Hide Barcode Traceability With Imaging-Based Quality Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for tracking and managing hides in the leather industry are manual, labor-intensive, and error-prone, lacking reproducibility and fungibility, despite advancements in automated data assignment.
Innovation Solution
An automated method involving inkjet printing of unique machine-readable barcodes onto hides during translation on a conveyor belt, combined with imaging and data integration using an IT system to assess and manage hide quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual methods are used for tracking and managing hides, then flexibility in handling natural product variations is maintained, but labor intensity increases and reproducibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking methods with an automated imaging and data processing system. Industrial size scanners capture images of hides, and IT systems automatically analyze and track quality parameters, eliminating manual labor while maintaining accurate record-keeping and hide identification throughout the tanning process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates digital copies of hide characteristics through imaging. High-resolution images and extracted quality parameters are stored as data representations of the physical hide, enabling automated tracking and management without physical handling while preserving all necessary information for quality control.
2Measurement precision
If automated imaging and data assignment are implemented, then reproducibility and measurement precision improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs industrial size scanners that serve multiple functions: capturing high-resolution images, extracting quality parameters, and providing automated hide identification. This multi-functional approach achieves precise measurement while avoiding the need for separate specialized devices for each function, thereby managing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an IT system as an intermediary between the imaging process and quality management. This software layer automatically processes images, extracts quality parameters, and integrates data with hide identification, simplifying the overall system architecture by centralizing data processing functions.
3Device complexity
If tracking and management processes are manual, then system simplicity is maintained, but error rates increase and fungibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual tracking operations with automated imaging and data processing. Scanners capture hide images and quality parameters automatically, and IT systems manage tracking data without human intervention, eliminating manual errors while maintaining reliable hide identification and quality assessment throughout processing.
4Productivity
If in-line automated processing is implemented, then productivity and operating speed improve, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous in-line processing where hides move through the system on a conveyor belt while being imaged and scanned without interruption. This continuous operation maximizes productivity by eliminating stop-start processing, and the automated nature of the imaging and data capture maintains simplicity despite the continuous flow.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention introduces an integrated system for the leather industry, combining hide quality assessment with traceability. By inkjet printing unique machine-readable barcodes to hides and linking these to quality data obtained from imaging analyses, the system ensures accurate tracking and management of hides through IT system integration. The system comprises an apparatus, comprising a conveyor belt (11) for translating the hides along an operating line of the apparatus (10), an imaging station (14) configured for imaging each hide, and a coding station (13) configured for applying a unique machine-readable code to each hide.