US1606542A - Safety stop - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 9 1926. 1,606,542

c. H. Usl-1ER SAFETY sTP Filed MarchY 28, 1924 INVENTOR BMW/f ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 9, 1926.

UNITED rSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. 'USI-IER, OF CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LAMB KNITTING- MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY STOP.

Application filed March 28, 1924. Serial No. 702,684.

This invention relates to a stop device for machines generally. Its object is to provide an improved unitary stop device for attachment to almost any machine having a belt or clutch shifting rod operable to control a clutch or belt to start andstop the machine. By supplying a spring operable to shift said rod when the latter is released by the operation of the latch of my device the machine may be stopped.

The broad idea of releasing a spring pressed rod to shift a clutch or belt is very old. My improvement is in the particular mechanism I provide for the purpose.

I preferably use an electrically operated door lock of standard construction which may .be bought in hardware stores. This I combine in a frame with a simple lever pivoted in the frame. The lock acts as a latch on the lever and the lever is adapted to act as a latch on the spring pressed rod of the machine. The said frame is arranged to position the lever with respect to the rod. whereby the lever may work on the rod.

The frame with the lock and lever wholly supported therein constitutes a unit for convenient attachment to any machine. The specific structure herein disclosed has been applied to a knitting machine.

The structure constituting my invention is shown in the drawings, in which:

- Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the device; and

Fig. 2 is a view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

v The invention will now be described in detail. A frame 1 is provided'7 preferably of sheet metal formed into the shape of a U having parallel side walls 2 connected by an upper end wall 3. A standard electric door lock L interfits the side walls 2 of the frame and is secured thereto by suitable means such as rivets or screws 4. The door lock may be of any standard construction but a form that I have found to be adapted for use in connection with my invention will now be described. A latch 5 is pivoted to the lock frame at 6 and carries in its outer end a roller 7. A spring (not shown) is provided within the lock to urge the latch toward its outer or latched position shown inFig. 1. A keeper 8 movable in the lock is constructed and arranged to lie behind the latch to hold the same in its latched position, to prevent an accidental depressing or nonlatching movement thereof. Magnets 9 within the lock are provided to actuate the plate or keeper 8 and withdraw the same from engagement with the latch mechanism whereby the latch is permitted to be depressed, as will later appear. It will be understood that the latch is normally spring pressed outwardly to a latched position and held therein by a keeper and that the magnets are cmployed to withdraw the latch keeper, to permit the latch to be depressed by any pressing action that may be applied to the roller of the latch. The operating details of the latch device 5 are all well known and may be found in standard electric door lock constructions as sold in most hardware stores.

A, lever member 10 which functions as a lock upon the shifter rod R is pivoted to the frame at 11 and is provided with a latch engaging notch 12 and a circular latch depressing surface 13 best shown in Fig. 1. The lever 10 is adapted to be swung by the rod R in a counter-clockwise direction from its rod latching position, shown in Fig. 1, to non-latching positions, as will later be described.

A reciprocating` rod R is shown that may represent a belt or clutch shifting rod of any machine and that may be guided in a guideway 14: fixed to a frame 15 or other part of the machine.

A collar 16 is fixed to the rod R and a coil spring 17 is interposed between the collar and bearing guideway 14 that tends to move the rod to the left and hold the belt or clutch shifter in a non-operating position when released by the stop device.

. In connection with the embodiment .of the invention shown, it will be assumed that the rod is moved to the right against the action of the spring 17 to operate a clutch or belt shifter for operating the machine while a reverse movement to the left will disengagc the driving mechanism to stop the machine. A collar 18 fixed to the rod R is provided with a disk or flange 19 that is adapted to engage a notch 2O provided in the upper side of the lever 10.

The .frame 1 of the stop device may be conveniently secured to the frame 15 of a machine by screws 21 or the like and is so located with respect to the rod R that the collar 19 thereof may engage with the notch 20 of the lever 10.

To operate a machine with which my stop device is used, the rod R is moved by hand to the right and against the action of the spring 17 for engaging the clutch or other driving mechanism. rthe collar 19 of the rod automatically engages the notch 2O of the lever 10 and moves the lever in a clockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 1. The spring pressed latch 5 moves to a latching position wherein the roll 7 is in engagement vvith the notch 12 of the lever and holds the lever from a counterclockvvise movement. The operation of shifting the rod it therefore sets the latch device as the latch 5 and its roll 7 engages notch 12. rlhe rod being urged to its non-operating position by the spring 17 is held in anl operating position by means of the collar 1i), 4lever 10 and latch 5. By the arrangement shown, the thrust of the spring 17 upon the latch 5 is greatly reduced by reason of the ratio the leverages between 11v and 20 and between 11 and 12. This reduction enables me to usemy simple electrical latch device even lthough the spring 17 is very powerful. The arrangement constitutes one feature of my invention.

Magnets 9 of the lock L are preferably connected by suitable means to-any circuit that may include one ormore dry cells and a circuit controlling switch. The circuit switch may take any form such as a push button or other device adapted to open or close the circuit but is usually attached to or controlled by relatively movable parts of the machine itself. That is, the 4circuit control may be so arranged that the circuit may be closed by the machine at 'the termination of any number Lof-cycles or at any other time depending upon the type of machin-e With which the device is used.

' Whenever the circuit is closed ,and the magnets supplied with an electrical current, the keeper 8 is elevated to permit a depressing movement Vof the latch. Since `the lever 10 isV at all times 'being urged in a counter-clockwise direction by its connection with the spring pressed rod R- the ,WithdraWal of the keeper permits the lever to move t-o the 'right and to depress the latch 5. As vthe lever 10 swings to' the right the roll of the latch is engaged by the cam surface 13 of the lever which holds the latch in its depressed position. As `the lever swings to the right the collar V19 `of the rod is released by the notch 2O and the spring 17 actuates the rod R to the 'left and disengages the clutch lor pulley `driving mechanism controlled thereby. lWhen itis desired to again operate the machine by a right hand movement ofthe rod the lever and latch are reset to the latching vposition shown in Fig. 1 by the engagement of the collar 19 and notch 20 lof the lever which moves frame 10 to the position shown in Fig. l.V

From the foregoing description, it is seen that no matter liovv powerful the rod shift` ing spring is, the leverage between the latch of the lock and the latch of the simple lever on .the rod is such ,that almost no power at all. will release the lever `on the rod.Y In actual practice, a. singleJ dry celll Will Operate the lock to release the lever arm even against a very powerful spring.

l consider that the chief feature of my invention is the extreme simplicity of the means by which supply an eifective electrically operated stop device tamachines of all sorts, even though they Vrequire avery powerful spring to shift thestarting rod.

that l claim is: l

1. The combination of a spring pressed shifter rod with a release device comprising, a frame, a collar carried by said rod,`a lever pivoted in said frame having a latch notch and a recess for engagementvivith said c ollar, a lock carried in said fra-me including an electrically operated latch for engaging the notch of said lever, all'adapted and arranged whereby the rod is held from a shifting movement by `the lever While the said 'lever is held in latc-hed position Iby the latch of the lock.

2. A unitary stop device for application to `machines having spring Vpressedyshift-ing rods, said device comprising a `U shaped frame adapted to rbe attached to the machine so its ilegs straddle the shifting rod, ,acur-veld lever pivoted Vto :the `frame close Eby fthe shifting rod, an electrically operated latch mechaliism -or lock mounted between the llegs of the `frame with its flatch Vlocated -at a` remote point from said pivot,said flever being provided With releasable means "to lengage and hold the rod adjacent saidpiv'ot and means engageable lWithsaid'latch remote from said ivot, the surfaces ofsaid curved leve-r being designed to cooperate with the rod and latch to automatically set the stop device from the movement of the rod in one direction and to hold the latch out of operation upon the movement ofthe rod in the opposite direction.

3. A unitary stop device comprising a U shaped frame having an electricallyoperated door loci; mounted between its flegs vvith the latch thereof positioned at the outer o pensignature.

' CHARLES H. USI-IER.

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