BOBBIN CARRIER FOR A BRAIDING, WINDING OR SPIRALING MACHINE

Abstract

The invention relates to a bobbin carrier 7 for receiving a bobbin 2 which is set up for unwinding a strand material I, wherein the bobbin carrier 7 is provided for use in a braiding, winding or spiralling machine and is set up to rotate relative to the machine during operation of the latter. The bobbin carrier 7 has a tensile-force measuring device 3 for measuring the tensile force of the strand material I unwound from the bobbin 2 and has a first data transfer device 4 for transferring data. According to the invention, the first data transfer device 4 is set up to transfer measured tensile force values to a second data transfer device 5 arranged outside the bobbin carrier. As a result, too low or too high tensile forces in the strand material I can be detected early at the individual bobbin carriers 7. The tensile force can be kept largely constant by the transfer of setpoint tensile force values from the second data transfer device 5 to the first data transfer device 4 and by a suitable control or regulation device 8 at the bobbin carrier 7.

Claims

1. A bobbin carrier for accommodating a bobbin designed for unwinding a strand stock, wherein the bobbin carrier is intended for use in a braiding, winding or spiraling machine and to that end designed to rotate relative to the machine during its operation, which comprises a tensile force measuring device for measuring the tensile force of the strand stock unwound from the bobbin and a first data transmission device for transmitting data, wherein the first data transmission device is designed to transmit measured tensile force measurement values to a second data transmission device disposed external of the bobbin carrier.

2. The bobbin carrier according to claim 1, wherein the bobbin carrier comprises a control and/or regulating device for controlling or regulating the tensile force of the strand stock unwound from the bobbin.

3. The bobbin carrier according to claim 2, wherein the first data transmission device is further designed to receive target tensile force values from the second data transmission device.

4. The bobbin carrier according to claim 1, wherein the first data transmission device is configured for wireless data transmission to and/or from the second data transmission device, preferably via radio signals, light signals or an inductive coupling.

5. The bobbin carrier according to claim 1, wherein the first data transmission device is configured for data transmission to and/or from the second data transmission device via the strand stock unwound from the bobbin.

6. The bobbin carrier according to claim 1, wherein the bobbin carrier comprises a power supply device having a generator for generating electrical energy, particularly a dynamo, an electric motor or a generator rotor configured to supply energy to the bobbin carrier.

7. The bobbin carrier according to claim 1, wherein the bobbin carrier comprises an energy transmission device for receiving and/or converting electrical energy, particularly an electrical contact device or an inductive coupler configured to supply energy to the bobbin carrier.

8. The bobbin carrier according to claim 7, wherein the energy transmission device is configured to receive electrical energy via the strand stock unwinding from the bobbin.

9. A tensile force measuring system having a plurality of bobbin carriers according to claim 1 and a second data transmission device arranged external of the bobbin carrier which is configured for the unidirectional or bidirectional transmission of data between the first data transmission device of the bobbin carrier and the second data transmission device.

10. The tensile force measuring system according to claim 9 further comprising a data processing device connected to the second data transmission device and configured to store, evaluate and/or display the data transmitted from the first data transmission device to the second data transmission device.

11. A braiding, winding or spiraling machine having a tensile force measuring system according to claim 9.

12. A method for measuring tensile force to be performed on a tensile force measuring system according to claim 9 in which the tensile force measuring devices of the bobbin carriers measure tensile force measurement values and the first data transmission devices transmit the tensile force measurement values to the second data transmission device.

13. A visualization system for a braiding, winding or spiraling machine comprising a braiding, winding or spiraling machine having a plurality of bobbin carriers for respectively accommodating one bobbin each for unwinding a strand stock, wherein the bobbin carriers are configured to rotate relative to the machine during its operation, and a visualizing device for periodically visualizing at least one bobbin carrier which is configured to visualize the at least one bobbin carrier during each period for less than a hundredth, preferably less than a thousandth, further preferably less than a ten-thousandth, even further preferably less than a hundred-thousandth of the time needed for one rotation of the bobbin carrier, wherein the length of the period is substantially equal to the length of time for one rotation of the bobbin carrier or is an integral multiple of same.

14. The visualization system according to claim 13, wherein the visualizing device is a stroboscope, shutter glasses or a combination of light source and chopper.

Description

[0047] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings in conjunction with the following description. Shown are:

[0048] FIG. 1 a schematic depiction of a tensile force measuring system for a wire braiding machine according to the invention;

[0049] FIG. 2 the schematic depiction of FIG. 1 having an additional control or regulating system.

[0050] The braiding machine equipped with an inventive mechatronic tensile force measuring system on which the embodiments are based comprises a large number of bobbin carriers, preferably between 8 and 36.

[0051] The tensile force measuring system according to FIG. 1 comprises a bobbin carrier 7 having a wire tensile force measuring device 3 which directly or indirectly measures the wire tensile force F.sub.Wire of the wire 1 paying off a bobbin 2. A direct measurement is preferably realized by an integrated force measuring sensor. An indirect measurement is preferably realized utilizing the travel path of the dancer. There is a direct correlation here between the travel path of the dancer arm or carriage and the wire tensile force F.sub.Wire which serves in calculating the wire tensile force F.sub.Wire.

[0052] The measured value for the wire tensile force F.sub.wire is transmitted to a programmable control unit, in the given embodiment to a microcontroller 4, where it is processed and prepared. A first data transmission device 4 is arranged on or integrated in the microcontroller 4 which transmits the prepared measured values to a second data transmission device 5 arranged on or integrated into a display device 5. In the tensile force measuring system according to FIG. 1, data is wirelessly transmitted via radio, preferably at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. Further preferably, the braid wire 1 to be processed can itself also be used as a data transmission medium or an inductive coupler can be used.

[0053] The display device/second data transmission device 5 can also be movably disposed, preferably on a rotating turntable and fixed relative to same. In this case, data can additionally be forwarded to components external of the turntable, particularly fixedly arranged relative to the machine, preferably via a slip ring.

[0054] Process data can in this way be transmitted between the bobbin carrier 7 and a higher-level entity in the process hierarchy, namely the display device 5, preferably for the documentation and/or visualization of the process data. A (not shown) machine control or an external control device, preferably a laptop or a tablet computer, preferably serves as the visualization, information and input unit for the operator.

[0055] The data transmission of the process data is hereby a unidirectional transmission, preferably, however, a bidirectional transmission.

[0056] In unidirectional data transmission, actual data, particularly the wire tensile force F.sub.Wire, is preferably transmitted to the higher-level machine control system and further processed and/or stored there. In addition to the wire tensile force F.sub.Wire, further actual data preferably includes warning notifications when certain thresholds and set limits are exceeded, preferably wear limits for the brake unit 6, which will be described in greater detail below.

[0057] In bidirectional data transmission, additional target data, preferably the target wire tensile force, is preferably transmitted from the machine control system to the bobbin carrier 7 (see the more detailed explanation in conjunction with FIG. 2 below).

[0058] All the actual and target data are preferably transmitted together with a distinct bobbin carrier identification which allows the data to be uniquely allocated to a bobbin carrier 7.

[0059] The bobbin carrier 7 furthermore comprises a braking unit 6 for the bobbin 2 for generating the required wire tensile force F.sub.Wire. A mechanical band brake, shoe brake or disk brake is preferably used as the wire/bobbin brake. Further preferably, an electric braking motor or a magnetically operated brake, particularly a magnetic brake, an eddy current brake, a hysteresis brake or a rheological hydraulic brake, can also be used.

[0060] Furthermore, the bobbin carrier 7 comprises a (not shown) power supply device for the electrical components of the bobbin carrier 7. Power can thereby be supplied directly via the braid wire 1 by a voltage and current supply source fixedly arranged relative to the machine. In so doing, preferably small amounts of energy, particularly for supplying an (energy-saving) control unit, the wire tensile force measuring device 3 and a preferably small number of actuators is thereby efficiently transmitted. The braiding sleeve thereby preferably forms the positive terminal. The wire guide members on the bobbin carrier 7 are preferably fixed on an isolator. The frame of the bobbin carrier 7 is preferably grounded via a slideway on which the bobbin carrier rotates.

[0061] Preferably, an energy transmission device via an inductive coupler, a preferably small current generator operating in parallel, or via sliding contacts is also applicable. With an inductive coupler, electrical energy is transmitted via two wire coils, whereby preferably the fixed coil acts as the energy transmitter and the moving coil as the energy receiver. A current generator or a dynamo is preferably integrated into the bobbin carrier 7 and directly or indirectly powered by the rotating bobbin 2 or by the payoff wire 1. Preferably, magnets can also be integrated into a braiding rotor which simultaneously serve as a rotating guideway carrier. As soon as the bobbin carrier 7, which may be mounted on a carrier carriage where applicable, with the bobbin 2 disposed thereon passes by such a magnet, a voltage is induced in a wire winding disposed on the bobbin carrier 7.

[0062] Further preferably, the bobbin carrier 7 can also comprise a preferably small accumulator or buffer capacitor which furnishes the required electrical energy upon machine stop or a changing of the bobbin 2 and serves as an energy buffer.

[0063] The tensile force measuring system shown in FIG. 2 expands upon that as shown in FIG. 1 by way of an electronic control and regulating system 8 for the wire tensile force F.sub.Wire in which a program for influencing the reaction of the braking unit 6 for controlling and regulating the wire tensile force F.sub.Wire in terms of time and intensity is stored. The program can preferably be modified by the first and the second data transmission device 4, 5 engaging directly with the control and regulating system 8 when the machine is idle, further preferably, however, also when the machine is running. To this end, a compact, freely programmable microcontroller 4 is provided so as to be able to flexibly adapt the control and regulation algorithm to the product and process requirements. The microcontroller 4 is supplied with electrical energy via the power supply device described above.

[0064] Preferably—and additionally to the above-described wire tensile force measured values—a target wire tensile force is transmitted from the machine control system and the second data transmission device 5 to the first data transmission device 4 and the microcontroller 4 via bidirectional data transmission, which is then used as the target value for the control and regulating system 8. The target wire tensile force can thereby preferably be preset by the machine operator.

[0065] The control and/or regulation is preferably realized by means of an actuator 9 on the dancer and/or by an actuator 9 on the brake unit 6. Furthermore, the tensile force measuring system according to FIG. 2 further comprises actuators 9 for setting the dancer force and/or setting the braking torque applied by the braking unit 6 on the bobbin 2.

[0066] An actuator for setting the dancer force is preferably provided when target data for the wire tensile force is to be transmitted from the higher-level entity, preferably the machine control system, to the bobbin carrier 7. The dancer force at the operating point; i.e. at mid-position, is preferably changed by means of the dancer spring pretensioning.

[0067] The braking torque of the braking unit 6 is preferably likewise changed by an actuator 9 based on the target data for the wire tensile force F.sub.Wire and adapted to the process requirements. A largely constant wire tensile force F.sub.Wire can thus be achieved.

[0068] The tensile force measuring system according to the invention yields improved quality to the braid pattern as a result of a more uniform bobbin carrier setting. Furthermore, the machine operator can be given indications for preventive bobbin carrier servicing when individual bobbin carriers 2 exceed specific predefined wire tensile force F.sub.Wire thresholds. This allows prompt detection of malfunctions and thus reduces machine downtimes.

[0069] The tensile force measuring system according to the invention furthermore enables continuous process data acquisition and storage for the purpose of quality verification, preferably proof of process capability, and/or documentation. Furthermore, operation of the machine is facilitated by the target wire tensile force being able to be automatically set at individual or all bobbin carriers 2 via the display unit 5 in the machine control system.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0070] 1 wire [0071] 2 bobbin [0072] 3 wire tensile force measuring device [0073] 4 microcontroller/first data transmission device [0074] 5 display unit/second data transmission device [0075] 6 braking unit [0076] 7 bobbin carrier [0077] 8 control and regulation system [0078] 9 actuator for setting the wire tensile force