U.S. patent application number 09/855150 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-15 for terry loom with interpenetrating ground warp and pile warp.
Invention is credited to Czura, Peter, Mueller, Herbert, Wahhoud, Adnan.
Application Number | 20010039974 09/855150 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7641896 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010039974 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wahhoud, Adnan ; et
al. |
November 15, 2001 |
Terry loom with interpenetrating ground warp and pile warp
Abstract
A ground warp thread sheet and a pile warp thread sheet are
supplied to a shed forming device. Two stop motions on separate
planes respectively monitor the pile warp and the ground warp. The
ground warp and the pile warp are deflected over a deflecting rod
upstream from the shed forming device. The deflecting rod supports
the ground warp and directs the pile warp to cross and
interpenetrate through the ground warp before being deflected into
the back shed. The vertices of the ground warp and pile warp back
sheds are thus located on opposite sides of the deflecting rod. The
pile warp crosses through the ground warp directly upstream from
the deflecting rod, at a steep angle, for example from 45 to
135.degree..
Inventors: |
Wahhoud, Adnan; (Lindau,
DE) ; Czura, Peter; (Wangen, DE) ; Mueller,
Herbert; (Kressbronn, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FASSE PATENT ATTORNEYS, P.A.
P.O. BOX 726
HAMPDEN
ME
04444-0726
US
|
Family ID: |
7641896 |
Appl. No.: |
09/855150 |
Filed: |
May 14, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
139/25 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D03D 39/223
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
139/25 |
International
Class: |
D03D 039/22 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 12, 2000 |
DE |
100 23 445.3 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a terry weaving loom system including a first thread supply
arrangement, a plurality of ground warp threads supplied from said
first thread supply arrangement and forming a ground warp thread
sheet, a second thread supply arrangement, a plurality of pile warp
threads supplied from said second thread supply arrangement and
forming a pile warp thread sheet, a shed forming device which
receives said ground warp threads and said pile warp threads
extending therethrough and is adapted to form a respective open
shed of said ground warp threads and said pile warp threads
including a back shed on an upstream side of said shed forming
device toward said first and second thread supply arrangements and
a front shed on a downstream side of said shed forming device
opposite said upstream side, a weft insertion device adapted to
insert a weft thread into said front shed of said open shed, and a
weft beating device adapted to beat-up the weft thread while
forming terry pile loops of said pile warp threads, an improvement
comprising a first thread deflecting element arranged on a pile
warp thread path that is followed by said pile warp threads between
said second thread supply arrangement and said shed forming device,
in such a position so that said pile warp thread sheet intersects
with and crosses through said ground warp thread sheet at a thread
crossing location and is deflected on said first thread deflecting
element to said shed forming device, so that a first back shed
vertex of said back shed of said pile warp threads is located on
said first thread deflecting element.
2. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 1, wherein said position of said first thread deflecting
element is further located on a ground warp thread path that is
followed by said ground warp threads between said first thread
supply arrangement and said shed forming device so that said ground
warp thread sheet at least intermittently contacts said first
thread deflecting element and passes from said first thread
deflecting element to said shed forming device, so that a second
back shed vertex of said back shed of said ground warp threads is
located on said first thread deflecting element.
3. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 2, wherein said first back shed vertex of said back shed of
said pile warp threads and said second back shed vertex of said
back shed of said ground warp threads are respectively located on
opposite sides of said first thread deflecting element.
4. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 3, wherein said first back shed vertex is located on a bottom
side of said first thread deflecting element, and said second back
shed vertex is located on a top side of said first thread
deflecting element.
5. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 1, wherein said first thread deflecting element is located on
a side of said ground warp thread sheet opposite said second thread
supply arrangement supplying said pile warp threads.
6. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 1, wherein said thread crossing location is on said ground
warp thread sheet directly upstream from said first thread
deflecting element toward said first thread supply arrangement
supplying said ground warp threads.
7. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 1, wherein said thread crossing location is on said ground
warp thread sheet directly upstream from said back shed toward said
first thread supply arrangement supplying said ground warp
threads.
8. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 1, wherein said pile warp thread sheet intersects with and
crosses through said ground warp thread sheet at a crossing angle
in a range from 45.degree. to 135.degree. measured as the smallest
radial angle between said pile warp thread sheet and said ground
warp thread sheet about said thread crossing location.
9. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 8, wherein said crossing angle is in a range from 70.degree.
to 130.degree..
10. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 8, wherein said crossing angle is in a range from 80.degree.
to 100.degree..
11. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 1, wherein said first thread deflecting element is a
deflecting rod extending entirely along a weaving width of said
loom system.
12. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 11, wherein said deflecting rod is rotatably supported.
13. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 11, further comprising two pivotable levers to which
respective opposite ends of said deflecting rod are connected, and
biasing springs connected to said pivotable levers so as to bias
said levers to pivot in a direction away from said shed forming
device.
14. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 1, further comprising a first warp stop motion arranged with
said ground warp threads extending therethrough, and a second warp
stop motion that is separate from said first warp stop motion and
is arranged with said pile warp threads extending therethrough,
wherein said first and second warp stop motions are each
respectively freely accessible from at least one respective side of
said loom system.
15. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 14, wherein said first and second warp stop motions are
respectively separately arranged on two different planes that are
vertically spaced apart from one another.
16. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 14, wherein said pile warp thread sheet extends through said
second warp stop motion along a substantially horizontal plane.
17. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 14, further comprising a second thread deflecting element
arranged on said pile warp thread path between said second thread
supply arrangement and said second warp stop motion, and wherein
said pile warp thread sheet is deflected by at least 120.degree.
about said second thread deflecting element.
18. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 17, wherein said pile warp thread sheet is deflected by at
least 150.degree. about said second thread deflecting element.
19. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 14, wherein said first warp stop motion is arranged between
said first thread supply arrangement and said thread crossing
location.
20. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 14, further comprising an elastically yielding thread length
compensating element arranged between said second warp stop motion
and said thread crossing location, wherein said pile warp thread
sheet is deflected at least partially around said thread length
compensating element.
21. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 20, wherein said thread length compensating element comprises
a spring-elastically supported thread deflecting shaft.
22. The improvement in the terry weaving loom system according to
claim 20, wherein said thread length compensating element comprises
a thread deflecting metal sheet or plate that is elastically
flexible or is elastically supported.
Description
PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This application is based on and claims the priority under
35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 of German Patent Application 100 23 445.3,
filed on May 12, 2000, the entire disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a terry loom with a first thread
supply arrangement for supplying a ground warp thread sheet and a
second thread supply arrangement for supplying at least one pile
warp thread sheet, shed forming elements for shedding the warp
sheets, and cloth drawing-in means.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0003] Various methods and equipment are known for weaving a terry
cloth with loops of a pile thread bound in by the weft threads.
Typically, the pile loops are formed by a pile warp, while a
further ground warp cooperates with the weft threads to form the
base cloth. In this regard, the terry loom includes the components
mentioned above and further includes weft insertion means and a
reed or other weft beat-up means that cooperate with the above
mentioned shed forming elements in a conventional manner.
[0004] More particularly, to form the terry cloth, the respective
weft threads are first inserted and partially beat-up along a line
at a prescribed spacing distance from the beat-up edge or cloth
fell. Then, in a subsequent step the weft threads are fully beat-up
against the beat-up edge of the cloth in a group-wise manner by
performing a so-called full beat-up or group beat-up. While
carrying out this group beat-up with the reed, the tension of the
pile warp threads is reduced and additional lengths of the pile
warp threads are supplied, so that the relatively loose pile warp
threads are pushed along with the weft threads during the beat-up.
Thereby the pile warp threads form pile loops puckering outwardly
away from the base warp or ground warp. At the same time, the weft
threads glide along between the ground warp threads, which are held
under tension, until the weft threads reach their final beat-up
position against the beat-up edge of the cloth.
[0005] These are merely the most basic aspects of the generally
known technique of terry weaving, which is described in further
detail, for example in the book "WEBEREI Verfahren und Maschinen
fuer die Gewebeherstellung" (Weaving Methods and Machines for Woven
Cloth Production") by Dipl.-Ing. J. Schneider, published by
Springer-Verlag Berlin/Gottingen/Heidelberg, 1961, pages 17 and
277.
[0006] A typical example of a terry weaving loom is known from
German Patent 2,225,604, which also illustrates and describes the
basic construction of such a terry weaving loom. The ground warp
threads are fed or let out from a ground warp thread beam and are
deflected over a spring-loaded tensioning beam into the horizontal
weaving plane, in which they are combined and united with the pile
warp thread sheet which is fed or let out from a pile warp thread
beam located above the weaving plane. Thus, the pile warp thread
sheet and the ground warp thread sheet are united to form a common
warp thread sheet including the interspersed ground warp threads
and pile warp threads. The pile warp threads are guided over their
own separate spring-loaded tensioning beam which is arranged above
the ground warp thread sheet and extends across the weaving width
so as to direct and introduce the pile warp threads from above,
essentially tangentially into the ground warp thread sheet.
[0007] Further according to DE 2,225,604, the ground warp threads
and the pile warp threads run through warp thread stop motions
arranged in the weaving plane. Then, behind or downstream of these
stop motions, the ground warp threads and pile warp threads in
common run through shed forming elements in the form of healds or
heddles, and from there extend through the weaving reed to the
woven web edge which forms the so-called beat-up edge. The loom
shed that is formed by the heddles according to the selected
weaving pattern has the shed vertex of the front shed defined along
the beat-up edge, and ends with the shed vertex of the back shed in
the area of contact rods of the warp thread stop motion that serves
in common for monitoring the ground warp threads and the pile warp
threads.
[0008] The weft threads are respectively inserted into the open
shed by the weft insertion means. Then, the weaving reed, for
example cooperating with or carried by a sley that is not shown in
detail, carries out a back-and-forth weft thread beat-up motion
having a constant amplitude. Thereby, the successive weft threads
inserted into the loom shed are first partially beat up into a
partial beat-up position at a spacing distance away from the
beat-up edge of the woven cloth, and then respective successive
groups of the partially beat-up weft threads are group-wise
completely beat-up against the beat-up edge of the woven cloth. To
achieve this, the breast beam is controlled by a so-called terry
eccentric so that the breast beam moves toward the reed, whereby
the woven cloth also moves toward the reed, so that the constant
amplitude beating of the reed can carry out the complete or group
beat-up of the weft threads against the beat-up edge of the woven
cloth. During this motion of the breast beam, the warp thread sheet
is held under tension by the spring-loaded tensioning beam. Since
the entire woven cloth and warp thread sheet are moved cyclically
in this known method, one speaks of a "woven web motion control"
for the loop formation of the pile threads.
[0009] In the above described known method and equipment, problems
can arise while guiding together and combining the pile warp thread
sheet with the ground warp thread sheet, particularly because
neighboring pile warp threads can become hung-up or caught on one
another while being let off from the pile warp beam, or the
neighboring pile warp threads may even become partially looped
around one another and thus tangled. These problems are especially
more likely to occur because the pile warp thread tension must be
reduced during the group beat-up in order to form the pile loops in
the pile warp threads. There are certain types of thread or yarn
that have a particularly strong tendency toward such tangling, due
to their characteristics, their thread structure, or the fiber
material contained therein. If such pile warp threads that are
hung-up or tangled with one another are fed into a warp thread stop
motion in common with the ground warp threads, or especially all
the way to the back shed and to the heddles, there is a danger that
warp thread breaks or at least weave defects will arise.
[0010] The removal or correction of warp thread breaks in the area
of the back shed in such looms is particularly difficult because
the warp thread stop motions and the warp thread area between the
stop motions and the tensioning roller for the pile warp threads is
very difficult to access from the warp beam side. This is the cases
because these areas are substantially covered by the pile warp
thread sheet in the manner of a curtain that extends practically
entirely down to the weaving plane. Thus, in order to remove or
correct a weft thread break, the operating personnel must reach
through and between the pile warp threads and then search for the
broken warp thread ends that are to be connected to each other,
using a wire hook or some other suitable tool.
[0011] Since the warp thread stop motions are arranged in an area
of the back shed in which the pile warp thread sheet runs into the
ground warp thread sheet at a rather small acute angle relative to
the weaving plane, this leads to the additional problem that a
relatively strong back and forth motion of the pile warp threads
arises in the area of the warp thread stop motion during the shed
forming and pile loop forming operations. Such strong motion of the
pile warp threads is undesirable, for example due to rubbing wear
of the threads and resultant formation of fly lint, especially when
weaving with rather sensitive pile warp threads. Moreover, due to
this arrangement of the warp thread stop motion directly in front
of the area of the back shed, the warp thread movements also have a
strong influence on the pile warp thread stop motion feelers during
the group beat-up, with the result that forces arise in the pile
warp threads, which act contrary to the pile loop forming process.
In other words, the arising tension forces tend to hinder the
proper formation of the pile loops in the pile warp threads during
the group beat-up.
[0012] As described above, in the known terry loom according to
German Patent 2,225,604, only the breast beam is moved for
achieving the required woven cloth motion control during the group
beat-up, while the warp thread tension of the ground warp thread
sheet is maintained by the corresponding allocated spring-loaded
tensioning beam. On the other hand, European Patent Publication EP
0,768,407 A1 discloses a terry loom in which the required woven
cloth motion control is achieved by the backrest beam or roller of
the ground warp thread sheet being positively coupled through a
linkage with the cloth drawing-in roller, so that these two
components together carry out the relative motion with respect to
the beat-up location of the reed, as required for the formation of
the pile loops. By appropriately adjusting and controlling this
coupling between the backrest beam and the cloth drawing-in roller,
the pile height can be varied according to a selected pattern, as
is known from the European Patent Publication EP 0,979,891 A1. Also
in these known terry looms, the pile warp thread sheet runs over a
spring-loaded compensating roller arranged above the weaving plane
and the ground warp thread sheet, and from there runs at a small
acute angle from above into the ground warp thread sheet. Thereby,
the pile warp threads first interpenetrate between the ground warp
threads in the area of the back shed. The warp thread stop motions
can therefore only be arranged in the same manner as described
above.
[0013] In order to provide the additional pile warp thread length
that is needed for the proper loop formation during the group
beat-up, German Patent Publication DE 196 26 417 A1 discloses a
terry loom having a deflecting rod for the pile warp threads,
whereby this deflecting rod is coupled with a pile warp thread
tensioning device in the form of a tensioning roller. Particularly,
the deflecting rod is arranged before or upstream of this pile warp
thread tensioning device in the thread running direction, in such a
manner so as to form a deflection location for the pile warp
threads that essentially faces toward the rotation axis or pivot
axis of the tensioning device. Thereby, the tension arising in the
pile warp threads during the loop formation is compensated.
However, also in this known terry loom, the pile warp threads run
from above at a small acute angle relative to the weaving plane,
coming directly from the pile warp thread tensioning device and
from there being guided almost parallel to the weaving plane, so
that the pile warp threads only run into the ground warp threads in
the back shed. The arrangement of the warp stop motions is not
shown in further detail in the reference.
[0014] In a different terry loom known from the European Patent
Publication EP 0,257,857, the pile warp thread beam is arranged at
the bottom, while the ground warp thread beam is supported at a
spacing distance above the weaving plane. With this reversed
arrangement of the warp beams, however, nothing else is changed
with regard to the basic aspects and relationships described above
in connection with other known terry looms. Namely, the pile warp
threads finally run into, i.e. become interspersed with, the ground
warp threads only in the area of the back shed, whereby the warp
stop motions for both warp thread systems are arranged in or on the
back shed, and both the pile warp threads and the ground warp sheds
run in common through the warp stop motions.
[0015] While the above described known looms use the so-called
woven cloth motion control (i.e. controlled movement of the woven
cloth) for carrying out the loop formation and the complete group
beat-up, there are also other terry weaving looms in which the loop
or pile formation is carried out with a so-called sley control, for
example as described in the European Patent Publication 0,298,454
B1 and in the above mentioned technical reference book "WEBEREI" at
page 277. In any event, even in such other terry weaving looms, the
above described relationships and guidance of the ground warp
threads and the pile warp threads are essentially carried out in
the same manner as described above.
[0016] In general it can be said that terry weaving is more
difficult and more complex in comparison to flat weaving. Thus, in
the known terry weaving looms, it is always exclusively the most
important function to ensure that the loop formation, the warp
tension regulation for the ground warp threads and the pile warp
threads, as well as the warp thread monitoring by stop motions can
be carried out without defects or problems for the practical
production of woven terry cloths. On the other hand, generally
little attention is paid to the accessibility, maintainability and
ease of operation with respect to the warp stop motions and the
like, in these often quite complicated machines. In view of the
ever increasing capacity of commercial weaving looms, there is a
constant trend toward using ever more warp beams with greater
volume capacities, whereby the accessibility of the warp stop
motions for operating or maintaining the same is further degraded
or hindered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] In view of the above it is an object of the invention to
provide a terry weaving loom which can achieve a high output
capacity and operational reliability, while simultaneously
achieving an improved ease of operation and maintenance. The
invention further aims to avoid or overcome the disadvantages of
the prior art, and to achieve additional advantages, as apparent
from the present specification.
[0018] The above objects have been achieved according to the
invention in a loom arrangement in which the ground warp thread
sheet and the pile warp thread sheet are respectively individually
guided through separate warp thread stop motions, which are
arranged to be freely accessible from at least one side of the
machine, i.e. from the warp beam side or from the woven cloth side.
Preferably, the warp stop motion for the ground warp thread sheet
and the warp stop motion for the pile warp thread sheet are
arranged on two different planes that are spaced vertically and
horizontally from one another, whereby generally the accessibility
is further improved. Particularly, at least the pile warp thread
sheet is guided in a preferably horizontal plane in the area of the
pile warp thread stop motion. Especially due to the arrangement of
the pile and ground warp thread stop motions in two different
planes, the removal or correction of warp thread breaks becomes
especially user-friendly.
[0019] Furthermore, the pile warp threads are guided to penetrate
through the ground warp thread sheet so as to form a thread cross
of the pile warp threads and the ground warp threads. Due to such a
thread cross arrangement, any warp thread break in the area of the
back shed can be easily observed and recognized and then simply
removed or corrected by the operating personnel. In a particularly
advantageous embodiment of the invention, the pile warp thread
sheet is guided through the ground warp thread sheet so as to
interpenetrate and intersect the ground warp thread sheet in a
cross configuration, particularly at a steep angle, for example
between 45 and 135.degree., or particularly between 75 and
135.degree., or more particularly 70 to 130.degree., or even 80 to
100.degree., as measured between the pile warp thread sheet and the
ground warp thread sheet on the upstream or supply side thereof
relative to the thread intersection or crossing point. This
intersection or crossing point is located in an area between the
back shed of the pile warp threads formed by the shed forming
elements such as heddles, and the warp thread supply arrangement
supplying the ground warp thread sheet.
[0020] Since the pile warp thread sheet is guided through, i.e.
intersecting, the ground warp thread sheet outside of and upstream
from the back shed, there is formed a thread cross of the pile warp
threads and the ground warp threads, which ensures a reliable
separation of the individual pile warp threads or pile warp thread
groups from each other, because they are respectively interspersed
between successive ground warp threads. Depending on the binding
pattern, either properly separated individual pile warp threads, or
groups of pile warp threads (generally at most two threads)
corresponding to the pattern repeat, are guided respectively to the
individual heddles, whereby the threads in such groups can be
arranged lying side-by-side next to one another or one over
another. Due to the thread cross formed in this manner, any arising
warp thread break in the area of the back shed may be easily
observed and recognized, and then removed or corrected without
difficulties from the warp beam side or from the woven cloth
drawing-off side.
[0021] The inventive terry weaving loom advantageously includes
deflecting means, i.e. a deflecting element such as a deflecting
rod, for deflecting the pile warp threads. The deflecting element
or deflecting means may comprise at least one deflecting rod over
which the pile warp thread sheet is deflected and guided. The
deflecting rod can be embodied as a jointed rod which is
respectively braced and supported at several locations across the
weaving width. In order to keep the frictional forces low, the
deflection rod can be rotatably supported, and it can also be
advantageous to support the deflection rod in a spring-loaded
yieldable or movable manner, and also mechanically adjustably.
[0022] The deflecting element is preferably arranged on the side of
the ground warp thread sheet opposite the warp thread supply
arrangement which supplies the pile warp thread sheet. With this
arrangement, the pile warp thread sheet is caused to penetrate
through the ground warp thread sheet in a cross formation as
described above. Depending on the spatial characteristics and the
particular construction of the loom at hand, the inventive
arrangement can be carried out in such a manner that the pile warp
thread sheet and the ground warp thread sheet form an acute angle
or an obtuse angle with respect to each other at the thread
crossing location, as seen in the thread running direction.
Particularly, the two warp threads sheets can cross each other at
an angle of approximately 90.degree., e.g. in the range from
80.degree. to 100.degree..
[0023] The deflection point provided by the deflecting rod is thus
directly adjacent to the thread cross mentioned above. This
deflection location of the pile warp threads serves to avoid a
strong back-and-forth movement of the pile warp threads in the area
of the pile warp thread stop motion. Additionally, the pile warp
thread sheet is preferably guided over an arrangement for forming a
pile warp thread reserve in an area lying before or upstream of the
thread crossing location at which the pile warp thread sheet
intersects and penetrates through the ground warp thread sheet, as
seen in the thread running direction. This arrangement for forming
a pile warp thread reserve serves to compensate the length of the
pile warp threads during the pile loop formation and/or during the
shed changing. This arrangement for forming a pile warp thread
reserve can comprise at least one spring-loaded yieldingly
supported thread length compensating element, which the pile warp
threads at least partially loop around or over. For example, this
element may be a spring-elastically supported deflecting rod or a
spring-yielding or yieldingly supported thread deflecting metal
sheet or plate.
[0024] The above described guidance of the warp threads makes it
possible to store the required or the arising pile warp thread
length for the thread formation during terry weaving with woven
cloth motion control or with sley motion control (as respectively
described above) in such a manner so that the pile warp thread
tension is reduced before the group beat-up, and the spring-loaded
deflecting rod or the spring sheet metal deflecting plate or sheet
at least partially takes up the pile warp thread length. Thereby it
is achieved that the group beat-up does not have such a strong
effect on the pile warp stop motion feelers as was the case in the
prior art, so that thread tension forces that would be contrary to
the pile loop forming process are minimized.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] In order that the invention may be clearly understood, it
will now be described in connection with example embodiments, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a terry weaving loom
according to the invention, essentially as seen on a section plane
along the weaving direction;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment
of a jacquard terry weaving loom according to the invention,
generally corresponding to the view of FIG. 1;
[0028] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a further modified
embodiment of the jacquard terry weaving loom according to FIG. 2,
whereby the view corresponds to that of FIG. 1;
[0029] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the terry weaving loom
according to FIG. 1, but in a further modified embodiment;
[0030] FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic detail portion of the terry
weaving loom according to FIG. 4, emphasizing the warp thread
crossing location;
[0031] FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed schematic side view of the
terry weaving eccentric mechanism of the terry weaving loom
according to FIG. 4;
[0032] FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of a terry weaving loom
generally similar to that of FIG. 1, but alternatively with a sley
motion control rather than a woven cloth motion control;
[0033] FIG. 8 is an enlarged detail view of a portion VIII of the
sley motion control mechanism of the terry weaving loom according
to FIG. 7; and
[0034] FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating the motion of the
woven cloth and the letting-out of the pile warp threads in
connection with the woven cloth control of the terry weaving loom
according to FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS AND OF THE
BEST MODE OF THE INVENTION
[0035] FIGS. 1 to 8 merely schematically show the most important
essential components of various different embodiments of a terry
weaving loom according to the invention. Each of these different
embodiments of a terry weaving loom comprises a first thread supply
arrangement for supplying a base or ground warp thread sheet 1, and
a second thread supply arrangement for supplying a pile warp thread
sheet 15, which is located above the first thread supply
arrangement in the illustrated embodiments but could alternatively
be the opposite.
[0036] The first thread supply arrangement includes a ground warp
thread beam 2 from which the ground warp thread sheet 1 is guided
over a tensioning roller 5, and a backrest beam 6 which deflects
the ground warp thread sheet 1 into the essentially horizontal
working or weaving plane above the ground warp thread beam 2. The
tensioning roller 5 is tiltably or pivotally supported about the
fixed axis 3, and is coupled to spring means 4 that exert a spring
bias on the pivoting or tilting of the tensioning roller 5. The
back rest beam 6 may, for example, be a backrest roller or whip
roll.
[0037] Shed forming elements, e.g. in the form of a heald shaft 8
with healds or heddles 9, are arranged between the backrest beam 6
and a breast beam 7. These shed forming elements are moved up and
down by means of any conventionally known mechanism (which has been
omitted from the drawings for the sake of simplicity and clarity)
for carrying out the shed formation to form an open shed 10 in any
known manner. Weft thread insertion means (which are not shown) are
further allocated to the shafts 8, and may comprise pneumatic
nozzles to which pressurized air is supplied, mechanical grippers,
shuttles, or any other conventionally known weft insertion
arrangement, depending on the type of construction of the
respective terry weaving loom. In any event, the weft threads are
inserted into the open loom shed 10, and are then beat-up
respectively in a group-wise manner against the beat-up edge 12 of
the woven cloth 13 using a weft beat-up means in the form of a
weaving reed 11, which carries out the beat-up in any
conventionally known manner in the art of terry weaving.
[0038] The woven cloth 13 is guided over the breast beam 7 and then
over a drawing-in roller 14 embodied as a needle roller or spiked
roller, from which the woven cloth 13 is transported further to a
cloth beam (not shown) on which the woven cloth is ultimately
rolled or wound up. The reed 11 is rigidly mounted on a sley 57
(see e.g. FIG. 8) and together with the sley carries out a
back-and-forth motion between a back or rear position relative to
the thread running direction, and forward beat-up position. In the
embodiments of the terry weaving looms shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the
stroke of this back-and-forth motion of the reed 11 is constant. In
other words, the loom embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 use a
so-called woven cloth motion control, whereby the woven cloth is
moved back-and-forth to cooperate in carrying out the complete
group-wise beat-up of the weft threads against the beat-up edge of
the woven cloth 13 while forming the terry pile loops of the pile
warp threads.
[0039] The second warp thread supply arrangement for supplying the
pile warp thread sheet 15 is arranged at a spacing distance above
the ground warp thread beam 2 and the working or weaving plane. The
second warp thread supply arrangement includes a pile warp thread
beam 16 from which the pile warp thread sheet 15 is fed or let-off
in a controlled manner. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the
pile warp thread sheet 15 coming off from the pile warp thread beam
16 is first deflected over a rotatably supported deflecting roller
17 into an essentially horizontal plane in which the pile warp
threads extend through a warp thread tension sensor 47 and then
through the vertically arranged warp thread stop motion feelers 19
of a pile warp stop motion 18. Such a pile warp stop motion 18 can
have any generally known construction and operation, for example as
described in the above mentioned book "WEBEREI Verfahren und
Maschinen fuer die Gewebeherstellung" published by Springer-Verlag,
1961, at page 421 et seq. On both sides of the stop motion feelers
19, the pile warp thread sheet 15 is supported on rods 20 and 21
that extend continuously along the weaving width, whereby the rod
21 arranged generally adjacent to the heald shafts 8 deflects the
pile warp thread sheet 15 guided thereover by about 90.degree. into
an essentially vertical plane extending downward. Nonetheless, a
deflection of more or less than 90.degree. is also possible.
[0040] As mentioned above, the ground warp thread sheet 1 runs
along the essentially horizontal working or weaving plane. Below
this plane, a deflecting element in the form of a deflecting rod 22
is arranged in a rotatably supported manner. This rod 22 extends
across the weaving width while being supported and braced at plural
locations therealong. The pile warp thread sheet 15, which comes
(either directly or indirectly as will be further discussed below)
from the above mentioned rod 21 adjacent to the stop motion 18, is
deflected around the deflecting rod 22 into the essentially
horizontal working or weaving plane and particularly into the back
shed 23 of the loom shed 10.
[0041] The deflecting rod 22 is positioned in such a manner so that
it supports the ground warp thread sheet 1 from below (i.e. on the
top surface of the rod 22), while deflecting the pile warp thread
sheet 15 from above (i.e. around the back and bottom surfaces of
the rod 22). In other words, the ground warp thread sheet 1 and the
pile warp thread sheet 15 respectively contact opposite sides of
the deflecting rod 22 as these respective warp thread sheets are
then deflected toward the shedding elements to form the respective
back sheds 23. Thereby, the back shed vertex of the back shed 23 of
the ground warp threads as well as the back shed vertex of the back
shed 23 of the pile warp threads respectively lie on the deflecting
rod 22, and particularly on opposite sides of the deflecting rod
22. Thus, the vertex of the back shed of the ground warp threads is
not coincident with the vertex of the back shed of the pile warp
threads, but rather the deflection rod 22 separates the respective
back shed vertices from each other.
[0042] It is also evident that the pile warp thread sheet 15 is
caused to intersect and interpenetrate through the ground warp
thread sheet 1 at a thread crossing location directly upstream from
the back shed vertex of the back shed of the ground warp threads,
due to the pile warp threads extending around the back side of the
deflecting rod 22 before being deflected around the bottom of the
rod 22 into the back shed 23.
[0043] As mentioned above, the deflecting rod 22 is rotatably
supported in the preferred embodiment, but alternatively, it could
be non-rotatably mounted, and/or replaced by plural separate
deflecting rods and/or rollers around which respective subsets of
the pile warp thread sheet 15 are looped and deflected. Preferably,
the deflecting rod 22 is supported by levers 24 to be tiltable or
pivotable about a horizontal axis 25A of a shaft 25, against the
biasing force applied by spring means (not shown) which exert a
biasing force tending to hold the pile warp thread sheet 15 under
tension. In other words, the spring means urge the deflecting rod
22 to pivot away from the shedding means. In this manner, the
spring-loaded deflecting rod 22 achieves a pile warp thread length
compensation to compensate for variations of the pile warp thread
lengths being utilized during the weaving process and particularly
in the shed changes and in the pile loop formation steps.
[0044] Alternatively or additionally, a spring-loaded compensating
roller 26 can be arranged in the thread path between the rod 21
associated with the downstream side of the pile warp thread stop
motion 18, and the deflecting rod 22. Such a spring-loaded
compensating roller 26 is shown in FIG. 1, in a position in which
the pile warp threads partially loop around it, so as to take up
the varying pile warp thread lengths for the sake of a warp thread
length compensation, during the shed changes and pile loop
formation in the weaving process. The compensating roller or shaft
26 may alternatively be replaced by a rigidly located rotatably
supported shaft or a deflecting rod.
[0045] As a further alternative or additional feature, a thread
deflecting metal sheet or plate 28 extending continuously across
the weaving width can be arranged in the thread running path of the
pile warp thread sheet 15 at a location downstream from the rod 21
in the thread running direction. Such an arrangement is shown in
FIG. 5. This deflecting sheet or plate 28 is preferably made of an
elastically deflectable spring-character metal sheet that is bent
or curved to smoothly deflect the pile warp threads. Thereby, the
sheet or plate 28 acts as a deflectable spring element, to function
just like a spring-loaded compensating shaft or roller 26 according
to FIG. 1. Namely, this element helps to compensate or take-up the
pile warp length variations while isolating the effects of such
variations from the warp stop motion feelers 19, thereby "calming"
the warp thread stop motion feelers 19.
[0046] It should further be noted that the deflecting rod 22
arranged below the ground warp thread sheet 1 can be adjustably
supported by means of its bearing levers 24 about the axis 25 or
particularly the axis 25A of the shaft 25, in such a manner that
the deflection point of the pile warp thread sheet 15 and thereby
also its crossing point with respect to the ground warp thread
sheet 1 is adjustable in a direction extending toward the heald
shafts 8, either toward or away from the heald shafts 8.
[0047] The pile warp thread sheet 15 is guided and deflected by the
compensating shaft or roller 26 and the deflecting rod 22 in such a
manner that it intersects the ground warp thread sheet 1 at the
crossing location at an obtuse angle 29 of about 130.degree., as
seen in the thread running direction, in the illustrated example
embodiment of FIG. 1. By adjusting the compensating shaft 26 and/or
the deflecting rod 22, the magnitude of this angle 29 can be
adjusted as needed for any particular application, and thereby can
be adjusted to meet the particular requirements or purposes at
hand.
[0048] The ground warp thread sheet 1 is guided through a warp
thread stop motion 30 which monitors the ground warp threads for
the occurrence of a warp thread break, at a location between the
backrest beam 6 and the deflection rod 22, i.e. the shed vertex of
the back shed 23, as seen in the thread running path direction.
Particularly, the warp thread stop motion feelers 33 or lamellae 33
ride along on the ground warp threads, which are guided along an
essentially horizontal path over two support rods 31 and 32. The
warp thread stop motion 30 is basically of the same construction
and operation as the warp thread stop motion 18 for the pile warp
thread sheet 15.
[0049] Since the warp thread stop motion 30 for the ground warp
thread sheet 1 is arranged to the left of the pile warp thread
sheet 15 in the arrangement of FIG. 1, it is clearly evident that
this stop motion 30 is easily accessible for maintenance or the
like from the warp beam side, because it is exposed at this machine
side and particularly is not covered by the pile warp thread sheet
15.
[0050] The warp thread stop motion 18 for the pile warp thread
sheet 15 is arranged on a substantially horizontal plane 34
illustrated with a dash-dotted line in FIG. 1, whereby this plane
34 is a separate plane from the plane on which the warp thread stop
motion 30 for the ground warp threads is arranged. Moreover, this
plane 34 of the stop motion 30 is arranged at a spacing distance
above the working or weaving plane and therewith at a spacing
distance away from the ground warp thread sheet 1 running through
the other warp thread stop motion 30. This warp thread stop motion
18 for the pile warp thread sheet 15 is thus freely accessible from
the woven cloth take-off or drawing-off side of the machine (i.e.
to the right in FIG. 1), so that it is also simple to remove or
correct pile warp thread breaks in an unhindered manner from this
side.
[0051] Generally summarizing the above, the key described concepts
of the inventive arrangement are as follows. The respective warp
stop motions 18 and 30, for the pile warp thread sheet 15 on the
one hand and for the ground warp thread sheet 1 on the other hand,
are arranged on separate planes in the loom. The pile warp thread
sheet 15 is guided in such a manner so that it intersects and
penetrates through the ground warp thread sheet 1 in a thread
crossing structure with a rather large angle, for example in a
range around 90.degree.. This crossing location of the two warp
thread sheets is upstream of the vertex of the back shed, i.e.
toward the respective warp thread supplies. Also, the deflecting
rod achieves a positive separation of the two warp thread sheets
from each other, and locates the two vertices of the back shed of
the ground warp and the back shed of the pile warp respectively
separate from each other on opposite sides of the deflecting rod.
These features together achieve an especially user-friendly,
ergonomically advantageous, compact and simple construction of the
entire terry weaving loom.
[0052] The additional components of the terry weaving loom that are
merely schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 and the subsequent
figures need only to be briefly discussed in order to facilitate an
overall understanding of the entire machine and its operation.
[0053] The backrest beam 6 is rotatably supported at both ends
thereof on respective rockers 36 pivotably supported on a
horizontal axis. The rockers 36 are coupled via a coupling rod
linkage 37 with the woven cloth drawing-in roller 14 and with a
double-armed adjusting lever 38 for the woven cloth control. The
spring-loaded adjusting lever 38, which is embodied in the form of
an angle lever or bellcrank lever, is cyclically tilted or pivoted
back-and-forth about a fixedly located axis 40 in a direction
corresponding to the arrow 41 shown in FIG. 1, by means of a terry
eccentric 39 shown in FIG. 6. Thereby, the woven web beat-up edge
12 is brought closer to the reed 11 for carrying out the group-wise
beat-up of the weft threads. On the other hand, subsequently for
carrying out the partial beat-up of the weft threads, once again
the woven cloth beat-up edge 12 is moved a prescribed spacing
distance away from the reed 11. This woven cloth motion control by
itself is known as such, and is described, for example with a pile
height adjustment capability, in the patent publications EP
0,979,891 A1 and 0,768,407 A1.
[0054] The warp beam 2 of the ground warp thread sheet 1, the warp
beam 16 of the pile warp thread sheet 15, and the woven cloth
drawing-in roller 14 are respectively individually driven by
individual allocated drive motors 42, 43 and 44, which respectively
control the warp feed or letting-off of the ground warp threads and
the pile warp threads, and the drawing-off of the woven cloth 13.
In this regard, to control the respective motors, a machine
controller unit 45 incorporating a computer central processing unit
(CPU) is provided. This machine controller unit 45 receives and
processes electrical signals coming from respective warp thread
tension sensors 46 or 47, which respectively monitor the tension in
a respective representative number of ground warp threads or pile
warp threads. The machine controller further receives and processes
information or data regarding the used warp thread lengths, as
provided by a sensor 48 coupled with the deflecting roller 17. The
machine controller unit 45 additionally receives and processes
information or data provided by an incremental encoder wheel 49
that is driven by the loom main shaft, whereby this data contains
information about the progression of the various motion sequences
derived from the loom main shaft for carrying out the shed
formation and the motion of the reed 11. Stated briefly, in this
terry weaving loom, the ground warp thread sheet 1 is guided with
positive control via a backrest/breast beam system with warp thread
length compensation by means of springs 4. The warp thread tension
sensors 46 and 47 are respectively arranged before the warp thread
stop motions 30 and 18 respectively seen in the thread running
direction, in other words at an area with a relatively calm
undisturbed running of the warp threads.
[0055] The basic function of the woven cloth motion control during
terry weaving with the terry weaving loom is illustrated in FIGS.
9A and 9B. The upper illustration of FIG. 9A shows the eccentric
stroke of the terry eccentric 39 (see FIG. 6) dependent on its
rotational angle, while the lower illustration of FIG. 9B shows the
pile warp thread feed or letting-of as controlled by the drive
motor 43. Beginning from the rear or back position of the beat-up
edge in which the preceding group weft thread beat-up has taken
place, the beat-up edge 12 is moved or transferred to the forward
or front position, in which the beat-up edge 12 is located a
further distance away from the reed 11. During this shifting of the
beat-up edge 12, the required pile warp thread length is let-off so
that the pile warp thread tension is maintained approximately
constant.
[0056] Thereafter, respective first and second weft threads are
inserted into the shed 10 formed respectively of ground and pile
warp threads, and then these weft threads are partially beat-up by
the reed 11 into a partial beat-up position at a spacing distance
away from the beat-up edge 12. Next, the terry eccentric 39 once
again moves the beat-up edge 12 into the rear or back position.
During this process, third weft thread is inserted, in the case of
producing a so-called three shot or three weft terry cloth. Due to
the shifting of the beat-up edge into the rear or back position,
the pile warp tension is reduced. The compensating roller or shaft
26 meanwhile maintains the pile warp tension while taking up the
thereby resulting additional length or reserve of the pile warp
treads. After the thread change, the three inserted weft threads
are beat-up in common as a group against the beat-up edge 12 by
means of the reed 11 carrying out a group beat-up. During this
group beat-up, the lengthening or reserve of the pile warp threads
that has been taken up by the compensating roller or shaft is used
up, particularly by forming the terry pile loops. This process is
carried out in a similar manner when producing a four, five or six
weft terry cloth.
[0057] A jacquard terry weaving loom is illustrated in FIG. 2,
whereby the basic construction of this loom corresponds to that of
the terry weaving loom described above in connection with FIG. 1.
The same or corresponding components are therefore identified with
the same reference numbers, and will not be described redundantly
here. Instead, only the differences will now be described.
[0058] This jacquard terry weaving loom of FIG. 2 comprises a
harness 50 including cords that extend to and support the heddles
9. In this arrangement, the harness cords cover the warp stop
motion 18 for the pile warp thread sheet 15 and the stop motion 30
for the ground warp thread sheet 1 from the woven cloth drawing-in
side. Thus, the warp stop motion 18 for the pile warp thread sheet
15 is shifted more toward the warp beam side in comparison to the
structural relationships in the terry weaving loom according to
FIG. 1, so that it is comfortably accessible from the warp beam
side by the operating personnel. To achieve this, the deflecting
roller 17 is displaced closer to the woven cloth drawing-in roller
14 and serves to turn or wrap the pile warp thread sheet 15 by
almost 360.degree., or particularly by a direction reversal of
about 340.degree. in the illustrated embodiment. This could also be
understood as a deflection of nearly 180.degree., e.g. 160.degree.
in the illustrated embodiment, or generally at least 120.degree.,
or especially at least 150.degree.. In the area of the pile warp
thread stop motion 18, the pile warp thread sheet 15 is once again
guided in an essentially horizontal plane 34. Then the pile warp
thread sheet 15 is deflected downwardly by about 90.degree. about
the deflecting rod 21, and penetrates through the ground warp
thread sheet 1 lying in the working or weaving plane at an acute
angle 29', with a magnitude that may be about 90.degree..
[0059] Alternatively, it is basically also possible for the pile
warp thread guidance in such a jacquard terry weaving loom to be
configured similar to that of the terry weaving loom according to
FIG. 1, if the structural characteristics of the respective
machine, i.e. the respective loom, make such a configuration
advantageous or useful. Such a variant of a jacquard terry weaving
loom is shown in FIG. 3. In this case, the pile warp threads cross
the ground warp threads at the crossing location adjacent to and
just upstream of the deflecting rod 22, for example at the obtuse
angle 29, corresponding to the situation illustrated and discussed
above in connection with FIG. 1. It is basically further possible
to shift the warp stop motion 18 of the warp thread sheet 15
further toward the warp beam side (i.e. to the left in FIG. 3), if
this would be advantageous or suitable in any particular
application. In any event, however, the pile warp threads and the
warp stop motion feelers 19 will remain easily accessible from the
warp beam side of the loom, while the warp stop motion 30 of the
ground warp thread sheet 1 is comfortably serviceable and
accessible in any case from the warp beam side.
[0060] The further embodiment of a terry weaving loom according to
FIG. 4 is constructed largely the same as the one according to FIG.
1. The primary difference is that the loom according to FIG. 4 does
not have a backrest beam 6 pivotably supported on rockers 36 like
the loom of FIG. 1. Instead, the loom of FIG. 4 has a backrest beam
6' that is rotatably supported and that has an elongated cam 51
that protrudes radially outwardly from the backrest beam 6' at one
location on the circumference thereof, and that extends along the
beam 6' lengthwise parallel to the axis of the beam 6' across the
entire weaving width. Depending on the rotational position of the
backrest beam 6', the ground warp thread sheet 1 will either rest
on the cylindrical outer contour of the backrest beam 6' or will be
deflected further and supported by the protruding elongated cam
51.
[0061] For carrying out the group beat-up of the weft threads in
connection with a woven cloth motion control as described above,
the beat-up edge 12 of the cloth 13 is moved in a direction
contrary to the thread running direction, i.e. toward the left in
FIG. 4. Simultaneously, the backrest beam 6' is rotated in a
counterclockwise direction, starting from the initial position
shown in FIG. 4, in common together with the woven cloth drawing-in
roller 14 by the terry eccentric 39 (see FIG. 6). Thereby the
ground warp thread sheet 1 is moved in common together with the
woven cloth 13, toward the left with reference to FIG. 4. After
completion of the group beat-up of the weft threads, the backrest
beam 6' is again turned back to its initial position shown in FIG.
4, whereby the woven cloth 13 and the ground warp thread sheet 1
once again take up the respective positions necessary for carrying
out the partial beat-up of the weft threads.
[0062] An advantage of the construction of FIG. 4 is that it is
somewhat simpler than the construction according to FIG. 1, because
the rockers 36 for supporting the backrest beam 6 according to FIG.
1 have now been replaced simply by a single crank lever 36', which
appropriately rotates the backrest beam 6' under the control of and
coupled to the terry eccentric 39 (see FIG. 6). Since the
deflecting rod 22, which guides the pile warp thread sheet 15
tangentially into the back shed 23, is arranged below the ground
warp thread sheet 1, the short or intermittent lifting of the
ground warp thread sheet 1 occurring during the above described
pivoting rotation of the backrest beam 6' between the two angular
positions mentioned above is not hindered by the feeding and
crossing of the pile warp thread sheet 15 through the ground warp
thread sheet 1 and into the back shed 23. Namely, while the ground
warp threads are being temporarily lifted by the elongated cam 51
of the beam 6', they simply slide for a short time upwardly along
the interpenetrating pile warp threads that are supplied steeply
from above to the deflecting rod 22, and then again glide
downwardly along the pile warp threads until they once again come
to rest on the deflecting rod 22.
[0063] FIG. 7 shows the application of the invention to a terry
weaving loom with a so-called sley motion control, whereby the
overall loom corresponds basically to the terry weaving loom
according to FIG. 1, and particularly the guidance of the pile warp
thread sheet 15 and the ground warp thread sheet 1 is embodied in
the same manner. The warp stop motions 18 and 30 for the pile warp
thread sheet 15 and the ground warp thread sheet 1, respectively,
are also arranged as shown in FIG. 1. The mechanisms and operations
for carrying out the sley motion control have been described
above.
[0064] FIG. 8 shows an enlarged detail portion VIII of the loom of
FIG. 7, and particularly the sley 57, which is pivotably or
tiltably arranged about a horizontal axis 52. The sley 57 is
pivotally or rockingly driven back-and-forth with a constant stroke
about the pivot axis 52 by an eccentric drive 53 that is coupled to
and driven by the main shaft of the loom. The reed 11 is tiltably
or pivotally supported on the sley 57 about an axis 54 extending
parallel to the pivoting axis 52. A further eccentric drive 55
allocated to and connected to the sley 57 pivotally drives the reed
11 about the axis 54 in a controlled manner relative to the sley
57, as shown by the double arrow 56. The eccentric drive 53
controls the back-and-forth motion of the sley 57 for carrying out
the partial beat-up of the weft threads at a spacing distance away
from the beat-up edge 12. During the partial beat-up, the reed 11
remains rigidly connected to the sley 57, i.e. the reed 11 does not
move relatively to the sley 57, but instead only moves with the
sley 57. Then, for carrying out the complete group beat-up, the
eccentric drive 55 tilts the reed 11 to the required degree in the
beat-up direction relative to the sley 57 so that the inserted
group of weft threads will be beat-up completely against the
beat-up edge 12 of the woven cloth 13. The motions of the eccentric
drives 53 and 55 are derived from the main shaft of the loom, with
separate control, for example by the machine controller 45.
[0065] Throughout the drawings it should be understood that the
respective sensor signals are conveyed from the sensors to the
machine controller 45, and control signals are conveyed from the
controller 45 to the various motors and other drives, respectively
by any appropriate signal conductors, for example electrical
conductors or fiber optic cables. These signal conductors are
merely schematically shown by dashed lines in the drawings, and no
detailed discussion thereof is required, because these lines can be
embodied in any manner that is conventionally known.
[0066] When a plane herein is referred to as being "substantially
horizontal" or "substantially vertical", it should be understood as
including plane orientations that are within +/-10.degree. from
horizontal or vertical, respectively. All references herein to
"upstream" and "downstream" are indications of direction relative
to the ordinary net forward thread running direction during
weaving.
[0067] Although the invention has been described with reference to
specific example embodiments, it will be appreciated that it is
intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the
scope of the appended claims. It should also be understood that the
present disclosure includes all possible combinations of any
individual features recited in any of the appended claims.
* * * * *