Electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine and control method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an electromagnetic stepping three-dimensional rotary knitting machine, which includes a knitting machine chassis, its movement mechanism, an electromagnetic assisting system, a fabric pulling device, and an electronic control system. The movement mechanism of the knitting machine chassis is composed of adjacent cross-shaped shift forks, which drive the yarn carrier to move correctly according to a predetermined rule. The electromagnetic assisting system realizes the yarn carrier's position movement and stay between the movable members. The fabric pulling device lifts the woven fabric at a predetermined speed. The electronic control system transmits yarn carrier movement commands. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing three-dimensional structured fabrics using this machine. The electromagnetic stepping three-dimensional rotary knitting machine of the present invention innovatively realizes control of the yarn carrier's movement and stay using the electromagnetic assisting system. The mechanical structure and transmission mode are significantly simplified compared to conventional stepping rotary knitting machines, and it is easy to realize automatic digital formation of complex structured three-dimensional knitted fabrics.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of knitting machines, and more particularly to an electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Three-dimensional knitted fabrics can be used as composite reinforcements, and have stable structures, high design flexibility, and can be integrated into near-net shapes. They have been successfully applied in the fields of aerospace, rail transportation, and automobiles and ships, and the corresponding three-dimensional knitting molding technologies and equipment have also been well developed.

[0003] In three-dimensional knitting technology, a loom drives a yarn carrier around which spun yarn is wound, pulling the yarn and interweaving it in a circular pattern to produce a three-dimensional knitted preform with a spatial three-dimensional network structure. Three-dimensional knitted preforms may be produced by procession-type three-dimensional knitting machines and rotary three-dimensional knitting machines. Rotary three-dimensional knitting machines rotate a chassis movable member to move the yarn carrier in a regular circular motion so as to interweave the spun yarn, and may be divided into continuous-type rotary knitting machines and stepping-type rotary knitting machines.

[0004] Although stepping-type rotary knitting machines have a motion sequence for the rotation of the moving parts, they can achieve digital control of the movement trajectory of the yarn carrier, making them more suitable for forming 3D knitted preforms with complex cross sections.However, current stepping-type 3D rotary knitting machines used to manufacture 3D knitted preforms have a complex configuration and are difficult to control effectively due to problems such as collisions and interference between moving parts during operation, which results in a high equipment failure rate, affects weaving efficiency, and further limits their widespread use and application in engineering fields. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine for efficiently forming three-dimensional knitted preforms with complex cross sections, in order to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention further provides a method for controlling an electromagnetic stepping-type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine of the present invention may adopt the following technical solution.

[0008] an upper support plate; a plurality of cross-shaped shift forks attached to the support plate; a drive unit for driving the cross-shaped shift forks to rotate; and a plurality of yarn carrier assemblies engaged with the cross-shaped shift forks; the plurality of cross-shaped shift forks are uniformly attached to the upper support plate in rows and columns; each cross-shaped shift fork has a central rotation shaft that is perpendicular to the surface of the upper support plate and inserted into the support plate; and fingers extending in four directions from the central rotation shaft, each finger having an electromagnet structure and independently controlled to be energized; the drive unit drives all of the cross-shaped shift forks to rotate simultaneously, and two adjacent cross-shaped shift forks rotate in opposite directions; the yarn carrier assembly includes a yarn carrier base and a yarn carrier attached to the base; a support post made of ferromagnetic material is provided in the center of the yarn carrier base to engage with the fingers; when electricity is applied to the fingers of one of the cross-shaped shift forks, a magnetic force is generated to attract the support post and simultaneously move the yarn carrier base to rotate.

[0009] Furthermore, a plurality of guide grooves are further formed on the upper support plate, and one guide groove is formed in the center of each of two adjacent cross-shaped shift forks, and one guide electromagnet is provided at the bottom of each guide groove, and when electricity is applied to the finger portion of one cross-shaped shift fork to rotate the support post to a position facing the guide groove, electricity is applied to the guide electromagnet to generate a larger magnetic force on the finger portion and attract the support post into the guide groove.

[0010] The driving device further includes a motor located below the upper support plate, and a plurality of gear shafts arranged in rows and columns and parallel to each other, each gear shaft is coaxially connected to the central rotation shaft of one of the cross-shaped shift forks, and each gear shaft is provided with a gear, two adjacent gears in each row or column mesh with each other, and one of the gear shafts is connected to the motor output shaft as a driving gear shaft.

[0011] Furthermore, the knitting machine further includes a fabric pulling device located above the yarn carrier assembly for pulling the spun yarn wound on the yarn carrier assembly.

[0012] Furthermore, the yarn carrier base further includes an upper mounting block and a lower sliding block, the support post being located between the upper mounting block and the lower sliding block, and the bottom surface of the lower sliding block is shaped like a boat bottom, with a low center and gradually rising ends, to engage with the guide groove.

[0013] Furthermore, the support post is cylindrical, and the tip of the finger portion is an arc-shaped groove that fits the cylindrical support post.

[0014] Furthermore, the knitting machine further comprises a lower support plate located below the upper support plate, the bottom of the gear shaft being attached to the lower support plate by a bearing, and a support shaft being provided between the upper and lower support plates, the bottom of the support shaft being fixed to the lower support plate and the top of the support shaft being fixed to the upper support plate, and a through hole being provided in the center of the support shaft for introducing the spun yarn in the axial direction.

[0015] The beneficial effects are as follows: Based on the conventional stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine, the present invention uses an electromagnetic adsorption method to control the movement and stay of the yarn carrier, and instead of the conventional stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine's method of driving and moving the yarn carrier by means of casters and dials, an electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine is provided, and the mechanical structure and transmission mode of the electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine of the present invention are simpler than those of the conventional stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine, reducing the degree of friction and collision between the moving mechanisms and the equipment failure rate, and making it easier to realize automatic digital forming of three-dimensional knitted fabrics with complex structures.

[0016] The present invention further provides a technical solution for the control method of the electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine, and the optional technical solutions are: Step S1: placing a yarn carrier assembly on an upper support plate according to knitting needs; Step S2: activating the electromagnet structure of the finger to attract the yarn carrier assembly; Step S3: driving all the cross-shaped shift forks to rotate by 90° simultaneously; Step S4: powering off the electromagnet structure of the energized finger in S2, and energizing the electromagnet structure of the finger of another cross-shaped shift fork adjacent to the powered-off finger, thereby sliding the yarn carrier assembly onto the energized finger; Step S5 of increasing the height of the fabric according to the design requirements of the fabric structure; and step S6 in which the knitting machine repeats the above machine steps to cyclically form a woven structure in a predetermined trajectory.

[0017] And the technical proposal for another selectable control method is: Step S1: placing a yarn carrier assembly on an upper support plate according to knitting needs; Step S2: activating the electromagnet structure of one finger to attract the yarn carrier assembly; Step S3: driving all the cross-shaped shift forks to rotate by 90° simultaneously; step S4 of activating the electromagnet in the guide groove until the yarn carrier assembly slides from the finger into the guide groove; step S5 of de-energizing the electromagnet structure of the energized finger in S2 and energizing the electromagnet structure of the finger of another cruciform shift fork adjacent to the de-energized finger until the yarn carrier assembly slides onto the energized finger; Step S6 of increasing the height of the fabric according to the design requirements of the fabric structure; and step S7 in which the knitting machine repeats the above machine steps to cyclically form a woven structure in a predetermined trajectory.

[0018] Furthermore, the height of the fabric in step S6 is

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[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an entire electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the chassis and its moving mechanism of the knitting machine according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the knitting machine moving mechanism and the electromagnetic assist system according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective side view of the knitting machine moving mechanism and the electromagnetic assist system according to the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a knitting machine yarn carrier base according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a knitting machine yarn carrier base and its yarn carrier according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the movement of the yarn carrier assembly during the weaving process of the knitting machine according to the present invention, showing the state in which the yarn carrier assembly is sucked by the first finger portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the movement of the yarn carrier assembly during the weaving process of the knitting machine according to the present invention, showing the state in which the yarn carrier assembly is rotated by 90° by the first finger. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the movement of the yarn carrier assembly during the weaving process of the knitting machine according to the present invention, showing the state in which the yarn carrier assembly enters the guide groove while being attracted by the electromagnet in the guide groove. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the movement of the yarn carrier assembly during the weaving process of the knitting machine according to the present invention, showing the state in which the yarn carrier assembly is attracted to the second finger adjacent to the first finger. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective schematic view showing the movement of the yarn carrier assembly shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 in the same drawing. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the track cover position of the yarn carrier according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The present invention will be described in more detail below by way of specific examples with reference to the drawings.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the present invention discloses an electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine, which comprises a knitting machine chassis 2, a fabric pulling device 1, and an electronic control system 3. The fabric pulling device 1 is for lifting the woven fabric at a predetermined speed. The electronic control system 3 is for transmitting a movement command for a yarn carrier 5, thereby realizing digital control of the movement trajectory of the knitting machine carrying the spun yarn.

[0022] The present invention is an important improvement over the prior art in that the structure for controlling the movement of the yarn carrier 5 on the chassis 2 of the knitting machine equipment is improved. The chassis 2 includes an upper support plate 6, a plurality of cross-shaped shift forks 10 attached to the support plate, a drive device for driving and rotating the cross-shaped shift forks 10, and a plurality of yarn carrier assemblies 23 engaged with the cross-shaped shift forks 10.

[0023] The multiple cross-shaped shift forks 10 are uniformly mounted in rows and columns on the upper support plate 6. Each cross-shaped shift fork 10 includes a central rotation shaft 19 that is perpendicular to the surface of the upper support plate 6 and inserted into the upper support plate 6, and fingers 22 that extend in four directions from the central rotation shaft 19. Each finger 22 is an electromagnet structure, and the energization is independently controlled. In this embodiment, the four fingers 22 of each cross-shaped shift fork 10 extend perpendicular to each other, forming an overall "cross" shape. The drive device drives all cross-shaped shift forks 10 to rotate simultaneously, and adjacent two cross-shaped shift forks 10 rotate in opposite directions. The electromagnet structure has fingers that are all made of ferromagnetic material and are fitted with energizable solenoids 13.

[0024] The yarn carrier assembly 23 includes a yarn carrier base 14 and a yarn carrier 5 mounted on the base. A support post 18 made of a ferromagnetic material is provided in the center of the yarn carrier base 14 to engage with a finger 22. When electricity is applied to the finger 22 of one of the cross-shaped shift forks 10, a magnetic force is generated to attract the support post 18 and simultaneously move the yarn carrier base 14 so as to rotate.

[0025] The driving device includes a motor located below the upper support plate 6, and a plurality of gear shafts arranged in rows and columns and parallel to each other, each gear shaft is coaxially connected to the central rotation axis 19 of one of the cross-shaped shift forks 10, and each gear shaft is provided with a gear 9, two adjacent gears in each row or column mesh with each other, and one of the gear shafts is connected to the motor output shaft as a driving gear shaft. To mount the gear shaft, this embodiment further includes a lower support plate 7 located below the upper support plate 6, the bottom of the gear shaft is attached to the lower support plate 7 with a bearing, and a support shaft 8 is provided between the upper and lower support plates, the bottom of the support shaft 8 is fixed to the lower support plate 7 and the top is fixed to the upper support plate 6, and a through-hole is provided in the center of the support shaft 8 for introducing spun yarn in the axial direction.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 7, as a further improvement, a plurality of guide grooves 11 are further provided on the upper support plate 6, and one guide groove is provided in the center of each of two adjacent cross-shaped shift forks 10, and one guide electromagnet 12 is provided at the bottom of each guide groove, and when the finger 22 of one cross-shaped shift fork 10 is energized to rotate the support post 18 to a position facing the guide groove, the guide electromagnet 12 is energized to generate a stronger magnetic force on the finger 22, thereby attracting the support post 18 into the guide groove. The guide groove 11 serves as an intermediate structure between two adjacent cross-shaped shift forks 10, and can provide a positioning and staying device for the center locus of the yarn carrier assembly 23 when it moves between the two adjacent cross-shaped shift forks 10, thereby preventing the yarn carrier assembly from being biased. In addition, a plurality of guide grooves 11 and electromagnets 12 between the guide grooves may be installed on the four edges of the upper surface of the upper support plate 6, and when the fingers 22 of the outermost cross-shaped shift fork 10 rotate the yarn carrier assembly 23 to the position of the four edges of the upper surface of the upper support plate 6, the guide grooves 11 and electromagnets 12 on the four edges may be used to keep the yarn carrier assembly 23 stationary.

[0027] 5 and 6, the yarn carrier base 14 further includes an upper mounting block 16 and a lower sliding block 17, and the support post 18 is located between the upper mounting block 16 and the lower sliding block 17. The bottom surface of the lower sliding block 17 is shaped like a boat bottom, lower in the middle and gradually higher at both ends, to engage with the guide groove 11. The support post 18 is cylindrical, and the tip of the finger 22 is an arc-shaped groove that fits into the cylindrical support post 18. One or more yarn carriers 5 may be attached to the upper mounting block 16, and by increasing or decreasing the number of yarn carriers 5, it is possible to increase or decrease the amount of yarn spun in the knitting machine.

[0028] When the guide groove 11 is installed, the control method for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure fabric by the electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to the present invention is as follows: As shown in FIG. 7, step S1 includes disposing a yarn carrier assembly at the end of the cross-shaped shift fork 10, activating the electromagnet structure of the finger 22 of the cross-shaped shift fork 10, supplying DC power to the solenoid 13, and constantly increasing the current until the yarn carrier assembly 23 is firmly attracted to the yarn carrier assembly 23; As shown in FIG. 8, step S2 is performed in which the servo motor 20 mounted on the frame is started to drive the moving mechanism, thereby moving the cross-shaped shift fork 10 so that it rotates synchronously by 90°, and at the same time, the yarn carrier assembly 23 also rotates by 90° in accordance with the cross-shaped dial. Step S3, as shown in FIG. 9, activates the electromagnet 12 in the guide groove 11 until the yarn carrier assembly 23 slides from the finger 22 of the cross-shaped shift fork into the guide groove 11; As shown in FIG. 10 , in step S4, the electromagnet structure of the finger 22 of the cross-shaped shift fork 10 in step 3 is powered off, and the electromagnet structure of the finger 22 of the cross-shaped shift fork 10 adjacent thereto is energized, and the current is constantly increased until the electromagnet structure is firmly attracted to the yarn carrier assembly 23; As shown in FIG. 11, after completing one knitting cycle, step S5 is performed to raise the height of the fabric by the fabric pulling device 1 according to the design requirements of the fabric structure; The knitting machine repeats the above machine steps to cyclically form a woven structure on a set trajectory, and FIG. 12 shows the range of the movable trajectory 21 of the yarn carrier assembly.

[0029] The electromagnet power supply system is controlled by the electronic control system 3 of the knitting machine, and can selectively energize or power off the electromagnet structures of the fingers 22 of any cross-shaped shift fork 10 and the electromagnets 12 between the guide grooves 11 according to set parameters.

[0030] There is a predetermined functional relationship between the lifting height of the fabric in the above step and the weaving parameters of the knitting machine; and

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[0031] In addition, a control method is provided for another embodiment of a knitting machine that does not have a guide groove 11, and by deleting step S3 in the above control method, the yarn carrier assembly can be directly moved from one finger to another adjacent finger, thereby realizing knitting control, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0032] The present invention has many specific application means, and the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine, The shifter includes an upper support plate (6), a plurality of cross-shaped shift forks (10) attached to the upper support plate (6), a drive device that drives and rotates the cross-shaped shift forks (10), and a plurality of yarn carrier assemblies (23) engaged with the cross-shaped shift forks (10), the plurality of cross-shaped shift forks (10) are uniformly mounted on the upper support plate (6) in rows and columns, each of the cross-shaped shift forks (10) includes a central rotation shaft (19) perpendicular to the surface of the upper support plate (6) and inserted into the support plate, and fingers (22) extending in four directions from the central rotation shaft (19), each of the fingers (22) having an electromagnet structure and independently controlling the energization, the driving device drives all of the cross-shaped shift forks (10) to rotate simultaneously, and two adjacent cross-shaped shift forks (10) rotate in opposite directions; The yarn carrier assembly includes a yarn carrier base (14) and a yarn carrier (5) mounted on the base, and a support post (18) made of a ferromagnetic material is provided in the center of the yarn carrier base (14) for engaging with a finger portion (22). When electricity is applied to the finger portion (22) of one of the cross-shaped shift forks (10), a magnetic force is generated to attract the support post (18) and simultaneously move the yarn carrier base (14) so ​​as to rotate.

2. 2. The electromagnetic stepping-type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the upper support plate (6) is further provided with a plurality of guide grooves (11), each of two adjacent cross-shaped shift forks (10) has a guide groove at the center thereof, and a guide electromagnet (12) is provided at the bottom of each guide groove. When a current is applied to the finger (22) of one cross-shaped shift fork (10) to rotate the support post (18) to a position facing the guide groove, a larger magnetic force is generated in the finger (22), and the guide electromagnet (12) is energized to attract the support post (18) into the guide groove.

3. 3. The electromagnetic stepping-type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to claim 2, wherein the driving device includes a motor located below the upper support plate (6), and a plurality of gear shafts arranged in rows and columns and parallel to each other, each gear shaft being coaxially connected to the central rotation shaft (19) of one of the cross-shaped shift forks (10), and each gear shaft being provided with one gear (9), two adjacent gears in each row or column mesh with each other, and one of the gear shafts being connected to the motor output shaft as a driving gear shaft.

4. 4. The electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to claim 1, further comprising a fabric pulling device (1) located above the yarn carrier assembly (5) for pulling the spun yarn wound on the yarn carrier assembly (5).

5. The electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the yarn carrier base (14) further includes an upper mounting block (16) and a lower slide block (17), the support post (18) is located between the upper mounting block (16) and the lower slide block (17), and the bottom surface of the lower slide block (17) has a boat-shaped bottom that is low in the center and gradually rises at both ends to engage with the guide groove (11).

6. The electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the support post (18) is cylindrical, and the tip of the finger portion (22) is an arc-shaped groove that fits into the cylindrical support post (18).

7. 4. The electromagnetic stepping three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to claim 3, further comprising a lower support plate (7) located below the upper support plate (6), the bottom of the gear shaft being attached to the lower support plate (7) by a bearing, and a support shaft (8) being provided between the upper and lower support plates, the bottom of the support shaft (8) being fixed to the lower support plate (7) and the top being fixed to the upper support plate (6), and a through-hole being provided in the center of the support shaft (8) for introducing spun yarn in the axial direction.

8. A method for controlling an electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, Step S1: Arranging the yarn carrier assembly on the upper support plate (6) according to knitting needs; Step S2: activating the electromagnet structure of the finger (22) to attract the yarn carrier assembly; Step S3: driving all of the cross-shaped shift forks to rotate by 90° simultaneously; Step S4: powering off the electromagnet structure of the energized finger in step S2, and energizing the electromagnet structure of the finger of another cross-shaped shift fork adjacent to the powered-off finger, thereby sliding the yarn carrier assembly onto the energized finger; Step S5: Raising the fabric height according to the design requirements of the fabric structure; and step S6, in which the knitting machine repeats the machine steps to cyclically form a woven structure along a predetermined trajectory.

9. Step S1: Arranging the yarn carrier assembly on the upper support plate (6) according to knitting needs; Step S2: activating the electromagnet structure of one finger (22) to attract the yarn carrier assembly; Step S3: driving all of the cross-shaped shift forks to rotate by 90° simultaneously; Step S4: activating the electromagnet in the guide groove (11) until the yarn carrier assembly slides from the finger into the guide groove; Step S5: de-energizing the electromagnet structure of the energized finger in step S2 and energizing the electromagnet structure of the finger of another cruciform shift fork adjacent to the de-energized finger until the yarn carrier assembly slides onto the energized finger; Step S6: Raising the fabric height according to the design requirements of the fabric structure; The method for controlling an electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to claim 2, further comprising a step S7 in which the knitting machine repeats the machine steps to cyclically form a woven structure along a predetermined trajectory.

10. The height of the fabric in step S6 is [Equation 3] is constrained by the equation In the formula, v is the lifting speed of the fabric by the lifting mechanism (1), H is the pitch height of the fabric, W is the rotational angular velocity of the cross-shaped shift fork (10), and ΔT 1 is the time it takes for the electromagnet structure in the finger to generate magnetic force when current is applied to it, and ΔT 2 The method for controlling an electromagnetic stepping type three-dimensional rotary knitting machine according to claim 9, characterized in that the time during which a magnetic force is generated when an electromagnet in a guide groove is energized.

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