Steering and control device

Claim 1

IN A DEVICE FOR MAINTAINING A MOVING STRIP OF MATERIAL ON A GIVEN PASS LINE, WHICH DEVICE INCLUDES STEERING MEANS TO VECTOR A PORTION OF THE FORCE OF THE MOVING STRIP LATERALLY TO CHANGE THE POSITION OF THE STRIP, WHICH IMPROVEMENT COMPRISES: (A) PHOTOCELL SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT AN EDGE OF THE STRIP AND ADAPTED TO MODIFY ITS CONTROL SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE DEVIATION OF THE STRIP FROM THE PASS LINE; (B) A TRANSFORMER HAVING A MOVABLE TAP FOR VARYING THE SECONDARY COIL THEREOF, SAID SECONDARY COIL BEING CONNECTED IN CIRCUIT RELATION WITH SAID CONTROL SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS TO PROVIDE AN OUTPUT INDICATIVE OF THE DEVIATION OF SAID STRIP FROM THE PASS LINE, THE PRIMARY COIL OF SAID TRANSFORMER BEING CONNECTED TO AN ALTERNATING CURRENT POWER SOURCE; (C) AN ELECTROMAGNETIC DEVICE CONNECTED IN SERIES RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID PHOTOCELL, THE SERIES CIRCUIT SOFORMED RECEIVING ITS POWER FROM SAID SECONDARY COIL, THE POSITION OF SAID PHOTOCELL AND SAID MOVABLE TAP BEING INITIALLY ADJUSTED TO PREVENT OPERATION OF THE STEERING MEANS WHEN SAID STRIP IS ON THE PASS LINE, SAID ELECTROMAGNETIC DEVICE BEING ADAPTED TO OPERATE THE STEERING MEANS; AND (D) OTHER MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID STEERING MEANS AND COUPLED TO SAID MOVABLE TAP TO COUNTERACT THE CONTROL SIGNAL CHANGE DUE TO THE DEVIATION OF SAID STRIP FROM THE PASS LINE, WHEREBY THE STEERING VECTOR IS ELIMINATED WHEN THE STRIP RETURNS TO THE PASS LINE.