Weft tensioning device for air jet looms

Abstract

To provide a weft tensioning device for an air jet loom, capable of preventing a weft from hitting against a portion surrounding a yarn inlet.SOLUTION: A weft tensioning device 40 of an air jet loom 10 has a passage formation member 41 for defining a weft flying route 44 extending along a weft guide passage 17, and an air injection part 42 for injecting air to the weft flying route 44 in order to catch the tip of a weft yarn 51 in the passage formation member 41. The weft tensioning device 40 has a shield member 46 for covering interspaces S between reed dents from the back side. In a front view of the air jet loom 10, the shield member 46 covers part of the interspaces S between reed dents which exist over a range from the downstream side of a weft detector 20 in the weft insertion direction X and also the upstream side of a yarn inlet 44a of the weft flying route 44 to the yarn inlet 44a and through which a selvage yarn 54 is not passed, from the back side of reed dents 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a weft tensioning device for an air jet loom. [Background technology]

[0002] In an air jet loom, a weft is inserted along a weft guide passage provided in front of a reed. The weft travels along the weft guide passage from upstream to downstream along the air flow due to the air injection action of an air nozzle. In an air jet loom, in order to weave a high-quality woven fabric, it is necessary to apply an appropriate tension to the flying weft to prevent the weft from slackening. A weft tension applying device described in Patent Document 1 is known as a weft tension applying device for applying tension to the weft.

[0003] The weft tension applying device described in Patent Document 1 includes a weft flying passage extending along a weft guide passage, an air blow nozzle that sprays air in a direction along the weft flying passage, and a stretch air nozzle that sprays air in a direction different from the direction along the weft flying passage.

[0004] The air blow nozzle injects air to guide the weft into the weft passage. The stretch air nozzle injects air to the weft introduced into the weft passage. The air injected from the stretch air nozzle imparts a sufficient tension to the weft introduced into the weft passage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-14545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] If the weft yarn flying through the weft yarn guide passage is caused to fly near the back of the reed in the weft yarn guide passage by the air injection action, the weft yarn may hit the part surrounding the yarn inlet of the weft yarn flying passage, and the weft yarn may not be smoothly introduced into the weft yarn flying passage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A weft tensioning device for an air jet loom for solving the above problems is provided in an air jet loom in which a weft is inserted along a weft guide passage provided in a reed, a plurality of reed fins are arranged in a weft insertion direction of the weft, and the air jet loom is provided with a weft detection device for detecting the weft traveling through the weft guide passage, the weft tensioning device is disposed at a position on the side of the tip of the weft inserted into the weft guide passage and downstream of the weft detection device in the weft insertion direction, and captures the tip of the weft to apply tension to the weft, and the weft traveling passage extending along the weft guide passage is disposed in the weft guide passage. The loom comprises a passage forming member that defines a passage, an air injection unit that injects air into the weft flying passage to capture the tip of the weft inside the passage forming member, and a shielding member that covers the gaps between adjacent reed fins in the weft insertion direction from the back side of the reed fins, wherein when the air jet loom is viewed from the front, the shielding member covers at least a portion of the gaps between the reed fins that exist downstream of the weft detection device in the weft insertion direction and upstream of the yarn inlet of the weft flying passage to the yarn inlet, from the back side of the reed fins, through which no warp yarn is passed.

[0008] According to this, when the weft is inserted, the weft runs in the weft guide passage in the weft insertion direction due to the air jet action of the air jet loom. After the weft runs to the weft detection device, the weft runs toward the weft running passage of the weft tension imparting device downstream of the weft detection device. Near the yarn inlet of the weft running passage downstream of the weft detection device, at least a part of the gap of the reed lamella is covered by the shielding member, so that the leakage of air through the gap to the back side of the reed lamella is more suitably suppressed. As a result, when the weft runs near the yarn inlet of the weft running passage, the leakage of air to the back side of the reed lamella can be suppressed from flying close to the back side of the reed lamella. Therefore, the weft is prevented from hitting a part surrounding the yarn inlet of the weft running passage and is smoothly introduced into the yarn inlet of the weft running passage. Then, the weft tension imparting device appropriately imparts tension to the weft.

[0009] In a weft tension applying device of an air jet loom, the shielding member may have an upstream end and a downstream end in the weft insertion direction, and the downstream end of the shielding member may be located downstream of the yarn inlet of the weft flying passage in the weft insertion direction.

[0010] With this, the shielding member can more effectively prevent air from leaking to the back side of the reed dent near the yarn inlet, compared to when the downstream end is at the same position as the yarn inlet in the weft insertion direction, or when the shielding member is located upstream of the yarn inlet in the weft insertion direction. This more effectively prevents the weft from flying near the back side of the reed dent immediately before the yarn inlet of the weft flying passage.

[0011] In a weft tension applying device of an air jet loom, the shielding member may cover a portion of the gap that runs along the entire vertical direction of the weft guide passage from the back side of the reed dent, and may also cover a portion of the gap that runs along a lower side of the lower end of the weft guide passage from the back side of the reed dent.

[0012] The inventors discovered that air is likely to leak to the back side of the reed dents in the vertical direction of the gaps between the reed dents from the portion along the weft guide passage to the portion along the lower side of the weft guide passage. The shielding member shields the portion of the gaps between the reed dents from the portion along the weft guide passage to the portion along the lower side of the weft guide passage, which is the portion where air is likely to leak to the back side of the reed dents. Therefore, the shielding member can more effectively prevent the weft from flying near the back side of the reed dents.

[0013] In a weft tensioning device for an air jet loom, a front surface of the shielding member may be in contact with a rear surface of the reed dent. This can prevent air from leaking between the front surface of the shielding member and the rear surface of the reed dent.

[0014] Regarding a weft tension applying device of an air jet loom, the air jet loom has a vibration suppression member having a vibration damping material made of an elastic member that contacts the back surface of the reed wing and an attachment portion for attaching the vibration damping material to the reed, and the shielding member may function as the vibration suppression member.

[0015] According to this, the vibration suppressing member already present in the air jet loom can be used as the shielding member, and therefore, for example, there is no need to manufacture a new shielding member for the weft tensioning device, and therefore, the weft can be prevented from flying near the back surface of the reed dent without increasing the manufacturing cost of the weft tensioning device. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the weft yarn from hitting the portion surrounding the yarn inlet. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a weft tension applying device of an air jet loom. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partial front view showing a weft tension applying device. [Diagram 3]4 is a side view showing a reed dent and a vibration suppressing member serving as a shielding member. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a vibration suppressing member. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a partial side view showing a yarn inlet of a weft yarn passage. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a partial front view showing the shielding area and the weft tensioning device. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a weft tension applying device. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a side view showing a shielding member according to another embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional plan view showing another example of an air jet loom. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of a weft tension imparting device for an air jet loom will be described with reference to Figs. <Air jet loom> 1 and 2, an air jet loom 10 includes a main nozzle 11, a sub-nozzle 12, a reed 13, a slay 14, a weft detection device 20, a vibration suppression member 30, a weft tension applying device 40, and a shielding member 46. A weft 51 runs in the longitudinal direction of the slay 14. The direction in which the weft 51 runs is referred to as a weft insertion direction X.

[0019] <Main nozzle, sub nozzle> The reed 13 has a weft guide passage 17 extending in the weft insertion direction X. The main nozzle 11 is fixed to the slay 14 on the upstream side in the weft insertion direction X. The main nozzle 11 inserts a weft 51 along the weft guide passage 17. The main nozzle 11 is fixed to the slay 14 so that its position can be adjusted.

[0020] The sub-nozzle 12 is fixed to the slay 14. The sub-nozzle 12 injects air toward the weft guide passage 17. The direction of the air injected from the sub-nozzle 12 is along the weft insertion direction X. The weft 51 travels through the weft guide passage 17 in the weft insertion direction X due to the air injection action from the main nozzle 11 and the sub-nozzle 12.

[0021] <Reed> The reed 13 has a plurality of reed fins 15 and a holding member 16 that holds the plurality of reed fins 15. The plurality of reed fins 15 are arranged in a row in the weft insertion direction X of the weft 51. Therefore, in the air jet loom 10, it can be said that the plurality of reed fins 15 are lined up in the weft insertion direction X of the weft 51. Between the reed fins 15 adjacent to each other in the weft insertion direction X, a reed fin gap S is defined as a gap between the reed fins 15. The reed fin gap S is a gap for passing the warp fin 52. However, the warp fin 52 does not pass through the reed fin gap S at the location where the weft detection device 20 and the weft tension applying device 40 described later are installed.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the reed dent 15 has a recess 15a. The recess 15a is recessed from the front side of the reed dent 15 toward the back side of the reed dent 15. The reed dent 15 has a first edge 15b, a second edge 15c, and a third edge 15d as edges that define the recess 15a. The first edge 15b is located at a position furthest back from the front side of the reed dent 15 when viewed from the weft insertion direction X. The first edge 15b extends in the up-down direction of the reed dent 15. The second edge 15c extends from the upper end of the first edge 15b toward the front side. The second edge 15c extends in the front-rear direction of the reed dent 15. The third edge 15d extends from the lower end of the first edge 15b toward the front side. The third edge 15d extends in the front-rear direction of the reed dent 15. The "portion close to the back surface of the reed dent 15" refers to the portion along the first edge 15b and the portion close to the first edge 15b among the portions along the second edge 15c and the third edge 15d. The weft guide passage 17 is formed by arranging the recesses 15a of all the reed dents 15 in the weft insertion direction X.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1, the warp yarn 52 passes between the reed dents 15 adjacent to each other in the weft insertion direction X, i.e., through the reed dent gap S. The air jet loom 10 weaves a fabric 50 with a weft yarn 51 and a warp yarn 52. The selvedge yarn 54 passes through the reed dent gap S downstream of a weft detection device 20 (described later) in the weft insertion direction X and upstream of a weft tension applying device 40. The selvedge yarn 54 forms a waste selvedge 53 together with the weft yarn 51.

[0024] <Weft detection device> The weft detection device 20 detects the weft 51 flying through the weft guide passage 17. The weft detection device 20 is disposed upstream of the selvage yarn 54 of the waste selvage 53 in the weft insertion direction X of the weft 51. Here, the term "front view" refers to the air jet loom 10 viewed from the front. Viewing the air jet loom 10 from the front is the same as viewing the reed fin 15 from the front. In the front view of the air jet loom 10, the weft detection device 20 is disposed upstream of the selvage yarn 54 of the waste selvage 53 in the weft insertion direction X.

[0025] 2, the weft detection device 20 has a device body 23, a light projecting unit 21, a light receiving unit 22, and a control device (not shown) built into the device body 23. The light projecting unit 21 and the light receiving unit 22 are disposed at the upper end of the device body 23. The light projecting unit 21 and the light receiving unit 22 are signal-connected to the control device (not shown).

[0026] The light-projecting unit 21 projects light toward the inserted weft thread 51. The light reflected by the weft thread 51 or the reed fin 15 is received by the light-receiving unit 22. For example, when the weft thread 51 reaches the projection area of ​​the light-projecting unit 21, the light-receiving unit 22 receives the light reflected from the weft thread 51. The control device converts the reception of the light into an electrical signal. The control device outputs the electrical signal to a main control unit (not shown). The detection range of the weft thread 51 by the weft detection device 20 is the same as the dimension of the device body 23 in the weft insertion direction X.

[0027] <Vibration suppression materials> 3 and 4, the vibration suppression member 30 contacts the back surface of the reed dent 15 to suppress vibration of the reed dent 15. The vibration suppression member 30 has an attachment portion 31 and a vibration-damping material 33. The attachment portion 31 is in the shape of a long plate. The attachment portion 31 has a first surface 31a on one end surface in the plate thickness direction, and a second surface 31b on the other end surface in the plate thickness direction. The attachment portion 31 attaches the vibration-damping material 33 to the reed dent 13.

[0028] The mounting portion 31 has a hook portion 32 at its upper end. The hook portion 32 is curved so as to overlap with the first surface 31a of the mounting portion 31. The hook portion 32 is hooked from above to the holding member 16 of the reed 13. The hook portion 32 is fixed to the holding member 16 by a bolt 34. In this way, the vibration suppression member 30 is attached to the reed 13.

[0029] The vibration-damping material 33 is attached to the first surface 31a of the mounting portion 31. The vibration-damping material 33 is provided from near the center to the lower end in the long side direction of the mounting portion 31. The vibration-damping material 33 is made of an elastic material such as rubber.

[0030] The damping material 33 has a first surface 33a on one end surface in the thickness direction and a second surface 33b on the other end surface in the thickness direction. The direction in which the short sides of the first surface 33a and the second surface 33b extend is the short side direction of the damping material 33. The direction in which the long sides of the first surface 33a and the second surface 33b extend is the long side direction of the damping material 33. The short side direction of the damping material 33 coincides with the weft insertion direction X. The long side direction of the damping material 33 coincides with the up-down direction. The damping material 33 has a first side surface 33c on one end surface in the short side direction and a second side surface 33d on the other end surface in the short side direction.

[0031] The first surface 33a of the vibration-damping material 33 is joined to the first surface 31a of the attachment portion 31. The second surface 33b of the vibration-damping material 33 is pressed against the back surfaces of the reed dents 15. That is, the front surface of the vibration-damping material 33 is in contact with the back surfaces of the reed dents 15. During the beating operation, the vibration of the reed dents 15 is absorbed by the vibration-damping material 33. That is, the vibration-damping material 33 suppresses the vibration of the reed dents 15. The vibration-suppressing member 30 suppresses the vibration of the reed dents 15, thereby suppressing a decrease in the detection accuracy of the weft dents 51 by the weft detection device 20 caused by the vibration. The vibration-suppressing member 30 is attached to the reed dents 15 so as to face the light projecting unit 21 and the light receiving unit 22 of the weft detection device 20 in the front-rear direction.

[0032] <Weft tension applying device> 1, the weft tension applying device 40 captures the tip end of the weft yarn 51 and applies tension to the weft yarn 51. In addition, the weft tension applying device 40 applies an appropriate tension to the weft yarn 51 to prevent the weft yarn 51 from becoming loose.

[0033] The weft tension applying device 40 is disposed in front of the reed 13. The weft tension applying device 40 is disposed at a position on the tip end side of the weft 51 inserted into the weft guide passage 17, and downstream of the weft detection device 20 in the weft insertion direction X of the weft 51. More specifically, the weft tension applying device 40 is disposed at a position on the tip end side of the weft 51 inserted into the weft guide passage 17, and downstream of the selvedge yarn 54 of the waste selvedge 53 in the weft insertion direction X of the weft 51.

[0034] As shown in Figures 2, 5, 6 and 7, the weft tension applying device 40 has a passage forming member 41, an air jetting unit 42, and a shielding member 46. The passage forming member 41 is long and tubular. The passage forming member 41 is integrated with the upper end of the air jetting unit 42. The passage forming member 41 is disposed in the weft guide passage 17. The central axis of the passage forming member 41 extends in the weft insertion direction X. The passage forming member 41 is disposed across a plurality of reed dents 15.

[0035] The back surface of the passage forming member 41 is aligned along the first edge 15b of the reed dent 15, and the upper surface of the passage forming member 41 is aligned along the second edge 15c of the reed dent 15. The lower surface of the passage forming member 41 is aligned along the third edge 15d.

[0036] A weft yarn flying passage 44 is defined in the passage forming member 41. Therefore, the passage forming member 41 defines the weft yarn flying passage 44 extending along the weft yarn guide passage 17 in the weft yarn guide passage 17. A yarn inlet 44a of the weft yarn flying passage 44 opens on the upstream side of the passage forming member 41 in the weft insertion direction X. The weft yarn 51 is introduced into the weft yarn flying passage 44 from the yarn inlet 44a. A yarn outlet 44b of the weft yarn flying passage 44 opens on the downstream side of the passage forming member 41 in the weft insertion direction X. The weft yarn flying passage 44 extends along the weft insertion direction X. Therefore, the main nozzle 11 and the sub-nozzle 12 inject air in a direction along the weft yarn flying passage 44.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, the yarn inlet 44a has first to fourth opening edges 45a to 45d. The first opening edge 45a extends in the up-down direction along the first edge 15b of the recess 15a. The second opening edge 45b extends in the front-rear direction from the upper end of the first opening edge 45a along the second edge 15c of the recess 15a. The third opening edge 45c extends in the front-rear direction from the lower end of the first opening edge 45a along the third edge 15d of the recess 15a. The fourth opening edge 45d extends in an arc shape to connect the second opening edge 45b and the third opening edge 45c. In the passage forming member 41, the portion along the first to fourth opening edges 45a to 45d is a portion surrounding the yarn inlet 44a of the weft yarn flying passage 44. Furthermore, in the reed dent 15, a portion along the first edge 15b, a portion along the second edge 15c, and a portion along the third edge 15d also surround the yarn inlet 44a of the weft yarn flying passage 44.

[0038] 6 and 7, the weft yarn 51 traveling in the weft guide passage 17 travels through a weft traveling passage 44. The air injection unit 42 injects air into the weft traveling passage 44 to capture the tip end of the weft yarn 51 inside the passage forming member 41. Tension is applied to the weft yarn 51 by the injection of air into the passage forming member 41.

[0039] <Shielding material> The shielding member 46 prevents air from leaking between adjacent reed dents 15 in the weft insertion direction X. The shielding member 46 also functions as the vibration suppressing member 30. The vibration suppressing member 30 disposed opposite the weft detection device 20 is referred to as a first vibration suppressing member 301. The vibration suppressing member 30 disposed near the yarn inlet 44a of the weft flying passage 44 is referred to as a second vibration suppressing member 302. That is, the shielding member 46 also functions as the second vibration suppressing member 302. Therefore, the shielding member 46 has an attachment portion 31 and a vibration damping material 33.

[0040] The shielding member 46 is disposed in the vicinity of the weft tension applying device 40. A portion of the shielding member 46 near the second side surface 33d of the vibration damping material 33 overlaps with the passage forming member 41 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the second side surface 33d of the vibration damping material 33 is located downstream of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft flying passage 44 in the weft insertion direction X.

[0041] In the shielding member 46, the first side surface 33c of the vibration-damping material 33 is located downstream of the selvedge yarns 54 forming the waste selvedge 53 in the weft insertion direction X. Among the selvedge yarns 54 forming the waste selvedge 53, the selvedge yarns 54 located most downstream in the weft insertion direction X are referred to as end selvedge yarns 54a. The shielding member 46 is disposed in a region from the downstream side of the end selvedge yarns 54a to a position downstream beyond the yarn inlet 44a of the weft yarn flying passage 44 in the weft insertion direction X. In other words, when the air jet loom 10 is viewed from the front, the shielding member 46 is disposed in a region from the downstream side of the selvedge yarns 54 and the upstream side of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft yarn flying passage 44 to the yarn inlet 44a in the weft insertion direction X.

[0042] The shielding member 46 covers the reed dents 15 arranged in the weft insertion direction X from the back side. Therefore, the shielding member 46 covers the reed dent gaps S between the reed dents 15 adjacent to each other in the weft insertion direction X from the back side of the reed dents 15. When the air jet loom 10 is viewed from the front, the shielding member 46 covers the reed dent gaps S that exist from the downstream side of the weft detection device 20 and the upstream side of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft flying passage 44 in the weft insertion direction X to the yarn inlet 44a. The shielding member 46 covers the reed dent gaps S, through which the warp yarn 52 is not passed, from the back side of the reed dents 15.

[0043] In addition, in a front view of the air jet loom 10, the downstream end of the weft detection device 20 in the weft insertion direction X is the downstream end of the detection range of the weft detection device 20 for detecting the weft 51. In a front view of the air jet loom 10, the shielding member 46 covers a plurality of reed dent gaps S that exist from the downstream side of the downstream end of the detection range of the weft detection device 20 and the upstream side of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft flying passage 44 to the yarn inlet 44a in the weft insertion direction X. It can be said that the shielding member 46 covers, from the back side of the reed dent 15, those of the reed dent gaps S through which the warp yarn 52 is not passed.

[0044] The reed dent gaps S covered by the shielding member 46 are reed dent gaps S through which the selvage yarns 54, i.e., the warp yarns 52, are not passed. In a front view of the air jet loom 10, the shielding member 46 covers a plurality of reed dent gaps S that exist in the weft insertion direction X from the downstream side of the selvage yarns 54 and the upstream side of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft flying passage 44 to the yarn inlet 44a. The shielding member 46 covers the reed dent gaps S from the back side of the reed dent 15. In the reed 13, the area covered by the vibration-damping material 33 from the back side of the reed dent 15 is defined as a shielded area R.

[0045] The first side surface 33c of the vibration-damping material 33 is the upstream end of the shielding member 46 in the weft insertion direction X. The second side surface 33d of the vibration-damping material 33 is the downstream end of the shielding member 46 in the weft insertion direction X. Therefore, the second side surface 33d located at the downstream end of the shielding member 46 is located downstream of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft yarn flying passage 44 in the weft insertion direction X.

[0046] In the shielding member 46, the second surface 33b of the vibration-damping material 33 is in contact with the back surfaces of all the reed dents 15 arranged in the shielding region R. That is, the front surface of the shielding member 46 is in contact with the back surface of the reed dent 15. The vibration-damping material 33 is in contact with the back surface of the reed dent 15 in a region from above the recess 15a to below the recess 15a and the recess 15a. Therefore, the shielding member 46 covers the part of the reed dent gap S along the vertical direction of the weft guide passage 17 from the back surface side of the reed dent 15, and covers the part of the reed dent gap S along the lower side of the third edge 15d, which is the lower end of the weft guide passage 17, from the back surface side of the reed dent 15. Therefore, the shielding member 46 covers a part of the reed dent gap S from the back surface side of the reed dent 15.

[0047] [Operation of the embodiment] In the air jet loom 10, when the weft yarn 51 is inserted, the air jet action of the main nozzle 11 and the sub-nozzle 12 causes the weft yarn 51 to fly through the weft guide passage 17 in the weft insertion direction X. After the weft yarn 51 has flown up to the weft detection device 20, the weft yarn 51 flows toward the weft flying passage 44 of the weft tension applying device 40 downstream of the weft detection device 20, more specifically, the selvage yarn 54.

[0048] In the vicinity of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44, the reed dent gap S is covered from the back side of the reed dent 15 by the shielding member 46, so that air leakage to the back side of the reed dent 15 is suppressed. As a result, when the weft 51 flies near the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44, the weft 51 can be prevented from flying closer to the back side of the reed dent 15 due to air leakage to the back side of the reed dent 15. Therefore, the weft 51 is prevented from hitting the part surrounding the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44. In particular, the weft 51 is prevented from hitting the first opening edge 45a of the passage forming member 41 and the parts of the second opening edge 45b and the third opening edge 45c close to the back side of the reed dent 15. Furthermore, the weft yarn 51 is prevented from hitting the first edge 15b of the reed dent 15, which is a portion of the reed dent 15 that is closer to the back surface of the reed dent 15. As a result, the weft yarn 51 is smoothly introduced into the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44. Then, tension is applied to the weft yarn 51 by the weft tension applying device 40.

[0049] According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The shielding member 46 shields all the reed dent gaps S in the shielded region R from the back side of the reed dent 15. Therefore, in the vicinity of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44, air leakage to the back side of the reed dent 15 through the reed dent gaps S can be more effectively prevented. As a result, in the vicinity of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44, the weft dent 51 can be prevented from flying closer to the back side of the reed dent 15 due to air leakage to the back side of the reed dent 15. Therefore, in the vicinity of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44, the weft dent 51 can be prevented from hitting the part surrounding the yarn inlet 44a. As a result, the weft dent 51 can be smoothly introduced into the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44, and tension can be applied to the weft dent 51.

[0050] (2) The second side surface 33d, which is the downstream end of the shielding member 46, is located downstream of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44 in the weft insertion direction X in the front-rear direction. In other words, a part of the shielding member 46 is located beyond the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44 and downstream of the yarn inlet 44a in the weft insertion direction X. Therefore, the shielding member 46 can more effectively prevent air from leaking to the back side of the reed dent 15 near the yarn inlet 44a, compared to when the second side surface 33d is located at the same position as the yarn inlet 44a in the weft insertion direction X or is located upstream of the yarn inlet 44a in the weft insertion direction X. Therefore, the weft 51 can more effectively be prevented from flying near the back side of the reed dent 15 immediately before the yarn inlet 44a of the weft passage 44.

[0051] (3) The shielding member 46 covers the reed dent gap S along the entire vertical direction of the weft guide passage 17, and also covers a portion along the lower side of the lower end of the weft guide passage 17. Specifically, the shielding member 46 covers the reed dent gap S along both the upper and lower sides of the weft guide passage 17, including the weft guide passage 17.

[0052] The inventors have found that, in the vertical direction, air is likely to leak to the back side of the reed dent 15 in the region of the reed dent gap S from the portion along the weft guide passage 17 to the portion along the lower side of the weft guide passage 17. The shielding member 46 shields the portion of the reed dent gap S from the portion along the weft guide passage 17 to the portion along the lower side of the weft guide passage 17, which is the portion where air is likely to leak to the back side of the reed dent 15. Therefore, the shielding member 46 can more suitably prevent the weft 51 from flying near the back side of the reed dent 15.

[0053] (4) The shielding member 46 also serves as the second vibration suppressing member 302 that suppresses vibration of the reed dent 15. For this reason, the already existing vibration suppressing member 30 can be repurposed as the shielding member 46. For example, since there is no need to newly manufacture the shielding member 46, the weft 51 can be prevented from flying near the back surface of the reed dent 15 without increasing the manufacturing cost of the weft tension applying device 40.

[0054] (5) The air jet loom 10 also has a first vibration suppressing member 301. Therefore, the first vibration suppressing member 301 and the second vibration suppressing member 302, which also serves as the shielding member 46, are arranged upstream of the weft flying passage 44 in the weft insertion direction X. Therefore, the first vibration suppressing member 301 and the second vibration suppressing member 302 suppress air leakage to the back side of the reed dent 15. Therefore, the first vibration suppressing member 301 and the shielding member 46 can more effectively suppress the weft 51 from flying near the back side of the reed dent 15 at the yarn inlet 44a of the weft flying passage 44.

[0055] (6) The front surface of the damping material 33 of the shielding member 46 contacts the back surface of the reed dent 15. Therefore, the damping material 33 prevents air from leaking between the front surface of the damping material 33 and the back surface of the reed dent 15. As a result, the reflected air flow by the damping material 33 makes it easier for the weft yarn 51 to fly away from the back surface of the reed dent 15. Compared to a case where the damping material 33 is not in contact with the back surface of the reed dent 15, the weft yarn 51 can be more effectively prevented from flying near the back surface of the reed dent 15.

[0056] (7) The shielding member 46 blocks the reed dent gap S, so the selvage yarn 54 cannot pass through the position where the shielding member 46 is arranged. The larger the shielding member 46 is upstream in the weft insertion direction X, the more areas of the woven fabric 50 that cannot be used are undesirably increased. In the shielding member 46, the first side surface 33c, which is the upstream end, is located downstream of the end selvage yarn 54a of the waste selvage 53. In other words, the shielding member 46 does not obstruct the position where the waste selvage 53 is provided. Therefore, by adjusting the position of the shielding member 46, the cost required for weaving the woven fabric 50 can be reduced, while more suitably preventing the weft yarn 51 from flying near the back surface of the reed dent 15.

[0057] (8) The shielding member 46 covers the multiple reed dent gaps S from the downstream side of the end selvage yarn 54a of the selvage yarn 54 on the downstream side of the weft detection device 20. In other words, the shielding member 46 does not only cover the reed dent gaps S immediately before the yarn inlet 44a of the weft flying passage 44. Therefore, the weft yarn 51 is prevented from flying close to the back surface of the reed dent 15 from the time it passes the selvage yarn 54 until it is introduced into the yarn inlet 44a.

[0058] This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction. In the shielding member 46 , the second surface 33 b of the vibration-damping material 33 may be spaced apart from the back surface of the reed dent 15 .

[0059] The shielding member 46 may have a different configuration from the vibration suppressing member 30. As shown in Fig. 8, the shielding member 46 has a support member 47 and a shielding plate 48 supported by the support member 47. The support member 47 is fixed to the slay 14. The shielding plate 48 is fixed to the upper end of the support member 47. The shielding plate 48 covers the reed dent gap S from the back side of the reed dent 15 in the shielding region R. The shielding plate 48 may be made of an elastic material such as rubber, or may be a metal plate having no elasticity.

[0060] The shielding member 46 may cover only the portion of the reed dent gap S that is aligned with the weft guide passage 17 from the back side of the reed dent 15, or it may cover the weft guide passage 17 and the portion that is aligned with the lower end of the weft guide passage 17 from the back side of the reed dent 15.

[0061] The shielding member 46 may cover the entire reed dent gap S in the up-down direction from the rear side of the reed dent 15 . The second side surface 33d, which is the downstream end of the shielding member 46, may be disposed in the front-rear direction at the same position as the yarn inlet 44a of the weft yarn flying passage 44. In this case, the second side surface 33d of the shielding member 46 is located on the same plane as the opening surface of the yarn inlet 44a without passing over the yarn inlet 44a of the weft yarn flying passage 44.

[0062] The number of reed dent gaps S covered by the shielding member 46 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the shielding member 46 may cover only the reed dent gap S that is closest to the upstream side in the weft insertion direction X with respect to the yarn inlet 44a of the weft yarn flying passage 44.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 9, the air jet loom 10 may be of a type in which the tip of the weft yarn 51 is held only by the weft tensioner 40, without using the waste selvage 53. In this case, the selvage yarn 54 does not pass through the reed dent gap S through which the selvage yarn 54 passed in the embodiment. Therefore, when the air jet loom 10 is viewed from the front, the shielding member 46 covers the reed dent gap S that exists downstream of the weft detection device 20 in the weft insertion direction X and upstream of the yarn inlet 44a of the weft flying passage 44, up to the yarn inlet 44a. The shielding member 46 covers at least a part of the reed dent gap S through which the warp yarn 52 is not passed.

[0064] In this case, the shielding member 46 may cover the entire reed dent gap S that exists from the downstream end of the weft detection device 20 to the yarn inlet 44a, or may cover only a part of it. With this configuration, the first side surface 33c of the vibration-damping material 33 can be brought closer to the weft detection device 20 than in the embodiment. As a result, the dimension of the shielding member 46 in the weft insertion direction X can be made larger than in the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] S...reed dent gap, X...weft insertion direction, 10...air jet loom, 13...reed, 15...reed dent, 17...weft guide passage, 30...vibration suppression member, 32...hanging portion, 33...vibration damping material, 33c...first side surface as upstream end, 33d...second side surface as downstream end, 40...weft tension applying device, 41...passage forming member, 42...air jet portion, 44...weft flying passage, 44a...yarn inlet, 46...shielding member, 51...weft.

Claims

1. The air jet loom is provided with a weft guide passage provided in a reed, a plurality of reed fins are arranged in a weft insertion direction of the weft, and a weft detection device that detects the weft traveling through the weft guide passage, a weft tension applying device that is disposed at a position on the side of a tip end of the weft inserted into the weft guide passage and downstream of the weft detection device in the weft insertion direction, and that captures the tip end of the weft and applies tension to the weft, a passage forming member that defines a weft passage extending along the weft guide passage in the weft guide passage; an air injection unit that injects air into the weft passage so as to capture the tip end of the weft inside the passage forming member; a shielding member that covers the gaps between the reed dents adjacent to each other in the weft insertion direction from the back side of the reed dents, a weft tension applying device for an air jet loom, the weft tension applying device being characterized in that, when the air jet loom is viewed from the front, the shielding member covers, from the back side of the reed lamellae, at least a portion of the gap in the reed lamellae through which no warp thread is passed, the gap being located downstream of the weft detection device in the weft insertion direction and upstream of the yarn inlet of the weft flight passage to the yarn inlet.

2. 2. The weft tension applying device for an air jet loom according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member has an upstream end and a downstream end in the weft insertion direction, and the downstream end of the shielding member is located downstream of the yarn inlet of the weft flying passage in the weft insertion direction.

3. 2. The weft tensioning device of an air jet loom as described in claim 1, wherein the shielding member covers a portion of the gap that is along the entire vertical direction of the weft guide passage from the back side of the reed dent, and covers a portion of the gap that is along a lower side of the lower end of the weft guide passage from the back side of the reed dent.

4. 2. The weft tension applying device for an air jet loom according to claim 1, wherein the front surface of the shielding member is in contact with the rear surface of the reed dent.

5. 2. The weft tension imparting device for an air jet loom according to claim 1, wherein the air jet loom has a vibration suppressing member having a vibration damping material made of an elastic material that contacts the back surface of the reed wing and an attachment portion for attaching the vibration damping material to the reed, and the shielding member functions as the vibration suppressing member.

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