Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6775887
-
Patent Number
6,775,887
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, August 20, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, August 17, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Venable LLP
- Kinberg; Robert
- Smith; Stuart I.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 028 165
- 028 107
- 028 114
- 028 113
- 028 111
- 028 109
- 028 115
- 028 103
- 028 108
- 028 110
- 028 112
- 028 214
- 028 247
- 019 98
- 019 99
- 019 100
- 019 101
- 019 112
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A system for the needle treatment of a conveyable fiber bat is provided with at least one conveying device having a plurality of needles that can be inserted into and withdrawn from a fiber bat. At least one rotating cylinder is provided to make possible a high needle-treatment speed and a uniform structure of the needle-felted fiber bat. The outside of this rotating cylinder forms a conveying surface for the fiber bat. The needles can pass through the conveying device from the inside toward the outside. The needles penetrate the fiber bat perpendicular to the conveying direction and then withdraw. The outside of the rotating cylinder, the fiber bat, and the needles have a similar speed in the conveying direction during the needle-treatment.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the priority of German Patent Application No. 101 40 864.1 filed on Aug. 21, 2001, the disclosure of which is being incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a system for the needle-treatment of a conveyable fiber bat, and more particularly to a system which includes at least one conveying device having a plurality of needles which are pushed into and subsequently withdrawn from the fiber bat.
The fiber bat is subjected to tension during fiber-bat processing when the needles, which are inserted into the fiber bat during the needle-treatment, restrain a continuous conveyance of the fiber bat. This tension can lead to an undesirable stretching of the fiber bat in the conveying direction. U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,883A discloses a system in which the withdrawing roller drive is controlled so that the conveying speed is reduced during the needle intervention to take into account the tension on the fiber bat which increases when the needles penetrate into the material. However, this is tied to a comparably high design and control expenditure. Less complicated means for lowering the tensile stress of the fiber bat during the needle insertion are disclosed in Austrian Patent No. 259,246B1, in which one of the two rollers of a roller pair is designed with diametrically opposite arranged driver cams for the fiber bat. In dependence on the lift frequency of the needle board, the roller is operated such that a frictional connection between conveying rollers and fiber bat exists only if the needles of the needle board release the fiber bat. Such an intermittent conveying drive for the fiber bat represents an advantageous condition for a needle-treatment of the fiber bat with little tension. However, this intermittent conveying effect also requires a uniform thickness of the fiber bat that cannot be ensured in practical operations. Unavoidably thick and thin areas in the fiber bat result in irregularities in the advancement of the fiber bat and thus also in an irregular needle-treatment. Furthermore, thickened areas in the fiber bat can result in damage to the fiber bat surface, caused by the driver cams of one of the conveying rollers impacting on the fiber bat, and can lead to a mechanical overload of these conveying rollers, in particular in the bearing region. Another disadvantage is that a high operating speed is not possible with the known intermittent operation of the needle. According to a prior suggestion, the needles are rigidly arranged on the outside surface of a belt that circulates endlessly around two deflection rollers. In the process, a relative movement occurs between needles and fiber material, which pulls the fiber material out of shape. Specifically, when the needles are pushed in and pulled out of the fiber material at the two deflection locations, relative movements between the needles and the fiber material occur because of the slanted positioning of the needles relative to the fiber material. These movements lead to a stretching in the conveying direction and, in particular, to an irregular structure of the fiber material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a device of the aforementioned type that avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages and, in particular, makes it possible to have a high needle-treatment speed and a uniform structure of the needle-treated fiber bat. The conveying device can form part of a needle-treatment system.
The above and other objects are achieved according to the invention by the provision of a system for performing a needle treatment operation on a conveyable fiber bat, comprising: at least one circulating endless conveying device having an outside constituting a conveying surface for the fiber bat and an inside; a plurality of wire needles positioned for penetrating the conveying surface from the inside toward the outside and back again, and for being pushed into and withdrawn from the fiber bat; and, means for moving the conveying surface, the fiber bat, and the needles at the same speed during the needle-treatment operation.
A high needle-treatment speed and a uniform fiber bat structure are attained with the conveying device according to the invention since the conveying surface or surfaces, the fiber bat, and the needles, during penetration and withdrawal, have the same speed in the conveying direction; moreover, the needles penetrate and are withdrawn from the fiber bat in a direction perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the fiber bat conveying direction during the needle-treatment operation. A careful and effective needle-treatment of the fiber bat, i.e., the fiber material, thus occurs without any relative speed between the fiber bat and the needles during the conveying operation. The conveying device imparts this careful needle-treatment to a range of fiber bats, including thick fiber bats and fiber bats with short fibers. A high throughput speed can be attained with the conveying device. The extended penetration phase contributes to the high throughput speed. Further advantages of the device are low weight, compact design, and low noise during operation. The design of the device permits a modular construction. The needle treatment can be realized on one side or on two sides of the fiber bat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a side view of a roller-carding unit with a card unit feeder and the conveying device according to the invention.
FIG. 2
is a side view of a floccule feeder directly connected to the conveying device according to the invention.
FIG. 3
a
is a sectional side view of an embodiment of the conveying device shown in
FIG. 3
b.
FIG. 3
b
is a partial sectional front view of the conveying device shown in
FIG. 3
a.
FIGS. 4
a
through
4
c
are sectional side views of the of the conveying device which show the position of components of the conveying device at successive times.
FIG. 5
is a side view of the conveying device which includes a circulating endless perforated belt.
FIG. 6
a
is a perspective view of a portion of the endless perforated belt depicted in FIG.
5
.
FIG. 6
b
is a side view of a drive mechanism for the endless perforated belt.
FIG. 7
is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the endless perforated belt.
FIG. 8
a
is a side view of a plurality of serially connected conveying devices.
FIG. 8
b
is a block diagram of a common electronic control connected to drive motors and drive mechanisms for moving the needles associated with a plurality of conveying devices according to the invention.
FIG. 9
a
is a sectional side view of another embodiment of the conveying device according to the invention.
FIG. 9
b
is a partial sectional front view of the embodiment of the conveying device in
FIG. 9
a.
FIG. 10
is a block diagram of a common electronic control connected to drive motors and drive mechanisms for moving the needles associated with a conveying device according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1
shows a roller-carding feeder
11
in conjunction with a roller-carding unit
1
. The roller-carding feeder
11
will first be described. A vertical reserve chute
2
is fed from above with the finely broken up fiber good I, for example via a condenser and through a feeding and distribution line
3
. Air outlet openings
4
′ and
4
″ are provided in an upper region of the reserve chute
2
through which transport air II is pulled by a suctioning device
5
following separation from fiber goods or floccules III. A feed roller (intake roller)
6
operating jointly with a feeding trough
7
closes off a lower end of the reserve chute
2
. With this slow-rotating feed roller
6
, the fiber goods III from the reserve chute
2
are supplied below to a fast-moving opening roller
8
, provided with pins or saw-tooth wire, and making contact along a portion of its circumference with a lower feeding chute
9
. The opening roller
8
, rotating in the direction of arrow
8
a
, conveys the fiber goods III into the feeding chute
9
. The feed roller
6
rotates slowly in a clockwise direction (arrow
6
a
) and the opening roller
8
rotates in a counterclockwise direction (arrow
8
a
), so that opposite rotational movements are realized. The feeding chute
9
is provided at the lower end with a withdrawing roller
10
, rotating in the direction shown by the drawn arrow, and a feed trough
14
which places the fiber goods into the roller-carding unit
1
. An example of this roller-carding feeder
11
, is a SCANFEED unit manufactured by the company Trützschler in Mönchengladbach, Germany.
The feed roller
10
and the feed trough
14
of the roller-carding feeder
11
are followed in the conveying direction A of the roller-carding unit
1
by a first uptake roller
16
1
, a second uptake roller
16
2
, a licker-in cylinder
17
, a transfer roller
18
, and a main carding cylinder
19
. Two roller pairs
16
1
an
16
2
are associated with the licker-in cylinder
17
and six roller pairs are associated with the main carding cylinder
19
; each roller pair consists of a stripping roller
21
and a clearer
22
. Immediately adjoining and cooperating with the main carding cylinder
19
is a doffer
20
and a stripping roller
21
which serves as a calender roller. Two calender rollers
23
and
24
follow the stripping roller
21
. The conveying device
15
according to the invention is located downstream of the calender rollers
23
and
24
.
Alternately, the conveying device
15
according to the invention can be installed downstream of an aerodynamic fiber-bat former (not shown herein), instead of downstream of a roller-carding unit
1
. The conveying device
15
can also follow a carding machine provided with at least one crushing cylinder for creating a heavier fiber bat.
According to
FIG. 2
, a floccule feeder
26
, for example, a SCANFEED FBK 5000, manufactured by the company Trützschler in Mönchengladbach, Germany, is directly connected to the conveying device
15
. Transfer devices
25
, e.g. circulating endless conveying belts and conveying rollers can be arranged between the floccule feeder
26
and the conveying device
15
according to the invention. An operating width of five meters is possible.
FIG. 3
a
is a sectional side view of the conveying device and corresponds to the section IIIa taken through
FIG. 3
b
.
FIG. 3
b
is a partial sectional front view of the conveying device and corresponds to the section IIIb taken through
FIG. 3
a.
According to
FIG. 3
a
, a rotating cylinder
26
rotates in the direction of arrow
26
′ and is driven by a drive motor
27
. The fiber bat
37
moves in the direction indicated by arrow C towards the rotating cylinder
26
, on the surface of the outer shell surface of the rotating cylinder
26
, and away from the rotating cylinder
26
in the direction indicated by arrow D. A plurality of openings
28
penetrate through the outer shell of rotating cylinder
26
, which can be a tubular body. Four longitudinal rows of openings
28
are arranged over the circumference of the rotating cylinder
26
. As shown in
FIG. 3
a
, the rows are equally spaced at 90° angles around the rotating cylinder axis
29
. As seen in
FIG. 3
b
, the openings
28
within a row are arranged side-by-side. Within the rotating cylinder
26
are four rows of radially moveable needles
30
. The rows are arranged equally spaced at 90° angles around the rotating cylinder axis
29
. As seen over the width of the rotating cylinder
26
(see
FIG. 3
b
), each row contains a plurality of needles
30
, arranged side-by-side. Each needle row
30
1
,
30
2
,
30
3
, and
30
4
is constrained by two side guides between which the needles
30
can move back and forth in the direction of arrows A and B along a straight line extending between an opening
28
and the rotating cylinder axis
29
. The free end of needles
30
can be pushed through and withdrawn from the openings
28
. The other end of the needles
30
in a needle row is embedded in a needle board
31
; each needle row has an associated needle board. One end of a connector rod
32
is mounted such that it can pivot on a needle board
31
and the other end such that it can rotate on a needle-actuation shaft
33
; each needle board has at least one associated connector rod
32
. The rotating cylinder
26
is provided on each of its two ends with locally fixed end plates only
34
a
is shown in
FIG. 3
b
. A bearing
35
a
is provided between the circumferential face of the end plate
34
a
and the inside shell surface of the rotating cylinder
26
. A similar bearing is provided at the other end of the rotating cylinder
26
between the non-illustrated end plate and the inside shell surface of the rotating cylinder. The needle-actuation shaft
33
is received in the end plates. The rotating cylinder axis
29
and the needle-actuation shaft axis
36
are arranged parallel with respect to each other with a distance a between them.
FIGS. 4
a
through
4
c
show that during the needle-treatment operation the fiber bat
37
initially moves in a straight line tangentially towards the rotating cylinder
26
, as indicated by arrow C, in order to receive needle treatment. Subsequently, the fiber bat
37
moves circumferentially with the outer shell surface
26
″ of the rotating cylinder
26
as shown by arrow E. Finally, the fiber bat
37
moves once more in a straight line away from rotating cylinder
26
in the direction of arrow D. The rotating cylinder
26
rotates with a high speed in the direction of arrow
26
′. According to
FIG. 4
a
, at point in time t
1
, the needles
30
in the needle row
30
1
are positioned completely inside of the rotating cylinder
26
. The needles
30
in the needle row
30
2
penetrate the openings
28
2
and start to penetrate the fiber bat
37
in the direction of arrow A. The needles
30
in the needle row
30
3
completely penetrate the fiber bat
37
, whereas the needles
30
in the needle row
30
4
are in the process of being withdrawn from the fiber bat
37
in the direction of arrow B. According to
FIG. 4
b
, at a later point in time t
2
, the fiber bat
37
has been advanced in the direction of arrows C, D and E. It is essential that the conveying surface, i.e., the outer shell surface
26
″ of rotating cylinder
26
, the fiber bat
37
, and the needles
30
have the same speed in the conveying direction during the needle treatment, from the start of penetration of the needles
30
into the fiber bat, through full penetration and complete withdrawal of the needles. The needle rows
30
1
through
30
4
in
FIG. 4
b
are in a different position than in
FIG. 4
a
. According to
FIG. 4
c
, the rotating cylinder
26
at an even later point in time t
3
has performed nearly a three-quarters rotation with respect to its position in
FIG. 4
a
. The needle rows
30
1
and
30
2
are being withdrawn from fiber bat
37
in the direction of arrow B while the needle rows
30
3
and
30
4
are moving in the direction of arrow A towards the fiber bat
37
. While the rotating cylinder
26
rotates, the needles
30
perform two movements simultaneously: they perform a back and forth movement in the direction of arrows A and B while moving along a circular path shown by arrow
26
′.
FIGS. 3
a
and
3
b
show an embodiment in which all movements of the conveying device, e.g., the rotational movement of the rotating cylinder
26
and the linear movements of the needles
30
, are mechanically derived from a single drive motor.
An endless perforated belt
38
which serves as a stitch bed circulates around three deflection rollers
39
a
,
39
b
, and
39
c
, as shown in FIG.
5
. The rotational direction of the deflection rollers
39
a
,
39
b
, and
39
c
is indicated with the curved arrows
39
′,
39
″ and
39
′″. The fiber bat
37
(not shown in
FIG. 5
) is guided and conveyed between the curved outside
38
′ of the perforated belt
38
and the outer shell surface
26
″ of rotating cylinder
26
which rotates in the direction shown by arrow
26
′. It is essential that the perforated belt
38
, the outside
38
′ of which forms another conveying surface, the outer shell surface
26
″ of rotating cylinder
26
, the fiber bat, and the needles (not shown in
FIG. 5
) have the same speed in the conveying direction shown by arrow E during the needle-treatment. The belt forms part of the entire conveying device.
FIG. 6
a
shows the deflection of the perforated belt
38
with openings
40
around a belt deflection device (not shown in
FIG. 6
a
). Successive recesses
41
which penetrate through perforated belt
38
are provided in one edge region (as shown) or in both edge regions of perforated belt
38
. The edges bounding the recesses in the conveying direction of perforated belt
38
are reinforced with edge-reinforcing elements
42
a
and
42
b
against wear and tear. The edge-reinforcing elements
42
a
and
42
b
have rounded outer surfaces. As shown in
FIG. 6
b
, the teeth
43
a
of a toothed wheel
43
extend through the recesses of the perforated belt
38
. The toothed wheel is driven (in a manner not shown herein) by a device, e.g., a drive motor, in the direction of the curved arrow
43
′.
In another embodiment of the stitch bed shown in
FIG. 7
, the circulating endless perforated belt is an endless ladder belt formed by two endless toothed belts, only one belt
44
a
being shown herein. A plurality of strips
45
span between the outside of the endless toothed belts. The strips
45
have openings
46
through which the needles (not shown in
FIG. 7
) can penetrate. Gearwheels (not shown in
FIG. 7
) are used to drive the toothed belts.
In yet another embodiment (not shown herein), the stitch bed is formed of a mesh material.
Belts which serve as stitch beds can be formed of any one of a number of materials, including steel.
FIG. 8
a
shows a needle-treatment system composed of a plurality of conveying devices
15
a
through
15
f
according to the invention that are serially connected. The drive motors and drive mechanisms for moving the needles for the conveying devices
15
a
through
15
f
are connected to a common electronic control
51
, shown in
FIG. 8
b
, for coordinating the conveying and needle speeds of the conveying devices relative to each other; the conveying speeds and the needle speeds of any two of the conveying devices in the needle treatment system can be identical or different.
In the embodiment of the conveying device shown in
FIGS. 9
a
and
9
b
, a drive motor
91
drives the rotational movement of the rotating cylinder
26
and separate drive mechanisms
92
for moving the needles drive the linear movements of the needles
30
.
In an embodiment, shown in
FIG. 10
, the drive motor
91
for the rotating cylinder, the drive motor or motors
101
for a circulating endless belt, and the drive mechanism or mechanisms
92
for moving the needles can be connected to a common electronic control
102
. The common electronic control
102
coordinates the drive motors
91
and
101
and drive mechanisms
92
for moving the needles to ensure that the rotating cylinder, needles, fiber bat, and circulating endless belt all travel with the same speed in the conveying direction. The common electronic control
102
controls the points in time of insertion and of removal of the needles.
The invention has been described in detail with respect to preferred embodiments, and it will now be apparent from the foregoing to those skilled in the art, that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and the invention, therefore, as defined in the appended claims, is intended to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit of the invention.
Claims
- 1. A system for performing a needle treatment operation on a conveyable fiber bat, comprising:at least one circulating endless conveying device having an outside constituting a conveying surface for the fiber bat and an inside; a plurality of wire needles positioned for penetrating the conveying surface from the inside toward the outside and back again, and for being pushed into and withdrawn from the fiber bat, the needles being mounted on a needle board; a needle actuation shaft about which the needle board rotates; a connecting rod having a first end that is pivotably connected to the needle board, and a second end that is rotatably connected to the needle actuation shaft; and means for moving the conveying surface, the fiber bat, and the needles at the same speed during the needle-treatment operation.
- 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device includes a rotating cylinder.
- 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device includes a circulating endless belt and at least two belt deflection rollers about which the endless bolt travels.
- 4. The system according to claim 1, further including a stitch bed located so that the fiber bat can be arranged between the conveying device and the stitch bed.
- 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the stitch bed has an outside that constitutes another conveying surface.
- 6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the conveying device and the stitch bed are arranged so that the fiber bat is compacted therebetween.
- 7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the stitch bed comprises a circulating endless conveying device.
- 8. The system according to claim 4, further comprising means for moving the stitch bed at the same speed as the fiber bat.
- 9. The system according to claim 4, wherein the stitch bed has openings for the needles to pass through.
- 10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the needles are arranged for being pushed into and pulled out of the fiber bat with a movement that is substantially perpendicular to the fiber bat.
- 11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device has openings for the needles to pass through.
- 12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device comprises a plurality of conveying devices connected one behind the other for serial treatment of the fiber bat.
- 13. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a drive mechanism for moving the needles and a drive control device connected to the drive mechanism.
- 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the control device controls the movement of the needles.
- 15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the control device controls the instant for inserting the needles and for withdrawing the needles.
- 16. The system according claim 1, further comprising at least one drive motor arranged for driving the conveying device and the needles.
- 17. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a drive motor and means for deriving movement of the conveying device and the needles from the drive motor.
- 18. A system for performing a needle treatment operation on a conveyable fiber bat, comprising:at least one circulating endless conveying device having an outside constituting a conveying surface for the fiber bat and an inside; a plurality of wire needles positioned for penetrating the conveying surface from the inside toward the outside and back again, and for being pushed into and withdrawn from the fiber bat; means for moving the conveying surface, the fiber bat, and the needles at the same speed during the needle-treatment operation; and a stitch bed located so that the fiber bat can be arranged between the conveying device and the stitch bed, wherein the stitch bed comprises a circulating endless belt.
- 19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the belt is a steel belt.
- 20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the belt is a circulating endless ladder belt.
- 21. The system according to claim 18, wherein the belt is perforated.
- 22. A system for performing a needle treatment operation on a conveyable fiber bat, comprising:a plurality of circulating endless conveying devices connected one behind the other for serial treatment of the fiber bat, each of the conveying devices having an outside constituting a conveying surface for the fiber bat and an inside; a plurality of wire needles positioned for penetrating the conveying surface from the inside toward the outside and back again, and for being pushed into and withdrawn from the fiber bat; and means for moving the conveying surface, the fiber bat, and the needles at the same speed during the needle-treatment operation, wherein each of the conveying devices have different operating speeds.
- 23. A system for performing a needle treatment operation on a conveyable fiber bat, comprising:a plurality of circulating endless conveying devices connected one behind the other for serial treatment of the fiber bat, each of the conveying devices having an outside constituting a conveying surface for the fiber bat and an inside; a plurality of wire needles positioned for penetrating the conveying surface from the inside toward the outside and back again, and for being pushed into and withdrawn from the means for moving the conveying surface, the fiber bat, and the needles at the same speed during the needle-treatment operation; and at least one drive motor for driving each of the conveying devices and a common electronic control, wherein at least two of the drive motors are connected to the common electronic control.
- 24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the common electronic control synchronizes the speeds of the drive motors.
- 25. A system for performing a needle treatment operation on a conveyable fiber bat, comprising:a plurality of circulating endless conveying devices connected one behind the other for serial treatment of the fiber bat, each of the conveying devices having an outside constituting a conveying surface for the fiber bat and an inside; a plurality of wire needles positioned for penetrating the conveying surface from the inside toward the outside and back again, and for being pushed into and withdrawn from the fiber bat; means for moving the conveying surface, the fiber bat and the needles at the same speed during the needle-treatment operation; and a separate drive motor for driving a respective one of the conveying devices.
- 26. The system according to claim 25, further including a common electronic control, wherein the motors for the plurality of conveying devices are connected to the common electronic control.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
101 40 864 |
Aug 2001 |
DE |
|
US Referenced Citations (12)
Foreign Referenced Citations (8)
Number |
Date |
Country |
259 246 |
Jan 1968 |
AT |
2630514 |
Dec 1983 |
DE |
3822652 |
Feb 1989 |
DE |
4422844 |
Jan 1996 |
DE |
2110939 |
Jun 1972 |
FR |
1510376 |
May 1978 |
GB |
11-302965 |
Nov 1999 |
JP |
825726 |
Sep 1978 |
SU |