TW202030394A - A treatment unit for in-line treatment of thread - Google Patents

Abstract

A system (10) for in-line treatment of one or more threads (20a-b) for use with a thread consuming device (15) is provided. The system comprises a treatment unit (100) having a plurality of nozzles (152a-f) being distributed in at least a first and a second dispensing zone (154a-b), the dispensing zones (154a-b) being separated in a direction being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the at least one thread (20a-b), said thread (20a-b) being in motion in use, each nozzle (152a-f) being configured to dispense one or more coating substances at least onto the at least one thread (20a-b) when activated, and a control unit (190) being configured to control activation of each dispensing zone (154a-b) of nozzles (152a-f) independently.

Description

Processing unit for online processing of wires

The present invention relates to the technical field of wire consumption devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a system including a processing unit used in conjunction with a wire consuming device.

It has been proposed to provide a variety of thread consumption devices, such as embroidery machines or the like, which have online equipment designed to provide a specific treatment. Such an online device may be, for example, when a variety of embroidery machines are used to produce a multi-color pattern, the online device is used to color the thread, wherein multiple coloring nozzles can replace multiple pre-colored threads currently used. In the prior art system using wires of different colors, one wire has a first designated color and is used for one stitch, and another wire has a second designated color for other stitches.

In order to eliminate the multiple obvious shortcomings of the requirements for multiple wires of different colors, the applicant has filed several patent applications on the online coloring technology of wires, for example: PCT/SE2016/050589 and PCT/SE2016/050588. The proposed solution provides an improvement in color quality and reduces the complexity of the wire consuming device.

However, in order to further improve the quality and efficiency of the online coloring of multiple wires, it would be advantageous if the online coloring equipment can process more than one wire at the same time.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a solution that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. More specifically, the present invention provides a solution in which the system for online processing of a wire is configured to process multiple wires at the same time by dividing the multiple nozzles into a plurality of different distribution areas that can be independently controlled.

In a first aspect, a system for online processing of one or more wires is provided, and the system is used in a wire consuming device. The system includes a processing unit that includes a plurality of nozzles distributed in at least a first distribution area and a second distribution area, the distribution area being on a side substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the at least one wire Separate upwards, the wire is in operation when in use, when activated, each nozzle is configured to distribute at least one or more coating substances to the at least one wire, and a control unit is configured to independently control the number of nozzles Start of each allocation area.

Some wire consuming devices require multiple separate wires to be used at the same time. A solution with multiple separate systems per wire is disadvantageous because it is expensive and takes up space. Therefore, a single system capable of simultaneously treating multiple wires with coating substances has multiple advantages. In the system described herein, for example, multiple wires can be simultaneously applied with different coating substances (for example: different colors).

The plurality of nozzles may be arranged in one or more nozzle arrays. In an embodiment, the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a nozzle array, and the nozzle array may be arranged at an angle with respect to the direction of the at least one wire.

The plurality of nozzles may be arranged in at least two nozzle arrays. The at least two nozzle arrays may be connected in parallel with each other.

The plurality of nozzle arrays may be arranged at an angle with respect to the direction of the at least one wire.

In one embodiment, at least a part of the nozzles of the first nozzle array are distributed in the first distribution area, and at least a part of the nozzles of the second nozzle array are distributed in the second distribution area.

In an embodiment, all nozzles of the first nozzle array are distributed in the first distribution area, and all nozzles of the second nozzle array are distributed in the second distribution area.

In one embodiment, the system is configured for at least one first wire and one second wire in the line, and wherein the control unit is configured to independently control the activation of the multiple nozzles of each distribution area, so that The first wire can be processed by the first distribution area, and the second wire can be processed by the second distribution area at the same time.

In one embodiment, the control unit is configured to control the activation of each distribution area by sending a variety of trigger signals to the plurality of nozzles arranged in a specific distribution area.

The control unit may be configured to individually activate the multiple nozzles of a dispensing area.

The control unit is further configured to individually activate the plurality of nozzles of a distribution area by receiving a predetermined offset of the trigger signal.

In one embodiment, the first wire and the second wire are different from each other.

In one embodiment, the plurality of nozzles is a plurality of inkjet nozzles.

In one embodiment, the system further includes a wire consuming device. The thread consuming device is an embroidery machine, a sewing machine, a knitting machine, a loom, a tufting machine, a winding machine and/or any combination thereof.

In a second aspect, a method for online processing at least one wire is provided. The method includes: providing a processing unit with a plurality of nozzles distributed in at least one first and one second distribution area, the distribution area being divided in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the at least one wire The wire is in an operating state when in use, and each nozzle is configured to at least distribute one or more coating substances to the at least one wire when activated, and a control unit is provided, which is configured to individually control Activation of each distribution area of multiple nozzles.

definition:

The wire consuming device used in this article refers to any device that consumes wire. For example, the thread consuming device is an embroidery machine, a weaving machine, a sewing machine, a knitting machine, a tufting machine, and a winding machine. A thread winding machine or any other wire consuming equipment that can benefit from a surface treatment or coating or any other process that involves subjecting the wire to substance, such as dyeing.

The term "treatment" as used herein refers to any process used to change the characteristics of a wire. These processes include but are not limited to: coloring, wetting, lubricating, cleaning, fixing, heating, curing, dyeing, etc.

In this context, a wire is a flexible and elongated member or substrate that is thin in the width and height directions and has a longitudinal extension which is significantly greater than any part of the system described herein, and the A dimension whose longitudinal extension is greater than its width and height. Generally, a wire may consist of multiple layers bundled or twisted together. Therefore, the term "wire" includes a yarn, thread, strand, filament, etc., made of various materials, such as glass fiber, wool, cotton, synthetic materials, such as: polymers, metals, Polyester, viscose, or, for example, a mixture of wool, cotton, polymer or metal or any combination thereof.

In this specification, all references to upstream and/or downstream should be interpreted as relative positions during normal operation of the wire consuming device, that is, when the device is operated to process an elongated substrate (eg, a wire) When, continuously move through the device in a normal operating direction. Therefore, an upstream part is arranged so that a certain part of the wire passes through the upstream part before passing through a downstream part.

The idea of the present invention is to provide a system and method for dispensing a coating substance onto a wire in a controlled manner, the system and method being used in combination with a wire consuming device. First refer to FIG. 1a, which shows a schematic diagram of a system 10 for online processing of wires. The system 10 includes a processing unit 100 for dispensing one or more coating substances onto at least one wire. The system 10 also includes at least one wire consuming device 15, which may be in the form of, for example, one or more embroidery machines, looms, sewing machines, knitting machines, tufting machines, and winding machines. The system thus forms a wire consuming unit, which includes: the at least one wire consuming device 15 and the processing unit 100. It should be noted that more than one wire may be used in the one or more wire consuming devices.

It should be noted that multiple aspects of a system are described in this specification, and the multiple aspects need not include the wire consuming device 15. It will be further understood in the following that, for all embodiments, the system for online processing of wires requires a processing unit 100 that is used with a wire consuming device 15.

Referring now to FIG. 1 b, the thread consuming device 15 is exemplified as an embroidery machine, here shown as a single-head embroidery machine, the single-head embroidery machine is equipped with a processing unit 100. The embroidery machine 15 includes a movable platform 2b for carrying textiles for embroidery. During operation, the movable platform 2b is controlled to quickly change its position in the X and Y directions (ie, it is a horizontal plane in this case, but the movable platform 2b can also be in a vertical plane).

The processing unit 100 allows the embroidery machine 15 to operate without providing a unique pre-colored thread, which is required by traditional embroidery machines. On the contrary, the processing unit 100 provides on-line coloring of a thread 20 according to a plurality of predetermined coloring patterns, so that a color embroidery can be produced. Therefore, the processing unit replaces various thread reels existing in the prior art system.

As shown in Fig. 1b, the only connection between the processing unit 100 and the embroidery machine 15 is the wire 20 and a plurality of electrical connections (not shown). Therefore, the processing unit 100 is configured as an independent unit, which does not have a mechanical connection with the movable table 2b. In an optional embodiment, the independent processing unit 100 is installed to the wire consuming device 15 via a suspension, so as to reduce the vibration transmitted to the processing unit 100.

The system 10 described here can use only one processing unit 100 to process one or more wires 20a-20c with multiple coating substances. If multiple wires are used in the system 10, different coating materials can be distributed to different wires 20a-20c at the same time. Additionally or alternatively, the coating substance may be distributed in different patterns for different wires 20a-20c.

The various components of the processing unit 100 are shown in FIG. 2, and the processing unit is configured to process one or more wires. In the following, two wires used by the system will be described, but it should be understood that the system can be applied to a single wire or more than two wires.

Most or all of the components described in the system 10 can be arranged in a housing.

Each wire 20a-20b is arranged to pass through a corresponding wire spinning machine 120a-120b. Immediately downstream of the plurality of wire spinning machines 120a-120b, a plurality of wire feeders 130a-130b are provided for each wire 20a-20b. The wire feeder 130 may be configured to pull the wire forward through the processing unit 100. The wire supplier 130 will not be further described here, but for a more general understanding, each wire supplier 130 receives and forwards its corresponding wire 20a-20b. To this end, the plurality of wire feeders 130 may be controlled by a control unit 190 described further below. After the plurality of wires 20a-20b have passed through its corresponding wire feeder 130, each wire 20a-20b is engaged with the corresponding wire guide device 140a-140b. Each wire guide device 140a-140b may be, for example, in the form of one or more guide rollers or other suitable devices to ensure that its wire 20a-20b and one or more treatment nozzles forming part of at least one discharge device 150 Aligned. Then, the two wires 20a-20b pass through the common discharge device 150.

The dye discharge device 150 is configured to discharge the treated substance (for example, a coloring substance) onto the wire 20 when passing through the dye discharge device 150. To this end, the nozzle is preferably arranged in the longitudinal direction of the wire 20, as will be further described below with respect to FIGS. 3 to 5.

A driving unit (not shown) can be used to move the dye discharge device 150 or multiple components of the dye discharge device 150, for example: the one or more print heads 151a-151d (as shown in the example in FIG. 3) ). A driving unit makes it possible to set the dye discharge device 150 or a component of the dye discharge device 150 in different operating states to perform different tasks, for example: a first state is to distribute a coating substance to a wire, And a second state is to execute a cleaning program or other maintenance program or idle program.

Downstream of the dye discharge device 150, the plurality of wires 20a-20b are separated to a corresponding wire guide device 160a-160b. The second wire guiding device 160 cooperates with the corresponding first wire guiding device 140 so that the position during the travel of the plurality of corresponding wires 20a-20b along the dye discharge device 150 is correct. The second wire guiding device 160 may, for example, be in the form of one or more guiding rollers, although it may also be designed to cause a rotation of the wire 20 along its longitudinal axis.

The system 10 may also include a common, two separate or any number of wire speed sensors (not shown) that are configured to measure the speed of the wires 20a-20b passing through the system 10.

In addition, a common or two separate light detection systems (not shown) may be arranged downstream of the dye discharge device 150 along the traveling direction of the plurality of wires 20a-20b. The one or more light detection systems are configured to illuminate the plurality of wires 20a-20b so as to receive the light reflected from the plurality of wires 20a-20b when the plurality of wires 20a-20b are illuminated. For example, the information collected from the light detection signal can be used to determine the position of the plurality of wires relative to the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f, the width of each wire, and/or the characteristics of each wire. For example, this information can be used to detect one or more nozzles that need maintenance, the position of the one or more nozzles needs to be changed and/or to detect changes in the coating material. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more photodetection systems can be used to determine a variety of different properties of the plurality of wires with one or more coating substances that have been applied.

Then, the wire 20 is fed forward to pass through one or more fixing units 170 that are configured to fix the processed substance to the wire 20a-20b. The fixing unit may be common to the two wires or provided as two separate units to each wire 20a-20b. Preferably, the fixing unit 170 includes a heating device, such as a hot air supply or a plurality of heating elements, or a UV light source, so that the processed substance is cured or fixed on the wire 20, such as a coloring substance. As shown in FIG. 2, the fixing unit 170 can be arranged horizontally, vertically, or at an angle between horizontal and vertical.

Before leaving the housing 105, the plurality of wires 20a-20b may pass through a cleaning unit 180, such as an ultrasonic cleaning tank. In the ultrasonic cleaning tank, the plurality of wires 20a-20b cannot be removed. Many kinds of particles needed. The cleaning unit may be common to the two wires or provided as two separate units to each wire 20a-20b. When the processed substance is fixed to the plurality of wires 20a-20b, the cleaning unit 180 will leave the unaffected processing substance.

The processing unit 100 may also include a lubricating unit 185. The lubrication unit may be common to the two wires or provided as two separate units to each wire 20a-20b. A plurality of additional wire buffers and feeders (not shown) may also be included in the processing unit 100 and arranged at various positions in the wire path.

Preferably, the plurality of wires 20a-20b leave the processing unit 100 through a hole or the like, whereby the plurality of wires 20a-20b are sent to a related wire consuming device, for example: FIGS. 1a to An embroidery machine 15 shown in 1b.

The present invention also provides a control unit 190 with related electronic devices, such as various power electronic devices, communication modules, memory, etc. The control unit 190 is connected to the plurality of wire feeders 130a-130b, the dye discharge device 150, and the fixing unit 170, thereby enabling the operation of these components to be controlled. In addition, the control unit 190 is configured to control the operation of the entire processing unit 100, including: the cleaning unit 180, the lubrication unit, a destruction of the plurality of wires 20a-20b, and the processing unit 100 at different positions The speed of the wire, the plurality of wire buffers, etc. The control unit 190 can also be configured to receive multiple control signals from one or more components of the processing unit 100, for example, multiple control signals for triggering specific control or control with other related information, for example: using the embroidery The wire consumption of machine 15.

The control unit 190 can be composed of any commercially available CPU ("central processing unit"), DSP ("digital signal processor") or any other electronic programmable logic device, or a combination of these processors or other electronic programmable logic devices to fulfill. The control unit 190 can be implemented using multiple instructions that enable hardware functions. For example, by using executable computer program instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor, the executable computer program instructions can be stored in such a processor. A computer-readable storage medium (disk, memory, etc.) that is executed by the device. Preferably, the storage medium communicates with the control unit 190 in cooperation.

In one embodiment, a user interface is further provided. Preferably, the user interface is provided at the front end of the housing through a display. The display enables a user to interact with the control unit, and is therefore connected to the control unit 190, so that the control parameters of the wire supplier 130 can be set according to the program specifications. The wire supplier 130 and the dye discharge device 150. The fixing unit 170 and the like. Preferably, the display can also be used to warn the user of critical situations, so the display is used in the control unit 190 to issue an alarm or similar reminders.

It should be noted that the above components may not be included in the independent processing unit 100, but the multiple components of the processing unit 100 may be divided into several units. Preferably, the independent unit includes at least one dye discharge device 150. . In one embodiment, the multiple components are not provided as an independent unit, but are integrated with the wire consuming device 15.

In FIG. 3, a dye discharge device 150 is shown, which forms a part of the processing unit 100 as described above. The solid arrow in FIG. 3 indicates the moving direction of the wire 20a-20b in use. As will be described quickly and in more detail, the dye discharge device 150 includes a plurality of nozzles 152a-152f arranged at different longitudinal positions along the wire 20 (for example: spaced by a distance d1), the The wire 20 passes through the processing unit 100 during use.

Each nozzle 152a-152f is configured to dispense a coating substance, for example, when the nozzle is activated, a coating substance such as ink is distributed onto the wire 20. The coating substance is absorbed by the wire 20. For example, when the wire 20 is twisted around its longitudinal axis, the coating substance is absorbed by the wire 20 at different circumferential positions of the wire 20. The relative positions of the multiple droplets of two adjacently distributed coating substances can be selected so that the multiple droplets overlap.

The processing unit 100 includes one or more dye discharge devices 150. Preferably, each discharge device 150 forms a series of inkjet print heads 151a-151d, and each print head 151a-151d has one or more nozzle arrays. Each nozzle array usually includes hundreds or thousands of nozzles. For illustrative purposes, only six nozzles 152a-152f of one print head 151a-151d are shown; however, it should be understood that each nozzle array may be provided with hundreds or thousands of nozzles 152. As an example, each print head 151a-151d can be associated with a single color; in the example shown, the dye discharge device 150 has four print heads 151a-151d, each of which is based on the CMYK standard Associated with a specific color. However, many other coloring models can also be used.

The exact configuration of the processing unit 100 can be varied. For example, the processing unit 100 is provided with a single discharge device 150, and the single discharge device 150 has a plurality of printing heads 151a-151d. Each printing head 151a-151d is provided with a plurality of nozzles 152a-152f.

In another embodiment, the processing unit 100 is provided with a plurality of dye discharge devices 150, which are arranged in series or in parallel. Then, each discharge device 150 is provided with a plurality of printing heads 151a-151d. If arranged in series, the upstream dye discharge device 150 may have multiple print heads 151a-151d associated with one or more colors of a specific color standard, and the downstream dye discharge device 150 may have multiple print heads 151a- 151d, the multiple printing heads are associated with other colors of the same color standard as described above. If arranged in parallel, each dye discharge device 150 may have a plurality of printing heads 151a-151d associated with all colors of a specific color standard but having different wires 20. For such an embodiment, two separate wires 20 can be processed in parallel at the same time. Of course, multiple combinations of multiple configurations in parallel/series are also possible.

In another embodiment, the dye discharge device 150 only has a single printing head 151a-151d; therefore, the dynamic coloring of the wire 20 will require multiple dye discharge devices 150 of the processing unit 100.

Each nozzle 152a-152f can dispense a coating substance having a color according to the CMYK color model, where the primary colors are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Therefore, multiple colors can be assigned to the wire by activating multiple nozzles 152a-152f, so that all the coloring substances of a specific length of the wire 20 will be the multiple colors distributed by the multiple nozzles 152a-152f A mixture of substances. Preferably, a plurality of printing heads 151a-151d can be arranged in series to achieve the above content. Therefore, the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f of a specific printing head 151a-151d are dedicated to a single color.

In another embodiment, each nozzle 152a-152f dispenses a coating substance having a color including a mixture of two or more primary colors of the CMYK color model.

The control unit 190 is configured to control the activation of the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f, for example: when the wire 20 passes through the processing unit 100, the coating substance is emitted onto the wire 20, and in particular passes through the drawing染装置150。 Dyeing device 150. Through this configuration, the thread 20 can be colored very accurately. For example, in order to provide an advanced embroidery pattern, the coloring provided by the processing unit 100 is visually very complicated.

The control unit 190 receives one or more input signals of designated desired colors and/or coloring effects for a coloring operation. Preferably, the colored input signal includes information about the exact color and the longitudinal starting position and ending position of the wire 20 for the specific color. If the speed of the wire is determined, the longitudinal start position and end position can be represented by a plurality of specific time values.

Figures 4a to 4b show a corresponding top view of a print head 151a. The printing head 151a has a flat surface, and the plurality of nozzles 152 are arranged on the flat surface. As mentioned above, the total number of nozzles 152 of a single print head can be as high as several thousand, and they are arranged on a print head 151a with a size of several centimeters. In the example shown, a smaller number of nozzles 152 are shown. The plurality of nozzles 152 may be distributed in one or more nozzle arrays 153a-153b. In Figure 4a, the plurality of nozzles 152 are distributed in two parallel arrays 153a-153b. The multiple arrays 153 are aligned with each other so that the multiple nozzles 152 of one array 153a-153b are arranged next to a nozzle 152 of the other array 153a-153b.

Figure 4b shows a similar example, but there is a longitudinal offset between the two arrays 153a-153b.

The system 10 described here can use only one processing unit 100 to process one or more wires 20a-20c with multiple coating substances. If multiple wires are used in the system 10, different coating materials can be distributed to different wires 20a-20c at the same time. Additionally or alternatively, the coating substance may be distributed in different patterns on different wires 20a-20c.

Preferably, distributing the coating substance to the plurality of wires is achieved by arranging the plurality of nozzles of the dye discharge device 150 in a plurality of distribution areas 154a-154b that can be independently controlled. Reference will now be made to the description of some exemplary embodiments in 5a to 5f. In Figs. 5a to 5f, the print head 151a is configured to dispense the coating material on at least two wires 20a-20b, and in Fig. 5d, a situation with three wires 20a-20c is shown.

It should be noted that the following also applies to a larger number of wires, for example: four, five, etc. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of wires 20a-20c are parallel to each other. In addition, all the wires 20a-20c used in the system may have the same thickness or have different thicknesses. In addition, all the wires 20a-20c used in the system may be of the same type, or different types with different characteristics.

Figure 5a shows a print head 151a with two nozzle arrays 153a-153b. In this embodiment, the plurality of nozzle arrays 153a-153b are arranged in parallel with each other. The plurality of nozzles 152a-152f of the plurality of nozzle arrays 153a-153b are arranged in two distribution areas 154a-154b. The plurality of distribution areas 154a-154b are divided in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the plurality of wires 20a-20b. In this embodiment, the nozzles of the first nozzle array 153a are distributed in the first distribution area 154a, and the nozzles of the second nozzle array 153b are distributed in the second distribution area 154b. In this illustrative example, all nozzles 152a-152f of each nozzle array are part of the same distribution area 153a-153b. However, as shown in FIGS. 5b to 5c, all nozzles 152a-152f of the same array 153a-153b do not necessarily have to be the same distribution area 154a-154b. In this example, the first distribution area 154a is configured to dispense the coating substance onto the first wire 20a, and the second distribution area 154b is configured to dispense the coating substance onto the second wire 20b.

In FIG. 5a, the printing head 151a is arranged in the length direction of the plurality of wires 20a-20b. The plurality of nozzle arrays 153a-153b are aligned with the length direction of the plurality of wires 20a-20b.

It should be noted that the print head 151a shown in FIG. 5a can also be defined as having ten nozzle arrays, and each nozzle array includes two nozzles. According to this definition, the multiple nozzle arrays are perpendicular to the length of the wire 20a-20b. This situation is shown in Figure 5f.

Figure 5b shows a print head 151a with a single nozzle array 153a. The plurality of nozzles 152a-152f of the plurality of nozzle arrays 153a-153b are arranged in three distribution areas 154a-154c. In this embodiment, the plurality of nozzles covering (ie, capable of distributing the coating on the first wire 20a) are distributed in the first distribution area 154a, and the plurality of nozzles covering the second wire 20b are distributed In the second allocation area 154b. Here, an intermediate distribution area 154c is provided for one or more nozzles that do not cover any wires 20a-20b.

In FIG. 5b, the print head 151a and its nozzle array 153a are arranged such that it is inclined compared to the length of the plurality of wires 20a-20b. Therefore, the nozzle array 153a is arranged at an angle with respect to the length of the plurality of parallel wires 20a-20b. The angle is greater than or less than 0 degrees. The nozzle array is inclined with respect to the wire direction so that a single nozzle array can be used to process more than one wire at the same time. The larger the angle between the nozzle array and the wire, the more wires that can be colored by one nozzle array. A compromise solution with a higher angle is that each nozzle array can use fewer nozzles to color each wire 20a-20b.

Preferably, the length of the nozzle array can be at least as long as the distance required for the wire 20 to rotate 180° around itself, and more preferably at least as long as the distance required for the wire 20 to rotate 360° around itself . To this end, it is possible to provide a device for causing the wire to rotate when the wire passes through the processing unit.

Figure 5c shows a print head 151a similar to Figure 5a, the difference between the two is that the print head 151a and its multiple parallel nozzle arrays 153a-153b are compared with the multiple parallel wires 20a-20b. The angle is set, and not all the nozzles 152a-152f of the same array 153a-153b are part of the same distribution area 154a-154b. The two nozzle arrays are inclined relative to the direction of the wire, so that the multiple nozzles of the two nozzle arrays distribute the coating to the two wires 20a-20b. The greater the angle between the nozzle array and the wire, the more wires that can be colored by each nozzle array. A compromise solution with a larger angle is that each nozzle array can use fewer nozzles to color each wire 20a-20b.

Fig. 5d shows a print head 151a similar to that of Fig. 5a. The difference between the two is that the print head includes three parallel nozzle arrays 153a-153c and three distribution areas 154a-154c. In addition, in Fig. 5d, the print head 151a is configured to dispense the coating substance on at least three parallel wires 20a-20c.

Fig. 5d shows a print head 151a similar to Fig. 5a. The difference between the two is that the plurality of nozzles are distributed in six different distribution areas 154a-154f. Each nozzle array 153a includes a plurality of different nozzle portions, which include different coating materials, for example, different colors, as shown by the patterned multiple filling nozzles in FIG. 5d. Each nozzle section with a different coating substance is regarded as a distribution area 154a-154f. Therefore, each nozzle array can include a different color, and each distribution area 154a-154f has a different color. Although FIG. 5e shows a print head 151 including two identical nozzle arrays, it should be noted that the multiple nozzle arrays need not be identical to each other.

Figure 5f shows a print head 151a similar to Figure 5a, which has two distribution areas 154a-154b, each of which covers a wire 20a-20b. Here, the plurality of wires 20a-20b are shown to have different thicknesses. According to the thickness or width of the wires 20a-20b, different numbers of nozzles will cover the wires 20a-20b. It should be noted that, for illustrative purposes only, the size of the plurality of nozzles in FIGS. 3 to 5 is large relative to the thickness and/or width of the wires 20a, 20b.

In addition to the multiple components described with reference to FIG. 2, the system 10 may also include one or more encoders (not shown). In one embodiment, the number of wires 20a-20b and the number of encoders in the system 10 are the same, so one encoder is provided for each wire 20a-20b. Each encoder is set to trigger a variety of distribution signals to each nozzle in a distribution area. In another embodiment, all the wires 20a-20b are provided with a single encoder. Therefore, an encoder is configured to trigger multiple distribution signals to each nozzle in one distribution area and/or to trigger multiple distribution signals to all distribution areas.

The encoder may include a gear or communicate with a gear, such as a pulley or a guide roller. For example, the encoder may be a rotary encoder or a shaft encoder.

The control unit 190 is configured to independently control the activation and deactivation of each distribution area 154a-154c of the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f. To this end, the control unit 190 may be configured to send various trigger signals to the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f arranged in a specific distribution area 154a-154c. Additionally or alternatively, if the multiple nozzles arranged in one nozzle array 153a-153c are allocated to a single distribution area 154a-154c, the control unit 190 may be configured to send multiple trigger signals to individual nozzles The arrays 153a-153c are used to activate or deactivate the nozzles of the array and the dispensing area.

The control unit 190 may also be configured to separately control the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f arranged in the specific distribution area 154a-154c by sending various trigger signals to the specific distribution area 154a-154c. Start and stop of nozzles 152a-152f.

The control unit 190 may also be configured to use a predetermined deviation from receiving the trigger signal to individually activate the plurality of nozzles of a distribution area 154a-154c. For example, the deviation may be a specific time, length, and/or a combination of both.

In one embodiment, the first wire 20a-20b is provided with a trigger for activating the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f, the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f are distributed in the first distribution area 154a, and the second The second wire 20b is provided with a trigger for activating the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f, and the plurality of nozzles 152a-152f are distributed in the second distribution area 154b.

Each wire 20a-20b may have its own trigger to activate the multiple nozzles of its dispensing area, that is, the multiple nozzles arranged in a dispensing area covering the wire 20a-20b. In one embodiment, all allocation area settings have a common trigger.

The control unit 190 may also be configured to change the size of the multiple allocation areas 154a-154c. In addition, the control unit 190 may be configured to change the plurality of nozzles to be distributed in the plurality of distribution areas 154a-154c. The above-mentioned changes may be made based on, for example, the thickness of the wire, the density of the wire, the amount of the wire to be processed, the characteristics of the coating substance, the calibration result, and/or the number of activated nozzles.

The control unit 190 may also be configured to change the angle of the one or more printing heads 151a or the plurality of nozzle arrays 153a-153c relative to the plurality of wires 20a-20c to be processed. The control unit 190 may be configured to change the angle based on the thickness of the wire, the density of the wire, the number of the wire to be processed, the characteristics of the coating substance, and/or the number of activated nozzles.

In the above, reference is made to one or more wires 20a-20c. In one embodiment, all the wires set through the system 10 need to be processed online. In another embodiment, when multiple wires are used, it is sufficient if one of the wires needs to be processed online (for example, a wire that is not pre-colored). Therefore, the system 10 is configured to simultaneously process a uniquely pre-processed wire and multiple wires that need to be processed online. For example, an embroidery machine can combine an in-line processed thread with a pre-processed thread to produce a specific pattern on a substrate. For example, such a pre-treated wire may be a metallic, thick, thin, neon-colored wire.

Therefore, the control unit 190 may be configured to determine that the wire has been processed when passing through the dye discharge device 150. However, it should be noted that not all wires need to pass through the processing unit 100. For example, this is the case when a wire does not need to be treated with a coating substance.

Although the present invention has been mainly described with reference to a system including a processing unit 100 and a wire consuming device 15, those skilled in the art should understand that the various features of the present invention can also be applied to other systems. Figures 6a to 6b show two examples of such alternative systems.

In Fig. 6a, the system 10 includes a first processing unit and a second processing unit 100a, 100b, and a first wire consuming device and a second wire consuming device 15a-15b. Each processing unit 100a, 100b controls and executes various operations on each wire consumption device 15a-15b. It should be noted that although the first and second processing units 100a, 100b are separate, they can share one or more components. In one embodiment, the control unit 190 is configured as a separate unit separate from the first and second processing units 100a, 100b, and one control unit 190 is therefore configured to control the two processing units 100a, 100b. Operate and control various operations of the two wire consuming devices 15a-15b accordingly.

In Figure 6b, the system 10 includes a processing unit 100a and a first and second wire consuming devices 15a-15b. In this embodiment, one processing unit 100a is configured to control and execute the operation of two wire consuming devices 15a-15b.

It should be noted that although only two processing units and two wire consuming devices are shown in Figure 6a, and only one processing unit and two wire consuming devices are shown in Figure 6b, it should be understood that any reasonable number of processing units And/or wire consuming devices can all be present in the system 10.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific form set forth herein. On the contrary, the present invention is only limited by the scope of the attached patent application.

In the scope of the patent application, the term "include/include" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. In addition, although individual features can be included in different patent applications, these features can be advantageously combined, and being included in different patent applications does not mean that the combination of features is not feasible and/or disadvantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude the majority. The terms "one", "one", "first", "second", etc. do not exclude the majority. The reference signs in the scope of the patent application are provided as illustrative examples only, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the scope of the patent application in any way.

10: System 15: Wire consumption device 15a: The first wire consumption device 15b: Second wire consumption device 2b: movable platform 20: Wire 20a-20b: wire 20b: Wire 100: processing unit 100a: the first processing unit 100b: second processing unit 105: shell 120: wire spinning machine 120a-120b: wire spinning machine 130a-130b: wire feeder 140a-140b: Wire guide device 150: Discharge device 151a-151d: printing head 152: Nozzle 152a-152f: nozzle 153a-153c: nozzle array 154a-154f: Allocation area 160a-160b: Wire guide device 170: fixed unit 180: cleaning unit 190: control unit d1: distance

A number of embodiments of the invention will be described in the following description of the invention; with reference to a number of drawings, the number of drawings shows a number of non-limiting examples of how to implement the concept of the invention.

Figure 1a is a schematic diagram of a system for online processing of wires according to an embodiment;

Figure 1b is a perspective view of a system having a wire consuming device and a processing unit according to an embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a processing unit used in a system according to an embodiment;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a dye discharge device forming part of a processing unit;

Figure 4a is a schematic top view of a part of a dye discharge device according to an embodiment;

Figure 4b is a schematic top view of a part of a dye discharge device according to an embodiment;

5a is a schematic diagram of a part of a processing unit according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5b is a schematic diagram of a part of a processing unit according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5c is a schematic diagram of a part of a processing unit according to an embodiment;

5d is a schematic diagram of a part of a processing unit according to an embodiment;

Figure 5e is a schematic diagram of a part of a processing unit according to an embodiment;

5f is a schematic diagram of a part of a processing unit according to an embodiment;

Fig. 6a is a schematic diagram of a system according to an embodiment; and

Fig. 6b is a schematic diagram of a system according to an embodiment.

20a: Wire

20b: Wire

151a: print head

153a: control unit

153b: nozzle array

154a: Allocation area

154b: Allocation area

Claims (17)

A system (10) for online processing one or more wires (20a-20b). The system (10) is used with a wire consuming device (15). The system (10) includes: A processing unit (100) having a plurality of nozzles (152a-152f), the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) are distributed in at least a first distribution area and a second distribution area (154a-154b), the distribution area (154a-154b) are separated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the at least one wire (20a-20b). The wire (20a-20b) is in operation when in use. When activated, each nozzle (152a- 152f) is configured to dispense at least one or more coating substances onto the at least one wire (20a-20b); and A control unit (190) is configured to independently control the activation of each distribution area (154a-154b) of the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f). According to the system (10) described in the first item of the scope of patent application, the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) are arranged in one or more nozzle arrays (153a-153b). According to the system (10) described in item 2 of the scope of patent application, the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) are arranged in a nozzle array (153a-153b), and wherein the nozzle array (153a-153b) is opposite to The direction of the at least one wire (20a-20b) is arranged at an angle. According to the system (10) described in item 2 of the scope of patent application, the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) are arranged in at least two nozzle arrays (153a-153b). According to the system (10) described in item 4 of the scope of the patent application, the at least two nozzle arrays (153a-153b) are connected in parallel with each other. According to the system (10) described in any one of item 2, item 4, or item 5 of the scope of the patent application, the plurality of nozzle arrays (153a-153b) are positioned relative to the at least one wire (20a-20b) The direction is set at an angle. According to the system (10) according to any one of items 4 to 6 of the scope of patent application, the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) of at least a part of the first nozzle array (153a) are distributed in the first distribution A plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) in the area (154a) and at least a part of the second nozzle array (153b) are distributed in the second distribution area (154b). According to the system (10) described in item 7 of the scope of patent application, all the nozzles (152a-152f) of the first nozzle array (153a) are distributed in the first distribution area (154a), and the second nozzle array ( All nozzles (152a-152f) of 153b) are distributed in the second distribution area (154b). The system (10) according to any one of the aforementioned patent applications, wherein the system is configured to process at least a first wire (20a) and a second wire (20b) online, and wherein the control unit (190) It is configured to independently control the activation of the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) of each distribution area (154a-154b), so that the first wire (20a) can be processed by the first distribution area (154a), and the The second wires (20b) can be processed simultaneously by the second distribution area (154b). According to the system (10) described in item 9 of the scope of patent application, the control unit (190) is configured to control each distribution area (154a-152f) by sending various trigger signals to the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f). 154b) is activated, the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) are arranged in the specific distribution area (154a-154c). According to the system (10) described in item 10 of the scope of patent application, the control unit (190) is further configured to independently activate the plurality of nozzles of a distribution area (154a-154c). According to the system (10) described in item 11 of the scope of patent application, the control unit (190) is further configured to independently activate the allocation area (154a-154c) with a predetermined offset of the trigger signal. Multiple nozzles. According to the system (10) described in items 9 to 12 of the scope of patent application, the first wire (20a) and the second wire (20b) are different from each other. The system (10) according to any one of the aforementioned patent applications, wherein the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) are a plurality of inkjet nozzles. The system (10) according to any one of the aforementioned patent applications, wherein the system (10) further includes a wire consuming device (15). According to the system (10) described in item 15 of the scope of patent application, the thread consuming device (15) is an embroidery machine, a sewing machine, a knitting machine, a loom, a tufting machine, a winding machine and / Or any combination of them. A method for processing at least one wire (20) online, the method comprising: A processing unit (100) with a plurality of nozzles (152a-f) is provided, and the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f) are distributed in at least one first and one second distribution area (154a-154b), and the distribution area ( 154a-154b) are separated in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the at least one wire (20a-20b), the wire (20a-20b) is in operation when in use, and each nozzle (152a-152f) is configured to be When starting, at least one or more coating substances are distributed on the at least one wire (20a-20f); and A control unit (190) is provided, and the control unit (190) is configured to independently control the activation of each distribution area (154a-154b) of the plurality of nozzles (152a-152f).

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