Sheet Splicing With Upstream Defect Detection for Stable Joints

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing splicing mechanisms in manufacturing processes are prone to instability, leading to equipment downtime, waste, and reduced mechanical stability due to defects in the spliced sheets, particularly when splicing sheets with reduced width or defects such as tears and holes.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that utilize a quality sensor to detect defects upstream of the splicing head, allowing for the splicing of sheets only when the detected portion is located prior to the splicing head, thereby ensuring a defect-free splicing process that maintains sheet stability and reduces waste.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If splicing is performed without quality detection, then productivity is maintained, but the mechanical stability of the spliced sheet deteriorates due to defects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical stability of spliced sheetVSAvoidproduction speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The quality sensor detects defects in the sheet material before it reaches the splicing head, allowing the system to identify and exclude defective portions prior to splicing. This preliminary detection ensures that only high-quality material is spliced, maintaining mechanical stability while enabling continuous production without stoppages for quality issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The quality sensor provides real-time feedback about sheet quality to the control system, which then adjusts the splicing process accordingly. When defects are detected, the system receives feedback to modify splicing operations, ensuring that defective portions are excluded from the final spliced product while maintaining production continuity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Loss of substance

If defective portions are included in splicing, then material waste is reduced, but the reliability of the spliced sheet deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial wasteVSAvoidstability of spliced sheet

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The quality sensor performs preliminary detection of defects before the splicing operation, allowing the system to precisely identify the boundaries of defective portions. This enables minimal trimming of only the necessary defective areas while preserving as much usable material as possible, thus reducing overall waste while ensuring defect-free splicing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If quality detection is implemented, then the mechanical stability of spliced sheets improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical stability of spliced sheetVSAvoidsplicing mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical inspection and sorting systems with a quality sensor-based detection system. Instead of using mechanical means to identify and separate defective material, an optical or electronic quality sensor detects defects, and the control system automatically adjusts the splicing process, simplifying the overall device architecture while maintaining high reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Productivity

If the splicing head processes defective material, then productivity is maintained, but harmful factors increase due to sheet rupture

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous productionVSAvoidsheet rupture and waste

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The quality sensor detects potential defect locations before the sheet reaches the splicing head, allowing the control system to pre-position the splicing cut to exclude defective portions. This preliminary identification prevents defective material from entering the splicing process, eliminating sheet rupture and waste generation while maintaining continuous production.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system converts the potentially harmful presence of defects into a benefit by using quality sensor detection to precisely locate and exclude only the defective portions. This approach transforms what would be production-disrupting defects into controlled, minimal trim operations that actually improve overall product quality while maintaining productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS20260033528A1Method and apparatus for splicing two sheets of material

Publication Date: 2026.02.05 PHILIP MORRIS PRODUCTS SA

AI summary

A method for splicing two sheets of material is provided, including: providing a processing line including a splicing head and a quality sensor located between upstream and downstream ends of the processing line; providing first and second sheets of material; processing the first sheet on the processing line along a processing direction from the upstream end towards the downstream end; detecting, by the quality sensor, a value of a quality parameter at a detected portion of the first sheet; and, when the value falls within a predetermined threshold, transporting the first sheet along the processing line such that the detected portion is located prior to getting into the splicing head from the upstream end, and splicing the first and the second sheets at the splicing head when the detected portion is located prior to getting into the splicing head from the upstream end.