Break-Away Mount for Circular Knitting Machine Fabric Scanner
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Circular knitting machines with fixed fabric scanners are prone to damage due to defects like holes in the fabric, which can exert significant force on the scanner, leading to potential breakage or damage.
Innovation Solution
A break-away mount for the fabric scanner that allows the scanner to rotate and move with the fabric when excessive force is applied, featuring a force-based and displacement-based break-away mechanism to prevent damage by releasing the mounting arm and allowing it to pivot, ensuring the scanner can descend with the fabric tube.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the scanner is fixed in a stationary position on the end of a mounting arm, then the scanner can reliably detect defects in the fabric, but the scanner is vulnerable to damage when fabric defects exert force on it
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting arm is transformed from a fixed rigid structure to a dynamic system with two stages: initially fixed to ensure stable scanning, then capable of rotation and pivoting when force thresholds are exceeded. This allows the system to maintain reliability during normal operation while protecting against damage during defect events.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful force exerted by fabric defects on the scanner is converted into a useful signal that triggers the break-away mechanism. The force that would normally cause damage instead activates the rotational and pivoting movements, protecting the scanner while maintaining defect detection capability.
2Strength
If the scanner is allowed to move freely with the fabric, then the scanner is protected from damage, but the scanner cannot maintain its fixed position for accurate defect detection
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static fixed position to a dynamic movable position only when necessary. The break-away mechanisms ensure that the scanner remains precisely positioned during normal operation and only moves when force or displacement thresholds indicate a defect event requiring protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The break-away mechanisms are pre-configured with specific force and displacement thresholds that prevent unwanted movement. These preliminary constraints ensure the scanner maintains precise positioning until a genuine defect event exceeds the thresholds, at which point the protective movement is activated.
3Manufacturing precision
If the mounting arm is rigidly fixed to prevent any movement, then the scanner maintains stable positioning, but the scanner and mount are susceptible to breakage when fabric exerts excessive force
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid fixed mounting is replaced with a dynamic system that exhibits rigid behavior under normal conditions (maintaining positioning stability) but transitions to flexible behavior when force thresholds are exceeded (preventing breakage). This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between stability and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The break-away mechanisms are designed in advance to absorb and accommodate excessive forces through rotational and pivoting movements. This preliminary cushioning capability protects the scanner and mount from breakage while maintaining stable positioning during normal operation.
4Strength
If the scanner mount breaks away easily to protect the scanner, then the scanner is protected from damage, but the scanner may move excessively or detach completely
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a two-stage dynamic response: the first break-away mechanism allows controlled rotation when force thresholds are exceeded, while the second break-away mechanism allows controlled pivoting when displacement thresholds are exceeded. This staged approach protects the scanner while maintaining controlled stability through predefined movement limits.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop member is pre-positioned to limit the pivoting movement of the mounting arm, preventing excessive movement or complete detachment. This preliminary constraint ensures that while the scanner is protected from damage through break-away mechanisms, the system maintains controlled stability within predefined boundaries.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents damage to the scanner and its mount by allowing it to move with the fabric, enabling timely detection of defects and preventing further production of defective fabric, thus maintaining machine integrity and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A first break-away mechanism comprises one or more spring-biased plungers mounted on one of the stationary and revolving sections, each plunger being biased by a spring force such that an end of the plunger engages a corresponding recess in the other of the stationary and revolving sections
Data Source
AI summary
A break-away mount for mounting a fabric scanner to the central support shaft in a circular knitting machine. The mount normally fixes the scanner in a stationary position on the end of a mounting arm of the mount, but if sufficient force is exerted on the scanner in the direction of movement of the fabric, the mount breaks away and allows the scanner to rotate about the support shaft so that the scanner can move along with the fabric. If the amount of such rotational movement exceeds a predefined value, then the break-away mount also releases the mounting arm so that the mounting arm can pivot about a non-vertical axis to allow the scanner to descend with the descending fabric tube. By detecting the breaking away of the mount, the knitting machine can be stopped in time to prevent damage to the scanner and mount.