US1393397A - Feeler mechanism for looms - Google Patents

Description

A. E. HHOADES. FEELER'IVIECHAN'ISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED IEB. 2, 1920.

" 2 SHEETS-SHEET l- IIIIIIII ,Patented Oct 1L 11921.,

A. E. RHOADES. FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, |920. 1,393,39'L Patented oct. u, 1921..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2A Fig.

nvenTor. AlongoZ-Rhoudes ALONZO n. ianoanns, or nOPnnALn, MASSACHUSETTS, AssreNor. To DRAPER Conro- RATION, or normanni, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or NATNE.

FEELER MECHANISM i FR LOOMS.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that T, ALONZO E. RHoADns, a citizen of the United States,` residing at Hopedale, county of l/Vorcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Tmprovement in Feeler Mechanism for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts. ,y

This invention relates to an automatic filling replenishing loom such as the well known Northrop loom and has for its obf ject to provide a simple' and improved means for detecting substantial exhaustion of filling and for effecting the initiation of filling replenishment. A

y This and other objects and .features Aof thelinvention Vwill appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims. i Y

The drawings disclose so much of an automatic filling replenishing loom of the Northroptype as isnecessary to a disclosure of the invention togetherwith a` preferred form ofthe invention embodied therein.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the loom sufficient for a disclosure of the invention.

Fig. 2 `is a side elevation looking toward the left in Fig. 1 of the feeler stand and parts mounted therein with a bobbin shown in cross section.' y y v Fig. 3 is a view invertical cross section of the construction shown inFig. 2.

Fig. l is a top plan View partially broken away of the construction shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view in vertical cross section of a portion of the construction taken on the line 5--5` of Fig. 1. i i

As the Northrop type of automatic filling replenishing loom is well known and fa miliar to those skilled in the art no extended description of its construction or operation is here necessary.

The loom frame comprising theloom sides l and 2 connected by the breast beam 3 supports 'at the right a hopper stand A carrying the usual rotary hopper in which are mounted the supply of freshfilling carriers. From this `hopper upon the call for filling replenishment the fresh filling carriers are successively transferred by the action of the transferrer arm 5 to the shuttle then boxed in the i Specification of Letters Patent.

...Datemi-ea oet. ii, aaai.

VApplication filed February 2, 1920. Serial No. 355,573.

shuttle box 6 at the righthand side of the lay 7 and beneath the hopper.

The breast beam is also shown as sup-` porting a weft fork 8 which receives its actuation from the usual constantly vibrat lng weft hammer 9 actuated from a shaft in the loom frame. The breast beam also supports the `usual knock off lever 10 by which the shipper 11 is thrown to stop the actuation of the loom.

The initiation of the filling replenishing action of the loom is usually. effected by a partialrotation of the controller rod or shaft 12V extending along the front of the loom beneath the breast beam. For this purpose the controller rod 12 is provided with an rip-standing arm 13 to which ispivoted at 14-a`latch 15, andthe action is such that when the latch 15 is moved forwardly the controller rod 12 will be rocked-to effect the actuation` of the transferrer and thus effect the transfer of av fresh filling carrier from the hopper to the shuttle containing the exhausted filling carrier.

` The detection of substantial filling exhaust-ion in the running shuttle is usaully effectedat the left hand side of the loom'by a feeler mechanism so constructed and arrangedthat the point of the feeler upon the beat up enters through alined openings in the shuttle box and shuttle wall and feels against the mass of filling on the bobbin. "When this mass of filling has become exhausted to a predetermined extent the feeler is so actuated or positioned as upon detection of this fact to set in motion the opera tion of the controller rod 12 to initiate the lling replenishingaction.

The objects of the present invention are embodied in a preferred form of feeler mechanism illustrated. In this construction the feeler stand 16 is secured as usual by a set screw 17 passing through a` slot 18 therein to the breast beam at the left `hand `end of the loom. This feelerstand is a two part box like structure secured together by the screws 19. A feeler head 20 preferably rof rectangular cross section at its rearward is provided with a plurality of ways arranged in a vertical series to support and guide a corresponding plurality of feeler points or fingers and these ways are closed at one side to permit access to the feeler points and to retain them in place by a plate 24 removably secured to the feeler head as by the pins 25.

*Each feeler point preferably is constituted as a fiat horizontally arranged blade like member. In the construction shown there are three of these feeler points located in three ways arranged one above the other. Themiddle feeler point 26 is provided at its forward end with a butt 27 fitting in an enlarged section of its way and seated against a helical spring 28. The upper feeler point 29 and the lower feeler point 30 are shown as somewhat shorter than the middle feeler point and the butts thereof 31 and 32 respectively extend in opposite directions from the body of the feeler point, but are located in similar enlarged portions of the ways and abut against similar springs 33 and 34. This arrangement of the butts of the feeler points enables the feeler points` to be located quite closely together and the eXtreme rearward ends of the feeler points may be brought still more closely together by bending the upper and lower feeler points toward the middle feeler point as shown vin Figs. 2 and 3. A closing plate 35 is removably secured over the forward ends of the ways beneath the plate 24. Each feeler point is provided with a lateral projection 36 and these projections are located at the same distance from the rearward ends of the feeler points so that normally they stand in 'vertical alinement.

The bobbin 37 `is formed near its butt to present a plurality'of longitudinal grooves or recesses 38 supported by ribs 39. The arrangement is such that upon the beat-up ythe feeler points enter through the opening 40 in the shuttle boX and the corresponding alined opening in the shuttle wall and contact with the mass of filling 41 on the bobbin. Preferably when this contact takes place the middle feeler point 36 is opposite the axis of the bobbin. So long as the grooves or recesses 38 are covered by the filling all of the feeler points will be pressed forwardly against their springs 28, 33 and 34 thus carrying the' projections 36 forwardly. Vhen, however, the filling has becomeexhausted to a predetermined degree so as'toruncoverthe grooves or recesses opposite the feeler points one or more of the feeler points will enter the oppositely disposed recess or groove and upon the completion of the beat-up will not be moved forwardly.

The idea of the plurality of vertically disposed feeler points is, and the arrange- `ment is such, that no matter what may be the angular axial position of the bobbin in the shuttle at least one of the feeler points will enter a recess in the bobbin when the filling is absent. It is impossible to position the bobbin rotarily in such a manner as to prevent one of these feeler points entering recess when it is uncovered. This is important because it is difiicnlt if not im possible to secure a predetermined rotary or axial position of the bobbin in the shuttle.

The detecting action of the feeler caused by the failure of one or more of the feeler points to move forwardly when the filling has become exhausted sufficiently to uncover the grooves or recesses opposite the feeler points is availed of to initiate the filling replenishing action of the loom. This is secured through mechanism of a novel character, a preferred form of which is illustrated.

One of the novel features resides in the controlling mechanism being actuated by a. vibrating member such as the vibrating weft hammer to position the means for initiating the filling replenishing action of the loom in position to receive its actuation in turn from this vibrating member or weft hammer.

In the construction illustrated a rod 42 is mounted at one end in a bearing 43 on the feeler stand and near the opposite end in a bearing 44 on a bracket 45 secured to the breast beam. The right hand end of this rod is offset to form a crank arm 46 which extends beneath the latch 15. Thus, the rod 42 may be rocked in its bearings to raise the rearward end of the latch into position to receive actuation from the vibrating member or weft hammer 9. For this purpose the upper end of the weft hammer is conveniently provided with a shouldered fiange 47 against which the rearward end of the latch 15 abuts when raised, and beneath which it passes when in its lowered position. A helical spring 48 surrounding the rod 42 and fast at one end to the bearing 44 and at the opposite end to a collar 49 on the rod 42 acts normally to rotate the rod 42 in the direction of the arrow on Fig. 5 allowing the latch 15 by gravity to drop to a position where the flanged head 47 of the weft hammer will pass over the end of the latch as it vibrates forwardly, thus preventing actuation of the mechanism for initiating filling replenishment. The positioning of the latch 15 into position to be struck by the weft hammer upon its forward vibration and thus to initiate filling replenishment is effected by the weft hammer itself. This result is secured by securing to the rod 42 a sleeve 50 provided with a crank arm 51 carrying at its free end a pin or bolt 52, and by pivotally mounting at 53 on the weft hammer a link 54 having a slot 55 engaging the pin 52. The action meegeev is such that at .each rearward vibration of the wefthammer this link acts to rock the rod 42 to raisefthe latch into position where if it remains itwill be struck upon the forward vibration `of the weft hammer.

During the normal operation of the loom the latch 15 is thus raised by the weft hammerupon eachrearward vibration and as the weft hammer vibrates forwardly the s orino 48 rocks the rod42 in the opposite diactuating movement from the weft hammer.

A simple and effective construction for securing this result is illustrated. The dog 56 is pivoted to the feeler stand at 57 with its `nose 58 opposite the projections 36 on the feeler points when the feeler is in normal position. This dog is provided at its upper surface with a cam groove 59. The rod 42 above the dog has secured thereto by means of the set screws 60 a collar 61 provided with a depending pin 62 having a preferably spherical lower end 63 riding in the cam groove 59.

During the normal operation of the loom when the lay beats up with the shuttle boxed opposite the feeler and so long as the filling has not been deplenished to the predetermined degree the filling on the bobbin conn tacting with the feeler points moves them all forwardly against the action of `their respective springs causing the projections `36 to pass forward of the nose 58 of the dog. Consequentlythe dog 56 is free to be rocked on its pivot 57 by the depending pin 62 from the shaft 52. When, however, the

filling on the bobbin has become deplenished sufficiently to uncover a groove or recess 38 in the bobbin opposite the feeler point, upon the next beat-up of the lay, one or more of the feeler points will enter this recess and consequently the corresponding projections 85 will not be moved forwardly to clear the nose 58 of the dog, and the dog will be restrained from rocking movement on its shaft. But when this restraint takes place the weft hammer 9 has by its rearward vibration raised the latch 15 into position so that when the weft hammer comes forwardly it will be actuated thereby. The flange 47 on the weft hammer is now but a short distance in the rear of the free end of the latch 15 and as the weft hammer starts to vibrate forwardly the rod 42 is held from rotation under the influence of the spring 48 by the pin 62 locking in the cam groove 59 of the dog so that the rod 42 cannot rockto allow the latch 15 to drop before the `free end of the latch is caughtby the flange 47 on the weft hammer, and the latch 15 is moved forwardly rocking the controller rod 1 2 and initiating filling replenishment. The slot 55 in the link 54 enables the forward movement of the weft hammer to take place while the rod 42 is restrained against rotation. Y

The invention thus produces a construction which is simple and accurate in its operation and in which replenishment is promptly effected upon the exhaustion of the running filling to a predetermined amount. j

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. An automatic filling replenishing loom comprising a vibrating weft hammer, a feeler movable into abnormal position upon the detection of a predetermined degree of filling exhaustion on the running shuttle, a pivoted latch, means operated by bodily forward movement of the latch to initiate the filling replenishing action of the loom, a rod j ournaled for rotary movement on the loom frame and having a crank arm engaging the latch, a spring connected to the rod and acting to rock the rod in a direction to allow the latch to move out of position to be struck by the weft hammer, a connection between said rod and the said weft hammer whereby the weft hammer upon its rearward vibration will rock the rod to move the latch into position to be struck by the weft hammer on its forward vibration, a dog pivoted adjacent the feeler and provided with a cam groove, and a pin projecting radially from the rod and engaging the said groove, the dog being free to rock under normal conditions but being restrained from rocking by the feeler when in abnormal position.

2. An automatic filling replenishing loom having the construction defined in claim 1 in which there are a plurality of feelers movable into abnormal position and in which the dog is free to rock under normal conditions but is restrained from rocking by any one of the feelers when in abnormal position.

3. An automatic filling replenishing loom comprising a vibrating weft hammer, a feeler stand, a feeler head mounted for yielding reciprocation in said stand, a plurality of superimposed ways in said head, a plurality of feeler fingers constituted as thin fiat blades mounted in said ways, means for yielding-ly and [independently maintaining said feeler fingers in projected position, the said feeler fingers independently movable into abnormal position upon the detection thereby ofa predetermined degree of filling exhaustion on the running shuttle, a pivoted latch, means operated by bodily forward movement of the latch to initiate the iilling replenishing` action of the loom, a rod jour- `naled for rotary movement on the loom frame and having a crank arm eng-aging the latch, a spring connected to the rod and acting tofroclr the rod in a direction to allow the latch to move out of position to be struck bythe weft hammer, a connectionV between said rod and the said weft hammer whereby the weft hammer upon its rearward vibrationwill rock the rod to move the latch into position to be struck by the weft hammer on its forward Vibration, and means for restraining the rocking of the rod upon the movement of any feeler finger into abnormal position.V

Ll. An automatic iilling` replenishing loom comprising a ieeler stand, a feeler head mounted for yielding reciprocation in said stand, a plurality of superimposed ways in said head, a plurality of feeler lingers constituted as thin Hat blades mounted in said ways, means for yieldingly and independently maintaining said feeler lingers in pro- `iected position, and means for initiating fill! ing,` replenishing action controlled by any one of the eeler lingers when in abnormal position due to the detection thereby of a predetermined degree of filling exhaustion on the running shuttle.

In testimony whereof, have name to this specification.

ALONZO E. RHOADES.

Signed my

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