METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR MEASURING THE SPEED AND LENGTH OF A MOVING ELONGATED ARTICLE

• US 3,739,276 A
• Filed: 06/29/1971
• Issued: 06/12/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Technologies Inc (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Georg C. Dornberger
• Inventors: Dornberger, Georg C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lynch, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US05/157,863
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 235/92DN,92PD 33/129,133,134,127,141,141.5,142 340/263 324/161,162,166,168,171-175
• US Class Current: 324/161
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/06 specially adapted for measuring length or width of objects while moving
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/10 for indicating predetermined speeds
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/489 Digital circuits therefor

Abstract

A system for measuring the speed and length of a moving elongated article, such as a moving wire exiting from an insulating process, includes a roller of precisely measured circumference in frictional contact with the wire, a transducer for generating a precise number of pulses in response to each revolution of the roller and a counting unit for receiving the generated pulses. The circumference of the roller is preset into the counting unit to control a pulse multiplying circuit and a time period during which the pulses are counted. The counted pulses are divided down to render one pulse for each foot of wire moved past the roller and are coupled to a footage counter to indicate the length of wire which may be taken up on a strand take-up apparatus. The transducer pulses may be counted for the variable time period and displayed directly as the foot per minute speed of the wire. Additionally, preset high and low speed tolerance limits may be compared to the measured speed of the wire to activate alarm circuitry for measured speeds falling without the limits. The system may be interfaced with a computer to monitor or control the insulating process.

Claims

1. A system for measuring the length of a longitudinally moving strand, which comprises:

a roller mounted for revolution ahd having a peripheral surface in frictional engagement with the strand;

a transducer coupled to said roller for generating a predetermined number of pulses for each revolution of said roller;

means for multiplying said pulses by a factor proportional to the circumference of the peripheral surface of said roller;

means for counting said multiplied pulses for a time period proportional to the magnitude of the circumference of said roller; and

means for dividing said counted pulses by a factor proportional to the number of pulses generated by said transducer for each revolution of said roller to produce one pulse for each unit length of said strand engaging said roller.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1, and including:

means for counting said divided pulses until a predetermined count is achieved; and

means responsive to the achievement of said predetermined count for resetting said divided pulse counting means.

3. A system as set forth in claim 2, and including:

display means for displaying said achieved count; and

printing means actuable to make a permanent record of said displayed count.

4. A system for measuring the speed and length of a longitudinally moving article, which comprises:

a rotatable member in frictional engagement with the article and having a circumference of a magnitude C;

a transducer coupled to said rotatable member for generating a fixed number of electrical pulses fOr each revolution of said rotatable member;

first counting means coupled to said transducer for receiving said pulses for a period of time, T, proportional to C;

display means coupled to said first counting means for displaying the number of pulses received by said first counting means during said time T to indicate the length per unit time of the elongated article engaging said rotatable member;

multiplying means coupled to said transducer for receiving and multiplying said generated pulses by a factor proportional to C;

second counting means coupled to said multiplying means for receiving said multiplied pulses for said period of time T; and

comparator means coupled to said second counting means for dividing said multiplied pulses by a factor proportional to the number of pulses generated by said transducer for each revolution of said rotatable member to render one pulse for each unit length of said article engaging said rotatable member.

5. A system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said article is a continuously advancing strand, and including:

a clock pulse generator having a frequency fs;

a plurality of presettable digital devices having an adjustable value proportional to C;

a time base circuit coupled to said pulse generator and said digital devices for rendering an output for a period of time proportional to the magnitude of C/fs;

first and second AND gates each having first and second inputs and an output;

means coupling the first input and the output of said first AND gate between the output of said transducer and said first counting means;

means coupling the second input and the output of said second AND gate between said multiplying means and said second counting means; and

means coupling the output of said time base circuit to the second input of said first AND gate and the first input of said second AND gate for rendering said first and second counting means operable to count the pulses from said transducers and said multiplying means, respectively, for said period of time T.

6. A system as set forth in claim 5, including:

means coupling said digital devices to said multiplying means;

means coupling said pulse generator to said multiplying means, and wherein said multiplying means includes;

means for multiplying said pulses produced by said transducer by the preset value of said digital devices; and

means for dividing said multiplied pulses by the frequency of said pulse generator.

7. A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said circumference of said rotatable member is preset in decimal multiples of inches, the frequency of said pulse generator is a decimal multiple of 12, and said transducer produces 600 pulses for each revolution of said rotatable member, whereby said first counter counts up to a number representing the direct feet per minute ratio of said wire engaging said rotatable member and said comparator means renders one pulse for each foot of said wire engaging said rotatable member.