Automated Golf Ball Core Color Detection and Rejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golf ball manufacturers face challenges in automatically detecting and rejecting cores with non-conforming core colors before they are encased, leading to potential errors in the manufacturing process due to operator oversight and the inability to visually distinguish core properties.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a transport track and a color differentiation device that inspects core colors in real-time, differentiates between conforming and non-conforming colors, and notifies the transport track to divert or reject non-conforming cores before they reach the covering stage, ensuring only correctly colored cores proceed for further processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If operator visual inspection is used to detect core color conformity, then the system is simple and low-cost, but operator oversight occurs and detection reliability is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual inspection system operated by human operators with an automated optical detection system. The color differentiation device uses optical sensors and image processing to automatically detect and distinguish core colors, eliminating human oversight while maintaining relatively simple system architecture through automated substitution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service detection where the color differentiation device automatically inspects, differentiates, and identifies non-conforming cores without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously completing the detection task that previously required human operators, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If automated color detection system is implemented, then detection reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The color differentiation device is designed as a multi-functional unit that combines optical sensing, color analysis, and identification capabilities within a single integrated system. This universal device performs multiple functions (detection, differentiation, identification) that would otherwise require separate systems, thereby improving detection reliability while controlling overall system complexity through functional integration.
3Productivity
If manual inspection is used, then the system is easy to operate, but productivity is reduced due to oversight and rework
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection and identification of non-conforming cores during the transport process before they reach the covering stage. By detecting color non-conformity early in the workflow, the system prevents defective cores from proceeding to subsequent manufacturing steps, thereby improving productivity through early error detection without significantly complicating the operational process.
Solution Approach 2:
The color differentiation device provides real-time feedback by automatically identifying and flagging non-conforming cores during transport. This feedback mechanism enables immediate detection and correction of color defects, improving manufacturing productivity by preventing the progression of defective products while maintaining straightforward operation through automated monitoring and alerting.
4Manufacturing precision
If cores are inspected after covering, then detection is more comprehensive, but it is too late to prevent defective cores from being processed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the critical action of detecting non-conforming core colors during the transport phase, well before the covering process begins. This preliminary detection ensures that only conforming cores proceed to covering, achieving high manufacturing precision by preventing defects at the source rather than detecting them after covering, thereby avoiding time loss from rework or scrap.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by preventing non-conforming cores from entering the covering process through early detection and identification. By taking preventive action before the covering operation, the system eliminates the possibility of processing defective cores, thereby ensuring manufacturing precision without incurring the time loss that would result from post-covering detection and subsequent rework or disposal.
Data Source
AI summary
Automated system and method wherein the color of each core is detected and distinguished before the core is covered, and any core having a non-conforming core color is rejected and released/removed/eliminated from further processing.