US 11,886,951 B2
Modular material tracking system and method
Jason Zielke, Chicago, IL (US); Eric Martin, Aurora, IL (US); and Peter Wilson, Chicago, IL (US)
Assigned to Wire Pulse, Inc., Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by Wire Pulse, Inc., Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Dec. 17, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/124,904.
Application 17/124,904 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/397,883, filed on Apr. 29, 2019, granted, now 11,745,975.
Application 16/397,883 is a continuation in part of application No. 14/810,236, filed on Jul. 27, 2015, granted, now 10,317,246, issued on Jun. 11, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/115,486, filed on Feb. 12, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/029,934, filed on Jul. 28, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2021/0103709 A1, Apr. 8, 2021
Int. Cl. B65H 63/08 (2006.01); G06K 7/10 (2006.01); H04Q 9/00 (2006.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01); G01B 7/02 (2006.01)
CPC G06K 7/10366 (2013.01) [B65H 63/08 (2013.01); G01B 7/026 (2013.01); G06K 7/10297 (2013.01); G06Q 10/087 (2013.01); H04Q 9/00 (2013.01); B65H 2511/114 (2013.01); H04Q 2209/47 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for tracking a length of a material wound on a reel, the material having a known starting length and a known thickness, the reel having a reel core of known width and known volume, the reel further having reel flanges physically connected to the reel at opposite ends of the reel core such that the reel flanges rotate with the reel core, the material being wound about the reel core between the reel flanges, the system comprising:
a plate module to be physically installed to the reel comprising a reel identification index to identify the reel;
a sensor module removably installed to the plate module comprising:
a sensor to produce a signal indicative of rotation of the reel,
a sensor module processor operably receiving the signal from the sensor and counting cumulative forward rotations of the reel,
a sensor module memory operably associated with the sensor module processor for storing memory contents comprising the cumulative forward rotations of the reel,
a radio frequency transmitter to communicate at least part of the sensor module memory contents, and
a sensor module battery powering at least the sensor module processor, the sensor module memory, the sensor, and the radio frequency transmitter; and
wherein a remaining length of the material wound on the reel is calculated based on at least the cumulative forward rotations of the reel.