Patent ID: 8712574
Filing Date: 2014-04-29
Classification: A61F,G05B

Abstract:
1. A method for phasing absorbent products from a web converting manufacturing process, the method comprising the steps of: providing a communication network; connecting a sensor with the communication network, the sensor including a sensor clock; connecting a controller with the communication network, the controller including a controller clock; synchronizing the sensor clock with the controller clock such that the reported time of the controller clock and the sensor clock are correlated; advancing a substrate in a machine direction through a converting process at a first speed; virtually segmenting the substrate into a plurality of virtual segments; advancing a series of component parts in the machine direction at a second speed, the component parts spaced from each other at a relatively constant distance; sequentially adding component parts to the substrate; inspecting the substrate and component parts with the sensor; communicating inspection parameters from the sensor to the communication network; assigning a timestamp to each inspection parameter, each timestamp based on the sensor clock; receiving the inspection parameters and corresponding timestamps from the communication network into the controller; correlating each inspection parameter with one virtual segment based on the timestamp of the inspection parameter; identifying component positions in virtual segments based on the inspection parameters; adjusting the placement of the component parts on the substrate; and cutting the substrate with component parts added thereto into discrete absorbent articles.