EP1669482A1

EP1669482A1 - Driving device of clip holder bands or rods for clip weaving machines

Info

Publication number: EP1669482A1
Application number: EP05111425A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luciano Corain
Original assignee: Smit SpA
Current assignee: Smit SpA
Priority date: 2004-12-10
Filing date: 2005-11-29
Publication date: 2006-06-14
Anticipated expiration: 2025-11-29
Also published as: JP2006169711A; CN1821470A; EP1669482B1; CN1821470B; DE602005006220D1; ITVI20040288A1; DE602005006220T2; KR20060065536A

Abstract

A driving device of clip holding bands or rods (7, 8) for clip weaving machines (5, 6), according to which the reciprocating rectilinear motion of the clips (5, 6) is obtained by means of the alternating and synchronized rotation, with respect to the machine cycle, of respective driving devices (9, 10) around which the clip holding bands are partially wound, activated by position-control servomotors; each servomotor comprises a driving motor (13, 14) of the respective holding (5) and draw-off (6) clips, and a drive (15, 16), which receives a synchronization signal from a reference and phase signaling device (17), suitable for controlling the angular position, through a closed-ring control system, of the relevant motor (13, 14).

Description

The present invention relates to a driving device of the clip holder bands or rods for clip weaving machines.
More specifically, the invention relates to clip weaving machines, in which the driving of the clips, normally consisting of a mechanical organ, is effected by servomotors, each of which is driven by a control dedicated to the specific motion diagram of the clip assigned to it.
As is known, a machine for producing weft and warp interwoven fabrics typically comprises a series of elements for feeding the warp yarns, controlling their tension, mechanisms for the insertion of the weft, which transversally interweaves with the warp yarns, a beat-up mechanism, which, by means of a reed, flanks the sequence of wefts for the formation of the fabric, and a drag-in system of the fabric which pulls it forward at a particular rate, finally rolling it up outside the machine.
The elements in control of the weft insertion, according to the above-mentioned procedure, consist of a pair of clips, positioned at the end of bands or rods, suitable for inserting and extracting the weft yarn between the warp yarns, and driven by respective gear wheels, which cause the movement.
The clips normally include a holding and a draw-off clip, integral with the respective bands or rods, which start from the loom sides and reach, with a rectilinear movement, the center of the machine, where the holding clip transfers the inserting strand of the weft yarn to the draw-off clip, before the same is carried back, together with the holding clip, outside the warp mouth, to the starting position.
The above alternating movement of the clips is normally assigned to each clip by wheels driven by various types of mechanisms, such as spherical connecting rods, conjugated-disk desmodromic cams, screw-shafts driven by elbow-shafts. The run extent of each clip is established by the width of the fabric being produced, and suitable run adjustment means must therefore be included, according to the above-mentioned widths.
The mechanical driving gears of the clips are rigidly connected to the other mechanisms of the machine, and are phased according to the necessities of the weft inserting cycle.
The phasing is defined during the project set-up, and is optimized according to technological requirements which characterize the machine, but it cannot be varied during the functioning of the machine, except when the machine is stopped, and within very limited ranges.
Other technical solutions have been proposed, based on the use of electric controls of the clips; these electric controls consist of linear motors, which require clip holding bands or rods suitable for representing the mobile (active) part of the motor, they are therefore complex and have masses which are not suitable for the fast movements they must accomplish.
In other cases, rotational motors are used, which drive tape tangent gears, run by a single control system, in order to give the clips symmetrical and opposing movements; also in this case, however, there are numerous drawbacks, first of all the fact that these driving rotational motors do not allow the independent optimisation of the movement of each clip, as required by modern high-speed weaving machines.
An objective of the present invention is therefore to overcome the above drawbacks and, in particular, to provide a driving device of clip holding bands or rods for clip weaving machines, which allows the movement laws and phasing of each clip to be modified independently of the movement of the other clip, and adapting them to a wide range of different functional demands.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a driving device of clip holding bands or rods for clip weaving machines, which allows the masses of the clip driving in alternating movement to be drastically reduced, consequently minimizing the inertias involved.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a driving device of clip holding bands or rods for clip weaving machines, which allows the clearances and elastic deformations present in the kinematic chains, to be minimized, thus facilitating the driving of the clips up to the widest measures of the loom reeds.
An additional objective of the invention is to provide a driving device of clip holding bands or rods for clip weaving machines, which allows rapid and easy regulations to be effected from a control terminal, using driving gears with an impulsive, alternating movement with the recovery of energy.
Yet another but not final objective of the invention is to provide a driving device of clip holding bands or rods for clip weaving machines, which is simple to manufacture, compact and without complex and costly components, with reduced encumbrance with respect to the known art.
These objectives are achieved by producing a driving device of clip holding bands or rods for clip weaving machines, according to the enclosed claim 1.
Other technical characteristics are mentioned in the subsequent claims.
Further characteristics and advantages of a driving device of clip holding bands or rods for clip weaving machines will appear more evident from the following description and enclosed drawings, provided for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, wherein:

figure 1 shows a schematic front view of a clip weaving machine equipped with the driving device of clip holding bands or rods, object of the present invention;
figure 2 is a plan schematic view from above of the clip weaving machine of figure 1, according to the invention.

With reference to the above figures, 1 generically indicates the warp yarns at the inlet of the clip weaving machine (loom), 2 generically indicates the weft yarns, whereas 3 indicates the fabric in formation at the outlet of the clip weaving machine, according to the present invention.
Furthermore, 4 indicates a device for producing the warp pitch, 5 indicates the holding or guiding clip, 6 indicates the draw-of clip, 7 and 8 indicate a right and left band respectively, on which the respective draw-of clips 6 and holding clips 5 are positioned, which slide adjacent to the reed 11.
The right band 7 is activated by a driving gear 9, whereas the left band 8 is activated by the respective driving gear 10 and both bands are partially wound around the respective driving gears.
According to the present invention, the clip weaving machine comprises a main driving motor 12, a driving motor 13 of the draw-off clip 6, a driving motor 14 of the holding clip 5 and respective activation devices 15, 16 of the motor 13 and motor 14.
17 indicates a reference and signaling device of the cycle phase, 18 indicates an electric control box for the entire weaving machine, 19 indicates a feeding and control device of the warp 1, and 20 indicates the control terminal of the activation devices (15, 16) of the motors 13 and 14.
The functioning of the clip weaving machine and relative driving device of the clip holding bands or rods according to the present invention, is substantially the following.
The warp yarns 1 advance fed by the control device 19, whereas the device for the formation of the pitch 4 positions these yarns 1 above or below, so as to form a warp mouth, which allows them to be to interlaced with the weft yarns 2, transversally inserted through the alternating movement of the holding clips 5 and draw-of clips 6, to produce the fabric 3.
The clips 5 and 6 are assembled on the bands 7 and 8 respectively, which are in turn driven by the gears 9 and 10 around which they are partially wound.
According to the present invention, the control of the straight alternating movement of the clips 5 and 6, is effected by means of the alternating and synchronized rotation, with respect to the machine cycle, of the respective driving gears 9 and 10, driven by the motors 13 and 14, in turn connected to the respective activation devices 15 and 16 with position control.
These driving gears 9 and 10 and servomotors 13, 15 and 14, 16, are connected to the same electric shaft of the other organs of the machine.
Each servocontrol 13, 14 and 15, 16 is of the angular position control type, with a closed ring, through the respective activation device which receives a synchronization signal from the reference and phase signaling device 17; furthermore, the functioning mode of each servo- control 13, 14 and 15, 16 has an alternating impulsive movement with energy recovery.
The movement laws of the holding clips 5 and draw-of clips 6 are therefore pre-established by the technological requirements of the weaving process and by the mechanical functionality demands deriving from the dynamic loads due to the progression of the runs and accelerations of the various machine parts.
This progression is determined by suitable software programs which can be adapted in a versatile and flexible way to the project objectives.
The running via software of the movement of the clips 5 and 6, also allows, through suitable algorithms, the movement phases to be to varied by means of a simple command from the control terminal 20 and therefore rapidly and easily; this possibility also allows cyclic variations to be to programmed during the functioning of the machine, in addition to interrupting the movement of the clips 5, 6 with respect to the movement of other mechanical organs.
Finally, other mechanical command organs having consistent masses can be eliminated through the direct electric command, independent of the activation gears 9 and 10 of the clip holding bands 7, 8, thus considerably reducing the dynamic loads, whereas the absence of clearances due to the elimination of kinematic chains, allows machines to be produced, having a large width of the reed 11.
According to alternative embodiments, analogous to that described above, the independent controls suitable for obtaining different and adjustable movements of the clips 5 and 6, can be substituted by a single control suitable for imparting various independent commands. In particular, the activation devices 15, 16 of the respective driving motors 13 and 14 of the holding 5 and draw-of clips 6 can also consist of a single device capable of imparting independent controls to the two motors 13 and 14.
The characteristics of the driving device of the clip holder bands or rods for clip weaving machines, as well as the relative advantages, object of the present invention, appear clear from the above description.
In particular they refer to the following aspects:

simple, compact construction, with an extremely reduced encumbrance, without any complex and/or expensive mechanical components;
considerable reduction of the masses in alternating movement of the clip driving gears and therefore minimized inertia;
possibility of modifying the movement laws and the phasing of each clip regardless of the movement law and the phasing of the other clip of the loom, in order to adapt them to a wide range of different functional requirements;
regulations which can be carried out from the terminal and therefore particularly rapid and easy to effect;
minimized clearances in the kinematic chains and optimal driving of the clips up to the largest measurements of the reed width of the looms;
use of a servocommand functioning with an alternating impulsive movement with energy recovery;
independent control software of each clip, to optimise the movements of each part of the machine, within the various phases and functional demands.

Finally, it is evident that numerous other variations can be applied to the driving device in question, all included within the novelty principles implicit in the inventive idea. It is also evident that, in the practical embodiment of the invention, the materials, forms and dimensions of the details illustrated can vary according to requirements, and can be substituted by other technically equivalent alternatives.

Claims

A driving device of clip holding bands or rods (7, 8) for clip weaving machines (5, 6), said clips (5, 6) being assembled on said bands or rods (7, 8) and said bands or rods (7, 8) being driven by respective driving gears (9, 10), characterized in that said clips (5, 6) are activated according to a reciprocating rectilinear motion by means of the alternating and synchronized rotation, with respect to the machine cycle, of said driving devices (9, 10) which are directly driven by at least one position control servomechanism, connected to a control terminal (20), with an independent driving command for each motor.
The driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that said motors (13, 14) are connected directly to said driving gears (9, 10) around which the clip holding bands (7, 8) are partially wound.
The driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that the functioning of said servomechanism is of the energy recovery type in the deceleration phases.
The driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that each position control servomotor comprises at least one driving motor (13, 14) of the respective clips (5, 6) and at least one activating device (15, 16) which receives a synchronization signal from a phase signaling device (17), capable of controlling the angular position, by means of a closed ring control system, of the relative driving motor (13, 14).
The driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that said position control servomotors are situated on the same electric shaft as other mechanical organs of the weaving machine.
The driving device according to claim 4, characterized in that the functioning mode of the servocommands (13, 14 and 15, 16) has an alternating impulsive movement with energy recovery during the deceleration phases.
The driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that said servomechanism includes control systems with the possibility of imparting two independent commands.
The driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that the motion laws of each of said clips (5, 6) are determined by a specific algorithm satisfying the technological requirements of the weaving process and the mechanical functionality requirements of the overall system.