U.S. patent application number 11/112071 was filed with the patent office on 2005-08-25 for roller mounting assembly for textile drafting system.
This patent application is currently assigned to TEXPARTS GMBH. Invention is credited to Pape, Klaus, Schlegel, Jurgen.
Application Number | 20050183244 11/112071 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34862766 |
Filed Date | 2005-08-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050183244 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pape, Klaus ; et
al. |
August 25, 2005 |
Roller mounting assembly for textile drafting system
Abstract
A textile drafting system which is composed of a pair of
coaxially mounted and rotatably driven lower rollers mounted to the
frame of a textile processing unit, and a pair of upper rollers
mounted adjacent the free end of a pivotally mounted weighting arm
so that the upper rollers press downwardly against the lower
rollers. A pair of clearer rollers are also mounted to the
weighting arm so as to engage the upper rollers. The upper rollers
and the clearer rollers are mounted to a common bracket which is
adjustable along the length of the arm to accommodate different
staple fiber lengths in the yarn which is being processed, and the
upper rollers and the clearer rollers can be jointly moved with the
bracket along the weighting arm without additional adjustment of
the upper rollers and clearer rollers with respect to each
other.
Inventors: |
Pape, Klaus; (Reutlingen,
DE) ; Schlegel, Jurgen; (Fellbach, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ALSTON & BIRD LLP
BANK OF AMERICA PLAZA
101 SOUTH TRYON STREET, SUITE 4000
CHARLOTTE
NC
28280-4000
US
|
Assignee: |
TEXPARTS GMBH
|
Family ID: |
34862766 |
Appl. No.: |
11/112071 |
Filed: |
April 22, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11112071 |
Apr 22, 2005 |
|
|
|
PCT/EP03/11244 |
Oct 10, 2003 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
19/236 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D01H 5/565 20130101;
D01H 5/64 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
019/236 |
International
Class: |
D01H 005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 24, 2002 |
DE |
102 49 589.0 |
Claims
1. A roller mounting assembly for use in a drafting system in a
textile processing machine, comprising an upper roller support and
weighting arm which defines a longitudinal direction and is
configured to be pivotally mounted to the textile processing
machine for pivotal movement about an axis which is transverse to
the longitudinal direction, a mounting bracket releasably mounted
to the arm so as to permit the mounting bracket to be released and
moved in the longitudinal direction along the arm between selected
mounting positions, at least one upper roller and an associated
clearer roller supported by the mounting bracket so that after
releasing the mounting bracket it is possible to displace the upper
roller and the clearer roller jointly along the arm without
additional adjustment of the upper roller and clearer roller
relative to each other.
2. The roller mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting
bracket comprises a pair of lateral side walls which engage
respective opposite sides of the upper roller support and weighting
arm from the underside thereof.
3. The roller mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting
bracket comprises an upwardly open slotted guideway which receives
a coaxial mounting axle for the clearer roller, and wherein one end
of the mounting axle of the clearer roller includes a retaining
device comprising at least one collar which engages behind the
slotted guideway.
4. The roller mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the upper
roller support and weighting arm and the mounting bracket are
constructed such that they form an electrically conductive
connection between the upper roller and a frame of the textile
processing machine.
5. The roller mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting
bracket comprises a base body and a steering member for receiving a
coaxial mounting axle for the upper roller, with the base body
comprising sheet metal and the steering member comprising an
elastic material.
6. The roller mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the upper
roller support and weighting arm comprises on its underside guide
flanges and that the mounting bracket includes guide slots, with
the guide flanges engaging the guide slots.
7. The roller mounting assembly of claim 2, wherein the lateral
side walls of the mounting bracket each comprise a slot formed as a
guideway for guiding a mounting axle for the upper roller.
8. A roller mounting assembly for use in a drafting system in a
textile processing machine, comprising an upper roller support and
weighting arm which defines a longitudinal direction and is
configured to be pivotally mounted to the textile processing
machine for pivotal movement about an axis which is transverse to
the longitudinal direction, a mounting bracket releasably mounted
to the arm so as to permit the mounting bracket to be released and
moved in the longitudinal direction along the arm between selected
mounting positions, a pair of upper rollers coaxially mounted to a
common axle which extends between the upper rollers, a pair of
clearer rollers each coaxially mounted to a separate mounting axle,
said mounting bracket including a generally U-shaped base body
which includes a pair of laterally spaced apart and parallel side
walls, with said side walls including downwardly open and laterally
aligned slots for receiving the axle of the upper rollers therein,
and with said side walls further including generally upwardly open
and laterally aligned slotted guideways for respectively receiving
the mounting axles of the clearer rollers therein, with the clearer
rollers positioned to engage respective ones of the upper rollers,
whereby after releasing the mounting bracket it is possible to
displace the upper rollers and the clearer rollers jointly along
the arm without additional adjustment of the upper rollers and
clearer rollers relative to each other.
9. The roller mounting assembly of claim 8, wherein the generally
upwardly open slotted guideways each include a bottom ledge for
limiting the movement of the axles of the clearer rollers toward
the axle of the upper rollers.
10. The roller mounting assembly of claim 8 wherein the axles of
the clearer rollers each include a pair of axially spaced apart
flanges for engaging the respective side walls of the base body and
so as to limit the axial movement of the axles of the clearer
rollers in the upwardly open slots.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is a continuation of international
application PCT/EP2003/011244, filed 10 Oct., 2003, and which
designates the U.S. The disclosure of the referenced application is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a drafting system for
textile spinning units, and particularly to a roller mounting
assembly for such a system.
[0003] The fiber material being spun is normally fed to the
spinning units in the form of rovings or feed yarns, which advance
through a drafting system upstream of the spinning unit. During the
spinning operation, waste fibers may wrap in an undesired manner
about the rollers or cylinders of the drafting systems. If fiber
material adhering to a drafting roller separates and enters the
path of the advancing roving, which is also referred to as a yarn
track herein, undesired knots or thick places may result in the
roving and subsequently lead to intolerable imperfections in the
yarn. It is therefore common to remove waste fibers from the
drafting rollers by means of clearer rollers. The clearer rollers
are rotated by frictional engagement with the operating rollers of
the drafting system, and provided with a covering.
[0004] DE 44 29 671 C1 discloses an upper roller support arm with
an alternative design of a mounting support for the upper rollers.
The upper rollers are supported in so-called steering members,
which are mounted for longitudinal displacement and locking
engagement in the upper roller support arm. The weighting of the
upper rollers occurs by means of a tubular pressure element, which
receives compressed air from a source of compressed air. All
steering members can be biased via pressure plates with a weighting
pressure. The disclosed mounting support is used exclusively for
supporting the upper rollers.
[0005] EP 0 344 944 A1 discloses a drafting system, in which the
upper roller support and weighting arm comprises a plurality of
upper rollers with associated clearer rollers. In the operating
position, the upper rollers are moved toward the lower rollers and
weighted down. In this connection, they form with the lower rollers
nip lines. The upper roller support and weighting arm mounts on
each side clearer rollers, which each extend over only one yarn
track. Upper rollers and clearer rollers are each provided with
separate mounting supports. The upper rollers are mounted on
holding arms, which are supported in the interior of the U-shaped,
downwardly open upper roller support and weighting arm for pivoting
about horizontal axles. A pivotal support of this type requires a
large space in the upper roller support and weighting arm. The
installation of pneumatic pressure elements in the upper roller
support and weighting arm, which permit weighting and relieving the
upper rollers both in a uniform and simple manner, is not possible
or possible only to a limited extent. The axles of the clearer
rollers are inserted into a mounting support, which is secured to
the top of the upper roller support and weighting arm for
displacement in the longitudinal direction thereof. The described
mounting support of the upper rollers and clearer rollers requires
a relatively large space.
[0006] For textile technological reasons, it may be necessary to
make an adaptation to the staple length of the fiber material, and
to change to this end the distance between the nip lines formed by
the paired rollers of the drafting system. This distance is also
referred to as the nip spacing. Such a position change requires not
only a manual adjustment or readjustment of the upper and lower
rollers of the drafting system but also of all clearer rollers that
interact with these readjusted rollers. The total labor
requirements can be extensive in the case of the plurality of the
spinning positions of a spinning machine that is equipped with
conventional drafting systems, and lead to noticeable shutdown
times of the spinning units.
[0007] Based on the above-described state of the art, it is an
object of the invention to improve the mounting support for upper
rollers and clearer rollers in drafting systems of spinning
machines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The above and other objects and advantages of the invention
are achieved by the provision of a novel roller mounting assembly
which is configured to mount the upper rolls of the drafting system
in a mounting bracket so as to be above the lower driven rolls of
the drafting system, and with the clearer rolls being mounted in
the same mounting bracket so as to be above the upper rollers.
[0009] The configuration of the mounting bracket in accordance with
the invention provides a common mounting support for upper rollers
and clearer rollers, which is stable and excellently suited for a
cost-favorable series manufacture. The number of the components to
be manufactured and assembled for the mounting support is reduced.
In the case of a common mount of respectively interacting upper
rollers and clearer rollers of the drafting system, only one
adjustment step will be needed for changing the nip spacing. The
clearer roller associated to the upper roller will move along, when
it becomes necessary to change the distances between nips for a new
spinning process by displacing the upper rollers. An additional
adjustment of the position of the clearer rollers is not needed for
adapting them to the new position of the upper rollers. It is thus
possible to reduce the manual labor that is required for changing
the distances between nips and the therewith connected shutdown
time.
[0010] When the mounting bracket comprises lateral side walls,
which engage the upper roller support and weighting arm from the
bottom on both sides, the upper side of the upper roller support
and weighting arm remains free from components for mounting the
clearer rollers. It is easily possible to provide there functional
elements such as, for example, an operating lever. The clearer
rollers are easy to insert into the lateral side walls. The
mounting bracket requires little space. There remains adequate
space in the interior of the upper roller support and weighting
arm, for example, for tubular pressure elements, which are used to
weight down the upper rollers.
[0011] In an advantageous form of realization, one end of the
clearer roller axle is constructed as a retaining device that
comprises a collar. The retaining device engages behind a slotted
guideway of the mounting element. Such a configuration permits
arranging on each side of the upper roller support and weighting
arm a clearer roller, whose axle is unilaterally supported. With
that, it becomes possible to change a nip spacing on each
individual upper roller support and weighting arm independently of
adjacent upper roller support and weighting arms. In the case of
such a configuration, it is not necessary to adapt the adjustment
of facing bearings on respectively facing sides of adjacent upper
roller support and weighting arms.
[0012] An electrically conductive connection between the upper
roller and the machine frame prevents the upper roller from being
electrostatically charged. Such an electrostatic charge may lead to
operational malfunctions and yarn imperfections.
[0013] The mounting bracket of the invention offers the possibility
of selecting its manufacture from sheet steel. A mounting bracket
of sheet steel can be rapidly manufactured and in a cost-favorable
manner by manufacturing steps such as cutting and bending, and it
excellently withstands the stresses that are to be applied as a
functional requirement. The mounting bracket when made from sheet
steel has a relatively low weight and occupies little space.
[0014] Guide flanges and guide slots make it possible to slide the
mounting bracket with ease and continuously in the longitudinal
direction of the upper roller support and weighting arm for the
purposes of adjusting the rollers.
[0015] When the axle of the upper rollers is held only by the
elastic receptacle of a steering member, the upper roller may
assume an undesired tilt. The tilt may reach an extent that
adversely affects operation. If the lateral side walls of the
mounting bracket comprise a slotted guideway, which forms in
addition to the mount by the steering member element, a guidance
for the axle of the upper rollers will be possible to prevent such
a tilt from occurring. The mounting bracket permits constructing a
steering member that mounts the axle of the upper rollers such that
it has only a relatively small width and consists in a
cost-favorable manner of an elastic plastic, without having to
accept the above-described disadvantages.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The invention is described in greater detail with reference
to the drawings, in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a simplified, perspective view of an upper roller
support and weighting arm with an embodiment of a mounting bracket
as well as upper rollers and clearer rollers;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a base body of the mounting
element of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a simplified, perspective view of the upper roller
support and weighting arm of FIG. 1 with one clearer roller
removed; and
[0020] FIG. 4 is a simplified, perspective view of the upper roller
support and weighting arm with the upper rollers and clearer
rollers being partially sectioned.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] An upper roller support and weighting arm 1 is supported for
pivoting about an axis 2 to an upper end position and a lower
spinning operation position. A mounting support of this type for an
upper roller support arm is disclosed, for example, in DE 44 29 671
C1. The upper roller support and weighting arm 1 is essentially
U-shaped and open on its underside.
[0022] Arranged on each side of the upper roller support and
weighting arm 1 are an upper roller 3, 4 and a clearer roller 5, 6.
In the spinning operation position of the upper roller support and
weighting arm 1, the upper rollers 3, 4 are pressed against lower
rollers not shown, as are disclosed, for example, in EP 0 344 944
A1.
[0023] Both the upper rollers 3, 4, which are mounted on an axle
37, and the clearer rollers 5, 6 are held in a common mounting
bracket 7. The mounting bracket 7 is adjustable in the longitudinal
direction of the upper roller support and weighting arm 1, after
releasing a locking device not shown, which can be operative in a
force-locking or form-fitting manner. With that, it is possible to
adjust the position of the mounting bracket 7, when resetting the
nip spacing. Additional upper rollers with associated clearer
rollers may be arranged on the upper roller support and weighting
arm in a simple manner by arranging on the upper roller support and
weighting arm 1 and securing thereto additional mounting brackets
7.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a separate and enlarged view of a base body 27 of
the mounting bracket 7 shown in FIG. 1. The base body 27 of the
mounting bracket 7 is made symmetric and consists of steel. Its
configuration is advantageously obtained by cutting blanks from
sheet steel by means of punching or laser machining operations and
by subsequent bending or edge turning operations, which suitably
proceed in several steps. Two lateral side walls 8, 9 form with an
intermediate guide member 10 the U-shaped base body 27 of the
mounting bracket 7, which laterally engages the upper roller
support and weighting arm 1 from the bottom in the illustration of
FIG. 1. The mounting bracket 7 is slipped over the free end of the
upper roller support and weighting arm 1, with guide flanges 11, 12
engaging guide slots 13, 14, 15 and providing on the upper roller
support and weighting arm 1 a safe engagement and stable guidance
of the mounting bracket 7. The lateral side walls 8, 9 include
slotted guideways 16, 17, which each comprise parallel extending
guide flanges 18, 19, 20, 21 for the clearer rollers. In the
illustration of FIG. 2, the mounting bracket 7 occupies a position,
in which the slotted guideways 16, 17 extend with their guide
flanges 18, 19, 20, 21 in the vertical direction. This position
corresponds to an inclination of the upper roller support and
weighting arm 1 by 45.degree., which is indicated by line 24. In
this position, an axle 25 of the clearer roller 6 is able to slide
easily up and down with a slight play.
[0025] Unlike the illustration of FIG. 1, in the illustration of
FIG. 3, the clearer roller 5 has been removed from its hollow
bearing pin for providing an unobstructed view of the bearing. In
the installed position of the clearer roller 5 on the hollow
bearing pin, the clearer roller 5 is detachably secured to the
hollow bearing pin by means of a stop or detent 26. The stop or
detent 26 interacts with a stop groove arranged in the interior of
the clearer roller 5, as is disclosed, for example, in DE 195 21
265 A1.
[0026] The axle 25 of the clearer roller 5 is inserted into the
slotted guideway 16 of the mounting element 7. FIG. 3 illustrates
the position, which the clearer roller 6 assumes, when it lies
under its own weight against the upper roller 3 during the spinning
operation. When the upper roller support and weighting arm 1 is
pivoted to its upper end position, and, in so doing, raises the
clearer rollers 5, 6 from the upper rollers 3, 4, the clearer
rollers 5, 6 are no longer supported by the upper rollers 3, 4, and
the axles of the clearer rollers 5, 6 slide in the slotted
guideways 16, 17 downward, until they come to lie against support
ledges 22, 23.
[0027] The axle 25 is constructed as a hollow bearing pin. At its
end inserted into the slotted guideway 16 of the mounting element
7, the hollow bearing pin comprises a collar 29, which engages
behind the lateral side wall 8 and causes the clearer roller 5 to
be unilaterally retained in the mounting bracket 7 during the
spinning operation. The base body 27 of the mounting bracket 7
includes on each side a recess 28 and 30 respectively, which are
constructed as slotted guideways, and serve to guide the axle 37 of
the upper rollers 3, 4. The guidance by the recesses 28, 30 becomes
operative upon insertion of the axle 37 into the mounting bracket
7.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the upper roller support and
weighting arm 1 in the direction of its free end. The sectional
plane extends through the axes of rotation of the upper rollers 3,
4 and clearer rollers 31, 32. Unlike the embodiment shown in FIGS.
1 and 3, FIG. 4 illustrates alternative embodiments of the mounting
bracket and the clearer rollers. Slipped onto the upper roller
support and weighting arm 1 is a mounting bracket 7A, which
comprises a base body 27A and a steering member 36. In this
embodiment, the guide flanges 11, 12 of the upper roller support
and weighting arm 1 engage guide slots of a guide member 10A of
mounting bracket 7A. Inserted into both sides of the upper roller
support and weighting arm 1 are clearer rollers 31, 32. With the
end of their axles 33, 34, the clearer rollers 31, 32 are able to
slide up and down in slotted guideways. Since the section in the
illustration of FIG. 4 extends through the slotted guideways, the
Figure shows only the guide flanges 19A and 21A of the slotted
guideways, which are each oriented toward the free end of the upper
roller support and weighting arm 1. With the other end of their
axles 33, 34, the clearer rollers 31, 32 are inserted into a
mounting support not shown for reasons of simplification, which is
arranged on each adjacent upper roller support and weighting arm.
With that, each clearer roller 31, 32 extends over respectively two
yarn tracks.
[0029] The clearer rollers 31, 32 lie under their own weight
against the upper rollers 3, 4. To secure the upper rollers 3, 4 to
the upper roller support and weighting arm 1, their axle 37 is
manually inserted from the bottom into an elastic receptacle 35 of
the steering member 36. In a likewise simple manner, the axle 37
can again be removed from the receptacle 35. The steering member 36
consists of plastic and includes a pressure plate 38 at its upper
end. The pressure plate 38 is biased by a pressure load from a
tubular pressure member 39, in that the latter receives in a
customary manner compressed air from a source of compressed air
that is not shown for the sake of simplicity. The steering member
36 of the mounting bracket 7A is adapted for vertical upward and
downward movement, so that the weight is transmitted to the upper
rollers 3, 4. In this manner, the upper rollers 3, 4 are pressed
against lower rollers in their position during the spinning
operation. A spinning operation position, in which the upper
rollers are arranged in a mounting support and pressed against the
lower rollers, is disclosed, for example, in EP 0 344 944 A1.
[0030] The base body 27A of the mounting bracket 7A comprises
lateral side walls 8A, 9A, of which a sectional view is shown in
FIG. 4. These lateral side walls 8A, 9A comprise recesses 28A, 30A,
whose width is adapted to the corresponding diameter of the axle 37
of upper rollers 3, 4, and in which the axle 37 extends sideways.
The recesses 28A, 30A of the base body 27A are constructed as
slotted guideways in the same way as the recesses 28, 30 of the
base body 27. This guideway prevents a disadvantageous tilt of the
upper rollers 3, 4 relative to the drafting direction. Such a tilt
can occur, when the axle 37 is guided only by the elastic
receptacle 35 of the steering member 36.
[0031] The invention is not limited to the described embodiments.
Clearer rollers as are disclosed, for example, in DE 195 21 265 A1,
may be supported with their pivot arm not directly on the upper
roller support and weighting arm as disclosed in DE 195 21 265 A1,
but on an adjustable, common mounting element for the respectively
associated upper rollers and clearer rollers, and thus represent an
alternative embodiment within the scope of the invention
* * * * *