Patent ID: 7229044

Claim:
A strand tension apparatus, comprising: (a) a strand delivery mechanism for delivering a moving strand downstream from a strand supply; (b) a strand take-up mechanism positioned downstream from the strand delivery mechanism for pulling the strand from the strand supply; (c) a tension controller positioned between the strand delivery mechanism and the strand take-up mechanism for adding tension to the moving strand as it moves downstream to the strand take-up mechanism, the tension controller including a stationary tensioning plate and a movable tensioning plate, between which plates the moving strand passes; (d) an adjustable loading force applicator for applying a loading force to the movable tensioning plate in a opposite direction to the movement of the strand and thereby generating through geometric restriction a force component perpendicular to the direction of the moving strand between the stationary tensioning plate and the movable tensioning plate; (e) an input strand deflector for deflecting the upstream strand entering the tension controller and generating a deflection force that is a function of the tension of the strand as delivered from the strand delivery mechanism; and (f) a tension adjuster positioned to be acted upon by the input strand deflector for generating in the tension controller a deflection force directed in an opposite direction to the adjustable loading force for reducing the tension applied by the tension controller.