Abstract:
In a device on a spinning preparatory machines, especially a carding machine, cleaning machine or the like for cotton having at least one separating blade for impurities, which is associated with a clothed roller, for example a licker-in or the like, wherein the separating blade is arranged on a support which is displaceable parallel to (concentrically with) the periphery of the roller, the distance between the separating blade and a fixed-position counter-element bordering the separation opening is variable.  
     In the event of a change in the position of the separating blade, in order to provide uniform removal of impurities and uniform supply of air into an extraction chamber, the separating blade is associated with an extraction chamber which is mounted on the support, and the extraction chamber cooperates with a fixed-position guide element which is able to guide the separated impurities and/or air into the opening of the extraction chamber.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims priority from German Patent Application No. 102 31 829.8, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention relates to a device on a spinning preparatory machine, especially a carding machine, cleaning machine or the like for cotton having at least one separating blade for impurities, which is associated with a clothed roller, for example a licker-in or the like.  
           [0003]    In a known arrangement the separating blade is arranged on a support which is displaceable parallel to (concentrically with) the periphery of the roller and wherein the distance between the separating blade and a fixed-position counter-element bordering the separation opening is variable.  
           [0004]    In the known device of European Patent Specification No. 0 618 318, the impurities separated by the separating blade fall downwards into the space below the roller and have to be removed from there. Removal is complicated and can result in the machine becoming blocked. A further disadvantage is that the impurities fall diffusely and therefore the entire lower machine space has to be cleaned. As a result, the impurities and the air currents are swirled about.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is an aim of the invention to provide a device of the kind mentioned at the beginning which avoids or mitigates the mentioned disadvantages and which allows uniform removal of impurities and uniform supplying of air into the extraction chamber, especially when the position of the separating blade is varied.  
           [0006]    The invention provides a device on a spinning preparatory machine having at least one separating blade which is associated with a roller and co-operates with a fixed position counter element to define a separation opening for impurities, wherein the separating blade is arranged on a support which is displaceable substantially parallel to the periphery of the roller for adjusting the distance between the separating blade and the fixed-position counter-element, the device further comprises an extraction chamber which is mounted on the support, and the extraction chamber co-operates with a guide element, the guide element being arranged to be in a fixed position during operation of the machine and being able to guide separated impurities and/or air into the opening of the extraction chamber.  
           [0007]    The movable extraction hood cooperates with a fixed-position guide element and, as a result, the separated impurities and/or the intake air can be guided uniformly into the extraction hood. In this way, when the positions of the blade and the extraction hood are changed, advantageously a substantially constant amount of air is sucked into the extraction hood and the impurities (waste) are prevented from falling past the extraction hood. The provision of constant amounts of air and constant flow speeds for supplying the extraction hood with air is in particular possible where, as is preferred, the fixed-position guide element cooperates with the movable extraction hood in the manner of a nested arrangement.  
           [0008]    Advantageously, the distance between the guide element and a fixed position counter-element is substantially constant. Advantageously, the distance between the guide element and the fixed position counter-element has a free end, which may decrease in thickness. Advantageously, the free end is oriented in the direction of the intake opening (intake slot). The guide element may have at least one rounded edge over its width. The guide sheet may have a free end. The guide sheet may have a curved guide surface. Advantageously, the distance of the guide element from the roller is less than the distance of the guide sheet. Advantageously, the guide element co-operates with the guide sheet. The guide sheet may be arranged substantially underneath the guide element with respect to the roller. The guide sheet may be displaced with respect to the fixed-position guide element. Advantageously, the displacement is effected in a parallel direction. Advantageously, the radii of curvature of the rear side surface of the guide element and of the guide surface of the guide sheet are the same. The guide element and the guide sheet are advantageously nested with one another. The extraction chamber may be mounted separately on the support. The extraction chamber may be mounted releasably on the support. Advantageously, the width of the intake opening is approximately 15 to 25 mm. Advantageously, the end face of the extraction chamber is adjoined by an extraction line, which may be connected to at least one suction source. Advantageously, the position of the support can be adjusted by means of an adjusting device. The adjusting device may be manually operable. The adjusting device may be motor-operable. The support may be associated with a mechanical adjusting device, for example, a rack having a curved tooth bar which co-operate with a pinion. The adjusting device may have a driven reversing gear. Advantageously, the fixed position guide element is associated with an adjusting and fixing device. Advantageously, there is a continuous opening between the guide element of air. Advantageously, supplied air can be taken in through the opening. Advantageously, the supplied air assists the transport of impurities.  
           [0009]    The invention also provides a device on a carding machine, cleaning machine or the like for cotton having at least one separating blade for impurities, which is associated with a clothed roller, for example a licker-in or the like, wherein the separating blade is arranged on a support which is displaceable parallel to (concentrically with) the periphery of the roller and wherein the distance between the separating blade and a fixed-position counter-element bordering the separation opening is variable, in which the separating blade is associated with an extraction chamber which is mounted on the support, and the extraction chamber co-operates with a fixed-position guide element which is able to guide the separated impurities and/or air into the opening of the extraction chamber.  
           [0010]    Furthermore, the invention provides a method of removing impurities from textile fibre material at a roller, comprising withdrawing the impurities from the vicinity of the roller through a separation opening having a separation blade, adjusting the position of the separation blade to adjust the size of the separation opening and guiding the impurities into an extraction chamber by means of a guide element. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a carding machine having a device according to the invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of a cleaner having a device according to the invention; and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 3 a ,  3   b  show the device according to the invention in positions with a narrow cleaning gap (FIG. 3 a ) and with a wide cleaning gap (FIG. 3 c ).  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]    With reference to FIG. 1, a carding machine, for example a high performance carding machine DK 903 (trade mark) made by Trützschler GmbH &amp; Co. KG, having a feed roller  1 , feed table 2, lickers-in  3   a ,  3   b ,  3   c , cylinder  4 , doffer  5 , stripper roller  6 , nip rollers  7 ,  8 , web guide element  9 , sliver funnel  10 , delivery rollers  11 ,  12 , revolving card top  13  with clothed card top bars  14 , can  15  and coiler  16 . The directions of rotation of the rollers are indicated by curved arrows. Reference letter A denotes the operating direction. The lickers-in  3   a ,  3   b  and  3   c  are each associated with a separating blade  17   a ,  17   b  and  17   c , respectively, having extraction hoods  18   a ,  18   b ,  18   c . In the region of the extraction chambers  18   a ,  18   b ,  18   c  there are arranged as described below with reference to FIGS. 3 a ,  3   b , guide elements  19   a ,  19   b  and  19   c , respectively. The separating blades  17   a ,  17   b  and  17   c  and the extraction hoods  18   a ,  18   b  and  18   c  are each arranged on a respective displaceable support  20   a ,  20   b  and  20   c , (see FIGS. 3 a ,  3   b  showing blade  17   a  and hood  18   a  arranged on support  20   a ).  
         [0015]    Referring to FIG. 2, a cleaning device, which is arranged in a closed housing, is supplied with the fibre material to be cleaned (arrow H), which is especially cotton, in flock form. This is effected, for example, by a filling chute (not shown), by a conveyor belt or the like. The lap is supplied by means of two feed rollers  32 ,  33  under the clamping action of a pinned roller  23 , having pins  23   a , which is rotatably mounted in the housing and rotates anticlockwise. Downstream of the pinned roller  23  there is arranged a clothed roller  24  which is covered with sawtooth clothing  24   a . The roller  23  has a circumferential speed of about from 10 to 21 m/sec. The roller  24  has a circumferential speed of about from 15 to 25 m/sec. The direction of rotation of each of rollers  23 ,  24  is indicated by arrows I, II, respectively. Downstream of the rollers  23  and  24  there are arranged one after the other two further sawtooth rollers  25  and  26 , the directions of rotation of which are indicated by III and IV, respectively. The rollers  25 ,  26 , have sawtooth surfaces  25   a ,  26   a . The rollers  23  to  26  have a diameter of about from 150 to 300 mm. The pinned roller  23  is enclosed by the housing. The pinned roller  23  is associated with a separation opening  27  for discharging fibre impurities, the size of which is matched or is matchable to the degree of contamination of the cotton. The separation opening  27  is associated with a separating edge  17   a , for example a blade. In the direction of arrow I there are present at the roller  23  a further separation opening  28  and a separating edge  17   b . The sawtooth roller  24  is associated with a separation opening  29  and a separating edge  17   c ; the sawtooth roller  25  is associated with a separation opening  30  and a separating edge  17   d ; and the sawtooth roller  26  is associated with a separation opening  31  and a separating edge  17   e . Each separating blade  17   a  to  17   e  is associated with an extraction hood  18   a  to  18   e . Reference letter B denotes the operating direction of the cleaner. Each extraction hood  18   a  to  18   e  is associated with a guide element  19   a  to  19   e . Reference letter I denotes the air current containing impurities F, which enters the extraction hood  18   b . Reference numeral  28 A denotes a portion of the housing. Downstream of roller  26  is a conduit  22  for taking away fibre material ejected from roller  26 .  
         [0016]    With reference to FIGS. 3 a ,  3   b , the licker-in  3   a  of the carding machine of FIG. 1 is associated with the separating blade  17   a  for impurities F, which blade is arranged on a support  20   a . The edge  17 ′ of the separating blade  17   a  is opposed to the direction of rotation  3 ′ of the licker-in  3   a . The support  20   a , for example an extruded aluminium profile, is displaceable in the direction of arrows C and D parallel to the outer surface of the licker-in  3   a , i.e. concentric with the centre point M of the licker-in  3   a . Reference numeral  21  denotes the separation opening which is located between the separating blade  17   a  and the feed roller  1 . The feed roller  1  is in a fixed position in that, at least during operation, the roller axis is in a fixed position. Because the support  20   a  is displaceable in directions C, D, the distance between the separating blade  17   a  and the slow-speed feed roller  1  bordering the separation opening  21  can be varied. The separating blade  17   a  is mounted on the support  20   a  by means of a screw connection  34  or the like so as to be displaceable in the direction of the licker-in  3   a . The separating blade  17   a  is associated with the extraction hood  18   a , which is mounted in a pivot bearing  35  on the support  20   a . Reference numeral  18 ′ denotes the inlet opening into the extraction hood  18   a , which opening extends in slot-like manner across the width of the machine or the extraction hood  18   a . On the extraction hood  18   a  there is mounted opposite the support  20   a -in the region of the intake slot  18 ′ a guiding member  18 ″ in the form of a guide sheet  18 ″. The free end of the guide sheet is directed towards the intake slot  18 ′. The guiding element  18 ″, which together with the extraction hood  18   a  forms an integrally extruded component, has a slightly curved shape. The extraction chamber  18   a  is associated with a guide element  19   a , which is in a fixed position during operation, and is located in the region underneath the separation opening  21 . The guide element  19   a  is somewhat angular in shape and has a slightly curved arm  19 ′, the free end of which points towards the intake opening  18 ′. The other end of the arm  19 ′ is rounded and merges into a holding and securing element  19 ″ for the guide element  19   a . The distance a between the rounded portion and the feed roller  1 , which denotes an air-inlet opening  38  for an air current E, is constant during operation. The guiding member  18 ″ is arranged on the side of the arm  19 ′ remote from the licker-in  3   a . The displacement of the support  20   a  is effected by a rack  36  with a pinion  37 . Whilst it is in a fixed position during operation, the position of the guide element  19   a  and thus the distance a can be adjusted by means of an adjusting device (not shown) when the carding machine is not operating.  
         [0017]    When the support  20   a  is displaced in the direction of arrow C, the separating blade  17   a  and the extraction hood  18   a  are displaced from the position according to FIG. 3 a  into the position according to FIG. 3 b . At the same time, the guiding member  18 ″ is also displaced in direction C. As a result of the displacement of the separating blade  17   a , the separation opening  21  is enlarged so that more impurities F are separated from the fibre material. The guiding member  18 ″ is displaced concentrically with respect to the arm  19 ′. The width of the air-inlet opening  38  and of the intake slot  18  remain constant even when the support  20   a  is displaced, so that when the separation opening  21  is altered the size of the incoming air current E and the size of the extracted air current G remain the same. A further advantage is that for any size of the separation opening  21  the separated impurities F always fall onto the arm  19 ′ and/or onto the guiding member  18 ′ and are reliably guided through the extraction slot  18 ′ into the extraction chamber  18   a.    
         [0018]    The fixed-position guide element  19   a  cooperates with the guiding element  18 ′ on the lines of a nested arrangement. The guiding member  18 ″ may cooperate in sliding fashion with arm  19 ′ of guide element  19   a . Displacement of the support  20   a  in the direction of arrows C and D results in a narrow cleaning gap (FIG. 3 a ) and a wide cleaning gap (FIG. 3 b ), respectively.  
         [0019]    In FIGS. 3 a ,  3   b  the invention has been described using the example of a device underneath a high-speed roller, e.g. licker-in  3   a . The device according to the invention can be arranged in accordance with FIG. 2 also above or below a high-speed roller of a cleaner, e.g. the rollers  24  and  26 . The extraction hoods  18   b ,  18   c  of FIG. 1 may be of similar construction to that described in FIGS. 3 a ,  3   b , with reference to extraction hood  19   a  of FIG. 1. In that case, however, the guide elements  19   b ,  19   c , will cooperate with a counter-surface other than feed roller  1 .  
         [0020]    Reference letter K denotes an air current which according to FIG. 2 detaches fibre flocks from the last roller  26  of the cleaner, the fibre flocks being extracted in accordance with arrow L.