Intermittent weaving splicer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10626526-B2
Application number	US-201615383764-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	Jan 24, 2012
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

Woven products using combined materials are provided. An intermittent weaving splicer terminates and combines materials having different functional and/or aesthetic properties to create woven products that reflect the different properties of the combined material. Further, a dynamic tensioner variably adjusts tension on the combined materials based on the different properties of the combined material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A weaving system comprising:
a loom;
an intermittent weaving splicing device that terminates and combines material inputs to produce a combined material output;
a dynamic tensioner that applies variable amounts of tension to the combined material output while the combined material output is being woven wherein the variable amounts of tension depend on a property of the combined material output;
and
a logic unit that interacts with the loom, the dynamic tensioner, and the intermittent weaving splicing device.

2. The weaving system of claim 1 , wherein the combined material output further comprises a plurality of individual segments.

3. The weaving system of claim 2 , wherein the variable amounts of tension are applied based on characteristics of the plurality of individual segments of the combined material output.

4. The weaving system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of individual segments further comprises an elastic portion and a non-elastic portion.

5. The weaving system of claim 4 , wherein the dynamic tensioner applies a greater amount of tension to the elastic portion of the combined material output, and wherein the dynamic tensioner applies a lesser amount of tension to the non-elastic portion of the combined material output.

6. The weaving system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a feeding component, wherein the feeding component feeds the combined material output into the loom.

7. The weaving system of claim 6 , wherein the feeding component feeds the combined material output into the loom as at least one of a warp thread or a weft thread.

8. The weaving system of claim 7 , wherein the dynamic tensioner applies tension to the combined material before the combined material is inserted into the loom.

9. A weaving system comprising:
a loom;
an intermittent weaving splicing device that terminates and combines material inputs to produce a combined material output;
a feeding component;
a dynamic tensioner having an input port and an output port, wherein the dynamic tensioner applies variable amounts of tension to the combined material while the combined material is being woven, and wherein the variable amounts of tension depend on a property of the combined material output;
a logic unit that interacts with the loom, the dynamic tensioner, and the intermittent weaving splicing device; and
an expelling component that expels the combined material output from the intermittent weaving splicing device.

10. The weaving system of claim 9 , wherein the dynamic tensioner applies tension to the combined material output by adjusting a diameter of the input port of the dynamic tensioner.

11. The weaving system of claim 9 , wherein the feeding component is an air jet.

12. The weaving system of claim 11 , wherein an amount of tension applied by the dynamic tensioner is adjusted by varying an amount of air pressure applied by the air jet.

13. The weaving system of claim 9 , wherein the feeding component is a water jet.

14. The weaving system of claim 13 , wherein an amount of tension applied by the dynamic tensioner is adjusted by varying an amount of water pressure applied by the water jet.

15. The weaving system of claim 9 , wherein the dynamic tensioner further comprises one or more compressive surfaces that apply varied levels of compressive forces to the combined material output.

16. The weaving system of claim 9 , wherein the dynamic tensioner comprises rotating mated discs in a pulley-like orientation.

17. A weaving system comprising:
a loom;
an intermittent weaving splicing device that terminates and combines material inputs to produce a combined material output; and
a dynamic tensioner that applies variable amounts of tension to the combined material output while the combined material output is being woven wherein the variable amounts of tension depend on a property of the combined material output.

18. The weaving system of claim 17 , further comprising:
an optical system configured to detect a color or texture change in the combined material output.

19. The weaving system of claim 18 , wherein the dynamic tensioner varies the variable amounts of tension being applied to the combined material output based on the detected color or texture change.

20. The weaving system of claim 17 , further comprising:
a timing system to determine when the dynamic tensioner should change the variable amounts of tension being applied to the combined material output.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Dua Bhupesh
• Cross Tory M

Classifications

• B65H2701/31

  Textiles threads or artificial strands of filaments · CPC title

• D03D47/38

  Weft pattern mechanisms · CPC title

• D03D13/00

  Woven fabrics characterised by the special disposition of the warp or weft threads, e.g. with curved weft threads, with discontinuous warp threads, with diagonal warp or weft · CPC title

• D03J1/16

  Apparatus for joining warp ends (knot-tying tools D03J3/00) · CPC title

• B65H69/06

  by splicing {(grommets made by splicing D07B1/18, auxiliary apparatus for splicing ropes or cables D07B7/169)} · CPC title