US1308227A - Lhnwhmuwmhhwi-u-u-i - Google Patents

Description

F. B. DAVIS.

FEELER MOTION FOR LOOMS.

APPucmou msn APR. 1. 191s.

l Ur

WMA/@ THB commun PLANOGRAFM to.. WASHIMIUN. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATEIWAOEEQE.

FRANK B. DAVIS, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESN E ASSIGNMENTS, TO DRAPER CORPORATION, 0F HOPEDAL-E, MASSACHUSETTS,

A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FEEDER-MOTION FOR LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Bc it known that I, FRANK B. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at I'lopcdale, in the county of Worcester' and State of lVIassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in I `cele1'-l\lotions for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to looms, and more particularly to the feeler motions thereof, whereby upon detection of substantial exhaustion of the filling in the running shuttle, a train of mechanism is rendered effective to change the operative condition of the loom, as by replenishing the supply of filling.

Various types of feeler motions have been devised, some ot which have had a feeler to enter the shuttle on the detect-ing beat of the lay and by measurino the diameter of the filling in the shuttle lave detected that condition of approaching exhaustion at which replenishment was desired and have thereupon initiated the replenishing operation. In other feeler motions` there have been penetrating and impinging feeler members, which, when the penetrating member has been struck by the surface of the filling carrier or bobbin, have initiated filling replenishment. In still another type, the fcelcr motion has been provided'vwith a feeler, which, when the lling had reached substantial exhaustion, would be moved in a general direction longitudinally of the shuttle as the lay beat up, and by such movement would position an actuator for coperation with a controller to eii'ect iilling replenishment on further frontward movement of the tecler. In this type of' feeler motion, the detecting member has been pivotally offset upon its carrier and provided with a lling en aging end, such that, While a workingl supp?7 of filling was present on a detecting beat, the detecting member would be held from movement on its pivot relative to the bobbin by the mass of filling thereon, but when the filling had become substantially exhausted, and while suflicient still remained in the shuttle to reach several times across the lay, the frontwarfl push of the bobbin would turn the detecting inember upon its pivot and thereby swing the actuator into position to operate the controller as the feeler was moved farther to the front of the loom, and thereby initiate replenishment of the filling. vAs well understood by those skilled in the art, a feeler motion must be sensitive and reliable in the discharge of its detecting function in order that it will not call for a change when a working supply of' filling' is present in thc shuttle, and yet effect replenishment when substantial exhaustion is reached. It must be light, also, and easily moved by the front- Ward push in order that no injury shall be done the lilling during the recurrent engagements therewith during weaving, and especially should it not pick under the final layer or layers of lling when substantial exhaustion reached, which would tend to prevent the frontward push of the boblbin from moving the feeler member into position for the discharge of' its detecting function or break the lilling itself.

An important feature of' the present invention, therefore, consists of a feeler motion wherein the filling feeler or engaging member shall be mounted upon its carrier so that upon substantial exhaustion of the filling the feeler member shall be moved bodily lon itudinally of the shuttle by the forward puslli upon the teeler member. In the present instance of the invention, this character of bodily movement is effected by mounting the filling engaging member of the feeler upon its carrier by parallel motion devices, which may take various forms, as for instance, parallel link connections, in which case the feeler member will be prevented from angular movement relative to the bobbin in the shuttle andv conse ueutly its engaging end will not pick undici* or pass between the coils of yarn and the bobbin and tend to break the yarn or be held from its detectinO movement.

The albove and other features of the iuvention Will be hereinafter described in connection with the accom anying drawing and then definitely set fort in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a teeler motion embodying features of the present inven- .tiem only sufficient of the loom parts being illustrated as are necessary to make clear the association of the present invention tl i erew ith Fig. 2` is a section on the line 2 2, liig. l g

Fig. d is a plan view showing,r the action of the feolcr on thc detecting bcatnp movlAA ment of thc lay when a working;l supply of fillingl is presi-nt in the shuttle; and

Fig. l is a similar view Ashowingr the posi.- tion of parts on a detcctilmV beat when the filling is substantially exhausted.

The feeler motion, in the present invention, comprises a fceler carrier which is mounted on a fixed portion of the loom or a bracket secured thereto 'for movement toward and from the front of the loom and mounted upon the feel-er carrier is the fecler member which directly receives the forward push of' the filling mass in the shuttle as the lay beats up. This feclcr member has` a ronghcncd or toothed portion which, when a working supply of filling is present, cngagcs the mass of filling on the detecting beat and is held from bodily movement rela tive to the feeler carrier b v the filling; but when the filling has bccome substantially exhausted and only sufficient remains upon the bobbin in the shuttle to extend one or more times across` the lay, the toothed portion of the feeler member will engage the surface of the bobbin and be no longer restrained from bodily movement longitudinally of the shuttle by the forward push of the bobbin against it, but will move bodily in such direction under the forward impulse of the bobbin and thereby position an actu ator operatively with respect to a controller so that on movement of the fillingr carrier while the fillingr member is thus displaced bodily with respect thereto, the actuator will move the controller and initiate filling replenishment. In the present instance the feeler motion comprises a easing' or stand 1 which may be appropriately secured to the loom frame or bracket secured thereto by means of suitable screws 2 or other fastening devices. lillounted in the casingr or stand 1 is the feeler carrier which is capable of movement toward and from the front of the loom. In the present instance, the feeler carrier comprises a plate 3 having' a shank or front portion 4 and supported for reciproeatingr movement in the stand 1. The fecler carrier 3 is normally under the influence of a spring which maintains the feeler carrier in its projected rear position, substantially as indicated in Fig. 1. In the present instance, the shank or stem 4 of the feeler carrier 3 is surrounded by a spring 5 one end of which bears a einst a shoulder 6 of the feeler carrier, an the other end against the inner surface 7 of the stand 1, the construction being such that by forward pressure the feeler carrier B may be moved frontwardly against the action of the spring 5 and when such forward pressure is removed, the spring` 5 may return the fceler earlier Il to its nor mal or feeling' position.

The feeler carrier 3 has mounted thereon a fceler member which directly receivesl upon it the forward push ol thc filling in the shuttle on the detecting beat. and such fceler member is conm-rml to the fcclcr carrier so that when the filling' becomes substantially exhausted and the time arrives at which a rcplenislnnent of lhe filling' is desirable, :auch feeler member will be moved bodily in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle by the forward push exerted thereupon as the lay makes its detecting beat, and thereafter both the feeler member and the feeler carrier will be moved frontward to cause the actuator controlled by the fcclcr member to engage the controller and initiate filling replenish nient.

In the present instant-o of tlnl invention, thc. feeler member is connected to the feeler carrier by parallel motion devices .such that when displaced lollg'itudimill)7 of the shuttle by the forward push exerted upon it, such feelcr member will be prevented from changing,Y its angular relation with the longitudinal axis of the bobbin, and the teeth or engaging portion of thc feeler member will not pick under the coils of filling still remain ing` on the bobbin as it performs its detectingn movement.

ln the illustrated form of the invention` thc feeler member comprises a feeler portion S provided with a series of teeth or roughened portions fl which are adapted lo engage either the mass of filling in the shutfle and be held thereby from longitudinal movement relative to the shuttle when a working supply of filling is present on a detecting beat, but which, when the fillingr has become substantially exhausted, will move longitudinally along the surface of the bobbin under the forward push thereof, without changing,r the angular relation of the feeler member with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bobbin or the feeler carrier. To effect this bodily longitudinal movement of the feeler member under the conditions stated, said feeler member is connected to the fceler carrier by parallel motion devices shown in the present instance as comprising the two links 10 and 11, one end of each link being pivotally connected at 12 to the feeler member and the other end connected at 13 to the feeler carrier. Interposed between the feeler member and the feeler carrier il is a light spring 141, which normally maintains the feeler member projected rearwardly beyond the end of the feeler carrier, but permits such feeler member to move toward the feeler carrier under the froutward impulse of the bobbin when the filling has bccome substantially exhausted.

As a convenient and goed practical form of the parallel motion connection between the feeler member and the feeler carrier, said feeler member may be provided with a slotted portion 15 as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. l, 2 and Si; and likewise, the end of the feeler carrier 3 may similarly be provided with a slotted portion 1G, the edge of said slotted portions being adapted for the reception and movement between them of the parallel links 10 and 11. @Wing to the stress upward or downward that may sometimes be exerted upon the feeler member on the forward impulse of the bobbin or the filling thereon, the slotted end portion of the feeler carrier 3 is made sui'icient in dimension to permit sliding movement of the feeler member therein, substantially as indicated in Fig. 2.

(.)pcratively connected to the feeler member is an actuator which, in the present 1nstance, comprises an arm 17 extendingr from the feeler member frontwardly along;r the side of the feeler carrier 3, the construction being such that when the feeler member is in its normal feeling position as indicated in Fig. 1, the actuator' 17 will engage the side of the eeler carrier 3 and constitute a stop to limit the projecting movement of the feeler member beyond the end of the feeler carrier under the impulse of the spring 14, substantially as indicated in F igs. 1 and 3. The spring for projecting the feeler member beyond the end of the feeler carrier into its normal position may be variously applied, but in the present instance it is conveniently placed between the parallel motion devices connecting the feeler member and the feeler carrier. In order that the feeler member and actuator operatively connected thereto shall be properly guided as the feeler member is moved bodily longitudinally of the shuttle on a detecting beat when the supply of filling has become substantially exhausted, the feeler 3 is preferably provided with an enlarged head 18 for the accommodation of the slot or openintgr 16, and such slot or openingr 16 may be continued along the side of the feeler head for the reception. of the actuator 17 as the feeler member and said actuator are bodily moved by the forward push of the bobbin when the filling is substantially exhausted.

As usual in this character of loom, the shuttle-box 19 is provided with an opening 20 in its front Wall and similarly, the Wall 21 of the shuttle 22 is provided with an opening 23, so that the feeler member may enter the shuttle and detect the condition of the filling therein on the detecting beat. The bobbin 24 may be of usual construction and maintained in position :in the shuttle for (lelivery of the yarn during the weaving operation by suitable means such as the usual jaws 25 and the jaw engaging rings 26.

The present invention contemplates that when the filling;f has become substantially exhausted on a detectingr beat. the l'eeler member may be moved bodily iu :i dirertion longitudinally of the shuttle without changingr its angular relation to the axis of the bobbin so that the englfapfinpr teeth or roughened portions of the feeler mrmbcr shall not pass between the surface of the bobbin and the coils of yarn thereon` which would have a tendency to break the filling or destroy the sensitivoness of the detecting action of the feeler member. When the feeler member has been thus moved. the actuator 17 is positioned for engagement With a controller 27 as the feeler carrier 3 is moved frontwardly during the beatup movement. The controller 27 may be variously formed and connected to any desired train of mechanism for changing the operative condition of the loom and in the present instance it is of the general character noi-v Well knoivn for initiatingr fillingr replenishment. In order that the controller 27 may be properly guided as it is moved by the actuator from the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 3 to that indicated in Fig. 4, said controller is preferably directed in its movement by a guide 28 which may take the form of a bracket or arm projecting from the feeler stand 1. In the piesent instancf` of the invention. this `ruido or bracket 28 mav be secured to the teeler stand by suitable means such as the screws 29.

From the construction described as a `ood practical form of the present invention. it will be noted that when a Workingr supply of iilline is present in the shuttle on a deteeting` beat, the mass of filling will engage the teeth 9 of the feeler member and will prevent bodily movement of the feeler member longitudinally of the shuttle as the lay completes its forward movement` the feeler member and feeler slide being moved bodily to the front, substantially as indicated in Fig. 3. When. however` the fillingr in the shuttle has become substantially exhausted as indicated in Fig. 4, the amount of filling on the bobbin will no longer be sufficient to prevent movement of the fceler member longitudinally of the shuttle under the forward impulse or push exerted against the feeler member. and said feeler member Will thereupon bodily move under the direction of the parallel motion devices vvhile maintainingr its unchanged angular relation to the aXis of the shuttle or the bobbin therein. substantially as indicated in Fig. 4. llVlien the feeler member has thus been bodily displaced longitudinally of the shuttle` the actuator 17 will be positioned operatively with relation to the controller Q7 aud upon farther forward movement of the feeler member and 'feeler carrier i5 said controller 2T will bc moved to initiate filling replenishment or otherwise arl through a train ot mechanism to change the olierative nondition oiE the loom. llieu tbe ieeler member has been thus bodily displaced longitudinally olf the sl'iuttle, it will have compressed tlie sp1-ingrl ll and the edge portion 31 oi the f'eeler carrier will constitute a stop for limiting the longitudinal displacing movement oi the feeler member by engagement with the edge portion 30 of' the fee-ler member.

What is claimed is zl. A fecler motion for looms7 comprising a feeler member to directly engage the fillin;r iu the shuttle on a detecting beat and bodily displaced longitudinally of the shuttle by the frontivard pressure when the filling is sulistantially exhausted. an actuator combined nitli said vfcelcr member having a reciprocating stroke, a controller adapted to be moved by the actuator in its normallydirected stroke when the feeler member has been bodily displaced longitudinally, and means for preserving the angular relation of the shuttle und feeler member unchanged as the feeler member is bodily displaced longitudinally of the shuttle by the forward push.

2. In a feeler motion for looms, the combination of a feeler carrier, a feeler member, connections between the fecler member and feeler carrier for confining the feeler member to parallel movements as it is displaced longitudinally of the shuttle by the frontward pressure of a surface Within the shuttle when the filling is substantially exhausted, an actuator connected to the feeler member for movement toward the front of the loom, and a controller normally out of the path of the actuator as it is moved front- Wardly and adapted to be operated by the actuator when the feeler member has been displaced longitudinally of the shuttle by the frontWard pressure.

3. In a feeler Ymotion for looms, the combination of a feeler member that receives the push of the filling contained in the shuttle and is bodily displaced longitudinally7 of the shuttle by the frontward pressure when the filling is substantially exhausted,` means acting as the feeler member is bodily displaced longitudinally of the shuttle by the forward pressure to prevent angular movement of the engaging portion of the feeler and cause it to travel along the bobbin in unaltered angular relation to the axis thereof` an actuator having a normally directed reciprocating stroke and operatively post tioned the bodily lateral displacement of the feeler member, and a controllerthat is actuated by the normally directed stroke of the actuator toward the front of the loom when operatively positioned by the laterally displaced feeler member.

4. A feeler motion for looms comprisin a Ateeler carrier, a `feclcr tor engaging the lling in the shuttle,y parallel link motion devices connectingl the f'eelcr with the feeler carrier 'for movement. bodily toward the freier carrier and in a direction longitudinally of' the shuttle when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, means for normally holding the feeler carrier in rearward position and permitting it to yield frontwardly, an actuator movable with the feelcr carrier as the latter moved frontivaivlly, and a controller adapted to be actuated by frontward movement of the actuator when it has been laterally displaced.

In a iceler motion for looms, a feeler carrier` a feeler member, parallel motion devices connecting the feeler carrier and feeler member for directing [he lateral movement of' the feelcr member in a direction to preserve the parallel relation of said feeler member and hobbin in the shuttle when the feeler member is laterally displaced by the frontward push against it, an actuator connected to and bodily movable With and in the same direction as the feeler member, and a controller adapted to be actuated by the actuator When the feeler member has been laterally displaced.

6. ln a feeler motion for looms, the combination of a f'eeler carrier mounted for recilirocating movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler member for directly receiving the push of the filling in the shuttle as the lay beats up and bodily displaced longitudinally of the shuttle by the forward push of a surface carried by the shuttle when the filling is .substantially exhausted, parallel motion connections between the carrier and feeler member for preventing relative angular movement of said parts when the feeler member is displaced longitudinally of the shuttle, a actuator adapted to be moved by and in the same direction as the feeler member, and a controller operated by the actuator.

7. In a feeler motion for looms, the combination of a feeler member movable in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle by the frontward pressure of a surface Within the shuttle when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, means for confining the fecler member to parallel movements longitudinally of the shuttle, an actuator having a normally directed stroke toward the front of the loom, and a controller adapted to be operated by the actuator.

8. In a feeler motion for looms, the combination of a Jfeeler member having a toothed engaging edge portion to receive the forward push of the filling mass as the lay beats up and to be displaced longitdnally of the shuttle by the forward push of the bobbin when the filling is substantially exhausted, a feeler carrier, guiding means between the feeler' carrier and feeler member to cause the toothed portion of the feeler member to maintain its angular relation to the axis of the bobbin unchanged and in parallel paths as it is moved longitudinally of the bobbin, a controller, and an actuator moved into operative relation with the controller by longitudinal displacement of the feeler member.

9. In a feeler motion for looms, the combination of a feeler carrier, a feeler member, parallel links connecting the feeler member to said carrier, a spring normally acting to project the feeler member beyond the end of the carrier and yielding to permit bodily movement of the feeler member laterally of the feeler carrier by the forward push of the bobbin when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detectin beat of the lay, an actuator bodily mova le With and in the same direction as the feeler member, and means operated by the actuator when the feeler member is displaced laterally on a detecting beat to initiate filling replenishment.

10. In a feeler motion for looms, the combination of a feeler carrier, a feeler member projecting beyond the end of the carrier and having a toothed portion to receive the push of the filling in the shuttle as the lay beats u and to be bodily displaced longitudinally of) the shuttle by the forward push upon it when the filling is substantially exhausted, parallel motion devices connecting the feeler member and feeler carrier to cause such bodily movement of the feeler member to be made While maintaining unchanged the angular relation of the feeler carrier and feeler member, yielding means acting to move the feeler member bodily in the opposite direction when relieved of the front- Ward push upon it, means for limiting relative movement of the feeler carrier and feeler member in either direction, an actuator bodily movable with and in the same direction as the feeler member to initiate filling replenishment upon frontward movement of the 'feeler carrier When the feeler member has been laterally displaced.

11. In a feeler motion for looms, the combination of a feeler carrier, a feeler member projecting beyond the end of the carrier and having a toothed portion to receive the push of the filling in the shuttle as the lay beats up and to be bodily displaced longitudinally of the shuttle by the forward push upon it when the filling is substantially exhausted, parallel motion devices pivotally connecting the feeler member and feeler carricr at points separated longitudinally of the shuttle to cause such bodily movement of the feeler member to be made While maintaining unchanged the angular relation of the feeler carrier and feeler member, yielding means acting to move the feeler member bodily in the opposite direction when relieved by the forward push upon it, a controller, an actuator operatively positioned With respect thereto by the bodily lateral movement of the feeler member due to the forward push, and stops t0 limit the bodily movement of the feeler member in each direction.

12. A feeler motion for looms, comprising a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler member mounted on the feeler carrier and bodily movable in arallel paths longitudinally of the shuttle y the forward push of the bobbin when the filling is substantially exhausted, an actuator operatively connected to and bodily movable in the same direction as the feeler member, and a controller adapted to be actuated by the actuator when the feeler member has been moved longitudinally of the shuttle by the frontward push.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK B. DAVIS.

Copies o! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

Images