Nip width sensing system and method
First Claim
1. A device for measuring a nip width and temperature between two rolls of a press nip, said device comprising:
- a) a nip width sensor assembly, said sensor assembly including;
1) a first strip formed of a first electrically conductive material having a resistance, said first strip having a first end and a second end and a first measuring zone between said first and second ends;
2) a second strip disposed adjacent said first strip and formed of a second electrically conductive material, said second strip having a second measuring zone disposed adjacent and substantially coextensive with said first measuring zone;
3) a gap defined between said first and second strips and electrically isolating said first and second strips from one another; and
4) wherein at least one of said first and second strips is deformable such that, when said device is placed in the press nip, pressure from the nip rolls forces portions of said first and second measuring zones into electrically conductive contact with one another over a contact length, the contact length substantially directly corresponding to the nip width;
b) a resistance measuring unit that measures an electrical resistance operatively associated with the sensor assembly; and
c) a temperature sensor operatively associated with the device that is configured to measure the temperature on one or more of the nip rolls.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Devices for measuring a nip width between rolls of a press nip include one or more sensors adapted to be placed in the nip while the nip is stationary. The electrical resistance of each sensor corresponds to the size of the nip width, whereby a nip width or a nip width distribution may be determined by measuring the sensor resistance(s). Methods of measuring a nip width distribution include providing a plurality of force sensitive resistor sensors each of which respond to pressure applied thereto to provide a variable sensor resistance as a function of the amount of pressure and the area of the pressure exerted on the sensor.
67 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A device for measuring a nip width and temperature between two rolls of a press nip, said device comprising:
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a) a nip width sensor assembly, said sensor assembly including; 1) a first strip formed of a first electrically conductive material having a resistance, said first strip having a first end and a second end and a first measuring zone between said first and second ends; 2) a second strip disposed adjacent said first strip and formed of a second electrically conductive material, said second strip having a second measuring zone disposed adjacent and substantially coextensive with said first measuring zone; 3) a gap defined between said first and second strips and electrically isolating said first and second strips from one another; and 4) wherein at least one of said first and second strips is deformable such that, when said device is placed in the press nip, pressure from the nip rolls forces portions of said first and second measuring zones into electrically conductive contact with one another over a contact length, the contact length substantially directly corresponding to the nip width; b) a resistance measuring unit that measures an electrical resistance operatively associated with the sensor assembly; and c) a temperature sensor operatively associated with the device that is configured to measure the temperature on one or more of the nip rolls. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A device for measuring a nip width between two rolls of a press nip, said device comprising:
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a) a nip width sensor assembly, said sensor assembly including; 1) a first strip formed of a first highly electrically conductive material having a resistance, said first strip having a first end and a second end and a first measuring zone between said first and second ends; 2) a second strip disposed adjacent said first strip and formed of a second electrically conductive material, said second strip having a second measuring zone disposed adjacent and substantially coextensive with said first measuring zone; 3) a gap defined between said first and second strips and electrically isolating said first and second strips from one another; and 4) wherein at least one of said first and second strips is deformable such that, when said device is placed in the press nip, pressure from the nip rolls forces portions of said first and second measuring zones into electrically conductive contact with one another over a contact length, the contact length substantially directly corresponding to the nip width; and b) a resistance measuring unit that measures an electrical resistance operatively associated with the sensor assembly. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A device for measuring a nip width and temperature between two rolls of a press nip, said device comprising:
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a) a nip width sensor assembly, said sensor assembly including; 1) a first strip formed of a first electrically conductive material having a resistance, said first strip having a first end and a second end and a first measuring zone between said first and second ends; 2) a second strip disposed adjacent said first strip and formed of a second electrically conductive material, said second strip having a second measuring zone disposed adjacent and substantially coextensive with said first measuring zone; 3) a gap defined between said first and second strips and electrically isolating said first and second strips from one another; and 4) wherein at least one of said first and second strips is deformable such that, when said device is placed in the press nip, pressure from the nip rolls forces portions of said first and second measuring zones into electrically conductive contact with one another over a contact length, the contact length substantially directly corresponding to the nip width; 5) wherein electrically insulative material is disposed within the gap to maintain the gap; and d) a resistance measuring unit that measures an electrical resistance operatively associated with the sensor assembly. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification