Density sensing and controlling equipment

Claim 2

Textile sliver density sensing apparatus comprising: a textile processing machine for producing a multiplicity of spaced parallel fiber strands, funnel shaped strand collector means having a throughput aperture for collecting said strands and producing a sliver in said aperture, means for drawing said sliver through said aperture constantly, meanS including a transmitting transducer for transmitting into said sliver a compression wave in the sonic ultrasonic frequency range, a receiving transducer for receiving the part of said wave that passes through said sliver, and circuit means connected to said receiving transducer for electrically determining the sliver density deviation from a predetermined norm based on the amount of said wave that passes through said sliver, said strand collector having a cone shaped receiving section and a tube-like shaped section connected thereto with said throughput aperture extending from the apex of said cone section through said tube section, said tube-like section having transverse apertures in two opposing sides adjacent said apex and in communication with said throughput aperture, said transducers being respectively disposed adjacent said opposing sides of said tube-like section and in open communication with each other through said transverse and throughput apertures, and wherein said throughput aperture in said tube-like section has a width substantially greater than the width of said aperture at the apex of said cone section.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 including means forming an air vent extending transversely of and from said throughput aperture to the exterior of said tube section.

Claim 4

Textile sliver density sensing apparatus comprising: a textile processing machine for producing a multiplicity of spaced parallel fiber strands, funnel shaped strand collector means having a throughput aperture for collecting said strands and producing a sliver in said aperture, means for drawing said sliver through said aperture constantly, means including a transmitting transducer for transmitting into said sliver a compression wave in the sonic ultrasonic frequency range, a receiving transducer for receiving the part of said wave that passes through said sliver, and circuit means connected to said receiving transducer for electrically determining the sliver density deviation from a predetermined norm based on the amount of said wave that passes through said sliver wherein said textile processing machine includes: fiber feeding means, means for operating on the fibers feed by said feeding means, means for doffing the fibers from said operating means, means for driving said doffing means and said sliver drawing means at a given speed, variable speed drive means including motor means coupled between said doffing and feeding means for driving the latter, and means responsive to the output of said circuit means for operating said motor means in accordance with the determined sliver density deviation so as to vary the speed of said feeding means via said variable speed drive means for returning said sliver density back toward said predetermined norm, wherein said strand collector has a cone shaped receiving section and a tube-like shaped section connected thereto with said throughput aperture extending from the apex of said cone section through said tube section, said tube-like section having transverse apertures in two opposing sides adjacent said apex and in communication with said throughput aperture, and said transmitting and receiving transducer being respectively disposed in said transverse apertures back from the throughput aperture and in open communication with each other through said transverse and throughput apertures, and wherein said throughput aperture in said tube-like section has a width substantially greater than the width of said aperture at the apex of said cone section.

Claim 5

Textile sliver density sensing apparatus comprising: a textile processing machine for producing a multiplicity of spaced parallel fiber strands, funnel shaped strand collector means having a throughput aperture for collecting said strands and producing a sliver in said aperture, means for drawing said sliver through said aperture constantly, means including a transmitting transducer for transmitting into said sliver a compression wave in the sonic ultrasonic frequency range, a receiving transducer for receiving the part of said wave that passes through said sliver, and circuit means connected to said receiving transducer for electrically determining the sliver density deviation from a predetermined norm based on the amount of said wave that passes through said sliver wherein said textile processing machine includes: fiber feeding means, means for operating on the fibers feed by said feeding means, means for doffing the fibers from said operating means, means for driving said doffing means and said sliver drawing means at a given speed, variable speed drive means including motor means coupled between said doffing and feeding means for driving the latter, and means responsive to the output of said circuit means for operating said motor means in accordance with the determined sliver density deviation so as to vary the speed of said feeding means via said variable speed drive means for returning said sliver density back toward said predetermined norm, wherein said strand collector has a cone shaped receiving section and a tube-like shaped section connected thereto with said throughput aperture extending from the apex of said cone section through said tube section, said tube-like section having transverse apertures in two opposing sides adjacent said apex and in communication with said throughput aperture, and said transmitting and receiving transducer being respectively disposed in said transverse apertures back from the throughput aperture and in open communication with each other through said transverse and throughput apertures, and wherein said throughput aperture in said tube-like section has a width substantially greater than the width of said aperture at the apex of said cone section.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 3 including means forming an air vent extending transversely of and from said throughput aperture to the exterior of said tube section.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said textile processing machine is a card having feed and doffer rolls respectively as said feeding and doffing means and further includes a lickerin and fiber paralleling cylinder sequenTially in the named order between said feed and doffer rolls and driven by said driving means at said predetermined speed, said sliver drawing means being calender roll means.

Claim 8

In apparatus for sensing the density of a textile sliver composed of strands produced by a textile processing machine and constantly drawn through an aperture in a strand collector to produce said sliver at the output of said machine, the improvement in said collector comprising: a collecting section having an interior of conical shape with a wider end for receiving said strands and a constricted opening of given diameter at its inner end for narrowing said collected strands into a sliver, a tube-like rear section connected to said inner end and having a sliver throughput aperture continuing from said constricted opening to the opposite, output end of said rear section with a diameter substantially larger than said given diameter of the constricted opening, said tube-like section having aligned transverse apertures respectively disposed in its opposite sides in communication with said throughput aperture adjacent said constricted opening, and means on said opposite sides for respectively mounting transmitting and receiving transducers in alignment with said transverse apertures for passing therethrough, and also transversely across said throughput aperture and a sliver therein, compression waves in the sonic ultrasonic range for sensing the sliver density.

Claim 9

In apparatus for sensing the density of a textile sliver composed of strands produced by a textile processing machine and constantly drawn through an aperture in a strand collector to produce said sliver at the output of said machine, the improvement in said collector comprising: a collecting section having an interior of conical shape with a wider end for receiving said strands and a constricted opening of given diameter at its inner end for narrowing said collected strands into a sliver, a tube-like rear section connected to said inner end and having a sliver throughput aperture continuing from said constricted opening to the opposite, output end of said rear section with a diameter substantially larger than said given diameter of the constricted opening, said tube-like section having aligned transverse apertures respectively disposed in its opposite sides in communication with said throughput aperture adjacent said constricted opening, and means on said opposite sides for respectively mounting transmitting and receiving transducers in alignment with said transverse apertures for passing therethrough, and also transversely across said throughput aperture and a sliver therein, compression waves in the sonic ultrasonic range for sensing the sliver density.

Claim 10

Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said throughput aperture is substantially twice the diameter of said given diameter of said constricted opening of the collecting section.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 6 including a port in a side of said tube-like section in communication with said throughput aperture for venting air therefrom to the exterior of said tube-like section.

Claim 12

Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said port is in the bottom side of the tube-like section and generally perpendicular to said transverse apertures and generally in circumferential alignment therewith.