A device for controlling the reel shape of web products.

Abstract

A control device for controlling the shape of a reel of a web product, comprising: a pick-up zone for at least one reel to be evaluated; a moving device for moving the at least one reel from the pick-up zone towards an unloading zone; and an evaluation device configured to act between the pick-up zone and the unloading zone and for evaluating at least a diameter of the reel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of manufacturing continuous thin products wound on reels, such as paper-based products, paper, tissue paper, non-woven fabrics, films, multi-material laminates, and similar products, i.e., web products.

[0002] In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling the reel shape of web products, which can be advantageously used in a factory for optimally producing reels of web products.

[0003] Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a reel manufacturing facility for thin products, i.e., web products, equipped with such an apparatus.

Background Art

[0004] In many industrial fields, for example, a reel of web material called a parent reel (or master roll), which is manufactured by winding around a cylindrical core, is unwound using an apparatus known as a winding or rewinding apparatus, and through a process of rewinding it onto reels of different dimensions, it is necessary to convert it into reels of different dimensions. The small finished product sub-reels thus obtained are used as semi-finished products for supply to the production lines of other articles.

[0005] The rewinding apparatus generally includes a station for preparing the support cores of the sub-reels. The support cores have an initial cylindrical body that is longitudinally cut (i.e., in the axial direction of the cylindrical body) into, for example, a number of cylindrical cores equal to the number of sub-reels to be manufactured, and each core has a transverse width (i.e., the length along its axis) equal to the width of the sub-reel it supports.

[0006] Therefore, a plurality of sub-reels are manufactured adjacent to each other. A handler picks up the plurality of reels, divides them, i.e., separates them, transports them to a packaging station, where labels are attached, stacked, and packaged.

[0007] During the manufacturing of web products, various product defects can occur, and these are detected based on the geometric characteristics of the reel.

[0008] For example, the axial width of the reel may differ from the desired width, or the core of the reel may not be in the center of the reel's interior but protrude from a flat surface. Furthermore, the surface of the reel may have "ridges" formed by winding webs that are not aligned with the core, or single plies protruding from the reel and / or core.

[0009] Other defects include, for example, the truncated conical shape of the reel, i.e., its elongated appearance, and the non-parallel configuration of the reel's flat surfaces.

[0010] To evaluate the quality of the reels and decide whether to reject them if necessary, these "defects" and other reel nonconformities must be identified. Furthermore, it is necessary to know about these defects in order to take corrective action at the plant and modify the processing parameters that cause the defects. [Overview of the project]

[0011] The objective of this invention is to improve the quality of reel manufacturing for web products and to facilitate the identification of geometric parameters of the reel that indicate quality parameters.

[0012] Another important object of the present invention is to provide a device for controlling the shape of a web product reel in an operational manner.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for controlling the shape of a web product reel, suitable for reels of various types and sizes.

[0014] Another important object of the present invention is to provide a device for controlling the shape of a web product reel that can improve the production quality performance of a plant that manufactures web product reels.

[0015] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a plant for manufacturing web product reels that can produce high-quality products.

[0016] These purposes and other purposes that will become apparent from the following description are a control device for controlling the shape of the reel of a web product, At least one pickup zone for at least one reel to be evaluated, A moving device that moves at least one reel along a path from the pickup zone to the unloading zone, An evaluation device for evaluating one or more geometric parameters of a reel, particularly the outer diameter of the reel. Equipped with, The evaluation device is configured to operate in at least one evaluation zone that is at least partially provided along the reel's movement path. This is achieved by the control device.

[0017] Generally, a reel has a cylindrical structure comprising two circular flat surfaces and a central hole coaxial with the axis of the reel, which is defined by a cylindrical core on which the web product is wound.

[0018] As mentioned above, the geometric parameters relate to the measurement of one outer diameter of the reel, as well as to the measurement of multiple outer diameters of the reel, measured according to different angles around the axis of the reel.

[0019] The production plant is configured to produce reels of a specified outer diameter. By checking the outer diameter of the manufactured reels, it is possible to verify whether the manufacturing process is set up correctly.

[0020] By examining different outer diameters of the same reel (for example, two outer diameters that are perpendicular to each other), it is possible to verify the "roundness," that is, the circular shape of the flat surface of the reel.

[0021] In addition to the outer diameter, the control device according to the present invention can evaluate other geometric parameters, such as the width of the reel, i.e., the width of the reel measured from one flat surface to the other, i.e., parallel to the axis of the reel. If the value of the axial width of the reel differs from the width desired during production, it may indicate, for example, that the position of the cutting blade of the web product from the parent reel to the smaller web wound on the reel in question is incorrect.

[0022] Another geometric parameter of the reel that can be evaluated by the control device according to the present invention is the diameter of one or more diameters taken according to different angles of the inner core of the reel on which the web product is wound. Another geometric parameter of the reel that can be evaluated is the depth and / or the width of the annular zone on the surface between the core and the outer circumference of the reel.

[0023] Another geometric parameter of the reel that can be evaluated by the control device according to the present invention is the discrepancy between the center of the core and the center of the outer circumference of the reel on the surface of the reel, which can be evaluated, for example, by comparing the diameter values ​​at different angles between the surface of the reel and the surface of the core.

[0024] Another geometric parameter of the reel that can be evaluated by the control device according to the present invention is the protrusion of the core from the flat surface of the reel, i.e., the distance between the surface of the reel and the end face of the core.

[0025] Another geometric parameter of the reel that can be evaluated by the control device according to the present invention is the flatness of the two surfaces of the reel, in which case the two surfaces have a "telescopic" shape, i.e., a substantially truncated cone shape (one concave and the other convex). This lack of flatness is given, for example, by a value measured on the surface of the reel, between the axial distance of the end faces of the core and the outer edge of the reel (i.e., the outermost circumference of the reel).

[0026] Another geometric parameter of the reel that can be evaluated by the control device according to the present invention is, for example, the inclination of the surface of the reel, i.e., two flat surfaces are inclined, generally more or less parallel, with respect to the axis of the reel (i.e., not perpendicular). This evaluation is given, for example, by the distance between both ends of the outer diameter of the reel protruding on the axis of the reel.

[0027] The lack of flatness of the surface of the reel can also lead to other defects such as the formation of a bulge on the surface (i.e., the winding of the reel becomes irregular, forming an annular zone of the product that protrudes from the flat surface of the reel and, equivalently, the opposite flat surface is concave). In this case, another geometric parameter of the reel that can be evaluated by the control device according to the present invention is, for example, the distance of the edge of the bulge from the protruding flat surface parallel to the axis of the reel.

[0028] Similar to the case of the bulge, another geometric parameter of the reel that can be evaluated by the control according to the present invention relates to any single ply of the product protruding from the surface of the reel and provides, for example, the measurement of the distance of the ply from the center of the core.

[0029] Similar to the case of the bulge, another geometric parameter of the reel that can be evaluated by the control device according to the present invention relates to the surface roughness of the surface and is measured, for example, as the axial distance of the end of the web product wound around the core along a diametral line of one surface.

[0030] Therefore, geometric parameters here refer to measured values ​​of the geometric features of the reel, and may be distances between points on the reel, distances between points on the reel and a reference zone outside the reel, or measured values ​​such as area or volume. Geometric parameters can be determined indirectly from measured values ​​of other geometric parameters directly measured on the reel. For example, the distance between two points on a reel can be measured, for example, by directly measuring the distance between these points on the reel, or by indirectly calculating the distance by measuring the distance of one of the two points on the reel from a reference outside the reel, and then measuring the distance of the other point relative to the external reference. Furthermore, it is also possible to acquire an image of the zone on the reel containing the points whose distances should be determined by an electronic program, and to calculate the distance directly on the acquired image.

[0031] For the purposes of the present invention, the detection of predetermined geometric parameters can also be used to detect visual defects such as zones with stain marks or zones contaminated with other materials. For example, these visual defects can be detected by providing the geometric location of contaminated zones within the reel.

[0032] Accordingly, advantageously, according to the present invention, the apparatus for evaluating the geometric parameters of a reel of a control device comprises one or more distance measuring devices, preferably consisting of optical sensors, laser sensors, laser scanning devices, ultrasonic devices, video cameras, mechanical feelers, and any combination of devices in this list, adapted to directly or indirectly measure the distance of one or more parts of the reel with respect to other parts of the reel or with respect to one or more reference planes outside the reel. Advantageously, these distance measuring devices can be associated with an electronic processing program of the detected signals to be converted into geometric parameters of the reel.

[0033] In the case of ultrasonic devices, in addition to geometric parameters, physical parameters of the reel such as stiffness, modulus of elasticity, and internal damping can also be detected.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the moving device of the control device according to the present invention comprises at least one pick-up moving device adapted to pick up at least one reel from a zone of a moving path and move the reel along at least a portion of the moving path. Preferably, the pick-up moving device constitutes at least part of an evaluation device for evaluating at least one geometric parameter of the reel during the pick-up movement.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment, the moving device comprises at least one conveyor of reels arranged in at least one row in the transport direction, and the evaluation zone for the geometric parameters by the evaluation device is provided along a path defined by the conveyor.

[0036] A conveyor preferably means a means of moving at least one reel, configured to support the reel from below, that is, to place the reel on it as it moves.

[0037] In some embodiments, the control device according to the present invention is provided with at least one pickup moving device configured to operate between a pickup zone and at least one reel conveyor, to pick up at least one reel from the pickup zone and move the reel onto the conveyor.

[0038] In some embodiments, the control device according to the present invention is provided with at least one of the aforementioned pickup and moving devices, which is positioned between at least one conveyor and an unloading zone and configured to pick up at least one reel from the conveyor and move it toward the unloading zone after it has been evaluated by an evaluation device.

[0039] According to a preferred embodiment, the conveyor may be, for example, a conveyor belt of the type with a chain on which the reels rest, or a roller conveyor system or a combination thereof, which allows the reels to move in the supply direction, and may be formed, for example, by opposing portions of a conveyor belt.

[0040] According to various embodiments, two or more conveyors may be arranged side by side to move a sequence of reels in parallel.

[0041] For example, a conveyor has a reel support structure configured to receive reels with their surfaces facing upward, and a conveyor with a conveyor belt defines a reel support surface such that the axis of the reel is positioned perpendicularly.

[0042] On a conveyor belt, multiple single reels placed one after another, as well as groups of two or more coaxial reels, can be arranged, for example, stacked one by one.

[0043] According to a preferred embodiment, the control device comprises at least one magazine of reels arranged in at least one row, wherein the pickup zone is defined in this magazine.

[0044] Advantageously, according to a preferred embodiment, the pickup zone has a reel receiving structure configured to receive the reel such that the reel is supported on the cylindrical side surface and no flat surface rests on it, i.e., each flat surface faces in a free direction not downward. For example, this structure can be a concave structure, such as a V-shaped structure.

[0045] In other preferred embodiments, the pickup zone may have a reel receiving structure configured to receive the reel such that the surface of the reel faces upward, preferably with the reel axis oriented vertically, or it may have a reel receiving structure configured to receive the reel such that each flat surface of the reel faces in the direction of movement of the reel.

[0046] According to a preferred embodiment, at least one conveyor may have at least first and second sections for transporting at least one reel, where the reel moves along the sections in two directions with respect to different axes, thereby facilitating the evaluation of different geometric parameters along different directions of movement. For example, a conveyor may have two orthogonal sections of a conveyor belt, where at least one reel moves along the first section where a first evaluation of geometric parameters is performed, and then is transported orthogonally to the first section to the second section where a second evaluation of geometric parameters is performed.

[0047] According to a preferred embodiment, the evaluation zone for geometric parameters by the evaluation device is provided along a transport path defined by at least one reel conveyor.

[0048] According to some preferred embodiments, this evaluation zone coincides with the pickup zone, which is a pickup moving device for the reel from the pickup zone to the unloading zone.

[0049] According to some preferred embodiments, a relative movement system exists between the reel being evaluated and at least a portion of the evaluation device during the step of detecting geometric parameters in the evaluation zone. Thus, there is relative movement between the reel and the evaluation device, and multiple portions of the reel can be evaluated during this relative movement, thereby enhancing the evaluation capability of the device. For example, the evaluation device is stationary around a conveyor that moves the reel into the evaluation zone, or otherwise, when the reel enters the evaluation zone, the evaluation device moves onto the reel.

[0050] Preferably, the relative movement system is provided with a device for detecting the position of the reel relative to at least a portion of the evaluation device. For example, an encoder system is one such device for detecting the position of the reel.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment, the evaluation device comprises at least one distance measuring sensor (preferably non-contact, but may be contact, such as a mechanical feeler), preferably an optical sensor or a laser sensor, which is adapted to read distances from the reel in a preferably continuous reading sequence during the relative movement of the reel with respect to the at least one distance measuring sensor. This configuration includes a device for detecting the position of the reel in the direction of relative movement with respect to the distance measuring sensor, such as an encoder device. This makes the relative position of the reel in the direction of movement (in the case of an encoder, the distance measured by the encoder) known with respect to the distance readings made by the distance measuring sensor, and thus makes it possible to obtain geometric information of the reel by combining the distance information obtained from the reel by the distance measuring sensor with the information regarding the position of the reel in the direction of movement.

[0052] Preferably, the evaluation device includes an adjustment device for adjusting the position of at least one distance measuring sensor in the evaluation zone of the reel. In particular, the adjustment device for adjusting the position of the distance measuring sensor has at least one adjustment direction of the sensor position, preferably an adjustment direction parallel to the direction of reading the distance of the sensor from the reel, allowing for optimization of distance readings for reels of different sizes or for different zones of a reel. Also preferably, the distance measuring sensor position adjustment device further includes another device, such as an encoder system, that indicates the position of the distance measuring sensor along the adjustment direction, so that the position of the distance measuring sensor relative to a reference system is known. Also preferably, the adjustment device is of an automatic type, allowing the distance measuring sensor to be moved in an automatic and spatially controlled manner.

[0053] Advantageously, according to a preferred embodiment, the reel conveyor, for example, the conveyor belt, defines the support height of the reels, and one or more of the following distance measuring sensors are provided along the conveying direction. - At least one first distance measuring sensor positioned below or above the aforementioned height, positioned below or above the space that the reel to be evaluated can occupy, and oriented in an upward or downward, vertical or inclined direction relative to the vertical during operation, preferably two first distance measuring sensors, one positioned below the aforementioned height and the other positioned above the aforementioned height, preferably aligned with each other in the distance measuring direction. - A second distance measuring sensor located above the aforementioned height, positioned laterally with respect to the transport direction of the reel, and facing laterally toward the space that the reel can occupy during operation, preferably positioned laterally opposite to the transport direction, and preferably comprising at least two second distance measuring sensors aligned with each other in the distance measuring direction.

[0054] For example, in the case of the distance measuring sensor described above, assuming that the reel is positioned with its flat surface resting on a conveyor (which defines the support height), and that the sensor is stationary during measurement (while the reel is moving on the conveyor), the first lower sensor can read a line of points, for example, along the diameter line of the reel, for example, continuously, for example, at very short time intervals (for example, every millisecond, so that point readings are equivalent to continuous readings in defining the accuracy of the device). This first distance measuring sensor, in combination with the known movement of the reel provided by the encoder system attached to the conveyor, can determine all parameters related to the length of the outer diameter of the reel on the lower surface, the presence or absence of ridges on the lower surface, the presence or absence of plies, the roughness of the lower surface, the diameter of the core, the movement of the core, and generally the flatness (or lack thereof) of the plane of the reel.

[0055] By providing another first distance measuring sensor positioned above the aforementioned height and in the space that the reel being evaluated can occupy, facing downwards during operation and preferably perpendicularly aligned with the first lower distance measuring sensor, it becomes possible to obtain the same parameters for the upper surface of the reel as described above. Furthermore, by combining the distances measured by the two first distance measuring sensors above and below the reel, it is possible to calculate the parameter for the axial width of the reel from the difference between them.

[0056] The presence of a second distance measuring sensor, more preferably a pair of second distance measuring sensors located above the aforementioned height, positioned laterally with respect to the reel's transport direction, and facing each other (preferably aligned as described above), combined with a conveyor encoder that allows the movement of the reel to be known while the sensors are measuring, makes it possible to obtain information about the lengths of multiple parallel cords passing through the reel, thereby enabling the definition of parameters such as roundness, in particular. Naturally, the device combines all the distance information calculated by the sensors to indirectly obtain all the geometric parameters of interest.

[0057] In other embodiments, the evaluation device comprises at least one distance measuring device adapted to measure the distance of one or more portions of the reel to other portions of the reel or to one or more reference planes outside the reel, and configured to act on the reel's movement path from the pickup zone to the unloading zone. Thus, the evaluation is performed not along the movement of the reel on a conveyor belt (which does not exist in this case), but preferably during the direct movement from the pickup zone to the unloading zone provided in the magazine. More preferably, the evaluation is performed when the reel is in the pickup zone, i.e., when the reel's pickup zone and evaluation zone coincide. In this case, preferably, the distance measuring device is located outside the pickup movement device and is oriented to measure a portion of the flat surface of the reel located in the pickup zone.

[0058] Preferably, at least one of the distance measuring devices is positioned and oriented toward a specific zone of the reel's movement path from the pickup zone to the unloading zone. This specific zone of the movement path toward which the distance measuring device is oriented is a zone different from the pickup zone in order to measure a portion of the reel during the movement step by the pickup mover from the pickup zone to the unloading zone.

[0059] For example, a first distance measuring device is oriented to evaluate the surface of the reel in the pickup zone, and a second distance measuring device is positioned to evaluate the second surface on the opposite side (which was previously "in shadow") as the reel is picked up from the pickup zone and moved toward the unloading zone. Naturally, there may also be a third distance measuring device configured to evaluate other parts of the reel. In other cases, there may be no distance measuring devices oriented toward the pickup zone, and one or more distance measuring devices may be positioned along the path of the reel's movement from the pickup zone to the unloading zone.

[0060] In preferred embodiments, but not limited to, where the distance measuring device is directed to measure a portion of the flat surface of a reel located in a pickup zone, or directed to a specific region of the reel's movement path from the pickup zone to the unloading zone, at least one distance measuring device of the control unit is a laser scanner or video camera associated with an electronic image processing program or another image projector adapted to operate on a portion of the reel, preferably a side of the reel, a portion of the flat surface, or all of the flat surface, and is combined with a video camera associated with an electronic program adapted to project an image onto the portion of the reel in order to reconstruct one or more geometric parameters of the reel, and an image projector adapted to project an image onto the portion of the flat surface.

[0061] In a preferred embodiment, the control device comprises at least one reel magazine having one or more of the following features: In the magazine, the reels are arranged in at least one row, and the pickup zone is defined above them. The magazine is configured to move the reel along its extension, preferably toward a pickup zone formed by a conveyor belt on which the reel is supported. The magazine is configured to receive the reels and wait for them to be picked up by a pickup moving device while the reels are stationary, and the pickup zone is defined for each reel by the position it occupies within the magazine. The magazine has a structure for receiving the reel such that the reel is supported in a state in which the cylindrical surface rests on the support surface, that is, in a state in which the axis of the reel is horizontal or slightly inclined to the horizontal, that is, in a state that is not vertical, and is stationary within the magazine. The magazine has a structure for receiving the reels such that the reels are supported within the magazine with their axes positioned vertically or nearly vertically, that is, at least some of the reels are supported within the magazine with their flat surfaces resting on the support surfaces.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment, the moving device comprises a pickup moving device having a reel gripping and support device. Preferably, the pickup moving device comprises a robot, such as an industrial robot, such as a humanoid robot, which is provided with a manipulator associated with the reel gripping and support device.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment of the control device according to the present invention, the gripping support device may be provided with at least a portion of a device for evaluating the geometric parameters of the reel, thereby enabling evaluation of the parameters of the held reel. Thus, the evaluation of the geometric parameters of the reel can be performed whole or partially during the step of gripping the reel with the gripping support device. For example, all the geometric parameters required by the control device can be evaluated by an evaluation device located on the gripping support device. Alternatively, only some of these geometric parameters may be evaluated by an evaluation device located on the gripping support device, and other geometric parameters may be identified by some embodiment of the structure of the evaluation device already provided in the embodiments described above, i.e., they can be evaluated by an evaluation device partially located on the conveyor and / or an evaluation device located outside the conveyor.

[0064] According to a preferred embodiment, the gripping support device comprises a central hub adapted to be inserted into the core of a reel, and preferably comprises, for example, an expandable type of core block means.

[0065] Preferably, the hub is formed by two jaws that are inserted into the core of the reel in a first compact structure and adapted to spread out relative to each other so as to be blocked by the inner wall of the core of the reel. Preferably, the relative motion of the gripper's expansion is provided, for example, by a combination of a kinematic mechanism and a motion actuator such as a pneumatic cylinder.

[0066] Preferably, the gripping support device includes at least one lateral holding side wall having a concave structure, for example, a recess facing the central hub, for pressing the reel from the cylindrical side of the reel toward the hub. This side wall is slidably mounted on, for example, a lateral guide perpendicular to the axis of the reel when the hub is inserted into the core of the reel, and its sliding can be controlled, for example, by a moving actuator.

[0067] Preferably, the gripping support device includes a pusher, which has a pusher head adapted to act, for example, on a flat surface of a reel and push the reel in a direction that removes it from the hub. Preferably, the pusher is associated with a reference system for the position of the pusher head in the movement / removal direction, such as an encoder system, so that the position of the head along the movement / removal direction, i.e., the position of the surface of the reel along the direction, i.e., the position on the hub, can be determined. Preferably, the pusher can push the reel along the hub so that the reel exits the core detached from the gripping device. Preferably, the pusher can compress multiple reels present on the hub so that their continuous surfaces are in contact with each other. The pusher can also compress the reels before pickup, when the reels are in the pickup zone and before the hub is inserted into the core.

[0068] As described above, in some embodiments, the gripping support device may include at least a portion of the device for evaluating the geometric parameters of the reel. For example, this gripping support device with a hub includes at least one distance measuring device adapted to act along the radius of the flat surface of the reel.

[0069] For example, this at least one distance measuring device is a distance measuring sensor, such as an optical sensor or a laser sensor.

[0070] Preferably, there is a distance measuring sensor adapted to move laterally with respect to the axis of the reel when the hub is inserted into the core of the reel. For example, there is a slide track for the distance measuring sensor and a moving actuator that acts on the distance measuring sensor. In this way, the sensor can practically evaluate the radius of the reel or its semicord, the radius of the core, and the ridges, protruding plies and roughness related to the flat surface of the reel that the sensor is facing.

[0071] More preferably, there are at least two distance measuring sensors, each positioned on a slide track and adapted to move along the same line approximately corresponding to the diameter line of the reel when the hub is inserted into the core of the reel.

[0072] According to another feature, the present invention is A first part for manufacturing a plurality of reels of thin products arranged coaxially adjacent to each other such that two adjacent reels each have flat surfaces that are in contact with each other, • The second part is for packaging the reels manufactured in the first part. A plant for manufacturing web product reels equipped with, Furthermore, it includes a control device positioned between the first and second parts that controls the shape of the web product's reel. Regarding plants.

[0073] For example, the first part of the plant comprises multiple web winding stations onto each adjacent core, with adjacent flat surfaces in contact, producing an assembly of an equal number of coaxial adjacent reels (with more or less horizontal axes). Preferably, a device for cutting the core to a size having a width of the web material to be wound equal to the axial length of the core is associated with the winding station.

[0074] For example, the winding station is provided with a cutting module that cuts a web coming from a parent reel (which has a width greater than the width of a single reel produced at the winding station, for example, a width more or less equal to the sum of the widths of the reels produced at the station during winding) into webs of a width equal to the desired dimensions of the reels to be wound onto each core, and this cutting module is provided with a knife whose lateral position relative to the winding direction of the web is adjustable.

[0075] In a preferred embodiment, the plant comprises a shifting module for adjacent coaxial reel assemblies emerging from the first portion of the plant, the shifting module configured to shift the adjacent reel assemblies from the first portion to a pickup zone, the pickup zone configured to receive adjacent reels such that their flat surfaces are oriented in a direction for gripping the reels, and preferably the adjacent reel assemblies are adapted to be placed on a magazine, such as in some of the preferred embodiments and examples described above, configured to receive adjacent reels such that their respective flat surfaces are oriented in a direction for gripping the reels.

[0076] According to a preferred embodiment, the second part of the plant comprises a stacking module operatively positioned downstream of the control device, where the reels are stacked coaxially along a horizontal or vertical axis, preferably on a support on which a packaging module of the stacked reels with packaging film is present.

[0077] In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a packaging station for processing a plant of reels of web products (which may actually be provided in a second part of the production plant described above), the packaging station comprising reel packaging modules preferably stacked at least partially coaxially and arranged adjacent to one another, and a control device for controlling the shape of the reels according to one or more of the embodiments described above, the control device being functionally located upstream of the packaging modules, more preferably upstream of the reel stacking modules, and even more preferably upstream of the packaging modules of the stacked reels.

[0078] According to a preferred embodiment, the second part of the plant comprises a reel labeling module configured to label reels coming out of a control unit and then transport them to a stacking module.

[0079] According to a preferred embodiment, the second part of the plant comprises an electronic control center of the plant having a database storing the tolerance ranges of one or more geometric parameters detected by the control device, and when a geometric parameter is detected outside its respective tolerance range, • A process to move any reel in which at least one geometric parameter is detected outside its respective tolerance range toward a zone for positioning non-conforming reels, or to reject such reel. • A process of labeling reels in which at least one geometric parameter is detected outside the respective tolerance range as non-compliant, and • Process to correct one or more process parameters / functions that cause a deviation of the parameter from the aforementioned tolerance range. Perform one or more of the following actions.

[0080] Information regarding the surface and dimensional quality of the reels obtained by the control device according to the present invention can be used to optimize the management of the reel selection system.

[0081] In fact, if the control device according to the present invention detects during the packaging step that a reel does not conform to manufacturing tolerances, the reel can be classified based on the severity of the defect.

[0082] The control unit can notify the reel moving system to send the reel to a zone designated for substandard reels, reels requiring rework, or rejected reels, depending on the degree of defects, instead of sending it to the stacking module to which it should normally be sent.

[0083] Similarly, the reel labeling module can receive information from the control device according to the present invention and print information about non-conformity on the label.

[0084] In a reel manufacturing plant, during the unwinding process, the product web is cut into strips to form rolls of the desired width. As is well known, due to the tension the belt experiences in this process and the belt's mechanical properties, the width of the strips obtained from the cutting process will not be the same as the distance between the cutting edges of the blades that cut the web into strips. The purpose of the cutting blade positioning process is to obtain reels of a width that conforms to production specifications.

[0085] The control device can provide information for correcting the blade distance to form a reel of a desired width by detecting geometric parameters related to the axial width of the reel.

[0086] The blade may be positioned by an automated system or manually by an operator. In either case, the control system can provide information that allows the blade to be set up to obtain a reel of the desired width. In one case, the information is transmitted automatically through software, and in the other case, the information is conveyed to the operator via a table, allowing the operator to manually adjust the blade's position.

[0087] Similar considerations as those described above also apply to the axial cutting and positioning of the corrugated cardboard core along the winding axis of the rewinding device. According to market requirements, the corrugated cardboard core must not extend beyond the flat surface of the reel, nor should it be too short relative to the width of the reel. The axial cutting and positioning operation may be performed by an automated system or manually by an operator. The control device can read the effective width of the reel, the effective width of the corrugated cardboard core, and the relative position between the two. Based on the information collected by the control device, the cutting length of the corrugated cardboard core and its positioning on the winding axis can be corrected. Thus, accurate information can be provided to obtain a high degree of correspondence between the end face of the core and the flat surface of the reel.

[0088] When the (longitudinal) cutting assembly of a winding device has a blade that is becoming dull, the end face of the reel usually becomes irregular, i.e., it will have a partially protruding edge. The control device according to the present invention can control this abnormality and inform the operator of the device of the need for maintenance of the cutting tool.

[0089] The web of the product being wound, in the case of nonwoven fabrics, is a material characterized by a high Poisson's ratio. This means that when a strip of nonwoven fabric is subjected to variable tension during winding, the width of the strip changes significantly. As a result, the flat surface of the reel is not perfectly flat and is affected by variations in the width of the reel. In particular, three winding phases can be identified during the unwinding cycle: acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration. Due to the inertia of all the rotating members of the device, the tension of various strips can vary according to the different winding phases. When such tension fluctuations occur, the three zones mentioned above can be clearly identified on the flat surface. Otherwise, the strips wound during the three operating phases of the unwinding device will have different widths for each phase. If the reel flat surface analysis system detects non-planarity due to variations in strip tension, the system can modify the operating parameters of the winder (belt tension, differential speed of the rollers relative to the preceding reel) to obtain a finished reel surface with greater planarity and strips with widths within the required tolerance range.

[0090] Some types of nonwoven fabrics have a high Poisson's ratio between the lateral strain and the thickness-direction strain of the web (in reality, the sheet tends to widen when compressed). In a reel, various turns exert radial pressure on the innermost turn, resulting in greater radial pressure on the inner turns compared to the outermost turns in forming the various turns. If the web has a high Poisson's ratio, the shape of the reel will deform. This drawback can be corrected by changing various operating parameters of the winding device during winding. The parameters that have the most influence on this are the winding tension and the force exerted on the reel by the leader roller. As the diameter of the reel increases, reducing these values ​​provides advantages in terms of the flatness of the reel.

[0091] All of these feedback controls, based on information acquired by the control device according to the present invention, contribute to the correct setting of the winding device parameters and can be managed, for example, by an artificial intelligence algorithm of the "machine learning" type. The present invention will be better understood by following this specification and the accompanying drawings which illustrate non-limiting examples of embodiments of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0092] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view of a reel manufacturing plant according to the present invention; [Figure 1A] This is a schematic top view of a reel manufacturing plant according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the rewinding device in the plant. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the plant's rewinding device. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of the reel. [Figure 5] This is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of the control device according to the present invention in a plant similar to that shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 5 shows a portion of the apparatus. [Figure 7]This figure shows modified examples of the control device according to Figures 5 and 6 of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment equipped with a conveyor belt in a modified version of the previous drawing. [Figure 9] Figure 8 is a side view of a portion of the conveyor belt. [Figure 10] This figure shows modified examples of the control device according to Figures 5 and 7 of the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a schematic perspective view of a reel gripping and support device used in a control device according to the present invention. [Figure 12] Figures 5 to 9 are schematic side views of a modified example of the embodiment, showing a tilter that functions as a device for picking up and moving one or more reels from the pickup zone to the conveyor. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0093] Referring to Figure 1, the web product reel manufacturing plant according to the present invention is shown as number 100 overall.

[0094] The plant 100 comprises a first section 101 for manufacturing reels B, and also comprises, for example, a rewinding device 102 for processing webs of thin products T, such as nonwoven fabrics, tissue paper, or other similar products (such as films or laminated products), coming from a parent reel Bm manufactured in another section of the plant.

[0095] Referring particularly to Figures 2 and 3, the unwinding device 102 comprises, for example, a station 103 for manufacturing a tubular cylindrical core A for supporting the formed reel B, and a winding station 104. The winding station 104 includes an unwinding zone 105 for unwinding the web T of the parent reel Bm, a zone 106 for positioning a coaxially adjacent support core A in front of the unwinding zone 105, and a cutting module 107 having a plurality of blades 108 positioned between the zone 106 for positioning the core A and the unwinding zone 105. Position shifters (not shown) are associated with the plurality of blades 108 so that the blades are moved in a direction fk, i.e., laterally with respect to the unwinding direction fs, and the cutting position is adjusted so as to cut the thin product T into a continuous web N having the same width as the width of the support core A. In this specification, “transverse” means a direction perpendicular to the feed direction fs of the thin product T, i.e., a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the reel B.

[0096] Each reel B, as shown in Figure 4, has a first circular flat surface B1, an opposing second circular flat surface B2, a cylindrical side surface B3, and a cylindrical support core A.

[0097] Accordingly, the first part 101 of the plant provides for the manufacture of an assembly of reels B of thin products N arranged coaxially adjacent to each other, where two adjacent reels have respective flat surfaces B1-B2 in contact with each other.

[0098] Downstream of the first part 101 of the plant, there is a second part 110 of the plant for packaging the reels B manufactured in the first part 101.

[0099] Advantageously, a control device 10 for controlling the shape of reel B manufactured in the first section 101 is located between the first section 101 and the second section 110 of the plant 100. Alternatively, the second section of the plant and the control device 10 actually form a reel packaging station.

[0100] For example, the first part 101 of the plant is provided with a shift system 109 for assemblies of adjacent reels coming out of the first part 101, i.e., manufactured by the rewinding device 102, which is adapted to shift these assemblies into the control device 10. For example, the shifting system may be provided with a trolley 109A (movable on the ground or lifted into the air using, for example, an overhead crane) on which the assemblies of adjacent reels coming out of the rewinding device 102 are placed, according to known methods, and each of the devices may be provided with a device for picking up multiple reels and freeing them from one another and bundling them on the trolley 109A in this free manner (one at a time or all together), or any other type of device.

[0101] The trolleys 109A are moved within the area of ​​the control device 10, where tilting devices provided on these trolleys are used to move the assemblies of reels B onto their respective magazines 12. In these magazines, the assemblies of reels are arranged in a line and are substantially coaxial with one another. At the front of each magazine, there is a pickup zone 12A for one or more reels, as described below.

[0102] Each magazine 12 can be formed, for example, by a moving belt consisting of an electric support roller, which moves the reels of the assembly placed on it toward the pickup zone 12A in the feeding direction.

[0103] For example, these magazines 12 have a structure configured to receive reels B, each of which has a flat surface B1 or B2 facing the direction of movement determined by the roller conveyor belt, i.e., the direction of arrow f2. In practice, these reels may have a reel axis parallel to the feeding direction f2 (e.g., inclined from bottom to top). For example, the structure of the magazine 12 may be a recessed structure, e.g., a V-shaped structure with an upward-facing recess.

[0104] Alternatively, magazine 12 can be "stationary," meaning that the reels stored therein are stopped and not moved toward the pickup zone 12A. In this case, the reels are picked up one by one (from the front of the row) by a pickup moving device (described later) from the same position where they were stored by the shifting system 109. This device always picks up the reels from the front to the last in the row, each time in a new pickup zone that coincides with the position of the reel at the front of the row. In this case, the structure of magazine 12 can also be a concave structure, for example, a V-shaped structure with an upward-facing concave.

[0105] Generally, the control device 10 includes a reel moving device 11 that moves the reel from the pickup zone 12A to the unloading zone 13 along the movement path, and an evaluation device 14 configured to operate along this movement path that evaluates one or more geometric parameters of the reel, in particular at least the outer diameter of reel B.

[0106] Figures 5 and 6 show a first embodiment of the control device 10, in which the moving device 11 includes a conveyor, such as a conveyor belt 15, for moving a series of reels B coming from one or more magazines 12 (two magazines 12 are shown in Figure 1A).

[0107] In this embodiment, the conveyor belt 15 defines a support surface for the reel B, thereby ensuring that the axis of the reel B is positioned vertically. In practice, the conveyor has a structure for receiving the reel B and is configured to receive the reel so that the surface B1 or B2 of the reel faces upward.

[0108] The conveyor belt 15 may be provided with, for example, at least a first section 15A and a second section 15B that are mutually orthogonal to each other, for transporting the reel B.

[0109] The first section 15A consists, for example, of a chain-type conveyor belt driven between drive sprockets, defining the support surface of the flat surface of the reel. The second section, on the other hand, consists, for example, of an electric roller (where the movement and extension of the chain are advantageously parallel to the rotation axis of the roller).

[0110] Reel B is positioned on the first section 15A by a first pickup moving device 30 (more described below) which is adapted to pick up at least one reel B from the leading pickup zone 12A of the magazine 12 and move it onto the first section 15A. In this first section 15A, the reel moves according to arrow f3 (for example, somewhat parallel to the ground). When the reel reaches the intersection 15AB with the second section 15B, it moves in a direction f4 perpendicular to direction f3.

[0111] For example, the chains of the first section 15A are associated with a vertical movement system (not shown in the diagram for simplicity) so that the support surface of the reel defined by these chains can move from above to below the support height defined by the rollers of the second section 15B of the conveyor belt. Thus, when the reel reaches the intersection 15AB, the chains of the first section descend, and the reel becomes free to move by the second section 15B of the conveyor belt.

[0112] The end of the second section 15B of the conveyor belt 15 is adapted to define a handling zone for a second pickup and moving device 30A, similar to the first pickup and moving device 30, to pick up reels from the second section 15B of the conveyor 15 and move them to a stacking module 16. The stacking module 16 is provided with a platform 16A on which the reels are stacked and sequentially moved toward a packaging module 17 for packaging with packaging film by a roller handler 16B, according to a known method. A magazine 16C for corrugated discs to be placed between the stacked reels, which is handled by the same robot 32, is also present in the packaging zone.

[0113] The pickup and moving device 30 (and optionally 30A) is equipped with a reel gripping and support device 31, which will be described later.

[0114] In these embodiments, the pickup and moving device 30 may be, for example, an industrial robot 32 of the same type, such as a humanoid industrial robot (having a gripping and supporting device 31 associated with its manipulator). The industrial robot 32 is configured, for example, to pick up the reel B from the pickup zone 12A and carry it onto the first section 15A of the conveyor belt (or, in the case of the second pickup and moving device 30B, to carry it from the second section 15B onto the stacking module 16).

[0115] The evaluation device 14 can evaluate the geometric parameters of the reel passing between the first manufacturing section 101 and the second packaging section 110 of the plant.

[0116] In this embodiment, the evaluation device 14 is positioned along the second section 15B of the conveyor belt 15, and the evaluation device 14 is equipped with a plurality of distance measuring devices 20 adapted to measure the distance of one or more parts of the reel relative to other parts of the reel, or to one or more reference planes outside the reel.

[0117] For example, this multiple distance measuring device has a pair of first distance sensors 21, which are, for example, optical sensors or laser sensors, and these sensors are adapted to measure the distance from an object in one direction, positioned above and below the support surface of the reel on the conveyor belt, i.e., above and below the support height of the reel on the conveyor belt. The first lower sensor 21' is positioned below the support height of the reel on the second section 15B, and the first upper sensor 21'' is positioned above the support height, more specifically above the space that the reel can occupy.

[0118] The two first sensors 21 are advantageously held aligned in the measurement direction (e.g., vertical direction Y).

[0119] Two second distance measuring sensors 22 are positioned laterally to the transport direction f4 of the reel, across the support height of the reel on the conveyor belt 15. Preferably, these sensors 22 are aligned with each other in the distance measuring direction X (e.g., horizontal direction) and, when in operation, face laterally toward the center of the conveyor belt, i.e., the space that the reel can occupy.

[0120] The evaluation device 14 further includes, for at least one of each pair of distance measuring sensors 21, 22, preferably both, adjustment devices 123, 223 for adjusting the position of each sensor in the evaluation zone of the reel. Advantageously, each adjustment device 123, 223 allows the sensor to be moved along the adjustment direction, for example, by a guide system and a moving actuator. The sensor position adjustment devices 123, 223 further include another device 124, 224, such as an encoder system, for indicating the positions of the distance sensors 21-22 along the adjustment direction, so that the position of the distance sensors relative to a reference system is known. Advantageously, the adjustment devices are of an automatic type and are designed to allow the distance sensors to be moved in an automatically and spatially controlled manner.

[0121] As an embodiment, an example of an adjustment device 123 applied to the first upper distance sensor 21'' will be described in detail, but adjustment devices connected to other listed distance sensors are similar.

[0122] The distance sensor 21'' is mounted on the tip of a beam 123A that cantilevered outwards from the second section 15B of the conveyor belt in the evaluation zone of reel B. The beam 123A is slidably mounted on a vertical guide 123B provided on a column 123C positioned laterally on the second section of the conveyor belt 15B, and is translated by a gear motor 123D that operates a belt system operatively connected to the beam for its movement. The gear motor and the encoder system 124 attached to the guide allow for constant monitoring of the beam's position on the guide, and consequently the sensor's position, and consequently its distance from the support height of the reel on the conveyor belt.

[0123] Column 123C (configuration not shown) may be positioned beneath the conveyor belt and mounted on a carriage that slides on another guide oriented in a crossing direction (preferably perpendicular thereto). In this case, an electrically operated moving system with an associated encoder can move the column, and consequently the first upper distance sensor, in a direction intersecting the feed direction in an automated and spatially controlled manner.

[0124] In summary, the first upper sensor 21'' can be moved while knowing its position, for example, along an adjustment direction parallel to arrow Y, and optionally along an adjustment direction parallel to direction X which is perpendicular to arrow Y.

[0125] Similarly, the second sensor 22 has an adjustment device 223 for adjusting the position of each sensor in the evaluation zone of the reel, knowing its position along the adjustment direction given by, for example, arrow X. These are mounted, for example, on a bracket 223A that slides on a lateral horizontal guide 223B (parallel to f3) located below the reel support surface on the second section of the conveyor belt 15B, and are translated by a gear motor 223D that operates a belt system operatively connected to the beam for its movement. An encoder system 224 associated with the gear motor and guide makes it possible to always know the position of the sensors 22 on the bracket and, by extension, the guide, and by extension, their relative distances.

[0126] In this way, it becomes possible to optimize the sensor's position relative to the reel's dimensions in order to optimize the distance from the reel, i.e., the sensor's reading range.

[0127] In this embodiment, during the process of measuring the distance from the reel, the distance measuring sensors 21 and 22 are stopped, and the reel moves according to the feed direction f2 given by the movement of the first section of the conveyor belt. Thus, a relative movement system exists between the reel being evaluated and at least a portion of the evaluation device formed by the distance sensors 21 and 22. In other embodiments, the relative movement system may provide movement of the sensors relative to the reel, stopping, or movement at a slower speed than the sensors (for example, the sensors may be mounted on translational portals).

[0128] To optimize the calculation of the reel's geometric parameters obtained from distance measurements detected by distance sensors 21 and 22, a device 26 is provided for detecting the reel's position relative to an external reference system fixed to the sensors. For example, this type of reel position detection device may be provided with an encoder system related to the movement of the second section 15B of the conveyor belt, thereby determining the position of the reel fixed to this second section 15B.

[0129] In this embodiment, the reels are positioned so that their flat surfaces rest on the conveyor 15. Similarly, the device can accommodate cases where the reels are positioned on the conveyor with their axes horizontal, nearly horizontal, or inclined, i.e., with their cylindrical sides resting on it. The reels can also be positioned with their axes vertical, nearly vertical, or inclined within the magazine from which they are picked up.

[0130] Examples of its operation include the following:

[0131] From the pickup zone 12A of the magazine 12, the pickup moving device 30 transports the reel B onto the first section 15A of the conveyor belt 15, with its flat surface resting on the conveyor belt 15.

[0132] Reel B is sent to the intersection 15AB in the direction f3 in which it is conveyed by the first section 15A of the conveyor belt, where the chain of the first section is lowered and the reel is picked up by the second section 15B of the conveyor belt at a predetermined support height for the reel on the second section.

[0133] Therefore, the reel enters the evaluation zone of the device for evaluating the geometric parameters of the reel 14. In this evaluation zone, the first and second distance sensors 21 and 22 are positioned to be close to the reel as it passes through the evaluation zone (while acting on adjustments along directions X and Y by devices 123 and 223). The first sensors 21' and 21'' are positioned more or less on the center line of the flat surface of the reel, and the second sensor is positioned more or less at half the height of the reel (the geometric manufacturing parameters of the reel are known).

[0134] The optical distance measuring sensors 21 and 22, for example, take readings every millisecond, and therefore, in practice, they continuously read the distance along a direction parallel to direction f4.

[0135] When reel B intersects the reading axis of the first sensor 21 (arrow Y), the sensor detects the reel. From that moment, the horizontal distance between each vertical reading point of the sensor 21 can be determined by knowing the forward movement of the second section of the conveyor belt 15B via the associated encoder 26.

[0136] By knowing the vertical distance between the two first sensors 21 and reading the distance of each first sensor from the respective flat surface of the reel, it becomes possible to determine the axial width parameter of the reel along the code, preferably the code in the diametrical direction of the reel's plane.

[0137] From the same reading, it becomes possible to determine parameters related to the lengths of the two diameters of the reel's flat surface and the diameter of the reel's core.

[0138] The distance of the first sensor from each flat surface makes it possible to detect the presence of, for example, bumps, protruding plies, surface roughness, and the conicity of the reel.

[0139] When reel B intersects with the reading axis of the second sensor 22 (the axis of arrow X), these sensors detect the reel. From that moment on, the horizontal distance between each reading point of the second sensor 22 can be determined, while the forward movement of the second section of the conveyor belt 15B is known by the associated encoder 26. These reading points on the side of the reel actually form approximately two arcs.

[0140] By knowing the horizontal distance between the two second sensors 22 and reading the distance from each semi-cylindrical side of the reel of each second sensor, it becomes possible to obtain the length of the code in the cross-section of the reel at the height of the second sensor, including the diameter of the reel, every millisecond.

[0141] In addition to the diameter of the reel, information regarding its roundness, or cylindricity, can generally be obtained.

[0142] The distance information between the readings of the first and second sensors, combined based on the reel's position, allows for the emphasis of other geometric parameters, such as an improved evaluation of the reel's roundness, conicity, and lack of coaxiality between the reel and the core.

[0143] Once reel B has passed through the evaluation zone, it is transported by the second pickup moving device 30A to the handling zone, where reel B is carried to the stacking module 16, where the reels are stacked along their axes, for example, vertically, and then transported to the packaging module 17 for packaging with packaging film.

[0144] In this embodiment, the conveyor belt 15 is formed by two mutually orthogonal sections, and the evaluation zone is fully defined in the second section 15B.

[0145] In another preferred embodiment, the evaluation zone of the reel by the evaluation device 14 can be provided in both sections 15A and 15B. For example, Figure 7 shows an example in which both the first sensors 21' and 21'' and the second sensor 22 located in the second section 15B are duplicated in the first section 15A of the conveyor belt (indicated as 21A', 21A'' and 22B), and the reel is measured according to orthogonal directions to improve the accuracy of the evaluation of the reel's geometric parameters.

[0146] In other embodiments, the first sensor 21 (or the second sensor 22) can be provided in the first section, and the second sensor 22 (or the first sensor 21) can be provided in the second section 15B.

[0147] In other embodiments, the first and second sections of the conveyor belt can be reversed, so that the section that is the handling zone of the second pickup moving device becomes the zone for stacking reels from the magazine, the second section of the conveyor belt becomes the first part along which the reels move, and the first section of the conveyor belt becomes the second part along which the reels move.

[0148] In other embodiments, the conveyor belt may be defined by a single straight section, where an arrival zone from the magazine by the first pickup and transfer device 30, an evaluation zone, and a handling zone by the second pickup and transfer device 30A are defined. In this case, only the first sensor 21 or only the second sensor 22 may be present along this single straight section, or both the first sensor 21 and the second sensor 22 may be present (as in Figure 5, where the straight section can be considered as the second section 15B).

[0149] The above embodiment shows a case where a series of single reels are placed on a conveyor belt 15, and the evaluation device evaluates each reel individually in sequence. The device can also operate when a series of reels (e.g., two or three) are stacked coaxially, with the lower reels on the conveyor belt and arriving on the conveyor belt from the first part of the plant 101. In this case, for example, the first lower sensor 21' evaluates parameters related to the lower surface of the lower reel, and the first upper sensor 21'' evaluates geometric parameters related to the upper surface of the upper reel. A second sensor can evaluate parameters linked to the cylindrical side surface of one of the two reels, and the second sensor can further evaluate parameters linked to the cylindrical side surface of the other reel.

[0150] Multiple conveyor belts 15 are arranged side by side, along which each sequence of reels coming from the first part of the plant is moved, each having its own evaluation zone and pickup zone. A single pickup and moving device (e.g., an industrial robot) can be present to pick up and move the reels from both conveyor belts in a programmed manner, or there can be a device for each conveyor belt.

[0151] The above embodiment describes a case where the relative movement between the reel and the evaluation device is linear. In other embodiments, the relative movement between the evaluation device and one (or more) reels to be evaluated can be rotary. A simple embodiment is described below in which at least one reel is positioned and a rotating table is provided to define the evaluation zone of the reel. One or more distance measuring sensors are positioned around this rotating table. When the reel is placed on the table, the reel is operated to rotate, that is, to rotate (non-linear) relative to one or more sensors. Advantageously, a device for evaluating its angular position, such as an encoder system, can be associated with the table. For example, distance sensors (preferably a pair, preferably aligned on opposite sides of the rotating table) can, for example, measure the distance from the cylindrical side of the rotating reel to obtain information about the circular shape of the reel. Naturally, the rotation system can also be reversed. That is, with at least one reel stationary in the evaluation zone, a frame equipped with one or more distance sensors can be rotated about an axis parallel to the axis of the reel so that the sensors rotate around the cylindrical side of the reel.

[0152] The rotary table (or rotating frame with sensors) can be incorporated, for example, inside the conveyor belt 15, so that the reel passes through linear and rotary evaluation zones. In other embodiments, this rotary table (or rotating frame that rotates around the evaluation zones) can be used instead of the conveyor belt. For example, in the case of a table integrated with a belt conveyor, the rotary table can consist of a rotating frame on which a series of rollers suitable for the passage of a reel are fixed.

[0153] Similar embodiments are shown, for example, in Figures 8 and 9. For example, the conveyor belt 315 is replaced by belt 15 as shown in Figures 5 to 7. For example, this conveyor belt 315 is of the roller type. Advantageously, the conveyor belt 315 is divided into at least two, in this embodiment, three parts. The reel B picked up from the pickup zone 12A is placed on the first part 315A of this belt.

[0154] In the second section 315B of the belt 315, the reel is picked up by, for example, a robot 32 (or other pickup and moving device) and transported to the unloading zone 13.

[0155] The first part 315A and the second part 315B are separated from each other. Between them is a third intermediate part 315C that functions as a rotary table along a vertical axis. The reel evaluation zone, i.e., the zone where the evaluation device 314 is located, is provided in this third intermediate part 315C.

[0156] For example, similar to what is described above, the distance measuring device comprises a pair of first distance sensors 321 (at least one of which is required), such as an optical sensor or a laser sensor, positioned above and below the support surface of the reel on the conveyor belt, i.e., above and below the support height of the reel on the conveyor belt, and adapted to measure the distance from an object in one direction. The first lower sensor 321' (not visible in the drawing) is positioned below the support height of the reel on the third portion 315C of the conveyor belt, and the first upper sensor 321'' is positioned above the support height, more specifically above the space that the reel can occupy.

[0157] The two first sensors 321 are advantageously maintained in an aligned state in the measurement direction (e.g., vertical Y).

[0158] The lower sensor 321' is fixed to the ground and free from the third part 315C. Similarly, the upper sensor 321'' is fixed to the framework 350 which is fixed to the ground and free from the third part 315C.

[0159] Two second distance-measuring sensors 322 (at least one of which is required) are fixed to the framework 350 and positioned laterally with respect to the transport direction f4 of the reel, above the support height of the reel on the third portion 315C of the conveyor belt 515. These sensors 322 are preferably aligned with each other in the distance-measuring direction X (e.g., horizontal) and, when in operation, face laterally toward the center of the conveyor belt, i.e., the space that the reel can occupy.

[0160] The evaluation device 314 further includes, for at least one distance measuring sensor of each pair 321, 322, preferably both, an adjustment device for adjusting the position of each sensor in the evaluation zone of the reel, and as already described above, namely, each adjustment device enables the movement of the sensor along the adjustment direction by means of, for example, a guide system and a moving actuator. Furthermore, as described above, the sensor position adjustment device further includes a device that indicates the position of the distance sensor along the adjustment direction, such as an encoder system, so that the position of the distance sensor relative to a reference system can be determined. Advantageously, the adjustment device is of an automatic type, enabling the distance sensor to be moved in an automatic and spatially controlled manner.

[0161] In this embodiment, the third portion 315C of the belt 315 can be rotated about a vertical axis Z with respect to the ground by a rotating system 370 via a rotary actuator interposed, for example, between the ground support frame 369 and the portion of the belt. An angular position evaluation device 371 of the rotating system 370, such as an encoder system, is associated with it. This third portion 315C is a rotary table.

[0162] Reel B passes from the first portion of belt 315A to the third portion of belt 315C. The reel passes through the operating areas of sensors 321 and 322 that detect the reel. The rotary table 315C rotates 360° (the rotation begins, for example, when the first sensor 321 detects the core of the reel). Preferably, while the table 315 is rotating, the reel is stopped relative to the table, i.e., does not move along the third portion 315. In other embodiments, an encoder system is present that provides the position of the reel in the feeding direction along the third portion 315 of the belt, so that the reel can move along the third portion 315 of the conveyor belt.

[0163] The information provided by the first and second sensors 321 and 322 is substantially similar to that already described in the example in the previous drawings.

[0164] In another embodiment, although not shown, a reel evaluation zone may be provided along the reel's travel path from the pickup zone to the unloading zone, where in this evaluation zone (for example, the reel is transported onto an evaluation platform), the reel is stopped, and a robot (or other device) equipped with at least one (or more) distance measuring devices is configured to move the distance measuring devices around the reel to evaluate the reel's preferred geometric parameters. The position and orientation of the robot's list are known, and therefore the position of the distance measuring devices is also known.

[0165] Figure 12 shows a modified example of a pickup and transfer device for one or more reels from a pickup zone to a conveyor. In previous embodiments, a humanoid robot 32 has been shown as an example. Naturally, any other device can be used that can pick up one or more reels from a pickup zone and place them on a conveyor or elsewhere in the plant for the same functional purpose. In particular, the embodiment in Figure 12 shows an articulated tilting device 332 positioned near the pickup zone 12A (which is, for example, similar to one of the magazines in the previously illustrated case), which is configured to tilt from a position to receive the first reel of a series of reels present on the magazine, i.e., the reel in zone 12A, to a position to release the reel onto the conveyor belt 15, where a reel evaluation device, such as those in the embodiments of Figures 5 to 9, may be present.

[0166] Figure 10 shows a modified example of the previous embodiment, illustrating the apparatus 10' according to the present invention.

[0167] In this embodiment, the control device 10' comprises two magazines 112 and 112' of two sequences of reels B and B' of different diameters coming from, for example, the first part of the plant 101, with their leading ends defined as respective pickup zones 112A and 112A' for a reel pickup and moving device (e.g., an industrial robot 32).

[0168] For example, these magazines 112 and 112' are similar to those described in the previous embodiment and thus have a structure formed, for example, by a conveyor belt with rollers, and configured to receive the reel B, each having a flat surface B1 or B2 facing the direction of movement of the reel. In practice, these reels can have their reel axes parallel to the feeding direction (for example, tilted from bottom to top).

[0169] For example, the structure of these magazines 112 and 112' could be a recessed structure with the recess facing upwards, and could be a V-shaped structure, for instance.

[0170] The following describes the case where there is one magazine 112. Reels B are sent directly from the winding station 104, that is, an assembly of coaxial reels with adjacent flat surfaces in contact with each other is placed on top of it, for example by a transport device 109.

[0171] The end, or head, of the magazine 112 defines a pickup zone 112A for the pickup moving device 30 (preferably an industrial robot 32). In this embodiment, this pickup zone coincides with the evaluation zone for reel B. Naturally, as in the embodiments described above, the magazine can also be “stationary,” meaning that the reels stored therein can be stopped and not moved toward the pickup zone. In this case, the reels are picked up one by one by the robot from the same position in which they were stored by the shifting system 109. The device always picks up reels from the beginning to the end of the row in a new pickup zone that coincides with the position of the reel at the beginning of the row in time, and in this case also coincides with the evaluation zone for the geometric parameters of the reels.

[0172] In fact, in this case, the evaluation device 14 may include a distance measuring device 120 positioned outside the magazine 112 and directed to measure portions of the flat surfaces B1 and B2 of the reel located in the pickup zone 112A.

[0173] The distance measuring device 120 has a laser scanner 41 adapted to perform a 2D or 3D scan (shown by the dashed line W in Figure 10) of part or all of the flat surface of the reel located in the pickup zone 112A. From the 2D or 3D scan, an electronic program can measure the distances between each part of the reel necessary to evaluate the desired geometric parameters.

[0174] In practice, this scan makes it possible to obtain geometric parameters related to the flat surface of the reel, such as diameter, core diameter, core displacement relative to the reel, ridges and plies protruding from the flat surface, and roughness.

[0175] Optionally, another distance measuring device 120, such as the same laser scanner (not shown in the figure), can be positioned and directed to evaluate the width of the reel located in the pickup zone 112A.

[0176] Alternatively, another distance measuring device 120, such as a similar laser scanner 121, can be positioned on the platform 116A of the stacking module 116, directed towards a specific zone in the movement path of reel B from the pickup zone 112A to the unloading zone 13. For example, this laser scanner is directed from bottom to top according to arrow H, and the robot 32 moving the reel passes over the scanning beam (indicated by arrow H) a flat surface of reel B that was not evaluated in the previous scan (because it was "shadowed" during the previous scan). In this case, this specific zone in the movement path directed by the distance measuring device is a zone different from the pickup zone.

[0177] The packaging zone also includes, for example, a magazine 116C for corrugated cardboard discs to be placed between stacked reels, which is operated by the same robot 32.

[0178] As previously mentioned, Figure 10 shows multiple (two in this embodiment) magazines 115 and 115' arranged side by side, along which each series of reels coming from the first part of the plant are moved, each having its own evaluation zone and pickup zone. In this case, there may be one reel pickup and moving device (e.g., an industrial robot 32) programmed to pick up and move reels from both conveyor belts, or there may be a device for each conveyor belt. Preferably, separate scanners 41 and 41' are provided for each conveyor belt.

[0179] An optional labeling module 50 may also be present, positioned on the side of the conveyor belt 115 for attaching identification labels to the reels.

[0180] Instead of laser scanners, distance measuring devices 120 and 121 may be equipped with video cameras that can recognize the shape of a portion of the reel to be evaluated by a recognition program. Thus, it is possible to measure the distances between each portion of the reel necessary to evaluate the desired geometric parameters by an electronic program. In practice, the video camera can be used to obtain geometric parameters related to the flat surface of the reel, such as diameter, core diameter, core displacement relative to the reel, ridges and plies protruding from the flat surface, and roughness.

[0181] Furthermore, the video camera can not only obtain parameters directly related to the distance of each part of the reel, but can also detect visual abnormalities of the reel, such as dirt marks and contamination by foreign objects, through analysis of appropriate electronic programs associated with the video camera.

[0182] Furthermore, distance measuring devices 120, 121 may have an image projector adapted to project an image onto the flat surface of reel B, such as an image of one or more lines in the radial zone of the flat surface of the reel facing the pickup zone (or another zone of the movement path from this pickup zone to the unloading zone). A video camera observes one (or more) lines on the reel, and an electronic program interprets the shape of the line, calculates its length, calculates the depth of the groove, the peak of the wave-like tendency, the dimensions and location of the discontinuity surface, and calculates the desired geometric parameters.

[0183] It is clear that the control device 10 can provide the combination of distance measuring devices 120 and 121 described above. This combination can also provide the distance sensors 21 and 22 described in the first embodiment. Similarly, in the first embodiment, the laser scanner 121, video camera, projector and video camera described above can be used instead of sensors 21 and 22.

[0184] It is clear that, in addition to the non-contact type distance measurement evaluated by the aforementioned sensors, contact-type measurements using mechanical feelers are also possible.

[0185] In these last examples, the reel is positioned and analyzed with its cylindrical side resting on the magazine's support. Similarly, the apparatus may also provide a case where the reel is positioned on the magazine with a vertical, nearly vertical, or inclined axis, i.e., with a flat surface resting on the magazine.

[0186] As described above, the pickup moving device 30 is advantageously provided with a gripping support device 31 for the reel B, and this gripping support device 31 can be associated with the manipulator of an industrial robot 32 or other moving machine.

[0187] Advantageously, in a preferred embodiment, the gripping support device 31 may be provided with at least a portion of the reel's geometric parameter evaluation device, thereby enabling evaluation of the parameters of the held reel. For example, one or more of the distance measuring devices 21, 22, and 121 described above can be arbitrarily combined and placed on the gripping support device 31.

[0188] This feasibility can be provided not only in the case associated with the first pickup and moving device 30 described above and in the case associated with the second pickup and moving device 30A described above, with reference to the embodiments in Figures 1A, 5, 6, and 7, but also in the case associated with a pickup and moving device that picks up the reel directly from the magazine and carries it to the unloading zone (in the case of Figure 10).

[0189] In this way, the geometric parameters of the reel can be evaluated, either entirely or partially, during the step of picking up the reel with this gripping support device.

[0190] Figure 11 shows in detail possible embodiments of the gripping and supporting device 31.

[0191] The gripping support device 31 has, for example, a main structure 33 with a joint 33A for connecting to the manipulator of a robot 32. An expandable type central hub 34 extends from this main structure 33 and is fitted to be inserted into the core of the reel in a first non-expandable structure and to expand in a second structure so that it remains blocked against the inner wall of the core. For example, this hub is formed of two jaws 35 fitted to be inserted into the core of the reel in a first compact structure and to expand relative to each other according to arrow fins so that they are blocked against the inner wall of the core of the reel. The relative motion of the gripper's expansion is provided, for example, by a combination of a kinematic mechanism and a motion actuator such as a pneumatic cylinder.

[0192] The gripping support device 31 also includes two lateral holding side walls 36 projecting from opposing sides of the main structure, each having a recessed structure with a recess facing the hub 34, for example, to press against the opposing sides of the cylindrical side surface of the reel. These side walls 36 are slidably mounted on lateral guides (for example, perpendicular to the extension of the hub, i.e., perpendicular to the axis of the reel when the hub is inserted into the core of the reel) which are made slidable by motion actuators (such as pneumatic cylinders). For example, the lateral guide 37 is provided on a lateral arm 37A projecting in a cantilevered manner from an opposing side of the main structure 33.

[0193] The gripping support device 31 further comprises a pusher 38, which has a pusher head 38A adapted to act, for example, on the flat surface of the reel and push the reel in a direction that removes it from the hub 34. For example, the pusher head is attached to a motion actuator (such as a pneumatic cylinder) fixed to the main structure 33 and adapted to act, for example, in the direction of extension of the hub when the hub is inserted into the core of the reel, i.e., in a direction more or less parallel to the axis of the reel. The pusher 38 can push the reel along the hub and remove it from the core, thereby detaching the reel from the gripping support device. Furthermore, the pusher can make multiple reels present on the hub compact so that the continuous surfaces of the reels are in contact with each other.

[0194] As described above, in some embodiments, the gripping support device 31 may include at least a portion of the device for evaluating the geometric parameters of the reel. In the embodiments described above, for example, there is a distance measuring device 20 in the form of a third distance sensor 25, which is an optical sensor or laser sensor of the type described above, indicated by reference numerals 21 and 22.

[0195] More specifically, in this embodiment, for each arm 37A, there is a third distance sensor 25 mounted on a carriage 25A that is movable along a track 39 generated along each arm 37A, in a direction parallel to the respective lateral guide 37, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the reel when the hub is inserted into the core of the reel. A motion actuator, such as a pneumatic cylinder, enables the controlled movement of the third sensor 25. A system for detecting the position of the sensor along the track, such as an encoder system, is associated with the actuator / third sensor. Thus, this third sensor makes it possible to evaluate the radius of the reel, the radius of the core, and the ridges, protruding plies, and roughness related to the flat surface of the reel that the third sensor 25 faces (the reading direction is indicated by reference numeral 25B). These geometric parameters of the reel can be read during movement from the pickup zone 12A to the unloading zone. It should be noted that a reference system for the position of the pusher head 38A in the movement / extraction direction, such as an encoder system (not shown in the diagram), is associated with the pusher 38, so that the position of the head 38A along the movement / extraction direction, i.e., the position of the reel face along this direction, i.e., along the hub 34, can be determined. In practice, the pusher acts as a mechanical feeler that informs the system of the precise position of the reel.

[0196] Generally, the second part of plant 110 includes an electronic control center 60 of plant 100 which has a database storing the tolerance ranges of one or more geometric parameters detected by the control device 10, and when a geometric parameter is detected outside its respective tolerance range, one or more of the following operations are performed: • Reels in which geometric parameters outside their respective tolerance ranges are detected are moved towards zones where non-conforming reels are placed or where reels are rejected. Reels in which geometric parameters outside their respective tolerance ranges are detected are labeled as non-compliant. Feedback is sent to the first part of the plant to correct one or more process parameters / features that cause the reel's geometric parameters to deviate from the tolerance range.

[0197] Therefore, the information on the surface and dimensional quality of the reels obtained by the control device 10 can be used to optimize the management of the reel selection system. In fact, if the control device 10 detects during the packaging step that a reel does not conform to manufacturing tolerances, the reel can be classified based on the severity of the defect. The control device can notify the reel moving system to send the reel to a zone assigned to substandard reels, reels requiring rework, or rejected reels, depending on the degree of the defect, instead of sending it to the stack to which it should originally be sent.

[0198] Similarly, the reel labeling module can also receive information from the control device 10 and print a summary of this information on a label. If the control device 10 detects a defect in a reel, the label attached to that reel can provide information about the nonconformity.

[0199] In plant 100, during the cutting and unwinding step, the product web is cut into strips to form reels of the desired width. As is well known, due to the tension the web experiences in this step and the mechanical properties of the belt, the width of the strips obtained from the cutting step is not the same as the distance between the cutting edges of the blades that cut the web into strips. The purpose of the cutting blade positioning step is to obtain reels of width that conform to production specifications.

[0200] The control unit can provide information to correct the blade distance to form a reel of the desired width by detecting geometric parameters related to the axial width of the reel. The blade may be positioned by an automated system or manually by an operator. In either case, the control unit can provide information that allows the blade to be set to obtain a reel of the desired width. On the one hand, this information is transmitted automatically through software, and on the other hand, it is communicated via a table to the operator who will manually correct the blade position.

[0201] Similar considerations as those described above also apply to the axial cutting and positioning of the corrugated cardboard core along the winding shaft of the rewinding device. According to market requirements, the corrugated cardboard core must not protrude from the flat surface of the reel, nor should it be too short relative to the width of the reel. The axial cutting and positioning process may be performed by an automated system or manually by an operator. The control device can read the effective width of the reel, the effective width of the corrugated cardboard core, and the relative position between the two. Based on the information collected by the control device, the cutting length and position of the corrugated cardboard core on the winding shaft are corrected. This provides accurate information to achieve a high correspondence between the core edge and the flat surface of the reel.

[0202] If the (longitudinal) cutting assembly of a winding device has a blade that is becoming dull, the final surface of the reel will typically become irregular, for example, having partially protruding edges. The control device according to the present invention can control this abnormality and inform the operator of the device of the need for maintenance of the cutting tool.

[0203] The web of the product being wound, in the case of nonwoven fabrics, is a material characterized by a high Poisson's ratio. This means that when a strip of nonwoven fabric is subjected to variable tension during winding, the width of the strip changes significantly. As a result, the flat surface of the reel is not perfectly flat and is affected by variations in the width of the reel. In particular, in the unwinding cycle, three winding phases can be identified: acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration. Due to the inertia of all the rotating members of the device, the tension of the strips will vary according to the different winding phases. When such tension fluctuations occur, the three zones mentioned above can be clearly identified on the flat surface. Otherwise, the strips wound in the three operating phases of the unwinding device will have different widths for each phase. If the analysis system for the flat surface of the reel detects non-planarity due to variations in strip tension, the system can modify the operating parameters of the winding device (belt tension, differential speed of the rollers relative to the preceding one) so that the finished reel surface has greater planarity and the strips have widths within the required tolerance range.

[0204] Some types of nonwoven fabrics are characterized by a high Poisson's ratio between the lateral strain of the web and the thickness-direction strain of the web (in practice, the sheet tends to widen when compressed). In some reels, various turns exert radial pressure on the innermost turns, resulting in the radial pressure of the web forming the various turns being greater in the inner turns than in the outermost turns. When the web has a high Poisson's ratio, the shape of the reel deforms. This drawback can be corrected by changing various operating parameters of the winding device during winding. The parameters that most influence this characteristic are the winding tension and the force exerted on the reel by the leader roller. Decreasing these values ​​as the diameter of the reel increases provides advantages in terms of the flatness of the reel.

[0205] All of these feedback controls, based on information acquired by the control device according to the present invention, contribute to the correct setting of the winding device parameters and can be managed, for example, by an artificial intelligence algorithm of the "machine learning" type.

[0206] The above merely represents possible non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, and it should be understood that the form and arrangement can be changed without departing from the fundamental concepts of the present invention. The reference numerals in the appended claims are provided purely for readability in light of the above description and the accompanying drawings, and do not limit the scope of protection of the claims in any way.

Claims

1. A control device (10) for controlling the shape of a web product reel (B), At least one pickup zone (12A, 112A, 112A') for at least one reel (B) to be evaluated, A moving device (11) for moving at least one reel (B) along a moving path from the pickup zone (12A, 112A, 112A') toward the unloading zone (13), An evaluation device (14) for evaluating one or more geometric parameters of the reel (B) and Equipped with, The evaluation device (14) is configured to operate in at least one evaluation zone that is at least partially provided along the movement path of the reel, The evaluation device (14) includes at least one distance measuring sensor (21, 22, 321, 322), During the relative movement of the reel with respect to the distance measuring sensors (21, 22, 321, 322), the distance measuring sensors (21, 22, 321, 322) are adapted to read their respective distances from the reel. The evaluation device (14) further includes a device (26) for detecting the position of the reel in the direction of movement relative to the distance measuring sensors (21, 22, 321, 322), thereby making the relative position of the reel in the direction of movement known for each distance reading performed by the distance measuring sensors. Consequently, information regarding the shape of the reel can be obtained by combining the distance information acquired from the reel by the distance measuring sensors (21, 22) and the information regarding the position of the reel in the direction of movement. The evaluation device includes an adjustment device (123, 223) for adjusting the position of at least one distance measuring sensor (21, 22, 321, 322) in the evaluation zone of the reel, The adjustment device (123, 223) has at least one adjustment direction for the position of the sensor, The adjustment device (123, 223) further comprises another device for displaying the positions of the distance measuring sensors (21, 22, 321, 322) along the adjustment direction. A control device characterized by the following features.

2. The evaluation device (14) includes at least one distance measuring sensor, Adapted to measure the distance of one or more parts of a reel to other parts of the reel, or the distance of one or more external reference planes of the reel, The at least one distance measuring sensor comprises an optical sensor, a laser sensor, a laser scanning device, an ultrasonic device, a video camera, a mechanical feeler, and possible combinations thereof. The at least one distance measuring sensor is associated with an electronic processing program for the detected signal in order to convert the detected signal into geometric parameters of the reel. The control device according to feature 1.

3. The moving device (11) includes at least one pickup moving device (30, 30A) adapted to pick up at least one reel (B) from the zone of the moving path and move it along at least a portion of the moving path. The control device according to feature 1.

4. The pickup moving device (30, 30A) comprises at least a portion of the evaluation device (14) for evaluating at least one geometric parameter of the reel during pickup movement. The control device according to claim 3.

5. The moving device (11) comprises at least one reel conveyor (15, 315) of reels (B) arranged in a single row in the transport direction, Along the path defined by the reel conveyor (15), the evaluation zones for the geometric parameters by the evaluation device (14) are provided. The control device according to feature 1.

6. There is at least one pickup moving device (30), It operates between the pickup zone (12A) and the at least one reel conveyor (15, 315), The system is adapted to pick up at least one of the reels from the pickup zone (12A) and move the reels on at least one reel conveyor (15, 315). The control device according to claim 5.

7. There is at least one pickup moving device (30), It is positioned between the at least one reel conveyor (15, 315) and the unloading zone (13), After being evaluated by the evaluation device (14), at least one of the reels is picked up from the reel conveyor (15, 315) and moved toward the unloading zone (13). The control device according to claim 5.

8. In the evaluation zone, during the step of detecting geometric parameters, a relative movement system exists between the reel (B) being evaluated and at least a portion of the evaluation device (14). The control device according to feature 1.

9. The relative movement system is provided with a device (26) for detecting the position of the reel with respect to at least a portion of the evaluation device (14). The control device according to claim 8.

10. The evaluation device (14) has one or more of the following features The control device according to feature 1. - At least one of the distance measuring sensors (21, 22, 321, 322) is an optical sensor or a laser sensor. The distance measuring sensors (21, 22, 321, 322) are adapted to read the respective distances from the reel in a continuous reading sequence.

11. The evaluation device has one or more of the following features The control device according to feature 1. - At least one adjustment direction of the sensor position is parallel to the reading direction of the distance of the sensors (21, 22, 321, 322) from the reel. - The adjustment devices (123, 223) are of the automatic type.

12. The reel conveyor (15, 315) defines the support height of the reel, One or more of the following distance measuring sensors are provided along the aforementioned transport direction. The control device according to claim 5. - At least one first distance measuring sensor (21', 21'', 321', 321'') positioned below or above the aforementioned height, positioned below or above the space that the reel to be evaluated can occupy, and facing upward or downward during operation. - At least one second distance measuring sensor (22, 322) located above the aforementioned height, positioned laterally with respect to the transport direction of the reel, and facing laterally toward the space that the reel can occupy during operation.

13. There is at least one magazine (12) of reels arranged in at least one row, The pickup zone (12A) is defined above it, The pickup moving device (30) is adapted to pick up at least one reel from the pickup zone (12A) on the magazine (12) and move it onto the reel conveyor (15, 315) on which the evaluation device (14) operates. The control device according to claim 3.

14. The at least one distance measuring sensor provided in the evaluation device (14) is adapted to measure the distance of one or more parts of the reel to other parts of the reel or to one or more reference planes outside the reel, and is configured to act on a movement path controlled by the at least one pickup moving device. The control device according to claim 3.

15. Thereafter, the pickup zone (112A) is defined, and there is at least one magazine (112) of reels arranged in at least one row, The pickup moving device (30) is configured to pick up at least one reel from the pickup zone (112A) of the magazine (112) and transport it to the unload zone (13). Equipped with, The evaluation device (14) includes at least one distance measuring sensor oriented to measure a portion of the flat surface of a reel located in the pickup zone of the magazine, The control device according to claim 3.

16. At least one of the distance measuring sensors (21, 22, 321, 322) is oriented to measure a portion of the reel located in the pickup zone (112A). The control device according to feature 14.

17. The at least one of the distance measuring sensors (21, 22, 321, 322) is located outside the pickup moving device (30) and is directed towards a specific zone of the movement path of the at least one reel from the pickup zone (112A) to the unloading zone (13) which is different from the pickup zone (112A). The distance of a portion of the reel is measured while it is being moved by the pickup moving device (30). The control device according to claim 3.

18. The at least one of the distance measuring sensors (21, 22, 321, 322) A laser scanner (121) adapted to scan a portion of the reel, The control device according to feature 1.

19. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the pickup moving device (30) comprises a robot (32) having a manipulator associated with a gripping support device (31) for at least one reel, or a tilting device (332) adapted to rotate a reel from a pickup zone (12A) to a reel conveyor (15).

20. At least a portion of the evaluation device (14) for the geometric parameters of the held reel is sequentially provided in the gripping support device (31) for at least one reel. The control device according to feature 19.

21. The system comprises at least one reel magazine (12, 112) having one or more of the following features, wherein the features are: - In the magazine, the reels are arranged in at least one row, and the pickup zones (12A, 112A) are defined thereon. - The magazines (12, 112) are configured to move the reels along their extensions. - The magazines (12, 112) are configured to receive the reels and wait for the reels to be picked up by the pickup moving device (30) while the reels are stopped, and the pickup zones (12A, 112A) are defined for each reel by the position it occupies within the magazine. - The magazine (12, 112) has a structure for receiving the reel, and the reel is supported in a stationary state within the magazine with its cylindrical side surface resting on the support surface, that is, with the axis of the reel horizontal or slightly inclined relative to the horizontal, that is, not vertical, and - The magazine (12, 112) has a structure for receiving a reel such that the reel is supported within the magazine with the axis of the reel positioned vertically or nearly vertically. At least some of the reels are supported within the magazine with their flat surfaces resting on the support surfaces. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is the same as the present invention.

22. The pickup zones (12A, 112A) have a reel receiving structure configured to receive reels such that the first reel to be picked up in the pickup zone has a surface facing the pickup moving device and an opposite surface facing the surface of an adjacent reel. The control device according to claim 3.

23. The gripping support device (31) for at least one reel comprises a hub (34) configured to be inserted into the core of the at least one reel, and a distance measuring sensor (25) adapted to move laterally with respect to the axis of the reel when the hub is inserted into the core of the reel. The control device according to feature 19.

24. The gripping support device (31) for at least one reel, A hub (34) configured to be inserted into the core of at least one of the reels, A pusher (38) having a pusher head (38A) that acts on the flat surface of the reel and is adapted to push the reel in a direction that removes it from the hub (34) and Having, The control device according to feature 19.

25. The evaluation device (14) is adapted to evaluate one or more of the following geometric parameters of the reel. The control device according to feature 1. The outer diameter of the reel, the axial width of at least one of the reel, the roundness of the reel, the diameter of the inner core of the reel on which the web product is wound, the protrusion of the core from one or both surfaces of the reel, the lack of flatness of the two surfaces of the reel, the ply of the product protruding from the surface of the reel, the ridges of the web product present on the surface of the reel, the center of the cardboard core not coinciding with the center of the outer circumference of the reel, the variation in the thickness of the reel according to the radius of the reel, and visual defects of the reel.

26. The evaluation zone of at least one reel is provided along the movement path of the reel, In the evaluation zone, the reel is stopped, In the evaluation zone, a robot (32) supporting the at least one distance measuring sensor is adapted to move the at least one distance measuring sensor around the reel in order to evaluate at least one of the geometric parameters of the reel. The control device according to feature 1.

27. A web product reel manufacturing plant (100) comprising a control device (10) for controlling the shape of the reel of the web product as described in claim 1, - A first part (101) for manufacturing an assembly of thin product reels arranged coaxially adjacent to each other, the first part (101) having flat surfaces on which two adjacent reels come into contact with each other, - A second part (110) for packaging the reel manufactured in the first part (101) and Equipped with, The control device (10) that controls the shape of the web product reel is located between the first part and the second part. A web product reel manufacturing plant characterized by the following features.

28. A shift system (109) for a coaxially adjacent reel assembly extending from the first portion, comprising the shift system (109) configured to shift the coaxially adjacent reel assembly from the first portion (101) to the pickup zones (12A, 112A), The pickup zones (12A, 112A) are configured to receive adjacent reels such that each of the flat surfaces facing the direction for gripping the reel is facing the reel. The plant according to feature 27.

29. The second part (110) of the plant is A stacking module (16) is operatively positioned downstream of the control device (10), where the reels are stacked coaxially along a horizontal or vertical axis, The plant according to claim 27, characterized by having the following features.

30. Equipped with a reel labeling module (50), The reel that exits the control device (10) is labeled, and then transported to the stacking module (16). The plant according to feature 29.

31. The plant has an electronic control center (60) equipped with a database of permissible ranges for one or more geometric parameters detected by the control device, When at least one geometric parameter is detected outside each tolerance range, - A process of moving a reel in which at least one geometric parameter is detected to be outside the acceptable range toward a zone for positioning non-conforming reels, or rejecting the reel. - A process of labeling reels in which at least one geometric parameter is detected to be outside the acceptable range as non-compliant, and - A process to correct one or more processing parameters that cause a deviation of the parameters from the aforementioned tolerance range. One or more of these actions were performed. The plant according to feature 27.

Images