Monitoring applicator rods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10378150-B2
Application number	US-201715620965-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2017
Priority date	Jun 10, 2015
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A sensor signal is generated from a plurality of sensors located on a sensing roll, wherein each signal is generated when each sensor enters a first nip between the sensing roll and a rotating component during each rotation of the sensing roll. A rotating applicator rod forms forming a second nip with the sensing roll such that each sensor enters the second nip during each rotation of the sensing roll. A periodically occurring starting reference is generated associated with each rotation of the applicator rod and the signal generated by each sensor is received so that a particular one of the sensors which generated the signal is determined and one of a plurality of tracking segments is identified. The signal is stored to associate the sensor signal with the identified one tracking segment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system associated with a sensing roll for collecting roll data comprising:
a plurality of sensors located at axially spaced-apart locations of the sensing roll, wherein each sensor enters a region of a first nip between the sensing roll and a rotating component during each rotation of the sensing roll;
an application station, comprising a rotatable applicator rod forming a second nip with one of the sensing roll and the rotating component;
each sensor generates a respective sensor signal upon entering a region of the first nip;
a reference signal generating circuit generating a periodically occurring starting reference associated with each rotation of the applicator rod; and
a processor to receive the periodically occurring starting reference and the respective sensor signal generated by each sensor as it moves through the first nip and, after receiving the respective sensor signal, the processor operates to:
determine a particular one of the plurality of sensors which generated the respective sensor signal,
based upon a value occurring between when the respective sensor signal was generated and a most recent starting reference, identify one of a plurality of tracking segments, wherein each of the plurality of tracking segments is, respectively, associated with a different value, and
store the respective sensor signal to associate the respective sensor signal with the identified one tracking segment.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the application station comprises the applicator rod forming the second nip with the sensing roll, wherein each sensor enters a region of the second nip between the sensing roll and the applicator rod during each rotation of the sensing roll.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rotating component comprises a mating roll, a web of material travels through the first nip from an upstream direction to a downstream direction.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the application station comprises the applicator rod fruiting the second nip with the mating roll.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the starting reference comprises a time reference;
the value occurring between when the respective sensor signal was generated and the most recent starting reference is calculated from an amount of time that has elapsed between when the respective sensor signal was generated and a most recent time reference; and
each of the plurality of tracking segments is, respectively, associated with a different amount of elapsed time.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the respective sensor signal comprises a pressure value.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tracking segments comprise one of:
a plurality of circumferential segments on the applicator rod, and
a plurality of time segments of a period of rotation of the applicator rod.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the processor receives:
the respective sensor signal for each of the plurality of sensors during each rotation of the sensing roll, and
a plurality of the respective sensor signals occurring during a plurality of rotations of the sensing roll.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein, for each one of the plurality of the respective sensor signals, the processor identifies its identified one tracking segment and an associated applicator rod axial segment.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein:
the applicator rod comprises n axial segments, having respective index values: 1, 2, . . . , n;
an applicator rod rotational period comprises m tracking segments, having respective index values: 1, 2, . . . , m, and
wherein there are (n times m) unique permutations that are identifiable by a two-element set comprising a respective axial segment index value and a respective tracking segment index value.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein, for the plurality of respective sensor signals and for one or more of the possible (n times m) permutations, the processor determines an average of all the plurality of respective sensor signals associated with an axial segment and tracking segment matching each of the one or more permutations.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the applicator rod comprises a plurality of optically detectable marks along at least a portion of a surface of the applicator rod, wherein one distinctive mark of the plurality of optically detectable marks is different than all of the other marks.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the reference signal generating circuit generating the starting reference comprises:
a detector proximate to the surface of the applicator rod for detecting each of the plurality of optically detectable marks traveling by the detector; and
a signal generator in communication with the detector for generating the starting reference each time the one distinctive mark is detected.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising:
a counter in communication with the detector for counting a number of the plurality of marks that have been detected since the most recent starting reference,
wherein the value occurring between when the respective sensor signal was generated and the most recent starting reference is equal to the number of the plurality of marks that have been detected since the most recent starting reference.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein generating the starting reference comprises resetting the counter to an initial value.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the applicator rod comprises one of a size press rod and a coating rod.

Assignees

• Int Paper Co

Inventors

• Figiel Kerry D

Classifications

• D21G9/0036

  controlling the press or drying section · CPC title

• D21G9/0045 Primary

  controlling the calendering or finishing · CPC title

• G01L5/0085

  Force sensors adapted for insertion between cooperating machine elements, e.g. for measuring the nip force between rollers · CPC title

• D21H23/78

  Controlling or regulating not limited to any particular process or apparatus · CPC title

• D21H23/56

  Rolls (D21H23/38 takes precedence) · CPC title