Weaving reed and gripper guide element for a loom

In a loom having mechanically driven weft thread insertion members, a weaving reed and a guide element for a weft thread gripper cooperate with one another, so that the guide element guidedly runs along the reed to provide an positive guidance for the gripper while it inserts a weft thread. To achieve this, each one of the reed teeth (6) has a profile recess (6D) therein between the upper and lower reed frame members (1A, 1B). The recesses are aligned with each other to form a guide channel across the width of the weaving reed (1). A protruding extension (13A) of the guide element (13) mounted on the gripper (12) is temporarily guidingly connected or engaged with the guide groove as the weft thread insertion members reach into and out of the loom shed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a weaving reed for a loom that has mechanically 
driven weft thread insertion members, wherein the weaving reed comprises a 
plurality of individual reed teeth that are arranged parallel and spaced 
apart from one another in a row and are anchored in respective first and 
second reed frame members. The invention further relates to a gripper 
guide and a guide element for a weft insertion gripper, which are 
temporarily guidingly connected to or in contact with the weaving reed. 
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
German Patent 3,901,549 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,970 (Gehring 
et al.) discloses a gripper arrangement for a loom that has weft thread 
insertion carrier members, such as gripper rods or rapiers, which are 
alternately inserted into and retracted out of the loom shed, and has 
gripper members attached to the free ends of the carrier members. A guide 
element is arranged on a side wall of the gripper, so that the gripper 
glides along the reed with the guide element. Such a guide element is 
tiltably arranged on the side wall of the gripper so as to be tiltable in 
a direction perpendicular to the weft thread insertion direction. With 
that arrangement, the guide element can advantageously orient or align 
itself along the still-standing weaving reed during the control phase of 
the gripper, so that the largest possible lateral gliding surface of the 
gripper, i.e. of the guide element, is in contact with the reed. This 
achieves a quiet and smooth gripper motion. The entire disclosure of U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,922,970 (Gehring et al.) is incorporated herein by reference. 
However, it has been found that the above described type of guide element 
does not reliably prevent the gripper from deviating from its prescribed 
guided path while carrying out the weft thread insertion, for example in a 
loom in which the grippers are arranged at the ends of rigid or flexible 
carrier members, such as gripper rods or rapiers, and in which the 
grippers are loosely or non-positively guided, for example, on a sley sole 
arranged on a reed stay bar of the loom. Especially in high speed looms, 
such a deviation of the gripper from its prescribed guided path is 
represented by the gripper lifting-off from the sley sole. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the above it is the aim of the invention to achieve the 
following objects singly or in combination: 
to improve on conventional weaving reeds for looms having mechanically 
driven weft thread insertion members, in such a manner so as to provide an 
improved reed that is adapted to reliably guide, entirely across the 
weaving width, all types of linearly guided weft thread insertion members 
having grippers thereon; 
to provide an improved weaving reed that is adapted to cooperate with a 
gripper guide element to reliably prevent the gripper from lifting-off 
from the sley sole; 
to provide a gripper guide element having a proper arrangement and 
configuration to cooperate with an improved weaving reed so as to act as a 
connecting member between the gripper and the reed and provide positive 
guidance in the horizontal and vertical planes for the gripper in its 
travel into and out of the loom shed; and 
to provide a loom using a combination of an improved weaving reed and an 
improved gripper guide element that connects the gripper to the reed for 
sliding guidance therealong. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The above objects have been achieved by a weaving reed according to the 
invention, wherein the individual reed teeth each have a profile recess 
therein between the first and second reed frame members. The recesses in 
the reed teeth are aligned with one another to form a guide channel in the 
reed extending across the weaving width, are preferably arranged below a 
weft thread beat-up portion of the reed teeth, and are preferably shaped 
so that the resulting guide channel provides positive guidance for a 
gripper guide element. 
The above objects have further been achieved by a guide element according 
to the invention, acting as an interconnecting member between a weft 
thread insertion gripper and a weaving reed. The guide element can be a 
guide finger arranged on the gripper. As seen in cross-section, the 
present guide element comprises an abutment surface extending parallel to 
and abutting a side wall of the gripper, a first slide or glide surface 
spaced away from and extending at an acute angle relative to the abutting 
surface, and a second or auxiliary glide surface extending from the first 
slide surface and forming a profiled extension of the guide element. The 
first glide surface is adapted to glide along the portion of the red teeth 
that beats-up the weft thread, and the second glide surface is adapted to 
glide along in the guide channel formed by the recesses in the reed teeth. 
The above objects are especially achieved in a loom having weft thread 
insertion members that alternately are inserted into and retracted out of 
the loom shed, a weft thread gripper arranged on a free end of each 
insertion member, and a guide element preferably arranged on each weft 
thread gripper to support and guide the gripper along the weaving reed. 
The guide element and the weaving reed have the particular structure 
according to the present invention as described herein. 
Especially in high speed gripper looms, in which the grippers are freely 
guided on a planar gripper running surface of a sley sole extending across 
the weaving width, or a sley sole formed of individual sections, it is a 
key feature of the invention that the individual reed teeth or lamellae of 
a weaving reed for beating-up the weft thread against the woven web each 
comprise at least one profiled recess, which is preferably arranged below 
the weft thread beat-up line. The profiled channel formed in the reed by 
the aligned individual recesses can have essentially any desired 
geometrical shape. For example, advantageous embodiments of the guide 
channel may have a slit shape, a circular shape, or a dovetail or 
swallow-tail shape. In such an embodiment, it is important that the 
beat-up side openings of the respective recesses are preferably positioned 
below the weft thread beat-up line. 
In the above mentioned embodiments, the guide groove advantageously 
provides an additional degree or dimension of guidance for the gripper or 
the insertion members carrying the gripper, during their alternating 
motion into and out of the loom shed. Namely, the gripper is guided along 
the sley sole, which provides support in one direction, and the guide 
member provides additional guiding support in both the vertical and 
horizontal planes, as follows. 
The guide element provided on the gripper, for example, laterally guides 
and supports the gripper against the weaving reed, and while maintaining 
the gliding guidance of the gripper along the weaving reed, additionally 
provides a further degree or dimension of support and guidance. To achieve 
this, the guide element comprises an extension protruding therefrom in a 
direction away from the side wall of the gripper. The cross-section of the 
protruding extension adequately or sufficiently corresponds to the 
cross-sectional shape of the guide channel formed by the recesses in the 
reed teeth so as to provide the positive guidance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS AND OF THE BEST MODE 
OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 shows a weaving reed 1 according to the invention connected to a 
reed stay bar 2 of a loom that is not shown in this figure. For example, 
the reed 1 is held or clamped into the reed stay bar 2 by a clamp bar 2A. 
The reed stay bar 2 is connected to a sley 4 that swings or oscillates 
back and forth as shown by the directional arrow 3. A T-shaped sley sole 5 
is removably, and thus replaceably or exchangeably, arranged on the reed 
stay bar 2. 
The weaving reed 1 comprises a plurality of lamellae or reed teeth 6 that 
are arranged spaced apart from one another in a row along the reed 1, and 
are anchored at their respective free ends 6A, 6B in a respective first or 
upper reed frame member 1A and a second or lower reed frame member 1B. As 
seen from the side, each reed tooth 6 has at least one recess 6D having a 
particular profile shape originating from or notched into a forward 
beat-up side or edge 6C of the tooth 6, at a location between the first 
and second reed frame members 1A, 1B. Preferably, the recess 6D is 
provided or notched into the respective reed tooth 6 at a location below 
the tooth area 6E that beats-up the weft thread against the beat-up edge 
of the woven web. 
The individual reed teeth 6 are arranged one after another in a row along 
the reed frame members 1A, 1B so that the recesses 6D align with one 
another and form a guide channel across the width of the weaving reed 1. 
In the area of the profiled recess 6D, the backside of each reed tooth 6 
opposite the beat-up side is bulged or curved outwardly, to ensure a 
sufficient strength and stability for the weaving reed 1 despite the 
provision of the recesses 6D. 
FIG. 2 shows the weaving reed 1 according to the invention arranged in the 
reed stay bar 2 in its operating condition in a loom 100 that is merely 
represented schematically by a dashed-line box. The remaining components 
of the loom are not of significance for the present invention and can be 
of any conventional type and arrangement. In the solid-line view of FIG. 
2, the sley 4 is located in a position tilted away from the beat-up edge 7 
of the woven web 8, and dashed ghost lines show the sley in the beat-up 
position. In the solid-line position, the loom shed 11 formed by a 
plurality of upper warp threads 9 and lower warp threads 10 is opened. As 
shown here, the lower warp threads 10 may, for example, be supported by 
the planar upper surface 5A of the sley sole 5 connected to the reed stay 
bar 2. In order to insert the weft thread into the open loom shed 11, a 
gripper 12 connected to a carrier member such as a mechanically driven 
rapier weft threaded insertion member, which may be rigidly or flexibly 
embodied, is alternatingly inserted into and retracted out of the loom 
shed 11 with the gripper 12 gliding along on the lower warp threads 10, 
i.e. on the planar upper surface 5A of the sley sole 5 with the lower warp 
threads 10 therebetween. 
A gripper guide element 13 is arranged on a sidewall 12A of the gripper 12 
facing toward the weaving reed 1. The guide element 13 can be made of any 
conventional or otherwise suitable material, for example, a composite 
material comprising a cotton webbing impregnated with phenolic resin. The 
guide element 13 includes a body portion and a protruding extension 13A 
that has a cross-sectional or profile shape that adequately matches or 
fits with the shape of the recess 6D in the reed teeth 6. This protruding 
extension 13A of the guide element 13 glides along in the guide channel 
formed along the weaving reed 1 by the recesses 6D so as to provide 
gliding support and guidance for the gripper 12. Thus, the guide element 
13 provides a gliding or sliding guidance along the weft thread beat-up 
surface 6C of the reed teeth 6 (which is known as such), but also 
simultaneously provides an additional degree or dimension of guidance by 
the protruding extension 13A which secures the gripper 12 from lifting-off 
of the sley sole 5A along which it runs. 
FIG. 3 shows the detail area "Z" of FIG. 2, with the guide element 13 shown 
in cross-section. Only a portion of the gripper 12 is shown, likewise in 
section. The guide element 13 is arranged on a side wall 12A of the 
gripper 12 that faces toward the weaving reed 1. In order to elastically 
and easily exchangeably mount the guide element 13 on the gripper 12, the 
guide element 13 is provided with a countersunk hole 13E, and the side 
wall 12A of the gripper 12 is provided with a through-hole 12B, through 
which an elastic connector element 14 is insertable and fixable. The 
countersunk hole 13E for example allows for normal wear of the guide 
element 13 before it is replaced. The elastic connector element 14 may, 
for example, be an elastic or rubbery rivet-like member. A ridge 12C 
protrudes from the side wall 12A of the gripper 12 to provide a 
positioning edge and a seat against which the guide element 13 can be 
positioned, to facilitate installation of the replaceable guide element 
13. The guide element 13 may be mounted on the gripper 12 in any manner 
described in above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,970. 
According to the present invention, the guide element 13 includes at least 
one abutment surface 13B that extends parallel to the side wall 12A of the 
gripper 12, at least one first gliding surface 13C spaced apart from and 
extending at an acute angle relative to the abutment surface 13B, and at 
least one second or auxiliary glide surface 13D that extends from the 
first glide surface 13C and forms a profiled contour of the protruding 
extension 13A. The glide surface 13D extends around the protruding 
extension 13A and transitions back into the abutment surface 13B. 
FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of the recesses 6D having a substantially 
rectangular notch shape, and a correspondingly shaped embodiment of the 
protruding extension 13A. FIGS. 4 and 5 show two alternative embodiments, 
with dove-tail or swallow-tall shaped recesses 6D', or partially circular 
shaped recesses 6D", respectively. The construction and arrangement of the 
components is otherwise the same. In the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5, the 
protruding extension 13A of the guide member 13 positively engages in the 
recesses 6D, to particularly provide a positive guidance for the gripper 
12, and prevent the gripper 12 from deviating from its intended insertion 
path running along the upper planar surface 5A of the sley sole 5. 
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific 
example embodiments, it will be appreciated that it is intended to cover 
all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the appended claims.