Circular loom for and method of weaving ribbon-shaped weft

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;
• guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;
• electrical brake means on each of the warp supplies for controlling tension in each of the warp ends;
• warp shed forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected one of a plurality of selectable weave patterns, the warp shed forming means comprising fluid cylinders which include extendable and retractable piston rods having warp guides mounted thereon;
• a plurality of shuttle assemblies mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds, each shuttle assembly including a supply of ribbon-shaped weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table, the warp shed forming fluid cylinder piston rods being expandable and retractable so as to form the warp sheds so that the shuttle assemblies travel through the warp sheds without engaging the warp ends;
• separate guide means on each shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from each weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;
• an annular ring member mounted in the fabric-forming position, the annular ring member including a first portion which extends substantially parallel to the circular track for the shuttle assemblies, and an inner side second portion which extends substantially perpendicular to the circular track, the first and second ring portions being interconnected by a curved third portion, with the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds formed by the warp shed forming means initially engaging the first portion of the annular ring member and then traveling about the curved and inner side portions of the ring member through the ring member;
• a first weft guide member forming part of the weft guide means for each weft supply and including electrical brake means for controlling tension in the weft;
• a second weft guide member forming part of the weft guide means for each weft supply and about which the ribbon-shaped weft travels with a plane of the weft substantially perpendicular to the circular track for the shuttle assemblies, and from which the weft travels and turns so that the weft initially is laid between the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds in the fabric-forming position with the plane of the weft disposed substantially parallel to the circular track for the shuttle assemblies, the ribbon-shaped weft subsequently sliding transversely with the warp ends about the first, curved and inner side portions of the annular ring member in forming of the fabric, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft;
• drive means for rotating the shuttle assemblies along the circular track and including a motor which is mounted independently of the shuttle assemblies and drivingly connected to the shuttle assemblies;
• first control means for detecting the position of a first one of the shuttle assemblies at periodic points along its path of travel and sequentially presetting banks of warp setting devices of the warp shed-forming means in advance of each of the shuttle assemblies, in response to the position of the first shuttle assembly, the first control means including a plurality of solenoids for operating respective ones of the fluid cylinders;
• and
• second control means for changing the preselected pattern of warp sheds formed by the warp shed-forming means, to a different pattern of warp sheds corresponding to another of the selectable weave patterns, the second control means including a plurality of solenoid sequencing circuits, one for each of the selectable weave patterns, and a plurality of selector switches, one for each of the solenoid sequencing circuits.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;
• guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;
• warp shed-forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern, the warp shed-forming means comprising fluid cylinders having extendable and retractable piston rods having warp guides mounted thereon;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;
• and
• drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;
• guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;
• warp shed-forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and being adapted to carry a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;
• a rotatable member forming part of the weft guide means on the shuttle assembly and about which the weft travels from the weft supply to the fabric-forming position;
• electrical brake means for controlling the rotation of the rotatable member and tension in the weft;
• and
• drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;
• guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;
• warp shed-forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;
• drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path, the drive means including a spur gear extending about the periphery of the shuttle assembly, a plurality of pinion gears spaced around the periphery of the support table and engageable with the spur gear, and a motor mounted independently of the shuttle assembly and drivingly connected to the pinion gears;
• first roller means on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table adjacent inner and outer peripheries of the shuttle assembly, for supporting the shuttle assembly for rotation about the support table in the circular path;
• and
• second roller means on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table and cooperable with an annular retaining means on the other of the shuttle assembly or the support table, for preventing radial inward and/or outward movement of the rotating shuttle assembly.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;
• guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;
• warp shed-forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;
• drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path;
• means for pulling the formed fabric from the fabric-forming position;
• first means for generating pulses in response to the speed of the fabric-pulling means;
• second means for generating pulses in response to the speed of the shuttle assembly;
• and
• comparator means for comparing the pulses generated by the first and second pulse generating means, and synchronizing the speed of the fabric-pulling means with the speed of the shuttle assembly.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;
• guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;
• warp shed forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of ribbon-shaped weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the ribbon-shaped weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position, the weft guide means including a first guide member around which the weft travels with a plane of the weft substantially perpendicular to the circular track for the shuttle assembly, and further includes a second guide member disposed between the first guide member and the fabric-forming position for turning the weft so that the weft is laid between the oriented warp ends of the warp shed in the fabric-forming position with a plane of the weft disposed substantially parallel to the circular track;
• and
• drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular track.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;
• guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;
• warp shed forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;
• an annular ring member mounted in the fabric-forming position, the annular ring member including a first portion which extends substantially parallel to the circular track, and an inner side second portion which extends substantially perpendicular to the circular track, the first and second ring portions being interconnected by a curved third ring portion, with the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds formed by the warp shed forming means both initially engaging the first side portion of the annular ring member, and then traveling about the curved and inner side portions of the ring member through the ring member, and with the weft being laid between the warp oriented ends adjacent the first portion of the ring member and then sliding transversely with the warp ends about the first, curved and inner side portions of the ring member in forming of the fabric, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft;
• and
• drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular track on the support table.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;
• guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;
• warp shed forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected one of a plurality of selectable weave patterns, the warp shed forming means comprising fluid cylinders which include extendable and retractable piston rods having warp guides mounted thereon;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;
• drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path;
• and
• control means for changing the preselected pattern of warp sheds formed by the warp shed forming means, to a different pattern of warp sheds corresponding to another of the selectable weave patterns.

A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises the steps of:

• arranging a plurality of banks of warp ends along a circular path to form a warp shed;
• rotating at least one shuttle assembly, including a supply of weft, along the circular path through the warp shed formed by the banks of warp ends;
• detecting the position of the shuttle assembly at periodic points along the circular path;
• and
• sequentially modifying successive banks of the warp ends in response to the detection of the shuttle assembly at the periodic points along the circular path, to change the configuration of the warp shed in advance of the shuttle assembly for passage of the shuttle assembly through the warp shed.

A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped, which comprises the steps of:

• providing a ring-shaped fabric-forming member in a fabric-forming position;
• orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the fabric-forming member;
• rotating a supply of the ribbon-shaped weft along a circular path about the fabric-forming member and through the warp sheds so that the ribbon-shaped weft feeds from the supply and becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member between opposed portions of the warp ends with a plane of the weft parallel to the circular path and so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric;
• and
• causing the fabric to travel continuously through the fabric-forming member so that the warp ends travel in unison about portions of the fabric-forming member, including a radially extending portion and an inner side portion thereof, and so that the ribbon-shaped weft travels with the warp ends with a transverse sliding movement about the portions of the fabric-forming member, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• at least one shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds, the shuttle assembly comprising a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• and
• means responsive to the position of the shuttle assembly on the support table for presetting the warp shed-forming means for passage of the shuttle assembly therethrough.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern, the warp shed-forming means comprising warp guides and fluid cylinders for operating respective ones of the warp guides;
• and
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and being adapted to carry a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• and
• electrical brake means on the shuttle assembly for controlling tension in the weft.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• first and second roller means on one of the shuttle assembly of the support table adjacent inner and outer peripheries, respectively, of the shuttle assembly, for supporting the shuttle assembly for rotation about the support table in the circular path;
• and
• third roller means on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table intermediate the first and second roller means and cooperable with an annular retaining groove in an intermediate portion of the other of the shuttle assembly or the support table, for preventing radial inward and/or outward movement of the rotating shuttle assembly.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• a plurality of first cylindrical rollers on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table adjacent both inner and outer peripheries of the shuttle assembly, the cylindrical rollers being mounted for rotation about axes extending parallel to the support table for supporting the shuttle assembly for rotation about the support table in the circular path;
• and
• a plurality of second cylindrical rollers on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table, the second cylindrical rollers being rotatable about axes entering perpendicular to the support table and cooperable with an annular retaining groove in the other of the shuttle assembly or the support table, for preventing radial inward and outward movement of the rotating shuttle assembly.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• and
• cylindrical rollers on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table, the cylindrical rollers being rotatable about axes extending perpendicular to the support table and being cooperable with an annular retaining groove in the other of the shuttle assembly or the support table, for preventing radial inward and/or outward movement of the rotating shuttle assembly.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• means for pulling the formed fabric from the fabric-forming position;
• and
• comparator means for synchronizing the speed of the fabric-pulling means with the speed of the shuttle assembly.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of ribbon-shaped weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• and
• guide roller means on the shuttle assembly for engaging at least one planar surface of the ribbon-shaped weft and guiding the ribbon-shaped weft from the weft supply so that the weft is laid between the oriented warp ends of the warp shed in the fabric-forming position with the planar surface of the weft disposed substantially parallel to the circular track.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• means for laying the weft between the oriented warp ends in the fabric forming position so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric;
• take-up means for taking up the formed fabric;
• and
• ring-shaped guide means in the fabric-forming position for guiding the formed fabric, the ring-shaped guide means including a surface portion which extends substantially parallel to the circular track, with the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds formed by the warp shed forming means both initially engaging the surface portion and with the formed fabric then traveling through the ring-shaped guide means.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of ribbon-shaped weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• ring-shaped guide means for guiding the warp and weft in the fabric-forming position, the ring-shaped guide means including a surface portion which extends substantially parallel to the circular track;
• and
• means for guiding the ribbon-shaped weft from the weft supply so that the weft becomes disposed adjacent the surface portion of the ring-shaped guide means essentially parallel to the surface portion and then slides transversely about the surface portion in forming of the fabric, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft.

A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises the steps of:

• arranging a plurality of warp ends along a circular path;
• rotating at least one shuttle assembly, including a supply of weft, along the circular path through successive positions;
• orienting the warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• and
• presetting the warp ends in response to the position of the shuttle assembly, to change the configuration of the warp sheds for passage of the shuttle assembly therethrough.

A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises the steps of:

• providing a ring-shaped guide means for guiding the warp and weft in a fabric forming position;
• orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the ring-shaped guide means;
• rotating a supply of the weft along a circular path about the ring-shaped guide means and through the warp sheds so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends adjacent the ring-shaped guide means to form the fabric;
• guiding the warp ends to a surface portion of the ring-shaped guide means which extends substantially parallel to the circular track so that the warp ends both initially engage the surface portion, and then guiding the fabric formed by the interlaced warp ends and weft partially around and through the ring-shaped guide means;
• and
• taking up the formed fabric from the ring-shaped guide means.

A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped, which comprises the steps of:

• providing a ring-shaped guide means for guiding the warp and weft in a fabric-forming position;
• orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the ring-shaped guide means;
• rotating a supply of the ribbon-shaped weft along a circular path about the ring-shaped guide means and through the warp sheds so that the ribbon-shaped weft feeds from the supply and becomes disposed adjacent the ring-shaped guide means with a plane of the weft parallel to the circular path and so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric;
• and
• causing the fabric to travel continuously through the ring-shaped guide means so that the ribbon-shaped weft travels with a transverse sliding movement about a surface portion of the ring-shaped guide means, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;
• take-up means for taking up the formed fabric, the take-up means including a take-up drive motor and a take-up reel;
• and
• means for controlling the speed of the fabric take-up means so that the take-up means takes up the formed fabric in an essentially relaxed condition on the take-up reel without any significant tension in the fabric, said control means comprising an electromagnetic clutch disposed between the take-up drive motor and the take-up reel of the take-up means.

A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

• a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;
• warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and being adapted to carry a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels down the table;
• and
• broken weft detector means for stopping the loom in the event of breakage of the weft, the detector means including a switch mounted on the shuttle assembly and forming a part of a loom operating circuit, and further comprising a means also mounted on the shuttle assembly for immediately operating the switch and stopping the loom in response to breaking of the weft.

A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped, which comprises the steps of:

• providing a ring-shaped fabric-forming member in a fabric-forming position;
• orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the fabric-forming member;
• rotating a supply of the ribbon-shaped weft along a circular path about the fabric-forming member and through the warp sheds so that the ribbon-shaped weft feeds from the supply and becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member with a plane of the weft parallel to the circular path and so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric;
• and
• causing the fabric to travel continuously through the fabric-forming member so that the warp ends travel about portions of the fabric forming member, including an inner side portion thereof, and so that the ribbon-shaped weft travels with the warp ends with a transverse sliding movement about the portions of the fabric-forming member, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft;
• engaging the warp ends with guides on piston rods of respective fluid cylinders;
• and
• selectively extending and retracting the fluid cylinder piston rods in a predetermined sequence to orient the warp ends and to form the series of successive warp sheds in accordance with the preselected weave pattern.

A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped, which comprises the steps of:

• providing a ring-shaped fabric-forming member in a fabric-forming position;
• orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the fabric-forming member;
• rotating a supply of the ribbon-shaped weft along a circular path about the fabric-forming member and through the warp sheds so that the ribbon-shaped weft fees from the supply and becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member with a plane of the weft parallel to the circular path and so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric;
• and
• causing the fabric to travel continuously through the fabric-forming member so that the warp ends travel about portions of the fabric-forming member, including an inner side portion thereof, and so that the ribbon-shaped weft travels with the warp ends with a transverse sliding movement about the portions of the fabric-forming member, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft;
• engaging the warp ends with guides on piston rods of respective fluid cylinders;
• selectively advancing and retracting the fluid cylinder piston rods in a predetermined sequence to orient the warp ends and to form the series of successive warp sheds in accordance with the preselected weave pattern;
• feeding the ribbon-shaped weft toward the fabric-forming member from the weft supply with the plane of the weft perpendicular to the circular path of the weft supply;
• turning the ribbon-shaped weft 90.degree. into the position in which the plane of the weft is parallel to the circular path as the weft becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member;
• synchronizing the speed of continuous travel of the formed fabric through the fabric-forming member with the speed of the shuttle assembly and the weft supply about the fabric-forming member at a ratio dependent upon the width of the ribbon-shaped weft;
• and
• taking up the formed fabric in an essentially relaxed condition without any significant tension in the fabric.

A loom for weaving warp and weft into a fabric, which comprises:

• means for supporting a plurality of supplies of warp adjacent a fabric-forming position;
• means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;
• movable shuttle means for moving the weft through the successive warp sheds;
• detecting means for detecting the position of the moving shuttle means;
• and
• means for presetting the warp shed-forming means in response to the detecting means, so as to form the successive warp sheds in advance of the moving shuttle means for passage of the shuttle means through the warp sheds.