Communication between machines and feed-forward control in event-based product manufacturing

• US 20030155415A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Reads, Walter Caswell, Markham, Charles Earl, Pokorny, Michael Roy, Hise, John Harland, Ihde, Sheryl Annette, Nygaard, Kurt Sigurd, Shaffer, Gregory Duncan, Lindsay, Jeffrey Dean, Yosten, Roger Dale, Barber, Douglas Gordon Barron, Fuller, Paul D., Matheus, Jon Ray, Tiffany, Flynn Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,032,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/376
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H

Abstract

Providing communication between machines and feed-forward control in event-based product manufacturing. Some of the disclosed embodiments include a system, method, and computer-readable media for communicating data relating to a material between machines during a process for feed-forward control. Also disclosed are an intelligent event-based manufacturing system including a process for converting a raw material to a product and a method of reducing the probability of waste, delay, or a quality defect in a process having process conditions for the manufacture of a product from a sequentially trackable raw material. The embodiments are operable in an intelligent manufacturing system including a process for converting raw materials to a product, a process control system including one or more sensors capable of generating an alarm in response to an event that results in one of waste, machine delay, or decrease product quality, a data logger associated with the process control system for obtaining event parameters associated with the event, a database on a server for recording event parameters obtained by the data logger, and a reporting system cooperatively associated with the database for reporting productivity parameters regarding the process derived at least in part from the event parameters.

Claims

1. A method of communicating data relating to a material between machines during processing for feed-forward control, the method comprising:

determining, from a label associated with a material, an identifier identifying the material; and

obtaining material-specific data associated with the received identifier from a database populated with data obtained from an event-based manufacturing system, wherein the material-specific data is associated with a first process using or producing the material, wherein the determining and the obtaining occur during a second process occurring subsequent to the first process, wherein the second process produces a product and is governed by a process control system responsive to the data to decrease the likelihood of at least one of a delay event, a waste event, or poor quality of the product.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing remedial action in response to the obtaining.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a machine operates the second process, and wherein the implementing comprises adjusting at least one setting of the machine.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the material is continuous, wherein the implementing comprises temporarily reducing a speed of the machine to prevent a break in the material.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the implementing comprises splicing out a portion of the material having inadequate basis weight.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically conveying instructions to a human operator in response to the obtaining.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises receiving, from a scanning device, an identifier associated with the material.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises receiving, from a scanning device, a bar code associated with the material.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the material is a raw material.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the material is an intermediate product.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining comprises obtaining material-specific data associated with the received identifier from a database populated with data obtained from a plurality of manufacturers in an event-based manufacturing system:

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining occurs via a network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining event data or probabilistic data or both.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

15. A system for communicating data relating to a material between machines during processing for feed-forward control, the system comprising:

at least one database storing data associated with a first process using the material, the database having at least one identifier associated with the data;

a scanning device for reading a label including the identifier, the scanning device for use in conjunction with a second process; and

a control system having computer-executable instructions which, when executed, receive the identifier from the scanning device and obtain the data from the database during the second process, the second process occurring subsequent to the first process and being adjustable responsive to the data from the database.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the label comprises at least one of a bar code and a smart tag.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the database stores manufacturing data associated with the manufacture of a product using the material.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first process comprises production of the material, and the second process comprises manufacture of a product using the produced material.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the material is a raw material.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the material is an intermediate product.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the database stores a production history of the material.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the production history comprises a record of measured basis weight as a function of position in the roll.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the production history comprises a record of optically detected web defects in the roll as a function of position in the roll.

24. In a system for communicating data relating to a material between machines during processing for feed-forward control, one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components comprising:

an interface module for determining, from a label associated with a material, an identifier identifying the material; and

a control module for obtaining data associated with the received identifier from a database, wherein the data is associated with a first process using the material, wherein the determining and the obtaining occur during a second process occurring subsequent to the first process.

25. The computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the interface module comprises a receiver for receiving, from a scanning device, a bar code associated with the material.

26. The computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the control module comprises feed-forward process control for implementing remedial action in response to the obtained data.

27. The computer-readable media of claim 26, wherein the second process comprises a machine, and wherein the remedial action comprises adjusting at least one setting of the machine.

28. The computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the data comprises event data or probabilistic data or both.

29. A method for communicating data relating to a material between machines during processing for feed-forward control, the method comprising receiving, from a device located proximal to a material, data associated with a first process using the material, wherein the receiving occurs during a second process occurring subsequent to the first process.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising storing the data in the device for access during the second process.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the data associated with the material from a smart tag located proximal to the material.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the receiving comprises receiving, from the device over a radio frequency, the data associated with the material from a device located proximal to the material.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the material is a raw material.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the material is an intermediate product.

35. The method of claim 29, further comprising implementing remedial action in response to the obtaining.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein a machine operates the second process, and wherein the implementing comprises adjusting at least one setting of the machine.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the implementing comprises temporarily reducing a speed of the machine to prevent a break in the material.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the implementing comprises splicing out a portion of the material having inadequate basis weight.

39. The method of claim 29, further comprising electronically conveying instructions to a human operator in response to the receiving.

40. The method of claim 29, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 29.

41. A system for communicating data relating to a material between machines during processing for feed-forward control, the system comprising:

at least one memory device storing data associated with a first process using the material;

a scanning device for reading a label including the data, the scanning device for use in conjunction with a second process; and

a control system having computer-executable instructions which, when executed, receive the data from the scanning device during the second process, the second process occurring subsequent to the first process.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the memory device comprises a smart tag located proximal to the material.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the memory device broadcasts the data via a radio frequency.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein the first process comprises production of the material, and the second process comprises manufacture of a product using the produced material.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein the material is a raw material.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein the material is an intermediate product.

47. The system of claim 41, wherein the memory device stores a production history of the material.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the production history comprises a record of measured basis weight as a function of position on the roll.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the production history comprises a record of optically detected web defects in the roll as a function of position in the roll.

50. In a system for communicating data relating to a material between machines during processing for feed-forward control, one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components comprising a control module for receiving, from a device located proximal to a material, data associated with a first process using the material, wherein the receiving occurs during a second process occurring subsequent to the first process.

51. The computer-readable media of claim 50, wherein the control module comprises feed-forward process control for implementing remedial action in response to the received data.

52. The computer-readable media of claim 51, wherein a machine operates the second process, and wherein the remedial action comprises adjusting at least one setting of the machine.

53. An intelligent event-based manufacturing system comprising:

a process for converting a raw material to a product;

a process control system comprising one or more sensors capable of generating an alarm in response to an event that results in one of waste, machine delay, or decreased product quality;

a data logger associated with the process control system for obtaining an event parameter associated with the event;

a database on a server for recording the event parameter obtained by the data logger; and

a reporting system cooperatively associated with the database for reporting a productivity parameter regarding the process derived at least in part from the event parameter.

54. A method of reducing the probability of at least one of waste, delay, or a quality defect in a process having process conditions for the manufacture of a product from a sequentially trackable raw material, the raw material being associated with manufacturing information obtained from production of the raw material, the method comprising:

identifying a problematic portion of the raw material prior to its use by analyzing the manufacturing information, the problematic portion being associated with an increased probability of at least one of waste, delay, or a quality defect during the process; and

temporarily adjusting the process conditions responsive to the identified problematic portion such that the process has the adjusted process conditions for at least a portion of the time when the problematic portion of the raw material is used in the process.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the sequentially trackable raw material comprises a roll good, a web, or a material in a fixed sequence.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein the manufacturing information includes a property value, wherein identifying comprises identifying a portion of the raw material having a property value associated with an increased probability of at least one of waste, delay, or a quality defect during the process.

57. The method of claim 54, wherein the manufacturing information includes event data, and wherein identifying comprises identifying a problematic portion of the raw material via the event data.

58. A method of reducing the probability of at least one of waste, delay, or a quality defect in a process having process conditions for the manufacture of a product from a sequentially trackable raw material, the raw material being associated with manufacturing information obtained from production of the raw material, the method comprising:

accessing the manufacturing information for a raw material;

identifying, from the accessed manufacturing information, a portion of the raw material having an increased probability of at least one of waste, delay, or a quality defect; and

temporarily adjusting the process conditions for at least a portion of the time when the problematic portion of the raw material is used in the process to reduce the probability.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the sequentially trackable raw material comprises a roll good, a web, or a material in a fixed sequence.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein the manufacturing information includes a property value, wherein identifying comprises identifying a portion of the raw material having a property value associated with an increased probability of at least one of waste, delay, or a quality defect.

61. The method of claim 58, wherein the manufacturing information includes event data, and wherein identifying comprises identifying, via the event data, a portion of the raw material having an increased probability of at least one of waste, delay, or a quality defect.