Fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11007728-B2
Application number	US-201816197366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2018
Priority date	Jun 11, 2018
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

This invention relates to a fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism, comprising: fiber placement head mounting base; fixed yarn box component and revolving yarn box component arranged at the side end of the fiber placement head mounting base, tow passage formed between the revolving mounting face of the said fiber placement head mounting base and the relative face of the revolving yarn box component; tow conveying components respectively arranged on the sides of the fixed yarn box component and revolving yarn box component; and tow converging mechanism for guiding and converging tows conveyed by tow conveying components. Through appropriate design of guide pulley and tow passage, the fiber placement head realizes the guiding and converging of multiple tows, avoiding intervening among the tows.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber placement head integrating tow convergence mechanism, comprising:
a fiber placement head mounting base;
at least one fixed yarn box component and at least one revolving yarn box component arranged at sides of the fiber placement head mounting base, wherein a tow passage is formed between a revolving mounting face of the fiber placement head mounting base and a relative face of the revolving yarn box component;
first tow conveying components, respectively arranged at opposite sides of the fixed yarn box component;
second tow conveying components, respectively arranged at opposite sides of the revolving yarn box component, wherein the relative face is located between the opposite sides of the revolving yarn box component; and
a tow converging mechanism for guiding and converging tows conveyed by the first tow conveying components and the second tow conveying components;
wherein the tow converging mechanism comprises a first tow converging unit arranged in the tow passage and a second tow converging unit arranged at a lower part of the fiber placement head mounting base; the first tow converging unit is for guiding and converging the tows conveyed by the first tow conveying components and the second tow conveying components, the second tow converging unit is for guiding and converging tows converged by the first tow converging unit,
wherein the first tow converging unit comprises:
a first guide pulley arranged on the relative face for converging tows conveyed by one of the second tow conveying components arranged at one side of the revolving yarn box component;
a second guide pulley arranged on the relative face for converging tows guided and converged by the first guide pulley;
a third guide pulley arranged on the revolving mounting face for converging tows conveyed by one of the first tow conveying components arranged at one side of the fixed yarn box component; and
a fourth guide pulley arranged on the revolving mounting face for converging tows guided and converged by the second and third guide pulleys.

2. The fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first tow conveying components and each of the second tow conveying components, respectively, comprises: a tow collecting-depositing mechanism, a backing paper recycling mechanism, a tension regulating mechanism and a tension detection mechanism sequentially arranged in a tow conveying direction.

3. The fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism according to claim 2 , wherein each of the first tow conveying components and each of the second tow conveying components, respectively, further comprises: a laser rangefinder mechanism for detecting a thickness of tows left on the tow collecting-depositing mechanism.

4. The fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein two first guide pulleys are arranged on the relative face for respectively converging tows conveyed by the second tow conveying components arranged on the opposite sides of the revolving yarn box component.

5. The fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein two third guide pulleys are arranged on the revolving mounting face for respectively converging tows conveyed by one of the first tow conveying components arranged on a same side of the fixed yarn box component.

6. The fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the second tow converging unit comprises:
two fifth guide pulleys for guiding the tows that pass through the fourth guide pulley;
a tow guide combiner for converging tows that pass through the two fifth guide pulleys; and
a placing press roll.

7. The fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first guide pulley, the second guide pulley, the third guide pulley and the fourth guide pulley in the tow converging mechanism is provided with guide grooves having a number based on the number of tows, and the guide grooves can rotate independently.

8. The fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein two symmetrically placed fixed yarn box components and two symmetrically placed revolving yarn box components are respectively provided at the sides of the fiber placement head mounting base.

9. The fiber placement head integrating tow converging mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein two first tow conveying components are arranged at each of the opposite sides of the fixed yarn box component, and the two first tow conveying components at a same side of the fixed yarn box component are in an upper-lower corresponding arrangement; two second tow conveying components are arranged at each of the opposite sides of the revolving yarn box component, and the two second tow conveying components at a same side of the revolving yarn box component are in an upper-lower corresponding arrangement.

Assignees

• Univ Zhejiang

Inventors

• Ke Zhenzheng
• Cheng Liang
• Zhu Weidong
• Qu Weiwei
• Jiang Junxia
• Ke Yinglin
• Li Jiangxiong

Classifications

• B29C70/384 Primary

  Fiber placement heads, e.g. component parts, details or accessories · CPC title

• B29C70/56

  Tensioning reinforcements before or during shaping · CPC title