GB2218431A - Improvements in and relating to carpet weaving looms - Google Patents

Abstract

A carpet weaving broadloom is converted to have a plurality of weft insert rapiers 12, 14, 16, being arranged so that each produces a separate length of carpet. One of the weft insert means 12 moves in the opposite direction to the others 14, 16 so that two of the guides for the weft insert means can be positioned at the sides of the broadloom to save space and maximise the number of carpet lengths which can be provided on one loom. A single drive means comprising a flexible drive employed for all the weft insert means. Separately controlled warp let-off and fabric take-up is provided. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CARPET WEAVING LOOMS This invention relates to carpet weaving looms.

Many carpet weaving looms manufactured have been relatively wide, for example from 6 to 12 feet, and have been known as broadlooms. However, in recent years there has been an increased call for narrow width carpets, in particular from hoteliers and publicans. They require carpet strips with narrow width, for example 27 inches which may be joined together and, therefore, must have woven selvedges Moreover, the number of broadlooms required to meet the demand for wide Axminster carpets has decreased and carpet manufacturers have found themselves with redundant broadlooms on their hands.

The object of this invention is to allow narrow width carpets to be produced on a broadloom.

A carpet weaving broadloom in accordance with the invention has at least, two weft insert means each so arranged as to form a separate carpet length.

Preferably one of the weft insert means is driven in an opposite direction to the other(s) during weft insertion. Suitably there are three weft insertion means, all of which are driven by a single drive means.

By driving one of the weft insertion means in an opposite direction to the other(s), space is saved which allows the number of weft insert means which can be mounted on a standard width broadloom and, consequently, the number of narrow width carpets produced, to be increased.

Suitably, each weft insert means has an associated shuttle operating in a shuttle guide to permit woven selvedges to be produced.

Preferably, the broadloom has a warp beam and/or take-up roller associated with each weft insert means.

This permits simultaneous production of narrow width carpets of different qualities and designs.

Conveniently each weft insert means comprises a needle, the needle being attached to a rope supported on a plurality of pulleys, movement of the rope around the pulleys causing each of the needles to insert the weft across a section of the loom.

A rope drive is used on many known broadlooms and consequently, by attaching each weft insert needle to the rope and arranging suitable pulleys an existing drive can be used in the production of narrow width carpets.

The invention is especially useful when the loom is essentially a known Axminster gripper loom having a plurality of vertically disposed yarn carriers arranged parallel to each other across the loom. Each yarn carrier is equipped with a number of yarn stations which carry yarns supplied, from behind the carrier. Each carrier has a rotatable gripper associated with it. At its first position, each gripper grips a yarn held at the station of the associated carrier. Relative movement between the carrier and the gripper forms the length of yarn required and a knife blade supported in a knife holder traverses the loom severing the yarns adjacent the carriers. The grippers then rotate to their second position where the portion of yarn held by each gripper is inserted into the carpet backing to form a complete row of tufts, The carpet backing is produced by weaving.The lengths of yarn are inserted between the warp threads by the grippers, which remain in their second position while a weft thread is inserted across and in front of the yarn lengths. The weft thread, together with the yarn lengths, is then beaten up by a reed.

The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a carpet weaving loom in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a view in the direction of arrow A of the drive means of the loom of Figure 1.

The loom 10 is similar to a known Axminster broadloom so only the differences are described below It has three separate carpet stations numbered 1, 2 and 3.

Each carpet station has a weft insert needle 12 14 and 16 which are inserted simultaneously. The weft needle 12 for station 1 inserts the weft from left to right while the weft needles 14 and 16 for stations 2 and 3 respectively insert the weft from right to left. In Figure 1 they are shown in the position where they have inserted the weft.

Prior to insertion of the weft, weft needle 12 occupies a position to the extreme left, weft needle 14 occupies a centre right position and weft needle 16 occupies a position to the extreme right, which is the same position as the weft needles of known broadlooms when full width carpets are being produced. Left, right and centre in this decription are as considered with regard to Figure 1, Each station has an outer guide tube 18 20 and 22 for the weft needles 12, 14 and 16. The needles 12, 14 and 16 are all connected to a rope 24.

The yarn supply for the warp threads 26, 28 and 30 of stations 1 2 and 3 respectively is from three independent beams (not shown) situated at the rear of the loom. Each set of beams is independently driven to allow for varying take-up in each of the three Stations 1, 2 and 3. The tuft row density of a carpet that is the number of tufts per inch in the direction of the warp threads is determined by the take-up meachanism. Known broadlooms have a single take up mechanism comprising a driven roller.

To allow narrow width carpets to be produced on the known broadloom the take-up mechanism is sectioned into three separate units each of which comprises a roller. The rollers 32, 34 and 36 may be driven from the existing drive. The roller 32 in station 1 is driven directly from the drive shaft 38 on which it is supported by a spiked roller bearing 40. The rollers 34 and 36 are also driven from the drive shaft 38 but via gears 42 and 44 respectively. They are both supported by spiked roller bearings roller 34 by spiked roller bearing 46 and roller 36 by spiked roller bearing 48. The three units can therefore be operated independently allowing narrow width carpets of different tuft row densities to be produced simultaneously. The three independent beams are individually adjusted so that the rate of yarn supply in each station is compatible with the take up mechanisms.

Each station has a shuttle mechanism, comprising a straight shuttle 50, 52 and 54 which operates in a straight shuttle race or guide 56 58 and 60. In known broadlooms curved shuttles are employed but this would not be practicable when the narrow width carpets are to be produced, since they would take up too much space.

Therefore straight shuttles and races are provided, The shuttles pick up the weft threads on insertion by the weft needles either from left to right (needle 12) or from right to left (needles 14 and 16) and co-operate with selvedge needles 62, 64 and 66 to produce selvedges along an edge of each carpet width.

These selvedges are necessary to allow the narrow widths of carpet to be sown together and produce the necessary strong seam.

When the lengths of yarn have been inserted by the grippers between the warp threads 26 28 and 30 and the weft threads have been inserted, they are beaten-up by reed boxes 68 70 and 72.

The drive for the weft needles is shown in Figure 2. The rope 24 is supplied from a rope drum 74 and extends around a system of pulleys 76 and back to the rope drum 74. The rope drive mechanism is the same as that employed in known broadlooms and consists of an anchor 78 supported on a pivot 79 driven via connecting rod 80 from throw arm disc 82. The anchor is connected to the rope drum 74 via helical gear 84, The arrangement of the pulleys means that an oscillation of the anchor 78 causes that portion of the rope associated with station 1 to move from left to right and then back again and those portions associated with stations 2 and 3 to move from right to left and then back again, The opposite movement of the rope in station 1 is caused by intermediate pulley 86.

The drive for the anchor is co-ordinated with or the same as that of the grippers and/or the supply beams and/or the take up mechanisms.

The carpet weaving loom described above can therefore be employed to produce three narrow width carpets with the necessary woven selvedges. The tuft row density of each carpet can be individually choosen as may the pattern. Therefore different designs and qualities can be produced simultaneously giving improved delivery times and efficiency. Second-hand broadlooms are plentiful and cheap to purchase and they can provide the basis for and be converted into the loom described above.

This invention therefore allows old disused broadlooms to be brought back into service.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS:

1. A carpet weaving broadloom having at least two weft insert means, each so arranged as to form a separate carpet length.

2. A carpet weaving broadloom as claimed in Claim 1 wherein one of the weft insert means is driven in an opposite direction to the other(s) during weft insertion.

3. A carpet weaving broadloom as claimed in either Claim 1 or 2 wherein there are three weft insert means.

4. A carpet weaving broadloom as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein the two or more weft insert means are driven by a single drive means.

5. A carpet weaving broadloom as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein each weft insert means has an associated shuttle which operates in a shuttle guide to permit the carpet lengths to be produced with woven selvedges.

6. A carpet weaving broadloom as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein each weft insert means has an associated warp beam.

7. A carpet weaving broadloom as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein each weft insert means has an associated take-up roller.

8. A carpet weaving broadloom as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein each weft insert means comprises a needle, the needles being attached to a rope supported on and movable around a plurality of pulleys, movement of the rope causing the needles to insert the weft across a section of the loom.