Patent Application
20230365375
The invention relates to a tension control mechanism for fibre bundle transmission processes. In specific, it is a rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length for fibre bundle tension control.
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
During the transmitting process of fibre bundles, tension fluctuation is one of the most important influences that can cause wear, pilling, breakage and even reduce the quality of the structured product. Since the fibre bundles usually undergo a complex transfer process with long path and multiple rollers from feeding to shaping which causes apparent tension fluctuations, how to achieve precise control of fibre bundle tension and improve product quality has become one of the important research directions.
At present, most common structure of fibre bundle tension control mechanism uses dance roller or swing rod. The tension regulating roller of these structures can only do linear movement or circular oscillation in a certain direction, and the driving mode generally adopts a single drive of motor or cylinder to adjust the position of the roller to achieve the tension control.
The existing single degree of freedom or fixed rod length structure of the fibre bundle tension control mechanism is limited by its space position and structure. The movement trajectory of the regulating roller is restricted, the tension control range is small, and the single rod structure is unstable, which cause the hardness of precise tension control. Meanwhile, pure rigid structure has higher stiffness, the accuracy of tension control may be affected by the inertia effect of structure movement and insufficient. Moreover, the fibre bundles constant tension and low wear transmission are limited, which has a lower reliability.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem of tension control mechanism for fibre bundle transmission, the invention proposes a rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length for fibre bundle tension control, which uses a combination of a servo motor and an electric actuator in a dual drive control mode. By changing the length and angle of the tension regulating rod, a four-rod fixed length mechanism or a five-rod variable length mechanism can be selected according to the size of tension fluctuations and the control range. The position of the tension regulating roller is adjusted to further regulate the fibre bundle tension which realizes a constant tension transmission.
The invention for fibre bundle tension control of rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length, comprising a front guide roller, a back guide roller and a tension regulating roller provided between them.
The tension regulating roller is mounted on an up-and-down movable bracket on the swing frame, the swinging of the swing frame and the sliding of the tension regulating roller are controlled by a servo motor and an electric actuator in a dual drive mode, where an end of a main body of the electric actuator is connected to the servo motor, and the rod of the electric actuator is connected to one side of the bracket by a rotating shaft.
The invention for fibre bundle tension control of rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length, which can achieve fast response to tension regulation or arbitrary trajectory adjustment of the tension regulating rollers by choosing either a four-rod fixed length or a five-rod variable length mechanism based on different working conditions.
When a tension control range is small and the fast response to the tension regulation is required, the four-rod fixed length mechanism is used for tension control. When the tension increases, an output shaft of the servo motor rotates clockwise to drive the electric actuator to rotate clockwise around a motor axis of the servo motor, and an angle of the rod of the electric actuator changes to drive the swing frame to rotate clockwise around a spindle. Meanwhile, the bracket drives the tension regulating roller to move downwards, such that distances between the tension regulating roller and the front guide roller and between the tension regulating roller and the back guide roller are reduced to achieve tension reduction. Conversely, when the tension decreases during a transmission process of the fibre bundle, the servo motor reverses to drive the swing frame to rotate counterclockwise, the tension regulating roller moves upwards, and the distances between the tension regulating roller and the front guide roller and between the tension regulating roller and the back guide roller are increased to increase the tension of the fibre bundle.
When the tension control range is large and a change in a position of the tension regulating roller is required to be along any trajectory, the five-rod variable length mechanism is used for the tension control. When the tension increases, the output shaft of the servo motor rotates clockwise to drive the electric actuator to rotate clockwise around the motor axis, and the electric actuator drives the rod thereof to contract, and the angle and a length of the rod change to drive the swing frame to rotate counterclockwise around the spindle. Meanwhile, the bracket drives the tension regulating roller to move downwards, such that the distances between the tension regulating roller and the front guide roller and between the tension regulating roller and the back guide roller are reduced to achieve tension reduction. Conversely, when the tension decreases during the transmission process of the fibre bundle, the servo motor reverses and the rod is extended to drive the swing frame to rotate clockwise, the tension regulating roller moves upwards, and the distances between the tension regulating roller and the front guide roller and between the tension regulating roller and the back guide roller are increased to increase the tension of the fibre bundle
1. The invention for fibre bundle tension control of rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length, can choose to use either a four-rod fixed length or five-rod variable length tension control mechanism according to different working conditions (tension fluctuation size, control range, etc.), which is a more flexible control method.
2. The invention for fibre bundle tension control of rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length, is RRPR mechanism when using the servo motor to single drive four-rod fixed length tension control mechanism. It has simple control mode and fast response time, also the control mechanism can achieve a rapid tension regulation.
3. The invention for fibre bundle tension control of rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length, is RPRPR mechanism when using the servo motor and electric actuator to dual drive five-rod variable length tension control mechanism. The tension regulating roller has wider movement trajectory range which avoid a large structure size of traditional dance roller or swing rod to achieve a wide range of tension control. Moreover, the space structure is more compact, the control mechanism can realize an accurate tension regulation.
4. The invention for fibre bundle tension control of rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length, has a stable triangular structure formed by the tension regulating rod, pendulum, and the base during tension control process. Which improves the instability of the traditional single rod structure and the tension control accuracy.
5. The invention for fibre bundle tension control of rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length, combines flexible springs and rigid rod control mechanism. The springs are compressed or extended during tension regulation, plays a roll as a buffer, reduces the mechanism movement inertia effect on the position of tension regulating roller, and increases the stability of regulating system.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings, although variations and modifications therein may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.
The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of the disclosure and together with the written description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment, and wherein:
The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the invention, and in the specific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used to describe the invention are discussed below, or elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to the practitioner regarding the description of the invention. For convenience, certain terms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotation marks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the same context, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated that same thing can be said in more than one way. Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms discussed herein is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the invention or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the invention is not limited to various embodiments given in this specification.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”, or “includes” and/or “including” or “has” and/or “having” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom”, “upper” or “top”, and “left” and “right”, may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as being on the “lower” side of other elements would then be oriented on “upper” sides of the other elements. The exemplary term “lower”, can therefore, encompasses both an orientation of “lower” and “upper”, depending of the particular orientation of the figure. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements would then be oriented “above” the other elements. The exemplary terms “below” or “beneath” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of above and below.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
As used herein, “around”, “about” or “approximately” shall generally mean within 20 percent, preferably within 10 percent, and more preferably within 5 percent of a given value or range. Numerical quantities given herein are approximate, meaning that the term “around”, “about” or “approximately” can be inferred if not expressly stated.
The following detailed description describes in detail the characteristics and advantages of the instant disclosure, whose content is sufficient to enable any person skilled in the relevant art to understand the technical content of the instant disclosure and implement accordingly, and according to the content, the claims and figures disclosed by the present specification, any person skilled in the relevant art can easily understand the purpose and advantages of the instant disclosure. The following embodiments further illustrate the aspects of the instant disclosure, but do not limit the scope of the instant disclosure with any aspects.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
The invention for fibre bundle tension control of rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length, comprising base 1, front guide roller 2, back guide roller 3, servo motor 4, swing frame 5, bracket 6, electric actuator 7, spring substrate 8, springs 9 and tension regulating roller 10, as shown in
The base 1 is designed as a rectangular cross-sectional platform, the front guide roller 2 and the back guide roller 3 are equipped at the front and back of the base 1 middle respectively through the front guide roller substrate 11 and the rear guide roller substrate 12. The bottom of the front guide roller substrate 11 is bolted to the left and right sides of the base 1, and the top is fixed with both ends of the front guide shaft, on which the front guide roller 2 is coaxially mounted by bearings. Similarly, the bottom of the back guide roller substrate 12 is bolted to the left and right sides of the base 1, and the top is fixed with both ends of the back guide shaft, on which the back guide roller 3 is coaxially mounted by bearings.
The servo motor 4 is mounted in front of the front guide roller 2 through a motor mounting substrate 13, the bottom of the motor mounting substrate 13 is bolted to one side of the base 1 and the top is fixed with the servo motor 4. Moreover, the output shaft of the servo motor 4 is set axially along the left and right direction.
The swing frame 5 has a left pendulum, a right pendulum and a top beam, and the top of the left and right pendulums are connected to both ends of the top beam, which forms an integrated U-shaped frame. The bottoms of the left and right pendulums are mounted on the base 1 through swing frame spindle 14, positioned between the front 2 and back guide rollers 3, so that the swing frame 5 can swing around the swing frame spindle 14 in a fixed position with variable angles. The above-mentioned left and right pendulums are fitted with guide rails 15 along their respective axes on opposite sides for mounting the bracket 6.
The bracket 6 is a U-shaped frame with recesses 16 on the left and right outside walls, which are slidingly connected with the guide rails 15 on the left and right pendulums respectively, so that the bracket 6 can slide along the guide rails 15. Moreover, there is a distance between the ground of the recesses 16 and the guide rails 15 for setting the tension regulating roller 10, as shown in
Both sides of the spring substrate 8 is bolted to the left and right pendulums on the swing frame 5 and positioned below the guide rail 15. The upper surface of the spring substrate 8 is bolted to the bottom of two springs 9, which are set along the left and right pendulums respectively, and the top is bolted to the bracket. When the tension regulating roller 10 and the bracket 6 reciprocally moving along the guide rail 15 on the swing frame 5, the usage of the springs 9 can eliminate the effect of inertia which cannot be solved by purely rigid structures and provide a cushioning effect on the up and down movement of the tension regulating roller 10. By using a double spring 9 connection in the invention, it is possible to avoid the unbalanced forces and torque of the bracket 6 caused by a single spring 9 extending or compressing, which further affects the accuracy of tension regulation.
The axis of electric actuator 7 is set perpendicular to the output shaft of the servo motor 4. The end of the electric actuator 7 main body is connected to the output shaft of the servo motor 4 via a coupling. The rod part of the electric actuator 7 acts as the tension regulating rod 17, and the output end of that is connected to the bottom side of the bracket 6 via a rotating shaft to achieve that the regulating rod can rotate around the rotating shaft on one side of the bracket 6 in a fixed position with variable angles. Therefore, the angle of the tension regulating rod 17 can be adjusted by the rotation of the electric actuator 7 along the servo motor 4 axis, which is driven by the rotation of the servo motor 4. The length of the tension regulating rod 17 can be adjusted by telescoping along the direction of electric actuator 7 axis, which is controlled by the electric actuator 7.
With the aforementioned design of a rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length for fibre bundle tension control, the fibre bundle 18 is transmitted from the bottom of the front guide roller 2 to the top of the tension regulating roller 10 and then to the next mechanism via the bottom of the back guide roller 3, which shows that the position of the tension regulating roller 10 determines the tension during the transmission of the fibre bundle 18. Therefore, during the fibre transmitting process, the up, down, back, and forth position of tension regulating rollers 10 can be adjusted respectively through the motor and the electric actuator 7, and the fibre tension control can be achieved by adjusting the relative positions between the three rollers (front guide roller 2, tension regulating roller 10 and back guide roller 3). Moreover, the stability of the tension regulating mechanism during the fibre bundles 18 transmission is ensured because of a triangular structure formed by the swing frame 5, the tension regulating rod 17 and the base 1. Which can also avoid the tension fluctuations caused by the structure instability and improve the tension regulation accuracy. The surface of the front guide roller 2, the tension regulating roller 10 and the back guide roller 3 can also be designed with a concave structure to act as an axial limit for fibre bundles 18, which can avoid tension fluctuations caused by fibre swinging during the transmitting process.
The invention for fibre bundle tension control of rigid-flexible coupling mechanism with variable rod length, when regulating the tension can choose four-rod fixed length or five-rod variable length mechanism according to different working conditions. Also, it can achieve a fast tension regulating response or arbitrary adjust the tension regulating roller 10 trajectory and increase the tension regulation range to meet different tension regulation requirements, with flexible and reliable methods.
When the tension control range is small and a fast response to tension control is required, a four-rod fixed length tension control mechanism is used to regulate the tension, as shown in
When the tension control range is large and the position change of the tension regulating roller 10 is required along an arbitrary trajectory, a five-rod variable length tension control mechanism is used to regulate the tension, as shown in
Conversely, when the tension of the fibre bundle 18 decreases during transmission, the servo motor 4 reverses, the tension regulating rod 17 stretches and drives the swing frame 5 to rotate clockwise, the tension regulating roller 10 moves away from the swing frame spindle 14, and the distance between the front guide roller 2 and the back guide roller 3 increases to achieve an increase in the tension of the fibre bundle 18. During the tension regulating roller 10 reciprocally moving along the guide 15, the spring 9 between the bracket 6 and the spring substrate 8 is compressed or stretched, providing a cushioning effect for the movement of the mechanism, avoiding the vibration caused by the movement of the rigid structure which can affect the accuracy and achieving a stable and precise tension regulation by the rigid-flexible coupling mechanism.
The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application so as to activate others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202110088240.1 | Jan 2021 | CN | national |
This application is a continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2021/075768, filed on Feb. 7, 2021, which itself claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202110088240.1 filed in China on Jan. 22, 2021. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CN2021/075768 | Feb 2021 | US |
| Child | 18224142 | US |
