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(11) | EP 2 803 757 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Programming method of a textile machine |
| (57) The present invention relates to a programming method of a textile machine, where
the textile machine comprises a plurality of electromechanical devices which concur
to form the textile article, and where said electromechanical devices are operatively
connected to a control unit and commanded by means of a sequence of command instructions
provided to said control unit. The method comprises the steps of: -associating to at least some of all the possible command instructions respective activation rules which establish if and/or how the relative command instructions must be carried out, at least some of said activation rules being dependent on the value of at least one activation parameter; -providing a user interface for selecting and/or setting the value of at least one activation parameter relative to the structure and/or knitting and /or to the pattern of the textile article. |
[0001] The present invention relates to a programming method of a textile machine, a method of making a textile article on a textile machine, a computer product and a textile machine which permit the implementation of such method.
[0002] As is known, in order to make a textile article, such as a sock, a sequence of command instructions, divided into various steps, must be provided to a textile machine, to operate the electromechanical devices of the machine.
[0003] The textile machine performs this series of instructions so as to obtain the desired article. For example, in a circular machine,, each turn of the cylinder corresponds to an advancement of the execution steps of the programme containing the sequence of command instructions. Consequently, the rotation of the cylinder which the needles are housed in and move on, the feeding of the yarn by means of a yarn guide system, and the activation of the electromechanical actuators according to the sequence of command instructions given, concur to form the textile article.
[0004] Presently, various programming systems of a textile machine falling within the general description given above are known of, some of which set out to avoid having to reprogramme the textile machine by making it possible to produce different articles but having the same structure. For example, it is known to divide the programming of the textile machine into two subsystems known as "chain programming" and "pattern programming".
[0005] Chain programming includes all the command instructions needed to create the structure of the textile article (for example, in the case of a sock, the band, the leg, the heel, the sole, the toe etc.), while pattern programming contains all the information relative to the pattern to be created.
[0006] Such programming thus makes it possible to make articles having the same structure but different patterns, maintaining the same chain programming and varying only the pattern programming.
[0007] In practice however, even in the structure of the article there are parts which remain the same even when pertaining to different models. For example, the structure of two socks may differ only in the type of toe, or initial band, or the presence or not of terry or other knitting in some zones etc.
[0008] On the other hand, the operator designing the textile article and who must therefore translate the characteristics of the article into a sequence of command instructions of the textile machine, wishes to concentrate on the textile aspects of the desired product and thus operate high level choices, for example on the presence of terry or not, on the presence of the heel or not, on whether to make a ribbed or plain leg etc.
[0009] The main difficulty currently encountered in satisfying such demand for simplification by users of the textile machines, derives from the fact that, for each of such high level choices, numerous different electromechanical or mechanical operations must be activated each time, the use of which requires an in-depth knowledge of all the mechanical parts of the textile machine and the effects thereof.
[0010] In particular, often the activation of some mechanical components of the machine is not optional but is highly dependent on the current status of said machine and the position of some components or actuators. There is therefore a high level of interdependence between the various commands of the machine devices.
[0011] In brief, the large number of elementary command instructions and their interdependence is the main factor making the programming of textile machines difficult.
[0012] In the attempt to tackle and resolve such drawbacks, solutions have been proposed in the past based essentially on creating a large initial database of predefined articles, provided by the manufacturer of the textile machine based on the technical characteristics of said machine, so as to offer the machine user a series of preconstituted programming options, anticipating de facto the requirements.
[0013] This approach has proved counterproductive however, except for a few limited cases, in that by their very nature most textile machines are suitable for making a practically infinite number of different articles and it is thus practically impossible to provide the user with all the possible combinations of command instructions which he would like to have available. In fact, the textile machine user often finds it impossible to achieve a desired textile result which the manufacturer has not envisaged.
[0014] The object of the present invention is to propose a programming method of a textile machine, and a method of making textile articles able to overcome the drawbacks discussed above of the current programming methods.
[0015] In particular, the present invention sets out to simplify the programming of the textile machine both for the manufacturer and for the user, so that even a person lacking advanced mechanical-textile know-how is able to create a textile article, thus being able to concentrate on the textile aspects of the desired product without an in-depth knowledge of the mechanics of the textile equipment.
[0016] Such object is achieved by a method according to claim 1, by a computer product according to claim 8, by a method of making a textile article according to claim 12 and by a textile machine according to claim 15. The dependent claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention.
[0017] The characteristics and advantages of the invention will, in any case, be evident from the description given below of its preferred embodiments, made by way of a nonlimiting example with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:
[0018] - Figure 1 is a block diagram of the method of programming a textile machine according to the invention;
[0020] - Figure 3 is a schematic representation of a form of implementation of the programming method;
[0021] -Figure 4 is an example of a user interface of the programme for making a textile article; and
[0022] -Figure 5 is a block diagram of the sequence of steps of the programme for making a textile article.
[0023] According to one aspect of the invention, a programming method of a textile machine is proposed, which comprises a plurality of electromechanical devices which concur to form the textile article, such as a sock.
[0024] Generally, the electromechanical devices are operatively connected to a control unit and commanded by means of a sequence of command instructions provided to said control unit.
[0025] Henceforth in the description, the "structure" of a textile article will be taken to mean the combination of the various parts which the article is composed of. For example, in the case of a sock, the structure may be composed of the band, the leg, the heel, the sole, the toe etc.
[0026] The "knitting" of the textile article is understood as the type of stitch forming the textile article or parts thereof. Examples of knitting are terry, rib, plain, lace stitch etc.
[0027] The programming method provides for associating to at least some of all the possible command instructions, indicated by reference numeral 12 in the block diagram in figure 1, respective activation rules 16 which establish if and/or how the relative command instructions must be carried out. At least some of said activation rules are dependent on the value of at least one activation parameter 18 selected and/or set by a user, for example depending on the structure and/or knitting and /or pattern of the textile article or parts thereof.
[0028] To enable the user, that is the user of the textile machine, to select and/or set the value of said activation parameters, a user interface 20 is provided by means of which the user selects a parameter, for example from a plurality of predefined parameters, or sets the value of a parameter, for example at will from a range of predefined values or choosing from a finite set of predefined values.
[0029] The activation rules 16 associated with the command instructions are implemented using a formal programming language, preferably transparent to the user of the textile machine. In fact, the textile machine programme asks the user to select and/or set, using the user interface 20, the activation parameters relative to textile characteristics for example relative to the structure, the knitting or the pattern of the article to be made.
[0030] By means of the formal programming language, the activation rules 16 deal with translating the choices made by the user into conditions of the command instructions 12, which may or may not be performed , or advantageously be performed in a certain way.
[0031] Advantageously, the machine user does not need to know how the activation parameters influence the command instructions by means of the activation rules. The user may thus concentrate on the textile and design aspects of the article he intends to make, without having to worry about how to mechanically command the machine to achieve the desired result.
[0032] It is to be noted that, the activation parameters may comprise not just those which can be selected and/or set by the user to obtain a desired textile result, but may also comprise parameters related to the technical characteristics, type or model of the textile machine (thus pre-defined by the machine manufacturer), or to the type of article chosen by the user, or in any case, to the decisions previously made during the procedure for making the textile article.
[0033] In all cases, the parameterization of at least some of the command instructions makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of command instructions comprised in the control programme of the textile machine, in that many of these instructions can be activated or deactivated, or activated in different ways, without having to provide for different programme portions depending on whether some command instructions are present or not, or on the different values assumed by some command instructions.
[0034] To make this aspect of the invention clearer, consider for example the portion of programme shown in figure 2. Column 10 contains a sequence of command instructions 12; for each command instruction, column 14 contains an activation rule 16, 16', 16". Some activation rules, indicated by reference numeral 16, make the respective command instructions 12 always active. Other activation rules, indicated by reference numeral 16' activate the respective command instructions 12 depending on the status of an activation parameter selected by the user, in this case the presence of terry and of a closed stitch.
[0035] In the example considered, if and only if the user selects the "with terry" option will the "Param_spugna" parameter be true and the output 02 and input 11 therefore be activated.
[0036] A further activation rule, indicated by reference numeral 16" always enables the respective command instruction, but at the condition set by the user according to which the machine must be at the height corresponding to the needle Y chosen by the user.
[0037] Without the possibility of parameterizing the command instructions by means of the activation rules, the same portion of programme would have to be duplicated several times, depending on the presence or not of the terry, of the closed toe and of the Y value relative to the needle at whose height the output 05 must be activated. Depending on the choices made by the user, only one of these portions of programme would have been used, while the others would have been rejected.
[0038] It is to be noted that, even the first command instruction of the portion of programme considered here is made parametric by the relative activation rule, in that the same manufacturer may have various versions of machine, to which different values of the needle X may correspond. Thanks to the programming method according to the invention, the same control programme may be used on all the machines leaving the manufacturer free to set the value of parameter X.
[0039] In other words, in the present programming method the sequence of command instructions which, on the basis of the activation parameters selected and /or set, is sent to the control unit of the electromechanical actuators of the textile machine is a selection, or at most coincides with, a unique parametric sequence of starting commands. Instead, in the programming methods according to the state of the art the sequence of commands to send to the control unit corresponds to one of several predefined command sequences. It is evident that, in this case, the programming of textile machines by the machine manufacturer is much more onerous and at the same time much more restrictive to the user who is prevented from choosing some textile characteristics of the article in maximum freedom.
[0040] With reference to the schematic representation in figure 3, according to a further aspect of the present programming method of a textile machine, the structure of the textile article is sub-divided into a plurality of structure parts P1, P2, ..., Pn, and to each structure part at least one elementary block 30 comprising at least one command instruction 12 and at least one respective activation rule 16 is associated. The complete structure of the textile article can thus be obtained with a chain of several elementary blocks 30.
[0041] For example, as shown in figure 3, a possible subdivision of the structure of the textile article is performed on the basis of the various zones of the article. For example, in the case of a sock, structure parts Pi may be the band, the leg, the heel, the sole, the toe etc. Another criteria may however be used for dividing the structure of the textile article into structure parts, for example on the basis of the yarns used, the knitting of the stitch etc..
[0042] The programming method of a textile machine according to the invention thus provides for making a plurality of elementary blocks 30 so that the user of the machine can design the textile article choosing a sequence of elementary blocks having the desired characteristics. For example, a graphic representation 40 or a description of the textile effect achievable with each elementary block 30 maybe associated therewith.
[0043] The user of the textile machine can thus design various textile articles by using different elementary blocks and/or different combinations of elementary blocks.
[0044] Thanks to the use of the activation rules 16 associated with the command instructions 12, the single elementary blocks 30 are parametric. In other words, the same elementary block may provide different knitting, patterns or other textile characteristics depending on the parameters selected ad/or set by the user. For example, an elementary block relative to a leg part may make such leg part with or without terry, with or without ribbing etc.
[0045] According to another aspect of the present programming method, a compatibility code between blocks is associated to at least some of said elementary blocks, so that the use of one elementary block imposes the choice of the next block and/or of a previous block from a set of compatible blocks, sub-set of all the elementary blocks.
[0046] For example, the compatibility between blocks is determined by the position assumed by electromechanical actuators after the last command instruction of a block. The introduction of the compatibility code is particularly useful for preventing the user of the machine from choosing a sequence of command instructions preventing the realisation of the textile article or even causing damage to the machine
[0047] In one embodiment, a certain number of compatibility levels are defined for each block and in particular a number of compatibility code levels with the previous blocks, a number of compatibility code levels with the subsequent blocks and a number of incompatibility code levels.
[0048] Consequently, a block is accepted as the next of a chain or sequence of blocks only if the previous compatibility code of the next block is the same as the next compatibility code of the current block.
[0049] Figure 4 shows an example of a user interface 20 for programming the control unit of the textile machine, and in particular for selecting the elementary blocks 30 and the relative activation parameters 18. The table on the left in the screen captured by the monitor of the control unit of the textile machine represents the elementary blocks 30 already selected by the user, in this case named "sock 2" and "plain" For each block the characteristics distinguishing it, textiles and relative activation parameters 18 modifiable by the user are indicated, in this case, for example, the possible enabling of Chinese terry and of the pattern.
[0050] The section to the side of the table shows several activation parameters 18' relative to the machine characteristics, and therefore independent of the blocks selected, such as for example, the linking, the elastic and the maximum speed.
[0051] The user interface 20 includes, as said above, a preview 40 of the article or article parts obtainable with the blocks selected.
[0052] The section on the right of the screen shows the next elementary blocks 30' available, in other words selectable by the user, for example according to the compatibility code described above.
[0053] Summarising, in a preferred embodiment of the present programming method of a textile machine, a series of command instructions forms an execution step of the control programme of the machine, such as a turn of the cylinder in the case of a circular machine; a sequence of steps of the execution programme forms an elementary block; a sequence of elementary blocks forms the textile article. At least some of the elementary blocks are parametric, so that starting form a parametric block the user can derive various instruction command sequences.
[0054] The present invention also relates to a computer product suitable for being directly loaded in the memory of a processor, such as a computer provided with a user interface or a control unit of a textile machine, to command a plurality of electromechanical devices of a textile machine for making a textile article. Such computer product comprises a plurality of command instructions suitable for commanding said electromechanical devices and a set of activation rules, implemented using a formal programming language, each associated to a respective command instruction and suitable for establishing if and/or how said command instruction should be carried out, At least some of said activation rules are dependent on the value of at least one activation parameter. Said activation parameter may be selected and/or set by a user of the textile machine or by the machine manufacturer or may depend on other circumstances or conditions, such as the status or position of an actuator of the machine.
[0055] The computer product further comprises a user interface for the selection and/or setting of the value of activation parameters relative to the structure and/or knitting and /or to the pattern of the textile article.
[0056] In a preferred embodiment, the computer product comprises a plurality of elementary blocks, each comprising at least one command instruction suitable for commanding at least one of said electromechanical devices to form a respective structure part of the textile article. The user interface is suitable for permitting a selection of said elementary blocks to form a chain of elementary blocks to obtain a desired textile article.
[0057] In a preferred embodiment, at least one of said elementary blocks is assigned a compatibility code on the basis of which the use of one elementary block imposes the choice of a previous or subsequent block from a set of compatible blocks, sub-set of all the elementary blocks.
[0058] In a preferred embodiment, a graphic representation of a relative structure part of the textile article and/or of a relative knitting and/or pattern is associated to at least some of the elementary blocks.
[0059] The present invention also relates to a method of making a textile article on a textile machine, where the textile machine comprises plurality of electromechanical devices which concur to form the textile article, and where said electromechanical devices are operatively connected to a control unit and commanded by means of a sequence of command instructions provided to said control unit. The method provides for using the computer product described above and for selecting and/or setting the value of at least one activation parameter by means of the user interface.
[0060] Preferably, before the selection and/or setting of the value of activation parameters, selection of at least one elementary block is performed by means of the user interface. Consequently, the step of selecting and/or setting of the parameters is carried out on activation parameters of the command instructions included in said elementary block.
[0061] Preferably, moreover, given an elementary block, the method provides for identifying, by means of the compatibility codes, a sub-set of previous or subsequent elementary blocks compatible with said block. An elementary block is selected from the compatible elementary blocks and such identification procedure and selection of compatible blocks is repeated as far as completion of the chain of elementary blocks.
[0062] Figure 5 is a flow diagram showing an example of an operating sequence 100 of the steps for making a textile article according to the invention. In a preferred embodiment, the programme for making a textile article is loaded into a computer having functions such as, for example in terms of processing unit, video card, user interface etc. to permit the user to design the desired textile article simply, rapidly, and intuitively. In this case, after launching the programme (step 101), the user selects the model of textile machine which will be used to make the article (step 102).
[0064] At this point, the user selects the elementary blocks (step 103). After completing such selection, the programme returns the chain of elementary blocks (step 104) and allows the user to parameterize the single blocks (step 105).
[0065] In an alternative embodiment, the parameterization may be performed at the same time as the selection of the single blocks or groups of blocks.
[0066] After completing the parameterization, the programme generates the final sequence of the command instructions of the actuators of the textile machine (step 106).
[0067] At this point, the sequence of instructions obtained by the programme for making the desired article is loaded in the control unit of the textile machine (step 107) and production (step 108) may commence.
[0068] The present invention also relates to a textile machine for making a textile article, comprising a plurality of electromechanical devices which concur to form the textile article, and a control unit suitable for commanding said electromechanical devices, wherein a computer product as described above is loaded or may be loaded in said control unit.
[0069] A person skilled in the art may make modifications and adaptations to the embodiments of the programming method of a textile machine, computer product and method of making a textile article according to the invention, replacing elements with others functionally equivalent so as to satisfy contingent requirements while remaining within the scope of protection of the following claims. Each of the characteristics described as belonging to a possible embodiment may be realised independently of the other embodiments described.
1. Method of programming a textile machine, where the textile machine comprises a plurality
of electromechanical devices which concur to form the textile article, and where said
electromechanical devices are operatively connected to a control unit and commanded
by means of a sequence of command instructions provided to said control unit, the
method comprising the steps of:
- associating to at least some of all the possible command instructions respective activation rules which establish if and/or how the relative command instructions must be carried out, at least some of said activation rules being dependent on the value of at least one activation parameter;
- providing a user interface for the selection and/or setting of the value of at least one activation parameter relative to the structure and/or knitting and /or to the pattern of the textile article.
2. Method according to the previous claim, wherein said activation rules establish the
conditions of use of the respective command instructions depending on the technical
characteristics and/or model of the textile machine.
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of:
sub-dividing the structure of the textile article into a plurality of structure parts;
- associating to each structure part at least one elementary block comprising at least one command instruction and at least one respective activation rule, the complete structure of the textile article being obtainable with a chain of several elementary blocks.
4. Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein said activation parameter
has a value pre-set by the manufacturer of the textile machine.
5. Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein said activation parameter
has a value depending on the value of an activation parameter selected for a previous
command instruction.
6. Method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the selection of a value of
an activation parameter by means of the user interface comprises the selection of
a value from a set of predefined values.
7. Method according to any of the claims from 3 to 6, further comprising the step of
associating to at least some of said elementary blocks a compatibility code between
blocks, so that the use of one elementary block imposes the choice of the next block
and/or of a previous block from a set of compatible blocks, sub-set of all the elementary
blocks.
8. Computer product suitable for being directly loaded in the memory of a processor to
command a plurality of electromechanical devices of a textile machine for making a
textile article, comprising:
- a plurality of command instructions suitable for commanding said electromechanical devices;
- a set of activation rules, each associated to a respective command instruction and suitable for establishing if and/or how said command instruction should be carried out, at least some of said activation rules being dependent on the value of at least one activation parameter;
- a user interface for the selection and/or setting of the value of at least one activation parameter relative to the structure and/or knitting and /or to the pattern of the textile article.
9. Computer product according to the previous claim, comprising a plurality of elementary
blocks, each comprising at least one command instruction suitable for commanding at
least one of said electromechanical devices to form a respective structure part of
the textile article, the complete structure of the textile article being achievable
with a chain of several elementary blocks, the user interface being suitable for permitting
a selection of said elementary blocks to form a chain of elementary blocks to obtain
a desired textile article.
10. Computer product according to the previous claim, wherein at least one of said elementary
blocks is assigned a compatibility code on the basis of which the use of one elementary
block imposes the choice of a previous or subsequent block from a set of compatible
blocks, sub-set of all the elementary blocks.
11. Computer product according to the previous claim, wherein a graphic representation
of a relative structure part of the textile article and/or of a relative knitting
and/or pattern is associated to each elementary block.
12. Method of making a textile article on a textile machine, where the textile machine
comprises plurality of electromechanical devices which concur to form the textile
article, and where said electromechanical devices are operatively connected to a control
unit and commanded by means of a sequence of command instructions provided to said
control unit, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a computer product according to any of the previous claims;
b) selecting and/or setting the value of at least one activation parameter by means of the user interface.
13. Method according to the previous claim, wherein before the step b), selection of at
least one elementary block is performed by means of the user interface, the step b)
being carried out on activation parameters of the command instructions included in
said elementary block.
14. Method according to the previous claim, comprising the steps of:
c) identifying, by means of the compatibility code, a sub-set of previous or subsequent elementary blocks compatible with the block previously selected;
d) selecting one elementary block from among said sub-set of compatible blocks;
e) repeating steps c) and d) as far as completion of the chain of elementary blocks.
15. Textile machine for making a textile article, comprising a plurality of electromechanical
devices which concur to form the textile article, and a control unit suitable for
commanding said electromechanical devices, characterised in that a computer product according to any of the claims 8-11 is loaded or is adapted to
be loaded in said control unit.