| US 7,546,912 B1 | ||
| Communications spooler for a mobile robot | ||
| Robert Todd Pack, Nashua, N.H. (US); Tyson Sawyer, Rindge, N.H. (US); Chikyung Won, Tewksbury, Mass. (US); and Grinnell More, Temple, N.H. (US) | ||
| Assigned to iRobot Corporation, Burlington, Mass. (US) | ||
| Filed on Dec. 29, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/648,445. | ||
| Application 11/648445 is a division of application No. 10/811316, filed on Mar. 26, 2004, granted, now 7,331,436. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/457563, filed on Mar. 26, 2003. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/532352, filed on Dec. 24, 2003. | ||
| Int. Cl. H02G 11/02 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 191—12.2A [191/12.2 R; 901/1] | 11 Claims |
| 1. A cable handling system comprising:
a cable reel drive;
a downstream tension roller drive comprising an idler;
an idler sensor for monitoring a movement of the idler, the idler sensor determining at least one of a position along a length
of cable and a cable speed; and
a system controller in communication with the sensor for controlling the cable reel drive and the tension roller drive for
dispensing and retrieving cable downstream of the tension roller drive at substantially zero tension.
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