clothing a counter element having a part cooperating with the roll clothing a sensor stationary relative to the counter element and having a sensing portion facing said roll clothing and an arrangement for generating a signal representing a distance between the sensing portion and the roll clothing the distance represents a spacing between the roll clothing and the counter element part application_number US 57580800 A description fig1 shows a carding machine cm which may be for example an exactacard dk803 model manufactured by tr u00fctzschler gmbh amp co kg m u00f6nchengladbach germany the carding machine cm includes a feed roll 1 a feed table 2 cooperating therewith licker ins 3 a 3 b 3 c a carding cylinder 4 having a cylinder clothing 4 a a direction of rotation 4 b and a rotary axis m a doffer 5 a stripping roll 6 crushing rolls 7 and 8 a web guiding element 9 a sliver trumpet 10 calender rolls 11 12 a traveling flats assembly 13 having traveling flat bars 14 a coiler can 15 a coiling device 16 and the device according to the invention including a sensor 19 the rotary directions of the various roll components of the carding machine are shown by curved arrows drawn therein a stationary carding segment 27 u2032 is positioned between the licker in 3 c and the rearward end sprocket 13 a of the traveling flats assembly 13 whereas the stationary carding segment 27 u2033 is situated between the doffer 5 and the frontal end sprocket 13 b of the traveling flats assembly 13 turning to fig2 three sensors 19 a 19 b and 19 c are arranged.