722,289. Spinning yarns. SVENSKA VENTILATIONS AKTIEBOLAGET. June 18, 1952 [Dec. 11, 1951], No. 15292/52. Class 120 (3). [Also in Group XIX] A device for counting, by means of a counter operable by electric impulses, thread breakages in textile machines comprises a plurality of thread feelers each of which is arranged, on breakage of a thread, to close an electric contact, each of said thread feeler contacts being arranged to close one of a number of circuit branches that are connected in parallel and correspond to the number of thread feelers and is characterised in that the thread feeler contacts are connected to means which are arranged on closing of one of the thread feeler contacts to transmit an impulse to the counter for advancing said counter one unit while simultaneously rendering its associated circuit branch inoperative during an interval which comprises both the period during which the thread feeler contact is closed, and also a plurality of seconds after opening of the closed thread feeler contact, while the means are still active during this interval for transmitting advancing impulses to the counter on closing of any of the other thread feeler contacts. Each of the thread feeler contacts TK, Fig. 1, is in one of a group of parallel circuit branches each containing a resistor TM and connected in series with an impulse coil 3 of a balancing relay R1 and a coil 4 of a blocking relay R8. The relay R1 has a second balancing coil 5. The arrangement is such that if the coils 3, 5 are receiving equal currents a movable contact 13 abuts the fixed contact 15 if, however, the currents are different then the contact 13 is moved to abut the contact 14 so that a coil of an impulse relay R2 is energised and the make contacts 24, 25, are closed. The coil 5 is connected by a lead 6 to one or more of a group of resistors 7-12 in accordance with which contacts 58-65 are closed, said contacts being controlled by coils 48-51 of relays R5<SP>1</SP>-R5<SP>4</SP>. The blocking relay R8 controls a movable contact 17 which when the coil 4 is in its normal de-energised condition, i.e. no feeler contact TK is closed, abuts a contact 18 so that a coil 19 of a release relay R7 is energised and the break contacts 20, 21 are opened. When a contact TK is closed the coil 4 of the relay R8 is energised, the movable contact 17 is moved to abut a contact 22 to complete a circuit to a signal lamp ML, and to de-energise coil 19 to close contacts 20, 21. When the contacts 24 and 20 are closed the coil 26 of a relay R3 is energised. The relay R3 has a make contact 29 in the circuit of the coil 28 of a relay R4 which has a break contact 27 in the circuit of the coil 26. The relays R3, R4 are therefore operated alternately while the contacts 20, 24 are closed. As the contact 25 is closed a coil 30 of a counting relay R6 is energised to close the make contact 32 and complete a circuit to the counter TR which is actuated. As the relay R3 is energised its contact 31 is moved from its normal position against a contact 33 to abut the contact 35. The contacts 33, 35, are in series respectively with make and break contacts 34, 36 of the relay R4 which latter contacts are in lines 37, 38 constituting alternative paths to the coils 48-52 of a relay group R5<SP>1</SP>-R5<SP>5</SP>. Break contacts 39, 41, 43 and make contacts 40, 42 are in the line 37 and make contacts 44, 45 and break contacts 46, 47 are in the, line 38. The contacts 39, 47 are controlled by their associated relays R5<SP>1</SP>-R5<SP>5</SP> and the arrangement is such that when the contact 25 is closed by the coil 16 and the contact 21 by the de-energisation of coil 19 one or more of the coils 48-52 of the relays R5<SP>1</SP>-R5<SP>5</SP> are energised to bring one or more of the resistors 7-12 into series with the coil 5 and energisation of the coil 52 causes its movable contact 23 to leave the contact 70 and abut the contact 71. If only one thread feeler contact TK is closed when the relay R3 is released by energisation of the relay R4 the coil 48 of the relay R5<SP>1</SP> is energised and locked via the contact 53 to break the circuit of the coil 30 at contact 39 so that the counting relay R6 is de-energised and to bring the resistor 7 into series with the balancing coil 5. As the resistor 7 is of equal value to one resistor TM in series with the coil 3, the coils 3 and 5 receive the same current and the contact 13 resumes its initial position against the contact 15, the coil 16 of the impulse relay R2 is de-energised so that the contacts 24, 25 are opened and positive connections of the coils 30, 26 of the relays R6, R3 are broken. On repair of the broken thread the contact TK is opened to de-energise the coil 4 of the relay R8 whereupon the contact 17 moves to its initial position to break the circuit of the lamp ML and energise the coil 19 of the release relay R7 and so open the contact 21 to de-energise the coil 48 of the relay R5<SP>1</SP>. The system is again in its initial position. If two thread feeler contacts TK are closed simultaneously the operation is as described up to the energisation of the relays R4, R5<SP>1</SP> at which time the resistor 7 is in series with the coil but as two resistors TM in parallel are connected to the coil 3 the currents in coils 3 and 5 are different so that the contact 13 remains against the contact 14 and the impulse relay R2 remains operated so that upon the first release of the relay R4 the relay R3 is again energised and a circuit is established from the contact 25 through the counting relay coil 30 and the coil 49 of the relay R5<SP>2</SP> to the closed contact 21. The counting relay R6 is again energised to operate the counter TR for the second time. The coil 49 of the relay R5<SP>2</SP> is operated and locked via the contact 54 and the resistor 9 is connected in parallel with the resistor 7 to the coil 5 which now receives the same current as the coil 3 and moves the contact 13 to abut the contact 15. The system reverts to its initial state when the two breakages are repaired. The counting of 3-6 thread breakages is effected in the same way by continuing the count in steps until the total resistance in series with the coil 5 is the same as that in series with the coil 3 If, in the system as described, seven thread break contacts TK are closed simultaneously, the seventh impulse from the relays R3, R4 to the coils 48-52 goes to the coil 52 of the relay R55 which is energised, no additional resistor is connected to the coil 5 so that the contact 13 remains against the contact 14 so that the relays R3, R4 operate alternately. The contact 23 is moved to abut the contact 71 so that the circuit to the lamp ML will be repeatedly opened and closed by the relay R3 closing and opening the contact 72, the lamp ML will therefore flash repeatedly. The impulses after the seventh do not, however, pass to the counter. In another example, Fig. 2, each feeler contact TK is connected to a branch circuit comprising a rectifier 73, a resistor TM shunted by a condenser 74. The branches are in parallel and connected to a common line 75 connected to a coil 76 of a distributing relay R9 which has an auxiliary normally energised coil 77. The relay R9 has two operating conditions, in one it closes make contacts 79, 80, in the other only the make contact 79 is closed. The contact 79 is in circuit with a lamp ML and the contact 80 with a coil 81 of a counting relay R10 which operates a counter not shown and has a make contact 82 connected to an " error " lamp FL. When a thread breaks and a contact TK is closed a strong current impulse for charging the appropriate condenser 74 is produced so that the relay R9 is operated to open contact 78 and to close both contacts 79, 80, the lamp ML is lit and the coil 81 is energised so that the counter is operated. When the condenser 74 is charged the current to the coil 76 falls because of the resistor TM and the relay R9 assumes its second condition with the contacts 79, 78 closed and the contact 80 open. If before the thread is repaired another contact TK is closed the charging impulse current to the appropriate condenser 74 reaches the coil 76 of the relay R9 which assumes its condition with contact 80 closed, the coil 81 of relay R10 is again energised and the counter operated. The counting of 2-6 thread breaks is effected in similar manner but the current to relay coil 76 when all six condensers 74 are charged keeps the contact 80 closed so that the counting relay R10 remains operated and the make contact 82 is closed and the " error lamp FL lit..