Tension regulating directly driven roller festoon

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11299362-B2
Application number	US-201716622573-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2017
Priority date	Jun 23, 2017
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

A web handling system and method for controlling tension in a web of material is disclosed. For instance, the web handling system is particularly well suited for maintaining web tension within predefined setpoints during temporary interruptions in the process, such as during splicing operations. The web handling system includes an accumulator or festoon that accumulates amounts of the material as the material is being fed downstream. At least one guide roll within the festoon is coupled to a drive device, such as a motor. The system also includes at least one tension sensing device. The drive device accelerates or decelerates the guide roll based upon information obtained from the tension sensing device. In one embodiment, the system further includes an electronic gearing configuration between a roll of material being unwound and the guide roll within the festoon for better synchronization and further minimizing tension swings. The electronic gearing can include a diameter calculator for the roll of material being unwound based on speed feedback of a driven guide roll.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A web handling system comprising:
a web feeding device including at least one guide roll;
a tension sensing device that monitors tension in a web of material being fed to the web handling system;
a festoon positioned downstream from the web feeding device and the tension sensing device, the festoon comprising a first set of guide rolls spaced from a second set of guide rolls, the first set of guide rolls and the second set of guide rolls being movable towards and away from each other;
a drive device coupled to one of the guide rolls in the first set of guide rolls or second set of guide rolls forming a driven guide roll in the festoon downstream from the tension sensing device, the drive device configured to individually control the driven guide roll; and
a controller configured to receive information from the tension sensing device and, based on the information received from the tension sensing device, control the drive device in order to rotationally accelerate or decelerate the driven guide roll for controlling tension in a web of material.

2. A web handling system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the tension sensing device comprises a load cell.

3. A web handling system as defined in claim 2 , wherein the load cell is in operative association with an idler roll positioned upstream from the driven guide roll.

4. A web handling system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the drive device comprises a motor that is coupled to the driven guide roll by a direct drive, by a belt, by a gearbox, or by a chain.

5. A web handling system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the web feeding device comprises an unwind device for unwinding a roll of material, the unwind device being located upstream from the tension sensing device.

6. A web handling system as defined in claim 5 , further comprising a velocity sensing device for monitoring a velocity of a web of material being unwound from the unwind device, the velocity sensing device being in communication with the controller, the controller receiving information from the velocity sensing device and, based on the information from the velocity sensing device, controlling the drive device in a manner such that the velocity of the web of material being unwound from the unwind device substantially matches the velocity of the web of material travelling over the driven guide roll.

7. A web handling system as defined in claim 6 , wherein the velocity sensing device monitors a rotational speed of a spindle holding the roll of material being unwound, and wherein the web handling system is configured to calculate the velocity of the web of material being unwound from the rotational speed of the spindle.

8. A web handling system as defined in claim 6 , wherein the velocity sensing device comprises a non-contact speed sensor or a contact speed sensor.

9. A web handling system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the web handling system includes a first unwind device for unwinding a first roll of material and a second unwind device for unwinding a second roll of material, the system further including a splicing device for splicing the roll of materials together.

10. A web handling system as defined in claim 1 ,
wherein the web handling system further comprises a second tension sensing device; and
wherein the drive device comprises a first drive device and a second drive device, and the driven guide roll comprises a first driven guide roll and a second driven guide roll;
the first drive device coupled to the first guide roll;
the tension sensing device being in communication with the controller and wherein the controller is configured to receive information from the tension sensing device and, based on the information received from the tension sensing device, control the first drive device in order to accelerate or decelerate the first driven guide roll;
the second drive device coupled to the second guide roll; and
the second tension sensing device being in communication with the controller and wherein the controller is configured to receive information from the second tension sensing device and, based on the information received from the second tension sensing device, control the second drive device in order to accelerate or decelerate the second driven guide roll.

11. A web handling system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the second tension sensing device is positioned downstream or upstream from the second guide roll.

12. A web handling system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the drive device comprises a third drive device, the web handling system further comprising a third tension sensing device, and the driven guide roll comprises a third driven guide roll; the third drive device coupled to the third guide roll, the third tension sensing device being in communication with a controller and wherein the controller is configured to receive information from the third tension sensing device and, based on the information received from the third tension sensing device, control the third drive device in order to accelerate or decelerate the third driven guide roll.

13. A web handling system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises one or more microprocessors.

14. A web handling system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first drive device and the second drive device both comprise motors and wherein the tension sensing device and the second tension sensing device both comprise load cells.

15. A web handling system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first set of guide rolls and the second set of guide rolls in the festoon include an upstream guide roll, a plurality of midstream guide rolls, and a downstream guide roll, the drive device being coupled to the upstream guide roll.

16. A web handling system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the tension sensing device is located upstream from the festoon.

17. A process for unwinding a roll of material into a downstream process comprising:
unwinding a roll of material from an unwind device, the roll of material comprising a web of material;
monitoring tension in the web of material being unwound at a first location with a tension sensing device;
feeding the web of material into a festoon positioned downstream from the tension sensing device, the festoon including a plurality of rotatable guide rolls through which the material being unwound is threaded, the festoon including an upstream guide roll, a plurality of midstream guide rolls, and a downstream guide roll, the festoon accumulating a length of the web of material between the guide rolls; and
actively accelerating or decelerating one of the guide rolls based upon the monitored tension in the web, the guide roll being actively rotationally accelerated or decelerated using a drive device individually coupled to the guide roll, the guide roll being rotationally accelerated or decelerated in order to control tension of the web.

18. A process as defined in claim 17 , further comprising the steps of monitoring a velocity of the web of material being unwound from the roll at the unwind device and controlling the upstream guide roll with the driving device in order to substantially match the velocity of the web of material at the unwind device with the velocity of the web of material at the upstream guide roll.

19. A process as defined in claim 18 , wherein the roll of material is unwound from a spindle and wherein a rotational speed of the spindle is monitored in order to determine the velocity of the web of material being unwound.

20. A process as defined in claim 19 , wherein

Assignees

• Kimberly Clark Co

Inventors

• Raul Pramod R
• Gander Aaron
• Gilgenbach Eric-John R

Classifications

• B65H2557/30

  Control systems architecture or components, e.g. electronic or pneumatic modules; Details thereof · CPC title

• B65H2403/30

  Chain drives · CPC title

• B65H2511/112

  of a loop, e.g. a free loop or a loop of dancer rollers · CPC title

• B65H26/04 Primary

  for variation in tension · CPC title

• B65H2513/10

  Speed · CPC title