Measuring system for cable length and diameter based on photoelectric technology

Abstract

Precise online measurement of cable diameter and length will ensure stability of quality production and production speed. This paper describes a measuring device to measure cable length and diameter simultaneously, accomplish online production process control. The device consists mainly of a synchronous sampling part, calculation and control part. The synchronous sampling part consists of two parallel rollers one meter far from each other. A measuring band cinctures the rollers and move together with them. There are two electromagnetic chucks on the measuring band which are controlled by two photoelectric position switches to hold or release a cable, in order to make the cable move with measuring system synchronously. An optical encoder is connected to one of the rollers coaxially to measure cable length. For cable diameter measurement, two orthogonal CCD sensors are used. Accuracy of online diameter measurement is mainly affected by vibration of cable movement. In order to reduce the cable diameter measurement error caused by vibration, measuring system uses a mechanical damping device and high-speed CCD sensors which exposure time is up to microseconds. The calculation and control part of measuring device can filter, amplify and binarizate electrical signals from synchronous sampling part, then they are processed by microcontroller 8051 to complete cable length and diameter measurement. As well, the measuring device can set error limits and detect online whether cable length and diameter size are in default range , if not it would give corresponding alarm.