Patent ID: 6856859

Claim:
A method of controlling cross-machine direction alignment of elements being assembled as work nieces on a manufacturing line, the manufacturing line including a plurality of work stations, to fabricate respective products from the respective work pieces, the method comprising: (a) defining a machine direction manufacturing line path traversed by the work pieces as the work nieces move from work station to work station and have work performed thereon; (b) defining a machine direction reference path extending in the direction of the machine direction manufacturing line path and referenced to machines along the manufacturing line; (c) establishing acceptable cross-machine direction positions along the manufacturing line path and relative to the reference path, for an element to be established on respective ones of the work pieces; (d) moving work pieces from work station to work station, and establishing the element on the respective work pieces at respective work stations; (e) fixedly mounting a camera, as a component of a vision imaging inspection and control system, alone the manufacturing line path such that the work pieces move past the camera, the camera having an image window defined in terms of images to be captured by the camera and to be displayed by the imaging system; (f) referencing the image window of the camera to the reference path; (g) capturing visual images of respective work pieces moving past the camera; and (h) in the captured visual images, evaluating the cross-machine direction position of the element on the respective work pieces with respect to the reference path, against the established acceptable cross-machine direction positions, wherein the reference path represents a centerline of the manufacturing line.