North American Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Thomas Tillander

David E Harris

Gary J Thompson

Dennis Keith Mull

A position detector senses an undulating pile tuft edge position of a carpet as it is processed in a carpet making machine by detecting attenuated light passing through the carpet's primary backing material to determine the exact position of the carpet's undulating pile tuft edge at any given time. Sensor signals from the detector are digitally filtered through one pole cascaded filters to produce an average pile edge position signal which, in turn, controls actuators for secondary and primary backing material guide rolls to not only center the carpet for aligned entry into the carpet machine's tenter, but also apply the secondary backing material to the primary backing material at a precise position.

Carpet position sensor

An integrated fuel-to-air control system is disclosed in which fuel and air pressure differential sensors are provided for measuring the flow pressure differential of fuel and air across orifices in the respective flow paths. The pressure differential sensors generate signals which are characteristic of the pressure differentials across the orifices. A control system is provided which includes an electronic comparator for receiving the pressure differential signals and generating a difference signal corresponding to the difference between these signals. The difference signal in turn is transmitted to a valve actuator which respectively opens or closes a valve in the fuel flow path in order to vary the fuel flow pressure differential so as to achieve a desired fuel-to-air ratio with the oxidant flow pressure differential. The fuel flow pressure is varied up or down as necessary until the difference signal reaches zero at the desired ratio. The present invention may include a temperature sensor which communicates a temperature signal for pre-heated air to the control system. The control system responds to the temperature signal by compensating the fuel flow to correspond to temperature-related changes in air density which affect the fuel-to-air ratio. The present invention also includes means for decreasing the fuel flow automatically so as to create an excess of air for air pressures below the excess air breakpoint.

Integrated fuel/air ratio control system

A system for creating a position correcting error signal indicative of the lateral displacement of the center of a strip from a control position for the center of a nearly flat strip having a width and first and second generally parallel edges, as the generally flat strip moves along a given feed line past a given location, where the error signal creating device including means for detecting the orthogonally projectable, one dimensional lateral position of the first edge of said moving strip at said given location, means for detecting the orthogonally projectable, one dimensional lateral position of the second edge of said moving strip at said given location. The system includes transducer means for detecting the lateral tilt angle of the strip at said given location, means for creating an electrical value based upon said detected tilt angle, means for creating edge signals indicative of the detected lateral positions of the edges of the web, and means responsive to the edge signals and the electric value for providing a tilt responsive error signal for reducing said lateral displacement of the web center from said central position for the web center.

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Bay Village, OH, United States of America

Thomas Tillander