US2258192A - Needle operating mechanism for axminster looms - Google Patents

Description

0; V. PAYNE Oct. 7, 1941.

NEEDLE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS Filed Oct. 28, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR OscAR V PAYNE Afronnzv Oct. 7,1941. 7 o. v. PAYNE NEEDLE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS Filed Oct. 28, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 h m w R w v N M A m E w m& .x: m R m & i A C 5 5 P a J o a w s2 wfi wr r3 2: QW\ MHI=H. \Q w mhk m MK. mg PEI-H1 a Q m r L w f E \wF n MN. my mh Q Had I {Pp i N BL E lu l \Mv o S. m 6 o &.\W\. 20 m I: m 4 W n. fi an 3 Nn Oct. 7, 1941.

o. v. PAYNE NEEDLE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 28, 1940 OSCAR. V. PAYNE ATTORNEY Patented Dot. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT oFncE NEEDLE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS Oscar V. Payne,,.Leicester, Mass., assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts r l cefio q o er 28, 1940, r a No- 63 12 15 Claims. o1. ce- 12.4),

This is a continuation in part of my co-pending application Serial No. 293,184-fi1ed September 2, 1939. r i

.This invention relates to improvements in weft needle operating. mechanisms more particularly for Axminster looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide light weight actuating means capable of attaining high speeds.

It has been customary heretofore to drive the needles of Axminster looms by means of a drum oscillated by a heavy reciprocating segment gear. The weight of these parts has interfered with efforts to increase the speed of a loom and it is an important object of .mypresent inven-' tion to replace the drumand segment gear by a system of stationary and movable pulleys around which is trained a cable connected to the needle operating carriage. Each of the movable pulleys has the effect of doubling the motion of theneedle carriage, and by. employing .a suflicient number of movable pulleys I have been able to operate a needle on a wide loom by mechanism which reciprocates the movable'pule l ys through a comparatively short distance.

In Axminster looms theweft is derived from an outside stationary support and is laid in the shed by a needle which must enter and leave the shed for each crossingofthe harnesses. 'The harnesses are open sufiiciently to receive the needle for approximately seven-.twelfths of a loom beat. The needle speed. is therefore relatively high since it must .traverse the shedtwic'e for each harness crossing, .orin slightly more than one-half a second at sixty picks per min! ute, and any reduction. in weight ofthe needle actuating mechanism facilitates increase in loom speed. Except for slight differences in the friction of the weft passing through the needle eye the work expended in moving the needle into the shed is substantially the same as that re quired to move it out of the shed and for this reason the cable already mentioned can be of uniform size throughout its length. Thiscondition also means that the needle inserting and withdrawing parts of the mechanism wear uniformly, and compensation for the wearing of both parts will be substantially the same. i

It is a further object of my present invention to employ a cable the ends of which are fixed relatively to each other and the intermediate part of which is connected to a sliding needle" carriage,together with a set of movable sheaves so. related to the moving .cab1ethatthe interalong the needle rail when the pulleys move to cause a paying-out ,motion of oneend of the cable wh ch is Just omp n a o by a s o tening-of the other end. of thfi cable. 'This1re-.

suit may beaccornplished by leading the cable r m an a c or. a ou ha of he m va l pule mediate part of thelatter willbe caused to move 5.5.

has an hal of the s ti n ry ulleys and then connecting it to the needle carriage, the re. mainder of the cable extending from the car.- riage to be trained'around the remaining stationary and'movable pulleys and thenattached to ano her anc o In th s'way the cable s k t tau hrou hout the re i roca n t needle. i

. It a urt erobiect o myp sent inventio to distribute the strains on the movable pulleys in sucha way as to efiect a; balancein the forces acting o he pu le s ppo t, thereby avoidin any tendency to twist the latter. If, for in: stance, three movable sheaves are employed for thatpart of the cable whichinserts the needle into the shed; two ofthem willbe relatively near the support of. the. stud :carryingfthe pulleys while the third will be ata greater; distance-from th support. ,In Order to accomplish thisjdistribution of strains I employ stationarypulleys which are disposed diagonally so thatuthe top of the; stationarypulley will align with;the movable pulley on one side of the support while-the bot om o th qstatiq a y pu ley aligns w thanother movable pulley ontheopposite'side of the support. relatienship hasthe furthergadvanta e o e n th cabl 'sec ions par l not only with themselves but also. with the av s, y reducin Wear .of the sheave flanges. g

Itis a further-object of my invention to conneat the selvage shuttle and movable pulley driving mechanisms so that the shuttle will have an operating motion when the pulleys are;at,or near that end ftheir stroke which occurs when the needle is in the warp shed.

'It is another object of my invention'toqprovidefor tensioning at least one end of the cable sufiiciently to keep the cable taut at all times and avoidslipping of the .cableon the pulleys, thereby reducing wear of both the cable and pulleys. The yielding of the cable madeppossible bywthe tensioning. means alsoavoidssshock andabrupt application of force to the carriage and needle, thereby further facilitating operation at highspeeds. 1 7

.It is-another object oimy presentiinvention to. mount the pulley systemon a structure one side of which'is theusual needle rail. In this way I am able to use an existing part of the needle guiding mechanism to assist in supporting the mechanism which operates the pulleys and cable;

It is a still further object of my present invention to support the movable pulleys on a mounting so controlled that they move in a sub- 'stantially straight line between the fixed pulleys. This result I accomplish by means of supporting the operating lever for the movable pulleys in such a way that the throw or amplitude game a carriage l2 which slides along a stationary needle rail l3 sufficiently long to accommodate the motion of the needle into and out of the Warp "of swingo'f the lever can be varied for adjustff merit purposes without interfering with the.

straight line motion of the pulleys carried -by the lever.

The cable which I employ preferablyhas the strands thereof given a helical form before be ing assembled to form the cable. In this way each strand is freed from internal strains, and

a cable so formed operates with a minimum of stretch or breakage and is therefore favorable tol'ong life of the needle actuating: mechanism.

- It is a further object of my present invention to provide. improved connections between the cable sections and theneedle carriage so'that the cable may be disconnected temporarily from the needle and its carriage for repair without danger that the cable will become unwrapped from the several pulleys. I

With these and other objects in' view which Will'appear as the description'proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrange ment of parts hereinafter described and set forth. In the accompanying drawings, wherein a con- 7 venient embodiment of my invention is set forth:

Fig. ll-is a diagrammatic plan View of an Axminster loom showing the relation between the loom and needle operating mechanism with'the needle in the shed, V a

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic end elevation of part of an Axminster loom with the warp shed open to receive the needle, which is in section, looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows a front elevation of my needle mechanism as it would appear at the right hand end of a loom with the needle inthe shed, looking in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. l, v

Fig. 4is aplan'view looking in the direction of arrow 4, Fig. 3. p

' Figs. 5 and 6 are end elevations-taken in the direction of arrows 5 and 6, respectively,'Fig. 3,

shed.

The Weft thread W is drawn from a stationary package l4 and threaded through an eye 5 at the left end of the needle and thence to the right hand selvage at I6. A selvage shuttle I! having a selvage thread l3 attached to the left hand selvage at I9 is moved along a shuttle race 20 by an arm 21 secured to an oscillating vertical shaft22 and passes between the two parts of the weft W which lead to therig h't from the eye l5. The loom has a set of tube frames T three of which are shownin'Fig. 2. These tube frames are successively moved to a'delivery point under a pullover shaft 23 by two'transporting chains one of which isshown at 24. The tube frame in delivery position is temporarily disconnected from the chains and lowered to tuft forming position by arms 25. The tuft yarns Y are projected downwardly through the warp sheds as shown in Fig. 2 to positions between the cloth board and the needle to the full line position of Fig. 2. The needle then lays a shot of weftand the reed beats up to force -the' Weft and yarn Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the lever for op- 1 erating the movable sheaves looking in the direc tion of arrow 1, Fig; 3, V

Fig. 8 is a vertical section on line 8-8, Fig. 3,

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic front elevation on a 7 scale reduced from that of Fig. 3 and showing the movable sheave actuating mechanism in three different positions,

Fig. 10 is a detail of one end of the cable and its connector, showing the form of the wire the means'for holding the cable ends taut when disconnected 'from the needle carriage, and- Fig. 13 is an end elevation in the direction of arrow l3,Fig.l. V

Referring to thedrawings, particularly Fi'gs.

1 and 2, TI have'ishown vtheframe lflof' an Ax minster loomhaving a cloth board i lover which theWOVen-fabric'F moves from the-point of tuft tufts 'over the. hooks 26'on the cloth board H to a position in front of the hooks. The tube frame is then raised to draw off enough yarn for the 'neXt row of tufts while the reed is held forward to prevent tuft slippage, and the harness frames shift to form a new shed. The front and back knives 21 and 28, respectively, then approach each other during the ensuing backward motion of the reed and start to cut at the left end of'the loom as soon'as the reed has moved far enough rearward'ly to clear theback knife. Shortly thereafter the reed is back far enough to .permit'entry of the needle into the new shed which has been formed by the harnesses. The needle travels in the Shed toward the left while the knives-are still cutting the yarns Y, and the cutting ordinarily continues until the needle is entirelyin the shed.

As the needle moves out of the shed the reed starts forward, cutting having been completed and the rear knife having "moved back far enough to clearthe advancing reed. The needle moves into and 'out ofeach warp shed and has a complete reciprocation for each backward stroke of the lay while the warp threads are spread apart toform a shed. The harnesses form a new shed foreachreciprocation of the needle. 7

The matter thus far described is of common construction and may be constructed and operated as is customary in Axminster looms.

'.The,loom to whichimy invention is applied has extending therefroma floor plate 30 on which is supported an end frame tl bolted to the loom frame. Fastene'd'to the end frame is an upright bracket 32 to which the inner end of the needle rail- I3, is secured. The rail comprises top and bottom bars'tBT'and '34, respeotivelyfwhich are secured to an angle -bar.35 fastened to the bracket" 32:' The adjacent faces 36 of the bars are oblique to. form a dovetail'slot which receives guide shoe 3'! on the needle carriage 'I2. The right endof .ment of the last named parts. receivesa stud 63 supported by ,a link 64 the left endof which as viewed in Fig. 3 is pivoted at 65 to a bearing 66secured .tofioorplate 39. 1Lever 54 therefore fioats on links =5I .and .64 and I am able Fig. 3, by spring 11. through which extends a threaded rod 82 held in fixed adjusted position on the horn 8| by nuts 83,

the needle ran as seen-in Figs. Band :4, issecured .to' alsecondverticalbracket 38'mounted on a post :39 resting on thefloor. :The :needle rail is .thus .held in fixed position with respect'tothe loom so thatthe needlemay be guidedalong the reed whenmoving into and out of the warp shed. .The needlerail and its mounting may beof the'usual construction but enters into. one feature of my invention as will bepointed out hereinafter.

The frame 3| supports a shaft49 which in the present instance rotates once in three beats of the loom. "This shaft is secured to a driving spur gear 4I driven .by means not shown and also has fastened theretoa bevel gear 42 having anuninterrupted series of teeth around its periphery: whichmesh .with a bevel pinion also having a continuous series of teeth and secured to a cross shaft44 suitably supported. :The latter therefore rotates continuously and preferably with a uniform rateof motion, .and completes a rotation for. each beat of the loom. ISecured to shaft 44 is acrank arm45pivoted as at .46 to a driving connector.

Fastened to frame 3| is a bearing bracket 59 for a dependingtlink 5I pivoted thereto at :52. The lower end of link 5| ispivoted on, a stud 53 to which .theright hand end of link 41 is also pivoted. .Stud 53 is supportedbyafioatinglever 54 to the upper end of which is secured a sheave pin 55 for a purpose: to be described. Stud 53 is preferably equidistant from pivot :52 and pin 55.

As shown in Figs.'3..and '7, abearing foot 56 hasxa vertical extension .51 extending along the lower end 58 of lever 54. A'key 59 on extension 51 fits into a slot 69 in the lever end 58, and slots 6| in lever54 receive bolts 62 to fasten the lever to the foot and afford vertical relativeadjust- The bearingfoot I an approximately .straight horizontal line because of the proportions already described.

The bracket .38, as shown in Figs. 4 vandfi, has

a horizontal footIfl resting on post 39 andformed with'a vertical end .II to which .is bolted the outer end of asteel channelbeam 12 the inner end of which is bolted to the frontend of bracket .32,;as at 13, as shown in Fig. 5. The needle rail,

brackets '32 and .38.,and'the channel bar 12 *therefore form a rigid rectangular frame on which are supported the fixed pulleys to bedescribed.

Bracket 32 has a vertical horn I5 in which, is

- slidably mounted a rod I6 the inner or left end of which as seen in Fig.3 is surrounded by a compressionspring Il confinedbetween the horn I5 andan adjusting nut 18 threaded on the rod. A-rod head 19 on .the rod is pivoted to a cable terminal 199 which is normallylurged to the left, Bracket v38 has a horn BI and arod head85on rod-82 isapivoted to a cable terminal 86. The cable terminals are connected to the ends of a .cable, designated generally at C, which is :afhelic'al: form as indicated inFig, l9 before-they :arewrapped :together to formthe cable. In this "way :thestrands andthe cable formed of them are freefrom resilience which would tend to project them beyond'the outlined the cable. in case of breakage; Such a-cable is subject to mini= mum breakage of 'the strands and has been found to have long life in actual use.

I will howdescribe the pulleys and the manner in-which the cable is trained around them. The cable C could be continuous from one end to the other, but it is preferably formed of two sections 0' and ,C2 which are largely at ;the left and right, respectivelyof lever 54 as viewed in Figs. -3and4. V

Assuming the parts to be aspshown in Fig. 3, :and starting at the left, the cable 0' extends from :terminal 99 to and partly around movable pulley 99 on stud 55, see Fig. 4, and then leads to the left to a fixed pulley 9I of larger diameter than pulley 99 and rotatable in a yoked bearing 92 having a threaded shank 93 held adjustably in bracket 32 by-nuts 94. .Pulley 9I is inclined slightly upwardly andrearwardly as shown in Fig. 5, the bottom of pulley 9| being aligned with 'thebottom of pulley '99. The top of pulley 9| is aligned with the top of pulley 95 on stud 55, to Whichgthe cable C next extends. Leaving the bottom of pulley 95 the cable is led to the bottom of another stationary pulley 96 rotatable on a yokedbearing 91 the shank 98 .of which is held adjustably on bracket 32, by nuts 99. Pulley 96 is inclined upwardly and rearwardly more than is pulley 9|, and is of greater diameter so that the bottom of pulley 96 is aligned with the bottom of pulley 95 while the top thereof is aligned with the top of movable pulley I99 on stud 55. From the bottom of pulley I99 the cable C extends to the bottom of pulley I9I rotatable on stud I92 fixed to -bracket32, and then leads to a terminal I93 connected to the needle carriageat I95.

All the movable pulleys are of substantially the same thickness, and from. Fig. 4 it will be seen .that the straintoward the left exerted on stud by -pul-leys 99 and 95, which are in positions one and two, respectively, in front of lever 54, is I balanced by the pull to the left of pulley I99, which is in position three relatively to the lever and behind the latter. There is therefore little or no twisting of stud 55 and lever 54 because of the different distances of these pulleys from the lever. The i-nclination of the stationary pulleys not only-allow the various sections. of the cable C to leave the pulleys withouttendency to slip off .them, but also permits the balancing of forces 1 as described.

The other half C2 of the cable is similar to .the part C" and cooperates with a set of pulleys like those already set forth. From terminal I98 connected to the needle carriage at I96, cable section C2 leads to the top of stationary pulley I99 rotatable on a stud supported by bracket 38 ,at the outer or right hand :end of the needle rail as seenin Figs. 3 and 4. 'The plane of pulley .I 9I is vertical, since: it receives section C' from the rearmost movable pulley I99 aligned with it,

. but pulley-I99 is slightly oblique, see Fig. 6, to

. permit cable C2, when leaving the bottom of pulley I99, toextend to the bottom of movable ,pulley II9. on-stud .55-immediately in front of pulley I99 along. a line substantially parallel to the plane of pulley I I9. Cable section, C2 then leadsto inclined stationary pulley III rotating .on a yoked bearing I I2 threadedintolo a k t 3g dl i d d qsii qm ylnuts. L3. :ErQm

the bottomof pulley H l the cable (52 leads "to the stroke.

bottom of movable pulley'll4 just behind lever 54 on stud 55 and is then'led to stationary pulley "H5 rotatable on a bearing H6 similar in con- 7 struction and mounting to part H2. Pulley H5 is inclined considerably, similar to pulley 55, but of larger diameter, so that its top aligns with the top of pulley H4 and its bottom with the bottom of movable pulley ill to which cable C2 extends. Pulley H1 is the front most pulley on stud 55 and cable C2 leads from it to the previously described terminal 86. All the pulleys are grooved as suggested in Figs. 5 and 6, and the cables lead to the pulleysin the planes of the pulleys and their flanges. 0, section C2 extends around the movable pulleys in such a way as to balancethe strains on stud 55 and there is no appreciable tendency to twist lever 54. I f In operation, and assuming that shaft 44 rotates uniformly 'asindicated by arrow (1, Fig. 3, and that'the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 with the needle in the shed,-corresponding to the dot and dash position of Fig. 9, the lever 54 will rock to the left by counter-clockwise rotation of shaft 44, and in doing so will carry the :six movable pulleys which rotate on the stud 55. As these pulleys move to the left the distance between stud 55 and the fixed pulleys at the left of the mechanism decreases to shorten the length of that part of cable section C extending to the left from pulleys 90, 95 and H10. At the same time the length of cable C2 extending to the-right right hand pulleys will increase. The increase at the right is compensated for by the shortening at the left, and that part of the cable extending between the large fixed pulleys llll and I69 therefore moves to the right and carries the needle carriage toward the pulley I09 to retract" the needle from the shed. During motion to the left, lever 54 will pass I from the dot and dash position of Fig. 9 through the full line position, at which time the needle is corresponds to the end of the needle retracting The harnesses II will then change and the lay will beat up the weft laid by the needle.

As shaft 44 continues to rotate lever 54 willl 7 start to move to the right and in doing so will cause the cable'to have motion the reverse of that already described to move the needle carriage to the left to insert theneedle in the new shed.

This complete reciprocation of the needle occurs once for each beatup of the lay and change of "the harnesses.

I have found that a needle motion constructed as set forth herein can be operated at ahigher rate of speed than motions heretofore constructed. due to the fact that the cable and movable pulleys are comparatively light.

I have shown six movable pulleys, three for inserting and'three for retracting the needle, and since each movable pulley either slackens or takes up, depending upon thedirection ofits motion, twice as much cable f as the distance through which it moves, I am able to drive the needle'through a distance six times the length of travel of stud 55 in a hori- As with cable section" from pulleys I ll], H4 and H1 to the stationary m in causing needle movement. I find also that by making the. pulleys of a composition material,

' such as a phenol-condensation product, they can be made thin and at the same time withstand wear as the cable moves along their grooves.

During the operation of the" needle motion the cable sections C and C2 are placed under tension alternately to move the needle into and out of the shed, respectively. When lever 54 starts its motion to the right from the dotted line position of Fig. 9 the needle is momentarily at rest out of the shed, but'the spring 11 will be under an initial compression sufficient to hold the cable sections taut. This initial compression is sufficient to withstand the strain necessary to overcome the inertia of the needle and its carriage during the first part of the insertion stroke. As lever 54 reaches the full line position of Fig. 9, however, the needle is accelerating at its fastest rate and the pull exerted by cable'section C on the rod 16 is likely to cause a slight further compression of spring TI. The spring will yield only a small amount, however, and any accompanying slackness in the section C2 will not be enough to permit the cable to slip out of the grooves of the pulleys it engages.' As the lever 54 moves from the full line to the dot and dash line position in Fig. 9 its motion is retarded, but the needle tends by its momentum to run ahead of the lever, thereby setting up an additional tension in section C2.

An inspection of Fig. 1 will show, however, that it is necessary to have the needle eye l5 properly located with respect to the shuttle l1 and in order to effect this relationship the cable section CZ is'rigidly anchored by means of the rod 82, the additional tension in section C not materially afiecting the location of the needle eye. On the reverse or retracting stroke it is desirable to get the needle out of the shed as quickly as possible, and this result will be accomplished, since there will be no yielding of the anchor of cable section C2 when the needle acceleration approaches or reaches its maximum acceleration. When the needle tends to override lever 54 while moving out of the shed the spring 1'! can yield, inasmuch as it is not necessary for the needle to register with any other mechanism, such as shuttle 11, when out of the shed. It is to be understood that the shuttle I! loops'its selvage thread with the weft thread W laid by the needle in a very short time while the needle is accurately positioned for this operation. By having cable section C2 rigidly anchored I am able to place the needle correctly for cooperation with theshuttle I1. Ex-

perience has shown that a needle motion constructed as set forth herein permits almost unfailing cooperation between the shuttle I1, and the needle, and the so-called slip shots, which have occurred rather frequently with Axminster needle mechanisms as heretofore constructed, practically never occur with my invention. The spring ll furthermore serves the purpose of keeping the cable in close contact with the pulleys to prevent any appreciable'slippage and as a result of this action .of spring 11 wearing of both the cable and the pulleys'is reduced to a minimum.

In order that the relation between the selvage "shuttle and the weft needle may be understood in'the description of the operation of the mechanisrn already given, reference may be had to Figs. 1 and 13. It is' to be understood that the selvage shuttle I! must have its operating movement when the needle is fully inserted into the shed so that the selvage thread can pass through the weft loop carried by the needle. In order to provide for the correct timing of the selvage shuttle, the shaft 40, which extends entirely. across the loom, carries a cam 29 having three spaced cam points 48. These points cooperate witha lever 49 the upper end of which is attached by means of a connector 61 to a lever 68 secured to the lower part of shaft 22. During operation of the loom shaft 40 makes a rotation every third beat of the lay, but the three cam points 48 cause the shuttle to have an operating motion every beat of the loom. The setting of the cam 29 on shaft 40 is such that shaft 22 oscillates when the needle is at or near the end of its stroke into the warp shed. The selvage shuttle operating mechanism may be of the usual type but the timing of its operation is closely related to the movement of the movable pulleys and occurs when the latter are at or near their extreme right hand positions shown in dot and dash lines, Fig. 9.

On the weft needle inserting stroke the final position of the needle is determined by cable section 02 and its anchor 82, since it is this sectionof the cablewhich holds theneedle back, while the other section C'is moving it into the shed; The shuttle actually moves in two stages the first of which passes the advancing nose 69 through the welt loop while the needle is fully inserted in the shed, and the needle is then startedon its outward motion, after-which the shuttle has its second movement and passes completely through-the loop of weft. The anchor 82- serves very effectively to insure accurate registry and. rapid start of the needle away from the shuttle.

It is occasionally necessary to repair the needle or the needle carriage, an operation which ordinarily requires removal of these parts from the loom, and under these conditions it is desirable that the cables be maintained in their normalposition with respect to the sheaves so that it willbe unnecessary to fit the cables to the sheaves after the needle and its carriage have been reinserted in the 100m. In order to carry this feature of my invention into effect I provide the structure shown in detail in Figs. 11 and 12, where the carriage I2 isshown as having an angular shoe 3! into. which the needle end is fitted. This shoe slides between the needle. rail bars 33 and 34, andprojecting forwardly from itis a lug I26 into which are threaded the screws I05 and I06for the cable terminals I03. and I08, respectively. Each of these screws is threaded into the lug I26 and has a shoulder bearing section I21 which passes through thecorresponding cable terminal and alsothrough a link I28. This link has a close fit with the section I21, hence a strain in one of the cable. sections tending to move the carriage I2 in one direction would be communicated to the screw for the terminal of the other cable section. In this way both of. the screws I05 and I06 are required to assist in transmitting a force from either of the cable sections to the needle carriage. I V

Should it be necessary to repair either the, needle or the carriage, the screws I05 and I06 can be disconnected from the lug I26 but kept in contact with their respective terminals I03 and-I08 andremain connected together by the link I28. This relation, shown in dotted lines at the bottom of Fig. 12, serves to maintain the cable sections properly trained around their sheaves while disconnected from the needle and structure can be reassembled as shown in full' lines in Fig. 12 withoutthe necessity of training the cable around the several pulleys. V

Fromthe foregoing it will be seen thatI have provided a simple form of needle actuating mechanism for an Axminster loom including stationary and movable pulleys which cooperate with a. flexible cable connected to the needle carriage in such a way that motion of the movable pulleys causes the carriage to move along the needle: rail. The actuating mechanism is light and the needle can therefore be moved into and out of the shed for each beat of the loom, thereby permitting the attainment of high speeds in Axminster looms. The fact that a. permanent connection exists between the needle and the needle carriage, rendering unnecessary any disconnection between these parts under normal operation, is an important factor in contributing to the success of my invention. It will further be seen that wearing of. the different parts of the mechanism is uniform and that both the sections C and C2 can be made of substantially the samesizecable due to the factthat the strain of inserting the needle is. substantially the same as that required for its retraction. Also, the spring 1'! places the cable-under an initial strain which holds. it against the cables to prevent slippage, thusavoiding wear. The spring is also of use in permitting asmall amount of yielding whenthe needle has reachedits highest rate of acceleration during insertion into the shed, and also when the needle tends to override the lever 54 after reaching its maximum speed. The normal tensionexerted by the spring holds the ends 'of the cable sections remote from the needle carriage in substantially fixed relative position. The fixed anchorage for cable section C2 determines accurately the location of the needle eye. I5 withrespect to the salvage shuttle I1. The diagonal stationary sheaves make possible thealignment of the various sections of the cable withthe planes of themovable pulleys with which they cooperateiandi there is little or no wear of the flanges of the ypulley'sm The preformed wire is also a significant feature of my invention in that the cable is practically free frominternal strains and there is a minimum tendency for the individualistrandsof the cable to break, or project beyond the. outline of the cable should they break. It will further be noted that the needle rail is part ofa rectangular frame which supports the stationary pulleys, this feature being possible due to the fact that the needle rail is stationary. The link suspension of the lever 54 permits the movable pulleys to move in a horizontal linetoward and from the fixed pulleys. Another feature of my invention is found in the fact that the cable section C, for instance, is trained around three of the movable pulleys in such a way that the combined strain transmitted to the lever 54 from two of the sheaves is balanced by the strain transmitted to the lever through the third sheave, thus avoiding distortion of the lever. A further feature of my invention of practical operating importance is the factv that the link whichconnects the terminal attaching screws I05. and I06 serves to maintain th cable trainedaround, the sheaves'when it'is temporarily'disconnected from the needle carriage. I r V It will also be noted that the selvage-shuttle mechanism is timed with lever 54 so that the cam points 48rock shaft 22 to cause an interlooping of the salvage thread with respect to the weft laid by the needle each time the movable pulleys are near their right hand or outermost position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 9. Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the set of, movable pulleysin a direction toward and from the stationary pulleys to cause the carriage to reciprocate along the rail, and yielding means to anchor the other end of the cable, said yieldingfmeans normally maintaining tension in the cableto hold the latter constantly in close contact'with the pulleys.

ZyIn a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having a needle rail and a needle carriage to be reciprocated along the rail to ,move a needleinto and out of a warp shed, a' cable having an intermediate part thereof attached to the carriage, spaced'stationary pulleys aroundwhich extend'the parts of the cable leading-from the carriage, a set of movable pulleys direction toward and from the stationary pulleys to cause the carriage to move the needle into the shed and tension one end of the cable when said movable pulleys move in one direction and move the carriage to retract the needle from the shed and tension the other end of the cable when said movable pulleys move in the'other direction, means'tdhold said one end of the cable fixed, and yielding means attached to the other end'of the cable to'preserve a normal tension in the cable greater than 'the tension set up in the cable at the beginning of a motion of the needle carriage along the needle rail.

3. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an.'Axminster loom having a needle rail and a needle carriage to reciprocate along the rail to move a weft needle into and out of a warp shed, a cable having an intermediate part thereof attached to the carriage and having one end thereof fixed, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend parts of a cable leading from the carriage, aset of movable pulleys,'the cable having parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, means to reciprocate/the set of movable pulleys in unison in adirection toward and from the stationary pulleys to cause the carriage to move toward the warp shed when said movable pulleys move in one direction and cause said carriage to move away from the warp shed when the movable pulleys move in the opposite direction, and yielding means connected to the other end of the cable to maintain a tension on the cable, said movable pulleys to tension that part of the cable the end of which is-fixed when the carriage moves away from the warp shed and said movable pulleys to tension the other part of the cable the end of which is attached to said yielding means when the carriage moves toward the warp shed.

4. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having a needle rail and a needle carriage to reciprocate along the rail to move a weft needle into and out of a warp shed, a cable having'an intermediate part thereof attached to the carriage and having one end thereof fixed, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend parts of a cable leading from the carriage, a set of movable pulleys, the cable having parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, means to reciprocate the set of movable pulleys in unison in a direction toward and from the stationary pulleys to cause the carriage to move toward the warp shed when said movable pulleys move in one direction and cause said carriage to move away from the warp shed when the movable pulleys move in the opposite direction, and yielding means connected to the other end of the cable to maintain a tension on the cable, that'part of the cable which is drawn after the carriage when the latter moves toward th shed having the end thereof fixed and that part of the cable which is drawn after the carriage when the latter moves away from the shed having'the end thereof attached to said yielding means.

5. In a weft needle operating mechanism for a loom, a needle rail, a needle carriage to slide along the rail, a weft needle secured at one end to ,the carriage and having a weft receiving eye in the other end thereof: opposite to the carriage, a cable having an intermediate part thereofattached to the carriage and having the ends thereof substantially fixed with respect to each other, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend the parts of the cable leading from the carriage, a set of movable pulleys, the cable having parts extending from the stationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, and means to reciprocate th movable pulleys in unison in a direction toward and fromthe stationary, pulleys to cause th carriage to reciprocate along the rail, said cable formed of a plurality of metallic strands each having a normal spiral form.

6. In a weft needle operating mechanismfor a loom, a needle rail, a needl carriage to slide along the rail, a cable having the intermediate parts thereof attached to the carriage and having the ends thereof substantially fixed with'respect to each other, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend the parts of the cable leading from the carriage a set of movable pulleys, both the stationary and movable pulleys being formed of a phenol condensation product, the cable having parts extending from the stationary pulleys'to and around the movable pulleys, and means to reciprocate the movable pulleys in unison in a direction toward and from the stationary pulleys tocause the carriage to reciprocate along,,the rail, said cable formed of several preformed wire strands each of which in its normal condition is of spiral form the several strands thus normally formed being combined to form a cable formed of two sections the ends of which remote from the carriage are substantially fixed with respect to each other, a system of stationary and movable pulleys around which the cable sections are trained to effect movement of the needle carriage along the needle rail by movement of the movable pulleys in the system, a link between the other ends of the cable sections, and attaching means extending through the link to connect said other ends of the cable sections to th needle carriage, said link capable of transmitting a driving force derived from the cable to the needle carriage through the attaching means.

8. In aweft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom havinga needle rail and a needle carriage to be reciprocated therealong, a cable formed of two sections the ends of which remote from the carriage are substantially fixed with respect to each other, a system of stationary and movable pulleys around which the cable sections are trained to effect movement of the needl carriage along the needle rail by movement of the movable pulleys in the system, and attaching means normally connected to the carriage and connecting the cable sections together and transmitting driving force from the cable sections to the needle carriage and detachable from the carriage whilermaintaining the cable sections connected together.

9. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having a needle rail and a needle carriage to be reciprocated therealong,

a cable formed of two sections the ends of which remote from the cable carriage are substantially fixed with respect to each other, a system of stationary and movable pulleys around which the cable sections are trained to effect movement of the needle carriage along the needle rail by movement of the movable pulleys, a link between the other end of the cable sections, a pair of spaced attaching means extending through the link and having holding connection with the needle carriage, said attaching means being connected each to one of said other ends of the cable sections, said link serving to holdsaid other ends of the cable sections in normal position when said attaching means are disconnected from the needle carriage.

10. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having a needle rail and. a needle carriage to be reciprocated therealong, a cable formed of two sections, the end of one of said sections remote from the cable carriage being fixed, a system of stationary and movable pulleys around which the cable sections are trained to effect movement of the needle carriage along the needle rail by movement of the movable pulleys, means normally connected to the carriage and connecting the cable sections together and transmitting driving force from the cable sections to the needle carriage, said attaching means being detachable from the needle carriage while maintaining the cable sections connected together, and resilient means acting on the end of the other cable section remote from the needle carriage to assist in maintaining the holding, connection between said attaching means and the ends of the cable sections connected thereto.

11. In a weft needle mechanism for an Axminster loom having on one side thereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weft needle permanently connected to the carriage make a complete reciprocation for each of a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, a selvag shuttle on the other side of the loom to cooperate with the weft of the needle when the latter is in the warp shed, a stranded wire cable having an intermediate part thereof connected to the needle carriage and having the ends thereof substantially fixed with respect to eachother, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend the parts of the cable leading from the needle carriage, a set of movable pulleys, support means for the movable pulleys to cause the latter when moved to travel in a straight line extending between the stationary pulleys, the cable having parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, an operating member having a complete movement for each beat of the loom, connections between the member and the set of movable pulleys to give the latter a complete reciprocating move ment in unison relatively to the stationary pulleys once for each beat of the loom, thereby causing the needle to move into and out of the warp shed on each beat of the loom, and means connected to the member to give the selvage shuttle an operating movement when the movable pulleys have been moved by the member to that end of their motion which moves the needle into the shed.

12. In a weft needl mechanism for an Axminster loom having on one side thereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weft laying needle connected to the carriage make a complete reciprocation for each of a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, a selvage shuttle on the other side of the m to cooperate with the weft of the needle when the latter is completely in the warp shed, a stranded wire cable having an intermediate part thereof connected to the needle carriage and having the ends thereof substantially fixed with respect to each other, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend the parts of the cable leading from the needle carriage, a set of movable pulleys, support means for the movable pulleys to cause the latter when moved to travel in a straight line extending between the stationary pulleys, the cable having parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, a shaft extending across the loom, shuttle driving means operated by the shaft to give the selvage shuttle an operating motion for each beat of the loom, and pulley driving means operated by the shaft to give the movable pulleys a complete reciprocating movement in unison once for each beat of the loom to cause the needle to move into and out of the warp sheds once for each beat of the loom, the shuttle driving means operated by the shaft causing said selvage shuttle to have an operating movement with respect to the weft of the needle when said shaft has operated the pulley driving means substantially to complete movement of the movable pulleys on that part of their reciprocating movement which inserts the needle into the Warp shed.

13. In a weft needle mechanism for an AX- minster loom having on one side thereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weft laying needle connected to the carriage mak a complete reciprocation for each of a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, a selvage shuttle on th other side of the loom to cooperate with the weft of the needle when the latter is completely in the warp shed, a stranded wire cable having an intermediate part thereof connected to the needle carriage and having the ends thereof substantially fixed with respect to each other, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend theparts of the cable leading from the needle carriage, a set of movable pulleys, support means for the movable pulleys to cause the latter when moved to travel in a straight line extending between the stationary pulleys, the cable having parts thereof extendingfrom the stationary pulleys to and around the'movable pulleys, an operating shaft extending across the loom, connections between the shaft and the selvage shuttle to cause the latter to have an operating motion each beat of the loom when the weft needle is fully inserted into the warp shed, and other connections between the shaft and the movable pulleys to give the latter a complete reciprocating movement in unison for each beat of the loom to cause the needle to move into and out of the warp sheds on each beat of the loom, said other connections acting to move the movable pulleys to an xtrem position at substantially the same time that the first named connections give the selvage shuttle an operating movement, said extreme movement of the movable pulleys being that corresponding to the position of the needle when the latter is fully inserted into the warp shed. I

14. In a weft needle mechanism for an Axmm'nster loom' having on one side thereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weft laying needle connected to the carriage make a complete reciprocation for each of a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, a selvage shuttle on the other side of the loom to cooperatewith the Weft of the needle when the latter is completely inthe warp shed, a stranded wire cable having an intermediate part thereof connected to the needle carriage and having the ends thereof substantially fixed with respect to each other, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend the parts of the cable leading from the needle carriage, a set of movable pulleys, the cable having parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, a single actuator for the selvage shuttle and the movable pulleys, means connecting said actuator to the selvage shuttle to give V the latter an operating movement each beat of the loom, and other means connecting said actuator to th movable pulleys to give the latter a movement to cause motion of the weft needle into the warp shed which is completed at substantially the same time that the first named means gives said selvage shuttle an operating movement.

15. In a weft needle mechanism for an AX- minster loom having on one side thereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weft laying needle connected to the carriage make a complete reciprocation for each of a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, a selvage shuttle on the other side of the loom to cooperate with the weft of the needle when the cable having parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, means to hold in fixed position that end of the cable which follows the needle carriage when the latter is moving to insert the needle into the warp shed, a common actuator for the selvage shuttle and the movable pulleys, mechanism operated by said actuator to give the selvage shuttle an operating movement when the weft needle is completely inserted into the warp shed and positioned for cooperation with the selvage shuttle by said fixed end of the cable, and other means connecting the actuator to the movable pulleys to cause th latter to have acomplete reciprocation in unison for each beat of the loom to cause the needle to move into and out of a warp shed on each beat of the loom, the first named means operative to give the selvage shuttle its operating movement when the second named means has substantially completed that movement of the movable pulleys corresponding to the insertion of the needle in the warp shed. V

OSCAR V. PAYNE.

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