Braiding Machine Thread Tension Anomaly Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing braiding machines lack effective methods to detect thread tension anomalies, leading to potential thread breaks and increased maintenance efforts, as they often only react after a thread has broken rather than preventing unwinding issues.
Innovation Solution
A braiding machine equipped with a stationary sensor that measures the position and orientation of a movable member on a bobbin carrier, which travels along a curved track, allowing for real-time detection of thread tension anomalies and enabling proactive intervention to prevent thread breaks by adjusting the thread tension.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a stationary sensor is used to measure thread tension, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for a compensation device with a movable member
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a compensation device with a movable member as an intermediary mechanism between the thread and the stationary sensor. This movable member translates thread tension variations into measurable position or orientation changes, allowing the sensor to indirectly measure tension without direct contact with the thread, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical thread tension measurement with a sensor-based detection system that measures the position or orientation of the movable member. This substitution of mechanical measurement with sensor-based measurement improves precision while the modular compensation device structure manages the added complexity
2Reliability
If real-time thread tension monitoring is implemented, then reliability is improved by preventing thread breaks, but loss of time increases due to potential machine stops for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements real-time monitoring that detects thread tension anomalies before they cause thread breaks. By identifying tension spikes or deviations from normal patterns early in the braiding process, the system enables preventive maintenance actions before failure occurs, improving reliability while minimizing actual downtime
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors thread tension through the movable member position/orientation and provides feedback about anomaly detection. This feedback mechanism allows the system to identify issues early and trigger appropriate responses (alerts, warnings, or controlled stops) that prevent thread breaks while enabling planned maintenance scheduling to minimize production loss
3Adaptability or versatility
If a bobbin-independent sensor is used, then adaptability is improved for different braiding materials, but measurement precision may be compromised due to the curved track movement of the bobbin carrier
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic compensation device with a movable member that adapts to the curved track movement of the bobbin carrier. The movable member's position or orientation changes in response to both the curved path motion and thread tension variations, allowing the stationary sensor to accurately measure tension despite the dynamic movement, thus maintaining precision while achieving material adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The compensation device with the movable member serves multiple functions: it compensates for the curved track movement, translates thread tension into measurable signals, and works with different bobbin carrier configurations. This multi-functionality enables the same sensor system to handle various braiding materials and configurations without sacrificing measurement precision
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a braiding machine with a bobbin carrier and a sensor for detecting thread tension anomalies. The bobbin carrier comprises a compensation device including a movable member, wherein a position and/or an orientation of the movable member depends on the thread tension. During operation of the braiding machine, the bobbin carrier travels, relative to the sensor, along a curved track and the sensor measures the position and/or the orientation of the movable member when the bobbin carrier passes by the sensor.