Patent Issued for Finishing line automatic inspection system and method (USPTO 11892417): Columbia Insurance Company

2024 FEB 22 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx journalists, a patent by the inventors Christman, Chad (Dalton, GA, US), Epstein, Alex (Dalton, GA, US), Glassell, Richard (Dalton, GA, US), filed on December 22, 2021, was published online on February 6, 2024.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 11892417, is Columbia Insurance Company (Omaha, Nebraska, United States).

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Surface coverings, such as for floor coverings, ceilings, furniture, doors, millwork, and the like, may include, but are not limited to, hardwood, engineered hardwood, laminates, composites, and combinations thereof. Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product that typically has a top layer with a pre-designed texture, pattern, or textured images printed thereon to resemble real wood. Engineered hardwood flooring contains a top veneer layer of solid wood over a core layer of man-made materials such as plywood or high-density fiberboard (HDF). A bottom veneer layer may also be provided. Most surface coverings are manufactured by automated manufacturing processes.

“The finished product must be carefully inspected to ensure defective pieces are prevented from being delivered to customers. With regard to laminate or engineered hardwood flooring planks, the inspection process, as now practiced, typically consists of manual inspection for two types of defects: mechanical and look.

“Mechanical defects may include a wide variety of defects including veneer splits and cracks over a certain size or length, veneer voids greater than a given size, defective tongues and grooves, corner chips, splinters, excessive positive or negative bowing, and improper or incomplete putty repairs for veneer voids. These mechanical defects may have objective criteria against which detected characteristics are capable of being judged.

“The look defects may include issues associated with the stain color and/or stain lines on each plank, excessively large putty repairs in a veneer, and other unrepairable veneer look defects. Assessing look defects is typically a more subjective analysis.

“Thus, in prior art manufacturing environments, there is a wide variety of defects to be manually scanned for in each plank. Manual scanning includes not only a requirement to visually identify one or more defects, but also to make a decision to accept or reject each plank as it progresses along a production line and then, if a decision to reject has been reached, to act upon that decision by physically removing the plank to a reject position or location.

“Because of the large number of types of defects, and the degree of variation for each, a significant amount of time and effort is required to train, retrain, and update inspection personnel as to proper or required inspection criteria. Given that the inspections must occur and be consistent over multiple shifts and across multiple product lines, this places a large responsibility on training resources and on the personnel performing the inspections. A concomitant investment in training resources is thus required.

“In one exemplary manufacturing environment for engineered hardwood, at an approximate production line speed of 100 planks per minute per inspection line, an inspector is given approximately 0.6 seconds to scan a 3.25 in. wide plank as it passes the inspector’s station. In that time, the inspector has to identify whether the plank has or does not have a mechanical or look defect according to a variety of predefined criteria, to make a decision to reject or accept the plank based upon that identification, then to physically move the plank for rejection if identified as being defective. This manual scan-and-decide operation must occur approximately 100 times per minute for a wide variety of mechanical and look defects of various types. While planks moving along the inspection line at a given time interval are of the same veneer type, the same inspector is typically required to be knowledgeable as to inspection criteria for a range of veneer surfaces, such as smooth, soft scrape, hard scrape, wire brush, and distressed, as well as for a variety of stain colors and application patterns, for planks of different widths. With this manual scanning system, defects are sometimes missed and found later by the consumer upon installation, which is undesirable.

“Thus, a need exists for an automated system and method that is capable of detecting at least one class of manufacturing defects in piece parts traveling along a production path, thereby enabling inspection personnel to focus on more subjective aspects of piece part appearance. The present disclosure provides such an automated system and method.”

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, NewsRx editors also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “The presently disclosed system and method provides the ability to automatically detect mechanical defects in piece parts, such as floor covering planks, and to remove the defective parts off an inspection path through the use of a bypass conveyor system. Such mechanical defects include, without limitation, defects such as veneer voids over a given size or size range, veneer splits and cracks over a given length and/or width, failed putty repairs, defective tongues and grooves, corner chips, and excessively bowed planks. The bypass conveyor system enables the mechanically defective parts to be transported beyond or around a manual inspection such that only those parts determined by the present system and method to not have mechanical defects are subject to consideration by an inspector for more subjective look defects, largely relating to the overall appearance of the parts. With the removal of all or most of the mechanical defect types, the personnel performing the subsequent inspection will be able to focus on the look defects. Reducing the manual inspection to a single defect class provides an increase in inspection accuracy by simplifying the range of defects to be detected and by providing a larger amount of time per defect type, on average. The human eye is very good at identifying look defect types, especially when one plank surface appearance differs from the previous plank surface. This limits the range of plank appearance variables to be taught to inspectors, thereby reducing the time required to provide initial and on-going training.

“Once the remaining parts have been inspected by a manual process, the parts transported by the bypass conveyor system are returned to the production line. To enable the mechanically defective parts to be distinguished from parts that have passed the subjective look review, a marking capability is provided in conjunction with the mechanism for transferring defective parts to the bypass conveyor. The marking capability may provide the ability to mark the defective parts according to a variety of classes of defects, such that remediation may optionally be practiced after all inspection steps have been carried out. Such marking may also facilitate the transfer of defective parts to an appropriate receptacle or storage facility.

“In a first aspect, disclosed is a system for automatic inspection of piece parts in a production facility. The system comprises a driven production path for serially transporting individual units of the piece parts along a direction of travel and an alternate conveyance path proximate the production path. A first optical system for detecting characteristics of the individual units as each progresses on the production path is provided proximate the driven production path. A database of standards for each of a plurality of characteristics of the piece parts is provided. A processor, which is in communication with the first optical system and the database of standards, is provided for analyzing the detected characteristics of each of the individual units using the standards as to one or more of the plurality of characteristics from the database. A piece part diverter assembly, intermediate the production path and the alternate conveyance path, selectively diverts ones of the individual units from the production path onto the alternate conveyance path in response to input from the processor having determined that at least one of the standards associated with a respective characteristic has not been met.

“In embodiments, the production path is a conveyor and the alternate conveyance path is a vacuum belt conveyor while, in another embodiment, the alternative conveyance path is a diversion conveyor. The system may further include a separator for separating multiple units of the piece parts into the individual units for serial transport by the driven production path.

“Further, in an embodiment, the system includes an alignment module for orienting the individual units with respect to the production path. This alignment module may include at least one mechanical barrier for selectively preventing ones of the individual units from proceeding along the production path. The at least one barrier may be comprised of two vertically actuatable rods, each having a respective actuator in communication with the processor, the rods being disposed adjacent to the production path. Each rod is orthogonal to the direction of travel of the production path. For example, if the production path is horizontal, the rods are vertically actuable. Such rods are adapted to be selectively moved upwards to prevent one of the individual units from proceeding along a portion of the production path and to be selectively moved downwards to allow the one of the individual units to proceed along the portion of the production path. At least one optical detector, in communication with the processor, may be provided for detecting when one of the individual units is abutted against both of the rods and for moving the rods downwards to allow that individual unit to proceed along the production path. At least one optical detector may be provided in communication with the processor for detecting when the one of the individual units has proceeded along the production path beyond the rods prior to the processor causing the rod actuators to again move the rods upwards. The processor may allow a time interval to elapse between the alignment module allowing successive individual units to proceed along the production path.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A system for automatic inspection of piece parts in a production facility, the system comprising: a driven production path for serially transporting individual units of the piece parts along a direction of travel; an alternate conveyance path proximate the production path; a first optical system for detecting characteristics of the individual units as each progresses on the production path; a database of standards for each of a plurality of characteristics of the piece parts; a processor in communication with the first optical system and the database of standards for analyzing the detected characteristics of each of the individual units using the standards for one or more of the plurality of characteristics from the database; and a piece part diverter assembly intermediate the production path and the alternate conveyance path for selectively diverting ones of the individual units from the production path onto the alternate conveyance path in response to input from the processor having determined that at least one of the standards associated with a respective characteristic has not been met wherein the alternate conveyance path is above a portion of the production path, wherein the piece part diverter assembly comprises an elevator system comprising a pneumatic pusher for selectively contacting an underside of an individual unit and elevating the ones of the individual units from the production path to the alternate conveyance path, wherein the pneumatic pusher comprises a marking system, and wherein the alternate conveyance path comprises at least one diversion conveyor for returning the selectively diverted ones of the individual units back to the production path.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the production path is a conveyor.

“3. The system of claim 1, wherein the alternate conveyance path is a vacuum belt conveyor.

“4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a separator for separating multiple units of the piece parts into the individual units for serial transport by the driven production path.

“5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an alignment module for orienting the individual units with respect to the production path.

“6. The system of claim 5, wherein the alignment module further comprises at least one mechanical barrier for selectively preventing ones of the individual units from proceeding along the production path.

“7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one mechanical barrier comprises two vertically actuatable rods, each having a respective actuator in communication with the processor, disposed adjacent to the production path and mutually orthogonal to the direction of travel of the production path, the rods adapted to be selectively moved upwards to prevent one of the individual units from proceeding along a portion of the production path and to be selectively moved downwards to allow the one of the individual units to proceed along the portion of the production path.

“8. The system of claim 7, wherein the alignment module further comprises at least one optical detector, in communication with the processor, for detecting when one of the individual units is abutted against both of the rods and for moving the rods downwards to allow the one of the individual units to proceed along the production path.

“9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one optical detector of the alignment module is further for detecting when the one of the individual units has proceeded along the production path beyond the rods prior to the processor causing the rod actuators to move the rods upwards.

“10. The system of claim 9, wherein processor is further for allowing a time interval after the one of the individual units has proceeded along the production path beyond the rods prior to the processor causing the rod actuators to move the rods downwards to ensure proper separation of individual units.

“11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an encoder in association with the production path and in communication with the processor for enabling the processor to determine the rate at which the production path is driven.

“12. The system of claim 1, further comprising an individual unit optical detector for detecting the relative or absolute location of each of the individual units on the production path.

“13. The system of claim 1, further comprising an individual unit optical detector for detecting the rate of movement of each of the individual units on the production path.

“14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a movement dampening module for inhibiting movement of the individual units with respect to the production path.

“15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first optical system comprises at least one three-dimensional laser scanner.

“16. The system of claim 1, wherein the individual units comprise hardwood, engineered hardwood, laminates, composites, and combinations thereof and wherein the detected characteristics comprise one or more of: the presence and size of one or more veneer void areas; the presence and size of one or more veneer splits; the presence and size of one or more veneer cracks; the length of an individual unit; the degree of positive or negative bow of an individual unit; the minimum depth of the veneer; and the maximum depth of the veneer.

“17. The system of claim 1, wherein the individual units are wood veneer planks and wherein the database of standards defines, with respect to each individual unit, an acceptable limit or range of limits for one or more of: a veneer void area; a crack width and/or length; a plank of proper length; a degree of positive or negative bow; and a veneer depth.

“18. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second optical system for detecting characteristics of the individual units proximate the ends thereof as each progresses on the production path.

“19. The system of claim 18, wherein the characteristics of the individual units proximate the ends thereof comprise: the depth and/or length of a respective tongue or groove; the geometry of the corners of the ends; a quality of the staining of the corners of the ends; a quality of the veneer at the ends; and a quality of the bevel at the ends.

“20. The system of claim 1, wherein the piece part diverter assembly further comprises at least one robotic manipulator for selectively removing the ones of the individual units from the production path and depositing the ones of the individual units onto the alternate conveyance path.

“21. The system of claim 1, wherein the marking system is configured for selectively marking the ones of the individual units using at least one of plural chalks, each chalk having a unique respective color.

“22. The system of claim 21, wherein the plural chalks are UV-reactive.

“23. The system of claim 1, wherein the marking system is in communication with the processor and is configured to selectively mark the ones of the individual units in response to the processor analyzing the detected characteristics of each of the individual units using the standards for one or more of the plurality of characteristics.

“24. The system of claim 1, further comprising a manual inspection station after the piece part diverter assembly and at least one diversion conveyor intermediate the alternate conveyance path and the production path for returning the selectively diverted ones of the individual units back to the production path after the manual inspection station.

“25. The system of claim 1, further comprising a third optical system, in communication with the processor and disposed at least partially under production path, for detecting characteristics of a veneer disposed on an underneath surface of each of the individual units.

“26. The system of claim 1, further comprising a rejection manipulator proximate the production path and in communication with the processor for selectively removing any of the ones of the individual units that were not removed from the production path by the piece part diverter assembly.”

There are additional claims. Please visit full patent to read further.

For more information, see this patent: Christman, Chad. Finishing line automatic inspection system and method. U.S. Patent Number 11892417, filed December 22, 2021, and published online on February 6, 2024. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11892417)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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