APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND PROCESS FOR DETERMINING CHARACTERISTICS OF A SURFACE OF A PAPERMAKING FABRIC

• US 20140254885A1
• Filed: 05/21/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sze, Daniel H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,382,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/111
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 11/006 Making patterned paper
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 11/14 Making cellulose wadding, filter or blotting paper
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 11/145 including a through-drying process
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 5/18 Drying webs by hot air
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 5/181 on Yankee cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: D21G 9/0036 controlling the press or drying section
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10056 Microscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30124 Fabrics; Textile; Paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0006 using a design-rule based approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/40 Analysis of texture depth or shape recovery from texture G06T7/529

Abstract

Apparatuses, processes, and systems for determining features of a paper-making fabric. The apparatus, processes, and systems utilize a representation of a portion of a surface of the fabric, with the representation showing locations and sizes of knuckles and pockets in the surface of the fabric. An image of the portion of the fabric is generated based on the representation. Using the displayed image, an outline is drawn around at least one of the knuckles, and guidelines are drawn such that the guidelines pass through the center of the outlined knuckle, pass through the other knuckles, and form a shape that surrounds areas of the image that correspond to where the pockets are formed between the knuckles. With the outlined knuckle and guidelines, properties that affect the paper-making functionality of the fabric may be calculated.

Claims

1. A process of determining features of a fabric, the process comprising:

forming a representation of a portion of a surface of the fabric, the representation showing locations and sizes of knuckles and pockets in the surface of the fabric;

generating an image of the portion of the surface of the fabric based on the representation;

displaying at least a portion of the image on a screen associated with a computer having a processor;

drawing an outline around at least one of the knuckles displayed image; and

drawing guidelines in the displayed image such that the guidelines (i) pass through the center of the outlined knuckle, (ii) pass through the other knuckles, (iii) form a shape that surrounds areas of the image that correspond to where the pockets are formed between the knuckles,

wherein the outline and guidelines are drawn using an image analysis program stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

2. The process according to claim 1, further comprising a step of determining at least one of a length of the outlined knuckle, a width of the outlined knuckle, and orientation angles of the guidelines and locations of the knuckles along the guidelines,

wherein the determination is made by the image analysis program.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein the quadrilateral shapes are non-rectangular, parallelograms.

4. The process according to claim 3, further comprising a step of calculating at least one of a percentage of the surface of the fabric that corresponds to the knuckles and a density of the pockets,

wherein the calculation uses the determinations of the length of the outlined knuckle, the width of the outlined knuckle, the orientation angle of the guidelines, locations of the knuckles along the guidelines, and a calculated area of at least one of the parallelograms.

5. The process according to claim 4, wherein the area of the parallelogram is calculated using an angle of one corner of the parallelogram and a distance between two parallel guidelines of the guidelines that form the parallelogram.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the representation is formed by one of (i) pressing the fabric against a pressure measurement film, (ii) taking a photograph of the fabric, and (iii) pressing the fabric against wax paper.

7. A process of determining features of a fabric, the process comprising:

forming a representation of a portion of a surface of the fabric, the representation showing locations and sizes of knuckles and pockets in the surface of the fabric, and the representation being one of a print of the fabric surface and a photograph of the surface of the fabric;

generating an image of the portion of the surface of the fabric based on the representation;

displaying at least a portion of the image on a screen associated with a computer having a processor;

determining the sizes and locations of the knuckles in the display of the representation;

determining the sizes and locations of the pockets in the display of the representation;

drawing a unit cell for the portion of the surface of the fabric in the displayed image, wherein the unit cell is defined by guidelines that (i) pass through the centers of the knuckles and (ii) form shapes that surround areas of the image that correspond to where the pockets are formed between the knuckles; and

calculating at least one property of the surface of the fabric based on properties of the unit cell formed by the guidelines,

wherein the outline and guidelines are drawn using an image analysis program stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

8. The process according to claim 7, wherein the shapes are non-rectangular, parallelograms.

9. The process according to claim 8, wherein the calculating step includes a step of calculating at least one of a percentage of the surface of the fabric that corresponds to the knuckles and a density of the pockets, and

wherein the calculation uses the sizes of the knuckles along the guidelines, and an area of the parallelograms.

10. The process according to claim 9, wherein the area of the parallelogram is calculated using an angle of one corner of the parallelogram and a distance between two parallel guidelines of the guidelines that form the parallelograms.