A material tracking system is provided for tracking material stored on and drawn from a reel. The material tracking system may include a reel, detection element, digital logic components, battery and power components, transceiver and communication components, location receiver, enclosure, analytic component and interface component. One or more sensors relative to the reel may detect a position indicative of forward or reverse reel rotation. A processor may analyze signals to count rotations of the reel, which is savable in memory. A battery may provide power. The system may also record the time and location associated with rotations. A method to operate a tracking material stored on and drawn from a reel using the material tracking system is also provided.

A material tracking system is provided for tracking material stored on and drawn from a reel. The material tracking system may include a reel, detection element, digital logic components, battery and power components, transceiver and communication components, location receiver, enclosure, analytic component and interface component. One or more sensors relative to the reel may detect a position indicative of forward or reverse reel rotation. A processor may analyze signals to count rotations of the reel, which is savable in memory. A battery may provide power. The system may also record the time and location associated with rotations. A method to operate a tracking material stored on and drawn from a reel using the material tracking system is also provided.

An accumulator for making fiber optic cables includes a frame, a first pulley array mounted to the frame and having a first plurality of pulleys, and a second pulley array mounted to the frame and having a second plurality of pulleys. The first pulley array and the second pulley array are movable relative to each other so as to be positionable on opposite sides of each other. A manufacturing system including an unwinder, a winder, and the accumulator is disclosed. A method of threading the accumulator is disclosed that advantageously uses the relative movement of the first and second pulley arrays across each other to simplify threading. A method of making fiber optic cables where the unwinder operates with more than one accumulator is also disclosed.

A method for detecting a characteristic of a textile or metal thread fed to an operating machine, by the generation of a light signal impacting the thread to create a shadow on an optical sensor device connected to means for monitoring a characteristic of the thread on the basis of an electrical signal emitted by such sensor device as a function of the shadow generated on said sensor device by the thread itself, the characteristic being a physical characteristic of the thread such as its diameter or a characteristic of the feed of the thread when in movement, such as its speed. The signal may be detected in analog mode or a digital mode, the signal detected in the digital mode providing real time calibration of the signal detected in analog mode to generate an electrical signal used by the monitoring means to monitor the characteristics of the thread.

An elongated-object drum includes: a drum on which an elongated object is wound; and a management module that is attached to the drum and comprises: an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration of the drum, a computation device that performs computation based on a detection result from the acceleration sensor, and a storage device that stores a computation result obtained by the computation device based on the detection result from the acceleration sensor.

A system and method for non-contact measurement of remaining spooled material. The system comprises at least one optical signal source configured to illuminate spooled material with an optical beam having an optical beam width that illuminates the material remaining in the spool. The optical beam width and spacing are such that spooled material is illuminated by each optical signal source. The system includes drive circuitry configured to drive the at least one optical signal source using pulses. The system further includes at least one optical signal receiver configured to receive light reflected from each of said light pulses. The system still further includes a processor configured to: establish a number and drive strength of the pulses; and cause measurements to be performed of the remaining spooled material.

A system and method for non-contact measurement of remaining spooled material. The system comprises at least one optical signal source configured to illuminate spooled material with an optical beam having an optical beam width that illuminates the material remaining in the spool. The optical beam width and spacing are such that spooled material is illuminated by each optical signal source. The system includes drive circuitry configured to drive the at least one optical signal source using pulses. The system further includes at least one optical signal receiver configured to receive light reflected from each of said light pulses. The system still further includes a processor configured to: establish a number and drive strength of the pulses; and cause measurements to be performed of the remaining spooled material.

A system for treatment of thread includes a weft thread printer having an intake positioned to receive a weft thread from a source, as well as an encoder that is configured to detect a length of the weft thread as the weft thread moves through the weft thread printer along a travel path. The system also includes a printhead positioned to apply coatings of a plurality of colors to the weft thread and yield a treated weft thread, as well as an outlet positioned to pass the treated weft thread to a loom.

The present disclosure refers to a method and a system for tracking cable drums and length of cable on the drum. A method includes attaching a tracker device with a tracker identifier to a cable drum with a drum identifier, said drum identifier being associated in a database with drum dimensions and with cable dimensions of a cable stored on the drum. The method includes associating in the database the drum identifier also with the tracker identifier. The method includes when an event comprising at least a shock and/or a number of rotations of the cable drum around a longitudinal axis occurs, activating a first electronic circuit of the tracker device including a sensing device that detects at least the event, storing the detected event in a local memory of the tracker device and switching the first electronic circuit to standby mode after the detected event is stored.

A system and method for non-contact measurement of remaining spooled material. The system comprises at least one optical signal source configured to illuminate spooled material with an optical beam having an optical beam width that illuminates the material remaining in the spool. The optical beam width and spacing are such that spooled material is illuminated by each optical signal source. The system includes drive circuitry configured to drive the at least one optical signal source using pulses. The system further includes at least one optical signal receiver configured to receive light reflected from each of said light pulses. The system still further includes a processor configured to: establish a number and drive strength of the pulses; and cause measurements to be performed of the remaining spooled material.