APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TRACKING DEFECTS IN SHEET MATERIALS

摘要

An apparatus and method for tracking defects in sheet materials. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

主权项

1. A method for the tracking of a material defect in a sheet material, such as a container material or a product-packaging material, said method comprising the steps of:
moving a sheet material through or past a defect sensor, and then detecting, with said defect sensor, a material defect in said sheet material; detecting, with a first marking sensor, at least one surface structure feature of said sheet material, which said at least one surface structure feature being usable as a reference for determining the position of said material defect; and preparing and storing a first structure data record representing said at least one surface structure feature as detected by said first marking sensor.