EP3945137A1 - Method for marking and identifying skin - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for marking and identifying a hide (1) is shown, in which an identification code (2) is provided in the hide (1), the identification code (2) having holes (3) which penetrate the hide (1) completely penetrate and form the identification code (2). In order to increase the reliability of the method, it is proposed that slots (3.1, 3.2) are made in the skin (1) to form the identification code (2), each extending along a longitudinal direction (4.1, 4.2), with at least two Long holes (3.1, 3.2) are introduced into the skin (1) with their longitudinal directions (4.1, 4.2) perpendicular to one another.

Description

The invention relates to a method for marking and identifying a hide, in particular in leather manufacture, in which an identification code is provided in the hide, the identification code having holes which completely penetrate the hide and form the identification code.

State of the art

For example, it is known in the prior art to provide hides with identification codes for identification and traceability during various processing steps.

It is known to introduce such identification codes into the skin, for example by embossing, stamping or engraving. However, since hides are subjected to very intensive processing steps in leather processing, such stampings have the problem that they have to be renewed again and again because, depending on the process step and influence, the legibility of the identification code is almost completely lost. Specially abrasive production steps for surface correction on the leather surfaces, e.g. grinding, ensure a permanent loss of legibility. Numbers engraved in the skin as an identification code are also washed away or covered by the necessary coloring and coating processes, so that the sequence of numbers becomes illegible.

In order to ensure permanent readability of such identification codes during the different process steps, they would have to be introduced into the skin again after each step.

In addition, it is from the WO85/01299 It is known, for example, to mark skins with codes in the form of holes that completely penetrate the skin. Although such codes consisting of holes have the advantage that they are retained, for example after a split in both halves, such holes tend very strongly to become clogged during various processing steps and thus become illegible.

Furthermore, from the EP 3 269 829 A1 a method for introducing codes into raw or processed animal skins is known, the code being introduced into the skin by means of laser radiation.

Especially in the production of "corrected grain" leather, where extensive surface processing is necessary, known marking methods from the prior art cannot reliably prevent the loss of the identification code.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has therefore set itself the task of improving the reliability of a method for marking and identifying a hide of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the identification code once introduced into the hide remains intact and legible throughout the processing operation.

The invention achieves the object of the invention in that slots are made in the skin to form the identification code, each extending along a longitudinal direction, with at least two slots being made in the skin with their longitudinal directions perpendicular to one another.

The introduction of the identification code into a skin can take place at any time during the processing of the skin. In leather processing, the identification code can be incorporated, for example, in the freshly slaughtered, salted or limed rawhide, in the tanned hide (wet white or wet blue) or in the finished crust leather or in the finished finished leather.

As the holes in the identification code fully penetrate the skin, it can be ensured that the identification code remains intact and legible throughout the processing. If the identification code is introduced into the limed rawhide before splitting, for example, a split croupon removed from the back of the hide can automatically carry the same number and traceability of the split croupon to the original hide can be ensured. A possible link with the number on the animal's ear tag even enables "cradle to cradle" traceability of the skin along the entire value chain.

If elongated holes are made in the skin to form the identification code, with the elongated holes each extending along longitudinal directions, the different shape of the elongated holes can ensure easier recognition of the identification code, since these can be distinguished more reliably from defects and imperfections in the skin can become. On the other hand, elongated holes can have a lower tendency towards clogging of the holes during different processing steps and thus further improve the reliability of the method.

If at least two elongated holes are also made in the skin with their longitudinal directions perpendicular to one another, the recognisability and readability of the identification code can be ensured throughout the entire manufacturing process. Certain processing steps of the skin, such as in particular splitting, grinding, spatula or trimming, can lead to clogging or overgrowth of holes, preferably along the collagen fiber direction of the skin. By introducing elongated holes, which are perpendicular to each other with their longitudinal directions, it can be ensured that even in the event of clogging or overgrowth of an elongated hole aligned transversely to the collagen fiber direction, at least one additional elongated hole is provided, which extends normal to the collagen fiber direction and is thus reliably available is protected from clogging or overgrowth.

The permanent identification code can also save skin area as a positive side effect, since the renewal of the stamps can be omitted and a single identification code takes up less space than the up to 6 stamp numbers that are usually used with marking methods known from the prior art at different places in different Manufacturing stages must be introduced. In addition, the effort involved in documenting traceability can be reduced.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, several rows of oblong holes arranged one below the other can be introduced into the skin to form the identification code. By making oblong holes in several rows one below the other in the skin, a more compact identification code can be created which, despite high reliability, takes up less space in the skin.

If, in a further preferred embodiment, the elongated holes are made alternately in the rows arranged one below the other with their longitudinal directions perpendicular to one another, the recognizability and readability of the identification code and thus the overall reliability of the method can be further improved.

In a further embodiment variant, the elongated holes in each row of the identification code can form a machine-readable code. By introducing elongated holes in rows arranged one below the other, which each form a machine-readable code, redundancy can be created so that if holes in a row become clogged, there is at least one additional row of holes that can still be identified.

In a particularly preferred embodiment variant, the elongated holes in the identification code can form a visually readable font. The elongated holes in individual characters are grouped, with each character being formed from a plurality of oblong holes in a plurality of rows arranged one below the other. The characters of the human-readable font can thus be read and identified at any time by employees without technical aids, for example in the course of a quality inspection. The human-readable writing can consist of Latin letters and/or Arabic numerals, for example. In the same way, common characters are possible according to the prevailing language.

Furthermore, the human-readable writing can be formed from characters which have a grid with grid points, at which a slot can optionally be provided. In one embodiment variant, the grid can be a 2×5 grid with two possible oblong holes in five rows arranged one below the other. By optionally providing elongated holes at the grid points, the different characters are then formed, which together form the identification code.

The elongated holes can preferably have an essentially rectangular shape, which further improves the recognisability of the identification code.

In one embodiment variant, the elongated holes can have a ratio between length and width of at least 2, in particular at least 2.5. Due to the advantageous ratio between length and width, the tendency of the holes to become clogged can be reduced and the reliability of the method can thus be further increased.

Furthermore, the elongated holes can be introduced into the skin along their longitudinal direction at a distance of at least 0.5 times their length, in particular at least 0.75 times their length. The tendency of the holes to tear out, for example when the skin is split, can be significantly reduced.

In a preferred embodiment variant, the elongated holes can have a length of at least 4 mm, in particular at least 5 mm, and a width of at least 2 mm, in particular at least 2.5 mm.

In one embodiment of the method, the elongated holes can be introduced into the skin by stamping or punching. The elongated holes penetrating the skin can thus be introduced into the skin in a technically simple manner.

However, making the elongated holes in the skin by stamping or punching leads to less flexibility of the method, since separate punching tools have to be made for each hole shape or each identification code.

A reliable and, moreover, flexible method can also be created if the elongated holes are introduced into the skin by means of laser radiation. Laser radiation from a CO2 laser, for example, can preferably be used in this case.

In one embodiment of the invention, the laser radiation has a wavelength of 400 nm to 15,000 nm. The wavelength of the laser radiation is particularly preferably approximately 10,600 nm. A particularly reliable method can be created in this way.

The reliability of the method can be further improved if the laser radiation is adapted to the respective material properties of the skin in the area of insertion during the insertion of the elongated holes. Due to varying material properties of the skin, such as moisture content, thickness, density, etc., the laser radiation can affect the respective skin area differently and thus lead to an inhomogeneous cross-section or no holes that completely penetrate the skin. By adapting the laser radiation to the local material properties, this effect can be compensated and a constant quality can be achieved when making the elongated holes in the skin. As a result, the tendency to form fraying at the interfaces can also be reduced, for example, and thus the tendency to the holes to grow over in further process steps can also be reduced.

The adaptation of the laser radiation to the respective material properties of the skin in the area of insertion can be carried out particularly easily and reliably if a control circuit for adapting the laser radiation is provided in the method, the control circuit being equipped with at least one measuring device for determining the material properties of the skin in the area of the contribution is connected. For example, the control loop can be coupled to a moisture measurement and/or thickness measurement and/or density measurement, and can control the laser radiation as a function of the moisture, thickness and/or density.

In a further method step, the identification code can be recorded with a camera to identify the skin. In this case, the identification code captured by the camera can be fed, for example, to a computing unit connected to the camera in order to ensure reliable recognition of the identification code.

The hide can be passed under the camera on a moving conveyor belt for reliable recording of the identification code.

Alternatively, the skin can be placed on a table under the camera to capture the identification code with the camera.

In a further embodiment variant, the identification code processed and recognized by the processing unit can be assigned to a skin. After identification, the skin can, for example, be fed fully automatically to a further processing step.

For example, according to one embodiment, a complete target processing sequence can be stored in the processing unit for each identification code, so that the next processing step can be controlled further at any point in the processing process depending on the identification code detected by the camera.

Brief description of the figures

Fig. 1

eine schematische Ansicht einer Haut nach Einbringung des Identifizierungscodes im Zuge des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens,

Fig. 2

eine detaillierte schematische Ansicht des Identifizierungscodes, und

Fig. 3

eine Fotografie einer Haut mit einem gemäß dem erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren eingebrachten Identifizierungscode gemäß einem Beispiel.

In the following, preferred embodiment variants of the invention are presented in more detail with reference to the figures. Show it:

1

a schematic view of a hide after introduction of the identification code in the course of the method according to the invention,

2

a detailed schematic view of the identification code, and

3

a photograph of a skin with an identification code introduced according to the method according to the invention according to an example.

Ways to carry out the invention

1 shows a schematic view of a hide 1 in which an identification code 2 was provided in a first method step of the method for marking and identifying the hide 1 according to the invention. In a variant embodiment of the invention, the hide 1 is, for example, a rawhide for leather production.

The identification code 2 has holes 3 which penetrate the skin 1 completely. The holes 3 are arranged in a specific way relative to one another, so that they form the identification code 2 . The holes 3 are designed as oblong holes 3.1, 3.2, which each extend along their longitudinal directions 4.1, 4.2. At least first elongated holes 3.1 and second elongated holes 3.2 are provided, the first elongated holes 3.1 being arranged with their longitudinal directions 4.1 normal to the second elongated holes 3.2 with their longitudinal directions 4.2.

The arrangement of the first and second elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 with their longitudinal directions 4.1, 4.2 perpendicular to one another can in particular reliably prevent clogging of the holes 3 along the collagen fiber direction 11 of the skin 1, since at least one of the longitudinal directions 4.1, 4.2 essentially does not coincide with the collagen fiber direction 11 of the skin 1.

2 Fig. 1 shows a detailed schematic view of a part of the identification code 2 from Fig 1 according to the above description, which was introduced into the skin 1 according to the method according to the invention.

In the preferred embodiment variant, the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 have in particular a substantially rectangular shape. In alternative variants, the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 can also be designed with rounded corners.

As in 2 shown, the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 have a ratio between length 8 and width 9 of at least 2. In preferred embodiment variants, the ratio between length 8 and width 9 is at least 2.5.

The elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 are introduced into the skin 1 along their respective longitudinal direction 4.1, 4.2 at a distance 10 of at least 0.5 times their length 8. In a preferred embodiment, the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 are introduced into the skin 1 at a distance 10 of at least 0.75 times their length 8.

The elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 in the variant shown have a length 8 of at least 4 mm, in a preferred variant of at least 5 mm, and a width of at least 2 mm, in a preferred variant of at least 2.5 mm.

How from the 1 and 2 As can be seen, several rows 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 of elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 arranged one below the other are introduced into the skin 1 in the embodiment variant of the method for forming the identification code shown. The elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 are each alternately introduced into the skin 1 in the rows 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 arranged one below the other with their longitudinal directions 4.1, 4.2 perpendicular to one another. In the embodiment variant shown, the identification code 2 introduced into the skin 1 has five rows 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, with the first 5.1, third 5.3 and fifth row 5.5 having first elongated holes 5.1 with a first longitudinal direction 4.1 and in the second 5.2 and fourth row 5.4 second slots 5.2 are provided with a second longitudinal direction 4.2.

Each of the in the 1 and 2 Shown rows 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 of slots 3.1, 3.2 forms a machine-readable code for each, as can be seen in particular from the sequence of holes 3 in the detail of 1 is recognizable. For example, in a variant embodiment, each hole can be understood as a bit of a binary code. In a further embodiment variant, however, several holes can also be made different rows 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 to be understood as characters of a complex character code.

In addition to the meaning of the individual rows 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 as machine-readable codes, the identification code 2 in 1 a visually readable font 6. The font 6 consists of legible characters 7, which in the case of the present embodiment variant are in the form of Arabic numerals and Latin letters. This is how the in 1 The identification code 1 shown represents the character string "C0123456789" as an example.

A single character 7 of the identification code 2 out 1 is in detail 2 shown. This is the number "8".

In one embodiment variant, the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 can be made in the skin 1 by stamping or punching, or by comparable steps. In further embodiment variants, the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 can already be introduced into the skin 1 in the form of the characters 7 using a typewriter or punch, either manually or automatically.

The elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 are preferably introduced into the skin 1 by means of laser radiation, but this is not shown in detail in the figures. A method as in EP 3 269 829 A1 be used.

A control circuit is also preferably provided for introducing the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 by means of laser radiation, the control circuit being connected to at least one measuring device for determining the material properties of the skin 1 in the region of the introduction 13 of the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2. The control circuit and the measuring devices are also not shown in the figures. The control circuit can continuously adapt the laser radiation depending on the material properties of the skin 1 in the area where the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 are introduced, so that all elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 penetrate the skin 1 completely and thus have a homogeneous cut through the skin 1.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control circuit can be connected to a measuring device for determining the moisture content of the skin 1 in the area where the slotted holes 13 3.1, 3.2 are introduced. Depending on the local moisture content in the area where the elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 are introduced 13, the laser radiation can then be adjusted or varied accordingly, so that a homogeneous cut that completely penetrates the skin 1 is achieved.

The laser radiation used in the method preferably has a wavelength of 400 nm to 15,000 nm. In a particularly preferred embodiment variant, the wavelength is essentially 10,600 nm.

In order to identify the skin 1, for example after further method steps, it is recorded with a camera in one embodiment variant, but this is not shown in more detail in the figures. For this purpose, the skin is preferably passed under the camera on a moving conveyor belt in order to capture the identification code 2 with the camera. Alternatively, the skin 1 can also be placed on a table under the camera in order to capture the identification code with the camera. The identification code 2 in the skin 1 is preferably illuminated from the back while it is being captured by the camera.

According to the 1 The embodiment variant shown is provided with the identification code 2 in the neck area 12 of the skin 1 . However, the position of the identification code 2 on the skin 1 is not critical. In other design variants, this can also be introduced in the flank or shield area. The distance between the identification code 2 and the edge of the hide 1 should preferably not be less than about 100 mm.

In 3 a photograph of an example of a skin 1 is shown. An identification code 2 consisting of five rows 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 of elongated holes 3.1, 3.2 was introduced into the skin 1 using the method according to the invention. The identification code 2 forms a human-readable font 6, which reproduces the character string "4605570030". The holes 3 were made in the skin 1 by means of laser radiation, so that the holes 3 penetrate the skin 1 completely.

Claims (18)

Method for marking and identifying a hide (1), in particular in the manufacture of leather, in which an identification code (2) is provided in the hide (1), the identification code (2) having holes (3) through which the hide (1) penetrate completely and form the identification code (2), characterized in that to form the identification code (2), elongated holes (3.1, 3.2) are made in the skin (1), which each extend along a longitudinal direction (4.1, 4.2), wherein at least two oblong holes (3.1, 3.2) are made in the skin (1) with their longitudinal directions (4.1, 4.2) perpendicular to one another. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that to form the identification code (2) several rows (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5) of slots (3.1, 3.2) arranged one below the other are introduced into the skin (1). Method according to Claim 2, characterized in that the slots (3.1, 3.2) are each alternately drilled into the skin (1) in the rows (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5) arranged one below the other with their longitudinal directions (4.1, 4.2) perpendicular to one another. be introduced. Method according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the elongated holes (3.1, 3.2) in each row (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5) of the identification code (2) form a machine-readable code. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the elongated holes (3.1, 3.2) of the identification code (2) form visually readable writing (6). Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the elongated holes (3.1, 3.2) have an essentially rectangular shape. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the elongated holes (3.1, 3.2) have a ratio between length (8) and width (9) of at least 2, in particular at least 2.5. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the elongated holes (3.1, 3.2) along their longitudinal direction (4.1, 4.2) at a distance (10) of at least 0.5 times their length (8), in particular at least their 0.75 times the length (8), are introduced into the skin (1). Method according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the elongated holes (3.1, 3.2) have a length (8) of at least 4 mm, in particular at least 5 mm, and a width (9) of at least 2 mm, in particular at least 2 .5 mm. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the elongated holes (3.1, 3.2) are made in the skin (1) by stamping or punching. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the oblong holes (3.1, 3.2) are introduced into the skin (1) by means of laser radiation. Method according to Claim 11, characterized in that the laser radiation is adapted to the respective material properties of the skin (1) in the area of insertion (13) during the insertion of the elongated holes (3.1, 3.2). Method according to Claim 12, characterized in that a control circuit is provided in the area of insertion (13) to adapt the laser radiation to the respective material properties of the skin (1), the control circuit having at least one measuring device for determining the material properties of the skin (1) is connected in the area of introduction (13). Method according to one of Claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the laser radiation has a wavelength of 400 nm to 15,000 nm, in particular approximately 10,600 nm. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the identification code (2) is recorded with a camera in order to identify the skin (1). Method according to Claim 15, characterized in that the hide (1) is passed under the camera on a moving conveyor belt in order to capture the identification code (2) with the camera. Method according to claim 15, characterized in that the skin (1) lying on a table is placed under the camera in order to capture the identification code with the camera. Method according to one of Claims 15 to 17, characterized in that the identification code (2) in the skin (1) is transilluminated from the back while it is being captured by the camera.

Images