US1916467A - Tension regulator - Google Patents

Description

July 4, 1933. E. EGER TENSION REGULATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet l FiledMargh 16, 1928 m Vlr mm N M 8 N RN INVEg AR. BY 2 W v I ATTORNEY July 4-, 1933. EGER TENSION REGULATOR Filed March 16, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO Patented July 4, 1933 UNITED s'm'ras' PATENT OFFICE ERNST EGER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO MORGAN AND WRIGHT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN TENSION REGULATOR Application filed March 16, 1928. Serial No. 262,163.

The present invention relates toa tension device of the automatic type to provlde means for controlling the tension on fabrics and other materials as they are being run through tension of predetermined amount irrespective of the length or width of the material, to

' make it possible to procure the same tension 'on diiferentruns of thematerial, and to provide easily adjustable means for varying the tension as for different material. Broadly speaking, the invention comprises a feeding mechanism for advancing a strip of material either to'or from a machine in which the material is being treatedand means controlled by the tension on the strip for regulating the speed of the feeding mechanism so that a uniform tension may be maintained of predetermined amount. The specific embodiment of the invention which has been selected to illustrate the principles there,- of is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is aperspective view and Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatical-view illustrating the electrical control. Referring to the drawings, the tension device is mounted on a frame 5 of any suitable type. The strip of fabric orother material 6 enters the tension device in the direction indicated by the arrow and passes over an idler roll 7 mounted on the top of the frame. It then passes downwardly under an idler roll 8 and upwardly and over the feeding roll 9, both of these rolls 8 and 9 being supported in suitable brackets 10 on the frame 5. After leaving the roll 9, the fabric passes around roll 11 and beneath roll 12.

The feeding roll 9 which advances the strip may be driven from any suitable source of power but in the present embodiment it is operated from an electric motor 13 mounted beneath the frame 5. This motor drives a shaft 14 through the medium of the pulleys 15 and 16 and the belt 17. In order to permit the speed of the feeding roll 9 to be varied in the manner which will be presently described, a Reeves drive 18 is mounted on the frame 5 and operatively connects the shaft 14 with shaft 19. The power is transmitted from this shaft 19 to the shaft 20 on which the roll 9 is mounted through the medium of pulleys 21 and 22 and the belt 23.

The construction of the Reeves drive 18 is so well known that it is not believed any detailed description thereof is necessary, but briefly it consistsof a pair of oppositely disposed cones 24 and 25 on the shaft 14 and a similar pair 26 and 27 on the shaft 19. In

each of these pairs, one of the cones is movable toward and from the other so as to provide a pulley ofadjustable diameter upon which travels a belt 28 of the V-type the side faces of the belt being bevelled to fit the corresponding conical faces of the cones 24 to27. The shafts 14 and 19 are mounted in suitable bearings in a frame 29 secured on the main frame 5. The cones 24 and 26 are longitudinally slidable on their respective shafts and are moved to or from the opposing cones by a lever 30 which is fulcrumed at 31 on an arm 32 projecting inwardly from the far side (Fig. 1) of the frame 29, the cone 24 being connected to this lever at 33 and the cone 26 at34. The end 35 of the lever 30 is provided with an interiorly threaded sleeve which fits upon a correspondingly threaded shaft 36 so that a rotation of this shaftcauses the end 35 of the lever to move lon itudinally of the shaft, the direction depen ing on the direction of rotation of such shaft. Thus it will be seen that a movement of this lever from the position indicated in Fig. 1 toward the opposite end ofthe shaft will cause the cone 26 to approach the cone 27 and thus to increase the pulley diameter formed by these cones and on which the belt 28 travels. At the same time the movement of this lever in the manner described will cause the cone 24 to be moved away'from the cone 25 and the driven by the pulley 24-25 through the medium of the belt 28, the reduction of the diameter of the latter and the corresponding increase in the former will cause the shaft 19 to be driven at a reduced speed which will be still further reduced as the lever moves on the shaft 36 in the direction indicated. Conversely, a movement of the lever 25 on the shaft 36 in the opposite direction'will cause the diameter of the pulley 24-25 to be increased and of the pulley 26.27, equally decreased. This movement of the lever will therefore cause an increase in the speed of the shaft 19.

The shaft 36 is caused to rotate in one direction or the other by a motor 37 supported on a platform 38 on the frame 5, through the medium of the worm 39, gear 40, shaft "41, sprocket 42, chain 43 and sprocket 44. This motor 37 is of the reversible type.

The motor 37 is controlled by a switch 45 which is electrically connected thereto by means of a cable 46. In the present embodiment the switch consists primarily of adjustable contacts 47 and 48 which are adapted to be engaged by a movable contact member 49 on the arm 50 pivotally mounted on a shaft 51 supported in suitable brackets 52, 53 on the frame 5. A flexible steel leaf 54 is provided at the end of this arm to carry the actual contacts of the member 49, so that the arm 50 may be permitted further movement in either direction after one of the contacts on the leaf has come into contact with the corresponding contacts 47 or 48.

The arm 50 in the present embodiment is formed on a bell crank or member 55 which ispivotally mounted on the shaft 51. The

downwardly projecting arm 56 of the bell crank and a corresponding arm 57 near the opposite endof the shaft 51 form a swinging support for the idler roll 11. The lateral arm 58 of the bell crank 55 is graduated and a weight 59 is slidable thereon as in a. regular weighing scale in order to permit a measured tension of predetermined amount to be placed A on the fabric strip 6 by the roll 11.- Stops as 60 may be provided to limit the swinging movement of the arm 58 and therefore of the bell crank and roll 11. A set screw as 61 locksthe weight 59 in its adjusted position.

The switch 45 is wired so that when the contact 49 is moved against the contact 47, the motor 37 is caused to rotate in one .direction and similarly when this contact 49 moves against the contact 48 the motor is caused to operate in the reverse direction. It will, of course, be obvious that the same action may be produced in various ways with a non-reversible motor as by merely a reversing ear and suitable magnetic means for shifting the gear when contact is made in the switch. Mechanisms of this kind are so well known that any illustration of the same is not deemed necessary.

different materials and forms of treatment.

These machines are generally provided with their own feeding mechanism for conducting the material thereto, but if this material is drawn directly from a supply roll, the tensionwill vary materially. This condition iseliminated by the use of the feeding device forming the subject matter of the present invention. As the strip of material is advanced by the roll 9, it passes over the rolls Hand 12 in the manner already described. Having first set the weight 59 on the arm 58 at the proper point as indicated by the graduations,

the bell crank 56 causes the roll 11 to be forced outwardly against the under face of the fabricin the manner illustrated with the proper pressure to rovide the required tension in the strip. 0 long as the strip is advanced by the feeding roll 9 at the same speed that it is required by the treating machine, the roll will hold the switch 45 in its neutral position, or in other words, with the contact 49 out of engagement with either of the contacts 47 or 48. If, on the other hand, the feeding roll 9 is driven by the motor at a speed in excess of the speed of the feeding mechanism in the treating machine, the tension on the strip between these two feeding means will diminish and the weight 59 will cause the roll 11 to swing outwardly or, as viewed in. Fig. 1, in a clockwise direction.

This will bring .the contact 49 into engagement with the contact 48, closing the circuit and causing the motor 37 to rotate and diminish the speed of the feeding roll 9 in the manner described. This motor 37 will continue to gradually decrease the speed of the feed mechanism until such time as the two feed mechanisms are operating at the same speed or, in other words, until the proper tension is reached. Similarly, if the feed mechanism in the treating machine is operatin more rapidly than the strip isbeing advance by the feeding roll 9, the tension on the strip betweenthe two feeding'devices will increase, the roll 11 will be moved inwardly by the pressure'on the fabric and the contact 49 brought into engagement with the contact 47.

This will cahse the motor 37 to be drivenv in the opposite direction to that just described and 48 are adjustable so that the limits of variation in tension may be accuratel fixed and normally these variations woul be so slight as tobe entirely immaterial. Thus it will be seen that a uniform and measured ten, sion may be automatically maintained on the strip as it passes to the treating machine and this permits difi'erent runs of the material to be subjected to the same tension by merely setting the weight 59 atthe same point on the graduated scale. On theother hand, if a greater or less tension is desired, the Wei ht may be shifted the proper amount to provide 1 this.

I am aware that the form and arrangement of the partsoof the device may be very materially changed without departing from the spirit of the invention and I reserve the right to make all such variations therein as 'fairly fall1within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

' I. The combination with a variable feed device including electrical operating means,

of a bell crank having a depending arm and a lateral'arm, a roll journalled in the free end oi the depending arm, means of adjustment associated with the lateral arm for measuring and varying the pressure of said roll sidewise against a substantially vertical stretch of moving strip material, and contacts coacting with said bell crank to control circuits associated with said electrical means.

2.' The combination with a variable feed device including electrical operating means, of a bell crank having a depending arm and a lateral arm, a-roll journaled in the free end of the depending arm, a scale on said lateral arm a weight adjustable along said lateral arm and cooperating with said scale to measure and to vary the pressure of said roll sidewise against a substantially vertical stretch-- of moving strip material, and contacts coacting with said bell crank to control circuits associated with said electrical means.

Signed at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, this 10th dayof March, 1928.

ERNST EGER.

Images