Modular material tracking system and method

A system for tracking a length of a material wound on a reel, the material having a known starting length and a known thickness, the reel having a reel core of known width and known volume, the reel further having reel flanges physically connected to the reel at opposite ends of the reel core such that the reel flanges rotate with the reel core, the material being wound about the reel core between the reel flanges, the system comprising:

• a plate module to be physically installed to the reel;
• a sensor module removably installed to the plate module comprising:
• a sensor to detect change in angular orientation and produce a signal indicative of rotation of the reel,
• a sensor module processor operably receiving the signal from the sensor and counting cumulative rotations of the reel, and
• a sensor module memory operably associated with the sensor module processor for storing memory contents comprising the cumulative rotations of the reel;
• and
• a docking interface comprising:
• a plate docking interface provided by the plate module,
• a sensor docking interface provided by the sensor module,
• wherein the sensor docking interface is removably received by the plate docking interface to provide a docked physical connection, and
• wherein the docked physical connection is selectively disengaged to remove the sensor module from the plate module;
• an electronic interface comprising:
• a plate module electronic interface, and
• a sensor module electronic interface,
• wherein the docked physical connection aligns the plate module electronic interface and the sensor module electronic interface to create a docked electronic connection,
• wherein electronic signals are selectively communicated via the electronic interface in the docked electronic connection, and
• wherein a reel identification index that identifies the reel is selectively communicated from the plate module to the sensor module via the electronic interface;
• wherein a remaining length of the material wound on the reel is calculated based on at least the cumulative rotations of the reel;
• wherein the sensor module retrieves a length value for the length of the material included by the reel identified by the reel identification index;
• wherein the sensor module determines the cumulative rotations of the reel occurring subsequent to retrieving the length value;
• wherein the sensor module analyzes the cumulative rotations to determine the length of the material drawn from the reel;
• and
• wherein the sensor module updates the length value identified by the reel identification index to reflect the length of the material remaining on the reel after at least part of the material is drawn from the reel.

A method for tracking a length of a material wound on a reel, the material having a known starting length and a known thickness, the reel having a reel core of known width and known volume, the reel further having reel flanges physically connected to the reel at opposite ends of the reel core such that the reel flanges rotate with the reel core, the material being wound about the reel core between the reel flanges, the method comprising:

• a) removably installing a sensor module to a plate module that is physically installed to the reel;
• b) producing a signal indicative of rotation of the reel using a sensor included by the sensor module;
• c) counting cumulative rotations of the reel via a sensor module processor using at least the signal;
• d) storing memory contents comprising the cumulative rotations of the reel to a sensor module memory operably associated with the sensor module processor;
• and
• e) calculating a remaining length of the material wound on the reel based on at least the cumulative rotations of the reel.