EP3533953B1

EP3533953B1 - Automatic manufacturing system for artificial hedge and method for manufacturing an artificial hedge with same

Info

Publication number: EP3533953B1
Application number: EP16909062.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fernando Martín Ramirez; Fernando SARABIA GÓMEZ; Francisco LATORRE MARÍN; Francisco LATORRE DUEÑAS; Francisco SARABIA MARTINEZ
Original assignee: Catral Garden and Home Depot SA
Current assignee: Catral Garden and Home Depot SA
Priority date: 2016-10-31
Filing date: 2016-10-31
Publication date: 2022-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 2036-10-31
Also published as: EP3533953A4; CN109790724A; PL3533953T3; PT3533953T; ES2917186T3; CN109790724B; EP3533953A1; WO2018078194A1

Description

Artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system and artificial hedge manufacturing process.

Technical field for the Invention

The current invention applies to the gardening and landscaping technical field, in particular to the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system, which is comprised of at least one braiding machine for braids that will form the hedge and a weaving machine for the same.

Background of the Invention

Artificial hedges are a product used as an element of concealment and privacy and at the same time, for decoration, fencing and lattices.
The most commonly used artificial hedges are formed by weaving braids which constitute their main element. Such braids are made by twisting two wires and at least one sheet of plastic tape to which multiple transverse cuts are made on either side. The plastic tape is essentially bound between the wires and as they are twisted, the braid is formed.
These braids should then be manually inserted into a machine which then weaves them to a fabric which will eventually form the hedge.
Prior art documents related to artificial hedge and their production are for example DE 20 2012 011343 U1 , CA 2 068 767 A1 , WO 2005/038171 A1 , CA 1 307 965 C and IE S67 077 B2 .
At present there are several drawbacks in this process that make it more expensive and lengthens production timescales.
One of the main problems is that a large part of the tasks involved with the manufacturing of these hedges must be done manually, such as transferring the braids from the braiding machine to the weaving machine, the individual insertion of each braid into the aforementioned machine, the cutting of the hedge into sections, the process of bending the tips for each section and rolling them up into rolls.
In addition, the weaving of the braids is made by lines of fabric, each at a certain distance. Each line requires two wire coils and a head which turns both wires 90° to sew each braid. This rotation is always carried out in the same direction, so that the wires in these coils do not tangle. A mechanism is also required to rotate the coils 90° or to make them rotate in line with the rotation axis of the weave. This means having to use smaller wire coils which are quickly consumed, which subsequently means that the wire coils require to be constantly replaced. This generates a loss of productivity of the weaving machine and increases costs. Additionally, with this particular manufacturing method of artificial hedges, a human presence is required to look after tasks such as the introduction of the individual braids into the weaving machine, replacement of the wire coils every time they are empty, the bending of the cut ends of the hedge sections. This slows down the manufacturing process and in consequence becomes more expensive.
Another aspect to mention is that current artificial hedges do not meet the height that is stated that they have, since the folding of the ends is done with sections of hedge that present the height that is considered the final height sought. So, in consequence any folding of ends implies a loss of the real intended height.
There is currently no machine nor process within the field that anticipated the full automatization of all the necessary steps to manufacture an artificial hedge.

Description of the Invention

According to the invention, the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system, which comprises at least one braiding machine of braids that will eventually form the hedge and a weaving machine shown here, also comprising transfer means for the manufactured braids from at least one braiding machine to the weaving machine, arranged between both machines, and means for introducing each one of the braids in a successive manner into said weaving machine by an air propulsion mechanism.
The weaving machine comprises a fuller, a sewing device for the braids that enter the fuller with sewing lines distributed at different heights of the braids, wherein the sewing device has for each sewing line two wire coils and a rotating head for these wires. The rotating head has a rotational movement of 180 ° in both directions alternately for every other braid, a cutting means for cutting the hedge at different heights, wherein said hedge is obtained by sewing said wires transversely to the braids, a folding device for ends of the cut hedge sections and a roller for each of these sections.
According to the invention, the transfer means of the braids are consisting in a conveyor belt with containers which is positioned below the braiding machine, wherein each braid is collected by a drawer and transferred to the entry point of the weaving machine.
In this case the preferred design of the drawers is U-shaped.
According to a preferred design and method, the means for introducing the braids into the weaving machine comprise an airflow amplifier for the air propulsion mechanism, wherein said propulsion mechanism consists in a compressor.
These means for introducing the braids into the weaving machine are much faster than the traditional manual insertion of the braids, meaning a greater number of braids per minute enter the weaver for weaving.
According to a preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional cutting means of the hedge comprise at least one cutting device arranged at a point along the width of the fuller, where the at least one cutting device has means of moving along the width of the fuller.
According to another aspect, in a preferred embodiment the folding device comprises two folding elements of both ends of the braid simultaneously, being these braids those that correspond to two adjacent sections of the resulting cut hedge.
These folding elements have a rotational movement on their own axis respectively. Also, each folding element is secured to an intermediate piece, with connection gears at the end of the plunger of one first piston located at the center between both folding elements and above them, and a second piston which activates the movement of the first piston.
According to a preferred embodiment, the weaving machine comprises a longitudinal cutting device for the hedge in the direction of the braids that form it, wherein said longitudinal cutting device comprises a hedge accumulator and a longitudinal meter.
Also, in this specification, an artificial hedge manufacturing process is disclosed by the aforementioned manufacturing system, as a preferred embodiment of the invention.
This process has the following phases: A first phase of continuous production of the braids where at least one braiding machine, with two wires and at least one plastic tape for each braid, fed from their respective coils.
A second phase involves the continuous cutting of the braids to a certain length and placement of each of them successively into a drawer, respectively, of the transfer means.
A third phase for successfully transferring the braids by the transfer means to the weaving machine, one of the drawers being consecutively positioned in a row aligned with the entry line of the fuller.
The fourth phase is the activation of the air propulsion mechanism from the inside of the drawer to move the braid towards the entry line of the fuller.
The fifth phase consists in the displacement of the fuller and the braid introduced therein in the direction of the sewing wires and sewn of the braids in the respective sewing lines to form the hedge.
The sixth phase is cutting the hedge at different heights.
The seventh phase consists in folding of the ends of each section of the resulting hedge.
Lastly, the eighth phase is the longitudinal cutting of the hedge sections and the ninth phase is the rolling up each section of the hedge.
With the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system and the manufacturing process using the same, a significant improvement of the state of the art is achieved.
Using this system and this manufacturing process, it is possible to practically automate the whole process, managing to reduce to the maximum the manual labour required, so that the production times and costs are considerably reduced.
This way, the entry means to the weaver that are presented in this system, significantly increase the speed of transfer of the braids into the weaving machine. With a manual transfer, it takes 4 seconds to introduce a 1m long braid, whereas with this proposed transfer means, within the same 4 seconds a 4.21m long braid is inserted, resulting in a much more effective method that contributes to a higher quantity of braids being transferred into the weaver, which will allow obtaining a greater production volume.
Additionally, further improvements have been introduced, such as achieving a weaving method that allows the use of larger diameter wire coils, so that they do not empty as rapidly as the current machines and therefore, they will not need to be replaced as often as is currently required. This again, reduces manual labour costs and reduces the times when the machine is stopped, thereby resulting in a greater production.
Moreover, with this system a higher quality of hedge is obtained, where the height is really the desired height, as the cutting of the sections is done so that the sections have the desired height plus a few additional centimetres at either ends for the latter folding of the tips. Therefore, the customer is no longer misled regarding the height of hedge, as what is offered with this new technique corresponds with the actual height intended.
Also, this system is now capable to offer more precise adjustments to the thickness of the weave, by being able to stretch the hedge, obtaining a greater and more precise weight of the produced hedge.

Brief description of the drawings

In order to offer a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of implementation of it into practice, a series of figures are provided as an integral part of the description where, for purposes of illustration and not limitation, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a schematic view of the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system, according to one preferred embodiment.
Figure 2.- Shows a plan of the weaving machine without the cutting and folding devices, of the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system, according to one preferred embodiment.
Figure 3.- Shows a front elevational view of the weaving machine of the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system, according to one preferred embodiment.
Figure 4.- Shows a view of section A-A' of Figure 3 of the weaving machine of the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system, according to one preferred embodiment.
Figure 5.- Shows a rear elevational view of the weaving machine of the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system, according to one preferred embodiment.
Figures 6.1 and 6.2.- They respectively show an elevational and profiled view of the cross-sectional cutting means of the hedge of the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system, according to one preferred embodiment.
Figures 7.1 and 7.2.- They respectively show an elevation and profile view of the folding device of the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system, according to one preferred embodiment.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the Invention

According to the figures previously supplied, it can be observed how in a preferred embodiment, the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system (1), which comprises at least one braiding machine (2) for the braids (3) which forms the hedge (16) and a weaving machine (4) of the same as shown, also comprising transfer means (10) of the braids (3) obtained from at least one braiding machine (2) to the weaving machine (4) arranged between both machines and sequential means for introducing the braids (3) into the weaving machine (4) by using an air propulsion system.
As shown in the Figures 2, 3 and 4, the weaving machine (4) comprises a fuller (5), a sewing device for the braids (3) which enter the fuller (5) with sewing lines arranged at different heights of said braids (3), cutting means for the ends of the cut hedge (16) at different heights sewn cross-sectional to the braids (3), a folding device (7) for the tips of the cut hedge sections and a roller for said sections.
The sewing device has for each sewing line two wire (17) coils (8) and a rotating head (9) for these said wires (17), where the rotation head (9) presents a rotational movement of 180° in one direction and in the opposite direction alternatively for each braid (3).
In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the sewing lines are placed with a 16cm separation.
As shown in the Figure 1, in this preferred embodiment of the invention, two braiding machines (2) are used to feed the weaving machine (4). Each braiding machine (2) produces four braids (3) simultaneously. Once the braids are manufactured and cut, they must be transferred to the weaving machine (4).
According to the invention, the transfer means for these braids (3) consist in conveyor belt with U-shaped drawers, placed below the braiding machine (2), where each braid (3) is picked up by a drawer and transferred to the entry point of the weaving machine (4).
Once the braid (3) is positioned at the entry point of the weaving machine (4) it has then to be transferred into the fuller (5) of the machine where the weave is manufactured.
In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for introducing the braids (3) comprise an air propulsion mechanism, wherein the air propulsion mechanism consists in a compressor.
This air propulsion mechanism (not shown in the Figures) introduces the braid (3) into the fuller (5) at an approximate speed of 10m/s using only air, which means the braid (3) doesn't get deformed or deteriorated.
As shown in Figures 6.1 and 6.2, in this preferred embodiment of the invention, the cross-sectional cutting means of the hedge (16) are comprised of two cutting devices (6) arranged at two points of the width of the fuller (5) respectively, according to the hedge height desired. As the exact characteristics of the sections of the hedge (16) height may vary, these cutting devices (6) have displacement means along the width of the fuller (5), which can be positioned at the corresponding point for the desired hedge height.
Once the hedge (16) sections are cut at different heights, the ends need to be folded, so that the user does not get injured when manipulating them.
In this preferred embodiment of the invention, as can be seen in the Figures 5, 7.1 and 7.2, the folding device (7) comprises folding elements (11) for the two ends (3.1) of the braid (3). The ends (3.1) of these braids correspond to two adjacent hedge sections resulting from the cut of the hedge (16).
The folding elements (11) present a rotational movement around its respective fixed axis (12) and at the same time, each folding element (11) is secured to an intermediate panel (13) with connection gears at the end of the plunger of the first piston (14).
This first piston (14) is positioned centrally between the two folding element (11) and above them. The folding machine (7) also comprises a second piston (15) to activate the movement of the first piston (14).
In this preferred embodiment, the weaving machine (4) comprises longitudinal cutting means (not shown in the Figures) of the hedge, in the direction of the braids that form it. This longitudinal cutting means comprise a hedge accumulator and a longitudinal meter.
Further according to the present invention, the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing process (16) is defined in appended claim 7, by using the manufacturing system described above and defined in appended claims 1 to 6.
The manufacturing process is described in the steps defined below.
The process starts with a first phase which is the continuous production of the braids (3) in the two braiding machines (2) which feed the weaving machine (4) of the system (1) in this preferred embodiment of the invention. A series of coils are required for each braid (3), two with wires and at least one with plastic tape, so as each braiding machine (2) produces four braids (3) simultaneously, the double of the coils is required for feeding each one of the braiding machines (2).
The second step consists in cutting the braids (3) to a determined length and transferring them successively into a drawer, respectively, of the transfer means.
The third phase consists in transferring the braids successively by the transfer means (10), meaning each braid inside of the U-shaped drawers, towards the weaving machine (4), each of the drawers is consecutively positioned to transfer each one of the braids (3) aligned with the entry line of the fuller (5).
The fourth step is the activation of the air propulsion mechanism on the inside of the drawer to move the braid (3) which is directly aligned with the entry line of the fuller (5), inside said fuller positioned above the point of entry.
In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the weaving machine (4) comprises a platen with several neodymium magnets, positioned before to the point of entry of the wires (17) from the coils (8), so that the wires (17) are positioned above these magnets.
The force of attraction of the magnets towards the wires generates a force of friction against them that causes that they become tense. This tension is made in the coils by applying a brake and depending on whether more or less frictional force is needed, more or less magnets are provided to increase or decrease this frictional force.
Also, at the point where the wires (17) make the knot in the braid (3), the weaving machine (4) has a second strip of magnets in the direction of the braid (3). This second strip of magnets fixes the braids (3) that have been inserted, once the fuller (5) moves, and align them with the strip of magnets.
Between this second strip of magnets and the hedge, the weaving machine (4) has a belt which moves the entire hedge (16) as it sews the braids. This way, the hedge advances by applying a small tension that gives rigidity to the points of fabric.
Once the braid (3) is introduced on the point of entry to the fuller (5), the fifth phase starts by displacing the fuller (5) and the braid (3) in the direction of the wires (17), as well as the sewing thereof in the respective sewing lines to form the hedge. A tension is applied to the wires (17) to tense and stiffen the woven fabric of the braid, thereby preventing the braid (3) from becoming loose from the woven hedge.
The sixth step consists in cutting the hedge transversely to the braids (3) to obtain sections of hedge (16) at different lengths.
As the ends of these sections can be sharp, the seventh phase consists in folding the ends of each section of the resulting hedge.
The eighth phase is the longitudinal cutting of the hedge sections (16), with which hedges of certain lengths are obtained and, finally, the ninth phase is the rolling up of each section of the hedge.
The described embodiment is only an example of the present invention, therefore, the specific details, terms and phrases used herein are not to be construed as limitations, but are to be understood only as a representative base providing a comprehensive description as well as sufficient information to the professional skilled in the art to apply the present invention.
With the artificial hedge automatic manufacturing system and the manufacturing process presented here, significant improvements are achieved in comparison to the current methods, both in terms of the quality of the product obtained and an increase of production that reduces timescales and the costs of the same.
Thus, this system provides an automation of the braiding and weaving process of this type of artificial hedge, significantly reducing the manual labour used in the production of the same, assuming a lower cost, a reduction of production time and also, a decrease of accidents at work, as this way the number of people in contact with this type of machines is much smaller and the tasks that were dangerous are now eliminated.
One of the processes in which production time is reduced, is the transfer of the braids into the weaving machine thanks to the innovative method to transfer the braids to it. This method, which uses an air propulsion mechanism, allows the transfer of a greater length of braid with respect to that of the manual transfer. It manages to transfer 4,12m of braid in 4 seconds, compared to the maximum of 1m length braids that can be manually transferred in the same amount of time.
A further benefit of using an air propulsion and entry means is that when no rollers are used, the braid maintains its shape and therefore doesn't get crushed or deformed.
Another aspect that reduces the production time is that with the new sewing device, it is possible to use larger coils of wire, which require fewer coil replacements on the machine and therefore, reduces the manual labour required and the amount of machine stoppage time for their replacement.
The product is of great quality, showing the intended lengths and very carefully finished. Greater precision is also obtained in the hedge thickness, thanks to a pulling system between two rollers.
Therefore, it is a simple, practical and efficient system, which provides an improvement both in the product quality and in the process of production.

Claims

A system (1) for the automatic manufacture of artificial hedge (16) composed of, at least, one braiding machine (2), for the braids (3) that will form the hedge (16), and a weaving machine (4), wherein said system comprises:
- Transfer means (10) of the braids (3) obtained from the at least one braiding machine (2) to the weaving machine (4), said transfer means being arranged between both machines, and wherein said transfer means (10) consists of a conveyor belt with drawers placed beneath the braiding machine (2), wherein each braid (3) is collected by a drawer and transferred to the entry point of the weaving machine (4); and

- Means for introducing each of the braids (3) successively into the weaving machine (4) by an air propulsion system; wherein the weaving machine (4) comprises:
- a fuller (5),

- a sewing device for the braids (3) that enter the fuller (5) with lines distributed at different heights of the braids (3), wherein the sewing device has, for each line, two wire coils (8) and a rotating head (9) for the wires, wherein the rotation head (9) has a rotational movement of 180 ° in one direction and in the opposite direction alternatively for each braid (3),

- a cutting device (6) for cutting the hedge at different heights, wherein said hedge has been obtained by sewing said wires transversely to the braids (3),

- a folding device (7) for the ends of the cut hedge sections, and

- a roller for the cut sections.
A system (1) for the automatic manufacture of artificial hedge (16), according to claim 1, characterized by having U-shaped drawers.
A system (1) for the automatic manufacture of artificial hedge (16), according to any one of
the preceding claims, characterized by the means for introducing the braids (3) into the weaving machine (4) comprise an airflow amplifier for the propulsion mechanism, wherein said propulsion mechanism consists in a compressor.
A system (1) for the automatic manufacture of artificial hedge (16), according to any one of
the preceding claims, characterized by the cross-sectional cutting means of the hedge comprise at least one cutting device (6) arranged at a point along the width of the fuller, where the, at least one, cutting device (6) has a way of moving along the width of the fuller (5).
A system (1) for the automatic manufacture of artificial hedge (16), according to any one of
the preceding claims, characterized by the folding device (7) comprising:
- Two folding elements (11) for both ends (3.1) of the braid for simultaneously folding, said braid ends (3.1) corresponding to the two adjacent pieces of the resulting cut hedge (16), wherein the folding elements (11) have a rotational movement on their own axis (12) respectively; wherein each folding element (11) is secured to an intermediate section (13), with connection gears at the end of the plunger of the first piston (14) located at the centre between both folding elements (11) and above them; and,

- a second piston (15) which activates the movement of the first piston (14).
A system (1) for the automatic manufacture of artificial hedge (16), according to any one of
the preceding claims, characterized by the weaving machine (4) comprising a longitudinal cutting device (6) for the hedge (16), in the direction of the braids (3), wherein said longitudinal cutting device comprises a hedge (16) accumulator and a longitudinal meter.
Process for the automatic manufacture of artificial hedge (16), by using the manufacturing system (1) described in claims 1 to 6, characterized by comprising the following steps:
- Continuous production of the braids (3) where the at least one braiding machine (2), with two wires and at least one plastic tape for each braid, fed from their respective coils;

- Continuous cutting of braids (3) to a certain length and the placement of each of them successively into a drawer, respectively, of the transfer means (10);

- Transferring the braids (3) successively by the transfer means (10) to the weaving machine (4), one of the drawers (3) being consecutively positioned in a row aligned with the entry line of the fuller (5);

- Activation of the air propulsion mechanism from the inside of the drawer to move the braid (3) towards the entry line of the fuller (5);

- Displacement of the fuller (5) and the braid (3) introduced therein in the direction of the sewing wires (17) and sewn of the braids in the respective lines to form the hedge (16);

- Hedge cutting at different heights;

- Folding of the ends of each section of the resulting hedge;

- Longitudinal cutting of the hedge (16) sections and;
- Rolling up each section of the hedge (16).