Method of checking the composition of multilayer units composed of sheetlike parts and apparatus for composing, and checking the composition of, such units

• US 5,265,733 A
• Filed: 03/11/1992
• Issued: 11/30/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Neopost Industrie BV
• Original Assignee: Hadewe BV
• Inventors: Dreuth, Klaas, Hoekstra, Ydo N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAUFMAN, JOSEPH A
• Application Number:
  US07/849,828
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 209/3.2, 209/534, 209/552, 209/567, 209/598, 209/599, 209/601, 209/603, 209/604, 209/900, 271/262, 271/263, 324/207.11, 324/207.22, 324/207.26, 324/229
• US Class Current: 209/603
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 39/014 Feed troughs; Feed throwers
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/03 indicating an entity which is measured, estimated, evaluated, calculated or determined but which does not constitute an entity which is adjusted or changed by the control process per se
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/09 indicating that several of an entity are present
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/11 indicating that the input or output entities exclusively relate to machine elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/13 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/20 Location in space
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2553/61 Mechanical means, e.g. contact arms
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/04 responsive to absence of articles, e.g. exhaustion of pile B65H7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/107 for measuring objects while moving G01B7/105 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for verifying any of a plurality of predetermined compositions of multilayered units composed of stacked sheetlike parts passed in spaced succession by a checkpoint, including the steps of determining a first value according to a thickness of a first unit of a first predetermined composition; storing the first value as a reference value for the first predetermined composition; determining a second value according to a thickness of a successive unit intended to have the first predetermined composition; comparing the reference value with the second value; and rejecting the successive unit when the second value is outside a tolerance range around the reference value; wherein the first and second values are calculated from a plurality of measurements taken during at least one predetermined measuring interval along each of the first unit and the successive unit, respectively, at least one limit of the at least one measuring interval being related to the passage of a transverse edge of the respective unit such that the measurements are taken along a section of the respective unit having one end located a selected distance from said transverse edge where the measured thickness in the section is substantially uniform and representative of the composition of that unit.

Claims

1. A method for verifying any of the plurality of predetermined compositions of multilayered units composed of stacked sheetlike parts passed in spaced succession by a checkpoint, comprising the steps of:

determining a first value according to a thickness of a first unit of a first predetermined composition;

storing said first value as a reference value for said first predetermined composition;

determining a second value according to a thickness of a successive unit intended to have said first predetermined composition;

comparing said reference value with said second value; and

rejecting said successive unit when said second value is outside a tolerance range around said reference value;

wherein said first and second values are calculated from a plurality of measurements taken during at least one predetermined measuring interval along each of said first unit and said successive unit, respectively, at least one limit of said at least one measuring interval being related to the passage of a transverse edge of the respective unit such that said measurements are taken along a section of the respective unit having one end located a selected distance from said transverse edge where the measured thickness in the section is substantially uniform and representative of the composition of that unit;

wherein said tolerance range is one half of a value corresponding to a thickness of the thinnest sheetlike part of any of the plurality of predetermined compositions; and

wherein said reference value for any unit is determined according to calculations of reference values associated with units of a different composition.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one measuring interval commences after a timed delay, said timed delay being initiated upon sensing of a leading edge of a unit.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second values are calculated by averaging said plurality of measurements taken during at least one measuring interval.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

assigning said first value a zero-thickness value upon detection of a space ahead of said first unit and also upon detection of a space between two successive units;

detecting a leading edge of a unit when said first value deviates from said zero-thickness value beyond a predetermined tolerance range.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first section of a multilayer unit of said first predetermined composition has a substantially different thickness than another section of that unit.

6. A method for verifying any of a plurality of predetermined compositions of multilayered units composed of stacked sheetlike parts passed in spaced succession by a checkpoint, comprising the steps of:

determining a first value according to a thickness of a first unit of a first predetermined composition;

storing said first value as a reference value for said first predetermined composition;

determining a second value according to a thickness of a successive unit intended to have said first predetermined composition;

comparing said reference value with said second value; and

rejecting said successive unit when said second value is outside a tolerance range around said reference value;

wherein said first and second values are calculated from a plurality of measurements taken during at least one predetermined measuring interval along each of said first unit and said successive unit, respectively, at least one limit of said at least one measuring interval being related to the passage of a transverse edge of the respective unit such that said measurements are taken along a section of the respective unit having one end located a selected distance from said transverse edge where the measured thickness int he section is substantially uniform and representative of the composition of that unit; and

wherein during the step of determining a first value according to a thickness of said first unit of a first predetermined composition, a profile of said first unit is first sensed along an entire length of said first unit and PG,25 then the position for commencement of said at least one measuring interval is determined.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first and second values are calculated by averaging said plurality of measurements taken during at least one measuring interval.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

assigning said first value a zero-thickness value upon detection of a space ahead of said first unit and also upon detection of a space between two successive units;

detecting a leading edge of a unit when said first value deviates from said zero-thickness value beyond a predetermined tolerance range.

9. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a first section of a multilayer unit of said first predetermined composition has a substantially different thickness than another section of that unit.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said first section consists of a different number of layers than the other section.

11. A method for verifying any of a plurality of predetermined compositions of multilayered units composed of stacked sheetlike parts passed in spaced succession by a checkpoint, comprising the steps of:

determining a first value according to a thickness of a first unit of a first predetermined composition;

storing said first value as a reference value for said first predetermined composition;

determining a second value according to a thickness of a successive unit intended to have said first predetermined composition;

comparing said reference value with said second value; and

rejecting said successive unit when said second value is outside a tolerance range around said reference value;

wherein said first and second values are calculated from a plurality of measurements taken during at least one predetermined measuring interval along each of said first unit and said successive unit, respectively, at least one limit of said at least one measuring interval being related to the passage of a transverse edge of the respective unit such that said measurements are taken along a section of the respective unit having one end located a selected distance from said transverse edge where the measured thickness in the section is substantially uniform and representative of the composition of that unit; and

wherein said tolerance range is one half of a value corresponding to a thickness of the thinnest sheetlike part of any of the plurality of predetermined compositions.

12. A method for verifying any of a plurality of predetermined compositions of multilayered units composed of stacked sheetlike parts passed in spaced succession by a checkpoint, comprising the steps of:

determining a first value according to a thickness of a first unit of a first predetermined composition;

storing said first value as a reference value for said first predetermined composition;

determining a second value according to a thickness of a successive unit intended to have said first predetermined composition;

comparing said reference values with said second value; and

rejecting said successive unit when said second value is outside a tolerance range around said reference value;

wherein said first and second values are calculated from a plurality of measurements taken during at least one predetermined measuring interval along each of said first unit and said successive unit, respectively, at least one limit of said at least one measuring interval being related to the passage of a transverse edge of the respective unit such that said measurements are taken along a section of the respective unit having one end located a selected distance from said transverse edge where the measured thickness in the section is substantially uniform and representative of the composition of that unit; and

calculating said first value stored as a reference value from reference values associated with units of a different composition; and

indicating which portion of said successive unit has caused said second value to exceed the tolerance range around the reference value when said successive unit has been rejected.