A system is described for automatically monitoring lengths and thicknesses of strip metal stock being fed to a metal processing machine, e.g. a power press. The system comprises: (a) measuring wheel and transducer adapted to generate electrical signals proportional to the actual length of advancement of the stock, (b) a linear vertical differential transformer probe adapted to generate electrical signals proportional to the actual thickness of the strip stock fed, and (c) a programmable memory bank adapted to count electric pulses received from said length measuring means thereby measuring the length of feed stock actually fed, to convert electric pulses received from said thickness measuring means to measurements of the thickness of feedstock actually fed and also being adapted to store data based on the predetermined width and density of the stock and determine the weight of stock fed as computed from the width and density data stored and the determined length and thickness of the actual stock fed.
Separate density profiles are obtained for each station of a multi-station winder. The technique requires a single processor for simultaneously monitoring the density of any number of rolls being wound. The density may also be monitored for the unwind roll for determination of roll structuring changes by a winder. A simple system is provided in which each of the rolls is provided with an encoder. The encoder of a center roll of fixed diameter produces a fixed number of pulses per revolution representing paper length and the pulses produced by the encoders of each of the winding stations are counted along with the pulses produced by the winder of the center fixed diameter roll for computing density from roll and angular parameters and basis weight.
A tape running control method in which a tape runs between a supply reel and a take-up reel, and a rotation speed of said take-up reel is controlled by using rotation periods of said supply reel and said take-up reel, whereby a running speed of said tape is controlled. The method comprises the steps of detecting a thickness of said tape; calculating a predetermined total tape wound amount by using the detected thickness of said tape; and controlling the rotation speed of said take-up reel by using the thus-calculated total tape wound amount.
A tape-thickness measuring method is used in a tape running apparatus in which a tape runs between a supply reel and a take-up reel. In the method, rotation periods of the supply reel and the take-up reel are detected when the take-up reel rotates predetermined numbers of revolutions, a number of turns of the tape remaining on the supply reel is calculated by using the thus-detected rotation periods, and a thickness of the tape is calculated by using the thus-calculated number of turns of the tape remaining on the supply reel.
To check the thickness of a magnetic tape in relation to preset tolerance limits in the course of the winding of the tape onto a hub of a tape cassette, the tape thickness is determined by means of a microprocessor from the number of revolutions of the hub during the winding of the tape and the wound tape length.
An apparatus and method for measuring the length and/or width of a piece of material, such as hot aluminum plate. The apparatus has a measuring range defined by a plurality of cameras. A video screen is selectively connectable to the cameras to depict their viewing ranges. The apparatus, after an operator has aligned an indicator with a depicted edge of material, automatically calculates the distance of the depicted edge from a fixed point, such as the centerline of a shear.
