System and method to fabricate helical fabric

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9309613-B1
Application number	US-201414531493-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	Nov 3, 2014
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

A substantially continuous sewn helical fabric circular loom bed plate turntable system is described herein. The circular loom bed plate turntable may comprise a positive lay down delivery station, a rotating table comprising a plurality of pass-through grooves, a robotic sewing head comprising a needle configured to pass through a first subset of the plurality of pass-through grooves, and a fabric packaging station. The circular loom bed may comprise a positive lay down delivery station, a first semi-circular conveying system, a sewing zone comprising a robotic sewing head, a second semi-circular conveying system, and a fabric packaging station.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A circular loom bed plate turntable system comprising:
a positive lay down delivery station;
a rotating table located adjacent to the positive lay down delivery station, wherein the rotating table comprises a plurality of pass-through grooves;
a robotic sewing head comprising a needle configured to pass through a first subset of the plurality of pass-through grooves; and
a fabric packaging station located adjacent to the rotating table, wherein the fabric packaging station is configured to remove a substantially continuous sewn helical fabric from the rotating table.

2. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 1 , further comprising a fiber bundle supply.

3. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 2 , further comprising an electronic unwinder coupled to the fiber bundle supply, wherein the fiber bundle supply is configured for positive fiber bundle lay down.

4. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 3 , further comprising a sensor coupled to the electronic unwinder, wherein the sensor is configured to control operation of the electronic unwinder.

5. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 2 , further comprising a manipulator coupled between the fiber bundle supply and the positive lay down delivery station, wherein the manipulator is configured to alter at least one of a fiber volume and an areal weight of a fiber bundle of the substantially continuous sewn helical fabric.

6. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 5 , wherein the manipulator comprises at least one of a spreader bar, a jet of compressed air, or an ultrasonic process.

7. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 1 , wherein the positive lay down delivery station is configured for positive lay down delivery, wherein the positive lay down delivery comprises pushing a fiber bundle to the positive lay down delivery station while imparting at least one of little and no tension on the fiber bundle.

8. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pass-through grooves in the rotating table are oriented in a sewing pattern.

9. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of pass-through grooves in the rotating table are oriented in a zig-zag sewing pattern.

10. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 1 , wherein the robotic sewing head is configured to work from the top of the substantially continuous sewn helical fabric.

11. The circular loom bed plate turntable system of claim 1 , wherein stitch lines of the robotic sewing head comprise noncontiguous radial stitch lines along an inner circumference and an outer circumference of the substantially continuous sewn helical fabric.

12. A circular loom bed comprising:
a positive lay down delivery station;
a first semi-circular conveying system;
a sewing zone comprising a robotic sewing head;
a second semi-circular conveying system; and
a fabric packaging station, wherein the fabric packaging station is configured to remove a substantially continuous sewn helical fabric from the circular loom bed.

13. The circular loom bed of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first semi-circular conveying system and the second semi-circular conveying system further comprises a semi-circular shaped conveying belt which partially covers a top and a bottom surface of the circular loom bed.

14. The circular loom bed of claim 13 , wherein the sewing zone is disposed between the first semi-circular conveying system and the second semi-circular conveying system.

15. The circular loom bed of claim 12 , wherein stitch lines are applied to loose fabric bundles in the sewing zone to form the substantially continuous sewn helical fabric, wherein stitch lines of the robotic sewing head comprise noncontiguous radial stitch lines along an inner circumference and an outer circumference of the substantially continuous sewn helical fabric.

Assignees

• Goodrich Corp

Inventors

• Le Costaouec Jean-Francois
• Perea Paul

Classifications

• D05B23/00 Primary

  Sewing apparatus or machines not otherwise provided for (for making zip closures A44B19/00) · CPC title

• B29C70/386

  Automated tape laying [ATL] · CPC title

• D03D37/00

  Circular looms (looms for weaving separate fabrics disposed in a circle or polygon D03D33/00) · CPC title

• D05B21/005

  to obtain spiral seams (fixed or adjustable pin holding the work for spiral stitching D05B35/107) · CPC title

• D04H1/52

  by applying or inserting filamentary binding elements · CPC title