the adjustment. The blade actuator 95 can be any of a jet actuator, an electric actuator, a pneumatic actuator, and a hydraulic actuator. After cutting, the robotic arm 19 makes a final movement to apply the last few millimeters of material 12 to the cutting position and rolls up the material 12 with the wetted roller 104. In other embodiments, the blade 106 can be serrated or non-serrated, angled, curved, or heated to enhance the cutting sequence.

[0029] When the head drive mechanism 90 pulls the tape 11, it simultaneously discharges the used pad 13 and guides it to the discharge pipe 21 for disposal. Similar to the feed pipe 16, the discharge pipe 21 includes a discharge fluid amplifier 73 for pulling the used pad 13 from the applicator head 18 to the dispensing device 14, where it is collected in a disposal bin 110. The dispensing device 14 may include a cutting device 66 to cut the used pad 13 into easily handleable sizes for convenient disposal.

[0030] The operation cycle of system 10 will now be described with reference to flowcharts 200a-c shown in Figures 5a-c. In step 202 of the cycle, the robot arm 19 in the unit receives a start command from an external source, the start command having programmed instructions to apply adhesive tape 11 along a predefined path on the substrate. According to the instructions, the robot arm 19 moves to the start position, and the external source sends a robot in place signal (204), and the system controller 40 determines whether the dispensing device 14 is in automatic mode (205). When the dispensing device 14 is in automatic mode, the system controller 40 activates the fluid amplifier 73 (211); otherwise, the system controller 40 determines the state of the accumulator 50 and the dispensing drum 34 based on the status signals from the accumulator sensor 60 and the drum level sensor 68 (step 206). Next, via the human-machine interface 42, the operator instructs the system controller 40 to reset the dispensing device 14 to its original position (208) and switch the dispensing device 14 to automatic mode (209). In step 210, the system controller 40 determines whether the dispensing device 14 is in automatic mode, and if the dispensing device 14 is not in automatic mode, the process returns to step 206; otherwise, the system controller 40 activates the dispensing drive mechanism 70 and the fluid amplifier 72 to feed material 11 (211) along the flexible feed conduit 16 toward the coater head 18, including the head drive mechanism 90 to feed material 11 to the coating end 100 (212).

[0031] In step 214, the robotic arm 19 begins to apply tape 11 along a predefined path on the substrate, and the head drive mechanism 90 guides the material 11 relative to the movement of the robotic arm 19. As the material 11 is applied to the substrate, the length of the material 11 in the buffer loop 101 of the applicator head 18 decreases (215), and the system controller 40 continuously determines the level of the buffer 101 based on the output signal from the buffer sensor 92 (222). At the end of the predefined path, the robotic arm 19 stops and sends a signal to the system controller 40 (216), and the system controller 40 commands the head drive mechanism 90 to stop guiding the material 11 and issues another command to the applicator head 18 to drive the straight blade 106 to cut the material 11 (217), and the process continues, with the robotic arm 19 applying material 11 at a new position on the predefined path or at another predefined path on the substrate. In step 218, the robotic arm 19 completes the final path movement to coat the remaining portion of the material 11, and the dispatching device 14 sends a cycle completion signal (219) to an external source, and the cycle ends.

[0032] When material 11 is coated onto the substrate, in step 215, the length of material 11 in buffer 101 of the coater head 18 decreases (220), and the system controller 40 continuously determines the level of buffer 101 based on the output signal from buffer sensor 92 (222). If the level of buffer 101 is within a predetermined threshold, the process continues (224); otherwise, a request for more material 11 is made (226), and the system controller 40 activates fluid amplifier 72 to facilitate the delivery of material 11 via feed conduit 16 (228). Dispatch drive mechanism 70 directs material 11 to coater head 18 to replenish buffer loop 101 (230), and the system controller 40 determines whether the level of buffer 80 is within a predetermined level based on the output signal from buffer sensor 92 (232). When the level of buffer 101 is within the predetermined level, the process continues to step 224; otherwise, it is determined whether the supply of material 11 has timed out (234). If it has timed out, the system controller 40 issues a fault alarm or notification to warn the operator to correct the situation (236); otherwise, the process returns to step 232.

[0033] Returning to step 215, as material 11 is applied to the substrate, the length of material 11 in buffer 80 and accumulator 50 also decreases (238), drum brake 44 is released (240), and lower wheel arm 52 is lowered by gravity (242). System controller 40 determines whether the lower threshold has been marked based on the output from accumulator sensor 60 when the lower limit setpoint is triggered (244). If the lower limit threshold has been marked, then drum brake 44 is reapplied (246), and the process returns to step 238; otherwise, the process proceeds to step 248, where system controller 40 determines the level of dispatch drum 34 based on the output of dispatch drum sensor 68. If dispatch drum sensor 68 indicates that dispatch drum 34 is empty, system controller 40 issues a fault alarm or notification to warn the operator to correct this situation (250); otherwise, system controller 40 determines whether the upper limit of accumulator 50 has been marked based on the output signal from accumulator sensor 60 (252).

[0034] Therefore, in one embodiment, the exhausted roll 34 can be replaced by a new roll 34 of material 11 without interrupting the ongoing coating cycle. Thus, the roll 34 changeover minimizes production downtime. If the upper threshold is not marked, operation continues (253); otherwise, the material clamp 36 on the input side of the accumulator 50 is actuated (254) to clamp the new material 11 entering the accumulator 50. In step 255, the system controller 40 issues an alarm to notify the operator to change the roll 34.

[0035] As new material 11 is clamped, the dispensing device 14 continues to guide material 11 to the coater head 18 by exhausting the reserve material 11 stored in the accumulator 50 (e.g., up to 20 meters), while the operator replaces the roll 34 (256) within a predefined replacement time (i.e., the amount of time required to complete the roll 34 replacement). As an example, the predefined replacement time can be determined by dividing the length (in meters) of the reserve material 11 in the accumulator 50 by the coating rate (meters per minute) of the material 11. For example, for a 20-meter reserve of material 11 and a coating rate of 1 meter per minute, the predefined replacement time is 20 minutes. Typically, the predefined replacement time depends on the cycle time of the system 10, user preferences, and settings. In step 257, when the system controller 40 determines that the drum replacement and splicing process is completed before the lower pulley arm 52 passes the upper limit of the sensor 60, the process proceeds to step 266; otherwise, the operation of the dispatching device 14 is stopped by the system controller 40 (258), and the operator is warned by the system controller 40 to replace the drum 34 (256).

[0036] The operator cuts material 11 at the splice location (259) and removes the empty roll 34 and loads a new full roll 34 (260). Next, the operator creates a splice joint to join one end of the new material 11 to the end of the material 11 in progress, which is clamped before the accumulator 50 (262). A splice fixture 65 is provided to perform these splices quickly and consistently. Once the operator has completed the replacement of the roll 34 and the splice joint, a command is entered via the human-machine interface 42 to indicate the completion of the task (264). The system controller 40 receives the completion signal and deactivates the material fixture 36 (266) and the accumulator 50, which is depleted and refilled in the splicing sequence according to normal operation (268). When the splice joint reaches the coater head 18, a splice sensor 93, positioned to detect this joint, triggers the coater head 18 to enter a cleaning cycle. Typically, the cleaning cycle involves coating the spliced ​​material 11 onto the disposal surface, i.e., outside the predefined coating path. Once sufficient material 11 has been removed to ensure that splices are eliminated, system 10 resumes normal operation and the process ends. Alternatively, the operator can load a new roll 260, thread new material 11 into the dispensing device 14, and advance the material 11 to the coater head 18, i.e., without any splices.

[0037] In one embodiment, the adhesive tape 11 can be a single sheet or a layered single-sided or double-sided tape.

[0038] In one embodiment, the material clamp 36 located on the input side of the accumulator 50 is manually driven to clamp the new material 11 entering the accumulator 50.

[0039] In one embodiment, a material clamp 36 located on the input side of the accumulator 50 is electrically actuated to clamp new material 11 entering the accumulator 50.

[0040] In one embodiment, a material clamp 36 located on the input side of the accumulator 50 is pneumatically driven to clamp new material 11 entering the accumulator 50.

[0041] In one embodiment, the adhesive tape 11 travels through a layering device, which includes rollers configured to temporarily separate the material 12 and the removable pad 13 from each other before recoating the material 12 onto the removable pad 13 to loosen the bond.

[0042] In one embodiment, the coater head 18 includes a vision system that includes an image capture device to verify the correct application of material 11 to a substrate part or workpiece and to identify substrate features or edges to facilitate self-alignment of the coating end 100 with a predefined coating path.

[0043] In one embodiment, the coater head 18 includes a vision system comprising a laser profilometer to verify the correct application of material 11 to a substrate part or workpiece and to identify substrate features or edges to facilitate self-alignment of the coating end 100 with a predefined coating path.

[0044] In one embodiment, the coating end 100 includes means for tracking and calculating the amount of material 11 between the blade 106 and the coating end 100.

[0045] In one embodiment, the coater head 18 includes a sensor located on the outside of the coating end 100 to sense the presence of material 11 indicating failed coating.

[0046] In one embodiment, the applicator head 18 includes an attachment containing an adhesion promoter and means for applying the adhesion promoter to a substrate.

[0047] In one embodiment, the coater head 18 includes a blower located at the end of the coating process to help peel the material 11 off the pad 13.

[0048] In one implementation, the pad 13 is collected and cut into smaller, manageable blocks.

[0049] In one embodiment, the coater head 18 includes at least one safety device for mounting on an industrial robot 20.

[0050] In one embodiment, the industrial robot 20 is a servo gantry robot.

[0051] In one implementation, the industrial robot 20 is a collaborative robot.

[0052] In one implementation, the coater head 18 is fixed in place, and the part to receive material 11 is moved to the coater head 18, i.e., part-to-process strategy. In one example, the part may be on a robot or any other actuation device.

[0053] In one implementation, system 10 includes a "quick-change" blade system.

[0054] In one embodiment, system 10 includes one or more safety devices that can be mounted on a collaborative robot to enhance safe operation.

[0055] In one embodiment, the drive mechanisms 70, 90 include linear clamping and pulling mechanisms, such as a stepper beam transfer mechanism.

[0056] System 10 can be used in the automotive industry, where material 11 is applied to interior and exterior trim and cladding to reduce noise, seal moisture, and join components together; and in the construction industry, such as for trim and seals for glass materials, for example, interior and exterior building cladding and HVAC equipment.

[0057] In one implementation, system 10 is coupled to a measurement or data acquisition (DAQ) device, such as an instrument, smart sensor, data acquisition device or board, and any of various types of devices capable of operating for acquiring and / or storing data.

[0058] In one embodiment, the system controller 40 includes a computing device having a computing system 300, the computing system 300 including at least one processor (such as processor 302), at least one storage device (such as memory 304), an input / output (I / O) module 306, and a communication interface 308, such as... Figure 6 As shown. Although the computing system 300 is described as including only one processor 302, the computing system 300 may include multiple processors. In this embodiment, the memory 304 is capable of storing instructions. Furthermore, the processor 302 is capable of executing instructions.

[0059] In one implementation, processor 302 may be configured to perform hard-coded functions. In an embodiment, processor 302 may be implemented as an executor of software instructions, wherein when the software instructions are executed, the software instructions may specifically configure processor 302 to perform the algorithms and / or operations described herein.

[0060] In one implementation, processor 302 may be embodied as a multi-core processor, a single-core processor, or a combination of one or more multi-core processors and one or more single-core processors. For example, processor 302 may be embodied as one or more of a variety of processing devices, such as a coprocessor, microprocessor, controller, digital signal processor (DSP), processing circuitry with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices, including integrated circuits such as, for example, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microcontroller units (MCUs), hardware accelerators, dedicated computer chips, application-specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-a-chip (SoCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), graphics processing units (GPUs), etc. For example, some or all of the device functions or sequences of methods may be executed by one or more hardware logic components.

[0061] The memory 304 may be embodied as one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or a combination of one or more volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. For example, the memory 304 may be embodied as a magnetic storage device (such as a hard disk drive, floppy disk, tape, etc.), an optical storage device (such as a magneto-optical disk), a CD-ROM (optical disc read-only memory), a CD-R (recordable optical disc), a CD-R / W (rewritable optical disc), a DVD (digital versatile optical disc), a BD (Blu-ray disc), and a semiconductor memory (such as a mask ROM, a PROM (programmable ROM), an EPROM (erasable PROM), a flash ROM, a RAM (random access memory), etc.).

[0062] I / O module 306 is configured to facilitate providing output to and / or receiving input from a user of computing system 300, and to send / receive communications to / from various sensors, components, and actuators of system 10. I / O module 306 is configured to communicate with processor 302 and memory 304. Examples of I / O module 306 include, but are not limited to, input interfaces and / or output interfaces. Some examples of input interfaces may include, but are not limited to, keyboards, mice, joysticks, keypads, touchscreens, soft keys, microphones, etc. Some examples of output interfaces may include, but are not limited to, microphones, speakers, ringers, vibrators, light-emitting diode displays, thin-film transistor (TFT) displays, liquid crystal displays, active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, etc. In an example embodiment, processor 302 may include I / O circuitry configured to control at least some functions of one or more elements of I / O module 306, such as, for example, speakers, microphones, displays, etc. The processor 302 and / or I / O circuitry may be configured to control one or more functions of one or more elements of the I / O module 306 via computer program instructions (e.g., software and / or firmware) stored in memory accessible to the processor 302 (e.g., memory 304, etc.).

[0063] The communication interface 308 enables the computing system 300 to communicate with other entities via various types of wired networks, wireless networks, or combinations of wired and wireless networks, such as, for example, the Internet. In at least one example embodiment, the communication interface 308 includes transceiver circuitry configured to transmit and receive data signals over various types of communication networks. In some embodiments, the communication interface 308 may include appropriate data compression and encoding mechanisms for securely transmitting and receiving data over a communication network. The communication interface 308 facilitates communication between the computing system 300 and I / O peripheral devices.

[0064] In embodiments, various components of the computing system 300, such as processor 302, memory 304, I / O module 306, and communication interface 308, may be configured to communicate with each other via or through a centralized circuit system 310. The centralized circuit system 310 may be various means specifically configured to provide or implement communication between the components (302-308) of the computing system 300. In some embodiments, the centralized circuit system 310 may be a central printed circuit board (PCB), such as a motherboard, system board, or logic board. The centralized circuit system 310 may also, or alternatively, include other printed circuit assemblies (PCAs) or communication channel media.

[0065] Note that the various example embodiments described herein can be implemented in a variety of devices, network configurations, and applications.

[0066] Those skilled in the art will understand that other embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in network computing environments with many types of computer system configurations, including personal computers (PCs), industrial PCs, desktop PCs, handheld devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, server computers, microcomputers, mainframes, etc. Therefore, system 10 can be communicatively connected to these external devices, enabling remote control of system 10. Embodiments can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by local and remote processing devices linked via a communication network (via hardwired links, wireless links, or a combination thereof). In a distributed computing environment, program modules can reside in local and remote memory storage devices.

[0067] In another implementation, system 10 follows a cloud computing model by providing on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., servers, storage, applications, and / or services), which can be rapidly provisioned and released by users (thin client operators) with minimal or no resource management effort (including interaction with service providers).

[0068] The benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or several embodiments. The embodiments are not limited to embodiments that solve any or all of the described problems, or embodiments that have any or all of the described benefits and advantages. The operations of the methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. Furthermore, individual boxes may be added or removed from any method without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the examples described above may be combined with aspects of any other examples described to form further examples without losing the desired effect.

[0069] The above description is given by way of example only, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art. The above specification, examples, and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments. Although various embodiments have been described in detail above to some extent or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various changes to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this specification.

Claims

1. A feeding system configured to convey material to a tape applicator, the feeding system comprising: A flexible conduit connected between a roll unloading device and a tape applicator, wherein the flexible conduit receives material from a source, and one end of the material is fed into the flexible conduit; and A fluid amplifier, coupled to the flexible conduit, facilitates the movement of the material from the roll unloading device toward the tape applicator by generating a vacuum effect; At least one sensor for monitoring the tension of the material inside the flexible catheter; A control unit receives input from at least one sensor used to monitor the tension of the material within the flexible conduit; and The fluid amplifier is responsive to the operation of the control unit, which receives input from at least one sensor for monitoring the tension of the material within the flexible conduit, and the control unit dynamically adjusts the vacuum level to maintain a predefined tension range and minimize material blockage or breakage.

2. The feeding system of claim 1, wherein the material is unwound from the source and fed into the flexible conduit, capable of bending in a nonlinear path at a metered rate.

3. The feeding system of claim 2, wherein the material exiting the flexible conduit at the applicator is wound around a variable loop to accommodate any changes in the metering rate and maintain tension within the material.

4. The feeding system of claim 3, wherein the positioning sensor detects the amount of material within the variable loop.

5. The feeding system of claim 4, wherein the material drive mechanism replenishes the material in the variable loop based on the detected amount of material within the variable loop.

6. The feeding system of claim 4, wherein the positioning sensor determines when the material should be fed into the flexible conduit.

7. The feeding system according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the positioning sensor determines whether the amount of material detected within the variable loop is within a predefined range.

8. The feeding system of claim 7, wherein the predefined range is between a low threshold and a high threshold.

9. The feeding system of claim 8, wherein when the amount of material in the variable loop reaches the high threshold, the material drive mechanism stops supplying the material.

10. The feeding system of claim 7, wherein the at least one sensor detects tension loss within the material and generates a fault signal.

11. The feeding system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor detects the fracture of the material and generates a fault signal.

12. The feeding system according to any one of claims 10 and 11, wherein the fault signal causes an automatic interruption of the material supply.

13. The feeding system according to any one of claims 10 and 11, wherein the fault signal requires manual interruption of the material feeding.

14. The feeding system according to any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein corrective measures are taken to resolve the event that caused the fault signal, and the material drive mechanism feeds the material after the corrective measures are taken.

15. The feeding system of claim 1, wherein the material is guided upon entering the flexible conduit and after exiting the flexible conduit.

16. The feeding system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the means positioned at the outlet of the flexible conduit reorients the material as needed.

17. The feeding system of claim 1, wherein a limit switch on the material located at the outlet of the flexible conduit triggers the feeding of new material into the flexible conduit.

18. The feeding system of claim 3, wherein the variable loop route of the material is formed by at least two pulleys.

19. The feeding system of claim 18, wherein the at least two pulleys guide the material in a linear manner.

20. The feeding system according to any one of claims 1 and 19, wherein the drum unloading device is located outside the unit.

21. The feeding system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the drum unloading device is located outside the unit in any orientation.

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