RU2772696C1 - Method and apparatus for controlling an operation performed on a continuous sheet of material - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: shaping.

SUBSTANCE: proposed is a method for performing an operation on a continuous sheet of a workpiece material. More specifically, the invention relates to a method used to perform a high-speed operation on a continuous sheet of a workpiece material. The continuous sheet of a workpiece material can then be received by a second system performing another operation. In one variant of implementation, the second system forms a continuous sheet of a workpiece material into eyelets for end container lids. The system may include an accumulation and supply apparatus and an accumulation and unloading apparatus, allowing the system to operate at variable speeds and out of sync with a high-speed Process system using a roll feeder, wherein the system can be integrated removably. The system can determine whether the operation was performed at a preset location of a section of the continuous sheet.

EFFECT: ensured processing of a continuous sheet of a workpiece material.

20 cl, 9 dwg

Description

Cross-reference to related application

This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) over U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 16/126,936 filed September 10, 2018, which is a continuing application in part and claims priority for U.S. Patent Application No. 15/130 319, filed April 15, 2016, and entitled "Method and Apparatus for Controlling the Speed of a Continuous Sheet of Material", currently US Patent No. 10/073,443, which claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) on provisional patent application US serial number 62/149,079, filed April 17, 2015, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The field of technology to which the invention relates

The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of end caps for containers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for controlling the speed of a continuous sheet of metal material, and in particular, a lug blank. The system can operate out of sync with a high-speed end cap making system using a roll feeder that incorporates a replaceable lug making and marking system.

State of the art

As part of the manufacture of containers, or in some cases during container filling or sealing operations, the marking may be located at a number of locations on the container, including the end cap. Markings can serve a variety of purposes, including decorating a container, identifying contents, identifying the location or date of manufacture or use, identifying the manufacturer of the container or container component, the type or materials of the container, identifying a trademark, advertising, promotion, or the like. In some cases, information about promotions such as sweepstakes, contests, or some other display information is located or marked on containers or container components.

Various devices and procedures have been used to mark containers and container components such as lugs. Currently, the body of the container is the main surface of the container to be marked. However, the container bodies and markings on them are often obstructed during use of the container, for example by the consumer's hand while consuming a beverage from the beverage container. The metal lugs used to open containers provide a unique and effective surface for labeling advertisements and other displayed information in new and creative ways. Unlike the container body, consumers usually look at the eye to open the container. In addition, the eyelet is generally not obstructed or blocked during consumption of a beverage from a beverage container.

The tear-off lugs or "tabs" of the invention are formed separately from the container body during the end cap manufacturing process. The manufacture of end caps for containers requires a series of manufacturing steps, which are collectively referred to as the conversion process. A typical conversion process is summarized and described in the "How Ball Makes Beverage Ends" publication available at http://www.ball.com/images/ball_com/product_options_files/How_Ball_Makes_Beverage_Ends.pdf (last accessed March 16, 2015) and in the patent US No. 6,533,518, which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. During the conversion process, the decoiler feeds a continuous sheet of lug blank metal into the conversion press. This conversion press forms tabs from sheet metal and connects tabs to end caps with rivets. U.S. Patent Nos. 6,105,806, 7,972,426, 7,638,252, 8,146,768; PCT No. WO 2013/049320, which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

In some cases, embossing or engraving processes are used to mark containers and lugs. Embossing or engraving by stamping may require an undesirably large stock of tools for various types of inscriptions or characters forming marks. Moreover, in embossing or engraving processes, there is usually a need for an assembly line core or conversion press to dismantle the conversion press whenever it is necessary to replace the tools for maintenance or repair or change of the mark to be minted or engraved. Such stops create significant problems when it is desired to change the markings at a relatively high frequency, such as when markings on containers or lugs are intended to be used in a contest or sweepstakes that preferably has a relatively large number of different possible markings or display information. In addition, it is difficult to accurately control the depth of the embossing or engraving, and in some cases, embossing or engraving that is too deep can result in leakage or damage to the container/end cap.

Another process that is used to place markings on containers and lugs is one or more printing processes. Contact copying or printing is sometimes used to decorate or place markings on containers when it is desirable to place a relatively large number of identical markings on containers. However, contact copying is considered impractical for many components such as lugs due to the shape or position of the lugs. In addition, contact copying is not effective when it is desirable to change marks with a relatively high frequency, due to the need to stop the production line and at least partially dismantle the contact copy device in order to change the configuration of the markings that will be printed on the lugs.

In some cases, container components, including lugs, may be marked using a non-contact printing process, such as an ink spray process. While paint spray equipment can be adjusted to accommodate marking changes, paint spray processes and equipment have been found to be relatively unreliable, requiring frequent maintenance and repairs. In addition, it has been found that during spraying processes, the ink stream undergoes undesirable movement or positioning. For example, when spraying ink, an ink aerosol can be generated that can interfere with the printing process, resulting in undesired labeling of containers, or causing equipment malfunction. In some cases, the use of a paint spray process can result in losses of up to 20% or more of potential manufacturing time due to the need for cleaning, maintenance and/or repair. In addition, it has been found difficult to achieve reliable adhesion of the ink to containers or container components. Further, in the ink spraying process, it is difficult to achieve high speed without slowing down the conversion press and maintaining high print quality for letters or other displayed marking information without distortion. Finally, the spray and direct contact printing processes only provide surface marking without imprinting or other changes to the container or container components. Consequently, ink spraying and other printing processes are generally not suitable for use in connection with sweepstakes and contests, or to provide other valuable means of identification or display information, as there is an undesirably high potential for counterfeiting or relabeling when attempting to claim a prize in a sweepstakes and contest. .

Some or all of the above difficulties in prior container marking systems and methods are particularly difficult for metal containers or container components such as typical beverage containers and aluminum alloy lugs. Compared to plastic or other container materials, metal containers are relatively difficult to mark, at least due to the possibly poor adhesion of the paint to the metal surface due to the increased surface hardness of the metal containers and the higher melting or softening point of the metal container material. In addition, marking systems must be capable of fast operation to allow downstream processing equipment such as a converting press to operate at high speeds, approximately 750 cycles (or strokes) per minute. Therefore, devices and processes used in connection with some container materials may not necessarily be applicable to others. Moreover, in most cases, the function or purpose of the markings placed on metal containers can rarely justify the use of different methods and apparatus, which could involve costs that are significantly higher than those associated with existing methods and apparatus, or which require the operation of a technological lines at low speed.

One well-known ear decoration system is described in US Patent No. 6,498,318, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. In the system described in US Pat. No. 6,498,318, the above problems are solved by using laser light to mark a sheet of metal for the lugs used to form the lugs. This system marks the blank for the lugs before the converting press forms the blank into lugs and connects the lugs to the end caps. However, the system is directly integrated with the converting press and cannot work out of sync with the converting press. Since the system cannot function independently of the feed rate of the converting press, the suitable run time of the laser printer is limited and cannot be increased without reducing the speed of the converting press.

Another method of decorating the lugs includes coating the lugs or ear blank with a lacquer that contains a dye or a lacquer having a photonic active material. The laser then removes the specified areas of the varnish (or changes the appearance of the varnish) to form an image. These methods of marking lugs are generally not considered suitable because the varnishes added to the lugs unacceptably increase the cost of lugs production, which is much higher than current processes.

Some other methods describe the use of more powerful lasers to produce the desired markings on the lugs. For example, one method describes using a 200 watt or 600 watt laser. However, the energy required to power such powerful lasers makes it economically unfeasible to use them in the end cap manufacturing process, where several hundred thousand or millions of lugs are produced daily. For example, one well-known manufacturing facility produces up to 5 million lug end caps daily.

Therefore, there is an unmet need for container and lug marking systems and methods that can be integrated (with the possibility of disassembly) with a container end cap production line, and that can operate out of sync with the container end cap production line without reducing efficiency or increasing costs compared to with modern manufacturing processes for container end caps.

The essence of the invention

The present invention provides systems and methods for forming and/or marking continuous sheets of material (including a lug blank which is further formed into lugs) in a cost-effective, fast and reliable manner. The labeled lug blank is further formed into tear-off lugs that can be connected to container end caps using a converting press.

In one aspect of the present invention, a system and method is provided that increases the time available to perform an operation on a continuous sheet of material without slowing down other equipment cycles in a roll feed manufacturing process. The system includes a servo feed unit that can move a continuous sheet of material to an area where the operation is performed at a higher speed than other equipment during the manufacturing process using a roll feeder. Thus, more time is given to complete the operation without slowing down other equipment during the manufacturing process. In one embodiment, the operation comprises forming a mark on a continuous sheet of material. If necessary, a laser can be used to form a mark on a continuous sheet of material. Therefore, by increasing the time allowed for the laser to form the mark, more complex graphics, letters, numbers, and the like can be formed. Alternatively, by increasing the time allowed to the laser, it is possible to form a mark at a lower power setting, thereby reducing operating costs. In another embodiment, the operation comprises one or more steps of cutting, punching, shaping and/or shaping in a predetermined area of a continuous sheet of material. In one embodiment, the continuous sheet of material is an aluminum lug blank.

In one embodiment, the system may include a sensor for determining the position of a sign or display information on a continuous sheet of material. In one embodiment, the sensor is a camera. If the mark is not in a predetermined location on the continuous sheet of material, the system can adjust the length of the continuous sheet of material fed into the area where the operation is performed to ensure correct positioning. More specifically, if the mark is too close to the upstream side of the continuous sheet of material portion, the servo feed unit may feed the reduced length continuous sheet of material into the work area. Alternatively, if the mark is too close to the downstream side of the continuous sheet of material portion, the servo feed unit may feed the extended length of continuous sheet of material into the work area. Thus, subsequent markings are formed in the corrected position.

In another aspect, the invention contemplates performing any type of operation on a continuous sheet of material where it is necessary to control the speed of the continuous sheet of material during the operation. In one embodiment, the operation may include, but is not limited to: cutting, punching, shaping or shaping the material, or marking the material with display information. For example, the operation may include cutting off a blank from a continuous sheet. In the future, an end cap or a metal cap for the container body can be molded from the blank. Alternatively, the operation may include forming a notch or hole in a continuous sheet of material. Alternatively, the operation may include labeling the material with display information. The material may include, but is not limited to, metal, plastic, or paper.

In another aspect of the present invention, a marking system is provided that can be quickly and efficiently integrated with the possibility of removal in the process of supplying rolls. In one embodiment, the roll feeder process is a process for making end caps for a container.

In another aspect of the present invention, improved, economical and reliable systems and methods are provided for applying display information or markings at predetermined locations in a continuous sheet of workpiece material at high speed without slowing down downstream processing equipment. In one embodiment, the starting material is an aluminum lug blank. If desired, the downstream processing equipment may include a converting press for making container end caps. In another embodiment, the material of the blank is an aluminum end cap blank and the downstream processing equipment may include a drawing press and a converting press. In one embodiment, the systems and methods include a camera capable of capturing an image of a mark on a continuous sheet of preform material. If the indicia is not in a predetermined location, an increased or decreased amount of a continuous sheet of workpiece material may be transferred to the system. In this way, the position of the downstream marker on the continuous sheet of workpiece material is adjusted to be at the predetermined location.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a material marking apparatus and method is provided that can operate out of sync with upstream and/or downstream processing equipment. If necessary, the device includes a device for the accumulation and supply of material prior to its marking. In addition, the device includes a device for the accumulation and supply of material after its marking. The system is configured to control and determine the amount of material in the devices for accumulation and supply / unloading and adjust the speed of cycles of at least one of: the system located upstream of the equipment and located downstream of the equipment. In one embodiment, the upstream equipment includes a lug blank unwinder that feeds the lug blank into an accumulator and feeder. The downstream process equipment contains a container end cap converting press that pulls labeled material out of the accumulator and discharge device. In another embodiment, the upstream equipment includes a decoiler for the aluminum blank for the lugs and a tape feeder with pinch rollers. The feed roller feeder feeds the end cap stock to the stacker and feeder. The downstream process equipment includes a draw press that pulls the marked material out of the storage and discharge device.

In another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for adjusting the speed at the inlet and outlet of a continuous sheet of lug metal while allowing display information to be applied at a predetermined location. The apparatus includes, but is not limited to: (1) an accumulating and feeding device for receiving a continuous sheet of lug blank metal; (2) a supply circuit sensor that detects the amount of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal in the storage and supply device; (3) a servo feed unit for moving a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal into a marking area at a predetermined speed; (4) a marking device that forms display information on the surface of a continuous sheet of metal lug blank; (5) a storage and discharge device for receiving a continuous tab metal sheet after the marking device has formed display information on the continuous tab metal sheet; and (6) a discharge circuit sensor that detects the amount of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal in the storage and discharge device. The continuous sheet of lug blank metal may subsequently be formed into lugs capable of being connected to the end cap of the container.

In one embodiment, the marking device is a laser unit adapted to form display information on one or more surfaces of a continuous sheet of lugs. The laser unit is configured to generate displayed information in less than about 60 milliseconds. The displayed information can be any combination of letters, numbers, symbols, and images, in any order or orientation, and any size. In another embodiment, the servo feed unit is operable to move a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal into the marking zone in less than about 35 milliseconds. In another embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus can be operated at up to about 800 cycles per minute or more.

Optionally, in one embodiment, the apparatus includes a sensor for determining the position of the displayed information on the continuous sheet of tab metal. In another embodiment, the sensor is a camera. If the displayed information is not at the predetermined location on the continuous tab metal sheet, the machine can adjust the predetermined length of the continuous tab metal sheet fed into the marking area. In yet another embodiment, the servo feed unit is configured to change a predetermined length of the continuous tab metal sheet moved to the marking area to adjust the location of display information formed on the continuous tab metal sheet by the marking device. More specifically, if the displayed information is too close to the upstream side of the length or portion of the continuous tab metal sheet, the servo feed unit may feed a reduced length of the continuous tab metal sheet into the marking area. Alternatively, if the displayed information is too close to the downstream side of the continuous tab metal sheet portion, the servo feed unit may feed an increased length of the continuous tab metal sheet into the marking area. Thus, the subsequent display information is generated at the predetermined position.

In one embodiment, the set speed of the servo feed unit can be changed to adjust the length of the continuous sheet of lug metal in one or more accumulating and feeding/discharging devices. In another embodiment, it is possible to change the time span of the display marking device to adjust the length of the continuous sheet of tab metal in one or more accumulating and supplying/discharging devices.

In one embodiment, the supply loop sensor measures the distance to a predetermined area of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal in the accumulator and supply device. A predetermined region of the continuous lug metal sheet may optionally comprise one or more of the lowest portion of the continuous lug metal sheet and the transition region between the generally linear portion of the continuous lug metal sheet and the deepest point of the continuous lug metal sheet. ears. Additionally or alternatively, the feed loop sensor may include a first sensor in a first area of the storage and delivery device and a second sensor in a second area of the storage and delivery device. In one embodiment, the first sensor is in line with the location of an insufficient amount of continuous lug metal sheet and the second sensor is in line with the location of an excess of continuous lug sheet metal. Accordingly, when a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of lug blank in the storage and supply device is between the first sensor and the second sensor, a sufficient amount of lug blank is in the accumulation and supply device. In another embodiment, the first sensor is configured to detect when there is not enough of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal in the storage and delivery device. Continuing with this example, the second sensor is configured to detect when an excess amount of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal is present in the accumulator and feeder.

In another embodiment, the discharge contour sensor measures the distance to a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of lug blank metal in the storage and discharge device. A predetermined region of the continuous lug sheet metal may optionally comprise one of: (1) the lowest region of the continuous lug sheet metal, and (2) a transition region between the generally linear region of the continuous lug sheet metal and the deepest point of a continuous sheet of metal blank for the lugs. Additionally or alternatively, the discharge loop sensor may include a first sensor in the first section of the accumulation and discharge device and a second sensor in the second section of the accumulation and discharge device. The first sensor is in line with the location of the insufficient amount of the continuous lug metal sheet, and the second sensor is in line with the location of the excessive amount of the continuous lug metal sheet. Accordingly, when a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of lug blank in the storage and discharge device is between the first sensor and the second sensor, a sufficient amount of lug blank is in the accumulation and discharge device.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a first apparatus is provided that performs a first operation on a continuous sheet of metallic material. Typically, the first apparatus includes (without limitation): (1) a servo feed unit that moves a continuous sheet of metal material into the first apparatus at a predetermined speed; (2) an apparatus that performs a first operation on at least a portion of the continuous sheet of metal material in a predetermined period of time; (3) an unloading device that accumulates a continuous sheet of lug blank metal after the first operation is performed; and (4) an unloading sensor that measures the length of a continuous sheet of metallic material in the unloading device. In one embodiment, the speed of the first operation is adjusted to provide (or accumulate) a predetermined length of continuous sheet in the unloader. In one embodiment, a second apparatus configured to perform a second operation at a second speed receives a continuous sheet of metallic material from the unloader.

Optionally, the first apparatus may further comprise one or more of: 1) a feeder for accumulating a continuous sheet of metallic material prior to performing the first operation, and (2) a feed sensor for measuring the length of the continuous sheet of metallic material in the feeder. The speed of the first operation is adjusted to accumulate a predetermined length of continuous sheet in the feeder. The first apparatus may further include a control system that can operatively adjust the speed of the first operation in response to a change in the second speed of the second apparatus.

In one embodiment, the apparatus may further include a sensor for capturing an image of an operation performed on a continuous sheet of metallic material. The sensor may include a camera or other device configured to determine an indication of an operation to be performed on the continuous sheet of metallic material. In one embodiment, the operation comprises generating display information on a continuous sheet of metallic material, wherein the sensor is configured to capture an image of the display information. If necessary, the sensor is configured to locate the displayed information formed on the continuous sheet of metallic material. In another embodiment, the servo feed unit may change the length of the continuous sheet of metal material conveyed to the first apparatus. In one embodiment, the servo feed unit is configured to shorten the length of the continuous sheet of metal material conveyed to the first apparatus when the data collected by the sensor indicates that the displayed information is too close to the upstream side of the continuous sheet of metal material portion. In another embodiment, the servo feed unit is configured to increase the length of the continuous sheet of metal material conveyed to the first apparatus when data collected by the sensor indicates that the displayed information is too close to the downstream side of the continuous sheet of metal material.

If necessary, the first apparatus can be configured to perform a first operation on the first surface of the continuous sheet of metallic metallic material and another operation on the second surface of the continuous sheet. In another embodiment, the first apparatus includes a laser unit that generates markings on a predetermined area of a continuous sheet of metallic material. The laser unit may optionally comprise a first laser unit for forming markings on the first surface and a second laser unit for forming markings on the second surface. In one embodiment, the marks comprise any combination of letters, numbers, symbols, and images, in any order or orientation, and any size. In yet another embodiment, the continuous sheet of metallic material comprises an aluminum lug blank. The blank aluminum lugs can then be formed into lugs for the end cap using a converting press.

Additionally or alternatively, measuring the length may include measuring the change in distance between the unload sensor and a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of metallic material in the unload device. In one embodiment, the predetermined portion measured by the unload sensor comprises the lowest portion of a continuous sheet of metallic material. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the predetermined portion measured by the discharge sensor comprises a transition portion between the generally linear portion and the deepest point of the continuous sheet of metallic material.

In another embodiment, the unloading sensor includes a first unloading sensor in a first section of the unloading system and a second unloading sensor in another second section of the unloading system. Accordingly, measuring the length includes determining that a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of metal material is between the first unload sensor and the second unload sensor. If the predetermined area of the continuous sheet is not between the first and second sensors, then the unloading device has an excess or insufficient length of the continuous sheet. Optionally, the first unload sensor is in line with the location of the insufficient amount of the continuous sheet of metal material, and the second unload sensor is in line with the location of the excess amount of the continuous sheet of metal material.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for controlling the feed rate and the ejection rate of a continuous sheet of metallic material. In general, the method comprises: (1) accumulating a first sag length of a continuous sheet of metal material before the first apparatus performs the first operation; (2) performing a first operation with the first apparatus on a continuous sheet of material; (3) accumulating a second sag length of the continuous sheet of metal material after the first apparatus has performed the first operation; (4) adjusting the first sag length and the second sag length; and (5) adjusting the speed of the first operation performed by the first apparatus to change the at least one first slack length and the second slack length. The first apparatus may perform the first operation at a variable speed. Optionally, the first operation performed by the first apparatus includes performing an operation on one or more of the first surface and the second surface of the continuous sheet of metallic material.

In one embodiment, the laser unit forms a mark on a continuous sheet of metallic material during the first operation. Optionally, the laser unit may include a first laser unit that can form a mark on the first surface and a second laser unit that can form a mark on the second surface. In one embodiment, the marking may include any combination of letters, numbers, symbols, and images, in any order or orientation, and in any size.

In one embodiment, the feed sensor monitors a first sag length of a continuous sheet of metallic material. The unload sensor monitors the second sag length of the continuous sheet of metallic material. In one embodiment, the infeed and outfeed sensors measure the distance to a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of metallic material at the first and second sag lengths. Optionally, the predetermined portions of the continuous sheet of metallic material may comprise at least one of: the lowest portion of the continuous sheet of metallic material and a transition portion between the generally linear portion and the deepest point of the continuous sheet of metallic material.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises capturing an image of a continuous sheet of metallic material after the first apparatus has performed the first operation. In one embodiment, the image is captured by a camera. The method may further comprise determining whether the first operation has been performed on a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of metallic material. If the first operation has not been performed in the predetermined area, the method may further include adjusting the length of the continuous sheet of metal material conveyed to the first apparatus by the servo feed unit. In one embodiment, when the first operation has been performed at a position in front of the desired region (e.g., too close to the upstream side of the region of the continuous sheet of metal material), the method may include reducing the length of the continuous sheet of metal material conveyed to the first apparatus with using a servo. Alternatively, in another embodiment, when the first operation was performed at an upstream position of the predetermined portion (e.g., too close to the downstream side of the continuous sheet of metal material portion), the method may include increasing the length of the continuous a sheet of metal material conveyed to the first apparatus by a servo.

Additionally or alternatively, the method may include adjusting the amount of time during which the servo feed unit moves a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of metal material into the first apparatus. In one embodiment, the servo feed unit can move a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of metal material into the first apparatus in less than about 35 milliseconds. In one embodiment, the first apparatus may perform the first operation at up to about 800 cycles per minute or more. In another embodiment, the first apparatus can complete the first operation in less than about 60 milliseconds.

In another embodiment, the second apparatus, which performs the second operation on the continuous sheet of metallic material, receives the continuous sheet of metallic material from the second slack length. The second apparatus may perform the second operation at a second different speed, which is not affected by the speed of the first operation performed by the first apparatus. In yet another embodiment, the second apparatus comprises a converting press that forms a continuous sheet of metal material into lugs that can be connected to the end cap of the container.

In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for applying display information at a predetermined location of a continuous sheet of metal blank for lugs. In general, the apparatus may include, but is not limited to: (1) an accumulating and feeding device configured to receive a continuous sheet of lug blank metal; (2) a servo feed unit configured to move a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal into a marking area; (3) a marking device configured to form display information on a continuous sheet of metal for the tabs; (4) a storage and discharge device configured to receive a continuous sheet of tab metal after the marking device has generated display information; and (5) a camera configured to capture an image of display information formed on the continuous sheet of the tab metal blank. In one embodiment, the continuous sheet of lug blank metal can then be formed into lugs capable of being connected to the end caps of the container.

The marking device may be a laser unit configured to generate displayed information. In one embodiment, the marking device comprises one or more of: 1) a first laser unit for generating display information on a first surface of a continuous sheet of tab metal; and (2) a second laser unit for forming display information on the second surface of the continuous sheet of lug blank metal.

The apparatus may further include a control unit configured to determine whether display information on the image captured by the camera is at a predetermined location. In one embodiment, the control unit is configured to send an instruction to the servo feed unit to increase the predetermined length when the displayed information in the image is too close to the downstream side of a segment or section of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal. Additionally or alternatively, the control unit may instruct the servo feed unit to decrease the predetermined length when the displayed image information is too close to the upstream side of the lug continuous sheet portion. If necessary, the control unit may also determine the amount of error (or number of errors) at the location of the displayed information. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the control unit may determine the amount of error in the location of the displayed information and send an instruction to the servo feed unit to change the predetermined length when the displayed information is not at the predetermined location.

In one embodiment, the control unit may send an instruction to the servo feed unit to change the predetermined length after determining that the predetermined amount of display information is not in the predetermined location. In one embodiment, the control unit may wait for an instruction to be sent until it determines that three consecutive pieces of display information are not in a given location. Additionally or alternatively, the control system may send an instruction upon determining that three pieces of display information in a sample of ten pieces of display information are not in a predetermined location. If necessary, the control unit can generate a user interface. The user interface may be displayed on an output device interacting with the control unit. In one embodiment, the user interface may indicate the position of the display information formed on the continuous sheet of lug blank metal. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface may further include one or more visual indications of the amount of error at the location of the displayed information. More specifically, the user interface may include a graphical device, such as a graphic block, that indicates the amount of error in the displayed information relative to the upstream or downstream portion of the visual representation of the lug blank portion.

In one embodiment, the servo feed unit is configured to change the predetermined length of the continuous tab metal sheet moved to the marking area to adjust the position of display information formed on the continuous tab metal sheet by the marking device. If necessary, the servo feed unit changes the set length in response to a signal from the control unit.

In another aspect of the present invention, a non-volatile computer-readable medium is provided, comprising a set of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a control unit processor, cause the processor to control the components of an apparatus that performs an operation on a continuous sheet of metal material. The instructions include one or more, but not limited to, instructions for: (1) signaling the servo feed unit to move a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of metal material into the machine; (2) receive an image captured by the display information sensor formed on a continuous sheet of metal material; (3) determine whether the displayed information on the image is in a given location; (4) prepare an instruction for the servo feed unit to change the specified length when the displayed information is not at the specified location; and (5) send the instruction to the servo feed unit. An instruction sent to the servo feed unit may cause the servo feed unit to change the predetermined length when the display information is not at the predetermined location. In one embodiment, the sensor is a camera or other device capable of forming an image of display information formed on a continuous sheet of metallic material. In another embodiment, preparing the instruction may include determining the amount of error at the location of the displayed information. Optionally, the continuous sheet of metallic material is a blank metal for the lugs. In one embodiment, the converting press further forms the metal lug blank into lugs capable of being connected to an end cap for a metal container, such as a beverage can.

In one embodiment, the instruction directs the servo feed unit to increase the predetermined length when the displayed image information is too close to the downstream side of the continuous sheet of metal material portion. In another embodiment, the instruction directs the servo feed unit to decrease the predetermined length when the displayed image information is too close to the upstream side of the continuous sheet of metal material portion.

The instructions may include an instruction for counting a predetermined amount of display information that is not in a predetermined location before sending the instruction to the servo feed unit. In one embodiment, the instructions cause the processor to wait until a predetermined number of consecutive pieces of display information is at a predetermined location before the instruction is sent to the servo feed unit. Additionally or alternatively, the instructions may cause the processor to wait until, after determining a predetermined amount of display information, it is at a predetermined location in a selection of the predetermined amount of display information before the instruction is sent to the servo feed. In one embodiment, the processor may wait until, after determining three pieces of display information, it is at a predetermined location in a sample of ten pieces of display information before an instruction is sent to the servo feed. If necessary, the processor may wait to determine that at least about 40 percent of the displayed information in a sample of a given amount of displayed information is not in a given location before sending an instruction to the servo feed unit.

Optionally, after sending an instruction to the servo feed unit, the instructions may cause the processor to wait a predetermined number of machine cycles before sending a second instruction to the servo feed unit to change the predetermined length. In one embodiment, the processor may wait between two and sixty machine cycles before sending a second instruction to the servo feed unit.

In one embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions for at least one of: 1) controlling the amount of the continuous sheet of metallic material in the unloader; and (2) sending an instruction to the marking device to change the rate at which the displayed information is generated to accumulate a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of metallic material in the unloading device.

In addition, the computer-readable storage medium may further include instructions for generating a user interface. The user interface may be displayed on an output device interacting with the control unit. In one embodiment, the user interface may indicate the position of the display information formed on the continuous sheet of metallic material. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface may further include one or more visual indications of the amount of error at the location of the displayed information. More specifically, the user interface may include a graphical device, such as a graphical block, that indicates the amount of error in the displayed information relative to an upstream or downstream portion of the metallic material.

Yet another aspect is a method for operating an apparatus that performs an operation on a continuous sheet of metallic material, comprising one or more of the following: (1) accumulating a first length of sag in the continuous sheet of metallic material before the apparatus performs the operation; (2) feeding a continuous sheet of metal material of a predetermined length into the machine; (3) performing an operation on the first section of the continuous sheet of metal material with the apparatus; (4) accumulating a second length of sag in the continuous sheet of metal material after the machine has performed the operation; (5) determining whether the machine has performed an operation at a predetermined location of the first portion of the continuous sheet of metal material; and (6) adjusting the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metal material supplied to the machine so that the machine performs an operation at the predetermined location of the second portion of the continuous sheet of metal material. In one embodiment, the continuous sheet of metallic material comprises a lug blank. If necessary, the converting press further forms the metal lug blank into lugs capable of being connected to an end cap for a metal container such as a beverage can. In one embodiment, the operation comprises generating display information. If necessary, the displayed information can be formed with a marking unit, such as a laser, which is not in contact with the continuous sheet of metallic material.

The method may further include increasing a predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metal material fed into the apparatus after the apparatus has operated too close to the downstream side of the first portion of the continuous sheet of metal material. Additionally or alternatively, the method may include reducing a predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metal material fed into the apparatus after the apparatus has operated too close to the upstream side of the first portion of the continuous sheet of metal material.

Optionally, in one embodiment, the method may include counting a predetermined number of errors at the locations of operations performed by the machine before adjusting the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metal material fed into the machine. In one embodiment, a predetermined number of consecutive errors at locations may be observed prior to adjusting the predetermined length. In one embodiment, the method may include waiting until three consecutive location errors are detected before adjusting the predetermined length. Alternatively, in another embodiment, a predetermined number of position errors in a sample of a predetermined number of operations may be observed prior to adjusting the predetermined length. In one embodiment, the method may include waiting until, after three operations have been determined, errors are found in a location from a sample of ten operations before adjusting the predetermined length.

In one embodiment, after adjusting the predetermined length, the method may include waiting for a predetermined number of machine cycles before adjusting the predetermined length a second time. The method may include waiting 2 to 60 cycles before adjusting the predetermined length a second time. Optionally, the method may include waiting 30 to 60 cycles before adjusting the predetermined length a second time.

In one embodiment, the control unit performs an operation of determining whether the machine has performed an operation at a given location. The control unit may further receive an image captured by the sensor indicative of an operation being performed on the first portion of the continuous sheet of metallic material. The control unit may use the image data to determine whether the machine has performed an operation at a given location. In particular, in one embodiment, the control unit determines whether the machine has performed an operation at a given location based on an image captured by a sensor, such as a camera. If necessary, the control unit may also determine the amount (or amount) of error at the location where the operation was performed when the operation was not performed at the specified location. In one embodiment, the displayed information is generated by an operation, and the control unit can determine whether the machine has performed an operation at a given location based on the location of the displayed information on the first continuous sheet portion of the image captured by the sensor.

If necessary, a servo feed unit cooperating with the machine feeds a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of metal material into the machine. Additionally or alternatively, the method may further include sending a signal by the control unit to the servo feed unit in order to adjust the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metal material fed into the apparatus when the operation has not been performed at the predetermined location. The signal may cause the servo feed unit to increase the specified length when the operation is performed too close to the downstream portion of the continuous sheet of metal material. Alternatively, a signal from the control unit may cause the servo feed unit to reduce the predetermined length when the operation is performed too close to the upstream portion of the continuous sheet of metal material.

If necessary, the method may further include generating, by the control unit, a user interface. The user interface may be displayed on an output device interacting with the control unit. In one embodiment, the user interface may indicate the position of an operation performed on a continuous sheet of metallic material. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface may further include one or more visual indicators of the magnitude of the error at the location where the operation was performed. More specifically, the user interface may include a graphical device, such as a graphics block, that indicates the magnitude of the operation location error relative to the upstream or downstream portion of the visual representation portion of the lug blank.

As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the method and apparatus of the present invention can be used to perform any type of operation on a continuous sheet of any material, including but not limited to aluminum, tin, steel, plastic, paper, and combinations thereof. In addition, the method and apparatus of the present invention can be used in any roll feeder process to allow the first apparatus to operate out of sync with other components of the roll feeder system and without compromising the speed of the second apparatus.

The terms "at least one", "one or more" and "and/or" as used in the invention are non-binding expressions that are both binding and mutually exclusive in use. For example, each of the expressions "at least one of A, B and C", "at least one of A, B or C", "one or more of A, B and C", "one or more of A , B or C", and "A, B, and/or C" means one A, one B, one C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, sizes, conditions, and the like used in the description and claims are to be understood as modified in all instances by the term "approximately". Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, sizes, conditions, ratios, ranges, etc. used in the description and claims may be increased or decreased by approximately 5% to achieve satisfactory results. In addition, all of the ranges described herein may be reduced to any sub-range or portion of the range, or to any value within the range, without departing from the invention.

As used herein, the terms "object" or "objects" refer to one or more of these objects. As such, the terms "object" ("objects"), "one or more", and "at least one" may be used interchangeably herein.

The use of the terms "including", "comprising" or "having" and variations thereof in this document means that they cover the objects listed after them and their equivalents, as well as additional elements. Therefore, the terms "comprising", "comprising" or "having" and variations thereof may be used interchangeably throughout the invention.

As used herein, the term "remedy" should be understood to have the broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 USC, section 112(f). Therefore, a claim that includes the term "means" should cover all structures, materials or actions set forth in this document, and all their equivalents. In addition, structures, materials or acts and their equivalents must include everything described in the Summary of the Invention, Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention, Abstract, and Claims.

As used herein, the term "automatic" and variations thereof, refers to any process or operation performed without material human input. However, a process or operation may be automatic even though the process or operation uses tangible or intangible human input if the input is received before the process or operation is performed. Human input is considered material if such input affects a process or operation. A human contribution that enables a process or operation to be performed is not considered "tangible".

As used herein, the term "bus" and variations thereof may refer to a subsystem that transfers information and/or data between various components. A bus generally refers to a communication hub hardware interface, interconnection, bus architecture, standard and/or protocol defining a communication scheme for a communication system and/or communication network. A bus may also refer to a piece of communications equipment that links the communications equipment to other components of the associated communications network. The bus may be used in a wired network, such as a physical bus, or in a wireless network, such as an antenna patch or equipment that connects communications equipment to an antenna. The bus architecture supports a specific format in which information and/or data is ordered when sent and received over a communications network. The protocol may define the format and communication rules in the bus architecture.

The term "communication methods" may refer to any protocol or specific standard, or to a specific communication session or interaction such as Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol ("VoIP"), cellular (e.g. IS-95, 1G, 2G, 3G , 3.5G, 4G, 4G/IMT-Advanced, 3 GPP, WIMAX™, GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000, EDGE, lxEVDO, iDEN, GPRS, HSPDA, TDMA, UMA, UMTS, ITU-R and 5G), Bluetooth™, text or instant messaging (for example, AIM, Blauk, eBuddy, Gadu-Gadu, IBM Lotus Sametime, ICQ, iMessage, IMVU, Lync, MXit, Paltalk, Skype, Tencent QQ, Windows Live Messenger™, or Microsoft Network (MSN) Messenger™ , Wireclub, Xfire and Yahoo! Messenger™), email, Twitter (e.g. tweeting), digital data transfer protocol (DSP), etc.

As used herein, the term "communication system" or "communication network" and variations thereof may refer to a collection of communication components providing one or more of: the transmission, relaying, interconnection, control or other manipulation of information or data transmitted from at least one transmitter to at least one receiver. Communication per se may include a number of systems that support the exchange of information or data point-to-point or broadcast. A communication system may refer to a collection of individual communication hardware as well as interconnections associated with and connecting individual communication hardware. Communications hardware may refer to dedicated communications hardware, or may refer to a processor that is coupled to the communications media (i.e., an antenna) and executes software capable of using the communications media to send and/or receive a signal in a communications system. An interconnect refers to some type of wired or wireless communication link that connects various components, such as communication hardware, in a communication system. A communication network may refer to a particular configuration of a communication system with a collection of individual communication hardware and interconnections having a defined network topology. The communication network may be a wired and/or wireless network having either a predetermined or an arbitrary structure.

As used herein, the term "computer-readable storage medium" refers to any tangible storage and/or transmission medium that is involved in supplying instructions to a processor for execution. Such a storage medium may take various forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile storage media, volatile storage media, and transmission media. Non-volatile storage media include, for example, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) or magnetic or optical disks. The volatile storage media includes dynamic memory such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readable storage media include, for example, floppy disk, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical storage medium, read only memory (ROM), compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM). ), any other optical storage medium, punched cards, paper tape, any other physical media with hole patterns, Random Access Memory (RAM), Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), and Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), FLASH–EPROM, solid state storage media , such as a memory card, any other memory chip or cartridge having a carrier wave as described below, or any other storage medium that can be read by a computer. Attaching a digital file to an email or other offline archive of information or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. When the computer-readable storage medium is configured as a database, it should be understood that the database may be any database such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to include the physical storage medium or distribution medium, as well as their prior art equivalents and possible future equivalents, in which software implementations of the present invention are stored. It should be noted that any computer-readable storage medium that does not use signal transmission can be considered for long-term storage of information.

As used herein, the term display and its variants can be used interchangeably and can refer to any panel and/or area of an output device that can display information to an operator or user. Displays may include, but are not limited to, one or more of: control panels, instrument cases, indicators, gauges, meters, lights, computers, screens, displays, head-up displays (HUDs), and graphical user interfaces.

The term "screen", "touch screen", or "touch display" refers to a physical structure that allows a user to interact with a computer by touching areas on the screen and provides information to the user through the display. The touch screen can sense a user's contact in several different ways, for example, by changing an electrical parameter (eg, resistance or capacitance), changing an acoustic wave, detecting the proximity of infrared radiation, detecting a change in light, and the like. For example, in a resistive touch screen, the normally separated conductive and resistive metal layers in the screen conduct electrical current. When the user touches the screen, the two layers come into contact at the touch point, resulting in a change in the electric field and the coordinates of the touch point are calculated. In a capacitive touch screen, an electrical charge is stored on the capacitive layer, which is released to the user upon contact with the touch screen, resulting in a decrease in the charge of the capacitive layer. The reduction is measured and the coordinates of the touch point are determined. In a surface acoustic wave touch screen, an acoustic wave is transmitted through the screen, and the acoustic wave is disturbed by the user's touch. The receiving transducer detects the fact of the user's touch and determines the coordinates of the touch point.

As used herein, the terms "determine", "calculate", and "calculate" and variations thereof are used interchangeably and refer to any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation, or technology.

The Summary of the Invention is not intended and should not be construed as representing the entirety and scope of the present invention. In addition, references made herein to "the present invention" or aspects thereof should be understood as certain embodiments of the present invention and should not necessarily be construed as limiting all embodiments to a specific description. The present invention is presented in varying degrees of detail in the summary of the invention, as well as in the accompanying drawings and in the detailed description, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention with or without inclusion of any elements or components. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description, in particular when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the above summary of the invention and the following detailed description of the invention, serve to explain the principles of operation of these embodiments. In some cases, details that are not necessary for understanding the invention, or that may lead to other details that are difficult to perceive, may be omitted. Of course, it should be understood that the present invention is not necessarily limited to the specific embodiments discussed herein. It should be understood that other embodiments are possible using, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described below. For example, it is contemplated that various features and devices shown and/or described with respect to one embodiment or aspect may be combined or replaced by functions or devices of other embodiments or aspects, whether or not such combination or substitution is specifically shown in this document. In addition, it should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a system of one embodiment of the present invention that includes an apparatus that performs an operation on a continuous sheet of material, the apparatus being removably integrated with an unwinder and a converting press of an end cap manufacturing system.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of an unwinder for a continuous sheet of material according to the present invention.

3 is a partial plan view of a portion of a continuous sheet of material that is partially marked according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, illustrating the insufficient length of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulation and discharge device of the apparatus.

FIG. 4B is a side elevational view of the apparatus (FIG. 4A) illustrating the excess length of the continuous sheet of material in the storage and discharge device of the apparatus.

Fig. 5A is a side elevational view of an apparatus according to the present invention illustrating the first position of a continuous sheet of material in the accumulator and feeder and the accumulator and discharge device during the cycle of the apparatus.

Fig.5B is a vertical side view of the apparatus (Fig.5A), illustrating the second position of the continuous sheet of material in the device for accumulation and supply/discharge during the technological cycle of the apparatus.

Fig.5C is a vertical side view of the apparatus (Fig.5A), illustrating the third position of a continuous sheet of material in the device for accumulation and supply/discharge during the technological cycle of the apparatus.

6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a control system according to the present invention.

7A and 7B are partial plan views of portions of a continuous sheet of material that is partially marked and an illustration of display information that is generated at irregular locations on the continuous sheet of material.

8 is a schematic view of a user interface generated by a control system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a flow diagram of a method for performing an operation on a continuous sheet of material according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Similar components and/or features may have the same reference numerals. Components of the same type can be distinguished by the letter following the reference position number. If only a reference numeral is used, the description applies to any of the like components having the same numeral of a reference numeral.

To facilitate understanding of one embodiment of the present invention, the following list of reference numbers for the respective components shown in the drawings is given herein:

List of reference positions

2 - system

4 - continuous sheet of material

5 - the lowest section of a continuous sheet

6 - continuous sheet unwinder

7 - transition section of a continuous sheet

8 - apparatus

10 - converting press

14 - loop-shaped tape feeder

18 - control system

20 - dust control system

22 - encoder

26 - a roll of a continuous sheet of material

28 - device for accumulation and supply

30 - supply circuit sensor

31 - supply circuit sensors

32 - servo feed unit

34 - stabilizing roller

35 - specified length of a continuous sheet of material

36 - section or piece of sheet material

37 - width of sheet material

38 - block for performing operations

39a - upstream side of the sheet section

39b - downstream side of the sheet section

40 - block for performing operations

41 - first distance

42 - second distance

43 - an arrow indicating the direction of movement

44 - device for accumulation and unloading

46 - unloading circuit sensor

47 - unloading circuit sensors

48 - alignment system

50 - working area

52 - cooling system

54 - top position

56 - lower position

58 - camera

60 - ear

62 - the front edge of the lug

64 - captured area

66 - hole in the ear

68 - markings or displayed information on the ear

70 - balancing device

72 - upstream equipment

74 - end cap

76 - rivet

78 - notches

80 - tear-off panel

82 - filling hole

86 - packing machine

90 - way

92 - Start operation

94 - Activate the system

96 - Receive signal from converting press

98 - The control system sets the unwinding speed of the unwinder.

100 - Servo feed unit moves or pulls a continuous sheet to the desired position

102 - Operation block performs an operation

103 - Determine if an operation was performed in the correct position

104 - Adjust the input length of the continuous sheet of material

105 - Determine if there is sufficient continuous sheet length

106 - Adjust cycle speed

108 - Continue operations

110 - End operation

112 - tire

114 - processor units or CPU

116 - input device

118 - output device

120 - storage device

122 - a device for reading machine-readable media

124 - communication system

126 - RAM

128 - processing acceleration block

130 - database

132 - network

134 - remote database

136 - operating system

138 - other code or programs

140 - user interface

142 - sheet section representation

144A - Upstream side of sheet presentation

144B Downstream Sheet Presentation Side

146 - image of displayed information

148 - inner window

150 - middle window

152 - outer window

154 - length increase icon

156 - length reduction icon

160 - icon for increasing the duration of the cycle

162 - cycle time reduction icon

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention has significant advantages for a wide range of businesses. It is the intention of the Applicant that the description of the invention and the appended claims are consistent with the degree of protection of the scope and essence of the disclosed invention, although there may be limiting wording imposed by the requirements of reference to the disclosed specific examples. For the benefit of those skilled in the art most closely related to the present invention, a preferred embodiment is described herein which illustrates the best mode now considered for the practice of the invention, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the description. An exemplary embodiment is set forth in detail without attempting to describe all the various forms and modifications in which the invention could be embodied. Essentially, all embodiments described in the invention are illustrative, and as will be obvious to experts in this field of technology, they can be modified in various ways within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Although the following text provides a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it is to be understood that the detailed description is to be considered exemplary only, and it is not necessary to describe every possible embodiment as such a description would be impractical or unlikely to be possible. Numerous alternative embodiments may be implemented using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent application, which may still fall within the scope of the claims. To the extent that any term mentioned in the claims at the end of this application relates to the present invention in a manner consistent with the sole meaning given for the sake of clarity only, so as not to confuse the reader, it is not intended that such term be claimed by restrictions, involving or otherwise, comes down to this single meaning.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a system 2 for performing an operation on predetermined portions of a continuous sheet of material 4 is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The system 2 is removably integrated with an unwinder 6 and a second apparatus 10. The unwinder 6 is adapted to unwind a roll 26 (shown in FIG. 2) of a continuous sheet of material 4. In one embodiment, the continuous sheet of material comprises a metallic material, such as a lug blank. In one embodiment, the second apparatus includes a converting press 10 involved in the end cap manufacturing process. Although the system 2 and its components are shown as being integrated with the converting press 10, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the system 2 of the present invention can be used with any roll feeder process system. More specifically, the present invention can be used in any process in which the speed of the continuous sheet of material is controlled during operation on a selected section of the continuous sheet of material. Thus, the invention can be used for rolls of metal, plastic or paper material and where stamping, cutting, forming or marking operations are performed at a certain speed and in a certain location.

The system 2 may typically include one or more apparatuses 8 that perform a given operation on a continuous sheet of material 4, a loop-like tape feeder 14, a control system 18, a dust control system 20, a cooling system 52, and an encoder 22 cooperating with a downstream equipment 10 such as a converting press. System 2 receives a continuous sheet of material 4 from an unwinder 6. Unwinder 6 unwinds a continuous sheet of material 4 at a speed determined by the control system 18 of system 2, as described in more detail below. The unwinding speed can be adjusted (or adjusted) using the location lever (not shown) of the unwinder 6. Suitable unwinders 6 are known to those skilled in the art and are available from various vendors including, but not limited to, ASC Machine Instruments, Inc., and Perfecto Industries. , Inc. A variant of the unwinder 6 is shown in Fig.2.

The unwinder 6 may receive one or more rolls 26 of a continuous sheet of material 4. Each roll 26 typically has a length of approximately 2743 m or more of sheet material. The continuous sheet of material 4 may be formed from aluminum alloy or any other suitable material including, but not limited to, steel, tin, plastic, paper, and any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the continuous sheet of material 4 is formed from an aluminum alloy, commonly referred to as 5042 aluminum by those skilled in the art.

Typically, apparatus 8 may include one or more accumulating and feeding devices 28, at least one supply circuit sensor 30, 31, a servo feed unit 32, a stabilizer roller 34, at least one laser unit 38, 40 that performs the operation on a continuous sheet of material, a cooling system 52, a storage and unloading device 44, one or more sensors 46, 47 of the unloading circuit, a chamber 58 and an alignment system 48.

The loop feeder 14 receives the continuous sheet of material 4 from the unwinder 6 and aligns the continuous sheet of material with the apparatus 8. The continuous sheet of material enters the accumulator and feed device 28 of the apparatus 8. In one embodiment, the accumulator and feed device 28 has a width of approximately 457 mm, length up to approx. 610 mm and height up to approx. 1905 mm. In another embodiment, the storage and delivery device 28 is approximately 330 mm wide, approximately 457 mm long, and approximately 1905 mm high. In yet another embodiment, the width is approximately 305 mm, the length is approximately 406 mm, and the height is approximately 1270.

The supply circuit sensor 30 measures the distance from the sensor 30 to at least one predetermined section 5, 7 of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the storage and supply device 28 . The supply circuit sensor 30 may be a camera. In one embodiment, feed loop sensor 30 may include a laser. The sensor 30 receives the laser light reflected from the continuous sheet and uses the reflected laser light to measure the distance to the predetermined area 5, 7 at any angle. In one embodiment, the sensor 30 measures the distance to the lowest portion 5 of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the storage and delivery device 28. In one embodiment, the lowermost section 5 contains the deepest point of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the device 28 for accumulation and supply. In another embodiment, the sensor 30 measures the distance between the sensor 30 and the transition section 7 from the generally linear section of the continuous sheet of material 4 to the deepest point. In one embodiment, sensor 30 is positioned to detect the interior of a concave surface formed by a continuous sheet of material, as shown in FIG. However, it should be understood that the sensor 30 may be positioned differently. For example, in another embodiment, sensor 30 may be positioned to detect the outer portion of a concave surface formed by a continuous sheet of material. More specifically, although the sensor 30 is shown in FIG. 1 as located above the lowermost section 5 of the continuous sheet of material, the sensor 30 may be located under the lowermost section 5 if desired. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the sensor 30 detects the first side of the continuous sheet of material 4 In another embodiment, sensor 30 detects the second side of a continuous sheet of material.

Additionally or alternatively, sensors 31A, 31B may be positioned to monitor the position of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the storage and delivery device 28. The sensor 31A provides a first signal to the control system 18 when the sensor 31A detects a continuous sheet of material. Continuing with this example, when the sensor 31A does not detect a continuous sheet of material, the sensor 31A provides a second signal to the control system 18. Similarly, the sensor 31B at another portion of the accumulating and feeding apparatus also provides a first signal when a continuous sheet of material is detected and a different second signal when no continuous sheet of material is detected. If necessary, the sensors 31A, 31B may include a laser. Sensors 31A, 31B may be positioned to receive laser light reflected from a predetermined area of the continuous sheet of material 4 to determine the amount of the continuous sheet of material in the storage and delivery device. In another embodiment, one or more sensors 31A, 31B are cameras.

The control system 18 receives information associated with the position of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the storage and delivery device 28 from one or more supply circuit sensors 30, 31. Using the information from the sensors 30, 31, the control system 18 can determine the length of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the device 28 for accumulation and supply. For example, the control system may determine whether there is an overlength, sufficient length, or underlength of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulator and feeder 28 . The control system 18 may then send a signal to the unwinder 6 to increase the unwind speed if insufficient length of the continuous sheet of material 4 is detected in the accumulator and feeder 28. Alternatively, the control system 18 can send a signal to the unwinder 6 to decrease the unwind speed if an excessive length of continuous sheet of material 4 has been detected in the accumulator and feeder 28. In one embodiment, the control system 18 sends signals to the unwinder 6 to adjust the unwinding speed, maintaining a substantially constant length of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulator and feeder 28.

In one embodiment, the control system receives a signal about the distance between the sensor 30 and a predetermined area of a continuous sheet of material. In one embodiment, the specified section contains the lowest section 5 of a continuous sheet of material 4 in the device 28 for accumulation and supply. In another embodiment, the predetermined section contains a transition section 7 of a continuous sheet of material 4 in the device 28 for accumulation and supply.

Optionally, in another embodiment, when the sensor 31A in the first portion of the accumulator and feeder 28 does not detect a continuous sheet of material and sends a second signal to the control system, the control system can determine that insufficient length of the continuous sheet is detected in the accumulator and feeder 28 material 4. Similarly, when the sensor 31A detects a continuous sheet of material and the sensor 31B in the second portion of the accumulating and feeding apparatus 28 does not detect a continuous sheet of material, the control system may determine that the lowest portion 5 of the continuous sheet of material 4 is between the sensors 31A and 31b. Accordingly, the control system can determine that there is a sufficient length of continuous sheet of material in the accumulator and feeder 28. Continuing with this example, when the sensor 31B detects a continuous sheet and sends a first signal to the control system, the control system can determine that too much or too much length of the continuous sheet of material 4 is detected in the accumulator and feeder 28.

Let us now turn to Fig.6, which, in General, shows the control system 18 according to one variant of implementation of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 6 generally shows one embodiment of a control system 18 according to the present invention, configured to control the system 2 and apparatus 8 according to the present invention. Control system 18 is generally shown with hardware elements that may be electrically connected via bus 112. The hardware elements may include a central processing unit (CPU) 114; input device 116 (eg, mouse, keyboard, etc.); and an output device 118 (eg, display device, printer, etc.). The control system 18 may also include a storage device 120. In one embodiment, the storage device(s) 120 may be a disk drive, an optical storage device, a solid state storage device such as random access memory (RAM), and /or Read Only Memory (ROM), which may be programmable, updatable in flash memory, and/or the like.

The control system 18 may further include one or more of the following: a device 122 for reading computer-readable media; communication system 124 (eg, modem, network card (wireless or wired), infrared communication device, etc.); and working memory 126, which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. In some embodiments, control system 18 may also include a processing acceleration unit 128, which may include a DSP, a dedicated processor, and/or the like. If necessary, the control system 18 may also include a database 130.

The machine-readable media reader 122 may be further associated with the machine-readable media, together (and optionally in conjunction with the storage device(s) 120), comprehensively representing remote, local, non-removable and/or removable storage devices plus media. information for temporary and/or more permanent storage of machine-readable information. Communication system 124 allows communication with network 132 and/or any other data processing. If desired, control system 18 may access data stored on a remote storage device, such as database 134, by connecting to network 132. In one embodiment, network 132 may be the Internet.

Control system 18 may also include software elements shown as currently in working memory 126. Software elements may include an operating system 136 and/or other code 138, such as program code that implements one or more of the methods and aspects of the present invention. .

One of skill in the art will appreciate that alternative embodiments of control system 18 may have numerous variations on what is described above. For example, dedicated hardware may also be used, and/or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including software such as mini-applications), or both. In addition, a connection to other computing devices such as network I/O devices may be used.

Suitable control systems 18 are known to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, control system 18 is a personal computer, such as, but not limited to, a personal computer running an MS Windows operating system. If desired, control system 18 may be a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop computer, and similar computing devices. In one embodiment, control system 18 is a data processing system that includes one or more of the following, but is not limited to: an input device (eg, keyboard, mouse, or touch screen); output device (eg display, speaker); video card; communication device (eg, Ethernet card or wireless device); permanent memory (for example, a hard disk); temporary memory (eg, random access memory); computer instructions stored in permanent memory and/or temporary memory; and processor. In another embodiment, control system 18 is a programmable logic controller (PLC). One example of a suitable PLC is the Controllogix PLC manufactured by Rockwell Automation, Inc., although other PLCs may be used with embodiments of the present invention.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the servo feed unit 32 is configured to receive a signal from the control system 18 to move the continuous sheet of material 4 a predetermined length 35 (shown in FIG. 3) at a predetermined speed into the work area 50. The selected operation is performed on the continuous sheet material in the work area 50 by one or more laser units 38, 40. Optionally, in one embodiment, the selected operation comprises a laser marking operation performed by at least one laser unit 38, 40.

Any suitable servo feed unit 32 may be used with the system 2 of the present invention. The servo feed unit 32 may be configured to push or pull the continuous sheet of material 4 into the work area 50. Alternatively, in one embodiment of the present invention, the servo feed unit 32 may comprise two or more servo feed units that work together to push and pull the continuous sheet of material 4 into work zone 50. In one embodiment, the servo feed unit 32 is configured to move the continuous sheet of material 4 a predetermined length 35 into work zone 50 in no more than about 35 milliseconds. In a more preferred embodiment, the servo feed unit 32 can move the continuous sheet of material 4 a predetermined length 35 into the work area 50 in less than about 30 milliseconds. Suitable servo feed units 32 are known to those skilled in the art.

The speed at which the servo feed unit 32 moves the continuous sheet of material 4 into the apparatus 8 may be faster or slower than the unwind speed of the unwinder 6. The control system 18 may change the input speed of the servo feed unit 32 to change the speed of the system 2 cycles. The servo feed unit 32, as typically moves the continuous sheet of material 4 into the work zone 50 at a speed greater than the receiving speed of the converting press 10. Thus, the amount of time available for the operation performed by the laser units 38, 40 can be increased without increasing the cycle time of the system 2, ensuring that the converting press 10 can draw a continuous sheet of material 4 without slowing down the cycle time. In one embodiment where the operation comprises laser marking a continuous sheet of material, increasing the time available for marking will also allow the laser units 38, 40 to form more complex marks on the continuous sheet of material 4. Additionally or alternatively, increasing the time available for marking, reduces the amount of energy consumed by the laser units 38, 40 to form the displayed information 68 on a continuous sheet of material 4, which reduces the operating costs of the system 2.

The control system 18 may send a signal to the servo feed unit 32 to change the length 35 of the continuous sheet of material 4 that is being moved into the work area 50. Thus, the control system may control the location of the operation performed on the continuous sheet of material 4. In one embodiment, the system 18 the control may send a signal to the length change servo feed 35 in response to the signal received from the encoder 22. In another embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to automatically change the length. More specifically, the control system 18 may receive data from a sensor 58, such as a camera 58, that indicates that the display information 68 generated on the continuous sheet of material by the laser units 38, 40 is not in a predetermined area. The camera 58 is positioned to take a picture of portions 36 of the continuous sheet of material 4 after an operation such as forming a mark or display information 68 has been performed on the continuous sheet of material. In one embodiment, the first camera 58A is positioned to capture the first side of the continuous sheet. material, and a second camera 58B is positioned to capture the second side of the continuous sheet of material. The control system 18 is configured to determine whether the displayed information is at a predetermined location using data such as images received from the camera 58. If the displayed information is not at the predetermined location, the control system 18 may send a signal to the servo feed unit to change the length a continuous sheet of material fed into the work zone 50. The signal may increase or decrease the predetermined length 35.

Referring now to FIGS. 7A and 7B, which show examples of display information 68 that is not in a predetermined area of a continuous sheet of material. The direction of movement of the continuous sheet of material 4 is indicated by arrows 43. A camera 58 is positioned to capture an image of the displayed information 68 at each section 36 of the continuous sheet of material. The picture taken by the camera 58 is transmitted to the control system 18 . The control system 18 can determine whether the display information 68 is at a predetermined location in the sheet portion 36A. For example, the display information 68 shown in FIG. 7A is too close to the downstream side 39B of the sheet portion 36A. Alternatively, the picture taken by the camera 58 may indicate that the displayed information 68 is too close to the upstream side 39A of the sheet portion 36C, as generally shown in FIG. 7B.

When the control system 18 determines (based on data received from the camera 58) that the display information 68 is too close to the downstream side 39B of the sheet portion 36 (as generally shown in FIG. 7A), the control system 18 may send a first signal to the servo feed unit 32 to increase the predetermined length 35 of the continuous sheet of material fed into the work area 50 (shown in FIG. 1) of the machine 8. In this way, the control system 18 can adjust (or adjust) the position of the subsequent displayed information 68, formed on a continuous sheet of material. For example, in response to receiving the first signal, the servo feed unit 32 may increase the predetermined length 35 of the next sheet portion 36B. In one embodiment, the first signal causes the servo feed unit 32 to increase the predetermined length 35 by a first amount. In one embodiment, the first value is from about 0.127 mm to about 1.27 mm.

Similarly, if the control system 18 determines that the display information 68 is too close to the upstream side 39A of the sheet portion 36C (for example, as shown in FIG. 7B), the control system 18 may send a second signal that causes the servo feed unit 32 to reduce the predetermined length 35 of the continuous sheet of material fed into the work area. In response to receiving the second signal, the servo feed unit 32 may decrease the predetermined length 35 of the next sheet portion 36D. In one embodiment, a second signal from the control system 18 may cause the servo feed unit to decrease the predetermined length by a second amount in order to change or adjust the position of the subsequent display information 68 formed on the continuous sheet of material. In one embodiment, the second value is from about 0.127 mm to about 1.27 mm.

The signals received from the control system 18 may further indicate an amount to increase or decrease the predetermined length 35 based on how far the display information 68 is from the upstream side 39A or the downstream side 39B of the sheet portion. In one embodiment, if the display information 68 is at the first distance 41A from the output side 39B, such as the display information 68A in FIG. 7A, the control system 18 may send a third signal to the servo unit 32. In one embodiment, the third signal may cause the servo feed unit to increase the predetermined length 35 by a third amount. The third value in one embodiment is from about 0.508 mm to about 1.27 mm.

In another embodiment, when the length of the display information is greater than the first distance 41A but less than the second distance 42A from the downstream side 39B of the sheet portion 36A, such as display information 68B in FIG. 7A, the control system may send a fourth signal to the servo feed unit. The fourth signal may cause the servo feed unit 32 to increase the predetermined length 35 by a fourth amount. In one embodiment, the fourth value is from about 0.127 mm to about 0.508 mm.

If the control system determines that the display information is within the first distance 41B from the upstream side 39A of the sheet portion 36C such as the display information 68E shown in FIG. 7B, the control system 18 may send a fifth signal to the servo feed unit to reduce the specified length by the fifth value. In one embodiment, the fifth value is from about 0.508 mm to about 1.27 mm. Alternatively, when the display information is between the first distance 41B and the second distance 42B from the upstream side 39A, such as the display information 68F of the sheet portion 36C, the control system 18 may send a sixth signal to the servo feed unit 32 to decrease the predetermined length by sixth magnitude. In one embodiment, the sixth value is from about 0.127 mm to about 0.508 mm.

The control system 18 may send signals to the servo feeder 32 to adjust (ie increase or decrease) the target length 35 after determining that one or more pieces of display information are not at the target location in the sheet portion 36 . In one embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to adjust the predetermined length upon determining that the displayed information is not at the predetermined location in the predetermined number of sheet sections 36 . In one embodiment, the control system may wait until display information generated at the wrong position is observed in a predetermined number of consecutive sheet sections 36 . More specifically, in one embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to adjust the predetermined length after determining that the displayed information is too close to one of the upstream side 39A or the downstream side 39B in at least three consecutive sections. 36 sheets. In another embodiment, the control system 18 may wait until it is determined that the display information 68 is not in a predetermined location on five consecutive sections of the sheet 36.

Additionally or alternatively, the control system 18 may only wait for the signal to be sent after determining that the display information has not been generated in an incorrect position in a given number of sheet portions 36 in a sample of sheet portions. In one embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to adjust the predetermined length after determining that the displayed information is too close to one of the upstream side 39A or the downstream side 39B in at least three sheet regions 36 in the sample. from ten sections of the sheet. In another embodiment, when five sheet sections 36 in a sample of ten sheet sections include display information that is too close to one of the sides 39A, 39B, the control system may send a signal to adjust the predetermined length. Optionally, the control system may send a signal upon determining that at least 50 percent of the samples from a given number of sheet portions 36 have display information that is generated too close to one of the upstream side 39A or the downstream side 39B. In one embodiment, an operator may use an input device 116 interacting with the control system 18 to enter a predetermined number or percentage of areas of the sheet to be observed with display information covering either the upstream side 39A or the downstream side 39B before the control system will be able to send a signal to adjust the length.

In one embodiment, after sending a signal to adjust the predetermined length, the control system 18 may wait a predetermined number of cycles of the machine 8 before sending another signal to adjust the predetermined length. In one embodiment, the control system may wait 30 to 80 cycles before sending another signal to the servo feed unit 32 to adjust the desired length of the continuous sheet of material fed into the work area. In another embodiment, the control system may wait up to 55 cycles after sending one of the first through six signals before sending another signal to adjust the predetermined length. Alternatively, after sending a signal to adjust the target length, the control system may wait between two and fifty-five cycles before sending another signal to adjust the target length.

Referring now to FIG. 8, in one embodiment of the present invention, the control system 18 may generate a user interface 140 indicating the position of the displayed information 68 on the sheet portion 36. The user interface 140 may be displayed on the output device 118 of the control system 18 . In one embodiment, the user interface 140 may include a representation 142 of a portion of the sheet, which may then be formed on the tab for the end cap. An image 146 of display information 68 at a position detected by camera 58 may be displayed on view 142. User interface 140 may further include one or more windows 148, 150, 152 adjacent upstream side 144A and upstream side 144B views 142. Windows 148A, 150A, 152A, 148B, 150B, and 152B indicate predetermined distances from the upstream side 144A and downstream side 144B of the sheet portion view 142, respectively. If necessary, windows 148, 150, 152 have the same height. In another embodiment, windows 148, 150, 152 may have different heights to indicate different distances from sides 144A, 144B. Although three windows 148, 150, 152 are shown adjacent to upstream side 144A and downstream side 144B, one of skill in the art will appreciate that user interface 140 may include more or fewer windows. In one embodiment, the user interface 140 may include one to six windows adjacent to one or more of the upstream side 144A and downstream side 144B of the sheet portion view 142.

In one embodiment, windows 148, 150, 152 may indicate the amount of error in the position of the display information provided by the camera 58. For example, the display image 146 shown in FIG. 142. Image 146 is partially shown within inner window 148B. Accordingly, the control system 18 can send a signal to the servo feed unit 32 to increase the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of material in the next cycle of the machine 8. However, since the window 148B is the furthest of the upstream windows 148B, 150B, 152B from the upstream side 144B, control system 18 may send a single indication of only a slight increase in predetermined length. For example, in one embodiment, inner window 148B is associated with the fourth signal and control system 18 may direct servo feed unit 32 to increase the predetermined length from approximately 0.127 mm to approximately 0.508 mm. If the image 146 is within the middle window 150A, 150B, the control system 18 may send a signal controlling the average increase or decrease in the predetermined length, respectively. Similarly, when the control system 18 determines that the image 146 is in the outer window 152A, 152B, the control system may send a signal to control the increase or decrease of the predetermined length, which is greater than when the image 146 is in one of the windows 148, 150.

Additionally or alternatively, the operator of the system 2 can adjust one or more of: the duration of the cycle (or unwind time) and the length 35 of the receipt of a continuous sheet of material 4 using the user interface or input device 116 of the control system 18. In one embodiment, the user interface 140 may include an icon 154 that may be selected by the user to increase the predetermined length 35. Another icon 156 may be selected by the user to decrease the predetermined length 35. If desired, the user interface 140 may also include icons 160 , 162, which can be selected to increase or decrease the cycle time of the machine 8. In another embodiment, the control system 18 can automatically send a signal to the servo feed unit 32 to adjust the cycle time. Accordingly, the control system 18 can advance the continuous sheet of material 4 automatically or in response to an operator's input to perform an operation such as forming a character or display information 68 with a laser at a predetermined area of the continuous sheet of material 4. Thus, the displayed information 68 is correct. is placed on the eye 60, further formed from a continuous sheet using a converting press 10.

While the continuous sheet is moving into the operating area 50, the stabilizer roller 34 of the apparatus 8 may stabilize the continuous sheet of material 4. In one embodiment, the apparatus 8 may include a plurality of stabilizer rollers 34 at various locations before and after the laser units 38, 40.

After the predetermined length 35 of the continuous sheet of material 4 has been placed in the working area 50, the servo feed unit 32 stops while the laser units 38, 40 perform an operation on the continuous sheet of material. For example, in one embodiment, the laser units 38, 40 are laser units that form marks or display information 68 on a continuous sheet of material. Alternatively, any type of device other than a laser can be used to mark, print, form, cut, shape or modify a continuous sheet of material. Optionally, a jig (not shown) of the apparatus 8 engages the continuous sheet of material 4 when the servo feed unit is stopped to prevent unintentional or accidental movement during the operations performed by the laser units 38, 40.

Since the continuous sheet of material 4 remains substantially stationary in the working area 50 during the operations performed by one or more laser units 38, 40, the unwinder 6 may continue to unwind the continuous sheet of material 4, increasing the amount of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulating and feeding device 28. . Similarly, the downstream equipment 10 may continue to draw the continuous sheet of material 4 at a predetermined rate, thereby reducing the amount of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulator and discharge device 44, as will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 5A-5C.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the laser units 38, 40 comprise lasers that mark predetermined portions 36 of a continuous sheet of lug blank 4, which can then be formed into lugs 60 using a conversion press 10. Marking 68 may be applied in any orientation and at any location within each portion 36 of the lug blank 4. In addition, each region 36 may have more than one marking 68, with each marking having a different orientation, as shown in region 36A. If desired, at least one portion 36B within each length 35 of the lug blank 4 may be left unmarked. In one embodiment, the marking is up to about 3.175 mm high. The lug blank 4 has a width 37 sufficient for the converting press 10 to form a row of lugs 60 from each predetermined length 35 of the lug blank 4. In one embodiment, the lug blank 4 has a width 37 sufficient for three sections 36 within each length 35, which can be further formed on three lugs 60. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the width of the lug blank 4 can be enlarged or reduced to a width sufficient for the converting press 10 to form more or less lugs 60 from each predetermined length 35 of the lug blank 4.

The laser units 38, 40 can operate on one or both sides of the continuous sheet of material 4 substantially simultaneously. Accordingly, in an embodiment in which the continuous sheet comprises lug blank material, when the converting press 10 forms the continuous sheet of material 4 into lugs 60, the upper (or outer) surface of the tab 60 that is visible to the consumer and the lower surface of the tab 60 (which is originally not visible to the consumer) may include one or more markings 68. The marking on the bottom surface of the tab 60 may be visible to the consumer after lifting the gripping portion 64 of the tab 60 to separate the notch 78 and lowering the tear-off panel 80 of the end cap 74 to expose the pouring port. 82.

Referring again to FIG. 1, apparatus 8 may include any number of laser units 38, 40. For example, apparatus may include any number of laser units 38 configured to perform an operation on a first side of a continuous sheet of material 4. Additionally or alternatively , the apparatus may also include any number of units 40 for performing operation on the second side of the continuous sheet of material. The number and positions of the tool or laser unit 38 may be the same or different from the number and positions of the tool or laser unit 40. In one embodiment, apparatus 8 may include one to four laser units 38 for marking the first side of a continuous sheet of material. . Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus may include one to four laser units 40 for marking the second side of the continuous sheet of metal material substantially simultaneously with the first side. In one embodiment, the laser units 38, 40 are configured to mark a continuous sheet of material 4 in less than about 60 milliseconds, and more preferably in less than about 50 milliseconds. If necessary, in one embodiment, the continuous sheet of material 4 may be advanced one or more times for marking by one or more laser units 38, 40 to complete each marking or to form more complex markings.

In one embodiment, the laser units 38 may be substantially the same as, or different from, the laser units 40. In another embodiment, the laser units 38, 40 include one or more Nd:YAG lasers (also known as neodymium yttrium aluminum garnet lasers) with a wavelength of approximately 1.064 microns. In yet another embodiment, the laser units 38, 40 provide an output power of between about 40 watts and about 140 watts of applied power, with about 80% of that power being delivered to a predetermined area of the continuous sheet of material 4. In yet another embodiment, according to an embodiment, the laser units 38, 40 provide a pulsed or discontinuous form of laser radiation. In one embodiment, laser units 38, 40 may pulse at a frequency of from about 3,000 Hz to about 65,000 Hz. Preferably the laser light output pulses are relatively stable in the sense that there is relatively little change in power from one pulse to the next and substantially all pulses are of sufficient power to evaporate or ablate the material of the target area of the continuous sheet of material 4 to leave a visible spot or mark. . In yet another embodiment, the laser units 38, 40 are configured to mark approximately 1300 marks per second and approximately 15.2 meters of continuous sheet material per second. In one embodiment, laser units 40 may be of a different type or operate at a different power level than laser units 38. Laser units 38, 40 that may be used in this connection are known to those skilled in the art and are available from many vendors.

Apparatus 8 may further include a cooling system 52 that maintains the laser units 38, 40 at a predetermined temperature. Suitable cooling systems 52 are known to those skilled in the art and may use a variety of methods to maintain the laser units 38, 40 at a predetermined temperature. In an embodiment, the cooling system 52 is external to the apparatus 8, and the apparatus 8 may include one or more pipes for cooling and combining with the external cooling system 52.

After the operations are completed by the laser units 38, 40 or other device, the continuous sheet of material 4 passes through the dust control system 20 as needed. The dust control system 20 removes waste from the continuous sheet of material 4 in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, the dust control system 20 uses one or more of: gas flow, liquid flow, suction, and brushes that contact one or both surfaces of the continuous sheet of material 4 to remove waste. The dust control system 20 may be located before or after the servo feed unit 32 . Apparatus 8 may include a number of pipes or holes for connection in the system 20 dust control. Any dust control system 20 known to those skilled in the art can be used with system 2 of the present invention.

If necessary, after the operations of the blocks 38, 40, one or both sides of the continuous sheet of material 4 may be coated with a lubricant from a lubrication system (not shown). In one embodiment, the lubrication system is connected to the converting press 10. In another embodiment, the lubrication system is connected to the apparatus 8. Suitable lubrication systems capable of lubricating the strip of continuous sheet of material 4 are known to those skilled in the art and can be obtained from various suppliers. , such as (but not limited to) UNIST Inc.

After the operations of the blocks 38, 40, the continuous sheet of material 4 accumulates in the accumulation and discharge device 44 until it enters the inside of the converting press 10. The accumulation and discharge device 44 is similar to the balancing device involved in the process, as those skilled in the art will recognize. areas. The device 44 for accumulation and discharge may have the same or different dimensions than the device 28 for the accumulation and supply. In one embodiment, the accumulation and discharge device 44 is up to about 457 mm wide, up to about 610 mm long, and up to about 1905 mm high. In another embodiment, the accumulation and discharge device 44 is approximately 330 mm wide, approximately 457 mm long, and approximately 1905 mm high. More preferably, the width is about 305 mm, the length is about 406 mm, and the height is about 127 mm.

One or more of the sensors 46, 47 of the accumulation and discharge device 44 may be the same, similar, or different from the sensors 30, 31. In one embodiment, the sensors 46, 47 may be located at substantially the same locations as the sensors 30, 31. In addition, in embodiments, the sensors 46, 47 may include or interact with a laser. The laser may be positioned in a predetermined alignment with the continuous sheet of material 4. Accordingly, the sensors 46, 47 may be positioned to receive laser energy reflected from a predetermined area of the continuous sheet of material 4 to determine the amount of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the device 44 for accumulation and unloading. Additionally or alternatively, one or more sensors 46, 47 may be a camera.

The sensor 46 of the discharge circuit measures the distance from the sensor 46 to at least one predetermined section 5, 7 of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the device 44 for accumulation and discharge. In one embodiment, the sensor 46 measures the distance to the lowest section 5 of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the device 44 for accumulation and discharge. In one embodiment, the lowermost section 5 contains the deepest point for a continuous sheet of material in the device 44 for accumulation and discharge. In another embodiment, the sensor 46 measures the distance between the sensor and the transition section 7 from a generally linear section of a continuous sheet of material to the deepest point. In one embodiment, sensor 46 is positioned to detect the interior of a concave surface formed by a continuous sheet of material, as generally shown in FIG. However, it should be understood that the sensor 46 may be located differently. For example, in another embodiment, sensor 46 is positioned to sense the outer portion of the concave surface formed by the continuous sheet of material. Accordingly, although the sensor 46 is shown in FIG. 1 as located above the lowermost section 5 of the continuous sheet of material, the sensor 46 may be located below the lowermost section 5, if desired, or at any other location where it is possible to measure the length of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the device. 44 for accumulation and unloading. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the sensor 46 detects the first side of the continuous sheet of material. In another embodiment, the sensor 46 detects the second side of the continuous sheet of material 4.

Alternatively, one or more sensors 47A, 47B may be configured to monitor the position of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the accumulation and discharge device 44. The sensor 47A provides a first signal to the control system 18 when the sensor 47A detects a continuous sheet of material. Continuing with this example, when the sensor 47A does not detect a continuous sheet, the sensor 47A provides a second signal to the control system 18. Similarly, the sensor 47B on another portion of the accumulation and discharge device 44 also provides a first signal when a continuous sheet of material is detected and a different second signal when no continuous sheet of material is detected.

The control system 18 can determine the length of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the storage and discharge device 44 from information received from one or more sensors 46, 47. The control system 18 controls the length of the marked continuous sheet of material 4 in the accumulation and discharge device 44 to ensure a sufficient uninterrupted flow of the continuous sheet of material into the converting press 10. The control system 18 may accumulate the continuous sheet of material 4 in the accumulation and discharge device 44 to ensure that the converting press 10 is fed with a continuous sheet of material by increasing or decreasing the cycle time of the apparatus 8. Thus, the converting the press 10 can optionally draw the continuous sheet of material 4 out of the storage and discharge device 44 without stressing or stretching the continuous sheet of material.

The control system 18 may increase or decrease the cycle time of the system 2 to ensure that sufficient length of continuous sheet of material 4 is maintained in the accumulator and discharge device 44 to allow the converting press 10 to operate without slowing down. In one embodiment, the maximum allowable cycle time for the system 2 to perform the selected operation and advance the continuous sheet of material 4 is approximately 80 milliseconds for the conversion press 10 operating at 750 cycles per minute. This gives approximately 30 milliseconds for the servo feed unit 32 to move the continuous sheet of material 4 into the work area 50 and approximately 50 milliseconds for the units 38, 40 to perform an operation on the continuous sheet of material 4. If desired, in one embodiment, the servo feed unit can move the continuous sheet of material to the work zone in less than about 25 milliseconds, so that blocks 38, 40 have about 55 milliseconds to perform an operation on a continuous sheet of material. In one embodiment, system 2 can operate at up to about 800 cycles per minute.

The control system 18 may also receive a plurality of signals from the encoder 22 associated with the conversion press 10. Signals from the encoder 22 may indicate that the conversion press 10 is running, idle, and/or not running. The signals may also include the cycle rate (or operating speed) of the converting press 10 and the desired location for the operation to be performed on the continuous sheet of material 4. The control system 18 may use the signals received from the encoder 22 to change the cycle rate of the machine 8 and length 35 of a continuous sheet of material 4 moved to the working area 50 during each cycle of the apparatus 8.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, when the continuous sheet of material 4 in the storage and discharge device 44 is above a predetermined position, such as the top position 54, the height of the continuous sheet of material is too large and there is insufficient length of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulation and discharge device 44 . In response, the control system 18 can send a signal to the servo feed unit 32 and the units 38, 40 in order to increase the cycle rate of the machine 8, which is higher than the input rate of the converting press 10. Thus, the length of the continuous sheet of material in the device 44 is increased. for accumulation and unloading. Increasing the rate of cycles of apparatus 8 reduces the amount of time available for units 38, 40 to perform their operations on the continuous sheet of material 4. In one embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to the servo feed unit 32 to increase the feed rate of the continuous sheet of material to reduce time. required to move a continuous sheet of material into the marking area 50 to less than about 30 milliseconds. Accordingly, the cycle rate of the apparatus 8 can be increased without reducing the time available for the operation performed by the blocks 38, 40. Thus, when the operation is laser marking with a mark 68 that is formed on a continuous sheet of material, the cycle rate of the apparatus can be increased without reducing the time available for marking with the laser units 38, 40 and without compromising the quality of the marking applied to the continuous sheet of material 4. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to temporarily increase the power used by the laser units 38 , 40 to make marking 68 to reduce marking time. The control system can also send a signal to the machine 8 to reduce the quality or size of the marks 68 that are generated by the laser units 38, 40. In this way, the marks can be generated in less time to temporarily increase the cycle rate of the machine 8. If necessary, one In an embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to change the feed rate or stop the continuous sheet of material 4 from entering the converting press 10.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, when the continuous sheet of material 4 in the accumulating and unloading device 44 is below the predetermined location, as generally indicated by the lower position 56, the distance from the sensor 46 to one or more of the predetermined sections 5 or 7 of the continuous sheet material 4 is too large. Optionally, the sensor 47B may send a first signal after detecting the continuous sheet of material 4 at the location shown in FIG. 4B. In response, the control system 18 may determine that there is too much continuous sheet of material in the accumulator and discharge device 44 . The control system 18 can send a signal to the servo feed unit 32 and units 38, 40 to reduce the speed of the cycles 8 to a value less than the input speed of the converting press 10. Reducing the speed of the cycles of the machine 8 allows to reduce the length of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the device 44 for accumulation and discharge. If necessary, when the speed of machine cycles decreases, the servo feed unit 32 moves the continuous sheet of material 4 into the marking area 50 at the same speed, but the laser units 38, 40 operate at a reduced power level. Thus, the laser units take longer to form the marks 68 on the continuous sheet of material 4, but less energy is required to form the marks. If necessary, in the embodiment, the power level of the laser units 38, 40 can be adjusted in the range from 0% to 100%.

A person skilled in the art will understand that positions 54 and 56 can be changed by the consumer (set lower or higher). In addition, positions 54, 56 may be set at different heights in each of the accumulation and supply/discharge devices 28, 44. In one embodiment, the sensors 31A, 47A can typically be aligned with the top positions 54 in the accumulator and supply/discharge devices 28, 44. Similarly, in another embodiment, the sensors 31B, 47B can generally be aligned with the lower positions 56 in the accumulation and supply/discharge devices 28, 44.

Let us now turn to figa-5C, which, in General, shows the movement of a continuous sheet of material 4 through the devices 28, 28, 44 for accumulation and supply/discharge during the technological cycle of the apparatus 8. The initial position of the continuous sheet of material 4 is shown in the devices 28, 44 for accumulation and supply/discharge in Fig. 5A. The continuous sheet of material is between the upper position 54 and the lower position 56. Accordingly, there is a sufficient length of continuous sheet of material in the devices 28, 44.

Referring now to FIG. 5B, after the servo feed unit 32 moves the predetermined length 35 of the continuous sheet of material 4 to the work area 50, the length of the continuous sheet of material in the storage and feed device 28 may temporarily decrease. The length of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulation and discharge device 44 may temporarily increase. However, as shown in FIG. 5B, the control system 18 is configured to control the feed rate of the servo feed unit 32 so that the length of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulation and discharge device 44 is not too long, preventing the continuous sheet of material 4 from crossing below the bottom position. 56.

Referring now to FIG. 5C, which was mentioned earlier, during the operation performed by the blocks 38, 40, the continuous sheet of material 4 is maintained substantially stationary in the working zone 50 by means of a stabilizing roller 34. However, the converting press 10 continues to draw the continuous sheet of material 4 with set speed. Accordingly, the length of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulation and discharge device 44 may decrease as the blocks 38, 40 perform their operations on the continuous sheet of material 4. The length of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the accumulation and discharge device 28 may increase as the unwinder 6 continues to unwind the unmarked continuous sheet of material. In one embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to stop the decoiler 6 while the units 38, 40 are operating on the continuous sheet of material 4. In this way, the length of the continuous sheet of material in the storage and delivery device 28 can remain substantially constant. After the units 38, 40 have completed their operations on the continuous sheet of material 4, the control system 18 sends a signal to the servo feed unit 32 to move another predetermined length 35 of the continuous sheet of material to a position in the working area 50. Then the lengths of the continuous sheet of material in the devices 28, 44 may be substantially as shown in FIGS. 5A or 5B.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the apparatus 8 optionally includes a system 48 which facilitates the removal and installation of apparatus 8 between the decoiler 6 and the converting press 10 if required. The alignment system 48 may include dolly stops (not shown) that are attached to connectors located at predetermined positions in the process equipment. Alternatively, the connectors may be located on the converting press 10 or on a loop-like tape feeder cooperating with the converting press 10. The alignment system 48 allows the apparatus 8 to be efficiently coupled to the converting press with minimal downtime. When downstream equipment 10 does not require the operation performed by units 38, 40 of apparatus 8, the apparatus can be quickly removed from system 2. For example, in one embodiment, if a batch of end caps 74 does not require marking 68 on lugs 60, the apparatus 8 can be quickly removed by disengaging the cart stops in the alignment system 48 . Optionally, when the batch of end caps 74 does not require the labeled lugs 60, the apparatus 8 may remain in the off (or neutral) position of the laser units 38, 40 and servo 32, or in the neutral position. The continuous sheet of material 4 is then free to pass through the apparatus 8 at a speed equal to the feed rate of the converting press 10.

The converting press 10 draws the marked continuous sheet of material, if necessary, from the storage and discharge device 44 . The converting press 10 may include tools configured to form a continuous sheet of material 4 obtained from system 2 into an eye 60 of any desired size or shape. Tab 60 typically includes a leading edge 62 and a gripping portion 64. If desired, the converting press 10 may form an opening 66 in the gripping portion 64 of the tab 60. However, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the converting press 10 may further form lug 60 with a closed bridge on the grip area 64 to increase the area on the lug 60 for marking and gripping by the consumer.

A plurality of indicia 68 may be placed on any given portion of tab 60 in any orientation. It should be understood that indicia 68 may be formed at any location on tab 60, including the bottom surface (not shown) of tab 60 facing the outer surface of end cap 74. In addition, indicia 68 may include any combination of text, numbers , customer identification information, trademark information, instructions for use, prank marks, images or any other desired decoration or display information in any size.

Converting press 10 also receives end cap blanks (not shown) from balancing device 70. In one embodiment, balancing device 70 is a mechanical porous material that controls the flow of end cap blanks to converting press 10 from other downstream equipment 72. such as the converting press used in the end cap manufacturing process. The balancer 70 maintains the proper speed and flow of end cap blanks to ensure a constant, uninterrupted flow of end cap blanks into the converting press 10. The balancer 70 may accumulate end cap blanks to ensure that end cap blanks are fed into the converting press 10 caps if upstream equipment 72 is shut down, such as for maintenance, during unscheduled shutdowns, or when loading a new roll of sheet metal used to form blanks for end caps into an unwinder (not shown).

The converting press 10 includes a plurality of successive sets of dies that elevate the rivet 76 in the end cap 74. Although the rivet 76 is shown in FIG. located at any predetermined location on the end cap 74. In one embodiment, the rivet 76 is not located centrally on the end cap 74. The converting press 10 may also include tools for forming notches 78 defining a tear-off panel 80 that can be opened to form a pouring holes 82. After forming the end cap 74, the conversion press 10 connects the tab 60 to the rivet 76.

The finished end caps 74 can then be fed into a packaging machine 86. The packaging machine 86 counts and inserts a predetermined number of end caps 74 into packages, such as bags or pouches, made from any desired material, including paper, plastic, or cardboard.

Turning now to FIG. 9, a general embodiment of a method 90 for performing an operation on a continuous sheet of material 4 is shown. In one embodiment, the continuous sheet is further formed into lugs 60 that can be connected to container end caps 74. Although FIG. 9 shows the general flow of the method 90, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the method 90 may include more or fewer steps, and the order of the steps may differ from that shown in FIG. While the steps of the method may be described as sequential, many of the steps may actually be performed in parallel or simultaneously. Typically, method 90 begins at an initial step 92 and ends at an end step 110. Method 90 may be executed as a set of machine-executable instructions executable by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer-readable storage medium. One example of a computer system may include, for example, control system 18, which is generally shown and described with reference to FIG. An example of a computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, the memory 120, 126 of the control system 18. Next, method 90 will be explained with reference to system 2 and components described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-8.

At step 94, system 2 is activated. Typically, activation by control system 18 may include, but is not limited to: (1) activation of at least one of blocks 38, 40; (2) if necessary, activation of the dust control system 20; (3) determining that the servo unit 32 is ready; (4) determining that a sufficient length of continuous sheet of material is in each of the accumulation and supply/discharge devices 28, 44 using information received from one or more loop sensors 30, 31, 46, 47; (5) determining the readiness of an additional lubricant supply device; and (6) determining that the unwinder 6 is ready. In one embodiment, activating the blocks 38, 40 further comprises ensuring that the blocks 38, 40 are at operating temperature and/or are properly aligned.

At step 96, the control system 18 receives information from the encoder 22 interacting with the conversion press 10. The information may include, but is not limited to, the rate of the conversion press 10 cycles and the desired position for the operation to be performed on the continuous sheet of material 4. For example, in one embodiment, the information from the encoder 22 may be used by the control system 18 to place a laser-generated mark 68 at a predetermined position in the continuous sheet material. The control system 18 may use the information from the encoder 22 to determine the position of the markings 68 in each section 36 of the continuous sheet of material. In step 98, the control system 18 sends a signal to the unwinder 6 to control the speed at which the continuous sheet of material 4 is unwound from the roll 26 of the continuous sheet.

In step 100, the control system 18 sends a signal instructing the servo feed unit 32 to move a predetermined length 35 of a continuous sheet of material into the work area 50 at a predetermined speed. In one embodiment, the continuous sheet of material comprises a lug blank that can be formed into end cap lugs.

The control system 18 can change the predetermined speed at which the servo feed unit moves the predetermined length 35 into the work area. More specifically, the control system may send a signal to the servo feed unit 32 to increase or decrease the speed at which the servo feed unit moves the continuous sheet of material into the work area. In one embodiment, the control system 18 may adjust the target speed of the servo feed unit 32 during each cycle.

In step 102, blocks 38, 40 perform a given operation on a continuous sheet of material 4. In one embodiment, they include laser blocks 38, 40 forming a mark 68 on a continuous sheet. The control system 18 sends signals to the laser units 38, 40 to control the type and position of the markings 68. The length of time available for the laser units 38, 40 to form the marks is also controlled by the signal received from the control system 18. System 2 is configured to perform unique indicia 68 on multiple lugs 60. Accordingly, control system 18 can send a unique design for each indicia 68 to laser units 38, 40 during each cycle of system 2.

At step 103, the control system 18 may determine whether the operation has been performed at the correct position on the continuous sheet of material. More specifically, in one embodiment, the control system 18 receives data from a sensor 58, such as a camera. In one embodiment, the data comprises a display information image 68 formed on a portion 36 of a continuous sheet of material. The control system 18 can determine whether the displayed information 68 is at a predetermined position of the sheet portion 36 . If the control system 18 determines that the display information 68 is at the target position, which is a positive YES result, the method 90 continues to step 105. Alternatively, if the control system 18 determines that the display information is not at the target position, which is a "No" result, method 90 proceeds to step 104.

In step 104, the control system 18 may determine the amount of increase or decrease in the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of material fed by the servo feed unit 32 into the work area. As described with reference to FIGS. 7A, 7B, the control system 18 may send signals to the servo feed unit 32 that cause the servo feed unit to adjust (e.g., increase or decrease) the predetermined length by various amounts depending on the magnitude of the displayed information position error. In one embodiment, control system 18 may wait until a predetermined number of consecutive sheet sections 36 has been determined by control system 18 to have display information that is not at the predetermined position. For example, in one embodiment, the control system 18 may count a predetermined number of consecutive pieces of display information that are not in a predetermined position before sending a signal to the servo feed to increase or decrease the predetermined length. In one embodiment, control system 18 may wait until it has determined that three consecutive pieces of display information are not in position before sending a signal. Method 90 then proceeds to step 105.

The control system 18 substantially continuously monitors the length of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulating and feeding/discharging devices 28, 44, as described above, using information received from at least one of the sensors 30, 31, 46, 47. At step 105, the system The control 18 can determine whether the length is insufficient, sufficient, or overlength of the continuous sheet of material in the accumulation and supply/discharge devices 28, 44. In one embodiment, the control system 18 monitors the length in the accumulating and supply/discharge devices 28, 44 during each cycle of the system 2.

If the control system 18 determines that the length of the continuous sheet of material is insufficient or excessive in either the accumulator and feeder 28 or the accumulator and discharger 44, which is a negative "NO", the method 90 proceeds to step 106. If the system 18, the control determines that the length of the continuous sheet of material is sufficient in the devices 22 and 44, which is a positive YES result, the method 90 continues to step 108.

At step 106, the control system 18 may adjust the speed of the cycles of the system 2 to provide a sufficient length of continuous sheet of material 4 in the devices 28, 44. For example, in one embodiment, the control system 18 may increase or decrease the unwind speed of the servo feed unit 32. In another embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to increase or decrease the time available to the blocks 38, 40 to perform a given operation. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the control system 18 may send a signal to increase or decrease the power of the laser units 38, 40. In addition, the control system 18 may send a signal to the unwinder 6 to adjust the unwinding speed of the continuous sheet of material 4. Alternatively, , the control system 18 may send a signal to the encoder 22 to adjust the unwinding speed of the continuous sheet of material by the converting press 10. After the control system 18 has adjusted the speed of the cycles of the system 2, the method proceeds to step 108.

At any time, the control system 18 may determine whether the system 2 should continue the operation on the continuous sheet of material 4 at step 108. If the control system 18 determines that the operations should continue, which is a positive YES result, the method 90 returns to step 96 signal. The control system 18 may also determine that operations should be stopped, for example, but not limited to: when lug marking with the converting press 10 is not needed; when the converting press 10 is stopped; when it is required to change the roll 26 of the continuous sheet of material 4 in the unwinder 6; when any component of system 2 sends an error code or warning signal; or when the continuous sheet of material 4 or the marks made on the continuous sheet of material by the laser units 38, 40 are displaced. When lug marking is not needed with the converting press 10, system 2 can be removed from the end cap system. Alternatively, system 2 may remain integrated with the end cap process system and a continuous sheet of material 4 may pass freely through system 2 without being marked by laser units 38, 40. In addition, the operator of system 2 may send an instruction to stop system 2 for any reason. using the user interface of the control system 18. If the control system 18 determines that the operations should stop, which is a negative result of "NO", the method 90 continues to step 110.

If the control system 18 determines that the operations should continue at step 108, which is a positive YES result, the method 90 returns to step 96. When the method 90 returns to step 103, the control system may again determine whether the operation was performed in the correct positions on a continuous sheet of material. When the control system 18 determines that the displayed information is not at the desired position, the method 90 proceeds to step 104. At step 104, the control system 18 can again determine that the adjustment of the length of the continuous sheet of material necessary to perform the operation is performed at the correct position. However, if the control system 18 has previously sent a signal to the servo unit 32 to adjust the predetermined length, such as by increasing or decreasing the predetermined length, the servo unit 32 may wait a predetermined number of cycles of the method 90 before sending another signal to the servo unit 32. In one embodiment, the control system 18 may wait between 10 and 80 cycles before sending another signal to the servo feeder 32 to adjust the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of material fed into the work area.

The description of the present invention is presented for the purpose of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the disclosed variants. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments described and shown in the figures have been selected and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, its practical application, and to ensure that the invention is understood by those skilled in the art.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, modifications and variations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Moreover, it should be understood that references to "the present invention" or aspects thereof, made in the description, mean specific embodiments of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments presented in the detailed description. It should be clearly understood that such modifications and changes are within the scope and essence of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims.

While the exemplary aspects, embodiments, options, and/or configurations described herein show various system components located in the same location, some system components may be located remotely, on remote sites of a distributed network, such as a local area network (LAN) and/or the Internet. , or within a specialized system. Thus, it should be understood that the components of the system may be combined in one or more devices, such as a personal computer (PC), laptop, netbook, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet, etc., or located together in a specific node of a distributed network, such as an analog and/or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switched network, or a circuit-switched network. From the previous description, and due to the simplicity of the calculations, it is clear that the components of the system can be located anywhere within the distributed network of components, which does not affect the operability of the system. For example, various components may be located in a switching device such as a private branch exchange (PBX) and a media server, a gateway, one or more communication devices, one or more user entities, or some combination thereof. Similarly, one or more functional areas of the system may be distributed between the telecommunications device(s) and the corresponding computing device.

In addition, it should be appreciated that the various links connecting the elements may be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof, or any other known or later developed element(s) capable of delivering and /or pass data to and from related elements. Said wired or wireless links may also be secure links and may be capable of transmitting encrypted information. The transmission medium used as the communication line may be, for example, any suitable electrical signal carrier, including coaxial cable, copper wire, and optical fiber, and may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as waves generated during exercise. communications using radio and infrared waves.

So, despite the fact that the flowcharts of the algorithms of the methods are considered and illustrated with reference to a specific sequence of events, it should be understood that there may be changes, additions and deletions from this sequence that do not essentially affect the functioning of the described embodiments of the invention, the configuration and aspects. In addition, a number of variations and modifications of the invention may be used. Some features of the invention may be provided while others are omitted.

If desired, the systems and methods of this disclosure may be implemented in combination with a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit(s), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other integrated circuit, digital signal a processor, a hard-coded electronic or logic circuit, such as a discrete element, a programmable logic device, or an array of logic elements, such as a PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, a special purpose computer, any comparable means, and the like. In general, any device(s) or means(s) capable of implementing the method discussed herein can be used to implement various aspects of the present disclosure. Typical hardware that can be used in the disclosed embodiments, configurations, and aspects include computers, portable devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet-enabled, digital, analog, hybrid, and others), and other hardware. known from the prior art. Some of these devices include processors (eg, one or more microprocessors), memory, non-volatile memory, input devices, and output devices. In addition, alternative software implementations, including but not limited to distributed processing or distributed component/object processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing, can also be used to implement the methods described herein.

In one embodiment, the disclosed methods can be easily implemented in conjunction with software using an object or object-oriented programming environment that provides portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer platforms or workstations. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially or entirely in hardware using standard logic circuits or very large scale integrated circuits (VLSI). The use of either software or hardware to implement a system as provided herein depends on the speed and/or performance requirements of the system, the particular function, and the particular software or hardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems being used.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partially implemented in software, which may be stored on a storage medium, executing on a programmed general purpose computer in cooperation with a controller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, or the like. In such cases, the systems and methods of this disclosure may be implemented as a program installed on a personal computer, such as a mini-application, JAVA®, or a computer graphics script (CGI script), as a resource of a server or workstation, as a program embedded in a specialized measurement system, system component, etc. The system may also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into a system of hardware and/or software.

While the present disclosure describes components and functions implemented in aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations with reference to specific standards and protocols, the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned in this document exist and are considered to be included in this disclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned in this document, and other similar standards and protocols not mentioned in this document, are replaced from time to time by faster or more efficient equivalents that have essentially the same functionality. Such replacement standards and protocols having the same functionality are considered to be equivalents included in this disclosure.

Examples of processors described herein may include, but are not limited to, at least one of: Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 610 and 615 with 4G LTE integration and 64-bit computing, Apple® A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motion coprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® processor series, Intel® Core™ processor family, Intel® Xeon® processor family, Intel® Atom™ processor family, Intel Itanium® processor family, Intel® Core® i5-4670K and i7-4770Κ 22nm Haswell, Intel® Core® i5-3570Κ 22nm Ivy-Bridge, AMD® FX™ processor families, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300 and Vishera 32nm FX-8350, AMD® Kaveri processors, Texas Instruments® Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment processors, Texas Instruments® OMAP™ automotive grade mobile processors, ARM® Cortex™-M processors, ARM® Cortex™-A and ARM926EJ–S™ processors, other industrial-equivalent processors, and can perform computational functions AI using any known or future standard, instruction set, library and/or architecture.

The present disclosure, in its various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems, and/or apparatuses substantially as shown and described herein, including various aspects, embodiments, configurations, subcombinations, and /or a subset of the above. Those skilled in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations after understanding the gist of the present disclosure. The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments and/or configurations, provides devices and processes in the absence of elements not shown and/or described herein, or in various aspects, embodiments and/or configurations, including the absence of such elements. , which may have been used in prior devices or processes, for example to improve performance, simplify and/or reduce implementation cost.

Claims (42)

1. An apparatus for applying displayed information at a predetermined location of a continuous sheet of metal blank for lugs, comprising: a storage and supply device configured to receive a continuous sheet of lug blank metal; a servo feed unit configured to move a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of lug blank metal to a marking area; a marking device configured to form display information on a continuous sheet of metal for the lugs; a storage and discharge device configured to receive a continuous sheet of tab metal after the marking device has generated display information; a camera configured to capture an image of display information formed on the continuous sheet of the tab metal blank; a control unit configured to determine whether the display information in the image captured by the camera is at a predetermined location, in which the control unit can determine the amount of error in the location of the displayed information and send an instruction to the servo feed unit to change the predetermined length when the displayed information is not is located at a predetermined location, and wherein the continuous sheet of lug blank metal is further formed into lugs capable of being connected to the end caps of the container. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the marking device is a laser unit configured to generate displayed information. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the laser unit comprises a first laser unit for generating display information on the first surface of the continuous tab metal sheet and a second laser unit for generating display information on the second surface of the continuous tab metal sheet. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the servo feed unit is configured to change a predetermined length of the continuous tab metal sheet moved to the marking area in order to adjust the location of the display information generated by the marking device on the continuous tab metal sheet. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to send an instruction to the servo feed unit to increase the predetermined length when the displayed image information is too close to the downstream side of the continuous sheet of lug blank metal. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to send an instruction to the servo feed unit to decrease the predetermined length when the displayed image information is too close to the upstream side of the continuous sheet of lug blank metal portion. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to send an instruction to the servo feed unit to change the predetermined length upon determining that the predetermined amount of display information is not at the predetermined location. 8. A non-volatile computer-readable storage medium containing a set of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor of the control unit, instruct the processor to regulate the components of an apparatus that performs an operation on a continuous sheet of metal material, by: signaling the servo feed unit to move a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of metal material into the machine; receiving an image captured by a display information camera formed on the continuous sheet of metal material; determining whether the displayed information on the image is at a predetermined location; preparing an instruction for the servo feed unit to change the predetermined length when the mark is not at the predetermined location, wherein preparing the instruction includes determining an error amount at the location of the displayed information; and sending an instruction to the servo feed unit to change the predetermined length when the displayed information is not at the predetermined location, in which the continuous sheet of metal material is further formed into tabs capable of being connected to the end caps of the container. 9. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8, further comprising: controlling the amount of the continuous sheet of metal material in the unloading device; and sending an instruction to the marking device to change the speed at which the displayed information is generated to accumulate a predetermined length of a continuous sheet of metal material in the unloading device. 10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instruction causes the servo feed unit to increase the predetermined length when the displayed image information is too close to the downstream side of the continuous sheet of metal material portion. 11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instruction causes the servo feed unit to decrease the predetermined length when the displayed image information is too close to the upstream side of the continuous sheet of metal material portion. 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising counting a predetermined amount of display information that is not at a predetermined location before sending an instruction to the servo feed unit. 13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising, after sending the instruction to the servo feed unit, waiting for a predetermined number of machine cycles before sending a second instruction to the servo feed unit to change the predetermined length. 14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising providing a user interface that indicates the position of display information formed on the continuous sheet of metallic material. 15. A method for controlling a marking device that generates displayed information at a given location on a continuous sheet of metallic material, comprising: accumulating a first length of slack in the continuous sheet of metallic material by the accumulating and feeding device before the marking device generates display information; feeding a continuous sheet of metal material of a predetermined length into the marking device by the servo feed unit; generating display information on the first portion of the continuous sheet of metal material by an apparatus in which the display information is generated by the marking device; accumulating a second length of slack in the continuous sheet of metal material by the accumulating and unloading device after the marking device generates display information; determining whether the marking device has performed display information generation at a predetermined location of the first portion of the continuous sheet of metal material based on the position of the display information on the first portion of the continuous sheet of metal material in the display information image captured by the camera; sending a signal by the control unit to the servo feed unit to adjust the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metal material fed into the marking device when the display information has not been generated at the predetermined location; and adjusting, by the servo feed unit, a predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metal material fed into the marking device so that the marking device generates display information at the predetermined location of the second section of the continuous sheet of metal material, in which the continuous sheet of metal material is further formed into connectable ears with container end caps. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising increasing the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metal material supplied to the marking device after the marking device has generated display information too close to the downstream side of the first section of the continuous sheet of metal material. 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising reducing a predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metal material supplied to the marking device after the marking device has generated display information too close to the upstream side of the first portion of the continuous sheet of metal material. 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising counting a predetermined number of errors at display information locations generated by the marking device before adjusting the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of metallic material supplied to the marking device. 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising, after adjusting the predetermined length, waiting for the predetermined number of cycles of the marking device before adjusting the predetermined length a second time. 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising: obtaining by the control unit an image of the first portion of the continuous sheet of metal material captured by the camera; and determining, by the control unit, an error amount at the location of the display information when the display information was not generated at the predetermined location.

Images