Abstract
The textile industry, particularly in the weaving areas, needs sensors to monitor for faults and to aid the automation of warp yarn repair. As MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) technology advances, sensors and actuators get smaller. MEMS sensors are very powerful and are highly accurate. These sensors are inexpensive and are readily available. Currently, in the textile machinery, drop wires are used to monitor the tension of the warp yarns in the weaving process. These drop wires are abrasive to the warp yarns and can lead to more warp yarn breaks. Therefore, it would be beneficial to develop a system that does not contact the warp yarn in any way, such that extra warp yarns are not broken because of the sensor. This research has led to the development of a sensor system that has no contact with the warp yarn. The main purpose was to show proof of concept for applying a MEMS sensor to the textile machinery, specifically the Jacquard Loom, in order to develop a sensor system having no contact with the warp yarns. A MEMS Accelerometer, available from Analog Devices, was used to monitor the motion of the heddle, whose acceleration properties change based on the presence of the warp yarn. Matlab was used to interpret the data and analyze for broken warp yarns (using recorded data) based on the change in acceleration. Once a warp yarn is determined to have been broken, Matlab would notify the user.
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