Web inspection system
First Claim
1. A system for web inspection of a web, the system comprising:
- a plurality of smart cameras, each smart camera for detecting a plurality of web flaws from a streaming video signal, each smart camera having means for generating flaw image data and flaw location data;
a host computer for controlling the low contrast web inspection system and for accepting and displaying the flaw image data and the flaw location data; and
an ethernet for connecting the plurality of smart cameras to the host computer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A web inspection system provides detection of web flaws along the machine direction and cross direction of a web. The detectable percent contrast between good web material and bad web material in one embodiment approaches noise level. The web inspection system utilizes a multiple of smart cameras connected to a host computer via an ethernet hub. Each smart camera includes a line scan camera for producing digital pixels, a means for lighting and pixel correction on a pixel by pixel basis, a web edge detector for monitoring the edges of a web, a multi-pipeline flaw detection pre-processor for detecting very small changes in the web material, a run length encoder for generating data regarding the location of each group of potential flaws in a cross direction, a 2D blob detector and analyzer for generating data regarding the location of block flaws along a machine direction, and an inspect/reject analysis for determining the actual flaw data from the potential flaw data. A low contrast web inspection system provides a balanced and distributed architecture that handles high defect rates, and that is easily integrated with an existing web manufacturing system.
-
Citations
9 Claims
-
1. A system for web inspection of a web, the system comprising:
-
a plurality of smart cameras, each smart camera for detecting a plurality of web flaws from a streaming video signal, each smart camera having means for generating flaw image data and flaw location data;
a host computer for controlling the low contrast web inspection system and for accepting and displaying the flaw image data and the flaw location data; and
an ethernet for connecting the plurality of smart cameras to the host computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method for low contrast web inspection of a web, the method comprising the steps of:
-
providing at least on smart camera for inspecting at least a portion of the web;
generating flaw image data and flaw location data;
transmitting the flaw image data and flaw location data over an ethernet;
displaying the flaw image data and flaw location data. - View Dependent Claims (8)
-
-
9. A method for generating a prioritized image data stream from a digitized video stream of a web, the method comprising the steps:
-
averaging the digitized video stream over a distance of the web to generate an averaged background signal;
averaging the digitized video stream over a distance of the web along a machine direction of the web to generate a filtered machine direction signal;
averaging the digitized video stream over a distance of the web along a cross direction of the web to generate a filtered cross direction signal;
subtracting the averaged background signal from the filtered machine direction signal to generate a first pixel representation;
subtracting the averaged background signal from the filtered cross direction signal to generate a second pixel representation;
grouping the first and second pixel representations to generate at least two data streams of potential flaws; and
prioritizing the at least two data streams of potential flaws to generate the prioritized image data stream.
-
Specification