METHOD FOR WINDING UP A WEB OF MATERIAL, IN PARTICULAR OF A COMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL AND AN APPARATUS FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for winding up a web of material (4) by means of an apparatus (1) including at least: one winding-up space (2) for accommodating an at least partially wound up web of material (wound roll (3)) having a winding center (Z); means for conveying and/or manipulating the web of material prior to and/or during winding-up; including the following steps: a) operating the apparatus (1); b) monitoring the web of material (4) and/or the resulting wound roll (3) by means of at least one image capturing device (30) for obtaining at least one current state (actual state) of the web of material (4) and/or of the wound roll (3); c) comparing at least one actual state to at least one target state and corresponding to the actual state, and determining at least one deviation of the actual state from the corresponding target state; d) if the deviation exceeds/falls below at least one predetermined limit value, performing a correction of at least one operating parameter of the apparatus (1) which operating parameter is at least a contributing factor for the deviation.

Claims

1. A method for winding up a web of mineral wool nonwovens (4) into a wound roll by means of an apparatus (1) comprising stationary and mobile devices including at least: one winding-up space (2) for accommodating an at least partially wound roll (3) having a winding center (Z); means for conveying and/or manipulating the web of mineral wool nonwovens (4) prior to and/or during winding-up; including the following steps: a) operating the apparatus (1); b) monitoring the web of mineral wool nonwovens (4) and/or the resulting wound roll (3) by means of at least one image-capturing device (30) for obtaining at least one current state (actual state) of the web of mineral wool nonwovens (4) and/or of the wound roll (3); c) comparing the at least one actual state to at least one target state and corresponding to the actual state, and determining at least one deviation of the actual state from the corresponding target state; d) if the deviation exceeds/falls below at least one predetermined limit value, performing a correction of at least one operating parameter of the apparatus (1), the operating parameter being at least a contribution factor for the deviation.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one target state is stored in a data base.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring is carried out such that a circumference (U) of the wound roll (3) about its winding center (Z) is detected and/or a web form of the web of material (4) is detected in a height direction (16) before reaching the wound roll (3) and/or a position of the winding center (Z) of the wound roll (3) relative to the circumference (U) of the wound roll (3) is detected.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring of the web of material (4) and the wound roll (3) is carried out individually or cumulatively at the locations listed below: monitoring area (A) between a first conveying means (5) and a second conveying means (8); monitoring area (B) between the second conveying means (8) and a winding arm (19) of a winding-up roller (18); monitoring area (C) between the winding-up roller (18) and the first conveying means (5); wherein the monitoring areas (A, B, C) are disposed in the vicinity of the current circumference (U) of the wound roll (3).

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the comparing of the actual state to the target state is carried out by comparing actual circumferential contours to target circumferential contours of the wound roll (3) and/or the web of material (4).

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that for reducing the determined deviations, at least one operating parameter, selected from the following operating parameters, is corrected: height (h) of a pre-pressing nip (17) of a pre-pressing device (11); distance D of a free end edge (14) of the pre-pressing bar (13) from the circumference (U) of the wound roll (3), the free end edge facing in the conveying direction; a conveying speed (v.sub.1) of the first conveying means (5); a conveying speed (v.sub.2) of the second conveying means (8); a contact force F of the winding-up roller (18) onto the circumference (U) of the wound roll (3); an angle (α) between a first conveying direction of the first conveying means (5) and a second conveying direction of the second conveying means (8); a movement curve of the winding arm (19); a circumferential speed of the winding-up roller (18); a third conveying speed (v.sub.3) of the pre-pressing device (11).

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring, the comparing and/or the correcting are carried out continuously.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that an average value of several, chronologically successive actual states is used for the comparison.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one operating parameter is corrected if: a) with continuous monitoring of the actual state, a deviation is detected over a minimum period of time and the deviation exceeds/falls below a limit value during said minimum period of time, or b) with intermittent monitoring an average value of multiple deviations exceeds/falls below the corresponding limit value.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring the web of material (4) and/or the resulting wound roll (3) by means of at least one image-capturing device (30) additionally comprises monitoring at least part of the apparatus (1), in particular at least part of the mobile devices.

11. An apparatus for carrying out the method according to claim 1 comprising the features of the apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one image-capturing device (30) for monitoring the web of material (4) and/or the wound roll (3); at least one analyzing unit (40) comparing image information of actual states to stored target states and determining deviations; at least one correction unit (50) for correcting at least one operating parameter of the apparatus (1); means for setting the at least one corrected operating parameter on the apparatus (1).

12. The apparatus of claim 11, characterized in that a memory (45) is provided at least for storing image data regarding target states of the apparatus (1) or the wound roll (3).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0061] In the following, the invention is explained in more detail by way of examples with reference to the drawing. The figures show:

[0062] FIG. 1: a schematic side view of an apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention;

[0063] FIGS. 2a-2c: defective states (FIG. 2a, 2b) and a non-defective state (FIG. 2c) of a wound roll and a web of material prior to being wound up onto the wound roll, respectively;

[0064] FIGS. 3a, 3b: a target state of a wound roll (FIG. 3b) and a first undesirable state of deviation of a wound roll (FIG. 3a) having an eccentrically disposed winding center Z;

[0065] FIG. 4a: a defect characteristic of the wound roll with an insufficient conveying speed v2 of the second conveying means;

[0066] FIG. 4b: a target state of the wound roll with a correct conveying v2 speed of the second conveying means;

[0067] FIG. 5a: a defect characteristic of the wound roll with an excessive rotational speed of a winding-up roller;

[0068] FIG. 5b: a target state of the wound roll with a correct rotational speed of the winding-up roller;

[0069] FIG. 6: preferred monitoring areas for monitoring the contour of the wound roll.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0070] To explain the method according to the present invention for winding up a web of material by means of an apparatus, first the apparatus for carrying out the method will be explained in more detail using FIG. 1 as an example.

[0071] An apparatus 1 for carrying out the method according to the invention has an open winding-up space 2 for accommodating a wound-up roll of material web (wound roll 3). The wound roll 3 is, in particular, wound up coreless, i.e., the wound roll 3 does not contain any rigid body around which the web of material 4 to be wound up is wound up.

[0072] The apparatus 1 further comprises means for conveying and/or for manipulating the web of material 4, said means mechanically acting on the web of material 4 prior to and during winding-up or on the resulting wound roll 3. For this purpose, the apparatus 1 comprises a first conveying means 5 which is, in particular, formed as a belt conveyor having a conveyor belt 6. In the conveying state, the web of material 4 is placed on a loaded side 7 of the conveyor belt 6 with the loaded side 7 moving in the depicted direction of the arrow (conveying direction) with a conveying speed v1.

[0073] A second conveying means 8 is also configured as a belt conveyor having a conveyor belt 9. A loaded side 10 of the second conveying means 8 moves in the depicted direction of the arrow (conveying direction) with a conveying speed v2. In a side view, the first loaded side 6 and the second loaded side 10 form an angle α to each other and each encloses a part of the winding-up space 2.

[0074] Positioned upstream of the winding-up space 2 in the conveying direction (direction of speed v1) of the web of material 4, the apparatus 1 has a pre-pressing device 11. The pre-pressing device 11 has a belt conveyor 12 and a pre-pressing bar 13. The pre-pressing bar 13 has a free end edge 14, which faces towards wound roll 3. The free end edge 14 is displaceable in an X-direction (double arrow 15) and in a Z-direction (double arrow 16) relative to the winding-up space and the loaded side 7 of the first conveying means, respectively. In particular, the displacement may be adapted to be motor-drivable.

[0075] Moreover, an angle β between the belt conveyor 12 of the pre-pressing device 11 and the loaded side 7 of the first conveying means is adjustable, in particular, adjustable by means of a motor.

[0076] The displacement of the pre-pressing device 11 in the direction of the double arrow 16 results in a height h of a pre-pressing nip 17 (cf. FIG. 2a) between the pre-pressing bar 13 and the conveyor belt 6 of the first conveying means 5.

[0077] Moreover, the apparatus 1 comprises a motor-driven winding-up roller 18, the axis of rotation of which is disposed approximately on the angle bisector of angle α. The winding-up roller 18 is attached to a winding arm 19, which is pivotably arranged about a pivot axis 20 and is arranged to be, in particular, adjustable by a motor.

[0078] The conveying means 5, 8 are stationary in the double-arrow directions 15, 16 during the winding process. If required, the angle α between the loaded sides 7 and 10 is variably adjustable and, if applicable, adjustable by a motor. The pivot axis 20 is movable in the direction of double arrow 16. The winding-up roller 18 is motor-drivable about its axis and arranged such that said winding-up roller in contact with a circumference U of the wound roll 3 of the web of material 4 already wound up and is pivotable about the axis 20 with the expanding wound roll 3. The contact pressure (force F) of the winding-up roller 18 onto the circumference of the wound roll 3 is adjustable by means of the winding arm 19. The first loaded side 7, the second loaded side 10 and the winding-up roller 18 define the winding-up space 2 for the wound roll 3 being formed.

[0079] For evaluating the winding quality of the wound-up wound roll 3, monitoring areas in the vicinity of the wound roll 3 in particular are of great interest. These monitoring areas are marked with the letters A, B, C in the figures. By monitoring these monitoring areas A, B, C, substantiated statements about the winding quality of the wound roll 3 can be made.

[0080] The web of material 4 is, for example, a web of material made of fibrous, compressible material such as a web of insulating fibrous material. Nevertheless, all webs of material that are compressible in a thickness direction can be processed with the apparatus according to the present invention.

[0081] According to the present invention, the apparatus 1 has at least one image-capturing device 30 arranged in the space and aligned in regard to its line of sight such that in particular the monitoring areas A, B, C can be monitored. The image-capturing device 30 may be, for example, a CCD camera or any other image-capturing device 30 that preferably provides electronic image data.

[0082] Furthermore, the at least one image-capturing device 30 may be aligned so as to monitor additional or alternative portions of the apparatus outside of the monitoring areas A, B, C.

[0083] The above mentioned additional or alternatively performed monitoring of portions of the apparatus outside of the monitoring areas A, B, C, serves to carry out any apparatus-specific monitoring measures, for example, whether an automatically adjusted correction of a parameter has actually been set.

[0084] It should be emphasized that in order to solve the object of the present invention, only a monitoring the web of material and/or the resulting wound roll according to feature b) of claim 1 is required. An additional monitoring of the apparatus itself may be a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In particular, individual devices of the apparatus such as stationary and mobile devices of the apparatus that have an effect on the web of material and/or the wound roll being formed or that interact with the web of material and/or the wound roll being formed, may be monitored. Such additional monitoring of the apparatus itself or of individual devices of the apparatus, which is expedient but not essential for achieving the invention, may take place in addition to monitoring the web of material and/or the wound roll being formed according to feature b), so that the inventive effect is achieved when either the web of material and/or the wound roll being formed, or the web of material and/or the wound roll being formed and the apparatus or the devices of said apparatus are being monitored.

[0085] The image-capturing device 30 is connected to at least one analyzing unit 40 which compares image information of actual states of the wound roll 3 to stored target states of the wound roll 3 and determines deviations between these states. For the purpose of storing target states, the apparatus 1 expediently has a memory 45 which holds necessary data regarding target states and provides said data to the analyzing unit 40, when necessary.

[0086] In addition, the apparatus has at least one correcting unit 50 which determines from the deviations determined by the analyzing unit 40 necessary corrections of at least one operating parameter of the apparatus 1. The correcting unit 50 causes means for setting the at least one corresponding operating parameter on the apparatus to modify the associated operating parameter. Possible operating parameters may be: [0087] a distance D (cf. FIG. 2a) of the free end edge 14 of the pre-pressing bar 13 from the infeed area 21 of the wound roll 3 or the height h, which free end edge faces in the conveying direction (direction of speed v.sub.1); [0088] the speed levels v.sub.1, v.sub.2; [0089] a contact force F of the winding-up roller 18 onto the circumference U of the wound roll 3; [0090] the circumferential speed with which the winding-up roller 18 is driven; [0091] the third conveying speed v.sub.3 of the belt conveyor 12; [0092] the movement curve of the winding arm 19 about the pivot axis 20; [0093] the angle α between the first conveying means 5 and the second conveying means 8.

[0094] Relationships, in particular cause-effect relationships, correlations and/or causalities between occurring deviations of the actual states from the target states of the wound roll 3 and the operating parameters are stored as information of a knowledge database in the memory 45.

[0095] Relationships between the operating parameters and the actual states of the wound roll 3 are explained below using FIGS. 2a to 6 as examples, but not exhaustively, based on selected parameters.

[0096] FIG. 2a shows the pre-pressing nip 17 as well as its height h. Partially shown are the first conveying means 5 with the first loaded side 7 on which the web of material 4 is fed with the conveying speed v1.

[0097] Furthermore, the second conveying means 8 with the second loaded side 10 is partially shown.

[0098] Further shown are the pre-pressing device 11 with the pre-pressing bar 13, the free end edge 14 of which having a certain distance D from the infeed area 21 of the web of material 4 into a circumferential web of the wound roll 3. Bulges 100 of the wound roll 3 deviating from a cylinder shape are noticeable in the area of the winding-up roller 18. Such a defect characteristic occurs, for example, if the movement curve of the winding arm 19 is selected with an opening speed that is too low for the specific web of material 4 to be wound up. One cause for this can be an incorrectly selected, excessive height h of the pre-pressing nip. Such a defect characteristic (bulges 100) can be detected by the image-capturing device 30 (monitoring of areas B and C).

[0099] The bulges 100 are created by an insufficient pre-pressing of the compressible web of material 4 by the pre-pressing device 11, resulting in an excessive diameter increase of the roll per winding. Such an excessive diameter manifests in the bulges 100 in the vicinity of the winding-up roller 18.

[0100] FIG. 2b shows another bulge 101 in an area between the free end edge 14 of the pre-pressing bar 13 and the infeed area 21 of the web of material 4 into the wound roll 3. Such a defect characteristic appears with an excessive distance D between the free end edge 14 and the infeed area 21.

[0101] FIG. 2c shows a corrected state of FIG. 2b, with the corrected state no longer having a bulge 101. The distance D between the infeed area 21 and the free end edge 14 is considerably smaller compared to the distance D in FIG. 2b.

[0102] FIG. 3a shows an ideal wound roll 3 with a winding center Z arranged centrically relative to the circumference U of the wound roll 3.

[0103] FIG. 3b shows a possibly occurring defect characteristic of the wound roll 3, in which the winding center Z is shifted eccentrically upwards relative to the circumference U of the wound roll (in the view according to FIG. 3b). Furthermore, in the roll portion above the center Z, the windings, i.e., the winding layers of the wound roll 3, are more compressed and have a thinner thickness then in the area below the winding center Z.

[0104] Correcting the variable wall thicknesses of all windings and the correct arrangement of the winding center Z in the center of the wound roll 3 associated therewith is directly dependent on the pivot position of the winding arm 19. A contact pressure of the winding-up roller 18 can be directly influenced by pivoting the winding arm, which is motor-drivable about the pivot axis 20. The pivotal displacement of the winding arm 19 about the pivot axis 20 and its extent, e.g., per rotation of the wound roll 3, affects the local thickness of the web of material and thus the position of the winding center Z. By influencing the movement curve of the winding arm 19 through adjusting respective operating parameters, such a defect characteristic can be addressed, should it occur.

[0105] FIG. 4a shows a defect characteristic of the wound roll 3 in the area of the monitoring area A. Here, an undesirable bulge 102 is forming into the monitoring area A. The reason for such a deviation is, for example, an insufficient conveying speed v2 of the loaded side 10 of the second conveying means 8.

[0106] The bulge 102 can be avoided by increasing the conveying speed v2 (thicker arrow), as can be taken from FIG. 4b. Thus, when a defect characteristic according to FIG. 4a occurs, the apparatus according to the present invention ensures a correct winding-up by increasing the operating parameter v2.

[0107] Another possible defect characteristic, i.e., a possible deviation of the actual state of the wound roll 3 from a target state, is shown in FIG. 5a. In the monitoring area C, an undesirable bulge 103 occurs. Such an undesirable bulge 103 is caused by an excessive drive speed (thick curved arrow) of the winding-up roller 18.

[0108] FIG. 5b shows a corrected state, in which a bulge 103 no longer occurs in the monitoring area C, as is desired. The rotational speed of the winding-up roller 18 (thin arrow) has been reduced accordingly.

[0109] FIG. 6 shows in an overview an ideal contour 200 of the wound roll 3 (solid line) and a first state of deviation 201 of the circumference of the wound roll (dashed line). The first state of deviation 201 is characterized by diameter increases/contour changes of the wound roll 3 outwardly into the monitoring areas A, B, C.

[0110] A second state of deviation 202 is indicated by the dot-dashed line in FIG. 6, in which the circumference in each of the monitoring areas A, B, C, is too small.

[0111] In the following, the method according to the present invention will be described in greater detail based on the apparatus according to FIG. 1.

[0112] The method according to the present invention comprises, in particular, the steps: [0113] a) operating an apparatus, in particular an apparatus 1 according to FIG. 1; [0114] b) monitoring the web of material 4 and/or the resulting wound roll 3 by means of at least one image-capturing device 30 for obtaining at least one actual state of the wound roll 3.

[0115] Corresponding target states (desired states) of the wound roll 3 being formed are known for particular stages of the winding process. These target states are preferably stored in a database, in particular in a memory 45. The actual states captured by the image-capturing device 30 are compared to corresponding target states, i.e., with the chronologically corresponding target states, e.g., a state in which the roll has a particular number X of windings. If deviations exceeding a particular tolerance are detected, then selected operating parameters of the apparatus 1 are influenced by means of a correcting unit 50. The selection of the respective operating parameter and the direction and the amount of modification of this operating parameter (speed, angle, contact pressure, arrangement in the space) are corrected accordingly. Here it is possible that an incorrectly set operating parameter can be clearly attributed to a defect characteristic. It is, however, also possible that multiple incorrect operating parameters can lead to a particular defect characteristic and these are then modified according to the findings in the knowledge database in the memory 45.

[0116] With the method according to the present invention and/or the apparatus according to the present invention for carrying out said method, the occurrence of known deviations of actual states from target states of the wound roll 3 can be detected and automatically corrected through modified operation of the apparatus 1. A correcting intervention by a machine operator is thus no longer necessary.

[0117] Furthermore, the method according to the present invention has the particular advantage that the monitoring can be continuous or in short intervals so that immediate action is possible when a winding error (deviation too large) occurs and a winding reject can be avoided.