Circular loom for and method of weaving ribbon-shaped weft

• US 5,293,906 A
• Filed: 12/14/1992
• Issued: 03/15/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quadrax Corporation (Applied Laser Systems)
• Original Assignee: Quadrax Corporation (Applied Laser Systems)
• Inventors: Amin, Suresh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Falik, Andrew M.
• Application Number:
  US07/990,928
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 139/436, 139/458, 139/457, 139/459, 139/309, 139/16, 139/291 R, 139/15, 139/14, 139/455, 139/456, 139/11, 139/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 139/458
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 37/00 Circular looms looms for weaving separate fabrics disposed in a circle or polygon D03D33/00

Abstract

A circular loom comprises weft ribbon shuttle assemblies and a control system for detecting the position of one of the shuttle assemblies at spaced points about the periphery of the loom, and then presetting warp ribbon-setting air cylinders in advance of each of the shuttle assemblies for subsequent passage of the shuttle assemblies through the resultant warp sheds without engaging the warp ribbons. Electrical brakes control warp and weft tension in a uniform manner. The shuttle assemblies are driven by a gearing from a motor mounted independently of the shuttle assemblies. In a fabric-forming position, each weft ribbon slides transversely under a fabric-forming ring with the longitudinally moving warp shed and into the plane of the formed fabric in engagement with an annular inner surface of the ring, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft. Pulling of the formed fabric from the fabric-forming ring is controlled by synchronizing speed of a fabric-pulling mechanism with the speed of the shuttle assembly drive motor, at a rate dependent upon the width of the weft ribbons. Prior to reaching the fabric-pulling mechanism, the tubular fabric is slit longitudinally and finally is wound upon a take-up reel in an essentially relaxed condition without any significant tension in the fabric. The loom is preprogrammed for a plurality of different weave patterns, each of which can readily be selected by operation of a respective switch on a control console.

Claims

1. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;

guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;

warp shed-forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

at least one shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds, the shuttle assembly comprising a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

guide means for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;

drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path; and

control means for detecting the position of the shuttle assembly at periodic points along its path of travel and sequentially presetting banks of warp setting devices of the warp shed-forming means in advance of the shuttle assembly for subsequent passage of the shuttle assembly therethrough.

2. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, wherein the warp shed forming means comprises fluid cylinders which include extendable and retractable piston rods having warp guides mounted thereon.

3. The circular loom as recited in claim 2, wherein the fluid cylinder piston rods are extendable and retractable so as to form the warp sheds so that the shuttle assembly travels through the warp sheds without engaging the warp ends.

4. The circular loom as recited in claim 2, wherein the control means includes a plurality of solenoids for operating respective ones of the fluid cylinders, a plurality of solenoid sequencing circuits, one for each of a plurality of selectable weave patterns, and a plurality of selector switches, one for each of the solenoid sequencing circuits.

5. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, which further comprises:

a rotatable member forming part of the weft guide means on the shuttle assembly and about which the weft travels from the weft supply to the fabric-forming position; and

electrical brake means for controlling the rotation of the rotatable member and tension in the weft.

6. The circular loom as recited in claim 5, which further comprises:

an electrical power supply; and

means for providing a variable electrical voltage to the electrical brake means, the voltage providing means including a potentiometer, slip rings on the shuttle assembly electrically connected to the electrical brake means, and electrical brushes on the support table and engaged with the slip rings, the electrical brushes being connected to the electrical power supply through the potentiometer.

7. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, which further comprises:

electrical brake means on each of the warp supplies for controlling tension in each of the warp ends.

8. The circular loom as recited in claim 7, which further comprises:

an electrical power supply; and

means for providing a variable electrical voltage to the electrical brake means on the warp supplies, the voltage providing means including a potentiometer through which the electrical brake means are connected to the power supply.

9. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, wherein the shuttle assembly drive means includes a spur gear extending about the periphery of the shuttle assembly, a plurality of pinion gears spaced around the periphery of the support table and engageable with the spur gear, and a motor mounted independently of the shuttle assembly and drivingly connected to the pinion gears.

10. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, which further comprises:

means for pulling the formed fabric continuously from the fabric-forming position;

first means for generating pulses in response to the speed of the fabric-pulling means;

second means for generating pulses in response to the speed of the shuttle assembly; and

comparator means for comparing the pulses generated by the first and second pulse-generating means, and synchronizing the speed of the fabric-pulling means with the speed of the shuttle assembly.

11. The circular loom as recited in claim 10, wherein the weft is ribbon-shaped and the speed of the fabric-pulling means is synchronized with the speed of the shuttle assembly in a ratio dependent upon the width of the weft.

12. The circular loom as recited in claim 10, which further comprises:

cutter means between the fabric-forming position and the fabric-pulling means, for slitting the fabric.

13. The circular loom as recited in claim 10, which further comprises:

take-up means for taking up the formed fabric from the fabric-pulling means; and

means for controlling the speed of the fabric take-up means so that the take-up means takes up the formed fabric in an essentially relaxed condition without any significant tension in the fabric.

14. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, wherein the weft is ribbon-shaped, the shuttle assembly travels about the support table on a circular track, and the weft guide means includes a first guide member around which the weft travels with a plane of the weft substantially perpendicular to the circular track, and further includes a second guide member disposed between the first guide member and the fabric-forming position for turning the weft so that the weft is laid between the warp ends of the warp shed in the fabric-forming position with a plane of the weft disposed substantially parallel to the circular track.

15. The circular loom as recited in claim 14, wherein the weft-turning guide member is one of a pair of opposed rollers through which the ribbon-shaped weft passes.

16. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, which further comprises:

a circular track on the support table on which the shuttle assembly travels about the support table;

an annular ring member mounted in the fabric-forming position, the annular ring member including a first portion which extends substantially parallel to the circular track, and a second inner side portion which extends substantially perpendicular to the circular track, the first and second ring portions being interconnected by a curved third ring portion, with the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds formed by the warp shed forming means initially engaging the first portion of the annular ring member and then traveling longitudinally about the curved and inner portions, and with the weft being laid between the oriented warp ends adjacent the first portion of the ring member and then sliding transversely with the warp ends about the first, curved and inner side portions of the ring member in forming of the fabric, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft.

17. The circular loom as recited in claim 16, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped and the weft guide means includes a first guide member around which the weft travels with a plane of the weft substantially perpendicular to the circular track for the shuttle assembly, the weft guide means further including a second guide member disposed between the first guide member and the fabric forming-position for turning the weft so that the weft is initially laid between the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds in the fabric-forming position with the plane of the weft disposed substantially parallel to the circular track.

18. The circular loom as recited in claim 16, wherein the annular ring member is of right-angle construction in cross section, with the first ring portion being a radially outwardly extending leg and the inner side second ring portion being a second leg extending perpendicular to the first leg.

19. The circular loom as recited in claim 16, wherein the annular ring member is horizontally disposed and a fabric-pulling means is provided for pulling the formed fabric through the annular ring member.

20. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, which further comprises:

first roller means on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table adjacent inner and outer peripheries of the shuttle assembly, for supporting the shuttle assembly for rotation about the support table in the circular path; and

second roller means on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table and cooperable with an annular retaining means on the other of the shuttle assembly or the support table, for preventing radial inward and/or outward movement of the rotating shuttle assembly.

21. The circular loom as recited in claim 20, wherein the annular retaining means is an annular groove in the shuttle assembly or the support table having a width corresponding to a diameter of rollers which define the second roller means.

22. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, wherein the shuttle assembly further comprises broken weft detector means for stopping the loom in the event of a broken weft, the detector means including an on-off switch in a loom operating circuit and a resiliently biased weft guide member movable to open the switch upon breaking of the weft.

23. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, which further comprises at least one additional shuttle assembly, and wherein the control means sequentially presets successive banks of warp setting devices of the warp shed-forming mechanism in advance of both shuttle assemblies for subsequent passage of the shuttle assemblies therethrough, in response to detection of the position of one of the shuttle assemblies.

24. The circular loom as recited in claim 1, which further comprises:

second control means for changing the preselected pattern of warp sheds formed by the warp shed-forming means, to a different pattern of warp sheds corresponding to a different selectable weave pattern.

25. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;

guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;

electrical brake means on each of the warp supplies for controlling tension in each of the warp ends;

warp shed forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected one of a plurality of selectable weave patterns, the warp shed forming means comprising fluid cylinders which include extendable and retractable piston rods having warp guides mounted thereon;

a plurality of shuttle assemblies mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds, each shuttle assembly including a supply of ribbon-shaped weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table, the warp shed forming fluid cylinder piston rods being expandable and retractable so as to form the warp sheds so that the shuttle assemblies travel through the warp sheds without engaging the warp ends;

separate guide means on each shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from each weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;

an annular ring member mounted in the fabric-forming position, the annular ring member including a first portion which extends substantially parallel to the circular track for the shuttle assemblies, and an inner side second portion which extends substantially perpendicular to the circular track, the first and second ring portions being interconnected by a curved third portion, with the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds formed by the warp shed forming means initially engaging the first portion of the annular ring member and then traveling about the curved and inner side portions of the ring member through the ring member;

a first weft guide member forming part of the weft guide means for each weft supply and including electrical brake means for controlling tension in the weft;

a second weft guide member forming part of the weft guide means for each weft supply and about which the ribbon-shaped weft travels with a plane of the weft substantially perpendicular to the circular track for the shuttle assemblies, and from which the weft travels and turns so that the weft initially is laid between the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds in the fabric-forming position with the plane of the weft disposed substantially parallel to the circular track for the shuttle assemblies, the ribbon-shaped weft subsequently sliding transversely with the warp ends about the first, curved and inner side portions of the annular ring member in forming of the fabric, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft;

drive means for rotating the shuttle assemblies along the circular track and including a motor which is mounted independently of the shuttle assemblies and drivingly connected to the shuttle assemblies;

first control means for detecting the position of a first one of the shuttle assemblies at periodic points along its path of travel and sequentially presetting banks of warp setting devices of the warp shed-forming means in advance of each of the shuttle assemblies, in response to the position of the first shuttle assembly, the first control means including a plurality of solenoids for operating respective ones of the fluid cylinders; and

second control means for changing the preselected pattern of warp sheds formed by the warp shed-forming means, to a different pattern of warp sheds corresponding to another of the selectable weave patterns, the second control means including a plurality of solenoid sequencing circuits, one for each of the selectable weave patterns, and a plurality of selector switches, one for each of the solenoid sequencing circuits.

26. The circular loom as recited in claim 25, wherein each weft guide means includes a weft-turning guide member on the respective shuttle assembly between the second guide member and the fabric-forming position.

27. The circular loom as recited in claim 26, wherein the weft-turning guide member is one of two opposed rollers through which the ribbon-shaped weft passes.

28. The circular loom as recited in claim 25, which further comprises:

means for pulling the formed fabric continuously from the fabric-forming position;

first means for generating pulses in response to the speed of the fabric-pulling means;

second means for generating pulses in response to the speed of the shuttle assemblies; and

comparator means for comparing the pulses generated by the first and second pulse-generating means, and synchronizing the speed of the fabric-pulling means with the speed of the shuttle assemblies.

29. The circular loom as recited in claim 28, wherein the speed of the fabric-pulling means is synchronized with the speed of the shuttle assemblies in a ratio dependent upon the width of the ribbon-shaped weft.

30. The circular loom as recited in claim 28, which further comprises:

cutter means between the fabric-forming ring member means and the fabric-pulling means, for slitting the fabric.

31. The circular loom as recited in claim 28, which further comprises:

take-up means for taking up the formed fabric from the fabric-pulling means; and

means for controlling the speed of the fabric take-up means so that the take-up means takes up the formed fabric in an essentially relaxed condition without any significant tension in the fabric.

32. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;

guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;

warp shed-forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern, the warp shed-forming means comprising fluid cylinders having extendable and retractable piston rods having warp guides mounted thereon;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position; and

drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path.

33. The circular loom as recited in claim 32, wherein the fluid cylinder piston rods are extendable and retractable so as to form the warp sheds so that the shuttle assembly travels through the warp sheds without engaging the warp ends.

34. The circular loom as recited in claim 32, wherein the warp ends are ribbon-shaped and each of the warp guides on the fluid cylinder piston rods is in the form of a transversely elongated loop.

35. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;

guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;

warp shed-forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and being adapted to carry a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;

a rotatable member forming part of the weft guide means on the shuttle assembly and about which the weft travels from the weft supply to the fabric-forming position;

electrical brake means for controlling the rotation of the rotatable member and tension in the weft; and

drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path.

36. The circular loom as recited in claim 35, wherein the shuttle assembly further comprises broken weft detector means for stopping the loom in the event of a broken weft, the detector means including an on-off switch in a loom operating circuit and a resiliently biased weft guide member movable to open the switch upon breaking of the weft.

37. The circular loom as recited in claim 35, which further comprises:

an electrical power supply; and

means for providing a variable electrical voltage to the electrical brake means, the voltage providing means including a potentiometer, slip rings on the shuttle assembly electrically connected to the electrical brake means, and electrical brushes on the support table engaged with the slip rings, the electrical brushes being connected to the electrical power supply through the potentiometer.

38. The circular loom as recited in claim 35, which further comprises:

electrical brake means on the warp supplies for controlling tension in the warp ends.

39. The circular loom as recited in claim 38, which further comprises:

means for providing a variable electrical voltage to the electrical brake means on the warp supplies, the voltage providing means including a potentiometer through which the electrical brake means on the warp supplies are connected to the power supply.

40. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;

guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;

warp shed-forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;

drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path, the drive means including a spur gear extending about the periphery of the shuttle assembly, a plurality of pinion gears spaced around the periphery of the support table and engageable with the spur gear, and a motor mounted independently of the shuttle assembly and drivingly connected to the pinion gears;

first roller means on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table adjacent inner and outer peripheries of the shuttle assembly, for supporting the shuttle assembly for rotation about the support table in the circular path; and

second roller means on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table and cooperable with an annular retaining means on the other of the shuttle assembly or the support table, for preventing radial inward and/or outward movement of the rotating shuttle assembly.

41. The circular loom as recited in claim 40, wherein the annular retaining means is an annular groove in the shuttle assembly or the support table having a width corresponding to a diameter of rollers which define the second roller means.

42. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;

guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;

warp shed-forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;

drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path;

means for pulling the formed fabric from the fabric-forming position;

first means for generating pulses in response to the speed of the fabric-pulling means;

second means for generating pulses in response to the speed of the shuttle assembly; and

comparator means for comparing the pulses generated by the first and second pulse generating means, and synchronizing the speed of the fabric-pulling means with the speed of the shuttle assembly.

43. The circular loom as recited in claim 42, wherein the weft is ribbon-shaped and the speed of the fabric-pulling means is synchronized with the speed of the shuttle assembly in a ratio dependent upon the width of the weft.

44. The circular loom as recited in claim 42, which further comprises:

cutter means between the fabric-forming position and the fabric-pulling means, for slitting the fabric.

45. The circular loom as recited in claim 42, which further comprises:

take-up means for taking up the formed fabric from the fabric-pulling means; and

means for controlling the speed of the fabric take-up means so that the take-up means takes up the formed fabric in an essentially relaxed condition without any significant tension in the fabric.

46. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;

guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;

warp shed forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of ribbon-shaped weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the ribbon-shaped weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position, the weft guide means including a first guide member around which the weft travels with a plane of the weft substantially perpendicular to the circular track for the shuttle assembly, and further includes a second guide member disposed between the first guide member and the fabric-forming position for turning the weft so that the weft is laid between the oriented warp ends of the warp shed in the fabric-forming position with a plane of the weft disposed substantially parallel to the circular track; and

drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular track.

47. The circular loom as recited in claim 46, wherein the weft-turning guide member is one of a pair of opposed rollers through which the ribbon-shaped weft passes.

48. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;

guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;

warp shed forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;

an annular ring member mounted in the fabric-forming position, the annular ring member including a first portion which extends substantially parallel to the circular track, and an inner side second portion which extends substantially perpendicular to the circular track, the first and second ring portions being interconnected by a curved third ring portion, with the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds formed by the warp shed forming means both initially engaging the first side portion of the annular ring member, and then traveling about the curved and inner side portions of the ring member through the ring member, and with the weft being laid between the warp oriented ends adjacent the first portion of the ring member and then sliding transversely with the warp ends about the first, curved and inner side portions of the ring member in forming of the fabric, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft; and

drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular track on the support table.

49. The circular loom as recited in claim 48, wherein the weft is ribbon-shaped and the weft guide means on the shuttle assembly includes a first guide member around which the weft travels with a plane of the weft substantially perpendicular to the circular track for the shuttle assembly, the weft guide means further including a second guide member disposed between the first guide member and the fabric-forming position for turning the weft so that the weft is initially laid between the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds in the fabric-forming position with the plane of the weft disposed substantially parallel to the circular track for the shuttle assembly.

50. The circular loom as recited in claim 49, wherein the annular ring member is horizontally disposed and a fabric pulling means is provided for pulling the formed fabric through the annular ring member.

51. The circular loom as recited in claim 49, wherein the annular ring member is of right-angle construction in cross section, with the first ring portion being a radially outwardly extending leg and the inner side second ring portion being a leg extending perpendicular to the first leg.

52. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table having a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around a periphery of the support table;

guide means for guiding warp ends from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position;

warp shed forming means arranged around the periphery of the support table for orienting the warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected one of a plurality of selectable weave patterns, the warp shed forming means comprising fluid cylinders which include extendable and retractable piston rods having warp guides mounted thereon;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is laid between the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

guide means on the shuttle assembly for guiding the weft from the weft supply as the weft travels to the fabric-forming position;

drive means for rotating the shuttle assembly along the circular path; and

control means for changing the preselected pattern of warp sheds formed by the warp shed forming means, to a different pattern of warp sheds corresponding to another of the selectable weave patterns.

53. The circular loom as recited in claim 52, wherein

the control means includes a plurality of solenoids for operating respective ones of the fluid cylinders, a plurality of solenoid sequencing circuits, one for each of the plurality of selectable weave patterns, and a plurality of selector switches, one for each of the solenoid sequencing circuits.

54. A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises the steps of:

arranging a plurality of banks of warp ends along a circular path to form a warp shed;

rotating at least one shuttle assembly, including a supply of weft, along the circular path through the warp shed formed by the banks of warp ends;

detecting the position of the shuttle assembly at periodic points along the circular path; and

sequentially modifying successive banks of the warp ends in response to the detection of the shuttle assembly at the periodic points along the circular path, to change the configuration of the warp shed in advance of the shuttle assembly for passage of the shuttle assembly through the warp shed.

55. The method as recited in claim 54, which further comprises the additional steps of:

rotating at least one additional shuttle assembly, including an additional supply of weft, along the circular path; and

sequentially modifying successive banks of the warp ends in response to the detection of the one shuttle assembly at the periodic points along the circular path, to change the configuration of the warp shed in advance of the additional shuttle assembly for passage of the additional shuttle assembly through the warp shed.

56. The method as recited in claim 54, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped, and which comprises the additional steps of:

providing a ring-shaped fabric-forming member in a fabric-forming position;

extending the banks of warp ends to the fabric-forming member;

feeding the ribbon-shaped weft toward the fabric-forming member from the weft supply with the plane of the weft perpendicular to the circular path of the weft supply;

turning the ribbon-shaped weft 90°

into a position in which the plane of the weft is parallel to the circular path as the weft becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member;

causing the fabric to travel continuously through the fabric-forming member so that the warp ends travel about portions of the fabric-forming member, including an inner side thereof, and so that the ribbon-shaped weft travels with the warp ends with a transverse sliding movement about the portions of the fabric-forming member, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft; and

synchronizing the speed of continuous travel of the formed fabric through the fabric-forming member with the speed of the shuttle assembly and the weft supply about the fabric-forming member at a ratio dependent on the width of the ribbon-shaped weft.

57. A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped, which comprises the steps of:

providing a ring-shaped fabric-forming member in a fabric-forming position;

orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the fabric-forming member;

rotating a supply of the ribbon-shaped weft along a circular path about the fabric-forming member and through the warp sheds so that the ribbon-shaped weft feeds from the supply and becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member between opposed portions of the warp ends with a plane of the weft parallel to the circular path and so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric; and

causing the fabric to travel continuously through the fabric-forming member so that the warp ends travel in unison about portions of the fabric-forming member, including a radially extending portion and an inner side portion thereof, and so that the ribbon-shaped weft travels with the warp ends with a transverse sliding movement about the portions of the fabric-forming member, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft.

58. The method as recited in claim 57, which further comprises the step of:

feeding the ribbon-shaped weft toward the fabric-forming member from the weft supply with the plane of the weft perpendicular to the circular path of the weft supply; and

turning the ribbon-shaped weft 90°

into the position in which the plane of the weft is parallel to the circular path as the weft becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member.

59. The method as recited in claim 57, which further comprises the step of:

synchronizing the speed of continuous travel of the formed fabric through the fabric-forming member with the speed of the warp supply about the fabric-forming member at a ratio dependent upon the width of the ribbon-shaped weft.

60. The method as recited in claim 57, which further comprises the step of:

taking up the formed fabric in an essentially relaxed condition without any significant tension in the fabric.

61. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

at least one shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds, the shuttle assembly comprising a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table; and

means responsive to the position of the shuttle assembly on the support table for presetting the warp shed-forming means for passage of the shuttle assembly therethrough.

62. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern, the warp shed-forming means comprising warp guides and fluid cylinders for operating respective ones of the warp guides; and

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table.

63. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and being adapted to carry a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table; and

electrical brake means on the shuttle assembly for controlling tension in the weft.

64. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

first and second roller means on one of the shuttle assembly of the support table adjacent inner and outer peripheries, respectively, of the shuttle assembly, for supporting the shuttle assembly for rotation about the support table in the circular path; and

third roller means on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table intermediate the first and second roller means and cooperable with an annular retaining groove in an intermediate portion of the other of the shuttle assembly or the support table, for preventing radial inward and/or outward movement of the rotating shuttle assembly.

65. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

a plurality of first cylindrical rollers on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table adjacent both inner and outer peripheries of the shuttle assembly, the cylindrical rollers being mounted for rotation about axes extending parallel to the support table for supporting the shuttle assembly for rotation about the support table in the circular path; and

a plurality of second cylindrical rollers on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table, the second cylindrical rollers being rotatable about axes entering perpendicular to the support table and cooperable with an annular retaining groove in the other of the shuttle assembly or the support table, for preventing radial inward and outward movement of the rotating shuttle assembly.

66. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table; and

cylindrical rollers on one of the shuttle assembly or the support table, the cylindrical rollers being rotatable about axes extending perpendicular to the support table and being cooperable with an annular retaining groove in the other of the shuttle assembly or the support table, for preventing radial inward and/or outward movement of the rotating shuttle assembly.

67. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

means for pulling the formed fabric from the fabric-forming position; and

comparator means for synchronizing the speed of the fabric-pulling means with the speed of the shuttle assembly.

68. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of ribbon-shaped weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table; and

guide roller means on the shuttle assembly for engaging at least one planar surface of the ribbon-shaped weft and guiding the ribbon-shaped weft from the weft supply so that the weft is laid between the oriented warp ends of the warp shed in the fabric-forming position with the planar surface of the weft disposed substantially parallel to the circular track.

69. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

means for laying the weft between the oriented warp ends in the fabric forming position so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric;

take-up means for taking up the formed fabric; and

ring-shaped guide means in the fabric-forming position for guiding the formed fabric, the ring-shaped guide means including a surface portion which extends substantially parallel to the circular track, with the oriented warp ends of the warp sheds formed by the warp shed forming means both initially engaging the surface portion and with the formed fabric then traveling through the ring-shaped guide means.

70. The circular loom as recited in claim 69, wherein the oriented warp ends pass partially around and then through the ring-shaped guide means radially inward thereof.

71. The circular loom as recited in claim 69, wherein:

said weft laying means lays the weft between the oriented warp ends radially outward of the surface portion of the ring-shaped guide means so that the weft slides transversely with the warp ends in forming of the fabric, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft.

72. The circular loom as recited in claim 69, wherein the weft laying means lays the weft between the oriented warp ends radially outward of the ring-shaped guide means.

73. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement on a circular track on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of ribbon-shaped weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

ring-shaped guide means for guiding the warp and weft in the fabric-forming position, the ring-shaped guide means including a surface portion which extends substantially parallel to the circular track; and

means for guiding the ribbon-shaped weft from the weft supply so that the weft becomes disposed adjacent the surface portion of the ring-shaped guide means essentially parallel to the surface portion and then slides transversely about the surface portion in forming of the fabric, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft.

74. A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises the steps of:

arranging a plurality of warp ends along a circular path;

rotating at least one shuttle assembly, including a supply of weft, along the circular path through successive positions;

orienting the warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern; and

presetting the warp ends in response to the position of the shuttle assembly, to change the configuration of the warp sheds for passage of the shuttle assembly therethrough.

75. A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises the steps of:

providing a ring-shaped guide means for guiding the warp and weft in a fabric forming position;

orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the ring-shaped guide means;

rotating a supply of the weft along a circular path about the ring-shaped guide means and through the warp sheds so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends adjacent the ring-shaped guide means to form the fabric;

guiding the warp ends to a surface portion of the ring-shaped guide means which extends substantially parallel to the circular track so that the warp ends both initially engage the surface portion, and then guiding the fabric formed by the interlaced warp ends and weft partially around and through the ring-shaped guide means; and

taking up the formed fabric from the ring-shaped guide means.

76. The method as recited in claim 75, wherein the weft travels partially around and then through the ring-shaped guide means radially inward thereof.

77. The method as recited in claim 75, which further comprises the step of:

guiding the weft from the weft supply to a position radially outward of the surface portion of the ring-shaped guide means so that the weft becomes laid between the oriented warp ends and travels with the warp ends through the ring-shaped guide means with a transverse sliding movement, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft.

78. The method as recited in claim 77, wherein the weft is guided to a position radially outward of the ring-shaped guide means.

79. A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped, which comprises the steps of:

providing a ring-shaped guide means for guiding the warp and weft in a fabric-forming position;

orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the ring-shaped guide means;

rotating a supply of the ribbon-shaped weft along a circular path about the ring-shaped guide means and through the warp sheds so that the ribbon-shaped weft feeds from the supply and becomes disposed adjacent the ring-shaped guide means with a plane of the weft parallel to the circular path and so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric; and

causing the fabric to travel continuously through the ring-shaped guide means so that the ribbon-shaped weft travels with a transverse sliding movement about a surface portion of the ring-shaped guide means, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft.

80. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and carrying a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels about the table;

take-up means for taking up the formed fabric, the take-up means including a take-up drive motor and a take-up reel; and

means for controlling the speed of the fabric take-up means so that the take-up means takes up the formed fabric in an essentially relaxed condition on the take-up reel without any significant tension in the fabric, said control means comprising an electromagnetic clutch disposed between the take-up drive motor and the take-up reel of the take-up means.

81. The circular loom as recited in claim 80, wherein said control means further comprises means for adjusting a voltage applied to said electromagnetic clutch.

82. A circular loom for weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, which comprises:

a support table adapted to have a plurality of supplies of warp arranged around the support table;

warp shed-forming means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to a fabric-forming position to form a series of warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

a shuttle assembly mounted for movement in a circular path on the support table through the warp sheds and being adapted to carry a supply of weft which is interlaced with the oriented warp ends in the fabric-forming position as the shuttle assembly travels down the table; and

broken weft detector means for stopping the loom in the event of breakage of the weft, the detector means including a switch mounted on the shuttle assembly and forming a part of a loom operating circuit, and further comprising a means also mounted on the shuttle assembly for immediately operating the switch and stopping the loom in response to breaking of the weft.

83. A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped, which comprises the steps of:

providing a ring-shaped fabric-forming member in a fabric-forming position;

orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the fabric-forming member;

rotating a supply of the ribbon-shaped weft along a circular path about the fabric-forming member and through the warp sheds so that the ribbon-shaped weft feeds from the supply and becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member with a plane of the weft parallel to the circular path and so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric; and

causing the fabric to travel continuously through the fabric-forming member so that the warp ends travel about portions of the fabric forming member, including an inner side portion thereof, and so that the ribbon-shaped weft travels with the warp ends with a transverse sliding movement about the portions of the fabric-forming member, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft;

engaging the warp ends with guides on piston rods of respective fluid cylinders; and

selectively extending and retracting the fluid cylinder piston rods in a predetermined sequence to orient the warp ends and to form the series of successive warp sheds in accordance with the preselected weave pattern.

84. A method of weaving warp and weft to form a fabric, wherein at least the weft is ribbon-shaped, which comprises the steps of:

providing a ring-shaped fabric-forming member in a fabric-forming position;

orienting warp ends to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern and extending to the fabric-forming member;

rotating a supply of the ribbon-shaped weft along a circular path about the fabric-forming member and through the warp sheds so that the ribbon-shaped weft fees from the supply and becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member with a plane of the weft parallel to the circular path and so that the weft becomes interlaced with the warp ends to form the fabric; and

causing the fabric to travel continuously through the fabric-forming member so that the warp ends travel about portions of the fabric-forming member, including an inner side portion thereof, and so that the ribbon-shaped weft travels with the warp ends with a transverse sliding movement about the portions of the fabric-forming member, essentially without any twist about a transverse axis of the weft;

engaging the warp ends with guides on piston rods of respective fluid cylinders;

selectively advancing and retracting the fluid cylinder piston rods in a predetermined sequence to orient the warp ends and to form the series of successive warp sheds in accordance with the preselected weave pattern;

feeding the ribbon-shaped weft toward the fabric-forming member from the weft supply with the plane of the weft perpendicular to the circular path of the weft supply;

turning the ribbon-shaped weft 90°

into the position in which the plane of the weft is parallel to the circular path as the weft becomes disposed adjacent the fabric-forming member;

synchronizing the speed of continuous travel of the formed fabric through the fabric-forming member with the speed of the shuttle assembly and the weft supply about the fabric-forming member at a ratio dependent upon the width of the ribbon-shaped weft; and

taking up the formed fabric in an essentially relaxed condition without any significant tension in the fabric.

85. A loom for weaving warp and weft into a fabric, which comprises:

means for supporting a plurality of supplies of warp adjacent a fabric-forming position;

means for orienting warp ends extending from the warp supplies to the fabric-forming position relative to one another to form a series of successive warp sheds corresponding to a preselected weave pattern;

movable shuttle means for moving the weft through the successive warp sheds;

detecting means for detecting the position of the moving shuttle means; and

means for presetting the warp shed-forming means in response to the detecting means, so as to form the successive warp sheds in advance of the moving shuttle means for passage of the shuttle means through the warp sheds.

86. The loom as recited in claim 85, wherein the warp shed-forming means comprises fluid cylinders which include extendable and retractable piston rods having warp guides mounted thereon.

87. The loom as recited in claim 85, which further comprises electrical brake means for maintaining back tension in the warp ends.

88. The loom as recited in claim 85, which further comprises:

means for pulling the fabric from the fabric-forming position; and

means for synchronizing the fabric-pulling means with the movement of the shuttle means.

89. The loom as recited in claim 88, wherein the weft is ribbon-shaped and which further comprises means for synchronizing the pulling of the fabric by the fabric-pulling means with the movement of the shuttle means in a ratio dependent upon the width of the weft.

90. The loom as recited in claim 88, which further comprises:

take-up means for taking up the formed fabric from the fabric-pulling means; and

means for controlling the speed of the fabric take-up means so that the take-up means takes up the formed fabric in an essentially relaxed condition without any significant tension in the fabric.

91. The loom as recited in claim 85, which further comprises broken weft detector means for stopping the loom in the event of breakage of the weft, the detector means including a switch mounted on the shuttle means and forming part of a loom operating circuit, and further comprising a means also mounted on the shuttle means for immediately operating the switch and stopping the loom in response to breaking of the weft.