Sheet measurement and control system

• US 6,071,382 A
• Filed: 05/04/1998
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Akihiko, Maruyamam, Takao, Sasaki, Takahashi, Mineo, Tomohiro, Kodama, Atsushi, Seki, Yukihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Peter
• Application Number:
  US09/072,108
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 162/198, 162/252, 162/263, 162/253, 162/DIG. 10, 364/471.02
• US Class Current: 162/252
• CPC Class Codes: D21G 9/0009 Paper-making control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 162/10 Computer control of paper making variables

Abstract

A sheet measurement and control system that enables easy installation and/or change of types of sensors to be disposed in or about a sensor head that reciprocally scans a sheet along a cross direction transverse to the sheet flow; wherein a plurality of sensors are disposed in or about the sensor head to measure characteristics of the sheet; a plurality of computation devices corresponding to the plurality of sensors are disposed in or about the sensor head to implement computation of the measuring signals from the sensors; a plurality of communication control devices corresponding to the plurality of computation devices are disposed in or about the sensor head for transmitting the processed measuring signals through a general network communication link attached thereto; and man-machine interface connected to the general network communication link monitors data from said communication control devices related to the measured signal and issues instructions to control the sheet manufacturing process.

Claims

1. In a sheet measurement and control system used for a sensor head which reciprocally scans a sheet in a cross direction transverse to direction of sheet flow, said system comprising:

sensor means disposed in said sensor head for measuring one or more variables of characteristics of said sheet;

computation means disposed in said sensor head and connected to said sensor means for processing measuring signals outputted by said sensor means; and

interface means for monitoring and controlling sheet manufacturing process by monitoring said one or more variables of characteristics of said sheet as measured by said sensor means and by instructions entered into said interface means in response to the monitoring;

the improvement comprising;

communication control means disposed in said sensor head and connected to said computation means for communicating output signals from said computation means to a general network communication means; and

said general network communication means being interconnected between said communication control means and said interface means for providing output signals from said communication control means to be monitored and upon instructions from said interface means said output signals are used to control said sheet manufacturing process; and

wherein said sensor means comprises a plurality of replaceable sensors;

said computation means comprises a corresponding number of replaceable computation devices; and

said communication control means comprises a corres ponding number of replaceable communication control devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sensors are of the same category but of different measuring ranges.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said computation means comprise means for combining a measurement signal from said sensor means with information on sensor means position.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said computation means comprises means for computing paper profiles.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said interface means comprises first display means for displaying measured values, and a second display means comprising a zoom-in display means, wherein said first display means and said zoom-in display means are concurrently displayed side-by-side on a commnon display means so that measured variables and instructions are concurrently displayed.