EA045170B1 - THREAD FLOW PROCESSING SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

Field of technology

The present invention relates to a thread processing system for use with a thread consuming device.

State of the art

It has been proposed to provide thread consuming devices, such as embroidery machines and the like, with mechanisms built into the production line and capable of carrying out a certain processing of the thread. Such in-line mechanisms could be used, for example, to dye thread, whereby multiple dye nozzles could replace the current use of multiple pre-dyed threads to create multi-color patterns.

When the nozzle is configured to dye the thread passing by it, the drop hits the thread at a specific position along the periphery. Due to the specific properties of the thread and the dye, it is not possible to ensure that the dye flows around the entire outer periphery of the thread. This results in uneven coloring.

In light of this, there is a need for an improved thread processing system that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages.

The essence of the invention

According to a first aspect, a system is provided for in-line processing of at least one thread. The system is intended for use with a filament consuming device and comprises a processing unit comprising a plurality of nozzles arranged at different positions relative to at least one filament, said at least one filament being in motion during use, and each nozzle configured to dispense one or more coating materials on said at least one thread upon actuation; and at least one thread interaction device configured to rotate the at least one thread about its longitudinal axis as the at least one thread moves through said processing unit.

One of said at least one thread interaction device may be located on the downstream side of the processing unit along the direction of movement of at least one thread.

The at least one thread interacting device may be configured to apply a torque to the at least one thread to initiate rotation thereof.

Said interaction device may comprise an interaction surface which, upon contact with said at least one thread, causes rotation of said at least one thread.

In one embodiment of the invention, said at least one thread interacting device is a guide element.

One of the at least one thread interaction device may be movable to control rotation of the at least one thread about its longitudinal axis.

The at least one thread interacting device may be one or more tubular elements through which the at least one thread is guided.

In one embodiment, one tubular element is located on the downstream side of the specified processing unit and/or one tubular element is located on the upstream side of the specified processing unit.

The inner diameter of said tubular element may be selected such that the inner walls of said tubular element apply a frictional force to said at least one thread.

Said tubular element can be configured to rotate around its longitudinal axis.

In one embodiment of the invention, the at least one filament engagement device comprises a rotating engagement member having an outer surface onto which the at least one filament is directed to cause rotation.

The system may further comprise at least one thread guiding element located in the process chain behind and/or in front of at least one thread interaction device.

The nozzles may be paint jet nozzles and the coating material may be a colorant.

According to a second aspect, a filament consuming device is provided. The device contains a filament consumption unit and a system in accordance with the first aspect.

The thread consumption unit can be an embroidery unit, a sewing unit, a knitting unit or a weaving unit.

According to a third aspect, a method for thread processing is provided. The method includes providing a processing unit comprising a plurality of nozzles located at different longitudinal positions along the thread, each nozzle configured to dispense a coating material onto the thread when actuated; and providing a thread interaction device configured to rotate the thread about its longitudinal axis as the thread moves through said processing unit.

According to a fourth aspect, a method is provided for causing at least one filament to be processed before it is supplied to a filament consuming device. The method includes feeding at least one thread so that it interacts with at least one thread interaction device, which causes rotation of the at least one thread around its longitudinal axis, and passing at least one thread through a processing unit containing a plurality of nozzles located at different positions relative to the at least one thread, each nozzle configured to dispense one or more coating materials onto the at least one thread when actuated.

Definitions

A filament sink is, in this context, any device that consumes filament when in use. This may be, for example, an embroidery machine, a weaving machine, a sewing machine or a knitting machine or any other thread consuming device that can provide the benefit of processing or coating or any other process involving exposing the thread to a substance, such as dyeing .

Machining, in this context, is any process designed to effect changes in the properties of a thread. Such processes include, but are not limited to, dyeing, wetting, lubricating, cleaning, and the like.

The thread is, in this context, a flexible elongate element or substrate having a small width and height, and its longitudinal extent is significantly greater than the longitudinal extent of any parts of the system described in this application, as well as its width and height. Typically, a thread may consist of many strands twisted together. Thus, the term thread includes yarn, wire, strand, fiber, etc., made from various materials such as fiberglass, wool, synthetic materials such as polymers, metals or, for example, a mixture of wool, cotton, polymer or metal .

A strand in this context is a flexible element that forms part of a thread. A strand usually consists of several fibers twisted together. To create a balanced thread, i.e. a thread that has no or very little tendency to twist in itself, the strands and fibers may in some cases be twisted in the opposite direction.

In this specification, all references to upstream and/or downstream locations are to be interpreted as relative positions during normal operation of the filament consumption device, i.e. when the device processes an elongated substrate, such as a thread, continuously moving through the device in the normal operating direction. Therefore, the upstream component is positioned in such a way that a particular portion of the thread passes through it before it passes through the downstream or downstream component.

Brief description of drawings

The following description of the present invention describes embodiments of the invention; wherein references are made to the accompanying drawings depicting non-limiting examples of implementation of the inventive concept.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a thread consuming device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a thread engagement device of a thread in-line processing system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a thread engagement device of a thread processing system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

fig. 4 is an isometric view of a thread engagement device of a thread processing system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

fig. 5 schematically depicts a system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 6 is a front view of a system in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention;

fig. 7 shows a processing unit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 8 depicts a processing unit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 9 shows a processing unit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 10 depicts a processing unit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and figs. 11 schematically depicts a method for providing processing of at least one thread in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

- 2 045170

Carrying out the invention

The idea of the present invention is to provide a system and method for controlled distribution of coating material onto a filament for use in conjunction with a filament consuming unit to form a filament consuming device. The thread consumption unit may, for example, be an embroidery machine, a weaving machine, a sewing machine or a knitting machine. In particular, the general objective is to ensure accurate dispensing onto the thread at predetermined peripheral positions around the thread, which is advantageous since such accurate dispensing will enable very precise positioning of the coating material on the thread. For example, this will allow you to obtain patterns of a certain color on the thread.

In fig. 1 schematically illustrates a system 10 for in-line processing of thread 20 for use with a thread consumption device 100 including a thread consumption unit 90, such as an embroidery machine. The thread 20 is supplied from the thread source 21, passes through the thread processing system 10 of the thread 20 and is supplied to the thread consumption unit 90.

The system 10 includes a processing unit 30 configured to dispense a coating material, such as paint, onto the thread 20 when the processing unit 30 is activated. The control unit 40 is connected to the processing unit 30 to control the operation of the processing unit 30, as described in more detail below. Downstream of the processing unit 10 is a thread interaction device 50 to cause the thread 20 to rotate so that the thread 20 rotates as it passes through the processing unit 30, as shown by the curved arrow in FIG. 1.

Due to the rotation of the thread 20 as it passes through the processing unit 30, it is possible to ensure that the thread 20 is processed more uniformly around its circumference, thereby improving the quality of the processing. The decision on the location of the thread rotation block, i.e. The thread interaction device 50, downstream of the downstream processing unit 30, may be particularly advantageous for in-line or in-line dyeing systems using inkjet technology, i.e. for a system in which the processing unit 30 includes a plurality of nozzles for jetting paint. In such an application, the ink jet nozzles may be aligned toward the filament 20, and the filament 20 may be inked at multiple positions along its longitudinal extent. As the filament 20 rotates, the dispensed droplets strike the filament 20 at specific positions around the periphery, resulting in more uniform coloring.

The filament interacting device 50 may be implemented in many different ways, for example, as a static (or stationary) structure or as a dynamic and controllable structure. Some of these alternatives are described in more detail below.

Common to all examples is that the thread interaction device 50 provides rotation of the thread 20, i.e. the thread 20 rotates as it passes through the processing unit 30.

In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the thread interaction device 50 is a guide member 52 including an interaction surface 51. This type of thread interaction device is particularly advantageous for threads 20 having an asymmetrical cross-section. As shown in FIG. 2, the thread 20 is formed by two strands 22a, 22b twisted together. Thus, each strand 22a, 22b follows a helical path extending in their longitudinal direction.

When the thread 20 comes into contact with the guide member 52, positioned so that the thread 20 is forcibly guided by it, the guide member 52 applies a force to the interaction surface 51 due to the tension of the thread. This force causes the thread 20 to rotate until there is an equilibrium between the torque generated by the applied force, the internal torsion of the thread 20 and the movement of the thread 20 downstream. More specifically, the applied torque is a result of the friction at the interaction surface 51, the asymmetrical configuration of the thread 20, and the movement of the thread. Due to friction, the thread 20 is forced to rotate so that the contact area between the thread 20 and the interaction surface 51 is maximized. This is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, depicting the rotation of the thread 20. In some cases, the elasticity of the thread 20 resists the applied rotation, however, in these cases, pure rotation is achieved. In particular, pure rotation is based on thread tension, friction and elasticity of thread 20.

Therefore, in its simplest form, the thread interaction device 50 is a static guide element 52 comprising an interaction surface 51 that contacts the thread 20 as the thread 20 passes the interaction surface 51. However, it is possible to provide the thread interaction device 50 with a controllable function, for example, by positioning the guide element 52 on a movable table (not shown), whereby the position of the guide element 52 will influence the force applied to the thread 20 and thus control by rotating the thread 20 within the thread processing block 30.

In fig. 3 shows another example of a thread interaction device 50. As described below, the thread interaction device 50 may be located either upstream or downstream of the processing unit 30 along the process chain. In some embodiments of the invention, the first device

- 3 045170 in 50 interaction with the thread is located in front of the processing block 30 along the technological chain, and the second device 50 for interaction with the thread is located behind the processing block 30 along the technological chain. Here, the thread engagement device 50 is a movable tubular member 54 through which the thread 20 is guided. The tubular member 54 has a cylindrical shape and an internal cavity 55. The internal cavity 55, which defines the thread guiding space, is preferably non-circular, such that which prevents rotation of the asymmetrical thread 20 relative to the tubular element 54. Thus, the thread 20 is protected from rotation relative to the tubular element 54. Preferably, the tubular element 54 is very thin in the longitudinal direction of the thread 20, so that it can be used for threads 20 having different torsion, i.e. for threads 20 having different helical paths of strands 22a, 22b, without damaging the thread 20. For the same reason, the tubular element 54 can be elastic, which also provides the benefit of improved contact with the thread 20.

The tubular element 54 is connected to a rotary drive (not shown), which is configured to rotate the tubular element 54 about its longitudinal axis. When activated, the thread 20 rotates sequentially together with the tubular element 54, resulting in the rotation of the thread 20 in front along the process chain. To achieve this, the inner diameter of the tubular element 54 is selected such that the inner walls of the tubular element 54 apply a frictional force to the thread 20.

In the embodiments of the invention described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, it should be understood that the thread 20 may contain any number of strands 22a, 22b, provided that the cross-section of the thread 20 is asymmetrical. However, as stated above, the tubular element 54 may be somewhat elastic, which means it can also interact with threads 20 having a circular cross-section. The same can also be achieved for a non-elastic tubular element, the dimensions of which are well adjusted to the dimensions of the thread 20.

In fig. 4 shows yet another embodiment of a filament interacting device 50. In this example, the thread interaction device 50 includes two rotating interaction elements 56. Each rotating member 56 includes an endless belt 56a, 56b driven by a rotary shaft 57. Each belt 56a, 56b defines an outer surface onto which at least one thread 20 is guided; in this example, thread 20 is fed to the interface between two adjacent belts 56a, 56b. As thread 20 passes through this contact boundary, belts 56a, 56b cause thread 20 to rotate. It should be noted that the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4 does not require an asymmetrical thread 20, and the thread engagement device 50 in this embodiment does not provide any significant increase in friction in the associated in-line processing system.

In fig. 1 only one filament interaction device 50 is shown. However, as described below, multiple filament interacting devices 50 may be used in combination with the processing unit 30. Such embodiments do not require that the thread interactors 50 be identical, but different kinds of thread interactors 50 may be used in combination, provided that each thread interactor 50 contributes to the forced rotation of the thread 20, and provided that at least one device 50 for interacting with the thread is optionally located behind the processing unit 30 along the technological chain. Thus, additional thread interaction devices 50 can be used not only to increase the overall rotation of thread 20, but also for other important functions such as thread direction. For this purpose, the thread interaction device 50 can be located immediately in front of the processing unit 30 along the process chain to align the thread 20 with the dispensing means of the processing unit 30. An additional device 50 for interacting with the thread is sequentially located behind the processing block 30 along the technological chain to ensure the required rotation of the thread 20 as the thread 20 passes through the processing block 30. The reason for this is the fact that the maximum rotation occurs just before the thread interacting device 50, along the process chain for at least the thread interacting device 50 shown in FIG. 2.

Thus far, the system 10 containing the thread interaction device(s) 50 has been described as interacting with a single thread 20. However, it turns out that the proposed system can also be used for multiple threads 20. These threads 20 can, for example, be twisted with the formation of a bundle of threads, as a result of which the processing unit 30 ensures uniform coloring along the periphery of the entire bundle of threads. The plurality of threads can be separated further down the processing chain or can be left in a bundle for further processing.

If desired, the filaments may be supplied to the filament interacting device(s) 50 in a separated state, causing the filaments to pass through the system more or less in parallel. When the threads are in contact with the thread interaction device, rotation occurs, but not only for each thread itself, but also for the entire bundle of threads. Thus, the threads are twisted with each other immediately before the thread interaction device 50 along the process chain, but are again separated behind the thread interaction device 50 along the process chain.

This phenomenon applies, for example, to the filament interacting devices shown in FIG. 3 and 4. Thus, this phenomenon can be used to simultaneously dye multiple threads while keeping the threads separate before and after they pass through the processing unit 30.

In fig. 5 shows an embodiment of the thread processing system 10 in more detail. The processing unit 30 includes a plurality of nozzles 32a-g located at different longitudinal positions along the thread 20 passing by the processing unit 30 during use. The direction of movement of the thread during its use is indicated in Fig. 5 with a solid arrow. Each nozzle 32a-g is configured to dispense a coating material, such as a dye, onto the thread 20 when the nozzle is actuated. The system 10 further includes a control unit 40 configured to operate at least two nozzles of the nozzles 32a-g to dispense coating material such that the coating material is absorbed by the thread 20 at various positions around the periphery of the thread as the thread 20 rotates about its longitudinal axis due to the influence of the thread interaction device 50, if necessary located behind the processing unit 30 along the technological chain. The relative position of two adjacent dispensed droplets of coating material may be selected such that the droplets have at least partial overlap, i.e. a portion of the peripheral region of thread 20 was covered by two adjacent droplets. The rotation of thread 20 is shown in FIG. 5 with a curved dotted arrow.

For the dyeing operation, control unit 40 receives one or more input signals specifying the desired color and/or dyeing effect. The color input signal preferably contains information regarding the specific color, as well as the longitudinal start and end positions of the thread 20 for said specific color. The longitudinal start and end positions can be represented at specific times if the thread speed is determined. The coloring input signal preferably contains pattern information, such as whether uniform coloring is required. Typically, uniform dyeing requires dispensing the coating to different positions along the periphery in a similar or even the same longitudinal range of the thread. On the other hand, the one-sided coating effect requires the coating to be dispensed to only one position along the periphery. Based on the knowledge that the thread 20 has a certain rotation or twist per unit length, it is possible to accurately dispense the coating material to various positions around the periphery of the thread 20 as the thread 20 passes the processing unit 30. By multiplying the torsion per unit length by the thread speed 20, you can get the torsion speed, i.e. angle of rotation or torsion per second. For example, if the twist per unit length is 360°/cm and the speed of thread 20 is 2 cm/s, the resulting twist speed is 720°/s, i.e. two 360° rotations per second. The spin rate may be used to calculate the required actuation time for each nozzle 32a-g such that each nozzle 32a-g can distribute the coating material such that the coating material strikes the thread 20 at a unique position around the periphery of the thread 20. It should be noted that the torsion of the thread 20 refers to the rotation of the thread 20 visible to the observer as the thread moves in the longitudinal direction. In addition, if necessary, the thread can have its own twist, for example, formed by the spiral appearance of a multi-strand thread. When the helically arranged strands pass through a fixed longitudinal position, the strand appears to rotate about that fixed longitudinal position. In another embodiment of the invention, if the thread contains only one strand or strands located parallel to its longitudinal extent, the torsion or rotation is carried out entirely by the thread interaction device 50.

An important factor in providing the required processing of the thread 20 is that the thread 20 rotates as it passes through the processing unit 30, so that the actuation of the nozzles 32a-g of the processing unit 30 can be controlled to dispense the coating material into unique positions around the periphery of the thread 20 during use. . However, this also requires a certain distance between the nozzles 32a-g to achieve the desired processing effect.

In addition, the actuation time may be based on knowledge of the longitudinal distance d1 between each of the plurality of nozzles 32a-g. For example, it is possible to dispense coating material onto the filament 20 at the same longitudinal position and at two selected peripheral positions such as 0 and 180°, knowing the longitudinal distance d1 between the respective nozzles 32a-g. For example, if the longitudinal distance between the first and second nozzles 32a-g is 5 mm, citing the above example, then a particular position of the filament 20 will require 0.25 s (5 mm/(2 cm/s)) to move from the first nozzle 32a-g to the second nozzle 32a-g. In 0.25 s, thread 20 scrolls 180° (720°/сх0.25 s). Therefore, in this case, the actuation time can be calculated such that the first nozzle is actuated at time zero and the second nozzle is actuated 0.25 seconds after time zero. The control unit 40 has data processing capabilities and may include a processor with a memory. The control unit 40 may receive input data related to a twist degree parameter associated with the twist degree, such as a rotation angle per unit length of the thread 20, and a speed level parameter associated with the speed of passage of the thread 20

- 5 045170 through the processing unit 30 during its use. Input data may be received through another device, such as a sensor, graphical user interface (not shown). Alternatively, the input data may be hard-coded into the control unit 40.

The control unit 40 may be further configured to transmit a control signal to the processing unit 30. The control signal sent by the control unit to the processing unit 30 may be a driving signal for driving the nozzles 32a-g of the control unit 30 in accordance with a distribution time pattern selected based on the obtained twist degree parameter and the speed level parameter. Thus, the control unit 40 can be configured to process the torsion degree parameter and the speed level parameter and be capable of determining the timing distribution pattern. Alternatively, the control signal sent to the processing unit 30 may include information about the torsion degree parameter and the speed level parameter. The processing unit 30 receives a control signal from the control unit 40 and supplies the coating material to the thread 20 through two or more nozzles 32a-g in accordance with a distribution time pattern selected based on the obtained twist degree parameter and the speed level parameter.

Although in FIG. 5 shows seven nozzles 32a-g, the processing unit 30 only requires at least two nozzles, such as nozzle 32a and 32b. However, for example, a typical ink jet head, which is a suitable component for implementing the invention, contains hundreds or even thousands of nozzles. In addition, other dispensing technologies can be used. In fig. 6 shows a variant of the system 10 shown in FIG. 5. In the system 10 shown in FIG. 6, the nozzles 32a', 32a, 32a''' are located at different radial positions around the thread 20. The nozzles 32a', 32a'', 32a''' may be located at a specific longitudinal position, or they may be distributed along the longitudinal direction. In fig. 5 is a front view of the system 10, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the system 10, and the twist of the thread 20 that occurs as the thread moves through the system 10 is indicated by a semicircular dotted arrow. The thread 20 is assumed to move in the direction of the arrow sign represented at the center of the thread 20. Moreover, the system 10 in FIG. 6 includes a processing unit 30 and a control unit 40, which operate in the same way as described above with reference to FIG. 1 and 5. However, the processing unit 30 and the control unit 40 shown in FIG. 6 are configured to provide simultaneous activation of the nozzles 32a', 32a'', 32a'''. A filament interacting device (not shown) may be suitable for the system 10 shown in FIG. 6, especially when multiple sets of nozzles 32a', 32a'', 32a''' are distributed in the longitudinal direction. For such an embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal distance between the nozzle sets can be very small, since the peripheral distance between the nozzles 32a', 32a, 32a' in each nozzle set, in combination with the induced rotation, ensures uniform dyeing of the thread 20.

A plurality of nozzles 32a-g may be located in a stationary nozzle array 70, for example, further shown in FIG. 7. In this case, the position of the nozzles 32a-g and other nozzles (not shown) are fixed in the processing unit 30. The nozzles 32a-g are separated in the longitudinal direction by a fixed distance d1. Returning to the above example, if it is necessary to dispense coating material onto the thread 20 in the same longitudinal position at an angle of 0 and 180°, the required longitudinal distance d2 can be calculated using the following formula:

(180°)/(torsion per unit length) where the torsion per unit length (360°/cm) is taken from the example above.

Thus, the required longitudinal distance d2 to achieve the required substance delivery is 0.5 cm. It should be noted that the fixed distance d1 between two adjacent nozzles 32a-g can be very small, for example less than 0.05 mm. The control unit (not shown in FIG. 7, but connected to the processing unit 30 as described above) may be configured to determine which nozzles 32a-g to operate based on the calculated required longitudinal distance d2. For example, when the fixed distance d1 is 1 mm and the required longitudinal distance d2 is 0.5 cm, i.e. 5 mm, then the first nozzle and the sixth nozzle can be determined to be driven since the sixth nozzle is located 5 mm from the first nozzle. This is shown in Fig. 7, wherein the first nozzle 32a and the sixth nozzle 32f are highlighted. Accordingly, the control unit 40 can operate the nozzles 32a-g to dispense the coating material at a unique position along the periphery of the thread 20. The required longitudinal distance d2 can be calculated by the control unit 40 to identify a suitable pair of nozzles. , where the second nozzle of the pair of nozzles is located at the required longitudinal distance d2, measured from the first nozzle of the pair of nozzles, or as close as possible to this distance. Actuation of any desired nozzle 32a-g may be accomplished by an actuation signal and based on the above-described twist rate parameter and/or based on the desired result. The above examples show the possibility of dispensing the substance in two specific positions around the periphery, if necessary, in the same longitudinal position of the thread 20, provided that the thread 20 rotates as it passes through the processing unit 30. However, in some embodiments, it is more preferable to extend the coating material at equal longitudinal intervals along the thread 20, but from different positions along the periphery. However, for colors that require a high level of saturation, it may be necessary to dispense multiple drops in the same longitudinal position. The possibility of controlled dispensing of the coating material in different positions along the periphery of the thread 20 allows you to give the thread 20 new distinctive features of the coating, such as a uniform even color, a solid color with mixed shades, smooth color transitions, shadows, imitation iridescence, a spiral coloring pattern, one-sided coloring, etc. .P. The length of the nozzle array may preferably be equal to at least the distance required for filament 20 to complete one 180° revolution around its axis, and more preferably equal to at least the distance required for filament 20 to complete one 360° revolution around its axis.

However, it should be noted that in some embodiments it may be preferable to allow the filament 20 to make more than one revolution between the longitudinal ends of the nozzle array 70, i.e. between the first and last nozzles of the array 70. This may be particularly advantageous when more than two nozzles 32a-g are provided in the processing unit 30. By causing the filament 20 to rotate at a rate of several revolutions during its passage between the first nozzle 32a and the last nozzle 32g, a uniform coating can be provided that uniformly covers the outer surface of the filament 20 by actuating suitable nozzles located between the first and last nozzles. In addition, other coloring effects can be used. Since the twist of the thread 20 is taken into account when determining the distribution pattern of the coating material, the resulting coating (or dyeing) effect can be very precisely controlled. This is because as the filament 20 rotates at some point, each circumferential position will be aligned with the nozzle 32a-g. Accordingly, a higher twist rate results in more twist per unit length of filament 20, which provides a more uniform and superior dispensing of coating material around the periphery of filament 20 since the nozzles to be actuated can be selected or controlled in accordance with a greater number of control patterns. In addition, it is also possible to reduce the overall length of the nozzle array 70, thereby providing a more compact design of the system 10. How the coating is delivered around the periphery of the filament 20 depends, among other things, on the size of the droplet. A small droplet size results in less coverage, which means that more droplets may need to be delivered to the same longitudinal position of the thread 20 to obtain full coverage of the outer surface of the thread 20. In one embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured to set the longitudinal distance d2 between at least two driven nozzles 32a-g based on the torsion per unit length ω [rad/m] of the thread 20, in accordance with the formula

20π/ω>d2>0

This means that the calculated required longitudinal distance d2 is set in such a way as to allow the thread to make up to 10 revolutions when moving between the two corresponding nozzles. In some embodiments of the invention, the control unit 40 is further configured to set the longitudinal distance d2 between the actuated nozzles based on the thread wetting level. In alternative embodiments of the invention, the control unit 40 is further configured to set the longitudinal distance d2 between the actuated nozzles based on a predetermined coloring action. The predetermined coloring action may be selected from the group consisting of a uniform coloring pattern, a one-sided coloring pattern, a random coloring pattern, or a spiral coloring pattern.

Additional embodiments of the invention

In a further embodiment of the invention, the processing unit 30 includes nozzles 32a-g, which can be separated by a longitudinal distance d3, which can be increased or decreased. Such an embodiment is shown in FIG. 8. Next, a situation in which a first drop is discharged from the first nozzle 32a and a subsequent drop is discharged from the second nozzle 32g is described. The longitudinal position of the second driven nozzle 32g can be adjusted either by moving the second driven nozzle 32g relative to the first driven nozzle 32a, or, as shown in FIG. 8 by moving the entire nozzle array 70 after the first nozzle 32a is actuated but before the second nozzle 32g is actuated. In another embodiment of the invention, the dispensed droplets may be deflected before they reach the thread 20, for example, by exposure to an electromagnetic field. In such an embodiment of the invention, the control unit 40 is configured to set a longitudinal distance d4 between a first position at which a droplet discharged from the first nozzle 32a is expected to strike the thread 20 and a second position at which a sequential droplet discharged from the second nozzle 32e is expected to strike the thread 20, wherein the system 10 further comprises means 60 for changing the trajectory of the dispensed droplets in accordance with the longitudinal distance d4. Such a case is shown in Fig. 9. This allows the nozzles 32a-g to be positioned in different positions along the longitudinal extent or along

- 7 045170 thread management 20 depending on the required distribution pattern of the coating material. This is particularly advantageous when the calculated required longitudinal distance d4 for a particular desired distribution pattern differs from what is physically possible, for example compared to what is obtained by calculating the longitudinal distance d2, d3 between the nozzles 32a-g. If the distance d2, d3 differs from the desired longitudinal distance, it is possible to adjust the resulting dispensing pattern of the coating material by deflecting the droplets so that the resulting longitudinal distance d4 matches the desired longitudinal distance. For the above-described embodiments using separation of the nozzles 32a-g, at least one of the nozzles 32a-g is connected to a device, such as an electric motor (not shown), configured to adjust the relative longitudinal distance d3 between the nozzles along and/or around the thread or change thread torsion. The electric motor may receive an input signal from the control unit 40. Depending on the twist of the thread 20 together with its moving speed, the relative position between the nozzles 23a-g can be adjusted according to the corresponding dispensing pattern. Thus, the greater the level of twist, expressed by the degree of twist parameter of the thread 20, the closer the at least two nozzles 32a-g can be located to each other, i.e. the longitudinal distance d3 can be reduced.

Likewise, a lower level of twist, expressed by the degree of twist parameter, refers to a larger relative distance between the nozzles 32a-g, i.e. longitudinal distance d3 increased. Therefore, by adjusting the longitudinal distance d3 between the at least two nozzles 32a-g, it is possible to improve the coating quality of the thread 20, so that the dispensing of the coating material along the outer perimeter of the thread is performed in a controlled manner. It should be noted that for the thread processing unit 30 having more than two nozzles 32a-g, each additional nozzle may be connected to the motor so as to enable the longitudinal distance between each of the nozzles to be adjusted, for example, the longitudinal distance between the nozzle 32c and the nozzle 32d . The level of thread twist together with the adjustable longitudinal distance d3 between at least two nozzles 32a and 32b makes it possible to completely cover the outer surface area, i.e. the outer perimeter of the thread 20. This greatly simplifies the processing unit 30 compared to nozzles located at different circumferential positions around the thread 20.

In one embodiment of the invention, each nozzle outputs a coating material having a color according to the CMYK subtractive color model, in which the primary colors are cyan, magenta, yellow and black. In this way, it is possible to dispense a wide range of colors onto the filament by actuating the nozzles such that the resulting colorant is a mixture of the colorants dispensed by the nozzles. In fig. 10 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the nozzle head 80 is equipped with a plurality of nozzle arrays 70a-d. Each nozzle array 70a-d may, for example, be an ink jetting nozzle array containing thousands of nozzles. As an example, each nozzle array 70a-d may be associated with one color represented according to the CMYK standard. However, other staining models can be used. In addition, the nozzle arrays 70a-d may be arranged as separate modules within a corresponding processing unit (not shown). In another embodiment of the invention, each nozzle outputs a coating material having a color comprising a mixture of two or more primary colors of the CMYK subtractive color model. In one embodiment of the invention, each nozzle is located within a nozzle plate (not shown), for example a flat nozzle plate extending longitudinally relative to the filament. As can be seen from the above, based on the degree of yarn twist and the ability to either adjust the longitudinal distances between each of the nozzles or determine the nozzles to be driven based on this longitudinal distance, it is possible to optimize the coating material dispensing pattern formed by the included nozzles so as to ensure the best possible desired quality of thread coating.

In fig. 11 illustrates a method 200 for providing thread processing of at least one thread. A method 200 for causing at least one filament to be processed before it is supplied to a filament consuming unit includes a first step 202 of feeding at least one filament downstream toward the filament consuming unit such that it interacts with at least one device. interaction with the thread, as a result of which at least one thread is forced to rotate around its longitudinal axis. Feeding of the filament 20 may be accomplished, for example, by drawing the filament 20. In addition, the method 200 includes the step 204 of passing at least one filament through a processing unit comprising a plurality of nozzles located at different positions relative to the at least one filament. The processing unit, if necessary, is located in front of the device for interacting with the thread along the technological chain, so that the thread rotates as it passes through the processing unit. Each nozzle is further configured to dispense one or more coating material onto at least one thread when actuated so that the thread can be processed (or dyed) as required due to rotation of the thread.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments,

Claims (3)

tion, it is not limited to the specific forms presented in the present description. On the contrary, the invention is limited only by the appended claims. In the claims, the term contains/comprising does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. In addition, although individual features may be included in different claims, they may be preferably combined, and inclusion in different claims does not imply that combining features is not advisable and/or preferred. Moreover, references to the singular do not exclude the plural. Terms one, first, second, etc. do not exclude the plural. Reference numerals in the claims are presented by way of illustrative example only and should not be construed as limiting in any way the scope of the claims. CLAIM 1. A system (10) for in-line dyeing of at least one thread (20) for use with a thread consuming device (100) comprising a thread consuming unit (90) being an embroidery unit, a sewing unit, a knitting unit or a weaving unit, comprising a processing unit (30) containing a plurality of nozzles (32a-g) located in different longitudinal positions relative to at least one thread (20), wherein at least one thread (20) is in motion during use and each nozzle is made with the possibility of dispensing one or more coating materials onto said at least one thread (20) upon actuation; at least one thread interaction device (50), wherein at least one thread interaction device (50) is a static guide element (52) containing an interaction surface (51), wherein at least one thread interaction device (50) thread is configured to apply torque to said at least one thread (20) to initiate its rotation, wherein said interaction surface (51) upon contact with said at least one thread (20) ensures rotation of said at least one thread ( 20) around its longitudinal axis when moving at least one thread (20) through the specified processing block (30); and a control unit (40) configured to operate at least two nozzles of the nozzles (32a-g) to dispense coating material so that the coating material is absorbed by said at least one thread (20) at different positions around the periphery said at least one thread (20) upon rotation of said at least one thread (20) around its longitudinal axis due to the action of at least one device (50) for interacting with the thread. 2. System (10) according to claim 1, in which one of said at least one device (50) for interacting with the thread is located on the downstream side of the processing block (30) along the direction of movement of at least one thread (20 ). 3. A method of providing dyeing treatment to at least one thread before it is supplied to a thread consuming device comprising a thread consuming unit being an embroidery unit, a sewing unit, a knitting unit or a weaving unit, including supplying at least one thread in such a manner, that it interacts with at least one thread interaction device, wherein the thread interaction device is a static guide element containing an interaction surface; applying a torque to said at least one thread to initiate rotation thereof such that when the engagement surface contacts said at least one thread, said at least one thread is caused to rotate about its longitudinal axis; passing said at least one thread through a processing unit comprising a plurality of nozzles located at different longitudinal positions relative to said at least one thread, each nozzle configured to dispense one or more coating materials onto said at least one thread when brought into action; and operating at least two nozzles of said plurality of nozzles to dispense coating material such that the coating material is absorbed by said at least one thread at various positions around the periphery of said at least one thread while rotating said at least one thread about its longitudinal axis due to the application of torque to said at least one thread. -