Yarn Feeder Setup via Alarm-Based Inactive Feeder Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In textile warping processes, disabling the monitoring function on unused yarn feeders is time-consuming and prone to human error due to the large number of feeders involved, often requiring manual intervention to prevent unnecessary stopping of the warper.
Innovation Solution
A setup procedure that enables the monitoring function on all yarn feeders, initiates a controlled cycle where inactive feeders send alarm signals, and then disables the monitoring function on those feeders through a gateway connected to a CAN-bus, allowing for simultaneous disabling without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual disabling of monitoring function is performed on each yarn feeder individually, then the monitoring function can be disabled on unused feeders, but the process requires great deal of time and is highly susceptible to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the disabling operation into two phases: first enabling monitoring on all feeders simultaneously, then selectively disabling it on inactive feeders based on alarm signals. This segmentation allows automated identification of inactive feeders without manual intervention on each individual feeder.
Solution Approach 2:
The yarn feeders themselves provide information about their operational status through alarm signals when inactive. The system uses this self-reported information to automatically identify which feeders need monitoring disabled, eliminating the need for manual checking of each feeder.
2Loss of information
If monitoring function is enabled on all yarn feeders, then inactive feeders can be identified through alarm signals, but unnecessary alarm messages are transmitted causing unwarranted stopping of the warper
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring function is enabled preliminarily on all feeders before the warping process starts. This preliminary enabling allows the system to collect information about which feeders are inactive through alarm signals, so that monitoring can be selectively disabled afterward to prevent unwarranted stops.
Solution Approach 2:
The alarm signals that would normally cause harmful unwarranted stops are converted into beneficial information sources. By capturing and analyzing these alarm signals during a setup phase, the system identifies inactive feeders and disables monitoring on them, transforming the harmful alarm mechanism into a useful detection tool.
3Extent of automation
If the warper communicates which yarn feeders are involved in the warping process, then the setup procedure can be automated, but modification to the textile machine is required
Solution Approach 1:
The yarn feeders autonomously provide information about their operational status through alarm signals without requiring the warper to communicate which feeders are active. This self-service approach enables automation of the setup procedure without modifying the warper or textile machine infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The alarm signal mechanism acts as an intermediary that indirectly communicates the operational status of yarn feeders. Instead of requiring direct communication from the warper, the system uses the existing alarm infrastructure as a mediator to convey information about inactive feeders.
Data Source
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AI summary
A setup procedure for configuring a plurality of electronically controlled yarn feeders (YF1, YF2, YF3, ..., YFX) to automatically release respective yarns (Y1, Y2, Y3, ..., YX) in response to requests from a textile machine (W) which sends them, by way of a gateway (G), a status signal (RUN) indicating whether or not it is picking up yarns. The yarn feeders (YF1, YF2, YF3, ..., YFX) implement a monitoring function, which can be disabled by the (G) and by virtue of which they monitor the unwinding of the respective yarn (Y1, Y2, Y3, ..., YX) by means of sensor means (YS1, YS2, YS3, ..., YSX) and, if they detect that there is no unwinding of yarn even though the textile machine (W) is in motion, they generate an alarm message (AL) which is converted by the gateway (G) to a stop signal (STOP) for the textile machine (W). In a setup procedure, with the textile machine (W) at rest, the monitoring function is enabled by the gateway (G) on all the yarn feeders (YF1, YF2, YF3, ..., YFX) associated with the textile machine (W). Then the textile machine (W) is started for a setup cycle, during which the stopping of the textile machine (W) is inhibited, the setup cycle having a duration longer than the maximum time required by the yarn feeders (YF1, YF2, YF3, ..., YFX) to detect the unwinding of yarn. At the end of the setup cycle, the yarn feeders on which the monitoring function is to be disabled are selected based on those that have sent an alarm signal (AL) during the setup cycle, and the monitoring function is disabled on these by means of the gateway (G).