Positioning and automatic adjusting device, and corresponding method, for one or more cleaning brushes in a fabric finishing machine, and finishing machine comprising said device

Abstract

Positioning and adjusting device for at least a cleaning brush of a fabric finishing machine such as a teaseling machine, a fluffing machine or similar, which includes a plurality of rotating chocks having needles or pointed protuberances, where the cleaning brush has a plurality of fibers or filaments suitable to remove, during use, possible residues of fabric or other types of residue from the chocks, the device further including image acquisition means, disposed in proximity to the cleaning brush and suitable to acquire images of the zone of proximity and/or contact between the ends of the fibers and the ends of the needles in order to find the distance between the latter.

1 . Positioning and adjusting device for a cleaning brush of a fabric finishing machine such as a teaseling machine, a fluffing machine or similar, comprising;
 a plurality of rotating chocks having needles or pointed protuberances,   said at least one cleaning brush comprising a plurality of fibers or filaments suitable to remove, during use, possible residues of fabric or other types of residue from said chocks,   image acquisition means, disposed in proximity to said at least one cleaning brush and suitable to acquire images of the zone of proximity and/or contact between the ends of said fibers and the ends of said needles in order to find a distance between the latter;   control means, connected to said image acquisition means and which are suitable to receive and process said images in order to find said distance, and   movement means commanded by said control means and suitable to move said cleaning brush toward said chocks so that said cleaning brush is positioned, in use, in a position such that said fibers penetrate into said chocks to a desired depth.   
     
     
         2 . Device as in  claim 1 , wherein said movement means comprise at least an electric motor which cooperates with a worm screw mechanism. 
     
     
         3 . Device as in  claim 1 , wherein said image acquisition means comprise at least a television camera or a webcam or a camera. 
     
     
         4 . Device as in  claim 1 , wherein said control means comprise electronic adjustment means, an electronic unit or a computer type processing unit. 
     
     
         5 . Device as in  claim 4 , wherein said control means also comprise a user interface with a touch screen display, which is suitable to receive functioning settings from an operator. 
     
     
         6 . Teaseling machine, comprising a positioning and adjusting device as in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         7 . Method for positioning and adjusting at least a cleaning brush of a fabric finishing machine such as a teaseling machine, a fluffing machine or similar, comprising a plurality of rotating chocks having needles or pointed protuberances, the method comprising
 a cleaning step in which said cleaning brush having a plurality of fibers or filaments removes possible residues of fabric or other types of residue from said chocks,   an acquisition step in which image acquisition means, disposed in proximity to said at least one cleaning brush, acquire images of a zone of contact between the ends of said fibers and the ends of said needles in order to find a distance between the latter,   a control step in which control means, connected to said acquisition means, receive and process said images in order to determine said distance and,   a positioning step in which movement means commanded by said control means move said cleaning brush automatically toward said needles of said chocks, and position said cleaning brush so that said fibers penetrate into said chocks between said needles to a desired depth.   
     
     
         8 . Method as in  claim 7 , wherein said control step comprises a first sub-step in which an operator, acting on a display-type user interface of said control means, positions two level lines in substantial correspondence to the ends of said fibers and the ends of said needles respectively, and a second sub-step in which said control means, according to the positioning of said level lines, automatically calculate the exact distance between the ends of said fibers and the ends of said needles. 
     
     
         9 . Method as in  claim 7 , wherein said control step comprises a first sub-step in which said control means automatically analyze said image and position two level lines in substantial correspondence to the ends of said fibers and the ends of said needles respectively, and a second sub-step in which said control means, according to the positioning of said level lines, automatically calculate the exact distance between the ends of said fibers and the ends of said needles.