Circular Comb Segmentation for Textile Fiber Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-speed combing machines experience irregularities and unsatisfactory soldering processes due to air and fiber turbulence, leading to poor fiber connection between combed and previously combed fibers, despite existing solutions.

Innovation Solution

A circular comb with a combing segment and an alignment segment, where combing teeth have positive tooth face angles for engaging fibers and alignment elements with negative tooth face angles for gentle guidance and holding of already combed fibers, ensuring efficient alignment and parallelization without aggressive intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If high comb cycle numbers are used to increase productivity, then output per unit time is improved, but air and fiber turbulence occurs leading to unsatisfactory soldering processes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomb cycle numberVSAvoidsoldering quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The circular comb is divided into a combing segment with combing teeth and an aligning segment with aligning elements. This segmentation allows different zones to perform different functions: the combing segment actively combs fibers while the aligning segment gently guides and aligns already-combed fibers without causing turbulence, thus maintaining soldering quality at high speeds

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different segments of the circular comb have different local qualities: the combing segment has aggressive combing teeth for effective fiber engagement, while the aligning segment has gentle aligning elements with negative tooth face angles that provide smooth guidance. This local differentiation allows the system to achieve both high productivity and reliable soldering

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If aggressive combing action is used to improve fiber engagement, then combing effectiveness is improved, but fiber turbulence and irregularities occur during soldering

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecombing effectivenessVSAvoidfiber turbulence
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The combing action is segmented into two distinct phases performed by different segments: the combing segment provides aggressive combing action for effective fiber engagement, while the aligning segment provides gentle guidance action. This segmentation separates the aggressive combing function from the fiber handling function, eliminating turbulence

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using aggressive combing teeth throughout the entire circular comb, the invention inverts the approach by using gentle aligning elements with negative tooth face angles in the aligning segment. These elements work in the opposite manner to traditional combing teeth, providing guidance rather than aggressive engagement, thus preventing fiber turbulence

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentEP3577261B1Circular comb having a comb segment and an aligning segment
Publication Date: 2020.06.24 STAEDTLER & UHL
  • EP3577261B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3577261B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3577261B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The circular comb (16) serves for fastening to a shaft (14), which is rotatable about an axis of rotation (13) in a combing direction (26), of a comber (1) which is intended to comb textile fibres (2) and has fixed drawing-off rollers (7, 8, 9, 10) for the combed textile fibres (11). The circular comb (16) has, on a circular-comb main-body unit (17) having an outer side (18), a combing segment (19) having a plurality of combing bars (22) which are arranged on the outer side (18) of the circular-comb main-body unit (17) and are equipped with outwardly protruding combing teeth (23), the front combing-teeth flanks of which, as seen in the combing direction (26), are each inclined in the combing direction (26), and an aligning segment (20) which is arranged on the outer side (18) of the circular-comb main-body unit (17) and is equipped with a plurality of outwardly protruding aligning elements (25), the front aligning-element flanks of which, as seen in the combing direction (26), are each inclined counter to the combing direction (26), and some of which are arranged one after another as seen in the combing direction (26).