Cloth takeup and method

A loom cloth takeup having pivotally mounted arms A exerting a force upon a friction roll (F) has first and second control devices (E) and (H) respectively for controlling tension on the cloth ahead of the friction roll (F) and for controlling a motor (G) driving the friction roll (F) to afford full roll tension control during the build of the cloth roll.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to control means for maintaining suitable tension in 
a center wound cloth roll takeup and the like. The tension applied to the 
cloth or other web by a friction roll is controlled so as to make possible 
the production of a tightly wound cloth roll during its full build. Such 
control, for example, may be especially useful for winding cloth 
manufactured from fiberglass or carbon yarn and the like. 
Heretofore, compensator rolls for controlling tension in a surface wound 
cloth takeup have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,804. Cloth takeups 
having hold down arms and the like for applying tension to cloth by driven 
friction rolls as it is wound on a center wound roll are illustrated in 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,166. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. are further 
illustrative of the state of the art: 4,025,009; 3,858,820; 3,730,450; and 
3,687,388. In the winding of tight cloth rolls for certain fabrics, it has 
been found that center wound rolls are preferable to surface wound takeup 
rolls. It is also desirable to control and thereby limit the tension 
exerted upon the fabric from the friction roll, as the cloth is being 
wound upon the center wound cloth roll, back to the loom. Otherwise, the 
weaving process may be disrupted due to the application of heavy tension 
tending to pull the warp yarns and the cloth out of the loom. Hold down 
rolls such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,166 have been provided on 
hold down arms held with a force as exerted by a cylinder provided with 
adjustable braking means to control tension in the cloth at the point of 
winding. However, it has not been possible to constantly and uniformly 
adjust the brake so as to constantly vary the tension exerted upon the 
cloth by the friction or rubber covered roll during the entire build of 
the cloth roll. Furthermore, since it is necessary to raise the hold down 
arm to remove the cloth during a doffing operation, control means which 
may be actuated by movement of the hold down arm during the build of the 
cloth roll have been limited in their controlling function during at least 
a portion of the build. 
Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide a cloth 
takeup having a friction roll applying tension to the cloth at the point 
of winding the cloth upon the takeup roll and for controlling tension from 
the friction roll back to the loom. By controlling the tension exerted by 
the friction roll during the build a uniform tight cloth roll is produced. 
Another important object of the invention is to provide a cloth takeup 
producing a tight roll especially suitable for fiberglass fabric and 
fabrics constructed of carbon yarn and the like so as to avoid wrinkles 
and variations in tension upon the cloth throughout the build of the roll. 
Still another important object of the invention is the provision of a hold 
down device for winding cloth affording full roll tension control during 
the entire build of the cloth roll. 
Another important object of the invention is the provision of a center 
wound cloth roll takeup utilizing a hold down roll exerting constant 
tension where the cloth is being wound and a compensator roll for 
controlling tension back to the loom. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It has been found that a center wound cloth roll takeup having a constant 
force exerted through a hold down arm and the like may be provided with a 
compensator roll for controlling the output of a motor driving the center 
wound cloth roll so as to control the tension on the cloth from the hold 
down mechanism back to the loom. A tight roll may be wound since a motor 
driven friction roll may be provided having a second tension control, 
independent of the motor driving the takeup roll, which exerts full roll 
tension control during the build by a second control actuated by a hold 
down arm as it engages the periphery of the cloth roll during the building 
operation. The hold down arm moves a pivoted lever downwardly during the 
build so as to permit the hold down arm to be raised beyond its operating 
stroke upon completion of the build for doffing the cloth roll without 
interference with the controls for the hold down arm during the building 
motion.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The drawings illustrate a loom cloth takeup having a center wound roll 
receiving cloth from a loom and building a cloth roll. A pivotally mounted 
arm A carries a friction roll F engaging the cloth as it is wound on the 
center wound cloth roll. An extensible power operated means B exerts a 
constant force against the arm A urging the friction roll into proper 
position to exert tension upon the cloth. A first motor C exerts a force 
driving the center wound roll. A compensator roll D is supported by the 
cloth passing thereover moved responsive to variations in tension in the 
cloth occurring between the loom and the friction roll. A first control 
device E actuated in response to movement of the compensator roll varies 
the output of the motor C and the resulting tension on the cloth. The 
friction roll F carried by the arms A is driven by the motor G applying 
tension to the cloth as it is wound on the cloth roll. A second control 
device H is actuated in response to outward pivotal movement of the arms A 
during building of the cloth roll varying the tension applied by the 
friction roll to the cloth. 
Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, the cloth 10 is illustrated as being 
woven upon a loom broadly designated at 11. The cloth 10 passes downwardly 
over direction rolls 12 and 13 to be carried beneath the weaver's platform 
14. The cloth takeup is illustrated as having a frame member broadly 
designated at 15 which carries the rolls and the various components 
described herein. The cloth 10 is illustrated as passing upwardly across 
the rear of the frame over a direction roll 16 and thence forwardly over a 
suitable direction roll 17 prior to a downward run 10a of the cloth 10 
prior to passing over the movable compensator or other tension control 
roll D from which the cloth passes in an upwardly run 10b and over a 
direction roll 18 and thence downwardly over a roll 19 in a downwardly run 
10c to a movable friction roll F which is carried by the hold down arm A. 
The compensator roll D is illustrated as being carried by a pivoted arm 20, 
but it may take the form of a dancer roll carried for vertical movement. 
The compensator roll may be of the type further illustrated in U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,216,804. The pivoted arm 20 is secured for pivotal motion at 21 upon 
the frame 15. 
The first control device E includes a potentiometer 22 which is actuated by 
any suitable drive means such as the chain 23 which passes over a sprocket 
24 turned responsive to the oscillations of the arm 20 for controlling the 
output of the potentiometer. 
The output from the potentiometer drives the motor C as through suitable 
leads 26. The motor drives a chain 27 through a suitable gear box 28 for 
driving a sprocket 29 for controlling the winding action of the core 30 
carried by the shaft 30a which carries the web takeup roll 31. 
It will be observed that the hold down arm A exerts a constant force 
against the cloth 10 through the extensible device B which may be provided 
in the form of a fluid, preferably air, operated cylinder 32 having a 
piston rod 33 or a linear force actuator or the like and may be utilized 
to exert the force applying pressure through the friction roll F against 
the cloth adjacent the point of winding. The cylinder 32 is carried by a 
pivotal mounting 34 carried upon a stand 35. The force applied by the 
cylinder may actually be in most instances an upward force to maintain the 
friction roll F slightly above and adjacent the cloth roll so that the 
force exerted thereby is preferably a simple friction hold back or braking 
action. However, the arms A will be referred to, as usual, as hold down 
arms although they may provide an upward force on the friction hold down 
roll F. 
The hold down arms A are illustrated as being pivotally mounted at 36 upon 
the frame 15. A second motor G drives the friction roll F through a 
suitable drive mechanism which is illustrated as including sprockets 37 
and 38 and a chain 39. The sprocket 38a through a chain 40 drives a 
sprocket 41 for controlling and varying the speed and hence the tension 
applied by the friction roll F to the cloth 10 as it is wound upon the 
center wound takeup roll 31. The tension applied to the cloth is also 
dependent upon the coefficient of friction of the surface of the friction 
roll. The friction roll is driven by the cloth in a direction opposite to 
the direction of rotation of the cloth roll. The motor drives the friction 
roll in a direction opposite to the driving force exerted by the cloth so 
that the friction roll exerts a braking action tensioning the cloth as it 
is wound. 
A second control device H includes a potentiometer 42 actuated by a chain 
43 the ends of which are suitably positioned upon sprockets 44 and 47. The 
sprocket 47 best shown in FIG. 2 is rotated by a link 46 which is pivoted 
centrally of the sprocket 47 on the stub shaft 47A (FIG. 2). One end of 
the link 46 is biased upwardly toward a stop member 48 carried by the 
frame 15 and is depressed by a control member 49 carried by the arms A 
during movement as a result of the build of the cloth roll. The link 46, 
which acts as a control arm, has a weight 46a biasing the other end of the 
link downwardly. The potentiometer 42 of the control device H controls the 
second motor G through the leads 50. 
It is thus seen that a cloth takeup has been provided which is especially 
suitable for building tight cloth rolls. The tension on the cloth or other 
web is controlled ahead of the friction roll F between it and the loom 11 
through a suitable compensator roll and the like while full roll tension 
control is exerted during the build by a constantly varying drive device 
exerted upon the friction roll. The hold down or friction roll is 
positioned under the control of the hold down arms positioned by the power 
operated means B during the building operation so as to float against the 
cloth being wound on the cloth roll. Since the adjacent hold down arm 
prevents upward movement of the end of the link 46 remote from the weight 
during the build and prior to engagement by the stop 48, the hold down arm 
may be freely pivoted upwardly for doffing of the cloth roll after 
engagement of the link with the stop 48 without interfering with the 
control exerted by the link upon the second motor G. 
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described using 
specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it 
is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without 
departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims.