Abstract:
The yarn-feeder comprises a reel (R) having loops of yarn wound thereon and driven by a permanent-magnet, synchronous brushless motor to draw the yarn from a spool (RO) and to feed it to a textile machine arranged downstream (MF). The motor (M, M′) comprises a stator (STA, STA′) consisting of a substantially cylindrical, hollow housing having at least three elongated pole shoes (E 1 -E 3 , E 1 ′-E 3′ ) having respective excitation coils wound thereon (A, B, C, A′, B′, C′), and a rotor comprising a magnetic member having a circular profile with alternating poles, which is coaxially supported on the driving shaft (AM, AM′) near the coils.

Description:
[0001]     The present invention relates to a positive yarn feeder for textile machines and the like, particularly of the type provided with a voltage-controlled or current-controlled motor.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The positive yarn feeders usually draw the yarn from a spool and feed the yarn at a regulated speed and tension to a machine arranged downstream, such as a loom, a knitting machine, a spooler, and the like.  
         [0003]     The feeder comprises a motor which drives a yarn-feeding reel on which a number of yarn loops are wound. The motor is driven by an electronic power supply unit consisting of a bridge of electronic switches controlled by a control unit which processes various signals from external sensors, such as yarn tension signals, voltage signals and/or current signals deriving from the driving of the motor, feedback signals from speed sensors and/or position sensors associated to the motor, etc. On the basis of such signals, the control unit cyclically closes the switches of the electronic power supply unit in order to control the motor speed and, consequently, the yarn speed, which is proportional to the motor speed. The above control units are substantially capable of operating in real time by means of circuits which implement voltage/current, nested control loops, which may be speed-controlled loops or position-controlled loops;  
         [0004]     The positive yarn feeders of the prior art utilize stepping motors or, preferably, brushless motors, which are more suited to applications in which high speeds and high accelerations are required, such as the present application. In particular, the brushless motors currently in use for weft feeders comprise a hollow, cylindrical stator provided with field windings that are received in a fine groove pattern cut in the inner surface of the stator.  
         [0005]     However, as well known to the persons skilled in the art, very expensive and accurate machinings are required to carry out the above arrangement of grooves and windings, mainly in consideration of the small size of the motors used for yarn feeders, which are about 45 to 50 mm in diameter. Moreover, this arrangement makes it difficult to install position sensors within the stator, as required to subject the motor to a speed/position feedback control.  
         [0006]     Furthermore, the use of brushless motors of the above type in positive yarn feeders causes the driving torque to be affected by so-called “ripple” phenomena. Such phenomena limit the passband of the control system, thereby affecting the accuracy of the yarn-feeding process with consequent flaws in the evenness of the fabric or mesh. These problems have become more and more serious with increasing speeds of the yarn-processing machines, about 1000 m of yarn per minute at the present date.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     It is a main object of the present invention to provide a positive yarn feeder for textile machines and the like, in which the control of the yarn-feeding process is more regular and more accurate than in the known feeders.  
         [0008]     It is another object of the invention to provide a positive yarn feeder in which the torque ripple, in the motor that drives the yarn-feeding reel, is considerably reduced, or even deleted, with respect to the known feeders provided with brushless motors.  
         [0009]     It is a further object of the invention to improve the above yarn feeder to have low manufacturing costs and a small overall size.  
         [0010]     The above object and other aims and advantages, which will better appear below, are achieved by a positive yarn feeder having the features recited in claim  1 , while other advantageous features are stated in the other claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     A few preferred embodiments of the invention will be now described with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a general diagram of a positive yarn feeder of the type to which the invention is referred;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatical, front view of a positive yarn feeder of the type to which the invention is referred;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a view in transverse, cross-section of the motor incorporated in the feeder according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the motor incorporated in the feeder according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a view in tranverse, cross-section of the stator of the motor of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a diagram showing the driving torque of the motor as a function of the angular position with different values of the armature current;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a view in transverse, cross-section of the motor incorporated in the feeder according to a third preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]     With reference to  FIGS. 1, 2 , a positive yarn feeder AP draws yarn F from a spool RO and feeds the yarn to a machine MF, such as a loom, a knitting machine, a spooler, and the like, at a regulated speed and tension. Yarn F drawn from spool RO is wound into a plurality of loops on a reel R keyed to the driving shaft of a motor M, then passes through an electronic tension sensor ST, and finally is fed to machine MF.  
         [0020]     Motor M is a permanent-magnet, synchronous brushless motor driven by an electronic power supply unit via a three-phase switching bridge SP provided with electronic switches. A control unit UC receives a yarn tension signal T from sensor ST, voltage signals V and current signals I deriving from the driving of the motor, feedback signals FB from position sensors associated to the motor, which will be better described below, as well as general external signals S, and generates a sequence of commands C which drive bridge SP to feed the yarn with a desired speed and tension.  
         [0021]     Having now reference to  FIG. 3 , motor M according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention is provided with a stator STA consisting of a hollow cylindrical housing having nine elongated pole shoes which radially project inwards, three of which E 1 , E 2 , E 3 , are equally spaced at 120° from each other and support respective excitation coils A, B, C. The rotor of the motor consists of a thin cylindrical magnet MC that is coaxially supported on the driving shaft AM via a support SM. Cylindrical magnet MC is polarized radially with alternating poles north N and south S. The two side-by-side pole shoes of each pair without coils have a respective Hall sensor H 1 , H 2 , H 3 , arranged therebetween and connected for sending position signals to control unit UC.  
         [0022]     According to a second preferred embodiment of the invention, shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , motor M′ has a stator STA′ in the shape of a substantially cylindrical, hollow housing, with a disc-shaped base BD and nine elongated pole shoes rising from the base in a direction parallel to the axis of the base, each piece being in the shape of a longitudinal part of cylinder. Three of said pieces E 1 ′, E 2 ′, E 3 ′ are equally spaced at 120° from each other and support respective excitation coils A′, B′, C′. The rotor consists of a driving shaft AM′ having a coaxial, disc-shaped magnet D keyed thereto, which is polarized longitudinally with alternating poles north N and south S. Magnet D is arranged in front of the coils near the free ends thereof. The two side-by-side pole shoes of each pair without coils have a respective Hall sensor H 1 ′, H 2 ′, H 3 ′, arranged therebetween and connected to send position signals to control unit UC.  
         [0023]     With both the above arrangements, the magnetic member, i.e., the cylinder or the disc, may have four or five pairs of pole shoes (five in the figures), or a number of pairs that is a multiple of four or five, depending on design requirements concerning the speed control or position control of the motor, as well known to the persons skilled in the art.  
         [0024]     The diagram of  FIG. 6  shows the driving torque as a function of the angular position with different armature currents (in Ampere), with the motor subjected to a trapezoidal driving. As the person skilled in the art will appreciate, the curves have a synusoidal shape and the residual torque, i.e., the resisting torque measured at zero-current, is very low.  
         [0025]     In a third embodiment of the invention, shown in  FIG. 7 , the construction of the motor is similar to the second embodiment but the motor is biphase and has a stator provided with eight pole shoes, four of which E 1 ′ b , E 2 ′ b , E 3 ′ b , E 4 ′ b , are equally spaced at right angles from each other and support respective excitation coils A′b, B′b, C′b, D′b. The magnetic disc Db has five pole shoes.  
         [0026]     With a motor according to the invention, the excitation coils do not need to be wound directly on the pole shoes of the stator, as required with the traditional motors. On the contrary, the coils can be wound separately and then installed within the stator, with an enhanced ease of installation.  
         [0027]     Moreover, the stator excitation coils are only three, in case of three-phase motors, or four, in case of biphase motors, with consequent possibility of manufacturing small-sized motors at low cost.  
         [0028]     Furthermore, since the above motors have a high merit coefficient, with a high efficiency in converting the electric power into driving torque, the driving torque is increased with respect to the traditional motors, for equal size.  
         [0029]     A further advantage of the invention is that the driving torque supplied by the motor is affected by a low value of harmonic distortion and residual torque and, when subjected to a sinusoidal driving, by a very low level of torque ripple, with consequent enhanced performance of the whole system.  
         [0030]     Furthermore, since the Hall sensors are arranged in the angular gaps between the coils, they do not require any additional housing to be installed, with further opportunity of manufacturing small-sized motors at low cost.  
         [0031]     A preferred embodiment of the invention has been described herein, but of course many changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0032]     The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. TO2005A000225 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.