DIOTTO, Gianni (Via Alla Valle 3, Pare', I-22020, IT)
GERALDINI, Jacopo (Via Vivaio 4, Milano, I-20122, IT)
DIOTTO, Gianni (Via Alla Valle 3, Pare', I-22020, IT)
| CLAIMS
1. A machine for weaving and concurrent embroidering of clothing items, specifically embroidered headgear, comprising a weaving loom provided with reciprocally approaching and distancing reciprocating heddles (3) for the feeding of reciprocally abreast warp threads (2), insertion means for weft threads (4) between said warp threads (2) when said heddles (3) are in distanced position and compacting means (6) for the weft threads when said heddles (3) are in approached position, characterised in that it comprises at least one rack (9) which develops parallelly to the weft threads and carries a succession of feeding needles (10) of corresponding embroidery threads
(11), first displacement means (A) for the vertical displacement of the rack (9) in direction perpendicular to the fabric (1) for the insertion of the embroidery threads (11) underneath the new weft thread (4) to be inserted when said heddles (3) are in distanced position and second displacement means (B, 12) for the lateral displacement of the rack (9) in direction parallel to the weft threads (4) for releasing the embroidery threads (11) parallelly to the last inserted weft thread (4) and transversally to the warp threads (2) along predetermined embroidering paths when said heddles (3) are in approached position. 2. A machine according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a plurality of said racks (9) with needles (10) laterally staggered with respect to those of the other racks, said racks (9) being usable either individually or in reciprocal combination to allow the making of simple (14) or complex embroideries (15). 3. A machine according to claim 2, characterised in that said second displacement means (B, 12) are controlled by a computer (13) provided with software for the determination of the desired embroideries. |
"Machine for weaving and concurrent embroidering of clothing items, specifically embroidered headgear"
DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a machine for weaving and concurrent embroidering of clothing items, specifically for the manufacture of embroidered headgear.
The increasing diffusion of embroidered headgear of the type normally used in the Arab world is known also in the western world. Such embroidered headgear may be manufactured by means of a normal weaving process with a loom of known type and then subjected to embroidering in a separate embroidering machine.
Two separate machines are thus needed with consequent hindrance and costs and furthermore the embroidered item displays the embroidery threads not only on the desired embroidered surface but also on the opposite surface, where there are the connecting segments of the embroidery thread. In view of this state of the art, the main object of the present invention was to design a machine capable of concurrently performing both weaving and embroidering of embroidered clothing items. A further object of the present invention was to design a machine as indicated above, which was the direct evolution of a normal weaving loom. Yet another object was to design a weaving and embroidering machine which would make the embroidery visible on only one surface of the fabric and leave the opposite surface substantially clear. According to the invention, such objects have been achieved by a machine comprising a weaving loom provided with reciprocally approaching and distancing reciprocating heddles for the feeding of reciprocally abreast warp threads, insertion means for weft threads between said warp threads when said heddles are in distanced position and compacting means for the weft threads when said heddles are in approached position, characterised in
that it comprises at least one rack which develops parallelly to the weft threads and carries a succession of feeding needles of corresponding embroidery threads, first displacement means for the vertical displacement of the rack in direction perpendicular to the fabric for the insertion of the embroidery threads underneath the new weft thread to be inserted when said heddles are in distanced position and second displacement means for the lateral displacement of the rack in direction parallel to the weft threads for releasing the embroidery threads parallelly to the last inserted weft thread and trans versally to the warp threads along predetermined embroidering paths when said heddles are in approached position.
Preferably, the machine according to the invention contemplates not a single rack but several racks (for example, three) with laterally staggered needles with respect to those of the other racks, which are used either alone or in reciprocal combination to allow the making of simple or more complex embroideries.
Appropriate means may provide the lateral movement of the racks, on which the embroidery pattern depends, for example, stepper motors controlled by a computer. In order to change the embroidery pattern, it will thus be sufficient to either make a selection in the software loaded on the computer, or, in case of a more radical change in the pattern, replace the software with another one chosen by the embroidered fabric manufacturer.
With a single machine that uses a normal, appropriately modified weaving loom to which a computer-controlled part (the rack or racks) was added, it is possible to make embroidered fabrics displaying the most varied patterns.
It must further be noted that the embroidery thus made is present on one side only (the upper side) of the embroidered fabric, whereas the opposite side (the lower side) results nearly entirely clear with the sole exception of small loops in the points where the embroidery threads pass underneath the weft threads before being developed in the direction of the
embroidery perpendicularly to the warp threads and parallelly to the weft threads.
The features of the machine according to the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a practical embodiment thereof, which is shown by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a schematic, perspective view of the most representative components of the machine according to the invention;
Figure 2 shows a further schematic side view of the aforesaid components in the position with heddles approached, which precedes the insertion of a further weft thread;
Figure 3 shows a further schematic side view of the aforesaid components in the position with heddles distanced, which allows the descent of the embroidery thread feeding rack or racks and the insertion of a further weft thread;
Figure 4 shows a further schematic side view of the aforesaid components in the position with heddles approached which follows the insertion of said further weft thread and the raising of the rack or racks before their side displacement; Figure 5 schematically shows a group of three racks usable in a machine according to the present invention;
Figure 6 shows a block diagram of a possible computerised control of the lateral movement of the racks in Figure 5;
Figure 7 shows an example of simple and complex embroidered patterns obtainable with a machine according to the invention provided with several racks as shown in Figure 5.
Figures 1-4 schematically show a machine according to the present invention for the manufacture of an embroidered fabric 1, which is woven and led to advance in the direction of the arrow F by a normal weaving loom (not shown in the drawings).
Fabric 1 is formed in traditional manner by warp threads 2 fed abreast to one another by a pair of reciprocally approaching and distancing heddles 3, as shown in Figures 2-4, and by weft threads 4 reciprocally and parallelly insertable between the warp threads fed by the two heddles so as to obtain, as common, an alternation of insertions of weft threads over and under the warp threads (Figures 2-4).
Warp threads 2 come from a beam 5 (Figures 2-4) and weft threads 4 come from appropriate and known feeding means (not shown), for example, from a system of nippers. The weft threads are inserted while heddles 3 are in distanced position (Figure 3) and a beater 6 pivoting about a pin 7
(Figures 2-4) compacts the weft threads after their insertion with heddles 3 in approached position (Figure 4). The final fabric moves according to arrows F and is finally wound to form a roll 8 (Figures 2-4).
At least one rack 9, which develops parallelly to weft threads 4 and carries a succession of needles 10 for feeding the corresponding embroidery threads 11, is provided to carry out the embroidery.
Rack 9 is vertically displaceable along beater 6 in direction perpendicular to fabric 1 to pass embroidery threads 11 underneath each new weft thread to be inserted. This is shown in Figures 2-4, where rack 9 is shown in raised position and heddles 3 in approached position prior to the insertion of a new weft thread, respectively (figure 2), then rack 9 is shown in lowered position and heddles 3 in distanced position with beater 6 also in distanced position (along with rack 9) for the insertion of a new weft thread (Figure 3), and then again rack 9 is shown in raised position, heddles 3 in approached position and beater 6 in pushing position on the newly inserted weft thread and on the associated embroidery threads for compacting the weft and the embroidery threads (Figure 4).
Rack 9 may further be displaced laterally with respect to beater 6 in direction parallel to the weft threads to allow the embroidery threads to extend between one weft thread and the other and transversally to the warp
threads to determine the desired embroidered pattern (Figure 1). The transversal displacement of the rack occurs while heddles 3 are in approached position as shown in Figure 2.
As shown in Figure 5, instead of a single rack 9, three (or more) abreast racks with corresponding successions of reciprocally and laterally staggered needles 10 may be provided. The needles of the racks may be reciprocally distanced according to multiples of a minimum distance thereof provided for one of the racks. For example, the needles of a first rack may be reciprocally distanced by 8 mm and the needles of the second and third rack may be reciprocally distanced by 16 mm.
The three racks have corresponding vertical displacement means (for example, cam means) symbolically shown by arrows A in Figure 6 and corresponding lateral displacement means (for example, consisting of electrical stepper motors) symbolically shown by arrows B in Figure 5. Figure 6 indeed shows three stepper motors 12 which may be controlled by a computer 13 to make embroideries according to certain patterns predetermined by the software loaded on the computer on a case- by-case basis.
Figure 7 shows examples of simple 14 and complex 15 embroideries which may be carried out on a same fabric 1 according to the software used and according to the racks selected by the software itself. The simplest embroidery 14 may for example be obtained in virtue of a single rack 9 with needles distanced by 8 mm, while the most complex embroidery 15 may be obtained in virtue of two racks with needles distanced by 16 mm, which in reciprocal combination again define distances of 8 mm altogether.
Many other types of patterns are obviously obtainable with appropriate software.