US2146713A - Knot tier - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 14, 1939. v .E J ABBOTT 2,146,713

' r KNOT TIER Filed Feb. 12, 1936 3 sheets-sheet 2 I Feb. 14, '1939. E. J ABBoTT I I 2,146,713

KNOT TIER Filed Feb. 12, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 a Jazzy;

E l -w-- x- 1a4 /il ae held or operated by\hand, the invention attains its fullest utility as embodied in a mech- Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

bott Machine Company, Wilton, p poration of New Hampshire N. H., a. cor- Application February 12, 1936, Serial No. 63,540

anism for automatically uniting new supply bobbins to the yam packages in a winding machine. By way of example the invention is herein illustrated and described as applied to a bobbin magazine and feeding mechanism associated with automatic package-end finding mechanism such as described in the patent application of Edward J. Abbott and Joseph Ring, for Winding machine, Serial No. 726,524, filed May 19,

Among the several objects of the invention is to provide an improved and more compact and simple knotter mechanism and particularly, although not exclusively, such a knotter mechanism of the kind having' two cooperating tying bills. A further object is to improve and simpiify the mechanism which acts to cross and guide the strands during the formation of the knot, the' mechanism-which strips or pulls off the knot from the tying mechanism and tightens the knot, and the mechanism for operating these parts in timed relation. A further object is to 4 provide improved mechanism for initiating the actuation of a knotter, preferably in timed relation to the operation of means for causing strands to be presented thereto for tying. Another object is to provide an improved and simplified driving mechanism adapted to act very quickly but ina reliable manner to rotate the knotter through the required cycle of operation and stop and-hold the knotter in position ready for its next operation. It will be understood that when embodied in automatic winding machines, the speed with which the knotter performs its function is of importance, since in large measure it determines the number of winding units on which the automatic tying mechanism can act in a given time, and hence the number of winding units which can economicaily be tended by the same knotter.

Other objects of invention and features of advantage and utility will be apparent from this specification and its drawings wherein the invention is explained by way of example. Many of the features of this invention claimed herein are also applicable to and shown as embodied in the mechanisms disclosed in the application of Edward J. Abbott for patent on Automatic winder, Serial No. 63,542, and in the application of Edward J. Abbott for patent on Knotter, 8e-

rial No. 63,541, both filed concurrently herewith. v

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of a rotary magazine for an automatic winder, showing a knotter mounted on the central suction column which holds the ends of strand in the magazine;

Fig. 2 is a view-taken on a vertical plane, partly in section and partly in elevation, with certain parts broken away, showing the knotter, magazine and suction Conduit of Fig. 1, and the mechanism for operating the knotter from the motion of the rotary magazine;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the knotter, with the cover for the knotter cam removed;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the yarn-guiding plate of the knotter, showing the yam-crossing mechanism and knot-stripping arm mounted; thereon;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the knotter with the the cover for the knotter cam removed;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, showing a plate disposed in position ent application of Edward `J. Abbott and Joseph E. Ring for winding machine, Serial No. 726,524, filed May 19, 1934. Also as disclosed in a patent application of Edward J. Abbott for Automatic winder, Serial No. 63,542, filed concurrently with the present application and disclosing many of the features of the present application, the invention of the present application is useful in a traveling magazine adapted to repienish the bobbin holders of Stationary winding units of a multiple winding machine.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a central suction tube 14 within which the air is maintained under a 'reduced pressure by any suitable exhauster. One end of a slotted ,tube 15 extends within and is spaced from the inner wall of tube 14 by a suitable spacer member 16, and the other end of slotted tube 15 terminates in a suitable end-finding nozzie, indicated at 'I'I, close to an unwinding roll HB, such as the rolls shown in the applications referred to ab'ove, the action of these parts be.. ing to find the end of strand on a package P !25 later described.

A plate 91 rotatable about tube 18 forms the support for a series of cylindrical bobbin holders 98, each slotted at 99 and provided with a bottom trapdocr !00. Any suitable means for. rotating and controlling the magazine may be provided.'

for example a rotary disk !05, constantly driven through its internal gear teeth !01 from a suitably driven pinion !08, the plate 91 being restrained and controlled by latch and tripping mechanism such as disclosed in the above-mentioned application for patent on Automatic winder and thereby timed to rotate the magazine through an arccorresponding to one bobbin holder 98 each time a new winding unit is encountered. Bobbins of replenishment strand are held in the bobbin holders 98, and the ends of strand of these bobbins are held by suction in the tube 14. Rotation of the magazine brings the replenishment strands successively to the knotter !25, a replenishment strand arriving at the knotter at the same time that the tube delivers to the knotter a found end of strand of the package of a winding unit.

Arim i! 2 on a stationery flange I! 0 supports the trapdoors !00 oi' the bobbin holders 98 but terminates at a point opposite to the knotter !25, there allowing the trapdoor !00 to drop to a vertical position and discharge the replenishment bobbin which has been tied by the knotter to the found end of strand. 4

Referring particularly to Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive, the knotter !25 herein illustrated preferably is arranged and constructed to tie the knot described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,965,023, namely a knot in which each of a pair of strands is formed into a knot around only one thickness of the other strand, the two such single knots being drawn together so as to reinforce each other against displacement of the combined knot by tension in the united strand. Certain aspects of the invention are not limited to the tying of that kind of knot, and certain claims oi.' this application are generic to the mechanism of the patent application of Edward J. Abbott for Knotter, Serial No. 63,541, filed concurrently herewith.

As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5, the knotter includes a U-shaped frame member 200 on the side elements 202 of which there are mounted a main drive shaft !31 and a pair oi" coaxial rotary tying bilis !30, 3! connected by gearing !33, !34 and !85, !36 so as to be rotated by the shaft !31. This main shaft !31 carries a. notched friction plate !38 contacted by friction material !40 (Pig. 1) on the face of a rotary drive element !39 which is pressed against the plate !38 by a spring i4!. The rotary drive element !39 is constantly driven through gear teeth !42 on its periphery (Fig. 2) by a train of gearing !49. m, !45 from the shatt !48 of an electric motor !28. The knot tier and motor !28 are conveniently supported by a bracket !21 mounted on the suction tube 14.

A pivotally mounted latch !41 normally engages the notched plate !38 and restrains it and the knotter shaft !91 against rotary movement by the constantly running driving motor' !28, the

latch !41 restraining the shaft !31 at such a position that the bilis !30, i3! and other movable the notched plate !38 and permitting this plate and the knotter shaf!: !31 to be turned through one revolution by the knotter-driving mechanism.

Upon the conclusion of one revolution of the shaft !31, which produces two full revolutions oi.' the bilis and l3l, the latch !81 drops into engagement with the shoulder of the notched plate !38 thereby restraining the knotter parts against movement past their initial or starting position shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The continuous i'rictional eifect oi.' the i'riction material of driving disk !39 upon the plate !38 insures that the knotter parts will be held in their initial position. ready to receive the next pair of strands to be united.

A side plate !80, associated with the U-shaped frame element 200, serves as a guide and positioning member for the pairs of strands to be united. One strand, from a replenishment bobbin in one of the bobbin holders 98, is slid by the rotary movement of the magazine along a smooth upper surface i8!! of the plate !80 until it drops into a. slot !99 adjacent tothe bill !30, and the other strand of the pair is laid by the suction tube 15 into a second slot !91 adjacent to 'the bill i3! and in spaced relation to the strand in slot !99. Each of these slots !99 and !91 is rounded at its mouth to facilitate the' entrance of its strand..

A further guide member i8! on the opposite side of the bilis' upon the slots !99, !91, is shaped to cooperate therewith in holding the strands in position for tying. This guide member i8! is in the form of a metal strip of which the side edges diverge from a top point !98 to a pair of shoul- .ders !88, !84 beneath which the strands are adapted to thread, and which act to hold the strands down in position for tying.

The strand-crossing mechanism which arranges the strands for tying is shown in Fig. 4

as including a pocket !88' carried by a member !85 which is pivoted to theplate !80 at !88, and a pocket !58 carried by a link !81 which is slotted at !89 so as to slide cn the pivot !88. A pin i9!, fast on member !85 and engaging in a slot !92 in link !81 acts to swing member |88 'in a clockwise direction about the pivot !88 when link 81 is shifted to the left. A lever !82, pivoted to the plate !80 at i8! is connected at its upper end by a pivot !88 to link !81 and carries a cam follower !83 which engages a cam groove !81 in a cylindrical cam I 58 which is fast on the main shaft !31. The cam groove !81 is so shaped that one revolution of the main shaft initially crosses the strands in the path of the bilis. then, after the crossed strands have been picked up by the bilis, returns the pockets !88' and !88 to their initial positions of Figs. 3, 4, and 5 while the bilis are making their first revolution, and retains the pockets in this position throughout the remainder of the knot-tying cycle.

Each bill !38, i3! is provided with the usual fixed blades, and also with a pivoted clamplng shear blade, !30' and !3! respectively, best shown in Figs. 5 and 7. Pivoted blade !38' is pull-oii arm quickly to the dotted position oi' Pig.

provided with cam-follower extensions !so and 130 'adapted to engage a stationary cam strip 40, and pivoted blade lal is provided with camfollower extensions is!!' and |3| adapted to engage a Stationary cam strip ll, the effect' ot these cams and cam-followers being to open the pivoted blades as the bills point downwardly and to close the blades as the bills turn from a down-' ward position to the position of Flg. 3.

The manner of tying the knot in the crossed strands will be'apparent from the aforementioned United States Letters Patent No. 1,965,023and need not be further discussed herein except to -point out that the bills turn in the direction of the arrow X inAFig. 6 and that at the end of approximately three-quarters of a revolution of the bilis, as indicated in Fig. '7, the bills are swinging upwardly and are each carrying a complete loop of one strand which has also been bent about the opposite bill and a bend or partial loop of the other strand which has also been formed into a complete loop about the .opp site bill. Thus both strands extend across between the two bilis, as indicated in Fig. 7, and the two portions of strand destined to become the knot tails are about to be picked up between the fixed and pivoted blades of the bilis, to be clamped and severed. Further rotary movement of the bills through about 90 from the position of Fig. 7 to the initial position of Figs. 3 and will result in the knot tail portions being clamped and severed. At the stage represented by Flg. 7, the two portions of the strands destined to form the tails of the knot are still engaged under the shoulders I 83, l84 of the guide member I8I, and are under the tension lmparted to them by the suction in the tube 14.

As the pivoted blades close, it is desirable to prevent the tension in the strand and the rotary movement of the bills fromprematurely casting oii. the knot-formation which has been set up in the form of Fig. 7. Moreover, it will appear from g tending portions are near the tips of the bills the knot tail portions will be cut off close to them, whereas if these laterally extending portions are close to the axis of rotation of the bills, the knot tail portions will be cut longer. The present invention preferably provides a guard member 43 extending from the guide element |8 in between the bills in a part of their rotary movement, thus to provide a curved, a generally arcuate edge 44 upon which the two laterally extending portions of strand can run, and which thereby prevents the premature casting ofi of the knot-formation and also determines the position of these laterally extending portions with reference to the bill axis and so regulates or determines the lengths of the tail portions of the knot. As indicated in Fig. 6, the guard element 43 terminates at a point a little past the upright position of the bilis, so as to permit the knot-formation to be pulled ofl? the bills toward the side opposite to the guide member I Ol. V

A knot-stripping or pull-off arm Hi0 is shown as pivoted at !93 to the plate lao so as to operate in a plane substantially parallel thereto, and earries a cam follower ISI which engages a cam groove I 59 in the cam !56. The shape of cam groove |59 is such as to keep the pull-off arm ISO idle in approximately its full-line position of Figs. 3 and 4 until almost the end of the first full revolution of the hills, and then to lift the 4, pulling the formed knot of! the billsover the temporarily clamped tail portions thereof, and then restoring the pull-off arm to its !u'll-line position during the following idle movement oi! the hills.

It will be understood that the pull-off arm, acting on the main portions of the two knotted strands, tends to pull the knot together and tighten it. In this operation of tightening the knot, the present invention provides for spreading the main 'portions of the two strands materially tarther apart than their relatively close relation which they occupied in the slots !91 and !99, so as to increase the angle between them and the efifectiveness with which tension in the strands pulls the parts of the knot together. 'Thus, the pullofi 'arm Hi0 is shown as provided with a 'humped portion Hill adapted to enter in between the two strands and having downwardly slanting sides, with the efiect of exerting a camming action on the-two strands such as to spread them and increase the angle between them as they are lifted out of the slots 191 and les. The result of this action is to pull the portions of the knot together more positively and securely than would be the case if, in tightening, the strands were maintained in about the relative positions determined by the slots |9`l and !99.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A knot tier having therein a pair of rotary bills, means for receiving and holding'separately two strands respectively at one side of each bill, and guide means for the strands on the other side of each bill, said guide means including shoulder portions beneath which the strands can lie whereby to retain the strands in operative relation to the bills.

2. A knot tier having therein a pair of rotary bills, means for receiving and holding separately two strands respectively at one side of each bill, and a divider element located at the other side of each bill in position to keep the 'strands separate, said divider element having shouiders adapted to retain the strands in operative relation to the hills.

3. A strand-uniting mechanism having therein a pair of rotary bills, a smooth guiding element along which one strand is adapted to slide toward the path of rotation of one bill, the knotter being provided with a slot into which said strand is adapted to drop in position to be acted on by the last-mentioned bill, and means *for receiving and holding another strand separately from the aforesaid strand, and crossing mechanism operating on the two separate strands in conjunction with the bilis.

4. A strand-uniting mechanism having therein loop-forming and strand-severing means, means for automatically delivering pairs of strands to the loop-forming and strand-severing means, means for receiving and holding separately the two strands thus delivered, and means operating in timed relation to the loop-forming and strandsevering means to cross the two separately held r strands.

' 5. A strand uniting mechanism including a rotary tying bill mechanism, means for automatically delivering pairs of. strands separately to the tying bill mechanism, means for` receiving and for knotting by the rotation of the bilis, and

means for rotating the bilis to form a knot in the strands. a V

TI. A knot tier having therein a pair of cooperating rotary bilis each including means for severing a strand, means for holding two strands to be knotted by said 'bilis, and means for pulling the two strands to tighten the knot formed by the bilis, said pulling means including a cam element shaped to spread the main portions oi the; two

'strands apart during the action of the said pulling means.

8. A knot tier having therein a pair of bilis rotatable about a common axis, a main driving shaft parallel with the axis of rotation of the bilis, driving connections from the shaft to the' bilis, a side plate stationarily mounted with respect to the axis of rotation of said bills, strandcrossing linkage, a pull-off arm mounted on said side plate to move in planes substantially parallel to said plate, and cam means on said shaft for operating the strand-'crossing linkage and pull-oii! arm. I

9. A knot tier having therein a pair of bilis rotatable about a common axis, a main driving shaft parallel with the axis of rotation of the bilis, driving connections from the shaft to the bilis, a side plate stationarily mounted with respect to the axis of said bilis, a pull-off arm pivotaliy mounted on the side plate, and cam means for operating said arm from said shaft.

10. strand-crossing mechanism having therein a pair of bilis rotatable about a common axis, means for arranging the strands in the paths of said bilis so that each bill in rotating forms a loop of a strand which is bent about the opposite bill, and a guide element between the bilis in a part of their path of rotation acting on the parts of strands extending across from one bill to the other to define their positions with relation to the axis of rotation of the bilis.

11. strand-uniting mechanism having therein a knotter including an actuating shait therefor, a constantly moving driving member. means having frictional engagement with the constantly moving driving member for imparting its movement to the knotte'r-actuating shaft, and means for restraining the knotter shaft from rotation, said last-named=means being releasabie to permit the knotter shaft to be rotated. x v

12. strand-uniting mechanism having therein a knotter including an actuating shait therefor, a constantly moving driving member, means having .frictional engagement with the constantly moving driving member for imparting its movement to the knotter-actuating shait, and a latch adapted to cooperate with said last-named means to stop its rotation at the end of one revolution,

whereby tripping the' latch causes the knotter shaft to be rotated one revolution and then stop.

13. A knotter having therein a U-shaped frame member, a main shaft mounted in the side elements oi' said U-shaped 'frame member, a pair of rotary bilis mounted one in each of said side elements and directed toward one another, means for driving the bilis from the shaft, a.' plate mounted perpendicular to said side elements, strand-crossing mechanism and a pull-oii' arm mounted on the plate, and cam means on said shaft for operating the strand-crossing mechanism and pull-oil arm.

14. A knotter having therein a main shaft, a pair of rotary bilis, gearlng between the bilis and shaft adapted to rotate the bilis two full revolutions during one revolution of the shaft, strand-crossing mechanism and a pull-oi! arm, and cam means rotated by said shaft to lmpart p a single cycle of operation to said crossing mechanism and pull-oii arm during one revolution of the shaft, whereby at the end of one full revolution of the shait the bilis, crossing mechanism and puil-ofi arm are in the same position as before said revolution of the shaft.

i5. A knotter having therein a main shaft, a pair of rotary bilis, gear-ing between the bilis and 'shaft adapted torotate the bilis two full revolutions during one revolution of the shaft, strandcrossing mechanism and a .pull-off arm, cam means rotated by said shaft to impart a. single cycle of operation to said crossing mechanism and pull-oil.' arm during one revolution of the shaft, whereby at the end of one full revolution of the shaft the bilis, crossing mechanism and pull-ofi arm are in the same position as before said revolution of the shaft, and means for detaining the shaft against further revolution at the end of one full revolution.

EDWARD J. ABBOTT.

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