US3575217A

US3575217A - Device for storing weft material in weaving machines

Info

Publication number: US3575217A
Application number: US808396A
Authority: US
Inventors: Erwin Pfarrwaller
Original assignee: Sulzer AG
Current assignee: Sulzer AG
Priority date: 1968-03-21
Filing date: 1969-03-19
Publication date: 1971-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 1988-04-20
Also published as: DE1913830A1; FR2004391A1; AT292597B; CH471261A

Abstract

The storage container is situated between the bobbin and the shed of the weaving machine to permit laying up of the weft material for subsequent picking into the shed. The container can be vertically arranged or curved and can be subjected to an internal airstream for guiding of the weft material through the box.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Erwin Piarrwaller Winterthur, Switzerland App]. No. 808,396

Filed Mar. 19, 1969 Patented Apr. 20,1971

Assignee Sulzer Brothers, Ltd.

Winterthur, Switzerland Priority Mar. 21, 1968 Switzerland 4209/68 DEVICE FOR STORING WEFI MATERIAL IN WEAVING MACHINES 21 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 139/122, 139/ l 26 Int. Cl 003d 47/34 Field of Search 66/125,

[56} References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,233,634 2/1966 Kobayashi 139/ 127 3,395,865 8/1968 McKinnon l39/ l FOREIGN PATENTS 1,510,153 12/1967 France 139/122 Primary Examiner1-lenry S. J audon Attorney-Kenyon, Kenyon, Reilly, Carr & Chapin ABSTRACTiThe storage container is situated between the bobbin and the shed of the weaving machine to permit laying up of the weft material for subsequent picking into the shed. The container can be vertically arranged or curved and can be subjected to an internal airstream for guiding of the weft material through the box.

PATENTEU M20127: 3575217,

SHEET 1 BF 3 EDWIN PFAPPWAL L El? In ventor:

PATENTEUAPRZOIS?! I 357.5217

SHEET 2 OF 3 lnvenfor:

ER'W/N PFAFPPWALLEF? A TTOP EYS PATENTED APR 20 I97! SHEET 3 [IF 3 in van fur: EA? WIN PFAPFP WAL L E R 5V IE Y5 DEVICE Milk STORWG WEFI MATERIAL IN WEAVING MACHINES This invention relates to a device for storing weft material in weaving machines, and more particularly, to weaving machines having a weft bobbin disposed outside the shed of the machine during picking.

I-Ieretofore, in order to supply weft material to the shed of a weaving machine, proposals have been made in which the weft material has been wound onto a drum and thereafter has been drawn off the drum and picked into the shed by a weft picking means such as a gripper shuttle, a picking needle, a water jet or an air jet. These devices, however, have required a plurality of rotating components, for example, a rotary winding drum or a rotary winding eye. In some instances, the weft material has been taken off the drums or from a supply bobbin over end and thus has become twisted. In these instances, the twisted weft material, especially when in tape fonn, has caused openings to form in the cloth made therefrom. Further, in some instances, such as where the weft material has been of synthetic material, friction forces of significant properties have arisen so as to interfere with and complicate the picking operation of the weft material.

In contrast to the weft tapes, the warp tapes have been relatively easy to process without twisting since they are wound untwisted onto the warp of a weaving machine and guided by suitable healds in the heald shaft and by a suitable reed and thereby straightened. On the other hand, while the weft tape has been wound in an untwisted manner on to the weft bobbin, the weft has become twisted when taken off the bobbin or stored in an over end manner.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a weft material storage device which is constructed with nonrotating storage parts.

It is another object of the invention to store and withdraw weft material in a substantially friction free manner.

It is another object of the invention to prevent tangling and twisting of weft material during picking.

It is another object of the invention to maintain aflat weft material in a flattened condition for picking.

It is another object of the invention to produce a cloth of tape material which is without openings.

Briefly, the invention provides a storage device which comprises a container or receptacle which is positioned in a nonrotating manner between a weft bobbin and a shed of a weaving machine for laying-in of a certain length of weft material for subsequent picking into the shed. The container is generally of a box-shaped cross section with an internal thickness corresponding to the width of the tapelike weft material which is to be laid into the container in the form of loops or pleats, i.e. as concertina folds. The container further has a first opening to receive the supplied weft material from the bobbin and a second opening through which the weft material is withdrawn for picking into the shed.

In one embodiment, the container is straight and is disposed in a vertical position while in another embodiment the container is curved. In this latter embodiment, the inlet and outlet openings of the container are situated at approximately the same level.

In addition, the invention provides a drive for moving theweft material into the container. This drive is positioned upstream of the container and is also provided with a movable guide member for laying the weft material into the container in a looped manner or other regular pattern. In one embodiment, the drive includes a pulley drive which can be driven from the main shaft of the weaving machine. In addition, the supply bobbin for the weft material is also rotated so that the weft material is removed tangentially rather than over end so as to remain untwisted.

The use of the container allows a large number of, for example, loops of a weft tape, to be stored so that a large enough supply is available for picking. Further, the weft material can be withdrawn very easily and with practically no friction for picking. This is especially true of synthetic weft material. Since this synthetic material is especially smooth, practically no tangling, crossing and the like of the material can occur in the container. Also, the weft material can be withdrawn from the storage container and picked without twisting. This is essential if, for example, the weft material is a plastic tape, such as, a polypropylene or polyethylene tape. By withdrawing and picking such a tape without twisting, the cloth which is made is close woven without any of the openings which would otherwise occur if the tape were twisted. In thislatter regard, a close woven cloth can be made where the warp tapes are also untwisted as required, for example, for sacks used for picking purposes (e.g. for granular material such as sugar or the like).

In addition to the above, the invention also provides a means to maintain a flow of air in the container so as to facilitate storage and passage of the weft material and a means to control the quantity of weft material supplied to the container per unit time according to the supply of weft material already in the container.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a device according to the invention as well as a schematic of various cooperating components of a weaving machine;

FIG. 2 illustrates a view of the container taken on line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a view similar to FIG. 2 of a modified container according to the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of a modified drive for the weft material according to the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified container of curved shape according to the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a weft bobbin 1 is rotatable on a pivot 2 on a weaving machine base 3, only parts of which are shown for clarity. The bobbin 1 has a core 10 which carries a brake disc 4 on which a brake weight 5 pivotally mounted by a pivot 6 on the machine base 3 bears so that the bobbin is slightly braked during operation. A weft tape 7 approximately 4 mm. wide and made, for example, of polypropylene, is wound on to the bobbin ll. This tape is fed by a drive means such as a pair of pulleys 8, 9 to a storage container 11 located downstream of the bobbin 1. One pulley 8 is attached to a shaft 12 driven by an electric motor 13 as indicated by an arrow 15, by way of a belt or chain drive 14. The other pulley 9 is biased under the influence of a compression spring 16 towards the driven pulley 8 so as to grip and drive the weft tape 7 therebetween towards the container 11. Alternatively, the pulley 9 may be driven by the pulley 8, by way of a gearing.

The shaft 12 carries a cam 17, over which a fork 19 which is pivotable at an intermediate point 18 engages. This fork 19 extends beyond the pivot point 18 in the form of a rod 21 with a guide eye 22 on its free end. Upon rotation of the shaft 12, the cam 17 rotates and causes the fork 19'to oscillate so that the guide eye 22 moves continually backwards and forwards between the

positions

22a, 22b shown by chain lines, as indicated by an arrow 23.

The bobbin 1 is arranged with respect to the pulleys 8, 9 so that the weft tape 7 is pulled off the bobbin 1 tangentially by the pulleys 8, 9. Further, the pulley 8 is continuously driven so that the bobbin turns continuously in the direction of the arrow 241. The weft tape 7 is also threaded or otherwise engaged by the oscillating guide eye 22 so as to be laid into the storage container 11 in the form of loops 24'.

The container 11 is generally of a rectangular box-shaped cross section and has an inlet opening 23 at the top to receive the delivered weft tape 7 and an outlet opening 26 at the bottom to permit removal of the received weft tape. The outlet opening 26 is positioned to allow the weft tape 7 to pass out through a yarn brake 27, a fixed eye 28, a yarn withdrawing mechanism 29 and another fixed eye 31, as is known, of the weaving machine 3. Inorder to pick the weft tape 7, the front end 7a of the tape is gripped by a gripper shuttle 32 and inserted (arrow 33) into a shed 36 formed by warp tapes 34 in the upper shed position and warp tapes 35 in the lower shed position.

Referring to FIG. 2, the storage container 11 has an internal width less than its length and height and somewhat greater than the internal width d of the weft tape 7. The width 0 of the box is therefore adapted to the width d of the weft. If desired, the width 0 of the box may be adjustable, so that the box can also be used for weft tapes of other widths. For claritys sake, the individual loops 24' in HO. 1 are shown with excessively large curves and gaps; in reality the loops are relatively close together, due to the loops above them.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in order to control the amount of weft tape 7 delivered to the container 11, a control means comprising a pair of light barriers are attached to the container 11. Each light barrier consists of a

light source

41, 42 on one side of the container and an associated

photoelectric cell

43, 44 offset relative to the light source on the other side of the container. The purpose of this offset arrangement is to make the rays from the light sources pass through a fairly large number of layers of weft tape, so that the difference between the light intensity obtained at the photoelectric cell when layers of weft tape are present and the light intensity occurring when no layers are present is very marked. The control process is therefore more reliable. The

light sources

41, 42 are on one circuit 45 whereas the

photoelectric cells

43, 44 are on two

other circuits

46, 47. All three circuits 45-47 are connected to an electronic control device or an amplifier 48 which is supplied from a power source 49.

The motor 13 which drives the pulleys 8, 9 is also connected to the amplifier 48, by way of three phases, R, S, T and a neutral wire 0. In the particular embodiment shown the motor 13 can run at two speeds. For example, when the storage process in the container 11 begins, the motor 13 runs at full speed, so that the stock of tape gradually rises in the container 11. If the tape reaches the

light barrier

41, 43, an electrical signal goes to the electronic device 48 via the circuit 46 to reset the motor 13, for example at half-speed. The quantity of tape laid in through the opening per unit time is therefore reduced.

If the stock of tape in the container 11 still continues to rise, the motor 13 is stopped when the tape reaches the

light barrier

42, 44 via a signal from the circuit 47. lf, after falling below the

light barrier

42, 44 the stock of tape gradually drops below the

barrier

41, 43, while the motor 13 is running at half-speed, the motor 13 is set at full speed again whereupon the stock rises again, and so on.

In order to facilitate movement of the loops 24' of weft tape 7 through the container 11, the container 11 is formed with a sievelike bottom 51 and extends downwards in the form of a funnellike portion 52 below the bottom 51 and an air intake 53 of a blower 54 is connected to the funnellike portion 52. The blower 52 is operated so as to maintain a permanent downward stream of air (arrow 55) in the container 11 so that the loops 24' move down fast enough during picking, making room for more loops to be laid in above.

In order to prevent the individual loops 24' of weft tape 7 from adhering to the inside walls of the container 11, the tape 7 is coated with an antistatic fluid. This fluid is applied to the tape 7 by mounting a dish 56 filled with the fluid below the spring biased pulley 9 so that the lower portion of the pulley dips into the dish 56. Consequently, rotation of the pulley 9 continually brings some fluid on to the tape 7 which is to be laid into the container 11 so that any electrostatic charge, such as may arise in the case of synthetic material due to friction disappears. As a result, the individual loops 24 do not adhere to the inside wall of the container 11, but drop down inside without being attracted by the container.

Referring to FIG. 3, the storage container 11a can alternatively be formed with internal vertical grooves 61, as by being corrugated so that the grooves 61 serve to guide the stream of air through the container.

Referring to FIGS, 4 and 5, the pivot 2 of the bobbin 1 can also be held, in vertically disposed U-shaped members which define grooves 62 attached to the base 3 of the weaving machine and can gradually sink in these grooves 62 as the winding diameter decreases. The bobbin 1 thus bears on the pulley 8 as a result of its own weight so as to be driven thereby. This pulley 8 is further mounted on a shaft 66 of the electric motor 13 so as to be driven directly. The pulley 8 is also a frictional contact with the pulley 9.

In order to guide the weft tape 7 into the container (not shown), the shaft 63 for the pulley 9 carries a cam 71 which cooperates with a link 72. The free end of this link 72 engages a yarn guide lever 67'pivotally mounted on the shaft 66 at an intemiediate point 65. This lever 67 is further connected by a shaft 75 (FIG. 5) to another yarn guide lever 670 on the opposite side of the pulley 8 which also pivots freely about the shaft 66 for the pulley 8. The shaft 73 carries a guide roll 69 which is driven by the pulley 8 by way ofa belt drive 74 and a roll 76, and is in frictional contact with another roll. 71 rotatably mounted at the free ends of the

respective levers

67, 67a. These rolls 69, 71 serve to guide the weft tape 7 during reciprocation of the

levers

67, 67a into the loops 24. A yarn guide 75 is also mounted on the yarn guide levers 67, 67a to further guide the weft tape laterally between the

rolls

69, 71 while reciprocating with the

levers

67, 67a.

Referring to H6. 6, wherein like parts are indicated by like reference characters as above, the container can alternatively be curved, for example, as a semicircular storage container 81. The container 81 also has a sievelike portion 51a approximately in the middle to which the air intake 53 in connected. The

light sources

41, 42 and

photoelectric cells

43, 44 are situated opposite one another in this embodiment so as to be on about the same horizontal plane. The form of container 81 is used in a similar manner with respect to that described above. However, in this case, the weft tape 7 enters and leaves the container 81 at the same level. Also, as the weft tape 7 is drawn out as shown, the tape is not subjected to the weight of any tape above.

Alternatively, the storage container may have shapes other than those shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, especially if the storage device is to be used, for example, for weft material in filament form. In this case, the storage container may, for example, be cylindrical, and the filament to be stored may be laid in the container in the form of, for example, a circle or a horizontal figure eight. Such a shape of storage container is especially suitable if a synthetic weft is used, which of course has a particularly smooth surface.

Also, for example, the stream of air in the storage container may be omitted or may run in the opposite direction, ie from bottom to top. In the latter case, the stream of air loosens the weft material and may keep it more or less suspended. As a result, when drawn out of the container for picking, the weft material may come out particularly easily and free of tangles. Possibly, also, the weft material may be taken off the weft bobbin over end and then fed to a storage container, for example, through the pulleys 8, 9. In this case, however, the weft material will twist as it comes off the bobbin. Even so, a storage container for laying in the weft material and storing a certain length of weft may be useful.

Finally, instead of using a photoelectric control device 41- -44, any other suitable control device for adapting the quantity of weft material fed to the storage container to the length already stored may be used.

lclaim:

1. In combination with a weft bobbin having a supply of weft material thereon and disposed outside a shed of a weaving machine, a storage device for storing the weft material comprising a container positioned between said weft bobbin and said shed for receiving and laying in a certain length of weft material said container having a first opening at one end for receiving the weft material from said weft bobbin and a second opening at an opposite end for delivering the stored weft material to said shed.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the weft material is a weft tape and said container is of box shape having an internal width sized to receive the width of the weft tape whereby the weft tape can be laid into said container in the fonn of loops.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein said container is curved between said openings.

4. In combination with a weft bobbin having a supply of weft material thereon and disposed outside a shed of a weaving machine, a storage device for storing the weft material comprising a container positioned between said weft bobbin and said shed for receiving and laying in a certain length of weft material said container being curved with an inlet opening at one end for receiving the weft tape and an outlet opening at the same level as said inlet opening at the opposite end for withdrawal of the stored weft tape.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said storage device further comprises a drive means between said weft bobbin and said container for directing the weft material towards said container.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein said drive means is continuous in structure.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein said drive means cooperates with said weft bobbin to drive said weft bobbin directly.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein said drive means includes a pair of pulleys for gripping the weft material therebetween, and a motor means for rotating at least one of said pulleys to withdraw the weft material from said weft bobbin.

9. The combination as set forth in claim 5 which further comprises a braking means connected with said weft bobbin for braking the rotation of said weft bobbin.

10. In combination with a weft bobbin having a supply of weft material thereon and disposed outside a shed of a weaving machine, a storage device for storing the weft material comprising a container positioned between said weft bobbin and said shed for receiving and laying in a certain length of weft material and a movable guide means upstream of said container for guiding the weft material into said container in a regular fashion to form the weft material into loops within said container.

11. The combination as set forth in claim wherein said storage device further comprises a drive means between said weft bobbin and said guide means for directing the weft material towards said container, said drive means being connected to said movable guide means to oscillate said guide means in response to actuation of said drive means.

12. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said storage device further comprises means for directing a flow of air through said container.

13. The combination as set forth in claim 12 wherein said means directs the flow of air in the same direction as the advance of weft material through said container.

14. The combination as set forth in claim 12 wherein said means includes a sievelike bottom in said container and an air suction means communicating through said sievelike bottom for drawing a stream of air from the top of said container through said sievelike bottom.

15. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said storage device further includes drive means for driving the weft material into said container and a control means for controlling said drive means to control the quantity of weft material laid into said container per unit of time in response to the quantity of weft material in said container.

16. The combination as set forth in claim 15 wherein said control means includes at least one photoelectric means mounted on said container to detect the presence of weft material at a predetermined level in said container and to emit a signal in response thereto for changing the speed of said drive means.

17. The combination as set forth in claim 16 wherein said photoelectric means includes a light source on one side of said container and a photoelectric cell on the opposite side in offset relation to said light source whereby the range from said light source can pass through a plurality of portions of the weft material in said container.

18. in combination with a weft bobbin having a supply of weft material thereon and disposed outside a shed of a weaving machine, a storage device for storing the weft material comprising a container positioned between said weft bobbin and said shed for receiving and laying in a certain length of weft material and means for electrically discharging weft material containing a synthetic plastic material supplied to said container.

19. The combination as set forth in claim 18 wherein said means includes a bath of antistatic fluid for coating the weft material.

20. The combination as set forth in claim 19 wherein said storage device further comprises a drive means having at least

Claims

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the weft material is a weft tape and said container is of box shape having an internal width sized to receive the width of the weft tape whereby the weft tape can be laid into said container in the form of loops.

11. The combination as set forth in claim 10 wherein said storage device further comprises a drive means between said weft bobbin and said guide means for directing the weft material towards said container, said drive means being connected to said movable guide means to oscillate said guide means in response to actuation of said drive means.

20. The combination as set forth in claim 19 wherein said storage device further comprises a drive means having at least one pulley for contacting and directing the weft material towards said container, and said bath of antistatic fluid is disposed in a dish below said pulley, said dish being positioned for dipping of said pulley thereinto.

21. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said container is in the form of a box having a width which is less than the length thereof and less than the height thereof.