Sensory system and method thereof

• US 7,585,449 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avalon Vision Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Avalon Vision Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Pryhoda, Benjamin, Nicol, William A., Kachnic, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Gupta; Yodendra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luk; Emmanuel S
• Application Number:
  US10/580,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20080038395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 425/135, 425/169, 425/170, 425/171, 264/40.1, 264/410, 264/334
• US Class Current: 264/334
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/7604 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/7629 Moulded articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76394 Mould opening
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76461 Optical, e.g. laser
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76561 duration
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76892 Solidification, setting phase
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/7626 the ejection or removal of moulded articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/766 the setting or resetting of moulding conditions, e.g. before starting a cycle
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/78 of temperature

Abstract

A sensory system and method for optimizing the cycle time of a part-forming process, wherein the temperature status of a molded part is ascertained and utilized to enable minimization of mold close time.

Claims

1. A method of inspecting the status of a molded part, comprising the steps of:

a. acquiring an infrared thermograph of the part before the part exits the mold;

b. utilizing said infrared thermograph to report the temperature of the outside of the part;

c. transferring said temperature data to an analyzer;

c. analyzing said temperature data; and

d. sending a signal to a controller, wherein said controller is responsive to said signal from said analyzer, wherein said analysis of said temperature data further comprises an empirical measurement of a difference between a part surface temperature T_S and a part center temperature T_C in view of a glass transition temperature T_g in order to determine an optimum temperature T_OPT with an optimized cooling time t_c.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said infrared thermograph is acquired during a mold status selected from the group consisting of:

immediately upon mold opening, prior to mold being fully open, and mold fully open.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said temperature data is transferred to said analyzer by a method selected from the group consisting of spread-spectrum radio frequency, and infrared signal communication platform.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein T_OPT is determined according to the equation:

T_g−

Δ

T_(C-S)−

T_FOS=T_OPT

wherein T_FOS is a factor of safety.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said infrared thermograph of said part provides T_S, wherein said analyzer compares T_S is compared to T_OPT, wherein if T_S is less than T_OPT, said signal from said analyzer directs said controller to decrease the mold close phase by decreasing cooling time t_c, and wherein if T_S is greater than T_OPT, said signal from said analyzer directs said controller to increase the mold close phase by increasing cooling time, t_c.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is repeated for every part-forming cycle.