At present, the fabric completed by a knitting machine is wound up into a roll by a fabric take-up device. However, the roll of fabric wound up by a small-size fabric take-up device has a diameter of only about 20 inches, and owing to its small fabric-storage volume, it is gradually obsolete. In order to meet the demand for higher fabric-storage volume, the industry has developed a high-speed high-stand fabric take-up device; as the roll of fabric wound up thereby can reach a diameter up to about 46 inches, it has been widely applied in the industry.
A general high-speed high-stand fabric take-up device is usually formed of two side-frame casings sitting opposite to each other, a fabric-conveying apparatus, a fabric-winding apparatus used for taking up fabric, and a fabric-doffing apparatus used for unloading fabric. The fabric-conveying apparatus is primarily composed of several rollers, which are pivotedly installed above two side-frame casings and convey fabric to the fabric-winding apparatus. The fabric-winding apparatus is primarily composed of two drive wheels and a fabric-winding rod, wherein two drive wheels are separately installed on the middle portions of two side-frame casings, and one face of the drive wheel has a rabbet extending to the perimeter of the drive wheel. Each end of the fabric-winding rod protrudes a rod shaft. The fabric-winding rod is coupled to the drive wheels via engaging the rod shafts into the rabbets, and the drive wheels can drive the fabric-winding rod to rotate in order to undertake a fabric take-up operation. The fabric-doffing apparatus is primarily formed of a rod and two support brackets, wherein the rod is pivotedly installed between the portions near the bottoms of the side-frame casings; one end of each support bracket is coupled to the rod, and the other end of each support bracket is used to support the fabric-winding rod to span between two support brackets; via the rotation of the rod, the support brackets bring the fabric-winding rod to descend.
However, the conventional high-speed high-stand fabric take-up device has the following disadvantages:    1. As the rod shaft of the fabric-winding rod is coupled to the drive wheels via engaging the rod shafts into the rabbets of the drive wheels, the coupling effect is inferior, and it is probable for the fabric-winding rod to decouple from the drive wheels when the rotation speed of the fabric rod increases.    2. Currently, the fabric-doffing operation is performed by man. As the weight of the fabric on the fabric-winding rod is appreciable now, it is a probable danger that operators be contused by a fast-descending fabric roll. Therefore, a lifter is usually used to unload fabric rolls. The lifter can solve the problem of personnel contusion; however, it has an appreciable volume, and a special aisle needs reserving for the lifter, which will decrease the number of the fabric take-up devices installed inside the factory and reduce the overall productivity.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds