Tension applying device for air jet loom

Abstract

To provide a tension applying device for an air jet loom capable of suppressing accumulation of cotton fly into a gap defined by dents.SOLUTION: An air jet loom 100 comprises a reed 10 and a tension applying device 30. The reed 10 has a weft guide passage and a plurality of gaps 10b. A stretch air exhaust port 31d and a projection 50 are disposed on the upper face 31c of the passage part of the tension applying device 30. The projection 50 comes into contact with the dents 11 defining the gaps 10b facing the stretch air exhaust port 31d, and expands the gap of the dents 11. The air accompanied by cotton fly is discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d. The projection 50 suppresses the accumulation of the cotton fly discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d into the gap 10b by expanding the gap 10b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tension applying device in an air jet loom.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an air jet loom has a reed formed by arranging a plurality of reed blades side by side in the weft insertion direction, and inserts the weft along a weft guiding passage provided in the reed. Each reed blade is arranged at equal intervals in the weft insertion direction. A gap is formed between each reed blade and the adjacent reed blade. The warp passes through the gap located within the weaving width.

[0003] An air jet loom is provided with a tension applying device that applies tension to the inserted weft. The tension applying device contributes to the weaving of high-quality woven fabric by applying tension to the weft flying through the weft guiding passage to suppress loosening of the weft. For example, the weft tension applying device described in Patent Document 1 includes an upper part of the mechanism that is a passage defining part where a weft flying passage is formed, and a lower part of the mechanism where a stretch air passage is formed. An air vent hole, which is an exhaust port opening on the upper surface of the weft flying passage, is formed in the upper part of the mechanism.

[0004] Further, the weft tension applying device described in Patent Document 1 includes an air blow injection port of an air blow nozzle and a stretch air injection port that injects air in a direction different from the direction along the weft flying passage. The air blow nozzle injects air along the weft flying passage to introduce the weft into the weft flying passage and apply tension to the weft Y. The stretch air injection port injects the air supplied from the stretch air passage against the weft introduced into the weft flying passage. The air injected by the stretch air injection port is exhausted outside the upper part of the mechanism through the air vent hole after applying tension to the weft in the weft flying passage. The air exhausted from the air vent hole passes through the gap above the air vent hole.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-014545 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] During weaving, the floating cotton generated may be discharged outside the upper part of the mechanism together with the air exhausted from the air vent through the weft flying passage and the air vent. The floating cotton discharged outside the upper part of the mechanism may accumulate in the gap above the air vent. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0007] The tension applying device in an air jet loom for solving the above problems inserts the weft along the weft guiding passage provided in the reed, and a plurality of reed blades are arranged in the weft inserting direction of the weft. A tension applying device is provided in an air jet loom in which a gap is defined between each reed blade and the adjacent reed blade, and has a passage defining portion that defines a weft flying passage extending along the weft guiding passage. The passage defining portion has an upper surface facing the upper wall of the reed that defines the weft guiding passage, and an exhaust port that opens on the upper surface and communicates with the weft flying passage. The exhaust port faces at least one of the plurality of gaps, and is a tension applying device in an air jet loom that injects air toward the weft flying passage to apply tension to the weft and discharges the air from the exhaust port, and the passage defining portion is provided with a protrusion that expands the gap facing the exhaust port by contacting the reed blade. This is the gist.

[0008] According to this, the tension applying device presses the weft yarn against the opening edge on the weft yarn flying passage side of the exhaust port by injecting air toward the weft yarn flying passage. The tension applying device applies tension to the weft yarn by pressing the weft yarn against the opening edge of the exhaust port. Along with the application of tension to the weft yarn, air is discharged from the exhaust port to the outside of the passage defining portion. The air discharged to the outside of the passage defining portion flows into the gap. The protrusion provided in the passage defining portion expands the gap facing the exhaust port by expanding the interval between the reed blades facing the exhaust port in the weft insertion direction. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of the air fluff discharged from the exhaust port in the gap facing the exhaust port. As a result, the tension applying device in the air jet loom can suppress the accumulation of air fluff in the gap. From the above, the present invention can suppress the accumulation of air fluff in the gap.

[0009] In the tension applying device in the air jet loom, the protrusion may be provided on the upper surface. According to this, the amount of expansion of the gap by the protrusion is the largest at the location in contact with the protrusion due to the elastic deformation of the reed blade, and becomes smaller as it moves away from the protrusion in the direction along the reed blade. That is, the distance from the exhaust port to the protrusion is likely to be smaller than the expanded gap as it moves away in the direction along the reed blade. Therefore, the tension applying device in the air jet loom can expand the gap directly above the exhaust port to a desired width by providing the protrusion in the same plane as the exhaust port.

[0010] In the tension applying device in the air jet loom, the reed has a back wall that defines the weft yarn guiding passage in the front-rear direction orthogonal to each of the weft insertion direction and the vertical direction, and the protrusion may be provided between the exhaust port and the back wall.

[0011] According to this, on the upper surface, the protrusion is provided on the back wall side in the front-rear direction rather than the exhaust port. In this case, the width of the gap enlarged by the protrusion is larger on the exhaust port side than the protrusion and smaller on the back wall side than the protrusion. For example, by providing a protrusion on the back wall side of the upper surface of the air jet loom rather than on the opposite side of the back wall from the exhaust port in the air jet loom, the width of the gap directly above the exhaust port can be increased compared to the case where the protrusion is provided on the opposite side of the back wall from the exhaust port. As a result, in the tension applying device of the air jet loom, the protrusion can increase the width of the gap directly above the exhaust port.

[0012] In the tension applying device of the air jet loom, the width of the protrusion in the weft insertion direction may decrease as the protrusion moves away from the exhaust port in the front-rear direction orthogonal to each of the weft insertion direction and the vertical direction.

[0013] According to this, when inserting the passage defining part into the weft guiding passage, the passage defining part is moved along the front-rear direction toward the reed. The width of the protrusion in the weft insertion direction decreases as the protrusion moves from the exhaust port toward the reed. For this reason, the width of the gap into which the protrusion is inserted increases as the width in the weft insertion direction increases with the insertion of the protrusion. Therefore, the tension applying device of the air jet loom can more easily insert the passage defining part into the weft guiding passage compared to the case where the protrusion has a cross-sectional shape with a uniform width when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0014] In addition, since the protrusion has the above structure, the tension applying device can insert the passage defining part into the weft guiding passage while gradually increasing the width of the gap. As a result, the tension applying device of the air jet loom can increase the width of the gap by the protrusion while reducing the load applied to the reed blade.

[0015] In the tension applying device of the air jet loom, the width of the protrusion in the weft insertion direction may decrease as the protrusion moves away from the upper surface in the vertical direction. According to this, the width of the protrusion in the weft insertion direction has a shape that becomes smaller in the weft insertion direction as it moves away from the upper surface of the passage defining portion in the vertical direction. Therefore, the protrusion has the largest width in the weft insertion direction on the upper surface side in the vertical direction, and expands the interval between the reed blades at the location where the width is the largest. That is, the tension applying device can reduce the contact area between the protrusion and the reed blades compared to the case where the protrusion has a cross-sectional shape with a uniform width when viewed from the front-rear direction. As a result, the tension applying device in the air jet loom can reduce the load on the reed blades caused by the protrusion.

[0016] In the tension applying device in the above air jet loom, the width of the protrusion in the weft insertion direction may be equal to or less than the maximum dimension of the exhaust port in the weft insertion direction. According to this, the width of the gap that can be expanded by the protrusion is equal to or less than the maximum dimension of the exhaust port in the weft insertion direction. The accumulation of air-entrained cotton that can affect the exhaust of air by the exhaust port occurs in the gap located directly above the exhaust port. That is, the width of the gap that it is desirable to secure by the protrusion corresponds to the maximum dimension of the exhaust port in the weft insertion direction. Also, expanding the width of the gap beyond the maximum dimension by the protrusion applies a load to each reed blade whose interval is expanded by the protrusion. Therefore, the tension applying device in the air jet loom can suppress the load applied to the reed blades that define the gap and reduce the accumulation of air-entrained cotton in the gap by setting the width of the gap that the protrusion can expand to be equal to or less than the maximum dimension of the exhaust port.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of air-entrained cotton in the gap defined by the reed blades.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a tension applying device in an air jet loom is embodied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. <Air jet loom> As shown in FIG. 1, an air jet loom 100 includes a main nozzle M, a sub-nozzle S, a reed 10, a sley 20, and a tension applying device 30. The reed 10 is provided with a weft guiding passage 10a through which the weft yarn Y flies. The direction in which the weft guiding passage 10a extends coincides with the longitudinal direction of the sley 20. The main nozzle M inserts the weft yarn Y into the weft guiding passage 10a. That is, the air jet loom 100 inserts the weft yarn Y along the weft guiding passage 10a provided in the reed 10. The weft yarn Y flies in the longitudinal direction of the sley 20. The direction in which the weft yarn Y flies is referred to as the weft insertion direction W. Hereinafter, in the weft insertion direction W, the side where the main nozzle M is located is referred to as the "upstream" side, and the side opposite to the upstream in the weft insertion direction W is referred to as the "downstream" side.

[0020] After the weft yarn Y is inserted, the air jet loom 100 performs reed beating by the reed 10. When performing reed beating, the direction in which the reed 10 moves is referred to as the front-rear direction FB. The front-rear direction FB is orthogonal to the weft insertion direction W. The direction orthogonal to each of the weft insertion direction W and the front-rear direction FB is referred to as the up-down direction UD. The up-down direction UD coincides with the vertical direction.

[0021] In an air jet loom 100, the reed 10 and the weft yarn Y are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction FB. The air jet loom 100 weaves a woven fabric C. In the front-rear direction FB, the direction in which the woven fabric C is wound is described as the "front" side, and the opposite direction is described as the "rear" side.

[0022] <Main nozzle and sub-nozzle> The main nozzle M is provided on the sley 20. The main nozzle M is fixed on the upstream side of the weft insertion direction W in the sley 20. The main nozzle M inserts the weft yarn Y along the weft guiding passage 10a. The main nozzle M is attached to the sley 20 so as to be position adjustable in the weft insertion direction W.

[0023] The sub-nozzle S is fixed to the sley 20. The sub-nozzle S injects air toward the weft guiding passage 10a. The injection direction of the air from the sub-nozzle S is along the weft insertion direction W. Then, the weft yarn Y flies through the weft guiding passage 10a in the weft insertion direction W due to the air injection action of the main nozzle M and the sub-nozzle S.

[0024] <Reed> The reed 10 has a plurality of reed blades 11 and a holding member 12. The holding member 12 holds the plurality of reed blades 11. The plurality of reed blades 11 are arranged in a row in the weft insertion direction W of the weft yarn Y. That is, in the air jet loom 100, a plurality of reed blades 11 are arranged side by side in the weft insertion direction W of the weft yarn Y. A gap 10b is defined between adjacent reed blades 11 in the weft insertion direction W. In other words, in the reed 10, a gap 10b is defined between each reed blade 11 and the adjacent reed blade 11. The reed 10 is provided with a plurality of gaps 10b. The warp yarns T are passed through the gaps 10b. However, the warp yarns T do not pass through the gaps 10b at the locations where the tension applying device 30 described later is installed. In the reed 10, the interval between each gap 10b is constant except for the gap 10b into which the protrusion 50 shown in FIG. 2 is inserted.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the reed blade 11 has a recess 13. The recess 13 is recessed from the front surface of the reed blade 11 toward the rear surface of the reed blade 11. The reed blade 11 has a back edge 13a, an upper edge 13b, and a lower edge 13c. The recess 13 is defined by the back edge 13a, the upper edge 13b, and the lower edge 13c. The back edge 13a is at the position that retreats the most from the front surface of the reed blade 11 when viewed in the weft insertion direction W. The back edge 13a extends in the vertical direction UD of the reed blade 11. The upper edge 13b extends from the upper end of the back edge 13a toward the front surface. The upper edge 13b extends in the front-rear direction FB of the reed blade 11. The lower edge 13c extends from the lower end of the back edge 13a toward the front surface. The lower edge 13c extends in the front-rear direction FB of the reed blade 11. Note that the weft guiding passage 10a is formed by arranging the recesses 13 of all the reed blades 11 in the weft insertion direction W.

[0026] The reed 10 has a back wall 10c, an upper wall 10d, and a lower wall 10e. The back wall 10c is the portion where a plurality of back edges 13a are arranged in the reed 10. Therefore, the back wall 10c is formed by arranging a plurality of back edges 13a in the weft insertion direction W. The upper wall 10d is the portion where a plurality of upper edges 13b are arranged in the reed 10. Therefore, the upper wall 10d is formed by arranging a plurality of upper edges 13b in the weft insertion direction W. The lower wall 10e is the portion where a plurality of lower edges 13c are arranged in the reed 10. Therefore, the lower wall 10e is formed by arranging a plurality of lower edges 13c in the weft insertion direction W. The weft guiding passage 10a is defined by the back wall 10c, the upper wall 10d, and the lower wall 10e. That is, the reed 10 has a back wall 10c that defines the weft guiding passage 10a.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the warp thread T passes through the gap 10b. The warp thread T extends in the front-rear direction FB. The air jet loom 100 weaves the woven fabric C with the weft thread Y and the warp thread T. The woven fabric C produced is spread in front of the air jet loom 100. The ear thread T1 passes through the gap 10b on the upstream side of the tension applying device 30. The ear thread T1 forms the waste ear C1 together with the weft thread Y.

[0028] <Tension applying device> The tension applying device 30 captures the tip of the weft yarn Y and applies tension to the weft yarn Y. Further, the tension applying device 30 suppresses the slack of the weft yarn Y by applying appropriate tension to the weft yarn Y.

[0029] The tension applying device 30 is arranged side by side in front of the reed 10. The tension applying device 30 is located at the tip side position of the weft yarn Y inserted into the weft insertion passage 10a and is arranged downstream of the ear yarn T1 of the waste ear C1 in the weft insertion direction W.

[0030] The tension applying device 30 includes a passage defining portion 31 and a supply portion 32. The tension applying device 30 is fixed to the sley 20 by attaching the first end side of the supply portion 32 in the vertical direction UD to the sley 20.

[0031] The passage defining portion 31 is cylindrical. The passage defining portion 31 is provided at the second end side of the supply portion 32 in the vertical direction UD. The passage defining portion 31 is arranged in the weft guiding passage 10a. The passage defining portion 31 is accommodated in the weft guiding passage 10a. The passage defining portion 31 is arranged across a plurality of reed blades 11.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the passage defining portion 31 has a passage portion rear surface 31e and a passage portion upper surface 31c which is the upper surface. The passage portion rear surface 31e is a surface along a plurality of inner edges 13a among the outer surfaces of the passage defining portion 31. The passage portion upper surface 31c is a surface along a plurality of upper edges 13b among the outer surfaces of the passage defining portion 31. In other words, the passage defining portion 31 has the passage portion upper surface 31c facing the upper wall 10d of the reed 10 that defines the weft guiding passage 10a.

[0033] The passage defining portion 31 is in contact with the reed 10 at each of the passage portion rear surface 31e and the passage portion upper surface 31c. That is, the tension applying device 30 is in contact with a plurality of reed blades 11 at each of the passage portion rear surface 31e and the passage portion upper surface 31c.

[0034] The passage defining portion 31 defines a weft flying passage 31a. The weft flying passage 31a extends along the weft insertion direction W. That is, the passage defining portion 31 defines a weft flying passage 31a that extends along the weft guiding passage 10a. The yarn inlet 30b of the weft flying passage 31a opens on the upstream side of the passage defining portion 31 in the weft insertion direction W. The weft yarn Y is introduced into the weft flying passage 31a from the yarn inlet 30b. The yarn outlet 30c of the weft flying passage 31a opens on the downstream side of the passage defining portion 31 in the weft insertion direction W.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the passage defining portion 31 has an air injection portion 34. The air injection portion 34 is provided with a first air injection port 34a. The first air injection port 34a is connected to the first air supply pipe 41 and injects the air supplied by the first air supply pipe 41 into the weft flying passage 31a.

[0036] The supply portion 32 is located in front of the passage defining portion 31 in the front-back direction FB and below the passage defining portion 31 in the up-down direction UD. The supply portion 32 is connected to the passage defining portion 31 at the upper end and is attached to the sley 20 at the lower end.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, a stretch air passage 32a is defined in the supply portion 32. The stretch air passage 32a extends in the up-down direction UD inside the supply portion 32. The stretch air passage 32a is connected to the second air supply pipe 42 shown in FIG. 1 at the lower end, and a second air injection port 32b is formed at the upper end. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the second air injection port 32b opens toward the inside of the weft flying passage 31a. That is, the stretch air passage 32a communicates with the weft flying passage 31a via the second air injection port 32b. Further, the stretch air passage 32a extends in a direction different from that of the weft flying passage 31a, and the second air injection port 32b opens in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the weft flying passage 31a extends.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the passage defining portion 31 has a passage defining inner surface 31b that defines a weft flying passage 31a. The passage defining portion 31 has a stretch air exhaust port 31d that is an exhaust port. The stretch air exhaust port 31d opens at the passage defining inner surface 31b and the upper surface 31c of the passage portion. The stretch air exhaust port 31d is aligned with the second air injection port 32b in the front-rear direction FB and is above the stretch air exhaust port 31d in the vertical direction UD. The air injected from the second air injection port 32b into the weft flying passage 31a is discharged to the outside of the tension applying device 30 from the stretch air exhaust port 31d after crossing the weft flying passage 31a. That is, the passage defining portion 31 has a stretch air exhaust port 31d that opens at the upper surface 31c of the passage portion and communicates with the weft flying passage 31a.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, the tension applying device 30 is provided on the front side of the reed 10. The tension applying device 30 is provided in the air jet loom 100 such that the weft flying passage 31a partitions a part of the weft guiding passage 10a in the weft insertion direction W. The tension applying device 30 is provided in the air jet loom 100 such that the upper surface 31c of the passage portion faces the upper wall 10d and the rear surface 31e of the passage portion faces the back wall 10c. The upper surface 31c of the passage portion is in contact with the upper wall 10d. Also, the rear surface 31e of the passage portion is in contact with the back wall 10c. That is, the passage defining portion 31 is in contact with the reed 10 at each of the upper surface 31c and the rear surface 31e of the passage portion.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the stretch air exhaust port 31d faces a part of the upper wall 10d. In other words, the stretch air exhaust port 31d faces the upper edges 13b each of some of the reed blades 11 that constitute the reed 10. The stretch air exhaust port 31d faces each of the gaps 10b defined by each of the some of the reed blades 11. That is, the stretch air exhaust port 31d faces at least one of the plurality of gaps 10b provided in the reed 10. The gap 10b facing the stretch air exhaust port 31d communicates with the weft flying passage 31a through the stretch air exhaust port 31d.

[0041] <Protrusion> As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the tension applying device 30 has a protrusion 50. The protrusion 50 is provided on the upper surface 31c of the passage portion. The protrusion 50 is integrally formed with the passage defining portion 31. Note that the protrusion 50 may be provided by joining it to the upper surface 31c of the passage portion after being manufactured separately from the passage defining portion 31.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the protrusion 50 has a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction FB. The first end in the longitudinal direction of the protrusion 50 is the front end in the front-rear direction FB, and the second end in the longitudinal direction of the protrusion 50 is the rear end in the front-rear direction FB. The protrusion 50 has a shape in which the width in the weft insertion direction W decreases from the first end to the second end in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the protrusion 50 expands the width in the weft insertion direction W from the second end to the first end in the longitudinal direction. The protrusion 50 has a protrusion front surface 51 and a protrusion rear surface 52 as end surfaces in the longitudinal direction. The protrusion front surface 51 is the front end surface in the front-rear direction FB, and the protrusion rear surface 52 is the rear end surface in the front-rear direction FB. Each of the protrusion front surface 51 and the protrusion rear surface 52 is perpendicular to the upper surface 31c of the passage portion and is continuous with the upper surface 31c of the passage portion.

[0043] The protrusion front surface 51 is aligned with the protrusion rear surface 52 in the front-rear direction FB and expands the width in the weft insertion direction W more than the protrusion rear surface 52. The width of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W in the front-rear direction FB is the largest at the protrusion front surface 51 and the smallest at the protrusion rear surface 52. The width of the protrusion front surface 51 in the weft insertion direction W is smaller than the aperture diameter of the stretch air exhaust port 31d. In other words, the width of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W is equal to or less than the maximum dimension of the stretch air exhaust port 31d in the weft insertion direction W.

[0044] The protruding portion 50 is coupled to the passage defining portion 31 at a first end which is the lower end in the vertical direction UD. The protruding portion 50 has a protruding portion tip surface 53 facing the same direction as the upper surface 31c of the passage portion at a second end which is the upper end in the vertical direction UD. The width of the protruding portion 50 in the weft insertion direction W becomes smaller in the weft insertion direction W from the first end to the second end in the vertical direction UD. In other words, the width of the protruding portion tip surface 53 in the weft insertion direction W is smaller than the width of the protruding portion 50 in the weft insertion direction W on the first end side in the vertical direction UD. That is, the width of the protruding portion 50 in the weft insertion direction W becomes smaller as it moves away from the upper surface 31c of the passage portion in the vertical direction UD.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion tip surface 53 has an edge portion 53a. From portions at both ends of the edge portion 53a in the weft insertion direction W, connection surfaces 54 connecting the protruding portion tip surface 53 and the upper surface 31c of the passage portion extend. From a portion at the front end of the edge portion 53a in the front-rear direction FB, a protruding portion front surface 51 extends, and from a portion at the rear end of the edge portion 53a in the front-rear direction FB, a protruding portion rear surface 52 extends. The connection surfaces 54 are surfaces on both sides of the outer surface of the protruding portion 50 in the weft insertion direction W. The connection surfaces 54 are curved so as to draw a gentle arc from the second end to the first end in the vertical direction UD. The connection surfaces 54 are connected to the protruding portion front surface 51 and the protruding portion rear surface 52 respectively in the front-rear direction FB. That is, the outer surface of the protruding portion 50 is composed of the protruding portion front surface 51, the protruding portion rear surface 52, the protruding portion tip surface 53, and the connection surfaces 54.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 3, the protruding portion 50 is arranged in line with the stretch air exhaust port 31d in the upper surface 31c of the passage portion in the front-rear direction FB and is located closer to the back wall 10c of the reed 10 than the stretch air exhaust port 31d. The protruding portion 50 is provided at a position between the stretch air exhaust port 31d and the back wall 10c in the front-rear direction FB. As shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion front surface 51 and the opening edge of the stretch air exhaust port 31d are in positions arranged in line in the front-rear direction FB on the upper surface 31c of the passage portion via the upper surface 31c of the passage portion. The protruding portion front surface 51 is connected to the inner peripheral surface defining the stretch air exhaust port 31d in the front-rear direction FB via the upper surface 31c of the passage portion.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 6, the width of the front surface 51 of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W is larger than the width of the gap 10b. Also, the width of the rear surface 52 of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W is smaller than the width of the gap 10b. That is, the protrusion 50 is larger than the width of the gap 10b at the front surface 51 of the protrusion and smaller than the width of the gap 10b at the rear surface 52 of the protrusion. In other words, the width of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W decreases as it moves away from the stretch air exhaust port 31d in the front-rear direction FB.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 50 contacts the two reed blades 11 on the upper surface 31c side of the passage portion of the connection surface 54 and expands the width in the weft insertion direction W of the gap 10b defined by each of the reed blades 11. Among the plurality of gaps 10b provided in the reed 10, the gap 10b defined by the reed blade 11 in contact with the protrusion 50 has a larger width in the weft insertion direction W than the other gaps 10b. The expanded width of the gap 10b is defined by the width of the front surface 51 of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W. That is, the passage defining portion 31 is provided with a protrusion 50 that expands the gap 10b facing the stretch air exhaust port 31d by contacting the reed blade 11.

[0049] <Insertion of the tension applying device into the weft guiding passage> The tension applying device 30 is provided in the air jet loom 100 by inserting the passage defining portion 31 into the weft guiding passage 10a from the front of the reed 10. The two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 shows the tension applying device 30 before being attached to the reed 10, and the solid line in FIG. 6 shows the tension applying device 30 attached to the reed 10. In the process of attaching the tension applying device 30 to the air jet loom 100, the protrusion 50 moves from a position where the rear surface 52 of the protrusion and the gap 10b face each other in the front-rear direction FB to a position where it contacts the reed blade 11 that defines the gap 10b. In the process of this movement, after the rear surface 52 of the protrusion is inserted into the gap 10b, the protrusion 50 contacts the reed blade 11 at the connecting surface 54. The width of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W at the pair of connecting surfaces 54 increases from the rear surface 52 of the protrusion toward the front surface 51 of the protrusion. That is, in the process of the protrusion 50 being inserted into the gap 10b, the width of the gap 10b defined by the reed blade 11 that contacts the protrusion 50 increases as the width of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W expands. The width of the gap 10b into which the protrusion 50 is inserted is larger on the front surface 51 side of the protrusion than on the rear surface 52 side of the protrusion.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the tension applying device 30 is inserted into the reed 10 until the stretch air exhaust port 31d faces the gap 10b enlarged by the protrusion 50 and the back surface 31e of the passage portion contacts the back wall 10c. The stretch air exhaust port 31d is located on the front surface 51 side of the protrusion 50 in the front-rear direction FB and is aligned with the reed blade 11 in the up-down direction UD. The tension applying device 30 inserts the passage defining portion 31 into the weft guiding passage 10a while maintaining the contact between the upper surface 31c of the passage portion and the upper wall 10d in the up-down direction UD.

[0051] <Tension Application to the Weft by the Tension Applying Device> As shown in FIG. 1, when inserting the weft yarn Y, the air jet loom 100 causes the weft yarn Y to fly in the weft guide passage 10a by jetting air from the main nozzle M and the sub-nozzle S. The weft yarn Y flies from the upstream side to the downstream side of the air flow from the main nozzle M in the weft insertion direction W. After the weft yarn Y flies to the position of the ear yarn T1, it is introduced from the yarn inlet 30b into the weft yarn flight passage 31a defined by the passage defining portion 31.

[0052] When the weft yarn Y is introduced into the yarn inlet 30b, air is supplied from an air supply source (not shown) to the air injection portion 34 through the first air supply pipe 41. The air injection portion 34 jets air into the weft yarn flight passage 31a through the first air injection port 34a. The air jetting into the weft yarn flight passage 31a by the air injection portion 34 captures the weft yarn Y in the weft yarn flight passage 31a and applies tension to the weft yarn Y. That is, the tension applying device 30 of the air jet loom 100 jets air toward the weft yarn flight passage 31a to apply tension to the weft yarn Y and discharges the air from the stretch air exhaust port 31d.

[0053] After passing through the weft yarn flight passage 31a, the weft yarn Y exits the tension applying device 30 from the yarn outlet 30c. After the weft yarn Y is introduced into the yarn outlet 30c, air is supplied to the stretch air passage 32a through the second air supply pipe 42 by an air supply source (not shown). That is, the supply portion 32 is supplied with air through the second air supply pipe 42. The supply portion 32 jets the air supplied from the second air supply pipe 42 into the weft yarn flight passage 31a through the stretch air passage 32a by the second air injection port 32b. The air jetted from the second air injection port 32b crosses the weft yarn flight passage 31a in which the weft yarn Y is flying and is then discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d to the outside of the weft yarn flight passage 31a. That is, the air jetted from the second air injection port 32b is discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d after passing through the weft yarn Y.

[0054] When air is discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d, the air near the stretch air exhaust port 31d inside the weft flying passage 31a flows into the stretch air exhaust port 31d. The flow direction of the air formed by this inflow is in the vertical direction UD and is orthogonal to the direction in which the weft flying passage 31a extends. That is, the weft yarn Y flying through the weft flying passage 31a is pressed against the opening edge on the weft flying passage 31a side of the stretch air exhaust port 31d by the air discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d. By this pressing, a tension in the weft insertion direction W is applied to the weft yarn Y.

[0055] The air discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d flows into the gap 10b facing the stretch air exhaust port 31d. [Operation of this Embodiment] The operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0056] In the process of weaving by the air jet loom 100, the weft yarn Y generates fluff. The fluff generated from the weft yarn Y is discharged together with the air from the stretch air exhaust port 31d toward the reed 10. The air discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d flows into the gap 10b facing the stretch air exhaust port 31d. The gap 10b into which this air flows is defined by the reed blade 11 in contact with the protrusion 50. That is, the air discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d flows into the gap 10b whose width in the weft insertion direction W is expanded by the protrusion 50.

[0057] [Effect of this Embodiment] The effect of this embodiment will be described. (1) The air discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d to the outside of the passage defining portion 31 flows into the gap 10b facing the stretch air exhaust port 31d. The protrusion 50 provided on the upper surface 31c of the passage portion expands the width of the gap 10b in the weft insertion direction W. Thereby, in the gap 10b facing the stretch air exhaust port 31d, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of fluff accompanied by the air discharged from the stretch air exhaust port 31d. As a result, the tension applying device 30 of the air jet loom 100 can suppress the accumulation of fluff in the gap 10b.

[0058] (2) The amount of expansion of the gap 10b by the protrusion 50 is the largest at the location in contact with the protrusion 50 due to the elastic deformation of the reed 11. And the amount of expansion of the gap 10b by the protrusion 50 becomes smaller as it moves away from the protrusion 50 in the front - rear direction FB and the up - down direction UD. That is, the width of the gap 10b is likely to be smaller than the desired width as the distance from the stretch air exhaust port 31d to the protrusion 50 increases in the front - rear direction FB and the up - down direction UD. Therefore, the tension applying device 30 of the air jet loom 100 can expand the gap 10b directly above the stretch air exhaust port 31d to a desired width by providing both the protrusion 50 and the stretch air exhaust port 31d on the upper surface 31c of the passage portion.

[0059] (3) On the upper surface 31c of the passage portion, the protrusion 50 is provided on the back wall 10c side in the front - rear direction FB rather than the stretch air exhaust port 31d. In this case, the width of the gap 10b expanded by the protrusion 50 is larger on the stretch air exhaust port 31d side than the protrusion 50 and smaller on the back wall 10c side than the protrusion 50. For example, compared with the case where the protrusion 50 is provided in front of the stretch air exhaust port 31d, the width of the gap 10b directly above the stretch air exhaust port 31d can be increased. As a result, the tension applying device 30 of the air jet loom 100 can increase the width of the gap 10b directly above the stretch air exhaust port 31d by the protrusion 50.

[0060] (4) When inserting the passage defining portion 31 into the weft guiding passage 10a, the width of the gap 10b into which the protrusion 50 is inserted increases as the width of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W increases. Therefore, the tension applying device 30 of the air jet loom 100 can more easily insert the passage defining portion 31 into the weft guiding passage 10a as compared with the case where the protrusion 50 has a cross-sectional shape with a uniform width when viewed from the vertical direction UD.

[0061] Further, since the protrusion 50 has the above structure, the tension applying device 30 can insert the passage defining portion 31 into the weft guiding passage 10a while gradually expanding the width of the gap 10b. As a result, the tension applying device 30 of the air jet loom 100 can expand the width of the gap 10b by the protrusion 50 while reducing the load applied to the reed blade 11.

[0062] (5) The width of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W is shaped to decrease in the weft insertion direction W as it moves away from the upper surface 31c of the passage portion in the vertical direction UD. For this reason, the protrusion 50 has the largest width in the weft insertion direction W on the upper surface 31c side of the passage portion in the vertical direction UD, and expands the interval between the reed blades 11 at the location where the width is the largest. That is, the tension applying device 30 of the air jet loom 100 can reduce the contact area between the protrusion 50 and the reed blade 11 as compared with the case where the protrusion 50 has a cross-sectional shape with a uniform width when viewed from the front-rear direction FB. As a result, the tension applying device 30 of the air jet loom 100 can reduce the load on the reed blade 11 caused by the protrusion 50.

[0063] (6) The width of the gap 10b that can be expanded by the protrusion 50 is equal to or less than the maximum dimension in the weft insertion direction W of the stretch air exhaust port 31d. The accumulation of the air-permeable cotton that can affect the exhaust of air by the stretch air exhaust port 31d occurs in the gap 10b located directly above the stretch air exhaust port 31d. That is, the width of the gap 10b that is desirably ensured by the protrusion 50 corresponds to the maximum dimension of the stretch air exhaust port 31d in the weft insertion direction W. Further, expanding the width of the gap 10b beyond the maximum dimension by the protrusion 50 applies a load to each reed blade 11 whose interval is expanded by the protrusion 50. For this reason, the tension applying device 30 of the air jet loom 100 can reduce the accumulation of the air-permeable cotton in the gap 10b while suppressing the load applied to the reed blade 11 that defines the gap 10b by setting the width of the gap 10b that the protrusion 50 can expand to be equal to or less than the maximum dimension of the stretch air exhaust port 31d.

[0064] [Modified Example] Incidentally, the above embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. The above embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically non - conflicting range.

[0065] ○ The width of the protrusion 50 in the weft insertion direction W does not necessarily have to be equal to or less than the maximum dimension of the stretch air exhaust port 31d in the weft insertion direction W. ○ In the vertical direction UD, the protrusion 50 does not necessarily have to become narrower in the weft insertion direction as it moves away from the upper surface 31c of the passage portion. For example, the connecting surface 54 of the protrusion 50 may be a plane perpendicular to the upper surface 31c of the passage portion and the tip surface 53 of the protrusion.

[0066] ○ In the front - rear direction FB, the protrusion 50 does not necessarily have to become narrower in the weft insertion direction W as it moves away from the stretch air exhaust port 31d. In this case, the protrusion 50 has a rear surface 52 that is the same width as the front surface 51 of the protrusion in the weft insertion direction W. That is, the protrusion 50 has an axial direction in the front - rear direction FB and is in the shape of a column having each of the front surface 51 and the rear surface 52 of the protrusion as an end surface.

[0067] ○ The protrusion 50 may not be provided between the stretch air exhaust port 31d and the back wall 10c in the front-back direction FB on the upper surface 31c of the passage portion. For example, the protrusion 50 may be provided on the upper surface 31c of the passage portion and on the front side in the front-back direction FB from the stretch air exhaust port 31d.

[0068] ○ The protrusion 50 may not be provided on the upper surface 31c of the passage portion. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the protrusion 50 may be provided on the back surface 31e of the passage portion. In this case, the protrusion 50 is provided at a position in contact with the slat 11 that defines the gap 10b facing the stretch air exhaust port 31d among the slats 11 that form the back wall 10c.

[0069] The tension applying device 30 is provided at a position where the back surface 31e of the passage portion contacts the back wall 10c from the front of the slat 10. When installing the tension applying device 30, after the tip surface 53 of the protrusion 50 is inserted into the gap 10b, the connection surface 54 is brought into contact with the slat 11 that defines the gap 10b. That is, when the protrusion 50 is provided on the back surface 31e of the passage portion, it is preferable that the protrusion 50 has a connection surface 54 such that the width in the weft insertion direction W decreases from the back surface 31e of the passage portion toward the tip surface 53 of the protrusion. The protrusion 50 having the above structure can reduce the load generated in the slat 11 that contacts the protrusion 50 when the tension applying device 30 is inserted into the slat 10.

[0070] ○ The stretch air exhaust port 31d may face a plurality of gaps 10b. ○ The protrusion 50 may contact only one of the slats 11 that define the gap 10b facing the stretch air exhaust port 31d and may expand the gap 10b. In this case, the width of the front surface 51 of the protrusion in the weft insertion direction W may be smaller than the width of the gap 10b in the weft insertion direction W.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0071] 10... reed, 10a... weft yarn guiding passage, 10b... gap, 10c... rear wall, 10d... upper wall, 11... reed blade, 30... tension applying device, 31... passage defining part, 31a... weft yarn flying passage, 31c... passage part upper surface as the upper surface, 31d... stretch air exhaust port as the exhaust port, 50... protrusion, 100... air jet loom, FB... front-rear direction, UD... up-down direction, W... weft insertion direction, Y... weft yarn.

Claims

1. A device for applying tension to a weft yarn in an air-jet loom, which inserts the weft yarn along a weft-yarn guiding passage provided in a reed, and in which a plurality of reed blades are arranged in the weft-inserting direction of the weft yarn, and a gap is defined between each of the reed blades and an adjacent reed blade, having a passage defining portion that defines a weft-yarn flying passage extending along the weft-yarn guiding passage, the passage defining portion including, an upper surface facing an upper wall of the reed that defines the weft-yarn guiding passage, and an exhaust port that opens in the upper surface and communicates with the weft-yarn flying passage, the exhaust port facing at least one of the plurality of gaps, and a tension applying device in the air-jet loom that injects air toward the weft-yarn flying passage to apply tension to the weft yarn and discharges the air from the exhaust port, wherein the passage defining portion is provided with a protrusion that expands the gap facing the exhaust port by contacting the reed blade.

2. The tension applying device in the air-jet loom according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided on the upper surface.

3. The reed has a back wall that defines the weft-yarn guiding passage in a front-rear direction orthogonal to each of the weft-inserting direction and the up-down direction, The tension applying device in the air-jet loom according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is provided between the exhaust port and the back wall.

4. The tension applying device in the air-jet loom according to claim 3, wherein the protrusion has a width in the weft-inserting direction that decreases as the protrusion moves away from the exhaust port in the front-rear direction orthogonal to each of the weft-inserting direction and the up-down direction.

5. The tension applying device in the air jet loom according to claim 2, wherein the width of the protrusion in the weft insertion direction decreases as the protrusion moves away from the upper surface in the vertical direction.

6. The tension applying device in the air jet loom according to claim 5, wherein the width of the protrusion in the weft insertion direction is equal to or less than the maximum dimension of the exhaust port in the weft insertion direction.

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