Patent Publication Number: US-10323343-B2

Title: Water removal device for water jet loom

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a water removal device for a water jet loom. 
     A cloth is wet when woven by a water jet loom. Thus, water needs to be removed from the cloth. For this reason, a water jet loom includes a water removal device to remove water from the cloth. The water removal device of a water jet loom includes a suction member that removes water from a cloth in a cloth route between the cloth fell and a surface roller. The suction member includes a slit. A blower is connected to the suction member. When the blower is operated, a suction flow is produced at the slit of the suction member. Then, the surface roller is rotated to pull the cloth toward the surface roller. As the cloth moves above the slit of the suction member, the suction member draws in water from the wet cloth. 
     However, when the cloth has a high weaving density, water flows along the upper surface of the cloth toward the surface roller. This makes it difficult for the suction member to draw in water from the cloth and lowers the efficiency for removing water from the cloth. 
     Accordingly, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-42255 describes a structure that impedes the flow of water on the upper surface of a cloth toward the surface roller. The water removal device of the water jet loom described in the publication includes a guide bar. The guide bar is located between the cloth fell and a main suction tube (suction member) and extends to a position that is higher than a horizontal plane (warp line) lying along a direction extending through the cloth fell of a cloth and the uppermost portion of a main suction tube. The guide bar supports the cloth from a lower side. Thus, the cloth route between the cloth fell and the main suction tube is peak-shaped as viewed from a weaving widthwise direction of the cloth. The peak-shaped cloth route decreases the amount of water on the upper surface of the cloth that flows toward the main suction tube, that is, toward the surface roller. 
     However, in the water removal device of the water jet loom described in the above publication, the cloth route is peak-shaped. Thus, when the water on the upper surface of the cloth in the portion of the cloth route ascending toward the peak moves beyond the peak of the cloth route, the water may flow down the portion of the cloth route descending from the peak toward the main suction tube. This would lower the water removal efficiency. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a water removal device for the water jet loom that improves the efficiency for removing water from a cloth. 
     To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a water removal device for a water jet loom. A cloth route is formed between a cloth fell of a cloth and a surface roller of the water jet loom. The water removal device includes a suction member that is arranged at the cloth route and removes water from a lower side of the cloth. Between a location proximate to the cloth fell and the suction member, the cloth route forms an ascending slope from the location proximate to the cloth fell to the suction member. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a water removal device of a water jet loom according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing a portion of the water removal device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a portion of the water removal device of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram showing a portion of a water removal device in a further embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment of a water removal device for a water jet loom will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a water jet loom includes a water removal device  10 , a bar temple  11 , a breast bar  12 , a surface roller  13 , two press rollers  14  and  15 , and a cloth roller  16 . Water is ejected from a weft insertion nozzle N so that a weft is inserted into a warp T to weave a cloth W. The cloth W runs along the bar temple  11 , the breast bar  12 , the surface roller  13 , and the two press rollers  14  and  15  and is wound around the cloth roller  16 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a cloth route M is formed between a cloth fell W 1  and the surface roller  13 . The bar temple  11  is located proximate to the cloth fell W 1  in the cloth route M. The bar temple  11  includes upper and lower guide bars  11   a  and  11   b  and a spindle  11   c . The two guide bars  11   a  and  11   b  extend throughout the entire weaving width of the cloth W. The spindle  11   c  is located between the two guide bars  11   a  and  11   b  and extends throughout the entire weaving width of the cloth W. The cloth W is held between the guide bars  11   a  and  11   b  and the spindle  11   c  to limit weaving shrinkage so that the cloth W has a high density. Further, the water removal device  10  includes a suction tube  20  that serves as a suction member and removes water from the cloth W at the lower side of the cloth W in the cloth route M. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the suction tube  20  is tubular and has a length allowing the suction tube  20  to entirely contact the cloth at least in the weaving widthwise direction. The suction tube  20  includes a slit  20   s . The slit  20   s  has a length set so that the slit  20   s  entirely faces the cloth W in the weaving widthwise direction. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the cloth W is in contact with the uppermost portion  20   h  of the suction tube  20  when guided toward the surface roller  13 . The suction tube  20  is set so that the uppermost portion  20   h  is located at a higher position than the uppermost portion  11   h  of the bar temple  11  (uppermost portion of guide bar  11   a ). More specifically, the uppermost portion  20   h  is set at a position that is higher in the vertical direction than the uppermost portion  11   h  of the bar temple  11 . Thus, between the uppermost portion  11   h  and the suction tube  20 , the cloth route M forms a slope that ascends from the uppermost portion  11   h  of the bar temple  11  to the suction tube  20 . That is, between a location proximate to the cloth fell W 1  and the suction tube  20 , the cloth route M forms an ascending slope from the location proximate to the cloth fell W 1  to the suction tube  20 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a pipe  21 , an air-water separator  22 , and a pipe  23  connect the suction tube  20  to a blower  24 . When the blower  24  is operated, a suction flow is produced at the slit  20   s  of the suction tube  20 . A water tank  25  is connected to the air-water separator  22 . 
     A water-resistant plate  26  is located above the suction tube  20 . An auxiliary plate  26   a  is formed integrally with the inner side of the upper portion of the water-resistant plate  26 . A cover  27  is located above the cloth route M. The water-resistant plate  26  and the cover  27  cover the cloth route M from a location proximate to the bar temple  11  to the suction tube  20 . 
     The operation of the present embodiment will now be described. 
     When the cloth W has a high weaving density, water flows along the upper surface of the cloth W between the cloth fell W 1  and the surface roller  13 . The water on the upper surface of the cloth W flows toward the surface roller  13 . However, between the uppermost portion  11   h  of the bar temple  11  and the suction tube  20 , a slope is formed ascending from the uppermost portion  11   h  of the bar temple  11  to the suction tube  20 . That is, the cloth route M from a location proximate to the cloth fell W 1  to the suction tube  20  is an ascending route. Thus, the water on the upper surface of the cloth W does not flow toward the surface roller  13 . This prevents water on the upper surface of the cloth W from flowing to the surface roller  13 . 
     When water is ejected from the weft insertion nozzle N to perform weft insertion, that is, when weaving the cloth W, the blower  24  is operated to produce a suction flow at the slit  20   s  of the suction tube  20 . The cloth W, which is drawn to the surface roller  13  by the rotation of the surface roller  13 , is subject to the suction action of the suction tube  20 . This draws water from the cloth W into the suction tube  20 . Here, the cloth route M is an ascending route from a location proximate to the cloth fell W 1  to the suction tube  20 . Thus, the water on the upper surface of the cloth W does not flow toward the surface roller  13 . This improves the efficiency for removing water from the cloth. The air-water separator  22  separates air from the water drawn into the suction tube  20  and then sends the water to the water tank  25 . 
     The embodiment has the advantages described below. 
     (1) The cloth route M is an ascending slope from a location proximate to the cloth fell W 1  to the suction tube  20 . Thus, the cloth route M is an ascending route from the location proximate to the cloth fell W 1  to the suction tube  20 . Consequently, the water on the upper surface of the cloth W does not flow toward the surface roller  13 . This improves the efficiency for removing water from the cloth W. 
     (2) The bar temple  11  is arranged at a location proximate to the cloth fell W 1  in the cloth route M. The bar temple  11  holds the cloth W over the entire width of the cloth W. Thus, an ascending slope may be formed with the cloth route M just by positioning the suction tube  20  at a higher location than the bar temple  11 . 
     (3) To prevent water on the upper surface of the cloth W from flowing toward the surface roller  13 , for example, a damming member may be used to dam the flow of water on the upper surface of the cloth W. Alternatively, an aiding member that aids the suction of water into the suction tube  20  may be used to press the cloth W in the vicinity of the suction tube  20 . However, such a damming member or aiding member would contact the cloth W. This would result in foreign matter, such as adhesive residues or thread oil, collecting on the portion of the cloth W where contact occurs with the damming member or the aiding member. In the present embodiment, there is no need for the damming member and the aiding member. Thus, the quality of the cloth W remains unaffected. 
     It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Particularly, it should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in the following forms. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , when using a known ring temple at a location proximate to the end of the cloth fell W in lieu of the bar temple  11 , a pressing member  31  may be used to press the cloth W against the cloth fell W 1 . Although the pressing member  31  only needs to press the middle of the cloth W where the cloth W is not held by the ring temple (not shown), the pressing member  31  of the present embodiment presses the cloth W over the entire width. The cloth W is pressed and held between the pressing member  31  and a fell plate  32 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the pressing member  31  presses the cloth fell W 1 . However, the location where the cloth fell W is pressed does not necessarily have to be the same. Further, between the location where the cloth W is pressed, that is, the pressing location of the pressing member  31  (cloth fell W 1 ), and the suction tube  20 , the cloth route M forms an ascending slope from the location where the cloth W is pressed to the suction tube  20 . When using the ring temple, the cloth W is not constrained at the middle. Thus, when only positioning the suction tube  20  at a location higher than the cloth weft W 1 , the cloth route M cannot form an ascending slope at the middle of the cloth W. However, by pressing the middle of the cloth W with the pressing member  31 , an ascending slope can be formed in the cloth route M over the entire width of the cloth W. 
     In the above embodiments, the suction tube  20  may be shorter than the width of the cloth W in the weaving direction. In this case, the slit  20   s  may be shorter than the width of the cloth W in the weaving direction. 
     In the above embodiments, for example, the suction tube  20  may include a plurality of holes that produce a suction flow, and water may be drawn into the holes from the cloth W. 
     In the above embodiments, the suction tube  20  may be a tetragonal tube, a triangular tube, or the like. 
     The present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalence of the appended claims.