Weaving method for weaving woven goods

Abstract: A weaving method for weaving woven goods (2) and a reed (5) used in such a weaving method are disclosed by means of which woven goods (2) can be produced having a comfortable feel similar to that of hand-woven products wherein yarn spun by hand is used. For this purpose, warp yarns (21) are used which are disposed among reed dents (52) of uniform spacing in a reed (5) according to a sequence of numerical values having a 1/f fluctuation, thereby imparting a 1/f fluctuation to the arrangement of warp yarns (21).

Description: The invention relates to a weaving method for weaving woven goods. In conventional weaving processes, a reed is used which has a uniform or constant spacing between the dents thereof formed by reed wires in order to weave goods having a constant or uniform spacing between warp yarns which are guided through the reed. In such processes, uneven or irregular weaves are woven with randomly-spaced warp yarns by randomly removing warp yarns from the plurality of warp yarns passing through the dents of the reed and by replacing such warp yarns with yarns having a thickness which differs from that of the yarns remaining in the dents of the reed. Under these circumstances, conventional weaving machines and weaving methods produce woven goods in which the warp yarns have a uniform spacing or in which the warp yarns vary at random. Compared to woven goods which have a natural, irregular feel as a result of hand-weaving using yarns spun by hand, however, this randomness produces an artificial texture with very little natural feel, and therefore it is not particularly comfortable for a wearer. The United States Patent US-A-2,269,321 discloses a woven fabric comprising a series of parallel bands. The bands are formed by providing a warp yarn density which varies from band to band. The warp threads are variously grouped with respect to uniformly spaced dents to form each band. The bands comprise relatively closely woven texture and intermediate bands of relatively loosely woven texture, which are defined by the groupings of the warp threads. The object underlying the present invention is to provide a weaving method by means of which woven goods are made available that provide a natural feeling of comfort to human beings. In order to solve this problem, the invention provides a weaving method as defined in claim 1. Embodiments of the method are given in claims 2 and 3. The arrangement of the warp yarns varies with a 1/f fluctuation. A first advantage of the present invention resides in that woven goods are provided in which the density of the warp yarns does not vary randomly, rather, the variations have a specific correlation, in particular a 1/f fluctuation. A second advantage of the present invention resides in that such woven goods can be produced on an industrial scale. In the present application, the expression "1/f fluctuation" is defined and understood as a power spectrum, with a frequency component f, which is proportional to 1/f k , wherein k is approximately 1, and is defined as a power spectrum which is similar to the above. According to the present invention, a weaving method for weaving woven goods is provided, wherein warp yarns in an arrangement having a 1/f fluctuation are caused to pass through a reed in which the reed dents are of uniform spacing, wherein the warp yarns are separated into two sets to form a shed between the two sets, wherein weft yarns are passed through the shed, causing the warp yarns and the weft yarns to cross over each other, thereby weaving woven goods in which the arrangement of the warp yarns varies with a 1/f fluctuation. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a prescribed number of warp yarns are caused to pass through the respective adjacent dents in a reed, in which the reed dents are of uniform spacing, up to a number of dents corresponding to a value of a sequence of numerical values having a 1/f fluctuation, then leaving the next adjacent dent empty, wherein the procedure is repeated for each value of the sequence. According to another embodiment of the present invention, groups of warp yarns in which the number of warp yarns making up a single group correspond to a respective value in a sequence of numerical values having a 1/f fluctuation are caused to pass through adjacent dents of the reed. The woven goods obtained by the weaving method according to the invention provide a hand-woven natural irregular feel, even though they can be manufactured at low cost on an industrial scale. The invention will be explained in more detail below by means of preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 shows an overview diagramg the principal components of a weaving machine used in the method of the invention; Fig. 2 is a diagram of a reed for weaving used in the method according to the invention; Fig. 3 illustrates a portion of a melody with a 1/f fluctuation used in the method according to an embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of woven goods produced with the method according to an embodiment wherein the density of the warp yarns has a 1/f fluctuation. Weaving machine An overview diagram of the principal components of a weaving machine 1 used in the weaving method according to the invention is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The weaving machine 1 weaves spun yarn into woven goods 2 through the primary movements of opening a shed formed by two sets of warp yarns 21, inserting a weft yarn 22 transversely through the shed, and beating the weft yarn 22, and the secondary movements of letting off warp yarns 21 from a let-off device 3, and taking up woven goods 2 by means of a take-up device 7. The construction is shown in a diagrammatic manner in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The action of opening the shed between the warp yarns 21 divides all the warp yarns 21 into two sets, forming an opening through which the weft yarn 22 passes transversely, and the warp yarns 21 and the weft yarns 22 are intersecting or crossing over each other. For this purpose, the warp yarns 21 are drawn-in through two sets of heddles 4 in a prescribed order, and the up and down action of these heddles 4 separates the warp yarns 21 vertically from each other. The insertion movement of the weft yarn 22 involves, for example, passing a shuttle 6, in which a weft yarn 22 is wound aroung a wooden tube, through the inside of the shed formed by the warp yarns 21, thereby shooting the weft yarn 22 across the warp yarns 21. In addition or as an alternative to a shuttle 6, other methods and devices for inserting the weft yarn 22 may be used, including air flow, fluid flow, rapiers, grippers etc.. The weft beating motion causes the warp yarns 21 and the weft yarn 22 to intersect or cross each other by using a reed 5 in order to apply pressure to the weft yarn 22 after the weft yarn 22 has passed through the inside of the shed formed by the warp yarns 21, and forces the yarns into a prescribed position. In such a weaving machine, the let-off device 3 for warp yarns 21 gradually feeds the warp yarns 21, from right to left in the weaving machine 1 shown in Fig. 1, and the take-up device 7 rolls up the woven goods 2 produced in the weaving machine 1. The take-up speed for the woven goods 2 can be set at a constant rate or can also be controlled so that the speed varies. Reed A reed useful in the weaving method according to the present invention is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The reed 5 determines the spacing between the warp yarns 21, and it is constructed in such a manner that a plurality of reed wires or dents 52 are arranged between two bars 51 as shown, for example, in Fig. 2. These bars 51 of the reed 5 can be provided with slots, for example, into which the dents or reed wires 52 are inserted. The dents or reed wires 52 can be fabricated from steel, for example, and may have a width of 2,8 mm and a thickness of 0,2 mm. For example, the spacing of the reed dents 52 can be fixed at a reed density of 77.7 dents/2 inches or 26.8 dents/inch. A fixed spacing can also be obtained by using yarn of a uniform thickness 53. 1/f Fluctuation One of the present inventors, Toshimitsu MUSHA, was the first in the world to discover that a 1/f fluctuation would impart a particularly comfortable feel to human beings. The results have been published in a paper entitled "Seitai Seigyo to 1/f Yuragi" (Biocontrol and 1/f Fluctuation), Journal of Japan Society of Precision Machinery, 1984, Vol. 50, No. 6, and another paper entitled "Seitai Joho to 1/f Yuragi" (Bioinformation and 1/f Fluctuation), Applied Physics, 1985, pp. 429 to 435, as well as in a recent publication called "Yuragi no Hassou" (The Concept of Fluctuation), published by NHK Publishers in 1994. The abstract of these publications reads as follows: "The 1/f fluctuation provides a comfortable feeling to human beings; the reason is that the variations in the basic rhythm of the human body have a 1/f spectrum. From another perspective, the human body eventually becomes tired of a constant stimulation from the same source, but conversely, the body feels uncomfortable if the stimulations were to change too suddenly. Therefore, a 1/f fluctuation is a fluctuation of the right proportion between these two extremes." In addition, an excerpt from "Yuragi no Sekai" (The World of Fluctuations), published by Kodansha Publishers, reads as follows: "For example, the rhythms exhibited by the human body such as heart beats, hand-clapping to music, impulse-release period of neurons, and alpha rhythms observed in the brain, are all basically 1/f fluctuations; and is has been shown experimentally that if a body is stimulated by a fluctuation like these biorhythmic 1/f fluctuations, it would feel comfortable." Fluctuations or variations exist in various forms throughout nature. The murmer of a brook, a breeze of wind, and other phenomena that impart a comfortable feeling to human beings have a 1/f fluctuation, while typhoons and other strong winds that impart uneasiness do not have a 1/f fluctuation. 1/f Fluctuation Numerical Sequence A 1/f fluctuation numerical sequence is determined from y 1 , y 2 , y 3 , ..... generated or formed by multiplying n coefficients a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , ....., a n with a sequence of random numbers x 1 , x 2 , x 3 , ..... . Generally, y j can be expressed by Equation 1 indicated below. It should be noted herein that the sequence of numerical values forming y 1 , y 2 , y 3 , ..... has a 1/f spectrum. For further details, reference is made to Seitai Shingou (Biological Signaling), Chapter 10, "Seitai Rizumu to Yuragi" (Biological Rhythms and Fluctuations), published by Corona Publishers, Ltd.. The sequence of numerical values having a 1/f fluctuation is obtained in two steps. In a first step, a computer, for example, generates a sequence of random numbers x i . In a second step, a certain n of coefficients a i - stored in a memory device - are successively multiplied with the random numbers, and then a sequence of numerical values y is obtained by a linear transformation. This numerical sequence y has a 1/f spectrum and can be used as a sequence of numerical values having a 1/f fluctuation. For this purpose, a melody having a 1/f fluctuation is generated from this sequence of numerical values y having a 1/f sequence. At first, the scale and the range with a lowest frequency fL and a highest frequency fU are determined. Then, a 1/f sequence of y values is derived, and a linear transformation is performed so that the upper and the lower limits become the lowest frequency fL and the highest frequency fU, respectively. The values of the sequence y so derived are regarded as acoustic frequencies, and are substituted for the oscillation frequencies of the notes they most closely approximate on the scale. In other words, they are arranged, for example, as quarter notes, between or on the lines of a staff on music paper. Fig. 3 of the drawings shows a portion of a melody derived using this method. The sequence of numerical values I given below is derived by assigning numerical values corresponding to the notes in the melody shown in Fig. 3, giving a value of 1 to the reference note. The sequence of numerical values II is derived by proportional calculation based on sequence I. Sequence of numerical values I = ... 10, 10, 8, 11, 13, 12, 8, 7, 5, 4, 7, 7, 4, 2, 5, 4, 7, 10, 13, 9, 6, 11, 13, 10, ... . Sequence of numerical values II = ... 20, 20, 16, 22, 26, 24, 16, 14, 10, 8, 14, 14, 8, 4, 10, 8, 14, 20, 26, 18, 12, 22, 26, 20, ... . Example 1 In this first example, woven goods 2, in which the arrangement of the warp yarns 21 has a 1/f fluctuation, are woven, for example, in a plain weave using weft yarn 22 with a density of 75 threads/inch using a cotton yarn in the 50/1 class for both warp yarns 21 and the weft yarn 22 using a reed density of 77.7 dents/2 inches. When using, for example, the sequence of numerical values II having a 1/f fluctuation, an arrangement of warp yarns 21 is created using the sequence of numerical values II by setting the number of warp yarns 21 passing through a dent 52 at four; and if there is a remainder (upon dividing the numerical sequence value by 4), then two warp yarns 21 are passed through that dent 52. In other words, 20 warp yarns 21 are disposed among 5 dents 52, an arrangement of 4 yarns per dent 52, then one dent 52 is left empty and no warp yarn 21 passes through it; and the next 20 yarns are disposed amont 5 dents, then one dent is left empty, and the next 16 yarns are disposed among 4 dents, then one dent is left empty, and the next 22 yarns are disposed among 5 dents of 4 yarns each and one dent of 2 yarns, then one dent is left empty, and so on. In this manner, the warp yarns 21 are disposed among adjacent dents in a prescribed sequence according to the sequence of numerical values II. A portion of a woven good 2 obtained in this manner is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, in which the background colour of the woven goods 2 is set to black; hence, white indicates yarns and black indicates spaces between yarns. Example 2 In the second example, other woven goods 2 are prepared in which the arrangement of warp yarns 21 has a 1/f fluctuation, and they are woven, for example, in a plain weave wherein the weft yarn 22 has a density of 61 threads/inch using a cotton yarn in the 50/1 class for both warp yarns 21 and weft yarns 22 wherein a reed density of 26.8 dents/2 inches is used. When using, for example, the sequence of numerical values I having a 1/f fluctuation, an arrangement of warp yarns 21 is created in which the number of warp yarns 21 passing through a dent 52 is set to correspond to each respective numerical value in the sequence of numerical values. In other words, 10 warp yarns are disposed in a single dent, the next 10 yarns are also disposed in a single dent, and the next 8 yarns are disposed in a single dent, and so on, disposing the warp yarns 21 in this manner among adjacent dents 52 in a prescribed sequence according to a sequence of numerical values I.

Claims: A weaving method for weaving woven goods (2), wherein warp yarns (21) in an arrangement having a fluctuation are caused to pass through a reed (5) in which the reed dents (52) are of uniform spacing, wherein the warp yarns (21) are separated into two sets to form a shed between the two sets, wherein weft yarns (22) are passed transversely through the shed, causing the warp yarns (21) and the weft yarns (22) to cross over each other, characterized in that the fluctuation is a 1/f fluctuation, thereby weaving woven goods (2) in which the arrangement of warp yarns (21) varies with a 1/f fluctuation. A weaving method according to Claim 1, wherein a prescribed number of warp yarns (21) are caused to pass through the respective adjacent dents (52), up to a number of dents (52) corresponding to a value of a sequence of numerical values having a 1/f fluctuation, then leaving the next adjacent dent (52) empty, wherein the procedure is repeated for each value of the sequence. A weaving method according to Claim 1, wherein groups of warp yarns (21) in which the number of warp yarns (21) making up a single group correspond to a respective value in a sequence of numerical values having a 1/f fluctuation are caused to pass through adjacent dents (5) of said reed (5).

Inventors: MUSHA TOSHIMITSU, NIWA YUKI, ONO SHU, TAKAGI SHOJI, YANAI YUICHI, MUSHA, TOSHIMITSU, NIWA, YUKI, ONO, SHU, TAKAGI, SHOJI, YANAI, YUICHI, NIWA, YUKI, C/O NISSHINBO IND. INC., MIAI, ONO, SHU, C/O NISSHINBO IND. INC., MIAI, TAKAGI, SHOJI, C/O NISSHINBO IND. INC., MIAI, YANAI, YUICHI, C/O NISSHINBO IND. INC., MIAI
Applicants: MUSHA TOSHIMITSU, NISSHIN SPINNING, MUSHA, TOSHIMITSU, NISSHINBO INDUSTRIES INC.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: D03D13
IPC codes: D03D25, D03D13