Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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System and method for controlling and programming the production
of a ball of thread
DESCRIPTION
This invention relates to the field of producing balls of thread-like textile
material, such as for example but without limiting the invention cotton,
wool, silk, yarns of mixed natural and synthetic materials.
More specifically, the invention relates to a new control and programming
system for producing a ball of thread by a using a ball winding machine.
This invention also relates to a method for controlling and programming a
system for producing a ball of thread.
Lastly, the invention relates to a ball winding machine comprising one or
more systems for controlling and programming the production of a ball of
thread.
There are currently various prior art methods for producing balls of thread-
like textile material.
The term ball used hereinafter in the description and in the claims means a
continuous portion of thread-like textile material wound in a multiplicity of
turns or windings relative to at least one axis of rotation shared by all the
turns.
The various windings may be made in turn around at least one collecting
device.
If the thread to be wound to produce the ball has different colours along
the longitudinal direction it is not possible, with the prior art systems, to
determine precisely which is the initial colour and which is the final colour.
More specifically, it is not possible to determine and control the ball
winding machine in such a way that the initial colour and the final colour
are the same.
In practice, with the prior art systems there is no possibility of controlling
and programming in a systematic manner the initial and final colour of a
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predetermined ball of thread being made.
All the systems and methods currently known therefore have major
drawbacks.
More specifically, an important, but not unique, drawback is due to the fact
that it is not possible to determine before completing the ball which is the
final colour of the ball.
In detail, this lack of determination is rather disadvantageous for the final
user of the ball since it creates uncertainty in the processing.
For example, using coloured balls made with prior art systems it is not
possible to produce two textile items (for example socks) which are
identical; in fact, since each ball is different, the end product will also be
different.
If, on the other hand, the end user wishes to obtain two perfectly identical
products from the point of view of the colours, a waste of material is
inevitably generated.
An aim of this invention is, therefore, to provide a system for controlling
and programming production of a ball of thread having a plurality of
stretches with different colours "a", "b", "c" along the longitudinal
direction
which allows the drawbacks of the known methods and balls to be
overcome.
More specifically, an aim of this invention is to provide a system for
controlling and programming production of a ball of thread having a
plurality of stretches with different colours "a", "b", "c" along the
longitudinal
direction so as to allow the production of a ball with a with a predetermined
initial colour and a predetermined final colour, for example the same
colour.
Another important aim is to provide a method for controlling and
programming the production of a ball of thread having stretches of
different colours along the relative longitudinal direction so as to obtain a
ball with a predetermined initial colour and a predetermined final colour, for
example the same colour.
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According to the system and method of this invention it is possible to
produce a series of balls in sequence all sharing the fact that they have
the initial and final colour predetermined beforehand by the manufacturer.
A further aim of the invention is to provide a ball winding machine
comprising a plurality of control and programming systems in order to
produce in parallel a multiplicity of balls, all controlled and programmed in
such a way as to obtain the predetermined initial and final colour, for
example the same colour.
This invention describes a control and programming system for producing
a ball of thread having a plurality of stretches with different colours along
the longitudinal direction using a ball winding machine, the system
comprising a device for acquiring the chromatic characteristics of the
various stretches of thread connected to a respective control unit, a device
for moving the thread towards the winding head of a ball winding machine
and a device for cutting the thread.
Advantageously, the system also comprises means for supporting the
thread, for maintaining the same in a predetermined position relative to the
chromatic detection device.
Advantageously, the system also comprises means for positioning the
acquisition device to achieve in an easy and certain manner the focusing
thereof relative to the thread.
Advantageously moreover, the device for moving the thread comprises a
nozzle fed with compressed air.
Advantageously, the cutting device comprises a mechanical cutter.
Preferably, the device for acquisition of the chromatic characteristics of the
thread comprise a video camera, a camera, a photometer, a scanning
sensor or a spectrophotometer.
This invention also relates to a method for controlling and programming
the production of a ball of thread having stretches of different colours
along the longitudinal direction, comprising the following operating steps:
-
programming the system in such a way as to learn, by means of
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the acquisition device, the type of stretch of colour (for example "a")
selected as initial colour of the ball, and the interval of operation after
which to activate the thread cutting device,
- preparing the thread in a winding head of a ball winding machine
located downstream of the system in such a way that the selected colour
"a" is the first to be wound on the ball,
- activating the winding head,
- activating the cutting device after the predetermined operating
interval and when the selected point "X" of the next stretch of colour "a"
is located at the cutting device.
Advantageously, according to the method, the movement device is kept
actuated not only during the ball winding steps but also during and after
the cutting step to hold in position the thread and facilitate the movement
towards the winding head of the ball winding machine.
This invention also provides a ball winding machine comprising a plurality
of control and programming systems for producing a ball of thread as
described.
Advantageously moreover, the operation of the ball winding machine is
controlled according to the method described.
Further features and details of a preferred, non-limiting embodiment of the
invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
¨ Figure 1 illustrates a first schematic view of a possible embodiment
of a control and programming system according to this invention;
- Figure 2 illustrates a second schematic view of the embodiment of
Figure 1,
¨ Figure 3 is a schematic view of a ball winding machine comprising a
series of systems according to this invention and illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2,
- Figure 4 is a schematic view of two operating times in the operation
of a control and programming system according to this invention.
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As illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, the numeral 1 denotes a control and
programming system for producing a ball of thread 10 using a ball winding
machine 20.
More specifically, this invention relates to the production of a ball of
thread
5 10 which has on its longitudinal extension a series of stretches (at
least
two) coloured in a different way "a", "b", "c" along a longitudinal direction.
Advantageously, but not necessarily, the series of coloured stretches "a",
"b", "c" is repeated in a systematic and equal manner along the entire
length of the thread 10.
The system 1 comprises in its basic embodiment a device 2 for acquiring
the chromatic characteristics "a", "b", "c" of the thread 10.
Merely by way of an example, the acquisition device 2 may comprise a
video camera, a camera, a photometer, a scanning sensor or a
spectrophotometer, or any other device 2 designed to recognise a colour
of the thread 10 in question.
The system 1 also comprises a device 3 for moving the thread 10 towards
a winding head (not illustrated since of known type) of a ball winding
machine 20. The thread is also being unwound from a source for feeding
the thread 10 (also not illustrated since of known type).
The movement device 3 preferably comprises a compressed air nozzle
which uses, precisely, compressed air for moving the thread 10 towards
the winding head located downstream of the system 1 in the direction of
the arrow F.
By modulating the air entering the above-mentioned nozzle 3 it is possible
to determine the speed of sliding of the thread 10 inside it starting from a
value of zero metres per second, that is to say, stationary relative to the
nozzle.
Advantageously, the nozzle 3 is kept in position through a respective rigid
support 8.
The system 1 also comprises a device 4 for cutting the thread 10
positioned advantageously downstream of the movement device 3 and the
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video acquisition device 2, and upstream of the above-mentioned winding
head.
The cutting device 4 can, preferably, comprise a mechanical guillotine-type
cutter.
It will be understood that any cutting device 4 which is able to cut the
thread 10 in a clean and precise manner can perform the same function
without thereby limiting the scope of protection of this invention.
In order to make the focusing of the thread 10 by the acquisition device 2
easier, the system 1 may comprise suitable means 6 for supporting the
thread 10.
In this way, it is possible to keep the thread 10 in a predetermined and
fixed position relative to the acquisition device 2.
Again so as to facilitate the focusing of the acquisition device 2, the
system comprises means 5 for positioning the acquisition device 2.
For example, the latter may comprises longitudinal guide means on two
movement axes.
The system 1 described above is preferably enclosed within a containment
body 7.
In operation, a system 1 according to this invention comprises the
following operating steps:
- programming the system 1 in such a way as to learn, by means of
the acquisition device 2, the type of stretch of colour "a" selected as
initial
colour of the ball, and the interval of operation after which to activate the
cutting device 4,
- preparing the thread 10 in a winding head of a ball winding
machine 20 located downstream of the system 1 in such a way that the
colour "a" is the first to be wound on the ball,
- activating the winding head,
By way of an example, the interval of operation may be calculated by
checking the actual length of the thread 10 already wound on the ball, the
number of windings of the ball in production, a unit of time, or in any case
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by measuring any operating parameter which allows the actual approach
of the stretch of selected colour "a" to be detected,
Advantageously, once the thread 10 has been cut in the position derived
from the calculations described above the movement device 3 is kept
actuated.
In this way, the end of the thread 10 distal from the winding head is kept
stationary and extracted from the movement device 3, thus facilitating the
approach towards the winding head, for example by a user or an
automatic system, to start the production of a new ball.
For clarity and completeness of description, and with reference in
particular to Figure 4, an example is given of the operating cycle of a
system 1 according to this invention.
The following data must be known: total length of the thread 10 to be
wound, length of the stretch of colour selected as initial and final colour of
the ball in production "a".
It should be noted that it is not necessary to know any data relative to the
length and to the type of colours between those not selected ("b" and "c" in
Figure 4) as initial and final colours of the ball.
An operation interval t1 is set, corresponding, for example, to 1000 turns
or 200 metres or 30 seconds.
At the initial time tO the user (or the automatic system) fixes the end of the
colour "a" to the winding head.
The winding head is actuated and produces the respective ball for the time
t1.
At the time tithe winding head performs, advantageously, a slowing down
and the video acquisition device 2 is enabled.
The slowing down may be advantageous to improve the acquisition by the
acquisition device 2, however it may be not necessary depending on the
quality of resolution and sensitivity of the device 2.
When the acquisition device 2 detects the stretch of colour selected "a" it
sends a signal to the cutting device 4 which proceeds with the cutting
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when reaching the selected point "X".
The ball winding machine proceeds, ending the winding of the length of
thread 10 just cut by the cutting device.
At this point, the user may again fix the end of colour "a" to the winding
head for producing a new ball, which is also characterised in that it starts
with a stretch of colour "a" and ends with the same colour "a".
Advantageously, by suitable control of the movement device 3, it is
possible to move the end of the thread 10 towards the winding head in
such a way as to facilitate the work of the user.
A further aspect according to the invention, shown in Figure 3, is a ball
winding machine 20 comprising a plurality of control and programming
systems 1 as described previously and associated with respective winding
heads, not shown because they are of known type and not significant for
the purpose of this invention.
Preferably, the above-mentioned machine will be characterised by an
operation as described above.
Finally, it is clear that this invention may be modified, added to or adapted
in ways obvious to technicians in the field, without thereby departing from
the protective scope of the appended claims.
More specifically, it is understood that by using a system according to this
invention is possible to program the entire composition of a ball (or a
series of balls) both in terms of number and length of the individual
stretches of different colours.
