US3145426A - Automatic raw material feed for carding machines - Google Patents

Description

g- 25, 1954 KENJ! HlJlYA ETAL 3,145,426

AUTOMATIC RAW MATERIAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1962 25, 1964 KENJI HlJlYA ETAL 3,145,426

AUTOMATIC RAW MATERIAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 22, 1962 INVENTORS KENT! umvn, Ynsumno NHRANO R.

ILHISRBURO RHINO Aug. 25, 1964 KENJI HIJIYA ETAL 3,145,426

AUTOMATIC RAW MATERIAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINES Filed Jan. 22, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 new rm 5%?5??? I NHKRNO K IC-HISRB M RING Aug- 2 1964 KENJl HIJIYA ETAL AUTOMATIC RAW MATERIAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 22, 1962 INVENTOR5 KIN. HIM, YASUHIRO UBNRIM [@HISIBURO KHINO United States Patent 3,145,426 AUTGMATKC RAW MATERHAL FEED FOR 7 CARDWG MACHINEF hen Hrgjiyn, Amagasalri, Hyogo Prefecture, Yasnhiro Nalrano, Tarumi-lru, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, and lchisaburo Kaine, Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan, assignors to Nihon Spindle Illfg. Co., Ltd, Amagasalri, Japan, and Nitto Eoseiri Co., Ltd, Fukishania, .lapan Filed .l'an. 22, 1962, Ser. No. 167,865 Ciaims priority, appiication Japan Jan. 25, 1961 6 Claims. (Cl. 19-105) This invention relates to improvements in arrangements of conveying and feeding fibrous raw materials such as cotton-wool for the process from a mixing and scutch ing means to carding machines.

One object of this invention is to provide arrangements for conveying fibrous raw material delivered from a mixing and scutching means, the conveyance being efiected automatically by means of air stream through a main duct from which a plurality of branch ducts is provided for allotting the raw material into the same number of carding machines with the branch duct, the allotment being controlled at the branching points, whereby the allotment is effected evenly and the fibrous raw material is conveyed smoothly.

Another object of this invention is to provide arrangements for conveying fibrous raw material, in which, while the raw material is conveyed and allotted in a disjointed state suitable for the conveyance by air stream and allotment, the disjointed raw material is shaped into a lap having a proper width to be fed into the carding machine, the shaping being efiected just before the raw material is fed into the carding machine, whereby the carding machine is operated more easily and more surely.

Further another object of this invention is to provide arrangements of the class described, in which the fibrous raw material circulates through passages being conveyed by air, of which on the way the material is allotted into the carding machines where possible over allotted material is recirculated so as to take part in the allotment again.

Briefly stated in accordance with one aspect of this invention, there is provided an arrangement comprising a delivering means, carding machines, and a raw material conveying system, the delivering means storing the fibrous raw material scutched, and the conveying system conveying the raw material from the delivering means to the carding machines and including lap shaping means at connecting points of the conveying system with the carding machines. A The invention will be better understood and other objects and additional advantages of the invention will be come apparent upon perusal of the following description taken in connection with the drawings, and the scope of the invention will be defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view of an arrangement embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view corresponding to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertically sectional side view of a controlling receiving means for allotment;

FIG. 3A shows the overall conveyor and allotting means for feedin the carding units;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional perspective elevation of a feeding means for a carding machine;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspectiveview thereof;

FIG. 6 is a further enlarged horizontally sectional plan view thereof; and

KG. 7 is a further enlarged vertically sectional View thereof taken along lines BB of FIG. 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of this invention will now be described; however, this description will be understood to be illustrative of the invention and not as limiting it to the particular construction shown and described. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a general arrangement is shown. There is a mixing and scutching means A from which fibrous raw material is delivered for feeding. it is then disjointed and separated into small fiber groups of a size suitable to be conveyed by air through a main duct C. The disjointing is further effected by means of a suitable method such as air jetting at a separator 13. The disjointed raw material is conveyed through the main duct C in the direction shown by an arrow by means of air stream produced by a blower l. The main duct C branches into a plurality of branch ducts C at a plurality of points. The point corresponds to groups of carding machines P, where a controlling receiving means D and D is provided for allotment of the conveyed raw material into the carding machines F under control by the controlling receiving means D and D. The allotted raw material is fed into a branch duct C" by an air jetting nozzle 2%, as shown in FIG. 3, whence the material is fed into each carding machine F through respective feeding box H and automatic card feeder E (FIG. 2) by a subsidiary blower 1'. A sliver formed from the raw material in the carding machine F is traditionally accumulated in a reserve box where the slivers of the grouped carding machines are combed out and conveyed to an autoevener by a conveyor to be controlled and then fed into a drawing frame where the slivers are drawn (and drawn slivers are coiled into a usual condensing can by conventional means). Any excess of the raw material fed to the carding machines or the controlling receiving means therefor is returned to a returning box G, located at the beginning point of main duct C, through the main duct C and a returning duct C, extended therefrom, for recirculating the returned raw material through the main duct C.

. Now referring further more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, more detailed explanation will be given. There is a controlling box 2 for each branch duct C". Raw cotton is delivered out of a mixing and scutching means A into the main duct C arranged facing the mixing and scutching means A and conveyed through the main duct C by means of air stream produced by a blower 1 to the controlling box 2 arranged above a receiving means D and branched from the main duct CI The main duct C communicates with the controlling box 2 through an inlet 3. The bottom of the main duct C is given with a down slope 4 to the inlet 3 so as to enlarge the section of the main duct C thereto gradually. There is an expanded portion 5 of the top of the main duct C arranged above the controlling box 2 so as to prevent the inlet 3 and the following part of the main duct C from a fact of clogging by cotton. A subsidiary passage 6 is provided to communicate the main duct C with the controlling box 2 so that a subsidiary air stream occurs being induced by the cotton carrying air stream through the main duct C and joints thereto from the interior of the controlling box 2. A resisting block 7 having a front wall 7 and a rear wall 7" is positioned between the inlet 3 and the subsidiary passage 6. These walls and the top wall of the resisting block '7 serve to constitute the inlet 3, the subsidiary passage d, and the main duct C. A filter net ting 8 made of metallic material, glass fibre, vinyl resin thread, etc. is positioned across the lower part of the subsidiary passage 6 in order to prevent the cotton allotted to the controlling box 2 from the main duct C from counterfiowing therethrough. A compressed air nozzle 9 is provided within the upper part of the subsidiary passage 6 and arranged downwardly so as to blow off cotton clogged onthe filter and to insure the subsidiary air stream through the subsidiary passage 6 by means of intermittent air jet jetted out of compressed air nozzle 9 controlled by an electromagnetic valve intermittently and communicated with a compressed air source such as a compressor through a compressed air pipe 10 and a branch thereof 16'. Between the upper part and the lower part of the controlling box 2, controlling plates 12 are provided in such a manner that they are swingable on shafts 11 so as to close the space between the two parts of the controlling box 2. The Swinging of the controlling plates 12 relates to the swinging action of a rake 14 by a photoelectric means or other mechanical means (not shown). A hopper-feeder 13 is positioned in the proximity of the lower part 2' of the controlling box 2, in which the rake 14, a conveyor 15, a roller 16, a pin sludded conveyor 17 and rollers 18 and 19 are provided. The cotton is disjointed into a suitable size on the roller 19 by means of air jetting nozzie formed displaceable and arranged in face of the roller 19 and delivered to a delivering funnel 21 and further delivered to a branch duct C" which is connected at the end of the delivering funnel 21. By virtue of the connecting point of the controlling box 2 to the main duct C constructed as above, the cotton carrying air stream passing through the main duct C flows into the controlling box 2 easily where the raw cotton is fed to the controlling box 2 and the excess air stream flows back to the main stream, passing through the subsidiary passage 6 into the main duct C so as to smooth and ensure the conveyance and allotment of the raw material.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 7, an automatic feeder E for a carding machine will be explained. There is provided a pair of taking up Wood rollers 22 under the bottom of the feeding box H, whence the cotton passed through the nip of the taking up wood rollers 22 is fed onto the upper surface of a dish plate 24 through the nip of a pair of press rollers 23. The cotton fed onto the surface of the dish plate 24 is held and driven by a feed roller 25 arranged above the dish plate 24! so that the cotton having a predetermined relatively small width is admitted onto the surface of a beater 27 such as a garnet roller. The upper end of a cotton feeding duct 28 is extended so as to form a cover 26 of the rotary beater 27. The cotton feeding duct 28 ends at the feed roller 25 and the dish plate 24 and opens thereto. A mote knife and grid bars 29 spaced at a small intervals is provided under the rotary beater 27, whereby weighty matters such as leafy refuse, dust, seeds, etc. contained in the cotton are made to strike against the grid bars 29 by the action of the centrifugal force so as to fall from the bars and remove from the cotton. The upper end of the cotton feeding duct 28 is bent in a curve and extended to the cover 26 while the lower end 23' is expanded segmentally into an enlarged width which is equal to the 'idth of cage rollers 30 and 31 and that of cotton to be fed into the carding machine. The lower end of the cotton feeding duct 28 is enlarged outwardly so as to cover a pair of the cage rollers 30 and 31 and opens at 34 just above a pair of feeding rollers 49 so as to deliver cotton continuously downwardly. A dust receptacle 35 having an outlet door 36 is provided under the grid bars 29.

A blower 38 is driven by an electric motor 37 so as to constitute a suction means. The cage rollers 39 and 31 are hollow cylinders, of which the cylindrical walls have a great number of perforations 39, and arranged horizontally. As the case may be, a feeding roller may be substituted for one of the cage rollers 33 and 31. Under the pair of feeding rollers 40, a dish plate 41 is positioned, extending horizontally, and, between the feeding rollers and disk plate 41, abovethe intermediate of which a press roller 42, and above the end of disk plate -41, a feed roller 43 is provided. Beyond the disk plate 41, there is the carding machine, of which numeral 44 indicates a carding cylinder.

The cage rollers 30 and 31 are driven by gears 45. Numeral 46 indicates a suction duct, communicating with the cage rollers Sit and 31 at their ends so as to suck and remove dust, short fibre, and the like through the perforations 39 of the cage rollers 30 and 31. Numeral 48 indicates shafts of the cage rollers. Numeral 49 indicates spokes of the cage rollers 30 and 31 whereby the latter are mounted on the shafts 48, respectively. The hollow interiors of the cage rollers 39 and 31 are communicated with the suction ducts 46 through ports 50 arranged between the spokes 49, respectively. Numeral 32 indicates a taker in roller whereto the cot-ton 33 is fed continuously through the opening 34 under the lower end 28 of the cotton feeding duct 28.

In operation, as explained above, lap having an optional width, already opened, mixed, and scutched'from raw cotton-wool, or sliver fed by feeding rollers out of the feeding box H arranged behind the carding machine, which is supplied and allotted with the raw material in the state of mixed and scutched as above, the supply and allotment being done by a series of conveying means such as air conveying system using an air duct, is again dusted by a opening and dust-removing means comprising a beater, so as to form a superior sliver having a predetermined regular width and thickness. Raw cotton or wool mixed and scutched is conveyed on and along the upper surface of the dish plate 24 and held between the surface and the lower side of the feed roller 25 so as to feed the beater 27 such as a garnet roller with the raw material at a constant speed. The raw cotton is loosened by tearing action of the rotating beater 27, removing weighty impurities such as leafty refuse, dust, seeds, or the like which are thrown down into the dust receptacle 35 by virtue of the centrifugal force imparted by the beater rotating at a high speed and the collision of raw material against the grid bars 29 spaced at small intervals. The beater 27 rotating at a high speed generates an air stream. The cover 26 is positioned around the beater 27 and has air inlet perforations positioned suitably therein. The space inside the cover 26 is communicated with air suction means 46 and 47 through the cotton feeding duct 28 and the segmental enlarged lower end 28 thereof so as to be affected by suction of the cage rollers 30 and 31. Therefore, the light weight fibre is transferred into the cotton feeding duct 28 and allotted onto the whole surface of the cage rollers 30 and 31 evenly throughout the whole width thereof which is equal to the width of the carding machine so as to form a lap of desired width and even thickness. During this formation, dust and short fibre are further removed through the perforations formed on the cage rollers 30 and 31.

' Thus the cage rollers 30 and 31 serve two functions, one

being the even and uniform allotment of cotton opened, loosened, and dusted by the heater 27 and the other being the further removal of impurities and short fibre. Therefore, the cotton to be fed into the carding machine is effectively purified by the twice removal of impurities and short fibre by the beater 27 and the cage rollers 30 and 31 and allotted evenly to feed the carding machine with the purified and allotted cotton lap or sliver automatically, whereby it is possible to improve the operation eificiency remarkably. Furthermore, since it is possible to select the speed of the rotation of the feed roller 25 proportionate to the rotation of cage rollers 30 and 31 at will, it becomes possible to select the final amount of material per unit of length oflap suitably to fit the length of cage rollers 30 and 31. When the feed roller 25 is rotated faster than the cage rollers 30 and 31, it becomes appropriate to form a cotton feeding duct 28 having a wider lower portion 28 whereby it is possible that the upper constituting parts or opened cotton allotting means, particularly the feeding box H, are made to occupy a smaller area,. consequently minimizing the cost of construction of the installation as well as reducing the space required in a mill.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, modifications thereof will readily occur to those skilled in the art. It should be understood therefore that the invention is not limited to the particular arrangement disclosed but that the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications which do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machines comprising:

a mixing and scutching means,

a main looped air duct having entrance and exit ends connected to said mixing and scutching means to receive incoming raw material and return any excess for recirculation,

plural controlling receiving means in communication with said main air duct intermediate its ends at spaced locations, therealong,

plural branch looped air ducts, each having an entrance end connected to a respective controlling receiving means and an exit end communicated with said main duct to receive an allotment of raw material from the respective controlling receiving means and return any excess to the main duct,

at least one feeding box attached to each branch duct to receive a sub-allotment of raw material; and

a respective carding machine receiving raw material from each feeding box.

2. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machine as claimed in claim 1, including an automatic card feeder positioned between said feeding box and said carding machine, said feeder receiving material from said feeding box and conveying same to the carding machine.

3. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machine as claimed in claim 2, said automatic feeder having a cotton feeding duct provided with a relatively narrow inlet and a relatively wide outlet, a rotary beater positioned within said inlet, relatively long cage rollers positioned within said outlet, and said cotton feeding duct having an upper and lower portion, and the upper portion of said duct being curved.

4. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machines as claimed in claim 3, including an air suction duct in communication with said cage rollers so as to suck. and remove dust, short fiber, and other waste material from the cage rollers.

5. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machines as claimed in claim 1, including a resisting block in communication with said main loop air duct and said controlling receiving means at their respective spaced locations, said receiving means having a front Wall and a back wall, said resisting block having front and rear walls, said front wall of said resisting block and the front wall of the receiving means forming an inlet passage into said receiving means, and said rear wall of said resisting block and the back wall of the receiving means forming a subsidiary passage to allow the excess air carrying the raw material to flow back to the main stream in the main duct so as to smooth and insure the conveyance and allotment of the raw material.

6. An automatic, pneumatic raw material feed for carding machines as claimed in claim 1, said main duct being provided with a blower, and each of said branch ducts being provided with a subsidiary blower.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,165,088 Gordon Dec. 21, 1915 2,964,802 Aono et al. Dec. 20, 1960 3,029,477 Wildbolz et a1. Apr. 17, 1962

Claims (1)

1. AN AUTOMATIC, PNEUMATIC RAW MATEIRAL FEED FOR CARDING MACHINES COMPRISING: A MIXING AND SCUTCHING MEANS, A MAIN LOOPED AIR DUCT HAVING ENTRANCE AND EXIT ENDS CONNECTED TO SAID MIXING AND SCUTCHING MEANS TO RECEIVE INCOMING RAW MATERIAL AND RETURN ANY EXCESS FOR RECIRCULATION, PLURAL CONTROLLING RECEIVING MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID MAIN AIR DUCT INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS AT SPACED LOCATIONS, THEREALONG,

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