Filament winding apparatus and method of controlling filament winding apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9962886-B2
Application number	US-201615052100-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2016
Priority date	Mar 10, 2015
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

An object is to control the position of a fiber bundle on a roller of a guide assembly in a filament winding apparatus. There is provided a filament winding apparatus that winds a fiber bundle consisting of a plurality of fibers on an outer surface of a liner and comprises a fiber feeder configured to feed the fiber bundle; and a guide assembly including a roller configured to guide the fiber bundle fed by the fiber feeder to the outer surface of the liner while making the fiber bundle in contact with the roller. The roller comprises a suction hole configured to suck the outside air and is provided in at least a surface of the roller that is to be in contact with the fiber bundle; and a suction unit configured to suck the outside air from the suction hole with such a suction force that draws the fiber bundle in contact with the roller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A filament winding apparatus that winds a fiber bundle consisting of a plurality of fibers on an outer surface of a liner, the filament winding apparatus comprising:
a fiber feeder configured to feed the fiber bundle; and
a guide assembly including a roller configured to guide the fiber bundle fed by the fiber feeder to the outer surface of the liner while making the fiber bundle in contact with the roller, wherein
the roller comprises:
a suction hole configured to suck the outside air, the suction hole being provided in at least a surface of the roller that is to be in contact with the fiber bundle;
a suction unit configured to suck the outside air from the suction hole with such a suction force that draws the fiber bundle in contact with the roller;
an ejection hole configured to eject the air, the ejection hole being provided in at least a surface of the roller that is in contact with the fiber bundle; and
an ejection unit configured to eject the air from the ejection hole with such an ejection force that spreads each of the fibers included in the fiber bundle in contact with the roller in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the fiber bundle.

2. The filament winding apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the suction hole includes a first suction hole and a second suction hole,
the ejection hole is placed in a middle part of the roller in a width direction of the roller, and
the first suction hole and the second suction hole are placed on both ends of the ejection hole.

3. The filament winding apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the suction unit performs suction from the first suction hole or the second suction hole corresponding to a location where the fiber bundle has a misalignment or, increases the suction force from the first suction hole or the second suction hole corresponding to the location where the fiber bundle has the misalignment.

4. The filament winding apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the roller is in a concave shape having a reduced-diameter middle part of the roller in a width direction of the roller, and
the suction hole is placed in the middle part of the roller.

5. The filament winding apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the roller is made of a porous material, and
the suction hole includes pores of the porous material.

6. A control method of a filament winding apparatus,
the filament winding apparatus comprising a fiber feeder configured to feed a fiber bundle consisting of a plurality of fibers; and a guide assembly including a roller configured to guide the fiber bundle fed by the fiber feeder to an outer surface of a liner while making the fiber bundle in contact with the roller, wherein the roller comprises a suction hole configured to suck the outside air, the suction hole being provided in at least a surface of the roller that is in contact with the fiber bundle; a suction unit configured to suck the outside air from the suction hole with such a suction force that draws the fiber bundle in contact with the roller; an ejection hole configured to eject the air, the suction hole being provided in at least a surface of the roller that is in contact with the fiber bundle; and an ejection unit configured to eject the air from the ejection hole with such an ejection force that spreads each of the fibers included in the fiber bundle in contact with the roller in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the fiber bundle,
the control method comprising
causing the suction unit to change at least one of determination of whether suction is to be performed and magnitude of the suction force according to a misalignment of the fiber bundle relative to a predetermined position.

7. The control method according to claim 6 ,
wherein the suction hole includes a first suction hole and a second suction hole,
the ejection hole is placed in a middle part of the roller in a width direction of the roller, and
the first suction hole and the second suction hole are placed on respective sides of the ejection hole,
the control method comprising either
causing the suction unit to perform suction from the first suction hole or the second suction hole corresponding to a location where the fiber bundle has a misalignment, or
causing the suction unit to increase the suction force from the first suction hole or the second suction hole corresponding to the location where the fiber bundle has the misalignment.

8. The control method according to claim 6 ,
wherein the roller is in a concave shape having a reduced-diameter middle part of the roller in a width direction of the roller, and
the suction hole is placed in the middle part of the roller,
the control method comprising
causing the suction unit to change at least one of determination of whether suction is to be performed and magnitude of the suction hole according to a winding technique of the fiber bundle on the liner.

9. The control method according to claim 6 ,
wherein the roller is made of a porous material, and
the suction hole includes pores of the porous material.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hatta Ken

Classifications

• B65H2701/38

  Thread sheet, e.g. sheet of parallel yarns or wires · CPC title

• B65H57/16

  formed to maintain a plurality of filaments in spaced relation · CPC title

• B29K2307/04

  Carbon · CPC title

• B65H2406/331

  arranged for rotating while moving along material to be handled, e.g. rolling on material · CPC title

• B29C53/62 Primary

  rotatable about the winding axis · CPC title