Title of Invention

A FIBER PROCESSING MACHINE

Abstract

A fiber processing machine comprising a roll (4) having a direction of rotation(4b) and a clothing (4a) for carrying thereon fiber material upon rotation of said roll (4); a cover(17) at least partially circumferentialiy extending about said roll (4); an air passage opening (21c) provided in said cover(17); an air guiding element (22) bordering said air passage opening (21c); a support(23) for movably holding said air guiding element (22)for varying a distance between said roll(4) and said air guiding element (22); a pressure sensor(24) for measuring a static pressure between said cover (17) and said roll (4); and setting means (25,26,27) for setting a position of said air guiding element (22) as a function of the pressure measured by said pressure sensor(24);

Full Text

The invention pertains to a device on a carding machine, cleaning machine, opening machine or similar machine, for fibre material, e.g. cotton, chemical fibres, in which covering elements are provided on a fast-running roller; between these covering elements there is at least one air passage opening, whereby in the region of the air passage opening at the end of the covering -viewed in the rotation direction of the roller - an air guiding element is arranged, whose distance to the roller can be varied. In a known device, the distance of the air guiding element to the roller is variable on account of the quantity of separated impurities like trash, wastage, dust etc. The task of this invention is to further improve upon the known device. This task is fulfilled by means of the marked features mentioned in claim 1. By means of the measures of this invention, an optimization of the working elements on the roller is possible. Particularly, an optimization is achieved on separating elements, e.g. separating knives, on account of the air quantity and/or air flow, e.g. underpressure or overpressure. A further advantage is, that in a simple way, additional disposal elements and corresponding devices could then be dispensed with, in that the exiting air quantities from the overpressure regions through corresponding air passage openings can be fed or suctioned through air passage openings arranged in the underpressure regions. Certified that this page and the following 10 pages are a true translation of the original German document presented under file reference no.: 22971 S VRaman Authorised translator Calcutta, 28 February 2002 2 The pressure can be converted into electrical signals. The distance of the guiding element to the roller should preferably be regulatable. It is advantageous that the pressure measuring element is connected through a regulating unit with rated value setting to a setting member for the guiding element. The distance of the guiding element to the roller is preferably regulatable. Ideally, the pressure measuring element is connected to a setting member for the guiding element through a control unit. The air guiding element is preferably attached in a rotatable manner to the covering at one of its ends. It is advantageous that the roller is at least a licker of a carding machine. The roller is the drum of the carding machine. The roller is a component of the opener or cleaner. The guiding element influences the air coming in and/or going out through the air passage opening. In case of underpressure, the guiding element regulates the air entry under the covering element on a separating element which is placed on the side away from the flow, e.g. knife. Away from the flow of the underpressure, there is a fixed carding element. Ideally, under overpressure below the covering element, the guiding element regulates the air exit on a separating element which is either towards the flow or away from the flow, e.g. knife. The overpressure flow side has a fixed carding element and/or a roller handover point. The air exiting from an air passage opening in an overpressure region can be fed to an air passage opening in an underpressure region. Air exiting out of the air passage opening in an overpressure region can be fed to a suction hub, e.g. on a separating knife. The guiding element influences the incoming or outgoing air quantity or both. The guiding element influences the incoming and/or outgoing air flow. The invention is described in details below on the basis of design examples shown in the / drawings. The following are shown: Fig.l Schematic side view of a carding machine with the device as per the invention, Fig.2 a design form of the invention with adjustable air feeding opening; Fig.2a detail of the adjustable feed air setting device; Fig.3 schematic block diagram of a regulating arrangement with pressure measuring member, regulator and setting member; 3 Fig.4 side view of the licker of the carding machine with several pressure measuring members, air passage openings and air guiding element; Fig. 5 a licker of a carding machine with fixed carding element and underpressure and overpressure zone; and Fig. 6 schematic side view of a cleaner with the device as per the invention. Fig. 1 shows a carding machine, e.g. Trutzschler high performance carding machine DK 903, with feed roller 1, feed table 2, lickers 3a, 3b, 3c, drum 4, remover 5, stripping roller 6, nip rollers 7, 8, fleece guiding element 9, web funnel 10, draw-off rollers 11, 12, wandering cover 13 with cover rods 14, can 15 and can stock 16. The rotation direction of the rollers are indicated by curved arrows. 'M' denotes the centre point (axis) of the drum 4. hA' denotes the working direction. The wandering cover 13 has a front cover deflecting roller 13a and rear cover deflecting roller 13b., which rotate in the direction of the curved arrow. Below the drum 4, between the remover 5 and licker 3 c, there is a covering 17 which has two exit openings 18a and 18b, to each of which a suction chamber 19 or 20 is allocated. Before the exit opening 18a an air entry clearance 21a is arranged and before the exit opening 18b an air passage clearance 21b is arranged - seen in rotation direction 4b of the drum. According to the figures 2 and 2a the covering 17 consists of several covering elements 17', 17", 17"'... 17n. Before the exit opening 18a, against the rotation direction 4b of the drum 4, a first air entry opening 21a and a further air entry opening 21c is arranged. Whereas through the air entry opening 21a an unregulated air flow B enters from the atmosphere, the airflow C entering through the air entry opening 21c is regulatable. For this, an air guiding element 22 is provided, which is placed rotatable with one of its ends against a rotating bearing 23 in the direction of the curved arrow E, F, and is fixed on to the covering element 17". The other end of the guiding element 22 points in the rotation direction 4b. In this way the air entry opening 21c can be gradually opened or closed. Before the air entry opening 21c, against the rotation direction 4b of the drum 4, a pressure measuring element is placed, with which the static air pressure below the drum covering 17 (i.e. in the clearance b between covering 17 and drum border 4a) is measured. For this a continuous hole is there in the covering 17. The pressure measuring values are used for 4 setting the distance 'a' of the guiding wing 22 to the drum 4. A manual setting of the position of the guiding wing 22 is also possible (method not shown here). Also, the position of the guiding wing 22, according to fig. 3, can be automatically adjusted in relationship to the measured values of the pressure measuring element 24 (regulation), For this a measured value converter 25 is allocated to the pressure measuring element 24: which converts the pressure values into electronic signals. The measured value converter 25 is connected to regulator 26 with rated value setter 27, e.g. micro-computer. The regulator 26 is connected through a setting member, e.g. step motor 28, to the guiding element 24. In the regulator 26, the pressure-actual-values are compared to the pressure-rated-values and, in case of variation, setting signals are given out to the setting member 28, During operation, through the air entry opening 21a and 21c, airB orCis suctioned from the atmosphere through the underpressure in the clearance between covering 17 and drum surface, The air flows B and C hit against the short fibres in the border 4a and loosen the grip between border 4a and short fibres. The short fibres are subsequently suctioned in through the exit opening 17a into the suction chamber 18 and removed through a cana! 36, which is connected to a (not shown) suction source. Through the incoming air flows B and C which exert pressure on the short fibres, and through the suction air flow D which exerts a pull on the short fibres, the releasing force working on the short fibres is greater than the retention force of the drum border 4a. Thereby the short fibres are released from the drum border 4a to a larger extent than the still present longer fibres. According to fig. 4, the three lickers 3a3 3b, 3c of the carding machine have a covering, which is generally denoted by 29. The covering 29 is interrupted by air passage openings, e.g. 21, by fibre material handover/takeover points between two co-working rollers (feed rollers I, lickers 3a, 3b, 3c or drum 4, by guiding elements 21a to 21 g, separating knives 31a, 31b and fixed carding elements 30a3 30b. At different points on the covering 29, pressure measuring elements 24a to 24g are foreseen. The pressure measuring elements 24a to 24g can be present individually or together. The pressure measuring elements 24a to 24g can be connected to the regulating unit 26 (see fig. 3). According fig. 5, the licker 3a has needles 3! and the rotation direction 3j, the licker 3b has a rougher saw-tooth border 3" and the rotation direction 32 and the licker 3c has a finer sawtooth border 3'" and the rotation direction 33. The fast-running lickers 3a, 3b, 3c show an 5 increasing circumference speed in the working direction. At the air passage opening 21 in the covering 29, which is situated behind a fixed carding element 30 - viewed in rotation direction of a roller -, an underpressure is present between the covering and the roller border; at the air passage opening 21 in the covering 29, which is situated before a fixed carding element 30 or a fibre material handover point - viewed in rotation direction of a roller -, an overpressure is present between the covering and the roller border. According to fig. 5, the pressure measuring element 24c allows measurement of an underpressure and the pressure measuring element 24d allows measurement of an overpressure. Between the guiding element 22d and the border 3" prevails underpressure, whereas between the guiding element 22c and the border 3" overpressure is present. On account of the underpressure, air enters through the air passage opening 21' from outside into the intermediate space between the covering 29 and the border 3", whereas on account of the overpressure air goes out towards the outside through the air passage opening 21", which can be suctioned by the suction hub 19a. In this way the degree of separation of alien particles like trash and similar items at the separating knives 31a, 31b can be varied. The cleaning device housed in a closed housing, e.g. Triitzschler CVT 4, according fig. 6, the fibre material (arrow) to be cleaned, mainly cotton, is fed in loose stock form. This takes place, for example, by means of a (not shown) filling chute, by means of a conveyor band or something similar. The absorbant cotton is fed with the help of two feed rollers 16 under clamping of a pin roller 32, which is placed in a rotatable manner in the housing and circulates in anti-clockwise direction (arrow I). After the pin roller 32, a border roller 33 is arranged which is lined with a saw-tooth border. The roller 32 has a circumference speed of approx. 10 to 21 m/sec. The roller 33 has a circumference speed of approx. 15 to 25 m/sec. The roller 34 has a greater circumference speed than roller 33, and roller 35 has a greater circumference speed than roller 34. After the roller 325 successively further saw-tooth rollers 33, 34 and 35 are arranged whose rotation directions are indicated by II, III, IV. The rollers 32 to 35 have a diameter of approx. 150 to 300 mm. The rollers 32 to 35 are surrounded by the housing 37. To the pin roller 32 a separating opening is allocated for exit of fibre impurities, whose magnitude can be adapted to the pollution degree of cotton. To the separating opening a separating edge, e.g. a knife, is allocated. In the direction of the arrow, on the roller 32, there are a fixed carding element 30', an adjustable guiding element 22', an air exit opening 21', a separating knife 31' and a pressure measuring element 24a and pressure measuring element 24b. To the saw-tooth roller 33 a fixed carding element 30", an adjustable 6 guiding element 22', an air passage opening 21", a separating knife 31", a pressure measuring element 24c and a pressure measuring element 24d are allocated. To the saw-tooth roller 34 a fixed carding element 30'", an adjustable guiding element 22m, an air passage opening 21'", a separating knife 31'", a pressure measuring element 24e and a pressure measuring element 24f are allocated. To the saw-tooth roller 35 a fixed carding element 30IV, an adjustable guiding element 22IV, an air passage opening 21IV, a separating knife 31IV, a pressure measuring element 24g and a pressure measuring element 24h are allocated. To each separating knife a suction hub 19' to 19IV is allocated. G denotes the working direction of the cleaner. The pressure measuring elements 24a to 24h and the adjustable guiding elements 22' to 22IV can be connected to an electronic controlling and regulating unit, e.g. micro-computer as shown in fig. 3. -7- We Claim: 1. A fiber processing machine comprising; (a) a roll (4) having a direction of rotation (4b) and a clothing (4a) for carrying thereon fiber material upon rotation of said roll (4); (b) a cover(17) at least partially circumferentially extending about said roll (4); (c) an air passage opening (21c) provided in said cover(17); (d) an air guiding element (22) bordering said air passage opening (21c); (e) a support(23) for movably holding said air guiding element (22)for varying a distance between said roll(4) and said air guiding element (22); (f) a pressure sensor(24) for measuring a static pressure between said cover (17) and said roll (4); and (g) setting means (25,26, 27) for setting a position of said air guiding element (22) as a function of the pressure measured by said pressure sensor(24); 2. The fiber processing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said setting means comprises: (a) a transducer(25) connected to said pressure sensor(24) for converting pressure signals into electric signals; (b) a regulating device (26) connected to said transducer (25) for receiving said electric signals therefrom; (c) a nominal value setter(27) connected to said regulating device(26); and (a) -8- (d) a motor(28) connected to said regulating device (26) and said air guiding element for moving said air guiding element as a functions of signals applied to said motor (23) by said regulating device (26). 3. The fiber processing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support (23) comprises means for rotatably holding said air guiding element(22) in said cover at an end of said air guiding element (22). 4. The fiber processing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fiber processing machine is a carding machine having a licker-in (3a, 3b, 3c) constituting said roll (4). 5. The fiber processing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fiber processing machine is a carding machine having a main carding cylinder constituting said roll. 6. The fiber processing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fiber processing machine is a fiber cleaner and further wherein said roll forms part of said cleaner. 7. The fiber processing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air guiding element borders an upstream end of said air passage opening as viewed in said direction of rotation, further comprising a waste separating element bordering a downstream end of said air passage opening. 8. The fiber processing machine as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a stationary carding element cooperating with \he clothing of said roll; said stationary carding element being disposed circumferentially adjacent said air guiding element. 8. -9- 9. The fiber processing machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for guiding air exiting from between said cover and said roll through said air passage opening to a location of underpressure. 10. The fiber processing machine as claimed in claim 1, further composing means for guiding air exiting from between said cover and said roll through said air passage opening to a suction duct. A fiber processing machine comprising a roll (4) having a direction of rotation(4b) and a clothing (4a) for carrying thereon fiber material upon rotation of said roll (4); a cover(17) at least partially circumferentialiy extending about said roll (4); an air passage opening (21c) provided in said cover(17); an air guiding element (22) bordering said air passage opening (21c); a support(23) for movably holding said air guiding element (22)for varying a distance between said roll(4) and said air guiding element (22); a pressure sensor(24) for measuring a static pressure between said cover (17) and said roll (4); and setting means (25,26,27) for setting a position of said air guiding element (22) as a function of the pressure measured by said pressure sensor(24);

Documents:

00117-cal-2002-abstract.pdf

00117-cal-2002-claims.pdf

00117-cal-2002-correspondence.pdf

00117-cal-2002-description(complete).pdf

00117-cal-2002-drawings.pdf

00117-cal-2002-form-1.pdf

00117-cal-2002-form-18.pdf

00117-cal-2002-form-2.pdf

00117-cal-2002-form-26.pdf

00117-cal-2002-form-3.pdf

00117-cal-2002-form-5.pdf

00117-cal-2002-letters patent.pdf

00117-cal-2002-priority document others.pdf

00117-cal-2002-priority document.pdf

117-CAL-2002-(01-09-2011)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

117-CAL-2002-(01-09-2011)-PA.pdf

117-CAL-2002-(09-09-2011)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

117-CAL-2002-FORM 15.pdf

117-CAL-2002-FORM 27.pdf

117-cal-2002-granted-abstract.pdf

117-cal-2002-granted-claims.pdf

117-cal-2002-granted-description (complete).pdf

117-cal-2002-granted-drawings.pdf

117-cal-2002-granted-form 2.pdf

117-cal-2002-granted-specification.pdf

117-cal-2002-priority document.pdf

117-cal-2002-translated copy of priority document.pdf