Optical Caliper Measurement for Sheet Materials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional caliper measurement processes for sheet materials are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and inefficient, often requiring manual handling and limited sample sizes, which hinders the assessment of manufacturing process impacts on sheet materials like corrugated fiberboard.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an input, transport mechanism, and image capture devices along the transport path to continuously measure the caliper of sheet materials in real-time without the need for manual handling or restraint, allowing for comprehensive analysis of large sample sizes and real-time monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual caliper measurement is used, then measurement accuracy can be maintained, but productivity is significantly reduced and labor intensity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical caliper measurement with an optical measurement system using imaging devices and image processing algorithms. The system captures images of the sheet material and automatically calculates caliper measurements through software analysis, eliminating the need for manual intervention while maintaining measurement accuracy and significantly increasing throughput capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates optical copies (images) of the sheet material surface and performs measurements on these digital representations rather than direct physical contact. This allows multiple measurements to be taken simultaneously from a single image capture, dramatically increasing productivity while preserving measurement precision through digital image analysis
2Stability of the object's composition
If sheet material is restrained for measurement, then measurement stability is improved, but processing speed is significantly slowed and material damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical restraint systems with a non-contact optical imaging system. The measurement is performed by capturing images of the moving sheet material and processing these images computationally, eliminating the need to physically restrain or slow down the material during measurement, thus maintaining both stability and high processing speed
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an optical intermediary (imaging device and image processing) between the measurement objective and the sheet material. This intermediary allows measurements to be taken of moving material without physical contact or restraint, resolving the contradiction between stability and speed by measuring the material in its natural moving state
3Loss of time
If limited sample sizes are measured, then measurement time is reduced, but measurement comprehensiveness and reliability are significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables continuous measurement of sheet material as it moves through the manufacturing process. Instead of taking discrete manual measurements of limited samples, the automated optical system continuously captures and analyzes images of the material, providing comprehensive data across large sample sizes without increasing measurement time, thus improving reliability while maintaining efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
By creating digital copies (images) of the sheet material, the system allows unlimited replication and analysis of measurement data without additional time cost. Multiple measurements can be extracted from each captured image, enabling comprehensive statistical analysis of large sample sizes while maintaining rapid throughput
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient, high-speed caliper measurement of sheet materials during processing, providing robust and comprehensive data on manufacturing process impacts, reducing labor and minimizing material damage, and allowing for real-time feedback and adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
a first image capture device... configured to obtain one or more first images. Each of the first images is of at least one of the one or more sheets
Data Source
AI summary
A method for processing a plurality of sheet material includes receiving a plurality of sheets of material, transporting, via a transport mechanism, the plurality of sheets, one sheet at a time, past a first image capture device, obtaining, via a first image capture device, a first image of a first set of one or more of the plurality of sheets while being transported past the first image capture device, and determining, via at least one processor, a first caliper measurement of the first set of one or more of the plurality of sheets based on the first image of each of the first set.