Method and server for assessing longitudinal seal quality
By capturing and analyzing image data of longitudinal seals in a food packaging machine, and using an artificial intelligence model to evaluate seal quality, the waste caused by manual evaluation in existing technologies is solved, and automated, real-time seal quality assurance is achieved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TETRA LAVAL HOLDINGS & FINANCE SA
- Filing Date
- 2021-09-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
Existing methods for assessing the longitudinal seal quality of food packaging require manually opening the finished product, resulting in waste and failing to guarantee the quality of each package.
By analyzing image data of longitudinal seals, using a seal application camera and a tube forming camera to capture image data, extracting features and evaluating seal quality, and combining artificial intelligence models for automated evaluation.
It enables online quality inspection, reduces the risk of product waste, ensures the sealing quality of each package, and supports automatic adjustment of process parameters.
Smart Images
Figure CN116113537B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to packaging technology. More specifically, it relates to a method and apparatus for evaluating the longitudinal sealing quality of food packaging. Background Technology
[0002] Today, packaging is a crucial component of the food industry. Beyond branding and conveying information to customers, packaging plays a vital role in ensuring food safety. Packaging materials are designed to provide strength and stability, preventing damage during transport. Furthermore, packaging materials create a protected environment for food, shielding it from factors such as bacteria, germs, oxygen, and sunlight. However, packaging materials are not the only important element. Proper sealing is also essential. In roller-feed systems, this is typically achieved by forming a longitudinal seal along the overlap of the packaging material at both ends, creating a tube, and then forming the package from the tube by creating a transverse seal at the lower end of the tube.
[0003] Ensuring the quality of the longitudinal seals on food packaging is no simple task. Currently, a common method for this is to manually assess each batch of finished product. This means opening the finished products to evaluate the seals. However, this leads to product waste, and a large number of packages must be assessed to guarantee quality. Therefore, an improved method is needed to assess the quality of the longitudinal seals on food packaging. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The object of this invention is to overcome, at least in part, one or more of the limitations of the prior art. In particular, the object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for evaluating the quality of longitudinal seals in food packaging.
[0005] It has been recognized that by analyzing image data of the longitudinal seals in the processing line, the sealing condition can be continuously monitored and action taken at an early stage. This results in reduced product waste, and the quality of each package can be guaranteed compared to current methods.
[0006] According to a first aspect, a method for evaluating the quality of a longitudinal seal in a roller-feed packaging machine is provided, comprising,
[0007] A packaging receiver is configured to receive a web of packaging material, wherein the packaging material may include an outer protective layer, an inner protective layer, and an intermediate reinforcing layer, and wherein the web may have first and second longitudinal sides.
[0008] A seal receiver configured to receive a protective seal, wherein the protective seal may have first and second longitudinal sides.
[0009] A stripping applicator is configured to apply a protective seal to the web by heating the web and pressing the web and protective seal together to form a longitudinal seal.
[0010] A seal application camera is configured to capture seal application image data from the seal application area.
[0011] The method includes,
[0012] Receive image data of the seal application area.
[0013] Features are extracted from the image data of the seal application, wherein the features may be related to the heating effect provided by the seal applicator.
[0014] The seal application status is determined by evaluating the aforementioned characteristics, where the seal application status may be related to the quality of the longitudinal seal seal.
[0015] The application status of the transmission seal is used to provide an assessment of the quality of the longitudinal seal.
[0016] Image data can be interpreted as still images, still image sequences, or video sequences.
[0017] The advantage of the proposed method is that quality inspection can be performed online as part of the packaging machine. The transmitted status can indicate whether the process needs to be interrupted or adjusted due to poor sealing, thereby reducing the risk of product waste.
[0018] Optionally, the method may further include,
[0019] The packaging material web is received by the packaging material receiver.
[0020] The protective seal is received by the seal receiver.
[0021] The longitudinal seal is formed by the strip applicator.
[0022] Seal application image data is captured from the seal application area using a seal application camera.
[0023] The first longitudinal side of the protective seal can be applied to the first longitudinal side of the web, thereby allowing the second longitudinal side of the protective seal to extend to the outside of the web.
[0024] Alternatively, the roller feed packaging machine may also include,
[0025] A tube forming apparatus is configured to form a tube for a web such that a second longitudinal side of the web partially overlaps with a first longitudinal side of the web, connecting the first and second longitudinal sides of the web, and forming a longitudinal tube seal by applying a protective seal to the web.
[0026] A tube forming camera configured to capture tube forming image data from a tube forming region. Furthermore, the method may also include:
[0027] Receive tube forming image data of the tube forming area.
[0028] Features are extracted from tube forming image data, wherein the features may be related to the heating effect provided by the tube forming equipment.
[0029] The tube forming state of the longitudinal tube seal is determined by evaluating the aforementioned characteristics, wherein the tube forming state may be related to the quality of the longitudinal tube seal, and
[0030] The forming state of the transmission pipe is used to obtain a quality assessment of the longitudinal pipe seal.
[0031] Longitudinal sealing should be understood as a general term, which may refer to longitudinal strip sealing, longitudinal tube sealing, or both. Similarly, sealing condition may refer to the state of strip application, tube forming, or both.
[0032] Optionally, the method may further include,
[0033] The packaging material is formed into a tube using a tube forming device.
[0034] The first and second longitudinal sides of the web are connected using a tube forming device.
[0035] The longitudinal tube sealing section is formed using a tube forming device.
[0036] Tube forming image data is captured from the tube forming area using a tube forming camera.
[0037] The second longitudinal side of the protective seal can be applied to the second longitudinal side of the web, thereby covering the intermediate layer of the packaging material exposed on the first longitudinal side of the web.
[0038] Seal application image data and / or tube forming image data can be acquired using polarizing filters. The advantage of polarizing filters is that they reduce reflections from the surface being photographed by the camera. Furthermore, thermal patterns may be more clearly visible.
[0039] The transmission status can be any of underheating, normal, or overheating. Underheating may indicate that insufficient heat was provided during longitudinal seal formation. Conversely, overheating may indicate that too much heat was provided. Normal status indicates that the longitudinal seal is within acceptable quality limits.
[0040] This status can be transmitted to the control unit of the labeler and / or tube forming equipment, and the heating power can be adjusted accordingly. This can be advantageous because roller-feed packaging machines can automatically adjust the heating.
[0041] The state can be determined by feeding the extracted features as input to the artificial intelligence model. This state can refer to the seal application state and / or the tube forming state. The artificial intelligence model should be understood to include, for example, machine learning models and neural networks.
[0042] Optionally, the step of extracting features from the seal application area may also include,
[0043] Identify overlapping areas of the seal application area, heat-affected protective seal areas, and heat-affected web areas, and use these as features from the seal application image data.
[0044] It should be understood that other features that would be useful for limiting the quality of the seal can also be used.
[0045] The effects of heating can include the number of cracks in the longitudinal seal, the size of the overlapping area, and the reflective properties of the longitudinal seal.
[0046] According to a second aspect, a server is provided for evaluating the quality of longitudinal seals in a roller-feed packaging machine, the server including a transceiver, a memory, and a control unit.
[0047] The transceiver can be configured to perform
[0048] A seal application image data receiver, configured to receive seal application image data of the seal application area.
[0049] A seal application status transmitter is configured to transmit seal application status, thereby providing an assessment of the quality of longitudinal seal sealing.
[0050] The memory may include,
[0051] The seal application image data processing module is configured to extract features from the seal application image data, where these features may be related to the effect of heating provided by the applicator.
[0052] A seal application status module is configured to determine the seal application status by evaluating the aforementioned characteristics, wherein the seal application status may be related to the sealing quality of the longitudinal seal.
[0053] The control unit can be configured to execute modules stored in the memory.
[0054] The seal application status module can determine the seal application status by providing the extracted features to the artificial intelligence model.
[0055] The transceiver may also include,
[0056] A tube forming image data receiver, which is configured to receive tube forming image data of the tube forming area.
[0057] A tube forming status transmitter, configured to transmit tube forming status, thereby providing a quality assessment of the longitudinal tube seal.
[0058] The memory may also include,
[0059] The tube forming image data processing module is configured to extract features from the tube forming image data, whereby these features may be related to the heating effect provided by the tube forming equipment.
[0060] The tube forming state module is configured to determine the tube forming state of the longitudinal tube seal by evaluating features, wherein the tube forming state may be related to the quality of the longitudinal tube seal.
[0061] According to a third aspect, a system is provided for evaluating the longitudinal seal quality in a roller-feed packaging machine, the system comprising,
[0062] According to the server described in the second aspect,
[0063] One or more roller-feed packaging machines may include a packaging receiver configured to receive a packaging web, wherein the packaging material may include an outer protective layer, an inner protective layer, and an intermediate reinforcing layer, and the web may have first and second longitudinal sides.
[0064] A seal receiver, configured to receive a protective seal, wherein the protective seal may have first and second longitudinal sides.
[0065] A stripping applicator is configured to apply a protective seal to a web by heating the web and pressing the web and the protective seal together, thereby forming a longitudinal seal.
[0066] A seal application camera is configured to capture seal application image data from the seal application area, and one or more roller-feed packaging machines can communicate with a server.
[0067] Optionally, the roller-feed packaging machine may further include,
[0068] A tube forming apparatus is configured to form a tube for a web, such that a second longitudinal side of the web partially overlaps with a first longitudinal side of the web, connecting the first and second longitudinal sides of the web, and forming a longitudinal tube seal by applying a protective seal to the web.
[0069] A tube forming camera is configured to capture tube forming image data from the tube forming region.
[0070] Having a server that communicates with multiple roller-feed packaging machines can be advantageous, as it can provide more data to the AI model used to determine the state, allowing the AI model to continuously improve. In other words, the AI model can learn from the image data provided by multiple roller-feed packaging machines.
[0071] Other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the same features and advantages described in one aspect also apply to the other aspects. Attached Figure Description
[0072] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein...
[0073] Figure 1 A simplified view of a packaging production line that can be used to evaluate the quality of longitudinal seals is shown.
[0074] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the overlapping area of the packaging materials.
[0075] Figure 3a A top view of the protective seal and packaging web is shown.
[0076] Figure 3b This is another top view of the protective seals and packaging webs.
[0077] Figure 4 The longitudinal seal in a tube formed from packaging material webs is shown.
[0078] Figure 5a The image shows a stripper applying a protective seal to the packaging web, viewed from above.
[0079] Figure 5b The side view shows the applicator for applying protective seals to the packaging web.
[0080] Figures 6a to 6h These are images of longitudinal seals of different qualities.
[0081] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in evaluating the quality of longitudinal seals.
[0082] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a server used to evaluate the quality of longitudinal seals.
[0083] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a system used to evaluate the quality of longitudinal seals. Detailed Implementation
[0084] Figure 1A simplified view of a roller-feed packaging machine 100 is shown, which can be used to evaluate the quality of longitudinal seals 402, 502. Packaging material 202 can be provided on the packaging roller 102. Packaging material web 104 can also be provided to the applicator 122. The applicator 122 can apply the protective seal 106 onto the web 104, thereby forming a longitudinal seal 502. Figure 5a and Figure 5b The sealing stripper 122 is described in more detail. A sealing application camera 108 may be provided to capture sealing application image data from the sealing application area 310. A polarizing filter 116a may be provided in front of the sealing application camera 108 so that sealing application image data is captured through the polarizing filter 116a. The sealing application image data may describe the longitudinal sealing portion 502 between the protective seal 106 and the web 104. It may be in the form of an image, an image sequence, or a video sequence. From the sealing application image data, the state of the longitudinal sealing portion 502 can be determined. This state may be related to the quality of the seal.
[0085] A tube forming apparatus 110 may be provided, configured to receive a packaging web 104 to which a protective seal 106 is applied. The tube forming apparatus 110 may also be configured to form a tube 112 of the web 104 and to connect the two ends of the web together. The tube forming apparatus 110 may also be configured to form a longitudinal tube seal 402. The longitudinal tube seal 402 will be connected with... Figure 4 Detailed descriptions are provided in the relevant sections.
[0086] A tube forming camera 114 may be provided, which is shown here inside the tube 112. The tube forming camera 114 can capture tube forming image data of the tube forming region 310. A polarizing filter 116b may be provided in front of the tube forming camera 114 so as to capture tube forming image data through the polarizing filter 116b. The tube forming image data can depict the longitudinal tube seal 402. The tube 112 can be fed to the filling and sealing device 118.
[0087] The roller feed packaging machine 100 described above is for illustrative purposes and is simplified for the purpose of explanation. Such a machine can be implemented by installing a seal application camera 108 and / or a tube forming camera 114 on an existing roller feed packaging machine (e.g., a Tetra Pak system).
[0088] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the overlapping area of the packaging material 202 that forms the longitudinal seal. In other words, it illustrates a portion of the rear panel of the packaging, with the two ends of the packaging material 202 joining together to form a tube, using a cross-sectional view as an example.
[0089] Packaging material 202 may include an inner protective layer 206, an outer protective layer 204, and an intermediate reinforcing layer 208. The intermediate layer 208 may comprise one or more layers of material. As an example, the intermediate layer 208 may include a cardboard layer. The inner protective layer 206 and the outer protective layer 204 may be plastic layers. A protective seal 106 may be provided inside the packaging to form a seal between the overlapping ends of the packaging material 202. This seal protects the intermediate layer 208 from contact with the food contained within the food packaging.
[0090] Figure 3a A top view shows portions of the protective seal 106 and the packaging web 104. For reference, the protective seal 106 can be divided into first 306 and second 308 longitudinal sides. For reference, the packaging web 104 may have first 302 and second 304 sides. Figure 3b The illustration shows how a protective seal 106 is applied to the packaging web 104 by the applicator 122. A first side 306 of the protective seal can be applied to a first side 302 of the packaging web 104, such that a second side 308 of the protective seal extends beyond the packaging web 104. The second side 308 of the protective seal can then be applied to a second side 304 of the packaging web 104. Figure 3b The figure also shows a seal application area 310. The seal application area 310 may include an overlap area 314, a heat-affected protective seal area 312, and a heat-affected web area 316. Although only the covered portion is shown in the figure, in other embodiments, the seal application area 310 may extend along the longitudinal seal seal portion 502.
[0091] Figure 4 The longitudinal seals 402 and 502 in the tube 112 formed from the packaging web 104 are shown. The longitudinal seal 502 of the protective seal 106 is shown along the first side 302 of the web. The longitudinal tube seal 402 of the protective seal 106 is shown along the second side 304 of the web. The tube forming region 404 is shown as covering the longitudinal tube seal 402 and the portion of the web 104 outside the longitudinal tube seal 402, as well as the portion of the protective seal 106 outside the longitudinal tube seal 402. Although illustrated as a circular tube, the tube 112 can be of other shapes.
[0092] Figure 5aA strip applicator 122, configured to form a longitudinal seal 502 between a protective seal 106 and a packaging web 104, is shown in a top view. The packaging web 104 and the protective seal 106 can be fed into the strip applicator 122. The strip applicator 122 can heat the protective seal 106 and the web 104. Furthermore, the strip applicator 122 can press the heated protective seal 106 and the heated packaging web 104 together, thereby forming a seal, also known as a weld, between them. Figure 5b In the diagram, the sealing strip applicator 122 is shown in a side view. The sealing strip applicator 122 may include a heating element 504 for heating the protective seal 106 and the packaging web 104. The sealing strip applicator 122 may also include means for applying pressure to the protective seal 106 and the packaging web 104, shown here as two rollers 506a, 506b pressed together.
[0093] Figures 6a to 6h These are images of longitudinal seals of different qualities. Figure 6a and 6b This is an example of a longitudinal seal that is underheated. Figures 6c to 6e This is an example of a normal longitudinal seal. Figures 6f to 6h This is an example of an overheated longitudinal seal. For example, in... Figure 6f In the middle, crack 602 in the longitudinal seal is visible.
[0094] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a method 700 for evaluating the quality of longitudinal seals 402 and 502.
[0095] In the first step 710, seal application image data of the seal application area 310 can be received.
[0096] In the second step 712, features can be extracted from the seal application image data, where these features are related to the heating effect provided by the applicator 122.
[0097] In step 714, the application status of the seal can be determined by evaluating features, wherein the application status of the seal is related to the quality of the longitudinal seal sealing portion 502.
[0098] In step 716, the application status of the seal can be transmitted, thereby providing a quality assessment of the longitudinal seal 502.
[0099] Optionally, in step 702, the packaging web 104 may be received by the packaging receiver.
[0100] Optionally, in step 6 704, the protective seal 106 may be received by the seal receiver.
[0101] Optionally, in step 706, the longitudinal seal 502 may be formed by the strip applicator 122.
[0102] Optionally, in step 708, the seal application image data can be captured by the seal application camera 108 from the seal application area 310.
[0103] Optionally, in step 726, tube forming image data of tube forming region 404 may be received.
[0104] Optionally, in step 728, features can be extracted from the tube forming image data, wherein these features are related to the effect of heating provided by the tube forming device 110.
[0105] Optionally, in step 11 730, the tube forming state of the longitudinal tube seal 402 can be determined by evaluating features, wherein the tube forming state is related to the quality of the longitudinal tube seal 402.
[0106] Optionally, in step 12 732, the tube forming state can be transferred to obtain a quality assessment of the longitudinal tube seal 402.
[0107] Optionally, in step 13 718, the tube 112 of the packaging web 104 can be formed by the tube forming equipment 110.
[0108] Optionally, in step fourteen 720, the first 302 and second 304 longitudinal sides of the web can be connected by the tube forming device 110.
[0109] Optionally, in step 15 722, the longitudinal tube seal 402 may be formed by the tube forming equipment 110.
[0110] Optionally, in step sixteen 724, tube forming image data may be captured by tube forming camera 114 from tube forming region 404.
[0111] Even if described in a certain order, different steps can be performed in other orders.
[0112] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of server 800 is shown. Server 800 can be configured to evaluate the quality of longitudinal seals 402, 502. Server 800 may include transceiver 802, control unit 806, and memory 804.
[0113] Transceiver 802 can be configured to enable server 800 to communicate with other devices. Transceiver 802 can also function as a seal application image data receiver 822 configured to receive seal application image data from seal application area 310. It may also include a seal application status transmitter 810 configured to transmit seal application status, thereby providing a quality assessment of the longitudinal seal 502. This status can be transmitted to roller feed packaging machine 100.
[0114] The memory 804 may be configured to store program code or modules. The memory 804 may include a seal application image data processing module 812 configured to extract features from seal application image data, wherein these features are related to the effect of heating provided by the applicator 122. It may also include a seal application state module 814 configured to determine the seal application state by evaluating these features, wherein the seal application state is related to the quality of the longitudinal seal seal 502.
[0115] Control unit 806 can be configured to perform control over the functions and operations of server 800. Control unit 806 may include processor 808, such as central processing unit (CPU). Processor 808 can be configured to execute program code or modules stored in memory 804.
[0116] The transceiver 802 may further be configured to act as a tube forming image data receiver 824, configured to receive tube forming image data of the tube forming region 404. It may also act as a tube forming status transmitter 816, configured to transmit tube forming status, thereby providing a quality assessment of the longitudinal tube seal 402. This status can be transmitted to the roller feed packaging machine 100.
[0117] The memory 804 may also include a tube forming image data processing module 818 configured to extract features from tube forming image data, wherein the features are related to the effect of heating provided by the tube forming apparatus 110. It may also include a tube forming state module 820 configured to determine the tube forming state of the longitudinal tube seal 402 by evaluating the features, wherein the tube forming state is related to the quality of the longitudinal tube seal 402.
[0118] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a system 900 for evaluating the quality of longitudinal seals 402, 502 is shown. The system 900 may include a server 800. The server 800 may be... Figure 8 The relevant description refers to server 800. An artificial intelligence model 902 can be provided to server 800 to determine the sealing status.
[0119] System 900 may also include one or more roller-feed packaging machines 904a-c that are communicatively connected to server 800. Server 800 can receive image data from one or more roller-feed packaging machines 100. (As with...) Figure 8 According to the description, server 800 can determine a state based on image data and transmit that state to the roller feed packaging machines 904a-c corresponding to the image data. Furthermore, server 800 can use image data received by multiple roller feed packaging machines 904a-c to improve artificial intelligence model 902. In other words, artificial intelligence model 902 can continuously learn from image data provided by the roller feed packaging machines (multiple) 904a-c. Server 800 can be a central server connected to a processing plant. In this case, one or more roller feed packaging machines 904a-c can include roller feed packaging machines of that processing plant. Server 800 can also be a central server connected to multiple processing plants. In this case, one or more roller feed packaging machines 904a-c can include roller feed packaging machines of multiple processing plants.
[0120] The artificial intelligence model 902 can be a module designed to output the state of the longitudinal seals 402 and 502 based on features extracted from image data. Alternatively, the artificial intelligence model 902 can take image data as input and extract features automatically.
[0121] As a non-limiting example, the AI model 902 could be an image classification neural network, such as a ResNet 50 convolutional neural network. The AI model 902 could be trained on an image of a longitudinally sealed portion labeled with its state. For example, as... Figures 6a to 6h Images like those in [the image database] can be used to train artificial intelligence model 902.
[0122] As can be seen from the above description, although various embodiments of the present invention have been described and shown, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the claims.
Claims
1. A method (700) for evaluating the quality of a longitudinal seal in a roller-feed packaging machine, the roller-feed packaging machine comprising: A packaging receiver is configured to receive the web (104) of a packaging material (202), wherein the packaging material (202) includes an outer protective layer (204), an inner protective layer (206), and an intermediate reinforcing layer (208), and wherein the web (104) has a first longitudinal side (302) and a second longitudinal side (304). A seal receiver configured to receive a protective seal (106), wherein the protective seal (106) has a first longitudinal side (306) and a second longitudinal side (308). A strip applicator (122) is configured to apply the protective seal (106) onto the web (104) by heating the web (104) and the protective seal (106) and pressing the web (104) and the protective seal (106) together to form a longitudinal seal (502). A seal application camera (108) is configured to capture seal application image data from the seal application area (310). The method (700) includes, Receive seal application image data of the seal application area (310), Features are extracted from the seal application image data, wherein the features are related to the heating effect provided by the applicator (122). The seal application status is determined by evaluating the aforementioned characteristics, wherein the seal application status is related to the quality of the longitudinal seal sealing portion (502). The application status of the seal is transmitted, thereby providing a quality assessment of the longitudinal seal sealing portion (502).
2. The method (700) according to claim 1, further comprising: The packaging material receiver receives the web (104) of the packaging material. The protective seal (106) is received by the seal receiver. The longitudinal seal (502) is formed by the strip applicator (122). The seal application image data is captured from the seal application area (310) by the seal application camera (108).
3. The method (700) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first longitudinal side (306) of the protective seal is applied to the first longitudinal side (302) of the web, such that the second longitudinal side (308) of the protective seal extends beyond the web (104).
4. The method (700) according to claim 1, wherein the roller-feed packaging machine further comprises: A tube forming apparatus (110) is configured to form a tube (112) of the web such that the second longitudinal side (304) of the web partially overlaps with the first longitudinal side (302) of the web, connecting the first longitudinal side (302) and the second longitudinal side (304) of the web, and forming a longitudinal tube seal (402) by applying the protective seal (106) to the web (104). A tube forming camera (114) configured to capture tube forming image data from a tube forming region, wherein the method further includes, Receive tube forming image data of the tube forming area. Features are extracted from the tube forming image data, wherein the features extracted from the tube forming image data are related to the heating effect provided by the tube forming device (110). The tube forming state of the longitudinal tube seal (402) is determined by evaluating features extracted from the tube forming image data, wherein the tube forming state is related to the quality of the longitudinal tube seal (402), and The tube forming state is transmitted to obtain a quality assessment of the longitudinal tube seal (402).
5. The method (700) according to claim 4 further includes, The tube (112) of the web of the packaging material is formed by the tube forming equipment. The first longitudinal side (302) and the second longitudinal side (304) of the web are connected by the tube forming equipment. The longitudinal tube sealing part (402) is formed by the tube forming equipment. The tube forming camera (114) captures tube forming image data from the tube forming region.
6. The method (700) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second longitudinal side (308) of the protective seal is applied to the second longitudinal side (304) of the web such that the protective seal (106) covers the intermediate reinforcing layer (208) of the packaging material exposed at the first longitudinal side (302) of the web.
7. The method (700) according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the seal application image data and / or tube forming image data are captured by polarizing filters (116a, 116b).
8. The method (700) according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the transmitted seal application state and / or tube forming state is any one of underheating, normal or overheating.
9. The method (700) according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the sealing application state and / or tube forming state are transmitted to the control unit of the strip applicator (122) and / or tube forming device (110), and the heating power is adjusted based on the sealing application state and / or tube forming state.
10. The method (700) according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the seal application state and / or tube forming state are determined by providing the extracted features as input to an artificial intelligence model.
11. The method (700) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the step of extracting features from the seal application area further includes, Identify the overlapping area (314), the heat-affected protective seal area (312), and the heat-affected web area (316) of the seal application area (310), and use these as features from the seal application image data.
12. The method (700) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the effect of heating includes the number of cracks in the longitudinal seal, the size of the overlapping area (314), and the reflective properties of the longitudinal seal.
13. A system for evaluating the quality of a longitudinal seal in a roller-feed packaging machine, the system comprising, A server (800) including a transceiver (802), a memory (804), and a control unit (806), One or more roller-feed packaging machines include a packaging receiver configured to receive a web (104) of packaging material (202), wherein the packaging material (202) includes an outer protective layer (204), an inner protective layer (206), and an intermediate reinforcing layer (208), and wherein the web (104) has a first longitudinal side (302) and a second longitudinal side (304). A seal receiver configured to receive a protective seal (106), wherein the protective seal (106) has a first longitudinal side (306) and a second longitudinal side (308). A strip applicator (122) configured to apply the protective seal (106) onto the web (104) to form a longitudinal seal (502) by heating the web (104) and the protective seal (106) and pressing the web (104) and the protective seal (106) together. A sealing application camera (108) is configured to capture sealing application image data from a sealing application area (310), wherein one or more roller-feed packaging machines are communicatively connected to the server (800). in, The transceiver (802) includes, A seal application image data receiver (822) configured to receive seal application image data of the seal application area (310), A seal application state transmitter (810) is configured to send a seal application state, thereby providing a quality assessment of the longitudinal seal seal portion. The memory (804) includes, A seal application image data processing module (812) is configured to extract features from the seal application image data, wherein the features are related to the heating effect provided by the applicator (122). A seal application status module (814) is configured to determine the seal application status by evaluating the aforementioned characteristics, wherein the seal application status is related to the quality of the longitudinal seal sealing portion (502). The control unit (806) is configured to execute modules stored in the memory (804).
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the transceiver (802) further comprises, A tube forming image data receiver (824) configured to receive tube forming image data of the tube forming region. A tube forming state transmitter (816) is set to transmit tube forming state, thereby providing a quality assessment of the longitudinal tube seal (402). The memory (804) further includes, A tube forming image data processing module (818) is configured to extract features from the tube forming image data, wherein the features extracted from the tube forming image data are related to the heating effect provided by the tube forming device (110). A tube forming state module (820) is configured to determine the tube forming state of the longitudinal tube seal (402) by evaluating features extracted from the tube forming image data, wherein the tube forming state is related to the quality of the longitudinal tube seal (402).