Dynamic Image Compression for Injection Molding Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for determining the quality of molded articles in injection molding systems face challenges in efficiently managing the storage capacity for image data, leading to increased costs as the number of molding cycles increases, due to the need for extensive storage of high-resolution images.
Innovation Solution
An injection molding system that employs an image compression ratio setting mechanism based on physical quantities acquired during molding, compressing images more heavily when physical quantities are close to central values and maintaining higher resolution when they deviate, thereby optimizing storage capacity usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high-resolution images of all molded articles are stored for quality control and traceability, then image quality and diagnostic capability are improved, but storage capacity requirements and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating image storage quality based on the molding condition. Images are stored at full resolution only when abnormal physical quantities are detected (local high quality), while images from normal molding conditions are stored at reduced resolution or compressed (local low quality). This selective approach maintains diagnostic capability where needed while reducing overall storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of image compression ratio based on the physical quantity measurements. When physical quantities indicate abnormal molding conditions, the compression ratio is reduced (higher quality). When physical quantities are within normal ranges, the compression ratio is increased (lower quality). This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between image quality and storage capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If images are compressed to reduce storage capacity, then storage costs are reduced, but image quality and defect detection capability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the image compression ratio dynamic rather than static. The compression ratio automatically adjusts based on real-time physical quantity measurements from the molding process. This dynamic adaptation ensures that image quality is maintained at appropriate levels based on actual molding conditions, preventing unnecessary quality loss while reducing storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from physical quantity measurements to control image compression. Abnormal physical quantities trigger lower compression ratios (higher image quality), while normal physical quantities result in higher compression ratios (lower image quality). This feedback mechanism ensures that image quality is preserved only when necessary for defect investigation.
3Reliability
If all molded article images are stored with uniform high quality for traceability, then quality control reliability is improved, but storage costs and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage system into different quality levels based on molding conditions. Instead of treating all images uniformly, the system divides them into categories (abnormal vs. normal conditions) and applies different storage strategies to each segment. This segmentation maintains reliability for critical cases while simplifying the overall storage architecture through automated classification.
Data Source
AI summary
In an injection molding system, a compression ratio of an image acquired by a molded article image acquisition means is changed based on a physical quantity related to injection molding and stored in a storage means. Thus, an image of a molded article is compressed and stored according to the compression ratio obtained based on the physical quantity.