Abstract
The invention relates to a monitoring method (100) for monitoring an unwinding process of an unwinding device (2), comprising the following steps: at least partially unwinding (101) a web material (11) from a reel (10), detecting (102) at least one irregularity (12) of the web material (11) and/or the unwinding process. Furthermore, the invention relates to an unwinding device (2) for performing an unwinding process as well as an unwinding system (5) for performing an unwinding process.
Claims
1. A monitoring method for monitoring an unwinding process of an unwinding device, comprising the following steps: at least partially unwinding a web material from a reel by a driving device, detecting at least one irregularity of the web material and/or the unwinding process by a detection unit, and determining a correlation of the irregularity to at least one running parameter of the reel by a computing unit, wherein the running parameter is determined by the computing unit by detecting an advance parameter of the web material at the driving device by a measuring unit, and wherein additionally a measurement of a number of rotations of the reel is performed by the measuring unit.
2. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the running parameter is determined by the computing unit during the unwinding of the web material from the reel.
3. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring method further comprises the following step: entering the correlation of the irregularity to the running parameter in a database by a communication interface.
4. The monitoring method according to claim 3, wherein the irregularity is correlated with a time indication by the computing unit when entering the correlation in the database.
5. The monitoring method according to claim 3, wherein the database is provided at least on an external server or an internal storage unit of the unwinding device.
6. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring method further comprises the following step: at least visual or acoustic output a warning signal when the irregularity is detected or the irregularity is of a predefined type of irregularity by an output unit.
7. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring method further comprises the following step: visualizing the correlation of the irregularity to the running parameter by a display.
8. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring method further comprises the following step: determining a probability of a cause of the irregularity at least in a production process of the web material or in the unwinding process by the computing unit.
9. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the irregularity comprises a process parameter which is located outside of a parameter range.
10. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein a number of products produced from the web material is determined based on the running parameter by the computing unit.
11. An unwinding device for performing an unwinding process of a web material from a reel, comprising: a reel holder on which the reel can be stored during the unwinding process, a driving device, by which a propulsion of the web material can be generated, and a detection unit, by which at least one irregularity of at least the web material or the unwinding process can be detected, wherein the detection unit is in a communication connection with a computing unit, wherein a correlation of the irregularity to at least one running parameter of the reel can be determined by the computing unit, wherein for determination of the running parameter by the computing unit, the computing unit is in a communication connection with a measuring unit for detecting an advance parameter of the web material at the driving device, and wherein the measuring unit is additionally configured to measure a number of rotations of the reel.
12. The unwinding device according to claim 11, wherein a calculation of the running parameter can be performed by the computing unit.
13. The unwinding device according to claim 11, wherein the computing unit has a communication interface for data communication with a database, so that the correlation of the irregularity to the running parameter can be entered into the database via the communication interface.
14. The unwinding device according to claim 11, wherein the computing unit is in a communication connection with an output unit and is configured to output at least a visual or acoustic warning signal via the output unit when the irregularity is detected or the irregularity is of a predefined type of irregularity.
15. An unwinding system for performing an unwinding process of a web material from a reel, comprising: an unwinding device, with a reel holder on which the reel can be stored during the unwinding process, a driving device, by which a propulsion of the web material can be generated, and a detection unit, by which at least one irregularity of at least the web material or the unwinding process can be detected, wherein the detection unit is in a communication connection with a computing unit, wherein a correlation of the irregularity to at least one running parameter of the reel can be determined by the computing unit, wherein for determination of the running parameter by the computing unit, the computing unit is in a communication connection with a measuring unit for detecting an advance parameter of the web material at the driving device, and wherein the measuring unit is additionally configured to measure a number of rotations of the reel.
16. The Unwinding system according to claim 15, wherein an external server is provided with a database which is in a communication connection with the computing unit via a communication interface, so that the correlation of the irregularity to the running parameter can be entered in the database.
17. A monitoring method for monitoring an unwinding process of an unwinding device in form of a form, fill and seal (FFS) machine which is configured to produce sacks made of a web material comprising a plastic film, the method comprising the following steps: at least partially unwinding the web material from a reel by a driving device, detecting at least one irregularity of the web material and/or the unwinding process by a detection unit, and determining a correlation of the irregularity to at least one running parameter of the reel by a computing unit, wherein the running parameter is determined by the computing unit by detecting an advance parameter of the web material at the driving device by a measuring unit, and wherein the irregularity comprises at least one of the following features: unsuccessful opening of a tube of the web material on the unwinding device, breaking up of a product produced from the web material on the unwinding device, tearing of the web material on the unwinding device, absence of at least one part of a printed image on the web material on the unwinding device, increased slip on a driving means during unwinding of the web material on the unwinding device, and at least altered torques or forces during processing of the web material on the unwinding device.
Description
(1) Further, measures improving the invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments of the invention, which are schematically illustrated in the figures. All of the resulting features and/or advantages including design details, spatial arrangements and method steps of the claims, the description or the drawings may be essential to the invention both in itself and in various combinations. It should be noted that the figures are merely descriptive and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. The figures show:
(2) FIG. 1: an unwinding system according to the invention with an unwinding device according to the invention in a first exemplary embodiment in a schematic plan view;
(3) FIG. 2: an unwinding system according to the invention with an unwinding device according to the invention in a second exemplary embodiment in a schematic plan view;
(4) FIG. 3: an inventive monitoring method in a schematic illustration of the method steps in a third embodiment;
(5) FIG. 4a-4e: a further, schematic illustration of method steps of the monitoring method of the third exemplary embodiment,
(6) FIG. 5a-5c: examples of irregularities within an unwinding process.
(7) In the following figures, the identical reference signs are used for the same technical features of different embodiments.
(8) FIG. 1 shows an unwinding system 5 according to the invention for performing an unwinding process of a web material 11 by means of an unwinding device 2. The unwinding device 2 comprises a reel holder 70 on which a reel 10 can be stored, or is stored during the unwinding process. In this case, the reel 10 comprises a reel sleeve 10.1 and at least partially a web material 11. During the unwinding process, the web material 11 is removed substantially flat from the reel 10. In this case, the reel holder 70 is configured to rotatably store the reel 10, so that the reel 10 rotates during the unwinding of the web material 11 accordingly. In order to realize a propulsion 11.1 of the web material 11, a driving means 50 is also provided. The driving means 50 can be configured, for example, to rotate the reel 10 and/or comprise a drive roll 51 which rolls off with the web material 11 to thereby pull the web material 11 from the reel 10. As a result, it can also be provided, for example, that the reel 10 is mounted only rotationally on the reel holder 70, so that the rotation can be realized from an advance by the drive rolls 51. Furthermore, a detection unit 20 is provided by which at least one irregularity 12 of the web material 11 and/or the unwinding process can be detected. The irregularity 12 is shown in FIG. 1 as the absence of a printed image. The detection unit 20 therefore comprises a camera for optically detecting the web material 11 and the irregularity 12. Furthermore, a measuring unit 21 is provided, by which the propulsion 11.1 of the web material 11 can be detected and a measurement of a number of rotations 11.2 of the reel 10 is possible. The detection unit 20 and the measuring unit 21 are in communication connection with a computing unit 30, so that a correlation between the irregularity 12 and a running parameter 13 can be determined by the computing unit 30. For example, the running parameter 13 may comprise a length of the unwound web material 11 to the irregularity 12 and/or a length of the web material 11 to the end of the irregularity 12. Thereby, a position of the irregularity 12 on the web material 11 with respect to the reel 10 can be determined. The computing unit 30 also has a communication interface 31 in order to be able to enter the irregularity 12 in correlation with the running parameter 13 into a database 40. In this case, the database 40 is provided as part of an internal storage unit 41 of the unwinding device 2 and is preferably connected directly wired to the computing unit 30 via the communication interface 31. The computing unit 30 can preferably execute a computer program, by means of which the correlation between the irregularity 12 and the running parameter 13 can be generated. Preferably, the correlation can arise from the fact that the running parameter 13 is entered in the database 40 by the computing unit 30 assignable with the irregularity 12. The correlation allows a conclusion to a production process of the reel 10 and/or on the unwinding process. Thus, in particular in the reel 10, the irregularity 12 can be localized. In this case, an occurrence of a certain irregularity 12 in the core, e.g. can suggest that the reel 10 has been wrapped too strong. In addition, the computing unit 30 is in communication connection with an output unit 60, so that a visual and/or acoustic warning signal can be output via the output unit 60 when the irregularity 12 is detected or the irregularity 12 is of a predefined irregularity type. For example, the irregularity 12 may be defined such that a printed image is absent over a certain length of the web material 11 and in this case a warning signal is output to the output unit 60. To output the warning signal, the output unit 60 may comprise a wide variety of output means. Thus, a light source 62 and/or a loudspeaker 63 can be provided for outputting the warning signal. Preferably, the output unit 60 further comprises a display 61 on which, on the one hand, different parameters of the unwinding process can be displayed and, on the other hand, the warning signal can be output. Instead of the absence of the printed image, other types of irregularity can be considered. Thus, also different types of irregularity can be detected by the detection unit 20. Furthermore, the detection unit 20 may, for example additionally or alternatively comprise measuring means for measuring a force or a torque of the reel 10 and/or the web material 11. Further exemplary types of irregularity are further illustrated in FIGS. 5a to 5c. Preferably, a determination of a number of products produced from the web material 11 can also be performed by the computing unit 30, so that these are determined instead of counting based on the running parameter 13 and thus the number can be assigned to the reel 10. In particular, a quantification method for determining the number of products produced from the web material 11 can thus be performed by the unwinding device 2 of the unwinding system 5.
(9) FIG. 2 shows an unwinding system 5 according to the invention for performing an unwinding process of a web material 11 from a reel 10. The unwinding system 5 of FIG. 2 of the second embodiment substantially corresponds to the unwinding system 5 of the first exemplary embodiment. Instead of an internal storage unit of an unwinding device 2 of the unwinding system 5, however, an external server 42 is provided which has a database 40. The server 42 is in communication connection with a computing unit 30, so that a correlation of an irregularity 12 to a running parameter 13 can be entered into the database 40 via a communication interface 31. The communication interface 31 may comprise, for example, an Internet access, which may be configured wired and/or wireless. For example, the unwinding device 2 may comprise a SIM card in order to establish a communication connection with the external server 42. Because the external server 42 is outsourced, several unwinding devices 2 can be in communication connection with the server 42 in order to be able to concentrate the collected data and possibly relate them. As a result, further knowledge about the occurrence of the irregularities can be obtained and/or the accuracy of statements made thereby can be improved. Furthermore, the external server 42 can be cost effective for the unwinding device 2, as the unwinding device 2 itself does not have the database 40 for example and thus an additional internal storage unit is not necessary or can be used for redundancy to improve data security. In particular, a quantification method for determining a number of products produced from the web material 11 can also be performed by the unwinding system 5 according to FIG. 2.
(10) FIG. 3 shows a monitoring method 100 according to the invention for monitoring an unwinding process of an unwinding device 2 in a further exemplary embodiment in a schematic illustration of the method steps. In this case, the monitoring method 100 comprises at least partially unwinding 101 of a web material 11 from a reel 10, as also shown in FIG. 4a. In this case, the propulsion 11.1 can be realized, for example, by a driving means 50 of an unwinding device 2. In addition, the monitoring method 100 comprises detecting 102 at least one irregularity 12 of the web material 11 and/or the unwinding process. Thus, when unwinding the web material 11 from the reel 10, it can be determined by a detection unit 20 that a certain process parameter deviates. This may, for example, be the fading of a printed image, so that in particular the region of the irregularity 12 is detected as such. Furthermore, determining 103 of a correlation between the irregularity 12 and at least one running parameter 13 of the reel 10 is provided. The running parameter 13 may, for example, comprise a length 13 to the beginning of the irregularity 12 from the unwound end of the web material 11 and/or a length to the end of the irregularity 12. In particular, an average of the lengths may be formed and/or both lengths can be correlated with the irregularity 12. Such a correlation is also illustrated, for example, in FIG. 4b, wherein the correlation comprises an assignability of the irregularity 12 and of the running parameter 13. Preferably, it may further be provided that the irregularity 12 is correlated with a time indication 14, so that the time of occurrence of the irregularity 12 in the unwinding process can be determined later. Thus, entering 104 of the correlation can occur and/or the correlation can be established by entering the irregularity 12 and the running parameter 13 into a database 40 or can already be established beforehand and entered into the database 40 accordingly. In this case, it is illustrated, for example, in FIG. 4c that the detection unit 20 provides signals to a computing unit 30, which enters the irregularity 12 and the running parameter 13 in the database 40 via a communication interface 31. Preferably, the database 40 is thus part of an unwinding system 5 and may be part of an internal storage unit 41 of an unwinding device 2 or, as shown in FIG. 4c, may be provided on an external server 42. Preferably, the monitoring method 100 further comprises a visual and/or acoustic output of a warning signal 105 when the irregularity 12 is detected or the irregularity 12 is of a predefined type of irregularity. The visual and/or acoustic output 105 is further illustrated in FIG. 4d, wherein a light source 62 of a display unit 60 is provided to visually output the warning signal and a loudspeaker 63 is provided to acoustically output the warning signal. Further advantages arise when the method 100 comprises a visualizing 106 the correlation between the irregularity 12 and the running parameter 13. Such a visualization 106 is shown in FIG. 4e, wherein, for example, a graph can be displayed on a display 61 of the output unit 60, which plots a process parameter in relation to a running parameter 13. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the process parameter is preferably a transparency of a printed image, although various other types of process parameters are conceivable here. As shown, a parameter range 16 may be provided which is defined by at least one parameter limit 16.1, preferably by two parameter limits 16.1, 16.2. If the process parameter exceeds one of the parameter limits 16.1 or falls below one of the parameter limits 16.2, an irregularity 12 is assumed. In this context, a plurality of irregularities 12, 12.1 in the context of the visualization 106 can also be correlated with a plurality of values 13.1, 13.2 of the running parameter 13 and can be represented in the graph. Thus, furthermore, a determination 107 of a probability of a relation of the irregularity 12 with a production process of the web material 11 and/or with the unwinding process can be performed. Thus, for example, another region may be defined in which an occurrence of the irregularities 12, 12.1 indicates a cause in the production process of the web material 11 and an occurrence of an irregularity 12 outside this region indicates a cause in the unwinding process. Preferably, the determination 107 of the probability can be performed automatically, so that a degree of automation of the method is further increased and thus costs can be saved and a reproducibility is improved. In particular, with the monitoring method 100 and/or individual method steps of the monitoring method 100, a quantification method for determining a number of products produced from the web material 11 can be performed.
(11) FIGS. 5a to 5c show further types of irregularities. For example, FIG. 5a shows the formation of a tear in the web material 11, which can be detected optically by a detection unit 20. Thus, for example, a certain length of a tear may be tolerable and, as of a certain length of the tear, it may be classified as an irregularity 12. FIG. 5b furthermore shows a further possible irregularity 12, wherein a driving means 50 comprises drive rolls 51, which provide propulsion 11.1 of the web material 11. If it is determined by a detection unit 20, for example, that an advance parameter 51.1 deviates from a desired value, an increased slip on the drive rolls 51 can be detected and thus define an irregularity 12. The slip can be e.g. a difference between an actual propulsion of the web material 11 and the advance parameter 51.1. FIG. 5c further shows an opening of a film tube, wherein the web material 11 is provided, at least in a middle region, in two layers which are connected at the outer sides of the web material 11. In order to bring the web material 11 in the form of a tube, it can be provided that suction means 52 in each case suck in and pull apart a surface of the web material 11, so that the tube is formed from the previously flat web material 11. By certain events within the process, it may happen that a suction force is not sufficient and the web material 11, for example, has blockings. As a result, it may not be possible by the suction means 52 to open the web material 11 at a certain position, wherein several suction attempts may be provided here. Several suction attempts can also be classified as irregularity 12 and reported to a computing unit 30. Thus, for example, a force measurement of the suction means 52 may be provided by the detection unit 20, wherein at an increased force or a sudden drop in force this can be detected as an irregularity 12 by the computing unit 30.
(12) The above explanation of the embodiment describes the present invention solely by way of examples. Of course, individual features of the embodiment, if technically reasonable, can be freely combined without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, a quantification method for determining a number of products produced from a web material can also be combined with individual or all features of the embodiments, if technically reasonable.
LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS
(13) 2 unwinding device 5 unwinding system 10 reel 10.1 reel sleeve 11 web material 12 irregularity 13 running parameter 14 time indication 16 parameter range 16.1 first parameter limit 16.2 second parameter limit 20 detection unit 21 measuring unit 30 computing unit 31 communication interface 40 database 41 internal storage unit 42 external server 50 driving means 51 drive roll 52 suction means 60 output unit 61 display 62 light source 63 loudspeaker 70 reel holder 100 monitoring method 101 at least partially unwinding 102 detecting of 12 103 determining a correlation 104 entering in 40 105 output of a warning signal 106 visualizing the correlation 107 determining a probability
