Abstract: A measuring cable travel sensor includes a housing accommodating a measuring cable drum and a rotary spring urging the cable drum in the direction of winding of a measuring cable thereon. At least one braking magnet is arranged either on the cable drum or on the housing to provide for magnetic control of the rotary movement of the cable drum at least in the cable winding-on direction. The cable drum may also carry holding magnets for holding the winding cable into close contact with the peripheral surface of the cable drum. The housing may also have a band extending at least in part around the cable drum for correctly positioning the cable thereon as it is being wound on.

Abstract: An improved wire feeding and measuring apparatus having a pair of cooperating feed belts to feed a wire in an axial direction. A drive wheel is located downstream of the feed belts and rotates in contact with the wire at a slightly faster speed than the feed belts, while a measuring wheel, operably connected to an encoder, is also engaged with the wire and is located opposite the drive wheel. The measuring wheel is biased toward the drive wheel by a spring exerting a light force. Guides are associated with each wheel and each guide includes a wire supporting surface and a slot located adjacent the supporting surface. The periphery of each wheel projects a slight distance through the slot in the respective guide and engages the wire. The guides maintain the wire in a tangential relation to the periphery of the wheels and prevent wrap around of the wire on the wheels.

Abstract: The method and the apparatus for the performance of the method for feeding cable into an automatic cable-processing machine allows to move normal cables (18) and cables of reduced wall thickness at high speeds. The cable (18) is driven by the driving surfaces (3.1, 8.1) of two belts, (3, 8), where the belts (3. 8) of two belt drives (b 1.2), roll off one another. The first belt drive (1) is stationary, while the second belt drive (2) is arranged to be parallel displaceable and disposed perpendicular to its driving surface (8.1). The second belt drive (2) can be pressed onto a laid-in cable (18) by at least one pneumatic piston-cylinder unit (24). In order to assure a clean passage of a cable (18) through the belt drives (1, 2), a cable clamping and tightening device (19) is arranged on the cable feed side (16), and a cable-clamping device (20) is arranged on the cable exit side (17). Thereby, the laid-in cable (18 ) is tightened and precisely aligned before the start of operations. The driving surface (8.

Abstract: Apparatus (10) comprising rotatable feed belts (16,18) driven by a reversible electric servo-motor (20) which is operated by a pre-programmed electronic controller (30) feeds accurately measured lengths of a wire strand (12), regardless of wire slippage which may occur relative to the feed belts. Controller (30) receives feedback signals from an encoder (22) indicative of the distance and direction wire (12) actually moves, compares the feedback signal with stored data and recognizes the amount and direction of any wire slippage. Wire movement less (or more) than the desired length results in forward (or reverse) operation of servo-motor (20) and feed belts (16,18) to move the wire forward (or in reverse) until the desired length is reached. Encoder (22) is operated by a measuring wheel (24) which engages and is rotated by wire strand (12) itself during forward or reverse movement. Either "run-out" of wire strand (12) or too large a "following error" shuts down the apparatus.