Production of patterned fabrics.

摘要

A yarn supply creel for a textile machine for producing a patterned fabric has the yarn positions defined by vertically extending containers of rectangular section each of which contains the calculated length of yarn required for the respective position in the pattern. The containers are mounted in rectangular arrays in trolleys 15 which are supplied with the calculated quantities of yarn before installation in the creel. For this purpose each trolley 15 is indexed beneath a row of filling heads 20 so that each container 21 in its turn is brought into register beneath an upper filling container 40 to which the yarn is supplied. Each individual yarn 27 is drawn from a package 25 and passes between a pair of metering rollers 30, 31 which are computer-controlled so as to feed the calculated length of yarn to the respective container 21. From the rollers 30 and 31 the yarn passes downwardly through an air injector jet 35 which blows the yarn into the container 40 and compacts it at the bottom of this container. When the calculated quantity of yarn has been delivered, a ram 42 driven by an air motor 53 and guided by a rod 51 compacts the yarn against the bottom of the container 40. The bottom of the container 40 is then opened and the continuing stroke of the ram 42 forces the yarn into the container 21. When all the containers 21 in a trolley 15 have been supplied with yarn in this way, the trolley is then transferred to the creel.