EP1970484B1

EP1970484B1 - Multi-function rope opening device

Info

Publication number: EP1970484B1
Application number: EP07425141A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roberto Corino
Original assignee: Corino Macchine Srl
Current assignee: Corino Macchine Srl
Priority date: 2007-03-13
Filing date: 2007-03-13
Publication date: 2010-04-14
Anticipated expiration: 2027-03-13
Also published as: ATE464427T1; DE602007005931D1; EP1970484A1

Abstract

A multi-function rope opening device (1) is described, for slitting and/or opening a band of fabric (11) in rope form or in tubular knitted fabric, comprising a supporting structure (2) equipped with at least one automatic de-twisting device (3), at least one air slitter head (4), at least one opening-out triangle (5), at least one stretching roller (6) and at least one centring roller (7).

Description

The present invention refers to a multi-function rope opening device, aimed in particular to work fabrics and semi-finished products in knitted fabrics.
As known, rope opening devices are machinery used in the textile industry for opening and slitting tubular knitted fabric, woven fabrics and fabrics in rope form.
However, depending on the type of fabric to be worked, there are different types of rope opening devices. In particular, as shown in the enclosed FIG. 1, in order to open woven fabrics 11 in rope form, a rope opening device 10 is used, comprising in a line an automatic de-twisting device 12 (that, as known, allows automatically removing torsions of ropes to be opened) and an opening system with expanding and centring rollers 14.
Instead, for opening and slitting tubular knitted fabric 11 as shown in the enclosed FIG. 2, a rope opening device 20 is used, comprising in a line the automatic de-twisting device 12, an air slitter head 24, the opening system with expanding rollers 14 and a centring roller 26.
In order to perform their functions the rope opening devices are furthermore generally arranged along a fabric 11 working line, in a working position included between a rope squeezer 15, supplied with fabric 11 from a basket 16, possibly placed on an automatic rotary turntable 17, and an open-width squeezer 18, that also operates for dragging the fabric, and possibly a folder exit 19. The rope squeezer 15, as known, is a device adapted to remove excess water in fabrics before opening them, in order to avoid water showers on operators and on equipment and to reduce the weight of the supplied fabric to the rope opening device 10, 20, adjusting its tensions. In order to perform the synchronism with the rope opening device 10, 20, the rope squeezer is generally equipped with a rope form compensating pan 13. The open-width squeezer 18 instead, as known, is a device adapted for extracting water and subsequently impregnating with products the fabric going out of the rope opening device 10, 20.
Therefore, depending on the type of fabric to be worked, it is currently necessary to use different types of suitably configured rope opening devices.
Therefore, when it is required to work different types of fabrics, it is necessary:

if a single rope opening device is used, to modify its working configuration upon passing from one type of fabric to another, stopping works due to related mechanical interventions;
to be equipped with many lines with different types of rope opening devices, with obvious problems related to required costs and overall sizes.

Moreover, current working lines, above all when passing from rope opening device to open-width squeezer have extremely high overall sizes on the ground.
EP-A-0 603 645 discloses an opening device for tubular fabrics in rope-like form according to the preamble of Claim 1.
Therefore, object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems by providing a multi-function rope opening device that allows both opening rope-form fabrics and knitted fabrics and opening and slitting tubular knitted fabrics, through simple and quick modifications to its working configuration.
Another object of the present invention is providing a multi-function rope opening device that has smaller overall sizes on the ground with respect to prior art rope opening devices.
Moreover, an object of the present invention is providing a multi-function rope opening device equipped with a sliding carpet for driving and dragging the slit and/or open fabric.
The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are reached with a multi-function rope opening device as described in claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.
It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) can be made to the described device, without departing from the scope of the invention as appears from the enclosed claims.
The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a nonlimiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a working line for a fabric or woven fabric in rope form comprising a rope opening device according to the prior art;
FIG. 2 shows a side view of a working line of tubular knitted fabric comprising a rope opening device according to the prior art;
FIG. 3 shows a side view of a preferred embodiment of the multi-function rope opening device according to the present invention inserted inside a working line;
FIG. 4a shows a side view of the multi-function rope opening device according to the present invention in a first operating mode thereof;
FIG. 4b shows a side view of the multi-function rope opening device according to the present invention in a second operating mode thereof; and
FIG. 4c shows a side view of the multi-function rope opening device according to the present invention in a third operating mode thereof.

With reference in particular to FIG. 3, it is possible to note that, in a preferred and, typically, most used application thereof, the multi-function rope opening device 1 according to the present invention is arranged along a working line of a continuous band of fabric 11, indifferently woven fabric in rope form or tubular knitted fabric, placed downstream of a rope squeezer 15 supplied with fabric 11 from a basket 16 placed on an automatic rotary turntable 17, and upstream of an open-width squeezer 18 and possibly a folder exit 19.
The multi-function rope opening device 1 according to the present invention therefore comprises a supporting structure 2, preferably vertically standing, along which the following are arranged in series, from upstream to downstream with respect to a fabric 11 sliding direction designated in FIG. 3 by arrow V:

at least one automatic de-twisting device 3, preferably of a known type;
at least one air slitter head 4 to be manually or automatically arranged in a first intervening and working position thereof on fabric 11, should such fabric 11 be tubular knitted fabric; instead, should fabric 11 be woven fabric in rope form, the air slitter head is manually or automatically arranged in a second, non-intervening position thereof on fabric 11 itself. The air slitter head 4 is of a preferably and substantially known type (see IT-B-1256987 ), and comprises a variable-diameter rotary basket equipped with accompanying rollers, through which an electric fan aids the opening step of tubular knitted fabric by creating a vacuum that increases its adherence on basket rollers and reduces the fabric tension;
at least one opening-out triangle 5 to be manually or automatically arranged in a first intervening and working position thereof on fabric 11, should such fabric 11 be tubular knitted fabric; instead, should such fabric 11 be woven fabric in rope form, the opening-out triangle 5 is manually or automatically arranged in a second, non-intervening position thereof on fabric 11 itself;
at least one stretching roller 6, preferably of a known type: such stretching roller 6 can be used should fabric 11 be woven fabric in rope form or tubular knitted fabric; instead, should the opening-out triangle 5 be in its first intervening and working position thereof on fabric 11, the stretching roller 6 can be by-passed by fabric 11 itself;
at least one centring roller 7, preferably of a known type; such centring roller 7 can be used should fabric 11 be woven fabric in rope form or tubular knitted fabric; instead, should the opening-out triangle 5 be in the first intervening and working position thereof on fabric 11, the centring roller 7 can be by-passed by fabric 11 itself.

The supporting structure 2 base can further be equipped, preferably completely or almost completely including inside the overall sizes on the ground of the supporting structure 2 itself, with at least one conveyor belt 8, with at least one, preferably horizontal transport plan for fabric 11, adapted to collect, possibly with folders, the fabric 11 coming from the centring roller 7 or the opening-out triangle 5, if this latter one is in its first intervening and working position, possibly by interposing a suitable dragging system 9, for example composed of one or more motored rollers, to accompany the fabric 11, for example along a direction designated by arrow N in FIGG. 4a, 4b e 4c, towards the following working station that can be, for example the open-width squeezer 18.
Depending on what is stated above, and with particular reference to FIGG. 4a, 4b, e 4c, it is possible to note that the multi-function rope opening device 1 according to the present invention can be easily and quickly configured for working at least according to three different operating modes, depending on the type of fabric 11, being a woven fabric in rope form or a tubular knitted fabric:

a) with reference in particular to FIG. 4a, the first operating mode of the multi-function rope opening device 1 according to the present invention is aimed for treating tubular knitted fabric 11: in such first operating mode, the air slitter head 4 is manually or automatically taken to its first intervening and working position on fabric 11, the opening-out triangle 5 is manually or automatically taken to its second, non-intervening working position on fabric 11, the stretching roller 6 and the centring roller 7 are not by-passed by the fabric 11. In such first operating mode, the tubular knitted fabric 11 then passes through the automatic de-twisting device 3, crosses the air slitter head 4 in which it is opened and slit, is stretched by the stretching roller 6 and guided by the centring roller 7 and, possibly through the dragging system 9, is placed on the conveyor belt 8 that will take care of accompanying it towards the following working station;
b) with reference in particular to FIG. 4b, the second operating mode of the multi-function rope opening device 1 according to the present invention is aimed for treating woven fabric 11 in rope form: in such second operating mode, the air slitter head 4 is manually or automatically taken to its second, non-intervening working position on fabric 11, the opening-out triangle 5 is manually or automatically taken to its second, non-intervening working position on fabric 11, the stretching roller 6 and the centring roller 7 are not by-passed by the fabric 11. In such second operating mode, the woven fabric 11 then passes through the automatic de-twisting device 3, is stretched by the stretching roller 6 and guided by the centring roller 7 and, possibly through the dragging system 9, is placed on the conveyor belt 8 that will take care of accompanying it towards the following working station;
c) with reference in particular to FIG. 4c, the third operating mode of the multi-function rope opening device 1 according to the present invention is aimed for treating tubular knitted fabric 11: in such third operating mode, the air slitter head 4 is manually or automatically taken to its first intervening and working position on fabric 11, the opening-out triangle 5 is manually or automatically taken to its first intervening and working position on fabric 11, the stretching roller 6 and the centring roller 7 are by-passed by the fabric 11. In such third operating mode, the tubular knitted fabric 11 then passes through the automatic de-twisting device 3, crosses the air slitter head 4 in which it is opened and slit, is enlarged by the opening-out triangle 5 and, possibly through the dragging system 9, is placed on the conveyor belt 8 that will take care of accompanying it towards the following station.

Some preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, but obviously they are subjected to further modifications and variations within the same inventive idea. In particular, numerous variations and modifications, functionally equivalent to the previous ones, and that fall within the scope of the invention as pointed out by the enclosed claims, will be immediately obvious for the skilled person in the art.

Claims

Multi-function rope opening device (1) for slitting and/or opening a band of fabric (11) or knitted fabric, said fabric (11) or knitted fabric being in rope form or in tubular knitted fabric in rope form, said device (1) comprising a supporting structure (2) and being equipped with:
- at least one automatic de-twisting device (3);

- at least one air slitter head (4) adapted, when the fabric (11) is a tubular knitted fabric, to open the fabric (11) by using air, and adapted to slit the opened fabric (11);

- at least one opening-out triangle (5);

- at least one stretching roller (6); and

- at least one centring roller (7);
characterised in that
- said air slitter head (4) is adapted to be taken between a first intervening and working position thereof on said fabric (11) if said fabric (11) is a tubular knitted fabric and a second, non-intervening working position thereof if said fabric (11) is a woven fabric in rope form;

- said opening-out triangle (5) is adapted to be taken between a first intervening and working position thereof on said fabric (11) if said fabric (11) is a tubular knitted fabric and a second, non-intervening working position thereof if said fabric (11) is a woven fabric in rope form;

- said stretching roller (6) is by-passed by said fabric (11) if said opening-out triangle (5) is taken to said first intervening and working position thereof on said fabric (11); and

- said centring roller (7) is by-passed by said fabric (11) if said opening-out triangle (5) is taken to said first intervening and working position thereof on said fabric (11).
Multi-function rope opening device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that a base of said supporting structure (2) is equipped with at least one conveyor belt (8) adapted to collect said fabric (11) coming from said centring roller (7) or from said opening-out triangle (5) taken to said first intervening and working position thereof.
Multi-function rope opening device (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that said conveyor belt (8) is completely or almost completely included within overall sizes on the ground of said supporting structure (2).
Multi-function rope opening device (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that said conveyor belt (8) has at least one horizontal transport plane of said fabric (11) coming from said centring roller (7) or said opening-out triangle (5) taken to said first intervening and working position thereof.
Multi-function rope opening device (1) according to any one of the claims 2 to 4, characterised in that it comprises at least one dragging system (9) of said fabric arranged between said conveyor belt (8) and said centring roller (7) or said opening-out triangle (5) taken to said first intervening and working position thereof.
Multi-function rope opening device (1) according to claim 5, characterised in that said dragging system (9) comprises at least one motored roller.