Patent ID: 8746605

Claim:
An apparatus for spooling a linear material, the apparatus comprising: a spool member configured to rotate bidirectionally to spool and unspool the linear material with respect to the spool member; a motor configured to rotate the spool member; and a controller configured to: monitor a length of the linear material unspooled from the spool member based on an indicator of movement of the spool member generated by one or more sensors; cause the motor to spool the linear material around the spool member at a first rate of spooling; reduce the first rate of spooling to a second rate of spooling in response to detecting that the length of linear material unspooled from the spool member becomes less than a first threshold length; wherein the second rate of spooling is at a non-zero speed; and adjust the second rate of spooling to a third rate of spooling in response to detecting that the length of linear material unspooled from the spool member becomes less than a second threshold length, wherein the second threshold length is less than the first threshold length, and wherein the third rate of spooling is at a non-zero speed.