US2211036A - Bristle feeding and picking device - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 13, 1940.

. L. w. VINAL 2,211,036

BRISTLE FEEDING AND PICKING DEVICE Filed June 7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 13, 1940. w. VINAL 2,211,036

BRISTLE FEEDING AND PICKING DEVICE Filed June 7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I I All 11mm Patented Aug. 13, 1940 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

- BRISTLE FEEDING AND PICKINGWDIEVICE Leroy W. Vinal, Leominster, Mass, assignor to E. I. du Pont de NBIIIOIH'SK; Com'pany', Wilmington, Del., a corporationof Delaware Application June 7, 1938, Serial No. 212,371

9 Claims. (01. sot-71 The principal objects of this invention are to providea bristle feeding device with a hopper arranged so it can be filled withv bristles without stopping the machine and to provide means whereby a"movable bottom for the hopper is oscillated on a pivot near the top thereof for consolidating" the bristles in the lower part, which is of gradually reduced area toward the end, and

v to press the bottom against the picker so that the picker may be enabled to pick up enough bristlesto forin a tuft; to provide an end for the hopper which will bear by spring-pressure on the surface offlthe picker and prevent the loss of bristles'at this point and also bring them to a position to be fed into the slot in the picker; to provide the above features in combination with an oscillating picker, and to provide the picker with means for adjusting both the depth of the slot'for receiving the bristles and the position of the slot at the delivering point.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of a hopper for feeding bristles, or the like, and associated parts illustrating a preferred form of this invention,

and v Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, partly in section.

This hopper andbristle feeding device is intended'to be attached to a tuft forming and setting" machine-and to constitute an important part thereof. In the form shown, the'hopper 5 is supported by a part of the frame ID of such a machine and the hopper proper is carried partly by a'bracket on that frame.- The hopper comprises two sides l2, each one havinga vertical slot l3 therein. At one side of the hopper is a bracket having a screw M on a horizontalflarm |5 which, at its outer end, has a pivot screw l6 carrying a bar IT. This bar passes through thetwo slots I3. The other two sides of the hopper are fixed in place by screws l9 or the like. As the bristles feed'do'wn, the bar I! feeds down naturally and the intention is that this bar should always apply a little pressure to the bristles in the hopper to keep'them consolidated and eliminate important interstices between the bristles and to keep them from mixing up in the top part of the.

I Toward thelower endof the hopper is a pivot to the accompanying '20 carrying a generally inclined and curvedplate 2| constituting the bottom of the hopper. For

there is a projection 22 up from this bottom which extends up into a slot 23. in the bottom of one of the sides I 2. I This bottom extends down to a point below the lower endl8 at the opposite side, l2 of 'thehopper and the shape and curvature are such that the space between which the bristles are discharge'd against the picker: 23

,- the purpose of preventing theescape of bristles,

grows gradually less toward thedischarge end of the hopper. This discharge endis closed by a static-nary member 24 having within it a springpressed plunger '25; The spring behind this plunger keeps a curved surface 26 at the end of the plunger constantly in contact with the ar- Therefore, at no time The result of this construction is that, where the cam is shown, the bell crank 28 will remain stationary until the-cam turns to such position as to bring into operation the sinuous outline 32 of the cam. Now the bell crank will be oscillated and thesbottom 2|will also be oscillated toward and from the picker 23. The shortest distance 3 between the picker and the bottom of the hopper iscontrolled-by thescrew 21 which supports the bottom 2|.- The picker 23 is operated by a link! which is actuated by a cam (notshown) in a well known manner, andin a certain relationship to the-shaft 3| so that, during the forward motion of the picker after the slot has passed out of the hopper, the bottom 2| will be constantlyzoscillated to settle the bristles and compact themin the bottomof the hopper. The

bottom 2| is under the influence of the concentric portion of the cam during the backward stroke of the picker and is being forced up to hold the bristles firmly against the picker.

It will be seen also that, from the stationary frame 25 on which the stationary member 24 is mounted, there is a spring 36 which also engages a projection on the bell crank which operates thebottom 2 Therefore, this spring 36, at every opportunity, presses the bottom 2| backwardly against the screw 21 and the projection 29 inwardly toward the cam 3|].

' There is' an adjustable screw stop 44 for controlling the end of the stroke of the. picker 23 Ian inclination.

and another adjustment screw 31 for adjusting the depth of the picker slot 39.

Link 40 has connected thereto a slide 4| running in a guide in the picker, and said slide is provided with a lateral projection 48 which reciprocates in a slot 49 in the picker. At the ends of the slot 49, there are provided the shoulders 5|] and 5| which projection 48 abuts to drive the picker 23 in either direction with a slight lost motion at each end of the stroke. The projection 48 also mounts the separator knife 42 which closes the bristle slot 39 at appropriate intervals and separates excess bristles from .the tuft in the slot.

The bristles which are carried downwardly by the picker from the slide 4| are released into a slot 45 in a support 46. Here, a needle 41 comes down in the center, doubles the bristles into a tuft, and forces them, if desired, into a previously prepared brush back in the usual way. of course, a wirelnot shown) is introduced transversely into the center of the tuft of bristles, as usual.

With the picker as shown in Fig. 2, the end of the down or clockwise stroke has been substantially reached and at this point the link 40 and attached projection 48 start on their upward or counter-clockwise movement, thus withdrawing the knife 42 from the slot 39, and uncovering the latter. The cam actuating the link 40 then causes a slight hesitation of the parts until the bristles have been removed from the picker by the descent of needle 41.

As the projection 48 continues in a counterclockwise direction, it abuts shoulder 50 and thus urges the picker, with the bristle slot 39 open, in its upward movement. At the top of the str0ke,the slot'3'9 has picked up enough bristles to form a tuft and the link 40 starts to descend, the projection 48 traveling in slot 49 until it strikes shoulder 5|, at which point the bristle slot 39 is closed, and the picker 23 starts its downward movement to the slot 45. It is to be noted that the picker 23 has a short dwell at each end of its stroke due to the fact that the slot 49 is longer than the driving projection 48, and thus a lost motion connection is provided between the slide 4| and its knife 42, and the picker.

The bottom 2! is oscillated part of the time through a slight arc to keep the bristles consolidated at the discharge end of the hopper and while at rest the picker slot 39 scoops the bristles into it, whereby this slot is filled while it is at As the picker moves down to the position shown and slightly beyond it, these bristles move down and the bristles are acted on in the usual way to form the tuft, as desired.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what'I claim is:

1. In a bristle feeding device, the combination with a hopper for receiving the bristles having a tapering lower part, and a movable bottom for controlling the area of the lower part, of means for intermittently vibrating said bottom to settle the bristles therein, means carried by said vibrating means for adjusting said bottom to limit said area, and a picker for gathering up enough bristles at a time to form a tuft when the bottom is not in motion.

2. In a bristle feeding device, the combination with a hopper for receivingthe bristles having a movable bottom, of an oscillatable picker in position for engaging the bristles part way between their ends over said bottom, means for oscillating said bottom to settle the bristles when the picker slot has moved out of the hopper, and a stationary member having a spring pressed plunger constantly engaging the surface of the picker for keeping the end of the hopper closed.

3. In a bristle feeding device, the combination with a hopper for receiving the bristles having a tapering lower part, a movable bottom for controlling the width of said lower part, and means for vibrating said bottom to settle the bristles in said lower part, of an oscillatory picker in position for engaging the bristles part way between their ends in said lower part and having a narrow opening in its edge for receiving from the hopper, on each backward stroke, enough bristles to form a tuft.

4. In a bristle feeding device, the combination with a hopper for receiving the bristles having a movable upwardly inclined bottom, and an opening of an oscillatorytpicker in position for its edge to engage the bristlespart way between their ends and having a narrow opening in its edge for receiving therein from the hopper opening, on each backward stroke, enough bristles to form a tuft, 'means for vibrating said bottom from a close to a remote position about an axis near one end, and yielding means for returnin said bottom to its more remote position.

5. In a bristle feeding device, the combination with a hopper for receiving the bristles and a movable upwardly inclined bottom, of means for vibrating said bottom, of an oscillatory picker in position for engaging the bristles part way between their ends and having a narrow opening in its edge for receiving from the hopper, on each backward stroke, enough bristles to form a tuft, means for vibrating said bottom from a close to a remote position about an axis near its upper end, yielding means for returning said bottom to its more remote position, and adjustable means for limiting the retraction of the bottom.

6, In a bristle feeding device, the combination with a hopper for receiving the bristles having a tapering lower end and a movable bottom for controlling the width of said lower end, of means for vibrating said bottom, an oscillatory picker in position for engaging the bristles in said bottom and having a narrow opening in its edge for receiving from the hopper, on each backward stroke, enough bristles to form a tuft, a stationary member at the end of said bottom, and a spring pressed plunger in said member, for normally pressing the plunger into contact with the vibrating picker.

7. In abristle feeding device, the combination with a hopper for receiving the bristles having a vibrating bottom, of a picker in position for engaging the bristles part way between their ends while they are on said bottom, said picker having a narrow opening in its edge for receiving from the hopper, on each forward stroke, enough bristles to form a tuft, and a tuft doubling device located at a point to receive the bristles from said opening and double them into a tuft and force the doubled tuft along a course to a point where they can be set.

8. In abristle feeding device, the combination with a bristle hopper, of a reciprocable picker for engaging the bristles in the hopper and having a slot in its edge for receiving the bristles, a member 'slidably mounted on said picker and constructed and arranged to reciprocate said picker, there being a lost motion connection between said member and said picker whereby the 75 picker has a short dwell at one limit of its movement, and a slot closing element on said member.

9. In a bristle feeding device, a hopper, a picker reciprocably mounted for engagement with bristles in said hopper and having a bristle-receiving slot, an opening in said picker, a slide movably mounted on said picker and having a projection shorter than said opening mounted therein, a slot-closing knife on said slide, means to reciprocate said slide and therefore said picker, the latter having a short dwell at its bristle-discharging station during which said slide and said knife 5 retreat from said slot to open the same.

LEROY W. VINAL.

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