Color fixing device, system and method used after continuous yarn inkjet coloring

Abstract

The invention discloses a color fixing device, system and method used after continuous yarn inkjet coloring, and relates to the technical field of textile printing and dyeing equipment and process control. The device comprises a color fixing cavity, multiple layers of blades are sequentially arranged in the color fixing cavity in the yarn advancing direction, and slit channels allowing yarn to penetrate through are formed among the multiple layers of blades; the air supply unit is used for providing airflow into the slit channel; the heating unit is used for heating the airflow and / or the yarns; the gap adjusting mechanism is used for adjusting the gap between the adjacent blades so as to change the size of the slit channel; the controller is configured to receive a real-time yarn speed signal of the yarn; and on the basis of the real-time yarn speed, the air supply unit, the heating unit and the gap adjusting mechanism are controlled to adjust the heat and humidity treatment conditions of the yarn in the color fixing cavity. According to the invention, zoning and accurate heat and humidity treatment of yarns are realized, and the problems of non-uniform color fixation, low efficiency and insufficient system collaboration are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of textile printing and dyeing equipment and process control technology, and in particular to a color-fixing device, system and method for continuous yarn inkjet dyeing. Background Technology

[0002] In digital textile production chains where dyeing precedes fabric formation, yarns, after being colored by inkjet printing or spraying, need to undergo a thermo-wet chemical color-fixing process within a very short dwell time. Current technologies generally employ single-cavity hot air boxes or infrared ovens, which have the following significant drawbacks:

[0003] The yarn is a long, thin cylinder, and traditional equipment cannot achieve 360° circumferential uniform heating, resulting in color difference in the circumferential and radial directions.

[0004] Production line speed increases are limited by the minimum dwell time required for color fixing, while simply extending the equipment leads to high energy consumption and space requirements.

[0005] Different ink systems (such as pigment, reactive, acid, and disperse dyes) have vastly different requirements for temperature and humidity profiles and atmosphere, and existing equipment lacks flexible zone programming capabilities.

[0006] The mismatch between the continuous upstream spraying and the intermittent rhythm of downstream weaving can easily introduce tension fluctuations in the color fixing section, leading to quality defects such as color bleeding and stripes.

[0007] Large-volume cavities result in significant ineffective heat loss and make solvent / water vapor recovery difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the aforementioned issues, this application presents a color-fixing device, system, and method for continuous yarn inkjet printing. By setting multiple layers of adjustable-gap blades within the color-fixing cavity to form a slit channel, and combining independently controllable air supply, heating, and optional radiation units, it achieves zoned and precise heat and humidity treatment of the yarn, solving the problems of uneven color fixing, low efficiency, and insufficient system coordination.

[0009] The first technical solution adopted in this application is: providing a color-fixing device for continuous yarn inkjet dyeing, comprising: The color-fixing cavity has multiple layers of blades arranged sequentially along the yarn travel direction, and the multiple layers of blades form a narrow slit channel for the yarn to pass through. An air supply unit is used to provide airflow into the slit channel; A heating unit for heating the airflow and / or the yarn; A gap adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the gap between adjacent blades to change the size of the slit channel; The controller is configured to: receive the real-time linear speed signal of the yarn; and based on the real-time linear speed, control the air supply unit, the heating unit, and the gap adjustment mechanism to adjust the heat and moisture treatment conditions of the yarn in the color-fixing chamber.

[0010] In an optional embodiment, the controller is further configured to: Feedforward control is performed based on the rate of change of the real-time linear velocity to adjust the air volume of the air supply unit and / or the temperature of the heating unit in advance when the linear velocity changes.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, the color-fixing chamber is divided into at least two independent temperature and humidity-controlled processing zones along the yarn travel direction, the processing zones including a pre-drying zone, a fixing zone, and a shaping zone; The controller is configured to perform independent closed-loop control of the temperature and humidity of each zone.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, a radiant heating unit is further included, which is disposed within the fixation area and is used to provide radiant heating to the yarn; the controller is also used to independently control the power of the radiant heating unit.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, a guiding mechanism disposed within the slit channel is further included to guide the yarn along a non-linear path to extend its actual path length through the color-fixing cavity.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, it further includes: An online detection unit is located at the outlet of the color-fixing chamber and is used to detect the moisture content and / or color density of the yarn; The controller is also used to adjust the operating parameters of at least one of the air supply unit, the heating unit and the gap adjustment mechanism according to the feedback signal of the online detection unit.

[0015] The second technical solution adopted in this application is: providing a color-fixing system for continuous yarn inkjet coloring, comprising: The color-fixing device of any of the preceding items; The upstream inkjet coloring unit is used for inkjet coloring of the yarn; and The downstream tension control and buffer unit is used to control the tension of the yarn entering the color-fixing device; The controller is also communicatively connected to the inkjet coloring unit and / or the tension control and buffer unit to receive coloring information and / or tension information, and accordingly coordinate the control of the color fixing device.

[0016] The third technical solution adopted in this application is: providing a method for fixing yarn color using any of the aforementioned color-fixing devices, comprising the following steps: The dyed yarn is passed through the narrow channel of the color-fixing device at a real-time linear speed; Obtain the real-time line speed; Based on the real-time linear velocity, the air supply unit and the heating unit are controlled to create a hot and humid environment that meets the process requirements within the slit channel; Based on the real-time line speed and / or process formulation, the gap of the slit channel is adjusted by the gap adjustment mechanism.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, the steps include: Based on the rate of change of the real-time linear velocity, adjust the airflow of the air supply unit and / or the temperature of the heating unit in advance; and / or When the moisture content at the yarn inlet is detected to be higher than a set threshold, the front section of the color-fixing chamber is controlled to form a low-temperature, high-airflow setting condition, and the rear section is controlled to form a high-temperature dehumidification condition.

[0018] In an optional embodiment, the step further includes: Receives tension signals from the tension control and buffer unit; When the tension signal is lower than the set threshold, the air volume of the air supply unit or the power of the heating unit is reduced to avoid uneven color fixing caused by yarn vibration.

[0019] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, this application has at least one of the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0020] 1. The narrow channel formed by the multi-layer blades effectively constrains the airflow and forms a thin layer of convection near the wall, which greatly reduces the large-scale turbulence and boundary layer instability in the traditional hot air cavity, making the yarn highly uniform in terms of circumferential and axial heating / winding, and improving the uniformity of color fixation.

[0021] 2. The device supports independent temperature, humidity, and airflow control for each zone, and can be equipped with an optional radiant heating unit. The controller performs feedforward and feedback control based on real-time linear velocity, and can dynamically fine-tune parameters according to the moisture content or color density detected online at the outlet, improving adaptability to different inks.

[0022] 3. The color-fixing device is deeply integrated with the upstream inkjet coloring unit and the downstream tension control and buffering unit. By sharing linear speed, coloring information and tension signals, it can adjust the color-fixing parameters or compensate for tension disturbances in advance when the weaving cycle fluctuates or the linear speed changes abruptly, thereby improving stability.

[0023] 4. The combination of the adjustable gap mechanism and the guiding mechanism can increase the effective residence time by extending the actual yarn path (path length multiplication) within the limited equipment length; at the same time, the zoned precise heating and exhaust gas directional recovery design improve energy efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. Wherein: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the frame of a color-fixing device for continuous yarn inkjet coloring according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the framework of a color-fixing system for continuous yarn inkjet coloring according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a color fixing method provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining this application and not for limiting it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to this application are shown in the accompanying drawings, not all structures. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0027] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0028] Existing yarn color fixing equipment mostly uses single-chamber hot air or infrared ovens, which have turbulent airflow and uneven temperature and humidity distribution, making it difficult to achieve uniform heating of the yarn circumferentially, which easily leads to color difference and bleed. At the same time, the equipment lacks the ability to dynamically respond to changes in line speed, cannot adjust the heat and humidity parameters according to real-time working conditions, and operates in isolation from upstream and downstream processes (such as inkjet coloring and tension buffering), making it difficult to coordinate with the tension disturbances caused by the fluctuation of the weaving rhythm, thus causing quality problems such as color bleeding, under-fixing, or over-drying.

[0029] In view of this, this application, by setting multiple layers of adjustable-gap blades within the color-fixing chamber to form a slit channel, and combining this with independently controllable air supply, heating, and optional radiation units, achieves zoned and precise heat and humidity treatment of the yarn, solving the problems of uneven color fixing, low efficiency, and insufficient system coordination; Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the frame of a color-fixing device for continuous yarn inkjet printing provided in an embodiment of this application includes:

[0030] The color-fixing cavity contains multiple layers of blades arranged sequentially along the yarn travel direction, forming narrow slit channels through which the yarn passes. In one embodiment, 3-9 layers of thin blades are stacked parallel to the yarn path within the cavity. In this embodiment, the thin blades are made of anodized aluminum sheets, and the blade surface may have a micro-texture or be coated with a fluoropolymer. In other embodiments, thin blades of other materials may be used, and this application does not impose any limitations on them. It should be noted that the thickness of the thin blades is also not limited in this application; for example, anodized aluminum sheets with a thickness of 0.5-2 mm may be used. In this embodiment, the blades are installed at an angle of 5°–45°, forming continuous serpentine or zigzag slit channels.

[0031] The slit channel effectively restricts large-scale turbulence and vortices, allowing the airflow to flow more evenly along the yarn axis; and the thin layer of airflow adheres closely to the yarn surface, reducing the boundary layer thickness and improving the efficiency of heat and moisture transfer.

[0032] An air supply unit is used to provide airflow into the slit channel; the air supply unit adopts an independent zoned blower design, with each blade layer or each processing zone equipped with an independent variable frequency fan or air valve; in another embodiment, it also includes a side wall and a rectifier grille, based on the return flow of the side wall and the rectifier grille, forming a counter-blowing or staggered blowing airflow to achieve efficient heat exchange and low turbulence.

[0033] The heating unit is used to heat the airflow and / or yarn; the heating unit can use electric heating tubes, steam heat exchangers, etc. to heat the incoming airflow. Near-infrared (NIR) or mid-short-wave infrared (IR) radiation plates can be added to zones with different temperature requirements to achieve hot air + radiation coupling heating; radiation heating can directly act on yarn and dye coatings, with a fast heating rate, which is beneficial to the curing of pigments or thicker coatings.

[0034] In another embodiment, the heating unit can employ combined heating, for example, using NIR for instantaneous surface curing in the front section and hot air for uniform drying in the rear section. Different dye systems have different requirements for heat sources, and the combined heating unit improves adaptability.

[0035] The gap adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the gap between adjacent blades to change the size of the slit channel. The gap adjustment mechanism adopts an electric actuator such as a servo motor + lead screw, which is connected to the blade mounting shaft or support to realize continuous or step adjustment of the blade gap. In this embodiment, the channel gap is between 2-15mm. The controller can automatically adjust the gap to the target value such as 2mm, 6mm, 10mm, etc. according to the preset formula or online feedback signal, without any limitation.

[0036] The controller is configured to: receive the real-time linear speed signal of the yarn; and based on the real-time linear speed, control the air supply unit, heating unit, and gap adjustment mechanism to adjust the heat and humidity treatment conditions of the yarn in the fixing chamber; the controller (such as a PLC or industrial PC) receives the real-time linear speed signal from the upstream encoder; and the controller internally stores a process curve library of different dye / yarn formulations, including parameters such as target residence time, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and recommended gap for each zone; for example, when the linear speed increases, the blade angle is automatically reduced to increase the equivalent channel length, or the air temperature and wind speed are adjusted to ensure constant heat absorption per unit length, thereby improving the uniformity of fixing.

[0037] The controller is also configured as follows: Feedforward control is performed based on the rate of change of real-time linear velocity to adjust the air volume of the air supply unit and / or the temperature of the heating unit in advance when the linear velocity changes.

[0038] The linear speed signal comes from the yarn drive encoder or linear speed sensor. It is a real-time and continuous signal. The linear speed change rate is obtained by the controller through real-time calculation of the time derivative of the main linear speed signal. If the linear speed change rate is greater than 0, it indicates that the system is accelerating. If the linear speed change rate is less than 0, it indicates that the system is decelerating.

[0039] For example, the controller increases the power of the heating unit the instant it detects that the speed begins to increase, in order to counteract the temperature drop caused by the shortening of the yarn residence time, and / or increases the air volume of the air supply unit to maintain the ability to remove moisture / solvent per unit time.

[0040] The controller quickly reduces the heating power the instant it detects the speed starting to decrease, to prevent over-drying or dye thermal migration caused by the yarn moving slower and the dwell time longer, and / or reduces the air supply volume to avoid excessive cooling and unnecessary energy consumption.

[0041] The color-fixing chamber is divided into at least two independent temperature and humidity-controlled processing zones along the yarn travel direction. These zones include a pre-drying zone, a fixing zone, and a setting zone. In the pre-drying zone, most of the moisture or organic solvents on the yarn surface and in the dye layer are evaporated with high mass transfer efficiency, causing the dye particles or molecules to initially set and lose their free-flowing ability. In the fixing zone, under controlled temperature and humidity conditions, the diffusion of dye molecules into the fiber interior, chemical reactions, or melt cross-linking of pigment resins are completed. In the setting zone, the yarn temperature is slowly reduced to further remove bound water or residual solvents, stabilizing the fiber macromolecular chain segments in a new morphology and preventing color re-moisture migration or yarn shrinkage and deformation.

[0042] The controller is configured to perform independent closed-loop control of the temperature and humidity of each zone; each zone is equipped with a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor to monitor the temperature and humidity information of the zone in real time; and each zone is equipped with an independent or independently adjustable heater, humidifier, and air valve / fan.

[0043] For example, the pre-drying zone is equipped with a high-speed fan and a medium-temperature heater, and the airflow is blown towards the yarn at a horizontal or slightly oblique angle to achieve rapid dehumidification; the fixing zone is equipped with an independent high-temperature heat source and a controllable humidification unit, and the blade angle adjustment range in the fixing zone is larger to increase airflow disturbance and heat exchange; the setting zone is equipped with adjustable temperature low-temperature hot air or cooling air duct, as well as strong dehumidification / negative pressure suction port.

[0044] The following detailed description is based on a specific embodiment:

[0045] Pre-drying zone: When the yarn first enters, the moisture content is high. The controller starts high-speed hot air to quickly evaporate the free moisture and prevent subsequent high temperatures from causing droplets to splash or spread.

[0046] Fixation zone: Entering the critical reaction stage. The controller raises the temperature to 102°C and precisely maintains the humidity at a saturated, hot and humid environment through steam injection to activate the covalent bonding reaction between the dye and the fiber.

[0047] Setting Zone: After the reaction is complete, the controller switches to 110°C, low humidity and strong exhaust mode to quickly remove residual moisture and by-products, lock in the color and stabilize the yarn structure.

[0048] Temperature and humidity sensors in each zone provide real-time feedback data, and the controller dynamically adjusts heating power, steam flow, and exhaust valve opening through a PID algorithm to ensure that process parameters remain stable within the set window.

[0049] In summary, the color-fixing device of this embodiment includes a color-fixing cavity with multiple layers of blades arranged sequentially along the yarn travel direction, forming a narrow channel through which the yarn passes; an air supply unit for providing airflow into the narrow channel; a heating unit for heating the airflow and / or the yarn; a gap adjustment mechanism for adjusting the gap between adjacent blades to change the size of the narrow channel; and a controller configured to receive a real-time linear speed signal of the yarn and, based on the real-time linear speed, control the air supply unit, the heating unit, and the gap adjustment mechanism to adjust the heat and humidity treatment conditions of the yarn within the color-fixing cavity. This application achieves zoned and precise heat and humidity treatment of the yarn, solving the problems of uneven color fixing, low efficiency, and insufficient system coordination.

[0050] In another embodiment, the color-fixing device further includes a radiant heating unit disposed within at least the fixing area for providing radiant heating to the yarn; the controller is also used to independently control the power of the radiant heating unit.

[0051] For example, in the color fixing process after high-speed digital inkjet coloring of polyester yarn with disperse dyes, the fixing area of ​​the fixing chamber is integrated with a near-infrared (NIR) radiation heating unit, which is arranged in parallel with the hot air system. The yarn enters the fixing area at a speed of 5 m / s, and the surface is already covered with water-based ink droplets containing disperse dyes.

[0052] Based on the process recipe, the controller initiates the following collaborative strategies: Hot air system: Provides clean airflow at 120°C and 6 m / s, mainly used for moisture removal and maintaining overall ambient temperature; NIR radiation unit: Independently applies 8 kW / m² radiation power, the wavelength of which is efficiently absorbed by the dye and polyester fiber, causing the yarn surface to heat up rapidly to 180–190°C within 0.3 seconds, triggering dye sublimation and penetration into the fiber interior.

[0053] The controller monitors the yarn surface temperature in real time using an infrared thermometer at the outlet. If it detects that the temperature is too low due to fluctuations in the yarn speed, it will increase the NIR power (e.g., to 9.5 kW / m²) without changing the hot air parameters, ensuring accurate supply of bonding energy.

[0054] In another embodiment, the color-fixing device further includes a guide mechanism disposed within the slit channel for guiding the yarn along a non-linear path to extend its actual path length through the color-fixing cavity.

[0055] For example, the total physical length of the color-fixing chamber is 400 mm, and the interior consists of a parallel slit channel formed by 5 layers of blades. To meet the requirement of an effective residence time of greater than or equal to 1.2 seconds for reactive dyes, a low-friction ceramic guide wheel mechanism is integrated into the slit channel.

[0056] The guiding mechanism consists of an inlet guide eye, two pairs of staggered miniature ceramic guide wheels (8 mm in diameter) in the middle, and an outlet guide eye, which guides the yarn in an S-shaped serpentine path within the slit; At a line speed of 2.5 m / s, if the line travels in a straight line, the theoretical dwell time is only about 0.16 seconds, which is far from enough to complete the fixation reaction. After introducing the S-shaped path, the actual yarn travel is extended to about 3.2 meters, and the effective dwell time is increased to 1.28 seconds, which meets the process requirements. In addition, all guide roller surfaces are covered with high-temperature resistant fluororubber to ensure that dyes do not adhere in an environment of 120°C and to minimize the disturbance to yarn tension.

[0057] In another embodiment, the color-fixing device further includes: An online detection unit, located at the outlet of the color-fixing chamber, is used to detect the moisture content and / or color density of the yarn; The controller is also used to adjust the operating parameters of at least one of the air supply unit, heating unit and gap adjustment mechanism based on the feedback signal from the online detection unit.

[0058] For example, in the color fixing of a batch of yarn, the process target is that the moisture content at the outlet is less than or equal to 3% and the color density error is less than or equal to 1. However, due to a sudden increase in ambient humidity, the outlet detection unit of a batch of yarn reported a moisture content of 5.2% for 3 consecutive seconds, and the color density error of the red segment was 1.8.

[0059] The controller automatically increases the temperature of the heating units in the fixing and shaping zones; increases the air volume of the air supply unit to enhance dehumidification; and fine-tunes the gap adjustment mechanism to reduce the gap of the final slit channel to improve local wind speed and heat exchange intensity. If the moisture content of the yarn at the outlet of the color-fixing chamber drops below 3% after adjustment and the color density error is less than 1, then steady-state operation is restored.

[0060] This application also provides a color-fixing system for continuous yarn inkjet dyeing, such as Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a fixing system for continuous yarn inkjet dyeing provided in an embodiment of this application includes: Color-fixing apparatus as described in any of the above embodiments; The upstream inkjet coloring unit is used for inkjet coloring of the yarn; and Downstream tension control and buffer unit is used to control the tension of the yarn entering the color-fixing device; The controller is also connected in communication with the inkjet coloring unit and / or the tension control and buffer unit to receive coloring information and / or tension information, and accordingly coordinate the control of the color fixing device.

[0061] This application also provides a method for fixing yarn color using the color-fixing device of any of the above embodiments, such as... Figure 3As shown, Figure 3 A schematic flowchart of a color-fixing method provided in an embodiment of this application includes the following steps: The dyed yarn is passed through the narrow slit channel of the color-fixing device at a real-time linear speed. Get real-time line speed; Based on real-time linear velocity, the air supply unit and heating unit are controlled to create a thermal and humidity environment that meets process requirements within the slit channel; The gap of the slit channel is adjusted by a gap adjustment mechanism based on real-time line speed and / or process formulation.

[0062] The control steps include: Based on the real-time rate of change of linear velocity, adjust the airflow of the air supply unit and / or the temperature of the heating unit in advance; and / or When the moisture content at the yarn inlet is detected to be higher than the set threshold, the front section of the color-fixing chamber is controlled to form a low-temperature, high-airflow fixing condition, while the rear section is controlled to form a high-temperature dehumidification condition.

[0063] It also includes the following steps: Receives tension signals from the tension control and buffer unit; When the tension signal is below the set threshold, reduce the air volume of the air supply unit or the power of the heating unit to avoid uneven color fixing caused by yarn vibration.

[0064] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed methods and devices can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0065] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0066] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0067] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and does not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A color-fixing device for continuous yarn inkjet dyeing, characterized in that, include: The color-fixing cavity has multiple layers of blades arranged sequentially along the yarn travel direction, and the multiple layers of blades form a narrow slit channel for the yarn to pass through. An air supply unit is used to provide airflow into the slit channel; A heating unit for heating the airflow and / or the yarn; A gap adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the gap between adjacent blades to change the size of the slit channel; The controller is configured to: receive the real-time linear speed signal of the yarn; and based on the real-time linear speed, control the air supply unit, the heating unit, and the gap adjustment mechanism to adjust the heat and moisture treatment conditions of the yarn in the color-fixing chamber.

2. The color-fixing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to: Feedforward control is performed based on the rate of change of the real-time linear velocity to adjust the air volume of the air supply unit and / or the temperature of the heating unit in advance when the linear velocity changes.

3. The color-fixing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The color-fixing chamber is divided into at least two independent temperature and humidity-controlled processing zones along the yarn travel direction. The processing zones include a pre-drying zone, a fixing zone, and a shaping zone. The controller is configured to perform independent closed-loop control of the temperature and humidity of each zone.

4. The color-fixing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a radiant heating unit, which is disposed in the fixation area and is used to provide radiant heating to the yarn; the controller is also used to independently control the power of the radiant heating unit.

5. The color-fixing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a guiding mechanism disposed within the slit channel for guiding the yarn along a non-linear path to extend its actual path length through the color-fixing cavity.

6. The color-fixing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: An online detection unit is located at the outlet of the color-fixing chamber and is used to detect the moisture content and / or color density of the yarn; The controller is also used to adjust the operating parameters of at least one of the air supply unit, the heating unit and the gap adjustment mechanism according to the feedback signal of the online detection unit.

7. A color-fixing system for continuous yarn inkjet dyeing, characterized in that, include: The color-fixing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6; The upstream inkjet coloring unit is used to inkjet color the yarn; as well as The downstream tension control and buffer unit is used to control the tension of the yarn entering the color-fixing device; The controller is also communicatively connected to the inkjet coloring unit and / or the tension control and buffer unit to receive coloring information and / or tension information, and accordingly coordinate the control of the color fixing device.

8. A method for fixing yarn color using the color-fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The dyed yarn is passed through the narrow channel of the color-fixing device at a real-time linear speed; Obtain the real-time line speed; Based on the real-time linear velocity, the air supply unit and the heating unit are controlled to create a hot and humid environment that meets the process requirements within the slit channel; Based on the real-time line speed and / or process formulation, the gap of the slit channel is adjusted by the gap adjustment mechanism.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The steps include: Based on the rate of change of the real-time linear velocity, adjust the airflow of the air supply unit and / or the temperature of the heating unit in advance; and / or When the moisture content at the yarn inlet is detected to be higher than a set threshold, the front section of the color-fixing chamber is controlled to form a low-temperature, high-airflow setting condition, and the rear section is controlled to form a high-temperature dehumidification condition.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes the following steps: Receives tension signals from the tension control and buffer unit; When the tension signal is lower than the set threshold, the air volume of the air supply unit or the power of the heating unit is reduced to avoid uneven color fixing caused by yarn vibration.

Images