The Procter Gamble Company

Louis J Cedrone

Jeffrey Michael Kent

Jason Lee DeBruler

Andrew Price Palmer

Uwe Schneider

Todd Douglas Lenser

Michael Devin Long

David Carlton Ordway

Daniel Richard Royce

Jeffry Rosiak

Kazuya Ogawa

Robert George Cox, Jr

Justin B Owens

William Lawrence Lightcap

Eric Christopher Berg

Helen Louise Von Den Steinen

The present disclosure relates to systems and processes for detecting and rejecting defective absorbent articles from a converting line. In particular, the systems and methods may utilize feedback from technologies, such as vision systems, sensors, remote input and output stations, and controllers with synchronized embedded clocks to accurately correlate inspection results and measurements from an absorbent article converting process. As such, the systems and methods may accurately apply the use of precision clock synchronization for both instrumentation and control system devices on a non-deterministic communications network. In turn, the clock synchronized control and instrumentation network may be used to control a reject system on converters of absorbent articles. In some embodiments, the controller will reject only defective absorbent articles without the need to reject non-defective absorbent articles.

Method for inspecting products in a manufacturing process

The present disclosure relates to systems and processes for controlling the relative positions or phasing of advancing substrates and/or components in absorbent article converting lines. The systems and methods may utilize feedback from technologies, such as vision systems, sensors, remote input and output stations, and controllers with synchronized embedded clocks to accurately correlate component placement detections and placement control on an absorbent article converting process. The systems and methods may accurately apply the use of precision clock synchronization for both instrumentation and control system devices on a non-deterministic communications network. In turn, the clock synchronized control and instrumentation network may be used to control the substrate position. As such, the controller may be programmed to the relative positions of substrates and components along the converting line without having to account for undeterminable delays.

Method for assembling products in a manufacturing process

Systems and processes herein may be configured to correlate manufacturing parameters and performance feedback parameters with individual absorbent articles manufactured by a converting apparatus. Embodiments of the systems herein may include inspection sensors configured to inspect substrates and/or component parts advancing along the converting line and communicate inspection parameters to a controller and historian. The systems may also include process sensors configured to monitor equipment on the converting line and communicate process parameters to the controller and historian. The systems herein may also be adapted to receive performance feedback parameters based on the packaged absorbent articles. The systems may correlate inspection parameters, process parameters, and/or performance feedback parameters with individual absorbent articles produced on the converting line. The controller may also be configured to perform various functions based on the performance feedback parameters.

Systems and methods for adjusting target manufacturing parameters on an absorbent product converting line

Systems and methods for controlling phasing of advancing substrates in absorbent article converting lines

Systems and methods for detecting and rejecting defective absorbent articles from a converting line

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for rejecting defective absorbent articles from a converting line. At a downstream portion of a converting process, a continuous length of absorbent articles may be subjected to a final knife and cut to create discrete absorbent articles advancing on a first carrier. From the first carrier, the discrete absorbent articles may be transferred to a transfer apparatus, which in turn, transfers the discrete absorbent articles to a second carrier. The transfer apparatus may include carrier members that orbit around an axis of rotation and may be adapted to receive the absorbent articles from the first carrier and transfer the absorbent articles to the second carrier. Defective absorbent articles may be detected by an inspection system, which may be operably connected with the transfer apparatus and/or the first carrier to remove the defective absorbent articles from the converting process.

Methods and apparatuses for rejecting defective absorbent articles from a converting line

Methods and apparatuses for transferring absorbent articles and rejecting defective absorbent articles

The present disclosure relates to systems and processes for controlling the registration of advancing substrates in absorbent article converting lines. The systems and methods may utilize feedback from technologies, such as vision systems, sensors, remote input and output stations, and controllers with synchronized embedded clocks to accurately correlate registration feature detections and substrate speed control on an absorbent article converting process. The systems and methods may accurately apply the use of precision clock synchronization for both instrumentation and control system devices on a non-deterministic communications network. In turn, the clock synchronized control and instrumentation network may be used to control the substrate speed. As such, the controller may be programmed to track registration features on substrates and components along the converting line without having to account for undeterminable delays.

Systems and methods for controlling registration of advancing substrates in absorbent article converting lines

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Mason, OH, United States of America

Louis J Cedrone