Wire length calculation system and method

A system for tracking a length of a material comprising wire wound on a reel, the wire 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 wire being wound about the reel core between the reel flanges, the system comprising:

• a sensor module removably installed to the reel 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 provided by the sensor module that is removably received by the reel to provide a docked physical connection that is selectively disengaged to remove the sensor module from the reel;
• an electronic interface comprising a sensor module electronic interface, wherein electronic signals are selectively communicated via the electronic interface;
• wherein a reel identification index that identifies the reel is selectively communicated with the sensor module;
• wherein a remaining length of the wire 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 wire 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 wire 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 wire remaining on the reel after at least part of the wire is drawn from the reel.

A method for tracking a length of a material comprising wire wound on a reel, the wire 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 wire being wound about the reel core between the reel flanges, the method comprising:

• a) removably installing a sensor module 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 wire wound on the reel based on at least the cumulative rotations of the reel.