METAL STRIP FOR THE MANUFACTURING OF A COMPONENT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A COMPONENT FROM A METAL STRIP

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a metal strip for the manufacture of a component, wherein the metal strip is wound into a roll and coated with at least one lubricant. The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a component from such a metal strip.

[0002] Metal strips wound into a coil, also known as sheet metal coils, are used in the production of components such as car body parts. Before the sheet metal is formed into the body part, for example using a press, sections to be formed are first cut from the metal strip. These sections are called blanks. A strip slitting machine is typically used for this purpose. The metal strip, whose surface is sprayed with a lubricant such as oil, is placed in the slitting machine and cut with a cutting tool. The cut sheets or blanks are then stacked. To form the blanks, the stack is fed into a press, for example, which performs forming and further cutting steps to give the blank its desired shape.

[0003] It can happen that a component leaving the press exhibits defects such as cracks or sink marks. In this regard, it is important to be able to trace the component back to the metal strip from which the blank was cut. This is because the metal strip may not meet the required specifications in certain areas. This could be due to inconsistent material composition or minor variations in the strip's processing by the manufacturer. It is also possible that processing parameters during forming led to the defect in the finished component. To draw more accurate conclusions, detailed component traceability is desirable. In particular, it is important to be able to trace the component back to the metal strip or coil from which it was manufactured.

[0004] JP 2005074448 A describes the production of a steel blank, which is wound into a roll. Markings indicating product properties of the blank are applied to the blank using a marking device.

[0005] EP 3 121 765 A1 describes a method for identifying a coil, in which an image file is generated containing a representation of a winding mirror formed on an end face of the coil. The image file is intended to enable automated recognition of the winding mirror by applying an image processing method to evaluate the image file.

[0006] For component traceability, marking technologies also exist that enable the identification of components. For example, a semi-finished product from which the component is to be manufactured can be labeled, or an RFID transponder can be attached to the semi-finished product. However, with metal strips or sheet coils wound onto a roll, where the metal strip is coated with lubricant, there are technical constraints that make applying such identification markers for unambiguous identification difficult or even impossible.

[0007] For example, glossy and oily surfaces make it difficult to apply labels or to perform optical identification based on surface texture. Furthermore, very high tape speeds are involved in processing the metal strip, such as when unwinding it from the roll and after trimming or cutting the circuit boards. This means that, for instance, very little time is available for reading markings printed on labels. Additional restrictions can arise from subsequent processing steps such as painting or joining the components.

[0008] The object of the present invention is therefore to create a metal strip of the type mentioned at the outset which enables reliable component traceability, and to provide a method for manufacturing a component from such a metal strip.

[0009] This problem is solved by a metal strip having the features of claim 1 and by a method having the features of claim 4. Advantageous embodiments with expedient further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0010] In the metal strip according to the invention for the manufacture of a component, which may in particular be a body component for a motor vehicle, the metal strip is wound into a roll and coated with at least one lubricant. A surface of the metal strip is provided with at least one random marking onto which the at least one lubricant is applied. The at least one marking is thus optically detectable through the lubricant. By optically detecting at least a partial area of ​​the at least one marking, a first section of the metal strip, which has at least the partial area, can be distinguished from a second section of the metal strip, which has a further partial area of ​​the at least one marking.Therefore, by means of a camera, at least the partial area of ​​the at least one marking can be used to clearly identify each section of the metal strip.

[0011] In the metal strip according to the invention, the surface of the metal strip is provided with at least one continuous marking in a longitudinal direction of the metal strip by applying an ink. Unlike marking the surface by embossing, engraving, or laser marking, this does not alter the metal strip itself. This is advantageous with regard to the reliable manufacturing of the component from the metal strip.

[0012] The at least one marking, however, is not designed as an information carrier such as a barcode. Rather, the random marking consists of elements arranged according to a random principle, preferably applied to the surface, which do not serve as information carriers but merely enable the optical identification of the respective section. Because each section of the metal strip can be identified by another section of the metal strip based on the portion of the at least one marking provided in the respective section, reliable component traceability of components manufactured from the metal strip is possible.

[0013] However, after delivery of the metal strip to a processing plant where the component is manufactured, there is no need to painstakingly apply markings to the strip. Instead, the marking already present on the metal strip upon delivery is used. With regard to the manufacturing of the component from the metal strip in the processing plant, the marking is therefore an inherent optical feature – a feature already present on the metal strip upon delivery to the plant.

[0014] This is based on the understanding that, after delivery of the metal strip or coil, marking the surface of the strip would require a very high level of technical effort. The lubricant present on the strip, for example, makes applying ink difficult or necessitates the use of an ink that is not entirely safe from a health perspective, such as one containing carcinogenic components. Conversely, removing the lubricant first, marking the strip, and then reapplying the lubricant would result in an unacceptably high workload for the component manufacturer, who produces the component from the metal strip in the production line.Such a further, unstable process, which would in principle enable component traceability, would therefore negate the advantages of component traceability due to the effort required for the marking process.

[0015] In contrast, marking the surface of the metal strip with a random, continuous marking in the longitudinal direction of the strip allows for the unambiguous identification of the metal strip or such semi-finished products, intermediate products manufactured from the metal strip, and finished components, without the need for additional marking technology. This identification is also possible under the difficult conditions of manufacturing components from the metal strip, thus avoiding additional processes and therefore additional costs.

[0016] At least one marking can be formed by randomly arranged characters applied to the surface of the metal strip. In particular, such characters can be written characters, preferably Asian characters such as Chinese characters. This is because such characters, due to their numerous edges, can be detected particularly easily and reliably by a recognition device using an optical pattern recognition algorithm, especially a camera, and thus used to identify the respective section.

[0017] Additionally or alternatively, at least one marking can be formed by a random pattern created by elements randomly applied to the surface. For example, irregular splashes, splatters, an irregular color trail, or the like can form the marking in the form of a random pattern. This allows for a particularly high degree of flexibility in how the marking is applied to the surface of the metal strip. Furthermore, such random patterns can be easily captured and used for unambiguous identification using an optical pattern recognition algorithm, such as one from a camera or an evaluation unit coupled to the camera.

[0018] In addition to at least one marking, the surface of the metal strip can be marked with a sequential, machine-readable code that specifies parameters relating to the metal strip. This allows parameters relating to the metal strip to be easily linked to the respective identified section of the metal strip by reading the code.

[0019] The inventive method for manufacturing a component from a metal strip wound into a roll and coated with at least one lubricant, wherein a surface of the metal strip is provided with at least one random marking onto which the at least one lubricant is applied, wherein by optical detection of at least one partial area of ​​the at least one marking a first section of the metal strip having at least the partial area is distinguishable from a second section of the metal strip having a further partial area of ​​the at least one marking, and wherein the random marking consists of elements arranged according to a random principle which do not serve as information carriers but merely enable the optical identification of the respective section, comprises the following steps: Unrolling at least a part of the metal strip; determining at least one parameter relating to the metal strip; cutting the unrolled part of the metal strip to produce at least one section of the metal strip; optically detecting at least the partial area of ​​the at least one marking in the at least one section of the metal strip using a first camera; assigning the at least one parameter to the at least one section of the metal strip.

[0020] By assigning at least one parameter to at least one section of the metal strip, reliable component traceability is enabled. For example, the parameters assigned to each section can be stored as a data record, with this data record being linked to an image captured by the first camera that contains at least the portion of the marking. In this way, each section can be uniquely linked to the parameters relating to the metal strip.

[0021] Preferably, the at least one parameter relating to the metal strip comprises a unique identifier for each strip, a manufacturer of the metal strip, and, in particular, a consecutive meter reading of the metal strip. This allows the properties of the metal strip to be assigned to the respective section with meter-level precision. In this way, it can be determined, for example, whether a change in the properties of the metal strip in a particular area has had an impact on the component manufactured from that metal strip. Corresponding information, such as details about the properties of the metal strip in specific areas or manufacturing parameters attributable to those areas, can be obtained from the metal strip manufacturer.

[0022] Preferably, at least one parameter is determined by evaluating images captured by a second camera before cutting. For example, the image captured by the second camera can be linked to information about the properties or manufacturing parameters of the respective meter of metal strip shown in the image. This enables meter-accurate referencing of the identified sections of the metal strip. Furthermore, it allows for precise location indication of where the unwound portion of the metal strip should be cut to produce the at least one section. Image acquisition can be coupled with a linear encoder, for example, so that the respective section can be assigned with exceptional accuracy to the corresponding image captured by the second camera.

[0023] However, even if the surface of the metal strip is marked with the continuous, machine-readable code, at least one parameter relating to the metal strip can be determined by reading the code.

[0024] Preferably, at least one section of the metal strip is fed to a forming device. Before forming the at least one section using the forming device, it is identified by optically scanning at least part of the marking. This ensures that it is known exactly which section is being formed in the forming device, which can be a press. The order in which the sections of the metal strip obtained after cutting, which can be stacked and stored in piles, are fed to the forming device is then irrelevant. The sections can be fed to the forming device in any order. This makes the process particularly simple yet reliable.

[0025] Preferably, to identify the at least one section, at least one distance between the partial area of ​​the at least one marking and at least one structural element of the at least one section is taken into account. For example, distances to edges, recesses, borders, and similar prominent structural elements of the section can be used to identify the at least one section with particular certainty.

[0026] Preferably, a component obtained by forming at least one section is optically detected and then processed further. Before further processing, the component is identified by optically detecting at least a portion of the at least one marking again. This is based on the understanding that optical identification is also advantageous for formed components when these components undergo further processing, such as painting and / or joining, or the like. This ensures complete traceability of the components until the final completion of an object formed from the formed components, for example, a car body. Preferably, at least a certain distance between the portion of the at least one marking and at least one structural element of the component is taken into account for component identification.For example, distances to prominent steps, edges, borders, recesses, or similar structural elements of the component can be used to identify it. This makes component identification particularly safe and reliable.

[0027] An embodiment of the invention is described below. The following is shown: Fig. 1 highly schematically depicts the cutting of sections or circuit boards from a rolled-up metal strip in a manufacturing plant, wherein the metal strip is unwound and images of the metal strip and of the sections of the metal strip are taken using cameras; Fig. 2 the identification of a section or a circuit board by optical pattern recognition; and Fig. 3 a recognition of components manufactured from the circuit boards based on optical features.

[0028] In Fig. 1 Figure 32 schematically illustrates how a component 12 is manufactured in a production plant 32 from a metal strip 10, which is wound into a roll and is also referred to as a sheet metal coil. The component 12 could, for example, be a body panel. The metal strip 10 is provided by a manufacturer, whereby a surface 14 of the metal strip is coated with a dry lubricant or oil lubricant. Before applying the oil to the surface 14, however, the manufacturer applies a marking 16 to the surface 14 using an ink, which is Fig. 2 can be seen here. Fig. 2 Figure 18 shows a section 20 of the metal strip 10, which is also referred to as a blank. Such sections 20, or blanks, are produced in the production plant 32 from the metal strip 10 by unwinding the metal strip 10 and feeding it to a cutting unit 22, which is Fig. 1 shown schematically and is designed here as a belt cutting system.

[0029] The content of the imprint applied by the manufacturer or supplier of the metal strip 10 to the surface 14 of the metal strip 10, in the form of ink, is freely selectable and can be parameterized via appropriate software. For example, a barcode can be printed on the surface 14, which can contain a consecutive meter reading of the metal strip 10, a unique number of the metal strip 10, the manufacturer, and other information.

[0030] In addition to or as an alternative to such a barcode, the manufacturer applies the marking 16 by printing ink onto the surface 14, after which the surface 14 is treated with lubricant. This marking 16 is a random marking, which is created, for example, by applying an ink trace to the surface 14 that extends in a longitudinal direction 24. The longitudinal direction 24 of the metal strip 10 is in Fig. 1 illustrated by an arrow.

[0031] By applying the random marking 16, which can be formed, for example, by randomly arranged characters such as Chinese characters applied to the surface 14 of the metal strip 10, a first section 20 of the metal strip 10 can be distinguished from a further section 26 of the metal strip 10. For this purpose, images of sections 20 and 26 are taken using a first camera 28, which employs an optical pattern recognition algorithm.

[0032] Regarding the production of component 12 in the Fig. 1 In the schematically depicted production plant 32, the marking 16 is an inherent, optically detectable feature of the metal strip 10. This is because the metal strip 10 already bears the marking 16 before it is fed into the production plant 32. A fingerprinting method is therefore used to identify sections 20 and 26. However, this fingerprinting method does not utilize the microscopic surface structure of surface 14 of the metal strip 10 itself, but rather the marking 16 in the form of a stable ink trace applied to surface 14 by the manufacturer of the metal strip 10. Thus, a portion of the marking 16 is optically detected by the first camera 28, specifically the portion located on the respective sections 20 and 26.This allows the respective section 20, 26 to be clearly identified, which is fed into a forming device, for example in the form of a press 30, in the production plant 32.

[0033] After the sheet coil or metal strip 10 is trimmed, the remainder or partial area of ​​the marking 16 or ink trace is always located in a different position, namely on the respective section 20, 26. Therefore, the optical features provided by the marking 16 are used as unique identifiers with the aid of an optical pattern recognition algorithm. This will be illustrated with reference to the following explanation.

[0034] A portion of the metal strip 10 is unwound and fed to the cutting system 22. Before the unwound portion of the metal strip 10 is trimmed or cut, parameters relating to the metal strip 10 are recorded with meter-level precision. For this purpose, a second, preferably high-resolution, camera 34 is used, which captures images of the unwound portion of the metal strip 10. The length of the metal strip 10 or sheet coil is recorded simultaneously using a linear encoder, allowing for precise location determination for trimming by the cutting system 22. Furthermore, parameters relating to the metal strip 10, such as a number, a manufacturer, inhomogeneous properties along the length of the metal strip 10, and the like, can be assigned to the respective images captured by the second camera 34.The second camera 34 is installed in the production plant 32 in a conveying direction of the metal belt 10 or the sections 20, 26 seen through the production plant 32 in front of the cutting plant 22.

[0035] After the metal strip 10 has been trimmed or cut, i.e., after the respective sections 20, 26 have been produced, the first camera 28 captures the image 18 (compare Fig. 2 ) of the respective sections 20, 26. Depending on the installation situation, the first camera 28 can be designed as an area scan camera or as a line scan camera, which, unlike the area scan camera, does not capture an area image but individual image lines at a defined frequency. By combining the image lines, the image 18 can then be assembled.

[0036] The first camera 28 captures those sections of the marking 16 that are located on the respective sections 20, 26 of the metal strip 10. Accordingly, the optical features on the circuit board are recorded. To uniquely assign the respective image 18 to the respective section 20, 26, the optical pattern of the marking 16 in the form of the ink trace can be used. Preferably, however, distances 36 of the marking 16 from the respective edges 38, 40 of the sections 20, 26 or such distinctive contours are also taken into account in the optical pattern recognition.

[0037] If the circuit boards or sections 20, 26 are turned over before further processing, an identical camera arrangement comprising the first camera 28 arranged after the trimming and the second camera 34 arranged before the trimming can be attached in such a way that images of an underside surface of the metal strip 10 can be taken by means of the camera arrangement.

[0038] The parameters relating to the metal strip 10, such as the manufacturer, the number and the running meter of the sheet coil, are preferably stored together with the images 18 captured by the first camera 28 as a data record in a data storage device 42 of the production plant 32, which is located in Fig. 1 shown schematically.

[0039] According to Fig. 1 Sections 20 and 26 are stacked or arranged in a stack 44. It is possible that the order of sections 20 and 26 in stack 44 does not correspond to the order in which they left the cutting system 22. Therefore, the parameters relating to each section 20 and 26 cannot be assigned based on a defined object sequence. Instead, at another station 46 of the production system 32, the individual sections 20 and 26 removed from stack 44 are read in using another camera 48. Thus, by optically detecting the marker 16 on each section 20 or 26 again, the respective section 20 or 26 is identified to which the data record stored in the data memory 42 is assigned with respect to the parameters relating to each section 20 or 26. This is intended to Fig. 2 will be explained.

[0040] In Fig. 2 In fact, another image 50 is shown, which was taken using the additional camera 48. The features present on the circuit board or in the respective sections 20, 26 in the form of the marking 16 and preferably also the distances 36 are used in an image comparison to uniquely identify the respective sections 20, 26. Fig. 2 The lines 52 shown connect those features that were identified as identical in both images 18 and 50 by an evaluation unit of the production plant 32. Straight lines 52 indicate a correct assignment. The very small number of intersecting lines 52 illustrates that the features were predominantly correctly assigned. The pattern recognition algorithm used for image comparison thus enables the identification of the respective section 20 or 26, or the respective circuit board, before the circuit board is fed to the forming unit in the form of the press 30. Preferably, further data records can be added to the data record stored in the data memory 42, such as time data, data relating to the cutting system 22, and the like.If each circuit board or section 20, 26 is assigned several data records in this way, these data records can be combined into a common data record to reduce the number of data records to be handled.

[0041] After identifying the respective section 20, 26, the section 20, 26 or the circuit board is formed using the press 30, as shown by way of example, and thus the formed component 12 is obtained.

[0042] With reference to Fig. 3 The aim is to illustrate that the marking 16 can also be used on the formed component 12 to identify the components 12 after pressing and before further processing. For example, in Fig. 3 A first image 54 of the formed component 12 is shown, which was taken with another camera (not shown) as it left the press 30. The forming process may have altered the marking 16. However, in car body manufacturing, for example, the oil on the formed component 12 is only removed shortly before painting, at which point the ink that forms the marking 16 is also removed. Thus, before this removal of the marking 16, the component 12 can be clearly identified by comparing image 54 with another image 56. The second image 56 is taken before the component 12 is degreased, i.e., before the marking 16 is removed from the component 12 along with the lubricant or oil.The image comparison is carried out in particular by the evaluation unit of the production plant 32, which has access to the images or image data captured by the cameras 28, 34, 48 and to the parameters stored in the data storage 42.

[0043] When identifying the formed component 12, which is to be further processed, it is preferably preferred to identify the component 12 by comparing the first image 54 with the further image 56, not only the marking 16 is used, but also distances 58, 60 of the marking 16 from optically distinctive structural elements of the component 12 are taken into account, such as distances 58, 60 of the marking 16 from an edge 62 of the component 12 and / or from openings 64 which were formed in the component 12 in the press 30 and / or by means of the cutting system 22.

[0044] Also in Fig. 3Lines 66 illustrate that the same features were recognized in both images 54 and 56. Here, too, optical features are used to identify the components 12 or finished parts, utilizing the existing marking 16. Further data relating to the forming of the sections 20 and 26, such as data concerning the press 30, time data, and the like, can be added to the data set assigned to the respective section 20 or 26 and stored in the data storage unit 42. This facilitates complete traceability of the component 12 within the production plant 32, taking such processing parameters into account.

[0045] The optical pattern recognition of the ink trace or marking 16 on sections 20, 26, and component 12, as used here, eliminates the need for any other actuators within the sheet coil processing chain, yet still allows for the unambiguous identification of sections 20, 26, and component 12. The principle of the optical pattern recognition described above can also be used in other manufacturing processes where a random or randomized optically detectable marking 16 is applied and uniqueness is ensured by the randomized optical features.

[0046] Overall, this example demonstrates how the invention enables component traceability in the sheet metal process chain based on optically inherent features.

Claims

1. Metal strip for producing a component (12), in particular a body component of a motor vehicle, wherein the metal strip (10) is wound into a roll and is acted on with at least one lubricant, characterized in that a surface (14) of the metal strip (10) is provided with at least one random marking (16) to which the at least one lubricant is applied, wherein as a result of optical detection of at least one part-region of the at least one marking (16) a first portion (20), which has at least the part-region, of the metal strip (10) can be distinguished from a second portion (26) of the metal strip (10) which has an additional part-region of the at least one marking (16), wherein the surface (14) of the metal strip (10) is provided by applying an ink with the at least one marking (16) which continues in a longitudinal extent direction (24) of the metal strip (10) so that each portion (20, 26) of the metal strip (10) can be identified with reference to the part-region, which is provided in the respective portion (20, 26), of the at least one marking (16), and wherein the random marking (16) involves elements which are arranged in accordance with a random principle and which do not act as information carriers, but instead only enable the respective portion (20, 26) to be optically identified.

2. Metal strip according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one marking (16) is formed by means of symbols which are applied to the surface (14) of the metal strip (10) and which are arranged randomly one after the other, in particular characters, and / or a random pattern.

3. Metal strip according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surface (14) of the metal strip (10) in addition to the at least one marking (16) is provided with a continuous, machine-readable code which indicates parameters relating to the metal strip (10).

4. Method for producing a component (12) from a metal strip (10), wherein the metal strip (10) is wound into a roll and acted on with at least one lubricant, wherein a surface (14) of the metal strip is provided with at least one random marking (16) to which the at least one lubricant is applied, wherein as a result of optical detection of at least one part-region of the at least one marking (16) a first portion (20), which has at least the part-region, of the metal strip (10) can be distinguished from a second portion (26) of the metal strip (10) which has an additional part-region of the at least one marking (16), and wherein the random marking (16) involves elements which are arranged in accordance with a random principle and which do not act as information carriers, but instead only enable the respective portion (20, 26) to be optically identified, wherein the method comprises the following steps: - unrolling at least a portion of the metal strip (10); - establishing at least one parameter relating to the metal strip (10); - cutting the unrolled portion of the metal strip (10) in order to produce at least one portion (20, 26) of the metal strip (10); - optically detecting at least the part-region of the at least one marking (16) in the at least one portion (20, 26) of the metal strip (10) by means of a first camera (28); - associating the at least one parameter with the at least one portion (20, 26) of the metal strip (10).

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the metal strip (10) used to produce the component (12) is constructed according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. Method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that by evaluating images detected by means of a second camera (34) prior to the cutting the at least one parameter is established.

7. Method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the at least one portion (20, 26) of the metal strip (10) is supplied to a shaping device (30), wherein prior to the shaping of the at least one portion (20, 26) is identified by means of repeated optical detection of at least the part-region of the at least one marking (16).

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that in order to identify the at least one portion (20, 26) at least one spacing (36) of the part-region of the at least one marking (16) from at least one structural element (38, 40) of the at least one portion (20, 26) is taken into account.

9. Method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that a component (12) which is obtained by the shaping of the at least one portion (20, 26) is optically detected and supplied for further processing, wherein before carrying out the further processing the component (12) is identified by repeated detection of at least the part-region of the at least one marking (16).

10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that in order to identify the component (12) at least one spacing (60, 62) of the part-region of the at least one marking (16) from at least one structural element (62, 64) of the component (12) is taken into account.