US3393711A - Device for the formation of a sturdy selvedge of fabrics formed in a continuous weft-supply loom - Google Patents

Description

July 23, 1968 v, sc o 3,393,711

DEVICE FOR THE FORMATION OF A STURDY SELVEDGE OF FABRICS FORMED IN A CONTINUOUS WEFT-SUPPLY LOOM Filed May 6, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR #1 12; JEweH/ BY 46 W ATTORNEY July 23, 1968 v SCHERILLQ 3,393,711

DEVICE FOR THE FORMATION OF A STURDY SELVEDGE OF FABRICS FORMED IN A CONTINUOUS WEFT-SUPPLY LOOM Filed May 6, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q Q INVENTOR ATTORNEY 3,393,711 DEVICE FOR THE FORMATION OF A STURDY SELVEDGE OF FABRICS FORMED IN A CON- TINUOUS WEFT-SUPPLY LOOM Vittorio Scherillo, Florence, Italy, assignor to Nuovo Pignone S.p.A., Florence, Italy, a company of Italy Filed May 6, 1966, Ser. No. 558,185 Claims priority, application Italy, May 15, 1965, 10,931/ 65 4 Claims. (Cl. 139-122) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An auxilitary weft inserting needle is mounted on a loom breastbeam for reversible helical movement about and along its axis to insert a loop of auxiliary weft into the side of the warp shed each time the warps are shedded; and a retaining needle is reciprocable forwardly and downwardly to engage and hold each weft loop in the shed during the retraction of the inserting needle. Three, identical, triangular cams are mounted on a single shaft, and are connected, one to the inserting needle, and two to the retaining needle, to effect positive forward and return movements of the two needles in the described directions.

This invention relates to a device for the formation of a sturdy selvedge on a shuttleless loom having a continuous weft-supply mechanism, in which the weft thread coming out of a fixed bobbin positioned outside the fabric is brought to the shed by two inserting needles, one being the carrier needle and the other a pulling needle, which are moved one contrarily to the other.

Said method of inserting the weft threads requires, in the majority of cases, that the selvedge of the fabric be strengthened so that the warp threads, which are near the selvedge, are not displaced laterally and the selvedge may offer the resistance which is necessary for the subsequent processing stages.

To this end, an independent thread, coming from a bobbin placed outside the fabric, is inserted in the form of a loop in the shed and is beaten by the reed together with the weft. A bond is thus formed between the two weft threads, at the two sides of the fabric, to replace the conventional selvedge.

An object of the present invention to provide a device for inserting a supplementary thread, in the form of a loop, in the shead, so to strengthen the fabric edges. The basic mechanism of said device consists of two needles, the one which brings the thread for sewing the fabric selvedge, called the insertion needle, which is moved in a direction transverse of the warp threads and inserts the thread by rotating about its own axis, the other needle being called a takeup needle, which falls ver tically from top and holds the thread until the insertion needle comes out of the shed and the weft is beaten by the reed.

A more specific object of this invention is to reduce the cost and size of looms of the type described. To this end it is an object of this invention to employ, where possible, identical, interchangeable parts, and to reduce the number of movable parts required to operate a selvedge device of the type described herein.

The device forming the subject of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, which show but a single possible embodiment. Mechanical equivalents, capable of producing the movements characteristic of said device, lie within the scope of the present invention.

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view illustrative of the general mechanical construction of a selvedge device made according to one embodiment of this invention.

' nited States Patent 3,393,711 Patented July 23, 1968 FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken transversely of the cam shaft shown in FIG. 1, and illustrates the portion of the device causing the movement of the threadinserting needle.

FIGURE 3 is a further sectional view through this shaft, and is illustrative of the portion of the device causing the horizontal translational movement of the takeup needle.

FIGURE 4 is a still further sectional view through this shaft, and illustrates the depressing and lifting movement of said takeup needle.

The device is actuated by the loom crankshaft which, through a planetary gear (not illustrated) is connected with the gear 32 (FIGS. 1 and 4), which is fixed to, and transmits the drive to, the shaft 1.

Said shaft 1 is journaled adjacent opposite ends thereof in opposed walls 41, only one of which is shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, of a housing 40 (FIGS. 2 to 4), which is fixed on the breastbeam of a conventional, continuous weftsupply loom. Shaft 1 has three triangular cams 2, 16 and 26 (FIGS. 2 to 4) fixed to it, which effect the four belowdescribed movements that the inserting and takeup needles should have, and also permitting an entirely positive control of the movements of said needles. Cams 2, 16 and 26 are mounted to rotate in the housing 40 between the furcations of forks 3, 17 and 27, respectively, which are mounted by pins 43 (FIGS. 3 and 4) in the housing to pivot coaxially of one another on spaced legs 44 (only one of which is illustrated in FIG. 3) that are integral with and project upwardly from the bottom of housing 40.

The cam 2, by being rotated with the shaft 1, rocks the fork 3 which is connected by a pin 54 with a lever 4, pin 54 engaging in a slot 55 in this lever, the latter being pivoted at its lower end on pin 43, and transmitting, via the connecting rod 5 which is pivotally connected at opposite ends to levers 4 and 6, its reciprocating drive to the lever 6. Lever 6 is pivoted at its upper end on a stationary shaft 46, which extends between opposite sides of the housing 40 above and parallel to the shaft 1. At its lower end lever 6 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 7, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to a block 8 that is clamped on the rear end of a sleeve 9. Sleeve 9 is mounted for axial sliding movement transverse to shaft 1 in the bore 47 formed in a bracket 48, which projects upwardly from the bottom of housing 40. The lever 6 thus imparts, via the connecting rod 7, a horizontal reciprocation to the block 8 and thus to the sleeve 9 on which said block 8 is fastened. Rotatably mounted in the sleeve 9 is an arbor or shaft 10 which, through the ring 11 and the guide 12 is made to reciprocate in the longitudinal direction with the sleeve 9, but is freely rotatable about its own axis. Shaft 10 has a sliding key connection with guide 12, and extends beyond guide 12 and through a registering bore in a bearing .14, which is secured in the front wall of the housing 40.

In the guide 12 is inserted a pin 13 which projects downwardly to slide within an arcuate slot 14' of the halfsleeve portion 50 of bearing 14.

The arbor 10 carries affixed to the outer end thereof, or the end towards the reed, the inserting needle 15 which has a semielliptical shape and has in'its lower end a conventional eye through which the selvedge thread can travel.

Thus, when the arbor 10' is pushed forward by the cam motion, the pin 13, by sliding within the slot 14 of the half-sleeve 50, follows the arcuate trend of said slot, thereby imparting to the inserting needle 15 a rotary motion about its own axis. Slight oscillatory movement is thus imparted to the needle 15 each time the sleeve 9 is reciprocated by cam 2, so that the eye of needle 15 follows a helical path.

On the shaft 1 a cam 16 is also keyed, which, in a manner similar to the one described above, moves the fork 17. The latter has a pin 54 which engages in a slot 55 in a lever 18 which is pivotally connected at its lower end to the same pin 43 as fork 17, and at its upper end is connected to one end of a link 19, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to a lever 20 intermediate the ends thereof. Lever 20 is pivotally connected at its upper end to the shaft 46, and at its lower end through a spacer 22 to the rear end of an arbor or shaft 21, which is slidably guided in the bore of a perforated hub or boss 24, which is secured by a pin 52 (FIGS. 3 and 4) to a lever 25 intermediate the ends thereof. Thus, lever 18, via the connecting rod 19 and the lever 20, imparts a reciprocal motion to the arbor 21 connected through the block 22 to the lower end of said lever. Said arbor 21 carries the takeup needle 23 and is longitudinally slidable in the perforated hub 24 of a lever 25.

The vertical displacement of the takeup needle takes place by means of the cam 26, also keyed to the shaft 1.

This cam, through the drive transferring mechanism formed by the fork 27, pin 54, lever 28, and the connecting rod 29, causes the lever 30, which is pivotally mounted at its upper end on shaft 46, to be reciprocated and the latter, via the connecting rod 31, which is pivotally connected at its forward end to the upper end of lever 25, transfers its drive to the lever 25 which carries the perforated hub 24 through which the takeup-needle-carrier arbor 21 is passed. Lever 25 is pivotally connected at its lower end to the forward wall of housing 40 for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the shaft 1.

Summing up, there are two movements which act simultaneously on the arbor which carries the takeup needle 23, namely a translational motion as the shaft 21 advances axially toward the right in FIG. 3 and, simultaneously therewith, a downward movement as lever 25 is pivoted clockwise in FIG. 4 by the arm 31. These movements are obtained with two triangular cam-fork downward assemblies which, besides assuring an entirely positive drive to said movements, are also such as to allow an independent timing of the axial and downward movements of the takeup needle.

In use, as will be apparent to one skilled in the art, the neeedle 23 is advanced and rocked by the forward movement of the pin 13 in the slot 14; as as to insert an auxiliary weft thread in the form of a selvedge loop into the shed created by the warps W (FIG. 3), each time the shed is opened. The needle 15 then descends to engage the selvedge loop inserted by the. needle 23 and to retain it in the form of a loop as the needle 23 withdraws from the shed.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that by using identical cams 2, 16 and 26 for operating the needles 15 and 23, applicant has considerably reduced the overall cost of the selvedge device, as compared to prior such devices. Since these cams are identical, they are interchangeable, and can be produced readily in quantity. By mounting the cams on a single shaft 1 the size of the device is materially reduced; and by employing the forks 3, 17 and 27, a positive drive is imparted to the needles in each direction in which they move.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A selvedge-forming device for shuttleless weaving looms, comprising an auxiliary weft thread inserting needle mounted for helical movement in opposite directions along and about an axis to insert an auxiliary weft thread into the wrap shed of the loom on movement in one direction,

a retaining needle mounted for reversible movement from a position of rest forwardly and downwardly into the loom warp shed, and then back to rest, to retain in the shed each auxiliary weft thread inserted by said inserting needle,

a rotatable cam shaft supported on the loom breastbeam,

at least three, axially spaced, identical cams secured to said shaft for rotation therewith,

means connecting one of said cams to said inserting needle positively to impart said helical movement thereto in each direction upon rotation of said one cam, and

means connecting two others of said cams to said retaining needle positively to move said retaining needle on both its forward and return movements, said two cams being operative to effect said forward and said downward movements, respectively, of said retaining needle.-

2. A selvedge-forming device as defined in claim 1, wherein said three cams are generally triangular in configuration.

3. A selvedge-forming device as defined in claim 1, wherein said connecting means for said inserting needle comprises a second shaft connected to said inserting needle, and mounted for axial reciprocal and for oscillatory movement about its axis,

linkage connecting said one of said cams to said second shaft to impart said axial movement thereto,

a stationary member mounted adjacent said second shaft, and

a sleeve surrounding said second shaft,

a pin carried by said sleeve and slidable in a cam slot in said stationary member, said slot being curved intermediate its ends thereby to impart through said pin said oscillatory movement to said second shaft during the axial reciprocation of the latter, thereby to impart said helical movement to said inserting needle.

4. A selvedge-forming device as defined in claim 3, wherein said connecting means for said retaining needle comprises a lever mounted at one end thereof to pivot about a fixed axis that extends transverse to said second shaft,

a third shaft slidably guided by said lever for axial movement parallel to said second shaft, and carrying said retaining needle on one end thereof, and

means connecting said lever and said third shaft to two others of said cams for simultaneous movement thereby, whereby to impart said reversible movement to said retaining needle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner.

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