Yarn Winding Machine Fulcrum Guide Switching Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing yarn winders face issues with local wearing of fulcrum guides due to high-speed yarn contact, leading to quality deterioration and increased costs from motor-driven rotation and bearing maintenance.

Innovation Solution

A yarn winder with a switching mechanism that prevents high-speed rotation of freely rotatable fulcrum guides during winding, using a gear portion and engaging member to cancel engagement during non-winding operations, allowing for easy yarn threading and reducing the need for a drive unit.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If fulcrum guides are made freely rotatable to suppress local wearing, then local wearing is reduced, but bearing maintenance cost increases due to high-speed rotation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesuppression of local wearingVSAvoidbearing maintenance cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The fulcrum guide's rotational state is dynamically switched between locked and free-rotating modes. During yarn winding, the switching mechanism locks the fulcrum guide to prevent high-speed rotation and bearing wear. During non-winding periods, the mechanism releases the lock to allow rotation, which prevents local wearing. This dynamic state change resolves the contradiction by having the system adapt its rotational behavior to operational requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of manufacture

If fulcrum guides are locked to prevent rotation during winding, then bearing maintenance cost is reduced, but local wearing increases due to continuous contact

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebearing maintenance costVSAvoidsuppression of local wearing
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The switching mechanism performs preliminary action by locking the fulcrum guide before high-speed yarn winding begins. This preventive locking avoids the harmful effect of high-speed rotation during winding. After winding completes, the mechanism releases the lock in advance to allow rotation during non-winding periods, preventing local wearing before it can occur. This preliminary action approach resolves the contradiction by proactively preventing both bearing wear and local wearing at different times.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If motor-driven rotation is used to change contact position, then local wearing is suppressed, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontact position variationVSAvoiddrive unit requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using a motor-driven system to rotate the fulcrum guide, the invention employs a switching mechanism that allows the fulcrum guide to rotate freely under its own weight or external forces during non-winding periods. The system serves itself by utilizing natural forces rather than requiring an active drive unit. This self-service approach resolves the contradiction by achieving contact position variation without adding the complexity and cost of a motor-driven system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3988487B1Yarn winding machine
Publication Date: 2023.09.06 TMT MACHINERY INC
  • EP3988487B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3988487B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(b)
  • EP3988487B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(b)

AI summary

A yarn winder (10) in which local wearing of fulcrum guides (16) is suppressed and the cost for achieving the suppression of wearing is low is provided. Fulcrum guides (16) are rollers each having a central axis and have outer circumferential surfaces on which the yarns (Y) are placed. At least one of the fulcrum guides (16) is arranged to be freely rotatable about the central axis. A switching mechanism (30) which prevents the at least one of the fulcrum guides (16) from rotating during yarn winding and cancels prevention of rotation of the at least one of the fulcrum guides (16) at a time other than the yarn winding is provided.