Apparatus for determining mass per unit length

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING MEANS PER UNIT LENGTH OF A FILAMENTARY STRUCTURE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A DRIVEN SHAFT; AN INPUT FEED ROLL ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT; AN OUTPUT FEED ROLL MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH; AN IDLER ROLL MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID SHAFT; A MOTOR MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFTFOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND COUPLED TO SAID INPUT FEED ROLL, SAID ROLLS BEING ADAPTED TO ADVANCE SAID STRUCTURE AXIALLY OVER THE INPUT FEED ROLL, AROUND THE IDLER ROLL, IN ROLLING CONTACT WITH THE INPUT FEED ROLL TO THE OUTPUT FEED ROLL; A WEIGHT ROTATABLY CARRIED BY THE ADVANCING STRUCTURE IN A LOOP BETWEEN SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT FEED ROLLS; POSITION DETECTION MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID WEIGHT, SAID DECTECTION MEANS INCLUDING COMPONENTS FOR FORWARDING A CONTROL SIGNAL TO SAID MOTOR WHEREBY TO MAINTAIN THE POSITION OF SAID WEIGHT AND THEREFORE THE AMOUNT IN TENSION ON SAID STRUCTURE SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT IN THE LENGTH ADVANCING FROM SAID IDLER ROLL TO THE INPUT ROLL; MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID STRUCTURE IN SAID LENGTH FOR VIBRATING THE LATTER AT ITS NATURAL FREQUENCY, IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE ROTATIONAL AXES OF SAID FEED ROLLS; AND CIRCUITRY FOR DETECTING THAT FREQUENCY, CONVERTING THE DETECTED FREQUENCY TO AN INDICATION OF MASS PER UNIT LENGTH AND RECORDING THE MASS INDICATION.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING MEANS PER UNIT LENGTH OF A FILAMENTARY STRUCTURE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A DRIVEN SHAFT; AN INPUT FEED ROLL ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT; AN OUTPUT FEED ROLL MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH; AN IDLER ROLL MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID SHAFT; A MOTOR MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFTFOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND COUPLED TO SAID INPUT FEED ROLL, SAID ROLLS BEING ADAPTED TO ADVANCE SAID STRUCTURE AXIALLY OVER THE INPUT FEED ROLL, AROUND THE IDLER ROLL, IN ROLLING CONTACT WITH THE INPUT FEED ROLL TO THE OUTPUT FEED ROLL; A WEIGHT ROTATABLY CARRIED BY THE ADVANCING STRUCTURE IN A LOOP BETWEEN SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT FEED ROLLS; POSITION DETECTION MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID WEIGHT, SAID DECTECTION MEANS INCLUDING COMPONENTS FOR FORWARDING A CONTROL SIGNAL TO SAID MOTOR WHEREBY TO MAINTAIN THE POSITION OF SAID WEIGHT AND THEREFORE THE AMOUNT IN TENSION ON SAID STRUCTURE SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT IN THE LENGTH ADVANCING FROM SAID IDLER ROLL TO THE INPUT ROLL; MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID STRUCTURE IN SAID LENGTH FOR VIBRATING THE LATTER AT ITS NATURAL FREQUENCY, IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE ROTATIONAL AXES OF SAID FEED ROLLS; AND CIRCUITRY FOR DETECTING THAT FREQUENCY, CONVERTING THE DETECTED FREQUENCY TO AN INDICATION OF MASS PER UNIT LENGTH AND RECORDING THE MASS INDICATION.