US1467232A - Filling-feeler mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 4,1923. 1,467.232

R. CROMPTON ET AL FILLING FEELER MECHANI SM Filed April 17, 1919 Patented Sept 4, 1923.

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RANDOLPH CROMPTON AND VILLIAlVI E WOODMAN, or irroncnsrnn, MAssAcH SETTS; SAID WOODll/IAN ASSIGNOR-JTOSAID.CBOMPTON.

FILLING-EEELER ivrncnanrsm, Y

Application filed April 17, 1919. Serial No. 290,678.

To all whom it my concern:

i Be it known that we, RANDOLPH QRoMPToN and VILLIAM E. oomm s, both of Worcester, inthe county of Norcester and Com monwealth of Massachusetts, both OllllZBIlS.

of the United States,.have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Filling-heeler Mechanism, of which the following, together feeler .nisiusin order to produce a novel form of mechanism embodying, in a single device, the operating principles heretofore separately employed in mechanisms of this character.

A further object of our invention is to provide a novel form of'tilling feeler mechanism that is characterized by its extreme simplicity and reliability of operation.

it is well known in the art that the funclion ol filling: tceler mechanisms is to actu ate loom controlling devices for either stopping the loom or for replenishing the weft of an automatic loom upon the substantial exhaustion of the filling on the bobbin or filling carrier. A usual form of filling 'l'cclcr mechanism heretofore employed has comprised a filling; 'l eeler arranged'to have a swcepinn feeling: movement toward the bu t of the filling carrier, whereby the feeler is adapted to follow the unwinding surface of the filling carrier and to actuate the loom controlling devices upon, a predetermined exhaustion of the filling on the carrier. Such mechanisms have usually employed some form ot' latch device interposed be tween the loom controlling means andthe wclt hammer. and so connected to the filling: fecler mechanism as to cause actuation of tho loom controlling devices upon a predetermined amount of swing'ot the filling l eeler. In such devices the filling feeler always has a tendency to swing toward the butt of the filling carrier and thereby actuate the loom controlling devices, and various separate instrumentalities, suchas controllers having: a caliperingj action with the shuttle, have been employed to prevent this swinging movement of the feeler until thefilling has been exhausted, to a predeter mined degree. v

While filling feeler devices of this general character are extremely sensitive and cape ble'offine adjustment as regards the amount of filling remaining on the filling carrier before the loom controlling devices are operated, nevertheless the necessity of providii'lg separaterestraining means for controlling 'the swinging of the feeler has re sultcd incomplicated mechanisms that must be carefully. adjusted and maintained, in

order to prevent premature operation ofthe loom controll ng devices,

By our inventionwe' propose to provide a novel form offill ngi tt'ee'l'er mechanism whose 0136121'0101'1" depends upon a comb1ned cal1perinn" and teele'r arresting action between the feelerand the filling, and the shuttle, rather than upon the sweeping movement of the feeler alone, or merelyupon an independent 'caliperingaction'with the shuttle. In addition, the mechanism for operative ly connecting the loom controlling devices to its.

operating anember is positively maintained out ot engagement with that member until the calipcring and arresting action of the.

mechanism causes the loom controlling de-. vices to be actuated upon apredetermined (legrcc of exhaustion of the filling. Con sequently the chances of premature operation of the loom controlling devices are con- Siderably.reduced by the absence of any auxiliary COHlLIOlllDg devices tending to restrain the normal functions of the feeler.

In the accompanying drawings, y Figure 1 1s a plan view of a portion of the lefthand endof' a loom provided with a filling feeler mechanism emboding my invention.

Figure 2 is a vi ew partially in section and partially in sideelevation of the parts shown in Fig.1;

- Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion 3 of the parts shown in Flg. 1 showing the action of the vteeler mechanism upon a predetermined degree of exhaustion of, the filling. t I

Figure at is-a detail of a portion of the mechanism.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view showing a The loom to-which our improved filling feeler mechanisml is applied may be of any loo usual or preferred construction, and may be either a plain loom or an automatic loom. Referring to the drawings, the loom illustrated is of the automatic weft replenishing type, and comprises a lay 1 suitably supported for oscillatory movement toward and from a breast beam 2. The lay 1 is provided in the usual manner with a shuttle box 3 in which a shuttle 1 is adapted to come to rest, when properly boxed, in position to permit the filling feeler mechanism, to be hereinafter described, to determine the extent to which the filling 5 on the bobbin or filling carrier 6 has been exhausted. A longitudinal slot '7 is provided in the front wall 4 of the shuttle 1 to permit the iilling feeler operation, and a portion of the shuttle b0): 3' iscut away for the same purpose.

, A rocker shaft 8 is journalled in suitable bearings at the front side of the breast beam 2 and is connected to either a stopping mechanism or a weft replenishing mechanism, not shown. An upwardly extending rocker arm is mounted on the shaft 8, and a spring 9 acting on a pro ection of the arIn tends tohold the arm 10 toward the beam 2. A weft hammer 11 is suitably mounted on a pivot 12 on the opposite side of the breast beam 2 from the rocker arm 10 and is adapted to be oscillated back and forth with respect to the rocker arm 10 by means of a suitable cam device in timed relation with the movement of the lay 1. All of the parts above enumerated, together with other loom parts shown, are of the usual construction. and their mode of operation is well known to those skilled in the art, so that they need not be further described.

i bahmce lev r i pivotally mounted on a bracket 1-irarried by the breast beam' 2 by means of a pivot pin 15. 'l he lever 13 is provided with a slot l6 to permit longitudinal movement thereof with respect to its pivot pin 15. The right hand end portion of the lover I?) is located in a depression 01' notch 12' provided in the upper end of the roclrer arm 10. so that the arm 10 holds the righthand end of the slot 16 against the pin 15. The rinlithand lever portion is made heavier than the left hand portion and a spring i seemed. to the lower side of the level" and to the Q cltet l 'iii'mther tends to turn it in a clockwise direction about the pin 15. The clockwise movelneiit of the le er 1? a out its pivot is limited on the left hand side by a stop 19 carried" at the upper arm of a lever 90 that is pivotally mounted on fl bracltct 21' by means of a pivot pin 22, the axis of hich at rin'ln: angles to the axis of the pivot pin 15. The lower arm of the lever extends at right angles to its upper arm so that the lever 20 is adapted to transmit motion from one plane to another plane that is at substa ntially right angles theretoi The left handiside of the lever 13 is provided with a pointed portion that is normally located above the line of motion of the weft hammer 11, but is adapted to be moved into engagement with a notched projection 24 carried by the weft hammer 11 when the lever 20 is actuated by the filling; feeler mechanism which will now be described.

A feeler slide 25 is slidably mounted on a stationary plate 26 carried by the breast beam 2 and is yieldingly held toward the lay 1 by means of a tension sprin 27 connected between a projection 26 of the stationary pla e 26 and a projection 28 at the outside end of the slide 25. A threaded sleeve 29 coacting with the projection 528 permits adjustment of the spring 27. A stop 30 carried by the slide 25 coacts with the plate 526 to limit the ETIOVBDlGIlt of the slide in the direction of the lay 1. The slide is provided at its inner end with a slot 81 wit n which a feeler wheel 32 is mounted for otation about its vertical axis on a shaft located at substantially the end of or away from the butt. 6", of the filling carrier 6; for a purpose to be hereinafter described. I V

The feeier wheel 33 is further provided with upwardly extending projections 35 and 36, :TO'illlli lY located at diametrically op- 'i i:'i"te points but at different radial distanees from the sha t 39-. A big I? on the top of the slide 27 is 'rrovided with an adjiistable stop 39 that extends in the direction of the projection -15, and adapted to be en grayed the The stop 38 here shown as com risii j a member in threadcil engagement with the lug ST and mlapted to be l rllred in position by a nut 39. but it is to be understood that any other form of stop cajmble of being adjusted with respect to the projectimi may he en'u iloyed. The projection 36 is provided with an enlarged head 40 that is adapted to ene ap'e the wall 4 of the F title -1 above the slot '7 wden the feelr wheel 32 projects into the slot 7 a predetermined amount, as will hereinafter ap air.

A modification o the teeler wheel adjust ment is shown in; isgs. 5 and (3, wherein a wheel 4:1 is provided with pr jijectien 4-2, Slllliltll to the proj ction and a projec ion vertira'r art-is thereof. The projection (.X- tendsthrengh'the feel'er wheel 41 and is provided at its end with a head 4-5 to! the eception of a. suitable tool by means of which the projectiou 43 maybe turned to vary the distance between the eccentric head 44 and the wall l of the shuttle. The projection 43 is shown as being inthreaded ment with the wheel 11 and is provided with a nut ac for locking it in position, although this is not essential.

A flexible member 47, such as string or cable is connected at one end to the lower arm of the lever 20, as shown at 48, and is connected at its other end to the wheel 32 at the point 49, the wheel preferably being provided with a peripheral groove to receive the flexible member 47. 1V ith the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, the lever 13 tends to hold the lower arm of the lever 20 against a stop provided on the bracket 21, as best shown in Fig. 1. Consequently, the flexible member at? extends between the lever 20 and the feeler wheel 32 without any tension therein due to the forces acting on the levers 13 and 20. The feeler wheel 32 is thus free to turn slightly on its pivot, and any small movement thereof due to its reciprocation and to the vibration of the loom will not be transmitted to the lever 20. When the wheel is actually turned in a clockwise direction, however, by engagement of the shuttle wall 4* with the projection 36, the flexible member 47 becomes taut and the movement is transmitted freely, and without lost motion to the lever 20 to actuate the loom controlling devices.

Havmg described tllG'VELIlOLlS parts enterin into my invention the operation thereof is as follows: Assume that a shuttle with a filling carrier having a considerable amount of filling thereon occupies the position in the shuttle box shown in Fig. 1. On the forward beat of the lay 1 the filling 5 is engaged by the feeler wheel 32 and the slide 25 is moved forward against the action of the spring 27. As the point of contact between the feeler wheel 32 and the filling 5 lies substantially in the same plane as the longitudinal axis of the slide 25, and the axis of the shaft 33, there is no tendency for the wheel to be turned on its shaft. On the backward beat of the lay 1 the feeler wheel 32 still engages the filling and the wheel remains in its normal position with the projection 35 in engagement with the stop 38, as shown F 1.

As the filling 5 is exhausted from the filling carrier (5 the feeler wheel 32 moves a little further into the slot 7 in the shut. tle wall as each successive layer of filling is exhausted, the teeth 34 biting into the filling and arresting any tendency for the wheel to turn in a clockwise direction due to slight variations in the bobbin or filling carrier. hen the filling has been exhausted to a predetermined degree, as for example when the filling has been removed from the carrier substantially up to its point of contact with the wheel, as shown in Fig. 3, the projection 36 is engaged by the upper wall 4 of the shuttle. As this occurs on the forward beat of the lay, the force of the blow is sufficient to turn the wheel 32 in a clockwise direction on the shaft 33, there then being practically no filling engaged bythe teeth 34: which would tend to arrest the turning of the wheel. The turning. movement of the wheel is transmitted. to the le- 2. The projection2 1of the weft hammer.

thereupon engages the lever 13 and moves the rocker arm 10 on its shaft 9 to actuate the'loom controlling-devices.

The degree of exhaustion of the filling 6 on'the filling carriernecessary to actuate the loom controlling devices as described above,

may be regulated by means of the stop 38. Moving the stop toward the projection 35 holds the projection 38 further away from the wall 1* of "the shuttle, thereby causing the engagement of the shuttle with-the pro,- jection 36 to occur after more filling has been removed from the filling carrier. Moving the stop 38 in the opposite direction causes the projection 36 to be engaged by the shuttle earlier in its forward beat, thereby increasing the amountof filling that is left on the filling carrier. It has been found that the operation of thefilling feeler mechanism can be adjusted with considerable delicacy by varying the position of the stop 38, as described above. For instance, the sto can be set so that the feeler wheel 32 will not be turned until after the projection 36 has been struck several blows by the shuttle" wall 1, or it can be set so that the feeler wheel is'turned by the first blow of the shut tle, the extent of the arresting action caused by the engagement of the feeler teeth with the filling, determining the quickness with which the device operates. In this way the amount of filling remaining upon the filling carriers may be varied. Other adjustments can be made at the stop 19 and at the sleeve 29 in order to properly regulate the operation of the mechanism.

From the foregoing it is apparent that, viewed in its broader aspects, our invention is not limited to the specific form of filling feeler mechanism shown herein, or to the specific arrangement of the parts of the loom controlling devices shown in relation. to the filling feeler mechanism. tion is broad in scope and in character, for it is the first filling feeler mechanism to employ a toothed and freely rotatable feeling member so mounted as to have a combined feeler arresting and calipering action with the filling and the shuttle, independent of any external controlling or restraining de vices. It therefore represents a distinct and important advance in the art, for by its use it is possible to construct an extremely sim- The invenple and reliable filling feeler mechanism that combines all of the advantageous features of the mechanisms heretofore constructed. Vi e desire, therefore, that only such limitations be placed t iereon as come within the scope of the appended claims.

l/Ve claim,

1. In a filling feeler mechanism for looms, l feeler member rotatably mounted about a vertical axis and provided with a toothed filling engaging portion concentric about said axis, and a projecting shuttle engaging portion located eccentrically with respect to said axis.

2. In a filling feeler mechanism for looms, a feeler member rotatably mounted about a vertical axis and provided with filling engaging teeth at equal radial distances from said axis, and a shuttle engaging projection located nearer to said axis than said teeth.

3. In a filling feeler mechanism for looms. a rotatably mounted. disk provided around its periphery with filling engaging teeth and having a shuttle engaging abutment projecting from the surface thereof.

4. In a. filling feeler mechanism tor looms. a rotatably mounted wheel provided around its periphery with filling engaging teeth and having a shuttle engaging projection located eccentricallv with respect to the axis of rotation ot said wheel.

5. In a filling feeler mechanism for looms, the combination with a shuttle, a. filling carrier and a slide movable in the direction of the shuttle. of a feeler member rotatably mounted on the slide and provided with teeth and with a projection for engagement with the filling and the shuttle respectively.

0. in a filling feeler mechanism for looms, the coinbiiuition with a shuttle, a filling carrier an a slide movable in the direction of the shuttle, of a feeler member rotatably mounted on the slide and provided with filling; engaging teeth and with a projection adapted to be engaged by the shuttle to cause rotation of said member upon substantial exhaustion of the filling.

7. In a filling feeler mechanism for looms, the combination with a shuttle. a filling carrier and a slide movable in the direction of the shuttle, of a feeler member rotatably mounted on the slide and provided with filling engaging teeth and with a shuttle engaging projection located eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of said member.

8. In a filling feeler mechanism for looms, the combination with a shuttle, and a filling carrier with filling thereon, of a toothed filling engaging member mounted for free rotational movement and provided with a projection, rotational movement being imparted to said member by the engagement. of said projection with the shuttle.

9. In a filling feeler mechanism for looms, the combination with a shuttle, a filling car.- rier and filling thereon, of a toothed filling engaging member mounted for reciprocatory an d free rotational movement, the rotational movement being imparted to said member by the engagement of said shuttle with an integral portion thereof.

10. In a filling feeler mechanism for looms, a toothed filling engaging wheel mounted for reciprocatory movement in a straight line at right angles to the line of movement of the loom shuttle and for rotative movement about a vertical axis passing through the said line of reciprocatory movement, the said wheel being free to rotate when not in engagement with the filling, and its rotative movement being subject only to the arresting action between the teeth and the filling at the point of tangency of the wheel to the filling.

11. In a loom, the combination with loom controlling devices and a rotatably and slid-- ably mounted filling feeler capable of free rotational movement independent of its sliding movement. of a normally slack flex ble member operatively connecting said 'liceler to said loom controlling devices.

12. In a loom, the combination with loom controlling devices and a rotataliily and slidably mounted fillingfeclcr capable of rotational movement independent of its slidmovement. of a flexible member directly connecting said feeler to said loom controlling devices, whereby slight rotative movement of said feeler is permitted without aotuating said loom cont-rolling devices.

Dated April 15, 1919.

RANDOLPH CROMPTON. WILLIAM E. NG O DBIAhl.

. lVitnesses:

Pnnnnorn Coarmnmaon, NELLIE lVrIALEN.

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