Rubber Strip Tension Control Using 3D Curvature Modeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for regulating rubber strip tension in manufacturing processes, such as tire and conveyor belt production, are limited by their inability to accurately analyze tension in asymmetrical curves and require the strip to be in a plane perpendicular to the camera, leading to potential errors in tension measurement and damage from excessive tension.
Innovation Solution
A method using 3D camera technology to acquire and model the curvature of the rubber strip, allowing for continuous tension regulation without contact or force sensors, enabling control of tension even when the strip's ends move in space and are not at the same height, using chain equations for tension estimation and adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a two-dimensional camera is used to acquire images of the rubber strip, then the system can detect tension in the strip, but the system fails to correctly analyze asymmetrical curves and cannot detect movements in planes other than the camera's perpendicular plane
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional camera imaging to three-dimensional point cloud representation. By acquiring 3D coordinates of points on the rubber strip and representing the strip as a spatial curve in three-dimensional space, the system can accurately measure tension regardless of the strip's orientation or asymmetrical curvature. This dimensional upgrade allows the system to handle cases where the strip forms asymmetrical curves or moves in planes not perpendicular to the camera.
2Measurement precision
If the camera is positioned to acquire images of the rubber strip, then tension analysis can be performed, but the system requires the strip to be in a plane perpendicular to the camera and at specific heights
Solution Approach 1:
By moving from 2D image processing to 3D point cloud analysis, the system eliminates the constraint requiring the strip to be in a plane perpendicular to the camera. The three-dimensional coordinate system allows the camera to be positioned more flexibly in space, and the mathematical model can still accurately determine tension by calculating the spatial curvature of the strip regardless of its orientation or the camera's position.
3Force
If force sensors are used to measure tension, then high tension measurement is possible, but the system lacks continuous control capability and requires contact with the product
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical force sensors with an optical measurement system using a camera and image processing. By capturing the spatial position of multiple points on the rubber strip and calculating curvature from these coordinates, the system determines tension without physical contact. This substitution enables continuous real-time monitoring and control during the handling process, improving productivity while maintaining measurement capability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the lowest point of the slack band is not in the visual acquisition field, then handling flexibility is improved, but existing systems cannot perform tension regulation
Solution Approach 1:
The three-dimensional point cloud approach allows the system to reconstruct the spatial curve of the rubber strip even when the lowest point is outside the camera's field of view. By obtaining 3D coordinates of visible points and using mathematical modeling to determine the curve's geometry and curvature, the system can calculate tension without requiring the entire strip, including its lowest point, to be visible. This maintains handling flexibility while preserving measurement precision.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for regulating the tension of a strip of rubbery product between an unwinding element and a receiving element. The method comprises the following steps: - a step of visual acquisition of the position of a predetermined number of points on the strip of product, - a step of modelling the curvature of the strip, on the basis of the position of the points, - a step of determining, depending on the curvature, a tension level of the strip, - a step of transmitting, to the unwinding element, control information with a view to increasing or decreasing an unwinding rate depending on the determined tension level and a reference level. The invention also relates to a system for regulating the tension of a strip of rubbery product.