US2497865A - Latch mechanism for textile spindles - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 1950 J, COCHRAN 2,497,865

LATCH MECHANISM FOR TEXTILE SPINDLES Filed Jan. 13. 1948 2 Shets Sheet 1 JOHN /1. CO CHR/W INVENTOR.

v BY pa yv/ ul ITTORNE Y6 Feb. 21, 1950 J. K. cocHRAN ,497,865

LATCH MECHANISM FOR TEXTILE SPINDLES Filed Jan. 13, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOH/V /r. COCH/PA/V INVENTOR.

P w y ATTORNEYJ Patented Feb. 21, 1950 2,497,865 mron MECHANISM ron. 'rsxmn srmnms John Kermit Cochran, Co

by mesne asslgnmen Products Company, tion of Ohio nyngham, Pm, assignor, ts, to The Marquette Metal Cleveland, Ohio, a corpora- Application January 13, 1948, Serial No. 1,974 10 Claims. (CI. 57-89) This invention relates to a mounting and latch mechanism for a rotatable spindle for spinning or twisting textile yarns.

In the type machine to which this invention relates, a bobbin or wound package of textile yarns is carried b a rotatable spindle which, in

urn, is

package of yarn .remains comparatively stationary. Such mechanism is used with the so-called double twist spindles, for instance.

There may be various types of mountings for the spindle, and various arrangements for preventing the yarn package from rotating when the spindle is rotating. In one such arrangement, for instance, the spindle may be mounted vertically and magnets are utilized to prevent the package from rotating. In another arrangement the spindle may be' mounted at an angle and a weight, such as a lead weight, for instance, inserted on one side of the package carrier so that the package carrier is prevented from rotating by the force of gravity.

In the prior art methods utilizing the rotating spindle and a still package, there has been the problem of preventing injury either to the mechanism or to personnel operating the mechanism when, through accident, the yarn package carrier seizes on the spindle and thus rotates therewith and accelerates to a' dangerously high speed. When such accident occurs, and the package and its carrier does begin to rotate at a high speed, some part of the machine is broken due to the unbalance, .and parts of the yarn package or spindle mechanism are thrown out by centrifugal force. Thus, not only is there injury to the mechanism itself, but there may be injury to anything or anyone in the trajectory of the broken piece which has been thrown out by the unbalanced rotating package and.

spindle.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an arrangement for spinning or twist-' ing textile yarns hich have improved safety characteristics.

It is another object of this invention to'provide a latch mechanism for a spindle which will be an improvement over prior art methods.

It is another object of this invention to provide a latch mechanism for a spindle which will be safer in operation having automatic safety arrangements to prevent the yarn package carrier from rotating at a dangerous speed.

It is a further object of this invention to prm vide a latch mechanism for a spindle which will automatically hold the spindle away from the driving belt whenever the yarn package carrier rotates at such a speed that its oscillation will pull it away from the belt.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a study of the following description, claims and drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a spindle mounting and latch mechanism in partial cross section with the driving belt engaging the spindle;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the latch mechanism spindle mount g with the spindle disengaged or spaced from. the driving belt:

' Figure 3 is a cross sectional view through t-I body portion I 3 of the bracket ll.

. seen by referring to Figure 3,

II seated on a ,the plate II on to the body of Figure 1; I

- Figure 4 is'a side elevational view of the spindle assembly including a modified latch; and

Figure 5 shows a portion of the spindle mounting illustrating another modification of the latch. 1

Referring now in more detail to Figure 1, it will be seen that a bracket- II is attached by any suitable means, such as riveting, to a frame I! which may be the standard frame used in spinning or twisting textile yarns; the bracket H has a lateral body portion I! which serves as the base for the mounting of the spindle I having a whorl Ii.

The bolster ll, having the spindle bearing in the upper portion thereof in the usual way, is mounted to a Plate member I1 which is slidably mounted for longitudinal movement on the As may be supporting the bolster has the sides thereof extending downwardly at It and then inwardly at I! to wrap around the edges of thebody portion ,ll of the bracket. This arrangement" locks ll of the bracket but permits longitudinal sliding.

The bolster n is mounted to the plate 11 in the usual wayby means of washers or shoulders resilient cushion 22. The bolster extends through a hole in the plate and is retained in place -by a coil spring 23 having one end thereof pressing against the plate I! and the other end thereof supported in any suitable way such as an'adiustible nut 24. To accommodate the nut 21 the lower end of the bolster is threaded.

This arrengement for mounting the bolster ll the-package carrier and v the plate member on the plate provides a resilient mounting for the bolster and spindle, the amount of resiliency being readily controlled by adjustment of the nut 24 to increase or decrease, as desired, the tension or the spring 23.

Since the bolster extends below the body portion |3 of the bracket, and since the plate I! is slidably mounted for longitudinal movement, there is an elongated opening throughout that portion of the body l3 through which the bolster travels as the plate slides longitudinally thereon. This opening is illustrated at 25 and, as may be seen in Figure 1, the bolster is near one end thereof when the spindle is in drivingv position and is near the other end thereof, as illustrated in Figure 2, when the spindle is disengaged or spaced from the driving belt.

The plate I! on the body l3 of the bracket is pulled towards the belt by means of a coil spring 26. It is obvious that other means may be used for this purpose but the coil spring is suggested as having operated completely satisfactorily. One end of the spring 23 is attached to a hole in a flange 21 on the body portion |3 of the bracket-while the other end of the spring may be attached in any convenient manner to the plate H, as, for instance, a hook 23 which may be welded to the plate.

Longitudinal movement of the plate and the bolster and spindle on the bracket is limited by the length of the opening 25 provided in the body portion I: of the bracket. Thus, in driving position the whorl is held in contact with the belt while in the disengaged position, the whorl is held away from the belt. The spring 26 acts to maintain the spindle in driving position, the tension of the spring causing the plate to be pulled inwardly so that the whorl l engages the driving belt 28.

A latch 3| is pivotally mounted on the other end of the plate IT. This latch 3| may be an elongated strip of metal having a downwardly extending portion 32 which may be bent slightly inwardly providing a latching finger. In the preferred form, the end 33 of the latch 3| is bent upwardly to provide a U-shaped portion so that the upwardly extending part may serve as a handle for operation of the latch mechanism. As may be seen by referring carefully to Figures 1 and 2, the latch 3| is mounted in such a position that the U-shaped portion of finger 32 slides longitudinally along the end of the body l3 of the bracket. When the plate I! is at the inner end of its longitudinal travel, that is, when the driving belt 29 engages the whorl IS, the latching finger 32 rests on the body l3 of the bracket near one end of the opening 25 therein. When the spindle and bolster approach the other end of the opening 25, due to the longitudinal movement of the plate ll, the latching finger drops over the end 34 of the body l3 as illustrated in Figure 2. When this occurs, the plate and thus the bolster and spindle are latched in this position, and the spindle whorl I5 is disengaged from the driving belt 29.

It will be obvious that the amount of longitudinal travel of the plate 11 and bolster and spindle mounted thereon is not critical. It is only necessary that the whorl I! be spaced from the driving belt 29. However, it will be noted that the length of the lateral extension or end 34 of the body l3 over which the latching finger 32 slides is dependent on the amount of longitudinal travel of the plate Thus the bolster It must not abut against the outer end of the open- 4 ing 2! before the latching finger 32 slides down over the end 34 o! the body I3.

With this arrangement the spindle is mounted completely resiliently both by means of the bolster spring 23 and additionally by means of the plate spring 23. The handle portion 33 of the latch 3| serves as a convenient hand control for allowing the spindle to be engaged by the driving belt or for disengaging the spindle from the driving belt as desired.

As pointed out previously, it a yarn package carrier rotates at an accelerating rate which would develop a dangerous speed unless checked, the entire mechanism, being unbalanced, will result in breakage or other injury. with the type mechanism described and illustrated, an unbalanced rotating package carrier and spindle will begin to oscillate or gyrate. When this occurs, the entire mechanism will tend to move When this occurs, the plate or a unit described as herein will move sufllciently to allow the latch 3| to drop down over the edge 34 of the body l3. In this position, the spindle is disengaged from the driving belt and latched in the disengaged position.

If the longitudinal movement of the plate l1 and lateral extension of the end 34 of the body I3 is sufficiently short, the gyrating' or oscillating spindle will be disengaged from the driving belt fairly quickly. The disengagement will take place before a high rotating speed has been reached. The driving force is removed automatically before there is any danger of injury due to the unbalanced rotation of the spindle and yarn package carrier.-

The particular adjustments for enabling the latch to operate and thus retain the'spindle in a non-rotatable position will vary with diflerent conditions in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art. For instance, there are variable factors such as tensions of the springs 23 and 26, the speed of operation or rotation of the spindle 'and the weight or amount of unbalance of the package carrier. The latch 3| may be readily adjusted to take into account these variable factors. The amount of longitudinal movement of the spindle with its mounting plate in order to be safely removed from the driving belt 29 may vary according to use. Therefore, it will be readily recognized by those skilled in the art that dimensions are not critical.

In Figure 4 there is illustrated a spindle in a vertical position and there is included the unbalanced package carrier 4| together with a yarn package 42. The package carrier 4| may be unbalanced by a weight 43, for instance, in a small radial section thereof. This weight 43 may be a lead weight which is particularly useful if the spindle is mounted at an angle as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. If a magnetic means is being used to retainthe package carrier stationary, then theweight may be a part of the magnetic apparatus. Amagnetic pole 44 is shown in Figure 4 to illustrate this principle which is well under stood by those skilled in the art.

Also in Figure 4, a modified form of latch is illustrated. In this particular form, the latch 3| is mounted on the stationary plate or support II and is adapted to latch over a complementary point on the movable plate l1. Thus, it will be noted that the latch may be mounted on either the movable or the stationary plate.

In Figure 5, a further modification of the latch mechanism is illustrated. According to this form one of the plates Il" may have a ratchet tooth surface illustrated at 46. The latch 3| is mounted on the other of the plates H and is adapted to engage the ratchet surface 46. This particular form has the advantage that the oscillation of the spindle will continue so long as there is contact with the driving belt 29 and until a sufficient number of ratchet teeth have been engaged to retain the spindle away from the driving belt and thus in non-rotating position. In this way the mechanism is automatically selfcompensating for the variable factors such as spring tensions.

A vertical mounting for the spindle such as illustrated in Figure 4 may be desired in some cases. In other cases an angular mounting such as is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 may be preierred. The angular mounting may be adapted to any desired angle and has the advantage that the weight of the unbalanced package carrier retains the package carrier in non-rotating position due to the force of gravity.

While the movement of the plate H has been referred to as a longitudinal movement it will be apparent that variations in structural detail will permit variation in the movement of the plate to accomplish the desired result.

While particular details of the latch mechanism have been described and illustrated, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. I

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for spinning and twisting textile yarns comprising a rotatable spindle, an unbalanced package carrier mounted thereon, said package carrier adapted to be stationary while said spindle rotates, a mounting for said spindle comprising a base member resiliently mounted for slidable movement on a support, said spindle being resiliently mounted on said base member and a latch mechanism to retain said spindle in nonrotating position.

2. The combination according to claim 1 in which the spindle is mounted at an angle 'with respect to the horizontal.

3. Apparatus for spinning and twisting textile yarns comprising a rotatable spindle, an unbalanced package carrier mounted thereon, said package carrier being adapted to be stationary while said spindle rotates, a mounting for said rotatable spindle comprising a base member resiliently mounted for movement on a support, said spindle being resiliently mounted on said base member and a latch mechanism operable to retain said spindle in non-rotating position.

4. Apparatus for spinning and twisting textile yarns comprising a rotatable spindle, an unbalanced package carrier mounted thereon, said package carrier adapted to be relatively stationary while said spindle rotates, a mounting for said spindle comprising a latch mechanism mounted for longitudinal movement on a support, said spindle being resiliently mounted and movable with said latch mechanism, said latch mechanism being operable to retain said spindle in non-rotating position.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 in which said spindle is mounted at an angle with respect to the horizontal.

6. Apparatus for spinning and twisting textile yarns comprising a rotatable spindle, an unbalanced package carrier mounted thereon, said package carrier being adapted to be relatively stationary while said spindle rotates, a mounting for said spindle comprising a support, a plate resiliently mounted on said support and slidably movable with respect thereto, said spindle being resiliently mounted on said plate and a latch mounted on said plate and adapted to catch over a portion of said bracket thereby to retain said spindle in non-rotating position.

7. Apparatus for spinning and twisting textile yarns comprising a rotatable spindle, an unbalanced package carrier mounted thereon, said package carrier being adapted to be relatively stationary while said spindle rotates, a mounting for said spindle comprising a stationary supporting plate and a movable plate resiliently mounted thereon, said spindle being resiliently mounted on said movable plate, and a latch mounted on one of said plates and adapted to catch over a portion of the other of said plates,

: thereby to retain said spindle in non-rotating position.

8. Apparatus for spinning and twisting textile yarns comprising a rotatable spindle, an unbalanced package carrier mounted thereon, said package carrier being adapted to be relatively stationary while said spindle rotates, a mounting for said spindle comprising a stationary supporting plate and a movable plate resiliently mounted thereon, said spindle Ibeing resiliently mounted on said movable plate, one of said plates having a ratchet surface and a latch mounted on the other of said plates adapted to engage said ratchet surface, thereby to retain said spindle in non-rotating position.

9. Apparatus for spinning and twisting textile yarns comprising a rotatable spindle, an unbalanced package carrier supported by the spindle but free therefrom to the extent that the carrier normally will not rotate, a mounting for the spindle guided for rectilinear movement along a main support, the mounting normally occupying a position on the main support such as to maintain the spindle in a normal operating position, and a latch device arranged to connect the mounting to the main support consequent upon movement of the mounting and spindle out of their normally occupied position under centrifugal influence of the unbalanced package.

10. The combination according to claim 9 in which the main support is arranged to guide the mounting for rectilinear movement of the spindle in a direction inclined relative to the horizontal.

JOHN KERMIT COCHRAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,110,320 Bochmann Mar. 8, 1938 2,374,085 Gwaltney et a1. Apr. 17, 1945

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