Open-Housing Suction Device for Loom Weft Thread Cleaning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Shuttleless weaving machines experience significant fiber fly and dust due to increased abrasion of weft yarns, leading to fabric contamination and thread breaks, with existing cleaning devices being expensive, technically challenging, and having low cleaning frequency.

Innovation Solution

A compact, open-housing suction device is positioned at weft thread direction deflection points, creating a vacuum effect to capture and remove fiber fly without blowing, ensuring continuous operation and precise fiber elimination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a pneumatic weft thread insertion is used to achieve high running speeds, then productivity is improved, but fiber fly and dust increase due to significantly increased abrasion of weft yarns

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverunning speedVSAvoidfiber fly and dust
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The suction device is positioned upstream at the weft thread insertion area to capture fiber fly and dust before they can contaminate the fabric or interfere with the weaving process. This preliminary removal prevents the harmful effects of abrasion-generated particles from affecting productivity and fabric quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-generated harmful factors

If existing cleaning devices with reciprocating carriages are used to remove dust and fiber fractions, then fiber fly removal is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedust and fiber fractions removalVSAvoidstructural complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential function of fiber fly removal from the complex reciprocating carriage system. By using a simple stationary suction device with strategically positioned openings, it achieves effective cleaning without the mechanical complexity of moving carriages, multiple nozzles, or reciprocating mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The suction device uses a simple, cost-effective design that can be easily manufactured and maintained. Rather than investing in expensive, complex cleaning systems, this solution provides an economical approach to fiber fly removal that is easy to implement and maintain in shuttleless weaving machines.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Object-generated harmful factors

If existing cleaning devices with reciprocating carriages are deployed to clean multiple weaving machines, then fiber fly removal is achieved, but cleaning frequency per zone decreases due to the need to serve multiple machines

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefiber fly removalVSAvoidcleaning frequency
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The suction device is segmented into multiple independent suction openings positioned at different locations (above and below the weft thread insertion area, and at direction deflection points). This segmentation allows each opening to independently capture fiber fly from its specific zone, ensuring comprehensive coverage and maintaining high cleaning frequency for each critical area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Object-generated harmful factors

If suction nozzles are attached above and below the weft thread insertion area to remove dust and fluff, then fiber fly is extracted, but thread breaks and fabric contamination still occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedust and fluff extractionVSAvoidthread breaks and fabric contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The suction device implements local quality by positioning suction openings at specific critical locations where fiber fly is most problematic: above and below the weft thread insertion area, and at direction deflection points. This targeted approach ensures that fiber fly is captured at its source before it can cause thread breaks or fabric contamination, rather than using a generic cleaning approach.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution effectively prevents fiber fly from contaminating the fabric and breaking threads, improving fabric quality and reducing manual cleaning efforts by ensuring continuous, trouble-free operation and efficient fiber removal at critical points.

Implementation Method 1

A compact, open-housing suction device is positioned at weft thread direction deflection points, creating a vacuum effect to capture and remove fiber fly

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVacuum suction: Suction

Data Source

PatentEP2280103B1Cleaning device for looms
Publication Date: 2012.03.14 SOHLER NEUENHAUSER
  • EP2280103B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2280103B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2280103B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The device (10) has a suction device (12) for linters, comprising suction openings (30, 46) and arranged at a region of direction deflection of a weft thread (32). The suction device comprises open housings (14, 16), which are partially arranged below and/or besides the weft thread at the region of direction deflection. The two housings comprise the suction openings that produce air flow from a housing opening by the weft thread towards the suction openings. The open housings comprise four side walls (28), a ceiling wall (40) and a bottom wall (42).