DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to the field of producing balls of thread-like textile material, such as for example but without limiting the invention cotton, wool, silk, yarns of mixed natural and synthetic materials.

More specifically, the invention relates to a new control and programming system for producing a ball of thread by a using a ball winding machine. This invention also relates to a method for controlling and programming a system for producing a ball of thread.

Lastly, the invention relates to a ball winding machine comprising one or more systems for controlling and programming the production of a ball of thread.

There are currently various prior art methods for producing balls of threadlike textile material.

The term ball used hereinafter in the description and in the claims means a continuous portion of thread-like textile material wound in a multiplicity of turns or windings relative to at least one axis of rotation shared by all the turns.

The various windings may be made in turn around at least one collecting device.

If the thread to be wound to produce the ball has different colours along the longitudinal direction it is not possible, with the prior art systems, to determine precisely which is the initial colour and which is the final colour. More specifically, it is not possible to determine and control the ball winding machine in such a way that the initial colour and the final colour are the same.

In practice, with the prior art systems there is no possibility of controlling and programming in a systematic manner the initial and final colour of a predetermined ball of thread being made.

All the systems and methods currently known therefore have major drawbacks.

More specifically, an important, but not unique, drawback is due to the fact that it is not possible to determine before completing the ball which is the final colour of the ball.

In detail, this lack of determination is rather disadvantageous for the final user of the ball since it creates uncertainty in the processing.

For example, using coloured balls made with prior art systems it is not possible to produce two textile items (for example socks) which are identical; in fact, since each ball is different, the end product will also be different.

If, on the other hand, the end user wishes to obtain two perfectly identical products from the point of view of the colours, a waste of material is inevitably generated.

An aim of this invention is, therefore, to provide a system for controlling and programming production of a ball of thread having a plurality of stretches with different colours "a", "b", "c" along the longitudinal direction which allows the drawbacks of the known methods and balls to be overcome.

More specifically, an aim of this invention is to provide a system for controlling and programming production of a ball of thread having a plurality of stretches with different colours "a", "b", "c" along the longitudinal direction so as to allow the production of a ball with a with a predetermined initial colour and a predetermined final colour, for example the same colour.

Another important aim is to provide a method for controlling and programming the production of a ball of thread having stretches of different colours along the relative longitudinal direction so as to obtain a ball with a predetermined initial colour and a predetermined final colour, for example the same colour. According to the system and method of this invention it is possible to produce a series of balls in sequence all sharing the fact that they have the initial and final colour predetermined beforehand by the manufacturer. A further aim of the invention is to provide a ball winding machine comprising a plurality of control and programming systems in order to produce in parallel a multiplicity of balls, all controlled and programmed in such a way as to obtain the predetermined initial and final colour, for example the same colour.

This invention describes a control and programming system for producing a ball of thread having a plurality of stretches with different colours along the longitudinal direction using a ball winding machine, the system comprising a device for acquiring the chromatic characteristics of the various stretches of thread connected to a respective control unit, a device for moving the thread towards the winding head of a ball winding machine and a device for cutting the thread.

Advantageously, the system also comprises means for supporting the thread, for maintaining the same in a predetermined position relative to the chromatic detection device.

Advantageously, the system also comprises means for positioning the acquisition device to achieve in an easy and certain manner the focusing thereof relative to the thread.

Advantageously moreover, the device for moving the thread comprises a nozzle fed with compressed air.

Advantageously, the cutting device comprises a mechanical cutter.

Preferably, the device for acquisition of the chromatic characteristics of the thread comprise a video camera, a camera, a photometer, a scanning sensor or a spectrophotometer.

This invention also relates to a method for controlling and programming the production of a ball of thread having stretches of different colours along the longitudinal direction, comprising the following operating steps: programming the system in such a way as to learn, by means of the acquisition device, the type of stretch of colour (for example "a") selected as initial colour of the ball, and the interval of operation after which to activate the thread cutting device,

preparing the thread in a winding head of a ball winding machine located downstream of the system in such a way that the selected colour "a" is the first to be wound on the ball,

- activating the winding head,

- activating the cutting device after the predetermined operating interval and when the selected point "X" of the next stretch of colour "a" is located at the cutting device.

Advantageously, according to the method, the movement device is kept actuated not only during the ball winding steps but also during and after the cutting step to hold in position the thread and facilitate the movement towards the winding head of the ball winding machine.

This invention also provides a ball winding machine comprising a plurality of control and programming systems for producing a ball of thread as described.

Advantageously moreover, the operation of the ball winding machine is controlled according to the method described.

Further features and details of a preferred, non-limiting embodiment of the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 illustrates a first schematic view of a possible embodiment of a control and programming system according to this invention; - Figure 2 illustrates a second schematic view of the embodiment of Figure 1 ,

- Figure 3 is a schematic view of a ball winding machine comprising a series of systems according to this invention and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2,

- Figure 4 is a schematic view of two operating times in the operation of a control and programming system according to this invention. As illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, the numeral 1 denotes a control and programming system for producing a ball of thread 10 using a ball winding machine 20.

More specifically, this invention relates to the production of a ball of thread 10 which has on its longitudinal extension a series of stretches (at least two) coloured in a different way "a", "b", "c" along a longitudinal direction. Advantageously, but not necessarily, the series of coloured stretches "a", "b", "c" is repeated in a systematic and equal manner along the entire length of the thread 10.

The system 1 comprises in its basic embodiment a device 2 for acquiring the chromatic characteristics "a", "b"', "c" of the thread 10.

Merely by way of an example, the acquisition device 2 may comprise a video camera, a camera, a photometer, a scanning sensor or a spectrophotometer, or any other device 2 designed to recognise a colour of the thread 10 in question.

The system 1 also comprises a device 3 for moving the thread 10 towards a winding head (not illustrated since of known type) of a ball winding machine 20. The thread is also being unwound from a source for feeding the thread 10 (also not illustrated since of known type).

The movement device 3 preferably comprises a compressed air nozzle which uses, precisely, compressed air for moving the thread 10 towards the winding head located downstream of the system 1 in the direction of the arrow F.

By modulating the air entering the above-mentioned nozzle 3 it is possible to determine the speed of sliding of the thread 10 inside it starting from a value of zero metres per second, that is to say, stationary relative to the nozzle.

Advantageously, the nozzle 3 is kept in position through a respective rigid support 8.

The system 1 also comprises a device 4 for cutting the thread 10 positioned advantageously downstream of the movement device 3 and the video acquisition device 2, and upstream of the above-mentioned winding head.

The cutting device 4 can, preferably, comprise a mechanical guillotine-type cutter.

It will be understood that any cutting device 4 which is able to cut the thread 10 in a clean and precise manner can perform the same function without thereby limiting the scope of protection of this invention.

In order to make the focusing of the thread 10 by the acquisition device 2 easier, the system 1 may comprise suitable means 6 for supporting the thread 10.

In this way, it is possible to keep the thread 10 in a predetermined and fixed position relative to the acquisition device 2.

Again so as to facilitate the focusing of the acquisition device 2, the system comprises means 5 for positioning the acquisition device 2.

For example, the latter may comprises longitudinal guide means on two movement axes.

The system 1 described above is preferably enclosed within a containment body 7.

In operation, a system 1 according to this invention comprises the following operating steps:

- programming the system 1 in such a way as to learn, by means of the acquisition device 2, the type of stretch of colour "a" selected as initial colour of the ball, and the interval of operation after which to activate the cutting device 4,

- preparing the thread 10 in a winding head of a ball winding machine 20 located downstream of the system 1 in such a way that the colour "a" is the first to be wound on the ball,

- activating the winding head,

By way of an example, the interval of operation may be calculated by checking the actual length of the thread 10 already wound on the ball, the number of windings of the ball in production, a unit of time, or in any case by measuring any operating parameter which allows the actual approach of the stretch of selected colour "a" to be detected,

Advantageously, once the thread 10 has been cut in the position derived from the calculations described above the movement device 3 is kept actuated.

In this way, the end of the thread 10 distal from the winding head is kept stationary and extracted from the movement device 3, thus facilitating the approach towards the winding head, for example by a user or an automatic system, to start the production of a new ball.

For clarity and completeness of description, and with reference in particular to Figure 4, an example is given of the operating cycle of a system 1 according to this invention.

The following data must be known: total length of the thread 10 to be wound, length of the stretch of colour selected as initial and final colour of the ball in production "a".

It should be noted that it is not necessary to know any data relative to the length and to the type of colours between those not selected ("b" and "c" in Figure 4) as initial and final colours of the ball.

An operation interval t1 is set, corresponding, for example, to 1000 turns or 200 metres or 30 seconds.

At the initial time tO the user (or the automatic system) fixes the end of the colour "a" to the winding head.

The winding head is actuated and produces the respective ball for the time t1 .

At the time t1 the winding head performs, advantageously, a slowing down and the video acquisition device 2 is enabled.

The slowing down may be advantageous to improve the acquisition by the acquisition device 2, however it may be not necessary depending on the quality of resolution and sensitivity of the device 2.

When the acquisition device 2 detects the stretch of colour selected "a" it sends a signal to the cutting device 4 which proceeds with the cutting when reaching the selected point "X".

The ball winding machine proceeds, ending the winding of the length of thread 10 just cut by the cutting device.

At this point, the user may again fix the end of colour "a" to the winding head for producing a new ball, which is also characterised in that it starts with a stretch of colour "a" and ends with the same colour "a".

Advantageously, by suitable control of the movement device 3, it is possible to move the end of the thread 10 towards the winding head in such a way as to facilitate the work of the user.

A further aspect according to the invention, shown in Figure 3, is a ball winding machine 20 comprising a plurality of control and programming systems 1 as described previously and associated with respective winding heads, not shown because they are of known type and not significant for the purpose of this invention.

Preferably, the above-mentioned machine will be characterised by an operation as described above.

Finally, it is clear that this invention may be modified, added to or adapted in ways obvious to technicians in the field, without thereby departing from the protective scope of the appended claims.

More specifically, it is understood that by using a system according to this invention is possible to program the entire composition of a ball (or a series of balls) both in terms of number and length of the individual stretches of different colours.