AIR CURTAIN NEP SEPARATION AND DETECTION

摘要

A nep separator and detector has means for presenting a fiber sample having fibers, neps, and trash. A toothed rotating cylinder (10) receives the fiber sample at a fiber sample receiving point (13), and impacts and propels at least a portion of the trash and neps along an ejection path. An air curtain (16) is directed toward and passes across a portion of the toothed surface of the rotating cylinder, at a location rotationally after the fiber sample is received by the toothed rotating cylinder. The air curtain crosses and is oriented transverse to the ejection path (15), and draws at least a portion of the neps out of the ejection path and onto the surface of the toothed cylinder as it rotates. The trash propelled by impact with the toothed rotating cylinder has sufficient momentum to pass through the air curtain along the ejection path. A dead air space (22) is positioned in the ejection path and disposed adjacent the air curtain and across the air curtain from the fiber sample receiving point. The trash propelled by the toothed rotating cylinder passes through the dead air space. A nep air stream (36) draws the neps on the surface of the toothed cylinder off the surface of the toothed cylinder at a nep release point, and the neps are entrained in the nep air stream. A sensor (44) detects the neps entrained in the nep air stream (36), and produces a nep detection signal (48) upon the occurrence of each detection of a nep. Output means (46) receive the nep detection signals produced by the sensor and produce output signals (52) corresponding to the nep detection signals.