Research On Weft Feeder System Based On Brushless DC Motor

Along with the shuttleless and high speed trend of modern weaving engineering, weft feeders with different structure and control method have attracted widespread attentions. In which the electronic weft feeding scheme has became one of the hotspots in advanced weaving field for its active and quantitative feeding capability. Hence, to satisfy the growing requirement of operation pace, weaving quality, and the energy consumption, quick start, high-speed precise feeding, high reliability, and low power turn into the important research for electronic weft feeder system.Thus, a electronic weft feeder system implemented brushless DC motor (BLDM) as the main driven component is proposed in this research, hence to achieve the quick start, high speed weft feeding, and low power characteristics using the high efficiency and high torque features of BLDM. Theory analysis and experimental investigations are carried out with respect to the dependence of Hall sensor and torque ripple problem existing in traditional BLDM system, Fours aspects of research are carried out as following.(1) BLDM driving without Hall sensor. By initial synchronous, active phase commutation, and power angle compensation in steady state, a sensorless BLDM driving strategy is realized. Thus the failure rate in harsh environment can be suppressed significantly.(2) Quick start of the electronic weft feeder system. By synthesizing the high-speed start curve, the balance of start current and start speed is fulfilled. Thus the requirement of high speed wide weaving loom can be satisfied.(3) Weft storage amount control in steady state. With a speed instruction estimating model based on the synchronous signal from weaving loom and the weaving parameters, a negative feedback control using Proportional Integral (PI) rule is applied on the weft amount on the creel. Hence long term balance of weft amount can be realized for the creel.Based on the TMS320F2808 DSP, control system of the BLDM electronic weft feeder is introduced. Software algorithms for weaving loom signal detection, weft counting, and BLDM driving et al. are designed and coded. Feasibility and rationality of the presented BLDM electronic weft feeder system are verified through practical test in plant environments. The test results indicate that the BLDM scheme can satisfy the demands of high speed and high quality weaving. Moreover, the power consumption is also lower than the conventional three-phase AC asynchronous motor. Consequently, the BLDM electronic weft feeder system emerges good prospects in weaving applications.