Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090184257 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING AND/OR CONTROLLING ULTRAVIOLET-ACTIVATED MATERIALS IN A PAPER-MAKING PROCESS - A method includes illuminating a mixture of materials in a wet-end of a paper process, where the mixture includes an ultraviolet-activated material. The method also includes measuring light from the mixture and determining a property of the ultraviolet-activated material based on the measured light. The method may further include adjusting an operation in the wet-end of the paper process based on the determined property of the ultraviolet-activated material. The determined property could include a quantity of fluorescent material in recycled material used to form stock for a paper machine and/or a quantity of fluorescent material in stock provided to a headbox in the paper process. Adjusting the operation in the wet-end could include adjusting an amount of one or more materials used to form stock provided to the headbox, such as a fluorescent whitening agent, fixative, fluorescent fiber, fluorescent pigment, fluorescent particle, fluorescent highlight, fluorescent planchette, or fluorescent quencher. | 07-23-2009 |
20090185162 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING AND/OR CONTROLLING PAPER PULP PROPERTIES - A method includes illuminating a material using first light. The first light is associated with one or more ultraviolet wavelengths/wavelength bands, and the material includes pulp fibers. The method also includes measuring second light from the material, where the second light is based on the first light. The method further includes determining an amount of lignin in the material using the measured second light. The ultraviolet wavelengths/wavelength bands could include at least one wavelength between 260 nanometers and 300 nanometers, inclusive (such as 280 nm). The one or more ultraviolet wavelengths/wavelength bands could additionally include 205 nanometers, 250 nanometers, 300 nanometers, and/or 360 nanometers. The method could also include illuminating the material using third light and measuring fourth light from the material, where the fourth light is based on the third light. The third light is associated with at least one wavelength/wavelength band that falls within a non-absorption wavelength band of lignin. | 07-23-2009 |
20090185185 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CAMERA-BASED COLOR MEASUREMENTS - A method includes receiving light from a material at a digital imaging device. The method also includes filtering the light into at least three spectral bands using a filter, where different regions of the filter pass different spectral bands. The method further includes measuring the light in each of the spectral bands and determining at least one color associated with the material using the measured light in the spectral bands. The different regions of the filter could include multiple masks (where each mask passes one of the spectral bands), different areas of a linear variable filter, and/or individual filters (where each individual filter passes one of the spectral bands). The digital imaging device could include a digital camera. The filter could be formed on a detector in the digital camera, and/or a component of the digital camera could be replaced with the filter. | 07-23-2009 |
20100226524 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING HAZE OF SHEET MATERIALS OR OTHER MATERIALS - A method includes illuminating a material with first light and capturing an image of second light transmitted through the material. The method also includes analyzing multiple regions of the image and determining one or more haze measurements associated with the material based on the analyzing. The method further includes storing and/or outputting the one or more haze measurements. Analyzing the multiple regions of the image may include summing pixel values in each region to produce a total pixel value for that region. The multiple regions of the image may include (i) a first region forming a first disc, (ii) a second region forming either a first annular region around the first region or a second disc larger than and including the first disc, and (iii) a third region forming either a second annular region around the second region or a third disc larger than and including the first and second discs. | 09-09-2010 |
20100228518 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING PROPERTIES OF UNSTABILIZED MOVING SHEETS - A method includes receiving multiple biased measurements associated with a property of a sheet of material, where the biased measurements correspond to multiple known sheet geometries. The method also includes determining an unbiased measurement associated with the property of the sheet using the biased measurements, where the unbiased measurement corresponds to a nominal sheet geometry. The method further includes storing and/or outputting the unbiased measurement. Determining the unbiased measurement could include performing regression using the biased measurements and their corresponding sheet geometries to identify an estimated value of the property of the sheet at the nominal sheet geometry. The biased measurements can be generated using one or more sensors, and the sheet may not be stabilized during the biased measurement generation. Additional sheet geometries can also be created, such as by varying a tilt angle, a curvature, and/or a position of the sheet. | 09-09-2010 |
20110284178 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING CURLING POTENTIAL OF PAPER, PAPERBOARD, OR OTHER PRODUCT DURING MANUFACTURE - A method includes receiving a measurement associated with an anisotropy of a first surface and a measurement associated with an anisotropy of a second surface of a sheet of material. The method also includes adjusting an operating parameter associated with a headbox based on the measurements. The headbox is associated with manufacture of the sheet. The operating parameter could include a jet speed, a jet impingement angle, a jet thickness, a slice opening, and/or a slice apron projection. Adjusting the operating parameter could be based on a difference between a measured anisotropy of the first surface and a measured anisotropy of the second surface. For example, the operating parameter could be adjusted to achieve a desired difference between the measured anisotropy of the first surface and the measured anisotropy of the second surface. Multiple headboxes could be controlled, such as when different headboxes are used to produce different layers of a multi-layer sheet. | 11-24-2011 |
20120010841 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTING AN ON-LINE APPEARANCE SENSOR SYSTEM - A system, apparatus and method are provided for adjusting an on-line appearance sensor system (OnLASS) for color and other appearance characteristic(s) of a web product produced during a production run of a web production system. The OnLASS is calibrated and its setting(s) are sent to a color error minimizer (CEM). The OnLASS measures a first appearance characteristic of the web product during the production run and the on-line measurement is sent to the CEM. After the production run, a second appearance characteristic of the web product is measured with an off-line appearance sensor system (OffLASS) and the off-line measurement is sent to the CEM. The CEM compares the on-line and off-line appearance measurements and adjusts at least one setting based on the comparison. The adjusted setting(s) are sent to the OnLASS. | 01-12-2012 |
20120281427 | COLLIMATED ILLUMINATION USING LIGHT PIPES - A system includes multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a light pipe configured to mix light from the LEDs and produce collimated light. The light pipe includes multiple reflective optical devices configured to reflect the collimated light at different angles. The light pipe also includes multiple outlet optical devices configured to selectively control exit of the reflected collimated light from the light pipe. The reflected collimated light has one or more controllable spectral characteristics and/or one or more controllable geometries of illumination. | 11-08-2012 |
20130289918 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CORRECTING CALIPER MEASUREMENTS OF SHEET PRODUCTS IN SHEET MANUFACTURING OR PROCESSING SYSTEMS - A method includes measuring a caliper of a sheet of material using a caliper sensor having first and second sensor modules. The method also includes adjusting the caliper measurement based on a transverse displacement between a first sensor component in the first sensor module and a second sensor component in the second sensor module to generate a corrected caliper measurement. Adjusting the caliper measurement can include applying a corrector function that adjusts the caliper measurement based on the measured transverse displacement. The corrector function can be identified by repeatedly creating misalignment between the first and second sensor components, measuring a known distance using the caliper sensor, and identifying an error between the measurement of the known distance and the known distance. | 10-31-2013 |
20130329037 | NONCONTACT CALIPER MEASUREMENTS OF SHEET PRODUCTS USING INTERSECTING LINES IN SHEET MANUFACTURING OR PROCESSING SYSTEMS - A method includes obtaining multiple images of a sheet of material. The images contain a first line projected onto a first side of the sheet and a second line projected onto a second side of the sheet. The images include (i) at least one first image containing the first line reflected off the first side of the sheet and the second line transmitted through the sheet and (ii) at least one second image containing the second line reflected off the second side of the sheet and the first line transmitted through the sheet. The method also includes identifying at least one point of intersection in the images where the lines intersect on the sheet. The method further includes identifying a caliper of the sheet using the at least one point of intersection. | 12-12-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090184257 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING AND/OR CONTROLLING ULTRAVIOLET-ACTIVATED MATERIALS IN A PAPER-MAKING PROCESS - A method includes illuminating a mixture of materials in a wet-end of a paper process, where the mixture includes an ultraviolet-activated material. The method also includes measuring light from the mixture and determining a property of the ultraviolet-activated material based on the measured light. The method may further include adjusting an operation in the wet-end of the paper process based on the determined property of the ultraviolet-activated material. The determined property could include a quantity of fluorescent material in recycled material used to form stock for a paper machine and/or a quantity of fluorescent material in stock provided to a headbox in the paper process. Adjusting the operation in the wet-end could include adjusting an amount of one or more materials used to form stock provided to the headbox, such as a fluorescent whitening agent, fixative, fluorescent fiber, fluorescent pigment, fluorescent particle, fluorescent highlight, fluorescent planchette, or fluorescent quencher. | 07-23-2009 |
20090185162 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING AND/OR CONTROLLING PAPER PULP PROPERTIES - A method includes illuminating a material using first light. The first light is associated with one or more ultraviolet wavelengths/wavelength bands, and the material includes pulp fibers. The method also includes measuring second light from the material, where the second light is based on the first light. The method further includes determining an amount of lignin in the material using the measured second light. The ultraviolet wavelengths/wavelength bands could include at least one wavelength between 260 nanometers and 300 nanometers, inclusive (such as 280 nm). The one or more ultraviolet wavelengths/wavelength bands could additionally include 205 nanometers, 250 nanometers, 300 nanometers, and/or 360 nanometers. The method could also include illuminating the material using third light and measuring fourth light from the material, where the fourth light is based on the third light. The third light is associated with at least one wavelength/wavelength band that falls within a non-absorption wavelength band of lignin. | 07-23-2009 |
20090185185 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CAMERA-BASED COLOR MEASUREMENTS - A method includes receiving light from a material at a digital imaging device. The method also includes filtering the light into at least three spectral bands using a filter, where different regions of the filter pass different spectral bands. The method further includes measuring the light in each of the spectral bands and determining at least one color associated with the material using the measured light in the spectral bands. The different regions of the filter could include multiple masks (where each mask passes one of the spectral bands), different areas of a linear variable filter, and/or individual filters (where each individual filter passes one of the spectral bands). The digital imaging device could include a digital camera. The filter could be formed on a detector in the digital camera, and/or a component of the digital camera could be replaced with the filter. | 07-23-2009 |
20100226524 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING HAZE OF SHEET MATERIALS OR OTHER MATERIALS - A method includes illuminating a material with first light and capturing an image of second light transmitted through the material. The method also includes analyzing multiple regions of the image and determining one or more haze measurements associated with the material based on the analyzing. The method further includes storing and/or outputting the one or more haze measurements. Analyzing the multiple regions of the image may include summing pixel values in each region to produce a total pixel value for that region. The multiple regions of the image may include (i) a first region forming a first disc, (ii) a second region forming either a first annular region around the first region or a second disc larger than and including the first disc, and (iii) a third region forming either a second annular region around the second region or a third disc larger than and including the first and second discs. | 09-09-2010 |
20100228518 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING PROPERTIES OF UNSTABILIZED MOVING SHEETS - A method includes receiving multiple biased measurements associated with a property of a sheet of material, where the biased measurements correspond to multiple known sheet geometries. The method also includes determining an unbiased measurement associated with the property of the sheet using the biased measurements, where the unbiased measurement corresponds to a nominal sheet geometry. The method further includes storing and/or outputting the unbiased measurement. Determining the unbiased measurement could include performing regression using the biased measurements and their corresponding sheet geometries to identify an estimated value of the property of the sheet at the nominal sheet geometry. The biased measurements can be generated using one or more sensors, and the sheet may not be stabilized during the biased measurement generation. Additional sheet geometries can also be created, such as by varying a tilt angle, a curvature, and/or a position of the sheet. | 09-09-2010 |
20120010841 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTING AN ON-LINE APPEARANCE SENSOR SYSTEM - A system, apparatus and method are provided for adjusting an on-line appearance sensor system (OnLASS) for color and other appearance characteristic(s) of a web product produced during a production run of a web production system. The OnLASS is calibrated and its setting(s) are sent to a color error minimizer (CEM). The OnLASS measures a first appearance characteristic of the web product during the production run and the on-line measurement is sent to the CEM. After the production run, a second appearance characteristic of the web product is measured with an off-line appearance sensor system (OffLASS) and the off-line measurement is sent to the CEM. The CEM compares the on-line and off-line appearance measurements and adjusts at least one setting based on the comparison. The adjusted setting(s) are sent to the OnLASS. | 01-12-2012 |
20120281427 | COLLIMATED ILLUMINATION USING LIGHT PIPES - A system includes multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a light pipe configured to mix light from the LEDs and produce collimated light. The light pipe includes multiple reflective optical devices configured to reflect the collimated light at different angles. The light pipe also includes multiple outlet optical devices configured to selectively control exit of the reflected collimated light from the light pipe. The reflected collimated light has one or more controllable spectral characteristics and/or one or more controllable geometries of illumination. | 11-08-2012 |