WO2024251441A1 - Method of operating a weaving machine - Google Patents
Method of operating a weaving machine Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2024251441A1 WO2024251441A1 PCT/EP2024/061861 EP2024061861W WO2024251441A1 WO 2024251441 A1 WO2024251441 A1 WO 2024251441A1 EP 2024061861 W EP2024061861 W EP 2024061861W WO 2024251441 A1 WO2024251441 A1 WO 2024251441A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- weft thread
- weft
- transfer
- weaving
- rapier
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Ceased
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Classifications
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D03—WEAVING
- D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
- D03D47/00—Looms in which bulk supply of weft does not pass through shed, e.g. shuttleless looms, gripper shuttle looms, dummy shuttle looms
- D03D47/34—Handling the weft between bulk storage and weft-inserting means
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a method of operating a weaving machine for inserting weft threads into sheds formed between warp threads during weaving cycles.
- weft thread inserting means comprising an inserting rapier for inserting a weft thread into a shed from one side of the shed and a receiving rapier for receiving the weft thread approximately in the center of the shed in the weft direction from the inserting rapier and moving the weft thread transferred to the receiving rapier to the other side of the shed are provided.
- WO 2019/082 222 A1 discloses a gripper assembly with a bringer gripper acting as an inserting rapier and a taker gripper acting as a receiving rapier of a passive weft inserting means, also known as a negative weft inserting means.
- the weft thread inserted by the bringer gripper is directly transferred from the bringer gripper to the taker gripper, when both grippers are in a mutually overlapping positioning such that, upon a reverse movement of the bringer gripper, the taker gripper grips the weft thread and, upon a reverse movement of the taker gripper, moves the gripped weft thread to the other end of the shed.
- active weft inserting means also known as positive weft inserting means
- active means to operate the clamps of the rapier, that hold the weft thread such as blades, hooks or cams for example, are used for actuating the closing or the opening of these clamps in order to transfer the weft thread from the inserting rapier to the receiving rapier in the middle of the shed.
- the present invention provides a method of operating a weaving machine for inserting weft threads into sheds formed between warp threads during weaving cycles, the weaving machine comprising: at least one weft thread inserting means with an inserting rapier for inserting a weft thread and a receiving rapier for receiving the weft thread inserted by the inserting rapier, a weft brake for applying a braking force to the weft thread inserted by the inserting rapier and received by the receiving rapier during a weaving cycle, a weft thread tension sensor for outputting a weft thread tension signal indicative of a weft thread tension, a weft machine controller for receiving the weft thread tension signal and for controlling the weft brake based on the weft thread
- This method comprises the steps of:
- the method of the present invention considers that, within each weaving cycle, controlling the braking force applied to a weft thread immediately prior to the transfer thereof from the inserting rapier to the receiving rapier is important for keeping the weft thread under an appropriate tension while, at the same time, making sure that the transfer occurs at an appropriate point of time within a respective weaving cycle. While applying a high braking force is helpful for avoiding the occurrence of weft thread loops when decelerating the inserting rapier prior to the transfer of the weft thread and, thereby, also decelerating the front end of the weft thread clamped in the inserting rapier, an excessive braking force applied to the weft thread increases the risk of a weft thread failure.
- the braking force can be adjusted such that, on the one hand, looping or ballooning of a weft thread during the transfer thereof is avoided and, on the other hand, a transfer of a weft thread from the inserting rapier to the receiving rapier at a desired point of time within a weaving cycle is supported substantially independent of the speed with which a weaving machine is operated.
- the method of present invention further comprises a transfer determining step for determining the transfer occurrence parameter based on the weft thread tension signal.
- Each weaving cycle of a weaving machine may correspond to a predetermined angular range of rotation of a weaving machine main shaft and, in the transfer determining step, a transfer angle at which, within the predetermined angular range of rotation, the weft thread transfer has occurred may be determined as the transfer occurrence parameter.
- the predetermined angular range of rotation is 360°.
- a rather high acceleration of the weft thread is generated when the weft thread starts moving together with the receiving rapier.
- Such a high acceleration at the beginning of this movement leads to a sharp increase of the weft thread tension so that, in the transfer determining step, it may determined that the weft thread transfer has occurred, when the weft thread tension exceeds a weft thread tension threshold value and/or a gradient of the weft thread tension exceeds a weft thread tension gradient threshold value.
- the transferdetermining step may be carried out for a plurality of weaving cycles, preferably for each weaving cycle, and the previous weaving cycles may comprise a predetermined number of preceding weaving cycles.
- the variability parameter may be determined based on a variance of the transfer occurrence parameter of the previous weaving cycles.
- the variability parameter may be determined as the standard deviation of the transfer occurrence parameter of the previous weaving cycles, which means that the variability parameter is determined as the square root of the variance of the transfer occurrence parameter during the previous weaving cycles.
- step B) may comprise controlling the weft brake such that the variability parameter is below a predetermined variability parameter threshold value and/or within a predetermined variability parameter value range.
- the weft thread tension signal is indicative of the weft thread tension between the weft brake and the weft insertion means, the weft thread tension indicated by the weft thread tension signal is a reliable parameter for appropriately adjusting the braking force of the weft brake.
- Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a weaving machine and weft insertion means associated therewith;
- Fig. 2 shows the position of an inserting rapier, a receiving rapier and a weft thread transferred therebetween during one weaving cycle
- Fig. 3 shows the position of a weft thread in the weft direction during one weaving cycle
- Fig. 4 shows the speed of the weft thread transferred from an inserting rapier to a receiving rapier during one weaving cycle
- Fig. 5 shows the weft thread acceleration during one weaving cycle
- Fig. 6 shows the weft thread tension during one weaving cycle
- Fig. 7 shows the level of the braking force applied to a weft thread during one weaving cycle
- Fig. 8 shows, in the upper part thereof, a variation of a braking force applied to a weft thread during a plurality of consecutive weaving cycles, and shows, in the lower part thereof, a transfer position of the weaving machine during the plurality of consecutive weaving cycles in association with the variation of the braking force.
- Fig. 1 shows, in a schematic manner, a loom or weaving machine 10.
- the weaving machine 10 has a weft insertion means 12 for inserting a weft thread 14 into a shed formed between non-shown warp threads extending in a warp direction of the weaving machine 10.
- the weft insertion means 12 comprises an inserting rapier 16 and a receiving rapier 18 that, in Fig.
- rapiers 16, 18 are shown in a retracted position in which these rapiers 16, 18 are withdrawn from the shed formed between the warp threads, and are shown in an advanced position in which respective gripper portions of these rapiers 16, 18 inserted into the shed are positioned such as to overlap each other in the area of a center C of the shed in a weft direction W for transferring the weft thread 14 inserted into the shed by the inserting rapier 16 to the receiving rapier 18.
- the weft insertion means 12 is embodied as a passive or negative weft insertion means arranged for directly transferring the weft thread 14 from the inserting rapier 16 to the receiving rapier 18 without using active means to open or to close the clamps of the rapiers for clamping the weft.
- a bobbin 20 for providing the weft thread 14 and a feeder 22 buffering a portion of the weft thread 14 are provided. If required, a knot detector 24 can be provided or can be integrated into the feeder 22.
- a weft brake 26 arranged for applying a braking force to the weft thread 14, a weft detector 28 for detecting a movement of the weft thread 14, a weft tension sensor 30 for outputting a weft thread tension signal indicative of the tension of the weft thread 14 between the weft brake 26 and the one of the rapiers 16, 18 by means of which the weft thread 14 is gripped, a weft thread recuperator 32 as well as a weft selector 34 are provided in the weaving machine 10.
- weft selector 34 is used for offering the one weft thread that is to be used in a specific weaving cycle to the inserting rapier 16.
- a weft scissor 36 is provided for cutting the weft thread 14 after a portion thereof has been inserted into a shed and for clamping the weft thread 14 and presenting it to the inserting rapier before its next portion will be inserted into the next shed formed between the warp threads.
- a weft release actuator 38 is associated with the receiving rapier 18 for releasing the weft thread 14 from the receiving rapier 18 after the receiving rapier 18 has approached its retracted position and the weft thread 14 has been inserted into the shed.
- the weaving machine 10 may comprise a plurality of such weft insertion means 12 for simultaneously inserting a plurality of weft threads into a plurality of sheds formed between the warp threads and/or for inserting a plurality of weft threads at different levels, for example, if the weaving machine 10 is a face-to-face carpet weaving machine.
- Each such weft insertion means 12 may comprise an inserting rapier 16 and a receiving rapier 18 and, if the weft insertion means 12 is an active or positive weft insertion means, additionally may comprise active means for transferring the weft thread from the inserting rapier to the receiving rapier.
- Fig. 2 shows the movement of the inserting rapier 16, the receiving rapier 18 and the weft thread 14 transferred therebetween during one weaving cycle. It is to be noted that, normally, such a weaving cycle is defined by one complete rotation of a main shaft of the weaving machine 10. If the weaving machine 10 is a carpet weaving machine, the weaving shaft of the weaving machine 10 makes about 130 to 200 or even up to 250 rotations per minute, which means that, per minute, a corresponding number of weft thread insertion operations are carried out by the weft insertion means 12.
- the width of a carpet to be woven by such a carpet weaving machine may be up to about 5.3 meters
- the weft thread 14 is moved by the inserting rapier 16 and the receiving rapier 18 through the shed having a corresponding extension of up to more than 5 meters in the weft direction W.
- Fig. 3, 4, and 5 show, for one weaving cycle, i.e. for one complete rotation of the weaving machine main shaft by an angle of rotation of 360°, the position of the front end of the weft thread 14 gripped by the inserting rapier 16 and the receiving rapier 18, respectively, in the weft direction W, the speed of the front end of the weft thread 14, as well as the acceleration thereof. It can be seen that, at the beginning of each inserting operation when the inserting rapier 16 starts moving toward the center C of the shed substantially corresponding to machine width position 0 shown in Fig.
- Fig. 6 shows the weft thread tension signal indicative of the tension of the weft thread 14 as detected by the weft tension sensor 30. It can be seen in Fig.
- the transfer peak contained in the weft thread signal output by the weft tension sensor 30 is a clear indicator for the occurrence of the transfer of the weft thread 14 from the inserting rapier 16 to the receiving rapier 18.
- the position of the weaving machine 10 at which this transfer occurs can be determined as a transfer occurrence parameter P. If the weaving machine position is defined as being an angle of rotation within the angular range of rotation of the weaving machine main shaft, for example, corresponding to 360°, the transfer occurrence parameter P shown in Fig. 6 can be determined as being the transfer angle at which, within the predetermined angular range of rotation of the weaving machine main shaft of 360°, the transfer has occurred.
- Fig. 7 shows that, for ensuring an appropriate movement of the weft thread 14 during each weaving cycle, the weft brake 26 is controlled such as to provide different levels of the braking force applied to the weft thread 14.
- a braking force of a substantially constant intermediate level is applied during a zone Z1 for keeping the weft thread 14 under tension when presenting the weft thread 14 to the inserting rapier 16 and before the inserting rapier 16 starts moving.
- the braking force is reduced to a substantially constant lower level applied to the weft thread 14 in a zone Z2 of the weft insertion cycle for avoiding an excessive tensioning of the weft thread 14 in a phase in which the speed of the inserting rapier 16 and, therefore, the speed of the front end of the weft thread 14 increases.
- the braking force Prior to reaching the transfer position in the area of the center C of the shed formed between the warp threads, the braking force is increased to a substantially constant high level for keeping the weft thread 14 under tension while the speed of the inserting rapier 16 and the front end of the weft thread 14 decreases to 0 during a zone Z3 for transferring the weft thread 14 to the receiving rapier at the end of zone Z3.
- the weft brake 30 is controlled such as to provide a substantially constant reduced level of the braking force during a zone Z4 following zone Z3 and the transfer of the weft thread. This reduced level of the braking force is maintained while the receiving rapier 18 having gripped the front end of the weft thread 14 accelerates and, therefore, the speed thereof increases, as shown in Fig. 4.
- the weft brake 30 is controlled such as to apply a substantially constant increased braking force during a zone Z5, followed by a zone Z6 of a substantially constant intermediate level of the braking force at the end of the weaving cycle at which the receiving rapier 18 and weft thread 14 inserted into the shed come to a standstill and the weft release actuator 38 is activated for releasing the weft thread 14 from the receiving rapier 18.
- the weft brake 30 may be controlled such as to provide a substantially linear transition between the different levels of the braking force used in the successive zones Z1 to Z6.
- the control of the braking force applied to the weft thread 14 by means of the weft brake 30 during zone Z3 immediately prior to the transfer of the weft thread 14 from the inserting rapier 16 to the receiving rapier 18 is important for avoiding weft errors and for ensuring that the transfer of the weft thread 14 occurs at an appropriate point of time and an appropriate angle of the weaving machine main shaft, respectively, within a weaving cycle.
- Applying a too low braking force during zone Z3 increases the risk of a looping or ballooning of the weft thread 14 immediately prior to the transfer and during the transfer of the weft thread 14 and leads to a delay of the transfer. This can be seen in Fig.
- FIG. 8 shows, for a plurality of consecutive weaving cycles, that a reduction of the braking force leads to a shift of the transfer position being the angular position of the weaving machine main shaft within a weaving cycle at which the transfer occurs to a later point of time and a higher value of the transfer angle defining the transfer parameter P, respectively.
- Fig. 8 shows that, with a stepwise increase of the braking force, this delay decreases and the transfer angle shifts to a lower value, which means that the transfer takes place at an earlier point of time within a weaving cycle.
- Fig. 8 further shows that, with an increasing braking force and a decreasing delay of the transfer, the variability of the transfer occurrence parameter P that, in the shown embodiment, is defined by the transfer angle, also decreases.
- This is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8 showing the fluctuation range of thetransfer occurrence parameter.
- this fluctuation range is represented by the vertical distance between the dotted lines, and the vertical distance between each dotted line and a mean value of the transfer occurrence parameter corresponds to the double of the standard deviation of the transfer occurrence parameter (P).
- controlling the braking force to a sufficient high level avoids an excessive delay of the transfer of the weft thread 14 from the inserting rapier 16 to the receiving rapier 18 and, at the same time, leads to a reduced variation of the point of time and the transfer angle, respectively, at which the transfer occurs within a weaving cycle. Further, avoiding a too low braking force avoids the risk of a looping or ballooning of a not sufficiently decelerated weft thread 14 immediately prior to or during the transfer of the front end of the weft thread 14 from the inserting rapier 16 to the receiving rapier 18.
- the weaving machine 10 and the weft insertion means 12, respectively, are controlled based on the weft tension signal output by the weft tension sensor 30 to a weft machine controller 40.
- the weft machine controller 40 that, for example, provides a sampling of the weft tension signal continuously output by the weft tension sensor 30 with a desired sampling frequency of some hundreds or thousands hertz, controls the weft brake 26 by outputting a control signal for adjusting the braking force applied during zone Z3, for example, as a constant braking force within a weaving cycle based on a variability parameter indicative of the variability of the transfer occurrence parameter P, i.e. the transfer angle, of previous weaving cycles.
- the previous weaving cycles may comprise a predetermined number of, for example, some hundred weaving cycles preceding the weaving cycle for which the braking force to be applied to the weft thread 14 in zone Z3 has to be determined.
- the variability parameter indicative of the variability of the transfer occurrence parameter P i.e. the transfer angle
- the standard deviation of the transfer occurrence parameter P of the previous weaving cycles comprising the predetermined number of immediately preceding weaving cycles is calculated and is used as a control parameter.
- the variability parameter represented by the standard deviation of the transfer occurrence parameter P is above an associated variability parameter threshold value or is outside an associated variability parameter value range, the braking force is increased so that, as shown in Fig. 8, with an increasing braking force the delay of the transfer is reduced and the variability of the transfer occurrence parameter P defining the position of transfer is also reduced.
- the levels of the braking force that are to be used in zones Z1 , Z2 and Z4 to Z6 are of less relevance for the correct transfer of the weft thread 14 from the inserting rapier 16 to the receiving rapier 18.
- the levels of the braking force for these zones Z1 , Z2 and Z4 to Z6, for example, may be adjusted to predetermined fixed values or may be proportional to the level of the braking zone Z3.
- the weft thread is kept under a sufficient high tension for avoiding a looping or ballooning thereof prior to and during the transfer from the inserting rapier to the receiving rapier and, thereby, ensuring that the transfer takes place within the weaving cycle at a desired point of time and transfer angle, respectively, with a rather low deviation from an optimum point of time and transfer angle, respectively. While this allows operating the weaving machine with a high speed of operation, i.e. a high number of rotations of the weaving machine main shaft and a corresponding high number of weaving cycles per minute, at the same time an excessive tensioning of the weft thread and the risk of a failure thereof can be avoided.
- the control is substantially independent of the operating speed of the weaving machine.
- the associated variability parameter threshold value and variability parameter value range can be used for the entire range of the operating speed at which a weaving machine can be operated.
- the variability parameter is also substantially independent of the type of the weft threads used in weaving processes. This is of particular advantage if, in one and the same weaving process, different types of weft threads can be selected by means of a weft selector.
- a weaving cycle is represented by one complete revolution of a weaving machine main shaft and the transfer occurrence parameter defining the position of the transfer of weft thread within such a weaving cycle is referred to as being an angular position of the weaving machine main shaft within the value range of 0° to 360°
- a weaving cycle can be defined in an other manner.
- the rotation or movement of an other component of a weaving machine that, as is the case with the weaving machine main shaft, repeats with each weaving cycle can be used as the basis for defining the weaving cycle and for defining the position of the transfer of a weft thread within a value range associated with such a repeated movement.
- a weaving cycle can also be determining in a time based manner.
- each weaving cycle takes 300 ms.
- the start of each weaving cycle may be triggered by a start command of the weaving machine controller, and the transfer occurrence parameter can be defined as being a particular point of time within the value range of 0 ms corresponding to the start of the weaving cycle and 300 ms corresponding to the end of the weaving cycle.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Looms (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202480036015.5A CN121219456A (en) | 2023-06-05 | 2024-04-30 | Methods of operating a loom |
| EP24722632.7A EP4536880A1 (en) | 2023-06-05 | 2024-04-30 | Method of operating a weaving machine |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP23177198.1 | 2023-06-05 | ||
| EP23177198.1A EP4474547A1 (en) | 2023-06-05 | 2023-06-05 | Method of operating a weaving machine |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2024251441A1 true WO2024251441A1 (en) | 2024-12-12 |
Family
ID=86692938
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2024/061861 Ceased WO2024251441A1 (en) | 2023-06-05 | 2024-04-30 | Method of operating a weaving machine |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (2) | EP4474547A1 (en) |
| CN (1) | CN121219456A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2024251441A1 (en) |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5476122A (en) * | 1993-03-05 | 1995-12-19 | Lindauer Dornier Gesellschaft Mbh | Weft thread brake responsive to yarn characteristics in a loom |
| US6418977B1 (en) * | 1998-12-18 | 2002-07-16 | Iro Patent Ag | Yarn processing system with weft yarn tension regulation |
| EP1314806B1 (en) * | 2001-07-25 | 2006-12-13 | L.G.L. Electronics S.p.A. | A control method and system for weft-braking devices for automatically adjusting the mechanical tension of the yarn in weaving maschines |
| EP1664412B1 (en) * | 2003-09-19 | 2009-05-27 | Iro Ab | Method for adaptively controlling an electrically actuated weft brake |
| WO2019082222A1 (en) | 2017-10-26 | 2019-05-02 | Santex Rimar Group S.R.L. | Gripper assembly for inserting the weft yarn in weaving looms without shuttle |
-
2023
- 2023-06-05 EP EP23177198.1A patent/EP4474547A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2024
- 2024-04-30 WO PCT/EP2024/061861 patent/WO2024251441A1/en not_active Ceased
- 2024-04-30 EP EP24722632.7A patent/EP4536880A1/en active Pending
- 2024-04-30 CN CN202480036015.5A patent/CN121219456A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5476122A (en) * | 1993-03-05 | 1995-12-19 | Lindauer Dornier Gesellschaft Mbh | Weft thread brake responsive to yarn characteristics in a loom |
| US6418977B1 (en) * | 1998-12-18 | 2002-07-16 | Iro Patent Ag | Yarn processing system with weft yarn tension regulation |
| EP1314806B1 (en) * | 2001-07-25 | 2006-12-13 | L.G.L. Electronics S.p.A. | A control method and system for weft-braking devices for automatically adjusting the mechanical tension of the yarn in weaving maschines |
| EP1664412B1 (en) * | 2003-09-19 | 2009-05-27 | Iro Ab | Method for adaptively controlling an electrically actuated weft brake |
| WO2019082222A1 (en) | 2017-10-26 | 2019-05-02 | Santex Rimar Group S.R.L. | Gripper assembly for inserting the weft yarn in weaving looms without shuttle |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP4536880A1 (en) | 2025-04-16 |
| EP4474547A1 (en) | 2024-12-11 |
| CN121219456A (en) | 2025-12-26 |
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