Title of Invention	DRIVE SHAFT FOR THE FEED ROLLERS OF A COMBING MACHINE.
Abstract	The aim of the invention is to provide a combing machine which allows transmission of the drive movement to the feed rollers (10) that are shifted during comb operation. For this purpose, a fixed drive shaft (15) transmits the rotational movement onto the feed roller via a linkage mechanism (18) having two linkage members (24, 25). Said linkage members may contain positively locking, flexible traction members (19, 22) or geared transmission elements. At least one of the linkage members (25) of the linkage mechanism is configured so as to be shifted.

Title of Invention

DRIVE SHAFT FOR THE FEED ROLLERS OF A COMBING MACHINE.

Abstract

The aim of the invention is to provide a combing machine which allows transmission of the drive movement to the feed rollers (10) that are shifted during comb operation. For this purpose, a fixed drive shaft (15) transmits the rotational movement onto the feed roller via a linkage mechanism (18) having two linkage members (24, 25). Said linkage members may contain positively locking, flexible traction members (19, 22) or geared transmission elements. At least one of the linkage members (25) of the linkage mechanism is configured so as to be shifted.

Full Text	FORM 2 THE PATENT ACT 1970 (39 of 1970) The Patents Rules, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION See Section 10, and rule 13 1. TITLE OF INVENTION DRIVE SHAFT FOR THE FEED ROLLERS OF A COMBING MACHINE 2. APPLICANT(S) a) Name b) Nationality c) Address OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO. KG GERMAN Company LEVERKUSER STRASSE 65, D-42897 REMSCHEID, GERMANY 3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed : - Technical area The invention relates to a drive for the feed roller, mounted in oscillating lower grippers, of a combing machine. Prior art DE 43 12 041 Al shows the drive of different axles of a combing machine by means of individual electric motors. The document does not contain any details about the spatial arrangement of the individual electric motors of the shaft driven by them. DE 195 06 351 Al discloses that the shaft for driving the feed rollers is arranged in the pivot axle of the gripper apparatus. The shaft passing through all the combing heads, however, impairs the accessibility to the nonwoven in the combing heads and the exchange of a gripper apparatus. The drive is transmitted, by the shaft, by means of a positively acting traction member to each of the feed rollers. EP 0 360 064 Al shows (in Fig. 1) a drive for feed rollers, in which the drive motor is arranged at the end of the feed roller passing through all the combing stations, directly on said feed roller. In other embodiments, a motor is associated with each combing station and is fastened above or below the lower grippers (Figs 3/4 or 5/6) and is coupled by means of a toothed belt to the feed roller associated with it. Figs 7 to 10 show solutions with individual motors for each combing station, in which the motor is stationary and drives the displaceable feed roller associated with it by means of a type of wheel knee bend. General description of the invention The invention had set itself the object of arranging a drive shaft driving the feed rollers of all the combing stations stationarily and separately from the bearing axle of the gripper apparatus and to nevertheless transmit its drive to the feed rollers being displaced during the combing cycle. As the feed roller, during each combing cycle, changes between a standstill and a rotary movement, its lack of mass also has a substantial importance. The object posed is achieved by the stationary mounting of the drive shaft remote from the bearing shaft of the gripper apparatus and its drive by means of at least one intermediate member in each of the feed rollers, according to the main claim. The drive shaft may be arranged in the region of the gripper apparatus. The drive motor of the drive shaft may also be seated stationarily and coaxially thereon. As the drive shaft does not have to take on any secondary task such as the mounting of machine parts, it may be slim and low in mass. The at least one intermediate member may be configured as an endless, flexible traction member or as a toothed wheel transmission. Special description of the invention The figures of the drawing schematically show embodiments of the invention. In the drawings Fig. 1 shows the side view of a region of the gripper apparatus of a combing machine; Fig. 2 shows a variant of the drive of the feed roller; Fig. 3 shows a further variant of the drive of the feed roller. Fig. 1 shows the gripper apparatus 1 of a combing machine as well as a circular comb 3 arranged below the gripper apparatus and rotatable about an axle 2, with a combing field 4. Apart from the gripper apparatus, the detaching roller pairs 5 and 6 can be seen. The gripper apparatus 1 has lower grippers 8 which can be pivoted about an axle 7, with a feed table 9. A feed roller 10 is located on the feed table. Upper grippers 12 are mounted in the lower grippers about two lateral pivot pins 11 and, driven intermittently, supply the gripper mouth 13 with combing lap, not shown. A fixing comb 14 can be seen between the gripper mouth and the first detaching roller pair 5. To this extent, the combing machine shown corresponds to the conventional structure of a machine of this type. The discontinuous movement course of the listed components is also familiar - with the exception of the revolving circular comb 3. The members bringing about this movement course are therefore not shown and described in more detail. The drive of the feed roller 10 proceeds from a stationary drive shaft 15 close to the gripper apparatus 1 and running remote from the bearing axle 7 of the lower grippers 8 via all the combing stations of the combing machine. This drive shaft is preferably driven intermittently by a motor 16 arranged directly on it. The rotary movement of the drive shaft 15 is positively transmitted - proceeding from a toothed wheel 17 arranged on it - by means of a linkage mechanism to the feed roller 10. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, this linkage mechanism 18 consists of a first toothed belt 19, which is engaged with the toothed wheel 17 and a freely rotatably mounted toothed wheel 20. The toothed wheel 20 is non-rotationally connected to a further toothed wheel 21, which is engaged with a toothed wheel 23 fastened to the feed roller 10 by means of a toothed belt 22. The toothed wheel 17, toothed belt 19 and toothed wheel 20 form the first linkage member 24 of the linkage mechanism 18 and the toothed wheel 21, the toothed belt 19 and the toothed wheel 23 form its second linkage member 25. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, the two linkage members 24 and 25 consist of toothed wheels 26/27 and 27/28/29/23, it being possible to insert two intermediate toothed wheels 28 and 29 into the linkage member 25. These intermediate toothed wheels are mounted in the lower grippers 8. Spur toothed wheels are preferably used as toothed wheels. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the two linkage members 24 and 25 of the linkage mechanism 18 comprise two linkage struts 30 and 31, connected in an articulated manner to one another and in each case to the drive shaft 15 and the feed roller 10, in the linkage axle of which struts are mounted the two toothed wheels 20, 21, which are non-rotationally connected to one another, of Fig. 1. The rotary movement is also transmitted here, as in the embodiment of Fig. 1, by means of two toothed belts 19 and 22 from the drive shaft 15 to the feed roller 10. It is obvious that the transmission of the rotary movement from the drive shaft 15 to the feed roller 10 may take place partly by means of a linkage member with a flexible traction member such as 19 or 22 and partly by a linkage member with a toothed wheel transmission such as 26/27 or 27/28/29/23. List of reference numerals 1 gripper apparatus 2 axle of the circular comb 3 3 circular comb 4 combing field 5,6 detaching roller pairs 7 axle of the lower grippers 8 8 lower grippers 9 feed table 10 feed roller 11 pivot pin of the upper grippers 12 12 upper grippers 13 gripper mouth 14 fixing comb 15 drive shaft 16 motor of the drive shaft 15 17 toothed wheel on drive shaft 15 18 linkage mechanism 19 first toothed belt 20/21 toothed wheel combination 22 second toothed belt 23 toothed wheel on the feed roller 10 24,25 linkage member 26,27 toothed wheels 28,29 intermediate toothed wheels 30,31 linkage struts I CLAIM: 1. Drive for the feed roller mounted in oscillating lower grippers of a combing machine, characterised by a drive shaft (15) stationarily mounted remote from the bearing shaft (7) of the lower grippers (8) and extending through the length of the combing machine, the drive of which drive shaft can be transmitted by means of at least one displaceable linkage member (24, 25) of a two-membered linkage mechanism (18) to each of the feed rollers (10) being displaced during the combing cycle. 2. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 1, characterised in that the drive shaft (15) is arranged in the region of the gripper apparatuses (1) of the combing machine. 3. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 1, characterised in that the drive motor (16) of the drive shaft (15) (also stationary) is arranged coaxially thereon. 4. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 1, characterised in that a linkage member (24, 25) comprises a flexible, positively acting traction member (19, 22). 5. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 4, characterised in that a linkage member (24, 25) comprises a toothed belt (19, 22). 6. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 1, characterised in that a linkage member (24, 25) comprises a toothed wheel combination (26/27; 27/28/29/23). Dated this 15th day of October, 2008 HIRAL CHANDRAKANT JOSHI AGENT FOR OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO. KG

Full Text

FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT 1970 (39 of 1970)
The Patents Rules, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION See Section 10, and rule 13

1.

TITLE OF INVENTION
DRIVE SHAFT FOR THE FEED ROLLERS OF A COMBING MACHINE

2.

APPLICANT(S)
a) Name
b) Nationality
c) Address

OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO. KG GERMAN Company LEVERKUSER STRASSE 65, D-42897 REMSCHEID, GERMANY

3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed : -

Technical area
The invention relates to a drive for the feed roller, mounted in oscillating lower
grippers, of a combing machine.
Prior art
DE 43 12 041 Al shows the drive of different axles of a combing machine by means of individual electric motors. The document does not contain any details about the spatial arrangement of the individual electric motors of the shaft driven by them.
DE 195 06 351 Al discloses that the shaft for driving the feed rollers is arranged in the pivot axle of the gripper apparatus. The shaft passing through all the combing heads, however, impairs the accessibility to the nonwoven in the combing heads and the exchange of a gripper apparatus. The drive is transmitted, by the shaft, by means of a positively acting traction member to each of the feed rollers.
EP 0 360 064 Al shows (in Fig. 1) a drive for feed rollers, in which the drive motor is arranged at the end of the feed roller passing through all the combing stations, directly on said feed roller. In other embodiments, a motor is associated with each combing station and is fastened above or below the lower grippers (Figs 3/4 or 5/6) and is coupled by means of a toothed belt to the feed roller associated with it. Figs 7 to 10 show solutions with individual motors for each combing station, in which the motor is stationary and drives the displaceable feed roller associated with it by means of a type of wheel knee bend.
General description of the invention
The invention had set itself the object of arranging a drive shaft driving the feed rollers of all the combing stations stationarily and separately from the bearing axle of the gripper apparatus and to nevertheless transmit its drive to the feed rollers being displaced during the combing cycle. As the feed roller, during each combing cycle, changes between a standstill and a rotary movement, its lack of mass also has a substantial importance.

The object posed is achieved by the stationary mounting of the drive shaft remote from the bearing shaft of the gripper apparatus and its drive by means of at least one intermediate member in each of the feed rollers, according to the main claim.
The drive shaft may be arranged in the region of the gripper apparatus. The drive motor of the drive shaft may also be seated stationarily and coaxially thereon. As the drive shaft does not have to take on any secondary task such as the mounting of machine parts, it may be slim and low in mass.
The at least one intermediate member may be configured as an endless, flexible traction member or as a toothed wheel transmission.
Special description of the invention
The figures of the drawing schematically show embodiments of the invention. In the
drawings
Fig. 1 shows the side view of a region of the gripper apparatus of a combing machine;
Fig. 2 shows a variant of the drive of the feed roller;
Fig. 3 shows a further variant of the drive of the feed roller.
Fig. 1 shows the gripper apparatus 1 of a combing machine as well as a circular comb 3 arranged below the gripper apparatus and rotatable about an axle 2, with a combing field 4. Apart from the gripper apparatus, the detaching roller pairs 5 and 6 can be seen.
The gripper apparatus 1 has lower grippers 8 which can be pivoted about an axle 7, with a feed table 9. A feed roller 10 is located on the feed table. Upper grippers 12 are mounted in the lower grippers about two lateral pivot pins 11 and, driven

intermittently, supply the gripper mouth 13 with combing lap, not shown. A fixing comb 14 can be seen between the gripper mouth and the first detaching roller pair 5.
To this extent, the combing machine shown corresponds to the conventional structure of a machine of this type. The discontinuous movement course of the listed components is also familiar - with the exception of the revolving circular comb 3. The members bringing about this movement course are therefore not shown and described in more detail.
The drive of the feed roller 10 proceeds from a stationary drive shaft 15 close to the gripper apparatus 1 and running remote from the bearing axle 7 of the lower grippers 8 via all the combing stations of the combing machine. This drive shaft is preferably driven intermittently by a motor 16 arranged directly on it. The rotary movement of the drive shaft 15 is positively transmitted - proceeding from a toothed wheel 17 arranged on it - by means of a linkage mechanism to the feed roller 10.
In the embodiment of Fig. 1, this linkage mechanism 18 consists of a first toothed belt 19, which is engaged with the toothed wheel 17 and a freely rotatably mounted toothed wheel 20. The toothed wheel 20 is non-rotationally connected to a further toothed wheel 21, which is engaged with a toothed wheel 23 fastened to the feed roller 10 by means of a toothed belt 22. The toothed wheel 17, toothed belt 19 and toothed wheel 20 form the first linkage member 24 of the linkage mechanism 18 and the toothed wheel 21, the toothed belt 19 and the toothed wheel 23 form its second linkage member 25.
In the embodiment of Fig. 2, the two linkage members 24 and 25 consist of toothed wheels 26/27 and 27/28/29/23, it being possible to insert two intermediate toothed wheels 28 and 29 into the linkage member 25. These intermediate toothed wheels are mounted in the lower grippers 8. Spur toothed wheels are preferably used as toothed wheels.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the two linkage members 24 and 25 of the linkage mechanism 18 comprise two linkage struts 30 and 31, connected in an articulated manner to one another and in each case to the drive shaft 15 and the feed roller 10, in the linkage axle of which struts are mounted the two toothed wheels 20, 21, which are non-rotationally connected to one another, of Fig. 1. The rotary movement is also transmitted here, as in the embodiment of Fig. 1, by means of two toothed belts 19 and 22 from the drive shaft 15 to the feed roller 10.
It is obvious that the transmission of the rotary movement from the drive shaft 15 to the feed roller 10 may take place partly by means of a linkage member with a flexible traction member such as 19 or 22 and partly by a linkage member with a toothed wheel transmission such as 26/27 or 27/28/29/23.

List of reference numerals

1 gripper apparatus
2 axle of the circular comb 3
3 circular comb
4 combing field
5,6 detaching roller pairs
7 axle of the lower grippers 8
8 lower grippers
9 feed table
10 feed roller
11 pivot pin of the upper grippers 12
12 upper grippers
13 gripper mouth
14 fixing comb
15 drive shaft
16 motor of the drive shaft 15
17 toothed wheel on drive shaft 15
18 linkage mechanism
19 first toothed belt
20/21 toothed wheel combination
22 second toothed belt
23 toothed wheel on the feed roller 10
24,25 linkage member
26,27 toothed wheels
28,29 intermediate toothed wheels
30,31 linkage struts

I

CLAIM:
1. Drive for the feed roller mounted in oscillating lower grippers of a combing machine, characterised by a drive shaft (15) stationarily mounted remote from the bearing shaft (7) of the lower grippers (8) and extending through the length of the combing machine, the drive of which drive shaft can be transmitted by means of at least one displaceable linkage member (24, 25) of a two-membered linkage mechanism (18) to each of the feed rollers (10) being displaced during the combing cycle.
2. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 1, characterised in that the drive shaft (15) is arranged in the region of the gripper apparatuses (1) of the combing machine.
3. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 1, characterised in that the drive motor (16) of the drive shaft (15) (also stationary) is arranged coaxially thereon.
4. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 1, characterised in that a linkage member (24, 25) comprises a flexible, positively acting traction member (19, 22).
5. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 4, characterised in that a linkage member (24, 25) comprises a toothed belt (19, 22).

6. Drive for the feed rollers of a combing machine, according to claim 1, characterised in that a linkage member (24, 25) comprises a toothed wheel combination (26/27; 27/28/29/23).
Dated this 15th day of October, 2008
HIRAL CHANDRAKANT JOSHI
AGENT FOR
OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO. KG

DRIVE SHAFT FOR THE FEED ROLLERS OF A COMBING MACHINE.

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