Diameter measurement of a roll of material in a winding system

1. A web winding and measuring system, comprising:

a rotatably-mounted spool onto which a web of material is wound to form a roll, the rotatably-mounted spool configured to turn at a rotational speed;

a light-emitting device configured to illuminate the roll by light, providing a line on a cylindrical surface of the roll in a cross-machine direction;

a light-receiving device configured to detect the line and generate measurement data from the detected line as the web of material is wound onto the spool; and

a computing device communicatively coupled to said light-receiving device and configured to:

receive the measurement data;

calculate a diameter of the roll; and

adjust the rotational speed based on the diameter.

2. The web winding and measuring system of claim 1 , wherein said computing device is further configured to generate, in a memory coupled to said computing device, a three dimensional profile of the roll.

3. The web winding and measuring system of claim 1 , wherein said computing device is further configured to:

determine at least one target characteristic of the roll to be achieved,

analyze the measurement data to determine whether the at least one target characteristic has been achieved;

upon determining the at least one target characteristic has not been achieved, adjust a parameter to achieve the target characteristic.

4. The web winding and measuring system of claim 3 , wherein the parameter comprises an amount of tension exerted on the web.

5. The web winding and measuring system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one target characteristic comprises a target number of sheets of the roll.

6. The web winding and measuring system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one target characteristic comprises a target diameter for the roll.

7. A method for winding a web of material into a roll and measuring the roll, the method comprising:

winding a web of material into a roll on a rotatably-mounted spool turning at a rotational speed;

illuminating the roll and providing a line on a cylindrical surface of the roll in a cross-machine direction, by a light-emitting device;

detecting the line and generating measurement data from the detected line, by a light-receiving device as the web of material is wound onto the spool; and

receiving the measurement data by a computing device communicatively coupled to the light-receiving device;

calculating a diameter of the roll, by the computing device; and

adjusting the rotational speed based on the diameter.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising generating, in a memory coupled to the computing device, a three dimensional profile of the roll.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

determining at least one target characteristic of the roll to be achieved,

analyzing the measurement data to determine whether the at least one target characteristic has been achieved;

upon determining the at least one target characteristic has not been achieved, adjusting a parameter to achieve the target characteristic.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein adjusting the parameter includes determining an amount of tension to be exerted on the web.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining at least one target characteristic includes determining a target number of sheets of the roll.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining at least one target characteristic includes determining a target diameter for the roll.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining at least one target characteristic includes determining a target ratio of a number of sheets of the roll to a diameter of the roll.