Digital Camera Alignment for Changeable Tools
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for aligning upper and lower changeable tools in devices processing workpiece sheets, such as paper, cardboard, or plastic, are time-consuming and strenuous, requiring manual adjustment and frequent setup changes, leading to significant production losses.
Innovation Solution
The use of digital cameras to align the tools externally, with optional display devices and motor-driven adjustment means, allowing for precise alignment without operator entry into the machine and reducing physical strain, and enabling faster setup by capturing tool positions and adjusting them automatically or manually.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual alignment methods are used with mechanical adjustment means, then alignment precision can be achieved, but alignment time and physical effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical alignment operations with an automated optical measurement system. Digital cameras capture images of the changeable tools and their positioning elements, and a control unit automatically calculates alignment based on these images, eliminating the need for manual measurement and adjustment while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses digital images as copies of the physical tool positions. Instead of directly manipulating and measuring physical components, the system creates optical copies (images) of the tools and positioning elements, then processes these copies computationally to determine alignment, significantly reducing time and physical effort.
2Ease of operation
If manual alignment with operator entry into the device is required, then alignment can be performed, but operator safety risks and physical strain increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection and physical adjustment with an automated optical system. Digital cameras positioned outside the device capture images, and the control unit processes these images to determine alignment, eliminating the need for operators to enter the device and exposing them to moving parts and mechanical hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces digital cameras and image processing as intermediaries between the operator and the changeable tools. Instead of the operator directly observing and adjusting tools inside the device, the camera system acts as an intermediary that captures and transmits visual information, allowing remote operation and eliminating direct exposure to harmful factors.
3Adaptability or versatility
If frequent setup changes are performed for different sheet formats, then device versatility is maintained, but production efficiency decreases due to repeated alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses digital images to create records of tool positions for different sheet formats. When changing setups, the system can capture new positions efficiently and store them, allowing rapid reconfiguration without time-consuming manual alignment procedures, thus maintaining versatility while improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements an automated feedback system where digital cameras continuously monitor tool positions and the control unit calculates alignment status. This real-time feedback allows for rapid detection and correction of misalignment during setup changes, reducing the time required to switch between different sheet formats while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
In a method of aligning an upper and a lower changeable tool (2, 10, 18) in a device for processing, e.g., sheets of paper, provision is made that with the aid of at least one digital camera (50, 51), the upper changeable tool (2) is aligned with a sheet that has been moved in and the lower changeable tool (18) is aligned relative to the upper changeable tool (2) after the sheet has been moved out.