Method and apparatus for automated quality control of a cutting system for a flexible material section

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to provide an automated method and apparatus which enables a fast, reliable and reproducible quality assurance and which can be easily integrated into existing systems. This object is achieved by providing a cutting system comprising a conveying device (10) for conveying a flexible material (100), a processing unit (20) for cutting the flexible material (100) into material portions (200), a detection unit (30) for detecting the flexible material (100) and / or at least one cut material portion (200), the detection unit (30) being arranged behind the processing unit (20) in the conveying direction, and a control unit (50) designed to generate a quality result on the basis of information from the detection unit (30) and / or on the basis of marking information for controlling the cutting system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method and apparatus for automated quality control of cutting machines used for flexible materials, particularly fabric portions (e.g., cut sheets of flexible material). The invention is particularly applicable to the quality control of fabric portions or patterns in airbags, such as those derived from one-piece woven fabrics (OPW fabrics) or other fabrics, but is not limited to such applications. Preferably, the invention is applied to laser cutting machines.

[0002] In previously known methods for manufacturing material parts cut from flexible materials, such as airbags or airbag sections, the flexible material, in particular in the form of fabric, technical textiles, carbon fiber, glass fiber, airbag or OPW fabric, seat covers, or coated or uncoated, single-layer or multi-layer metal or plastic sheets, is supplied to a cutting machine, especially a laser cutting machine, on a substantially horizontal conveyor. In some cases, and depending on the application, the flexible material can be readily welded, bonded, woven, or generally pretreated prior to the cutting process.

[0003] In conventional cutting machines, after the cutting process, the cut material is manually removed and then placed back in a separate inspection station for visual and / or tactile quality control by employees.

[0004] The quality requirements for cut components, especially airbags, are extremely high because these parts are subjected to immense pressure in an accident, and airbags can only enhance passenger safety when operating at their optimal condition. This generally applies to all flexible materials from which sections are cut. Modern cutting techniques, especially those using lasers, allow for complex cutting sequences, but optical inspection is costly and error-prone, particularly when performed manually.

[0005] In addition to increasing the number of airbags in a vehicle, the size of the airbags themselves also increases. In some cases, the airbag extends from the A-pillar across the entire lateral side of the vehicle to the C-pillar. Therefore, this complex airbag component can sometimes be several meters in length. Despite steady improvements in manufacturing quality, quality control of such components remains essential.

[0006] Previously, manual quality control was a monotonous and demanding activity, requiring a high degree of focus. With the increasing number of airbags in vehicles and the growing complexity of individual airbag components, their placement and subsequent manual quality control have become increasingly costly and complex. Furthermore, confidently identifying deviations from standards in individual parts is particularly difficult for employees, especially when the number of parts is small and the number of different parts is large. Faster cutting processes and associated additional development further increase the burden on employees, and quality control can become a limiting factor for facility capacity. Moreover, manual quality control is influenced by the subjective perception of employees. This can lead to different classifications depending on the employee involved in quality control, resulting in different quality standards. Manufacturing can come to a standstill in the absence of employees (who are often difficult to replace). Therefore, parts that might be defective due to employee error may reach further stages of production as good parts.

[0007] The disadvantage of repositioning the finished cut portion to a separate quality control console or station is that the position of the cut material portion changes, and potential existing tabs or protrusions may be incorrectly stored or folded, making it impossible to identify all deviations.

[0008] Furthermore, traceability of production is required in many applications. For example, many customers of such cut material portions require information such as quality control and / or further processing information for the cut material portions, including quality data, cutting data or coordinates, processing data, and processing parameters. This information is established during the cutting process and / or exists during the cutting process and / or has already been conveyed to the cutting machine in the early stages of production or manufacturing. Summary of the Invention

[0009] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an automated method and apparatus that enables rapid, reliable and reproducible quality assurance, thereby eliminating the aforementioned disadvantages of previous quality assurance, and is easily integrated into existing machines to meet new quality standards of existing machines.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide an automated method and apparatus by which information for quality assurance can be safely and efficiently associated with the cut material portions.

[0011] This invention is based on the idea of ​​generating quality results through online quality control without the need for additional movement of the cut material portion at the cutting machine. Since there is no repositioning of the cut material portion, defects that might be caused or hidden by repositioning can be avoided. Furthermore, online quality control increases throughput and improves repeatability.

[0012] Another aspect of the invention relates to marking the cut material portions. Therefore, information regarding the quality outcome can be reliably attached to or assigned to the cut material portions, thereby ensuring quality assurance and / or safely identifying defective portions, and one or more additional information regarding the material and / or previous processing can also be attached or assigned.

[0013] In a first aspect, a cutting machine is described in detail, comprising: a conveyor for conveying a flexible material; a processing unit for cutting the flexible material into one or more material portions; an identification unit for detecting the flexible material and / or at least one cut material portion, the identification unit being disposed after the processing unit along the conveying direction; and a control unit configured to generate a quality result based on information from the identification unit and / or marking information, and (if applicable) control the cutting machine.

[0014] Therefore, the identification unit is positioned as an online quality control unit after the processing unit used for cutting. The cut material portion is removed from the processing unit by a conveyor, allowing for immediate quality control without further repositioning. That is, the flexible material portion can remain in its original position, and the quality control unit (also known as the identification unit) can identify all cuts, stitches, weaves, holes, tags, or protrusions at the intended location and check them individually to see if they match the cutting data and / or reference data or are within given tolerances.

[0015] Alternatively or additionally, the identification unit may also be placed before the processing unit, for example, material defects may have been identified before cutting.

[0016] When generating quality results, additional marking information originating from the initial production stage or material manufacturing can also be processed together.

[0017] Alternatively or additionally, the cutting machine may include a marking unit for marking the flexible material and / or at least one cut portion of the material based on the quality result. For example, marking can be achieved by imprinting on the cut portion of the material or by cutting or marking (scribing, partially melting the surface) the cut portion of the material. Preferably, the cutting or marking can still be performed by a processing unit (e.g., by a laser). A downstream printer for imprinting may also be present.

[0018] Marking units can be positioned before and / or after the processing unit along the conveying direction. For example, a marking unit preceding the processing unit can apply information about the material or material defects to the material at the corresponding location. Therefore, in quality control, marking units can more easily identify material defects that were present before cutting.

[0019] Alternatively or additionally, the marking unit can also be positioned after the identification unit along the conveying direction, thereby allowing quality results to be fed back into the marking. Marking, especially marking to identify defects, is crucial for preventing further processing of defective parts as consistently as possible.

[0020] In another aspect, a cutting machine is described in detail, comprising: a conveyor for conveying a flexible material; a processing unit for cutting the flexible material into one or more material portions; and a marking unit for marking the flexible material and / or at least one cut material portion based on information from the cutting machine and / or the flexible material, the marking unit being disposed before and / or after the processing unit along the conveying direction.

[0021] In this respect, identification units are not required, and marking units are mainly used for information about the application materials and / or processing procedures.

[0022] This cutting machine can, of course, be extended using the aforementioned identification unit. The identification unit is used to detect flexible material and / or at least one portion of the material being cut, and is positioned after and / or before the processing unit along the conveying direction.

[0023] The control unit can be configured to generate quality results based on information from the identification unit and / or marking information, and (if applicable) control the cutting machine.

[0024] Preferably, the flexible material can be a flexible fabric, a single or multiple layer of plastic sheet or a single or multiple layer of metal sheet, textile, technical textile (e.g., carbon fiber or glass fiber materials (e.g., aramid)), and / or at least partially a single layer, double layer, and / or multiple layer of fabric. The flexible material can be uncoated or coated on one or both sides.

[0025] Preferably, the flexible material can be a flexible fabric used in the production of airbags.

[0026] Preferably, the flexible material can be fed from a roll onto a conveyor. It is also possible to feed the flexible material into large, pre-cut slabs or panels.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the cutting machine may include a detachment device. The detachment device is used to detach at least one cut portion of material from the conveyor. The detachment device may be positioned after the identification unit, or, if a marking unit is present, after the marking unit.

[0028] In a preferred development, the cutting machine may include an excess material removal device or an excess fabric extraction device for removing excess material or fabric. The excess fabric extraction device may be positioned before or after the identification unit and / or before or after the marking unit along the conveying direction.

[0029] In the optional configuration of the excess material removal device prior to the identification unit, quality control is easier to perform because the edges of the cut material portions can be more easily identified. However, it must be accepted that, if applicable, the position of the cut material portions may change due to the removal of excess material / excess fabric, and areas that are poorly or incompletely cut may cause the process to stop.

[0030] In the identification unit with the excess material removal device, the quality control requirements are higher because the cut now needs to be identified. However, the cut material portion used for quality control remains in place.

[0031] The excess material removal device can be located at the same position as the removal device along the conveying direction, or it can be located after the removal device along the conveying direction. This is advantageous when the required length of the conveyor in space is limited.

[0032] In a preferred development, the control unit can be configured to control the detachment device and / or excess material detachment device and / or marking unit based on information from the identification unit and / or marking information. Therefore, subsequent units can be controlled and stopped where applicable based on quality results, or the detachment of corresponding material portions can be stopped separately by the detachment device.

[0033] In a preferred development, the identification unit may include a camera and / or a transmitter and receiver and / or one or more sensors, and / or an illumination unit. Depending on the material, different devices may be deployed for quality control. Therefore, for example, for single-layer or multi-layer fabrics, it is reasonable to use a camera to process the perforated material sections, depending on the fabric thickness and with additional illumination. In multi-layer coated foils, an ultrasonic device consisting of a transmitter and receiver may be deployed.

[0034] Preferably, the illumination unit can output light with a wavelength suitable for the material or a material composition.

[0035] Preferably, the flexible material can be located between the transmitter and the receiver, and the transmitter can, for example, output ultrasonic waves, which are then received by the receiver to obtain information about the material composition of the flexible material.

[0036] The recording area of ​​a camera or sensor can include square, rectangular, and / or linear shapes. Therefore, for example, bar-shaped images can be recorded, and then these images can be combined in a control unit for identification, for example, by contrast differences, cuts, stitches, holes, etc. Depending on the application and transport speed, defects or tolerances in the bar-shaped portions of the image can also be detected separately.

[0037] Preferably, the lighting unit can be located on the side of the flexible material opposite to the recognition unit.

[0038] The lighting unit can also be placed between the conveyor and the flexible material.

[0039] In a preferred development, quality results may be based on inspection of the cut locations and the number of stitches and / or the location and number of cuts / holes and / or the quality of the braids and / or welds and / or bonded areas and / or the marked locations on the braids, bonded areas and / or welds and / or flexible materials.

[0040] In a preferred development, a control unit can be configured to check for warping of at least one cut-out material portion. To do this, it can be checked whether the length and / or width of at least one cut-out material portion corresponds to a target or reference specification, and / or whether a label, protrusion, or cutout is positioned correctly on at least one cut-out material portion.

[0041] In a preferred development, the control unit can be configured to display the approved airbag portion via an optical output unit on the machine, such as in the form of a light or on a display screen. That is, in the case of a positive quality result, a green light or LED illuminates in the path of the approved airbag portion, or the machine operator receives this information on a display screen, wherein the good airbag portion on the display screen is colored with a predetermined color for approval.

[0042] Alternatively or additionally, the approved airbag portion can be displayed, for example, by projecting the quality results onto the airbag portion. That is, for example, a green dot can be projected onto the approved airbag portion.

[0043] For defective airbag sections, the optical output unit may display the airbag section as a scrapped section or an airbag section that can be reworked. For example, red indicates a scrapped section and yellow indicates an airbag section that can be reworked.

[0044] Similarly, here, the output of quality results can generally be achieved by projecting them onto the airbag section or the material section.

[0045] Typically, the control unit can output its quality results via a light output unit and / or on a display, or display the quality results of the material section by projecting them onto the material section.

[0046] In a preferred development, the identification unit can identify material defect markers on the flexible material.

[0047] Material defects in flexible materials or their location (known before cutting) can also be included in the file being processed by the control unit of the cutting machine to control the detachment device and marking unit (if applicable) accordingly, and to prevent the detachment and / or marking of defective material portions.

[0048] In preferred developments, the flexible material can be a fabric strip, especially for airbag production, which has multi-layered and single-layered areas, such as one-piece woven (OPW) fabric.

[0049] Preferably, the processing unit can be a laser cutting device for cutting the fabric material portion used in the production of airbags.

[0050] In a preferred development, the control unit can be configured to allow the corresponding cut fabric material portion to detach in the case of a positive quality result, and to classify the defective airbag portion as a scrap portion or an airbag portion that can be reprocessed in the case of a negative quality result.

[0051] In a preferred development, the control unit can be configured to control the shedding device so that the waste portion and the OPW fabric material portion that can be reprocessed are stored separately from each other.

[0052] Preferably, the control unit can be configured based on information from the identification unit to identify defects and / or their causes and / or correct these defects and / or output warnings about defects and / or wear on the cutting machine. Therefore, recurring defects can be avoided and scrap rates reduced. By outputting defects as optical or audible warning signals, the machine operator can intervene and, where applicable, modify subsequent cutting processes to improve the quality of later sections.

[0053] In a preferred development, the control unit can be configured to perform quality control during continuous and / or discontinuous and / or stopped operation of the cutting machine. That is, the identification unit can also record a photograph of the stopped conveyor and then combine it with subsequent photographs as the process resumes to identify the posture of cutting, stitching, holes, etc.

[0054] On the other hand, an automated online quality control method is specified for at least one material portion cut from a flexible material, comprising the steps of: supplying the flexible material on a conveyor; cutting the flexible material into one or more material portions by a processing unit; detecting at least a portion of the flexible material and / or the cut material portion by an identification unit; and performing quality control based on information from the identification unit and at least one reference value.

[0055] Preferably, the method includes controlling the processing unit and / or the shedding device and / or excess material and / or markers based on quality control results.

[0056] Since the flexible material of the present invention is conveyed on a conveyor, for example, the marking unit of a printer or laser marking machine can mark parts of the material, even without quality control.

[0057] Material portions that can be reworked may include, for example, small holes that are laser-cut and then reattached to the hole cut via the hot edge of the material. Attached Figure Description

[0058] Figure 1 A perspective view of a conventional cutting machine with manual fabric material removal and quality control is shown.

[0059] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the cutting machine with online quality control according to the present invention is shown.

[0060] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a cutting machine with online quality control according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0061] Figure 4a Figures 1 and 2 show a variant of the third embodiment of the online quality control of the present invention in schematic form.

[0062] Figure 5 A schematic diagram is shown of the online quality control retrofit solution of the present invention on an existing OPW cutting machine.

[0063] Figure 6 The cut-out portion of material is shown.

[0064] Figure 7 Another cut-out portion of material with tolerance range is shown;

[0065] Figure 8 The online quality control method of the present invention is illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0066] The invention is described below using an airbag cutting machine. However, the invention is not limited to separately cutting and inspecting or marking OPW fabrics, and can be transferred to many applications where flexible materials are cut using cutting processes. Therefore, a laser cutting machine can be used to cut single or multiple layers of sheets or foils from metals or plastics (coated or uncoated). These cut material components can be, for example, battery electrodes, sheet or foil components, or seat covers.

[0067] In the following text, unless otherwise stated, the same reference numerals are used for elements that have the same or similar functions. The elements depicted should not be considered to be drawn to scale; on the contrary, individual elements may be depicted as larger than intended for better understanding.

[0068] Figure 1A conventional cutting machine is shown. After the cutting process of the fabric material belt 100, the cut fabric material portion 200 is manually removed from the conveyor 10 by an employee. After the cutting process of the fabric material belt 100, the employee separates the shavings from the fabric material portion 200. Subsequently, the fabric material portion 200, which often contains a large number of labels, is placed on a table and manually quality-controlled by an employee.

[0069] The purpose of this invention is to specify online quality control that provides higher quality reliability, a higher degree of automation, and reproducible results, thereby reducing the number of potential sources of defect and the impact on human tolerance.

[0070] Furthermore, the online quality control of this invention should also be adaptable to existing machines.

[0071] The conveying direction F is defined as the direction in which the fabric material belt 100 or the fabric material section 200 moves on the conveyor 10. Figures 2 to 4b The arrows indicate the positions of the components. The terms "above" and "below," "above" and "below," and "horizontal" and "vertical" describe the orientation of the components in the established system or how these components are positioned in the diagram.

[0072] Therefore, in order to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings, the following proposed solutions were put forward: Figures 2 to 5 The online quality control of the fabric material portion 200 shown is performed on the same conveyor 10, on which the machining of the fabric material belt 100 occurs, or is immediately coupled to the conveyor 10 associated with the processing unit 20, such that the machined fabric material portion 200 cannot be removed first and then re-set, aligned and flattened.

[0073] Figures 2 to 4b Different embodiments of the automatic cutting machine with online quality control of the present invention are shown. Figures 2 to 4b The difference lies in the arrangement or positioning of the excess material removal device 60, which separates chips or excess fabric from the fabric material portion 200. The excess material removal device 60 may, for example, roll up and / or discharge excess material or excess fabric upwards.

[0074] exist Figure 2 In this process, the excess material removal device 60 is arranged after the processing unit 20 along the conveying direction, that is, the excess material removal device 60 is arranged between the processing unit 20 and the identification unit or camera 30.

[0075] exist Figure 3 In the middle, the excess material removal device 60 is set before the removal device 40 along the conveying direction but after the identification unit 30.

[0076] exist Figure 4a and 4bIn this process, chips or excess material are collected in a box at the end of the conveyor 10 via an excess material removal device 60. The airbag cutting machine with automatic online quality assurance according to the invention includes a conveyor 10 (on which fabric material strip 100 is conveyed) and a processing unit 20 (preferably a laser cutting device) having at least one movable laser cutting head 21 or one or more laser scanners to cut fabric material portions 200, which are then further conveyed on the conveyor 10 along the direction of the removal device 40, particularly to removal position A. Between removal position A and processing unit 20, online quality control is performed, for example by using a camera 30 or a line scan camera (not depicted) to check the shape, contour, size, warpage, and / or cutting sequence, and / or markings or holes on the cut fabric material portions 200 or the entire fabric material strip 100.

[0077] Here, for example, the cutting marks on the fabric material portion 200 are compared with a target pattern or reference, and it is verified that the cutting marks (cuts or kerfs) are within the tolerances of the target pattern specifications. Alternatively or additionally, the location and / or number of holes or openings within the fabric material portion 200 can be checked. This comparison can be based on data already used to drive the processing unit 20. Quality control provides reports or quality results indicating whether the correspondingly cut fabric material portion 200 meets requirements, should be considered scrap, or is considered a portion suitable for post-processing.

[0078] Quality control can be performed by control unit 50, which compares the target specifications stored or provided by processing unit 20 with the actual data (considering tolerance values) recorded by identification unit 30 to identify superior fabric material portions 200. Identification unit 30 can be designed as a camera to detect the dimensions and / or cuts or stitches of the fabric material portions 200 through photographs or images taken by camera 30 and compare them with specifications. For this purpose, differences in brightness and / or contrast between the fabric material portions 200 and the pattern are detected, enabling accurate identification of the location and length of cuts and stitches, holes, weaves, and the number and location of tags in the photographs taken by identification unit 30.

[0079] The recording area of ​​camera 30 can be selected during this process so that a complete portion 200 of the fabric material can be recorded so that a target-to-actual comparison can be performed based on these records, for example, by comparing the target pattern with the actual pattern or by comparing the target cut coordinates with the actual cut coordinates.

[0080] However, it is also possible, especially for larger sections of fabric material 200, to record multiple segments of a single section of fabric material 200 sequentially, and then combine these records into a complete record of the entire section of fabric material 200 for inspection. During this process, individual records may have already been checked for discrepancies.

[0081] Furthermore, it is also possible for camera 30 to record the entire width of the conveyor belt 11 and the fabric material portion 200 resting on top after the cutting process, in the form of one or more line scan cameras. The recording width of the line scan camera in the conveying direction can be reduced to one pixel length or several pixel lengths respectively. The multiple recordings from the line scan cameras are then combined into a line scan image to identify whether the cut extends to an area of ​​the fabric material portion 200 that is woven, welded, or normally cannot be cut.

[0082] The recording frequency of camera 30 is adapted to or coordinated with the conveyor speed of conveyor 10 to obtain a complete record of the fabric material portion 200 without any overlap. Preferably, before the fabric material portion 200 is completely cut out, a target-to-actual comparison can be performed with the current record of camera 30, especially a line scan camera, and the individual records of the fabric material portion 200 can be combined into a whole record to identify defects in the fabric material portion 200 as early as possible, thereby avoiding the production of multiple fabric material portions 200 with the same defects.

[0083] Control unit 50 is configured to identify cut edges 62 and woven, welded, or sewn areas 63 in the recording of camera 30. Cut areas 64 may be noticeably darker in the recording, for example, compared to OPW fabric material portions 200. Woven, welded, or sewn / bonded areas 63 may have different surface structures compared to unwoven, unwelded, or unsewn areas, and are thus identified by control unit 50. However, these areas can also be identified by another reflection of light from control unit 50. With additional illumination 12, illuminating from the side opposite camera 30, cut marks or cut edges 62 and cut areas 64 can be identified by control unit 50 as dark areas in the recording, while woven, welded, or sewn areas 63 are identified as bright areas.

[0084] If the control unit 50 identifies a defect, the possible response to the defect could be to limit the speed of the conveyor 10. This response to a defect might be particularly reasonable for incomplete cuts. If the control unit 50 identifies the cause of the defect, there is a possibility that the control unit 50 can correct the parameters in the processing unit 20. For example, the control unit 50 could be designed to reduce the cutting speed, correct the parameters of the laser cutter, and / or readjust the position of the cutting device if the cutting line deviates from the target position. Similarly, if the fabric material portion 200 is poorly stacked or incompletely cut, the power of the laser cutting head can be increased to achieve a complete cut.

[0085] Figure 6 An exemplary cut pattern of the fabric material portion 200 is shown. Figure 6 In the middle, the cut fabric material portion 200, which is laid within the excess fabric 61 of the fabric material sheet 100, can be identified in the internal area. The cut area 64 or cut seam 62 is located in the middle. The dimensions of the cut fabric material portion 200 are compared with the target specifications or reference objects.

[0086] Figure 7 Another exemplary cut pattern of the fabric material portion 200 is shown. Figure 7 In this diagram, target specifications are described with solid lines. Allowable external and internal tolerances are represented by dashed lines, respectively. This depiction is for illustrative purposes only, and the allowable tolerance dimensions are chosen to be exceptionally large and do not reflect reality. In practice, the tolerances for the OPW fabric material portions manufactured for airbags are very small. Internal and / or external tolerance specifications can be separate patterns, aligned relative to the position of the cut pattern within or around them. This provides the advantage of selecting different tolerances along the cut patterns 200 of the fabric material portion. However, tolerances can also be defined as the same interval as the cut seam or as a ratio to the cut pattern. Furthermore, for example, internal tolerances smaller than the external tolerances (such as...) can be selected. Figure 7 (As shown in the example).

[0087] Continuously comparing the cutting line with the target specifications allows for the identification and correction of slowly deviating values ​​before actual defects occur. The control unit 50 can be designed to store corrections and adaptively correct the machining unit 20.

[0088] Therefore, the amount of waste can be reduced. The calibration of the control unit 50 can also be monitored, and if a predetermined limit is exceeded, a defect can be output, or this can indicate wear on the machine or a specific part of the machine, respectively.

[0089] Furthermore, there is a possibility that when the control unit 50 is unable to identify a defect, the machine may be stopped and / or a signal (e.g., acoustic or optical) may be output to indicate the defect to the machine operator.

[0090] Furthermore, the control unit 50 can also be configured to identify fabric material portions 200 that have been marked as defective before processing in the processing unit 20. For example, a defective woven fabric material strip 100 can be marked as defective immediately after weaving at the corresponding position, for example, by a marking unit 70 (not depicted) positioned along the conveying direction before the processing unit 20. Thus, for example, only defective areas of the fabric material strip 100 can be reliably discarded, and thus waste can be reduced. Furthermore, this avoids (in quality control after processing unit 20) erroneously identifying fabric material portions 200 with defects from previous processing stations as “good” portions.

[0091] However, the control unit 50 may also acquire information related to the processing quality of the previous station, either digitally or in document form. Areas of fabric material 200 or fabric strip 100 that were previously identified as defective before processing unit 20 may no longer be incorrectly classified as "good."

[0092] This generates a quality result for each individual fabric material portion 200, which can drive the shedding device 40. Therefore, according to Figure 2 Each of the detachment modules 41 of the detachment device 40 in Figure 4 can be selectively driven to detach only the portion 200 of fabric material identified as “good” and transport it to storage location B. If only the detachment module 41 is present at the detachment device 40, it can be controlled so that only the “good” portion detaches, while the portion characterized as waste does not detach and is either discharged through the excess material detachment device 60 or guided to a collection box at the end of the conveyor. Therefore, the waste portion is not picked up and transported by the conveyor 10 and / or the detachment device 40 and / or the excess material detachment device 60 to a waste container (not shown).

[0093] The detachment device 40 may include one or more detachment modules 41 having one or more suction clamps and / or clamping clamps (not shown). The suction clamps can lift, raise, or hold the fabric material portions 200 away from the conveyor belt 11, and optionally subsequently secure them with the clamping clamps. The one or more detachment modules 41 are preferably movable along the straight support 42 in the conveying direction to detach the fabric material portions 200 from the conveyor belt 11 at detachment position A and convey them to storage position B. More preferably, the detachment modules 41 can be moved laterally and horizontally to the conveying direction, such that the detachment modules 41 can detach (separate from each other) the fabric material portions 200 disposed on the conveyor belt 11. Only one detachment module may also be provided.

[0094] To ensure adequate illumination of the fabric belt, the cut edge, or the cut area, a lighting unit 12 can be installed between the conveyor belt 11 and the fabric belt 100. This can be achieved as follows: Figure 4b As shown, the conveyor belt 11 extends below the lighting unit. However, the conveyor belt 11 may also be interrupted in the recording area of ​​the recognition unit 30, and the flat lightbox is arranged so that it can be illuminated from below, through which the fabric strip 100 is guided.

[0095] Camera 30 may also include an illuminator (not shown) to also illuminate the recording area from and / or from the side. Another possibility is that the illuminator is positioned near the recording area, separate from camera 30. In addition to the conventional illuminator for the recording area, an auxiliary illuminator 12 may be positioned on the side of conveyor belt 11 opposite to camera 30. This auxiliary illuminator 12 may be located either below or above conveyor belt 11 when camera 30 is positioned on the top surface of conveyor belt 11.

[0096] Preferably, the conveyor belt 11 may be made of a transparent material or have openings so that light can potentially shine onto the fabric material portion 200 from below, and the fabric material portion 200 or cuts become visible through additional lighting. However, especially when connected to a line scan camera, it is possible to guide the conveyor belt 11 near the light source, such as... Figure 4b As shown. The lighting unit 12 can also be placed between the conveyor belt 11 and the material sheet 100, and the flexible material 100 can be pulled above the lighting unit 12. Thus, the lighting unit 12 is formed as a flat light box.

[0097] By using strong illumination from the opposite side of camera 30, welds 63, markings 66, holes 67, or weave sections 63 of the fabric material portion 200 become more visible to camera 30, making it easier and more reliable to detect defects (such as defects in welds 63 or weave sections 63). Furthermore, each cut of the fabric material portion 200 can be recorded multiple times using different illumination sources 12. For example, when camera 30 is positioned above conveyor belt 11, the first recording can be made using only the illuminator from above, the second recording using only the additional illuminator 12 from below, and the third recording using both illumination sources 12 simultaneously. Records with corresponding identical illumination sources can then be combined into a single overall record (three overall records in this example). With different illumination, defects invisible under conventional lighting can be detected even better. Furthermore, multiple recordings enable redundancy, ensuring additional safety.

[0098] Furthermore, different wavelengths, different spectra, or UV irradiation can be used to better represent contrast. That is, the wavelength of the illuminator 12, or the wavelength of the recognition unit 30, is adapted to the material.

[0099] Waste portions can be categorized into at least two types. For example, fabric material portions 200 that are incompletely cut or whose cuts related to the contour of the target specification are located outside the target cut edge can be reworked. Waste portions cannot be reworked and are considered waste and discarded if: the hole 67 of the waste portion is not located at the target position and / or its cut is located inside the specification and / or its cut is located in an area that cannot be cut normally.

[0100] Furthermore, the waste portion can be indicated by the marker 70 to safely prevent further incorrect processing of the waste. The waste portion can be marked by laser, color, or any other suitable method to clearly mark it as defective or to actively remove it. Preferably, the marker 70 is positioned between the quality control or camera 30 and the removal device 40.

[0101] Figure 5 A machine without quality control is shown, at which the online quality control system of the present invention has been modified. Elements with the same reference numerals are not described further, and the foregoing description also applies to the components in this embodiment.

[0102] To integrate online quality control into existing systems as easily and cost-effectively as possible, it should be possible to retain as many components as possible. In this case, Figure 5 The machine described in [the document] is integrated as an example into [the system]. Figure 1 In the machine, conveyor belt 11 is connected to a second conveyor 15 via connecting element 16, on which manual removal and (if applicable) quality control have occurred so far. Connecting element 16 can be in the form of a sliding sheet, roller bearings, or any other shape that allows fabric material portion 200 to be conveyed from conveyor belt 11 to the second conveyor 15, such that fabric material portion 200 must not subsequently be set, aligned, and flattened again. However, the assembly can also be positioned above the existing conveyor 10, such that camera 30 for quality control can be positioned after processing machine 20 without the second conveyor 15.

[0103] Automatic online quality control then occurs on the second conveyor 15 or the section of conveyor 10 after the processing machine 20.

[0104] Camera 30, marker 70, and one or more illuminators 12 are respectively positioned above or within the second conveyor 15. Following the second conveyor 15, the fabric material portion 200 can be removed by an employee or by a removal device 40 (not shown).

[0105] In other words, the removal device 40 is optional and can be omitted in the appropriate application. Similarly, the excess material removal device 60 and the marking unit 70 can be omitted.

[0106] Automatic online quality control can also be easily switched back to manual quality control. This is likely reasonable when the control unit 50 has very little target data. Therefore, the connecting element 16 can be easily disassembled and replaced by the operator. In this case, the flattening device 80 can also be easily put back into operation.

[0107] Camera 30 can be located within the processing area of ​​laser cutting machine 20 so that when defects are identified, the part can be immediately marked by cutting them and / or the cutting process of that part can be terminated.

[0108] exist Figure 8 The online quality control method of the present invention is illustrated in the figure. Figure 8 The flowchart depicting the method for online quality control illustrates a method with very extensive functionality. In its simplest embodiment, not all of these steps are necessary. This will be explained in detail below.

[0109] In its simplest embodiment, the online quality control method of the present invention includes the steps of processing a fabric material strip 100 into a fabric material portion 200 at a processing unit 20 based on target specifications, step S100 recording the fabric material portion 200 by a camera, step S120 performing quality control based on the recording of the fabric material portion 200 and a target-to-actual comparison of the target specifications of the fabric material portion, and step S130 evaluating whether the fabric material portion 200 has been manufactured within allowable tolerances.

[0110] If all cuts, seams, weaves 63, holes 67, marks 66 and cut edges 62 of the fabric material portion 200 are present, and if their positions are in the correct positions or within the allowable tolerances, the fabric material portion 200 is identified as good and is detached from the detachment device 40 at position A and transported to storage position B (S140).

[0111] If not all cuts, seams, weaves, holes, and cut edges of the fabric material portion 200 are present, or if one of them is not in the correct position or exceeds the permissible tolerance, the fabric material portion 200 is identified as waste S130 and can be marked accordingly by the marker 70 (S160) and supplied from the detachment device 40 or the excess fabric extraction device 60 or otherwise to a separate waste container.

[0112] The target data used to match the target specifications with the record of the fabric material portion 200 can be based on the target data used by the processing station 20 for processing the fabric strip 100.

[0113] Therefore, step S110, in which the camera 30 records part 200 of the fabric material, can occur in different ways.

[0114] In a particular embodiment, identified material defects (e.g., defects in the weave) can be provided as input values ​​to the processing unit 20 and quality control. This prevents erroneous identification and processing of fabric material portions 200 located in areas with known defects. Here, the cutting process can also be paused when the location of the fabric material portion 200 is within the area of ​​a known defect in the fabric piece 100.

Claims

1. A cutting machine, comprising: Conveyor (10) for conveying flexible material (100); Processing unit (20) for cutting the flexible material (100) into material portions (200); An identification unit (30) for detecting the flexible material (100) and / or at least one cut material portion (200) is provided after the processing unit (20) along the conveying direction. A control unit (50) is configured to generate quality results based on information from the identification unit (30) and / or based on tag information and to control the processing unit (20). The flexible material (100) is a fabric strip used for producing airbags, and the processing unit (20) is a laser cutting device for cutting fabric material portions (200) in airbag production, and the control unit (50) is configured to allow the corresponding cut fabric material portions (200) to fall off when a positive quality result is obtained, and to classify defective airbag portions as scrap portions or airbag portions that can be reprocessed in the case of a negative quality result.

2. The cutting machine according to claim 1, further comprising: A marking unit (70) for marking the flexible material (100) and / or the at least one cut material portion (200) based on the quality result, the marking unit (70) being disposed before and / or after the processing unit (20) along the conveying direction.

3. The cutting machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flexible material (100) comprises: Single or multiple layers of plastic sheets, single or multiple layers of metal sheets, and / or at least partially single, double and / or multiple layers of fabric.

4. The cutting machine according to claim 2, further comprising a detachment device (40) for detaching at least one cut material portion (200) from the conveyor (10), the detachment device (40) being disposed after the identification unit (30) and / or the marking unit (70).

5. The cutting machine according to claim 4 further includes an excess material removal device (60) for removing excess material, the excess material removal device (60) being disposed before or after the identification unit (30) along the conveying direction, and / or disposed before or after the marking unit (70) along the conveying direction, or the excess material removal device (60) being disposed at the same position as the removal device (40) along the conveying direction, or disposed after the removal device (40) along the conveying direction.

6. The cutting machine according to claim 5, wherein the control unit (50) is further configured to control the removal device (40), the excess material removal device (60) and / or the marking unit (70) based on information from the identification unit (30) and / or based on marking information.

7. The cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit (30) includes a camera and / or transmitter and receiver, one or more sensors and / or lighting units (12).

8. The cutting machine according to claim 7, wherein the lighting unit (12) outputs light having a wavelength suitable for a flexible material or a material composition of a flexible material, and / or wherein the flexible material (100) is disposed between the transmitter and the receiver, wherein the transmitter outputs ultrasound or radiation having a predetermined wavelength, which is received by the receiver to obtain information about the material composition of the flexible material (100).

9. The cutting machine according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the lighting unit (12) is disposed on the side of the flexible material (100) opposite to the identification unit (30), or the lighting unit (12) is disposed between the conveyor (10) and the flexible material (100).

10. The cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the quality result is based on an inspection of at least one of the following criteria: The location and number of seams The location and number of incisions / holes, and / or Regarding the quality of the braided parts and / or welds and / or bonded areas The location of the braided portion, the adhesive area, and / or the weld. The location of the markings on the flexible material (100), Is the external profile within the predetermined tolerance range? The position of the pattern to the woven portion, and / or Material warping.

11. The cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (50) is configured to check whether the at least one cut material portion (200) is warped, and / or whether the length and / or width of the at least one cut material portion (200) corresponds to a target or reference specification, and / or whether the label, protrusion or cut at the at least one cut material portion (200) is set in its correct position, and / or whether the outer contour is located in a previously specified area.

12. The cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit (30) is configured to identify a marker (66) for a material defect, or the material defect of the flexible material (100) is included in a file processed by the control unit (50) of the cutting machine.

13. The cutting machine according to claim 4, wherein the control unit (50) is configured to control the detachment device (40) such that the waste portion and the reworkable airbag portion are stored separately from each other, and / or wherein the control unit (50) is configured to identify defects and / or the causes of defects and / or correct defects, and / or output defects and / or prompts about wear on the cutting machine based on information from the identification unit (30).

14. The cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (50) is configured to display the approved airbag portion via an optical output unit and / or a projection on a marker and / or an airbag portion.

15. The cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (50) is configured to perform quality control during continuous and / or discontinuous and / or stopped operation of the cutting machine.

16. A method for automated online quality control of at least one material portion (200) cut from a flexible material (100), comprising the steps of: Flexible material (100) is supplied on conveyor (10). The flexible material (100) is cut into one or more material portions (200) by the processing unit (20). The identification unit (30) detects at least a portion of the flexible material (100) and / or at least a portion of the cut material portion (200); and Quality control is performed based on the information from the identification unit (30) and at least one reference value. After the flexible material (100) is cut into one or more material portions (200) using the processing unit (20), the identification unit (30) detects at least a portion of the flexible material (100) and / or the cut material portions (200). The flexible material (100) is a fabric strip used in the production of airbags, and the processing unit (20) is a laser cutting device for cutting the fabric material portion (200) in airbag production. The method further includes: When a positive quality result is obtained, the corresponding cut portion of the fabric material (200) is allowed to fall off, and In the event of a negative quality result, the defective airbag portion will be classified as a scrap portion or an airbag portion that can be reworked.

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