Textiles: weaving – Miscellaneous – Loom cleaning
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-30
2001-05-15
Falik, Andy (Department: 3741)
Textiles: weaving
Miscellaneous
Loom cleaning
C242S533800, C414S401000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230752
ABSTRACT:
PRIORITY CLAIM
This application is based on and claims the priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Patent Application 199 24 434.0, filed on May 28, 1999, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for rapidly exchanging a shed drive in a heald or dobby loom. The shed drive can be an eccenter drive or a shaft drive for changing the shed in the loom. Technical weaving conditions determine which type of shed changing drive is used.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Jet weaving looms, particularly air jet weaving looms using air jets for the weft insertion, are capable of operating with an r.p.m. of the main drive shaft in excess of 1000 r.p.m. compared to gripper looms in which so-called rapiers are used for the weft insertion into the shed.
It is known to connect high speed heald or dobby looms, referred to herein as the loom or looms, to eccentric drives for the formation or changing of the shed formed by the warp threads. Slower working looms, namely looms with a mechanical weft insertion instead of an air jet weft insertion are connected to so-called shaft drives for the shed formation or shed change. The reasons for using either an eccentric drive or a shaft drive for the shed formation depend, among others, on the type of fabric or article to be produced on the loom. The eccentric shed formation drive and the shaft shed formation drive will be referred to herein simply as shed drives.
For example, if it is necessary to exchange an eccentric shed drive on a loom by a shaft shed drive, such an exchange requires a substantial effort and expense, particularly in man hours for the time consuming disassembly or disconnection of the currently used shed drive from the loom followed by an even more time consuming installation of the other shed drive. The installation of a new shed drive is time consuming because positioning and adjusting operations must be performed so that the new shed drive may be precisely coupled to the loom.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above it is the aim of the invention to achieve the following objects singly or in combination:
to provide a method for rapidly exchanging one type of shed drive against another type of shed drive in a loom, particularly by avoiding or minimizing time consuming adjustment operations;
to substantially increase the versatility of heald looms, particularly to increase the number of bindings that can be woven on the loom and with regard to minimizing specific rejects of the woven fabrics;
to couple that type of shed drive with the loom which will optimize the loom capability for any particular use; and
to provide a carriage which efficiently permits performing the present method of exchanging one type of shed drive against another in a loom while simultaneously reducing the number of heretofore required man-hours for such an exchange.
According to the invention there is provided a method for rapidly exchanging a first shed drive by a second shed drive in a loom. Performance of the method requires an empty shed drive transport carriage and a carriage with a shed drive mounted in the carriage. The empty first transport carriage is first brought into a precise exchange position relative to the loom, which carries the first shed drive. Then the first shed drive is connected to the first transport carriage whereby the first shed drive is held in the first transport carriage. Next, the first shed drive is decoupled from its drive connection in the loom. Now, the first transport carriage holding the first shed drive is moved out of the precise exchange position and the second transport carriage with the exchange shed drive mounted therein is moved into the precise exchange position. Next, connector elements of the second shed drive are aligned with connector members of the loom. Last, the connector elements of the shed drive are coupled with the connector members of the loom for securing the second shed drive in the loom. Decoupling the carriage from the shed drive that is now mounted in the loom and removing the carriage from the loom are optional at this time.
According to the invention each type of shed drive is mounted in a precise position on a carriage that can be guided and docked next to the loom in a precise shed drive exchange position. The guided docking can be performed manually or motor driven in response to automatic controls. Guide elements and stops are provided on the loom and/or on the carriage so that the carriage is in a precisely defined shed drive exchange position relative to the loom when the docking operation is completed. As a result, the connections of the shed drive to the loom may be performed rapidly and time consuming precision adjustments are avoided.
A substantially automatic docking is performed in response to control signals generated by spacing or distance sensors producing signals that are processed in a central processing unit which in turn controls suitable motor drives or spindle drives in response to the distance signals. The distance or spacer sensors determine the distances between the carriage and the loom relative to the coordinates of an x, y and z three-dimensional coordinate system. The distance sensors may either be connected to the loom or to the carriage and reflectors may be connected to the carriage or the loom respectively, whereby the spacing or distance signals are provided in a contactless manner to the central processing unit for the operation of the drive motors or spindle drives that position the carriage by steering its power driven wheels and/or the shed drive on the carriage. Infrared transmitters and receivers are suitable for the present distance measuring purposes.
The spacings between the reference points on the shed drive and the sensors arranged on the loom are continuously measured during the docking and positioning of the shed drive relative to the loom. Currently measured values are compared with previously measured values and the respective differences of the distances are compared with each other or with predetermined reference or rated values provided in a memory of the central processing unit. The result of the comparing is converted into control signals for operating the drive motors that position the carriage and the respective shed drive. Thus, the wheels of the carriage are preferably power driven and the positioning may be accomplished by spindle drives or the like. The positioning drives may be directly operated or they may be operated through a remote control by an operator.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention one shed drive is an eccenter drive and the other shed drive is a shaft drive constructed particularly with regard to their connector elements to be exchangeable.
According to the invention there is also provided a carriage constructed for docking next to a heddle loom. The carriage is constructed to support one or the other of the shed drives, whereby the position adjustment drives such as spindle drives or rack and pinion drives or piston cylinder drives within the carriage precisely position the coupling or connector elements of the shed drive with the coupling or connector members of the loom.
The adjustment elements are manually operable mechanical drives, for example such as the above mentioned spindle drives or hydraulic or pneumatic drives or drives operated by an electrical motor. Thus, for example a spindle drive may be operated by an electric motor in response to a remote control by an operator who reads a display that provides the distance and directional information. The sensors and reflectors for the distance measuring devices can be arranged on the loom and on the carriage and/or on the shed drive, preferably the reflecting reference points are provided on the carriage and/or on the shed drive while the sensors such as an infrared transmitter and receiver or an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver are positioned at defined points of the loom. In any event, the outputs of the sensors are supplied to the control processing unit to prov
Dornier Peter D.
Krumm Valentin
Falik Andy
Fasse W. F.
Fasse W. G.
Lindauer Dornier Gesellschaft mbH
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