CORRESPONDING METHOD, FOR ONE OR MORE CLEANING BRUSHES

IN A FABRIC FINISHING MACHINE, AND FINISHING MACHINE

COMPRISING SAID DEVICE"

* * * * *

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a positioning and automatic adjusting device for one or more cleaning brushes in a fabric finishing machine, such as a teaseling machine or a fluffing machine, and the corresponding positioning and adjusting method. The present invention also concerns a teaseling machine or a fluffing machine of the rotary drum type, comprising said device. WO 97/39173 Al, DE 91 01 604 Ul and US 5.709.015 A disclose examples of raising or teaseling machines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Teaseling machines are known, which comprise a plurality of teaseling cylinders disposed on the circumference of a rotary drum, which are in turn rotating around their axis and provided with respective chocks suitable for teaseling or fluffing a fabric, in order to confer on the latter the desired aesthetic characteristics and feel. To carry out the desired treatment, the fabric is made to pass with one face in contact with the teaseling/fluffing cylinders and follow an arc of circumference of the drum of about 250° between the entrance drawing unit and the exit drawing unit.

The chocks of the teaseling cylinders comprise a plurality of needles or pointed protuberances which, as the fabric passes over them, exert an action of lifting the nap to confer the desired characteristics.

It is also known that, as the teaseling cycles proceed, the needles get progressively dirty due to the residues of fabric that remain trapped therein. For this reason, known teaseling machines usually comprise at least one cleaning brush, normally disposed in the space between the drawing units, which is selectively activated to remove the residues of fabric from the chocks of the cylinders. The cleaning brush is usually the rotary type and comprises fibers, filaments or bristles, which can be made of metal, for example steel, plastic materials such as nylon or suchlike, or other. Brushes with metal fibers can also have the function of sharpening and conditioning the chocks, that is, making the needles of the chocks suitable for first use. Known teaseling machines also comprise a positioning system suitable to manually move the cleaning brush closer to/away from the chocks, so as to selectively adjust the reciprocal position of the two. The positioning and adjustment occurs by temporarily clamping the rotation of the drum and by measuring, normally manually, the distance between the ends of the bristles of the brush and the ends of the needles of the chocks of the cylinders, identifying the exact point where the positioning device puts the ends at a distance of 0 mm between them. Afterward, to measure the degree of penetration of the brush into the chocks, a foil of harmonic steel, with a thickness of about 0.5 mm, is used, which is made to pass by an operator between the brush and the needles. Depending on the degree of friction found on the steel foil, that is, the resistance that the operator perceives while he is making the foil pass between the brush and needles, the degree of penetration of the brush into the chocks can be perceived.

A first disadvantage of this technique is that the adjustment occurs by means of a manual displacement of the mechanism for positioning the brush, and therefore it is laborious, imprecise and requires specialized manpower, and is substantially based on the experience and capacity of the operators.

Another disadvantage is that the adjustment requires a lot of time, limiting productivity due to the temporary stoppage of the teaseling machine.

It should also be noted that, during the normal use of the teaseling machine, the fibers of the cleaning brush get shorter due to wear, and this entails continuous and repetitive adjustments of the positioning mechanism for the brushes. Furthermore, the adjustments must be carried out every time the cleaning brushes or the chocks of the cylinders are replaced.

One purpose of the present invention is to obtain a positioning and adjusting device for a cleaning brush in a teaseling machine or similar which makes the adjustment of the positioning of the cleaning brush automatic, simplifying and accelerating the same.

Another purpose is to perfect a method for a cleaning brush in a teaseling machine or similar which simplifies, and renders automatic and quicker, the positioning and adjustment of the brush with respect to the teaseling/fluffing elements mounted on the drum.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purposes, a positioning and adjusting device for at least one cleaning brush in a finishing machine for fabrics such as a teaseling or fluffing machine or suchlike comprises a plurality of rotating chocks having needles or pointed protuberances. The cleaning brush comprises a plurality of fibers or filaments, which can be made of metal, plastic, of vegetable or animal origin or other, and are suitable to remove, during use, possible residues of fabric or other types of residues from the chocks.

According to one feature of the present invention, the device comprises means for the acquisition of images, which are disposed in proximity to the at least one cleaning brush and are suitable to acquire images of the zone of proximity and/or contact between the ends of the fibers and the ends of the needles in order to find the exact distance between the latter. The image acquisition means are suitable to allow an operator, and/or other possible means, also partly automatic, to evaluate the distance with great precision, remotely and in real time.

According to one form of embodiment of the present invention, the device also comprises control means, which are connected to the image acquisition means and are suitable to receive and process the images acquired in order to find the distance, and movement means which are commanded by the control means and are suitable to move the cleaning brush toward the needles of the chocks so that the cleaning brush is positioned, in use, in a position such that the fibers penetrate into the chocks between the needles to a desired depth. The movement means are advantageously the automatic type, and allow to move the brush precisely, and without requiring the manual intervention of an operator.

According to another feature of the present invention, the movement means comprise at least an electric motor which cooperates with a worm screw mechanism. The electric motor works on direct current and is suitable to cooperate with the worm screw mechanism in order to cause displacements of the brush along a desired axis. The displacement along the axis is controlled by means of a linear potentiometer.

In some forms of embodiment, the image acquisition means comprise at least a television camera or a webcam or a camera. Advantageously, the image acquisition means are suitable to be interfaced with the control means, and are suitable to provide images substantially in real time.

According to other forms of embodiment, the control means comprise an electronic unit or a computer type processing unit which can be, for example, an electronic calculator with a known architecture. Advantageously, the electronic calculator can also be suitable to perform other control functions on the teaseling or fluffing machine or similar.

According to another feature of the present invention, the control means also comprise a user interface with a touch screen display, which is suitable to display the images and to receive functioning settings from an operator. Advantageously, the user interface allows the user a quick and intuitive interaction, which can also be remote, or in a place distant from the teaseling or fluffing machine or suchlike.

The present invention also comprises a teaseling or fluffing machine or suchlike, which comprises a positioning and adjusting device as described above.

The present invention also comprises a method for the positioning and adjustment of at least one cleaning brush of a teaseling or fluffing machine or suchlike, which comprises a plurality of chocks having needles or pointed protuberances. The method comprises at least a cleaning step in which the cleaning brush, which has a plurality of fibers or filaments, removes possible residues of fabric or other types of residues from the chocks.

According to one feature of the present invention, the method also comprises an acquisition step in which image acquisition means, which are disposed in proximity to the at least one cleaning brush, acquire images of a zone of contact between the ends of the fibers and the ends of the needles in order to find the exact distance between the latter. Advantageously, the acquisition of the images occurs substantially in real time.

According to another feature of the present invention, the method also comprises a control step in which control means, which are connected to the acquisition means, receive and process the images in order to determine the distance, and a positioning step in which movement means commanded by the control means move the cleaning brush automatically toward the needles of the chocks, and position the cleaning brush so that the fibers penetrate into the chocks between the needles to a desired depth. The two steps are advantageously repeated cyclically to compensate the wear on the fibers of the brush and/or the chocks.

According to one form of embodiment of the present invention, the control step comprises a first sub-step in which an operator, acting on a display-type user interface of the control means, positions two level lines in substantial correspondence to the ends of the fibers and the ends of the needles respectively, and a second sub-step in which the control means, according to the position of the level lines, automatically calculate the exact distance between the ends of the fibers and the ends of the needles.

According to a variant of the present invention, the control step comprises a first sub-step in which the control means automatically analyze the image and position two level lines in substantial correspondence to the ends of the fibers and the ends of the needles respectively, and a second sub-step in which the control means, according to the positioning of the level lines, automatically calculate the exact distance between the ends of the fibers and the ends of the needles. Advantageously, according to this variant, the method for the positioning and adjustment of the cleaning brush is carried out completely automatically, that is, without the need for any intervention by an operator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- fig. 1 is a schematic and partial section of a teaseling machine comprising a positioning and automatic adjusting device for a cleaning brush according to the present invention;

- fig. 2a is an enlarged detail of the teaseling machine in fig. 1 ;

- fig. 2b is a schematic and partial section of a variant form of embodiment of the teaseling machine in fig. 1 ;

- fig. 3 shows an image acquired by the device according to the present invention;

- fig. 4 shows an image of a graphical interface of the device according to the present invention.

To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERENTIAL FORMS OF

EMBODIMENT

With reference to fig. 1, a positioning and automatic adjusting device 10 according to the present invention is suitable to be used on a teaseling machine 1 1, of the type with a rotary drum 13, which comprises a plurality of teaseling cylinders 19, also rotating and mounted on the circumference of the drum 13. Each of the teaseling cylinders 19 is suitable to be made to rotate in the direction of a first arrow Fl (fig. 1) around a respective first axis of rotation XI by one or more drive means cooperating with one or more motion transmission mechanisms, not shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the drum 13 is suitable to be made to rotate around a second axis of rotation X2 in the direction of a second arrow F2. In the schematic representation in fig. 1, each of the cylinders 19 rotates in a clock-wise direction, while the drum 13 rotates in an anti-clock-wise direction.

A chock 23 is disposed on the whole external surface of each of the teaseling cylinders 19 and comprises a plurality of needles 25, or pointed protuberances, which are suitable to teasel a fabric 29. The latter is made to pass with one face in contact with the drum 13 so that it follows a predetermined arc thereof, for example 250°. The fabric 29, traveling in the direction indicated by the arrows F3, is made to advance by a first drawing unit 31, which is disposed upstream of the drum 13, and by a second drawing unit 33 which is disposed downstream of the drum 13. The drawing units 31 and 33 are suitable to rotate respectively around third axes of rotation X3 by means of suitable driven means. The fabric 29, traveling in contact with the lateral surface of the drum 13 in the opposite direction, or concordant, to the direction of rotation of the teaseling cylinders 19, and in the opposite direction, or concordant, to the rotation of the drum 13, is subjected to lifting of the nap as is known in teaseling processes.

Although the following description will refer mainly to teaseling, it may equally be applied to fluffing machines or finishing machines of other types which have similar problems of period cleaning of the cylinders like teaseling machines. Therefore, when we speak of "chocks" and "needles", we also intend not only the common meaning which refers to teaseling machines, but also linings or coverings of different types, for example those applied to fluffing machines or other similar or comparable machines for finishing fabrics.

As is known, fibrous textile residues remain between the needles 25, therefore dirtying the chocks 23. To limit the consequent loss of efficiency of the latter, the teaseling machine 1 1 comprises at least one cleaning brush 37 of the rotary type, with a substantially circular section, suitable to remove the residual textile fibers on the chocks 23. The cleaning brush 37 is in this case disposed in the lower part of the teaseling machine 1 1 , substantially between the first drawing unit 31 and the second drawing unit 33 and comprises a plurality of fibers 39 which in this case consist of metal, but which can also be made of plastic material, or materials of vegetable or animal origin or other. The cleaning brush 37 is suitable to be made to rotate in a direction indicated by a fourth arrow F4 around a fourth axis of rotation X4 by a motor M, and is disposed on support means 43. The latter are movable vertically by movement means 45, which for example can comprise a worm screw mechanism, to move closer to/ away from the drum 13 and hence to/from the teaseling cylinders 19.

The movement means 45, which advantageously comprise an electric motor, are suitable to move selectively and in a controlled manner the cleaning brush 37 in the direction of the teaseling cylinders 19, so that the fibers 39 enter into contact with the needles 25 of the chocks 23 in order to remove the textile residues therefrom, thanks to the two combined movements of rotation.

The device 10 according to the present invention also comprises control means 49 associated with the movement means 45. In some forms of embodiment, the control means 49 comprise an electronic unit and/or a computer-type processing unit, such as for example an electronic calculator, and electronic adjustment means, in turn comprising a linear potentiometer.

Furthermore, the device 10 comprises image acquisition means 51 (figs. 1 and 2a), which are communicating with the control means 49. The image acquisition means 51 are disposed in proximity with the cleaning brush 37 and are suitable to acquire images (fig. 3) of the zone of contact between the ends of the fibers 39 of the brush 37 and the ends of the needles 25 of the chocks 23. The image acquisition means (51) may comprise for example one or more television cameras, webcams, cameras or other. The images acquired are transmitted to the control means 49 to be processed, in particular to evaluate the possible distance Dl (fig. 2a), measured along the axis Y, between the ends of the fibers 39 and the ends of the needles 25. The control means 49 also comprise, or are associated with, at least a user interface 53 which can be, for example, a display, which allows the operator to display in real time the images taken by the image acquisition means 51.

A variant form of embodiment shown in fig. 2b, compared with the description above, comprises two cleaning brushes 37 which are disposed adjacent so as to operate respectively and simultaneously on two different chocks 23.

The device 10 in this case comprises two image acquisition means 51, which are disposed respectively near the two zones of contact between the respective cleaning brushes 37 and the chocks 23 of the teaseling cylinders 19. In this case, the two image acquisition means 51 are communicating with the control means 49, to evaluate the respective distances D2 and D3 between the two cleaning brushes 37 and the chocks 23 along the respective longitudinal axes Y2 and Y3. The control means 49 are in turn communicating with movement means, not shown in fig. 2b, which are suitable to selectively cause the displacement of the brushes 37 respectively along the axes Y2 and Y3, in order to move the brushes 37 nearer to/away from the chocks 23.

The device 10 according to the present invention functions as follows.

The continuous use of the cleaning brushes 37 causes a progressive consumption of the fibers 39 with a consequent shortening thereof. Because of this, it is necessary to adjust at regular time intervals the distances Dl, D2, D3 between the cleaning brushes 37 and the chocks 23. The replacement of the cleaning brushes 37 or the fibers 39 of the cleaning brushes 37 also requires a new adjustment of this distance. According to the present invention, to adjust the exact distance between the ends of the needles 25 and the ends of the fibers 39 of the cleaning brushes 37, first of all the rotation of the drum 13 is blocked, advantageously by an automatic procedure, so that one cylinder 19 is aligned on the axis of movement Y, Y2, Y3 of the cleaning brush 37. Afterward, by commanding the positioning means 45, the brush 37 is positioned at a certain distance from the chocks 23 so that the distance can be displayed by the acquisition means 51. The image (fig. 3) acquired by the latter is then transmitted to the control means 49 which in this case comprise a display type user interface 53, for example a touch screen. An operator, acting on the latter, positions two level lines 55 in substantial correspondence with the average height of the ends of the fibers 39 and needles 25.

On the basis of the two level lines 55, the control means 49 calculate precisely the exact distance Dl, D2, D3 between the fibers 39 and the needles 25. Afterward, on the basis of the distance Dl, D2, D3, the cleaning brush 37 is selectively positioned so that, during use, it penetrates inside the chocks 23 with a desired and predetermined depth to effectively remove the textile residues between the needles 25.

According to a variant form of embodiment, the control means 49 are advantageously suitable to process the images acquired by the acquisition means 51, automatically determining, without the aid of an operator, said distance Dl, D2, D3.

The positioning and automatic adjusting device 10 according to the present invention has the following advantages:

- it identifies the contact position (fig. 1) of the cleaning brush 37 with the needles 25 of the chocks 23 of the teaseling cylinders 19;

- it automatically compensates, by means of the repeated identification of the contact position, the wear on the cleaning brush 37 and/or the chocks 23 of the teaseling cylinders 19;

- it positions and automatically adjusts the cleaning brush 37, irrespective of the size of the latter and/or the sizes of the chocks 23;

- it automatically manages the depth of the penetration of the cleaning brush 37 into the chocks 23. It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the positioning and automatic adjusting device 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of positioning and automatic adjusting device, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.