A method is provided for contactless optical detection of yarn at a workstation of a textile machine. The yarn moves in a sensing slot between a radiation source and an optical sensor having at least one row of radiation sensitive elements. Shading of the individual radiation sensitive elements by yarn moving through the slot is monitored and a state of the yarn is evaluated based on the monitoring, which includes monitoring and evaluating a position of the yarn in the sensing slot or a time course of the position of the yarn in the sensing slot. A change is detected in the position or in the time course corresponding to a yarn break before an end of the yarn break passes through the sensing slot. When the yarn break is sensed, a stop signal is generated for the workstation.

A cylindrical side-wall core is acquired from an inner circumferential surface of a well at a predetermined depth from a ground surface. First, second and third measurement cross sections spaced apart in a longitudinal direction of the core are set. In each cross section, the length of the maximum diameter of the cross section where the amount of distortion relative to the diameter of a standard circle is largest and the length of the minimum diameter where the amount of distortion relative to the diameter of the standard circle is smallest are measured. Six independent components among stress tensors for defining three-dimensional stress elements are obtained using an equation representing a difference between maximum and minimum stresses acting on the side-wall core along each cross section and another equation representing the angle between the well excavation direction and the action direction of the maximum stress on each cross section.

A calibrated three-dimensional optical measuring apparatus for three-dimensional measurement of geometric parameters of a rope has a frame defining and arranged around a rope receiving cavity. Image acquisition devices acquiring digital images of regions of an outer surface of the rope are fixed to the frame and arranged around the rope when the calibrated three-dimensional optical measuring apparatus receives the rope in the rope receiving cavity. An electronic digital image processing device processes a multiplicity of digital images and obtains a three-dimensional photogrammetric reconstruction of points of the digital images of the rope. Having defined a circumferential direction running around a main extension axis of the rope and lying on a plane incident or perpendicular to the main extension axis of the rope, the image acquisition devices are arranged on the frame circumferentially spaced apart from one another along the circumferential direction. A lighting device is arranged along the circumferential direction between a pair of adjacent image acquisition devices.

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.

Described is a control system for the quality of processing pipes made of thermoplastic material, comprising a station for housing at least one pipe to be controlled, a first video camera configured to capture images of a first front scene showing a first longitudinal end of the pipe, and at least a second video camera configured to capture images of a second lateral scene showing the same said pipe in its longitudinal extension.

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a method of preparing a bundled cable. In the method, a plurality of subunits is wound around a central member in one or more layers of subunits to form the bundled cable. For a section of the central member, each layer of subunits has a pitch over which a subunit of the layer of subunits makes one revolution around the section of the central member and a length of the subunit required to make the one revolution. The subunits are configured to have a nominal helical length equal to the ratio of a nominal length to a nominal pitch. Further, in the method, a measurement of the bundled cable is monitored, and a winding rate of the plurality of subunits is adjusted based on the measurement in order to account for deviations from the nominal helical length.

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.

Jitter is removed from point cloud data by processing different groups of data points in the point cloud data in succession to minimize the entropy of the point cloud data. Each group in the point cloud data is generated at either different points in time or from detecting different pulses of reflected laser light from a target. The data points in a selected group are repetitively shifted en masse in the coordinate system of the point cloud data and the entropy of the point cloud data is re-calculated until subsequent shifts of the data points in the selected group does not further reduce the entropy. The remaining groups are subsequently processed in a similar fashion until the entropy of the point cloud data reaches a minimum.

The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to a physical stalk sensing system comprising at least one resilient member. Sensors having the resilient member or members are able to estimate the size of the stalks of row crops as they pass through a field, such as a corn field. The sensors can be mounted on a corn head and the results can be analyzed and visualized. A system for predicting crop yields in real-time or near real-time. A system for adjusting a stripper plate gap.

Various embodiments provide an elongated part measuring apparatus including an elongated frame, an elongated transparent part supporter supported by the frame and configured to support an elongated part (such as a guide wire or mandrel), an elongated movable part straightener pivotally connected to and supported by the frame, and a movable optical measurer movably connected to and supported by the frame and configured to take multiple spaced apart outer dimensional measurements of the elongated part (whether uncoated or coated).