A sword rod weft insertion device with left and right side separated independent electric drive and three-dimensional special loom

Abstract

This invention discloses a rapier weft insertion device with independent electric drives on both sides, comprising a yarn-feeding side rapier weft insertion device and a yarn-receiving side rapier weft insertion device. The yarn-feeding side rapier weft insertion device includes a yarn-feeding side rapier belt and a yarn-feeding side rapier head device installed at the front end of the yarn-feeding side rapier belt. The yarn-feeding side rapier weft insertion device completes the rapier advance / retreat movement, weft yarn handover, and rapier belt height adjustment. The rapier advance / retreat movement of the yarn-feeding side rapier weft insertion device is driven by one yarn-feeding side motor, and the rapier belt height adjustment required for multi-layer weft insertion is driven by the other yarn-feeding side motor. The setting of the yarn-receiving side rapier weft insertion device is the same as that of the yarn-feeding side. The yarn-feeding side motors and the yarn-receiving side motors on both sides, as well as the weft yarn handover action, are coordinated and controlled by a weft insertion control system. The device of this invention can quickly adjust the height of the rapier belt, has low implementation cost, and ensures accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of textile machinery manufacturing and relates to a device for a three-dimensional special loom used to produce three-dimensional woven composite material preforms. Background Technology

[0002] Rapier looms are a widely used type of shuttleless loom. In commonly used flexible rapier looms, the flexible rapier belt is divided into left and right sides. Each rapier belt has a rapier head at its end. The left (or right) side is the feed head, carrying the weft yarn into the shed; the right (or left) side is the receiving head. During weft insertion, the two rapier belts move towards each other. The left rapier belt carries the yarn to the right and enters the shed, while the right rapier belt moves to the left and also enters the shed. The two rapier heads meet and contact in the middle of the shed, activating the mechanical mechanism in the rapier head. The feed head then hands the weft yarn to the receiving head, completing the weft yarn transfer. Afterward, the two rapier belts move in opposite directions, the left rapier belt moving to the left and the right rapier belt moving to the right, exiting the shed. At this point, the receiving head of the right rapier belt, holding the weft yarn, exits the shed, completing the weft insertion.

[0003] The two warp heads collide and meet during high-speed movement to complete the weft yarn handover. Reliability requirements are extremely high; therefore, the warp heads must be very robust, impact-resistant, collision-resistant, and abrasion-resistant. They are often made of alloy materials, making it difficult to reduce their size and weight. Furthermore, to ensure the two warp heads meet face-to-face, the speed control and positioning accuracy of the warp belt and drive mechanism must be very high. Otherwise, weft yarn handover failure may occur, or even accidents such as cutting warp yarns or damage to the warp heads, belt guides, and hooks due to collisions may happen.

[0004] To ensure the motion control accuracy and reliable operation of the two sword belts, a single motor is commonly used to drive them, with a mechanical system connecting the two sword-feeding mechanisms for synchronous movement. For wide fabrics, the implementation of this two-sided mechanical synchronous linkage mechanism becomes more difficult and costly. For three-dimensional multilayer fabrics requiring composite materials, the height of the sword belts needs to be adjusted synchronously on both sides, which is even more challenging to achieve.

[0005] Specifically, current three-dimensional multilayer fabrics will inevitably use multilayer weft insertion in the weaving process. For such multilayer fabrics with thickness (e.g., 200mm), the shedding device must be layered, and the center height of each layer of the shed is different (e.g., the difference between the top and bottom layers is 200mm). Therefore, the weft insertion device must adjust the height of the rapier before weft insertion so that it is aligned with the center height of each layer of the shed.

[0006] Traditional rapier looms have mechanical linkage between the left and right sides. This kind of mechanical linkage device can only adjust the height of the left and right sides as a whole. If the fabric width is 2 meters, this weft insertion device is a very bulky and heavy machine. The cost of quickly adjusting the height is extremely high, and the accuracy is also difficult to guarantee.

[0007] If the weft insertion device is made into an independent electrically driven device with separate left and right sides as shown in this embodiment, it is easy to quickly adjust the height of the sword belt, the cost is very low, and the accuracy can be guaranteed. However, this kind of system with independent left and right sword insertion, especially the device without a guide hook to guide the sword belt and with the sword belt independently suspended in the air, is difficult to align when the two sword tips meet in space. Even the situation of each weft will be different, with deviations, or even large deviations.

[0008] Existing weft yarn splicing technology relies heavily on the high-precision alignment of the two rapier heads. The mechanical linkage of the two rapier shafts and the positioning and guiding rapier belts with guide hooks throughout the shed are all designed to ensure the high-precision alignment of the two rapier heads in the middle of the fabric width, thereby ensuring the weft yarn splicing between the yarn feeding rapier head and the yarn receiving rapier head. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a rapier weft insertion device with independent electric drive on the left and right sides and a three-dimensional special weaving, which can realize rapid adjustment of the rapier height, and the implementation cost is very low while ensuring accuracy.

[0010] To achieve the above-mentioned technical objectives and effects, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0011] A rapier weft insertion device with independent electric drives on both sides includes a yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device and a yarn receiving side rapier weft insertion device. The yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device includes a yarn feeding side rapier belt and a yarn feeding side rapier head device installed at the front end of the yarn feeding side rapier belt. The yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device completes the rapier advance / retreat movement, weft yarn handover, and rapier belt height adjustment. The rapier advance / retreat movement of the yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device is driven by a first yarn feeding side motor, and the rapier belt height adjustment required for multi-layer weft insertion is driven by a second yarn feeding side motor. Completed; the yarn-joining side rapier weft insertion device includes a yarn-joining side rapier belt and a yarn-joining side rapier head device installed at the front end of the yarn-joining side rapier belt. The yarn-joining side rapier weft insertion device completes the rapier advance / retreat movement, weft yarn handover, and rapier belt height adjustment. The rapier advance / retreat movement of the yarn-joining side rapier weft insertion device is driven by a first yarn-joining side motor, and the rapier belt height adjustment required for multi-layer weft insertion is driven by a second yarn-joining side motor. The yarn feeding side motor and the yarn-joining side motor on both sides, as well as the weft yarn handover action, are coordinated and controlled by a weft insertion control system.

[0012] Furthermore, the yarn feeding side rapier and the yarn receiving side rapier are both flexible rapiers. The flexible rapier is rigid in the direction of gravity and can be cantilevered to allow it to move freely in and out of the loom shed space under load. The load includes the weight of the rapier head device, the weight of the rapier, the weight of the weft yarn, and the force exerted when the weft yarns intersect. "Free movement in and out" means that the rapier does not rub against the warp yarns forming the shed when it enters or exits the shed. The flexible rapier is also rigid in its natural state in the horizontal direction. By applying an external force, the flexible rapier can be bent and deformed in the horizontal direction along the length of the rapier, allowing it to be bent and stored outside the loom shed. When the external force is removed, the flexible rapier returns to its rigidity in the horizontal direction.

[0013] Furthermore, the yarn feeding side scimitar head device and the yarn receiving side scimitar head device are respectively scimitar head devices for interchanging weft yarns in the air; the interchanging weft yarns in the air means that the yarn feeding side scimitar head device and the yarn receiving side scimitar head device have no mechanical contact, and the weft yarns are interchanging by separating the distance of the weft yarn interchanging area.

[0014] Furthermore, the yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device includes a base, on which a linear module driven by a second yarn feeding side motor is mounted. The linear module drives a linear slide table, which is connected to a platform via a platform plate. A reel driven by a first yarn feeding side motor is mounted on the platform. The reel receives or feeds the yarn feeding side rapier tape, and a guide roller stabilizes the rapier tape's feeding direction. A stabilizing guide mechanism consisting of guide columns and guide sleeves is respectively provided between the four corners of the platform and the base. The yarn receiving side rapier weft insertion device has the same structural layout as the yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device.

[0015] Another objective of this invention is to provide a three-dimensional special loom, which includes the left and right independently electrically driven rapier weft insertion device.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] The rapier weft insertion device of the present invention, which is independently electrically driven on the left and right sides, can quickly adjust the height of the rapier weft, and is low in cost while ensuring accuracy.

[0018] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to better understand the technical means of the present invention and to implement it according to the contents of the specification, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Specific embodiments of the present invention are given in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the rapier weft insertion device with separate and independent electric drives on the left and right sides according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the flexible sword belt of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the flexible sword belt of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the flexible sword belt of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of weft yarn exchange via airflow according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of weft yarn transfer via ejection, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the left-side rapier weft insertion device of the independent electric drive of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0028] It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, upper end, lower end, top, bottom, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly. Example 1:

[0029] See Figure 1This diagram illustrates a rapier weft insertion device with separate left and right sides and independent electric drives. It includes a yarn-feeding side rapier weft insertion device 6 and a yarn-receiving side rapier weft insertion device 1. The yarn-feeding side rapier weft insertion device 6 includes a yarn-feeding side rapier belt 5 and a yarn-feeding side rapier head device 4 installed at the front end of the yarn-feeding side rapier belt. The yarn-feeding side rapier weft insertion device 6 performs the forward / backward movement of the rapier, weft yarn handover, and rapier belt height adjustment. The forward / backward movement of the yarn-feeding side rapier weft insertion device 6 is driven by a first yarn-feeding side motor 7, and the rapier belt height adjustment required for multi-layer weft insertion is driven by a second yarn-feeding side motor. The machine 8 is driven to complete the operation; the weft insertion device 1 on the yarn receiving side includes a yarn receiving side rapier belt 2 and a yarn receiving side rapier head device 3 installed at the front end of the yarn receiving side rapier belt. The weft insertion device 1 on the yarn receiving side completes the advance / retraction movement, weft yarn handover, and rapier belt height adjustment; the advance / retraction movement of the weft insertion device 1 on the yarn receiving side is driven by the first yarn receiving side motor, and the rapier belt height adjustment required for multi-layer weft insertion is driven by the second yarn receiving side motor; the yarn feeding side motor and the yarn receiving side motor on both sides, as well as the weft yarn handover action, are controlled collaboratively by a weft insertion control system.

[0030] Furthermore, the yarn feeding side rapier belt 5 and the yarn receiving side rapier belt 2 are both flexible rapier belts;

[0031] The flexible rapier belt is rigid in the direction of gravity, and can be cantilevered to allow it to move freely in and out of the loom shed space under load. The load includes the weight of the rapier head device, the weight of the rapier belt, the weight of the weft yarn, and the force exerted when the weft yarns intersect. "Free movement in and out" means that the rapier belt does not rub against the warp yarns forming the shed when it enters or exits the shed. The flexible rapier belt is also rigid in its natural state in the horizontal direction. By applying an external force, the flexible rapier belt can be bent and deformed in the horizontal direction along its length, allowing it to be bent and stored outside the loom shed. When the external force is removed, the flexible rapier belt returns to its rigidity in the horizontal direction.

[0032] Furthermore, the yarn feeding side scimitar head device 4 and the yarn receiving side scimitar head device 3 are scimitar head devices for interchanging weft yarns in the air; the interchanging weft yarns in the air means that the yarn feeding side scimitar head device 4 and the yarn receiving side scimitar head device 3 have no mechanical contact, and the weft yarns are interchanged by the distance between the weft yarn interchanging area.

[0033] Preferred, see Figure 2As shown, the flexible scimitar belt is a thin-walled tubular structure with an elliptical cross-section. A row of through holes is formed on the front and rear straight walls of the thin-walled tubular structure, and the corresponding through holes on the front and rear walls are staggered. Creases are provided at the intersections of the upper and lower arcuate walls and the major axis of the thin-walled tubular structure. The scimitar belt is rigid in the direction of gravity and can cantilever the weight of the scimitar belt itself, the weight of the scimitar head assembly, the weight of the weft yarn, etc., within its length. The scimitar belt is compressible in the horizontal direction; this compression deformation is the elastic deformation of the tube wall. After compression deformation, the scimitar belt is flexible in the horizontal direction and can be coiled and stored on a scimitar belt reel. In the uncompressed state, the tube wall of the scimitar belt elastically recovers to an elliptical shape. The major axis of the ellipse is defined as the direction of gravity, and the minor axis as the horizontal direction. The major axis extends along the central axis of the thin-walled tubular structure to form the major axis surface, and the minor axis extends along the central axis of the thin-walled tubular structure to form the minor axis surface.

[0034] Preferred, see Figure 3 As shown, the flexible sword belt has a link-type structure, which is composed of several link blocks connected in series by elastic wires, and the preceding link block is interlocked with the following link block; each link block is provided with a pivot portion and a shaft hole portion; the shaft hole portion of the preceding link block is sleeved on the pivot portion of the following link block, and the paired pivot portions and shaft holes form a hinge structure; the link-type sword belt is rigid in the direction of gravity and can be cantilevered. The link-type rapier belt is kept able to move freely in and out of the shed space of the loom under load; the load includes the weight of the link-type rapier belt itself, the weight of the rapier head, the weight of the weft yarn, and the force when it intersects with the weft yarn of the opposite rapier head; the link-type rapier belt can be pivoted and curled up for storage in the horizontal direction; definition: the axial direction of the hinge structure is the direction of gravity, the pivoting direction of the hinge structure is the horizontal direction, and the free movement in and out means that the rapier belt device does not rub against the warp yarns forming the shed when it enters or exits the shed.

[0035] Preferred, see Figure 4 As shown, the flexible scimitar belt is a segmented airbag structure, which is composed of several airbag sections along its length. Each airbag section includes an airbag, an air inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe connecting the airbag, several compression valves for controlling the opening / closing of the air inlet pipe and the air outlet pipe, and an air passage for supplying air to the airbag.

[0036] Preferred, see Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the weft yarn is transferred through airflow. The left side of the figure is the airflow yarn feeding side, and the right side is the airflow yarn receiving side.

[0037] Preferred, see Figure 6As shown in the figure, the weft yarn is transferred by ejection. The left side of the figure is the ejection side, and the right side is the receiving side.

[0038] Furthermore, the yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device includes a base 9, on which a linear module 10 driven by a second yarn feeding side motor 8 is mounted. The linear module 10 drives a linear slide table 11, which is connected to a platform 13 via a platform plate 12. A reel 14 driven by a first yarn feeding side motor 7 is mounted on the platform 13. The reel 14 receives or feeds the yarn feeding side rapier belt 5, and a guide roller 15 stabilizes the rapier belt 5's feeding direction. A stabilizing guide mechanism consisting of guide posts 16 and guide sleeves 17 is respectively provided between the four corners of the platform 13 and the base 9. When the second yarn feeding side motor 8 drives the linear module 11, the entire platform 13 moves up and down with the linear module slide table 10, thereby achieving rapier belt height adjustment. The guide sleeve 3 and the guide column ensure that the table remains horizontal and stable during vertical displacement; the yarn receiving side rapier weft insertion device has the same structural layout as the yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device.

[0039] In this embodiment, the solution does not rely on the high-precision intersection and docking of the two sides of the weft yarn, or even the two sides of the weft yarn do not contact each other. It allows for "air-to-air intersection" of weft yarns within a certain range, as well as "suspended entry of the weft yarn" that can freely enter and exit the shed. Therefore, the independent electrically driven weft insertion device with separate left and right sides in this embodiment is feasible. Example 2:

[0040] A three-dimensional special loom includes a rapier weft insertion device with separate and independently electrically driven left and right sides as shown in Embodiment 1.

[0041] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rapier weft insertion device with independent electric drives on the left and right sides, characterized in that: It includes a yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device (6) and a yarn receiving side rapier weft insertion device (1). The yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device (6) includes a yarn feeding side rapier belt (5) and a yarn feeding side rapier head device (4) installed at the front end of the yarn feeding side rapier belt. The yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device (6) completes the rapier advance / retreat movement, weft yarn handover, and rapier belt height adjustment. The rapier advance / retreat movement of the yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device (6) is driven by a first yarn feeding side motor (7), and the rapier belt height adjustment required for multi-layer weft insertion is driven by another second yarn feeding side motor (8). The weft insertion device (1) on the yarn-joining side includes a weft-joining side rapier belt (2) and a weft-joining side rapier head device (3) installed at the front end of the weft-joining side rapier belt. The weft insertion device (1) on the yarn-joining side completes the advance / retraction movement, weft yarn handover, and rapier belt height adjustment. The advance / retraction movement of the weft insertion device (1) on the yarn-joining side is driven by a first yarn-joining side motor, and the rapier belt height adjustment required for multi-layer weft insertion is driven by another second yarn-joining side motor. The first and second yarn feeding side motors (7, 8) and the first and second yarn receiving side motors and the weft yarn handover action on both sides are controlled in concert by a weft insertion control system. The yarn feeding side scimitar belt (5) and the yarn receiving side scimitar belt (2) are both flexible scimitar belts; The flexible rapier belt is rigid in the direction of gravity and can be cantilevered to allow it to move freely in and out of the loom shed space under load. The load includes the weight of the rapier head device, the weight of the rapier belt, the weight of the weft yarn, and the force when the weft yarns intersect. The free movement means that the flexible rapier belt does not rub against the warp yarns that form the shed when it moves in and out of the shed. The flexible rapier belt is also rigid in its natural state in the horizontal direction. By applying an external force, the flexible rapier belt can be bent and deformed in the horizontal direction along the length of the rapier belt, and can be bent and stored outside the shed of the loom. When the external force is removed, the flexible rapier belt returns to rigidity in the horizontal direction. The yarn feeding side scimitar head device (4) and the yarn receiving side scimitar head device (3) are respectively scimitar head devices for intersecting weft yarns in the air; The term "air-to-air weft yarn transfer" refers to the fact that the yarn feeding side scimitar head device (4) and the yarn receiving side scimitar head device (3) have no mechanical contact, and the weft yarn transfer is completed by separating the weft yarn transfer area.

2. The rapier weft insertion device with separate left and right sides and independent electric drive as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible scimitar is a thin-walled tubular structure with an elliptical cross-section.

3. The rapier weft insertion device with separate left and right sides and independent electric drive as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible sword belt is a link-type structure composed of several link blocks connected in series by elastic wire.

4. The rapier weft insertion device with separate left and right sides and independent electric drive according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible scimitar belt is a segmented airbag structure composed of several airbag segments.

5. The rapier weft insertion device with separate left and right sides and independent electric drive according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air-to-air weft yarns are joined by airflow.

6. The rapier weft insertion device with separate left and right sides and independent electric drive according to claim 1, characterized in that: The weft yarns are joined remotely by means of ejection.

7. The rapier weft insertion device with separate left and right sides and independent electric drive according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: The yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device includes a base (9), on which a linear module (10) driven by a second yarn feeding side motor (8) is provided. The linear module (10) drives a linear slide (11), and the linear slide is connected to a platform (13) through a platform plate (12). A reel (14) driven by a first yarn feeding side motor (7) is provided on the platform (13). The reel (14) receives or sends out the yarn feeding side rapier belt (5). The direction of the yarn feeding side rapier belt (5) is stabilized by a guide roller (15). A stabilizing guide mechanism composed of a guide column (16) and a guide sleeve (17) is provided between the four corners of the platform (13) and the base (9). The yarn receiving side rapier weft insertion device has the same structural layout as the yarn feeding side rapier weft insertion device.

8. A three-dimensional special loom, characterized in that: Includes the rapier weft insertion device with separate and independent electric drives on the left and right sides as described in claim 7.

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