Coe Newnes/mcgehee, Ulc

Weyerhaeuser Nr Company

Coe Newnes/mcgehee Inc.

Coe Newnes/mcgettee Inc.

Usnr/kockums Cancar Company

Steve Woods

Emeric Johnson

Harry Ogloff

Michael McGuire

Carl Flatman

Jacek M Biernacki

Zvonimr Skocic

Ron Lahoda

Zvonimir Skocić

Jacek Biernacki

A method of non-destructive testing of a wood piece using a multiplicity of sensors. The method may include the steps of sensing the wood piece; collecting information from the sensors; and integrating the information into a physical model providing for strength and stiffness prediction. The collected information relate to material characteristics of the wood piece and to fiber quality characteristics of the wood piece. The material characteristics may include one or more of the following material characteristics of the wood piece: growth ring thickness; grain angle deviation; clear wood density; knot location; knot density; knot type; knot size; location in the tree from which the wood piece was cut. The fiber quality characteristics may include one or more of the following fiber quality characteristics: microfibril angle, juvenile wood, biodeterioration; reaction wood species; and manufacturing or drying defects including one or more of the following defects: sawcuts, checks, shake; size of actual cross-section, and species.

Method of wood strength and stiffness prediction

A method of estimating the displaced size of a knot in a lumber piece includes the steps of: translating the lumber piece downstream along a flow path between a radiation source and sensor while simultaneously irradiating the lumber piece with radiation from the first radiation source whereby the radiation is attenuated by the lumber piece; collecting a set of radiation intensity data from the radiation sensor as the lumber piece is irradiated; processing the set of radiation intensity data to sum the radiation intensity data and to provide radiation intensity profiles transversely of the flow path direction and corresponding density profiles transversely of the flow path direction; mapping the density profiles to model a set of three dimensional density profiles of the lumber piece; processing the radiation intensity data to determine a clear wood density threshold value for the lumber piece and a maximum density value of the density profiles; and, computing a ratio of the summed density profile values to the summed maximum density values for the density profiles and multiplying the ratio with the transverse width of the lumber piece.

Displacement method of knot sizing

An apparatus for detecting the probable existence, location, and type of defects in a workpiece is described. The apparatus includes a sensor subsystem, an optimizer, a control subsystem, and a computer system having a processor and computer readable memory. Sensor subsystem senses a first section of the workpiece and produces signals corresponding to a physical characteristic of the workpiece. The computer system is configured to generate a workpiece model based on the signals produced by the sensor subsystem. In an alternate embodiment, a defect assembler can be provided to merge signals from a plurality of sensor subsystems. The defect assembler can also be configured to generate the workpiece data model. The optimizer is configured to generate workpiece segmentation recommendations based on the workpiece data model. The processor is configured with a first producer thread program which, in response to the receipt of a first set of signals by the computer system, receives a data subscription request from a subsystem which uses data and transmits the signals from the computer readable memory to the generator of the data subscription request. The processor is further configured to generate a second producer thread in response to storage of a second set of signals in the computer readable memory. The second producer thread is configured to receive one of the data subscription requests and selectively send the second set of signals to the generator of the data subscription request. A tracking device for tracking selective kinematics of a workpiece moving through a plant is also disclosed. The tracking device includes an encoder wheel configured to tangentially contact a workpiece and rotate at an angular velocity coincident with the linear velocity of the workpiece. The tracking apparatus further includes a drive mechanism for driving the encoder wheel at a first angular velocity approaching the angular velocity of the encoder wheel which is coincident with the linear velocity of the workpiece. The tracking device also includes a signal generator configured to interact with the encoder wheel and generate a signal in response to the angular velocity of the encoder wheel. The tracking apparatus can be incorporated into the apparatus for detecting defects within a workpiece by providing the signal from the signal generator to the control subsystem.

Method and apparatus for improved inspection classification of attributes of a workpiece

A generic, scalable consumer subsystem/producer subsystem interface controller for exchanging data between at least one producer subsystem configured to produce a set of services characterized in a producer generated data set, and at least on consumer subsystem configured to consume the set of services, including an object-oriented producer application program interface configured for use on a multi-threaded, client-server operating system, wherein producer routines are configured to: initialize producer server objects maid producer client objects; receive requests for data from a consumer subsystem via the producer client objects; send acknowledgments to a consumer subsystem in response to requests from the consumer subsystem via the producer server objects; send data to a consumer subsystem in response to requests from the consumer subsystem via the producer server objects; and wherein consumer routines are configured to: initialize consumer server objects and consumer client objects; send requests for data to a producer subsystem via the consumer server objects; receive acknowledgments from a producer subsystem in response to requests from the producer subsystem via the consumer client objects; and, receive data from a producer subsystem in response to requests from the producer subsystem via the consumer client objects.

Method and apparatus for improved inspection and classification of attributes of a workpiece

An apparatus for detecting the probable existence, location, and type of defects in a workpiece is described. The apparatus includes a sensor subsystem, an optimizer, a control subsystem, and a computer system having a processor and computer readable memory. The sensor subsystem senses a first section of the workpiece and produces signals corresponding to a physical characteristic of the workpiece. The computer system is configured to generate a workpiece model based on the signals produced by the sensor subsystem. In an alternate embodiment, a defect assembler can be provided to merge signals front a plurality of sensor subsystems. The defect assembler can also be configured to generate the workpiece data model. The optimizer is configured to generate workpiece segmentation recommendations based on the workpiece data model.

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Salmon Arm, Canada

Steve Woods