US3732896A

US3732896A - Method of and apparatus for filling the shuttles with weft in progressive shed weaving looms

Info

Publication number: US3732896A
Application number: US00137250A
Authority: US
Inventors: F Jekl; V Mateju; J Pech; V Vasek
Original assignee: Vyzkumny Ustav Bavlnarsky AS
Current assignee: Vyzkumny Ustav Bavlnarsky AS
Priority date: 1971-04-26
Filing date: 1971-04-26
Publication date: 1973-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-15

Abstract

Method of and apparatus for filling shuttles with weft in progressive shed weaving looms with continuously travelling shuttles where the filling of shuttles takes place at the common part of the paths of shuttles and filling units moving at the same speed. The excessive part of the end of weft thread is transferred back, in the direction opposite to that of the direction of movement of the thread during the filling of the shuttle, before the end of the weft thread supply is inserted into the shuttle between the bobbin of the shuttle and the driving means of the metering device. At the same time, at the beginning of the winding, the said end of the weft thread supply frees itself from the grip of the braking mechanism and is retained by the windings on the bobbin of the shuttle; the weft is separated and simultaneously gripped by the nipping device, after the rated number of turns have been wound, after the shuttle has entered the shed and the weft has been interlaced by at least two warp threads.

Description

United States Patent 91 Jekl et al.

[45] May 15, 1973 [75] Inventors: Ifrantis ek Jekl; Vladimi r Mate ju,

both of Ilsti nad O lici; Josef Pech, Brno; VitXzslav Vasek, Usti nad Orlici, all of Czechoslovakia [73] Assignee: Vyzkumny ustav bavlnarsky, Usti nad Orlici, Czechoslovakia [22] Filed: Apr. 26, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 137,250

[52] US. Cl. ..139/12, 139/224 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 240,564 8/1962 Australia ..139/12 157,292 7/1962 U.S.S.R...... 156,494 6/1962 U.S.S.R.

84,859 10/1955 Czechoslovakia ..139/12 Primary Examiner-James Kee Chi A tt0rney- Arthur 0. Klein 57] ABSTRACT Method of and apparatus for filling shuttles with weft in progressive shed weaving looms with continuously travelling shuttles where the filling of shuttles takes place at the common part of the paths of shuttles and filling units moving at the same speed. The excessive part of the end of weft thread is transferred back, in the direction opposite to that of the direction of movement of the thread during the filling of the shuttle, before the end of the weft thread supply is inserted into the shuttle between the bobbin of the shuttle and the driving means of the metering device. At the same time, at the beginning of the winding, the said end of the weft thread supply frees itself from the grip of the braking mechanism and is retained by the windings on the bobbin of the shuttle; the weft is separated and simultaneously gripped by the nipping device, after the rated number of turns have been wound, after the shuttle has entered the shed and the weft has been interlaced by at least two warp threads.

11 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENTED HAY] 51973 SHEET 1 [IF 3 ATTORNEY PATENTEU MAY 1 '5 I975 SHEET 2 [1F 3 ATTORNEY PATENTEUMAH 5197a SHEET 3 [1F 3 mam ATTORNEY METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FILLING THE SHUTTLES WITH WEFT IN PROGRESSIVE SHED WEAVING LOOMS This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for filling the shuttles with weft in progressive shed weaving looms.

A device is known that fills the shuttles of a weaving loom with weft consecutively one after the other. At a weft-transferring station in the machine the supply of weft is prepared in the form of windings the number of turns of which is identical from shuttle to shuttle in order that the same length of the weft may be placed upon each shuttle. After the weft has been wound by a rotating wing on a fixed spindle, the individual prepared portions assigned for the individual shuttles are taken over by the shuttle in the same form as it has been prepared, i.e. it is placed in the form of windings.

The above-described prior art device has a disadvantage in that it fills the shuttles with weft consecutively, and consequently, the speed of weft preparation and the speed of its transfer into the shuttle limits the efficiency of the weaving loom. The continuous movement of the shuttles is interrupted in the area of transferring the weft, which complicates the control of shuttle transport. Moreover, the inserting of weft in the shuttle in the form of free windings can cause some windings to slip, the tension of the weft being unwound to change, and possibly even to cause the weft to break.

Further, methods and apparatus are known in which the metering devices provided for filling the shuttles with weft travel along a circular path one part of which coincides with the path of the shuttles. The shuttles and the metering devices move at the same speed and the filling of shuttles with weft takes place in the part of each path which is common to both. Before the shuttle and the metering device part, the weft thread wound in the shuttle is separated from the supply of weft thread accommodated in the metering device. The shuttles enter the weaving process loaded with a certain length of weft thread, the one end of which must be nipped and clamped at the fall of the weaving width until it is inserted. Meanwhile, the other end of the weft thread in the shuttle must not become free of the body of the shuttle in the weaving area.

Known devices solve this problem in different ways. One of them catches the end of the yarn which is leaving the shuttle and is assigned to be held at the fell of the fabric by a rotary belt moving with the same speed as the shuttles. Before the shuttle enters the weaving process, this end of the weft thread must be loosened from the said belt and taken over by a different device by which it is held throughout the whole time of its being inserted.

Another device blows the end of freely accommodated yam from the shuttle, thus feeding it between the rotary belt and the rotating disc which nip said end of yarn between them and transport it to the fell where it is stretched by the said device during the beating up of the first laminae.

A drawback of both said above prior devices resides in the fact that the ends of weft yarn which are accommodated in the fell after the weaving process is finished are handled at least two times at one side during the weft preparation for insertion. This results, on the one hand, in a considerable waste of weft at the fell, and on the other hand in a higher probability that the ends of the weft thread may not get caught, since the latter may be the consequence of an incorrect operation of any of the devices which share this function. The reliability of nipping the yarn, however, can be increased by reducing the speed of the weaving loom; this, of course, produces a further undesirable result, i.e., the decrease of output.

Besides the above circumstances, the reliability of nipping the yarn is affected by the kind of material used for weft thread, by the dust in the environment, and the degree of wear of the working surfaces. The maximum reliability of nipping the yarn is necessary, particularly because the failure of the shuttle to nip the end of weft yarn results in a defect of the product which practically cannot be corrected in progressive shed weaving looms.

Neither of said prior art devices complies with the technological requirements, either, that the end of the weft thread be held during the whole time of weft inserting, i.e. down to the time when beating up has been finished. The holding mechanism of said devices cannot hold the end of weft thread so long as that, since their operation has a constant speed irrespective of the time cycle of weft insertion. In case a further holding device is used, the number of handling operations with the end of weft is higher, and along with that the waste increases as well.

Further, a device is known in which the shuttle is filled with weft by winding a weft thread on a bobbin accommodated in the shuttle. The bobbin rotates during the winding operation through the action of a fixed toothed rack with which the bobbin engages during a certain part of the common path of the shuttles and the metering devices. The length of the weft wound on the bobbin of the shuttle is determined by the number of revolutions given to the bobbin. When the weft in the shuttle is separated from the supply of the weft thread of the metering unit, the free end of the weft thread is nipped directly in the shuttlef'Consequently, no separate holding device is needed to clamp the free end of the yarn during the remainder of the circular path of the shuttle, but at the fell of the fabric the free end must be taken over by a holding, possibly also a stretching device, so that the described device does not eliminate the disadvantage of a double handling of the end of yarn.

Moreover, further drawbacks are present in this lastdescribed prior art device. The speed of weft metering, i.e. of weft yarn winding, depends upon the speed of weft inserting, and consequently upon the speed of the whole machine in the case of this device. In spite of the same number of bobbin revolutions in the shuttle, the length of wound yarn is different for different speeds. Various factors affect the deviations from the length of yarn, e.g. different tensions and different vibrations at different speeds. Given the relatively very small diameter of the bobbin, even the effect of centrifugal force upon the wound yarn is considerable. It is obvious that even an almost imperceptible change of the length of individual coils on the bobbin of the shuttle will result in a measurable change of weft length because of the great number of coils on the bobbin. Consequently, the length of wound weft will vary under different operating modes of the machine, such as normal running, slow running, and stopping. Also, the degree of wear of the machine affects the length of the wefts. Besides, those shuttles which have not been completely filled with weft, be it because of yarn breakage or because of a defect of the metering device, cannot be additionally filled with the correct length of weft when the loom is stopped.

The present invention has among its objects the eliminating of the above drawbacks to a great extent, and the creation of both a method, and a device for performing the same which are simple in design, for filling the shuttles with an exactly determined length of weft in a reliable way, irrespective of the speed of the loom, allowing the weft to be inserted with small losses of weft yarn.

In accordance with the present invention the excessive part of the end of weft thread is transferred back,

in the direction opposite to the direction of feeding of the thread during the filling of the shuttle, before the end of the weft thread supply is inserted into the shuttle between the bobbin of the shuttle and the driving means of the metering device; at the same time, at the beginning of the winding, the said end of the weft thread supply frees itself from the grip of the braking mechanism and is retained by the next windings on the bobbin of the shuttle, while the weft is separated and simultaneously gripped by the nipping device. After the rated number of windings have been wound and the shuttle has entered the shed and the weft has been interlaced by at least two warp threads, the placing of the weft thread into another shuttle is begun.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of the metering device of the filling unit with a drive independent from the revolutions of the machine, said drive being provided with outlet members meshing with the recesses of the shuttle, and further with an accumulating device, while the shuttle is provided with a freely rotatable bobbin arranged in the recess of the shuttle and the separating means together with the nipping device are arranged next to the selvedge.

Especially important is the fact that the outlet member of the independent drive of the metering device is the driving shaft provided with a driving disc the axis of which is parallel with that of the axis of the bobbin of the shuttle, while the form of the part of the driving disc that contacts the bobbin of the shuttle corresponds with the form of the contact surface of said bobbin.

A particular advantage lies in the fact that the guiding and braking means are attached to the driving means of the metering device, while the distance of a straight line passing through said guiding and braking means from the axis of the driving shaft does not exceed the radius of the bobbin, and that the metering device of the filling unit is provided with an adjustable weft thread passage limiter.

For a space-savin g arrangement of the device according to the invention it is advantageous that the path of the filling units has the form of a circle or of two opposite half-circles connected by straight lines, while the path of the shuttles in the weaving area is a tangent to said circle or to said two half-circles.

Further advantages and features of the present invention will be more fully understood in the following detailed description read with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in plan diagrammatically illustrating an embodiment of the invention including a part of the weaving area of the loom;

FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates the embodiment I of FIG. 1 of the invention in front view;

rection S shown in that figure;

FIG. 5 is a view in plan of the operation area of the filling unit and the shuttle at the moment when their paths join;

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken along the line 6--@ in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view in plan of the beginning of winding the yarn on the bobbin of the shuttle after the bobbin has performed approximately 1 M1 revolutions;

FIG. 8 is a section taken along the line 88 in FIG.

FIG. 9 depicts a detail of the contact of the driving disc with the bobbin of the shuttle;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the operation area of the filling unit and the shuttle at the moment before their paths part;

FIG. 11 is a view in the direction P shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the operation area of the filling unit and the shuttle after their paths have parted;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the phase of separation of the shuttle and the filling unit at the moment when the weft thread is nipped by the brake between the shuttle and the filling unit; and

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the phase of separation of the shuttle and the filling unit at the moment when the weft thread between the shuttle and the filling unit is interrupted.

Turning now to the illustrative embodiment, there is shown a progressive shed weaving loom, which is characterized by the fact that the loom is provided with a plurality of shuttles 1 (FIGS. 1 and 2). During the process of weaving, at least some of the shuttles pass through the weaving area which is limited by the width of the warp which is drawn in, being created by warp threads 2. The transfer of the weft 31 inserted by the shuttle 1 and the beating up to the fabric 4 is carried out, in the illustrative embodiment, by laminae 5. After having deposited the weft 31, the shuttles 1 change their direction in a part (not shown) of their path 101 and return in a known way back to the starting point of the fabric 4, where they are again filled with a weft thread, an operation which will be described in more detail later on.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, the filling units 6 move along a closed oval path 61 consisting of two half circles 62,63 and of two straight sections 64, 65. A part of the path 101 of the shuttles 1 coincides with a part of the oval path 61 of the filling units 6. This common part is represented in FIG. 1 by two straight sections 64, 65 and one circular section 63 of the path 61 of the filling units 6.

It is also possible, for a smaller part of filling units 6, to use a path (not shown) in the form of a circle. In an arrangement of filling units 6 on an oval path 61 according to FIG. 1, six filling units could be used in case of employing a circular path. The number of filling units placed on a circular path depends, in the first place, upon the size of filling units 6 which limits the reduction of the radius of said circle, and further, upon the spacing of the filling units 6. The number of filling I units 6 used in FIG. 1 does not depend upon the length of the straight sections 64, 65 of the path 61, depending substantially only from the spacing of the filling units 6 and from the width of fabric produced. The number of filling units 6 can further be affected by the output of the weaving loom expressed as the length of inserted wefts 31 within a time unit, and by the maximum filling speed that cannot be exceeded without a substantial decrease of operation reliability. By lengthening or by shortening the straight sections 64, 65 of the oval rotary path 61 of the filling units 6 by a multiple of the spacing an optimum use of the filling operation of the filling units 6 can be solved for various weaving systems, e.g. with various weaving widths, without changing the arrangement layout and the technological means.

At the common part of the

paths

61, 101 the shuttles 1 and the filling units 6 have the same speed and the same spacings. It is preferable, particularly from the viewpoint of simplicity of production, also to let the shuttles 1 travel with the same speed along the remaining part of their path 101, yet it is not indispensable for the operation of the device according to the invention. The regularity and continuity of the speed of shuttles 1 depends, in the first place, upon the type of drive. In an example of the illustrative embodiment, a known, unillustrated electromagnetic drive has been used in which every shuttle l is carried by means of a progressing magnetic field. Along the common part 7 of the

paths

61, 101 of the filling units 6 and the shuttles 1 the latter are guided at an exact distance from the filling units 6 by mechanical means. These mechanical means consist, e.g. of an unillustrated finger pressing upon the shuttles l in the groove which forms the path 101 of the shuttles l in this area.

Every filling unit 6 is provided with a supply of weft thread 3, preferably in the form of a bobbin 8, by a metering device 9 (FIG. 2), and by an accumulating mechanism and a limiter 10. The bobbin 8 is fixed by means of a holder 81 to the driving rotary device, which may consist of a guiding profile rail 1 1 together with an endless chain (not shown) fed over sprockets (not shown) driven by driving spindles 12, 13 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The holder 81 is provided with an eye 82 for guiding the weft thread (FIG. 2).

The guiding eyes 901-904 are connected by means of the holder 905 with a metering device 9 of the filling unit 6.

The metering device 9 is further provided with a member 906 for guiding weft thread 3, with a selectively operated thread brake 907 and a driving shaft 908, with which the driving disc 909 is fixedly connected (FIGS. 4, 6, and 9), said disc being the output element of the metering device 9 driven by a drive (not shown) independent from the speed of the weaving loom. As can be seen from the following description of the operation of the device, the weft thread 3 passes the guiding member 906 during all phases of the filling of the shuttles 1. In the embodiment shown, brake 907 has opposed jaws which selectively engage and retard the thread passing therebetween.

The driving disc 909 is provided with two working

conical surfaces

910, 911 the intersection of which forms the edge 912. The reliable operation of the device according to the invention requires the straight line connecting the brake907 and the guide 906 to intersect the axis of the driving shaft 908 or the distance of said straight line from the said axis to equal the radius of the front of bobbin 141 or to be less. The limiter 10 (FIG. 4 et seq.) of the passage of weft which is connected to the metering device 9 consists of a brake with adjustable pressure in the embodiment of the invention.

The accumulation device consists of a swingable arm 913 and fixed guiding

eyes

902, 903.

Only one filling unit 6 has been described. However, the example of the embodiment is provided with twelve identical filling units 6 of identical design and identical operation. The choice of their number has been discussed above.

All parts of the filling unit 6 travel along the rotary path 61 in a mutually dependent movement, being driven, e.g. by a chain (not shown), similar to that above-described for the drive of bobbins 8; alternatively, individual units, such as. the metering unit 9, can be driven by special means with a driving mechanism identical with that of the drive of other parts of filling units 6 and of shuttles 1.

Each shuttle 1 is provided with a bobbin 14 placed in the recess 102 of the body 103 of the shuttle 1. The bobbin 14 is freely rotatable around its axis on a pin that cannot be seen in the drawings. The rotations of bobbin 14 can be retarded by a brake (not shown), e. g. in the form of a flat spring pressed against bobbin 14.

The upper part of bobbin 14 has the shape of a tapered surface 910 of the driving disc 909 of the metering device 9 (FIGS. 8 and 9). In the illustrative embodiment, the arrangement is such that both

surfaces

141 and 910 have the same degree of taper, thus forming the driving and the driven parts of a conical coupling. The bobbin 14 is also provided with a recess 142 for receiving the weft thread 3 which is to create the weft 31.

The shuttle 1 is provided with a groove 104 for the passage of weft thread 9 during the winding on bobbin 14. The groove 104 passes over into an oblong slot 105 (FIGS. 11 and 14).

The nipping device 15 is disposed next to the fell of the fabric 4 at the spot of depositing the weft 31, and adjacent to it there is a separating device which is represented in FIGS. 13 and 14 by scissors 16. Both

devices

15 and 16 have one jaw fixed and one movable. The movable jaws of the nipping mechanism 15 and of the scissors 16 are preferably controlled by the same control means (not shown). The jaws of the nipping mechanism 15 grip the weft 31 by a shearing motion, the working edges of both jaws being rounded. Next to the scissors 16 there is a fixed weft-guiding pin 17 allowing a precise deposition of Weft 31 between the jaws of the scissors 16 and the nipping mechanism 15.

Some of the mechanisms taking part in the operation of a device according to the invention have not been represented in the drawings, as they are conventional and do not constitute the object of the invention; they can be replaced by other known devices with the same function. This relates particularly to the dependent drive, which can be either common to all filling units 6 or can be provided for every unit 6 separately. In both cases a mechanical stop is provided at the place where the winding of the weft thread 3 begins in the path 61 of filling units 6, said stop connecting, in the former case (common drive), the metering unit 9 with the common drive, whereas in the latter case (separate drive), it sends an impulse to switch the electric motor of the metering device 9. In an example of the illustrative embodiment, the determination of the number of revolutions of the bobbin 14 can be carried out by turning a toothed segment of the metering device 9, which drives a gear meshing with it. The size of said segment determines the number of revolutions of bobbin 14. This segment (not shown) can also be used to switch out the drive of the metering unit 9 when, e.g. the electrical circuit of the electric motor being interrupted when the segment lies in a predetermined angular position. A counter controlled by means of electric circuits can be used for determining the number of revolutions.

It is advantageous to use respective immovable guiding paths serving for the necessary movements of individual parts either directly or by means of a leverage in order to assure the movements of the filling units 6 in the direction (FIG. 1) as well as for the movement of some parts, such as e.g. the guide 906, the swingable arm 913, the jaws of the brake 907, the opening and the closing of the limiter 10.

The method of filling of the shuttles 1 with the weft 31, and the function of the above-described device according to the illustrative embodiment of the invention are as follows:

The function of the device can be divided into the following three basic phases of successive cycles:

1. the meeting of shuttle 1 with the filling unit 6;

2. the metering of weft thread 3; and

3. the parting of the shuttle from the filling unit 6.

THE MEETING OF THE SHUTTLE WITH THE FILLING UNIT Before the

paths

101, 61 of the shuttle 1 and of the filling unit 6 meet, the metering device 9 (FIGS. 2, 3, 4) is in its upper position over the rotary path 101 of the shuttles 1, in order to allow the driving discs 909 and the brake 907 to pass over the body of the shuttle 1. The weft thread 3 passes through the

guide eyes

82, 901, which can also have a braking effect. Further, it passes through the limiter 10, the guiding eye 902, through the guide 906 and is nipped by the brake 907. The weft thread also can pass through weft brake (not shown) or over a stop in the section between the guiding

eyes

82, 901. In the area where the shuttle 1 meets the filling unit 6, the drawing-in of the cut end 32 of weft thread 3 back into the filling unit 6 is finished, after the filling operation has been performed, the swingable arm 913 forming a loop 33 of the weft thread 3 by swinging in the direction R (FIG. 4), while at the same time the limiter does not allow the weft thread 3 to leave the bobbin 8 and the brake 907 insures adequate tension of the weft thread 3 between the guide 906 and the brake 907 to be obtained. The end 32 of weft thread 3 has been created by interrupting weft thread 3 between the shuttle 1 and the filling unit 6; this operation will be described in more detail in the description of the third basic phase. At the moment when the path 101 of the shuttle l meets the path 61 of the filling unit 6, the driving disc 909 assumes a coaxial position with respect to the bobbin 14 of the shuttle 1 (FIGS. 5, 6). The metering device 9 comes down to the winding position, travelling further along its path 61, and consequently the driving disc 909 contacts the tapered surface 141 of the bobbin 14 by its tapered surface 910. At the sarne time the weft thread 3 stretched out between the guide 906 and the brake 907 is fed by the groove 104 of the shuttle 1 into the winding plane passing through the edge 912 and the eye of the guide 906. The swingable arm 913 is in its outer position (FIGS. 5, 6), the drawing-in of the end 32 of weft thread 3 has been finished, the limiter 10 has freed the passage of weft thread 3 from the bobbin 8. The end 32 of weft thread 3 is held by the brake 907. The filling unit 6 and the shuttle 1 are in a position in which the phase of the actual metering and filling of the shuttle 1 by weft 31 start.

THE METERING OF WEFT THREAD The connection of the metering device 9 with the driving means (not shown) sets in when the predetermined position of the metering device 9 on its rotary path 61 has been reached. The driving disc 909 as the exit member of the metering device 9 starts rotating in the direction V (FIG. 7). Simultaneously, the bobbin 14 starts rotating in the same direction, since the driving disc 909 and the bobbin 14 form the driving and the driven parts of the tapered friction coupling with mutual pressure serving to transmit the torque moment. The weft thread 3 is tightly gripped between the bobbin 14 and the driving disc 909; upon-turning the bobbin 14, the end 32 of weft thread 3 is pulled out of the brake 907 the braking effect of which is lower than the gripping effect of the driving disc 909 and the bobbin 14. The braking effect of brake 907 must also be lower than the strength of weft thread 3. The end 32 of weft thread 3 starts rotating with bobbin l4 and is fastened by the first coil already on the bobbin in such a way that the weft thread 3 which passes all the time through the guide 906 is wound according to the position of its eye either at the level of the edge 912 or somewhat higher, so that the weft thread 3 slips over the tapered surface 911 and over the edge 912 to the cylindrical surface of the recess 142 of the bobbin 14 (FIGS. 7, 8, 9).

FIG. 9 represents the position of wound weft 3 and its end 32 when the bobbin '14 has turned through 360. During the winding, the weft thread 3 is taken partly from the bobbin 8 of the filling unit 6, and partly from the loop 33 which is freed by the backward motion of the swingable arrn 913 in the direction U between the eyes 902, 903 (FIG. 8). After the loop 33 has been loosened completely, the weft thread 3 is supplied by the bobbin 8 only. The loosening of the loop 33 by the swingable arm 913 can take place before the actual winding if the filling unit is provided with a member (not shown) for tensioning weft thread 3.

The weft thread can be braked and controlled in a known way (not illustrated), e.g. in the area between the guiding

eyes

82 and 901.

The winding is finished at least just before the shuttle 1 and the filling unit 6 part. Usually it ends considerably sooner, depending upon the winding speed and the length of weft 31. The predetermined length of weft thread 3 is wound onto the bobbin 14 in such a way that the metering device 9 turns the driving disc 909, and thus also the bobbin 14 through the respective number (whole and/or part revolutions) of revolutions.

The metering device 9 is driven by a mechanism that does not depend upon the drive of the weaving loom. Thus the independence of the speed of weft 3 from the picking speed of weft 31 in the weaving area is secured, as well as winding under unchanging tension, which has a favorable effect upon the precision of the metered length. When the weaving loom is stopped, e.g. as a result of a warp breakage or of a breakage of wound weft 31, the filling process is not interrupted in the shuttles 1 where the filling has already begun. When the weaving loom is running, the metering devices 9 are brought into operation in one position only, i.e. at the beginning of the common part 7 of the

paths

101, 61 of the shuttles 1 and the filling units 6. In the case of stoppage of the weaving loom, and consequently also when the circulation of shuttles 1 and of filling units 6 is stopped, the filling unit 6 can be brought again into operation at any place of the common part 7 of the

rotary paths

101, 61. Thus, there is given the possibility of handling defects of the filling unit 6, to tie up a broken weft thread 3, if necessary to exchange bobbins 14 or a whole shuttle l, and to supply a new. shuttle 1 with the correct length of weft thread 3.

THE PARTING OF THE SHUTTLE WITH THE FILLING UNIT Before arriving at the place where the shuttle 1 and the filling unit 6 part, the metering device 9 starts rising in order to reach its upper position over the rotary path of the shuttles 1 (FIG. 11) at the parting place of the shuttle l and the filling unit 6 (FIG. and in order that the driving disc 909 and the brake 907 may not prevent the shuttle 1 from leaving the oval path 61 and from continuing to travel along the straightpart 65 of the path 61 into the weaving area. The brake 907 opens in the upper position, and the limiter 10 prevents the weft thread 3 from passing into the metering device 9 from bobbin 8. The guide 906 remains in the position for winding, i.e. it lowers-itself with respect to the metering device.

In the next phase of the (FIG. 12) FIG. 12 the driving disc 909 with the brake 907 pass off the shuttle at different levels. Since the distance between the guide 906 and the shuttle 1 increases and the weft thread 3 is nipped by the limiter 10, the weft 31 unwinds from bobbin 14 in the direction X (FIG. 12). At the same time, the weft 31 is drawn into the oblong slot 105 (FIGS. 11, 14) of the shuttle 1 which may contain a known means for braking the weft 31, eg both elongated slots 105 can be provided with flat springs (not shown) between which the weft 31 is held.

In the next section (FIG. 13) the unwinding of weft 31 from bobbin 14 and the drawing-in of weft 31 into the slot 105 of shuttle 1 take place. At the moment when the brake 907, on its rotary path, is over the weft 31 stretched between the shuttle l and the guide 906, the brake 907 comes down to the winding level and the weft 31 is thus fed between the open jaws of the brake 907. When the downward movement is finished, the jaws of the brake 907 close again. The described operation is made possible by synchronizing of the movement of shuttles 1, of filling units 6, and of the control device (not shown) of the brake 9 07.

In the following section (FIG. 14) the unwinding of weft 31 from bobbin 14 takes place until the weft thread 3 between the shuttle 1 and the filling unit 6 is interrupted. The weft thread 3 is cut by the scissors 16 at the moment when the shuttle 1 has already entered the weaving area and the picked weft 31 is interlaced by warp threads 2 coming over to a shed change. At the same time, the weft 31 is fed to the nipping device 15, allowing, by the grip of the end of weft 31, the obtain ing of the same weft tension 31 at the selvedge as at any other place of the weaving width. The operation of the nipping device ends before the next weft is interlaced, that is, when the movable jaw of the nipping device 15 withdraws for a moment from the immovable jaw, thus releasing the weft 31; through nipping by the backward grip motion of the movable jaw the following weft 31 is nipped simultaneously with its separating from the weft thread 3 by means of scissors 16. The peg 17 (FIG. 14) serves to assure proper guiding of the weft 31 into the nipping device 15 and to the scissors 16.

After the weft thread has been interrupted between the shuttle 1 and the filling unit 6, the end 32 of weft thread 3 is transported back to the filling unit 6 by drawing-in by means of the accumulating device consisting of the swingable arm 913 and the guiding

eyes

902, 903. The drawing-in of the end 32 of the weft thread 3 allows a stronger grip of the weft thread 3 to be obtained in the lirniter 10 than that of the brake 907. The drawn-in length is given by the spacing between the scissors 16 and the brake 907 at the moment when the weft thread 3 is interrupted. In order to have this drawn-in length as small as possible, the circular arch 62 of the oval path 61 is held as near the margin of the weaving width as possible, the radius of the circle is as small as possible and the shuttle 1 leaves the oval path 61 in the direction of the straight portion 0f the path 61, i.e. in the direction of a tangent'to the half-circular parts 62, 63 of the path 61 of the filling units 6, and alternatively, in the direction of a tangent to the circular path (not shown) of filling units 6.

The nipping of weft thread 3 by the brake 907 before separating the weft by scissors 16 and backward drawing-in of the end 32 of the weft thread 3 by the accumulating device serve as preparation for winding and depositing weft thread 3 into the next following shuttle 1. The subsequent course of operation of the described device according to the invention has been described above in the first or initial phase, the operation of the filling unit 6 being a repeated one.

Although the inventionis illustrated and described with reference to one preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be expressly understood that it is in no way limited to the disclosure of such a preferred embodiment, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a progressive shed weaving loom having continuously travelling shuttles and continuously travelling filling units, said shuttles and filling units travelling in paths which overlap in the shuttle-filling portion of their travel wherein the shuttles and filling units travel at the same speed and in the same direction, each said shuttle carrying a freely rotatable bobbin, the improved shuttle-filling mechanism which comprises a source of weft thread supply for each filling unit, each filling unit having a metering device, means for driving the metering device, a thread accumulator acting upon the thread in advance of the metering device, a selectively operable thread limiter acting upon the thread between the thread source and the accumulator, means for guiding the thread from the metering device to the shuttle, means disposed in advance of the shuttle for selectively cutting the thread, a selectively operable thread brake acting upon the thread between the metering device and the thread cutting means, thread nipping means disposed to act on the thread between the thread cutting means and the bobbin, the means for driving the metering device of the filling unit being independent of the means for driving the loom, said means for driving selvedge, the accumulator, thread limiter, and brake functioning to feed thread forwardly from the source of thread supply during the filling of a bobbin, the shuttlefilling mechanism having means for feeding the thread rearwardly from the thread cutting means after the thread has been cut and upon the parting of the paths of the filling units of the shuttles.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1, comprising means for gripping the leading, cut end of the thread between the bobbin and the driving member whereby to pull the thread onto the bobbin at the start of a bobbin-filling operation.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the driving member of the independent drive of the metering de vice is a driving shaft provided with a driving disc the axis of which is parallel with that of the axis of the bobbin of the shuttle, the form of the part of the driving disc that contacts the bobbin of the shuttle correspond ing with the form of the contact surface of said bobbin.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the thread guiding means and the thread braking means are attached to the driving means of the metering device, the distance along a straight line passing through said guiding and braking means between the axis of the driving shaft and the braking means does not exceed the radius of the bobbin.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the limiter of the metering device of the filling unit is adjustable.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the path of the filling units has the form of a circle, while the path of the shuttles in the weaving area is tangent to said circle.

7. A device according to claim 5, wherein the path of the filling units is created by two opposite half-circles connected by straight lines, while the path of the shuttles in the weaving area is tangent to both said halfcircles.

8. A method of filling the shuttles with weft thread in progressive shed weaving looms with continuously travelling shuttles where the filling of shuttles is carried out by travelling filling units at the common part of the paths of said shuttles and said filling units as the shuttles and filling units move in the same direction and at the same speed, comprising inserting the end of the weft thread supply into the shuttle between the bobbin of the shuttle and the driving means of the metering device, at the same time as the beginning of the winding the said end of the weft thread supply freeing the thread from the grip of the braking mechanism and retaining it by the next windings on the bobbin of the shuttle, severing the weft and simultaneously gripping it by a nipping device after the rated number of windings have been wound, and, after the shuttle has entered the shed upon the parting of the paths of the filling units and the shuttles and the weft has been interlaced by at least two warp threads, transferring the excessive part of the end of weft thread back in the direction opposite from that of the direction of the thread during the filling of the shuttle.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the shuttle is provided with a recess in one surface thereof, wherein the bobbin is mounted in said recess in the shuttle.

10. A device according to claim 3, wherein the part of the driving disc that contacts the bobbin of the shuttle and the surface of said bobbin contacted thereby are frusto-conical in shape.

1 l. A device according to claim 1, wherein the means for feeding the thread rearwardly is a part of the accumulator.

Claims

1. In a progressive shed weaving loom having continuously travelling shuttles and continuously travelling filling units, said shuttles and filling units travelling in paths which overlap in the shuttle-filling portion of their travel wherein the shuttles and filling units travel at the same speed and in the same direction, each said shuttle carrying a freely rotatable bobbin, the improved shuttle-filling mechanism which comprises a source of weft thread supply for each filling unit, each filling unit having a metering device, means for driving the metering device, a thread accumulator acting upon the thread in advance of the metering device, a selectively operable thread limiter acting upon the thread between the thread source and the accumulator, means for guiding the thread from the metering device to the shuttle, means disposed in advance of thE shuttle for selectively cutting the thread, a selectively operable thread brake acting upon the thread between the metering device and the thread cutting means, thread nipping means disposed to act on the thread between the thread cutting means and the bobbin, the means for driving the metering device of the filling unit being independent of the means for driving the loom, said means for driving the metering device being provided with a driving member selectively meshing with the bobbin arranged on the shuttle, the thread cutting means together with the thread nipping means being arranged next to the selvedge, the accumulator, thread limiter, and brake functioning to feed thread forwardly from the source of thread supply during the filling of a bobbin, the shuttle-filling mechanism having means for feeding the thread rearwardly from the thread cutting means after the thread has been cut and upon the parting of the paths of the filling units of the shuttles.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the driving member of the independent drive of the metering device is a driving shaft provided with a driving disc the axis of which is parallel with that of the axis of the bobbin of the shuttle, the form of the part of the driving disc that contacts the bobbin of the shuttle corresponding with the form of the contact surface of said bobbin.

7. A device according to claim 5, wherein the path of the filling units is created by two opposite half-circles connected by straight lines, while the path of the shuttles in the weaving area is tangent to both said half-circles.

11. A device according to claim 1, Wherein the means for feeding the thread rearwardly is a part of the accumulator.