Patent ID: 7819142

Claim:
A method for controlling the consumption of air during transport of an inserted weft thread through the shed of an air weaving machine using a plurality of sets of auxiliary blowers disposed along the shed for transporting each weft thread by pressurized air flow and wherein the blowing times of pressurized air supplied to each auxiliary blower set are controlled by a weaving machine controller to control the movement of each weft thread during each weft insertion according to pre-set parameters, said pre-set parameters causing each respective auxiliary blower set to be actuated for transporting a slow weft thread through the shed, comprising determining the position of each inserted weft thread relative to the location of at least one auxiliary blower set using at least one weft thread winding or position sensor in communication with the controller and interrupting the supply of air to said at least one auxiliary blower set as a function of when the weft thread will reach or pass or actually reaches or passes said at least one auxiliary blower set, said interruption step including causing said controller to interrupt the supply of air to said at least one auxiliary blower set without affecting the speed of transport of the weft thread, but only interrupting the blowing of air by said at least one auxiliary blower set at an instant in time after said at least one blower set has blown against a respective inserted weft thread and when a fast weft thread is detected before the moment at which such blowing would end in accordance with said pre-set parameters, whereas when a slow weft thread is detected the auxiliary blowers are actuated according to said pre-set parameters.