US3918501A

US3918501A - Feeder for tape weaving machine

Info

Publication number: US3918501A
Application number: US481373A
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael John Wolstencroft
Original assignee: DuPont Canada Inc
Current assignee: Fabrene Inc
Priority date: 1973-06-21
Filing date: 1974-06-18
Publication date: 1975-11-11
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-11
Also published as: GB1417896A; CH573994A5; CA1006789A; IT1015255B; JPS5048262A; DE2429890A1

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for feeding flat weft tape from a supply package to a loom in which the weft tape supply package is rotatably mounted outside the warp shed. The apparatus comprises a rotatable chuck adapted to support the weft tape package; means to intermittently rotate the rotatable chuck; a weft tape storage device; an aspirator adapted to draw the weft tape tangentially from the rotating supply package and feed it into the weft tape storage device; weft tape insertion means on the loom adapted to draw the tape from the storage device and insert it into the warp shed of the loom; control means for the means to intermittently rotate the rotatable chuck adapted to synchronize the starting and the stopping of the chuck with the starting and the stopping of the loom; a course control means adapted to adjust the rotation of the chuck such that the surface of the supply package moves at approximately the speed required to unwind the same length of weft tape as is inserted into the warp shed of the loom by the weft insertion means, and a fine control within the weft storage device and actuated by the length of tape in the storage device adapted to more accurately adjust the rotation of the chuck. The apparatus is useful in the weaving of fabric from flat tapes, e.g., flat polyolefin tapes.

Description

ite States Wolstencroft 1 Nov. 11, 1975 1 FEEDER FOR TAPE WEAVING MACHINE [75] Inventor: Michael John Wolstencroft,

Kingston, Canada [22] Filed: June 18, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 481,373

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 21. 1973 United Kingdom 29604/73 [52] US. Cl. 139/122 H [51] Int. C1. D03D 47/34 [58] Field of Search 139/122 R, 122 1-1, 122 W, 139/127 P, 127 R, 116; 66/125 R, 132 R, 132 T, 86 L; 226/97 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,240,461 7/1971 United Kingdom 139/122 H 1,510,153 12/1967 France 139/122 1-1 Primary E.\'aminer--James Kee Chi [5 7] ABSTRACT An apparatus is disclosed for feeding flat weft tape from a supply package to a loom in which the weft tape supply package is rotatably mounted outside the warp shed. The apparatus comprises a rotatable chuck adapted to support the weft tape package; means to intermittently rotate the rotatable chuck; a weft tape storage device; an aspirator adapted to draw the weft tape tangentially from the rotating supply package and feed it into the weft tape storage device; weft tape insertion means on the loom adapted to draw the tape from the storage device and insert it into the warp shed of the loom; control means for the means to intermittently rotate the rotatable chuck adapted to synchronize the starting and the stopping of' the chuck with the starting and the stopping of the loom; a course control means adapted to adjust the rotation of the chuck such that the surface of the supply package moves at approximately the speed required to unwind the same length of weft tape as is inserted into the warp shed of the loom by the weft insertion means, and a fine control within the weft storage device and actuated by the length of tape in the storage device adapted to more accurately adjust the rotation of the chuck. The apparatus is useful in the weaving of fabric from flat tapes, e.g., flat'polyolefin tapes.

3 Claims, 31Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 11; 1975 FEEDER FOR TAPE WEAVING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the weaving of fabrics from flat tapes and more particularly to the weaving of fabrics from flat tapes on a loom in which the weft package is located outside the warp shed.

It is common practice in the art of weaving flat tapes on the above typeof loom to have the weft supply package remain stationary at one side of the loom and to have the weft tape drawn from this package over the end of the package and inserted into the shed formed by the warp tapes by one or more jets, grippers, rapiers or suction devices. After each weft tape insertion, the tape is released from the gripper or rapier and severed from the supply package by a cutting or burning device. After each weft tape has been severed, the new end of the tape is gripped by the weft insertion system and inserted into the shed. 'The feeding of the weft tape, therefore, is intermittent and various temporary weft storage devices have been provided between the weft supply package and the shed in order to keep the tension in the weft tape reasonably constant.

As the flat weft tape is drawn over the end of the supply package (wound with zero twist weft tape), two folds are made in the tape for every 360 turn of tape removed from the package. For a new package of say inches in diameter, this leads to an average distance between folds in the weft tapes of 31.4 inches. As the package decreases in size and reaches the core diameter, say 3% inches, the average distance between the folds in the weft tapes decreases to 5.7 inches. These folds in the weft tapes have undesirable effects on the woven fabric. For example, each fold represents a potential weak spot in the fabric; if the woven fabric is subsequently extrusion coated, the folds can cause unevenness in the coating which makes it necessary to apply a thicker coating than would otherwise be required; if uncoated woven fabric is printed, special printing techniques are required to avoid printing defects which can be caused by the folds; if the woven fabric is used for carpet backing, the folds can cause needle deflection resulting in uneven tufting; and woven fabric having folds in its weft tapes is not aesthetically appealing.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for feeding flat weft tapes from a weft supply package to a loom which will greatly reduce the number of folds in the weft tapes fed to the loom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an apparatus for feeding flat weft tape from a supply package to a loom that includes a weft tape insertion means on the loom adapted to draw the tape from the package and insert it into the warp shed of the loom, the improvement comprising:

a rotatable driven chuck for supporting the weft tape supply package;

a weft tape storage device located between the supply package and the weft tape insertion means; and

an aspirator for drawing the weft tape tangentially from the package and feeding the weft tape intothe weft tape storage device. i U In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a means to intermittently rotate the rotatable chuck which comprises a variable speed motor, a flywheel, a clutch and a brake and, a control means, all coupled to the motor; the means to intermittently rotate the rotatable chuck is actuated by the m. The weft tape storage device comprises an open-ended tube adapted to contain a loop of weft tape which is fed in and drawn out of one end of the tube. There is also provided a coarse control means which comprises a motor speed con troller in combination with a photocell arrangement that senses the diameter of the weft package and controls motor speed accordingly, and a fine control means which comprises a photocell loop detector positioned in the weft tape storage tube that also is combined with the motor speed controller to adjust the rotation of the chuck according to the amount of tape in the tube.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention for feeding flat weft tape from a supply package to a loom;

FIG. 2 shows in elevation the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of an alternative weft tape storage device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a rotatable chuck 10 supports a weft tape supply package 11. Means to intermittently rotate the chuck 10 are designated by the numeral 12. An air powered aspirator 13 receives the weft tape 14 from the intermittently rotating supply package 11 and feeds it to a weft tape storage tube 15. Weft tape insertion means (not shown) intermittently draw the weft tape from the storage tube 15 through loom guide 16 and insert it into the warp shed of the loom. The weft tape 14enters and exits the same end of storage tube 15, thus a loop of weft tape is present in storage tube 15. The means to intermittently rotate the chuck l0 designated by the numeral 12 consists of a variable speed motor 17, a flywheel 18, a clutch 19 and a brake 20. A light source 21 and an array of photocells 22 cooperate to measure the diameter of supply package 11. A photocell loop detector 23 detects the presence or absence vof a loop of weft tape in storage tube 15. A clutchbrake control (not shown) for which a signal may be taken from the loom disengages the clutch 19 and applies the brake 20 each time the loom stops and engages the clutch l9 and releases the brake 20 each time the loom starts, i.e., the loom the clutch l9 and the brake 20 are operatively connected as indicated by the dashed line from the loom to these elements. A signal from the array of photocells 22 fed to motor controller 17a provides coarse speed control for the motor 17, i.e., the signal adjusts the speed of the motor 17, through controller 17a, such that the surface speed of the supply package 11 is approximately that required to unwind the same length of tape as is inserted into the warp shed by the weft tape insertion means. A signal from the photocell loop detector 23 also fed through controller 17a provides fine speed control for the motor 17, i.e., the signal adjusts the speed of the motor 17, through controller 17a, such that the end of the loop of weft tape in the storage tube 15 is at, or near, the photocell loop detector 23.

The variable speed motor 17 is directly coupled to the flywheel 18 to increase the moment of inertia of the rotor of motor 17 and thereby to reduce sudden speed fluctuations during periods of maximum acceleration. Drive from the motor 17 to the chuck 10 is transmitted through the clutch 19. Each time the loom is stopped for any reason, the clutch 19 is disengaged and brake 20 is applied by the clutch-brake control; thus allowing the motor 17 to continue to rotate while the chuck I is rapidly decelerated to rest and held firmly by the brake 20 until the loom is again started.

The string up and start up of the apparatus for feeding flat weft tape from the supply package to the loom proceeds as follows:

1. a full weft tape supply package 11 is placed on the chuck and locked in position;

2. the clutch-brake control is put on manual control;

3. the end of the weft tape from the supply package 11 is passed through the aspirator l3 and a loop of tape is formed in the storage tube 15;

4. the end of the weft tape from the storage tube 15 is passed through the loom guide 16 to the weft tape insertion means;

5. the clutch-brake control is put on automatic control;

6. a signal from the array of photocells 22 of the coarse speed control adjusts the speed of motor 17 (based on the diameter of supply package 11) to give approximately the surface speed required for supply package 11;

7. the loom is started up in the usual manner; and

8. a signal from the photocell loop detector 23 provides fine speed control by adjusting the speed of g the motor 17 such that the end of the loop of weft tape in the storage tube 15 is at or near the photocell loop detector 23.

A cam operated control driven by a timing mechanism may be used in place of the light source 21 and the array of photocells 22 to provide coarse speed control for motor 17.

FIG. 3 shows a portion of another embodiment of the invention in which a different weft tape storage device is employed. In FIG. 3, an alternative weft tape storage device (to the weft tape storage tube 15 of FIG. 1) is designated generally by the numeral 30. Weft tape storage device 30, which is in the form of an open E-shaped trough, is supported by a support stand 31. The E- shaped trough is formed by

outer walls

32 and 33, by a partition wall 34, and by a bottom 35. Skirt guards 36 and 37 extend out horizontally from the upper surfaces of

outer walls

32 and 33, respectively. An aspirator 38 receives the weft tape from the supply package and feeds it into the weft tape storage device 30. An on-off switch on the air supply to the aspirator 38 is tied in with the clutch-brake controls such that air is supplied to the aspirator each time the clutch is engaged and air is shut off to the aspirator each time the brake is put on. A light source 39, a lens 40 and a photocell 41 cooperate to form a loop detector in tape storage device 30. A deflector plate 42, which forms an extension of bottom 35 and loop guide 43 are also provided.

Air to the aspirator 38 is supplied only when weft tape is being supplied to the storage device 30 from the supply package and when tape is being withdrawn from the storage device 30 by the weft tape insertion means. This feature prevents fibrillation of the weft tape each time the weft tape is stopped in the tape storage device 30. If static build-up on the weft tape in the tape storage device 30 occurs, it is advantageous to provide a fluidizing means part way down the trough formed by outer wall 32 and partition wall 34. The on-off control on the air suppply to the aspirator 38 may also be used to control the air supply to this fluidizing means. Skirt guards 36 and 37 prevent the loop in the end of the weft tape from snagging on the light source 39 and the photocell 41 of the loop detector. The deflector plate 42 and the loop guide 43 cooperate to prevent snagging of the weft tape at the point where it leaves the weft tape storage device 30. The loop detector provides fine control for the motor in the same manner as described above for the motor in the same manner as described above for the loop detector 23 in FIG. I, i.e., a signal from the loop detector gradually slows down the motor when there is weft tape in front of the lens 40 and gradually speeds up the motor when there is no weft tape in front of the lens 40. Each time the loop in the weft tape becomes shorter than the partition wall 34, the loop rides up on the top of the partition wall 34 away from the lens 40. The signal from the loop detector thus adjusts the speed of the motor such that the loop in the weft tape is always approximately the same length as the partition wall 34.

With the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 for feeding flat weft tape from a supply package to a loom, there may be tendency for folds to develop in the flat weft tape at the point where the tape leaves the end of the tape storage tube 15 on the way to the weft tape insertion means. The intermittent use of weft tape by the loom causes a loose loop of tape to fly away from the end of storage tube 15 under its own inertia after each weft tape insertion by the loom. On subsequent weft tape insertions, when the loose loop is temporarily straightened out, a fold can develop in the weft tape. With the weft tape storage device 30 of FIG. 3, there may be much less tendency for folds to develop. The weft tape is'withdrawn by the weft tape insertion means from the side of the tape storage device 30 and the weft tape. which flies out of the storage device 30 under its own inertia after each weft tape insertion, is supported as a control loop on bottom 35 and deflector plate 42. On the next weft tape insertion, the controlled loop is tern porarily straightened without a fold developing in the tape.

The following Example illustrates the invention without limiting its scope:

EXAMPLE The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings for feeding flat weft tape from a supply package to a loom was installed on a loom known as a l30-inch SULZER* weaving machine available from Sulzer Brothers Limited, Winterthur, Switzerland. *Denotes trade mark A fabric having an 8 X 8 construction was woven at a speed of 223 picks per minute 11%. The warp and weft tapes were 0.002 in. thick by 0.100 in. wide high density polyethylene.

The operation of the apparatus was as hereinbefore described and illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Some folds developed in the weft tape 14 at the exit end of the weft tape storage tube 15. The intermittent use of the weft tape by the loom caused a loose loop of tape to fly away from the end of storage tube 15 under its own inertia after each weft insertion by the loom. On subsequent weft tape insertions, some folds were developed in the weft tapev The weft tape storage device of FIG. 3 was prepared later to overcome this problem.

A total of 10.5 square yards of fabric was woven. The average distance between turns in the weft tapes was 180 inches. When fabric was woven from the same weft tape supply package with tape take-off over the end of the package according to the prior art, the average dis' tance between turns in the weft tapes was 10.25 inches.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for feeding flat weft tape from a supply package to a loom that includes a weft tape insertion means on the loom adapted to draw the tape from the package and insert it into the warp shed of the loom, a rotatable chuck for supporting the weft tape supply package; a variable speed motor having a shaft coupled to said chuck for rotation thereof; a weft tape storage device located between the supply package and the weft tape insertion means; an aspirator for drawing the weft tape tangentially from the package and feeding the weft tape into the weft tape storage device the improvement comprising: means for sensing the diameter of the weft tape supply package and providing a signal according thereto; control means coupled to said variable speed motor and actuated by said signal for increasing or decreasing the speed of the motor according tothe magnitude of said signal; a clutch means connected between said rotatable chuck and said motor and coupled to said loom for connecting said chuck with said motor only during operation of the loom; and a flywheel on said motor shaft between said motor and said clutch for increasing the moment of inertia of the motor and reducing speed fluctuations.

2. The apparatus of claim I, said weft tape storage device being a tube open at both ends. said weft tape being fed into and withdrawn from the same end of the tube.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the weft tape storage device comprises an elongated E-shaped trough, said trough being formed by two outer walls a partition wall and a bottom and being adapted to contain a loop of weft tape, the loop being fed by the aspirator into one end of the trough, passing along one side of the trough, looping around one end of the partition wall, and being drawn by the weft insertion means from the trough part way along the other side thereof, the end of the partition wall being shaped such that it lifts the loop out of the trough each time the loop becomes shorter than the partition wall.

l l 4 l= UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION 0 PATENT NO. 3,918,501

DATED November 11, 1975 INVENTORQS) Michael John Wolstencroft It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent 9 are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 'r, lines 12-13 (second instance), delete "for the motor in the same manner as described above"; Q H 11! line 58, insert a percent sign (75) after 1:1

Signed and Scaled this O twenty-seventh D3) of April 1976 [SEAL] Arrest:

Q RUTH c. MASON c. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer (mnmissimwr nfiarenls and Trademarks

Claims

1. In an Apparatus for feeding flat weft tape from a supply package to a loom that includes a weft tape insertion means on the loom adapted to draw the tape from the package and insert it into the warp shed of the loom, a rotatable chuck for supporting the weft tape supply package; a variable speed motor having a shaft coupled to said chuck for rotation thereof; a weft tape storage device located between the supply package and the weft tape insertion means; an aspirator for drawing the weft tape tangentially from the package and feeding the weft tape into the weft tape storage device the improvement comprising: means for sensing the diameter of the weft tape supply package and providing a signal according thereto; control means coupled to said variable speed motor and actuated by said signal for increasing or decreasing the speed of the motor according to the magnitude of said signal; a clutch means connected between said rotatable chuck and said motor and coupled to said loom for connecting said chuck with said motor only during operation of the loom; and a flywheel on said motor shaft between said motor and said clutch for increasing the moment of inertia of the motor and reducing speed fluctuations.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said weft tape storage device being a tube open at both ends, said weft tape being fed into and withdrawn from the same end of the tube.