Patent ID: 6981935

Claim:
An industrial roll, comprising: a substantially cylindrical shell having an outer surface and an internal lumen; a polymeric cover circumferentially overlying the shell outer surface, wherein the shell and cover include a plurality of through holes extending from an outer surface of the cover to the shell lumen, such that the lumen is in fluid communication with the environment external to the cover outer surface, the through holes being arranged in a repeating pattern of columns and rows, the columns of the repeating pattern defining an angle relative to a plane that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the shell; and a sensing system comprising: a plurality of sensors embedded in the cover, the sensors configured to sense an operating parameter of the roll; and a signal-carrying member serially connected with and extending between the plurality of sensors, the signal-carrying member following a helical path over the outer surface of the shell, wherein the signal carrying member extends over more than a full revolution of the shell outer surface, and wherein the helical path travels between columns of the repeating pattern substantially parallel to the angle formed by the columns of the repeating pattern.