Actuator system for use in control of a sheet or web forming process

Abstract

One or more actuator driven devices on a sheet forming machine receive power and engage in bi-didrectional communications with one or more quality control systems either by having no physically connected cables to transmit the power to the actuators and no physically connected cables used for the bi-directional communications; or contactless power and communication on a power cable; or a cable connected from the power source to the actuators to provide both power and bi-directional communications; or power is provided to the actuators by a cable and the bi-directional communications are wireless.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to systems for controlling the cross-directional profile of sheet and web materials and more particularly to a cross-directional profile system that uses actuators and in which the power and / or communication to the actuators may be wireless or contactless and / or on the same cable. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART [0002] It is well known that on-line measurements can be made to detect properties of sheet and web materials during manufacture thereof. For ease of description the term “sheet” is used herein including in the claims to refer to either a sheet or a web. Generally speaking, on-line measurements are made to enable prompt control of sheet and web making processes and, thus, to enhance sheet quality while reducing the quantity of substandard sheet material which is produced before undesirable process conditions are corrected. In the papermaking industry, for example, on-line sensors can detect variables such as basis weight, moi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0035]FIG. 2 shows in block diagram form one or more quality control systems connected to a machine for making a sheet such as paper, one or more scanners and various special function machines associated with the making of the sheet.

[0036]FIG. 3 shows an embodiment for the present invention in which there are a wireless connection of power and two way communications between a quality control system and one or more actuator driven devices and FIG. 3a shows an embodiment in which the connection of power is contactless.

[0037]FIG. 4 shows an embodiment for the present invention where power is supplied to the actuators and bi-directional communication between the control quality systems and the actuators are both accomplished in a contactless manner over a power cable.

[0038]FIG. 5 shows an embodiment for the present invention where a single cable is connected to the actuators to provide both electric power and bi-directional communication between the control quality systems and the actuators.

[0039]FIG. 6 shows an embodiment for the present invention where electric power is provided to all of the actuators over a cable and bi-directional communication between the control quality systems and the actuators is provided by the wireless antenna system of FIG. 3.

Problems solved by technology

A critical and expensive portion of any actuator system is the power and communication distribution cables and connectors for the 20 to 200 actuator zones in a typical system extending across the sheet forming machine.

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