A control method for a fully formed braided rake

Abstract

The invention discloses a fully formed weaving rake control method. At least 30 stepper motors are respectively arranged in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area of ​​a computer flat knitting machine. Each stepper motor is controlled and connected with a rake control chip corresponding to it. The rake control chip is communicatively connected with a machine head MCU main control chip. The machine head MCU main control chip converts the fully formed weaving demand and the machine head driving signal into a stepper motor driving signal input to the rake control chip. The rake control chip converts the stepper motor driving signal into a stepper motor motion curve input to each stepper motor. Each stepper motor uses the stepper motor motion curve as a motion instruction to drive the corresponding rake to independently perform up and down lifting actions to pull the fabric, so as to individually control the tension exerted on the fabric in its corresponding area, thereby achieving a fully formed weaving effect on the target fabric, significantly avoiding or at least reducing the work of manual sewing, saving labor, and also greatly improving the weaving efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of full-automatic computerized flat knitting machine control, and in particular relates to a fully formed weaving rake control method. Background Art

[0002] Fully automatic computerized flat knitting machines are mechanical tools that can automatically knit all kinds of clothing by designing pattern files through software. When knitting clothing, existing fully automatic computerized flat knitting machines divide the front piece, back piece, sleeve piece, etc. into several large pieces of cloth, knit them according to proportion, and then the sewing workers sew the various pieces into a whole garment, which obviously affects the automatic knitting efficiency of clothing.

[0003] However, in order to achieve the fully fashioned knitting effect (specifically, a whole garment is knitted directly from a single yarn without the need for manual sewing), there are some technical difficulties, as follows:

[0004] The weaving process of a flat knitting machine is that the machine head moves to push the needles on the needle plate, and the yarn is pulled back and forth by the needles to weave into a loop. This process requires a downward pulling force to pull the knitted fabric, so that the knitted fabric can be woven row by row and finally form a complete garment. The existing flat knitting machine usually tightens the fabric by a high-position roller, and when the roller rotates downward, the downward friction between the roller rubber and the knitted fabric is used to pull the fabric downward. The high-position roller structure has two full roller rods in front and back, covered with silicone skin. When rotating, the entire roller rod rotates, and the roller tension can be adjusted by adjusting the roller speed. Therefore, when weaving the same row, the roller tension on the same row of fabric is consistent, so it can meet the traditional single-piece weaving needs.

[0005] However, full-stroke knitting is different from single-piece knitting. For example, when knitting the same row, some parts in the row may be sleeves, some parts may be front pieces, some parts may be back pieces, and some parts may be shoulders or scapulas. In other words, the positions of clothes knitted in the same row may be different, and the knitting structure in the same row is variable. Obviously, different knitting structures are adapted to different tensions, and the existing high roller control cannot meet the requirements of full-form knitting effects.

[0006] To this end, based on the applicant's dedicated research and development experience in computer flat knitting machines, we hope to achieve efficient fully molded weaving effects by seeking technical solutions. Summary of the invention

[0007] In view of this, the object of the present invention is to provide a fully formed weaving rake control method to achieve a fully formed weaving effect, significantly avoid or at least reduce the work of manual sewing, save labor, and also greatly improve the weaving efficiency.

[0008] During the development process, the applicant first thought of changing the tension of the roller based on the conventional enlightenment of the technical problem, which includes the following:

[0009] First, change the friction of the high roller: add a pressure motor on the outside of the roller rod to push the roller rod while keeping the original roller structure unchanged. By changing the pressure of the local roller rod, the local roller tension is adjusted. Usually, 18-24 pressure motors are installed on one roller rod. This structure is easy to implement, but the control accuracy is not high. By increasing the pressure between the rollers, the friction of the roller on the fabric is changed. The effect of adjusting the tension is not precise enough and can only meet the weaving needs of simple general clothing.

[0010] Second, change the roller speed: replace the original roller front rod with a segmented roller, and then each roller segment is built-in with a small stepper motor. By adjusting the speed of the built-in motor of each roller segment, the tension of each segment can be changed, and the rear rod is still a whole rod that rotates together. Usually, the roller rod is divided into 12-16 segments with built-in motors. With this structure control, the local roller tension control will be better, but the speed of the front and rear rod motors is not synchronized. It is easy to control when increasing the tension, but when reducing the tension, the tension reduction is difficult to control because the rear rod keeps rotating.

[0011] To this end, the inventor of the present application proposed a rake control technology after exploration and experimentation, which overturned the traditional roller tension control mode. After experimental verification, the present application was finally proposed.

[0012] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0013] A method for controlling a fully formed weaving rake is disclosed. At least 30 stepper motors are respectively arranged in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area of ​​a computer flat knitting machine. Each stepper motor is controlled and connected with a rake control chip corresponding thereto. The rake control chip is communicatively connected with a head MCU main control chip. The head MCU main control chip sends a head drive signal to the head motor based on a head position signal to drive the head to work. The head MCU main control chip is pre-input with a fully formed weaving requirement of a target fabric. The fully formed weaving requirement and the head drive signal are combined and converted into a stepper motor drive signal input to the rake control chip. The rake control chip converts the stepper motor drive signal into a stepper motor motion curve input to each stepper motor. Each stepper motor uses the stepper motor motion curve as a motion instruction to drive the corresponding rake to independently perform up and down lifting actions to pull the fabric, so as to individually control the tension exerted on the fabric in its corresponding area, thereby achieving a fully formed weaving effect on the target fabric.

[0014] Preferably, the front plate knitting area and the rear plate knitting area are respectively provided with 40-60 stepper motors.

[0015] Preferably, the number of stepper motors arranged in the front plate weaving area and the number of stepper motors arranged in the rear plate weaving area are the same, and the stepper motors in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area are distributed in a closely parallel shape.

[0016] Preferably, each rake can control the distance of fabric tension change to be no greater than 5 cm, and the operating peak current of each stepper motor is no greater than 2A.

[0017] Preferably, each rake can control the distance of fabric tension variation to be 1.5-3.5 cm.

[0018] Preferably, the front plate rakes arranged in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate rakes arranged in the rear plate weaving area are distributed in alternating intervals.

[0019] Preferably, a plurality of rake control chips are integrated in a rake driving board, each rake control chip is communicatively connected with the head MCU main control chip, and each rake driving board is communicatively connected with each other via CAN communication.

[0020] Preferably, the number of the rake driving boards is greater than 2; wherein each rake driving board is integrated with 6-12 rake control chips, wherein each rake driving board is distinguished by setting a different physical address through a DIP switch.

[0021] Preferably, the rake control chip adopts the DRV8424RGER drive control chip; the head MCU main control chip adopts the STM32F103VC model chip.

[0022] Preferably, the fully formed weaving requirements of the target fabric are transmitted to the head MCU main control chip by the host computer through communication, the head position signal is collected by a position sensor installed on the head, and the head position signal is simultaneously transmitted to the head MCU main control chip and the servo driver of the head motor through the control main board; the head motor adopts a servo motor.

[0023] It should be noted that the "rake" referred to in the entire application can be in the shape of a hook or other structural shape that can pull the fabric. The application does not make any special limitation on it, and technical personnel in this field can choose it according to actual needs.

[0024] The present application structurally subverts the traditional roller tension control mode, and can achieve independent tension control effects within a very small range (preferably not more than 5cm, more preferably 1.5-3.5cm), and can even separate the tension of the front and rear plates (the front plate rake and the rear plate rake can be arranged in an alternating interval distribution); specifically, the rake control technical solution proposed in the present application is composed of no less than 60 small stepper motors (no less than 30 stepper motors are arranged in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area respectively), and each small stepper motor is lifted and lowered by the rake installed at its output end, and independently pulls the fabric up and down in the extremely small weaving area where it is located, which means that the tension change can be controlled within an extremely small size range by a single rake, and the front and rear plate rakes in the present application are independently operated, so that the tension of the front and rear garment pieces is also independently adjustable, so that the multiple rake control of the present application is equivalent to multiple small hands grabbing the fabric for independent tension control, breaking the traditional control mode of using high roller tension.

[0025] Compared with the traditional high roller tension control, the fully formed weaving rake control method provided by the present application makes the tension control of the fabric more flexible and precise, and directly realizes the control of the fabric point effect from the control of the fabric surface effect realized by the original high roller tension; because the tension control accuracy provided by the present application is significantly improved, the weaving patterns of the flat knitting machine are further enriched, and the weaving patterns with high tension requirements can be processed in large quantities, that is, the fully formed weaving effect is realized, and the fully formed weaving effect of a garment is realized from the change of the weaving tension of a yarn;

[0026] On the basis of the above, the fully formed weaving rake control method provided in the present application can enrich new weaving patterns, thereby increasing the competitiveness and added value of fabric products; and achieving a fully formed weaving effect also significantly avoids or at least reduces the work of manual sewing, saves labor, and also greatly improves weaving efficiency.

[0027] The present application also specifically proposes a fully formed woven rake control connection structure, which specifically includes a control main board, a machine head MCU main control chip and a rake drive board provided with a rake control chip, wherein the control main board is respectively communicated with the machine head MCU main control chip and the rake control chip; the control main board is communicated with the servo driver, and is connected to the machine head motor drive through the servo driver; the rake control chip is connected to its corresponding stepper motor drive; the overall control structure is simple, the control is flexible, precise, stable and reliable, and at the same time, the control structure has high integration and low manufacturing cost, which is suitable for large-scale promotion and application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the control connection structure of the fully formed braided rake under the specific implementation mode of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of the MCU main control chip of the head under the specific implementation mode of this application;

[0030] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single rake control chip in a specific implementation manner of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The embodiment of the present invention discloses a fully formed weaving rake control method, wherein at least 30 stepper motors are respectively arranged in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area of ​​a computer flat knitting machine, each stepper motor is controlled and connected with its corresponding rake control chip, and the rake control chip is communicatively connected with the head MCU main control chip, wherein the head MCU main control chip sends a head drive signal to the head motor based on a head position signal to drive the head to work, and the head MCU main control chip is pre-input with the fully formed weaving demand of the target fabric, and combines the fully formed weaving demand and the head drive signal to convert it into a stepper motor drive signal input to the rake control chip, the rake control chip converts the stepper motor drive signal into a stepper motor motion curve input to each stepper motor, and each stepper motor uses the stepper motor motion curve as a motion instruction to drive the corresponding rake to independently perform up and down lifting actions to pull the fabric, which is used to individually control the tension exerted on the fabric in its corresponding area, so as to achieve a fully formed weaving effect on the target fabric.

[0032] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] See also Figure 1 A fully formed braided rake control connection structure shown includes a control mainboard, a head MCU main control chip 1 and a rake drive board 3 provided with a rake control chip 2; wherein the control mainboard 4 is respectively connected to the head MCU main control chip 1 and the rake control chip 2 for communication; the control mainboard 4 is connected to the servo driver 5 for communication, and is connected to the head motor 6 (specifically a servo motor) for driving through the servo driver 5; the rake control chip 2 is connected to the corresponding stepper motor for driving.

[0034] Preferably, in this embodiment, a position sensor 7 is installed on the machine head of the computerized flat knitting machine, and the position sensor 7 is communicatively connected with the control main board 4 for sending a machine head position signal to the control main board 4 .

[0035] Preferably, in the present embodiment, at least 2 rake driving boards 3 are included, each of which is integrated with a plurality of rake control chips 2, specifically, at least 6 rake control chips 2 are integrated, and the rake driving boards 3 are connected to each other through CAN communication; more preferably, in the present embodiment, at least 6-12 rake driving boards 3 are included, each of which is integrated with 6-12 rake control chips 2; specifically preferably, in the present embodiment, 10 rake driving boards 3 (specifically in a rectangular shape, Figure 1 Marked as: rake driving board 1), each rake driving board 3 is integrated with 10 rake control chips 2, and the rake driving boards 3 are connected to each other through CAN communication;

[0036] Preferably, in the present embodiment, each rake control chip 2 is connected to a stepper motor control, that is, a total of 100 stepper motors are included; wherein, the output end of each stepper motor is installed and connected with a rake (also called a "hook"), and the independent pulling effect on the fabric is achieved through the up and down lifting action of the rake; further preferably, in the present embodiment, the stepper motors are respectively arranged in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area of ​​the flat knitting machine (a well-known weaving area structure, which is not specifically described in this embodiment), wherein the number of stepper motors arranged in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area is the same, 50 each, and the 50 stepper motors in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area are respectively distributed in a closely side-by-side shape; wherein preferably, in order to facilitate the tension control of the fabric point effect, in the present embodiment, the axial (i.e., the running direction of the machine head) dimension range of each stepper motor is not greater than 5 cm, preferably 1.5-3.5 cm, and specifically preferably, in the present embodiment, the axial dimension of each stepper motor is 2.5 cm.

[0037] Preferably, in order to achieve the desired target control effect, in this embodiment, the rake control chip 2 adopts a DRV8424RGER drive control chip (see Figure 3 As shown); the head MCU main control chip 1 adopts the STM32F103VC model chip (see Figure 2 As shown); the control mainboard 4 adopts the STM32F429IGT6 model chip; preferably, in this embodiment, the control mainboard 4 is connected to the rake control chip 2 through the CAN repeater 8; the control mainboard 4 is connected to the head MCU main control chip 1 and the rake control chip 2 through the CAN communication method.

[0038] The present embodiment also proposes a fully formed weaving rake control method, which specifically adopts the fully formed weaving rake control connection structure as described above, that is to say: 50 stepper motors are respectively provided in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area of ​​the computer flat knitting machine, and each stepper motor is control-connected to its corresponding rake control chip 2, and the rake control chip 2 is communicatively connected to the head MCU main control chip 1, wherein the head MCU main control chip 1 sends a head drive signal to the head motor 6 through the control main board 4 based on the head position signal to drive the head to work, preferably, in this embodiment, the fully formed weaving demand of the target fabric is transmitted to the head MCU main control chip 2 by means of communication using a host computer (specifically, a human-computer interaction interface), the head position signal is acquired by a position sensor 7 installed on the head, and the head position signal is simultaneously transmitted to the head MCU main control chip 1 and the servo driver 5 of the head motor 6 (specifically, a servo motor is preferably used) through the control main board 4.

[0039] In this embodiment, the head MCU main control chip 1 is pre-input with the full-formed weaving requirements of the target fabric, and is converted into a stepper motor drive signal input to the rake control chip 2 in combination with the full-formed weaving requirements and the head drive signal, and is transmitted to each rake control chip 2 on each rake drive board 3 through the control main board 4. The rake control chip 2 converts the stepper motor drive signal into a stepper motor motion curve input to each stepper motor. Each stepper motor uses the stepper motor motion curve as a motion instruction, and drives the corresponding rake to independently perform up and down lifting actions to pull the fabric, which is used to individually control the tension on the fabric in its corresponding area, thereby achieving a full-formed weaving effect on the target fabric.

[0040] In this embodiment, each rake can control the tension change of the fabric to a distance of 2.5 cm (corresponding to the axial size of a single stepper motor), which means that a single rake can control the tension change within a range of 2.5 cm, which is equivalent to achieving the control of the fabric point effect.

[0041] In this embodiment, the control motherboard 4 adopts the STM32F429IGT6 chip, and the head MCU main control chip 1 adopts the STM32F103VC chip, which mainly handles the communication between it and the control motherboard 4, and promptly sends drive instructions to the rake control chip 2 through the control motherboard 4 to ensure the precise driving effect of each stepper motor; at the same time, it is also used to process and adjust the driving current size, pulse and direction of the servo driver 5, thereby controlling the torque, speed and direction of the head motor 6 to ensure the precise control effect of the head.

[0042] In this embodiment, the rake control chip 2 adopts the DRV8424RGER drive control chip (provided by TI, a mature motor drive chip). In actual operation, the operating peak current of a single stepper motor is relatively small, preferably not more than 2A. Specifically, in this embodiment, the operating peak current of a single stepper motor is 1A, and the driving effect is precise, stable and reliable.

[0043] For details, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the STM32F429IGT6 chip outputs the enable signal nBJ_ENB1, the motor direction signal DIR1, the motor speed signal STEP1 and the reference voltage value signal VREF1 to the input pin of the DRV8424RGER driver control chip through the output pins; the signals corresponding to the input pins and output pins of each STM32F429IGT6 chip and the signals corresponding to the input pins and output pins of the DRV8424RGER driver control chip can be directly referred to Figure 2 and Figure 3 These are all conventional technical choices that can be made by those skilled in the art based on the technical content recorded in this application. Therefore, this embodiment will not explain them one by one.

[0044] Preferably, in order to achieve independent control of the tension on the front and rear plates, in this embodiment, the front plate rakes arranged in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate rakes arranged in the rear plate weaving area are distributed in alternating intervals.

[0045] Preferably, in order to identify each rake driving board 3, in this embodiment, each rake driving board 3 is set with a different physical address through a DIP switch (known structure) to distinguish it, thereby realizing the identification and management of a large number of rake driving boards 3 and their corresponding rake control chips 2.

[0046] The fully-formed weaving rake control method provided in this embodiment can enrich new weaving patterns, thereby increasing the competitiveness and added value of fabric products; and achieving a fully-formed weaving effect also significantly avoids or at least reduces the work of manual sewing, saving labor, and also greatly improving the weaving efficiency; at the same time, the fully-formed weaving rake control connection structure provided in this embodiment is simple, the control is flexible, precise, stable and reliable, and the control structure has high integration and low manufacturing cost, which is suitable for large-scale promotion and application.

[0047] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

[0048] In addition, it should be understood that although the present specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a fully formed braided rake, characterized in that: At least 30 stepper motors are respectively provided in the front plate weaving area and the back plate weaving area of ​​the computer flat knitting machine, each stepper motor is controlled and connected with its corresponding rake control chip, and the rake control chip is communicatively connected with the head MCU main control chip, wherein the head MCU main control chip sends a head drive signal to the head motor based on the head position signal to drive the head to work, and the head MCU main control chip is pre-input with the full-molded weaving demand of the target fabric, and combines the full-molded weaving demand and the head drive signal to convert it into a stepper motor drive signal input to the rake control chip, and the rake control chip converts the stepper motor drive signal into a stepper motor motion curve input to each stepper motor, and each stepper motor uses the stepper motor motion curve as a motion instruction to drive the corresponding rake to independently perform up and down lifting actions to pull the fabric, which is used to individually control the tension on the fabric in its corresponding area to achieve a full-molded weaving effect on the target fabric; A plurality of rake control chips are integrated in the rake drive board, each rake control chip is connected to the head MCU main control chip for communication, and each rake drive board is connected to each other for communication via CAN communication; The number of the rake driving boards is greater than 2; wherein each rake driving board is integrated with 6-12 rake control chips, wherein each rake driving board is set with a different physical address through a dial switch for distinction; The fully formed weaving requirements of the target fabric are transmitted to the head MCU main control chip by the host computer through communication. The head position signal is collected by a position sensor installed on the head, and the head position signal is simultaneously transmitted to the head MCU main control chip and the servo driver of the head motor through the control main board; the head motor adopts a servo motor.

2. The method for controlling a fully fashioned braided rake according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area are respectively provided with 40-60 stepper motors.

3. The method for controlling a fully fashioned braided rake according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of stepper motors arranged in the front plate weaving area and the number of stepper motors arranged in the rear plate weaving area are the same, and the stepper motors in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate weaving area are closely distributed side by side.

4. The method for controlling a fully fashioned braided rake according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each rake can control the distance of fabric tension change to be no more than 5cm, and the working peak current of each stepper motor is no more than 2A.

5. The method for controlling a fully fashioned braided rake according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each rake can control the variation of fabric tension over a distance of 1.5-3.5 cm.

6. The method for controlling a fully fashioned braided rake according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front plate rakes arranged in the front plate weaving area and the rear plate rakes arranged in the rear plate weaving area are distributed in an alternating interval shape.

7. The method for controlling a fully fashioned braided rake according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rake control chip adopts the DRV8424RGER drive control chip; the head MCU main control chip adopts the STM32F103VC model chip.

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