Title of Invention

A NIPPER UNIT OF A COMBER

Abstract

A nipper unit (1) ofa comber comprising a nipper frame (8) which is movable to and fro, which has a lower cushion plate (12) and comprising an upper cushion plate (14) motmted in the nipper frame by means of lateral swivel arms (15, 15a) which forms a nip with the lower cushion plate (12) in the area of the cushion plate lip (13) and comprising a feed roller (27) mounted above the lower cushion plate (12) in the bearing receivers (26) of the nipper frame (8), characterized in that the lateral swivel arms (15, 15a) of the cushion plate (14) are arranged in the nipper frame or constructed such that they are located outside the region crossed by the feed roller (27) with the'length (B) when it is transferred transverse to its axis (28), from its operating position to an out-of-operation position.

Full Text

NIPPER UNIT OF A COMBER The invention relates to a nipper unit of a comber comprising a nipper frame which can be moved to and fro, which has a lower cushion plate and comprising an upper cushion plate mounted in the nipper frame by means of lateral swivel arms which can form a nip with the lower cushion plate in the area of the cushion plate lip and comprising a feed roller mounted above the lower cushion plate in the bearing receivers of the nipper frame. DE-4216485 discloses and describes such a nipper unit of a comber which executes a to and fro movement by means of swivel arms. In general eight such nipper units are installed on a comber. It can be deduced from this publication that the upper cushion plate is swivellably mounted by means of swivel arms on the nipper frame. In this case, a spring strut is attached to the respective swivel arm by means of a hinge and is mounted at the other end on a driven eccentric. The feed roller shown in the nipper unit is mounted laterally in bearing receivers in the nipper frame. If the feed roller needs to be dismantled (e.g. for cleaning purposes, for threading in the web of lap or for replacement after wear), in this arrangement it is necessary to transfer the swivel arms with the upper cushion plate into a swivelled-back position. Only in this position can the feed roller be removed upwards without any problem. However, a special tool is required for this swivelling process since the swivelling takes place against the spring force of the springs. In addition, the nipper unit must be located in a front position (front dead-point position) to execute the swivelling. This is laborious on the one hand and partly also time-consuming, especially if the special tool cannot be located immediately. It is thus the object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages and propose a design of nipper unit where accessibility for dismantling the feed roller is substantially improved. This object is solved by proposing that the lateral swivel arms of the cushion plate are arranged and embodied such that they are located outside the region crossed by the feed roller when it is transferred transverse to its axis, from its operating position to an out-of-operation position. It is thereby possible to ensure free accessibility of the feed roller in the nipper unit. The feed roller can thereby be displaced in every position of the nippers from its operating position to an out-of-operation position without the upper cushion plate with its swivel arms needing to be brought into a different position by means of special tools. The term displacement of the feed roller is to be understood as the feed roller including its bearings and other components which must be moved during the displacement to bring it into an out-of-operation position. The term "operating position" includes the fixed position of the feed roller in which, in cooperation with the lower cushion plate 12 or with a feeding trough attached therein, it forms a feed gap in which an interposed web of lap is transported by rotation of the feed roller. The term "region" crossed by the feed roller when it is transferred from its operating position to its out-of-operation position is substantially to be understood as the space through which the feed roller passes on its way to this position. As is further proposed, free accessibility is then ensured if the swivel arms of the upper cushion plate run under the bearing receivers of the feed roller. As a result, the displacement of the feed roller is no longer impeded by the swivel arms and free access is obtained to the area of the cylinder, additionally facilitating cleaning in this area. It is further proposed to arrange the bearing points of the swivel arms underneath the bearing receivers of the feed roller. This results in a simple constructive arrangement. Furthermore, a solution is proposed whereby the clearance between the swivel arms, at least in the region crossed by the feed roller during its displacement into an out-of-operation position, is greater than the length of the feed roller. With this design the position of the swivel arms can be maintained above the feed roller. The entire device can possibly be somewhat broader in this proposal. It is advantageous if respectively one spring strut provided with a spring element is hinged on the swivel arms and its other free end is mounted on a fixed pivot point in the machine frame, the spring strut being constructed such that a nip force is produced in the area of the cushion plate lip between upper and lower cushion plate when the nipper unit is located in its rear position. Accessibility to the feed roller is thereby optimised and control of the upper cushion plate for applying the necessary nip force is matched to the position of the swivel arms under the mounting of the feed roller. The fixed pivot point of the respective spring strut can advantageously be arranged under the nipper unit. It is further proposed that the bearing receivers of the feed roller have an opening at the top whose clearance is at least the diameter of the bearing of the feed roller inserted in the bearing frame and means are provided for closing the opening. Simple and rapid dismantling or assembly of the feed roller or the feed rollers is thereby ensured. This is especially important if it is necessary to exchange all eight feed rollers one after the other which is very time-consuming with the designs known so far. Releasing the locking of the feed roller is simplified if the means for closing the opening are swivellably mounted about an axis fixed in the nipper frame. The means can consist of a swivellable two-arm lever, where a first arm can be displaced to overlap with the opening and a second arm can be swivelled into the range of action of a spring element. For simple operation of the locking of the two-arm lever it is proposed that the spring element consists of two sleeves, where a first sleeve is affixed to the nipper frame and receives a compression spring and a second sleeve which is closed on one side, is guided on the first sleeve in the area of the open side. A radially projecting lug which facilitates handling can be provided on the second sleeve. Further advantages of the invention are explained and described in detail with reference to a subsequent exemplary embodiment. In the figures: Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a nipper unit of known design Fig. 2 is a schematic side view according to Fig. 1 with the attachment of the swivel arms of the upper cushion plate embodied according to the invention, Fig. 3 shows a view X from Fig. 2 Fig. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment from Fig. 1 with swivel arms embodied according to the invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic side view according to Fig. 4. Figure 1 shows a nipper unit 1 which is mounted such that it can be pivoted by means of crank arms 2, 3. In this case, two crank arms 2 are each swivellably mounted at the side of a circular comb 4 on its circular comb shaft 5. The other end of the swivel arms 2 is affixed rotationally movably on the nipper frame 8. The rear swivel arm 3 (two can also be provided) is mounted rotationally fixedly on a nipper shaft 10. The opposite free end of the swivel arm 3 is connected rotationally movably to the nipper frame 8 by means of a shaft 9. The nipper unit 1 substantially consists of a lower cushion plate 12 fixedly connected to the nipper frame 8 and an upper cushion plate 14 (in some cases also called nipper blade) which is affixed to two swivel arms 15, 15\ These swivel arms are swivellably attached to the nipper frame 8 by means of a swivel axis 16. The swivel arms 15, 15' are each connected to a spring strut 18 which in turn is mounted on a driven eccentric 21 by means of an axis 20. Seen in the direction of material flow, a pair of detaching rollers 24 is provided after the nipper unit. Rotatably mounted inside the nipper unit 1 is a feed roller 27 which executes a discontinuous movement by means of a drive not shown in detail to transport the supplied lap W in sections. The feed roller 27 has a shaft 28 by which means it is rotatably mounted at both ends via bearings 29 in bearing receivers not shown here. In this arrangement, as already described in the introduction to the description, it is necessary to swivel the upper cushion plate by means of the swivel arms 15, 15' into a rear position indicated by the dot-dash line in order to change the feed roller 27. A design according to Fig. 2 is proposed to remedy these disadvantages and this is now explained in detail. Unlike the design in Fig. 1, the swivel arms 15a of the upper cushion plate 14 run under the bearing receiver 26 of the feed roller 27. The swivel axis 16 of the swivel arms 15a is also attached underneath the bearing receiver 26. This has the result that a sufficient field of traverse is available for the swivel arms 15a to execute the necessary swivelling movement. In addition, the region above the feed roller is completely freely accessible so that the feed roller can be dismantled easily and quickly. The spring struts 18a which act laterally on the swivel arms 15a via the axes 23 (see Fig. 3) are swivellably mounted on an axis 34 which is fixed underneath the detaching roller 24 on the machine frame. The space above the feed roller can thereby be kept completely free. If such an attachment of the spring struts is provided, a different (not shown) drive arrangement would also be possible for the nipper unit. The nipper unit could be driven, for example, from the circular comb axis. However, this is not crucial for the claimed design. The bearing 29, one of which is provided at both ends of the feed roller, lies in a guide 38 which is open at the top. In the position shown, the opening 31 of the guide 38 is covered by the arm 33" which is part of a two-arm lever 33 which is swivellably mounted about the axis 30 in the nipper frame 8. The second arm 33' of the lever 33 lies approximately at right angles to the arm 33" and is acted upon by a spring element 40 whereby the arm 33' is pressed against the surface of the bearing receiver 26 in the area of the opening 31. It is thereby ensured that the feed roller 27 remains in its built-in position during operation. The spring element 40 consists of a sleeve 41 which is affixed to the nipper frame 42. Another sleeve 42 provided with a lug 46 is guided coaxially on the sleeve 40. A spring 44 is guided inside the sleeve 41 which at one end rests on a pin 45 of the sleeve 41 and at the opposite end rests on the inner wall of the end 49 of the sleeve 42. As shown schematically in Fig. 3, a lever 47 is fixed rotationally fixedly to the shaft 28 and is connected to a drive not shown in detail. For example, this drive could be provided by a main drive shaft via a suitably embodied crank drive which cooperates with a cam plate. A possible design can be deduced for example from GB-PS 933,946. When the feed roller 27 needs to be dismantled, after separating the drive element 47 shown schematically, the sleeve 42 is pushed backwards over the lug 46 against the spring force of the spring 44. The arm 33' of the lever 33 is thereby released and can be swivelled clockwise about the axis 30. The opening 31 is thereby exposed whereby the feed roller or its bearing 29 can be removed upwards from the guide 38. After the feed roller 27 has been inserted back into the guide 38 via the bearing 29, the lever 33 is swivelled in the anticlockwise direction with the sleeve 42 simultaneously pushed back until it comes to rest on the surface of the bearing receiver 26 and thus closes the opening 31 again. Now, the sleeve 42 can also be displaced to the left with the spring force of the spring 44 until the end 49 comes to rest on the arm 33'. If necessary, it is also possible to fix the spring element 40 in this position with an additional lock (not shown) to avoid automatic release of the lever 33. The locking of the feed roller 27 in its working position is now completed. The drive element 47 can now be coupled on again whereby the system is ready to start again for the combing process. The sequence of the combing process is already known from many publications and thus will not be discussed in detail here. Figures 4 and 5 show another exemplary embodiment where, in contrast to the previous exemplary embodiment, the swivel arms 15d, 15e are arranged above the cushion plate 12 and can swivel respectively about an axis 16. As can be seen from Fig. 4, the two swivel arms 15d, 15e have a clearance L with respect to one another which is larger than the length B of the feed roller 27 including its bearings 29 and the lever 47 hinged to the feed roller. This lever 47 is only shown schematically and is responsible for driving the feed roller. In this case, a free-wheel can be provided between the axis 28 of the feed roller 27 and the lever 47 by which means a discontinuous drive movement is produced. As described in the previous example, the lever can be a part of a linkage not shown which has a roller guided on a cam plate which is connected rotationally fixedly, for example, to the circular comb axis. It is also feasible to provide a drive with a free-running mechanism at both ends of the feed roller 27 to execute a mixed feed in the forward and return stroke of the nippers. Such an arrangement can be deduced, for example, from US-PS 3,400,431. In this case, the width L must be selected to be sufficiently large so that during the displacement of the feed roller the opposite drive element lies inside the clearance L. Other driving possibilities for the feed roller are naturally also possible, as can be deduced from the known literature. The design of the swivel arm 15a (as an example) is embodied somewhat differently to the design of the swivel arm 15d; it is important for the displacement of the feed roller 27 that in every location or position of the nipper unit 1 this can be displaced from its operating position without the swivel arms 15d, 15e hindering this displacement. The term "displacement" can include on the one hand the transfer of the feed roller 27 into a waiting position or position for threading in a new lap W or the complete removal from the nipper unit. The previously described waiting position is shown by the dot-dash line in Fig. 5. During the displacement into the waiting position for threading in a new web of lap W, the drive (free-wheel) to the feed roller is naturally not released but is displaced with the feed roller into the position shown by the dashed line. In this example (Fig. 5) the drive of the nipper unit 1 is introduced via a drive rod S hinged on the shaft 9 on the nipper frame 8. The spring struts 18 are attached above the nipper frame 8. However, it would also be possible to attach this below the nipper frame, as is described and shown in Fig. 2. The locking of the feed roller 27 can also be accomplished as in the example in Fig. 2 by means of a two-arm lever 33. CLAIMS 1. A nipper unit (1) of a comber comprising a nipper frame (8) which can be moved to and fro, which has a lower cushion plate (12) and comprising an upper cushion plate (14) mounted in the nipper frame by means of lateral swivel arms (15, 15a) which can form a nip with the lower cushion plate (12) in the area of the cushion plate lip (13) and comprising a feed roller (27) mounted above the lower cushion plate (12) in the bearing receivers (26) of the nipper frame (8), characterised in that the lateral swivel arms (15,15a) of the cushion plate (14) are arranged and embodied such that they are located outside the region (B) crossed by the feed roller (27) when it is transferred transverse to its axis (28), from its operating position to an out-of-operation position. 2. The nipper unit according to claim 1, characterised in that the swivel arms (15a) of the upper cushion plate (14) run underneath the bearing receivers (26) of the feed roller (27). 3. The nipper unit according to claim 2, characterised in that the bearing points (16) of the swivel arms (15a) are arranged underneath the bearing receivers (26) of the feed cylinder (27). 4. The nipper unit according to claim 1, characterised in that the clearance (L) between the swivel arms (15d, 15e), at least in the region crossed by the feed cylinder (27) during its displacement into the out-of-operation position is greater than the length (B) of the feed cylinder (27). 5. The nipper unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that a spring strut (18a) provided with a spring element is hinged on the swivel arms (15a) and its other free end is mounted on a fixed pivot point (34) in the machine frame (MG), the spring strut (18a) being constructed such that a nip force is produced in the area of the cushion plate lip (13) between upper and lower cushion plate (12, 14) when the nipper unit (1) is located in its rear position. 6. The nipper unit (1) according to claim 5, characterised in that the pivot point (34) of the respective spring strut (18a) is arranged underneath the nipper unit (1). 7. The nipper unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the bearing receivers (26) of the feed roller (27) have an opening (31) at the top whose clearance is at least the diameter of the bearing (29) of the feed roller inserted in the bearing receiver (26) and means are provided for closing the opening. 8. The nipper unit (1) according to claim 7, characterised in that the means are mounted such that they can swivel about an axis fixed in the nipper frame. 9. The nipper unit (1) according to claim 8, characterised in that the means consist of a swivellable two-arm lever, where a first arm can be displaced to overlap with the opening and a second arm can be swivelled into the range of action of a spring element. 10. The nipper unit (1) according to claim 9, characterised in that the spring element consists of two sleeves, where a first sleeve is affixed to the nipper frame and receives a compression spring and a second sleeve which is closed on one side, is guided on the first sleeve in the area of the open side. 11. The nipper unit (1) according to claim 10, characterised in that the second sleeve

Documents:

2487-chenp-2005 abstract granted.pdf

2487-chenp-2005 claims granted.pdf

2487-chenp-2005 description (complete) granted.pdf

2487-chenp-2005 drawings granted.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-abstract.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-claims.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-correspondnece-others.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-correspondnece-po.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-description(complete).pdf

2487-chenp-2005-drawings.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-form 1.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-form 3.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-form 5.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-form18.pdf

2487-chenp-2005-pct.pdf

abs-2487-chenp-2005.jpg