Method and a system for detecting features of a water layer between enclosure layers of single unit dose products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12196643-B2
Application number	US-202217851133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2022
Priority date	Jun 30, 2021
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A method and a system are disclosed for detecting features of a water layer in layered enclosures of single unit dose products. Thanks to the method and the system of the invention, the layered enclosures may be manufactured to higher specifications and quality owing to real time control of the features of the water layer between the enclosure layers. The technical advantage of the method of the invention consists in the possibility to detect the features after formation of the layered enclosure is complete—hence inspecting the finished product—and to feed back the detected information to the very water laying device for a real time adjustment of the features of the water layer at the areas where acceptance criteria are not met.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for detecting features of a water layer provided for bonding a first layer and a second layer of a layered enclosure of a single unit dose product, the method comprising:
acquiring an image of the water layer,
obtaining an intensity-based image of the water layer,
mapping the intensity-based image according to an intensity indicator, and defining one or more thresholds for said intensity indicator, and
comparing the intensity indicator at one or more selected areas of the intensity-based image with said one or more thresholds to detect said features of the water layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
feeding the first layer in a machine direction,
applying the water layer onto the first layer,
feeding the second layer in the machine direction,
forming one of the first layer and the second layer into reservoir enclosures, and
bonding the second layer to the first layer through the water layer therebetween.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said acquiring the image of the water layer comprises acquiring the image of the water layer applied onto the first layer of the layered enclosure prior to the application of the second layer of the layered enclosure.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said image of the water layer is an infrared image, and wherein said intensity-based image is a rendered image in a visible spectrum.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said acquiring the image of the water layer comprises acquiring the image of the water layer laid between and bonding the first layer and the second layer of said layered enclosure.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said acquiring the image of the water layer comprises providing an image acquisition device, and a lighting device, wherein the image acquisition device and the lighting device are arranged so as to lie on opposite sides of the layered enclosure, and wherein said lighting device has an optical axis lying at an angle with respect to an orthogonal direction to a plane of the water layer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said layered enclosure comprises a matrix arrangement of reservoir enclosures for single unit dose products, and wherein said one or more selected areas comprise portions of the layered enclosure surrounding the reservoir enclosures.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more selected areas comprise band-wise areas extending along a feeding direction of the first layer and spanning the first layer along a direction transverse to the feeding direction.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
feeding back the intensity indicator at the one or more selected areas of the intensity-based image to a water laying device configured for providing said water layer, and
adjusting water delivery of said water laying device to meet a target value of said intensity indicator at said one or more selected areas.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said adjusting water delivery comprises independently adjusting water delivery of the water laying device at each of the one or more selected areas.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein said water laying device includes a water laying roller comprising:
a clustered roller arrangement comprising a plurality of roller sections rotatable around a first axis of rotation, each roller section being a soaking roller section,
a clustered counter roller arrangement comprising a plurality of counter rollers each associated to a corresponding roller section and rotatable around a second axis of rotation parallel to the first axis of rotation,
a clustered hub arrangement comprising a plurality of hub sections, each associated to a corresponding roller section, each of the hub section being hydraulically connected to a respective water supply line configured to deliver a supply water flow to the corresponding hub section, whereby each roller section is configured to draw water from the respective hub section,
wherein each counter roller is operatively associated to a corresponding actuator configured to displace the corresponding counter roller to vary an interference condition with the corresponding roller section, and
wherein said adjusting water delivery of said water laying device comprises adjusting, at one or more of the corresponding roller sections, hub sections, and counter rollers, at least one of said interference condition and said supply water flow.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said features of the water layer comprise one or more of: water amount in the water layer, water layer density, water layer temperature, and water layer thickness.

13. A machine for forming a layered enclosure for single unit dose products, the layered enclosure comprising a first layer and a second layer bonded by a water layer set therebetween, the machine comprising:
a first layer feeding unit configured for feeding the first layer in a machine direction,
a second layer feeding unit configured for feeding the second layer in the machine direction,
a water layer laying device configured for providing the water layer onto said first layer, the water laying device comprising an adjustable water delivery,
a layered enclosure forming unit configured for: forming one of the first layer and the second layer into a plurality of reservoirs, filling each reservoir with a product, and applying the second layer onto the first layer to achieve bonding thereof through the water layer set therebetween,
the machine further comprising at least one of:
a first water layer diagnostic unit arranged upstream of the layered enclosure forming unit and configured for: imaging the water layer onto the first layer prior to application of the second layer thereon, obtaining an intensity-based image of the water layer, and mapping the intensity-based image according to an intensity indicator, and
a second water layer diagnostic unit arranged downstream of the layered enclosure forming unit and configured for imaging the water layer in the layered enclosure following formation thereof, obtaining an intensity-based image of the water layer, and mapping the intensity-based image according to an intensity indicator,
wherein the adjustable water delivery is operable as a function of the intensity indicator from the first water layer diagnostic unit and/or the second water layer diagnostic unit.

14. The machine of claim 13 , wherein, to the extent present,
the first water layer diagnostic unit comprises an infrared camera arranged so as to face the water layer onto said first layer,
the second water layer diagnostic unit comprises:
an image acquisition device (IA), preferably a linear scan camera, and
a lighting device,

wherein the image acquisition device and the lighting device are arranged so as to lie on opposite sides of the layered enclosure, and
wherein the image acquisition device is configured for acquiring an image of the layered enclosure resulting from an impingement of a light emission from said lighting device onto the layered enclosure.

15. The machine of claim 14 , wherein said lighting device comprises an optical axis lying at an angle with respect to a direction orthogonal to a plane of the water layer.

Assignees

• Fameccanica Data Spa

Inventors

• Cicchitti Anselmo

Classifications

• G06T2207/10048

  Infrared image · CPC title

• G06T7/0004 Primary

  Industrial image inspection · CPC title

• G01N21/9081

  Inspection especially designed for plastic containers, e.g. preforms · CPC title

• G01N21/3581

  using far infrared light; using Terahertz radiation · CPC title

• B65B57/145

  for fluent material · CPC title