Automatic gauge control systems

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING THE GAUGE OF A MATERIAL PRODUCED IN CONTINUOUS LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FORM BY PASSING IT THROUGH A GAUGE DEFINING FORMING DEVICE REGULATABLE THROUGH THE OPERATION OF POWER MEANS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A SERVO LOOP INCLUDING GAUGE SENSING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE GAUGE OF THE MATERIAL EMERGING FROM SAID GAUGE DEFINING DEVICE TO PRODUCE AN ELECTRICAL GAUGE SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO SAID GAUGE, AN AMPLIFIER FOR SAID GAUGE SIGNAL , AND AN ELECTRICAL CONTROLLER RESPONSIVE TO THE AMPLIFIED GAUGE SIGNAL FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF SAID POWER MEANS SO AS TO REGULATE SAID GAUGE DEFINING DEVICE WITH A SERVO-LOOP ACTION ENABLING A CORRECTION TO BE APPLIED TO THE GAUGE OF THE EMERGING MATERIAL TENDING TO MAINTAIN SAID GAUGE WITHIN PREDETERMINED LIMITS DEFINING A TOLERANCE BAND, FIRST ELECTRICAL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SPEED OF OPERATION OF SAID POWER MEANS, SECOND ELECTRICAL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SPEED OF THE EMERGING MATERIAL, MEANS PRODUCING A RATE MODIFYING SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE RATIO OF SAID FIRST ELECTRICAL MEANS TO SAID SECOND ELECTRICAL MEANS, AND MEANS APPLYING SAID RATE MODIFIYING SIGNAL AS A NEGATIVE FEEDBACK IN SAID SERVO-LOOP FROM SAID ELECTRICAL CONTROLLER TO SAID POWER MEANS THUS TENDING TO REDUCE THE LOOP GAIN WHEREBY THE RATE AT WHICH CORRECTION IS APPLIED TO THE GAUGE OF THE MATERIAL IN RESPONSE TO A GIVEN ERROR OUTSIDE THE TOLERANCE BAND IS MADE PROPORTIONAL TO THE SPEED OF THE EMERGING MATERIAL AND INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE SPEED OF SAID POWER MEANS THEREBY TO COUNTERACT THE EFFECT OF TRANSPORTATION LAG.