Filament winding method and filament winding apparatus

A filament winding method using a filament winding apparatus, wherein the filament winding apparatus comprises:

• a bobbin driving unit configured to rotate a bobbin member including a bobbin and a fiber roll portion formed by winding a fiber bundle around the bobbin;
• a winding device configured to wind a fed-out fiber portion fed out from the fiber roll portion around a workpiece in a state in which tension is applied to the fed-out fiber portion;
• and
• a tension applying device provided in a feeding path of the fed-out fiber portion from the bobbin driving unit to the winding device, the tension applying device including a pressing member configured to press against the fed-out fiber portion,
• the filament winding method comprising:
• temporarily suspending operation of the winding device in a middle of winding the fed-out fiber portion around the workpiece;
• and
• resuming the winding of the fed-out fiber portion around the workpiece by operating the winding device, after the temporarily suspending of the operation of the winding device,
• wherein in the temporarily suspending of the operation of the winding device, a length of the feeding path is increased by moving the pressing member while causing the pressing member to press against the fed-out fiber portion in a state of continuing to feed out the fed-out fiber portion from the fiber roll portion,
• in the temporarily suspending of the operation of the winding device, the fed-out fiber portion extends from the fiber roll portion to the workpiece,
• the fed-out fiber portion continues to be fed out from the fiber roll portion over the temporarily suspending to the resuming of the winding,
• in the temporarily suspending of the operation of the winding device, a movement speed of the pressing member is made lower as a load received by the pressing member from the fed-out fiber portion becomes larger, and
• in the resuming of the winding, the pressing member is moved to an initial position while the pressing member is caused to press against the fed-out fiber portion.

A filament winding apparatus comprising:

• a bobbin driving unit configured to rotate a bobbin member including a bobbin and a fiber roll portion formed by winding a fiber bundle around the bobbin;
• a winding device configured to wind a fed-out fiber portion fed out from the fiber roll portion around a workpiece in a state in which tension is applied to the fed-out fiber portion;
• a tension applying device provided in a feeding path of the fed-out fiber portion from the bobbin driving unit to the winding device, the tension applying device including a pressing member configured to press against the fed-out fiber portion;
• and
• a speed sensor configured to detect a feed speed of the fed-out fiber portion fed out from the fiber roll portion,
• wherein
• the filament winding apparatus further comprises one or more processors that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the filament winding apparatus to:
• control the bobbin driving unit;
• control the winding device;
• and
• control the tension applying device, and
• the one or more processors cause the filament winding apparatus to:
• control the winding device to temporarily suspend operation of the winding device in a middle of winding of the fed-out fiber portion around the workpiece;
• control the winding device to resume the winding of the fed-out fiber portion around the workpiece after temporarily suspending the operation of the winding device in the middle of the winding;
• when temporarily suspending the operation of the winding device in the middle of the winding, control the bobbin driving unit to continue to feed out the fed-out fiber portion from the fiber roll portion, and control the tension applying device to move the pressing member while causing the pressing member to press against the fed-out fiber portion, thereby increasing a length of the feeding path;
• continue to feed out the fed-out fiber portion from the fiber roll portion over the temporarily suspending to the resuming of the winding;
• throughout the temporarily suspending of the operation of the winding device, the one or more processors cause the filament winding apparatus to control the tension applying device to increase a movement speed of the pressing member as the feed speed detected by the speed sensor becomes higher,
• throughout the temporarily suspending of the operation of the winding device, the fed-out fiber portion extends from the fiber roll portion to the workpiece, and
• the one or more processors cause the filament winding apparatus to control the tension applying device to move the pressing member to an initial position while causing the pressing member to press against the fed-out fiber portion, when the winding of the fed-out fiber portion around the workpiece is resumed.