US1479720A - Automatic weft-replenishing mechanism for looms - Google Patents

Description

Jan. I, 1924 1,479,720

J. LEWTAS ET AL AUTOMATIC WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed June 18, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors J. L,e l vtans EbCBlac/flaurst Jan. 1, 1924 J. LEWTAS ET AL AUTOMATIC WEFT RBPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed June 18, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LEWTAS AND ERNEST HENRY BLACKHURST, 0F PRESTON, ENGLAND, AS-

SIGNORS TO THE WHITTAKER LOOM COMPANY, LIMITED, OF PRESTON, LANCASTER,

ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC WEFT-REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Application filed June 18, 1923. Serial No. 646,206.

To all 10710721, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES LEWTAS and ERNEST HENRY BLAonHURsr, both subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and both residing at Yard orks, Stanley Street, Preston, in the county of Lancaster, En land, have invented certain new and use ul Improvements Relating to Automatic lVeft-Replenishing Mechanism for Looms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic weft replenishing mechanism for looms for weavin of the kind in which a feeler is provi ed for bringing into operation the weft replenishing mechanism, said feeler being adapted to enter an aperture in the shuttle box as the latter moves forward with the lay and so contact with the 00p of yarn in the shuttle and to be moved thereby a gradually decreasing amount as the yarn becomes more and more used but sufficient to maintain the weft replenishing mechanism out of action until at a predetermined degree of exhaustion of the yarn the movement of the feeler is insufficient for the above purpose and the weft replenishing mechanism comes into operation.

The object of the present invention is to devise improvements in connection with automatic weft replenishing mechanism of the above character and the invention con sists in the combination in automatic weft replenishing looms of the kind referred to of a rod or like member movable with the weft fork hammer and adapted to actuate the weft replenishing mechanism and a feeler adapted to allow of co-operation between the rod and the weft replenishing mechanism.

The invention also consists in other de tails hereinafter pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one mode of carrying out the invention Figures 1 and 1 show a plan illustrating one convenient arrangement of apparatus in accordance with the invention, the line A-B representing the inner edge of the breast beam of the loom;

Figure 2 is a side view on a somewhat larger scale of a detail shown in Figure 1;

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are respectivel a front elevation, side elevation and plan 0 a safety device to prevent the operation of the weftreplenishing mechanism in the event of the shuttlefailing to enter the shuttle box;

Figure 6 shows in plan view a detail of a modification hereinafter referred to.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a indicates a loom shuttle containing a pirn or spindle b upon which the weft is normally situated, the limiting peripheral lines of the cop being indicated by the broken lines in Figure l; c is a known feeler device which is shown capable of longitudinal motion against a spring a which normally tends to keep the feeler o in its innermost position (that is, towards the shuttle) and pivoted to said feeler device is a bell-crank lever 03 pivoted at (Z on a bracket on the loom framing or breast beam and connected at d with a rod or like member 6 engaging the usual weft fork hammer f provided in conjunction with the weft fork 9 forming the usual weft stop mechanism. Adjacent the end of the rod 0 is an arm or lever 7t rigidly secured upon a shaft or spindle i which is mounted in substantially parallel relationship with the line AB and upon which is arranged a lever k adapted to co operate with a pin or projection Z secured to what is known as the swivel of the automatic weft replenishing mechanism. The swivel is mounted on the shaft of the trans ferrer which acts to push a full cop from the magazine into the shuttle when the weft is to be replenished and is formed with a pin or projection which, when the swivel is rotated as above described, is brought into the path of a hunter on the lay and the swivel is thereby rotated and the weft replenishing mechanism is actuated.

From the above description it will be seen that during the normal operation of the loom the usual to-and-fro movement of the weft fork hammer 7 will impart a like movement to the free end of the rod or like member a.

The relative positions and movements of the parts so far described are such that prior to beat up of the weft at the fell of the cloth the foeler c is moved to its innermost position by the spring 6 which presses upon a collar attached to the shank of the feeler or is otherwise suitably arranged for the purpose. In such position the outer end of the rod or like member 6 projects across the path of the arm or lever h but as the lay approaches the breast beam during the beat up, the cop of yarn in the shuttle comes into contact with the feelcr o and moves the same again; the action of the spring, 0, in such ltlll a manner as-to 11love thearodiorililie member a to the left as'viewed in i igure 1 so that when the rod or member is moved by the weft fork hammer into the position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1 the rod 0 does not engage the arm or lever h and the latter is therefore unafieete'd by the movement of the member a.

It will be evident, however, thatas the yann is giaduall exhausted in the shuttle the amount of movement of the hacker 1': will become less and lessnntil at a' redetermined degree of exhaustion of the teeler the movement will notbe suiiicient to move the member 1? out of thepath of the arm or lever it so that the latterwill be rocked by the forward movement ofthe'menrber e thus rocking the shaft i and causingthe lever 7.: to engage the pin Z in such a manner as to D erate the'wei't replenishing mechanism in t .e manner above described to introduce a fresh cop into the shuttle to take the place of that which has become exhausted.

The arm or lever 7L is made of considerable area as is indicated in Figure 2 so thatwhen the free end 'of the member 6 is not in the requisiteposition forenga'ging with the edge of'the member "it there is no danger of any accidental engagement since any longitudinal movement of e wiil then result in its free endstriking thebr'oad face of the member 71.

Since the operation ofthe weft replenishingmechanism is due to an insuiiieient amount of movement given to the trader r it will. be evident that means must be provided for preventing the operation oi the weft replenishing mechanism in the event of the shuttle failing toenter the shuttle box since .in thea'bsence of such sa'iety device the eeler inihe circumstances referred to would not be moved to the cxtentnccessary to maintain the weft replenishing mechanism out of action. Figures 3 to 5 therefore illustrate a form of safety device which is provided in accordance with the invention and in which m is a member slidably mounted in a supporting bracket 11 attached to a part of the loom framing, the member m carrying or being formed with an inclined or wedge shaped part 0 adapted to bear against a depending lever p which in the form shown is othook formation and which is pivoted at 11 upon the bracket 1? and is controlled by the spring 1) The. shaft 1' provided with a iixcd projection g somewhat inclined. as shown in Figure The arrangement is such that if the shuttle fails to enter the shuttle box the nose or some part of the shuttle engages and operates the sliding member or thus moving the meiriber 7) into the position shown dotted in Figure 4 so that the end of the member p engages the projection (I in such a manner as toimove the same round slightly in a countenolookwise direction in also somewhat rotated andith-e armor lever 11 is thereby moved more across the path of the member 6 and. thus the weft replenishing mechanism is prevented from being operated.

Means may be provided for locking the parts when the starting lever of the loom is moved into position for stopping the loom; thus in Figure (3 (see also Figure l} the member r rigidly projecting "From the member r. is capable oi being engaged by a twoarmed lever f when the starting lever n is in the osition for stopping the loom.

\Yith the lever s t pivoted at r at or about the breast beam ottho loom, and I; being connected to a spring 10 attached .at it." to said beam it is obvious that on the movement of u in the direction of the arrow line for starting the loom the lever arm 3 will be pulled away from engagement with the member 1* thus allowing the 'meniher r and with it the .nicmber a to'move in the manner required for the operation of the parts.

Claims:

1. in an automatic weft replenishing loom of the kind described,the combination with a weft fork hammer and a weft replenishing mechanism actuating element, of a rod like member movable with and extending through said hammer and adapted to actuate the element when the yarn has been exhausted to a predetermined point and a feeler connected to said rod like member and adapted to allow the actuation oi the weft replenishing mechanism element said member.

2. In a mechanism of 't hekind described, a i'eeler adapted to engage the yarn on a shuttle. a. spring for normally forcing the said fee ler in one direction, a bell crank lever connected to said feeler and actuated by the latter. a rod like member mnneeted to said he'll crank lever. a weft iorlrhannner connected to rand actuating said rod like member, a. shaft. an arm mounted on said shaft and adapted to be engaged by said rod "like member. and a weft replenishing mechanism actuating member connected to said shaft and adapted to be moved "by the latter when the arm is actuated by said rod like member. i

3. A uu-rhanism as claimed in claim 2 in which the arm has a relatively broad surface arranged in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said shaft and adapted toaet n abutment to engage the end of the rod like member. for preventing the latter from actuating the arm until the rod like member is in proper position to engage said arm.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

JAMES liEVVTAS. WEST H ENRY "BLACIEHURST.

Images