Patent DE-19937486-A1 (DE)
Title: Transport vehicle to exchange the fabric winding beam at a loom has automatic systems to remove the fabric beam and insert a new winding core and cut the fabric automatically without interrupting the loom
Inventor: BRAUN RALPH
IPC: D03J1/00
Filed: 1999-08-07
Abstract: The transport vehicle (100) to take and carry a wound fabric beam, from a loom, has a system to stop the fabric beam winding action while the woven material is cut.  The fabric beam holders (19) have rolling surfaces (20), for the core of the wound fabric to roll into place through the rotation of the winding beam during the removal operation. The rolling surfaces (20) are flat. The grip arms (12) swing from one setting where the rolling surfaces (19) are horizontal into a position where the surfaces (19) are pitched at an angle to the horizontal. The grip arms (12) swing on an axis (T) parallel to the line of the fabric roll core, at a lifting mechanism (7) which sets the arm height. The swing arms (12) are moved by a drive between the lifting mechanism (7) and the swing arms (12), where the drive has a variable length and is pivoted at a vertical gap from the swing axis (T) of at least one arm (12), as a hydraulic or pneumatic piston/cylinder unit. The swing arms (12) have the shape of a right-angled triangle at right angles to the swing axis (T), with the fabric beam holder (19) at the intersection of the base (13) and hypotenuse (15), and the pivot linkage is at the intersection of the base (13) and upright side (14). The fabric cutter is a cutting beam held tightly against the arm lifting mechanism (7) in the rest position, and moved against the fabric in the working setting. The assembly has a mechanism to insert a new winding core into the loom fabric winding station during the fabric beam removal action. The winding core feed is coupled to the cutting system (8), so that the new core is brought into a transfer position when the cutting beam is brought to the fabric. The winding core feed has at least two carrier hooks, spaced along the core length, open towards the woven fabric. The fabric winding station has at least one fabric winding roller, parallel to the winding core axis, and the carrier hooks are lowered so that the winding core is placed with its outer periphery on the winding roller(s) and automatically suspend the core. The carrier hooks are at a support for the cutting beam. A similar transport vehicle is used for the insertion and removal of a warp beam at the loom. An Independent claim is included for a fabric cutting mechanism, with at least one twin-member linkage arm assembly, linked together on at least one axis at one end and at a parallel axis at the support and a further parallel axis at the cutting beam. Preferred Features: The axes are at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cutting beam. Two linkage arm assemblies are used, with a space between them, and they are operated so that the same force with a longitudinal alignment is applied to all the members. At least one flexible pull unit, with a variable length, is attached to the support or at the cutting beam at one end to be passed round a deflector for the other end to be attached to at least one linkage of a neighboring member. At least one member of a linkage arm is a hollow profile, with the pull unit passing through it. The pull unit has at least one coil spring. The pull unit is pref. a roller chain or a textile fabric length to move the cutting beam between the rest and cutting positions. A system prevents the linkage arms from swinging to each other against the longitudinal forces. The flexible pull unit is wound and unwound from a drum, with a motor drive, with pref. an electromagnetic brake to arrest the winding/unwinding action. The fabric material is on a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cutting beam. The fabric winding beam axis is parallel to the cutting beam axis. At least one sensor cuts out the fabric winding drive when the cutting system is in the rest or cutting position. The supports are moved by a hydraulic or pneumatic piston/cylinder unit. A further Independent claim is included for a fabric winding beam exchange operation, at the loom, where the transport vehicle is moved into position and the fabric beam is lifted. The cutting mechanism, which also feeds a fabric winding core, is moved from a rest position where the core carrying hooks are over the winding roll