Patent ID: 6929210

Claim:
A follower apparatus for use in guiding material between the follower and a spool, the follower comprising: (a) a follower module including i) a base; ii) a roller rotatably attached to said base for guiding said material; iii) detection apparatus for detecting when said material is not in a selected zone of said roller and for outputting a corresponding indicative signal, wherein said detection apparatus includes a light emitter and detector apparatus including at least one first emitter and first detector for detecting said material in a first side zone on one side of said selected zone and at least one second emitter and second detector for detecting said material in a second side zone on an opposite side of said selected zone, wherein said first and second emitter and first and second detector are positioned at an oblique angle to a plane defined by a direction of travel of material between said roller and said pulley and a line passing through said material and lying parallel to an axis of rotation of said roller; and; iv) a pulley for receiving and redirecting said material from said roller, wherein the axis of rotation of said pulley is oriented parallel to an axis of rotation of said roller; (b) motorized apparatus for moving said follower module; and (c) control apparatus responsive to said signal for directing said motorized apparatus to move said module into said selected zone.