753,072. Automatic shuttle changing. SOC. DES MOUVEMENTS AUTOMATIQUES PONCET. May 19, 1954 [Jan. 7, 1954], No. 14670/54. Class 142 (2). Shuttle changing in a loom having a change-box at one end, and a two-cell drop-box at the other end consisting of a normal upper cell and an auxiliary lower cell, is effected by lifting the drop-box, transferring a fresh shuttle from a magazine at the front of the loom into the normal cell whilst the slay is at back centre, after which the spent shuttle arrives in the auxiliary cell, then lowering the drop-box to return the normal cell to the level of the shuttle race. Weft feeler, Fig. 15.-During beat-up a roller 124 rides up a ramp 125 to turn a lever 120 clockwise away from a lever 116, thereby allowing a spring 118 to urge a feeler 115 through the back of the normal cell 95 of the drop-box; if the cop in the shuttle is depleted, the feeler penetrates a hole in the bobbin, causing contacts 116a to close an electrical circuit. As the slay recedes, a spring 123 withdraws the feeler. Colour selection, Fig. 3.-The circuit closed by the feeler includes a rotating distributer switch (not shown) mounted on a quarterspeed shaft 7 to direct current to one or other of two magnets 37 depending on which shuttle is depleted. Energization of the magnet attracts an armature 38 which is then locked up by a latch 41 as shown. The opposite end 40 of the armature depresses a tail 20 of a hook 18, thereby lifting the hook into the path of a knife 14; two knives 14 are oppositely reciprocated by cams 10 so that the knife moving rearwardly at any time corresponds to the shuttle that is available for replenishment. The hook 18 is drawn rearwards by its knife 14, thereby turning a sector 16, which rotates a pinion 22 whereby a rod 87 is pulled to release a shuttle from the magazine 71. Magazine, Fig. 13.-When the rod 87 of a magazine compartment is pulled down, it lowers a cradle 78, carrying the bottom shuttle, into the path of the transformer 93; the remaining shuttles are held up by interconnected claws 82, 84 operated by a ramp 79b on a slide 79. Shuttle changing, Fig. 3.-Rotation of the sector 16 also causes a cam 25 to rock a lever 29, whereby a cam-shaft (not shown) is clutched to a drive to operate the shuttle-changing mechanism. A rod 61 raises the drop-box, thereby bringing the auxiliary cell 96 level with the shuttle race; before the boxes reach their upper position, a link 104 encounters a pin 106 and a roller 113 encounters a stop 114, so that continued movement of the box rocks bellcranks 102, 111 to open the front 98 of the normal cell 95 and close the front 107 of the auxiliary cell 96. The transferrer 93 follows the slay on its rearward stroke, moving slowly until it has collected the fresh shuttle from the lowered cradle of the appropriate compartment of the magazine, and then quickly so that it overtakes the slay at rear centre and inserts the shuttle into the normal cell 95. The slay and transferrer then swing forwards, the transferrer moving quickly to disengage itself from the slay. During this movement, the spent shuttle arrives in the auxiliary cell, whereupon the box drops to its normal position and the shuttle-box fronts return to the positions shown to retain the fresh shuttle and allow the spent shuttle to escape from the auxiliary cell under its own momentum as described in Specification 751,886. Shuttle changing during reverse running of the loom is prevented by driving the cams 10, Fig. 3, through a free-wheel clutch, so that if the loom is turned backwards after a hook 18 has been raised, the knives 14 remain stationary and do not operate the hook until forward running is resumed.