US 4,186,309 AGranted

Web monitoring and control apparatus for web handling machinery

AssigneeWeb Printing Controls Co., Inc.

InventorHerman C. Gnuechtel

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Abstract

An improved web monitoring and control apparatus is disclosed for use with web handling machinery, such as printing presses and the like which are of the type that have a generally continuous web of material being printed or otherwise processed. The apparatus directs modulated infrared energy onto the web and detects the reflection of the energy from the web. The apparatus detects the occurrence of a web break and shuts down the machinery. The apparatus includes an automatic arming control which activates the apparatus when the machinery moves the web at some preselected percentage of its total speed and also includes apparatus for detecting when the detector lens has become soiled and provides a warning to the operators that conditions are approaching which may result in a false web break detection which would shut down the machinery.

Claims12

Dependent claims

Apparatus for monitoring a web of material being moved by web handling machinery having operating control means, said apparatus having at least one web monitoring station for monitoring the web adjacent thereto, each web monitoring station comprising:

means for intermittently emitting infrared energy toward the web at a predetermined frequency and angle relative to a line generally perpendicular to the plane of the web;
means for detecting infrared energy reflected from the web, and for generating electrical signals that selectively indicate the presence and absence of reflected infrared energy;
means responsive to said electrical signals indicating the absence of said energy for interacting with the operating control means of the machinery to stop the web handling machinery;
means for automatically disabling said detecting and generating means when said web handling machinery is operating below a predetermined speed and for enabling the same when the operating speed exceeds said predetermined speed;
and,
means for monitoring the level of said electrical signals being generated by said detecting and generating means and for producing warning signals in response to the energy being detected being less than a desired value when reflected energy is being detected, thereby providing a warning that said detection means may be becoming dirty.

3 more elements

Apparatus for monitoring a moving web of material being moved by web handling machinery having operating control means, said apparatus being adapted to cause said machinery to stop moving the web in response to the detection of a break of the web, said apparatus including one or more monitoring stations positioned adjacent the web, each of said stations comprising:

first means for intermittently emitting infrared energy toward said web at a predetermined frequency;
second means positioned relative to said web for detecting infrared energy reflected from said web when said web is present, said second means having a lens means through which said infrared energy passes, said second means producing electrical signals in response to the detection of the presence or absence of said infrared energy;
third means responsive to said electrical signals for generating other signals for application to said operating control means for shutting down said machinery when said electrical signals are indicative of the absence of said infrared energy being detected;
fourth means responsive to said electrical signals for generating warning signals when the level of said electrical signals drop below a predetermined value when infrared energy is being detected;
fifth means for selectively enabling and disabling said second means in response to movement of said web by said web handling machinery, said second means being normally disabled when said web handling machinery is operating below a predetermined speed and automatically enabled when the operating speed exceeds a predetermined speed.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 05/841,901Filed 13 Oct 1977
Granted: 29 Jan 1980
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G01N 21/8983
Irregularities in textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. textiles, wood: for testing textile webs, i.e. woven material
B41F 33/18
Indicating, counting, warning, control or safety devices: web break detection
B65H 26/025
Responsive to presence of irregularities in running webs: responsive to web breakage
G01S 17/88
Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems: lidar systems specially adapted…