US 6,307,340 B1Granted

Method for starting a power loom

AssigneeLindauer Dornier Gesellschaft mbH

InventorsArno Wagner, Herbert Mueller

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Abstract

A main drive shaft of a power loom reaches the rated operating rpm of the loom by the time of the first beat-up of the reed, thus avoiding start-up faults in the fabric. A flywheel mass is accelerated to a start-up rpm that is higher than the rated operating rpm before it is coupled with the main drive shaft. The start-up rpm is determined automatically and iteratively, with ever-increasing accuracy in successive starts of the loom. When the main drive shaft is coupled to the flywheel mass, the flywheel mass rpm decreases simultaneously as the main drive shaft rpm increases from standstill to the operating rpm. The actual main drive shaft rpm is measured at least at the time of the first beat-up and any deviation from the rated operating rpm is evaluated by the loom control. After each start-up, a new data set is generated based on the measured values and is used to calculate an updated or modified flywheel start-up rpm in the next start-up operation so that the main drive shaft more accurately reaches at least the rated operating rpm by the time of the first beat-up of the reed.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method of starting a power loom having a main drive shaft and a flywheel that is selectively coupleable to and uncoupleable from said main drive shaft, comprising the following steps:

a) providing a target rpm at which said main drive shaft is to be rotating at a first beat-up time of a first reed beat-up;
b) providing a start-up rpm at which said flywheel is to be rotating at a coupling time of commencing to couple said flywheel to said main drive shaft;
c) rotating said flywheel at said start-up rpm;
d) when said flywheel is rotating at said start-up rpm, commencing to couple said flywheel to said main drive shaft at said coupling times and thereby rotating and accelerating said main drive shaft;
e) after said step d), measuring an actual shaft rpm of said main drive shaft respectively at at least one measurement time not later than said first beat-up time;
f) determining any existing deviation of said actual shaft rpm from said target rpm;
g) based at least on said deviation, determining a revised value of said start-up rpm;
h) decoupling said main drive shaft from said flywheel and stopping said main drive shaft;
and
i) using said revised value for said start-up rpm, repeating at least each of said steps b), c), d), e) and f) to again start said loom;
wherein said determining of said revised value of said start-up rpm in said step g) is carried out such that said deviation determined in repeating said step f) in said step i) is smaller than said deviation determined in the prior performance of said step f).

8 more elements

A method of restarting a power loom having a main drive shaft, a loom control, a main power drive that includes an electric motor, at least one flywheel mass that is connected to said main power drive and a selectively engageable coupling that selectively couples said flywheel mass to said main drive shaft, said method comprising the following steps:

a) providing a start-up rpm for said flywheel mass;
b) providing a rated operating rpm at which said main drive shaft is to be operating at a first beat-up time of a first reed beat-up;
c) rotating said flywheel mass at said start-up rpm;
d) when said flywheel mass is rotating at said start-up rpm, commencing to couple said flywheel mass to said main drive shaft at a coupling time and thereby rotating and accelerating said main drive shaft;
e) measuring an actual main drive shaft rpm of said main drive shaft respectively at at least one measurement time not later than said first beat-up time;
f) determining any existing deviation of said actual main drive shaft rpm from said rated operating rpm;
g) based at least on said deviation, determining a revised value of said start-up rpm for a subsequent start-up operation of said loom, wherein said start-up rpm is calculated such that said main drive shaft rpm is substantially equal to said rated operating rpm at least at said first beat-up time.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.