Patent Description:
Denim, also known as denim cloth, is a relatively thick yarn-dyed warp-faced denim fabric, which has a darker color in warp, generally indigo color, and has a lighter color in weft, generally light gray or scoured raw white. Therefore, it is also known as indigo denim. There are two current production methods for denim. One of the production methods is to dye and weave warp yarn, and the traditional production process is as follows: white yarn → dyeing → yarn-dyed fabric (fabric treatment) → cutting → sewing → manual water washing finishing → after-finishing → packaging, where the warp yarn is dyed by coloring in the combination of pulp dyeing and a one-step dyeing process. The other production method is to dye gray cloth into denim, and the he traditional production process is as follows: gray cloth → dyeing → dyed gray fabric (fabric treatment) → cutting → sewing → manual water washing finishing → after-finishing → packaging, where the gray fabric is mostly dyed by a high-temperature and high-pressure jet overflow dyeing machine. The dyeing machine is composed of a body circulating pump heater, a nozzle, a lifting device, a feeding cylinder, and other components. The fabric is repeatedly circulated in the dyeing machine in a rope-like relaxed form and is continuously impacted and impregnated by dye liquor to achieve dyeing.

The current production methods of denim will result in a large amount of inorganic salts and waste dyes in the water-washing wastewater, and thus increasing the COD of sewage. The CODer of the sewage is as high as <NUM>-<NUM>/L, the concentration of suspended solid is <NUM>-<NUM>/L, the pH value is <NUM>-<NUM>, and the chroma is <NUM>-<NUM> times. Therefore, the production process is very unfriendly to the environment. With the strictness of the environmental protection policy, the production cost will continue to increase.

In order to reduce the pollution caused by the traditional dyeing and finishing of denim, some processes for coloring the surface of denim have been developed in recent years, so as to reduce the consumption of dyes and reduce the pollution caused by after-finishing. At present, the denim fabric is dyed with paint or reactive dyes.

In practical applications, the applicant has found that, for example, indigo dyes and sulfur dyes, which are insoluble in water and have no affinity for fibers, cannot be used directly for dyeing, but need to be reduced under alkaline conditions by a strong reducing agent to a water-soluble leuco which is a slightly water-soluble light-colored substance and can therefore be used for dyeing. However, if the indigo dyes and the sulfur dyes are exposed to oxygen in the air over a large area, they cannot be reduced to a leuco for coloring. Therefore, for denim dyed with indigo dyes and sulfur dyes, at present, warp yarn is subjected to rope dyeing, sheet dyeing and hanging ring dyeing, or gray cloth is dip-dyed. This, as before, leads to the above-mentioned environmental pollution and cost increase.

[<NUM>] The document <CIT> relates to an indigo dyeing process and apparatus and indigo dyed yarns and fabrics made thereby. The document <CIT> relates to a sealing device for continuously inserting a product in web or wire form in an enclosure. The document <CIT> relates to a vertical double sided rotary screen transfer printing apparatus.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop dyeing equipment that conforms to a leuco dyeing mechanism of indigo dyes and sulfur dyes and can provide an environment suitable for leuco dyeing of indigo dyes and sulfur dyes.

Accordingly, the present invention aims to provide a transfer dyeing apparatus capable of proceeding a leuco dyeing mechanism of indigo dyes and sulfur dyes and providing an environment suitable for leuco dyeing of indigo dyes and sulfur dyes, thereby greatly reducing environmental pollution and production cost.

In order to solve the problems and defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a transfer dyeing apparatus according to claim <NUM> as the technical solutions. The transfer dyeing apparatus includes a dyeing box, a dyeing portion sleeve device, a permeation box, and a permeation device. The dyeing box is filled with an inerted gas. The dyeing portion sleeve device is arranged in the dyeing box and is configured to dye a surface of a fabric with a dye. The permeation box is arranged downstream of the dyeing box in a moving direction of the fabric and is filled with an inerted gas. The permeation device is arranged in the permeation box and is configured to enable the dye on the surface of the fabric to permeate into the fabric. The dyeing box and the permeation box are in communication with each other. The fabric sequentially passes through the dyeing box and the permeation box. Sealing devices are arranged at a fabric inlet of the dyeing box and a fabric outlet of the permeation box respectively, so that the dyeing box and the permeation box are hermetically sealed relative to an environment.

The dyeing box is in communication with the permeation box via a channel allowing the passing of the inerted gas and the fabric.

The dyeing box and the permeation box are integrally formed with each other.

The sealing device has a housing and an airbag pair in the housing, a side wall of the housing is provided with a cloth inlet and a cloth outlet allowing the passing of the fabric, and the airbag pair includes two airbags that are opposite to each other and the fabric can pass between the two airbags.

Preferably, the number of the airbag pair is at least two, and each of the airbag pairs is successively arranged in the moving direction of the fabric.

Preferably, the two airbags of the airbag pair contact the fabric in a line-contact manner or a surface-contact manner.

Preferably, each of two ends of each of the airbags are provided with a fixing device, and the airbag is fixed on the side wall of the housing via the fixing devices.

Preferably, the sealing device has an inflation device provided for the airbags, the inflation device includes an air pump and a pipeline system connected between the air pump and the airbags, and the air pump is capable of inflating air into each of the airbags via the pipeline system.

Preferably, each of the airbags is provided with an air pressure indicator, and it can be determined whether an air pressure in each of the airbags has reached a predetermined threshold via the air pressure indicator.

Preferably, the airbag has a uniform circular cross-section over a substantially entire length of the airbag after being filled with air.

Preferably, a length of the airbag is greater than a width of the fabric, so that the fabric can be hermetically sealed and surrounded by the airbags circumferentially.

Preferably, a surface of the airbag is configured to allow the fabric to be capable of sliding between the two airbags that are opposite to each other while the inerted gas cannot pass between the airbags.

Preferably, the airbag is pressed laterally against either the side wall of the housing or an adjacent airbag, so that a hermetically sealed space is substantially formed between the two airbags that are opposite to each other.

Preferably, the sealing device has a return port penetrating through the side wall of the housing, and the inerted gas entering the housing can be recycled via the return port.

Preferably, the dyeing box and the permeation box are provided with a common inerted gas filling device capable of filling the dyeing box and the permeation box with the inerted gas via gas filling pipelines in parallel connection at the same time.

Preferably, the permeation device includes at least two rows of guide rollers, and each of the rows of the guide rollers is spaced apart from one another.

Preferably, each of the rows of the guide rollers includes a plurality of the guide rollers arranged successively, and the guide rollers in different rows are staggered and spaced apart from each other.

Preferably, the fabric entering the permeation box extends serpentinely in a plurality of fabric sections via the guide rollers and substantially longitudinally.

Preferably, adjacent fabric sections extend in parallel and movements of the adjacent fabric sections are in opposite directions.

According to the invention the dyeing portion sleeve device has a direct dyeing group pair and a transfer dyeing group pair successively arranged in the moving direction of the fabric, the direct dyeing group pair has two direct dyeing groups which are arranged symmetrically relative to the fabric and include anilox rollers, and the transfer dyeing group pair has two transfer dyeing groups which are arranged symmetrically relative to the fabric and include plate rollers and transfer rollers.

Preferably, the number of the transfer dyeing group pair is at least two.

Preferably, one of the direct dyeing groups of the direct dyeing group pair is arranged on a mounting block, and the mounting block is capable of being moved on a guide rail of the dyeing box in a transverse linear guide manner so as to drive one of the direct dyeing groups to move toward or away from the other direct dyeing group.

Preferably, one of the transfer dyeing groups of the transfer dyeing group pair is arranged on a mounting block, and the mounting block is capable of being moved on a guide rail of the dyeing box in a transverse linear guide manner so as to drive one of the transfer dyeing groups to move toward or away from the other transfer dyeing group.

Preferably, the transfer dyeing group includes a pressing assembly configured to adjustably provide a pressure of the plate roller against the transfer roller, and the pressing assembly is capable of making the plate roller selectively move between an abutment position and a stop position; at the abutment position, the plate roller abuts against the transfer roller so as to generate the pressure of the plate roller against the transfer roller; at the stop position, the plate roller does not abut against the transfer roller.

Preferably, the transfer dyeing group includes a plate changing device, and the plate roller can be changed via the plate changing device.

Preferably, the transfer dyeing group includes a slant plate pulling device, and a position and an angle of the transfer roller can be finely adjusted via the slant plate pulling device.

Preferably, the transfer dyeing group includes an axial plate pulling device provided for the plate roller so as to adjust an axial position of the plate roller.

Preferably, the dyeing box is provided with a sliding door movable between a hermetically sealed closed position and an open position, where at the open position of the sliding door, the interior of the dyeing box is accessible from the exterior of the dyeing box.

Preferably, the inerted gas is nitrogen.

Preferably, the permeation device includes at least two columns of guide rollers, and each of the columns of the guide rollers is spaced apart from one another.

Preferably, each of the columns of the guide rollers includes a plurality of the guide rollers arranged successively, and the guide rollers in different columns are staggered and spaced apart from each other.

Preferably, the fabric entering the permeation box extends serpentinely in a plurality of fabric sections via the guide rollers and substantially transversely.

Other objectives, features, and details of the present invention are more comprehensively understood with reference to the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments in combination with the accompanying drawings.

A person skilled in the art will understand advantages of the corresponding embodiment and various other embodiments by reading the following detailed description of the corresponding embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings listed below. In addition, features of the accompanying drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. The features and size of the elements in the accompanying drawing may be enlarged or reduced to more clearly show the embodiments of the present invention.

The present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and the embodiments.

Various illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described below. In this specification, various systems, structures and devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation only and not to describe all features of an actual system, structure or device, such as a well-known function or structure not described in detail, so as to avoid obscuring the present invention in unnecessary detail. It will of course be appreciated that in the case of any actual application, numerous specific embodiment decisions should be made to achieve specific goals of developers or users, and that system-related and industry-related constraints should be met. These specific goals will vary from one application to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a specific embodiment decision, while complex and time consuming, would nevertheless be a routine task for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this application.

The terms and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those terms and phrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e. a definition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied by consistent usage of the terms or phrases herein. To the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e. a meaning other than that understood by those skilled in the art, such a special definition will be expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocally provides a special definition of the term or phrase.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the following description, the word "include/comprise" and variations thereof, such as "includes/including/comprises/comprising", are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is as "including, but not limited to".

In the descriptions of this specification, descriptions using reference terms "an embodiment" , "one embodiment" , "some embodiments" , "an example" , "a specific example" , or "some examples" indicate that specific characteristics, structures, materials, or features described with reference to the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. Therefore, terms "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appears in different places throughout this specification are not necessarily related to the same embodiment. In addition, the described specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in a proper manner in any one or more of the embodiments or examples.

As used in this specification, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the singular indefinite article "a/an" and the definite article "the" include one or more referents. It should also be noted that the term "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and/or" unless explicitly stated or limited otherwise. For the purposes of this description, a phrase "A or B" means "(A), (B), or (A and B)". For purposes of the description, a phrase in the form of "at least one of A, B, or C" means " (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C)".

In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of description, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implying a quantity of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature limited by "first" , "second" , or the like may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the descriptions of the present invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise definitely and specifically limited.

In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, terms such as "installation" , "interconnection" , "communication" , "connection" , and "fixing" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, may be a fixing connection, a detachable connection, an integral connection, a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, a direct connection, an indirect connection by using an intermediate medium, or communication between interiors of two components. A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand the specific meanings of the foregoing terms in the present invention according to specific situations.

The apparatus described herein may also utilize one or more controllers to receive information and transform the received information to generate an output. The controller may include any type of computing device and computing circuit, or any type of processor or processing circuit capable of executing a series of instructions stored in a memory. The controller may include a plurality of processors and/or a multi-core central processing unit (CPU) and may include any type of processor, such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor and a microcontroller. The controller may also include a memory to store data and/or algorithms to execute a series of instructions.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail below.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM> is provided as a whole with reference to <FIG>. The transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM> may include the following parts: a fabric supply unit <NUM> (e.g. a cloth car), a spreading and filament-separating unit <NUM>, a tension unit <NUM>, a deviation-correcting and edge-aligning unit <NUM>, a cloth feeding traction unit <NUM>, a dyeing portion sleeve device <NUM>, a permeation device <NUM>, sealing devices <NUM>, and an inerted gas filling device (not shown). The order of arrangement of the parts may be as shown in <FIG>. An operator may manage and control the individual units and devices in a unified manner by issuing instructions to a central control unit (not shown) through a human-computer interaction unit (not shown), thereby achieving automated control.

A fabric to be dyed to which the transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM> of the present invention is applied may be denim cloth <NUM> or other cloths which need to be colored in an inerted gas environment. In the following descriptions, the denim cloth <NUM> is described as an example, but it is understood that the fabric is not limited to the denim cloth <NUM>.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the dyeing portion sleeve device <NUM> of the transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM> may be arranged in a dyeing box <NUM>, and the permeation device <NUM> of the transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM> may be arranged in a permeation box <NUM>. Viewed along a moving direction of the denim cloth <NUM>, the permeation box <NUM> may be arranged downstream of the dyeing box <NUM> and in communication with the dyeing box <NUM> via a channel <NUM> by which the permeation box <NUM> and the dyeing box <NUM> are hermetically sealed relative to the environment. The channel <NUM> may be arranged at upper parts of the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM>. In other embodiments, the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM> may be integrally formed with each other. That is, the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM> may be constructed as the same box, and the dyeing portion sleeve device <NUM> and the permeation device <NUM> may be arranged in this common box.

The inerted gas filling device may fill the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM> with an inerted gas, such as nitrogen, via an inerted gas filling inlet <NUM>. The inerted gas may be filled into the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM> from the inerted gas filling inlet <NUM> via gas filling pipelines <NUM> that are in parallel connection at the same time. It is of course also conceivable to fill only one of the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM> with the inerted gas based on the communication of the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM>. However, the previous solution is better in terms of filling speed and gas filling uniformity.

In order to prevent the inerted gas from escaping from the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM> to the environment in the working state, the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM> are respectively designed to be hermetically sealed relative to the environment at least in the working state. Therefore, the sealing device <NUM> may be arranged at a denim cloth inlet <NUM> of the dyeing box <NUM>, and the sealing device <NUM> may be arranged at a denim cloth outlet <NUM> of the permeation box <NUM>. Thus, at least in the working state of the transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM>, the denim cloth <NUM> in the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM> may always be in an atmosphere of the inerted gas without contacting oxygen.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the dyeing box <NUM> may be provided with a sliding door <NUM>. The sliding door <NUM> may be driven by a transmission mechanism, such as a gear rack transmission mechanism for motor driving. In the working state of the transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM>, the sliding door <NUM> is at a closed position shown in solid lines. On the other hand, in the case that it is needed to repair or replace components in the dyeing box <NUM>, a motor may drive the sliding door <NUM> to be moved to an open position shown in dashed lines. Of course the movement of the sliding door <NUM> may also be implemented manually. In addition, the permeation box <NUM> may also be provided with a similar sliding door.

Next, exemplary embodiments of the dyeing portion sleeve device <NUM>, the gas sealing devices <NUM>, and the permeation device <NUM> of the transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM> of the present invention will be described in detail.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the dyeing portion sleeve device <NUM> may include, from downstream to upstream, one pair of direct dyeing groups <NUM> and three pairs of transfer dyeing groups <NUM> arranged successively. A direct dyeing group pair includes two direct dyeing groups <NUM> that are opposite to each other relative to a vertical line (or the fabric). A transfer dyeing group pair includes two transfer dyeing groups <NUM> that are opposite to each other relative to the same vertical line (or the fabric). The number of pairs and order of arrangement of the direct dyeing groups <NUM> and the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> in <FIG> is merely exemplary and may be adjusted in practice according to actual dyeing requirements. In general, the direct dyeing groups <NUM> and the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> are arranged in a rocket-type structure, in which case the transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM> may also be referred to as rocket-type transfer dyeing apparatus <NUM>. In other embodiments, other suitable arrangement structures of the direct dyeing groups <NUM> and the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> are also considerable.

As can be seen in <FIG>, a direct dyeing group pair may include two anilox rollers <NUM> opposed to each other and two closed scraper assemblies <NUM> that are respectively arranged outside the anilox rollers <NUM>. Each of the direct dyeing groups <NUM> may thus include an anilox roller <NUM> and a closed scraper assembly <NUM>.

In a working position, the closed scraper assembly <NUM> may be pressed against the corresponding anilox roller <NUM>, whereby two scraper heads <NUM> of the closed scraper assembly <NUM> together with the surface of the anilox roller <NUM> between the two scraper heads <NUM> and an end sealing member (not shown) form a closed liquid accommodating chamber. In a non-working position, the scraper heads <NUM> may be separated from the anilox roller <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the direct dyeing group <NUM> at the right side of the direct dyeing group pair, in particular the anilox roller <NUM> at the right side and its corresponding closed scraper assembly <NUM>, may be mounted on a mounting block <NUM>. The mounting block <NUM> may be moved on a guide rail (not shown) of the dyeing box <NUM> in a transverse linear guide manner. A servomotor <NUM> fixed on the dyeing box <NUM> may drive the mounting block <NUM> to move linearly via a provided transmission mechanism, so that the anilox roller <NUM> at the right side of the mounting block <NUM> may be moved toward and away from the anilox roller <NUM> at the left side that is opposite to the anilox roller <NUM> at the right side. The servomotor <NUM> and the provided transmission mechanism may form a propulsion mechanism of the mounting block <NUM>. The direct dyeing group <NUM> at the left side, in particular the anilox roller <NUM> at the left side and its corresponding closed scraper assembly <NUM>, may be mounted on the dyeing box <NUM>.

It is of course also conceivable that the direct dyeing group <NUM> at the left side may be mounted on a mounting block <NUM>, and the direct dyeing group <NUM> at the right side may be mounted on the dyeing box <NUM>.

A pressure provided by the propulsion mechanism acting on the mounting block <NUM> to make the anilox roller <NUM> press against the denim cloth <NUM> may be independently adjustable. The pressure is adjusted and set by a control system and may be programmed to be increased or decreased gradually. In <FIG>, the entire direct dyeing group <NUM> at the right side is driven by the propulsion mechanism to achieve engagement and disengagement with the direct dyeing group <NUM> at the left side, and a disengagement stroke is up to <NUM>-<NUM>.

Each of the anilox rollers <NUM> may be provided with its own servomotor (not shown) to drive the anilox roller individually. It is of course also conceivable for two anilox rollers <NUM> to be driven by a servomotor and a suitable transmission mechanism at the same time.

The denim cloth <NUM> may be moved between the two anilox rollers <NUM> so as to be sized. Therefore, a pre-treatment liquid such as a dye well may be applied to the denim cloth <NUM> via the direct dyeing group pair in order to enhance the subsequent dyeing rate and dyeing effect.

As can be seen in <FIG>, each pair of the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> may include two transfer rollers <NUM> that are opposite to each other, two plate rollers <NUM> respectively arranged outside the transfer rollers <NUM>, and two closed scraper assemblies <NUM> respectively arranged outside the plate rollers <NUM>. Each of the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> may thus include a transfer roller <NUM>, a plate roller <NUM> and a closed scraper assembly <NUM>. The plate roller <NUM> may be an intaglio printing plate roller, a flexographic printing plate roller, a rotary screen printing plate roller, an offset printing plate roller, or the like.

In a working position, the closed scraper assembly <NUM> may be pressed against the plate roller <NUM>, whereby two scraper heads <NUM> of the closed scraper assembly <NUM> together with the surface of the plate roller <NUM> between the two scraper heads <NUM> and an end sealing member (not shown) form a closed liquid accommodating chamber. In a non-working position, the scraper heads <NUM> may be separated from the plate roller <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the transfer dyeing group <NUM> at the left side of the transfer dyeing group pair, in particular the plate roller <NUM> at the left side and its corresponding closed scraper assembly <NUM> and transfer roller <NUM>, may be mounted on a mounting block <NUM>. The mounting block <NUM> may be moved on a guide rail (not shown) of the dyeing box <NUM> in a transverse linear guide manner. A servomotor <NUM> fixed on the dyeing box <NUM> may drive the mounting block <NUM> to move linearly via a transmission mechanism, so that the transfer roller <NUM> at the left side of the mounting block <NUM> may be moved toward and away from the transfer roller <NUM> at the right side that is opposite to the transfer roller at the left side. The servomotor <NUM> and the provided transmission mechanism may form a propulsion mechanism of the mounting block <NUM>. The transfer dyeing group <NUM> at the right side, in particular the plate roller <NUM> at the right side and its corresponding closed scraper assembly <NUM> and transfer roller <NUM>, may be mounted on the dyeing box <NUM>.

It is of course also conceivable that the transfer dyeing group <NUM> at the right side may be mounted on a mounting block <NUM>, and the transfer dyeing group <NUM> at the left side may be mounted on the dyeing box <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> at the right side of the three pairs of transfer dyeing groups <NUM> are mounted on the mounting blocks <NUM> respectively.

Similarly, a pressure provided by the propulsion mechanism acting on the mounting block <NUM> to make the transfer roller <NUM> press against the denim cloth <NUM> may be independently adjustable. The pressure is adjusted and set by a control system and may be programmed to be increased or decreased gradually. In <FIG>, the entire transfer dyeing group <NUM> at the left side is driven by the propulsion mechanism to achieve engagement and disengagement with the transfer dyeing group <NUM> at the right side, and a disengagement stroke is up to <NUM>-<NUM>.

The transfer roller <NUM> may be a rubber-coated hard material roller. The surface of the transfer roller <NUM> may be coated with seamless rubber. The rubber is natural rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, polyurethane rubber, or any other rubber that has a good affinity for water-based inks. Preferably, the rubber coated on the surface of the transfer roller <NUM> has a Shore hardness of <NUM>-<NUM> degrees.

Since the transfer roller <NUM> in each of the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> is a rubber-coated hard material roller, an outer diameter of the transfer roller <NUM> is slightly larger than that of the plate roller <NUM>, thus providing some tolerance space. During the transfer printing process, when the transfer roller <NUM> with the rubber coated surface is in contact with the plate roller <NUM>, the rubber coated on the surface of the transfer roller <NUM> is deformed by a certain pressure; when the surface of the plate roller <NUM> is separated from the rubber coated surface of the transfer roller <NUM>, the rubber coated surface can be rapidly restored. Preferably, the outer diameter of the plate roller <NUM> is smaller than the outer diameter of the transfer roller <NUM>, and the outer diameter of the transfer roller <NUM> is smaller than or equal to the outer diameter of the plate roller <NUM> + <NUM>, i.e. the outer diameter of the transfer roller <NUM> is larger than the outer diameter of the plate roller <NUM>, but a difference therebetween is less than <NUM>.

In the illustrated embodiment, for each pair of the transfer dyeing groups <NUM>, the axis of each of the transfer rollers <NUM> and the axis of each of the plate rollers <NUM> are in parallel and in the same plane.

Each of the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> includes a pressing assembly <NUM>. The pressing assembly <NUM> may be configured to provide an adjustable pressure of the plate roller <NUM> against the transfer roller <NUM>. The pressing assembly <NUM> is configured to adjust the amount of inks, and the pressure is mainly used to stick out the ink in intaglio ink cells. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the pressing assembly <NUM> includes an actuator <NUM> and an eccentric bushing <NUM>. The actuator <NUM> includes a cylinder body and a piston rod. In <FIG>, a cylinder body of the transfer dyeing group <NUM> at the left side is pivotally connected to the mounting block <NUM>, and a cylinder body of the transfer dyeing group <NUM> at the right side is pivotally connected to the dyeing box <NUM>. The actuator <NUM> may be of a hydraulic type, a pneumatic type, or an electric type. In the case that the actuator <NUM> is of a hydraulic or a pneumatic type, the extension length of the piston rod may be adjusted by adjusting a fluid pressure in the chamber of the cylinder body. Preferably, the actuator <NUM> may be a servo actuator, such as a servo electric cylinder.

The pressing assembly <NUM> may also include a swing arm <NUM> and a connecting rod <NUM>. The swing arm <NUM> is pivotally connected to the mounting block <NUM> or the dyeing box <NUM> via a swing arm pivot <NUM> located substantially at the center of the swing arm <NUM>. The swing arm <NUM> may include a first end and a second end. The first end of the swing arm <NUM> is pivotally connected to a protruding end of the piston rod of the actuator <NUM> through a pin. The second end of the swing arm <NUM> is pivotally connected to one end of the connecting rod <NUM> through a pin. The other end of the connecting rod <NUM> is pivotally connected to the eccentric bushing <NUM>. The eccentric bushing may be provided for the plate roller <NUM>, whereby the plate roller <NUM> may be moved toward or away from the transfer roller <NUM> by rotating the eccentric bushing <NUM> with the actuator <NUM>.

Of course, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, apart from the swing arm-connecting rod manner described herein, the rotation of the eccentric bushing <NUM> by the actuator <NUM> may be accomplished using any other transmission manners. Optionally, a handle may be arranged at an end of the swing arm pivot for manual adjustment of the rotation of the eccentric bushing <NUM> by an operator at the debugging stage.

When the eccentric bushing <NUM> is rotated and the plate roller <NUM> is moved to an abutment position, the distance between the plate roller <NUM> and the transfer roller <NUM> is decreased, and these two rollers are pressed together, thereby generating a pressure making the plate roller <NUM> press against the transfer roller <NUM>. However, when the eccentric bushing <NUM> is rotated and the plate roller <NUM> is moved to a stop position, the distance between the plate roller <NUM> and the transfer roller <NUM> is increased, these two rollers are not pressed against each other (may or may not contact), and the plate roller <NUM> does not provide pressure to the transfer roller <NUM>.

In operation, the plate roller <NUM> may be moved to different abutment positions as desired by rotating the eccentric bushing <NUM> with the pressing assembly <NUM>. Through rotating the eccentric bushing <NUM> to move the plate roller <NUM> to different abutment positions, the distance between the plate roller <NUM> and the transfer roller <NUM> may be adjusted, thereby adjusting the generated pressure making the plate roller <NUM> press against the transfer roller <NUM>. Also, since rubber has the characteristics of flexibility, resilience, low hardness, etc., the deformation of the transfer roller <NUM> may be finely controlled by the adjustment of the generated pressure.

The eccentric bushing <NUM> may be set at the stop position initially. When a pressure is applied, the actuator <NUM> is actuated to extend the piston rod, and the swing arm <NUM> is driven to pivot about a central axis of the swing arm pivot <NUM>, thereby driving the movement of the connecting rod <NUM> connected to the swing arm <NUM>. The movement of the connecting rod <NUM> in turn causes the rotation of the eccentric bushing <NUM>. The rotation of the eccentric bushing <NUM> makes the plate roller <NUM> move to an abutment position (referring to <FIG>). The distance between the plate roller <NUM> and the transfer roller <NUM> is decreased, and these two rollers are pressed against each other, thereby providing the pressure making the plate roller <NUM> press against the transfer roller <NUM>. In contrast, when no pressure is needed, the actuator <NUM> is actuated to retract the piston rod, and the swing arm <NUM> is driven to pivot about a central axis of the swing arm pivot <NUM>, thereby driving the movement of the connecting rod <NUM> connected to the swing arm <NUM>. The movement of the connecting rod <NUM> in turn causes the rotation of the eccentric bushing <NUM>. The rotation of the eccentric bushing <NUM> makes the plate roller <NUM> move to a stop position. The distance between the plate roller <NUM> and the transfer roller <NUM> is increased, and these two rollers are not pressed against each other, whereby the plate roller <NUM> no longer applies pressure on the transfer roller <NUM>. The stroke of the piston rod of the actuator <NUM> may be set to <NUM>-<NUM>, preferably <NUM>.

Each of the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> may also include a plate changing device <NUM>. The plate roller <NUM> may be changed as needed via the plate changing device <NUM>.

Each of the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> may also include a slant plate pulling device <NUM>. The position and the angle of the transfer roller <NUM> may be finely adjusted via the slant plate pulling device <NUM> to achieve precise alignment of the transfer roller <NUM> with an adjacent roller.

Each of the transfer dyeing groups <NUM> may also include an axial plate pulling device <NUM> provided for the plate roller <NUM>. The axial plate pulling device <NUM> may include an axial plate pulling motor and a corresponding transmission mechanism so as to adjust an axial position of the plate roller <NUM>.

Each of the plate rollers <NUM> and each of the transfer rollers <NUM> may be respectively provided with their own servomotor <NUM> to drive the plate roller <NUM> and the transfer roller <NUM> individually. It is of course also conceivable that only the transfer roller <NUM> is provided with its own servomotor <NUM>, while the plate roller <NUM> and the transfer roller <NUM> are driven by a synchronizing device, such as a synchromesh gear, at the same time.

The denim cloth <NUM> from the direct dyeing group pair may be moved between the two transfer rollers <NUM> of each of transfer dyeing group pairs and be applied with a dye, such as an indigo dye and a sulfur dye. The successive arrangement of a plurality of the transfer dyeing group pairs (three pairs herein) ensures that the surface of the denim cloth <NUM> is uniformly coated with sufficient dyes.

Since the dye coating of the denim cloth <NUM> may be carried out in an inerted gas atmosphere in the dyeing box, the indigo dye and the sulfur dye may be well reduced to a leuco so as to color the denim cloth <NUM>.

A sealing device <NUM> may be arranged at a denim cloth inlet <NUM> in the lower part of the dyeing box <NUM>, and a sealing device <NUM> may be arranged at a denim cloth outlet <NUM> in the lower part of the permeation box <NUM>. These two sealing devices <NUM> may be the same or different. The sealing device <NUM> hermetically seals the dyeing box <NUM> and the permeation box <NUM> to prevent the inerted gas from escaping therefrom.

In <FIG>, each of the sealing devices <NUM> is simply shown as a pair of airbags <NUM> having a cylindrical cross-section. The sealing device <NUM> is shown in <FIG>. The sealing device <NUM> may have a housing <NUM> and a plurality of airbag pairs arranged successively therein. The housing <NUM> may be fixedly arranged at the denim cloth inlet <NUM> of the dyeing box <NUM> and the denim cloth outlet <NUM> of the permeation box <NUM>, and the housing <NUM> may have a cloth inlet and a cloth outlet substantially corresponding to the cross-sectional structure of the denim cloth <NUM> on side walls of the housing <NUM> that are opposite to each other. Each of the airbag pairs may include two airbags <NUM> arranged vertically. Each of two ends of each of the airbags <NUM> are provided with a fixing device <NUM>, and the airbag <NUM> may be fixed (preferably non-rotatably) on the side wall of the housing <NUM> via the fixing devices <NUM> on the two ends.

The sealing device <NUM> may also have an inflation device provided for the airbags <NUM>. The inflation device may include an air pump <NUM> and a pipeline system <NUM> connected between the air pump <NUM> and the airbags <NUM>. The air pump <NUM> is capable of inflating gas, such as air, into each of the airbags <NUM> via the pipeline system <NUM>. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the inflation device has an air pump <NUM> and the pipeline systems <NUM> that is connected to each airbags <NUM> in a parallel-connection manner. This design has the advantage of using fewer parts and allowing all of the airbags <NUM> to be inflated at the same time. However, it is also conceivable to provide one individual set of the air pump <NUM> and the pipeline system <NUM> for each of the airbags <NUM>. This design facilitates separate inflation of each of the airbags <NUM>. Other arrangements of the air pump <NUM> and the pipeline system <NUM> are also considerable as long as inflation of each of airbags <NUM> can be achieved. Corresponding switches or valves may also be arranged in the pipeline system <NUM> for turning on or off the inflation of a certain airbag <NUM> or some airbags <NUM>.

Each of the airbags <NUM> may be provided with an air pressure indicator (not shown), and it can be determined whether an air pressure in the airbag <NUM> has reached a predetermined threshold via the air pressure indicator. When the air pressure indicator detects that the air pressure in the airbag <NUM> is lower than the predetermined threshold, the airbag <NUM> may be inflated with air via the air pump <NUM>. When the threshold is reached, the inflation of the airbag <NUM> should be stopped. The process may be carried out manually, but may also be automated by a corresponding control device.

The airbag <NUM> substantially has a uniform circular cross-section (referring to <FIG>) over the entire length of the airbag <NUM> after being filled with air, but other suitably shaped cross-sections are also conceivable. The circular cross-section of the airbag <NUM> is advantageous because each pair of the airbags <NUM> that are opposite to each other, after inflation, may thus be substantially in line contact with the denim cloth <NUM>. The line contact may apply a greater pressure and is therefore more secure for hermetically sealing. In addition, the length of the contact line of the airbags <NUM> that are opposite to each other may preferably be greater than the width of the denim cloth <NUM> (referring to <FIG>), whereby the denim cloth <NUM> may be hermetically sealed and surrounded by each pair of the airbags <NUM>, thereby apparently improving the sealing effect. Of course, it is also considerable that the airbags <NUM> after inflation are in contact with the denim cloth <NUM> in a surface contact manner.

The surface of the airbag <NUM> is designed to be smooth, so that the denim cloth <NUM> can move through or slide between the airbags <NUM> that are opposite to each other, while the inerted gas in the dyeing box <NUM> and in the permeation box <NUM> cannot pass between the airbags <NUM>, thereby effectively blocking the escape of the inerted gas.

In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, three pairs of the airbags <NUM> in the inflated state along the moving direction of the denim cloth <NUM> are exemplarily shown, and the denim cloth <NUM> moves between each pair of the airbags <NUM> successively. Each of the airbags <NUM> is pressed laterally against one another. The airbags at the left and right sides are pressed against the side walls of the housing <NUM>, respectively. The two ends of each of the airbags <NUM> are pressed against the side walls of the housing <NUM>. Thus, a space as close as possible is formed among the three airbags <NUM> in the upper row, the three airbags <NUM> in the lower row, and the side walls of the housing <NUM>.

However, since the two ends of the airbag <NUM> may not fully attach to the side walls of the housing <NUM> (referring to <FIG>, that is, the abutment area is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the airbag <NUM>), there will typically still be the inerted gas escaping out of the closed space in the housing <NUM> via gaps at the two ends of the airbag <NUM>. Hence, the housing <NUM> of the sealing device <NUM> may also be provided with a return port <NUM> for the inerted gas, preferably above or below the housing <NUM>. The return port <NUM> is defined through one side wall of the housing <NUM>, so that the inerted gas can be returned again via the return port <NUM> to an inerted gas charging device through a pipeline not shown. This not only prevents the inerted gas from escaping from the cloth outlet to the environment but also enables the reuse of the inerted gas.

Referring to <FIG>, according to an embodiment, the permeation device <NUM> may include an upper row and a lower row of guide rollers <NUM>. The guide rollers <NUM> may be preferably rotatably arranged, for example, on the side wall of the permeation box <NUM> with their axial ends. Each row of the guide rollers <NUM> includes a plurality of the guide rollers <NUM> (there are nine guide rollers herein) arranged successively, and the axes of the guide rollers <NUM> may be in the same plane. The two rows of the guide rollers <NUM> may be staggered and spaced apart from each other, for example by approximately the distance of one guide roller <NUM>. Thus, the denim cloth <NUM> entering the permeation box <NUM> may extend serpentinely in a plurality of denim sections <NUM> via the guide rollers <NUM>. In this embodiment, the denim sections <NUM> in the permeation box <NUM> may be substantially longitudinally arranged via the permeation device <NUM>. This longitudinal arranged layout may be suitable for woven fabrics. For example, the denim sections <NUM> extend in parallel and the movements of the adjacent denim sections <NUM> are in opposite directions. Of course, the adjacent denim sections <NUM> may also form a certain angle which should be as small as possible to maximize the number of the denim sections <NUM>. Thus, it is possible to maximize the residence time of the denim cloth <NUM> in the permeation box <NUM>, so that the dye sufficiently permeates from the surface of the denim cloth <NUM> to the inside thereof. The dye is, for example, an indigo dye and a sulfur dye applied to the denim cloth <NUM> via the dyeing portion sleeve device <NUM>. This thus provides a sufficient time for the dye to be reduced to a leuco in an inerted gas atmosphere in order to better color the denim cloth <NUM>. The cloth holding capacity of the permeation box <NUM> may be within the range of <NUM>-<NUM> meters.

Referring to <FIG>, according to another embodiment, the permeation device <NUM> may include a left column and a right column of guide rollers <NUM>. Reference may be made to the embodiment shown in <FIG> for other arrangement structures of the permeation device <NUM> of the embodiment shown in <FIG>. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the denim section <NUM> in the permeation box <NUM> may be substantially transversely arranged via the permeation device <NUM>. This transverse arranged layout may be suitable for knitted fabrics.

The permeation box <NUM> may be further provided with an inerted gas concentration detecting device (not shown) therein, which may detect and control the concentration of the inerted gas inside the permeation box <NUM>, so that the concentration of the inerted gas therein is always within a range most favorable for coloring the denim cloth <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A transfer dyeing apparatus (<NUM>), comprising:
a dyeing box (<NUM>), filled with an inerted gas;
a dyeing portion sleeve device (<NUM>), arranged in the dyeing box (<NUM>) and configured to dye a surface of a fabric with a dye;
a permeation box (<NUM>), arranged downstream of the dyeing box (<NUM>) in a moving direction of the fabric and filled with an inerted gas; and
a permeation device (<NUM>), arranged in the permeation box (<NUM>) and configured to enable the dye on the surface of the fabric to permeate into the fabric,
wherein the dyeing box (<NUM>) and the permeation box (<NUM>) are in communication with each other via a channel (<NUM>) allowing the passing of the inerted gas and the fabric, or the dyeing box (<NUM>) and the permeation box (<NUM>) are integrally formed with each other, the fabric sequentially passes through the dyeing box (<NUM>) and the permeation box (<NUM>), and sealing devices (<NUM>) are arranged at a fabric inlet of the dyeing box (<NUM>) and a fabric outlet of the permeation box (<NUM>) respectively, so that the dyeing box (<NUM>) and the permeation box (<NUM>) are hermetically sealed relative to an environment;
characterized in that
the sealing device (<NUM>) has a housing (<NUM>) and an airbag pair in the housing (<NUM>), a side wall of the housing (<NUM>) is provided with a cloth inlet and a cloth outlet allowing the passing of the fabric, and the airbag pair comprises two airbags (<NUM>) that are opposite to each other and the fabric can pass between the two airbags (<NUM>);
and in that the dyeing portion sleeve device (<NUM>) has a direct dyeing group pair and a transfer dyeing group pair successively arranged in the moving direction of the fabric, the direct dyeing group pair has two direct dyeing groups (<NUM>) which are arranged symmetrically relative to the fabric and comprise anilox rollers (<NUM>), and the transfer dyeing group pair has two transfer dyeing groups (<NUM>) which are arranged symmetrically relative to the fabric and comprise plate rollers (<NUM>) and transfer rollers (<NUM>).