CN113039320B - System and method for on-line processing of one or more wires for use with wire consuming equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A system (10) for on-line processing of one or more wires (20 a-b) for use with a wire consuming device (15) is provided. The system comprises: a treatment device (100) having a plurality of nozzles (152 a-f) distributed in at least first and second distribution areas (154 a-b), the distribution areas (154 a-b) being separated in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the at least one wire (20 a-b), the wires (20 a-b) being in motion in use, each nozzle (152 a-f) being configured to distribute one or more coating substances at least onto the at least one wire (20 a-b) when activated; and a control unit (190) configured to independently control activation of each dispensing zone (154 a-b) of the nozzles (152 a-f). A method is further provided.

Description

System and method for on-line processing of one or more wires for use with wire consuming equipment

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of wire consumption equipment. In particular, the present invention relates to a system comprising a processing unit for use in combination with such wire consuming devices.

Background

It has been proposed to provide wire consuming equipment, such as embroidery machines or the like, with an in-line device designed to provide some kind of treatment to the wire. Such in-line devices may be used, for example, to color the wire so that when using an embroidery machine to produce a multi-color pattern, multiple color nozzles may replace multiple pre-colored wires currently in use. In prior art systems employing different colored wires, one wire having a first designated color is used for some stitches (stiches) and another wire having a second designated color is used for other stitches.

To eliminate the obvious disadvantage of requiring a plurality of wires of different colours, the present inventors have filed several patent applications concerning the technique of on-line colouring (in-line colouring) of wires, such as WO2016204687 and WO2016204686. The proposed solution improves the color quality while also reducing the complexity of the wire consuming equipment.

However, in order to further improve the quality and efficiency of on-line coloring of the wire, it would be advantageous if the on-line coloring apparatus could process multiple wires simultaneously.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a solution that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. More specifically, the present invention provides a solution in which a system for on-line treatment of wires is configured to: by dividing the nozzle into different distribution areas which can be controlled individually, more than one wire can be processed simultaneously.

In a first aspect, a system for on-line processing of one or more wires for use with wire consuming equipment is provided. The system comprises: a processing unit having a plurality of nozzles distributed in at least first and second distribution areas, which distribution areas can be separated in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the at least one wire, the wire being in motion in use, each nozzle being configured to distribute one or more coating substances at least onto the at least one wire when activated; and a control unit configured to independently control activation of each dispensing zone of the nozzle.

Some wire consuming devices require the use of multiple individual wires simultaneously. The solution of equipping each wire with a separate system is not beneficial, as it is both expensive and space consuming. Thus, there are advantages in having a single system that can process multiple wires simultaneously with a coating substance. With the system described herein, multiple wires can be coated simultaneously, for example, with different coating substances (e.g., different colors).

The plurality of nozzles may be arranged in one or more nozzle arrays. In one embodiment, the plurality of nozzles is arranged in a nozzle array, and wherein the nozzle array is arranged at an angle relative to the direction of the at least one wire.

The plurality of nozzles may be arranged in at least two nozzle arrays. The at least two nozzle arrays may be parallel to each other.

The nozzle array may be disposed at an angle with respect to the direction of the at least one wire.

In one embodiment, at least a portion of the nozzles of the first nozzle array are distributed in the first distribution area and at least a portion of the nozzles of the second nozzle array are distributed in the second distribution area.

In one embodiment, all of the nozzles of the first nozzle array are distributed in the first distribution area and all of the nozzles of the second nozzle array are distributed in the second distribution area.

In one embodiment, the system is provided for on-line processing of at least a first wire and a second wire, and wherein the control unit is configured to control activation of the nozzles of each distribution zone independently such that the first wire may be processed by the first distribution zone and the second wire may be processed simultaneously by the second distribution zone.

In one embodiment, the control unit is configured to: the activation of each dispensing zone is controlled by sending a trigger signal to the nozzles disposed in the particular dispensing zone.

The control unit may be configured to individually activate the nozzles of one dispensing zone.

The control unit may be configured to: the nozzles of one dispensing zone are individually activated with a predetermined offset (offset) which receives the trigger signal.

In one embodiment, the first and second wires are different from each other.

In one embodiment, the nozzle is an inkjet nozzle.

In one embodiment, the system further comprises a wire consuming device. The wire consuming device may be an embroidery machine, a sewing machine, a knitting machine, a loom, a tufting machine, a winding machine, and/or any combination thereof.

In a second aspect, a method for in-line processing of at least one wire is provided. The method comprises the following steps: providing a processing unit having a plurality of nozzles distributed in at least first and second distribution areas, the distribution areas being separated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the at least one wire, the wire being in motion in use, each nozzle being configured to distribute one or more coating substances at least onto the at least one wire when activated; and providing a control unit configured to independently control the activation of each dispensing zone of the nozzle.

Definition of the definition

Wire consuming device in this context refers to any device that consumes wire when in use. It may be, for example, an embroidery machine (embroidery machine), a loom (WEAVING MACHINE), a stitch-setting machine (SEWING MACHINE), a knitting machine (KNITTING MACHINE), a loom (WEAVING MACHINE), a tufting machine (tufting machine), a winding machine (THREAD WINDING MACHINE), or any other wire-consuming device that may benefit from a surface treatment or coating or any other process involving subjecting the wire to a substance, such as dyeing.

Treatment in this context refers to any process designed to cause a change in the properties of the wire. Such processes include, but are not limited to, coloring, wetting, lubrication, cleaning, fixing, heating, curing, dyeing, and the like.

A flexible elongate member or substrate in this context is a thin, width and height, and has a longitudinal extension that is significantly greater than the longitudinal extension of any of the components of the systems described herein, as well as its own width and height dimensions. In general, the wire may be composed of multiple strands (plies) that are bundled or twisted together. Thus, the term wire includes yarns (yarn), threads (wire), strands, filaments (filents), and the like, made of various materials such as fiberglass, wool, cotton, synthetic materials such as polymers, metals, polyesters, viscose, or mixtures such as wool, cotton, polymers, or metals, or any combination thereof.

In this specification, all references to upstream and/or downstream should be interpreted as relative positions during normal operation of the wire consuming device (i.e. when the device is operating to process elongated substrates such as wires continuously moving through the device in the normal operating direction). Thus, the upstream component is arranged such that a particular portion of the wire passes the upstream component before it passes the downstream component.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following description of the present invention; reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate non-limiting examples of how the inventive concepts may be reduced to practice.

FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram of a system for in-line processing of wire according to one embodiment;

FIG. 1b is a perspective view of a system having a wire consuming device and a processing unit according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a processing unit for use with the system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a release device forming part of a processing unit;

FIG. 4a is a schematic top view of a portion of a release device according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4b is a schematic top view of a portion of a release device according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5a is a schematic diagram of a portion of a processing unit according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5b is a schematic diagram of a portion of a processing unit according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5c is a schematic diagram of a portion of a processing unit according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5d is a schematic diagram of a portion of a processing unit according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5e is a schematic diagram of a portion of a processing unit according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5f is a schematic diagram of a portion of a processing unit according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6a is a schematic diagram of a system according to one embodiment, an

Fig. 6b is a schematic diagram of a system according to one embodiment.

Detailed Description

The idea of the present invention is to provide a system and a method for distributing coating substances onto a wire in a controlled manner for use with a wire consuming device. Starting with fig. 1a, a schematic diagram of a system 10 for on-line processing of wire (in-LINE TREATMENT) is shown. The system 10 includes: a treatment unit 100 for dispensing one or more coating substances onto at least one wire. The system 10 further includes: at least one wire consuming device 15, which may be in the form of, for example, one or more embroidery machines, looms, sewing machines, knitting machines, tufting machines, winding machines, etc. The system thus constitutes a wire consuming unit comprising the at least one wire consuming device 15 and the processing unit 100. It should be noted that more than one wire may be used in the wire consuming device.

It should be noted that aspects of the system are described in this specification and need not include the wire consuming device 15. As will be further appreciated below, for all embodiments, the system for on-line processing of wire requires a processing unit 100 to be used with the wire consuming apparatus 15.

Referring now to fig. 1b, the wire consuming device 15 is exemplified by an embroidery machine, here illustrated as a single head embroidery machine, which is equipped with a processing unit 100. The embroidery machine 15 comprises a movable stage 2b carrying the fabric to be embroidered. During operation, the movable stage 2b is controlled to change its position rapidly in the X and Y directions (i.e. in the present case horizontal but also in the vertical).

The processing unit 100 enables the embroidery machine 15 to operate without requiring a unique supply of pre-colored thread as in conventional embroidery machines. Instead, the processing unit 100 provides for on-line coloring of the thread 20 in accordance with a predetermined coloring pattern, thereby enabling the production of colored embroidery. The processing unit thus replaces the individual coils (THREAD REEL) present in the prior art system.

As shown in fig. 1b, the only connection between the processing unit 100 and the embroidery machine 15 is the wire 20 and the electrical connection (not shown). Thus, the processing unit 100 is provided as a separate unit without mechanical connection to the movable stage 2 b. In an alternative embodiment, the stand-alone processing unit 100 is mounted to the wire consuming device 15 via a suspension arrangement to reduce vibrations transmitted to the processing unit 100.

The system 10 described herein is capable of using only one treatment unit 100 to treat one or more wires 20a-c with a coating substance. If multiple wires are used in the system 10, different coating substances may be dispensed onto different wires 20a-c simultaneously. Additionally or alternatively, the coating substance may be dispensed in different patterns for different wires 20a-c.

Various components of a processing unit 100 configured to process one or more wires are shown in fig. 2. Hereinafter, the system will be described with respect to use examples of two wires, however it should be understood that the system may be applied to a single wire or to more than two wires.

Most or all of the components of the system 10 may be disposed within the housing.

Each wire 20a-b is arranged to pass through a respective coil 120a-b. Immediately downstream of the coils 120a-b, wire feeders 130a-b are provided—one wire feeder 130a-b is provided for each wire 20a-b. The wire feeder 130 may be configured to pull the wire forward through the processing unit 100. The wire feeders 130 are not further described herein, but for a more general understanding, each wire feeder 130 receives and advances its respective wire 20a-b. To this end, the wire feeder 130 may be controlled by a control unit 190, which is further described below. After the wires 10a-b have passed through their respective wire feeders 130, each wire 20a-b is engaged with a respective wire guide 140 a-b. Each wire guide 140a-b may be, for example, in the form of one or more guide rollers or in the form of other suitable means that ensure that its wire 20a-b is aligned with one or more process nozzles that form part of at least one release device 150. The two wires 20a-b then pass through the common release device 150.

The release device 150 is configured to: the release device 150 releases a treatment substance (e.g., a coloring substance) onto the wire 20 as the wire 20 passes through the release device 150. For this purpose, the nozzles are preferably arranged in the longitudinal direction of the wire 20, as will be further explained in connection with fig. 3 to 5.

The release device 150, or components of the release device 150 such as the printheads 151a-d (shown in FIG. 3), may be movable by a drive unit (not shown). The provision of a drive unit makes it possible to: the release device 150 or components of the release device 150 are arranged in different operating states in order to perform different tasks, such as a first state (dispensing coating substance to the wire) and a second state (performing a cleaning link or other maintenance or idling (idling)).

Downstream of the release device 150, the wires 20a-b are separated onto respective wire guides 160 a-b. The second wire guides 160a-b cooperate with the respective first wire guides 140a-b such that the respective wires 20a-b are properly positioned during their travel along the release device 150. The second wire guide 160 may be, for example, in the form of one or more guide rollers, although it may also be designed to guide the wire 20 in rotation along its longitudinal axis.

The system 10 may further include a common, or two separate, or any number of wire speed sensors (not shown) configured to measure the speed of the wires 20a-b through the system 10.

Furthermore, a common, or two separate, light detection systems (not shown) may be provided downstream of the release device 150 along the direction of travel of the wires 20 a-b. The light detection system is arranged to illuminate the wires 20a-b so as to receive light reflected from the wires 20a-b when the wires 20a-b are illuminated. The information collected from the light detection signals may be used, for example, to determine the position of the wires relative to the nozzles 152a-f, the width of each wire, and/or the properties of each wire. This information can in turn be used, for example, to detect nozzles that require maintenance, nozzles that require repositioning, and/or to detect changes in coating materials. Additionally or alternatively, the light detection system may be used to determine different properties of wires that have been coated with one or several coating substances.

The wires 20a-b are then advanced to pass through one or more securing units 170 provided to secure the treatment substance to the wires 20 a-b. The fixation unit may be common to both wires or provided as two separate units-one fixation unit for each wire 20 a-b. The fixing unit 170 preferably includes a heating device, such as a hot air supply or heating element, or an ultraviolet light source, so as to cure or fix the treatment substance (e.g., coloring substance) to the wire 20. As shown in fig. 2, the fixing unit 170 may be disposed horizontally, vertically, or at an angle between the horizontal and the vertical.

The wires 20a-b may pass through a cleaning unit 180 (e.g., an ultrasonic bath) where unwanted particles are removed from the wires 20a-b before exiting the housing. The cleaning unit may be common to both wires or provided as two separate units-one cleaning unit for each wire 20 a-b. Since the treatment substance is fixed on the wires 20a-b, the cleaning unit 180 will leave the treatment substance unaffected.

The processing unit 100 may further include a lubrication unit (not shown). The lubrication unit may be common to both wires or provided as two separate units-one lubrication unit for each wire 20 a-b. Additional wire buffers (buffers) and feeders (not shown) may also be included in the processing unit 100, disposed at different locations along the wire path.

The wires 20a-b preferably leave the processing unit 100 via a hole or the like, whereby the wires 20a-b are advanced to an associated wire consuming device (e.g. the embroidery machine 15 shown in fig. 1 a-1 b).

A control unit 190 with associated electronics (e.g., power electronics, communication modules, memory, etc.) is also provided. The control unit 190 is connected to the wire feeders 130a-b, the release device 150, and the fixing unit 170 to allow the operation of these components to be controlled. Further, the control unit 190 is configured to control the operation of the entire processing unit 100 (including the cleaning unit 180, the lubrication unit), interruption of the wires 20a-b, the speed of the wires at various positions along the processing unit 100, the wire buffer, and the like. The control unit 190 may also be configured to receive control signals from one or more components of the processing unit 100, such as control signals for triggering a particular control, or other information related to, for example, the wire consumption of the embroidery machine 15.

The control unit 190 may be implemented by any commercially available CPU ("central processing unit"), DSP ("digital signal processor"), or any other electronically programmable logic device, or combination of such processors or other electronically programmable logic devices. The control unit 190 may be implemented using instructions capable of implementing hardware functions, for example, by using executable computer program instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor, which may be stored on a computer readable storage medium (disk, memory, etc.) for execution by such a processor. The storage medium is preferably in operative communication with the control unit 190 (operative communication).

In one embodiment, a user interface is also provided, preferably via a display provided at the front end of the housing. The display allows a user to interact with and thus connect to the control unit 190 so that control parameters of the wire feeder 130, the release device 150, the fixing unit 170, etc. may be set according to process specifications. The display may also preferably be used to alert the user to a critical situation, whereby the display may be used to control the unit 190 to issue an alarm or similar alert.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned components may not necessarily be included in a separate processing unit 100, but the components of the processing unit 100 may be divided into several units. Preferably, the stand alone unit comprises at least said at least one release means 150. In one embodiment, these components are not provided as separate units, but are integrated with the wire consuming device 15.

In fig. 3a release device 150 is shown, which forms part of the processing unit 100 described above. The solid arrows in fig. 3 indicate the direction of movement of the wires 20a-b in use. As will be described in greater detail, the release device 150 includes a plurality of nozzles 152a-f disposed at different longitudinal positions (e.g., spaced apart by a distance d 1) along the wire 20 that passes through the processing unit 100 during use.

Each nozzle 152a-f is configured to: when the nozzle is activated, a coating substance (e.g., ink) is dispensed onto the wire 20. The coating substance is absorbed by the wire 20, for example, at different circumferential positions of the wire 20 when the wire 20 is twisted about its longitudinal axis. The relative positions of two adjacently dispensed droplets of coating substance may be selected such that the two droplets will overlap.

The processing unit 100 includes one or more release devices 150. Each release device 150 is preferably formed as a series of inkjet printheads 151a-d, each printhead 151a-d having one or more nozzle arrays. Each nozzle array typically includes hundreds or thousands of nozzles. For illustration purposes, only six nozzles 152a-f are shown for one printhead 151 a-d; it should be appreciated, however, that each nozzle array may be provided with hundreds or thousands of nozzles 152, respectively. As an example, each printhead 151a-d may be associated with a single color; in the example shown, the release device 150 has four printheads 151a-d, each printhead 151a-d being associated with a particular color according to the CMYK standard. However, other coloring models may be used.

The specific configuration of the processing unit 100 may vary. For example, the processing unit 100 is provided with a single release device 150 having a plurality of printheads 151 a-d. Each printhead 151a-d is in turn provided with a plurality of nozzles 152a-f.

In another embodiment, the processing unit 100 is provided with a plurality of release devices 150, which may be arranged in series or in parallel. Each release device 150 is then provided with a plurality of printheads 151a-d. If provided in series, the upstream discharge device 150 may have printheads 151a-d associated with one or more colors of a particular color standard, while the downstream discharge device 150 has printheads 151a-d associated with other colors of the same color standard. If arranged in parallel, each discharge device 150 may have printheads 151a-d associated with all colors of a particular color standard but associated with different wires 20. For such embodiments, two separate wires 20 may be processed in parallel at the same time. Of course, combinations of parallel/series configurations are also possible.

In another embodiment, the release device 150 has only a single printhead 151a-d; thus, dynamic coloring of the wire 20 would require multiple release devices 150 of the processing unit 100.

Each nozzle 152a-f may dispense a coating substance having a color according to the CMYK color model, where the primary colors (primary colours) are Cyan (Cyan), magenta (Magenta), yellow (Yellow), and Black (Black). Thus, multiple colors may be dispensed onto the wire by activating the nozzles 152a-f such that a particular length of the total coloring matter substance of the wire 20 will be a mixture of the coloring matter substances dispensed by the nozzles 152 a-f. As previously explained, this is preferably achieved by having a plurality of printheads 151a-d arranged in series such that the nozzles 152a-f of a particular printhead 151a-d are dedicated to a single color.

In another embodiment, each nozzle 152a-f dispenses a coating substance having a color comprised of a mixture of two or more primary colors of the CMYK color model.

The control unit 190 is configured to control the activation of the nozzles 152a-f such that: as the wire 20 passes through the treatment unit 100, in particular through the release device 150, the coating substance is emitted onto the wire 20. By such a configuration, the thread 20 may be very precisely colored, for example, to provide a visually extremely complex advanced embroidery pattern by the coloring provided by the processing unit 100.

For a shading operation, the control unit 190 receives one or more input signals specifying a desired color and/or shading effect. The color input preferably includes information about: exact color, and longitudinal start and stop positions of the wire 20 for that particular color. If the wire speed is determined, the longitudinal start and stop positions may be represented by specific time values.

Fig. 4a to 4b show respective top views of the print head 151 a. The print head 151a has a planar surface on which the nozzles 152 are disposed. As previously described, the total number of nozzles 152 of a single printhead may be thousands, being provided on the printhead 151a in a size of a few centimeters. In the example shown, a much smaller number of nozzles 152 are shown. The nozzles 152 may be distributed in one or more nozzle arrays 153 a-b. In FIG. 4a, nozzles 152 are distributed in two parallel arrays 153 a-b. Arrays 153a-b are aligned with each other such that nozzles 152 of one array 153a-b are disposed adjacent to nozzles 152 of another array 153 a-b.

Fig. 4b shows a similar example, however there is a longitudinal offset between the two arrays 153 a-b.

The system 10 described herein is capable of using only one treatment unit 100 to treat one or more wires 20a-c with a coating substance. If multiple wires are used in the system 10, different coating substances may be dispensed onto different wires 20a-c simultaneously. Additionally or alternatively, the coating substance may be dispensed in different patterns for different wires 20a-c.

The dispensing of the coating substance onto the plurality of wires is preferably accomplished by providing the nozzle of the delivery device 150 as several independently controllable dispensing zones 154 a-c. Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to fig. 5 a-5 f. In fig. 5a to 5f, the print head 151a is arranged to dispense a coating substance onto at least two wires 20a-b, and in fig. 5d, a situation with three wires 20a-c is shown.

It should be noted that the following also applies to a larger number of wires, such as four, five, etc. In a preferred embodiment, the wires 20a-c are parallel to each other. Furthermore, all wires 20a-c used in the system may be of the same thickness, or of different thicknesses. Furthermore, all wires 20a-c used in the system may be of the same type, or of different types with different properties.

Fig. 5a shows a printhead 151a having two nozzle arrays 153 a-b. In this embodiment, nozzle arrays 153a-b are disposed parallel to each other. Nozzles 152a-f of nozzle arrays 153a-b are disposed in two distribution areas 154a-b. The distribution areas 154a-b are separated in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wires 20 a-b. In the present embodiment, the nozzles of the first nozzle array 153a are distributed in the first distribution area 154a, and the nozzles of the second nozzle array 153b are distributed in the second distribution area 154 b. In the illustrated example, all of the nozzles 152a-f of each nozzle array are part of the same distribution area 153 a-b. However, as shown in FIGS. 5 b-5 c, not all of the nozzles 152a-f of the same array 153a-b need belong to the same distribution area 154a-b. In this example, the first dispensing zone 154a is configured to dispense coating material onto the first wire 20a, and the second dispensing zone 154b is configured to dispense coating material onto the second wire 20 b.

In fig. 5a, the print head 151a is disposed along the length of the wires 20 a-b. Nozzle arrays 153a-b are aligned with the length of wires 20 a-b.

It should be noted that the printhead 151a shown in fig. 5a may also be defined as having ten nozzle arrays, each of which includes two nozzles. Under this definition, the nozzle array is perpendicular to the length of the wires 20a, b. This situation is shown in fig. 5 f.

Fig. 5b shows a printhead 151a having a single nozzle array 153 a. Nozzles 152a-f of nozzle arrays 153a-b are disposed in three distribution areas 154 a-c. In the present embodiment, the nozzles covering (i.e., capable of dispensing the coating onto) the first wire 20a are distributed in the first dispensing zone 154a, while the nozzles covering the second wire 20b are distributed in the second dispensing zone 154 b. Here, the intermediate distribution area 154c is provided for those nozzles that do not cover any of the wires 20 a-b.

In fig. 5b, the printhead 151a and its nozzle array 153a are arranged to: which is inclined in comparison to the length of the wires 20 a-b. Thus, nozzle array 153a is disposed at an angle relative to the length of parallel wires 20 a-b. The angle is greater or less than 0 degrees. The nozzle array is tilted with respect to the direction of the wire so that more than one wire can be processed simultaneously using a single nozzle array. The larger the angle between the nozzle array and the wire, the more wires that can be colored with one nozzle array. The trade-off between this and the larger angle is: fewer nozzles per nozzle array can be utilized to color each wire 20 a-b.

The length of the nozzle array may preferably be at least as long as the wire 20 makes one turn around itself by 180 °, and more preferably at least as long as the wire 20 makes one turn around itself by 360 °. For this purpose, some mechanism may be provided to cause rotation of the wire as it passes through the processing unit.

Fig. 5c shows a print head 151a similar to that of fig. 5a, except that: the printhead 151a and its parallel nozzle arrays 153a-b are disposed at an angle relative to the parallel wires 20a-b, and not all of the nozzles 152a-f of the same array 153a-b are part of the same distribution area 154 a-b. Tilting both nozzle arrays relative to the direction of the wires allows the nozzles of both nozzle arrays to dispense a coating onto both wires 20 a-b. The larger the angle between the nozzle arrays and the wire, the more wires can be colored with each nozzle array. The trade-off between this and the larger angle is: fewer nozzles per nozzle array can be utilized to color each wire 20 a-b.

Fig. 5d shows a print head 151a similar to that of fig. 5a, except that: the printhead includes three parallel nozzle arrays 153a-c and three distribution areas 154a-c. Furthermore, in fig. 5d, the print head 151a is arranged to dispense coating substances onto at least three parallel wires 20 a-c.

Fig. 5e shows a print head 151a similar to that of fig. 5a, except that: the nozzles are distributed in six different distribution areas 154a-f. Each nozzle array 153a, 153b includes different segmented nozzles containing different coating materials (e.g., different colors), as shown by the patterned filled nozzles in fig. 5 e. Each segmented nozzle with a different coating substance is considered a distribution area 154a-f. Thus, each nozzle array 153a, 153b may comprise a different color, with each distribution area 154a-f having a different color. Although fig. 5e shows a printhead 151 comprising two identical nozzle arrays, it should be noted that the nozzle arrays need not be identical to each other.

Fig. 5f shows a print head 151a similar to that of fig. 5a, having two distribution areas 154a-b, each covering one of the wires 20a-b. Here, wires 20a-b are shown as having different thicknesses. Depending on the thickness or width of the wires 20a-b, a different number of nozzles will cover the wires 20a-b. It should be noted that the dimensions of the nozzle of fig. 3-5 are drawn exaggerated relative to the thickness and/or width of the wires 20a, 20b for illustrative purposes only.

In addition to the components described with reference to fig. 2, the system 10 may also include one or more encoders (not shown). In one embodiment, the number of wires 20a-b and the number of encoders in the system 10 are the same, thereby providing one encoder for each wire 20 a-b. Each encoder is arranged to trigger a respective nozzle of the dispense signal to the dispense section. In yet another embodiment, a single encoder is provided for all wires 20 a-b. Thus, the one encoder is configured to trigger a dispense signal to individual (differential) nozzles of the dispense section and/or to trigger to all of the dispense sections.

The encoder may include a wheel or be in communication with a wheel, such as a pulley or guide roller. For example, the encoder may be a rotary encoder or a shaft encoder.

The control unit 190 is configured to independently control the activation and deactivation of each distribution area 154a-c of the nozzles 152 a-f. To this end, the control unit 190 may be configured to: a trigger signal is sent to the nozzles 152a-f disposed in a particular distribution area 154 a-c. Additionally or alternatively, if the nozzles disposed in one nozzle array 153a-c are distributed into a single distribution area 154a-c, the control unit 190 may be configured to send a trigger signal to each nozzle array 153a-c to activate or deactivate the array and the nozzles of the distribution area.

The control unit 190 may be further configured to: the activation and deactivation of the nozzles 152a-f in each distribution area 154a-b is controlled individually by sending trigger signals to the nozzles 152a-f disposed in a particular distribution area 154 a-c.

The control unit 190 may be further configured to: the nozzles of one distribution area 154a-c are individually enabled using a predetermined offset from receipt of the trigger signal. The offset may be, for example, a particular time, length, or a combination of both.

In one embodiment, the first wires 20a-b are provided with triggers for activating the nozzles 152a-f distributed in the first distribution area 154a, while the second wires 20b are provided with triggers for activating the nozzles 152a-f distributed in the second distribution area 154 b.

Each wire 20a-b may have its own trigger for activating its dispensing zone nozzle, i.e. the nozzle provided in the dispensing zone covering the wire 20 a-b. In one embodiment, all distribution areas are provided with one common trigger.

The control unit 190 may be further configured to change the size of the distribution areas 154 a-c. Furthermore, the control unit 190 may be configured to vary which nozzles are to be distributed in the distribution areas 154 a-c. These changes may be based on, for example, the thickness of the wire, the density of the wire, the number of wires to be treated, the properties of the coating substance, calibration results, and/or the number of nozzles activated.

The control unit 190 may be further configured to: the angle of the print head 151a or its nozzle arrays 153a-c relative to the wires 20a-c to be processed is changed. The control unit 190 may be configured to: the angle is varied based on the thickness of the wire, the density of the wire, the number of wires to be treated, the nature of the coating substance, and/or based on the number of nozzles activated.

In the above, one or more wires 20a-c are mentioned. In one embodiment, all wires disposed through the system 10 require on-line processing. In yet another embodiment, when multiple wires are used, it is sufficient if one of the wires needs to be treated in-line (e.g., the wire is not pre-colored). Thus, the system 10 is configured to handle both uniquely pre-treated wires and wires that need to be treated on-line. For example, an embroidery machine may combine an in-line treated wire with a pre-treated wire to create a specific pattern on a substrate. Such pretreated wire may be, for example, metallic, thick, thin, neon-colored wire.

Thus, the control unit 190 may be configured to: it is determined whether the wire should be processed as it passes through the release device 150. It should be noted, however, that not all wires need to pass through the processing unit 100. This is the case, for example, when the wire does not need to be treated with a coating substance.

Although the invention has been described mainly with reference to a system comprising a processing unit 100 and a wire consuming device 15, it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the features of the invention may also be applied to other systems. Fig. 6a to 6b show two examples of such alternative systems.

In fig. 6a, the system 10 comprises a first and a second processing unit 100a, 100b and a first and a second wire consuming device 15a-b. Each processing unit 100a, 100b is controlling and executing the operation of each wire consuming device 15a-b. It should be noted that the first and second processing units 100a, although separated, may share one or more components. In one embodiment, the control unit 190 is provided as a separate unit from the first and second processing units 100a, 100b, and thus, one control unit 190 is configured to control the operation of both processing units 100a, 100b and correspondingly the operation of both wire consuming devices 15a-b.

In fig. 6b, the system 10 comprises a processing unit 100a and first and second wire consuming devices 15a-b. In this embodiment, one processing unit 100a is configured to control and perform the operations of two wire consuming devices 15a-b.

It should be noted that while only two processing units and two wire consuming devices are shown in fig. 6a, and only one processing unit and two wire consuming devices are shown in fig. 6b, it should be understood that any reasonable number of processing units and/or wire consuming devices may be present in the system 10.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. Rather, the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

In the claims, the term "comprising/comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly be advantageously combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. Furthermore, singular references do not exclude a plurality. The terms "first," "second," and the like do not exclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.

Claims (12)

1. A system (10) for on-line processing of one or more wires (20 a-b) for use with a wire consuming device (15), comprising:

A processing unit (100) having at least one print head (151) having a plurality of nozzles (152 a-f) arranged in at least two nozzle arrays (153 a-b), wherein the at least two nozzle arrays (153 a-b) are parallel to each other and wherein the plurality of nozzles (152 a-f) are distributed in at least a first distribution area and a second distribution area, the distribution areas being separated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of at least one wire (20 a-b), the wire (20 a-b) being in motion in use, each nozzle (152 a-f) being configured to distribute one or more coating substances at least onto the at least one wire (20 a-b) when activated; and

A control unit (190) configured to:

Independently controlling activation and deactivation of each dispensing zone of a nozzle (152 a-f), wherein independently controlling the activation and deactivation includes sending a trigger signal to the plurality of nozzles (152 a-f) disposed in a particular dispensing zone;

Changing the size of the allocation zone, and

Changing which nozzles are to be distributed in the distribution zone;

wherein changing the size of the distribution area and which nozzles to be distributed is based on the thickness of the at least one wire (20 a-b), the density of the at least one wire (20 a-b), the number of wires (20 a-b) to be treated, the properties of the coating substance and/or the number of activated nozzles (152 a-f).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the nozzle arrays (153 a-b) are disposed at an angle relative to the direction of the at least one wire (20 a-b).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the nozzles (152 a-f) of the first nozzle array (153 a) are distributed in the first distribution area and at least a portion of the nozzles (152 a-f) of the second nozzle array (153 b) are distributed in the second distribution area.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein all nozzles (152 a-f) of the first nozzle array (153 a) are distributed in the first distribution area and all nozzles (152 a-f) of the second nozzle array (153 b) are distributed in the second distribution area.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is provided for on-line processing of at least a first wire (20 a) and a second wire (20 b), and wherein the control unit (190) is configured to control the activation of the nozzles (152 a-f) of each distribution zone independently such that the first wire (20 a) can be processed by the first distribution zone and the second wire (20 b) can be processed simultaneously by the second distribution zone.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the control unit (190) is further configured to individually activate the nozzles of one dispensing zone.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the control unit (190) is further configured to: the nozzles of one dispensing zone are individually activated with a predetermined offset that receives the trigger signal.

8. The system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the first wire (20 a) and the second wire (20 b) are different from each other.

9. The system of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the nozzles (152 a-f) are inkjet nozzles.

10. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a wire consuming device (15).

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the wire consuming device (15) is an embroidery machine, a sewing machine, a knitting machine, a loom, a tufting machine, a winding machine and/or any combination thereof.

12. A method for on-line processing of at least one wire (20), comprising:

Providing a processing unit (100), the processing unit (100) having at least one print head (151) having a plurality of nozzles (152 a-f) arranged in at least two nozzle arrays (153 a-b), wherein the at least two nozzle arrays (153 a-b) are parallel to each other and wherein the plurality of nozzles (152 a-f) have a plurality of nozzles (152 a-f) distributed in at least a first distribution area and a second distribution area, the distribution areas being separated in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of at least one wire (20 a-b), the wire (20 a-b) being in motion in use, each nozzle (152 a-f) being configured to distribute one or more coating substances at least onto the at least one wire (20 a-b) when activated; and

-Providing a control unit (190), wherein the control unit (190) is configured to:

Independently controlling activation and deactivation of each dispensing zone of a nozzle (152 a-f), wherein independently controlling the activation and deactivation comprises sending a trigger signal to the plurality of nozzles (152 a-f) disposed in a particular dispensing zone,

Changing the size of the allocation zone, and

Changing which nozzles are to be distributed in the distribution zone;

wherein changing the size of the distribution area and which nozzles to be distributed is based on the thickness of the at least one wire (20 a-b), the density of the at least one wire (20 a-b), the number of wires (20 a-b) to be treated, the properties of the coating substance and/or the number of activated nozzles (152 a-f).